![Standing center stage, senior Ananya Akula conducts the Phoenix Chorale. “[Conducting and teaching] is really fun,” Akula said. “Music education is what I want to do.” On the day of the choir assessment, Akula found out that she received the President’s Music Scholarship – a full ride to the University of Miami Frost School of Music.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ananya-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Fatima Qaderi grew into the person she wanted to become when she was younger and continues to work towards growing more confident in using her voice when it matters. “I didnt get treated the way I wanted to be treated, and I realized that it wasnt just them treating me the wrong way, it was me treating me the wrong way,” Qaderi said. “I forced them to like to look at me in a way where Im someone who needs to be respected; they cant just disregard me, they cant just look over me because I have a different opinion, because Im a woman, because Im Afghan, because Im Muslim, or whatever. It just took going through different experiences to figure out how [I wanted to] be heard.” Photo courtesy of Fatima Qaderi.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_3870.jpeg)
![With the energy and effort the Bolts were bringing to the game, the Phoenix had to step up and match them to make it through their first game of the season. Many of the girls on the team, including freshman Nazly Rostom, have been playing soccer since their childhood and have grown a love for the sport as a result. “It was fun to see how we actually played in a [real] game,” Rostom said. “Even though the outcome was not what we were hoping for, I’m still happy we got to play together.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0154-1200x800.jpg)
![Held up by a group of cheerleaders, flyer sophomore Leyu Yonas poses as part of a stunt, also supported by flyer junior Shayne Mitchell behind her. (Left) Prior to the pink out football game on Oct. 13, the athletes practiced in the aux gym from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Right) On Oct. 19, the cheerleaders competed in their District Championships at Woodgrove High School. “We definitely put all our effort on the mat [at Districts], and it showed,” Mitchell said. Left: Photo by Nadia Shirr. Right: Photo by Steve Prakope via Victor O’Neill Studios.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/feature-image-1200x823.png)
![Sophomore Xavier Smith (6), the Phoenix quarterback, runs the ball as his teammates help hold up the defense. “My [offensive] line collapses, so I just [have to run], and its a good way to get first downs because [Tuscarora’s] defense was really good,” Smith said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_5383-1200x897.jpg)
![As the referee throws the ball up for the tip-off, freshman Simone Diby leaps towards the ball to get it in Phoenix possession. Diby is a new member of the Phoenix girls basketball team, and despite it being a change, she finds it enjoyable. “It’s definitely a different experience if you’ve never played on a team, [but] I think it’s still fun.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_0057-1200x662.jpg)
![Gracing stages, football games, and even the big screen, Taylor Swifts popularity doesn’t seem to be declining anytime soon as she’s been almost everywhere on social media, and just this December, [Swift] won TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year award. This brought along magnificent pictures of Swift, articles praising her, and some controversy between Swifites (Swifts most devoted fans), and other people on whether or not she should have won this award.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/taylor-swift-person-of-the-year-1-1094x1200.png)
The Revolution of Graphic Artists
Scribble into the world of graphic novels and discover the Graphic Novel Club’s impact in Rock Ridge’s diverse study body.
December 17, 2019
The introduction of graphic novels brought a new form of art into the world. The creation of pop art and comic books have evolved and have been drastically changing with heroes and even animals added to their ever-changing pages. While critics may regard comic books as “not real reading,” that doesn’t stop the Graphic Novel Club from beginning a new chapter into their story.
The Graphic Novel Club is based on the art and creation of several ideas of comic books. Noticing the skill of their peers and inspired by it, juniors Rodrigo Villegas and Jake Harris created the club with sponsor Paul Koch. “I just looked around me and saw a lot of good talent and people who could do a lot of good things with that talent,” Villegas said. Members express their talent and skills from just a simple picture carrying a thousand words.
Their intent is to show that no matter what circumstances there are, anyone can produce work, especially graphic novels. As the identity of “Gen Z” takes shape, this club aims to bring out the self-expression and creativity within its members and to provide a space for artists to prove themselves. “[The artwork is] fun; I like the detail [the artists] always put into it without making it realistic,” junior Cynthia Moss said.
The impact of graphic novels on each member can be seen as they connect and allow themselves to feel comfortable reading this genre. “A picture has more words than a bunch of words, and with pictures, you get more connected easily to it than you would reading a book,” junior Alexa Varela-Escobar said.
The message of the club is to show that graphics novels are not a lower form of reading. “If you can get a book in everybody’s hands, that’s fantastic. Even if it’s [a] graphic novel, they’re consuming content, they’re reading, they’re practicing reading that’s comfortable for them, and they like the pictures. What’s wrong with that?” Koch said.
The main goal is to publish work by the end of the year, though that’s not their top priority. “I don’t know what direction we’ll take on the future because it’s more what they [the members] wanna do,” Villegas said. Published or not, their creativity is commendable and inspiring to their peers. They hope to gain a positive impact from the release of their comics by the end of this year.
