Eight crowded bus trips, a blue moon, numerous sugar stops at convenience stores, 20 water jugs and a bag of Skittles later … it has finally arrived. What exactly? After a season full of triumph, disappointment, inside jokes and friendly bonding time crammed like sardines into a 15-passenger van, the Rifle High School speech team is getting ready for the Colorado state speech meet.The team has spent every month since the beginning of school preparing and rehearsing pieces that range from interpretation of poetry to impromptu. Since November, and every weekend in January, the team has traveled to faraway and exotic destinations such as Limon and Roaring Fork high schools, sometimes getting up at 5 in the morning to load the bus on frigid mornings. All of this determination and sacrifice must have paid off because 14 out 16 Rifle High speech members qualified for State this year, double the amount that qualified last year. The team will leave Friday morning for Denver for the meet, which spans both Friday and Saturday.From movies to teen magazines to sitcoms, high school seems to be stereotypically characterized by cliques and the differences between groups of people. However, this year, Rifle High School is striving to change that. RHS, in conjunction with the LINKS program (a mentoring program for freshmen) is working to bring the “Breaking Down the Walls” program to the school. “Breaking Down the Walls” is an afternoon of activities and discussion designed to help students work through differences and find the similarities that can bring them together, rather than focusing on the “walls” that separate them. More than 300 students are expected to take part in the program, which consists of three days: Jan. 29, 30 and 31. Student volunteers who take part in this program must have a recommendation from a teacher. On the first day, student leaders will be the first to experience the program, and then these students, in turn, will help to train other students on the remaining two days.Check out more about this program in the Blue and Gold Gazette archives (December issue) at rhsnews.org!-Come one, come all, to the RHS choral department’s annual Variety Show! This year’s show will consist of music, drama and other crazy and entertaining acts for your enjoyment. It will be held this Tuesday, Jan. 28, in the auditorium. Tickets are $3 for students and seniors and $5 for adults, available from Ms. Calhoun or any choir student.-And now, for the sports report. The Varsity boys basketball team plays Moffat County at 7:30 p.m. and the Varsity girls play at 6 p.m. on Friday. The JV boys and girls play Moffat at 4:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.Since there’s not much going on for Varsity, go support the freshmen! On Thursday, the boys play Fruita at 5 p.m.and the girls play at Fruita at 5 p.m.-Random Thought of the Day: Noodle soup?