March 2018 corral

CORRAL

Parkway Central High School, 369 N. Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017, Vol 62, Issue 5, March 23, 2018

THE

FUTURE OF

PARKWAY With an important Parkway School Board Election coming up on April 3, we asked all five candidates to tell us a little bit about themselves and their views. pg 12-13

2 CORRAL

CONTENTS

MARCH. 23, 2018

CONTENTS

Basketball wrap up p. 4 Central Baby Boom p. 8 VPN may be solution pg. 17

Seniors Cory and Devin Rice

Brothers, Roomies, Teammates p. 5

Hunger Banquet

Celebrate Central p. 11

PHOTOS of the

Seniors Armani Phillips, Deonna West, and Dorothy Davis, and Nyla Reed join students during the National School Walkout on March 14. Photo by Libby Archer.

ISSUE

Senior Emily Cooper and sophomore Chelsea Baird perform during the Spring Play “Radium Girls,” which ran March 15-17. Photo by Allison Ludwinski.

3 CORRAL

EDITORIAL

MARCH 23, 2018

RESPECT IS DEMANDED IN SCHOOL, LIFE SITUATIONS NOW AND LATER CORRAL STAFF STAFF EDITORIAL

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s we enter the final months of the school year, Parkway Central prepares itself to say goodbye to the seniors and become ready to welcome in new freshmen. With six weeks left, juniors are getting ready to become seniors, sophomores to become upperclassmen, and freshmen are almost able to stop being freshmen.

The memories made this past year are some that we will remember for the rest of our lives, and they aren’t done being made yet. With things like spring sports and prom, these last weeks of the year can also be the most fun.

Prom is a tradition that high schools all across the country have taken part in for generations,

and many see it as a fun and exciting tradition that allows you to get dressed up and spend the night with your friends and significant others.

Although this doesn’t mean that everyone likes prom or is going to go, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. However, those beliefs, whether for or against something, do not mean that you get to force your beliefs among others to try to push them into something or to put a damper on their spirits.

Just like prom, there are a number of things that happen every day in which people can try to force their viewpoints upon others. Whether it’s with politics or food, someone is always going to have the exact opposite opinion.

It all comes down to respect. Respect that everyone is entitled to their own viewpoints,

respect that people can choose to do something or not to do something, but also respect that you should not belittle someone else just for having a different idea than you.

The same ideas carry over into high school.

Freshmen are going to be freshmen, people are going to wait all week for a pep rally that others are going to skip, upperclassmen plan for a perfect night at prom while others stay home in protest. No matter what we disagree on, it is vital that we all respect each other and create a warm, welcoming community for everyone.

The class of 2018 poses for a group picture at prom, located at Westport Plaza, last year. Photo by Kraig Mikitin.

CORRAL Editor-in-Chief Libby Archer Managing Editor Athena Stamos News Editor Madeline Lee Entertainment Editor Brett Smith Staff Writers Gabby Abowitz David Amirdjanian Funmi Ayeni Henry T. Eubank Wesley Henshaw Samuel Keller Jenna Lazaroff Alex Maisenhelder Logan Potts Abby Prywitch Claudia Sanders Danni Schneiderman Nandhini Sivabalakannan Sydney Stahlschmidt Julia Solomon Adviser Mrs. Christine Stricker

&

Yays Yays!

Neighs Neighs

•• How are your brackets going?

•• Spring sports are off to great start, keep it up!

•• Spring break is starting today!!

WOOT! •• Seniors are almost outta here, y’all are growing up.

•• Happy belated birthday to our very own editor-in-chief’s mother!

We love you! <3

•• Some days will be like 70 degrees and others will be like 30. Thanks St. Louis!

•• Make sure you save up, it’s prom season!

•• The clock is ticking for seniors to choose colleges!!!

•• Make sure to start applying for summer jobs.

•• AP tests are fast-approaching, get ready to cram :/

What are your yays and neighs? pchcorral.com @pchcorral Pch_publications Parkway Central Publications

Corrections: In the story “Students battling illness find normalcy” in the February issue of Corral contained an error.

The writer wrote that Blair Dubinsky had leg braces and that was incorrect.

We regret the error.

The Folio of page 3 of the February issue should have read Editorial

instead of News, which may have confused readers regarding the type of article on that page. We regret the confusion that caused.

The photo “Debate team makes way for new leadership” was misidentified.

The student pictured was Jessica Lam.

Pchpublications

We want to hear from you!

The Corral is a student-written, edited and produced publication of Parkway Central High School, 369 N. Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017; 314-415-7978.

The Corral is given away free of charge to students and faculty.

Subscriptions and patronships for one year may be purchased, starting at $20.

The goal of this publication is to provide accurate, informative and entertaining information in the true spirit of responsible journalism and to operate as an open forum for students, faculty, administrators and parents.

The Corral is created on Hewlett-Packard computers using Adobe Creative Suite 6 and is published by PJ Printing.

Unsigned editorials reflect the views of the editorial board. Signed columns and artwork reflect the views of that individual.

The staff appreciates comments and suggestions. Letters to the editor, guest editorials and other correspondence are encouraged but must be signed. The Corral reserves the right to publish or refrain from publishing, as well as edit, all submitted material.

4 CORRAL

MARCH 23, 2018

NEWS

BASKETBALL HAS STELLAR SEASON Varsity boys and girls win big and both bring home the conference player of the year

ALEX MAISENHELDER STAFF WRITER

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he boys basketball team finished their season with a record of 24 wins and 6 losses. They went out with a tough loss to Jennings in the state quarterfinals, but they made an impressive playoff run, defeating MICDS, John Burroughs, and Pacific en route to the quarterfinals. The boys started off their season with a strong five game win streak, losing to Liberty in their sixth game. Liberty would prove to be a worthy opponent throughout the season.

“We fought sickness this year more than anything, the flu kept players out, and Art missed multiple games in a row with the flu,” assistant coach Aaron Mueller said. While they were able to avoid injury most of the season there were a few minor injuries, but they were able to play through them.

“Our last three victories were good victories. We beat MICDS on their home floor, we defended really well against John Burroughs, and we went on a 37-6 run during the Pacific game to pull ahead,” Mueller said. Some of the players were very happy with the performance in districts.

“My favorite game was the district game because everything just felt right and the better team came on top,” senior Devin Rice said. One thing that has helped this team play so well is their connections with one another.

“The team’s chemistry is like no other. Some of us grew up together and played other sports with one another and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” senior Gerald Lenoir said. After cruising to a win against Pacific on the back of Deandre’s 33 points, 17 of them from the line. They then ran into a Jennings squad who was 26-3 at the time. The Colts narrowly lost 77-74 in overtime. This loss was tough to take for Mueller.

“Losing to Jennings was especially difficult because of the impact the seniors have had. The senior class has been outstanding, great leadership, and great team chemistry,” Mueller said.

All in all the Colts ended another twenty-plus win season with another deep playoff run.

Deandre Campbell (12) pulls up for the 3-pointer against Pacific in sectionals. Photo

by Anthony Zuanich.

Girls capture Conference Championship

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he girls finished their season with a record of 22-5,winning their conference in the process.. In the end the girls lost to MICDS in the second round of districts, after defeating Villa Duchesne in the first round. This season was especially tough for Jordyn Perry as she was the only senior on the team. “I’m like two years older than everyone, but because I’m so much older the end of the season was kind of hard because I’ll be leaving,” Perry said.

However she also was optimistic about next year. “If anything, I think most of the younger players are just as, if not more, capable than me in the game… most of them have played at very high levels so their age isn’t an accurate measure of their abilities and basketball IQ,” Perry said.

Going into the season varsity had their full starting lineup returning, including four sophomores. “We started off the season with a tough loss to Parkway North, but losing that game let us know we had to work even harder. We then went on a school record 15 game win streak,” Guilfoyle said.

Guilfoyle was not alone in his views on the team.

“The team improved a lot and we all got better in our own way,” junior Meghan Stephens said. The team also had to learn to overcome injuries when sophomore Claudia Cooke got hurt and was out for the season. But team dynamics didn’t suffer.

“Everyone had chemistry on the court and playing with them was fun,” sophomore Jayla Kelly said. The team ended the season ranked 9th in the state in one of the toughest districts with top ranked Parkway North and sixth ranked MICDS.

Kirby Retires After Successful Coaching Career

Coach Kirby directs his team against Pacific . Photo by Anthony Zuanich.

Coach Rick Kirby retired as head coach of the Parkway Central basketball program. Kirby has had lasting effects on his players. Senior Devin Rice of the varsity basketball team had some thoughts on Kirby’s retirement.

“Kirby was always hard on everybody, but I finally realized that he just wanted us to be better because he knew what we were capable of. Kirby is one of those people who you would never forget because he had so much impact on your life.” Kirby has even had a lasting effect on the assistant coach Aaron Mueller.

“It is hard to take, he cared about the game so much.

He represented our school as good as anybody could,” Mueller said.

Olivia Stephens (11) goes up for a layup against MICDS in Districts. Photo by Wagner Portraits.

Varsity Accolades: Girls Accolades:

Olivia Stephens (11) - Conference Player of the Year Jayla Kelly (10) - First team All-Conference Brooke Hilton (10) - Second team All-Conference Kennedy Moore (10) - Honorable Mention Cynaa Coleman (9) - Conference Newcomer of the Year

Boys Accolades:

Photo illustration from Pixabay.

Deandre Campbell (12) - Conference Player of the Year Arther Green (12) - First team All-Conference Devion Harris (10) - First team All-Conference Jake Silvestri - Honorable Mention Gerald Lenoir (12) - Sportsmanship Award Rick Kirby (Coach) - Conference Coach of the Year

5 CORRAL

FEATURE

MARCH 23, 2018

A FAMILY TRADITION THAT KEEPS ON ROLLING SYDNEY STAHLSCHMIDT

STAFF WRITER ost people are cooling off at the pool or vacationing at the lake on Labor Day weekend. However, this is not the case for junior, Genevieve Gittemeier.

Every Labor Day weekend Gittemeier and ten other family and friends, go on a 145 mile bike trip from Columbia, Mo to St. Charles.

The trip in total takes a time span of two days. The first day from Columbia to Hermann, a whole 80 miles. The second day, starting at 6 in the morning, an overall 65 miles from Hermann to St Charles. The trip along the Katy Trail the entire ride.

“We stop at each trail head, and we would take a lot of breaks” Gittemeier said.

While, Gittemeier only started doing the trip with her family around age 10, the tradition started many years before she was even born.

“My dad really likes biking, and so do my grandpa and Uncle Jo, so they all just said, let’s start this tradition,” Gittemeier said.

Gittemeier has been taking part in the trip for about seven out of the 15 years that it has been going on. But she always made sure to take part in the event and do as much to help as possible to help out. Whether it is driving in the car with her grandpa, or meeting the family at the end of the trail heads, she enjoyed getting involved.

“I remember just helping out along the way to make sure that everyone and everything was okay when I wasn’t aloud to bike yet,” Gittemeier said.

While the trip is 145 miles for Gittemeier and most family members, others including her father, uncle, great uncle, and some cousins ride even more. Their trip is a total of 257 miles in three days.

“Some of them who don’t want to ride a lot of miles, will drive and meet us as we are biking into St. Charles and will ride

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again with us” Gittemeier said.

Gittemeier, who currently lives in St. Louis instead of Columbia still hopes to continue the tradition. Along with many other family members who also live in St. Louis who join in on the trip annually.

“Family who doesn’t live in Columbia, because a lot of us live in St. Louis, drive down to Columbia and bike back up to St. Charles,” Gittemeier said.

Over the many years the trip has gone on, everyone continues to have fun and make new memories along the way.

“20 miles into the trip one year, I crashed after my mom showed me that there was an eagle. That was probably the most memorable thing that happened,” Gittemeier said.

Gittemeier has always enjoyed taking part in the event ever since a young age.

“We still do the event and plan on doing it for every year from now” Gittemeier said.

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1. Gittemeier and her mom posing in front of one of the biking trails. Photo provided

by Genevieve Gittemeier.

2. Gittemeier’s family stopped in front of a statue during the biking trip.

Photo provided by Genevieve Gittemeier.

3. Gittemeier’s family photo.

Photo provided by Genevieve Gittemeier.

Twins continue defensive partnership in college JENNA LAZAROFF

“We both are on a athletic scholarship to attend Quincy University next fall,” Devin said. For a lot of students college means leaving behind the people you’ve gone to school with for most of your life, but that is not the case for the Rice twins. rom the moment their born twins are inseparable, they “We’re even going to be roommates because we would rather learn to walk together and grow together. There comes a room together than with a stranger,” Cory said. Thoughts of gotime in life when they won’t always be the person right ing to separate colleges never crossed their mind. Eighteen years next to you but for twin seniors Devin and Cory Rice that time together just wasn’t enough. is not now. They will be attending college next fall, together.

“I always thought that we would end up going to the same college and it was pretty much the plan from the beginning,” Devin said. The twins are very used to playing together as they have been for their whole lives, but the college setting is not the same as the high school setting they’ve been used to.

College football differs from high school football, not just because of more talented recruited players, but the whole atmosphere.

“The level of play is going to be a lot different. The athletes are going to be a lot stronger and faster and I’m excited for the challenge,” Devin said. As a season total Devin had 75 tackles and Cory had 29 touchdowns. In college not everyone is always guaranteed a spot. It takes hard work and dedication to acquire a solid spot.

“College football is going to be a lot different because the competition gets better,” Cory said. “Everyone is good, I’m going to have to work to get a spot.” Aside from the football As their mom Dawn Huddleston looks on, Cory and Devin Rice sign their letter of intent to play football at aspect of college, you have to learn to get Quincy University on National Signing Day February 7. Photo by Andrew Richardet STAFF WRITER

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along with different people and build relationships, but for Devin and Cory they have to continue to better their relationship.

“We are going to be roommates. I think it will be nice because it will be something were both comfortable with since it will be like living at home,” Devin said. As siblings there will always be times when you don’t get along, especially as twin brothers.

“Sometimes we do get sick of each other to the point where we’re fighting but at the end of the day were still brothers,” said Cory.

More Central athletes committed to play sports at the next level Gerald Lenoir: Football at Millikin University Jayden Mitchell: Football at McKendree University Corey Freebersyser: Football at Missouri Baptist University Noah Wittner: Football at Missouri Baptist University Lizzie Milner: Softball at Southwestern Illinois College Marissa Brady: Track at Truman State University Maddie Canoy: Soccer at Maryville University Michael Ellinger: Soccer at Westminster College Claire Whitehouse: Volleyball at Westminster College Miranda Horn: Rowing at University of Kansas Sophia Cristiani: Volleyball at Missouri Baptist University

6 CORRAL

SPORTS

MARCH 23, 2018

SPRING SPORTS ATHLETES TO WATCH LOGAN POTTS STAFF WRITER

Morgan Shea

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ew school, new team. Sophomore Morgan Shea takes on the challenge as a first year student at Parkway Central and a first year player on the girls varsity lacrosse team.

“I am used to being a new student because my family moves every couple of years,” Shea said. “My dad is a Marine and we move every 2-3 years. I enjoy being able to play on new teams and help the team out however I can.”

Although she’s new to the Parkway Central lacrosse team, she is not new to lacrosse.

“I started playing lacrosse when I was in fifth grade,” Shea said. “I’ve played both recreational and club, and played when I lived in California, Florida, and now St. Louis.”

As a sophomore on varsity, Shea looks to contribute as much as she can to helping the team win games.

“I want to improve my skills so that I can help our team win as many games as possible,” Shea said. “I want us to be as successful as we can.” Watch out for Morgan Shea as she looks to make an impact and help the lacrosse team win as much as they can.

Anthony Klein Like Shea, Anthony Klein is a sophomore playing a varsity sport. Klein is playing his second season of varsity baseball.

“Being on varsity freshman year was a great experience,” Klein said. “I got to learn from the older guys on the team and got to face some great competition.”

On the mound, Klein had a 3-5 record with a 2.65 Earned Run Average. At the plate, Klein had a .250 batting average with 8 doubles and he drove in 12 runs.

“I expect to be a leader and help the new guys on varsity be the best that they can be,” Klein said. “I also want to improve and be the best I can be.”

Last season, Klein was the only freshman to play full time on varsity and even as a freshman, had great success and a huge impact.

“My pitching contributed the most to my success last season,” Klein said.

As a young player on varsity, Klein had deal with stress that he wouldn’t have had to deal with if he wasn’t playing on as big of a stage.

“I felt pressure from myself mainly because I put a lot stress on myself when pitching because being a freshman on varsity is stressful sometimes,” Klein said.

Look for Klein to improve his game and have a huge impact in his second season of playing varsity.

Ogechi Okpara Improvement. That is what junior Ogechi Okpara is striving for as a runner on the girl’s track team.

“My performance last year was horrible,” Okpara said. “I didn’t put in as much effort as I do now.”

On a team with not very many upperclassmen, Okpara knows she needs to step it up.

“The difference between this year and last year is my positive attitude and the fact that my team doesn’t have as many upperclassmen and it’s causing me to be a leader,” Okpara said.

Last year, Okpara’s fastest 100 meter dash time was 13.47 seconds, and her fastest 200 meter dash time was 28.68 seconds.

“I have many goals but to be realistic, the goals I have as of

now is to be a great 400 meter runner and focus on my main events, the 200 meter and the 100 meter,” Okpara said. “My biggest goal this year is to qualify for state.”

Look for Okpara to improve on her sophomore season.

Jack Meier Coming off of a state championship, Jack Meier prepares for his senior season on the boys volleyball team.

“I think we had a great season last year,” Meier said. “We won state and it doesn’t get much better than that. We hope to repeat this year.”

The team looks ready contend for another state title.

“We need to keep working hard at practice and try to get better,” Meier said. “We return 6 of 7 starters from last year but we all need to step up and fill that hole.”

Although Meier played all four seasons in high school, this may be his last year playing volleyball.

“I do not plan on playing in college,” Meier said. “Playing a college sport is a huge time commitment but I may try out for club at Mizzou.”

Look for Meier to have a good final season and for the volleyball team to make another run a state title.

Allison Logan Allison Logan is in her final year of playing a varsity sport for Parkway Central as a member of the girls soccer team.

“This year I hope to get closer than ever with my team because it’s my last year,” Logan said.

Last season, Logan had four goals and one assist as a junior on the varsity team.

“I thought last year was fun and I really enjoyed playing with the team,” Logan said.

Last season, the team had a 4-15 win-loss record.

“I want us to win half of our games this year,” Logan said.

Logan also enjoys the soccer friendships with players that aren’t on her team.

“I really look forward to playing friends that go to other schools as well,” Logan said.

Look for Logan and the girls soccer team to have a good season in her final year on the team.

Top: Morgan Shea (10) looks to make a pass for her former team in Florida. “I’ve played both recreational and club, and played when I lived in California, Florida, and now St. Louis.” Photo courtesy of Morgan Shea.

Middle Left: Anthony Klein (10) throws a pitch on May 15. “My pitching contributed the most to my success last season.” Photo by Tara Stepanek.

Middle Right: Allison Logan (12) attempts a throw in. “I thought last year was fun, and I enjoyed playing with the team.” Photo by Liad Lerner.

Bottom: Jack Meier (12) goes up for a serve in the state final game. “We won state and it doesn’t get much better than that.” Photo by Tara Stepanek.

7

FEATURE

MARCH 23, 2018

CORRAL

STUDENTS GO BEHIND THE SCENE IN SPORTS AS REFEREES LOGAN POTTS

Safety Debated with Students Use of Uber LOGAN POTTS STAFF WRITER

STAFF WRITER

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eed a lift? Get out your phone and use the Uber app if you’re ever in serious need of a ride. Uber was founded in 2009 by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick. In addition, Uber has been one of the fastest growing companies in the world. According to recode.net, Uber gave 4 million rides in 2017 alone. In May 2017, it just hit 5 million rides total. The Uber app allows you to enter where you are, where you need to go, and they will send a driver to come pick you up and take you where you need to go. The app allows you to see who is picking you up and you can read customer reviews on the driver. There have been arguments on whether Uber is unsafe even with all the safety precautions they have.

“I think it’s safe because Uber tracks where you go,” senior Phoebe King said. “You can also share your ride status with someone so if for some reason you feel unsafe you can share your ride status with your friends or family and they can see when you reach your destination.”

People believe that Uber can not only be unsafe for passengers, but also for the drivers.

“There have been stories where the passengers attack the driver and it’s hard to tell if your passenger is safe because although the passengers receive a rating as well, there are no comments,” King said.

Remember the app if you need a ride, but always make sure to read reviews to keep yourself as safe as possible.

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hen people think of sports, they usually think about players, coaches, and fans. When people think this, they are forgetting about some of the most important people in sports: The officials. As a teenager, it is hard to find jobs that you can work flexible schedules, make decent money, and not have to work countless hours. Being a referee or umpire is one of the few jobs where you can have all of that.

“I became a soccer and basketball referee because I wanted to make money so I could hang out with friends and not really have to worry about how much money I’m spending,” sophomore Chris Stephens said. “I like soccer and basketball, so I did some research to find out how much I would make, saw that it was a good amount of money, and applied for the job.”

Stephens played soccer for the school the past two years and played basketball from Kindergarten to 8th grade. As a ref, you have to make decisions that aren’t easy and no matter what your ruling is on those tough calls, you will receive backlash from parent, players, and coaches.

“Parents are easier to deal with than coaches personally because they usually listen to you after you threaten to toss them out,” junior Chris Huber said. “With coaches, they seem to get more heated and you have to write a report when you throw them out.”

As an official, you have to go through training that you usually wouldn’t have to do with other jobs.

“I had to go through indoor rules and position training with a Minor League Baseball umpire and then practice with real live scrimmages,” sophomore Jack Ford said.

Ford plays baseball for the JV team and he plays American Legion baseball in the summer. With the job, there are many ups and downs including the weather and how interesting the game is.

“Honestly, it’s worth it,” Huber said. “The pay and experience I get from being a ref is a lot better than some other places I could be working at.”

If you like sports, and need some money, this seems like the job for you.

Photos by Anthony Zuanich at the championship soccer game.

Late Start and Early Release Days Help with Busy Schedules GABBY ABOWITZ STAFF WRITER

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ophomore Carly Whay, is a busy student with a full schedule from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to bed. “I have dance every night so I always stay up late doing homework so I’m pretty tired all the time,” Whay said. “Early releases help with my schedule because I go home and take a nap before dance so I’m not as tired. And late starts I sleep in or get coffee with friends,” Whay said.

This year Parkway Central High School has four early releases and eight late start days. Some students take this extra time off from school to participate in rituals that they enjoy. Many students use this time to sleep in late, go out for breakfast, or to get some extra study time in for the week.

According to freshman Hayden Christiansen, “Due to my busy schedule with swimming everyday, and now volleyball, it helps with me finishing my homework and releasing my stress and I have time to be social,” Christiansen said. On late start days he catches up on sleep and goes out to breakfast and on early releases he goes out to lunch and hangs out with friends.

On early release days, students can go home and take a nap, get

Students studying in science. Photo by Isabel Roman.

homework done early, or simply hang out with friends. Although our school only has late start once a month, it may help students catch up on missed sleep.

While students are sleeping in, teachers are waking up at the same time for professional development so they can bring more knowledge to the classroom. Teachers, like art teacher David Jafari meet with other teachers for cooperative learning teams which is a way to get teachers that teach the same subject to work together towards the common goal to make education better.

“Since I’m the only ceramics teacher here, I go meet with other ceramics teachers from Parkway North, Parkway South, and Parkway West. We all talk about different strategies, different projects and different techniques that we just share information to be better teachers,” said Jafari.

Jafari explained that it gives teachers time to work during the day on becoming better teachers and sharing tips and strategies.

“You really get a lot from talking to other people who teach the same thing you do and you gain new insights into what we do on a daily basis,” said Jafari.

Late starts and early release days can cause confusion regarding the bell schedules. Some late start days include ac lab while others do not.

According to a student poll, the most popular thing on late starts is to sleep in. On early release days, it’s to hang out with friends.

Regardless of the amount of time off and when it occurs, students and teachers alike eagerly anticipate any opportunity for a break in the school routine. This change in the normal schedule allows for something to look forward to each month and for a change in the normal routine.

8 CORRAL

FEATURE

MARCH 23, 2018

THE NEW GENERATION OF COLTS ARRIVE JULIA SOLOMON STAFF WRITER

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uidance counselor Priscilla Greenwood had a boy named Fletcher on March 13. “That baby stage is just really fun,” Greenwood said.

Greenwood is one of at least six teachers who added a member to their family during this school year. For Greenwood though, parenting is not a new endeavor. Greenwood already has a daughter named Grace who will be three in April.

“I’m also excited to see my daughter be a big sister,” Greenwood said.

Preparing for maternity or paternity leave takes planning, organizing, and time.

“I am overwhelmed with making sure everything is in order with the long term sub and making sure to get everything done before I’m out,” Greenwood said.

Like Greenwood, English teacher Anilise Loomis is expecting a kid in the spring on March 28.

Loomis has a 19-month-old son named Emerson and is also excited to see her son meet his new sibling.

“I am looking forward to the first moments with him. First snuggle, first time revealing his name to my friends and family,” Loomis said.

Being pregnant can also be challenging with enough sleep and keeping up with school work.

“I routinely grade at home in the evenings. Fatigue during pregnancy makes this more challenging,” Loomis said.

New dad and social studies teacher Cameron Poole had a son in the fall named Cade who is five months old.

As a first-time parent, Poole is trying to find a good balance between work and home responsibilities.

“Being a teacher and dad is kind of hard at times. If I don’t get enough sleep I take it out on my students. Nah, I’m just joking. Just as far as sleep goes, it’s not too bad,” Poole said.

Although there are some struggles, there are also more cherished moments.

“My favorite part is everything. How he reacts, when he laughs, when he’s sleeping. Everything’s good,” Poole said.

Like Poole, English teacher Mattie Rudolph is a new parent and thinks one of the hardest parts is giving her attention.

“Teaching is also emotionally exhausting because I need to build relationships with students and you care so much about them and when a student is struggling, it causes you to struggle,” Rudolph said.

Time is also a struggle when caring for a child and trying not fall behind with class plans or grading papers.

“Teaching especially with the content I teach requires a lot of out of school time and balancing time to be my son,” Rudolph said.

Being a parent has excitement that Rudolph looks forward to see her son reach milestones.

“My favorite part is watching him grow and it is so cool to see signs of his personality and start to build a relationship with him. It’s pretty great,” Rudolph said.

Currently physics teacher Jennifer Meyer is on maternity leave with a girl named Willow Ann. Meyer will be returning to school on April 16.

Assistant principal Shenita Mayes came back from maternity leave on the week of March 5 after the birth of her daughter Ari.

Cade Poole, son of social studies teacher Cameron Poole’s son. Photo taken by Cameron Poole.

Cricket brings students, families together in sport NANDHINI SIVABALAKANNAN STAFF WRITER

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ricket is wildly popular in India, but when freshman Mohan Kummarigunta lived there, he wasn’t really interested despite India winning the Cricket World Cup in 2011.

“In my country [India], I wouldn’t play cricket much,” Kummarigunta said.

Nonetheless his interest changed when he arrived in the U.S. and started focusing on school, mostly because he didn’t have much else to do.

“When I got here, I got bored and started watching YouTube videos on how to play cricket and got even more motivation from my friends to play so I started playing more often.”

Kummarigunta said.

Previously, since Kummarigunta didn’t play cricket, he didn’t know the basics of playing the sport. That changed when he moved to America and with the help of his new friends began to see the sport in new light.

“I play with people who know more cricket than me so I can compare myself to them and learn from them,” Kummarigunta said.

Anyone who has moved to a different country know that making friends can be nervewracking and troublesome, but for Kummarigunta, he found his circle of friends by making connections on an official cricket team.

“I play for fun now, but I used to play with a team, the Red Bulls, who are a domestic team,” Kummarigunta said. “I’m not playing right now because it’s winter but I’ll play again soon.”

When a major Cardinals baseball game is going on, or the Super Bowl is around the corner, families often come together to watch it. This was no different for Kummarigunta and his family when it comes to cricket.

“If it’s an Indian match or a World Cup, my whole family likes to cheer,” Kummarigunta said. “My dad screams at the TV, since they played cricket often in their olden days, they like it a lot.”

In many sports, there are a few physical skills that one can pick up over time such as balance, speed, or agility, but while playing cricket, Kummarigunta has gained totally different talent.

“It frustrates me when they call it [cricket] an easy sport, ‘oh it’s a copy of baseball’ I’m like ‘no, they’re two completely different sports, that’s why they have different names,’” sophomore Surabhi Salunke said.

Salunke, much like, Kummarigunta, didn’t play cricket from a young age, but rather got the inspiration to play from someone else and has also joined a team.

“My dad likes to play cricket so he told me to play as an activity to get fit. In O’Fallon, there’s the American Cricket Academy and there I’m in a team named the Supreme Extreme Dream Team,” Salunke said.

With any sport there comes the hassle of practices which can be brutal. ‘Practice makes perfect’, is a saying in which Salunke seems to live by.

“I practice at the American Cricket Academy every Sunday

from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m,” Salunke said. With games, there are pre-game rituals and for Salunke, it was a combination of a strict coach and hyped-up teammates.

“Our coach loves to lecture us before games and my teammates the love to cheer you out in the field like ‘you can do this, you can do this, don’t get out!’” Salunke said.

Overall in the words of Salunke, “cricket brings people together.”

Freshman Mohan Kummarigunta, plays cricket with his team called the “Red Bulls”.

Photo by Nandhini Siva

Sophomore Surabhi Sulanke in her cricket uniform, plays at American Cricket Academy. Photo by Nandhini Siva

9 CORRAL

FEATURES

MARCH 23, 2018

senior balances

SCHOOL and PARENTING

LIBBY ARCHER EDITOR IN CHIEF

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enior year has been pretty eventful for Ashley Gould, from leaving her job at Justice in the Chesterfield Mall, becoming one of the captains of the varsity cheer squad, to having a son at age 17. Gould’s baby boy was born the Wednesday before Martin Luther King Jr. break. His name is Ashton Michael Gould and was a surprise to his parents and their family.

“I missed two days of school,” Gould said. “I had him over break and came back the next Tuesday.”

Gould did not know she was pregnant until she was in labor but is now raising Ashton. She loves him very much but because he was a surprise, she did not have all of the essentials for a new born baby.

“A lot of people from my mom’s work have actually given us formula, a baby monitor and other very helpful things,” Gould said. “Her co workers actually bought us a pack and play and a stroller and a few teachers here gave me things for the baby.”

Ashton is taken care of during the day by his father JR Robinson, who graduated from Central last year.

“I have to buy a lot of stuff like formula, clothes and it is very expensive.

My mom has been funding a lot of this but so is JR,” Gould said.

Gould is hoping to attend nursing school next year at Chamberlain. She will have to find another baby sitter for Ashton next year because Robinson is going to try to find another job to fund the baby expenses.

“Babies are not cheap,” Gould said.

This entire experience has brought her closer to her mother, Beth Cook, who she lives with, though her mother is pushing her to figure out what needs to happen in the future for both Ashley and Ashton. Her Cook’s parents were not happy when they first found out the news, but now they are excited to have a great grandchild.

Not everyone has been so accepting.

“I get a lot of judgmental looks. It makes me sad because it was something I didn’t have time to prepare for,” Gould said.

She told two of her friends right after Ashton was born, but waited a few weeks to tell others.

“I first told Emma Barnes and Hope Mueller because I know I can tell them anything and they won’t judge me,” Gould said. “They were very excited but also very surprised.”

Once she told a few others, the news of the baby traveled quick.

“It’s hard because people I thought were my friends weren’t really there for me. It showed me who my real friends are,”

Gould said.

Her body has been one of the largest changes since Ashton’s birth. Because of complications in the birthing process, Gould has had to get her gallbladder removed which caused an immense amount of pain.

She has lost a lot of weight since giving birth.

“This has made it harder for me to wear a lot of my old clothes,” Gould said.

Raising a child and being a full-time student is a lot to handle. She is even having to put being a mother above her own health.

“I am getting no sleep. Occasionally I will get an hour or two of sleep,” Gould said.

She really enjoys combining her two different worlds, and bringing Ashton to school to meet her friends. She said that each time she brings him to school people are worried because he does not wear shoes or socks.

“He won’t wear socks. He just kicks them all off. Even the Velcro,” Gould said.

She is planning on bringing him to graduation and likes bringing him to basketball games while she cheers.

“He should be used to the loud noises because I was pregnant and cheering during the football and basketball season,” Gould said.

Left to right, top to bottom: Jaycee Fisher (11) and Ashely Gould (12) at Gould’s baby shower, thrown by the Varsity Cheer Squad. Photo by Libby Archer.

Gould holding baby Ashton while bundled up for the winter months. Photo provided by Gould.

Gould and her mother Beth Cook, holding Gould’s son at the Cheerleading Senior Night. Photo provided by Gould.

Gould’s baby and dog cuddling while Ashton drinks formula. Photo provided by Gould.

10CORRAL

MARCH 23, 2018

FINAL

FEATURES

BEAT

VARSITY DANCE TEAM NOT ATTENDING STATE ATHENA STAMOS MANAGING EDITOR

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arsity dance team did not compete in the state competition this year, even though it is held in St. Louis, due to registering after the deadline.

“I have mixed emotions about it,” senior Dorothy Davis said.

“I wanted one last chance.”

This season varsity dance team tried a variety of different styles of dances.

“I feel sad because it’s the seniors last year and we worked so hard on our dances”, senior Melissa Finn said. “But relieved because it would’ve put a lot of stress on the whole team.”

On the other hand, some dancers felt that it was a huge stress reliever, so they could enjoy their season a lot more.

“We would’ve had to practice so much,” junior Mariah Sindel said. “But it was nice that we were a little bit relaxed.”

The team had many seniors and felt that as a team hard work was put into the season despite not going to state.

“We had out downs,” senior varsity captain Shannon Stolte said. “But we started off strong by placing at camp.”

At the state competition, there is jazz, kick, pom, contemporary, and many other different types of dance to choose from.

Varsity would’ve chosen pom, kick, and jazz this year.

“I think this year, we would’ve done really good on Pom and kick,” Davis said.

Normally, the dance team participates in state every other year as well as Nationals every other year. In addition, the location of state alternates between Kansas City and St. Louis each year.

“It wasn’t a big deal because we weren’t traveling,” Sindel said.

According to Stolte, last year “we performed very well” and placed third in kick. Last year at Nationals, the music for the kick dance messed up in the beginning and the judges allowed them to restart their performance. This year there was a new varsity dance teacher named Natalie Kiligore.

The state competition was held in St. Louis on Feb. 24. However, instead of attending state, the team had a scavenger hunt that weekend. Not attending the state competition also impacted the dancers’ families. Sindel’s mother originally planned a family trip the week of the state competition. However, anticipating varsity dance will attend state, she cancelled the family trip.

To end this year’s season, varsity dance team had a senior night, team sleepover, and a scavenger hunt.

“We ended our season with a lot of fun dances,” Finn said.

“Especially since state was out of the picture.”

Top: Varsity dance team performs during halftime at the varsity football game at Parkway Central. Photo courtesy of Stephen Brand Left: Senior Melissa Finn dances during the winter pep rally along with the rest of the varsity dance team.

Photo by Jeri Saltzman Right: The seniors pose for a picture with their coach, Natalie Kilgore at a football game for their senior night. Photo courtesy of Stephen Brand

11 CORRAL

FEATURES

MARCH 23, 2018

celebrate art

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Colts celebrate individual differences by participating in fun, serious and interactive educational events

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SYDNEY STAHLSCHMIDT STAFF WRITER

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1. Sophomores Isabel Roman, Taylor Stern, Sophia Chelist, and Jake Steinmetz, and juniors Justin Hudgens and Tyler James at The Hunger Banquet.

2. Seniors Jason Slagle, Aletha Bastin and Jack Meier listening at their presentation.

3. History teacher Tom Sellers and Olympic gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the question and answer session with Jackie Joyner-Kersee and retired professional football player Isaac Bruce.

CAPTIONS!!!!!!!

4. Freshman Bradley Wunderlich wraps freshman Ian He in toilet paper for a contest at the Link Leader session. Photo by Sydney Stahlschmidt and Sydney Kolker.

5. Sophomores Amber Wright and Adam Booker participate in the Hunger Banquet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They gave us more food than everyone else to represent the divide between the wealthy and the poor,â&#x20AC;? Booker said.

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6. English teacher Mattie Rudolph, sophomore Molly Heitz, and sophomore Savannah Vanhoogstrate playing a self characteristic game at the empathy event. Photo

by Sydney Kolker.

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12 CORRAL

COVER STORY

MARCH 23, 2018

THE

FUTURE OF PARKWAY

13 CORRAL

COVER STORY

MARCH 23, 2018

League

of

Women

Voters Forum

HENRY T. EUBANK

STAFF WRITER he School Board is a nonpartisan body made up of seven elected members that have three main functions: making budget decisions, hire the superintendent, and revise the district wide curriculum. Terms are three years long and the position is volunteer. There are two spots open for the election April 3, and five candidates are hoping to be elected. According to Matt Schindler, a board candidate, the average voting age in these elections is 71. The people with the highest stake in the election are the students and their parents represent their needs, so it is important for them to get out and vote.

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Photo by Libby Archer.

Amy Bonnett

Jeanie Ames

1. What is your motivation to run for school board?

My inspiration is my children. The future of Parkway is not a game, it is not a political philosophy. The future of Parkway is giving EVERY student an opportunity to succeed, an opportunity to achieve, and an opportunity to become the best version of themselves.

2. What in your resume makes you qualified for this position? What sets you apart from the other candidates?

As a parent of three students with special needs, I connected with these parents. As a former third grade teacher, I have first-hand knowledge of the different faces of successful students. My husband, Eric, and I are lifelong residents of Parkway. We are both Parkway alumni. Our children have each attended Parkway since preschool at Parkway Early Childhood Center.

3. Is there anything in Parkway going on right now that concerns you?

It starts at the top. The closed door attitude and limited transparency of budget and curriculum decisions is extremely concerning. That needs to change. Tax payer funds should be treated with a fiduciary attitude. Currently, they are not.

4. Who are your constituents?

The parents, residents, and taxpayers of Parkway. Students rely on parents, who rely on us.

5. What is one thing you think Parkway does exceptionally well and one thing Parkway really needs to work on?

Parkway does MANY things right. So many people who have been close to my children are simply invaluable. The interaction and dedication of people like Dr. Michael Baugus, Mrs. Carrie Lawton, and Ms. Lindsay Brockmeier has been a gift. Additionally, Special School District teachers have been integral in our children’s success at Parkway.

Jonathan Taylor

1. What is your motivation to run for school board?

My son, Jackson. He began his journey as a Parkway kindergartner last year at Carman Trails. As an alumnus of The Parkway School District, I have a vested interest in ensuring that my son, and the sons and daughters of all parents in the district, receive the best education possible to prepare them for adulthood. I am in this for the long haul.

2. What in your resume makes you qualified for this position? What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I have an extensive background in operations management and a history of achieving results through investment in technology, personnel development, and talent acquisition. Parkway is a large organization that spends approx. $1 billion every four years, as authorized by the school board, and my experience would compliment the expertise of other board members.

3. Is there anything in Parkway going on right now that concerns you?

In meeting with the residents of the district, it is very clear that many feel that their voices are not being heard on many issues. The role of a board member is to listen to and represent the people of the district, not push their own personal agenda.

4. Who are your constituents?

The people of the district.

5. What is one thing you think Parkway does exceptionally well and one thing Parkway really needs to work on?

Exceptionally well: providing parents, students, and voters of the district with opportunities to provide their input and opinion. Needs to work on: acting on the input provided to them by their constituents and the students of the district.

Kevin Seltzer

1. What is your motivation to run for school board?

My wife and I grew up in Parkway but our kids are just getting started. As the parent of a kindergartner and a preschooler, I’m taking the long view. Our kids are going to grow up in this district and we want them to have the great experiences and opportunities like we had. This is an opportunity to give back to a community that has given my family and me so much and I look forward to serving this district.

2. What in your resume makes you qualified for this position? What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I am a practicing attorney and while a lot of people think that profession in synonymous with arguing, that is not the case. A successful attorney is able to acquire and analyze the relevant facts and rules and then work to create solutions to problems. My legal acumen, open mind and cooperative nature will serve me well in this position.

3. Is there anything in Parkway going on right now that concerns you?

During the course of this campaign I have had the opportunity to speak to parents, teachers, staff and various members of the community. Everyone has a story to tell, things they like about the district and things that need to be addressed.

4.

Who are your constituents?

I want to be voice and a representative for all of Parkway.

5. What is one thing you think Parkway does exceptionally well and one thing Parkway really needs to work on?

1. Parkway hires great people. Parkway has a reputation for excellence and a track record for hiring great personnel and developing great employees. 2. Adaptation: I don’t think of this as a weakness but as a continual reinvention. The world is changing at a rapid pace and all schools need to focus on adapting their practices in real time.

1. What is your motivation to run for school board? ​

Being connected to the community and supporting public schools has been important to me for as long as I can remember. Running for school board is a natural extension of my service.

2. What in your resume makes you qualified for this position? What sets you apart from the other candidates?

Worked as a tax accountant for a large accounting firm; Substitute Teacher in Parkway; PTO President at West High for 3 years: 13 Years of Volunteering in Parkway Schools; Participant in the district’s Listening Tour and Project Parkway; Parkway Alumna - Claymont, West Middle, West High: Longtime youth leader with Boy Scouts, Church, Parkway Swim Club, Cheerleading (coach).

3. Is there anything in Parkway going on right now that concerns you?

​One of Parkway’s greatest challenges right now is the age of our buildings, keeping them updated and accommodating of all students.

Recently, Parkway conducted a Thought Exchange in which parents expressed concerns over the age and condition of some of our buildings.

4. Who are your constituents? ​

My constituents are our Parkway community as a whole. This includes students, their families, and the taxpayers who live in Parkway.

I also feel I am serving teachers, support staff, and administrators by ensuring we keep Parkway status as a top workplace in the region.

5. What is one thing you think Parkway does exceptionally well and one thing Parkway really needs to work on?

Exceptionally well: I would say that Parkway does an amazing job of providing a breadth of opportunities for students. In the High Schools, we have an expansive curriculum including many AP Class offerings, South Tech options, Spark Opportunities and a host of music, sports, clubs and activities. I’m thankful for the many opportunities that Parkway provides to its students.

Needs to work on: I feel we have a lot of work left to do to address the social and emotional needs of students. The pressures of being a young person in today’s world are unlike any other time in history. We need to make sure our staff is trained enough to identify the signs of the challenges our kids face, and how to help them.

Matthew Schindler

1. What is your motivation to run for school board?

We moved into Parkway because of the school district...We wanted to find a school district with lots of options. We wanted to be in a larger schools. I thought about the idea of running for the school board, and the opportunity this year with some of the other candidates that were out there, thought this was the year to do it.

2. What in your resume makes you qualified for this position? What sets you apart from the other candidates?

My experience in terms has been all with nonprofit. I have worked with nonprofit boards, I have been on nonprofit boards, I understand the relationship between a board and the director of the organization. And that’s a huge benefit in terms of what the school board can do and I also think to my international experience [and] something that sets me apart from the other candidates.

3. Is there anything in Parkway going on right now that concerns you?

About safety... it has been brought to the forefront. And I think even before the incidents in Florida, there was a plan, part of the bond issue coming out this fall was to actually change the high school structure in terms of entry. But a desk of people at the front, with staff and funnel kids in the one direction, to improve safety. I am not in favor of arming teachers and bringing more guns into school... Not making the school a fortress, because if kids don’t feel safe in the classroom they’re not going to learn.

4. Who are your constituents?

Concerned parents. I have been shocked by the level of support that I have gotten. Especially with getting into the race so late...Most of the money has come from parents, I would say 95%.

5. What is one thing you think Parkway does exceptionally well and one thing Parkway really needs to work on?

This goes both ways I think. Parkway has a great approach to diversity, but it needs to go further. I have heard if issues still in Parkway with diversity and challenges and even one of the candidates, their support of diversity is not there. I even heard of one of the candidates mention that diversity is overrated. And in today’s world it is so important to be exposed to different people and be around other people.

On March 12, the League of Women Voters held a candidate forum for this years Board of Education election.

The forum was streamed live on Facebook Live so those at home could watch. All five candidates were in attendance and given the opportunity to let the community know a little about themselves.

The candidates were also asked a series of questions with varying difficulty and controversy, ranging from what they believe Parkway does well to discussing their views on the school voucher program.

All candidates gave a two minute opening statement and a two minutes closing statement. All of the candidates were given an opportunity to answer all the questions asked for a maximum of one minute.

The Parkway Central Middle School commons was full with people, forcing many to stand in the back. The candidates remarked on how encouraging it was to see so many interested parents in the audience. All of the candidates made a comment asking the people in attendance to get out and vote on Election Day, April 3.

“Bring yourself and three of your neighbors,” candidate Matt Schindler said to end his closing statement.

14CORRAL

FEATURES

MARCH 23, 2018

SCHOOL SAFETY: ADMINISTRATION V. STUDENT PERSPECTIVE DANNI SCHNEIDERMAN STAFF WRITER

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chool shootings have been an exponentially rising issue in the news and in our country. Being in a high school 5 days a week and roughly 180 days a year, this subject is very relevant to many people at Parkway Central.

Officer Caswell is one of the only resource officers that is on duty at all times. “The school is usually secure but we only have one resource officer who can’t be in two places at once,” Senior Venkatesh Satheeskumar said. Students can feel unsafe at school.

Increasing the amount of officers on campus could potentially increase the feeling of safety by being able to cover more ground.

Another issue that Satheeskumar mentioned was the front door access. Anyone is able to enter and leave Parkway Central as they please through the far left door at the front entry. In response to this, Satheeskumar said, “All front doors should be locked at every point in the day after school begins.”

Satheeskumar has also mentioned the kids in Parkland, Florida who are making a difference in their area. These are students who have been directly impacted by the school shooting in Parkland. They have been tweeting, writing essays, and appearing on television to fight for their voice in the matter of gun violence and gun control.

“They are the future of making our schools safer. Dick’s Sporting Goods has even dropped assault rifles and raised the age on buying guns at their store due to this whole Parkland situation,” he said. This example of voicing your rights and your opinions has helped to inspire students in our school to stand up for their opinions and even their safety.

Dr. Tim McCarthy, the building principal, emphasized the fact that high schools these days are not the same as it used to be.

“You add to that, that your memory is post 9/11 as well, so I think that’s a part of what I’ve been reflecting on and talking with people about,” McCarthy said. “My perspective, because of my own experiences, may be different from the perspective of some of our students who’s context of when they grew up is

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very different.”

He also compares school shootings in the present day to the space shuttle, Challenger, that exploded shortly after take off.

However, he also recognizes that this is a very different type of tragedy, and for him, that was the biggest devastation that his generation lived through.

Many adults have a hard time wrapping their head around our current situation in school because when they grew up, times were so different.

“This wasn’t the context of my childhood and it is for our kids. And I’m sorry that that’s where we are, because it isn’t just the one event. There’s a frequency with which thats happening.

What’s the impact of that? I don’t know,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy talked about how school shootings have made a big impact on him, especially as parent.

“Both as an educator, a principle and as a parent, my two kids are in 6th grade and 4th grade, what does that mean? I think there’s a shared sense of sadness that this is the world our kids are living through,” McCarthy said. As a parent, McCarthy shares the same worries and concerns that our parents have as well. People all around us have been forced to fear the safety of their kids or themselves at school due to the tragedies that have been consistently bombarding our country.

The school community continues to debate what can be done to increase the level of safety at school. A prominent question that is continuously asked is “Why do we just do intruder drills during Ac Lab?” In response, McCarthy said, “Typically, those are on B days during Ac Lab and part of what I say is that the next day your teachers should talk about that. So Ideally, the conversation is just reviewing that but our response is going to be similar regardless of what period it is. But I would say that that’s an understandable question and something we’re reflecting on is do we need to change things up? Do we need to practice these responses in different setting and at different times?” The recognition of our principal regarding the procedures and practices of a safety emergency and knowing that there are people working on improving our system is reassuring because it makes

students feel as though their voice and their concerns are truly being heard.

Kids are still going to fear school. So what can we do to prevent that? In McCarthy’s opinion, the answer lies within the community.

“We are going to continue to reflect on our policies and practices as it relates to safety and security and how we can continue to strengthen relationships between students in the building and between students and staff. I believe that the community is part of the solution to that challenging context. Developing nurturing, strong relationships have to be, in my opinion, part of the answer, to help support our students as they navigate and live through challenging times,” McCarthy said.

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1. Armani Phillips, Deonna West, Dorothy Davis, and Nyla Reed standing outside school during the anti-gun rally 2. Zavha Naeem holding up a paper that pledges her dedication to the anti-gun violence movement 3. Lily Rudman and Ashley Herman holding up a poster during the anti-gun rally Photos taken by Libby Archer

15 CORRAL

FEATURES

MARCH 23 2018

ADMINISTRATION DISCUSSES SECURITY IN WAKE OF CONCERN MADELINE LEE NEWS EDITOR

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n wake of recent tragedies and discussions, concerns have been raised over the amount of security in schools and how it should evolve to make students safer. In the wake of recent school shootings, as well as the term “mass shooting generation” being used to describe students, there have been countless discussions in town halls, as well as behind closed doors.

“There are some things proposed on the November bond issue that relate to safety,” Chief Communications Director, with responsibilities in safety, Paul Tandy said. “One of which is adding a double entry security vestibule to the high schools, which means that visitors could go through the first set of doors, but then would have to provide identification and reasoning for their visit before they could get through the second set.”

Other proposals on the bond issue are doubling the security cameras at the elementary schools, which have the fewest number of cameras out of all of the Parkway schools.

“We’re also planning on upgrading the PA intercom systems, they’re ancient,” Tandy said. “We are going to a digital system, as opposed to the analog system we have now, which has a lot more capability.”

There are also bids going up for a more advanced visitor management system which would require school officials to scan IDs, providing a personalized visitors badge and digital tracking system. The digital tracking system would allow, through technology, the ability to see where in the building each visitor is.

“If we went this route, it would require much more commitment from everyone,” Tandy said. “It’s going to be an inconvenience and a bit more invasive, but it is something we are looking at.”

Another focus of the administration is students. One key point of preventative discussions has been mental health, and the Parkway administration has included that in its developments.

“We want to make sure all of our students are known,” Park-

way Schools Superintendent Keith Marty said. “By that I mean that we want staff to be attentive to students who may be having mental or emotional issues, or depression. We are adding staff next year such to help aid that.”

More social workers will be added to the district, as well as more staff on the elementary level, to help students who are struggling.

Another hot topic of school safety has been the question of arming teachers. The Parkway School District has stated multiple times that arming its teachers is out of the question.

“You have to really understand a weapon,” Marty said, Tandy nodding along with him. “There are just too many things that could go wrong. For example, when law enforcement respond to a situation and they seem someone with a weapon in the school, they don’t stop and ask questions. You’re actually putting people at risk with that. We want to keep our students and our staff safe.”

Tandy, a veteran who had been stationed overseas, and Marty, father to members of the military, both understand the power and the purpose of firearms. Tandy, having experience with firearms, offered perspective on what it is like to even hold a firearm.

“I was overseas and for over a year carried two [firearms],” Tandy said. “You have to really train and know that weapon.

People who have never carried a gun don’t understand how demanding it is to carry a weapon all day, every day, safely.”

Safe and preventative measures are what the district is focusing its attention on, and plans to talk with leaders of each high school to encourage them to figure out what is best for each high school.

“During drills, teachers need to be thinking about what is best for each classroom,” Tandy said. “I hate to say this, I hate that it has to be this way, but everyone needs to be thinking about places in the building where they frequent, and always be thinking about what your plan would be if something were to happen. Just being aware.”

Tandy and Marty both agree that more discussion needs to happen, including on the future of safety drills.

“Some districts do it so that teachers know the day that an intruder drill is happening, but they don’t exactly know when,” Tandy said.

At Parkway Central, intruder drills most commonly occur during AC lab, and only one a semester.

“It needs to stop being convenient,” Tandy said.

District administrators are not the only ones aware of the concerns that the community is having.

“Schools are built to evacuate quickly,” Assistant Principal Travis Fast said. “Because of that, there are a lot of exits, which is something that we have to be mindful of.”

The needs of each high school is different, along with some of the concerns. For example, while Parkway West has three levels, Parkway Central is very sprawled out. This leads to worry about a situation occurring in another wing of the building, and the others not being able to hear or know about it, as well as the number of doors that the school has.

“We think about everything,” Fast said. “Dallas, the custodians, and I check the other doors at regular intervals, but we do think about how we can improve that system.”

The district and the high school are encouraging future discussion, but also understanding as change can be slow when dealing with a lot of money, a lot of people, and a lot of mindsets.

Parkway students protest gun violence CHELSEA BAIRD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

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t was a chilly, grey afternoon as more than 50 Parkway students gathered just outside of Parkway Central to add their voices to the nationwide outcry against gun violence on Friday, Feb. 23.

Seniors Hannah Maurer and Zoe Rosenberg, along with Sabrina Bohn from Parkway West, led a press conference in wake of the shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14, leaving 17 dead and 14 wounded. The student leaders wore bright orange shirts emblazoned with the slogan ‘Students Demand Action.’ Orange, the color hunters wear to protect themselves while shooting in the woods, has become a symbol of the movement against gun violence. Alongside the crowd of high schoolers in attendance stood parents, press members, state legislators and even a toddler, running through the gathering in her own oversized orange tee. All looked on soberly as Maurer and Rosenberg gave impassioned speeches in opposition to gun violence.

“I do not feel safe in this country knowing that my school could be the next story and my classmates the next victims of such a massacre,” Maurer said.

The press conference was a part of the national effort to get students’ voices and opinions on gun violence heard by their state and federal legislators, inspired by the recent events that occurred in Parkland. It was associated with Colts Demand Action, Parkway Central’s student-led gun violence prevention club.

Though some believe Colts Demand Action to support certain partisan views about gun violence prevention, Rosenberg says that it is a strictly non-partisan effort to prevent further violence.

“This is a club for everybody, not just people on one side of the spectrum… We’re not against guns, we’re against being unsafe in our schools and in the streets of St. Louis. We’re trying our best to prevent gun violence,” she said.

Still, the student activists faced backlash for their statements at the press conference. The online comments they received, according to Rosenberg, were not all in their support.

“There were lots of comments on News Five’s live stream saying ‘they’re just kids, what do they know’ and ‘why are they trying to take our guns,’” she said. “But I believe that young people do have a voice, one of the strongest voices right now.”

Students, teachers, parents and other attendees lingered long after the conference was over, stopping to chat with each other and with the student leaders. Members of the press interviewed students; legislators posed for pictures; moms sporting bright red ‘Moms Demand Action’ shirts found their children in the crowd.

The event provided an opportunity for numerous members of the Parkway community to stand in solidarity with the Parkland victims and to demand change from Missouri lawmakers.

“I refuse to accept thoughts and I refuse to accept prayers,” Rosenberg said during her speech. “It is time to act and to make change.”

The latest school shooting in Parkland has led people all over the nation to rally against gun violence. Young people, especially, have been prominent in voicing their concern about America’s gun legislation, often led by the example of the outspoken survivors of the Parkland shooting.

“Our voices will be louder than ever after Stoneman Douglas,” said Maurer, “and we will not stop until our voices are heard.”

(Top) Senior Hannah Maurer speaks during an anti-gun violence press conference put on

by Students Demand Action. (Above) Students gather with signs at the Students Demand Action Press Conference on Feb. 23. Photos by Debra Klevens.

16 CORRAL

FEATURES

MARCH 23, 2018

WHAT NETFLIX SHOW IS NEXT FOR YOU...

CLAUDIA SANDERS STAFF WRITER

Spring Break Travel Photo Contest!

Post a picture on Instagram of your spring break adventures.

Make sure to tag @pch_publications and use the hashtag #pchspringbreak for a chance to win a

FREE BOX COMBO FROM RAISING CANES.

Winners will also have their picture featured in the yearbook and newspaper. The contest will run from March 24-April 1. Winners will be announced Monday, April 16.

Rules: -No pictures with drugs or alcohol -Make sure the picture includes people from Parkway Central (this can/should include you) Hint: We love candid and posed shots!

17 CORRAL

FEATURES

MARCH 23, 2018

AMES MAKES WAVES IN BOE ELECTION BID HENRY T. EUBANK STAFF WRITER

T

he path to being a member of the Parkway Schools Board of Education has been turbulent for candidate Jeanie Ames. A host of articles have been written about her by local media outlets focusing on her controversial social media posts and reposts. The St. Louis American published an article on January 22, 2018 titled “Parkway school board candidate has record of offensive tweets, Jeanie Ames likens Michelle Obama to ‘a giant rat,’ self-identifies as ‘Confederate.’” The article touches on some of the more controversial things that Ames has posted on her Twitter account. In her Twitter bio, she describes herself as a “confederate” among other things. Most of the criticism is drawn through her Twitter posts, which many, including the Progress for Parkway Facebook group members, claim to be racist, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and anti-LGBTQ+. Her posts led to widespread concern among Parkway parents and voters about how her personal views will affect her decision making as a board member.

Political bias is allowed in Board of Education elections, even though candidates do not have the option to declare party affiliation. Despite this, Ames plans to use her political values as a board member.

“The Board of Education is not a partisan body, but my priorities for Parkway are consistent with my conservative beliefs,” Ames said. Remarks by Ames have raised concern among some voters about her motives and her thoughts towards minority races and religions. Ames says using the word “confederate” is an inside joke within her family, saying it relates to her extensive southern heritage.

“If I can’t poke fun at my own family heritage, political correctness and intolerance have merged into one,” Ames said.

She has not removed the word from her bio and plans to keep it there. Ames has also come under fire for several other tweets that are considered to be offensive, including when she retweeted a post about a Parkland survivor becoming a crisis actor, which has since been debunked.

Ames retweeted a picture that reads, “To be opposed to evil is to be opposed to Islam! Let the Crusade begin! Ban Islam in America!” When asked why she posted it and what it meant she responded, “It was the cover of an article claiming a 1952 law banned Muslims from America, which it did not. The conversation from which that screenshot was taken was in defense of Muslim Americans and using hyperbole to show what a ban on Muslim people would look like, how it would halt all rational debate over security and immigration.” However, when she posted it, she did not mention those things, she just retweeted the picture October 8, 2017.

Ames is against the notion of the idea that what she retweets or reposts should sway voter opinion and confidence her. She believes that the screenshots of her posts are taken out of context and that they do not always

fully reflect her views.

“Screenshots are easily taken out of context and misconstrued. More often then not the gross misinterpretation is irrelevant when voters listen to candidates and inform themselves about candidates priorities, background, and qualifications,” Ames said. She is confident that once the voters get to know her and where her priorities lie they will look past her social media pages.

When Ames retweeted a quote from actor James Woods that said, “The world is fighting Islamic terrorism, starvation and disease, but Democrats are fighting for men to pee in the ladies’ room.” Ames added, “Pretty much sums up my BoE run.” When asked about this Ames said, “Because, as a practical matter. Sex is science. Gender is social.” This relates to her dissatisfaction with the current sex education curriculum that was voted in two years ago. Ames is on record discussing her dislike for the current sex ed program in Parkway. At the League of Women Voters candidate forum Ames commented on the curriculm.

“It should be science-based, it should be age-appropriate, and it should be something that is absolutely relevant to the ages and developmental level of the students.”

The Board of Education election is April 3.

Screenshots of Jeannie Ames’ tweets.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VPNS WESLEY HENSHAW STAFF WRITER

A

s society becomes more and more technology oriented, privacy becomes more and more of a concern. With every news story about a malware outbreak, our security and privacy seems to be thrown into question.

For those security cautious individuals out there, a VPN might be perfect. VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, and it can provide comfort and assurance for those who wants their privacy assured, as well as restrictions removed on where you go online.

“Essentially what a VPN does is it creates a little tunnel to a different WIFI access,” junior Abhishek Jain, a technology enthusiast, said. “It essentially spoofs your IP address so it’s harder to track you, it gives you privacy, and it gives you that unrestricted access.”

Where VPNs and incognito mode differ, however, is the sheer effectiveness. Incognito mode serves to hide what you do and where you go online, but only to the people with access to the device. That’s all well and good, but what about other people?

For instance, your ISP. Your ISP, or internet service provider, is where you get your internet access from. They can see every site you visit and everything you do. They are a Big Brother, of sorts.

If you’re desperately trying to keep what you’re doing online a secret, whatever it may be, if someone like your mom or dad is suspicious enough, they can call up the ISP and request the internet history. VPNs act against this.

“It works to hide and mask your internet traffic from your ISP and those who want to see it. It’s like incognito mode on

steroids,” sophomore Amaan Bari, also a tech enthusiast, said.

Basically, the VPNs make it so your IP address isn’t the one that you’re accessing the WIFI from. In addition, they encrypt your internet traffic, making your ISP unable to see the details as it is all jumbled up.

“They’ll know that you went to some remote server, but that’s all they’ll know,” Bari said. “They won’t know any specifics at all.”

This is immensely helpful for the privacy concerned individual. Even more, it allows the user to feel in control of their privacy and their internet privileges.

“It gives you a sense of privacy because they can’t track things back to you very easily,” Jain said. “It allows you to access things so it gives you that idea of internet freedom, allowing you to do what you wish with your internet.”

To describe VPNs as a simple way of masking your internet history is somewhat of an understatement. VPNs are kind of like a Swiss army knife. As mentioned earlier, they can also allow you to visit sites that your internet provider doesn’t allow,like what happens at schools. Our school blocks the use of certain apps, such as Snapchat, so many use VPNs on their phones to use such apps while still using the WIFI. “I prefer not to use my data so it allows me to use the school WIFI and access apps like Snapchat,” Jain said.

However, VPNs have some downsides. For one thing, they can slow your internet speeds. This is because Photo illustration from Pixabay

“Essentially what a VPN does is it creates a little tunnel to a different WIFI access,” - Abhishek Jain (11)

there is so much going on between you and the their servers.

This can sometimes be avoided by paying for a VPN, as the free option typically has higher server loads, but overall you won’t be getting as fast speeds as without a VPN due to all of the processes going on within it. Now, there are different types for different kind of things users may need.

“If you want to have a faster Netflix stream I would essentially look for something that’s a bit more streaming based, or if you’re looking for a bit more security I would look for something more security based,” Jain said.

VPNs, like a lot of things, are not perfect. If someone already has malware on your device, you’re out of luck. However, this weakness has a strength to it. While they’re weak to previous malware, they are strong to new malware.

“If someone already has malware on your phone, a VPN won’t protect you from that but it protects you from new malware. It will prevent further malware,” Jain said.

Photo illustration from Pixabay

18CORRAL ALBUM STUFF: NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES MARCH 23, 2018

OPINIONS

DAVID AMIRDJANIAN STAFF WRITER

T

he hip-hop trio N*E*R*D (Active since 1999), consisting of Pharrell Williams on vocals and Chad Hugo and Shay Haley on production, finally released a studio album after seven years of nothing. Pharrell stated that a new album was in progress in 2013, but it was radio silence from that time on. In December they finally released their 5th album “NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES” with an impressive list of guest appearances backing up the tracks. With features such as Rihanna, Andre 3000, M.I.A, Kendrick Lamar, Gucci Mane, Wale, Future, and Ed Sheeran, the album is bound to be a treat.

I’ve been aware of N*E*R*D’s presence in the music industry, but I’ve never actually got around to listening to anything they’ve released prior to this album. I wasn’t riding any hype, and I for sure had no anticipation for whatever this album had in store for me. Frankly, I was delightfully surprised from my overall experience from the album.

The album kicks off with the song “Lemon” featuring Rihanna. This song is a banger from start to end. The drums are so well done in the song, backed with deep, rumbling 808’s in the back provided the song with such an enticing bass-line. The flow of both Pharrell and Rihanna is killer, and I was astonished over the bars Rihanna dropped on this track. Never in my life I expected her to be rapping, especially this well. And I’m not going to lie, I left this track wanting to hear more of Rihanna. I love how almost “bubble-gummy” the beat felt, makes the song super fun and energetic. An absolute blast to listen to, and strangely addicting.

Gucci Mane introduced the third song on the album, “Violà”, with a silky smooth chorus. This song has such a suave presence to it, and the jazzy bass-line in the back with the banging rhythm from the guitar really gives this song an interesting personality.

During the tracks last breath, it had a sudden beat change. It slows down to a tropical sounding beat, with steel drums backing it, and Wale dishing out the last verse of the song. I don’t even know how to describe the outro to the song and do it any justice. It’s definitely an experience.

The track “1000” that followed up after “Violà”, was one of the most irritating songs I’ve heard in awhile. It’s sad because the track had a golden moment in the middle of it where the production cleans up and sounds bearable for a few minutes.

But it didn’t last, it just went back to the annoying beat and Pharrell yelling “Holy s*** it’s working!” and “One Zero Zero Zero!” ten times in one chorus. And the song features the most out-of-place and misused guest appearances on an album I’ve heard in a hot minute. Future, out of all people they could have chose for a song that isn’t rap, suddenly interrupts the annoying screeches by Pharrell, with an even more annoying beat changeup and bar from him. It is so badly incorporated into this song, I cannot stress this enough, It’s that terrible. He interrupts a somewhat interesting, maybe even promising, chord progression with “Git one thousand / Hunnid, one thousand / Uh, one thousand.” In addition with some throw-away bars I could literally not care less about. What a shame.

“Don’t Don’t Do It!” Starts super chill, but boy does it ramp up to a crazy degree, and it does that very quickly. I’m not going to lie, due to the genius progression in the song, and the awesome beat change-ups worked into the original melody honestly makes this song one of my favorite ones on the album. The way they work the beat change into the song is so satisfying, and it hits the song so suddenly that I had to double take to make sure if what I was hearing was real. They incorporate some jamming power-chord rhythms with a funky bass in the change up, and because of how it was introduced earlier once before, the transition to the next change up was even smoother when Kendrick Lamar suddenly started to rap on it. He absolutely killed it, even if it was such a small part of the song. Everything that led up to it was so well done, so much so that I wasn’t even anticipating it to get even better. The crucial difference between this song and “1000” when it comes to change-ups is the execution. “1000” does it so suddenly and it doesn’t fit the song what-so-ever, it felt hamfisted into the song and that alone made it enjoyable, but “Don’t Don’t Do It!” does it so well that it felt seamless.

The production felt clean, but not overdone or annoying.

“ESP” is super playful in the way its written. It almost reminds me of a children’s song with the way Pharrell keeps joyfully ad-libbing “Uh huh, Uh huh” after every line in the chorus. The song feels pretty psychedelic as well, especially with the deep voice saying “The energy baby” carrying the transitions between each verse and beat transition.

This album in general was a great experience, but almost every strong song is followed by a weak track. For instance, the song “Rollinem 7s” overstays its welcome with such a repetitive beat. Having that beat repeated for five minutes straight is torture. Andre 3000 was the best part of the song, he definitely broke up the monotony of the beat. It just sucks that he was featured on such a weak track.

The last three tracks (“Kites”, “Secret Life Of Tigers”, and “Lifting You”) end this album on such a high note, even after experiencing two (and a half) songs that were almost completely unenjoyable. A song that I do want to point out is the last song on the album, Lifting you, that features Ed Sheeran. The very, very, very last thing I’d imagine for this album to exit on is a Dancehall-esque song. It literally sound straight out of Jamaica from the early 80’s during the rise of popularity of the Dancehall genre, but with a modern twist. Honestly, it was a great surprise since I adore that genre a whole lot.

N*E*R*D preforming in 2010.

Photo by: Kallerna

Year: 2017 Score: 8/10 Genre: Rap/Hip-hop, Alternative Hip-hop, Experimental, Funk/Jazz, Progressive Rock, Rap-rock.

Favorite Songs (In order): “Don’t Don’t Do It,” “ESP,” “Secret Life Of Tigers,” “Voilà,” “Kites,” “Lifting You.” Least Favorite Songs (Equal Hatred): “1000”, “Rollinem 7s”, the annoying first 3 minutes of “Lightning Fire Magic Prayer”

19CORRAL

OPINION

MARCH 23, 2018

Prescribing the

Antidote

A Review of “12 Rules for Life: an Antidote to Chaos” WESLEY HENSHAW STAFF WRITER

I

n the midst of a very confusing, if not outright chaotic, social climate in America, it’s a pleasant surprise to see such a book welcome us into early 2018. The book is “12 Rules for Life: an Antidote to Chaos” by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson.

Perhaps what best sums up “12 Rules for Life” is the fact it is simultaneously listed under psychology, philosophy and self help. Peterson’s book looks at society and the individual, in one move tearing down false ideas about hierarchies, power, and human nature only to carefully and tenderly nurture new ideas of the balance between order and chaos, as well as humanity’s need to bear their “Being”, or the collection of suffering and pain that comes with existence.

For many, one of the biggest draw towards this book is the sheer intellectualism.

Peterson knows how to formulate an argument and intelligently defend, grow and spread it. One of the criticisms I’ve heard about this book is that some of the “12 Rules” are simple once stripped of all his analysis and big words. To be honest, some of Peterson’s rules sound, at first, like something you’d hear in some cheesy YouTube video meant to “boost confidence.” For instance, the first rule: “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.” The standard YouTube personality might validate this rule by explaining it makes you look attractive or it simply just “boosts confidence.” Peterson, however, starts by talking about lobsters’ brains. That sounds like a leap that shouldn’t work, but it does.

Peterson explains all of his rules by analyzing seemingly anything he can get his hands on. Religious texts, personal experiences, infamous figures, totalitarian regimes, animals’ neurochemistry, relevance of technology, other psychologists and social commentators, the list goes on. This strange list of concepts sounds like they can’t possibly fit coherently with each other, but they do beautifully. Peterson flawlessly bounds from topic to topic in a way only a true genius can, in this case using the way lobsters produce serotonin in their brains and ascend the lobster hierarchy to discuss natural hierarchies and neurochemistry that we as humans share (to grossly oversimplify). His intelligent dissection of every topic he is presented with takes some of these seemingly simple statements and authentically and brilliantly convinces you of their legitimacy and profoundness.

Something I found really interesting reading the book is one of his key ideas. He talks often of something he calls “Being”, or the state of suffering everyone goes through and must go through. He explains that a person’s ultimate purpose should be to bear Being, to bear the suffering of life itself, and then we can find success and happiness. Peterson has quite often been commended for simply telling members of his audience, in different words, “get your act together”, a commendation he finds upsetting as he believes as something everyone should be told, not as something revolutionary. He preaches self responsibility in an age that, arguably, needs it the most.

Now something that can immediately turn someone away from a book like this is the sheer amount of religious references.

Peterson himself is a devout Christian and uses a lot of Biblical analysis in his book, and there are many readers who may be upset by this. I have even heard some individuals claim that these religious references actually invalidate his arguments. However, to those individuals, I’d like to make a case. Say you hate poker. Perhaps gambling in general. In fact, the mere sight of a

deck of cards makes your skin crawl. Now say someone makes a house out of those cards. Better yet, a mansion. Are you going to deny it being impressive? Okay, so it isn’t perfect, but it’s close enough.

Peterson’s use of religion is by no means the same as a preacher quoting the Bible. He dissects biblical stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Jesus and Satan, managing to distill them into universal stories of good and evil, order and chaos, and human nature, even then applying them to other mythologies and religions. Peterson has stated that his own personal theory is that these biblical stories are metaphorical tales from our ancestors, advising future generations based on their past, and as such he never really goes into the literal with his analysis. You don’t have to be religious to appreciate some of Peterson’s brilliant psychological theses.

When it comes to accessibility, I’m not going to lie, this book isn’t for everyone. Now don’t misunderstand, I think everyone should read this, but I know not everyone’s going to be able to. Peterson doesn’t dumb down anything. The book’s ideas are complex and no amount of anecdotes can simplify things enough to be called an easy read.

Reading this book is somewhat of a commitment, not helped by the length. You have to want to read this book, desire further knowledge, and take time to truly appreciate what Peterson is saying. At least, if you want to take anything away from it.

Peterson also helps this significantly by consistently peaking your interest, guiding you through the complex material. Though it might be daunting, the book is still packed with fascinating knowledge that makes every rule worth it.

Overall, I’d say the best way to enjoy this book is to have someone else who is interested in Peterson’s philosophy to talk with (or talk at in my case). This really enhances the experience as you’ll find yourself, subconsciously and actively, applying his rules into your own life. Though I didn’t try it, I believe this would be a good book for a book club, for the same reason.

Though it is too much on the heftier side to be an easy read, the complexity added to the enjoyment. I don’t exaggerate when I say that a book like this could fix a lot of society’s problems if everyone took time to read it. Now that won’t happen, but for those who want to better themself, even a little bit, I prescribe “12 Rules for Life: an Antidote to Chaos” and I recommend involving yourself with more of Peterson’s work, such as the good work he does on his YouTube channel (Jordan B. Peterson on YouTube).

“What shall I do with a torn nation? Stitch it back together with careful words of truth.”

- Jordan B. Peterson

Dr Jordan B. Peterson. Peterson wrote this book nearly two decades after the release of his first book, “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief.” Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto, has gained a large following over the past year, appearing on many popular podcasts such as the Joe Rogan Experience, The Rubin Report, The H3H3 Podcast, as well as many news outlets, not to mention his own YouTube channel, of which has been growing substantially in popularity. Image from jordanbpeterson.com.

20 CORRAL

OPINIONS

MARCH 23, 2018

FORTNITE IS GOOD FOR NON-GAMERS SAM KELLER STAFF WRITER

F

ortnite is one of the most recent battle royale style video games to come out in the past year. Fortnite is a free to play game and only requires a download to play it on your computer.

It is produced by Epic Games and was originally released back in July 2017.

It has exploded in popularity in recent months to be one of the largest royale games out there.

However, this game follows the release of another battle royale game PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds(PUBG), which is a $30 game available on Steam.

PUBG is the third highest grossing game on steam ever, but PUBG has many problems like massive framerate drops and constant server issues. It also requires a very powerful computer to run in the first place. Fortnite has neither of these issues but before anything else Fortnite is a copy of PUBG and was originally made to make money off the massive success of PUBG. Other than the sin of coping another game, Fortnite actually is a fairly okay game. It runs smoothly on most computers due to its cartoonish style graphics

and it has a fairly large community of players so every game you play will be with many different from all over the world. It has much more stable servers than PUBG so you aren’t going to have to fight the servers every time you want to play. It also can be quite a fun game to play because all the buildings in the game are destroyable and you can use materials from that to build your own forts to defend yourself, which adds a different strategy to winning in this game.

This game also has its fair share of problems, like a loot crate system. Loot crates are crates that you can open to get new skins for various things in the game. This is how Epic Games makes their money, luckily the lootcrates are only for cosmetics and don’t influence who wins the games. This is still something that should be stopped before it gets too far. This game also doesn’t have the greatest shooting mechanics, it plays a lot more cartoonish and isn’t the most enjoyable but it can be enjoyable for short periods of time.

I would recommend Fortnite to people because it is free and also has new game mechanics that PUBG does not have, even though it has microtransac-

tions it is still a fun game that is enjoyable. Overall the most influential thing in this review is that it runs well and has very little lag, however if you have a more power with a dedicated graphics card I would recommend PUBG because it is overall a much higher quality game, with more realistic shooting mechanics.

I would definitely recommend PUBG over Fortnite for any person who has a dedicated graphics card but Fortnite offers casual players a fun and enjoyable experience for free that runs well on all systems.

PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds is the competitor to Fortnite and is the more realistic version to Fortnite. Photo credit to Wikimedia Commons Fortnite Battle Royale offers players a different experience for the battle royale style of game these is a free game available to all players, Photo credit to Epic Games.

Dear People Who Stand in the Hallway: MOVE MADELINE LEE NEWS EDITOR

L

et’s break it down. There are more than 1,200 students in this school, 13 departments, and one major hallway. When you decide to stop and talk with your friends, hug your significant other, or congregate in an area that makes people need to go around you, you are creating an annoying and dangerous problem.

By making people go around you, you create a higher density traffic that makes people stop, trip, get pushed or shoved around, and be late to class. Whether it’s “hell hallway” or the English hallway, go to class to talk to your friends or wait until after school. Don’t waste people’s time because you cannot to realize that there are more people in this school than just you and your friends.

Left most: In the center of what is affectionately known as “hell hallway”, occurences such as standstill traffic and shoving are all too common thanks to the limited space. Photo by Madeline Lee. Center: By the foreign language classes, students can already begin to see the daily traffic that is in the main hallway. Photo by Madeline Lee. Right: To the right of where this picture was taken is where a large group of students like to gather, making the commute in the hallways many times worse than what it could be if they just got to class. Photo

by Madeline Lee.

You force administrators to take away from doing their jobs to usher you around, you create disturbances when you walk in late to class, and you force other students to resort to pushing and shoving in order to get to class on time.

You congest the hallways like a bad cold, clogging up the arteries and preventing the heart from functioning. You are the sickness in the otherwise perfectly healthy body, and it is time for you to heal it.

It is great that you have friends, it’s awesome that you have a significant other, it’s nice that you can hold a conversation, do it somewhere else. If you see your friend, say hi and keep walking.

If you see your boyfriend or girlfriend, you can get to class and text them. Don’t plague the hallways with your inability to recognize an appropriate time and place.

Thank you, and hopefully I won’t have to write another version of this letter. See you in class, and not in the hallways.

21 CORRAL

ENTERTAINMENT

MARCH 23, 2018

Concert Review: BROCKHAMPTON DAVID AMIRDJANIAN STAFF WRITER

I

couldn’t pick a worse day to forget to bring an umbrella.

It was pouring, streets on Delmar overflowed with water, and me, being as smart as I am, decided that it would be fine to leave my car in the parking lot behind Seoul Taco. It wasn’t fine. My friends and I had to sprint over to The Pageant (which was literally on the other side of the loop) in cold, windy, practically hellish weather. It took us 15 minutes to run to the venue. We stepped in puddles constantly and tried to get under as many awnies as we possibly could. I got everything from head to toe completely drenched just from only running there. An additional 15 minute wait just to get into the Pageant didn’t help matters. We huddled around and even asked people if we could get under their umbrellas, and then went under the arches of storefronts to cover ourselves from the rain droplets trying to attack our already soaked clothes.

The band was running late too, and the crowd found various ways to entertain themselves during the monotonous wait for the show to start. A lady that looked like she was in her mid 50’s started to dance to the preshow music in the balcony, and the whole crowd in the level below started to cheer her on as she danced to the track. Another person threw up in front of where I was standing at and the whole venue roared “Clean it up”, and as someone finally came over to clean the mess up they cheered him on.

Once the curtains rose, I was completely dry. The stage was set up like a perfectly simple living room, plus a stop light. Very casual looking for a stage, but it was effective in its simplicity.

They started with a bang with first track off the album Saturation 3, “BOOGIE”. They absolutely killed it. From the moment the beat kicked off, all of the performers of Brockhampton ran out on stage in unison and the entire crowd started to jump, to the point where i needed to jump myself to even see what was happening on stage. I’m not complaining though since the energy of the song was through the roof.

With each song I saw interesting patterns of how the group works. Each band member had their moment to shine. On stage, they do incredibly energetic songs to kick it off and then played more of their mellow R&B tunes for individual members to rest up before their next hyped moment. They constantly fade in and out.

The most infuriating thing that happened during the show was when Kevin (the ‘leader’ of the group) said that they were going to play the song “Rental”. He told all of us that it’s been forever since they played this song live and that they needed us all to be quiet before they started. I was psyched, this was one of my most favorite songs that they’ve released so I couldn’t wait. But Kevin lied to us all and played the song “BUMP” instead. I don’t know why I expected anything else from him. Kevin is known for lying constantly, so of course he

lied about that as well. I didn’t really mind though since Bump was still a good song, but I was definitely was let down.

They took a small break in the middle the show to have what it seemed like an impromptu “question time” from the audience. They all seem so genuine and grounded and it made me happy having a moment like that through the concert. It felt almost personal, it was a pretty special moment.

Shortly after the little ‘intermission’, another member came out for a few songs. “Bearface” appears in the slower, more R&B type songs in Brockhampton’s discography. They set him up with his electric guitar, and he solo performed the track “SUMMER”. It was stunning, and this was the last thing I expected when coming here. He shredded on that guitar like no tomorrow, and it was mesmerizing all the way to the end. The sounds of the blues-y guitar riffs echoed throughout the entire concert hall and it was beautiful.

As an encore song, they played “HEAT” off of the album Saturation 1, and it was such a great song to go off on. It is one of the most aggressive song they have on their discography.

It was a great song to let out the pent up energy out, even more so to end a show on.

By the time they left, I realized that I sweated myself to being as wet as I was outside in the rain again. I enjoyed every second of that show. I even got a picture with ‘HK’, one of the producers of the group. Such a fun time, and I definitely recommend catching them if you’re ever in the city where they’re performing.

Photos of the Brockhampton concert @ The Pageant, Feb. 20, 2018. Photos by David Amirdjanian Left: Pictured (Left to right): Merlyn Woods, Dom McLennon, Matt Champion, Kevin Abstract, Ameer Vann, Joba.

Top Right: (on couch) Bearface

22 CORRAL

OPINION

MARCH 23, 2018

MARVEL’S NEWEST BLOCKBUSTER DOMINATES BRETT SMITH ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

BLACK PANTHER

Following the death of his father in the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa returns home to become king. But when a foreigner threatens the fate of Wakanda, T’Challa has to prove himself worthy to defend his homeland and stand as protector and guardian to his people.

Black Panther: The 18th installment in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). This film marks the second time we have seen Chadwick Boseman portray T’Challa (Black Panther) on the big screen. As well as this movie marks a reunion between the audience and this incredible actor, Black Panther also introduces us to a full list of interesting characters, such as M’Baku (Also known in Marvel Comics as Man-Ape, Played by Winston Duke), Shuri (a Technology Expert played by Letitia Wright), and featuring the long overdue introduction of Michael B. Jordan into the MCU, making his debut as Erik Killmonger, the main antagonist of the film.

In Black Panther, we take a trip into the country of Wakanda, an African country hidden from the rest of society that lies on top of a mound of Vibranium (the metal Captain America’s shield is made of), making Wakanda the wealthiest and most technically-advanced country in the world.

This film has everything you would want in today’s superhero films and so much more. First off, the country. Wakanda’s visuals are absolutely breathtaking, and is unlike anything we’ve seen. Its landmarks and atmosphere alone make your jaw drop to the floor and cave into the pavement. The Wakandan technology is beautiful to admire, far more advanced than anything we’ve seen from the likes of Tony Stark or any other being we’ve seen in this Cinematic Universe. The CGI

OPENING WEEKEND: $202M

on T’Challa’s suit, especially, is really interesting. They introduce a new fabric that absorbs the kinetic energy of attacks, and when struck in the same area, emits a dangerous amount of force to the enemy. It’s an interesting idea that is displayed beautifully.

The next thing this movie does exceptionally well is the development of the plot and its characters. Every one is believable and given plenty of time to truly develop and sculpt into powerful and independent characters. The plot had so many levels and mysteries that arose and revealed themselves throughout this film. Over the course of this film, loyalties fall and you will also find yourself struggling to pick a side and determining who you personally side with.

One problem that I did have with this film wasn’t with the characters themselves, rather how much and to what extent these characters were used. A number of the characters in this film were, in a way, thrown away. Definitely not given enough time to develop, and definitely lacked the proper screen time needed. I cannot exactly give names, because the names would lead to spoilers, but when you see the film, and you definitely should, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Black Panther, while not the best MCU film to date, is still a fun and incredible ride that you should definitely take a part in. Marvel does it again with another smash hit, that is continuing to break records to this day. As of now, it stands at #14 on the list of highest grossing films of all time, weighing in at a whopping $1.185 Billion.

RATING:

8.5/10

OPENING WEEKEND SALES: HITS OF FEBRUARY

$17M

$11.1M

$25M

$12.5M

23 CORRAL

ENTERTAINMENT

MARCH 23, 2018

SUCROSE IS A SWEET LOCAL BUSINESS

LIBBY ARCHER EDITOR IN CHIEF

S

ucrose is a delicious and adorable local business that I believe we should all support. For Allison Logan’s birthday, we went to this bakery that Mrs. Stricker suggested in St. Charles. Little did we know, while making the journey out there, that our lives and taste buds would be forever changed.

This place smells so freaking good. The only way to describe it would be a mix of cotton candy and heaven. We were immediately greeted by the husband-wife-owners. They were incredibly sweet and patient with my ever-changing order. I repeatedly altered my order once I saw new different pastries that I had overlooked before. After about five minutes of contemplating every option, I decided on a hot earl gray latte, two macaron and a lemon poppy seed cake. The tea was a personal suggestion from one of the owners because he saw me struggling with the many options. Allison got a cinnamon crumble coffee cake and a chai tea latte.

The workers took the pastries from the glass case and just heated them up in the microwave. This was not my favorite thing in the world, but I understand that they need to use microwaves sometimes. They made our teas at this adorable coffee bar and served us our desserts on a prison-chic tray.

This place is perfect for kids. They had a partially detached eating area, complete with a coloring spot, children’s toys and plenty of space. The room was big enough that Allison and I were able to have a relaxing meal without being bothered by the little kids that were in the same room. This location in St. Charles gave the bakery the perfect home atmosphere because the building is in a mostly residential area.

Allison and I sat on a nice long couch, which was not best for our slightly messy desserts, but was very homey. My latte was amazing. The earl gray was mixed with cinnamon, caramel and frothed up with milk. Allison’s chai tea latte was also delicious but was a little too cold. We both would have preferred for

our drinks to be hotter.

The lemon cake was to die for. I am a lemon lover and this was one of the best lemon poppy seed pastries I have had in a long time. It had the consistency of a pound cake while still tasting fresh because of the lemon. Allison’s coffee cake was very messy but overall very good. We created a mess but it was well worth it to sit on the couch. The whole experience made me feel like a 30-something year old mom catching up with her bestie.

Last but definitely not least were the best macarons I have ever had. I got the lemon and the chai flavor, and they were so large and airy that it was well worth the steep price. It seems like every French bakery I go to tries to keep their macarons small, but Sucrose’s made theirs so that one cookie still took three or four bites.

Sucrose is the perfect destination for a first date, job interview, small engagement party, brunch with your girlfriends, PTO meeting, post shopping snack, or Instagram photo shoot. Slightly over priced, but it was a great spot to take my best friend on her birthday.

Top to bottom: This is just a general picture of delish sweets.

This was the greatest macaron I have ever had. Flakey. Delectable. bomb.

This was all of my amazing food together.

This is what the view looks like. So minimalist.

MARTHON CHALLENGE pch grad competes in

7

MARATHONS

7

ON

CONTINENTS

7

IN

DAYS

ABBY PRYWITCH STAFF WRITER

R

unning one marathon is taxing to the body. Imagine running seven marathons in seven days. Now combine that with traveling around the world. Is that even possible?

Josh Samson, PCH 1993 grad, took part in the 777, otherwise known as the World Marathon Challenge (WMC).

The 777 is a race in which participants run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. Samson started running in his 20’s and he is currently 42.

Before this event, he took part in six other marathons and four or five half marathons. When Samson started running it was just as a way to get exercise. For Samson this was an opportunity to do something that only about 50 people in the world have done before the event this year.

“I like the challenge of it, both mental and physical challenge,” Samson said. “I like the exclusivity of it. When the person who asked me to do it posed the question to me, I couldn’t say no. I had to do it.”

The seven races were in Novo, Antarctica; Cape Town, South Africa; Perth, Australia; Dubai, UAE; Lisbon, Portugal; Cartagena, Colombia and Miami, Florida.

“There wasn’t really a sense of jet lag. I was just tired all of the time,” Samson said. The participants were running both day and night depending on the location. After a while, Samson started losing track of time.

Samson traveled on a VIP charter plane with business class lay flat seats. Samson had the same seat throughout, so he could leave stuff on the plane. That way Samson didn’t have to lug around that much.

Training for this week started a year-and-a-half prior to completing this challenge. Samson ran the Dopey Challenge in Disney World in January of 2017.

“That was a four day race consisting of a 5k, 10k, a half marathon, then a full marathon,” Samson said.

That was not the only marathon scheduled for all of the 777 runners training, but in July of 2017 Samson got

a calcaneus stress fracture which kept him from running until late October.

Twelve weeks before the WMC, Samson spent his time injured doing training to stay off the foot like swimming, stationary bike, and deep water running.

In November, he started going on long runs five days a week.

“For example, I would run ten miles, thirteen miles, fifteen miles, and eighteen miles in a four-day span,” Samson said.

At the beginning of January, three weeks prior to the WMC, Samson ran the Goofy Challenge. It’s the same as the Dopey Challenge, but just includes the half and full marathons.

“Throughout I worked regularly with a personal trainer to build muscle and core strength,” Samson said.

Leading up to the event Samson was nervous because he didn’t know what to expect. Samson would be traveling to seven continents in the matter of 168 hours.

“I knew I was gonna be tired, I knew I was doing to hurt and I knew I was going to be hungry all of the time.

I didn’t really know how my body was going to hold up and I just hoped that I wasn’t doing to get any injuries during it,” Samson said.

After the fifth marathon Samson developed shin splints in his right leg.

“It was incredibly painful,” Samson said. “I had to endure that for the last two races. It made running the kind of races I wanted to run very difficult/impossible but did not prevent me from finishing.” Once he got home it took about three weeks for the shin splints to fully recover.

“I think one of the most important reasons that I decided to run was because we had a goal to raise a significant amount of money for charity. Between our group of sixteen people on my team we raised over a million dollars for eleven different charities that we were supporting, ” Samson said. Samson’s team website to learn more and to donate is 777marathon.com/donate.

“After I felt pure exhilaration. Tremendous sense of accomplishments,” Samson said.

Photo courtesy of world marathon challange.