February 2012

BEARFACTS

Ursuline Academy 341 South Sappington Rd St. Louis, MO 63122

2.8.12 Volume 7 Issue 5

Table of Contents March For Life

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All you need to know about the

2012 Elections

2012 Olympics

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9 UA’s new schedule?

What do you think about

Knitting for a cause

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Photos by Meg Vatterott

Racist Microsoft App?

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12 St. Louis Private Schools The issue with

13 Celebrity News!

News Want to see more pictures from winter dance?

Check out Photos by Meg Haenchen

www.ursulinestl.org/ bear-facts/

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ro-life is a term that gets thrown around a lot in debates, but what does it really mean?

Amidst all the religious and political jargon lie real values that, if not lived by, might destroy the human race. At the heart of pro-life is respect, respect for life at all levels of development and respect for one‟s own self. The body is a responsibility thrust upon every single person.

To show their support for life, a number of Ursuline students joined thousands from across the U.S. in the Pro-Life March in Washington, DC. Among them were Claire Burkemper and Elizabeth Dreyer.

While on the march, everyone is subject to violent words and pictures from posters and chants.

Dreyer divulged her most trying moments on the march. “I didn‟t like how people had posters of half aborted babies; it made me sick to my stomach.”

Dreyer used the power of prayer to distract her from these images. She focused her mind on the goal: the eradication of abortion. Although at times they are disturbing, sometimes those images give the marchers an extra push by reminding them why they came to Washington D.C. in the first place.

The March for Life

People often forget to think about the ramifications of abortion on women. Women may not see that by aborting their children, they are violating themselves as well as another human being. Claire Burkemper said, “Studies show that abortion can be very damaging to the mother‟s mental and physical health and that adoption is a much better alternative.” Many women after aborting children go into a period of denial or develop self-destructive feelings and behaviors. Life is a right each person has, but many take advantage of those unborn and unable to defend themselves. The fetus truly is a child, and there is no right choice but to give that baby the best chance at living a happy life.

When asked if they would ever go on the march again, both Burkemper and Dreyer gave similar answers.

“Well I hope I will never have to go again because I hope one day abortion will be illegal, but as long as it is legal, I will be going!”

-Claire Burkemper Betsy Kennedy Bear Facts Staff Writer

Taylor Nicholson, Elizabeth Dreyer, Tara Rice, and Colleen McGovern brave the rain on the Pro-Life march.

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ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES STUDENT LIFE NEWS

We The People...

Will there be Change in 2012?

On Tuesday, November 6, 2012, people of the United States of America will go to the polls and vote for a president. Students at Ursuline are hearing a lot about this election since it is vital for students who are eighteen years of age to know. Ms. Nondorf, social studies teacher at Ursu-

had before: voting. Not only can an eighteen-year-old vote, but she can represent the issues that she wants to support.

Even though some students might not know much about the presidential election, it is a necessary task, to inform the student body about the possible candidates. Whomever the nation chooses will be in charge of the United States of America. Voters have to be comfortable and confident in the candidate chosen, but most importantly Americans would like to elect someone totally trustworthy. Ms. Nondorf stated, “If you are going to vote, you want to know as much as possible to know who you are voting for in November. You need to know who those people are and what they believe in; you need to know what they stand for.” So as students sharpen their pencils to vote for the 2012 elections, they need too sure to know each candidate and what the candidate with bring them.

Bear Facts editors weigh in on the 2012 elections.

line, stated, “If you are going to live in a democracy, it is dependant on the people to voice their opinion. Since 18 to 25year-olds are least likely to vote, government doesn‟t really care about their opinions. You want to get out there and express your opinion.” Eighteen-year-olds have an opportunity they have never

Rick Santorum the Next Catholic President?

Rick Santorum on www.google.com was labled as, “The True Conservative.”

Santorum, a fifty-three year old from Winchester, Virginia, is Roman Catholic. The last Roman Catholic president was President John F. Kennedy. In some people‟s opinion, Kennedy was one of the greatest presidents that America has ever had. A Catholic president might bring America to peace once again. However, Santorum is more than just a Republican. He has and will run in the primaries to become the next United States presiPhoto by Meg dent.

Vatterot Bear Facts Catholics value the defense of Print Editor human life. The web site https:// www.ricksantorum.com/issues states that Santorum he has a broad and impressive record when it comes to defending the dignity of every human life, especially the most vulnerable among us.” This means he will protect the unborn. Abortion is a major issue for most Ursuline girls, strong Catholics who also fight for the right to life.

Santorum does not believe in “Obama Care.” However, he believes in “Patient-Centered Health Care.” This means that pa-

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tients and physicians make health care decisions and not the government, according to https:// www.ricksantorum.com/issues.

Santorum has also spent eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee; therefore, he knows about the war and ways that Americans can prevent it. Santorum, well aware of Iran‟s nuclear weapons and how they can harm the U.S., has a plan to help Americans get out of the war, but most importantly, he wants to defend our country.

Santorum, an excellent candidate for president, believes in family and American values, something that should be a president‟s goal. Americans want to see a family man as president, not someone who would represent bad morals. Santorum said, according to http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/ rick_santorum.html, “I love it when the left and when the president say, 'Don't try to impose your values on us, you folks who hold your Bibles in your hand and cling to your guns.' They have values, too. Our values are based on religion, based on life.

Their values are based on a religion of self.”

Brooke Messmer Bear Facts Editor-in-Chief

Newt for President?

Newt Gingrich rises in popularity in primaries

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ewt Gingrich, winner of the South Carolina Republican primary, was a front-runner in the Republican race to the nomination, but has recently dropped to second place behind Mitt Romney. With Jon Hunstman and Rick Perry dropping out, he has garnered even more support.

Many people, though, are wary of voting for someone with so many skeletons in his closet. Cheating, ethics violations, oh my! If Gingrich can manage to convince the public his offensive behavior will cease once he takes on the presidency, he will be a difficult candidate to beat.

The former Georgian representative for twenty years and fouryear Speaker of the House of Representatives is fighting for the nomination. A recently converted Christian, he is advocating for the return of religion to America. His most famous initiative was the Contract with America, which would improve the efficiency of the government while reducing its burden on the American taxpayer. Newt Gingrich‟s policies vary greatly, sometimes going against traditional Republican ideals. He is pro-life and claims to want to end taxpayer subsidiaries for abortion. He wants to lower the legal working age, so lower-income children can start a better life. He favors a new drug legislation which would sentence multiple-time offenders to death. He wants to improve the school system in favor of more rigorous math and science programs. In addition, he wants to improve the environment, rely-

ing on incentives for conservation and green technology.

In debates, when issues of his personal life come up, Gingrich vehemently opposes discussion. He wishes to run on his political stances only, not his actions in his personal life. The fact is, as a president, every action he might make would be closely scrutinized. It was his and the Republican party‟s actions which contributed to the shutdown of the government for 28 days in 1996. His public image was seriously hurt at this time as he mentioned he was displeased and felt slighted with Clinton (president at the time) when Gingrich was asked to exit a plane from the rear exit since the two of them shared a flight. The public took this to mean that he was opposing necessary Medicare changes just to get back at Clinton, thus slowing down the process, solely for personal reasons. In addition, 84 ethics charges were filed against him while he was Speaker of the House. All but one of those charges were dropped. For the first time, the Speaker was disciplined for an ethics violation, reprimanded and fined $300,000. He was charged for claiming tax-exempt status for a college course run for political purposes. After the scandal, he resigned from both the speakership and the House. His relationships have also fallen under scrutiny. His first wife, his former high school geometry teacher, he married when she was 26 and he 19. The two split after he was caught cheating on her with the woman who would become his second wife. She claims he came to the

If Gingrich can manage to convince the public his offensive behavior will cease once he takes on the presidency, he will be a difficult candidate to beat.

Photo courtesy of Brooke Messmer, Editor-in-Chief hospital while she was recovering from surgery to discuss the “complete surprise” divorce. He denies these claims and, meanwhile, has divorced his second wife for the woman he was cheating on her with, a woman some 20 years her junior. Do these negatives from his past define him, or will he win the Republican nomination? Only time will tell.

Ann Slesinski Bear Facts Copy Editor

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ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES STUDENT LIFE NEWS

President Obama Has More Plans to Fix America In 2008, presidential hopeful Barack Obama persuaded Americans with his slogan, “Change you can believe in.”

During a time of economic difficulty, loss of jobs and escalating war, Americans believed President Obama would bring change. Now in a presidential election year, Obama announced he is running for re-election, according to barackobama.com.

President Obama faced many challenges in passing legislation last year because of the 112th Congress, or the do-nothing Congress. Although it does not feel like much change has happened, America is in a better economic state and continually growing. How much change have Americans seen since President Obama took office?

President Obama, the first African American president, enjoyed a high approval rating during his first few months in office. Later in his presidency, President Obama‟s approval rating dropped to a low of 38%, according to gallup.com, because Americans were not pleased with the government‟s actions. But Obama did pass his health care reform in 2010 which expands coverage to more than 32 million Americans, said washingtonpost.com. When Obama first took office, he struggled for support on his $787 billion stimulus package that would cut large taxes and government spending to help fix the economy, reported washingtonpost.com. Although there has not been a dramatic change in the economy, the unemployment rate at the end of 2011 was 8.5% while at the end of 2009 at 9.9%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Barackobama.com noted that Obama saved 1.4 million jobs in the auto industry, preventing a further economic downfall. He has kept his promise of fixing the economy, but he still needs more time. Ms. Nondorf, Ursuline social studies teacher, said, “Most voters tend to blame the president for any economic troubles though he has limited power in shaping the economy. We sometimes forget that this has been the worst recession since the Great Depression, but this recession was actually fairly short. So voter behavior isn‟t always logical. This might mean that voters are not willing to give the president four more years to fix the economy.” President Obama wants

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to make sure the middle class has security for the future by creating jobs in the United States. A measure he already has taken was reforming Wall Street.

The economy is not the only problem Americans are worried about. The war was something Americans were concerned about especially in 2009 when President Obama announced he would send in 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, said washingtonpost.com. Then, a successful mission in which President Obama ordered the Navy SEALS to search out and kill Osama bin-Laden, alQueda‟s leader, in May 2011 provided a little more security to Americans. And finally, the end of the Iraq War in December 2011 provided relief to Americans, but usatoday.com reported over 4,500 U.S. service members were killed throughout the eight years of fighting.

Some issues President Obama wants to focus on for this year‟s election are education, jobs, the economy and national security. He is also working on equal rights for women and LGTB. More about his hopes surfaced at the State of the Union address on January 24, 2012.

Sarah Haenchen Bear Facts Online Editor

Photo by Meg Vatterott Bear Facts Print Editor.

Ron Paul

representative, as reported by issues2000.org, Mrs. Nondorf described Paul as not a true Republican, but a “leading Libertarian.”

Nondorf defines a Libertarian as more conservative, who believes in the least amount of government possible. Paul feels that the government is too involved in citizens‟ lives. But whom can we rely on to guide the citizens and maintain order if not the government?

Many aspects of our everyday lives are controlled by the government. For example, when people go to the airport and have to walk through the security check, that was created by a government program, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), to protect passengers. Those who have a job have some money taken from their pay checks which goes to their Social Security, another program installed by the government to support citizens when they want to retire. Although both these programs seem like a hassle or unnecessary at times, in the end the citizens benefit. Nonetheless, Paul thinks such financial installments are not part of the government‟s job.

For example, he believes airline security should be provided by the airline itself and retirement saved up over the years by the

The Extreme Candidate

Photo by Ann Wolf, Bear Facts art editor Out of all the political candidates for this upcoming election, Ron Paul has got to be one of the most interesting characters. Paul is unique for his extreme views and his age of 77 years. According to one of Ursuline‟s government experts, Mrs. Nondorf, if elected, he would be the oldest president ever elected, the oldest otherwise being Ronald Reagan, aged 69 when elected. Although Paul‟s age brings along lots of experience as a Texas

retiree. Basically, Paul discredits programs put in place by the government that control most aspects of business, trade or other parts of the citizens‟ lives. He believes that companies and people should make decisions for themselves without restrictions or regulations by the federal government.

Although this concept of total freedom seems ideal, could it lead to disaster? According to issue2000.org, Paul also does not support government-run programs that would help the country move towards renewable energy as opposed to oil.

He proposes a free market in which there is unrestricted competition between businesses, forming an almost “survival of the fittest” economy. He may think this sort of system would succeed, but it may make the situation even more difficult on the poor.

Paul may not believe that it is the government’s job to administer such programs, but if the government does not, who will guide the people of the country? In addition, although these government programs and others like them are not perfect, I believe that the government needs to guide the country in some ways. Instead of erasing all government programs, politicians should be more concerned on improving them.

Meg Vatterott Bear Facts Prints Editor

Mitt Romney Republican Presidential Candidate Hopes to Gain Support

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ne of the Republican candidates for president is Mitt Romney, the 65-year-old from Detroit, and, surprisingly, not a “career politician.” He spent most of his career studying the economy and how it works. In 2002, Mitt was elected governor of Massachusetts. Now he is hoping to be the Republican candidate for the presidency in the 2012 election. According to mittromney.com, Romney‟s goal once in the presidency is to “restore America to the path of robust economic growth necessary to create jobs.”

Mitt Romney was the governor of Michigan before becoming the governor of Massachusetts. He has not run in a presidential election before, but his poll numbers are increasing with each state he campaigns in. As of January 25, 2012, he is 3.7 points behind republican candi-

date Newt Gingrich, who is in the lead, according to realclearpolitics.com.

Romney has a few policies that he would like to put in place when he makes his mark as president. He promises to “repeal Obamacare which will slow health care cost increases and make it more flexible for today‟s economy,” basically, making states and private companies in charge of health care instead of the federal government. Another would be tax reform. In this, Romney says he will “expand the tax deduction also to include those who buy their own health insurance.”

Romney is a conservative but also understands and considers both Democratic and Republican views. With these political views and reforms, I think Romney will make a good president Ann Wolf Bear Facts Art Editor

Photo by Meg Vatterott, Bear Facts print editor

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ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES STUDENT LIFE NEWS

Let the Games Begin!

Prime time sports: 244 UA girls voted on their most anticipated sports.

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From Industrial Land to a Green Park Let the games begin! On July 27 the 2012 Olympics will begin in London with the opening ceremony . Many people will be participating in the opening ceremony, including the athletes, fans, organizers and the 2012 Olympic mascots, Wenlock and Mandeville. After the torch ceremony and the ritual lighting of the cauldron have happened, the games will begin in the Olympic Park.

Most of the games will take place in the park. Before it became a lush green space with wildlife, it was industrial land. On January 24, 2006, the Olympic Park designers were picked and had a plan in place to create a legacy for not only the games but for future generations. Once the plans were set in place, the building began with putting the park power lines to concrete for the stadiums and other venues. Now the park is almost completed and is filled with lots of plants and habitats for many species, ranging from kingfishers to ott e r s , a c c o r d i n g towww.london2012.com. The creators of this park were the Olympic Delivery Authority. They placed more than “4,000 semi-mature trees and 300,000 wetland p l a n t s , ” a c c o r d i n g t o www.london2012.com. Olympic Park also has lots of art featured in it like The Cloud Bridge. It was named this not only as a way see the clouds, but also for the visitors to enjoy the vastness of the sky at Olympic Park. The park also features a “RUN” sculpture. During the day it seems like a mirror also, but at night the letters glow and become transparent. The biggest attraction about Olympic Park is all the venues that range from the Copper Box to the Water Polo Arena. Besides those venues, visitors can also see the Aquatics Centre, Basketball Arena, BMX Track, Eton Manor, Olympic Stadium, Riverbank Arena and the Velodrome.

Meg Haenchen Bear Facts Staff Wirter

Changing for the Better “Cautiously optimistic”-this is how Mr. Master described his feelings about the new schedule for next year. The comment seems to reflect many people’s feelings. It is the hope of everyone that the new schedule positively impacts the learning environment, added Mr. Master. There have been similar schedules at DeSmet and St. Joe that seem to work well for the students. Dr. Gilligan said that Ursuline is not changing its standards; we are building for a better future. The decision was made with a lot of forethought and, of course, will need tweaking.

As well as a new schedule, there will be new electives. Mrs. Pelizzaro and Mrs. Pawlowicz are excited about their new choices, advanced computer appliances and marketing. There will also be an accounting class for seniors and juniors. Along with more electives and more class time, students will be able to choose more of what they want, meaning that some required classes this year won’t be required next year. For example, speech will not be a required course. Mrs. Shea, the speech teacher, countered that “according to many leading psychologists and studies done about human behavior, public speaking is said to be the #2 fear of most people (the first being death).” She is worried that with speech not being required, students will not be forced out of their comfort zone. She is, however, excited about her new courses: broadcast II, acting for the theater and intro to public speaking

(formerly human communications).

Dr. Gilligan said that with the upcoming schedule, teachers will be able to cover more material in greater depth and students will have more opportunity to ask questions. Mr. Master agreed but said it was “easier for the English department to like the old schedule because the change doesn’t really affect them.” He followed up, saying, “If we all work together, we can make it a success.” The

revised schedule will take some getting used to, for both the students and teachers. Both business technology teachers said, “Ursuline is continually making changes to stay competitive and strong.”

Most everyone said that the schedule will not change the minds of those looking to come to Ursuline in the future. Mr. Master said that from 8th grade to 9th grade, everything is already new. Mrs. Pelizzaro and Mrs. Pawlowicz agreed, “Many choose our school because of its variety, spirit, friendliness and wholesomeness; that will not be changing.”

In this time of great improvements, Mrs. Shea shared a quote

by Theodore Roosevelt, which stated, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you can.” This quote really seemed to sum up what everyone will be dealing with next year. Students will have to re-arrange classes and figure out what credits they will need. It will be stressful, but Ursuline will overcome the difficulties only to look back and remember the great accomplishment it created.

Olivia Passafiume Bear Facts Staff Writer

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ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES STUDENT LIFE NEWS

Knitting Frenzy Knitting and Crocheting have taken a turn for SERVIAM.

K

nitting become

has very

popular in recent months,

but why? It’s not just here at Ursuline, where the fiber arts class and the knitting club have been working the needles. Recently, there was a story in The Daily online newspaper, which featured a group of men who called themselves the Krochet Kids.

“Kohl Crecelius was taught to crochet by his older brother and taught two of his friends how to, because they were avid skiers,” according to krochetkids.org. When they were asked where they got their awesome headgear, they responded with “we made it.” Soon they were a couple of high school students selling their handmade hats for profit. One of the guys went down from Washington to Uganda for a service trip. There he taught a few of the women how to knit and crochet. He and his two friends decided to create a non-profit organization based on their new pass time, by having the women make the hats, receiving full and fair profit to send their kids and eventually them-

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selves to school.

To get an even better idea of who is making the hat you purchase, you can go to their website and click “Meet the Ladies.” There you can see over 100 women who help make the hats. You can also write thank you notes to them to express your appreciation! Knitting and crocheting having become popular throughout the world.

Knitting has even become popular at Ursuline. Thanks to fiber arts class, many students have gotten into the knitting habit. Knitting Club has become even more popular! “We meet the first academic advisement Thursday of the month,” says Knitting Club member, Ann Slesinski. Students can go for help on a project, to learn about different patterns and knits, and just to get started.

Maddie Klump, junior, is currently taking fiber arts this semester. “I’ve been practicing fiber arts ever since I was little. I also recently learned to felt. Being in a fiber arts class at school is like icing on the cake,” she said.

Ann Wolf Bear Facts Art Editor

Photo by Ann Wolf

Junior Maddie Klump practices a “running stitch” on her embroidery project for fiber arts class.

Knitting is a great hobby to pick up. But how do you get started? You could take a fiber arts class here at Ursuline. If your schedule does not allow the opportunity, you could take classes at Michael’s or many of the surrounding fabric stores. Time may not permit you to do so, but you could look online at how-to videos. Once you have the materials, you can make anything!

Racist or Not? Ursuline weighs in on a new Microsoft app accused of racism.

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f you plan your routes when driving in order to avoid the not-sonice parts of the city, you might be a racist. Microsoft is coming out with a new app for smart phones which plans the best and fastest route for the user. Nothing new, right? Well, this new map will draw from weather and crime statistics for a region. It‟s simple: the fastest route from point A to point B isn‟t always the safest, so this new app will help plan the next fastest route. Those in favor of the app praise how it will keep drivers safe. Let‟s be honest here: who hasn‟t driven through a shady part of the city, only to sigh in relief once you see familiar territory?

Those against the new app, though, say it‟s racist,

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto.com that it diverts people around the ghettos. Businesses there will suffer, and the already bad neighborhoods will spiral downwards. The makers of this app counter these claims by stating the app uses only

statistical data, says a Yahoo! article. Unsafe areas are determined by crime rates provided by the city. The popular St. Louis radio station 105.7 the Point held an informal text poll to see what St.

Louis thinks: racist or not? “Not racist” won with 100% of the votes, a rarity due to the large difference in opinions here in the metro area. Ursuline, too, voted with 100% of the votes towards not racist. Many state that if the app uses only statistics and cold, hard, impartial facts, it is not racist. The truth is, most people don‟t care what race the person high-jacking their car is; they just want to get out of the situation safely. With this new app, those kinds of situations can be avoided completely.

Ann Slesinski Bear Facts Copy Editor

Check out the online issue of Bear Facts at www.ursulinestl.org/bearfacts to see articles about: Winter Dance Father/Daughter Your health Books to e-books Basketball, racquetball, swim review

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ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES STUDENT LIFE NEWS

The St. Louis High School Issue What needs to change about our city’s high schools

“Having lived in New Jersey, Connecticut, Tokyo, and Minnesota, I‟ve never had this happen before,” said Dr. Anne Blaes on the long-growing problem in the St. Louis area. The issue of stereotyping a person based on where they went to high school has seldom been addressed, but now the depth of the dilemma is being brought out into the open. Dr. Anne‟s niece, Molly Blaes, 25-years-of-age, agreed, “Growing up in Kansas City, where you went to high school is important--in grade school and high school. After you graduate high school, you are rarely asked anything about where you went.”

When high school ended for Molly, she decided to attend SLU downtown. Molly went on to explain her experience in St. Louis: “Having friends and family living in St. Louis, I quickly learned that the typical ice breaker question seems to be „Where did you go to high school?‟ I learned quickly the stereotypes of high schools by what I heard from the St. Louis crowd.”

The discriminatory conditions she observed worsened, and she even began to give in to the stereotypes of high schools. “I will not lie that I judged people, many people, on their answer to that question, which is absolutely ridiculous.”

Cavanaugh Blaes, Molly‟s younger brother who is 24, also had a story to tell about using where someone went to high school to judge an individual‟s character and wealth.

“My high school was known for having rich kids. When you look at it though, it was most certainly a stereotype due to the fact that however „well-off‟ my family is we are by no means rich.” Cavanaugh also attended college in St. Louis and explained how he reacted to being asked where he went to high school: “However awful it may be, I used this to my advantage. Telling someone I attended St. Thomas Aquinas

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in Overland Park was a way of earning a certain amount of respect among peers.” He then went on to say how ludicrous the situation in St. Louis is: “It is most certainly impossible to base someone's character on simply the high school they attended.”

Molly and Cavanaugh‟s mother, Lisa Blaes, who is an assistant principal in a school district near Kansas City, also commented on the issue: “It seems incredibly shallow to me, but it is deeply entrenched in St. Louis culture.” No one better knows the truth of this statement than Ann Blaes. “My initial encounters with St. Louis high schools were not positive ones. I remember anxiously awaiting my acceptance letter in the mail as an 8th grader, feeling very positive that I had been accepted into the high school of my choice. I was a straight „A‟ student throughout my entire elementary education, played volleyball and was active in my school with various clubs.” Ann then went on to explain where it all went wrong. “My school of choice was an all-girls private high school known for academic achievement. If you didn‟t get in, you were considered „stupid.‟ I was not accepted to my high school of choice, and I was devastated.

My elementary principal was equally surprised and contacted the high school to inquire. There was not much explanation given.” Ann had suspicions about the real reason “There was stereoshe was rejected though: “I didn‟t typing on the part have a sister that went to school of the high school as prior to my application, and my well as among my parents weren‟t „rich‟ and it was fellow students.” doubtful that they could afford the — Ann Blaes tuition. There was stereotyping on the part of the high school as well as among my fellow students.”

Now Ann has a child in high school and had another encounter with the high school that rejected her all those years ago. “Originally, she wanted to attend the school that had rejected me years ago, and to be very honest, I was very suspicious, bitter and angry. I didn‟t want her to go through everything I did. But ultimately she chose Ursuline, and she is very happy and has been very successful.” She shared her concerns about the general population in St. Louis by saying, “I feel I‟m probably one of the few people in St. Louis that doesn‟t care where you go to high school. I‟ve made a very conscious decision to look at the person and not the school. Any student can be successful at any school if the commitment is made.”

Using where a person went to high school to define someone's character has only gotten progressively worse. Stereotyping high schools is not only affecting high school students, but also their loved ones and others who attend college in St. Louis.

(left) Skirts acquired from Just Me Apparel Abby Blaes Bear Facts Staff Writer

Celebrity Marriages Bad

Idea?

Katy Perry

With Katy Perry and Russell Brand getting a divorce, many people are starting to wonder if any celebrity marriages last. Of course, the well known Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries split just 72 days after they wed with their billion dollar marriage. From Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony to Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, celebrity marriages just do not seem to last.

Maybe it was just the year 2011, or maybe it just is not a good idea for celebrities to marry other celebrities because of all the pressure forced on their marriage.

Demi Moore

Matt Damon with wife Luciana Barroso Patrick Dempsey with wife Jillian Fink

Ashton Kutcher

Russell Brand There are a handful of celebrities who choose to marry noncelebrities. Actor Matt Damon married Luciana Barroso in 2005, and they are still happily married. There are many other celebs and non celebs who have been happily married for years such as actor Patrick Dempsey and Jillian Fink and actress Julia Roberts and her husband Danny Moder. Many of these couples have been married for years and ,we hope ,will stay together!

Emily Price Bear Facts Staff Writer

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Music Lover’s Top Picks From pop to electronic to folk, we have got the hottest tracks from every music type. Do you usually listen to rap? Try our alternative pick. Leave your musical comfort zone and explore new genres, and you may even discover a new favorite song.

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POP Track: Strong (What Doesn’t Kill You) Artist: Kelly Clarkson

ALTERNATIVE Track: We are Young Artist: Fun

COUNTRY Track: Somethin’ Bout a Truck Artist: Kip Moore

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POP Track: Domino Artist: Jessie J

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ELECTRONIC Track: What you want Artist: Evanescence

RAP Track: International Love Artist: Pitbull

February Best Month EVER Congratulations, Daniel Radcliffe! You are having the

HOTTIE OF THE MONTH

BEST MONTH EVER! The famous Harry Potter actor finished his Harry Potter movies over the past summer in 2011, but that is not stopping him. Radcliffe, 22-years-old, is growing up and becoming an amazing actor outside of Harry Potter. His specialty: horror movies. He starred in the thriller, “The Woman in Black”, which aired Friday February 3, 2012. Radcliffe’s next horror movie, “Kill Your Darlings”, is coming out in 2013.

Cal Shapiro from Timeflies

Emily Price Bear Facts Staff