by Francesca M Benchwarmers are players who show up to practice, dress for games, and sit on the sideline when competition begins. They are on the roster and officially part of the team, but rarely see the court or field. Their families often arrive excited to watch them compete, only to end up watching them watch the game from the bench instead. Starter to bench player ratios look different on every team, but the sideline role is still familiar across most sports programs. T

by Anabella V Meat and pepper chili? Turkey chili? Chili verde? Vegetarian? All of these options were made with determination, spirit, and pure competitiveness at Mountain Range High School’s 17th annual Chili Cook-Off Contest. This year’s competition took place on February 26th, various chili’s made for MRHS staff to taste and pick out their favorites. The Chili Cook-Off Competition is an exciting and popular community event for staff and students that is not only a chance t

By Angelina G. Not Quite Dead Yet is a murder mystery involving a girl who is attacked in an attempt at murder, but she manages to survive in a medical miracle quickly turned into a false blessing when it's revealed she has a week to live due to a brain injury. The author Holly Jackson may be more well known as the author of the acclaimed A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder series, which heightened my expectations.  The book focuses on the town of Woodstock, Vermont, a rural town w

By Mark S. and Wyatt W. The 2026 Olympic games in Milan Cortina just wrapped up and with the United States winning their most gold ever in a Winter Olympics, one event stood out from the rest: the United States have not won a gold medal in men's hockey since the "Miracle On Ice” Olympics in 1980. Now, and of the Russians, the US has a new rival, the Canadians.   The Olympics are starting to get routine for the United States. This one stands out because  the US team was undoub

By Vinny D  As MRHS Spring Sports are underway, there is one team to keep an eye out on. With a new coach, a very fresh and new roster, and very high expectations, Mountain Range’s baseball team has a big season to look forward to.  The 2024-2025 season, the Mustangs finished 4-19 without winning a single league game. (0-12) being led by 9 seniors. This team had pitching struggles with an average ERA ( Earned Runs Allowed) of 9.58. “We just didn’t have a consistent rotation,

by Kamlia A-F High school is the transition period going from a teenager to adulthood, which means it is when students decide whether they want to go to college, the workforce, a gap year or even the military after graduation.  While getting advice from parents or previous generations is important in terms of forming the best plan for a future college student, it's best for this generation to focus on the changes that have occurred. What universities are looking for in applic

By Adali V. and Aubery B. At Mountain Range High School, our teachers are the heart of our educational community. They bring passion, experience, and dedication to their classrooms, shaping the future of students everyday. Recently, we had the opportunity to interview several fantastic teachers to gain insight into their journeys, philosophies, and experiences. Here’s what they had to share. Hannah Kaiser, 9th & 11th Grade English Teacher Mrs. Kaiser, MRHS’ enthusiastic Eng

By Dawn H. The other day I had the most spectacular opportunity: l was given the chance to use the restrooms at Mountain Range High School. Let's just say it was fabulous and is paving the way for the future of restroom technology, atmosphere and decor. Technology These restrooms at Mountain Range High School are making the bathrooms fun and more sanitary. They have a mere shell of a soap dispenser rather than a whole soap dispenser so now rather than you getting pathogens of

By Heidi B. The Mustang Merc is a resource room for families in need and a place for kids to feel a sense of belonging. Ellie Baker is the director of the program and her main goal is to provide healthy nutritious food to all Mustang families as well as other families in the district. She also wants to create a  safe place for kids who need it. Every week there are 200+ families that come to the Merc to pick up a box full of food. These families are truly in need and apprecia

By Mark S. Preston Brunton is a Senior at Mountain Range High School whose name has been tossed around in the halls lately, mainly because he has just achieved a huge milestone in basketball, reaching 1000 points in his High School basketball career. Preston has been on the basketball team for 4 years and has been a dominant force on the team.. Preston's basketball journey is still young and barely getting started but this is a remarkable way to start his journey and end one

By Cooper M. and Austin R. This year's Super Bowl halftime show performed by Puerto Rican musical star Bad Bunny brought a lot of controversy and mixed opinions around the world. This is what Mountain Range students and teachers had to say about it.  In a recent survey with a random sample of 150 Mountain Range students and teachers these were the results.  Out of all the responses 83% of people actually watched the Super Bowl halftime show with 17% of the responses not watch

By Eric D. and Austin R. The Mustangs track season is underway and many athletes are getting antsy. With Preseason workouts happening every week(Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays)  Senior and team captain Vinny D is ready to take on this upcoming track season and is ready to be around his friends and be able to connect with others on the team. “I enjoy the relationships you build with others on the teams, the friendships and being around people from other schools all the time”. Wit

By Lilah G Despite school assemblies, health classes, and warning labels, alcohol continues to be part of many teenagers’ lives. While not every teen drinks, alcohol remains present at parties, hangouts, and even casual get togethers. For some students, it’s seen as a rite of passage. For others, it’s a choice they actively avoid. Either way, teen drinking is a topic that keeps resurfacing in high schools across the country. To protect privacy, the students referenced in this

By Vinny D. A Senior Class Trip is something almost all seniors look forward to. From going to places such as Florida, California, or even Mexico. It is something that has been done for decades. Unfortunately MRHS Class of 2026 doesn’t have a trip planned for their Seniors.  Class trips are supposed to benefit the seniors and help bring them closer together. ” Our class doesn’t really bond as a class anymore. We just all have our own groups but if we had a trip it would bring

By Francesca M. A lot of teachers are loved. Even more are respected. But the word about some gets thrown around in the hallways like it is nothing: “I hate her.” “He’s the worst.” “I’d rather just skip that class.” Students use the word “hate” casually, almost automatically, even. But what is it really about when a student says they hate a teacher? Is it actually about personality, strict rules, too much homework, or something deeper? We don’t spend enough time asking why th

By Azamaya A and Anabella V After months of hard work and lengthy rehearsals, the Wizard of Oz has hit the stage. The Wizard of Oz  is a worldwide known story–the 1939 movie being a significant part of cinema history. The musical was announced as MRHS’s winter performance during early October. Since then, anticipation grew steadily, especially within the cast members of the show. River S, a sophomore, performing as the Scarecrow, shared her experience of growing and understan

By Mark S. and Wyatt W. Mountain Range High School athletics has a record of 43 wins and 80 losses so far this school year, compared to a record of 57 wins and 138 losses last year. Now, while all the sports this year have not been finished, it is no secret that the Mustangs athletes have been struggling as of late, and it may be due to a number of factors, including coaching, facilities and lack of interest and enthusiasm. Now, while many coaches have come and gone in recent

By Isabelle K. Grace J. At MRHS there has been a spike in many fashion trends; students wear baggy pants, Y2K revival, and athleisure like Nike and Lululemon, but there has been a boom in sightings of these cargo sweats. Why? Pro Club is a Los Angeles-based apparel brand that offers many everyday essentials—including these notorious cargo sweats commonly seen in black and gray. Young Geun Lee, South-korean founder of Pro Club, originally worked in an administrative role at IB

Mid-Season Report By Austin Ramirez Mountain Range's wrestling team is off to a hot start and a good feeling going into the mid way point of their season. With lots of ups and downs the Mustangs still expect a lot from this season with duels regionals and the state tournament coming up.  Coach Jeff Harrington with 22 years of experience and head coach of the Mustangs with about 10 years with the team speaks on the season, “ I feel great about the season for sure, we've had a

By Adali V. Ms. Armijo, MRHS Counselor Mountain Range High School is thrilled to introduce Rae Armijo as its new student counselor. With a strong commitment to student well being and a passion for mental health advocacy, Armijo is poised to make a significant impact on the school community. Armijo’s path to school counseling was driven by a desire to support young people. “I was pretty impressed and thankful for the interactions that I had between the counselors and seeing ho