7 01 63 ol ho , MO c h S eld 17 Hig rfi 20 ral este h 3, t n c h Ce d, C Mar y wa l Roa e 4 rk Pa s Mil Issu d 1, oo e 6 . W lum N Vo 69
3
Science department preps changes to course sequence pg. 4 Madison Brown wins State backstroke pg. 15 Archer’s Appetite bites into Rockin’Brews pg. 19
Peeling Program
Back the
Voluntary Transfer students face unique challenges in attending PCH pg.12
2
news
MARch 3, 2017
corRAL
CONTENTS
Pep rally showcases team talent pg. 8
pg. 16
Stretching to her fullest, senior Geena Stephens springs off the ground to reach the ball during the varsity girls team’s game against Fox on Feb. 3. The game was on senior night, when Stephens was recognized for scoring her thousandth point in the previous game. Photo by Karis Kim
Concussions plague community pg. 9 SPARK! Incubator provides opportunity for entrepeneurship pg. 11 Basketballers reach 1,000-point milestone pg. 16 A look at albums of the year pg. 20 Mr. PCH: Crazy Contest 1. Arther Green and senior Will Harold answer questions during lunch on Pajama Day, Jan. 30. Photo by Karis Kim 2. Seniors Charlie Bourneuf, Danny Brickman, and Francis Ntimba strike a pose toward the end of their dance at the Mr. PCH Pageant on Feb. 3. Photo by Jessie Goldberg 3. Senior Charlie McIntyre carefully sets the ball onto the “green” before taking his turn at the mini-golf game on Feb. 2. Photo by Noah Weidner 4. Senior Paul Gibson, Mr. German Club and Creative Writing Club, shows off his talent at the pageant, concentrating on keeping his balance as he pedals across the gym. Photo by Jessie Goldberg
1
2
3
4
staff editorial
march 3, 2017
corRAL
Celebrate central offers opportunity to care beyond the classroom Staff editorial Corral staff
s y ya
&ghs
i e N
PCH CORRAL Editor-in-Chief Kayla Benjamin Managing Editor Noah Weidner
C
oming up on Friday, March 24 is the very first Celebrate Central day. It’s a chance to hear about issues both within our community and beyond. It is a counterpart to Day of Service, in which we participated in a variety of ways to make a difference in our world. From religious leaders to activists to fellow students, we will have the chance to listen and learn. But there has been a lot of grumbling about this event. Students have complained that none of the speeches sound interesting to them. Some teachers are even considering holding classes that day rather than letting their students attend one of the discussions. The whining heard in the hallways about Celebrate Central indicates two different issues: a disinterest in anything new and an indifference about the world beyond our walls. In short, the response demonstrates close-mindedness. What we are seeing here is that sometimes the PCH student body and PCH teachers fail to recognize the value of learning beyond the classroom. Teachers can decide whether or not their class attends the presentations, and we recognize that curriculum must be covered, and that every minute of class time might be precious. But teachers need to understand that they are examples. If you decide that your subject is more important than the social issues that will be discussed during Celebrate Central, you are showing your students that the wider world can be put off until later -- that the problems facing other people can always wait to be understood and addressed. It is all too easy for teens and adults alike to remain closed off from problems they themselves do not face. But the result of this mindset is a community that is less understanding, less inclusive, less kind. By putting our planned schedules ahead of new opportunities or choosing a disinterested attitude rather than a willingness to learn, we embrace a form of ignorance. If our PCH teachers can recognize that there is a larger world outside of our safe, comfortable walls, then we will only be preparing our students for the rest of their lives in the uncomfortable real world.
H
PC
3
Features Editor Libby Archer Sports Editor Liad Lerner Entertainment Editor Evan Mogley Social Media Manager Libby Archer These speakers have the ability to show all of us something more than what we study every day by sitting in a classroom, taking notes. We should be able to “give up” one day of normal lesson for this unbelievable experience. If you’re one of the students who fell into “grumbling” category, check your email, look at the posters that are hanging around school, and give this event a chance. Rather than skipping the day or begging your teacher to watch “The Lion King” in your classroom, be willing to attend this event with a mindset that is open to learning the new and unexpected. These speakers offer an outside view that we only have during one day; hopefully we all can sacrifice one day of classroom teaching and learning to enrich our entire PCH community in a unique opportunity for understanding. This is the very first Celebrate Central, and for it to succeed we need to open our minds and give it a chance.
Yays:
Neighs:
Winter sports may be done, but spring is right around the corner.
Just five months until our exchange students leave forever
Only one more week until spring break!
Time to start studying for those big tests (AP and ACT)
Hoping for more snow days (@Dr. Marty)
We aren’t allowed to Snapchat the New York Stock Exchange anymore (but we took a great selfie).
One third done with this semester. Just 11 more Mondays to go...
10 more weeks until our seniors graduate; you guys deserve it :)
Winter isn’t over yet. It isn’t time to break out the tank tops just yet.
Listen up global warming: It should not be 70 degrees in February and then snow the next day.
Staff Writers Sophie Baron Sam Benoist Jessie Goldberg Jenna Lazaroff Garrett Lierman Madeline Lee Roya Porshahidy Brett Smith Athena Stamos Adviser Ms. Tara Stepanek
The Corral is a student-written, edited and produced publication of Parkway Central High School, 369 N. Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017; 314-4157978. 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 Missourian Publishing. Unsigned editorials reflect the views of the majority of the staff. 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
news
March 3, 2017
corRAL
News in Brief STUDENTS AWARDED IN WRITING CONTEST
Out of more than 1,000 submissions, 15 students received honors in the 2017 Missouri Region Scholastic Writing Contest: Gold Key: Honorable Mention: Emily Kang Kayla Benjamin Souradip Ghosh Silver Key: Josie Ihnat Tony Chen Zahva Naeem Chloe Grant Maddy Scannell James Kim Jake Schwartz Elena Wilner Athena Stamos Jessica Sun Shoshana Weinstein Abby Wilner
SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE HONORS 13 STUDENTS
Parkway honored 13 minority Central students on Feb. 16 for their academic excellence in a ceremony at UMSL: Jourdan Bilby Jayla Kelly Erik Lucy Vanessa Brooks Mitch Moore Erasmus Brown Janice Ntimba Avery Cooper Jordyn Perry Tiana Ford Justin Hudgins Jaren WIlliams Jaden Ikpeama
SPIRIT OF CENTRAL
Teachers honored 65 students with the annual Spirit of Central awards on March 1 and 2. Students were nominated for a variety of reasons, including academic success, citizenship, and work above and beyond in and out of the classroom.
ACADEMIC TEAM COMPETES IN QUAD
The Academic Challenge Team tied for second in the annual Parkway Quad. Senior Balaji Cherupalla placed second overall.
SPRING BREAK
Spring Break will begin on Friday, March 10; school will resume Monday, March 20.
SCIENCE DEPARTMENT PREPARES FOR BIOLOGY sequence CHANGE NOAH WEIDNER MANAGING EDITOR
T
he science department is gearing up for changes to their program for the upcoming 2017-18 school year as they axe the current freshman course, and replace it with the present sophomore required course, biology. The motivations for the change are related to encouraging increased enrollment in full-year science electives such as chemistry and physics. “We wanted kids to take full-year chemistry and full-year physics, and when they had to take the freshman class, it took up a whole lot of room on their schedule,” science department leader and teacher, Beth Karfs said. “We want to be able to offer more AP & honors classes, but we had so many teachers tied up doing the freshman course that we had limited ability to offer classes.” Karfs says that the science department has been trying to change the present freshman class for nearly a decade, adding that students and teachers both had things they didn’t like about the course. She said that removing the course entirely and offering biology directly to freshmen from the get-go offers an opportunity to “make something that works better for everybody.” Though the changes to Central’s program are only happening now, North High has offered biology as a freshman class for several years, according Karen LaFever, the head of North’s science department. However, North’s reasons differ from Central’s. “Our motivation for changing [biology to a freshman class] was based on student success,” LaFever said. “We tracked student failure rates in Matter/Forces and biology [and] after noticing a large number of failures in the 9th grade course, but a relatively small amount in biology . . . we moved biology to freshman year.” Despite these differences in the motivations for changing the course between
North and Central’s departments, one thing remains relatively uniform: the changes present some time-sensitive obstacles for the department. In shifting biology from a sophomore class to a freshman class, there will be one year where both sophomores and freshmen will be taking the class at the same time. Just over 600 kids will be taking biology at once, which will double the current number of blocks. “It’s going to make for a lot of biology teachers; it’s double what we have now,” science teacher Thomas Kazanecki said. “The big thing is to think about the year after that, where the sections go from 20-something to 10. You have to hope they [the teachers] can teach chemistry or something.” Though there was difficulty in changing North’s program, LaFever tells me that after their ‘bubble year’ they noticed several positive trends that might explain why Central has taken note and followed suit in changing their program. “We were pleased to note our freshman EOC scores remained competitive with our prior sophomore scores,” LaFever said. “Our freshman honors bio scores were higher than our sophomore scores, our ninth grade failure rate dropped dramatically and students no longer reported disliking physics.” LaFever also adds that North has the highest enrollment in upperclassmen physics classes, an end-goal that Central’s department is aiming for. Karfs mentioned that, in reflection of the goal to increase enrollment, the department will be offering more levels of physics and chemistry from a conceptual (intro level) standpoint. “We’ll be using a more conceptual chemistry or physics class that is more accessible to every student,” Karfs said. “It’s more math-y and won’t be too hard. It’ll be hands on, it’ll be practical, and approachable for everyone. The goal is to get kids to take the next level class.”
WHAT’S CHANGING?
W
ith the removal of the freshmen chemistry and physics classes, biology will become the required freshman course. The requirement of 3 science credits will remain the same. However, the order of these requirements look different for incoming freshmen than the to-be sophomores. Here’s a breakdown.
biology enrollment (2016-2019)
* - based on a rounded proportional estimate of present and future freshman and sophomore classes.
REQUIRED CLASSES 2016-17 (now)
AFTER 2016-17 (future)
freshman: chem/physics
freshman: BIOLOGY I/II
sophomore: biology i/ii
SOPHOMORE: physical science CHEMISTRY
JUNIOR/SENIOR: choice CHEMISTRY
physics
ANY ELECTIVE
physics
JUNIOR/SENIOR: choice physics
ANY ELECTIVE
CHEMISTRY
“We had so many teachers tied up doing the freshman course that we had limited ability to offer classes.” —Beth Karfs, science department leader ** - the paths deriving from bigger boxes represent choices; honors/AP options for bio, physics, chem, and other electives are not included in this progression
5 Stuco sponsor named district teacher of year NEWS
march 3, 2017
corRAL
NOAH WEIDNER managing editor
B
usiness teacher Sarah Lueken won Parkway’s district Teacher of the Year award for the 2016-2017 school year, becoming the first teacher in 15 years from Central to win the district-level honor. “I was completely blown away that they selected me,” Lueken said. “I was very blessed, honored and surprised; it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.” Lueken has been a business teacher for ten years. During her time at Central, she has served as the student council head sponsor, and is a supervisor for DECA. Lueken’s work in the school community has included coordinating Day of Service, student council events such as dances, KISS week, and more. “She’s the type of teacher that you can have real conversations with,” student body president Ethan Guller said. “She spends her own money on school work and goes way beyond what’s in the job description. She spends lots of hours after school and over the summer working on stuff.” In addition to her work on student council, Lueken also takes a great deal of pride in working on other events in the community. One such thing has been the Day of Service, which the school held for the first time this year. Karen Schwent, a colleague of Lueken’s and fellow business teacher, recalls a time during the preparations for Day of Service where she was preparing a presentation, and felt anxious. “She came into the office and she was really upbeat and positive,” Schwent said. “Not seeming overwhelmed at all, and offered to help me even with everything she had to do.” Schwent adds that Lueken’s work has made a difference not just to the school community, but to her kids and colleagues.
She makes a difference, and she’s constantly juggling so many things. She leads by example, she inspires by example.”
—Karen Schwent, business teacher
“She makes a difference, and she’s constantly juggling so many things,” Schwent said. “She handles a whole lot more than I do. She leads by example, she inspires by example.” Lueken notes that this attention to community is something she emphasizes, inside and outside the class. “School is more than curriculum: it’s how to love one another, and learn from one another. My message is about love and community. We need to teach how to become a contributing member to society, and we Sarah Lueken and her sixth hour leadership class pose for a picture after Lueken receives her district Teacher of the Year award. Lueken is the first teacher need to help each from Central to win the district award since the 2001-2002 school year. “We all hoping in the back of our head that she deserved to win,” senior Sophia other out.” Cantor said. “All the students found out like 10 minutes before, so we knew before. It was super emotional and exciting.” This message played a role in to the state level. Lueken’s winning application, which started at the school level. Lueken says that she’d like to thank the Central High comAfter she was awarded the honor of Central teacher of the year, munity. she then proceeded to a competition between the other Parkway “I have felt very loved. I had students and parents reach out school’s teachers of the year. to me and congratulate me . . to hear from students that said I “When you’re awarded school teacher of the year you have had made an impact on them, that was really, really moving,” to write six essays for the teacher of the year panel,” Lueken Lueken said. “Everybody is so great here and I wanna give it my said. “So now I move on to regional, and I have to submit my all.“ resume and letters of recommendation.” Now that Lueken has been awarded the title for Parkway, she has several events ahead. Lueken will be going down to Jefferson City in May to attend a “Teacher of the Year” clinic. From there, in June, she hopes to move from the regional level
non-resident children of staff still cannot attend parkway kayla benjamin editor-in-chief
E
veryday, we see difficult decisions being made between what people want and what seems to make the most financial sense. The district, too, has to make these hard choices, and one such is the question of whether to allow children of staff members who live outside of the district to attend Parkway schools tuition-free. The results of a district study begun last March on this topic were sent out in an email to staff on Jan. 10, including the data from a survey of over a thousand staff members. “It is my responsibility to make recommendations that not only consider staff and family needs and desires, but to also consider the business, financial, facility and time costs and impacts to the school district, not only in 2017, but in the years ahead,” Superintendent Keith Marty said in the email. “Therefore, I will not make a recommendation to the board of education to accept non-resident staff children at this time.” The study was headed by a committee, which consisted of different types of staff members and was headed by Carmen Trails’ Principle Gina Piccinni. Additionally, the district utilized a firm called Hanover Research to help construct the study. The survey itself found that most staff members -- both those who lived in the district and those who live out of it -- supported
accepting non-resident staff children. “I think it would be great to let the staff bring their kids,” custodian Ada Guiffrida said. “We would like to have our kids educated as well.” Staff members face scheduling issues when their children attend other districts, often having to pay for a babysitter if the breaks and days off don’t match up. “Every other year our spring breaks don’t align,” English teacher Andrea Anderson, whose kids attend Rockwood, said. “I hate putting them in camps during spring break because it should be a break for them.” Additionally, some feel that staff members would be able to put more time and energy into Parkway sports games, concerts, and other community events if they did not have to attend those same events in another district to watch their children play or perform. “One of the things that often happens is I spend more time at my kids’ schools and my kids’ school events than I do Parkway’s because I don’t have time to do both,” Anderson said. “It makes you a little bit more disconnected from the school community because I don’t get to see you guys play sports as much as I’d like.” However, the committee also analyzed the financial risks, taking into account the district’s short- and long-term budget plans, the need for new building space and more teachers to accom-
modate the new students, policy factors both in and beyond the district, and the phasing out of the revenue-providing Voluntary Student Transfer program. The monetary risks of increasing everyday needs without also adding to tax revenue from residents proved to be a large barrier. “You’d have increased class sizes, increased building demands, but no new money for it,” English teacher Nora Biggs, who lives in the district, said.
6
features
MARch 3, 2017
corRAL
they performed at the pep
Long-time circus performers wow audience with juggling on wheels Kayla Benjamin
Editor-in-chief hey have practiced for years. They perform all over St. Louis and beyond. They juggle knives and balance five feet off the ground on a single wheel. Calling themselves the “Wonder Wheelers,” senior Will Higley and juniors Danny Higley, Tommy Kosinski and Logan Sheehan treated the whole school to their circus act for the first time at the pep rally on Jan. 27. “It’s high energy and gets the people going,” Danny Higley said. “It’s upbeat -- we’re throwing tricks back to back. It’s original, it’s unique.” But before doing any show, they have to plan. “We kind of have to write it all up, and then we have to find somewhere to practice it,” Sheehan said. The four of them also work with other circus performers through Circus Kaput, a company that helps St. Louisians book entertainment. “We get paid to perform all over St. Louis,” Danny Higley said. “We do kids’ birthday parties, balloon animals, face painting -- all that type of stuff. There are a lot of cool business opportunities. You get to travel a little bit sometimes, which is cool.” Even with all of their outside work, performing in front of the school provided a new and different experience for the quartet, who usually work with other performers for any given show. “We perform for people at a lot of different places but it’s mostly for people we don’t know,” Sheehan said. “It’s pretty fun doing it in front of our friends.” Their work with Circus Kaput not only brings in cash but also gives them the tools and space to practice, which helped them put together the act that they
T
brought to the pep rally. “They have a place at the Chesterfield Mall,” Sheehan said. “They have an event space there. They normally do birthday parties and stuff on the weekend, but on the weekdays it’s empty so we can practice there.” Danny Higley started doing circus as a kindergartener, but did not pair up with the others to start making money until he was around 12 or 13. “We just did it for fun for a long time,” he said. Those years of practice for their own amusement paid off, allowing them to reach the level of ability they showed off at the pep rally. “Years of practicing just kind of build,” Kosinski said. “You really have to be committed to it to not suck.” But, despite the lighthearted nature of the act, their art is not all fun and games -- and it definitely isn’t easy. “A lot of time you have to have no social life,” Kosinski said. “You fall and hurt yourself a lot doing a lot of things, and it’s really painful.” While constantly honing precision by practicing old tricks, they also continue to help and teach one another. “Danny Higley unicycled, so I learned that from him,” Kosinski said. “His brother juggled, so I learned that from him.” The wave of enthusiasm that flooded the gym during the act made it more fun for the performers. “I like going out there and everyone being super hype,” Kosinski said. “Because when everyone else is super hype then you’re super hype and then they get more hype.”
A captivated crowd watches as junior Tommy Kosinski flips over a jump rope wielded by juniors Logan Sheehan and Danny Higley during their circus act. Photos by Athena Stamos Juniors Danny Higley and Tommy Kosinski celebrate with senior Will Higley during their circus act at the pep rally on Jan. 27. Will had been juggling knives while riding a largely extended unicycle.
Breakdance club utilizes a new approach to dance practices Garrett Lierman
Entertainment editor he breakdance team at this school has been a sometimes elusive club with few members. Performing at the winter pep rally on Jan. 27 with the four members involved was no small act of practice. “We prepared a lot for it. I felt like we couldn’t fail, we’d prepared for it so much,” senior Erik Lee said. The team met every week, three days a week, for two hours a practice for three weeks leading up to the pep rally. Some practices entailed discussions on the upcoming performance and transitions, while others included each individual creating their solos. Practices mostly began with a warmup in which the members of the club would present any new ideas that they have either learned or designed on their own. This time was also included a large amount of teaching and learning from one another as the styles of dance they each brought to the table were wildly different, and creating a cohesive routine was paramount. Practices would then proceed with the members researching other routines online for inspiration and practicing their solos. “This year, the choreography was everyone’s brainchild in part. We all pitched in at some point,” Gibson said Every member chose the routine for their solos and were in charge of learning it themselves. Then choreography for the team as a whole was created by Kim and Gibson. “It’s something you can get good at with hard work. It
T
doesn’t require straight-up talent,” Lee said Lee has been a part of the club only two months and performed in the pep rally on Jan. 27, front and center. Another member of the team, junior Haneal Baik, hadn’t been a part of the club since her freshman year. Senior Paul Gibson joined the club his junior year, and senior James Kim joined his sophomore year. Of course, the various members all have different reasons for joining. “I just wanted to be good at something my senior year,” Lee said. While Lee joined for the learning experience, Baik joined for more nostalgic reasons. Inspired by last year’s seniors, she joined again at the beginning of this semester. Gibson joined because he enjoyed the art and wanted to hone the skills he had and learn more styles and routines. Kim, the longest current standing member of the team, has been dancing since sixth grade but saw that a lot of the community did not share his interest. Kim joined his sophomore year when he saw that a group of people who also enjoyed his art were present and active within the school. While the reasons for joining are varying, the future of the club may be at risk. “Honestly the future of the club looks dismal cause Haneal is the only junior,” Kim said. Kim stated that while he worries that the club may not be able to continue, he hopes that Baik’s performance in the upcoming talent show will get underclassmen interested in joining.
Girls from the Hip-hop Club join the breakdancers in their pep rally routine, culminating in a dance-off between the two clubs. Photos by Jordyn Tobias During his performance with the Breakdancing Club, senior James Kim concentrates fiercely on completing the “windmill.” “I was really nervous in the week of the pep rally, but when the four of us got out on the floor, I shed my fears off with adrenaline,” Kim said.
Features
march 3, 2017
corRAL
7
rally, but do you know... winter guard returns for another season Athena stamos staff writer
W
inter guard performed at the pep rally for the first time this year on Jan. 27 and made it to finals in every competition with their new coach, Brandon Fink. “The pep rally was a way to perform in front of an audience, but not get graded or judged,” sophomore and winter guard participant Nicole Lloyd said. “It was a way to get all of our fears out and to just show the school what we can accomplish.” The pep rally was actually the team’s first time performing this season, right before their competition. The winter guard used the winter pep rally as a way to practice and run-through their performance. “I feel like we’ve improved as a guard, since Brandon challenges us to develop and grow as performers,”senior and winter guard participant Jeremy Fink said. “There feels like a real opportunity for us to go far as we go through more competitions and add more to the show.” The team spent a lot of time working on the choreography and flag work so that everyone was confident and comfortable with it. “I feel like this year everyone is putting in twice the effort to learn the work,” senior and co-captain Zoe Miller said. Many members practice during Academic Lab or after school, going over the choreography to make sure they know it. “We just have to work hard and make good use of the time we have,” sophomore Allison Ludwinski said. “Some other guards will have multiple people for choreography and who have gyms specifically available to them, so we just have to work hard to make up for it.” On Jan. 28, the team placed 7th out of 19 at a
competition. “We blocked everything out and did our best,” Lloyd said. “Our best got us a good score.” Brandon Fink had experience previously on a winter guard team, as well as being a dance teacher for various styles of dance, and also has judged many winter guard performances. “Brandon has been a wonderful teacher and patient with members such as myself that have had little to no experience with color guard before,” Jeremy Fink said. Brandon Fink helped gain new members for the team, and increased everyone’s ability for dancing and spinning. “Every coach is different, no matter what you are learning,” Lloyd said. “Our new coach wanted to learn our strengths and weaknesses and not judge us on our skills from before. He puts our individual skills into use.” Over half of the winter guard team didn’t even touch a flag before preparation towards the pep rally and competition. Many people had to start at the basics. “I believe that the new coach is exactly what our team needed,” Lloyd said. “He is an experienced dancer which greatly helps with our choreography. Not only has he been on a winter guard team, he has also judged many performances as well.” Winter guard practices twice a week from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m.
Senior Zoe Miller, color guard co-captain, catches her flag at the top of its arc as the team does performs for the school as practice for their tournament on the following day. Photo by Jordyn Tobias. Sophomore Allison Ludwinski focuses on ensuring that the angle of her flag is algned with those of her teammates. Photo by Athena Stamos Senior Jeremy Fink prepares to catch a rifle after just learning how to work with the equipment. Photo by Jordyn Tobias
steppers unite with district-wide team for greater performances roya porshahidy staff writer
T
he all-district step team includes six of our own as they prepare their routines for performances. “It’s the best thing when we’re performing together,” freshman Allainah Crawford said. “If someone is nervous, the whole team helps out; we’re all looking out for each other and making everything hype.” Crawford, sophomore Vincent Nance, junior Armani Phillips, junior Deonna West, junior Lauren Butler and freshman Alyssa Butler all spend a great deal of time practicing at home, then traveling to South to practice the routine with more members of the team. “At home I practice a lot, and I work with all the steps I have trouble with, just doing whatever coaches ask us to do and work on,” Nance said. “It’s way more intense when we’re in a group.” The students meet at South with the two captains who help them with their struggles and make sure every part of the routine is at its best. Team members make sure they know what they need to work on from transitions to get the team to their correct position to making a new routine.
“We have two captains of the team and they help us lead into new steps and old steps that we have -- they just help us and find creative ways to make everything better,” Phillips said. They get their routines ready for performances such as the recent pep rally, where they showed the school their steps and put all their hard work into motion. They keep in touch through a team group chat where they exchange new moves that they’re interested in. “They send us videos of the step in our team group chat and we review them; we do all our warm ups and position drills and get ready for our next competition,” Alyssa Butler said. With their coaches’ help, the team members practice their routine until it’s all perfect. “They just tell us to do different things; it’s easy, you just have to make sure that your precision is good,” Crawford said. Despite that precision, Crawford insists her experience with the step team is enjoyable. “It’s fun there. There hard times but our coaches make it fun and make everything we do exciting. It’s never strict, strict, strict -- it’s always fun.”
The all-district step team prepares to perform at the pep rally on Jan. 27. Photos by Jordyn Tobias Junior Lauren Butler performs a step move that she has been practicing on her own and at South High with the rest of the team.
P I 8
features
March 3, 2017
corRAL
4
ep Rally
assion
1
5
6
Kayla benjamin editor-in-chief
1: Watching their friend senior Brian Tang walking across the gym as part of the parade of Mr. PCH contestants, seniors Lily Madsen, Claire Huang, Jessica Sun, and Alex Luckerman cheer “that’s my boy!” at the pep rally on Jan. 27. Photos by Jordyn Tobias
7 2
2: Seniors and Student Council members Noah Prelutsky and Rebecca Davis playfully pillow fight as they cross the gym, their costumes reminiscent of KISS Week’s pajama day. 3: Varsity Wrestling shows their team pride in front of a cheering crowd. 4: Sophomore and JV Dance Team member XXX leads the struggling group of Mr. PCH contestants through the dance that she helped to choreograph.
3
5: Junior Arther Green, Mr. Track, spins around along with the rest of the Mr. PCH contestants during their dance.
8
6: Shooting straight up in the air, Sophomore Kate Luckerman, freshman Maddy Oliver, and junior Mackenzie Canoy smile at the crowd as they perform with the rest of the JV dance team. Photo by Jordyn Tobias. 7: Carefully catching their teammates after a stunt, JV cheer performs for the pep rally. Photo by Jordyn Tobias. 8: Senior Sara Stecher and junior Edye Hansen dole out “tough love” to their dance partners, senior Alex Dubinsky and junior Justin Kerr respectively.
Features
consequences of
corRAL
9
concussions
community faces recovery head on Madeline Lee and Athena Stamos STAFF WRITERS
C
March 3, 2017
rossing the street, sporting events, car accidents, and heart conditions. These seemingly unrelated incidents have one thing in common: they have all caused concussions. “I don’t remember getting hit by the car,” senior Kevin Aquino said. “Before I was hit I was looking down the road to see if I could go, and then I was in an ambulance answering questions.” On Nov. 16, Aquino was crossing the street on his way to Panera Bread when he was hit by a car that he didn’t see. Due to a brain bleed, Aquino was required to stay in the intensive care unit for three days, where he was also diagnosed with a concussion. According to Raman Malhotra, Associate Professor of Neurology at St. Louis University School of Medicine, a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump or jolt to the head, or possibly a hit to the body that causes the head or body to move. This sudden movement causes the brain to bounce inside the skull, jolting brain cells. “I had a solid month where I wasn’t allowed to do anything: no TV, no screens, no reading; so I had to sit there and be bored,” Aquino said. “I was really tired -- I slept a lot, which is great for a high school student.” In addition to missing the rest of first semester, including finals, Aquino had to drop German 5, AP Physics and Calculus. Also, even though Aquino being mostly recovered from the accident, he still has $2,000-$3,000 in medical bills, and he is not alone. “It was $28 grand between all of the hospital bills, and then treatment was another $11 grand,” junior Hannah Maurer said. “That’s $39 grand, and insurance covered none of it.” Maurer sustained two concussions in a period of 17 days due to a heart condition known as aortic valve stenosis which, according to Maurer, is where one valve narrows while the other becomes greater, causing a lack of blood flow that can lead to fainting, which contributed to both of Maurer’s concussions. “I think the first one affected me a lot more,” Maurer said. “The pain in my head got so bad that I wasn’t eating and drinking anything. The second one didn’t really affect me because I was numb to the feeling of the concussion.” Maurer said she still feels the affects from both concussions, suffering from headaches that are caused by post-concussion syndrome. If someone doesn’t properly allow their brain to rest and heal, then some symptoms can become permanent, according to Malhotra.
“The pain in my head got so bad that I wasn’t eating or drinking anything. I was in a really bad state physically where I didn’t like how I looked with the blood.” -Hannah Maurer (11) Like Aquino, Maurer had to refrain from television, screens, reading, bright lights and loud sounds. However, unlike Aquino, Maurer sustained both concussions over the summer and didn’t have to miss any school. Other injuries that she sustained due to the concussions included a broken nose, a busted lip, various cuts that required stitches and a tooth that turned all the way around. “I was in a really bad state physically where I didn’t like how I looked with the blood and stuff, so I kind of secluded myself,” Maurer said. “Now I flaunt my scars. I have a ton underneath my chin and have about eight or nine total.” Students aren’t the only ones to experience major concussions either. Science teacher Lee Johnson was driving his car on Highway 70 to pick up his son on Feb. 12, 2016, when he was involved in a car accident. “I was driving, and then I wasn’t,” science teacher Lee Johnson said. “I’m just happy to be alive.” In addition to a concussion, Johnson also sustained injuries to his back and neck. His injuries required him to stay in the hospital for just under 24 hours, where he was diagnosed with the concussion. “The lights were very bothersome so I talked in the dark,” Johnson said. “My life consisted of pretty much just trying to get through the day.” With the help of colleagues, Johnson was able to receive lesson plans that other teachers created. His normal schedule was altered, having half days of work for a number of weeks until he could resume teaching as normal. “I had an almost 2-year-old at the time who didn’t quite understand why I wasn’t playing with him as much,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t do stuff around the house. It was a very frustrating time.” Johnson also had to stop running with the Students on the Go! program that trains for a half marathon in April. “I think it’s a matter of there’s a lot of things you take for granted,” Johnson said. “The realization I think I came to is you can’t really look at someone and tell that they’re struggling with issues.”
FACTS TO KNOW ABOUT CONCUSSIONS >Concussions must be diagnosed by a trained healthcare professional. >Timing is key. If you suspect that you or someone else may have a concussion, seek help immediately. >In the United States, there are 1.6-3.8 million concussions a year, according to the Center for Disease Control. >Concussions do not discriminate. Although the risk is higher in some people more than others, anyone can still get a concussion. >A concussion stretches and damages the brain cells, as well as creating chemical changes in the brain. >Do not ignore possible symptoms. The sooner a diagnosis is reached, the sooner recovery can begin. >A concussion can be caused by any bump or jolt to the head or body that causes the brain to bounce inside the skull. >If you do not allow the brain to fully recover, some symptoms may become permanent.
Head injuries bench athletes concussion stories: >Freshman Morgan Pollak had to stop playing basketball for a month due to getting diagnosed with a concussion. She was tripped and hit her head on the ground. Pollak is now on the sidelines indefinitely. She was not able to watch TV and could not be on her cell phone. “I missed the whole finals week,” Pollak said. “I was exempt from all but two finals.” >Senior Myracle Harris was diagnosed with a concussion after getting hit in the face with a volleyball that was spiked during warm ups on the same day as homecoming. In order to be diagnosed and recover from the concussion, Harris had to go through a series of tests that including examining balance, memory, and repetition. “After the concussion maintaining balance was pretty difficult, especially with closed eyes,” Harris said. “Then with repeating words I would forget one or two.” >While pole vaulting at practice, senior Will Jost began his vault at a weird angle, hitting his back and falling off the back of the pit. Not remembering the accident actually happening, Jost was in a dazed state afterwards. He had to miss two indoor track meets, which he says could potentially affect his college admissions. “I don’t remember it actually happening,” Jost said. “After I was just dazed.”
by the numbers: In the 2016-17 school year so far, there have been... concussions seen by the athletic trainer
22 12 10 15 diagnosed by the trainer
10 corRAL
features
march 3, 2017
early graduates face the world Reinhold enlists in marine corps
Lay does juggling act with classes, work
Staff Writer
atalie Lay has had a packed schedule since she graduated, juggling classes at Meramec Community College, a job at Waterway and an internship at Money Concepts. “Mondays and Wednesdays I’m working at Waterway from 9 to 5,” Lay said. “Then I have classes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 2 and every Friday I go to the financial office and work there from 8 to 4, so I’m staying pretty busy with all of that.” Lay said she realized that she wanted to graduate early after talking to a coworker who graduated early from Francis Howell last year. After talking to her counselor, she made sure she had all of her credits, graduated, and was able to enroll at Meramec because she had completed her A+ hours. Lay likes that she has a little more free time than before because now she only has school two times a day, but she also says that the classes are much harder than high school classes. “I have more stress about school because everything matters now,” Lay said. “Not that it didn’t in high school; it’s just that I’m technically paying for my classes now. I can’t mess up since I’m in college.” Photo by Liad Lerner
Liad Lerner
W
hile most seniors this time of year are starting to slack off in their classes or getting prepared for college, Aiden Reinhold is in San Diego training to join the Marines. “As an 18-year-old it’s a lot to process that I’m going to be out there fighting for this country and that I could possibly die in that process,” Reinhold said. “But I’m proud of myself for taking on this role.” Reinhold decided to enlist in the military because he has a few family members that also enlisted and because of his love for America. “I would die fighting for the people I love that live here before I let anyone take over,” Reinhold said. He graduated at the end of first semester so that he could start the 13-week-long boot camp on Jan. 16 where he has no phone or any contact whatsoever with the outside world. Once he completes boot camp, he then has another 12 weeks of training, after which he graduates and officially becomes a Marine. “I chose the Marines because it’s going to challenge me the most,” Reinhold said. “It’s the hardest branch to make it into. The Marines are land, air and sea. We are the front line people, and we are the branch that the government calls first to go in when there is a war.” After completing Marine training, Reinhold gets a vacation where he can come home for two weeks. Then he goes back to San Diego for another six weeks of training at the School of Infantry. “Infantry is the job that you see in movies,” Reinhold said. “It’s the people that are on the front lines clearing out houses and going on rescue missions and who are fighting every day.” Reinhold will then have his first assignment, which may includ a deployment, officially ready to put his life on the line for his country. Reinhold plans on being in the military for life. He wants to fight as long as he can and then move on to a less physically demanding position. “I know what I want my future to be and so I am
Zemanek studies at ozark christian college
L
izzie Zemanek is now fully enrolled at James River Leadership College in Ozark, Mo., and is majoring in spiritual leadership. “I have classes Monday through Thursday and have two classes each day,” Zemanek said. “They are an hour and 15 minutes long. Since it’s a ministry school, our weekend is on Friday and Saturday, and we work in the church on Sundays.” Zemanek said she feels more stressed than she did before she graduated because she has a lot more responsibilities now in college. “I have way less free time because there’s just so many activities going on,” Zemanek said. “We have chapel three days a week, you have to do laundry, work out, and keep up with your social life.” Zemanek decided to graduate early because she didn’t feel the need to stay in high school once she had all of her credits. Photo courtesy of Lizzie Zemanek, second from right
ready to start it,” Reinhold said. Reinhold understands that joining the military is a huge decision, but he encourages anyone considering it to enlist. “It’s a big step in anyone’s life, and it’s an awesome thing that they are doing,” Reinhold said.
Aiden Reinhold prepares to leave for boot camp on Jan. 16. “America is the greatest country on Earth, and I would die fighting for the people I love that live here before I let anyone take over,” Reinhold said. Photo by Liad Lerner
N
bodycombe has more time for work, video games
J
onathan Bodycombe has been taking it easy since graduating, spending his time either sleeping, eating, playing videos games or working at Dierbergs. “I typically wake up around 10 or 11 a.m,” Bodycombe said. “I then eat breakfast, take a shower, get dressed, etc. After that I just hang around at home playing video games until I start to get hungry, and then I eat lunch. Then I go work for four hours and eat dinner after I get off. Then in the night I just play video games until midnight, and then I go to bed.” Bodycombe is enjoying a lot more free time and a lot less stress than before, which is the main reason why he decided to graduate early. “School really began to feel like a waste of time for me, and I knew second semester I would be taking even more pointless classes I don’t care about just to fill my schedule,” Bodycombe said. “I decided I didn’t want to do that, so I got all my credits and graduated early.” Photo by Liad Lerner
Features
March 3, 2017
corRAL
11
Spark! Incubator launches young business leaders into workplace Sophie Baron
Staff Writer ometimes school can get boring and repetitive after taking the same classes over and over. Teachers lecturing, taking notes all day five days a week. Countering this repeated teaching style, SPARK! Incubator, located at the Chesterfield Mall, equips students with business and life skills in a hands-on learning environment that allows them to create and work on their own business ideas. High schoolers from all over the district leave during the school day and meet at a little space in the mall in order to create and expand their own businesses. Depending on the school, they meet every day or every other day. Because of the way Parkway Central schedules, these students attend Incubator at the beginning of each day. “SPARK! provides students with a great opportunity to get out of the classroom and really explore what they like to do,” junior and co-owner of Tidal Wave Hats Tyler Ramatowski said. Tidal Wave Hats is the company that Ramatowski and junior Johnny Wichlenski own and work on at SPARK! They sell hats to the general public with a signature wave on the front in all different colors and combinations. The Incubator program prepares young business leaders to get out into the real world, make connections and get a head start in the field. Among other opportunities to explore business skills, participants get the chance to build a network of mentors. To do this, well-known business leaders come to SPARK! and give advice on a range of topics relating to each individual’s business. “They lead the way and show us what is a good or bad idea,” Ramatowski said. “We never have to take their advice, but we have to listen to what they suggest. I know that if I need something or assistance I have tons of connections that I can reach out to.” Although Incubator offers a unique schooling environment, there are not too many assignments or strict deadlines. The class is more of a time set aside to get work done for the business. “It’s really hard to stay on task because nobody is babysitting you,” Wichlenski said. “You’re just expected to get the work done and so sometimes without a teacher or parent there it’s really hard not to goof around with the friends.” SPARK! is sa place to work on business skills and advance on an already established company idea. For example, junior and owner of WLDWLF films Jordan Chervitz had already started doing film production and videography before he took interest in SPARK!
S
“SPARK! pushes you to limits that will 1 benefit you, but you have to be willing to struggle to get to the end of the tunnel,” Chervitz said. “It does not save you time, but it will help you find better uses for that time to get you to grow as an individual and entrepreneur.” With WLDWLF films, pronounced Wild Wolf, Chervitz films and produces a variety of videos for his costumers. Before SPARK!, he produced films on the side by his own name. Because Incubator is not located at school, participants must go to the SPARK! space at the beginning of the day and then travel back to Central. “We usually have time in between the end of SPARK! and the start of school,” Chervitz said. “That means free time to do homework, get lunch, go home or just relax.” Each person has their own field of work and delves into that topic. The program offers tools and skills needed to expand and make a business idea a reality. “SPARK! gave me the time, connections and resources to develop it into an actual business,” Chervitz said. “I’ve met mentors who have helped me progress light years with my professional communication and videography skills. I’ve actually created a legal company with a bank account and everything with the advice from SPARK! I started from nothing and used SPARK! time to come up with official colors, logos, and more.” Granting that each business leader has their own niche of ideas and goals, a common theme is that they all want to take an idea and create something bigger and better. Hobbies and even just passing thoughts can ‘spark’ new business ideas. “My friend and I were looking for something to do because we were always interested in entrepreneurship and starting our own business, so we came to the conclusion that we wanted to do something with hats because we were really into that at the time,” Wichlenski said. It is not necessary to go into the Incubator strand of SPARK! with a business idea in mind, but it is common to do so. Often
2
1. Juniors and co-owners of Tidal Wave Hats Johnny Wichlenski and Tyler Ramatowski give their business pitch by sharing their vision with mentors, peers and investors. “At the beginning of the semester we always practiced pitching with random cards to help develop skills,” Ramatowski said. “We do two different pitches per semester and have the oppurtunity to earn money if we win.” Photos by Noah Weidner 2. Junior and owner of WLDWLF Films, Jordan Chervitz works on his films and struggles to get his computer to cooperate. SPARK! teaches students to overcome obstacles in order to reach their goals. “This is a ton of work,” Chervitz said. “It will definitely pay off later in life. A lot of the time I’m not sure why we have to do certain assignments, but everything is carefully thought out and has a purpose behind it.”
these genius business ideas come from hobbies and outside interests. “The idea for the business just came from me doing it on the side under my own name to make money,” Chervitz said. “I realized I could take this hobby that I’ve had so much practice doing and actually take it to the next level.” Incubator encourages out-of-classroom learning specifically developing business skills, but is also a class that is meant to follow students throughout life. The expertise that is formed ranges from learning to work independently to high-level business tools. “SPARK! taught me a lot because it’s one class you can really use for the rest of your life, compared to chemistry and all that where some people won’t use it ever again,” Wichlenski said.
New year, New me: students work to keep resolutions Jenna Lazaroff Staff Writer
2
017 comes with the saying: “New year, new me.” But how many people honestly follow these new year standards? Sophomore Felina Deck started off her year with the resolution to do better in school. She’s had trouble in the past finding motivation starting off the second semester. “I want a 4.0 this semester, I feel like I was distracted last semester and wasn’t putting forth my full potential,” Deck said. “But with the new year I want to keep myself on track.” Deck started setting aside time each night and designating slots for her homework and breaks from her studies. “Finding time to do homework can get really tricky, balancing AP and honors classes when I have hours of homework each night,” Deck said. “What also causes conflict is that I have three younger siblings that I babysit after school.” Deck says she is accomplishing her goal, although she did have to sacrifice some things. “It’s almost three weeks after the start of school and I still have a 4.0,” Deck said. “I’ve had to give up some time with
friends to make sure I get everything done.” Sophomore Julia Hendricks also has an academic resolution for this new year. “I want an A in math,” Hendricks said. “It’s something I’ve always struggled with but I really think I can make it happen this semester.” Hendricks plays club volleyball outside of school making it difficult to dedicate enough time to her work. “I have practice twice a week, 8 until 10,” Hendricks said. “By the time I get home I’m exhausted and all I can think about doing is sleeping. I try to finish my homework before practice but that doesn’t always happen.” Hendricks said she was still having trouble making time for volleyball and extra math help. “I’ve had volleyball tournaments the last two weekends and no extra time,” Hendricks said. “I feel stressed out and I’m not sure where to find time for math.” But a week later, she had already made some progress. “I’ve had a much better week,” she said. “Volleyball has calmed down and I was able to work on math and even hangout with friends. So far I’ve been able to keep an A in math.”
Junior Claire Whitehouse has the 1 2 resolution to nurse her knee back to full health. “I tore my ACL and my meniscus jumping for a ball in volleyball,” Whitehouse said. “I landed on one leg and felt like it snapped in half.” 1.Claire WhiteWhitehouse had to go to physical 3 house wants to fix therapy for six months before she was her knee. 2. Julia Hendricks able to walk without crutches. resolves to get an “It’s been a long time coming, but A in math. for my New Year’s Resolution I chose 3. Felina Deck wants a 4.0 GPA. to heal my knee and really work on getting it back to normal,” Whitehouse said. “It’s really tough to walk around the school hallways on crutches and it’s super annoying to feel like I’m gonna fall over every second.” Whitehouse is finally off crutches and is able to slowly but surely make her way through the halls. She said she felt better than she had in months.
12 corRAL
cover story
March 3, 2017
Peeling Program
Back the
Voluntary transfer students face non-resident challenges Evan Mogley and Libby Archer Entertainment Editor and Features Editor
I
magine you are just waking up. You open your eyes and the clock says 6:30. To most of us who live near the school, this means we still have time to get ready, and can be at school on time. Those who live in the city and are part of the Voluntary Student Tranfer program, however, are late, have the possibility of missing school entirely and having an unexcused absence for the day -- unable to makeup any of the work they missed due to their location. “If I missed the bus, I would have to stay home or wait until 8 o’clock to even see if a bus would be available to take me to the school,” said junior Marissa Wright. “If they don’t have a cab or a bus available, I would miss that day of school, and I now have an unexcused absence.” This formality applies to all students who live in the city, as they face consequences such as zeros on tests and assignments just because they are unable to get to school.
“If they don’t have a cab or a bus available, I would miss that day of school, and I now have an unexcused absence.” —Marissa Wright, junior
“I am only able to get to school if I miss the bus if I take the middle school bus with my sister,” senior Mya Petty said. “Not everyone can do that though, because the bus is already coming to my house. But if they don’t have siblings or other people that can take them, they’ll just stay home because they can’t get to school.” It isn’t just the issue of getting to school either. Even if students make it on time to the bus, there are still issues -- one of them being sleep. “I wake up around 4:45 to get ready for school,” senior Nathan Okpara said. “It was really hard to adjust (to the bus schedule) when I first began high school, mostly because I was becoming sleep deprived.” Sleep deprivation is a common problem among those who travel from the city to come to school. Many others have reported a lack of sleep due to the time the bus comes to pick them up and the time necessary in the morning to get ready. “We get so tired we stretch our legs across the seats to each other and help each other have more room,” Wright said. “I don’t think I would have that relationship with anyone else in the school because I don’t think anyone else would understand what it’s like and the struggle it is getting up in the morning and being so tired and having to do this every day.” It’s not just the lack of sleep that plagues these riders in the morning. Many voluntary transfer students said that because of how far away they live,and the transportation system they rely on, they are limited in the amount of clubs and activities they can partake in.
“Some activities like STUCO I can’t even try and do because they are before school, and I have to wake up at 5:30 for regular school anyway, so I would have to wake up even earlier for morning activities,” said Petty. “Any activities before school are already eliminated because I wouldn’t get any sleep.” In addition to limiting their participation within school activities, their location affects their overall high school experience. “If I have a basketball game, I have to have the cab right after the game, so if the team wanted to go to Steak ‘n’ Shake or go to the boys game after, I’m missing out on that because I have to get home because it takes me an hour to get there,” Wright said. “I have to miss out on things like football games and tailgates and trips after choir field trips because I have to travel an hour to get home.” The issues facing these students are already being “solved” by Parkway. That solution is the phasing out of the Voluntary Student Transfer program that allows these students to come to school in the county. “This program was not a program meant to go on indefinitely,” Facilitator of the Voluntary Student Transfer Program for the district Rocky Talavedra said. “We went to our last extension, and then this program will be phased out. We might introduce a new program not based upon race, but as of now, we have these last couple of years and then it will be phased out.” Back in 1972 the court case of Liddell v. Board of Education was filed due to inherent racism toward black children in the St. Louis schooling system. A federal judge ruled in favor of Liddell and created a law that forced integration of schools. This law enforced desegregation policies and allowed black students to not only receive their education but also gave them the opportunity to do so in (predominantly white) county schools. “As of 1999 there was a settlement agreement, so basically the districts that had been forced to be a part of this program now had the chance to opt in or opt out. So they get the decision every couple of years to decide to be a part of the program or not,” Talavedra said. “There are certain districts no longer in the program such as Pattonville, Ladue and Lindber-
“This program was not meant to go on indefinitely. We went to our last extension and then this program will be phased out.” —Rocky Talavedra, VST District Facilitator
gh. Other di Rockwood, The prog process of b accepted thi next year, e expected to percent of i “For Par only be 2 p percent,” Ta ies that show only helps b students as in the work personalities Thirteen only 7 perce program.
By t
25, students e
Voluntary program a 1999
1,56
to be a pa in 2016
45
original co filed in Lid Education
2
fivehave been to retain t
cover story
istricts are in and continue to stay in are Parkway, Mehlville, and Affton.” gram, active in Parkway since 1983, is now in the becoming obsolete. With only 209 new applicants is year and with a smaller projected amount for even in keeping the program active the district is lose not only its economic diversity but also 13 its African American population as a whole. rkway, our enrollment for African American would percent, but because of this program exists, it is 15 alavedra said. “There are several different studw integration or having a diverse population not black students or Hispanic students, it helps white well. It creates a situation that students will see kforce so it’s easier to deal with different cultures, s and views.” n percent of Central students are African American; ent are part of the Voluntary Student Transfer
the numbers
,000 6,000 enrolled in the students currently enrolled
y Student Transfer in the program in 2016 at its height in
209 new students accepted into
62 applied the program in 2016 art of the program 39 school districts asked to be a part of the
years since the program voluntarily in 1981 ourt case was ddell vs. Board of school districts involved n in the program voluntarily in 1981 -year extensions year until Parkway phases n made since 2007 out the Voluntary Student the program Transfer program
4 1
March 3, 2017
corRAL
13
the flow of history- The VSTP 1972
1964
1954
Congress passes and President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawing race and gender discrimination in voting, public accommodations and employment.
“Separate but equal” doctrine was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme court unanimously.
1983
By September the St. Louis plan is underway with almost 2,500 city transfer students enrolled.
1983
In February an agreement on a voluntary plan in the St.Louis case is announced and endorsed by officials in twenty of the 23 county districts. By March 30, a final settlement plan approved by all 23 school districts is given to Judge Hungate, who approves the plan after two months of fairness hearings.
2012
1980
St. Louis Court of Appeals reverses earlier decisions and said that the city board and state were responsible for maintaining a segregated school system. Court notes that long after the “separate but equal” doctrine was ruled unconstitutional, the Missouri Constitution contained an article calling for separate schools. Court suggests the development of an exchange program between the city and county. This would become the Voluntary Student Transfer Program.
1999 1984
Minnie Liddell files a complain in the U.S. District Court due to their children being bussed to schools very distant from their neighborhood. Parents claimed that certain practices by the city’s school board and the State of Missouri are responsible for segregation in the St. Louis schooling system.
5,000 students enrolled in the Voluntary St. Louis Student Transfer program.
All parties to the Liddell lawsuit announced that an agreement has been reached which would provide for continuation of the most successful components of the 1983 Settlement Agreement- specifically the voluntary transfer program. New students would be allowed to enroll through the 2008-09 school year.
2007
1979 In the Liddell case, Judge Meredith rules that the city school board had not intentionally segregated black students.
1999
The Voluntary Interdiction Coordinating Council became a non profit corporation, renamed the Voluntary Inter-district Choice Corporation, responsible for all aspects of the voluntary student transfer program. It is now governed through superintendents of the participating school districts and funded through the same state funding mechanisms as all other public schools in Missouri.
A second unanimous vote is held which again extends the window for accepting new students A unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of the Voluntary in the program an additional 5 years to 2018-19. Inter-district Choice Corporation, the window for accepting Participating school districts indicated that they new students in the program was extended 5 years, to 2013would continue to accept transfer students. 14. The majority of districts remain in the program. Judge hungate proposes a regional voluntary desegregation plan, and calls for responses from 39 school districts. Only four districts- Clayton, Kirkwood, Ritenour and University City approve the plan.
14 corRAL
FEATURES
March 3, 2017
techies tour inner workings of broadway sound kayla benjamin
THEATER TERMS
editor-in-chief
L
ight and sound engineers juniors Jonathan Scully and Juliana South have no fear when it comes to learning about their craft and their future aspirations. These school theater tech experts sent an email to Daniel Lundberg, the head of audio for “An American in Paris,” a Broadway show that is now playing at the Fox. They asked him if maybe they could speak with him for a little bit, to learn about different theater sound systems and other tricks of the trade. Lundberg agreed to answer their questions… and invited them to see the whole show from the sound booth, watching and learning at the very time and place of the action. “It makes you think of more possibilities that you can seek out,” South said. “It was just a great experience overall, I loved it. It reaffirms your love for theater. Before this I was like ‘I’m not going to go into theater at all, why would I do that?’ and now just kind of like ‘That’d be cool.’” The two techies got to witness the behind-the-scenes activity from start to finish. “We actually got to walk backstage, got to walk through his whole pre-show stuff, got to sit inside the booth during the show, and actually got to watch him mix the show,” Scully said. “We could also see the lighting guy sort of go through his stuff. So that was really cool to see their side of the show, instead of sitting in the audience and just enjoying everything.” Amid the quiet watching and serious inquiries, they joined in on some of the exciting parts of running a show. “We got to do check-out, which is when he basically pipes music through every single speaker and you run around the theater at high speeds to check that every single speaker is working, which is very fun,” South said. “I couldn’t keep up because I was in heels.” Doug Gardner, a PCH alumnus who remains involved with the school theater department, saw “An American in Paris” the week before and loved the way it sounded. “‘An American in Paris’ is very much an orchestral show,” Gardner said. “Without conveying the music, you fail to tell the story. The sound on ‘An American in Paris’ was consistent, clear and had dynamic range.” Gardner suggested that they email Lundberg to see if he could answer some of their questions. “During my experience in high school, I went out of my way to stop by the sound board at the Fox and introduce myself and ask questions,” Gardner said. “It gets you out of your comfort zone, teaches you to think ahead of time as well as on the spot about some questions you might ask, and shows you how to read people.” Scully and South got the opportunity to ask about the professional world of theater tech, the topics of their questions ranging from sound systems to sleep schedules. “Their sleep schedule is horrible; they do not sleep, at all,” South said. “Everyone there is in their 30’s or 20’s because it just takes so much out of you.” This particular aspect of backstage work is not limited to professional theater -- both South and Scully experience some of that stress in their own tech theater work. “The worst part is the lack of sleep you get and all of the Taco Bell you eat,” South said of her work as sound designer. “During show time, theater is your job, and school’s your hobby.” But despite the stress, both students delight in the artistry of their technical work. “Doing lighting for the shows, that’s one of my favorite things to do, because the actors can tell their story on the stage, but I get to tell my story or my interpretation of the show through lighting,” Scully said. “How I can use lighting to portray that is -- I think -- very cool.” Designing the show’s sound, South focuses her energies on making sure that the audience experience is the best it can be. “This is my favorite part: making the audience have a better reaction than they would’ve before,” South said. “If it were totally silent nothing would happen, but when you bring in the sound it becomes 10 times better and the audience doesn’t know it.”
THAT MIGHT HELP YOU OUT
Check-out: making sure all the speakers are functioning before the show Faders: controls that gradually increase or decrease intensity for lights or sound Patching: rearranging the connections of microphones to the soundboard Project: speak in a way that throw’s one’s voice to the whole room Run-through: rehearse a show from beginning to end, the way the performance will be done House: the theater itself; the building Tree light: a light that sits on a stand, rather than hanging from walls or ceilings
Junior Jonathan Scully adjusts lights from above the stage, on the catwalk. Photo by Karis Kim Junior Juliana South demonstrates on sophomore Jeremy Alport, teaching other student actors and techies how to properly put on a microphone. Photo by Tara Stepanek
As two of just a handful of people around school who are fully confident in running lights and sounds, the duo is often asked to help make sure speakers have working microphones at all of the various meetings that occur in the theater. Once, when they were both out of school for the annual International Thespian Society conference, there was a meeting in the theater, but there was no microphone hooked up; South said she received more than five different calls and texts asking for her help. “Whenever there’s an event, I am there at least half an hour or an hour before, setting up the theater,” Scully said. “Then I sit through the event, get the mics right, sort of make sure everything is running smoothly. And then I stay till the end and then I basically lock up the theater.” When there is not a show going on, Scully is generally called upon to help out at least once week. “It’s fun, and they need somebody to do it,” Scully said. “It’s all volunteering. I run events for principals, counselors; for an outside event or something, I’ll get paid for that.” Scully’s expertise has served him well beyond PCH as well. At last year’s ITS conference, he was selected as one of 11 technicians to design the lights for the All-State show. After meeting with the cast and crew about seven times over the course of the year, the tech crews had only one day during the conference to get everything in position for the show itself. “We had to hang all the lights, put up all the mics, and
then we basically had two run-throughs of the show before we opened up the house,” Scully said. “Then as soon as the 8 o’clock show finished at around 9:30, we were in there until about 11:30 tearing down the set, tearing down the lights, and we had to be out of there by midnight.” Neither of them originally had any notion of just how far their backstage work would take them. On sound crew as sophomore, South’s name was chosen somewhat randomly to be the next underclassman to start learning the more complex parts of sound design. Scully’s career in lights began in middle school. He was a member of the props crew, but one of the students on light crew didn’t show up. His accidental position behind a basic light structure started a love of lighting that has followed him through high school. “They needed someone at a tree light flipping a switch for the lights,” Scully said. “Then I came to high school, and just got pulled right in. In middle school, I was flipping a switch; in high school, on my first show, “Mary Poppins,” I actually designed that whole show.” Scully’s and South’s jobs now require not just dedication, but also creativity, people skills, and critical thinking. “There’s a lot of problem-solving that goes into theater,” Scully said. “How to do it cheap, fast, and effective -- while staying safe.”
sports
March 3, 2017
corRAL
gIRLS sWIM pLACES EIGHTH IN STATE
15
AN Athlete’s Guide to Ice baths Madeline Lee staff writer
W
ith sports being such a large part of high school culture, athletes are always looking to get better. In order to be faster. stronger, or improve your level of competition, what someone does off the field matters as much as what they do off the field as well. Recovering is a large part of athletics from ice baths to acupuncute, so knowing the pros and cons of each method is important. Remember to do your research! Based upon the sport that you do, pre-existing medical conditions, or just your body in general, certain recovery methods may not be for you. Be aware. There are safe alternatives-if an ice bath isn’t your thing, you can use ice packs to target specific areas or do a deep-tissue massage. Information provided by Gregory Holtzman, Associate Professor in Physical Therapy and Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine.
PROS Sophomore Becca Waxberg takes off to start the second leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay at home on Jan. 30. Waxberg qualified for the 100-yard butterfly prelims at the state meet, where she finished with a time of 1:01.48. Photo by Tara Stepanek Senior Madison Brown stands on the podium after becoming the State champion for the 100-yard backstroke on Feb. 18 at St. Peters Rec-Plex. “This year it was nerve wracking considering it was my last year of high school swim,” Brown said. “But I just wanted to take it all in and enjoy it.” Photo courtesy of Madison Brown
lIAD lERNER sPORTS eDITOR
T
he girls swim team overcame an early disqualification and ended up placing eighth in State with four podium finishes, including a State champion, at the State meet on Feb. 17-18 at the St. Peters Rec-Plex. “Hearing that our relay was disqualified was heartbreaking,” senior swimmer Annika Hofer said. “But I think that all of us were able to turn our hurt and frustration into positive energy for the rest of our events. Overall, think we did really well and gave it everything we had.” The State meet was split up into two days: preliminary qualifiers on Friday, and then finals on Saturday. The team had high hopes for the meet with seven swimmers competing in 12 different events on Friday, but an early mistake threatened to spoil the entire meet. The first event of the day was the 200-yard medley relay, one of the girls’ best events. The team of Hofer, Madison Brown, Abby Levine and Alexis Poe had set the school record for it last year and had won it almost every time they swam it this season. “Going into State, we were excited, confident and ready to break the school record again,” Hofer said. And they did just that. Their time of 1:48.52 during the qualifiers was almost two full seconds faster than last year’s record time and would have been good enough to give them the fourth seed entering the finals. However after the race, it was announced that Brown had flinched just before the gun, resulting in their disqualification from the event. “It was devastating,” Brown said. “I felt like I let my whole team down, and I cried for a few minutes.” Coach Jennifer Meyer came to her aid and tried to rally the team for their upcoming races. “It was about an hour of motivation,” Meyer said. “I focused on moving on and using their feelings and channeling them to their remaining races. I told them that you’re a team and you love each other and that this happens sometimes and you have to put it behind you.” After Meyer’s speech, the team qualified for the finals in eight of their 13 remaining races. Brown started Saturday off with a seventh place podium finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a school record-setting time
of 0:27.15, but the highlight of the day was her victory in the 100-yard backstroke with another school record of 0:55.49. “It was a surreal moment, and I will never forget it,” Brown said. “Especially when all the coaches and my friends came up to me congratulating me and giving me hugs.” Meyer had nothing but praise watching the senior bounce back from the day before and become a State champion. “I was jumping and screaming and crying,” Meyer said. “Four years ago I told her that she could win this race, and it was amazing to see her work so hard and have it come true.” But the celebrations didn’t stop there. Hofer and Levine got on the podium together for the 100-yard breaststroke, placing third and fifth (respectively) with times of 1:05.00 and 1:05.95. “In practice we raced and pushed each other to go faster each day,” Hofer said. “It was awesome to see both of our hard work pay off and to have both of us representing Parkway Central in the top eight.” Levine, a freshman, was not fazed by the crowd and pressure of a State meet. “The atmosphere was amazing, and it was exhilarating knowing that I was able to swim with fast people who have lots of experience,” Levine said. Junior Shelby Ripp was not as satisfied with her performance as she raced in four events on Friday but did not swim personal bests and only qualified for finals in the one relay. “Although I didn’t have my best day, I was still so happy for my teammates and I’ll learn from this experience and work harder on the little things for next year,” Ripp said. Ripp, Poe, Levine and many more will be back next year competing again for State, but for seniors Brown and Hofer, this State meet was their last. “It was bittersweet,” Brown said. “I will definitely miss those girls a lot. They changed my life in the best way possible. I’m just glad I left my high school swimming career on a high.” Both swimmers will leave a legacy on the team for years to come. With a combined three school records, 20 State finals and 13 State podium finishes, they are two of the most successful swimmers in school history. “When I looked up at the crowd and saw my parents smiling, I felt proud of myself and all I’ve accomplished,” Hofer said. Next year Hofer will be swimming at Truman State University and Brown will be swimming at Missouri State University.
CONS
Simple Easy to make and do after pratice that requires little effort.
Don’t wait The longer you hold off from getting into the ice after working out, the
Full coverage Ice baths are great for overall muscle recovery and pain relief in general areas of the body.
Cold shoulder Immersing yourself into ice cold water for 5-15 minutes is not what most people would consider fun
Reliable If done correctly, ice baths are a consistent method of recovery. You will most likely feel an effect on muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Risky business Like anything, there are risks associated such as hypothermia, shock, or cardiac problems. Make sure someone is around in case something goes wrong.
Happy days Research shows that going into the ice can improve muscle tissue recovery, decrease pain, and improve an athlete’s performance.
Bad news for body builders Inconclusive evidence suggests that ice baths could decrease the ability of the body to build muscle.
less effective it will be.
reasons to hop into the ice: decrease pain 2 primary and fatigue, help in the healing process ice baths a day for high level crossfit competitiors 3+ minutes are the recommended time limit for ice 5-20 baths minutes for the maximum time you should wait after 30 a workout to take an ice bath
Keep up with Spring Sports Coverage! @pchcorral parkwaynews.net/corral
16 corRAL
sports
March 3, 2017
Basketball players reach 1,000 career points Liad Lerner Sports editor
S
enior Geena Stephens and junior Deondre Campbell both recently reached remarkable milestones in their high school basketball careers: scoring 1000 varsity points. “1000 points means that you had a really long, consistent and successful career,” girls basketball coach Brian Guilfoyle said. “And it is extremely special when a player does it.” Stephens reached 1000 points in a 59-40 win at Westminster on Jan. 10, in which Stephens scored 13 points. “It happened in the second quarter and I called a timeout so that she would be recognized by the announcer,” Guilfoyle said. Campbell got to 1000 by exploding for 39 points in a 60-53 win against Hillsboro at Parkway West on Jan. 23, including nine 3-pointers and a nearly full court buzzer beater. “Fans were taking pictures and videos and parents gave him a standing ovation,” teammate Francis Ntimba said. “In the locker room he was Gatorade dumped.” However neither player was able to truly celebrate in the moment as they each still had to play the remainder of their game. “I was really happy but I knew I had to stay focused so we could finish the game strong,” Stephens said. But after the game when they had time to reflect on what they had done, they felt the true significance of their achievement. Stephens is only the eighth girl in Central basketball history to score 1000 points in their career, and Campbell is only the ninth boy. “It felt like a great accomplishment,” Campbell said. “Especially since I’m still in my junior year and I still have another year left to play with my team.”
Boys basketball coach Rick Kirby believes that Campbell has a chance to unseat Walter Moore (1684 points) as Central’s all time leading scorer. “He’s a warrior and a gritty competitor who exemplifies my philosophy on the court,” Kirby said. “He’s a tough, hard nosed player who is not afraid to dive for a loose ball or take a charge.” Likewise, Guilfoyle has high praise for his captain. “I love [Geena’s] work ethic,” Guilfoyle said. “She works extremely hard during games and in practice and she always puts in extra time in the gym.” Both players thank their coaches for training them and for always believing in them, especially after a bad game. “My coaches taught me to never give up and to have patience even when I’m struggling,” Stephens said. “And they also taught me to believe in myself, no matter if I miss a shot to keep on giving 110% effort.” Even though this was a major accomplishment, Stephens and Campbell have already moved past it as they compete to make this season successful for each of their teams. “I have sort of put it in the past,” Campbell said. “Those 1000 points don’t win my team a conference or district championship so right now I’m looking forward to competing and trying to better myself as a player and help my team get better also.” Stephens is going to play basketball next year at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri. “I feel good,” Stephens said. “My coaches helped me prepare but I definitely will be working really hard in the offseason to improve.” Campbell, being a junior, has a little more time to make a decision about college, but he wants to continue playing basketball as well, and is interested in Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.
hOW TO dISTRACT A FREE THRow SHOOTER
1
2
winter sports wrap up Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
16-7 regular season 2nd place in conference District tournament Feb. 28 - Mar. 3 (1st seed)
17-6 regular season District tournament Feb. 25 - Mar. 3 (3rd seed)
Girls Swimming
Wrestling
3 senior Nicole Davis
lIAD lERNER SPORTS EDITOR
T
hree super fans explain what they do to distract an opposing free throw shooter in a basketball game.
1. “I would choose a random NBA player and yell out their name, the year and round they were drafted, which team drafted them and the college they came from,” senior Charlie Bourneuf said.
Posing with her sister and teammate Olivia Stephens, girls basketball captain Geena Stephens receives her 1000 point ball during the ceremony celebrating Geena scoring 1000 points after a home game against Parkway West on Jan. 20. “I was really proud of her,“ Olivia said. “That’s an amazing milestone that not many people achieve and it’s incredible that she did it.” The girls District tournament began on Feb. 25 and the boys tournament began on Feb. 28, both at Central. Photo by Tara Stepanek.
2. “I try anything to get in the shooter’s head and distract them,” senior Ethan Guller said. “I yell goofy things. Having everyone yell “mine” like in Finding Nemo is always a good one. Counting down is a good one as well.” 3. “I scream as loud as I can starting in the middle of the shooter’s routine up until the point he shoots the ball,” senior Josh Hylan said. Photo by Liad Lerner.
8th in State All-Conference honors: Marissa Brady, Madison Brown, Nicole Davis, Lily Eckenrode, Sakura Gavin, Olivia Gottlieb, Annika Hofer, Claire Huang, Emily Kaiser, Abigail Levine, Rheanna Morris, Alexis Poe, Shelby Ripp, Rebecca Waxberg, Abigail Wilner
junior Mi’cele Calvin
6-11 First place finishers: Affton tournament Tariq Ahmad, Aaron Ginsparg, John Kim, Gavin Vanhoogstrate Hazelwood West JV tournament David Portillo Pacific JV tournament Pablo Espindola
sports
March 3, 2017
corRAL
17
Work begins to bring major league soccer to STL sam benoist
working with civic leaders on ways to bring true investment into those communities,” says Mahrt. One of Foundry St. Louis’ main goals is not just to bring the soccer world to St. Louis, but engage the communities of St. or decades, St. Louis has been known as one of the bigLouis with the soccer world. gest sports communities and powerhouses of the midwest. “Like the NFL Rams stadium effort, there is too much focus However, with the recent departure of the NFL Rams, on ‘what’s in it for me’ and not enough focus on ‘what’s in it that image has started to decay. The silver lining, though, is a for everybody’ — and ‘everybody’ isn’t limited to just soccer chance the bring an MLS expansion team to St. Louis. fans.” says Mahrt. After talking with Nicholas Mahrt of Parkway Central soccer department Foundry St. Louis (a local supporter-influ“There is too much focus on ‘what’s head Brian Adam believes that bringing enced group), we had a better understandin it for me’ and not enough focus an MLS franchise to St. Louis would be ing of the situation. The main competition “absolutely beneficial”, and “would expose on what’s in it for everybody” locally is SC STL, run by St. Louis bigwigs the level of professional to soccer to [the Dave Peacock and Jim Kavanaugh. Howevsoccer community].” Plus, it would add er, Mahrt says that SC STL’s proposal has —W. Ross Clites, Foundry St. Louis so much more culture to downtown St. “devolved into a disorganized mess… [and] Executive Vice President Louis. we think there’s a better way than overpayWhile being chosen as the selected ing $200 million in franchise fees.” From group is already a challenge, what comes an outside opinion looking in, Foundry is next is even tougher: logistics. the best option for the city. “I have completely ruled out state funding for stadiums,” “MLS franchises need to embrace even the less well-off Missouri governor Eric Greitens recently stated. segments of their urban populations and connect with them, But Foundry’s plan does not seem to contradict this too graphic designer and staff writer
F
much. “Asking for state tax credits, free state-owned land, tax hikes converted into public subsidy, isn’t the way to bring this about in a meaningful way,” Mahrt says. “The best way is to engage the public and find a way that makes it work for private investors while also taking care of the community.” Our last question for Mahrt was a big one. We wanted to know their inspiration for this. Their answer was short, yet very effective. Mahrt says, “We call it internally the ivory tower approach’. The principals of Foundry decided that if this is going to work, things needed to be done differently. And we think we’re doing that. All in all, will it happen? It’s a big maybe. While there are many upsides such as an increased soccer fan base and revenue to the city, there are also many negatives. The start up expenses for the organization, exposure, and finding a stadium to call home could all present a possible challenge. No matter what happens, Foundry pledges to continue “working with civic leaders on ways to bring true investment into those [underpriveleged] communities.
To get a better look at the numbers, we compared Foundry’s proposal to that of a recent MLS expansion, Minnesota United.
Athletes Analyze Factors that Influence Sport Decision Daihana Jimenez staff writer
A
thletes analyze the dimension of decision making and the major factors that contribute to the process of making a decision such as whether the athlete will compromise to play in college. Decision-making by athletes is a process of great difficulty that involves the major factors, one of which is the athlete’s ability to continue playing “I’m relatively new to track, this being my second season, so I don’t know but I’m considering a lot of running in college through clubs,” senior track runner, Lauren Johns said. Deciding whether to continue playing a sport in college could become stressful, come under pressure when unsure about their future in college. “It is a lot of pressure especially since I haven’t been doing this that long and that it’s my last year of high school.” Johns said.“I have to really give it my all this season, make it count, I’m not a top athlete, my times are decent but I’m getting better with each season” Another important factor that athletes are influenced by is their parents. The support received from parents, motivates the athlete and gives high emotional sup-
port and little conflict with parents. “My mom is chill about it, she tells me, “no matter what you do I’ll support you” Junior softball player, Emily West said. However other parents believe that their children could have more benefits from a doing a sport than from finding a teaching career, that’s when disagreements can take place. One example is Junior golf player, Haley Castellari. ”My parents want me to get a golf scholarship because it could help pay college tuition but I’m not that good so I don’t think I can get into a good college” Castellari said. A life changing decision could be difficult to explain to parents who disagree with the athlete’s decision. “I have a lot of disagreements with my parents, I want to be a teacher and just focus on my education, not sports in college, even though I know a golf scholarship could help pay tuition” Castellari said. When parents disagree with an athlete’s sport decision, it is often because they don’t know how their children is going to benefit from it in the future. Sport is an activity that helps athletes raise the quality of life and health, but also helps
to form values and socialize. “It’s a way to bond with new people when you are running together and are pushing one another.” Johns said.“In college these benefits could continue and I could make friends in a school of strangers and stay in shape” Coaches are also largely responsible for the physical development of their athletes. They are part of playing a fundamental role in the athlete’s development but also decision making. “My coach is nice and does push me to do my best and I feel like my parents are more supportive.” Cheerleader and track runner, Hannah Coleman said. The coaches influence is generally good for most athletes the influence and motivation is a sense of well-being, related to the sport practice. “I enjoy it for one, it helps improve my mindset, relieve stress, an escape for a bit, and chance to think through things and find a solution” Johns said.”It’s definitely a mental struggle but also a mental benefit as well.” The major factors that influence an athlete sport decision are parents, coaches and the athletes ability to compromise in a college sport.
Yes (19%) Does your coach influence your sport decision?
No (81%)
Yes (27%) Do your parents influence your sport decision?
No (73%)
18 corRAL
entertainment
march 3, 2017
Raising
2
the
Roof
4
1
1. Senior Will Harold, sophomore Nick White and senior Rebecca Velasquez celebrate “To Life” at dress rehearsal on Feb. 21. Photos by Evan Mogley 2. Sophomore Skylar Droege sings “Matchmaker” with her character’s sisters, played by sophomores Samantha Seigel and Ariana Stein. 3. The “dearly departed” ensemble sings and dances in “The Dream” scene. 4. Junior Alex Kaiser plays Motel, the tailor, as he pleads to marry his true love. 5. Junior Aletha Bastin and senior Anthony Blatter perform in “The Dream” Tevye concocts to fool his wife. 3. Eva Shanker plays the titular “Fiddler on the Roof” while perched on the set, as well as playing in the pit orchestra. 6. Blatter plays the lead role of Tevye, the dairyman, as he contemplates life if he were rich.
5
6
7
pch players put on ‘match-less’ musical Kayla Benjamin Editor-in-Chief
M
y family and I are all conservative Jews and musical theater lovers. I grew up with the soundtrack of “Fiddler on the Roof” playing in the car and lines from the script woven throughout my conversations. My father has -- on more than one occasion -- broken out into song whenever someone uses the phrase “rich man.” When my brother and I bicker back and forth, my fed-up mother might mutter, “So, was it a horse or a mule?” Thus, when I went to see “Fiddler” put on by the Theater and Music Departments, I had high expectations ... all of which were met and surpassed at the matinee performance on Feb. 26. I’m not usually one for “rave reviews,” but this show left me with almost nothing to criticize and tons to praise. “Fiddler on the Roof,” in my opinion, is a shining star among musicals. The characters are complex, the storyline both fastpaced and unpredictable and the dialogue moves deftly between hilarity and melancholy without missing a beat. The immense onstage talent highlighted and enhanced the greatness of the script. Funny lines were delivered with spot-on timing that had the audience cracking up, and the most dramatic scenes portrayed emotional intensity without ever sacrificing believability. Best of all, for me, was how obvious it was that the entire cast and crew had taken the time to truly understand the culture their perfor-
3
mance depicted -- both of 1905 Russia and of European Jewry. As the lead, senior Anthony Blatter (Tevye) astonished the audience with his powerful voice and even more powerful command of the stage. His accent was consistently well-executed. The timing and rhythm during his songs were practically identical to the professional “Fiddler” soundtrack I know and love. Whether speaking, singing, dancing or just moving from one place to another on the stage, Blatter radiated complete investment in his role -- and the audience could not help but become invested right alongside him. Other standout stars included junior Aletha Bastin (Golde) and senior Sydney Hirsch (Yente), whose voices soared through challenging songs while their character development ran deep. Junior Ariana Stein (Hodel) treated the audience to her impressive singing range and her onstage lover, junior Dominic Doray (Perchik), poured his soul into his performance. Sophomore Samantha Seigel (Chava) attracted the watcher’s eye even during large group numbers with her dynamic and distinct movements and expressions, as well as conveying an impressive depth of emotion during her moments in the spotlight. Similarly, senior Rebecca Velasquez (Nachum) brought comic relief through her wordless but emotive role of the beggar, drawing viewers to her facial expressions and allowing them to react to the action alongside of her. Exemplary group numbers kept the audience enthralled, perfecting the emotional ebb and flow within each song, particularly in “Tradition,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and “To Life.” The impressive
bottle dance blew the audience away, as did the intertwining voices showcased in “Sabbath Prayer.” The tech work shone just as brightly as the onstage stars. Junior Jonathan Scully’s work as master electrician added creative element of emotion and excitement to every scene. This brilliance was perhaps best exemplified by bright light shining through the door onto the kneeling Chava, emphasizing her isolation as she shut and she was left in darkness. From the dimmed light over the bittersweet wedding song to the iconic silhouetting of the Fiddler, the lighting delighted the viewer with its ingenuity and thoughtfulness. Sound engineer junior Juliana South’s guiding hand was clear in the echoes that subtly distinguished Tevye’s thoughts as he stood alone in the spotlight with his fellow actors frozen in the background. Wardrobe manager sophomore Sophia Macke and props manager junior Emily Gardunia should both be recognized for an array of items that seamlessly blended into the story’s time and place. Speaking of setting, scenic artist Lauren Tubbe and her crew also ought to be commended on a set that was both beautiful and functional, with buildings that rolled to reveal a fully furnished interior and canopy lace that seemed to float down from the ceiling. Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the gorgeous poster design by Hannah Klepper. According to the department, on Friday, Feb. 24, all but two seats were sold out. I, for one, completely understand why.
Entertainment
March 3, 2017
corRAL
19
ROCKIN’ BREWS DOES NOT ROCK
This is me pretending to enjoy my burnt salad because of social norms.
LIBBY ARCHER
Staff Writer can hardly explain how angry and disappointed the new restaurant in the Valley, Rock and Brews, made me, so I made a list to count the ways:
I
1
T
STEPDAD ATMOSPHERE
he establishment was kind of strange and gave off stepdad vibes: trying too hard to seem hip, too loud, and overcompensating for the lack of interest. The interior had a huge room with a bar, and TVs showing classic rock music videos covered the walls. Individual party rooms broke up the restaurant. The area I was seated in had tables circling a huge fire pit.
4 A
TOM, THE MEAN WAITER
ll of the wait staff I encountered were huge jerks. The girl who who filled our waters while we were waiting about 20 minutes for our waiter acted like an angsty teen who just got her phone taken away because her parents found Tinder on it. She grunted and groaned every time she passed. It took her two times to get our drinks correct, and we had to wait forever. Just as I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I met my archnemesis: Our waiter, let’s call him Tom, was one of those guys who tries to seem funny by making fun of you and making you feel uncomfortable. Tom was just the cherry on top of this dog-poop sundae that was Rock and Brews.
3
THIS DANG SALAD
2
SO MUCH PETTINESS
T
hey burnt my salad. Well they technically burnt the salmon on my salad, but still. I waited 50 minutes to dig into my Rare-Salmon Fresh Market Salad, and the rare salmon ended up being scorched salmon. There is nothing like looking forward to “fresh market” anything, and having that lingering taste of char rush over your palate instead.
T
he waiter gave me a glass instead of a jar. This might seem like a total overreaction, but the fact that Tom served my sister her lemonade in a cool artsy-looking jar and I got a regular run-of-the-mill cup made me extremely upset. It felt like a personal attack by Tom. Maybe I am losing my mind, or maybe Tom is out to get me, or maybe they ran out of jars, but either way I was hangry, jar-less and annoyed.
Archer's Atmosphere -Dining in Style-
5
LACK OF PEPPER JACK CHEESE
6
REALLY BAD STUFF, MAN
B
y “double pepper jack cheese” they mean “maybe a slice, if you’re lucky.” My mom got the Spicy Fire Ball Burger with double pepper jack cheese and got a dry, mild burger with a below average amount of cheese. The Archer family is a cheese-loving family, so even if everything else would’ve been perfect, this would have been a deal breaker.
O
verall, I give this dining experience a 3 out of 10 because technically the food was edible -- it just really sucked. If the owners of Rock and Brews are reading this: Fire Tom. (His name isn’t actually Tom, but I have a feeling you can guess who it is.)
20 corRAL mogley’s music of the month March 3, 2017
Evan Mogley
Entertainment Editor here has been huge news within the world of music within the past two months. Not only because February is Grammy season, but also for the role musicians have begun to take up. With the release of “Chained to the Rhythm” by Katy Perry she declared she is insinuating an era of “purposeful pop.” Perry, on the heels of other political statements in the world of music such as “Formation” and “Angel Down” by Lady Gaga, musicians are beginning to push for social reform in a way that has not been seen in a decade. However, within this installment of Music of the Month, we will be taking a look at the “Album of the Year” nominees. While Adele’s record breaking 25 took home the Grammy, we can still dissect each one and see if she truly deserved the gramophone.
T
25 - Adele
Achieving a diamond album in the era of streaming and illegal pirating seems impossible, but Ms. Adele Adkins achieved her 2nd diamond record with this monumental piece. It’s important to mention the impact 25 had. It broke the sales record since Nielsen Soundscan started recording album sales, with 3.38 million copies sold. It was a record that almost did not occur due to the fear Adele had about following her monster record “21.” Coined as a makeup record, 25 explores themes of nostalgia and, of course, heartbreak and regret. Adele belts her heart out with conviction and sings lyrics that create a very personable connection. “When We Were Young,” and “All I Ask,” are the highlights as Adele not only delivers her iconic voice, she has created a perfect backdrop of production matched with her songwriting skills. While Adele certainly meets the highs of previous albums, she falters back into familiar territory which ultimately stunts her growth. With songs such as “Hello,” and “I Miss You,” Adele crawls back to the sadness of 21 rather than staying consistent with her “makeup record.” These moments falter the album and almost make it seem like a continuation of 21 rather than a new perspective from an artist who has much more to offer. What 25 does best however, is its cohesive style and mood, making it feel much more like a journey rather than a quilt stitched together with separate elements of style and emotion. Adele is able to create a set of songs that are different individually but come together to make a single piece of art. With only 3 albums released and 2 of them diamond, the impact Adele has had within her 9 years in the industry is undeniable.
Purpose - Justin Bieber
B-
A comeback album is always a bit of a tricky situation to get right. For Justin Bieber, who was coming off the heels of his reckless behavior and less commercially successful “Journals,” it meant finding superstar collaborators such as Diplo and Skrillex and combining forces to make a fully energetic and dance floor-ready record. In his 2015 LP Bieber sets the stage for his state of mind and what he as a twenty-something is currently going through. With masterful production by the Jack U duo, up and coming producer Bloodpop, and Bieber himself, the album creates a journey stylistically and instrumentally, going through the electro-RnB landscape Bieber has created. The record holds its own production-wise, with phenomenal dance tracks including “Sorry,” and “Where Are U Now,” but it lacks in lyrical content. With the exception of standouts “Purpose,” and “Love Yourself,” the songs generally lack heartfelt exploration or lyrics or a delivery with conviction. The album falls through with its delivery in the sense it feels like a balancing act: Bieber standing on the line, unsure of whether he completely commits and falls head first into a more mature sound, or if he falls back into more of his original style - built for a younger audience. From highs like “Love Yourself,” to lows like “I’ll Show You,” Bieber has continued to evolve with the delivery of his fourth album, but for the 22-year-old to break the mold of his younger sound, he will need to commit to his total transformation in sound and lyrics.
C
shyamalan shocks with ‘split’ brett smith Staff writer
M
. Night Shyamalan, the master of disguise, made his mark on the new year with his latest creation “Split.” Has this great director taken past criticisms and used them to make his new films the best they can be, or is his newest production just another Shyama-flop? “Split” is about three high school girls who are kidnapped by a man named Kevin who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder, who has 23 distinct personalities. While trapped, the girls must rely on each other and some of Kevin’s many personalities to find a way out before the 24th and most violent personality, referred to only as “The Beast,” is released. Kevin himself is not shown much in this film, rather his other personalities mainly control his
body and mind throughout the duration of this film. Most prominently shown is Dennis, an obsessive compulsive germaphobe that must have everything clean around him. The other personalities that are given major focus to are Ms. Patricia, Hedwig (a 9-year-old boy) and Barry, who is an artist and clothing designer. With every one of these personalities, actor James McAvoy completely changes his tone of voice, facial expressions, clothing, mannerisms, and physical attributes of each, making every character feel like their own independent person, and you can connect with them on a personal level throughout the cinematic experience. I was very surprised by McAvoy in this film, as I had no clue going into this film that he would deliver such a powerful performance as these different personalities. He is the main rea-
Entertainment
Views - Drake
“It’s a little chilly out here” declares that winter has begun in Toronto and “Views” has started. Drake’s 4th studio effort had been released after two years of mix tapes and hype tracks to ultimately culminate into a half-baked album. The contrasts to the album can be most easily seen in the first two singles from the album. “Popstyle” and “One Dance,” both released at the same time, show the contrasting styles that “Views” incorporates - a more melodic, pop tuned artist, and one who has made a name for himself in the world of rap. Songs like “Too Good,” “Controlla,” at Drake’s most pop- persona self with slick beats and smoother singing. Compare this to songs like “9” and “Grammys” with harder bass and a more combative Drake and it divides the album into sub-sects of itself. Not to mention each song on “Views” has an average of 8 writers which explains why the record seems like a less cohesive set. The highlight of the album is 40’s production. He and a handful of other producers are able to feature the best of Drake, whether he is rapping his way through a track of anger and relenting frustration, or on the polished pop tracks meant for continuous radio rotation. Through the 20-song record, (which in itself feels like a drudging journey), Drake traverses through women he longs for and who have paid him dust, and “family” who have stabbed him in the back. While Drake has become a fixture in the spotlight over the past five years and has been able to top charts around the world, in order to stay on top of the game and stay consistent he needs to diversify himself beyond the pop-rap combo and look to innovate what the genre of rap looks like in 2017.
C-
Lemonade - Beyonce
A story of infidelity is putting it lightly. “Lemonade” is much more than an album. It is a combination of intertwined styles, vocals, guests and emotions. On the surface it stands as a proclamation of the possible wrongdoings of Jay-Z has committed. Throughout the journey it becomes much more. We as an audience follow Bey through eleven chapters of discovery as she unearths her most vulnerable record yet. The story begins with “Pray You Catch Me,” as Beyonce begins the narrative, titling it “Intuition.” It continues through chapters aptly named “Anger, Apathy, Emptiness” etc. as she traverses the landscape of raw emotion to find the truth and the capacity to forgive. Raging drums, harsh cursing, and tales of betrayal accompany her and guest Jack White on “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” while she croons on the country-tinged “Daddy Lessons.” On “Sandcastles” Bey serenades Jay-Z as she reveals the frailties in the vows they took those many years ago. Beyonce leaves nothing to the imagination genre-wise or lyrically. The only low point of the album is the experimental and somewhat aptly titled “Forward,” - as in, skip forward to the next song. It serves as an interlude that certainly has a place on the album but is just not executed correctly. Otherwise, the album serves as a political statement shedding light on issues facing the black community in America as a whole through its lyrics, and especially in the film, which depicts Black Lives Matter signs, a little boy dancing in front of police officers with his hands up, and a sign that says “stop shooting us.” Beyonce was served lemons and she made lemonade. She was able to top her eponymous 2014 smash, and keep her hold on the throne.
son why this movie worked. I had always liked him for his performance as Charles Xavier in the X-Men series, but with this role, I have so much more respect for the actor than I ever did, and I am anxious to see what future projects he is a part of. This film is something that you have to see for yourself, because as much as I could sit here and tell you everything that makes this film my favorite film of 2017 so far, it is something to be experienced. M. Night Shyamalan, you have released a very successful and effective thriller. There were many moments where I was physically on the edge of my seat in the theater. “Split” is a must see for fans of thrillers and those aching for a strange and tense visual and auditory experience. I give it a 9/10, a win in my book.
A-
entertainment
march 3, 2017
corRAL
21
Day in a life of a . . . School secretary Jessie Goldberg Staff WRiter
“I’ve been working here for 10.5 months, 8 hours a day.”
“I focus on EOC’s and parent/teacher conferences.”
“I work with Mr. Theobald and am involved in everything with athletics”
Fun fact: “A lot of people don’t know that I lived in Malaysia.”
Something New Today: “The building manager is out, which means I have to cover the calls and everything else.”
“I oversee all attendance, run the front office with parents and guests, and set the bells for the day.” Fun fact: “I love to shop every extra minute I get.”
jill Crylen
kim Orf
cindy Burch
trish Reynolds
diane Krumm
Unique to Job: “I’m part mom, part counselor, and part many other things” “I focus on graduation.” “I schedule most conference rooms.”
Each day is a new day, especially for our school secretaries. From attendance to scheduling meetings, the school secretaries are always working hard. Whenever students need to talk to a principal or a counselor, they go through these administrative assistants, but do we really truly understand what it’s like to be them and what they do each day? See if you knew what our school secretaries were doing on Monday, Jan. 23!
“I manage the counselors’ schedules with academic scheduling, information about college, and those who are struggling or need support from the counselors.” “I am a strong advocate for the title of ‘administrative assistant’ because ‘secretary’ is outdated.”
22 corRAL
entertainment
March 3, 2017
art teacher displays his passion David Amirdjanian guist writer
T
eacher avid Jafari is very passionate about art, and as he was growing up, art was a big factor in shaping who and where he is today. “Art was helpful in my life to have a place to work with my hands, work with my mind, and to learn about the pride of creating things,” Jafari said. “It also gave me direction in my life, it really led me to where I am today.” Art allowed Jafari to grow as a person, mentally, and emotionally. He said he also used art as means of therapy, allowing to relieve stress if everything went perfectly. “It can make you really happy or it can make you really sad when something doesn’t work out, it can be really therapeutic, and it can sometimes be the cause of needing therapy, because of the frustrations,” Jafari said. He came out of Northern Arizona University with a bachelor fine arts degree in ceramics, needing to find a job. “As you can imagine, the options with a degree like that are relatively limited and specific,” Jafari said.
He worked in various places before figuring out what to settle on. Jafari worked at the City Museum, participated in art fairs, pottery sales, and later got a job at Meramec teaching ceramics. This led him to settle down on the teaching career and got him a spot in Parkway as an assistant teacher. “It really showed me that education was a good direction for me to go,” Jafari said, “I was lucky enough to get this job here.” Jafari said that this job allowed him to be able to make a living off of doing the things he loves and teaching kids students along the way. He also uses his position to be his own dream teacher when he was a student in highs chool as well. “I want to be the teacher I wish I would’ve had in hig school,” Jafari said, “Flexible, but rigid enough to push people to do work.” Jafari continues to create art during class, exploring the new techniques and ideas that are popping up in the world of art. He showcases these ideas to his students in class as inspiration material. “He’s a fantastic artist,” colleague Brian Guilfoyle said, “As you grow older you hone your craft.”
Keller’s computing corner what pc components will get you decent gameplay without breaking the bank sam keller guest writer
T
o enjoy PC video games, a powerful computer that can run the games is required. Some people spend thousands of dollars building a computer that can run everything on max. However, most people don’t have this much money to spend on a computer. This will give you an idea of the parts and money required to build a middleof-the-road gaming PC. First, you will need to buy a processor. The processor is the central hub of data processing, hence the name. A good processor is the I5-6600K Skylake 3.5 GHz. This has a very high GHz and will last a very long time. The motherboard is what holds the processor, RAM and graphics card. It also connects everything in the computer. A good motherboard is the ASUS Z170-E because of its support for I5s, I7s, and a max memory support of 64 GB giving it the possibility to be used through multiple upgrades instead of buying a new one. Choosing the RAM is the next step to building a computer. The Corsair vengeance is a high quality and fast type of memory. 8GB of RAM is all you will ever need, which is why I picked the one of the highest quality for that category. Graphics cards are essential to PC gaming. They can range widely in price and speed. The ASUS GTX 1060 3GB is one of the faster cards on the market and one of the cheapest for its speed. It will run most games on high settings or medium settings. Power is needed to make a computer
work. There is very little difference in power supplies; the most important difference is the wattage. A good wattage for a medium level computer with a GTX 1060 is around 600 watts -- this gives you some room to upgrade. To play games you must be able to install them onto your PC. This requires a hard drive or a solid state drive. SSDs are replacing hard drives as the primary storage device due to their faster speed. A 512 GB SSD will be more than enough storage to hold all your games. Processors get incredibly hot when running, which means that a fan is required. The hyper 212 evo is a good processor fan and that has the possibility to be improved with an extra fan. You should also set aside some money to purchase extra wires just in case. A disk drive is also very useful because some programs and external devices require a disk to install the program on your computer. Thermal paste is also needed. Thermal paste is used in between the fan and processor. A case is needed, too, but that’s a style decision -- just make sure it fits an ATX motherboard and all of your parts. You will also need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor. These items are more of a preference item because it doesn’t really matter which one you have just so long as it works. The total of these parts will come to around $1,400 with tax, which is a lot, but a computer like this will last many years -- and it’s not as high-end as you may have thought you needed.
Art teacher David Jafari assists junior Emily Pfau and other students around the classroom with their art projects by giving ideas and ways to improve. Photo by David Amirdjanian
singer works toward career in the music industry Jessie Piles guest writer
H
is pep rally performance was no new challenge for senior Miles Sanders. Performing at various local venues, he works to share his talent and music in hopes of making it big. “I’ve done choir almost my whole life,” Sanders said. “Then I starting messing around with writing lyrics and freestyling.” Sanders’ friend Khahill Jahrad is the one who got him interested in the music industry. “Once I heard and saw what he was trying to do, I asked myself ‘why not go for it?’” Sanders said. “Then when I went into the studio it was all over. I fell in love and I knew that I found my passion.” Ever since then, he has worked on improving his music and spreading the word. “I am constantly trying to network and use social media to make new connections,” Sanders said. “I now have a manager named JP Morray who is well known in L.A. and St. Louis.” To try to jumpstart his career and spread his name, Sanders tries to perform at various venues. “If you count the pep rally, that is my tenth show that I have done,” Sanders said. Sanders loves to perform and has enjoyed all of his concerts, but he thinks that the first concert he ever did at the Blank Space, was his favorite performance so far. “The whole atmosphere was so supportive and positive since all of my close friends attended,” Sanders said. “It was a laid-back show so I didn’t have to rush through my set and the people I got to perform with were people I look up to and vibe well with.”
Senior Miles Sanders continues on his dream of fame by performing at the pep rally on Jan. 27. “I’m hoping that soon I will be able to share my music also through Apple Music and Spotify, because I could reach a bigger audience of people,” Sanders said. “As of right now though, I only use YouTube and SoundCloud.” Photo by Jordyn Tobias
OPINIONS
March 3, 2017
corRAL
23
Planned parenthood march experience
LIBBY ARCHER features editor
A
t 8:30 in the morning on Saturday, Feb. 11, I crawled out of bed and into my most feminist outfit (no bra, biker jacket and unshaved), threw together a pro-choice, anti-government poster, and ran out the door. Junior Phoebe Wolkowitz and I had been planning on attending the Planned Parenthood march, since we both missed the women’s march, for weeks now. I had no clue what to expect but was more than pleasantly surprised. We drove down to The Grove hungry, exhausted and in search of a parking lot. The whole Grove was completely packed with people in pink, covered in colorful pins and holding sparkling signs. It took us about 10 minutes and 15 U-turns to find a parking space that was luckily legal and close to where everyone seemed to be congregating. We were immediately hit with a rainbow of positivity and happiness. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen. I have never seen so many smiling, colorful people in one place. I was given stickers and condoms by every volunteer I passed. Phoebe and I walked aimlessly around the crowd, which had spread out over this huge hill and playground in the center of The Grove, until we heard cheering coming from all sides. We had accidentally stumbled to the very front of the crowd where the head of Planned Parenthood Missouri was informing us all about the services PP provides and the goal of the march today. The screaming crowd, complete with children, fathers, friends and patients, grew silent while this tiny older woman took the small makeshift stage to speak about her experiences. Every time a speaker ended a sentence or even said the name of the organization, the crowd erupted in applause. Soon after the speeches ended, the actual march began. Once again Phoebe and I accidentally made our way to the very front of the group where we were ushered onto a single-person sidewalk on top of the bridge leaving The Grove. On the street next to us, police officers on bikes escorted us for about a mile, every now and then reminding us to get off the road. There was a group of men and women with their faces covered with ski masks and scarves waving anarchy flags that made
its way to the front of the procession and oftentimes got into slight arguments with the police. Everyone else that I saw just smiled and chanted. Someone brought a drum to play while we chanted the group-led cheers. We were instructed to remain completely silent and not engage when we passed anti-abortion protesters. The group fell silent and I saw huge signs coming towards us. As we passed the protesters, they screamed rude things and held posters of graphic images, but I just tried to keep my eyes forward. The march lasted about an hour and a half, but the festivities proceeded after we returned to The Grove. Bars, restaurants and music venues were donating half of their income from the day to PP. The experience was amazing and life-changing, not just because I had a chance to stand up and support a cause I believe in, but because of the people I was with. I have seriously never met such a well educated, thoughtful and happy group of people. I would definitely march again.
four reasons why betsy devos is our valentine Alex Luckerman & jordyn tobias Guest Writers
T
rump’s pick for Secretary of Education is one of the most talked-about figures out of all of his cabinet nominees. The one thing that we know is that, well, maybe she might not be the most qualified, but she has surely done some things that have turned her into our found a way into our heart, which is why she is our Valentine this year. 1. She will protect us (from the bears). “I think probably there, I would imagine that there’s probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies,” DeVos said. Her natural instinct to want to protect children shows how much she cares. While there were 114 deaths from school shootings since 2010, zero children died from bears. DeVos wants to keep the bear number zero. Her priorities are commendable. 2. She supports accountability. At her confirmation hearing, DeVos and Tim Kaine had this conversation: Kaine: “If confirmed, will you insist upon equal accountability in any K-12 school or educational program that receives taxpayer funding whether public, public charter or private?” DeVos: “I support accountability.” Kaine: “Equal accountability?” DeVos: “I support accountability.” Kaine: “Is that a yes or a no?” DeVos: “I support accountability.” Kaine: “Do you not want to answer my question?” DeVos: “I support accountability.”
She supports accountability! Accountability is the No. 1 thing we look for in a relationship. It doesn’t matter whether schools are all held to the same standards when accountability is just a word we can say. When we tell our Valentine we love them, all we need them to say in response is “I support accountability.” There is nothing more romantic than a broken record.
3. She doesn’t understand the difference between growth and proficiency. During her confirmation hearing, Al Franken asked whether she thinks that student achievement should be measured according to growth (how much progress a student makes toward a learning goal) or proficiency (whether or not they are at a certain level of understanding). DeVos asked a couple of clarifying questions, then responded. DeVos: “I think if I am understanding your question correctly around proficiency, I would correlate it to competency and mastery, so each student according to the advancements they are making in each subject area.” Franken: “That’s growth. That’s not proficiency.” She won’t expect much of anything from you! She doesn’t understand proficiency, the idea that you measure students based on whether or not they can do something well enough. That means that you can be a terrible partner, and she won’t care. And since she doesn’t understand growth, the idea that you’ll make improvements over time, you don’t need to get any better. 4. Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a spot in trump’s cabinet. Bernie Sanders: “Would you be so kind as to tell us how much your family has contributed to the Republican Party over
the years?” DeVos: “Senator, first of all thank you for that question. I again was pleased to meet you in your office last week. I wish I could give you that number. I don’t know.” Sanders: “I have heard the number was $200 million. Does that sound in the ballpark?” DeVos: “Collectively? Between my entire family?” Sanders: “Yeah, over the years.” DeVos: “That’s possible.” Sanders: “OK. My question is, and I don’t mean to be rude. Do you think, if you were not a multi-billion aire, if your family had not made hundreds of millions of dollars of contributions to the Republican Party, that you would be sitting here today?” She has a lot of money to go around. Sure, maybe it’s a bad thing that she was able to pay her way into power. But you know what else that means? Lots of gifts for every occasion! If she can buy her way into Trump’s cabinet, she can buy her way into our hearts.
24 corRAL
spotlight
March 3, 2017
FIDGET ANCY
SPINNERS
entrepeneurs make twirling toys Moritz Dittrich STaff WRITER
D
esigning and creating fidget spinners at home through 3D printing, sophomores Luke Dunbar and Worth Brown have brought the twirling toys trend to school. “Being able to create things at home that you usually wouldn’t be able to make is for sure the most fascinating part about it,” Dunbar said. “I like modeling and creating designs on your own for the spinners.” Dunbar came up with the idea of creating his own spinners with a 3D printer a few years ago and Brown started it in November. “I really like engineering and making things for people,” Brown said. The fidget spinner’s purpose is to keep its owner entertained in class. The twirling toys are supposed to keep a person’s hands busy, and compared to phones, teachers do not usually have a problem with students messing around with the spinners in class. The blueprint of the spinners starts on a design program on the computer. “I start building a shape in a CAD program and I mess up a lot,” Brown said. “I spend significantly more time on the design than I intend to and eventually stumble my way into a finished product that I like.” As an alternative to modeling the products from scratch, several websites make it possible to share
designs with others and to download them. “There are so many cool designs that you can do,” Dunbar said. The most challenging and longest part of the process is usually making adjustments to get the dimensions right once the design is done. The production of the spinning toys usually takes Dunbar and Brown about three to five hours. Since they both have 3D printers to use whenever they want, they can often easily work on them during the week after school -- and the demand is increasing. “I would say that the prints have increased in quality since I started,” Dunbar said. The toys are usually being sold for $5 to $12. “I saw the spinners on social media and bought one a couple of weeks later,” sophomore Felina Deck said. “I really like that it keeps me concentrated in class or whenever else I use it.” Deck is one of more than 60 students who have already bought a fidget spinner.