Claire Kizer is a senior this year at Fossil Ridge High School. This is her third year with Etched in Stone. Kizer decided to join journalism during her sophomore year because she didn’t like the workflow of a regular English class. She enjoys meeting new people and getting to write stories about them that others may not have known. Her goal is for this year’s journalism staff is to have a consistent publication schedule. 

Kizer is originally from North Carolina but moved to Colorado when she was three years old. Kizer loves spending time with family, especially when they all get to watch television together. Kizer has an older sister who is 21 years old, an older brother who is 20 years old, and a younger brother who is 16 years old.

Kizer enjoys all subjects in school, especially math. She has taken most of her math classes at Front Range rather than at Fossil. She looks up to many of her teachers but specifically Mr. DeGear because he is a very motivated person and gets a lot done. Kizer enjoys hanging out with friends and is planning on doing a Dungeons & Dragons group this semester with them. After high school, she plans on going to college at Colorado State University. Her goal is to find something that she enjoys but still have time for herself.

Giana Loewenkamp, sophomore at Fossil Ridge High School, is entering her first year as a staff writer on Etched in Stone. Loewenkamp is excited about the freedom journalism offers and looks forward to publishing her work. She is also eager to make new friends in the newsroom.

Important values for Loewenkamp include honesty and being a good person. She credits her mom as a significant role model in her life. Loewenkamp has two older sisters who both live at home. She also has two dogs, a fish, and a cat. 

Some of Loewenkamp’s personal interests include CrossFit and R&B music. She enjoys “The Middle” and “Modern Family”, two 2009 sitcoms. While Loewenkamp has no specific plans for after high school, Loewenkamp is considering applying for jobs that utilize her journalism skills.

Bailey McBride is a sophomore taking Journalism 2 for the first time. McBride took journalism and decided to continue it because she found it more interesting and fun to explore than a regular English class.

McBride was born and raised in Fort Collins, Colorado, for most of her life except for one year when she lived in Florida when she was younger. She finds herself to be a Spring person because she enjoys the weather and blooming of nature. McBride is a homebody who loves a night out as much as she loves a night in. She finds comfort in routine and reading books that help her learn to be successful. One goal this year she has is to go to Coachella for her 16th birthday. McBride also hopes to be more focused in school, journal, and read. She loves reading self improvement books.

For movie genres, she enjoys sci-fi, murder documentaries, Christmas movies, and rom-coms. She also has interest in listening to podcasts like Anything Goes by Emma Chamberlain and Morning Rae by Allana Blumberg. Every year McBride and her family vote on a trip they take. She has a love for Boston when she first went there on a school trip and then with her family. McBrides expresses her excitement for the city and says she would love to attend college there.

Lilly Vollmar is a sophomore at Fossil Ridge, being involved in journalism since her freshman year. Originally she enrolled in Journalism 1 because she enjoys writing, and liked it so much she made the decision to take Journalism 2 this quarter.

Outside of journalism, Lilly enjoys extracurriculars, including playing guard for the Fossil Ridge basketball team. In addition to sports and writing, she is also a violinist. 

When asked about her sources of inspiration, she said her parents because they encourage her to follow her ambitions. Vollmar is very close to her family, which includes her dog Kota, a blue heeler, and her 12-year-old brother, who attends Kinard Middle School.

Looking ahead, Vollmar mentioned possibly studying business after high school, either locally or abroad. Writing about sports, events, and activities at Fossil Ridge is something Lilly is looking forward to as a part of Etched in Stone.

Nadia Anderson, a junior at Fossil Ridge High School, is taking Journalism II for the first time and is excited to work on Etched in Stone. Anderson loves all kinds of English classes, and after previously taking Journalism I, thought that working on the student newspaper would be a great opportunity and a lot of fun. She is looking forward to writing stories about various topics and learning about new things and people.

Anderson has lived in Colorado for the majority of her life and currently lives with her parents, younger sister, and dog named Shadow. She loves Colorado’s mountains and spending time with her friends and family doing outdoor activities like running, hiking, and pickleball. She loves running with Fossil’s cross country team, but also has a passion for music. She loves to play the guitar, piano, and ukulele for fun in her free time.

In the future, Anderson plans to attend college in Utah so she can stay in the mountains, but also experience a new atmosphere. She wants to go to college because she loves learning and hopes to pursue a profession of her own. Her two older siblings also attend college in Utah and she loves the idea of living close to them again.