State Journalism Competition

Taylor Mitchell, Editor-in-Chief|December 8, 2017

Sophomore Parker Jones eats lunch in between sessions awaiting the award ceremony.

For those who aren’t involved, journalism is a division of courses in the same way that signs are present in a public place; many don’t notice the information until they need it. For students that are in media classes, the constant drive to find more stories and photo opportunities fuels them throughout the day. At J-Day, the state competition for journalism, kids from all over Colorado with this mindset come together to learn about Newspaper, Yearbook, photojournalism, and broadcast journalism from professionals in their respective category before being presented with awards for their mediums.

Colorado State University hosts J-Day annually, and Conifer has been attending steadily since 2011. On one day every October, CSU’s campus is flooded with high school students that are passionate about journalism and reporting.

“I think it’s really good for students to be able to expand on questions in a bigger environment,” sophomore Trinity Foreman, Newspaper and Yearbook staffer, said. “When you’re there you can go talk to someone about something that your advisor might not know or is hard to do research on.”

CHS Student Media won a multitude of awards in every medium, from both this school year and last school year:

Canis Lupus, Award of Commendation, 2016-17
CHStoday.net, Honorable Mention, Best of Show in 3A/4A online news
CHStoday.net, Award of Merit, 2016-2017
The Lobo Legend, Award of Merit, 2016-17
The Lobo Legend, Honorable Mention, Best of Show in 3A/4A print news
Lobotrax, Award of Merit in Video Media

Upon returning to J-Day for the 2017-18 competition, CHS Student Media plans to accomplish even more.

Welcoming The New Varsity Football Coach

JJ Madwell’s following its closure. The closing of JJ Madwell’s marks the end of one of the oldest businesses in the Conifer area. However, it seems as though Tony Buccelli, the former owner of JJ Madwell's, may not be done yet, as some say that he already has plans for the future. “He’s thinking of coming to work at the school… Or he's gonna go into construction with some of his friends,” sophomore and Tony’s daughter Payton Buccelli said.

New Soft-Serve Set to Make “Ripples” in Conifer

Brodie Maschiangelo (center) stands with his friends and volunteers in front of the table amounted with goods to bring to fire fighters.
"I'm proud of all these boys that stay to volunteer and help,” Vanessa Maschiangelo said.

Conifer Community Rallies Together to Support Firefighters Battling Quarry Fire

Freshmen Harper Risch, Keira Weeks, and Doran Reed dress up for pajama day to show school spirit. “I can show school spirit and have an excuse to wear pajamas at the same time," Risch said.

Loud and Proud: Conifer Spirit Week

Cartner prepares to open the evening by directing the first song played at the Night at the Cafe. Plans for the Night at the Cafe to continue under Laura Sarché are in place, allowing for the event to continue after Cartner's departure, with several students already having made preparations. “I want to do more volunteering next year for the Night at the Cafe,” sophomore Maggie Sullivan said. “Serving, prepping food and stuff like that."

Cartner’s Last Night at the Cafe

Showcase

Lily Harwood and Sara Charvat pose for a photo on a ski trip. They are two of the ski club's founders and are passionate about the sport. (Provided by Lily Harwood)
"I hope it just keeps getting bigger and we can just keep doing more extravagant adventures," Charvat said.

Conifer Takes on the Slopes

A judge (Zach Brennan) oversees the court and attempts to keep the practice trial on track while the witness delivers her statement. The tournament trial will be held in front of a real Jefferson County judge and teams will be judged on presentation, knowledge, improvisation, and logic. Though the Conifer team is not alone in training for the event, as the team has several lawyers helping them with court procedures and arguments. “We’ve got another parent who is helping out with logistics and getting everybody organized as well,” Benish said.

The Court Is Now In Session

On October 15, FCA hosted its second meeting. After their mini-lesson and snacks, the leadership team split the club into two groups. They played several activities, such as “Disciple, Disciple, Jesus”, which was their spin-off of “Duck, Duck, Goose”. After, the groups discussed how it related to their faith. “I think it means how when you’re chasing after other things in life such as relationships, or school or whatever you think would make your life perfect, it can make you almost forget about your faith, but to always go back to it,” junior Jack VanAirsdale said.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

What’s That Noise?

Conifer High School sports is about more than just winning and losing. It’s not all about the competition on the field, but also about the unity, pr...

Van Beek in her stance to scare people at Anderson Farms. Van Beek was preparing for a night of scaring her costume and makeup. The scare actors wear full costumes and makeup to make the experience scarier and more believable. “I love [working at Anderson Farms] and everyone is super nice,” Van Beek said. (Provided by Charlie Van Beek)

Shining In The Shadows

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