Have you ever wanted to join an incredibly inviting group of people and have a fun time exercising and competing? If so, the Rock Climbing Club here at Millikan is something you most definitely should check out.
Every Wednesday, in room 210, the club conducts its weekly in-school meetings, led by Mr. Johnson, a Millikan English teacher. They discuss past climbs, and schedule future climbs, all of which are held at “Hangar 18”, a local rock climbing gym. The club made it clear when we were talking that they were very accepting of new members and can help you gain skills early in your rock climbing journey that will be helpful in the long run.
Rock climbing is an interesting sport, in that you aren’t usually climbing to beat others, but instead to accomplish a different kind of goal.
“It creates an environment where your best competition is yourself. It’s not really about whether you can outclimb the person next to you, rather if you can do better than you did last time,” said Johnson.
This interesting approach to the sport allows for an incredibly healthy community that empowers each other to do better every time they climb. This isn’t, however, the only reason students here at Millikan love the sport.
“I love rock climbing because it’s an individual sport but it’s not limited to being individual, so I can go on my own and feel like I can excel and also go with friends and we can climb together,” said QUEST junior Mason Vanderberg.
While there may be different levels of difficulty and skill among the climbers, they can all still enjoy climbing together or alone, always improving and bettering themselves to do more difficult climbs in the future.
Mr. Johnson is also hoping to start a rock climbing league for students throughout the Long Beach and Lakewood area. With some backing from students and teachers from other schools, this idea could become a reality and expand the rock-climbing community to even more people.
The club is hoping to attract more members to the club, so if you are interested in joining an inviting club that is sure to exercise your whole body, consider visiting Mr. Johnson on Wednesdays at lunch in room 210.
Mason Vanderburg • Mar 20, 2024 at 12:09 pm
On March 1, 2024, Liam Hollon wrote an article titled “Climbing to New Heights”. I really enjoyed reading this article and I thought it was well written. I appreciate how Hollon continuously describes how the club is welcoming to new members, as it lightens the mood of the article and opens the reader’s mind up to the possibility of joining. Hollon went on to write about how this sport is mainly focused on self improvement rather than competition, and I thought that was an interesting take. It makes sense how a sport focused on self improvement would have a welcoming community around it. I am also interested in the future of the league that Mr. Johnson is working on, as that is something that we don’t currently have at Millikan or any high school in Long Beach. Overall, this is a well written article and provides a unique perspective on the sport.
Darren Tran • Mar 20, 2024 at 10:28 am
This article does a great job of introducing people to the interesting sport of rock climbing. It encourages other students to take part in a fun club designed to improve their well-being. I think that this article should talk more about the numerous health benefits that come from taking part in these difficult climbs in order to reach a broader audience and encourage people even further into taking part in this club. This article could also benefit from reassuring others that climbing is not as dangerous or scary as it may seem. It is important to let other people know that there are numerous pieces of equipment in place in order to protect people when climbing and that they should not fear it as much as they may be. Overall, this article is great for encouraging people to take part in a fun hobby that they can enjoy by themselves or with others.
Isabel Antonio • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:42 am
On March 1, 2024, Liam Hollon wrote an article titled “Climbing to New Heights”.
The article is about the rock climbing club here at Millikan and what the club includes, such as where the meetings are held and the place they rock climb at. I appreciate how Liam Hollon included quotes from students who participate in the rock climbing club here at Millikin because it provided helpful insight to people who are considering joining the club. Although, one suggestion I have is to let the readers know what to expect from rock climbing so often, such as the toll it takes on your body. Other than that though, the article was very helpful and welcoming and even made me consider joining the club. I also believe the pictures that were added enhanced the article a lot. They made me more interested in reading and becoming educated on the subject. Overall, this was a great written article that included many helpful and interesting facts for people who are interested in rock climbing.
Juliette Montiel • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:38 am
This article does an excellent job at advertising the rock climbing club here at Millikan. It is refreshing to hear that there are students in our Millikan community who are passionate about their hobbies and want to share them with their peers. I find that it is hard to connect with peers outside of school when most planned club meetings and events happen on school grounds. By expressing the enjoyment of climbing that Millikan students share, this article opens an opportunity for others to join in on the fun. Additionally, I admire how the author was able to advertise the club while also explaining why one might enjoy rock climbing as a hobby. The individuality aspect of climbing is definitely unique, as many high school students would prefer more social activities. But the quote from a Millikan student directly shows that climbing is accessible and enjoyable alone.
This article does well to share relevant information about the rock climbing community at Millikan and how to get involved. I appreciate and admire the passion that the author put into the article and the passion about climbing that is obvious through the club’s members.
Aidan J Hernandez • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:29 am
I found this article to be very engaging. As someone who does not know much about rock climbing I found this to be informative and motivates me to maybe try out rock climbing on my own time. Maybe if there were interviews asking people if they would like to join the rock climbing club after telling them what it is all about would’ve made the article better, but as it stands right now the article has a good flow and is able to keep readers engaged with the text. I found the article inspiring. Talking about the health benefits and the environment it creates makes rock climbing sound like something very fun to participate in. I really enjoyed reading the different quotes from Mr. Johnson and Mason Vanderburg as it gives more insight into rock climbing and could attract more people if they are into an individual sport. All in all a very well written and engaging article that can persuade people to join the rock climbing club or do it on their own.
Sincerely,
Aidan Hernandez
jack brown • Mar 20, 2024 at 9:27 am
On March 1, 2024, Liam Hollon wrote an article titled “Climbing to new heights.” the article does a great job informing students of the millikan rock climbing club and what the club involves. The quotes from Mr. Johnson and Mason both perfectly portray the club and what it is about. climbing is a very individual sport, however there is a massive sense of community that comes with it. climbing with friends is something that you just can’t replace. Now that there is a club for anyone who is interested in climbing or just wants a challenge, hopefully more students will join. The only bad thing about the article is that I wish the photos used were photos of club students climbing. I think the inclusion of photos of real students participating in the sport would help convince more to join if they weren’t considering it already. other than that the article is great and i hope it helps more students join the club!
James McCullagh • Mar 19, 2024 at 1:52 pm
March 19, 2024
Dear Corydon Editor,
On March 1, 2024, Liam Holland wrote an article titled “Climbing To New Heights”. Liam Holland interviewed the rock climbing club and represented it very well. I was involved in the interviewing process and I really like how Liam Holland talked about our club. He acknowledged how welcoming and open the rock climbing community really is. We are always happy to take new people and teach them how to do an activity that many fall in love with. It’s a great way to stay active while also being very laid back and on your own time. I also like how he emphasized how rock climbing really is just a constant competition with yourself. It’s all about your personal goals and achievements with rock climbing. We are always looking for new members so I am very glad that Liam mentioned when the club takes place for any one interested in joining.
Sincerely,
James McCullagh
Anthony Lopez • Mar 19, 2024 at 11:52 am
On March 1, 2024, Liam Hollon published an article titled “Climbing To New Heights.” In this article, Hollon talks about The Rock Climbing Club at Millikan High School. This is a very informative article in which it has been provided the information on where the club meets, when they meet, and where they go to actually rock climb. He has also included quotes from an interview from the teacher that is hosting the club talking about the benefits of rock climbing, as well as quotes from a friend, Mason Vanderburg, who enjoys the sport. The article is very persuasive and recommends joining the club. Aside from the club at Millikan, Hollon describes Mr. Johnson’s (the club’s host) wish of creating a Rock Climbing League for the youth of Long Beach and Lakewood. All in all, “Climbing To New Heights” is a very positive and encouraging article that accomplishes its goal of informing people about one of the school’s clubs.
Francesca A. • Mar 19, 2024 at 11:34 am
The flow of this article was smooth and truly kept me engaged and interested throughout reading it. Along with the cover image and title, I felt that this really pulled me into the article as they both gave clear messages for what the article was about. I, too, have noticed an increase in the popularity of rock climbing and I think it was a good idea to have an article about our school’s rock climbing club. I know a lot of people who are interested in climbing and who would probably benefit from joining this club and the way the club is introduced makes it sound more inviting to join.
I appreciate how the positive environment of the club was also added as it may entice newer climbers to join the club without having the stress or fear of not being experienced. I also admire how the goal of rock climbing isn’t to outdo your opponent, but to outdo yourself. I think that idea was really important to add for those who may not understand the sport, and it made rock climbing seem more like an activity where you work both your physical abilities and mental abilities. I really enjoyed learning about the club and I think it was a good idea to promote the club in this article.
Sophia Nygaard • Mar 19, 2024 at 10:21 am
On March 1, 2024, Liam Hollon wrote an article titled “Climbing to New Heights”. It includes an explanation of who runs the rock climbing club, their meetings, their hanger, and their goals as a club. They encourage beginners that no matter their skill level, they welcome. Although there is a slight explanation of rock climbing, it could be more detailed and enthusiastic about the sport. However, the quote by Mr. Johnson and Mason helps provide a perspective of the sport and its impact on the people and the sport in general. A great addition that could be made would be to include someone’s perspective outside of rock climbing and how they perceive it to possibly gain attention from those outside of the rock climbing community and perhaps boost their ego and make them think of trying it out. Liam also includes the rock climbing community and how its positivity and connectivity impact many, not just the community but others who come into contact with them. Finally, the idea by Mr. Johnson of starting a rock climbing league within the Long Beach area is a great addition to the text as it would help increase the popularity of the g spot and cause exposure to the sport to many who may like it. Overall, it is a great story and spotlight on the rising Rock Climbing Club.
Noah Perez • Mar 19, 2024 at 9:31 am
I really appreciate the detail and thought that went into the article and, being there at the interview, helped me see the process of how an editor goes about making an article. Many of the important details and points made during the interview were used and I will always back getting people to go climbing. This article makes many of the points that our club tries to strive towards and having that spread publicly is well appreciated. Promoting Climbing Club can allow us to grow in size and maintain a community that has a similar interest in which we can build eachother up.
The points about how we seek to improve and see that we are building each other up is very important to us and I am very glad it is made clear in the article. Overall the article hits many of the topics that are brought up in Climbing Club and how we seek to gain more support to grow a solid community of climbers.
I am very happy with how the article turned out especially regarding its accuracy, intention, and overall structure. It really highlights the important aspects of why we climb, and come together each week.
Maggie Wells • Mar 19, 2024 at 9:28 am
This article was a very good insight to what the rock climbing club at Millikan is, and what they do. Many Millikan students, along with myself, had never heard of this club before, so it was very helpful to give the rock climbing club this recognition, as well as the opportunity to recruit more members from this recognition. Hollon did an excellent job on getting information and opinions from students in the club, as well as having much knowledge and evidence on rock climbing. The tone of this article made rock climbing feel very inviting, giving the club many positive aspects. This article can target all different types of audiences, those who are competitive and looking for another thing to fill their schedule, or even those who are more shy and newer to the sport. Rock climbing club gives opportunities to all, which I believe is very beneficial, not only to the club, but to the students as well.