Eli Shultz, left, and Alek Purser, right, former student journalists with Grand Junction High School’s Orange & Black student newspaper, pose outside the school Monday. A Colorado Newsline public records request uncovered emails from high school social studies teacher Mark Carris sent to Fox and administration staff condemning the Gaza piece. The newspaper also garnered state awards in 2023 and 2022, and a special national award in 2021 for its coverage of the aging high school building. Purser said he is pursuing a career in journalism because of his experience writing for the school newspaper under Fox’s leadership. “It is ironic that the administration would threaten the one thing that inspired me most as a high school student — the one thing I truly thought Grand Junction High School did better than any other school,” he said in an email.