![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)
Biernacki Swan Song: Saying Goodbye to A Place That Has Damaged Me
After four years, or two and a half years, I leave Rock Ridge with conflicted feelings.
May 17, 2023
High school will be fun, they say. High school will be the best four years of your life, they also say. This generic statement was said ad nauseam by my middle school teachers, my parents, my relatives, and my therapist during the summer before my freshman year. As I leave high school, I think it is necessary for me to modify this statement using my experiences at Rock Ridge.
The truth is that I have made friends that will last a lifetime. Friends who have supported me, made me laugh (hopefully my corny jokes made you guys laugh as well), and made me proud of their growth and accomplishments. I’ve had teachers who made me think in a new way, expanded my mind in a manner that will pay dividends for the rest of my life.
The truth about my experience in high school is double-sided, however. It is also true that I got into the habit of compulsively comparing myself to others. Others have tried to knock me down and I know others who have received the same cruel treatment. I’m not sure I’m proud of the person I have become. While excelling academically, I have turned into an unrecognizable husk of the person I used to be. I used to pride myself on my kindness, but sometimes I don’t recognize who I am anymore. I have put down and diminished people I care about, said some truly nasty things, all in a bid to salvage my crumbling self esteem. I have never felt adequate at this school; many of my peers here don’t seem to fully value a person unless they achieve superficial notions of success and prestige.
That’s not to say that every student at Rock Ridge is this way, quite the opposite in fact. For every person who tries to put you down, there are two people at this school who will try to uplift you. I used to blame Rock Ridge’s hyper-competitive environment for my failings as a person, but without this school I would’ve never realized that I am a person who values kindness.
The truth is complicated. I’ve had countless long nights and cry sessions, but I have also grown as a person, become the person I want to be, become a person who cares about others. The key is to find people who share your values and to fearlessly stand up for others. Therefore, here are my modified statements about high school: High school won’t define you. High school may not be as fun as advertised. And lastly, value people for their kindness towards others and not for their academic achievements at this early stage in their lives.
![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-1-547x600.png)
