The Lady Dawgs: Unleashed

The loud ringing of the buzzer sounds, signals the start of the basketball season. The squeaking of new basketball shoes slipping and sliding down the floor signaling the girls are ready. The ball goes up and both teams begin the fight for position. The fast paced game moves quickly to offence then to defense. Adrenaline rushing through the players as their heart rate pounds through the roof, with the bear of the crowds cheer.

The Girls Varsity team is having a strong season, with head coach, Ms. Mescher. With lots of talent, the team is having a good season so far. Staying constant is very important in basketball. With a good record they play against Fort Lupton on Thursday January 28th then on to Skyview on February 18th at Skyview. To prepare for these tough games, the girls are having tough practices and long scrimmages.

Brittany Kimmel (’11) a guard on the Junior Varsity team said, “The team is looking good and it is looking like a great season. If we continue to play hard and work hard, we will do well.”
The Lady Dawgs play Hinkley at home. With the home crowd on our side, the Dawgs are looking for a strong outing. With lots of strong leadership from the starters, a good year looks promising, with a record of three and three over the past six games. The wins were against Prairie View, Northglenn, and Pomona.

Jill Feola (’10), a starter on the varsity team, said, “Basketball is a good release for me. I can forget about everything and just play my game.”

The girl’s varsity is looking to make a splash in the 4A conference. With tough games coming up the lady dogs are going to have to dig deep to get a victory.

Story by: Alec Smith

Dizzy Feet Straighting Up the Arts

The Dizzy Feet Foundation, founded by Nigel Lithgoe, Adam Shankman, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Katie Holmes, have a mission to be able to increase the access of dance education in the United States. The most recognized choreographers in the dance industry are involved in this foundation, including; Debbie Allen, Mia Michaels, Tyce Diorio, Shane Sparks, and “Lil C”, to just name a few.

“I think it’s important for children to experience music and dance,” said Holmes. “Every child should have the opportunity to discover what it is they like and have access to the very best in that pursuit.”

This mission is a threefold: (1) to provide scholarships to talented students studying at accredited dance schools, studios, or institutions; (2) to establish national standards for dance education and an accreditation program for dance schools in all of the major styles of dance; and (3) to develop, provide, and/or support dance education programs for disadvantaged children through and with local community organizations.

“Directing and producing is what I do, but dancing is what I am. That’s why the foundation is so important to me,” noted founding member Adam Shankman. “Dizzy Feet will empower disadvantaged and at-risk students by giving them access to the highest quality arts education.”

DFF is offering scholarships to underprivileged children. Ten thousand dollars will be granted annually by the scholarship program. With the economy crisis the arts are being the first to get cut. This program is providing a chance for children to live their dream and feel confident in their instruction. Dance is a positive outlet! Funds will also be distributed to dance organizations and programs for low-income areas. The Scholarship Program guidelines and application process will be posted on the DFF website in the near future!

“If we’re not going to have dance in our schools, we need to create additional opportunities to bring dance to our youth,” said founding member Carrie Ann Inaba. “And I think the Dizzy Feet Foundation will be doing exactly that.”

“Making ‘Idol Gives Back’ was a rewarding undertaking that changed my life forever,” explained Lythgoe. “It taught me to ‘give back.’ I have been a dancer, and involved in the dance world, for nearly 50 years – it’s my passion. I feel very grateful to be in a position where I can now give back to the dance community. Thanks to the huge support, enthusiasm and energy of Adam, Carrie Ann and Katie, as well as the rest of the board, it has finally become a reality.”

Story by: Amanda Saniz

A Lot More Bark Left After a Rough Start for Bulldog Basketball

The Bulldogs are running down the court, the squeak from the shoes is all that can be heard as fans lean in their seats, attentively watching the ball as the clock counts down. The bulldogs rush down the court and pull up for a shot with just seconds remaining.


This is the nail biting nature of the Bulldog basketball team, one that has been seeing some struggles as of late. Though 3-1 at home, the Bulldogs remain winless on the road, leaving their record to 3-4.


However, the Bulldogs remain optimistic on their ability to bounce back from the slow start.


"The way to turn this season around is to continue to focus on the fundamentals of the game," said Bulldogs Head Coach, Ernest Jones. "That includes our strive for excellence in knowing our defensive responsibilities, and (we) must stay positive. It takes time to get comfortable in learning new offensive and defensive schemes."

Their wins include impressive wins against Horizon and Northglenn, showing the Bulldog’s impressive composure at home. However, among their losses, Prairie View and Mountain Range are notable


The upcoming game is a home rematch against the Prairie View Thunderhawks, at 7pm on February 2nd.


"We will do well against Prairie View. We learned a lot from our mistakes after the first game; we are also improving upon the aspects of our game that need improvement,” said Coach Jones. “We are going to make them play our style of basketball, and (we) will adjust by making decisions under pressure. We also have a few schemes we haven't shown that I believe will have a major impact on the game."


The team is also playing a game against Adams City at the PEPSI Center right before a Nuggets game. The game will be played at 3pm on February 3rd.

Come see the Bulldogs play on February 2nd, and February 12th, at your Brighton High School.



Story By: Chris Mang

New Years Resolutions

New Years Resolutions are often made but rarely kept. Most people keep there New Years Resolutions for the first two weeks and then they forget it.

“I think Resolutions are good for us. It’s like a goal in life and once accomplished it feels like you can succeed,” said Angela Brehmer (’11).

New Years Resolutions are also known as a year goal. It’s a pride thing and makes people feel like they can achieve.

“My New Years Resolution is to have ‘A’s and ‘B’s this year. I’m going to try not to mess around as much to reach my goal,” said Deanna Garcia (’13)
Resolutions may also come to people as a commitment. Some people like commitment and some don’t, all they know is that they can’t last a year with one goal because everyone changes in interest and in goals.

“I don’t like them [New Years Resolutions] because most of the time we forget them by the first two months,” said Rebecca Conn (’11).

Many kids at Brighton High School make Resolutions, check out what some of your peers said:

“My new Years Resolution is to get my splits,” said Virgina Stoddard (’11).

“My new years resolution is to drink more water and run more,” said Angela Brehmer (’11).

“My new years resolution is to keep better track of our finances at home,” said Christine
Bradford.

“I want to spend less money on shoes, so I can buy a house in the Mountains. “ said Mrs. Kay.

Story By: Josh Rinner

Brightonian Redesign Contest

The students at Brighton High School are so diverse and so unique. Each student has their own personality, their own style, and their own talent. The students here at BHS are more than just red, white, and black, we are young, striving, spontaneous students and it is time to start showing that. This year the Brightonian staff has decided to redesign the flag for the newspaper. We want to continue having more creativity and more student expression reflected in the newspaper. The newspaper staff is holding a contest open to all students to redesign the flag. The new design for the flag must be student created artwork and it must say “The Brightonian”. The top three designs will be determined by the newspaper staff and will appear in the March edition of the newspaper for a student wide vote. The new design of the Brightonian flag will be revealed in the May 2010 edition of the paper. You may submit you artwork to Mrs. Gustad in room C133. We will be taking entries now until February 19, 2010.

Starting New Traditions

For Jeff and Cassie Weber, the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, prove to be a time of heartache because of the death of their twelve year old daughter, Sidney, in May of 2008. As time goes by, they find ways to cope, but they still have their trials, due to the pain felt from their loss. The holiday season may eventually become a time of joy for them, but one thing is for sure, they are all still reeling from the pain of Sidney’s death. Things will never be the same for the Webers.

“After Sidney’s death we didn’t look forward to the holidays at all,” said Cassie Weber, Sidney’s mom. Sidney loved both Thanksgiving and Christmas, as do most people, so these two holidays seem impossible to get through.
Around these holidays, many families have traditions. Some of the Weber’s family traditions include visiting Sidney’s gravesite, decorating the Christmas tree with her ornaments, and making sugar cookies with their cousins.

“We still get together every year and all the cousins make a cookie for Sidney to remember her,” said Cassie. The Weber family still hangs up Sidney’s stocking with the others, which helps them remember that she is still a part of the family, and that she always will be.

Balancing between grief and celebration is something Jeff and Cassie struggle with but they learn from their children, Max and Allison, how to get through the rough days.

“They have been a great example to us on how to accept things, even bad things, and then move forward,” said Cassie. This year for Christmas, the Webers are going to the mountains to cut down a tree. They did it a few times with Sidney when she was younger and they wanted to share that experience with their other two children. Even through their hard days, they try to celebrate Sidney.

“We try to celebrate Sidney by just remembering her, talking about her, and living our lives the best way we can so we make her happy,” said Cassie.

Story By: Naomi Brown

The Man With No Heartbeat

Nikolai Mikhalnichuk, a resident of Russia, is currently living with no heart beat due to how strong his blood vessels are.


This all started one night when Mikhalnichuk had a heart attack, most likely due to the fact that his wife was having secret love affairs, and decided to leave him. After experiencing the heart attack, Mikhalnichuk managed to call an ambulance.


Once at the hospital the doctors informed Mikhalnichuk that he was alive, yet his heart was no longer beating. This is also known as a “sleeping” heart. Mikhalnichuk is one of three known cases throughout the world.


“When doctors told me about my heart, I was shocked. I was afraid to walk and even breathe. I was panicking all the time: I Thought that blood would stop flowing through my body and I would just die. Then I got used to it. Now I can even forget about it at times.” said Nikolai Mikhalnichuk.


The reason this is possible, is that the blood vessels in Mikhalnichuk’s body are strong enough to pump blood through the body all on their own, with no need for the heart to pump it.


Mikhalnichuk claims that he was terrified for any other type of relations because he felt that any emotional stress, whether it was positive or negative, would cause him to die. He also states that after living in fear for quite some time, he decided to just live his life and enjoy every minute of it.
Mikhalnichuk is not allowed to do any extreme sports, and is only allowed moderate sex.



Story by: Randi Bockman