The Pikes Peak Bulletin is proud to partner with the Manitou Springs High School newspaper, The Prospector, to bring you a selection of articles by student journalists. Read more at MSHSProspector.org.
The role of art in our community: It tells a story
Independent study students at Manitou Springs High School create lasting memories with their creative artistic endeavors. The program for independent study is an opportunity for students who are passionate about a specific medium of artistic expression to pursue it in a guided approach. Students must be in 11th grade or above to apply, with high school credits that set the student on track for graduation. The process of selection is geared towards students who display discipline and enthusiasm for their art at a postsecondary level.
One of the two independent study advisors is Paul Bonner. In Bonner’s independent study class, he strives to create an environment for his students to push their artistic boundaries. “I try to challenge them to explore new mediums, new styles, to not be afraid to make mistakes and not get so caught up in the finished product,” Bonner said.
Advisors work together with their students to create a curriculum that meets the focus of medium while expanding the students’ skillset. “We look for someone who’s self-motivated and wants to explore a particular art medium further than what they got in the regular classroom,” Bonner said.
Bonner’s independent student Tori Greene (grade 12) is focused on photography and videography as her medium of expression. “My focus is to explore that hobby more, and my goal this year is to capture the human emotion aspect of things, especially within the senior class in our last year,” Greene said.
Greene is working on capturing candid and raw photos that convey a story through the display of emotion. “I want to do either a video or a portfolio of photos from this year, something that seniors can look back on by the end of the year and remember at that moment how happy, excited or sad they were,” Greene said.
Greene has been interested in photography for a long time. “When I was really young my grandparents’ neighbor introduced me to a camera, and I never went back.”
Art students who are not taking the independent study avenue also share in an unfleeting passion for the art of photography. “I just think that what makes a good photograph is trying to convey meaning with what you’re taking a picture of, and not just taking a random snapshot of something,” photography student Kyle Blasi (11) said.
Blasi has had an interest in photography and filmmaking for a long time and wants to pursue it as a career. “I’ve been making YouTube videos since I was a little kid, and I work at Green Box Arts up in Green Mountain Falls. I just like being part of a team and getting to produce things and be creative with other people. I think that’s really special,” Blasi said.
Blasi takes advantage of the time in his photography class to practice and expand his skills, trying to convey the natural feelings of moments. “I’m looking forward to doing candids in class because I think that candid photography is a cool way to capture genuine moments without things being staged, I think it kind of represents a scene and authenticity without people posing,” he said.
The second independent study advisor at MSHS is Erin Gocinski. Gocinski has a total of three independent studies this year. She tries to have a space for exploration with her students, allowing them to take control of their curriculum and build upon themselves. “I also emphasize the need for practice in order to improve,” Gocinski said. “I encourage them to be patient and kind to themselves as they continue on their path and grow to become a better artist.”
One of Gocinski’s students, Quinn Pickett (12), is using his independent study class to grow his art portfolio as well as expand on the style of his paintings. “I’m trying to round out a style for myself right now with my portraiture and developing of pieces, while trying to develop settings specifically for illustrated story pieces,” Pickett said.
He has recently been taking inspiration from different sources to give a different feel to his paintings. “I’ve been trying to take inspiration from my own photography. Right now, I’m doing a series of portraits based on photos I’ve taken of people,” Pickett said.
“I’m also taking a lot of medieval Romanticism elements and trying to put them into my art.”
As students grow in their artwork, advisors hope that they are finding satisfaction in their creativity. “There is a sense of freedom when I am being creative, I love the experience of becoming absorbed in my art, and forgetting about the world for a few hours,” Gocinski said.
Period products now free in restrooms
Manitou Springs High School installed free period product dispensers for students in the bathrooms at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.
On June 5, Colorado passed the law HB24-1164. This law requires all schools in Colorado to provide free menstrual products to the students.
In 2021, Lana Kahtava (grade 12) and her friends tried to start putting free period products in the bathrooms because they realized that it was an issue that needed to be addressed. They worked with Principal Conrad to implement this in the school bathrooms. “So, some of it was going from our own pockets, and we just really wanted to help people around the school, because we all had different issues; and I feel like a lot of different women could relate to our issues,” Kahtava said.
This new addition to the school makes menstrual products more accessible to the students as well as making it more comfortable. “I think that it’s a great way to make people feel more comfortable and make people feel supported,” Conrad said.
Having the free period products in restrooms makes it easier for students, so they don’t have to ask around for some and avoid the embarrassment. “It helps people feel more comfortable, especially regarding those kinds of situations where, maybe you’ll need one, or maybe someone you know needs one,” Brooke Ferguson (11) said. “It makes it a lot easier for students to get help without necessarily having to confront the embarrassment or awkwardness that comes with a lot of those situations.”
Conrad believes free menstrual products are important to have in schools because periods are a part of life, and it is important that people address it. “I mean, health is part of life, and it’s a good thing to have what we need to be able to address it,” Conrad said.
Twenty-one MSHS seniors eligible to vote in presidential election
As Nov. 5 approaches, some high school seniors are preparing to vote in their first election by mail or at polling locations. For some seniors, it feels more monumental because this is a presidential election year.
In Colorado, voters can register online, by mail, or in person at any office that provides voter registration or application services, a that provide public assistance, military recruitment offices, or the Department of Motor Vehicles when getting or updating a license. Voters may register in person up until Election Day online or by mail until eight days before Election Day.
To be eligible to register to vote you must be a citizen of the United States and have been a resident of Colorado for at least 22 days before Election Day. You can pre-register to vote at the age of 16, but you must be 18-years-old on or before Election Day to vote.
Voting can be done in person or by mail. Early voting centers open fifteen days before Election Day. To vote in person, you must have a valid form of identification that shows that your address is a Colorado address. If you are voting by mail and you have voted by mail before, you don’t need to show your identification. If it is your first time voting, then you may need to send in a photocopy of a valid form of identification. There will be a red stamp on your ballot if this is the case.
The closest dropbox locations for Manitou Springs residents are at the Manitou Springs City Hall, the drop box in Bear Creek, and various locations in the Springs. People looking to vote in person can go to the Centennial Hall/Downtown, Powers/Southeast Branch of the Motor Vehicle Department, or the Citizens Service Center Main Office. Additional places to vote can be found at justvotecolorado.org/locations.
Students who live in Teller County can drop their ballots at the Woodland Park Motor Vehicle Branch office or the Divide Market Place. In-person voting for Teller County residents can be done at the Woodland Park Library.
Students born on or before Nov. 5, 2006, are able to vote in this election as long as they’re registered, meaning that many high school seniors have the opportunity to vote in their first election this year. Manitou Springs High School has 21 seniors eligible to vote.
Spencer Aldridge, a senior at MSHS, is voting in his first election this year. “It definitely brings a responsibility,” Aldridge said, “You’re an adult now, you have responsibilities in this country and in life, and that’s a new feeling; but it’s kind of cool.”
Other seniors are feeling the same way. Annika Kuzbek, another senior at MSHS, says that it all feels surreal. “I have a sister, she’s like three-and-a-half years older than me, and we’re both voting in our first election at the same time,” Kuzbek said. “It feels kind of weird.”
High school seniors are making their election decisions by talking to the other people in their lives that are already voting and also doing their own research.
“I’ve been reading everything I can about the candidates to see which one is the best choice,” Lily Kocks, another senior, said. “I know it’s important that I get as much research done as I can.”
Parents and the older people in their lives are other ways that high schoolers are making sure that they’re as informed as they can be.
“I’ve talked to my dad, because he knows a lot about it and he does a lot of research,” Kuzbek said. “I’ll probably have to do a lot of research about the policies and what they mean as well.”
Aldridge is also doing his own research while talking to other people in his life. “I’m trying to think about it logically and stay in touch with the news while listening to what other people have to say,” Aldridge said.
Aldridge has decided to vote in-person for his first election. “I’d like to go in person just to see what it’s like,” Aldridge said. “It also just seems a little less complicated to go in instead of mailing it.”
Seniors who didn’t quite make the cutoff for voting in this year’s presidential election feel like the date for the cutoff doesn’t quite make sense and are working on ways that they can still get their voices heard.
“I’m particularly upset about not being able to vote,” said Landon Foster, a senior born on Nov. 6, 2006. “By the time I turn 18, not all the votes will have been counted, so why does it matter if there’s one more vote?”
Trafford Havens, another senior born on Nov. 6, 2006, thinks that a slightly later date for cutoff would make more sense. “I think you should be able to vote if you’re 18 before the time that they take office in January,” Havens said.
While he may not be able to vote in this election, Havens believes that he still has ways to make a difference, even though it may not be as big. “I can still talk to people,” Havens said. “I can discuss topics about the election and get my opinion out there.”
Foster believes that being able to vote would be the only way to have his voice be heard. “I feel like the presidential election is the number one way to be like ‘this is how I feel about our national government, and this is how I want it to be,'” Foster said.
While he still has other opportunities to voice his opinions, Foster feels like nothing else is as efficient. “I could sign a petition, but what are the chances that they’re actually going to listen to me?” he said.
As disappointing as it may be for seniors who have barely missed this year’s cutoff for the presidential election, it is important to remember that all state and local elections are ways to exercise your right to vote. Midterm elections and referendums on local laws can be great ways to be involved and for you to see the immediate effects of voting.
MSHS seniors understand the importance of voting and encourage other people to vote, along with not being too swayed by what other people may think when making decisions. “Colorado is a swing state, so your vote definitely is going to matter,” Kuzbek said. “You should do your research, and you shouldn’t just copy what your parents or your friends are doing.”
