December Globe 2013

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Volume 85 December 2013

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Clayton’s influential people UPFRONT

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Cover p. 21

10 Most Influential People in Clayton

Upfront p. 8

Yo-Yo Ma presents to Clayton students at Powell

Dr. Richard J. Nissen One of Clayton’s Most Influential People

p. 22

Features p. 12

Neighborhood Protests Sale of Maryland School

Sports p. 32

Top 20 Athletes at Clayton High

Review p. 34

Mission Taco joint in the Loop

Commentary p. 41

Will School get the Jingles?

UPFRONT UPFRONT contents UPFRONT 12 12

Photo by Noah Engel

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Volume 85 December 2013

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Clayton’s influential people

editor-in-chief

UPFRONT

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Cover Design: Gwyneth Henke christopher sleckman

katherine ren

senior managing editors

section editors

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phoebe yao

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eunnuri yi

ryan fletcher

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EDITOR’S LETTER editorial.

Around this time of year, we begin to hear the distant chimes of holiday bells, smell the divine aroma of pumpkin pie and apple cider and feel the tightening in our stomachs at the prospect of first semester finals. Amidst all this excitement and stress, however, it is important for us to recognize and to appreciate the time of year we have set aside to appreciate the things for which we are grateful.

The holidays are more than just a time to eat good food and to enjoy family and friends. They should be a time to show gratitude, to think about all the ways in which to give back to our community.

In this issue of The Globe, we present to you 10 members of Clayton community that epitomize what it means to give back. They provide us a picture of the many others who routinely have an impact on the Clayton community.

Though we have chosen 10 people from different professions, there is a common thread woven through each of these stories: they all have dedicated their work to making the community around them a better place.

Along with the cover story, we have included a feature story that is important to some members of our community - the selling of the Maryland School property.

This property is central to the life of one of Clayton’s residential communities. Families use the green space surrounding the property, and the sale could result in the construction of condominiums, the removal of the community park and community members saying goodbye to the historic school building.

Despite our best efforts, we do not have comments from members of the school board on this issue. However, we believe that we have still been able to accurately report the story in an unbiased

manner that is fair to both sides.

This story is significant to The Globe because it sheds light on the importance of community members, such as those of Clayton, to communicate with each other and hold discussions about issues that affect us all. In the reporting of this story, we felt as though communication was an important piece missing from the overall puzzle.

The residents around the Maryland property feel seperate from the Board’s plans, and that has ultimately caused the most frustration.

It is important that during this holiday season, we think about how to become closer as a community. The place to start is communication.

We also need to remember that even a little bit can go a long way.

We found this to be true in our reporting of the Maryland School story. Even the small bits of information we received from District representatives on the reasons why they couldn’t talk to us shaped our understanding of the issue.

In thinking about the cover story - what becomes evident is the importance of leadership, and leadership in our community is one thing that all 10 of our influential people have in common.

As a Clayton Schools community we must learn from the influence and leadership of our featured leaders. That leaders communicate and are willing to share their ideas and ideals with others and, as a result, make our Clayton community a better place. 

Aishwarya Yadama, Senior Managing Editor

The Globe Newsmagazine exists to inform, entertain, persuade and represent the student voice at CHS. All content decisions are made by the student editorial staff and the Globe is an entirely self-funded publication. Not every story that our reporters write is published in the print newsmagazine. Visit www.chsglobe.com for additional stories and photos and for more information about the Globe itself. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement - for more information about advertising and subscriptions, please contact our office: Clayton High School Globe 1 Mark Twain Circle Clayton, MO 63105 (314) 854-6668 Fax: 854-6734 globe@claytonschools.net Professional Affiliations: Sponsors of School Publications . Missouri Interscholastic Press Association . National Scholastic Press Association . Columbia Scholastic Press Association

EDITOR’s LETTER i 5

bend it like boeger Freshman Andrew Boeger plays for the varsity soccer team against the McCluer Comets on Oct. 10. The team made it to District Finals and played a home game against Ladue on Nov. 7, losing 0-2. Senior Logan Latino scored 11 goals during the season. The team finished the season with a record of 10 wins and 13 losses.ďƒź Photo by Leah Shaffer

October 2013, clayton, mo

by PHOEBE YAO

Meeting

Yo-Yo

Ma

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma takes his place at the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration of Barack Obama as 44th U.S. President in Washington D.C., Tuesday, January 20, 2009. (Chuck Kennedy/MCT)

T

he walls glinted with the shine of mirrors and was tinted by the red of velvet curtains. Daylight glanced onto the marble floor from ceiling-high windows. Dangling overhead were three crystal chandeliers.

On the afternoon of Oct. 19, in the main lobby of Powell Symphony Hall, the legendary Yo-Yo Ma spoke with the Saint Louis Youth Symphony Orchestra. The Asian-American with graying black hair and a warm face wrinkled from smiles, Ma, 58, came to Saint Louis to perform at the Red Velvet Ball with the Saint Louis Symphony in Powell Hall.

Second violinist for the Youth Orchestra (YO), CHS sophomore Madeleine O’Reilly-Brown was invited, along with other YO members, to attend Ma’s morning rehearsal and later his Q&A session on the day of his concert.

“I knew Yo-Yo Ma was probably the most famous cellist in the world,” O’Reilly-Brown said. “Where there are a lot of famous violinists, I know only one famous cellist.”

Famous goes only so far in describing Ma and his incredible life. At an early age, hard work and dedication landed Ma in the world’s spotlight.

He began studying cello when he was four and had his first public performance at five. By the age of seven, the child prodigy had played before American Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy.

CHS junior Adam Garrett, YO violist, also attended Ma’s rehearsal and Q&A session. Like many before him who have experienced Ma’s playing, Garrett was enchanted.

“I loved listening to him. The man can play,” Garrett said. “It doesn’t

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even look like he’s holding the cello, it looks like he’s going to drop it at any second.”

Garrett recounted the most memorable moment during Ma’s rehearsal.

“He just does the funniest things,” Garrett said. “One time while he was plucking the strings, he put his bow in his mouth just so we could see it.”

Ma studied at Juilliard School at 19 and later attended Harvard University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1976. For a man with such serious accomplishments, Ma has a surprisingly light hearted side.

“I realized he’s funny,” Garret said. “He pretended to be afraid of the person that was leading the discussion. He was also really kind, I mean, someone asked if they could have a hug, and he gave them a hug.”

Many who got the chance to meet the cellist noted this amiable side of Ma. YO Conductor Steven Jarvi praised the cellist for, above all, his energy.

“Yo-Yo-Ma is not only one of the most energetic classical musicians in the world, but he’s one of the most energetic people I’ve ever met,” Jarvi said. “He brings an energy and enthusiasm to everything he does that’s absolutely infectious, and that energy brings out the best in everyone around him.”

On Saturday, Ma’s energy was displayed on stage as well as off, through not only his vivid musical interpretations but his impassioned dialogue.

“I’m like a pig in … whatever. Because everybody is so alive and committed and there is nothing that makes me more excited,” Ma said.

“There’s nothing that is more depressing when you look over at someone

that is half asleep, because then I don’t know what I’m doing there.”

“If you’re committed to music, then I think you have a gift,” Ma said.

What makes Ma special is his commitment to society and the people “You have something that’s very special. It’s a gift that never stops giving in it. In fact, Ma’s goal in public performance thoroughly reflects his ide- until you break it, and I don’t mean your instrument, I mean until you get als. cynical, until someone says, ‘You can’t get a job doing this! You can’t make “For me, nothing is ever real in performance until something that I a living!’ That’s an immediate kind of struggle when you say, ‘Hey I want think is really great is received by someone else and they remember or to be a musician, I really love it!’” they do something with it,” Ma said. “It’s not about the education, it’s Ma believes that there are plenty of opportunities out there for musimore like somebody is living in somebody else.” cians. With the right push and some luck, ideas may be turned into opIn addition to explaining his purpose, Ma helped the YO members bet- portunities, and opportunities into jobs. ter understand their own reasons for playing musical instruments.

“There are jobs that are posted and listed, and then there are jobs that “If you just say ‘I want to play the are invented, every job that is posted, oboe for the rest of my life,’ that’s is the result of being invented,” Ma great,” Ma said. “But why do you said. “You want to have faith in the want to play the oboe? What does love and you want to be practical. Unit do for you and what can it do for pack your talent; figure out what it someone else? Once you do that inis that draws you into music. Maybe ternal investigation, I think it’s really you love anything that has to do with important to then look around you people and for me, it’s like, I love peoin your neighborhood and say, what’s ple, so music became a natural thing.” missing, where is there a need in sociMa’s life is one that is full of love. ety that is not being met?”

The cellist loves his music and shares Music, classic and pop, has signifihis love of music with the rest of the cant effect on communities around world, which he also loves. The Youth the world. Ma believes he knows the Orchestra was fortunate to have been reason for why music ultimately has able to share in Ma’s world of music. an impact on people.

Weeks after his visit to Saint Lou“I have a wonderful friend who is a is, Ma’s words continue to occupy the Yo-Yo Ma talks to Youth Orchestra musicians (Photo minds and hearts of CHS students. neuroscience person, and he says that he thinks music is one of those things “I’ve taken a different attitude tofrom Jessica Ingraham). in society that is like a lever that gets wards my practice,” Garret said. “I’m us back into equilibrium,” Ma said. really trying my best to make sure Equilibrium, in physics, is a state what I do is important and not just in which all forces are balanced. If me frivolously spending my time.” there is one way a musician can help It is impressive how much of an his or her community, it is through influence a meeting with Ma can have the balancing effect of music. on the perspectives of young musi“You all love music, so the quescians. tion is, what’s our purpose?” Ma said.

“I think a lot of high schoolers go “It is about making equilibrium work into music thinking, ‘this is a good way in society. And by society, it’s your for me to get into college,’ but music immediate neighbor, your partner isn’t the kind of thing that you should building, it is your ten-block area, it’s abuse that way,” O’Reilly-Brown said. your school. What’s going on that is “I almost gave up violin last year beright or not right? And then it goes cause I got so into that mindset that to your city, your state, your country it was just miserable when I practiced. and your planet. That’s what we do.”

But Yo-Yo Ma reinforced the idea that While hearing Ma speak, an aspect you should be playing music for yourof the cellist’s character, separate but self and for your community and not connected to his music, manifests it- Yo-Yo Ma and Youth Orchestra Conductor Steven Jarvi because it’s another box to check off.” self.

With each stroke of the bow, ev(Photo from Jessica Ingraham).

“He’s a people person,” Garret said. ery ringing note or word spoken to a “He said that if he weren’t good at the cello, he would do something else group of aspiring young people, Ma steadily chips his mark into the world. that involved people. He [plays the cello] because he’s able to make a dif“The most basic thing about music is you love it and you give to it,” ference.”

Ma said. “You never give that up, even if you do something else. You still Perhaps being good with people will help Ma solve an internal battle love it.” that every young musician faces: determining whether or not to pursue The story of Ma’s success is in itself inspirational; however, Ma’s legacy a career in music. is contained not within his talent, but within what he chose to do with his For the many uncertain individuals, Ma had just the right piece of ad- talent. To Ma, it really does not matter what he does, just that he chooses vice to offer. to do something he loves. That is how he defines success. 

“You all love music, so the question is, what’s our purpose?” - Yo-Yo ma UPFRONT

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Mollinger in motion

by SHIORI TOMATSU Mollinger gets a laugh while demonstrating a science concept for CHS freshman Joshua Chung (Bebe Engel).

P

hysics teacher Paul Mollinger occasionally walks into his classroom, looks around and thinks to himself, “Oh, I haven’t seen a chicken today. Where’d the chickens go?”

To Mollinger, goats and chickens in classrooms were normal six months ago.

Before coming to CHS, Mollinger was a teacher for the Peace Corps and taught in a small village in Kenya. While learning the language of the Deluo people, he taught chemistry, physics and mathematics to all grade levels.

“The classrooms are small and they have an average of 60 students in every class,” he said. “There’s one class for freshman, sophomore, juniors, up to seniors. The teachers move, the kids stay.”

After being a chemical engineer and a part of an international chemical company for 35 years, he decided he wanted to teach, so he taught at an inner city school in Memphis, Tennessee. It was there where he learned about the Peace Corps recruitment.

“It’s something I had wanted to do since I got out of school, way back in the early 70s, but never did,” Mollinger said. “It brought a lot of memories and ambitions and desires back. Next thing I knew I had applied, and seven months later I found myself in Kenya as a teacher for the United States Peace Corps.”

The first few days were strange for him as he saw students carrying their goats and chickens around.

“They served a very useful purpose — they kept the snakes away,” he said. “Once you learned that, you were fine with it. Every now and then, a bold snake would enter a classroom, but they would always enter through the ceiling above, and whenever I saw students look up, that meant that there was a snake coming across. The first time I saw it, the students would laugh at my reaction. After a while, it was no big deal. Second time, it was strange, the third time it was normal.”

The goats and chickens also kept away snakes when the students walked to school in the early morning. “They would walk eight kilometers in the dark because they would have to be in school by seven,” he said.

“They usually wouldn’t leave the school until five. They would get home about dark too.”

Once students got home, they would have to study under candlelight or kerosene lamps. To help out, Mollinger started a project and teamed up with an agency in San Francisco that donate one thousand solar lamps.

“I distributed those throughout the village and that was a big improve-

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UPFRONT

ment in a lot of people’s lives,” Mollinger said. “And so in the morning you would see the students carry their solar lamps, they’d put them on the roof of the school building, so they could get charged, and then they would take them back and they had about eight hours of light.”

Along with this project, Mollinger also introduced different cooking styles to the Deluo people. Because they were focused more on survival, they did not devote much time to food preparation. “All they would do with the meat was cook it over super high temperature fire, and it was tough,” he said. “They thought it was good because it was a treat, but I taught them how to marinate. You could get oranges — there was an orange tree and a banana tree right outside of my hut — that were acidic, like vinegar, so when I went to the city, I could get vinegar and other things. I taught them how to marinate and cook slow, and they were amazed at how tender you could make food.”

Although he enjoyed teaching them new concepts, he did not believe in imposing American culture on them.

“Our culture is different but it isn’t better,” he said. “One thing you have to be careful about when you go to a different culture, and I think for Americans in particular, is that we think everyone wants to have an American culture, and that’s not really true. What you have to realize is that their culture is not a failed attempt in becoming our culture. It’s their culture, and I adapted to that. I’ve brought back many habits from there, but it was fun to share some of our luxuries because we have the luxuries of time that they don’t have.”

If anything, he feels that he learned more than taught during his experience. “To this day, I’m still partially Kenyan in the way I live,” he said. “I don’t waste as much as I did before and I don’t have as many possessions as I had before.”

Although he does not plan on making it an extended stay, Mollinger hopes to go back and visit his village to see how everyone is doing. “I’d also like to see how some of the projects are initiating,” Mollinger said.

“We built a mammoth greenhouse, we installed solar panels. You always wonder, is it still working?”

As for the Peace Corps, he would love to become part of it again because it exposed him to global ideas he had never experienced before.

“This time I’d like to do it in South America or Latin America,” he said, “partly because it’s in the same time zone as the US, and that makes it a little bit easier to communicate with family. But I highly recommend Peace Corps to anyone because you do become a global educator.” 

wiens’ upcoming trip to tokyo to broaden global perspective History teacher plans to tutor English in Japan while husband conducts research at University of Tokyo

by CAMILLE RESPESS

I

n early January, CHS history teacher Debra Wiens will leave CHS to embark on a trip to Tokyo, Japan.

Wiens’ husband, Douglas, has been invited by the University of Tokyo to conduct research. Douglas is a geophysicist and professor at Washington University St. Louis. Douglas specializes in seismology, the study of earthquakes and the movement of the earth.

“The University of Tokyo has been wanting him to come for a long time because it is such a seismically active part of the world,” Wiens said.

Even though the trip was initiated by her husband’s studies, Debra Wiens has plans of her own while living in Tokyo.

“Japan is such a highly ranked nation, in terms of their achievements in education,” Wiens said. “I want to get into their schools to discover their secrets.” She has been invited by a few principals to join their school communities.

Wiens plans to tutor students in English. “I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing. But I am really looking forward to it,” Wiens said.

In terms of the language barrier, Wiens is apprehensive of her speaking abilities. “I have a lot to learn,” Wiens said. “I did take a Japanese language class – I was a disaster.”

Wiens is hopeful that the language barrier will not cause many problems with communication.“I hope that the Japanese people will be patient with me and gracious when I mess up,” Wiens said.

While teaching in Japan, she is also planning on traveling to other parts of the continent while in Asia.

“I’d like to go visit some very good friends of mine who work in Bangkok, Thailand,” Wiens said.

Wiens has traveled to many places around the world, including Egypt, Israel, Europe, Argentina, Costa Rica, Fiji and China. Her husband’s studies also took her to Australia where she lived during the 2005-2006 school year.

Wiens feels that the school district has been very generous and has treated her well over the years. “I work hard for the District,” Wiens said.

“They have always supported me when I have needed to take a leave and the times that I’ve needed to go be with my husband.”

During the second half of the school year, other faculty members will take over the courses that Wiens teaches, but Wiens will return for the 2014-2015 school year.

“My plan is to return to Clayton and hopefully bring some Japanese secrets with me,” Wiens said. “I hope to come back with a much deeper

Weins points to Tokyo on a globe. (Olivia MacDougal) understanding of the political system of Japan, as well as the educational system.”

Even though Wiens has to leave her life in St. Louis once more to accompany her husband, she feels that traveling the world is beneficial to her teaching.

“I’ve learned a tremendous amount through my travels,” Wiens said.

“It changes the way I teach … It gives me more global perspective. I’m able to make connections from places far away to draw connections I would not be able to make otherwise.”

Overall, Wiens feels very privileged to have been given the opportunity to travel the globe. “It’s given me a whole new perspective that I will cherish forever.” 

UPFRONT

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School for Sale

The School District of Clayton plans to sell the Maryland School property. Clayton residents living around the property are concerned for the future of the building and the green space.

By Katherine Ren and Jeffrey Friedman with reporting by Emma Ehll. Photos by Olivia MacDougal.

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Feature

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n November 12, about a dozen Meramec Elementary schoolers and their younger siblings attended that night’s Board of Education meeting. Each held a hand-drawn “Save Our Parks” sign as they lined up in front of the board members who would ultimately decide whether they would still have a place to play and plant their community garden the following year.

After being declared “district surplus” in 2009, the Maryland School property was put on sale in November of 2012. The property lies in the middle of the Maryland and Westmoreland neighborhoods and has served as a green space where neighborhood children can play; a reprieve from the densely populated suburban setting. The property also neighbors the historic Hanley House and is home to a

historic school building designed by the architect of the iconic American brick schoolhouse - William Ittner.

With the property for sale, community members in the surrounding neighborhoods worry that new development on the site may change the dynamic of the area and eliminate valuable green space and historic value.

In attempts to conduct a confidential negotiation process, the District has disclosed minimal information regarding the sale of the property to the public. As a result, community members have been trying to gather as much information as possible on their own and have attempted to make their voices heard at Board of Education as well as Board of Aldermen meetings.

Background In 2008, the School District of Clayton created a Properties and Partnerships Subcommittee as part of the District’s ongoing Blueprintfor-Tomorrow Facilities Master Plan process.

The committee was given the responsibility to look at District surplus properties that might impact the District’s facilities master plan decisions at the time.

The committee was given a list of properties under review; among the properties was the Maryland School.

In the report issued by the committee in May of 2008, the group recommended that the District “take action at an appropriate time by declaring these facilities surplus, putting the properties on the market, and seeing if there is interest in purchasing the properties, preferably by a tax-generating entity.”

The committee also made the following suggestion in their official report submitted to the Board: “If the District decides to put Maryland School on the market, the District should partner with the City and neighborhood residents to influence the type of development built on these properties. This partnership will help to ensure that quality-of-life issues such as housing style, density and green space are addressed.”

Clayton residents whose homes surround the property feel as though this recommendation was neither fully considered nor fully implemented.

The committee viewed the selling of the Maryland School in a positive light for a variety of reasons. First, from close examination of District’s history, there would not be growth in student enrollment and thus the property would not be necessary for educational purposes.

Additionally, it had been 28 years since the Maryland School was closed and the renovations required to make it functional after close

rented for the bulk of the past 30 years and now it’s just a big storage unit.”

Tennill said that in 2009 the real estate market was such that it didn’t make sense to try to market the property, so the District has waited until now to put the property up for sale.

Differing Perspectives

“We think there is a way for everyone to come out to do good; to benefit the city, to benefit the school board and to benefit the residents. It’s never been a fight. It’s never been contentious. It’s always been very civil ... that’s our main goal: to keep it a civil conversation where everybody can win.”

- Steven Rosenblum

to three decades would have exceeded the District’s financial capabilities.

“The Maryland School closed in the 1980’s,” Chris Tennill, Chief Communications Officer of the School District of Clayton, said. “Then in the 80’s it was rented by the Clayton Child Center, who moved out around 2007, right about when we declared it surplus property. Since then it’s been used by the Wilson School and Early Childhood classrooms when Clayton High School was under construction. So the property has been

While the Clayton administration is currently assisting the Board of Education in the sale of the Maryland School, the Board will make the final decision regarding the sale.

[All Board Members Contacted Declined to Comment on this Story] “We’re the ones who are doing most of the leg work,” Tennill said. “We are kind of just the facilitators in the middle of [them]. Certainly we’re available to talk through all the pertinent issues with the Board and answer whatever questions they have because as the administration, we’re the ones who are entrenched more in the day-to-day operations of the District.”

From the District’s perspective, all decisions made regarding the sale of the Maryland Property will be driven to maximize District resources to improve the District’s quality of education.

“The District is not in the development or real estate business,” Tennill said. “It is in the education business. Our primary mission is to provide the quality of education the community expects us to provide for students. To do that takes a lot and we need to benefit from our resources. So at the end of the day, the Board and the District have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize the value of this asset, this surplus property … the highest and best use for that property right now is for the District to sell it, and take the revenue and use the revenue in that to invest it back into our budget or invest in new capital projects.”

However, residents of the neighborhood surrounding the property, such as Anneliese Schaefer, a resident of Westmoreland Avenue for seven and a half, are concerned.

“For buying our house that was a big factor – having a park across the street from our house because our house, like many houses in the area, has a small backyard,” Schaefer said.

Although the District is the rightful owner of the Maryland property, the members of the immediately surrounding community see the space as a natural part of the area that, if significantly altered, would strip the identity away from the neighborhood. The residents feel that not only does the green space provide a better quality of life for the residents, but the historic school building, created by architect William Ittner, is viewed as a unique architectural feature on which the community prides itself.

In terms of Clayton history, the widely-

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known farmer Martin Franklin Hanley owned the property that currently consists of the Maryland School, the adjacent Bracken Building and the neighboring green space. The Hanley family’s dwelling faces and, at one point, likely overlooked the Maryland property itself.

But for Scott Partridge, who also has lived across from the green space for seven years, historic value and green space are not the only reasons he is concerned about the sale.

“It’s significant in a couple of respects,” Partridge said. “It’s significant because of its historic nature, one. It’s also significant because that property has never been on modern tax roles. So it’s not as if that was taxbearing property that generated income for the modern City of Clayton.”

According to the members of the community who have been the most outspoken on this issue, the sale of the Maryland School is in contradiction with the City of Clayton’s stated goal of preserving green space in residential areas.

“People actually thought that the city meant what they said about preserving green space … and I’m not prejudging what the city is going to do, but I know what they’re not doing: they’re not leading here,” Partridge said. “They’re waiting for something to come to them. They’re not standing up and saying ‘wait a minute … we should be buying this property, we should be keeping this property, we should be preserving this schoolhouse and we should be maintaining this green space. That’s what we said we were going to do, and that’s what we’re going to do.’ That’s what they’re not doing.”

However, it is not the apparent lack of action by the city or even the loss of the Maryland property itself that is the primary frustration for the neighborhood, but rather what they feel has been a the lack of transparency by the Clayton Board of Education.

According to Bridget McAndrew, another resident of the Maryland and Westmoreland area, the selling process has been shrouded in secrecy.

McAndrew said that the District refuses to answer any questions whatsoever about the situation.

As a result, the community members have nothing to support their opinions but sheer rumor and speculation.

“Most recently, our understanding has been that there was a bidding window of time and a synagogue had submitted a bid,” Schaefer said.

“Something that came to us, and I don’t know if this has been verified, is that there was a second bid from a developer but it was after the bidding window had closed ... so the bid from the developer was the winning bid.

Our understanding is that the intention is to build a 44 unit condominium building on that property.”

In response to the grievances expressed by many community members regarding the lack of transparency of the issue, Tennill provided reasons as to why information released regarding the negotiation process has been limited.

“There’s a very good reason why public entities like school districts, cities and other portions of state governments don’t have to negotiate real estate deals in public,” Tennill said. “If we’re sitting out there letting everyone know ‘this is what we’re offering and what we’re able to do’ ... we lose leverage if the deal falls through and we have to negotiate with a new buyer.”

Tennill also clarified some of the community members’ confusions.

“There was no bidding window,” Tennill said. “There was no point of time where we asked for the best and final offers. We did receive a number of different offers on the property, more than just the two that everyone in the community is discussing. And at this point we can’t really go into a whole lot of detail about them … But once we close on a sale, I know that all the details of that specific sale will be available. But until then, just be-

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“There was no bidding window. There was no point of time where we asked for the best and final offers. We did receive a number of different offers on the property, more than just the two that everyone in the community is discussing.”

- Chris Tennill

cause it doesn’t make sense to negotiate a real estate deal in public, we’re going to keep those details confidential.”

From the information the residents have been able to gather, the condominium developer, the likely purchaser of the property, would completely wipe out the property as it is.

McAndrew said that perhaps the District has forgotten that her’s is a quiet, residential neighborhood and that it would prefer to stay that way.

“There are 28 children under the age of 18 on my street alone,” McAndrew said. “Building 44 townhouses would destroy our quiet neighborhood and add a large amount of traffic to my street. I have some major concerns about the safety of all these children with that many cars.”

Further neighborhood complaints expressed include the opening of Maryland to through traffic by the loss of a traffic island, altered water drainage and increased school crowding.

Resident Steven Rosenblum is still confident that the different parties can agree on a mutually desirable outcome.

“We think there is a way for everyone to come out to do good; to benefit the city, to benefit the school board and to benefit the residents,” Rosenblum said. “It’s never been a fight. It’s never been contentious. It’s always been very civil … that’s our main goal: to keep it a civil conversation where everybody can win.”

At this point, the Board is involved in negotiations and no final decision has been made.

“We are negotiating with a buyer,” Tennill said. “And we’ve told Maryland residents, we’ve told the city that once we have a contract negotiated, we’ll put that information out as to who that contract is negotiated with. At this point though, it’s really premature to release all those details because contract negotiations for real estate deals fall through all the time so it’s a pretty long, arduous process that we’re going through to negotiate all that. So putting information out now is getting ahead of where we are and we’d be putting information out there that might completely change.” 

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Teen Talk Radio

by ALEX BERNARD

Freshman Jordyn Jackson spends her Saturday nights in a radio studio crammed with teens. Jackson is a co-host of the 1380 the Woman program “Teen Talk.”

The show is run entirely by youth.

T

een Talk” is a place for adolescents to share their opinions, aspirations and ideas publicly, a privilege that is usually reserved for adults.

“We talk about everything that’s relevant to us. We’ll talk about cool songs and things that are trending,” Jordyn Jackson said. “Anything that teens like to talk about, we’ll talk about it

on air.”

Her mother, Robin Jackson, became the station manager of 1380 the Woman in May. Robin moved from New York to St. Louis 20 years ago, working in television until she began working at 1380.

“She switched from TV to radio, but it’s similar because [she] is still selling spots,” Jackson said. “Selling spots” means finding show hosts, show producers, sponsors and advertisers. Although Robin’s media of communication changed, one thing has remained the same.

“She enjoys being behind the scenes,” Jackson said of her mother.

“She just thinks that it’s better to control what’s going on behind the set.”

Jackson, unlike her mother, prefers to be in front of the microphone, which proved to be fundamental in the development of the show. With her mother’s new job, Jackson was able to effectively add a fresh outlook to the average radio programming.

“I like talking a lot,” Jackson said. “My mom was telling me about all the shows, and I said, ‘Well wouldn’t it be cool to have my own teen show?’” Robin made it happen. In July of 2013, “Teen Talk” was introduced to the public, and became the first teen run radio show to hit the airwaves in St. Louis.

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Since July, the show has evolved. For one, it has grown from four weekly hosts to eight rotating spots. The reason for the extra hosts is simple. “We felt we needed more perspectives,” Jackson said. In addition to that, “We’re teens and we’re busy.”

“Teen Talk” is time-consuming, similar to the effort a person would put into a part time job. Besides being active in their communities by participating in theatre, playing sports, volunteering and working, the participants have to plan the radio shows, attend 1380 the Woman events, keep up with the show’s social media pages and devote at least two hours each weekend for live broadcasting.

The radio show may turn into a paid job for these lucky teens in the future, if the show continues to increase in popularity and sponsors.

Although fairly successful now, the teens have not always been proficient at hosting a radio show.

“At the beginning, it was rocky because we were all getting to know each other,” Jackson said. The hosts represent several private and public schools across St. Louis who would not have known each other if it were not for the show.

Nick*, a student at De Smet Jesuit High School, and Zayna*, a student at John Burroughs School, interned at 1380 the Woman over the summer. Their internship unexpectedly continued into the school year when they were offered the regular hosting job on “Teen Talk.”

Currently the only boy on the show, Nick offers more than just masculinity to “Teen Talk.” Nick also controls the technical board during the live show, helping the show to achieve the distinction of a teen run show.

Although the idea of an adult-free show is intriguing to listeners, the hosts’ lack of experience can have its setbacks.

A few of the teens had theatre skills, but radio was a new obstacle for each of them.

“I think that a bunch of us were very timid,” Jackson said. “It broke us out of our shells. I can be quiet sometimes, so the fact that I’m so comfortable being on air is just amazing. It’s changed me so much.”

The teens are mentored by Micah Smith, a recent graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism at Mizzou. Smith received a Bachelor degree in journalism with a radio and television emphasis. She worked as a reporter, anchor and producer at KOMU 8 News. Smith currently works at the 590 the Man and 1380 the Woman radio stations and is the producer for “Teen Talk.”

The opportunity to host “Teen Talk” has become more than a hobby: it has become a learning experience, preparing the students for their future. Nick aspires to one day become a sports broadcaster on radio or television.

When asked about his dream job, he replied, “I’m doing it right now,” referencing his experience at 1380. All of the teens are essentially preparing for their future jobs. The hosts deal regularly with guests, bosses and coworkers, learning important skills that are not always easy to master.

As a teen, however, Jackson does not find it difficult to get along with the other adolescent co-hosts. Although she remembers the awkward-

ness of the first few shows, the initial discomfort did not last long. “As time has gone on, we’ve all grown to like each other a lot,” Jackson said.

“Teen Talk,” with the variations of ages, schools and social circumstances in the hosts, offers the ideal radio show for a teenager to enjoy. “If I was a listener, I would love to hear this because there’s nothing like it,” Jackson said.

“The fact that you can listen to teens talk about things that are relevant to yourself, on air ... it’s such a cool way to learn things.”

Another host, Lanie, who attends John Burroughs School, also sees the impact that Teen Talk could have. “It gives insight to what teens are actually thinking without it being censored,” Lanie said. “Teens have a chance to hear what’s going on with other people so they know they’re not alone.”

The hosts have high expectations for “Teen Talk.” “The more people we tell about it, the more it will grow,” Jackson said. “It will only get better from here.”

“Teen Talk” can be found on Facebook, and will soon appear on other social networking sites. An online streaming device and archives from previous shows are available at 1380thewoman.com. The hosts are currently working on creating a teen blog.

“It’s really taken off. It’s getting bigger because people will call in, and people will text in,” Jackson said. “I love the show so much.”

“Teen Talk” airs on Saturday afternoons from 4-6 or online at 1380thewoman.com.  *Per the request of the show’s hosts, their last names have been omitted.

I can be quiet sometimes, so the fact that I’m so comfortable being on air is just amazing. It’s changed me so much.

- Jordyn Jackson

“Teen Talk” co-hosts Nick and Zayna anchor the Saturday FEATURE 17 show at the The Woman studio (Attiya Charrington).

The road to Browns family farm in Decatur, Illimois. (John Schultz)

THE CALL OF THE HUNT

As coYOTES REDUCE DEER POpULATIONS AND RAID FARMS, ONE CHS STudent DECIDES TO JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST THEM.

by PARKER SCHULTZ

T

his is brutal - cold-blooded. Those were Henry Brown’s thoughts as he drove the tip of his Leatherman pocket knife into the heart of his first coyote. It was a bleak, frozen day on his farm in Decatur, Illinois. Henry said a prayer to himself and stepped back from the dead coyote on the ground.

“You can’t do anything but look into its eyes when you stab it,” Brown said. “It’s almost a sense of understanding.”

During his time at CHS, Brown has lived two lives; one as a suburban high school student, the other as a rural farm kid. For Henry, both are important parts of his identity.

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Brown remembers taking trips to the family farm as a child. He remembers meeting with his cousins and riding the tractor around the fields. Visits to the farm, however, took a different tone with the introduction of coyotes in southern Illinois several years ago.

“The coyotes were introduced primarily to control the deer population, which had gone out of control,” Brown said. “The problem with the deer population is that they ate all of the crops.”

The coyotes did their job well - perhaps too well, as their populations quickly grew. The deer problem was diminished, but a new one took its place: coyotes.

“When there’s not enough deer to go around, they will go up to the houses and they’ll go for scraps, go for animals,” Brown said. “They are very gutsy. They will walk right up to the window, howl and walk right away. They don’t care.”

For Brown, coyotes have become a common occurrence at the farm. It isn’t rare to look out the window and see one meandering across a field.

The Browns, like many other farmers in the community, took matters into their own hands.

They hunted.

It’s legal to hunt coyotes on private property, and the early spring or winter, when the fields are barren, is the perfect time for it. Brown layers up in four coats, two pairs of gloves and combat boots.

He always carries his Leatherman with him.

The main hunting tactic involves using four wheelers and rangers to scare the coyotes out of their dens. Once the coyote is in the open, it can be pursued on the four wheelers and eventually shot.

“You have to chase after them, find a spot, stop, get out, find a firing position for your rifle, make sure no one else is around - because you have two or three other vehicles going around and you don’t want anyone to get hit by a bullet - and take that shot,” Brown said.

Plans are set. Movements are synchronized. Safeties are kept on, and the two way radios are always within a moment’s reach.

“Everything we do there has the ability to end in a bad way,” Brown said.

The chase is a confusing blend of intense emotions. Pure adrenaline mixes with weighty, somber decisions. There is an urgency to quickly wear out the animal - to fire the shot before it is too late - and a need to slow down to avoid mistakes.

“There is a certain thrill in the chase, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it fun,” Brown said. “I’m not going to go out and kill an animal if I don’t know darn well that it’s for the greater good.”

Brown prefers to view the hunt as a duty.

“I think of it as a job that needs to be done and not necessarily enjoyed,” Brown said. “But there are some good moments in it.”

Firearms are a crucial aspect of rural farm life.

Brown fired his first gun at age 12. Since then, his experiences with firearms have been mixed. Being a part time farm boy and an aspiring Naval Academy student, guns, whether Brown likes them or not, have been an important part of his life.

“I don’t take pride in firing - I really hate it,” Brown said. “It’s my worst fear because I can’t hit anything, but it’s certainly an exhilarating experience to shoot a gun and know that you have that kind of power in your hands.”

The power Brown experiences on his farm has changed over the years. What once felt like unlimited freedom now feels like responsibilities. Brown has learned crucial lessons through his wilderness experiences.

“When plans go awry, what are you going to do about it?” Brown said. “You can’t just sit there and start texting your friends saying how bad your life is. You’ve got to sometimes step up and get into the problem.”

Stepping up isn’t always easy. When getting to the problem requires the hardship of ending an animal’s life, Brown has learned that decisive action is important, but the feelings are complicated.

“I don’t necessarily have nightmares about it, but I do feel regret,” Brown said. “I killed something. It could have lived." 

“You can’t do anything but look into its eyes when you stab it.”

- HeNry Brown

Out on the chase for coyotes in the Brown’s field. (John Schultz)

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Canine Education dibs the service dog is a member of CHS History teacher paul hoelscher’s family

by MICAELA STONER and GRACE HARRISON

Dibs the dog during a visit to CHS (Micaela Stoner). Below: Dibs with the class at Carman Trails Elementary (Photo from Shannon Hoelscher).

D

ibs is one of students’ favorite teachers at Carman Trails Elementary. He goes to work every day to assist the counselor at the school, Shannon Hoelscher.

“She uses him in a variety of capacities, and empathy is one of those,” said Paul Hoelscher, Shannon’s husband, CHS history teacher and proud co-owner of Dibs, a service dog.

“He is a real good model for self-control,” Shannon said. “For following directions, and just sort of the basics that little kids need to learn to be successful in the classroom.”

The Hoelscher family adopted their yellow Labrador, Dibs, in May of 2012. In order to get Dibs, the Hoelschers had to apply to an organization called Support Dogs, Inc. “When [Shannon] applied, she had to put together a plan to show the organization that the dog is going to be used in a helping service capacity on a daily basis,” Paul said.

Shannon felt the need for a service dog as a means to help encourage and reward some of her students with different learning disabilities.

“Individually, we have kids with behavior issues and we create individual patterns of behavior support plans. With those kiddos, they have a real specific goal that they’re working on in the classroom.”

Dibs’ assistance consists of providing different ways to help students learn. Shannon helps students with reading disabilities by encouraging them to read to the dog.

“Dibs is part of some small group reading interventions within the building,” Shannon said. “He actually got a small group with a reading specialist. The kids read to him and it just kind of keeps them focused on their reading. There is research that shows students with ADHD who work with a dog, that it increases a student’s engagement.”

Dibs is also used in many of Shannon’s lessons to exemplify patience or obedience.

“The kids are starting to learn appropriate school behaviors,” Shannon said. “He can model those types of things. He can model listening the first time, and he can model self control because he knows how to wait for certain things.”

Dibs is trained to help students learn and also to comfort people in times of trouble.

“If my eight-year-old is crying in bed, the dog will go up, not quite climb into bed, but he’ll get as close as he possibly can to her,” Paul said, “because he is trained when something is wrong to be that sort of support element.”

Having Dibs is a gift to the Hoelscher family, but to own a service dog is hard work. Shannon has to train Dibs every day to make sure that he doesn’t forget what he has learned. Shannon is the official trainer of the

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dog, so it is her job to keep Dibs prepared. Every three months Dibs has to go in for a checkup to make sure his skills as a service dog are up to pace.

“If there ever was a situation when he went in and he wasn’t up on his obedience, we would lose the dog,” Paul said. “If there ever was a situation where the dog didn’t look healthy or well cared for, they literally will take them out of certain settings.”

Support Dogs, Inc. trains many different types of dogs to perform different duties around the country. From a very early age, the program observes each individual dog closely in order to determine the best area of service for that particular dog.

“As they are raising the dog they begin to sort of groom them and say, ‘Okay, what would this dog be good for?’” Paul said.

A dog that shows a higher knack for obedience but might not be the sweetest dog would be used more as a service dog for a blind person or someone with a physical disability. For example, the organization paired a veteran with a very large, strong dog who is very alert and attentive.

The dog is loyal to the veteran in order to make him feel safe and aware whenever the dog is around.

“I have [a dog] that is sort of lower on the obedience,” Paul said. “But never would bite, never would freak out.”

Dibs is trained to show empathy and help with emotional therapy. He has made a lasting impact at Carman Trails and on every student who has utilized his training and uniqueness.

In the end Paul is happy about what his family brings to the community by having Dibs. “We do a small part of the broader good that the organization does." 

top ten MOVERS AND SHAKERS IN CLAYTON

James Bullard has over 1,000

people working for him. Bullard is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, one of 12 banks in the national Federal Reserve System.

“Our bank covers the Eighth Federal Reserve District, including southern Illinois, southern Indiana, western Kentucky, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, all of Arkansas and eastern Missouri. We regulate the banks in the District,” Bullard said. “We also track the District economy.”

Along with his duties as CEO and President, Bullard is a member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).

“When you hear about the Fed, it is almost always about the FOMC, because the Committee’s actions have a lot of influence over interest rates both in the U.S. and around the world.”

(Photo from James Bullard)

The Bank is located in downtown St. Louis.

Bullard lives in Clayton, and encourages his employees to get involved with the St. Louis community.

“The Bank has an active volunteer activities program in which employees help directly with community activities. We also have a long tradition of working with the local United Way,” he said.

Bullard moved to Clayton in 1995.

“I think one of the simplest things to say is that because of the St. Louis area geography, Clayton is in the middle of the metropolitan area, which makes most of the area exceptionally accessible.”

Outside of his work, Bullard enjoys biking, hiking and traveling.  - by Peter Baugh and Claire Lisker

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Craig Owens

City Manager often works behind the scenes of Clayton City government.

“I have responsibility for day to day operations in the city: police, fire, public works, parks and recreation, planning and administrative services,” Owens said. “All departments report to me and I report to the seven elected officials, or the mayor and Board of Alderman.”

Growing up, Owens’ father served as a member of the City Council in his hometown. “My father was on the City Council from the time I was in the fourth grade in Overland Park, Kansas and maintained that position for 24 years,” Owens said. “As I was growing up, I was influenced by municipal issues.”

“I don’t have a gun, and I don’t go running into burning buildings … but I like that the role I play is making sure that those all work well and making sure that they [organizations] work together.”

In college, Owens was on the path to become a lawyer, but as he progressed, the idea of city management became more appealing.

“Really when it came down to the fork in the road, I said, ‘I like that it’s unique, it’s interesting and I’m passionate about it.’ It’s been a great fit ever since,” Owens said.

After stints in Hazelwood, O’Fallon, Illinois and Rowlett, Texas, Owens accepted the city manager position in Clayton. After his first few months at Clayton, the stock market crashed, and ever since he has been working to recover from those events.

In fact, Owens says the most important project he completed since he has been in office was addressing the budget deficit. “We had to make some very strategic reductions in our expenditures,” Owens said. “If we didn’t do that right we ran the risk of jeopardizing the quality of service that our residents and businesses expect and rely on.”

When not managing the Clayton community, Owens volunteers his time to develop other communities through Beyond Housing.

“I don’t have a gun, and I don’t go running into burning buildings … but I like that the role I play is making sure that those [organizations] all work well and making sure that they work together.”  - by Emma Ehll

(Photo by Olivia MacDougal)

Harold Sanger

(Photo from Harold Sanger)

works a 24/7 job. As the mayor of Clayton he has the duty of representing the city, and he leads the effort to make Clayton the best version of itself.

“It is very busy, we have a lot of issues,” Sanger said. “I get involved with them at a certain point, it depends on the issue. I may get involved day one, or it may take time for an issue to get through the system and for me to get involved.”

One of the largest issues Clayton is currently facing is the budget.

However, in the sixth months since Sanger took office, he has already worked with the Board of Alderman and city employees to make the cuts necessary to return the city to a balanced budget.

“The number one thing in my candidacy was to balance the budget,” Sanger said. “Impact wise, that is going to be balanced next year. We have cut the deficit in half for this year, the year that started Oct. 1, the fiscal year. The next year we will be balanced.”

With that taken care of, Sanger is making new efforts to attract people to live in Clayton, especially downtown. “What I’m looking for are young professionals, young couples,” Sanger said. “That will help retail because young couples, when they’re home from work, they’re not going to go upstairs and watch Iron Chef.”

While Sanger may be working to rejuvenate downtown Clayton, his overall views of the city are positive. “We clearly have a unique community. If you look around the country, there are other communities that may … be home to several great universities, or may be the county seat, or may be the financial hub of the region, or may have a nationally ranked public school system, or may be the home to the best restaurants in the region.

But only here - only in Clayton do all of those descriptions fit us.”  - by Emma Ehll

“Families rely on us,” he said, “because every day is like a life and death situation.”

(Photo by Noah Engel)

Jasvindar Singh’s life started halfway across the world

from Clayton on a sugar cane farm in Figi, a small island country in the South Pacific.

Growing up, Singh spent his school vacations working on his family’s sugar cane fields rather than finding a job outside of his home. He went to college and medical school in Figi, which are more intertwined than in the United States.

Singh also was a phenomenal chess player (p. 43) and competed in four chess olympiads for Figi.

Singh finished medical school at age 22. He spent time in New Zealand before joining his brother in the United States.

“I came here, I was young so I just wanted to do further training rather than just doing primary care,” Singh said.

He initially studied kidneys, but switched to cardiology after his residency at Washington University in St. Louis. Singh began working at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in 1999, and has been there ever since.

“Because I’ve done a lot of techniques … and I’ve changed the way a lot of these procedures are done, I get referrals not [just] from here but all over the country and the world,” Singh said.

Singh has been asked to look after the families of foreign dignitaries and has treated important people around the St. Louis community. When Singh works out at the Clayton Center or walks around town, he often sees people who he has operated on or taught.

He feels that Clayton’s peaceful community, good schools and proximity to the hospital make it a perfect place for his family to live. Singh also teaches people who have completed their residencies and fellowships. He does 15 to 20 procedures a week, which can range from 15 minutes to four hours. Though some of his procedures are small, he realizes the magnitude of his position.

“Families rely on us,” he said, “because every day is like a life and death situation.” 

- by Peter Baugh

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“Improving somebody’s appearance, I think, has a huge impact on some kids. For some patients that have very malaligned teeth, that holds them back.”

(Photo by Noah Engel)

Richard Nissen

Dr. understands smiling. Smiles are scattered across his office, plastered on the walls, luminesced from his computer screens and are ingrained in his impact on the City of Clayton. Most importantly, Nissen knows what a smile can give to an individual and what it can give to a community.

“Improving somebody’s appearance, I think, has a huge impact on some kids. For some patients that have very malaligned teeth, that holds them back,” Nissen said. “They’re embarrassed about their smile, so when you improve that, I think that improves a patient’s self-esteem, and then they carry that forth in their ability to socialize and interact with people, and that’s a big positive thing.”

Nissen chose Clayton because of the engagement and interactions he experiences on an everyday basis.

“Our practice draws from kind of this area, we’ve been around for 50 some years probably, so we’re seeing second and third generation families

who grew up here,” Nissen said. “Clayton kids as a whole are very engaging. Sometimes you walk into a room and people don’t say anything, but most of the population that we see are fun people to work with.”

However, Nissen spends his Fridays doing volunteer work with patients from all across the county and the state who suffer from cleft palate. “That’s my day off,” Nissen said.

“Our practice here sees more cleft palate and craniofacial patients than probably anybody in St. Louis or anybody in the state because of our connection with Washington University, so we see a fair number these kids interspersed with all of our local kids, which is great.”

Yet as Nissen’s mission continues to expand, he still hopes that his invaluable work will endure for the rest of each and every patient’s life. “So my question is, are you guys still wearing your retainers?”  - by Zach Bayly

Washington University in St. Louis is one of the most prominent and important aspects of the Clayton community, and Chancellor

Mark Wrighton is the leader of this iconic institution.

“My biggest reward is in helping other people realize their potential.”

(Photo by Olivia MacDougal)

Dana Myers

By day, is just like any other community member. She has children, she is a teacher and she does the occasional volunteer work. By night, Myers is a performer. She plays on a world-renowned stage with a world-renowned orchestra.

Over the years, professional violinist Dana Myers has become an icon in the Clayton community because of her close relationship with Clayton Schools and her extraordinary work with young musicians.

“Because I have several students in the Clayton system, I have a connection,” Myers said. “I have great respect for Julie Hoffman and Ann Geiler [CHS music teachers], and this goes back many years since both my boys were in the Clayton system.”

Along with the 10 or so students that she teaches privately, and her job as a first violin coach for the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, Myers has been working with the Bethesda Barclay House for senior living.

“My mother lives at the Barclay House which is right across the street from the high school,” Myers said. “On the first Monday of every month, we have a recital, and I combine my students with cellist Ken Kulosa’s students.”

More than anything, Myers appreciates how her work at the Barclay House comes full circle to her professional work with the St. Louis Symphony.

“We get so much feedback from [the residents]. So many of the residents at the Barclay House come to the symphony,” Myers said.

Myers has enjoyed the balance and inter-connectedness of her professional work and her teaching. Though she performs in front of overwhelming audiences regularly, she finds her biggest rewards off the stage: “Seeing my students develop gives me great satisfaction and pride,” Myers said. “Watching them from the beginning stages to becoming more accomplished is very rewarding.”  - by Arya Yadama

During his time as chancellor, Wrighton has worked tirelessly to improve the community around Wash U. He believes that this works to benefit both the school and the area around it.

“If the community around us is strong, then we will be more attractive and stronger,” Wrighton said. “[We] have a responsibility, just as other members have, to contribute to the well-being of the community.”

Washington University houses about 3,300 students on the “South 40” which is located in Clayton.

“When you look at the total population of Clayton, that is a pretty big fraction,” Wrighton said.

Wrighton has been involved in many community improvement projects. He has worked to maintain not only the Washington University campus (which, being an open campus, is open to community members) but also Forest Park and areas around campus.

“When Clayton is thinking about new initiatives, we want to be there,” Wrighton said. “We have undertaken collaborative projects with Clayton that I think benefit both [the university and the community] - we are involved with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Clayton.”

One of these projects is located in the West Campus of Wash U. It is the Life Long Learning Institute where people age 55 and older go to take classes. There are more than 500 people involved in this program.

With his job as chancellor, Wrighton has many different responsibilities, but there is one thing in particular that he finds most satisfying.

“In being the chancellor, my biggest reward is in helping other people realize their potential,” Wrighton said. “The position I have right now is an endless endeavor, and every day brings new opportunities and new challenges.”  - by Arya Yadama

(Photo by Arya Yadama) COVER

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Diane Monahan

(Photo by Olivia MacDougal)

Gerard Craft

emerged into the Clayton restaurant world when he moved his premiere restaurant, Niche, to Clayton in November 2012. Since then, his vision has expanded into four restaurants. Two of these, Brasserie and Taste, lie in the Central West End, while the fourth, Pastaria, sits next to Niche in Clayton.

In addition to providing delicious food, Pastaria and Niche have become quintessential aspects of the Clayton community, providing a unique culinary experience that invites all to join in.

“When I opened Pastaria ... I wanted people from all walks of life in the community to feel comfortable coming here with their family, friends, dates, etc. This is what rustic Italian food is all about,” Craft said.

Craft’s restaurants - each fiercely unique but with the same belief in quality food - do an exceptional job at synthesizing the Clayton community with their staff, chefs and customers.

“In this space no one feels out of place, and you get a true snapshot of the Clayton community,” Craft said.

Niche and Pastaria represent two establishments of the array of restaurants such as Half & Half, The Libertine, Mad Tomato and Five Star Burger that are working to put Clayton at the top of St. Louis culinary life.

“Clayton is already beginning to take back its claim of the number one restaurant neighborhood in St. Louis,” Craft said.

The visionary menus and commitment to excellence and community that so strongly embody Craft’s restaurants make him one of Clayton’s most influential and valued leaders.  - by Gwyneth Henke

defends the children of the St. Louis area. She is the family court commissioner for St. Louis County and deals with cases ranging from juvenile delinquency to abuse and neglect.

After attending St. Louis University, Monahan started practicing law as a criminal defense attorney.

“The firm that I worked with started doing some domestic cases,” Monahan said. “What I found in the domestic work as time went on, is that I really liked doing guardian ad litem work where I actually represented the kids instead of the parents.”

For the cases involving juvenile delinquency, Monahan’s main goal is to establish a suitable path to rehabilitation, rather than punishment.

“What we do here is until you’re 17 you’re considered a juvenile for criminal purposes,” Monahan said. “Instead of punishing you by sending you off to prison and then letting you out when you’re finished with your term, we do try to rehabilitate and provide resources so we don’t have kids reoffending.”

She splits her time between cases involving children that have been mistreated and children that have misbehaved, but many times her cases also involve mental health and drug problems.

“We provide as much assistance as we can. We get mental health caretakers for these people and get them on a mental health regimen. We help them in drug treatment. We help them by providing educational opportunities and mentorships. We try to provide safety for those kids that are abused and neglected, provide a good home for them. The ultimate goal is to assist people in becoming the best that they can be,” Monahan said.

While she deals with some of the most heart wrenching cases that go to court, Monahan stays grateful for her position. “I like the fact that I can just focus on the kids and not so much on everybody else,” Monahan said. “I come away from my job appreciating how much I have and how much I’ve been able to do with my life.”  - by Emma Ehll

(Photo from Gerard Craft)

“All the boys surfed and the girls didn’t. I really don’t know why that is, and I remember at the time thinking, ‘Well, why not?’ and [I] kind of questioned it.”

(Photo from Halflife Studios)

Jill Indovino always wondered why she couldn’t surf with

the boys. Indovino moved to Southern California from Florida in sixth grade and spent a lot of her childhood on the warm, sunny beaches.

“All the boys surfed and the girls didn’t. I really don’t know why that is, and I remember at the time thinking, ‘Well, why not?’ and [I] kind of questioned it,” Indovino said.

Little did she know, these memories of not being able to surf would impact her years later.

In 2002, Indovino read an article in Runner’s World Magazine about a program called Girls on the Run that trained young girls for a five kilometer (5K) run and taught them life lessons. Indovino got the program started in St. Louis and said her childhood memories from the beach may have made her feel that girls should be allowed to participate in whatever athletics the boys did.

Indovino worked with St. Louis Girls on the Run full-time until two years ago, and saw the program grow from a small group of girls at Shaw Park to the largest Girls on the Run council in the country. Though no longer working with the program full-time, Indovino still volunteers with the organization.

Indovino also runs registration and volunteers for Pedal the Cause, an

organization that has an annual fundraising bike race for cancer research in St. Louis. Last year the race had 2,400 riders and raised $2.5 million.

She is also involved with Honor Flight, an organization that flies war veterans to Washington D.C. for a day looking at their memorials.

Indovino is happy with the support she has received from the Clayton community for both Girls on the Run and Pedal the Cause.

“Clayton’s a big part of both of those organizations which now benefit the greater St. Louis area,” she said.

Indovino is grateful that her kids, who are Clayton “lifers,” have grown up in a community where they were able to learn valuable lessons about helping the community and the importance of physical activity.

She is thankful to the Clayton community, which she feels has been the ideal place for her family.

“Clayton is awesome. From the time we moved here, the fact that we could walk our kids to Captain - and then walk to Wydown, the ease of living is fantastic,” Indovino said. “The schools and the education that the kids are provided are amazing. The small, tight-knit community I think is just really valuable.”  - by Peter Baugh

COVER

27

AT H L

PROF

ETE

ILE

NEW GIRL on the block Senior Hannah Stipanovich Leads the Girls’ Basketball team with a positive attitude and a great shot

by STEVEN ZOU photo by PETER BAUGH

D

ribbling down the court, headed for the basket, Hannah Stipanovich goes in for the shot. Woosh, the ball is in. New to CHS, the senior post player Stipanovich is a pleasant addition to the Greyhound squad.

Stipanovich transferred from Westminister Christian Academy to CHS at the start of her Senior year. Starting at a very young age, basketball has been an integral part of Stipanovich’s life.

“Basketball has always been a big family tradition because my dad and all my relatives play basketball,” Stipanovich said. “So when I was in elementary school, me and my sisters and dad would go out into the back yard and play a couple games of basketball.”

Stipanovich reflected on the atmosphere of her old team compared to CHS. “My old team included my sister and also my dad as the coach,” Stipanovich said. “It was very competitive and it was the central topic at practice and also at home. I am excited to play here by myself.”

Stipanovich has several goals for herself as a part of the girls’ basketball team this year.

“I really want to improve my rebounding skills, and just getting everyone involved more on the floor,” Stipanovich said. “I also want to get to know each of the girls better. And to have fun, as cliché as that sounds.”

Heath Kent, head coach of the varsity team, thinks highly of Stipanovich.

“She is a very good shooter and very aggressive,” Kent said. “I think these skills comes from the fact that she played in Westminster, which has a very good program and went to the final four a couple of years back.

So I expect her to come in and provide some veteran leadership to the team.”

Though this is only Stipanovich’s first year of playing for CHS, Kent

28

SPORTS

has seen Stipanovich thrive with the team.

“She has made a very easy transition over here and befriended a lot of the players,” Kent said. “With the season only starting, she has that type of personality that you can stick her in any situation and she’ll thrive.”

Junior guard Reeves Oyster, agreed that Stipanovich’s friendliness helped for an easy transition on the team.

“Her traits also made her transition to sports easier because she is someone that people want on the team. Not just because of her skills, but also her personality.”

Oyster thinks that Stipanovich’s dedication and overall talent for the game have given a major boost to the team’s performance on and off the court.

“She will get hit and just get right back up and start playing,” Oyster said. “She wants to be in the game as long as possible. She is someone who fights for the ball every single time. She is going to help us get lots of shots up during the game, and will be a major contributor to offensive put-backs.”

Stipanovich says that the hardest part of basketball is the exhaustion she faces after each practice.

“I am always tired,” Stipanovich said. “I come home from basketball and I have no motivation to do my homework or anything because practice is very time-consuming and long. For me to keep the motivation up for the five month season is really hard.”

Stipanovich says that she always sets the bar a notch higher to motivate herself.

“I always try to set goals that I know are out of my reach and keep working toward those goals,” Stipanovich said.

Oyster said that with Stipanovich being on the team it motivates her to work even harder during practice.

“She definitely makes me go a lot harder during practice because she brings the atmosphere of Westminster to Clayton,” Oyster said. “Her determination as a post player has simulated game situations for me as a guard and I’ve definitely improved having her on the team.” 

Greyhounds at STATE

by PETER BAUGH

Boys’ Cross Country Over the course of 2013 season, a superstar has emerged for the Clayton boys’ cross country team. Senior Parker Schultz, who ran varsity all four of his years at CHS, won both the Clayton Invitational and the district meet.

At state, Schultz finished seventh out of nearly 170 runners, earning All-State honors. At state, he was followed by junior Ben Tamsky (108th), freshman Thomas Cormier (117th), senior Andy Hodapp (128th), sophomore John Schultz (136th) and juniors Jaques Painter (145th) and Noah Engel (154th). All of the Clayton runners broke the 19:35 threshold.

As a team, the Greyhounds finished 13th. The 2013 year was the Greyhound’s second with assistant coach Timothy Levine, who has helped dramatically increase the team size in his time at Clayton.

Of the many memories he has from the state trip, Engel was very happy to see the outcome of Parker Schultz’s hard work with the team.

“He came out of the race and he was in the medical tent for a while because he really gave it his all,” Engel said. “He left it all on the course, I was really proud of him.”

(Photo by Bebe Engel)

The boys’ swim team participated in four events at the state meet, a drastic improvement from past years.

Freshman Tiger Chen was the team’s biggest addition coming into the season. Chen swam in the 200-yard individual medley, the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard medley relay at state.

Junior Andrew Litteken also competed in his first state meet, setting a personal best time in the 500-yard freestyle.

The medley relay consisted of senior Noah Youkilis (backstroke), Chen (breaststroke), senior Auggie Mense (butterfly) and senior Doren Lan (freestyle). The relay finished 29th in the state.

Lan is proud of the team’s progress, and is excited for the future of the program.

“I feel like we’ve come a long way,” Lan said. “Now we are thinking about placing and qualifying in finals rather than just making it to state.”

Girls’ Cross Country The girls’ cross country team dominated at the District meet, having the first, third and fourth finishers in the meet’s top five.

The team qualified for state by winning Districts and had six All-District runners. Sophomore Gabby Boeger finished first, seniors Lauren Indovino and Lily Niswonger finished third and fourth, respectively, freshman Mary Kate Gelzer was seventh, junior Bridget Boeger was 10th and sophomore Heather Stone rounded out the All-District runners with a 15th place finish.

At State, Indovino finished in the top 50, leading the team to an 11th place finish. Sophomore Nuri Yi finished sixth on the team and was happy with the team’s time at state.

“It was definitely an interesting experience,” Yi said, “Lots of really good competition.”

(Photo by Makenna Martin)

(Photo by Patrick Butler)

Despite the departure of two of the best tennis players in recent Clayton history, the girls’ team managed to improve in 2013, getting out of their section and advancing deep into the state tournament.

To get to state, the tennis team had to win both Districts and Sectionals. After a dominant District showing, the team traveled to Marshall, Missouri to play a tough Westminster team.

Juniors Connor Cassity, Cameron Freeman and senior Marie Warchol all won their singles matches against Westminster, and two Clayton doubles teams stepped up to get the Greyhounds through Sectionals.

Clayton finished second in the state, defeating Kennett before falling to Barstow 5-3. The doubles team Cassity and Freeman also had a strong showing in the individual tournament, finishing second.

Though disappointed the team didn’t finish first, Cassity was proud of what the squad accomplished at state.

“I think everybody gave all they had,” Cassity said, “and that’s all that mattered … it was very exciting.” 

SPORTS

29

WINTER

sports PREVIEW

by PETER BAUGH

(Photo by Patrick Butler)

Hockey

2012-2013 RECORD: no team

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Richard Hollocher Ben Tamsky Max Hunter Liam Dougan

TEAM GOALS: To cultivate young talent with a ‘C’ team and to have a successful season at the varsity level.

30

Sports

Girls’ swimming

(Photo by Peter Baugh)

2012-2013 RECORD: 4-8

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

TEAM GOALS:

Danielle Sikora Sammy Bale Dani Skor Rebecca Stiffelman (diving)

To have multiple state qualifiers and to avenge close losses from last season.

Boys’ basketball PLAYERS TO WATCH: Mitch Elliott Jervonte Phillips Nick Bax Chanz Watkins

TEAM GOALS: To win the District tournament and to advance far into the state tournament.

2012-2013 record: 14-11 The Greyhound basketball team scrimmages in their annual “Orange and Blue” game. (Photo by Peter Baugh)

Girls’ basketball 2012-2013 record: 11-10

Players to watch: Team goals: Hannah Stipanovich Colleen Ahearn Caroline Avery Reeves Oyster

Despite the loss of key seniors, the Greyhounds have their eyes set on advancing far in the District tournament.

( Photo by Peter Baugh)

Wrestling 2012-2013 RECORD: 8-9 Players to watch: Team goals: Jared Garrett John Okwir Parker Ross (Photo by Patrick Butler)

To rebound from losing a strong class of seniors and to qualify individuals to state.  Sports

31

20

Top Athletes

top10 female

Of the year

By PETER Baugh

(Photo by Makenna Martin)

Lauren Indovino, senior - Indovino (above left) is one of Clayton’s top two runners and also was Second Team All-Conference for the soccer team.

Gabby Boeger, sophomore - Boeger (above right) has been a top varsity player in two sports since her freshman year. She is a soccer starter and finished first in the District cross country race in 2013.

Molly Droege, junior - Droege (left) has led the huge growth of the golf program, qualifying for sectionals as a junior. She hopes to make state her senior year.

Hannah Stipanovich, senior - Stipanovich transferred to Clayton prior to her senior year and has been vital in Clayton’s success in volleyball and basketball.

(Photo by Sonia Beard)

Caroline Avery, senior -Avery is a two sport varsity athlete. She was named to the All-Conference soccer team her junior year.

Maddie Mills, senior - Mills is a varsity standout for both field hockey and lacrosse. Last season she scored five goals for the lacrosse team and was the varsity field hockey captain.

Connor Cassity, junior - Cassity (below) led the CHS team to a second place state finish, and has been on doubles teams that have finished second two straight years.

Raime Cohen, junior - Cohen burst onto the Clayton softball team as a freshman. She has been on the All-Conference team each of her first three seasons. Cohen also plays lacrosse.

Danielle Sikora, senior - Sikora has qualified in two state swimming events in each of the past three years. She has placed in the top 16 in state and is the top swimmers on Clayton’s team.

Lydia Welty, sophomore - Welty swims for CSP, a club team, and has qualified for both sectionals and junior nationals.

32

Sports

(Photo by Patrick Butler)

top 10 male

Zach Bayly, junior - Bayly (left) is a varsity soccer captain and has been a leader on the team, starting as center midfielder. Bayly made varsity his freshman year.

Nick Bax, senior - Bax has been an All-Conference athlete in two sports. He made both varsity baseball and basketball his sophomore year. He was the basketball team’s leading rebounder.

Parker Schultz, senior - Schultz won the Clayton Invitational and finished first in Districts, setting a Principia course record.

He placed seventh at state.

John Howard, junior - A member of the varsity baseball team since his freshman year, Howard was named to the First Team All Conference his freshman and sophomore years.

(Photo by Bebe Engel)

Gabe Remshardt, junior - Remshardt (right) has been a full time varsity lacrosse player since his freshman year, and has already received interest from high level colleges.

Mac Rechan, senior - Rechan won the Class One state tennis tournament as a junior. He was named the All-Metro Player of the Year both his sophomore and junior years.

Joey Dulle, senior - Dulle has won state in doubles tennis twice and finished second in singles last season. He also started as goalie for the varsity soccer team in 2013.

(Photo by Patrick Butler)

Tiger Chen, freshman - Chen has emerged as the top swimmer on the Clayton team, qualifying for the state meet in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, which he also qualified for sectionals in.

Mike Gant, junior - Gant has played varsity football since his freshman year, helping lead the team to a District Championship. He was named to the All-District team as a sophomore.

(Photo by Jolena Pang)

*Athletes are not listed in any order.

Doren Lan, senior - Lan (left) is one of Clayton’s top swimmers and water polo players. He qualified for state swimming as a junior and senior and scored 18 goals with the water polo team in 2013. sports

33

(Photo by Noah Engel)

Mission Taco

by HELEN TOMASSON

As you walk into the Delmar Loop’s new taco joint, Mission Taco, the smell of salsa wafts in the air as young servers zip by, carrying plates of tacos on special racks.

While waiting to be seated in the dimly lit restaurant, you can munch on chips, guacamole, and salsa at standing tables.

The menu does not fail to impress, and it includes unique items from cactus, tofu, chicken tacos, and a host of other delicious choices.

The tacos aren’t the Americanized ground beef and hard, yellow, cornshell that you might expect. The flavorful, soft, house-made corn tortillas are filled with a delicious medley of meats, fish, veggies, tofu and piquant sauces of all types, creating the one-of-a-kind Mission Taco.

A multitude of other appetizing options include burritos, tortillas, sides and chips with all sorts of dips.

This new hot-spot lives up to all of the hype. The rich ambiance combined with the mouth-watering food makes for a great time with friends or family. 

review Interior of Mission Taco (Noah Engel).

LasT Vegas

by TARA WILLIAMS

“Last Vegas,” a film starring Robert de Niro, Kevin Kline, Morgan Freeman and Michael Douglas is what many viewers are calling a “more mature”

version of “The Hangover.”

The movie depicts the lives of the “Flatbush Four,” who in their younger days were charming menaces who inhibited the streets of Brooklyn, New York.

Fifty five years later Billy (Douglas) invites the other three to Vegas for his bachelor party and wedding. All but one are eager to go; widower Paddy (de Niro) reluctantly drags himself off of his couch to attend his friends’ wedding. The plot thickens as the story goes on.

Viewers seemed to enjoy watching the old Hollywood stars on the big

screen again, especially the baby boomer crowd. As I plopped down in my seat, three elderly ladies in front of me were discussing their trip to Las Vegas, interestingly enough.

They laughed throughout the whole movie, especially, when Sam (Kline) is introduced by doing an elaborate water jazz routine. Unlike many other movies, “Last Vegas” fails to reveal the funniest or most dramatic scenes in the movie within the trailer, which I appreciate as a member of the audience.

The movie, in summary, was satisfyingly humorous, and it stayed well within the audience’s comfort zone. I could tell that the director was fully aware of who the majority of the audience would be and tailored the film to them.

The theater was filled with both young and old, and the movie had most of the theater laughing. I was satisfied by the honest portrayals of the characters by some of my favorite actors and the surprisingly unpredictable plot. 

When my friends and I were making plans for our Friday off school, one was persistent in recommending that we go to Corner 17. I had heard good things about it and seen photos on Facebook of friends celebrating there, but I was skeptical because I didn’t like bubble tea. Still, though, we worked out a time and decided to go.

We met at about three in the afternoon, an awkward time to eat. I had only eaten a pop tart after a grueling cross-country practice in the morning. The six of us, two of whom had just eaten lunch, ordered the beef noodles, chicken fried rice, shrimp pan-stirred noodles and the cumin lamb combo. We also got the Corner 17 milk tea, a leechee fruity tea, mango slushee, taro bubble tea, and vanilla and peach bubble tea.

We didn’t have to wait too long for the food and spent a lot of the time watching a woman stretch dough to make noodles by hand. A few of the young people started singing along to Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You” when it came on.

The beef noodles were heavenly. After the first hot slurp of noodles, I sighed and crammed my mouth full. The bowl was passed around the table; when it returned to me, it was half empty. The noodles were fresh and chewy, the broth savory and slightly aromatic of cilantro, and the beef chunks seemed high-quality.

The shrimp pan-stirred noodles and chicken fried rice all disappeared quickly as well. The shrimp was well-seasoned and the noodles tasted like a typical lo mein, but better. The cumin lamb was incredibly spicy and

was on a bed of spicy peppers, cilantro, and carrots, which we didn’t want to eat, and there was a fair bit of white rice left after we had finished all the meat.

I tried a friend’s taro bubble tea to try to quench the flame in my throat, and it was surprisingly delicious. The taro, which was purple, tasted a bit like buttered popcorn flavored jelly beans, with a bright sweetness and a slightly savory aftertaste that complemented the boba. I was under the impression that I didn’t like bubble tea, but after trying the taro, I was hooked. The original Corner 17 milk bubble tea was also nice, but I did not like it as much as the taro.

We kept stealing the mango slushee from the person who ordered it,

Corner 17

(Photo by William Wysession)

Clayton Farmer’s MArket

by ELISE YANG

The sound of energetic blues from the band “Mississippi River” electrified my ears as I walked around the Clayton Farmer’s Market on a chilly Saturday morning. The products the vendors displayed in their white tents ranged from fresh, wild trout to handmade soap made from goat’s milk.

Deb Henderson, the Clayton Farmer’s Market manager, describes this place as a festival. The Clayton Farmer’s Market is located in a parking lot just west of Straub’s and last from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays during the summer and fall months.

The Clayton Farmer’s Market is unique compared to other large farmer’s markets like the historic Soulard Farmer’s Market or the Kirkwood Farmer’s Market because it is a producer or a grower-only market. This means that the people who come to sell at the Clayton Farmer’s Market have to grow or make their food.

Estie Cruz-Curoe of “Del Carmen” greets me with a warm smile and hello. She sells Cuban black beans using the same recipe her mother used when she was growing up in Cuba. The slow-cooked black beans are made

by NURI YI

because it was large and refreshing, with chunks of mango swirled in. The lychee fruity tea was herbal but sweet, with lychee jelly pieces at the bottom. After finishing all the food, we ordered a large strawberry fluffy ice, which had a soft, snowy texture with condensed milk and a flavor almost like strawberry frozen yogurt.

Overall, the place had delicious food, and a relaxing and friendly atmosphere. 

(Photo by William Wysession) in small batches with traditional Cuban spices. Cruz-Curoe sells a variety of black bean products like black bean dip and hummus.

She first started selling black beans at the Clayton Farmer’s Market, and her success led her to sell at other farmer’s markets.

“Selling at the Clayton Farmer’s Market is a great experience,” she said. “You get to meet all kinds of people and you also get to talk to your customers, which is very nice.”

Joy Stinger, also a vendor at the market, sells honey that is harvested in her backyard in Clayton. She also makes candles and ornaments out of beeswax. Some of the molds that Stinger use to make beeswax ornaments are from Czechoslovakia and Germany.

In addition to selling products and produce, the Clayton Farmer’s Market has a play area for children. This area has an assortment of hula hoops, hacky sacks and a badminton set.

There are also special events like zucchini car races. The cars have wooden wheels which are attached to the zucchini with metal nails. Kids can decorate these cars and race them. Henderson said that this event is one of her favorites.

In the end the Clayton Farmer’s Market is a passion for those that work there. “I enjoy the opportunity to work with small family farmers, food entrepreneurs and artists who are “incubating” their businesses at the market,” Henderson said. “It’s exciting to see dreams come to life and grow.” 

REVIEW

35

TOP ENTERTAINMENT OF 2013 MOVIES

TV SHOWS

by NURI YI

by SIERRA HIERONYMUS

THOR: THE DARK WORLD

SHERLOCK

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) makes an uneasy alliance with his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), in an effort to save Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and defeat the Dark Elf Malekith (Christopher Eccleston).

The raved-about miniseries modernizes Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective and provides humor and suspense.

Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

REIGN Although not necessarily historically accurate, “Reign” offers pretty scenery and soapy drama that leaves viewers wanting more.

ONCE UPON A TIME Fairy tales given a new, darker spin and brought to our world.

This season focuses on the evil villain that is Peter Pan.

THE BOOK THIEF Set during World War II, “The Book Thief” is about the power of books and stories in dark times. Based on the novel by Markus Zusak, orphan Lisel Meminger helps her foster parents shelter a Jewish refugee named Max.

CATCHING FIRE Rebellion is brewing in Panem, and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are back in the arena.

ALBUMS

by RACHEL BLUESTONE

THE 1975

PRISM

BAD BLOOD

The Manchester-based group’s debut album was released in early September to positive reviews. With a unique sound, The 1975 has an optimistic future ahead of them.

Katy Perry’s fourth studio album, Prism is a number one album featuring the hit songs “Roar,” “Dark Horse,” and “Unconditionally.”

Bastille’s first album was released in March 2013, peaking at 11th on the Billboard Top 100. It includes the hit single, “Pompeii.”

36

REVIEW

Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

PICCIONE

H

by MARINA HENKE

e was making meringues. Outfitted in a white chef coat with an American flag on one sleeve and an Italian flag on the other, head chef Chef Martin Lopez whipped egg yolks as if it was second nature. From across the kitchen, manager Laura Dignon packed cannolis with a creamy filling.

All of the action took place a few feet away from eager customers. There was no clear line between where the cooking stopped and the eating began.

This is Piccione, an Italian late-night pastry store founded on the intersection of Skinker and Delmar. The interior of the building is somewhere between an old Italian dining room and a side-street café in the middle of Rome. Huge family-sized grey tables fill half of the store. The walls are a mixture of grey and bright red, a sharp contrast to the grainy family pictures hanging on the farthest end of the building.

When I stepped into the store, a busy room awaited me. A group of college students had just bought a dozen pastries and were bringing them over to one of the tables. Moments later, Lopez emerged from the open kitchen behind the counter and asked them how they were enjoying their food.

I ordered the mocha checkerboard cassata cake, a chocolate chip cannoli and the prosciutto frittata. Prices were higher than the average pastry store, yet they seemed to be a reflection of the high-quality ingredients and delectable taste.

My first bite into the mocha cassata cake brought me back to my own year in Italy. Piccione’s cake provided me with both the Italian ambiance and superb taste. Topped with creamy chocolate and mocha-infused

whipped cream, the rum soaked sponge cake was creamy yet surprisingly light.

I swiftly moved to the cannoli, a treat that I am not typically fond of and had purchased only after learning that it was Piccione’s most popular pastry. One bite in and I couldn’t believe my earlier hesitation. The cream filling was not overly sweetened, yet it still packed a hefty punch. Instead of crumbling after the first bite, the cannoli stood up surprisingly well.

The frittata had also been bought on a whim, yet once again I was struck with a newfound respect for the humble egg and prosciutto dish.

The filling was incredibly smooth, and the prosciutto created a perfectly crisp top that balanced the flaky crust superbly.

Piccione is the only one of its kind in St. Louis. The store uses no mixes and tries to use very basic ingredients. Many of their selections are gluten-free, a remarkable feat for the type of Italian pastries they produce.

Chef Martin believes in Piccione’s dedication to staying natural.

“Pastries like this and bakeries like this are disappearing... We take a lot of pride in our stuff. We make small batches, we don’t use any mixes,” he said.

The days following my culinary endeavor, I found it hard to keep my mind off of the Italian delicacies. I yearned for just one more bite of my beloved mocha cassata cake, and dreamed of the next time I would find myself within the modernistic Italian atmosphere that Piccione offers.

This place is no mere pastry store.

Chef Martin adamantly agrees. The store’s goal is simple, he said: “To have the best pastries in the world.” 

Address: 6197 DELMAR BLVD · ST. LOUIS, MO 63112 Hours: -9:00 AM – 9:00 PM TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, SUNDAY -9:00 AM – 11:00 PM THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY -CLOSED MONDAY Photo by Noah Engel

Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

BANGERZ

SEMPITERNAL

Miley Cyrus’ fifth studio album, this number one album confirms her new sound and image. It includes the hit songs “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball.”

Released in April 2013, “Sempiternal” is Bring Me The Horizon’s fourth studio album. It peaked at 11th on the Billboard Top 100.

Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons

REVIEW

37

LARGE UNIVERSITIES

VS. SMALL COLLEGES GO BIG?

by AUDREY HOLDS

You heave your duffel bag over your shoulder, making your first steps upon the green before you. Freedom has never felt so good. It seems that the long, hard work in high school has finally paid off as you imagine the exciting new adventures before you. Football games, new people, parties - a life that is entirely your own to create.

But imagine this: after the first few months of college, you begin to recognize most of the faces that pass by in the hallway. No one is painting their face blue at the football games, and you long for more excitement and ground to cover. Only in a short time, this fantastic adventure you imagined has turned into your worst nightmare, and you’re repeating high school all over again.

The above experience should never befall any individual but is all too common at small colleges. Small colleges don’t offer the same possibility for endless opportunities and expanses of people to meet as big colleges do. After attending high school it seems that people would want something grander, and more exciting out of life.

Big colleges prepare students for the real world, in which there are always unfamiliar faces and in which people must take control of their own lives.

Although this takes some assertiveness on the student’s part, it is a necessary life skill to be independent and not to be coddled by college.

This is not to say that at big colleges students will feel overwhelmed or not make close friends.

Big colleges have a way of making things smaller by rooming together students who share interests with each other. The college will also put students in the same classes together, so that eventually they can recognize and make friends with those around them, even though the student body can sometimes exceed 30,000 students.

When interviewing for a job, big colleges often have larger name recognition. There is a tremendous amount of respect for the big universities out there, and employers might be more likely to hire a person whose alma mater they recognize.

Educationally, larger universities offer a wider variety of classes. There are more faculty members and more opportunities as well as activities that they are able to offer their students. Many colleges have broad majors, but the bigger the school, the more finite classes the school will offer within that particular major. Bigger schools also tend to have more funding for equipment, making research opportunities possible that might not be available at a smaller school.

When choosing a college, students may find that going to a larger university offers limitless opportunities with a seemingly unlimited number of people. At a large university, the sky truly is the limit. There are always exciting new possibilities awaiting and adventures to be played out. At a large college, people can finally break through their shell of high school and begin to live their own lives exactly as they’ve always dreamed. 

OR A PLACE LIKE HOME?

without being overwhelmed by an inundation of classes from which it is impossible to choose.

These invaluable insights into different career paths can be hard to access in overcrowded classrooms with little one-on-one time with professors.

By choosing large universities with overwhelming student bodies, new students often strip themselves of the vital support system which will allow them to survive and to flourish under these new situations.

In addition to their personal atmosphere, chance for exploration and close community, the depth of opportunity provided by small schools creates a small-college environment that encourages and protects the unique passions and characteristics possessed by each student.

The “right” choice between big schools and small schools is one that is unique to every student. Some might thrive in large universities with massive student bodies, while others will flourish in schools with less than three hundred pupils per grade.

However, it’s important not to rule out small colleges simply because they lack the impressive scale of larger schools.

Instead, look at how your prospective schools mirror you—not just as an academic, but as an individual.

In the end, small colleges soar past large universities in their ability to give each student an education as idiosyncratic as themselves. 

by GWYNETH HENKE In a world of over seven billion people, our generation is provided with an excess of opportunities to disappear. Personalities can wear away beneath the rush of students through a crowded hallway, the procession of standardized test scores and the parade of letters on a grade report.

So the question presented to our generation is: why would you choose to make yourself any smaller?

Colleges can provide students with a chance not simply to advance their academic pursuits, but to deepen and enhance their understanding of themselves as individuals.

A student’s choice of college, then, should reflect this intimate experience; it should be a place in which he or she feels valued for his or her unique quirks and characteristics.

But in the decision between small colleges that provide this intimate environment and their larger counterparts, thousands of applicants favor schools with greater populations.

Admittedly, large universities offer several promises which, in some ways, surpass those of small colleges. The breadth of opportunities, the chances to take part in research and the facilities are often more impressive at large universities.

However, although they might fall short of the plethora of opportunities of universities, small colleges still offer a vast number of unique experiences that can be equally life-changing for students.

Schools with smaller student bodies provide the personal experience that can often be lacking in schools with larger populations. A smaller student-to-teacher ratio ensures that students will be more than a statistic within the annals of university history. Instead, students at small schools are provided with a chance to get to know their teacher outside of cavernous lecture halls as well as for their teachers to appreciate them through mediums other than their final grade.

College, like high school, shouldn’t simply be about earning the grade or getting all the points. By offering more intimate classes, small colleges can promote discussion-based learning between individuals who understand and respect one another. Instead of preparing their students for the next test, these intimate classes prepare their participants for real life.

For students who are struggling with the decision of what field to focus on in their college education, these personal and intensive courses offer an opportunity for students to discover their interests and passions

Artwork by Audrey Palmer Commentary

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SCHOOLS AND Privacy: A Hard Debate

by YOSSI KATZ

B

enjamin Franklin once said, “People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.” In every era of American history, the same vociferous debate has raged over which freedoms, if any, people should give up in exchange for the promises of security. Today, in light of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden’s continuing leaks about U.S. government surveillance, the issue has risen again to the forefront of the public consciousness.

This debate is particularly relevant within schools. Newspapers across the country dotted with stories of bullying-induced suicide and school violence. As a result, many have called for schools to play a greater role in their students’ online lives. Additionally, proponents of this expansion of school oversight cite the social media postings of school shooters, which in retrospect show clear signs of mental illness and sometimes threaten violence. They argue that schools need to take nontraditional steps to ensure the safety and well-being of their students.

In recent years, the Clayton School District has made changes designed to make its schools safer. An effort was undertaken to increase the number of police officers, SROs, posted to the District’s schools. Cameras now stand in every hallway and around every corner. Starting later this year, CHS students will enter the building using their personalized ID card through locked doors or must pass a campus supervisor posted at

the unlocked front doors.

The Snowden leaks outraged a country that believed that its government would never engage in warrantless surveillance of innocent citizens. While there is no reason to believe that the district is engaging in anything of this nature, it is certainly creating the necessary framework.

The district could theoretically record which students leave school when, with whom, and through which door.

At Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania, school authorities secretly and remotely took more than 66,000 photos of students at home through the webcams of students’ school-issued laptops. The case, called “WebcamGate,” resulted in the district’s paying two students a total of $610,000 for infringing on their privacy. This is an example of overreach, or as Franklin would put it, surrendering too many freedoms for limited, if any, extra security.

Even though an administrator at CHS had a recent, high-profile debacle involving social media surveillance of students, there is no reason to suspect anything of this nature is currently occurring at Clayton.

However, when the PATRIOT Act was passed in 2001, few expected that it would lead to the wide-scale spying uncovered by Snowden’s leaks.

Twain tells us that “History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” It would be prudent to keep a calm, open, and observant mind while monitoring the full extent of the District’s changes. 

GLorIfication of Depression

by RACHEL BLUESTONE

S

ocial media is pervasive. And maybe that’s the first part of the problem - it’s 2013 and nearly everywhere you look, society is watching. As human beings, we want to fit in, to be a part of something, and so we join in.

Maybe this is the second part of the problem - it’s 2013 and nearly everyone is partaking in social media. We’re adding our voices to the billions that are already online because we feel as though someone is hearing our opinion; that someone else is listening.

This is the third aspect of the problem - it’s 2013 and we just want somebody to listen.

By listening to others, we are being influenced. The definition of influence is “the capacity or power of persons or things to produce effects on actions, behavior and opinions.”

These people to whom we listen, the people locked behind closed doors and putting their life online, don’t have the power. At least, they have neither political nor military power. These people have the power of technology, cameras and the keyboard, which all weave together to form photographs and words that somehow seduce us and heavily impact the way in which we think.

These people are bloggers.

On the social media site Tumblr, it’s common to see bloggers romanticizing afflictions such as depression and self-harm.

“The pendulum has swung from ‘let’s never talk about it, and let’s

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COMMENTARY

never educate ourselves about it,’” expert of adolescent psychiatry, Dr. Stan Kutcher, said in an interview with The Atlantic last October, “to ‘let’s everyone blab about it.’”

What’s the consequence of this? Society is ignoring many depressed feelings, believing them to be an exaggeration of what a person is truly is feeling. However, being depressed is now, all of a sudden, normal.

Recognizing this in March of 2012, Tumblr made a long overdue decision to ban blogs that promote and glorify self harm. And while some might argue that this decision deviates from the original goal of Tumblr, to provide a safe place for expressing one’s views and opinions, the Tumblr staff would disagree. In the same post that they announced their decision to ban said blogs, they also reassured Tumblr bloggers, saying, “We aim to sustain Tumblr as a place that facilitates awareness, support and recovery.”

The problem cannot be blamed on Tumblr. The micro-blogging site has done everything short of restricting freedom of speech in an effort to provide a safe place. Instead of playing the blame game, society needs to stop glorifying serious mental illnesses.

There is nothing glorious about depression.

By using the word “depression” to describe every negative feeling, society is causing the word to lose its meaning. Depression is a mental illness, and it should be treated as such - not as something that is suddenly “cool” to have. 

will school get the jingles?

by MAX STEINBAUM

R

yan Luhning,one of the school’s assistant principals, sat upright in his office chair, hands folded, deep in thought. Luhning was silent, although an occasional laugh emanated from the small group of secretaries congregated just outside the room. “This is going to get to the Supreme Court eventually,” he said. “It’s just a matter of how soon.”

What Luhning was referring to is the Missouri House Bill 278, or more commonly recognized as the “Missouri Merry Christmas Bill.” Essentially, it states that no public building, park or school can ban or restrict the practice, mention, celebration or discussion of any federal holiday.

The bill was originally vetoed by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat, although his signature of disapproval was overridden by the predominately conservative state legislature, which therefore made the bill a law.

So why is a bill that protects the celebration of federal holidays “going to get to the Supreme Court?” It seems pretty harmless.

The Supreme Court would become involved if the new law is believed to infringe on one of the rights protected by the Constitution. In this case, the law would conflict with the First Amendment’s ban on “the establishment of religion [by the government],” which has fundamentally been interpreted as the separation of church and state.

In other words, the government cannot “prefer” one religious holiday over another, and the new law could be doing just that. Christmas (unlike any Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or holiday of any other faith) is a national holiday, and therefore its celebration cannot be banned in public settings.

These settings would include public schools.

Therein lies the conflict: if the new law stands, Missouri public school districts could not ban the celebration of Christmas, although they could technically ban the celebration of other religious holidays.

Luhning, however, ultimately believes that the new law, regardless of whether it is declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court or remains

(Attiya Charrington) untouched, won’t have a big effect on Clayton High School.

“I’m not really sure anyone’s ever asked to put [religious holiday decorations] up,” he said. “I’m not sure if there’s ever been a request, [like] ‘Hey, we want to put a manger scene on your front lawn,’ or ‘We want to put Christmas trees all over the building’, or ‘We want to put the menorah all over the building.’”

Luhning believes that despite the law, CHS will still retain respect for all holidays.

“I think our students just have enough respect for each other’s differences that they probably would not even think that would be an acceptable thing to do,” Luhning said. “I believe our students respect each other enough that if they put something up that was offending someone else, [they] would really think twice about it.”

Luhning also said that he believes CHS is a community that is accepting, tolerant and welcoming of all faiths and backgrounds.

“If people wanted to see how people treat each other from different walks of life, this is a pretty good place to come. We accept each other for who we are,” he said.

While all of these things may be true, one question still lingers: if decorations were to be displayed throughout the school in celebration of Christmas, what if some people wanted to put up decorations for holidays of other faiths as well?

“Anything that gets put up [in the school], we ask it to get approved by our activities director, [Mike] Nelke,” Luhning said. “[...] And it can be put up as long as it’s not vulgar, or there’s no poor message being sent.

So, sure.”

Even if problems regarding the new law don’t arise in Clayton, conflict will likely come about elsewhere in Missouri which will likely cause the law to be challenged.

Needless to say, we might be in for an interesting holiday season. 

COMMENTARY

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Ask.fm: Asking for trouble? art by Stephanie Langendorfer

As I get home from school I check Ask.fm, along with Facebook, Gmail, Instagram and Snapchat.

by LAWRENCE HU

Usually, on Ask.fm there are a barrage of replies, and an equal number of questions in your inbox. These range from “How was your day?” to “What are you wearing right now?” while some are much, much worse.

The social media website ask.fm allows users to ask questions of one another either anonymously or with their name displayed.

The site was launched in the summer of 2010 and has over 65 million registered users as of July 4th this year. The site’s slogan is “ask and answer,” but that’s barely what’s going on with the social network.

The idea behind the imfamous site is nothing new.

A company that predated Ask.fm, known now as simply “Spring”, and dealt with the same concept, popularity and users are the same thing.

The website works as follows. A user of the website signs up for an account, using their email, Facebook, Twitter or VK.com.

They are then allowed to set up their own page where people can ask them questions and read the ones that they have answered in the past. On top of that, people are also able to freely visit others pages, sending comments, questions or replies.

On a normal day, ask.fm is a fun way to learn more about your friends or about strangers, the website turns dark when the anonymity is abused in a very harsh and reckless fashion Having used it for a few months, I have witnessed countless examples of cyber-bullying and harassment, and it will truly make you wonder how far will people go to ruin somebody’s day. The answer is, quite far.

Unfortunately, Ask.fm is not exempt from a grim history.

Anonymous users caused the suicide of a 16-year-old girl last winter, stirring up a wealth of controversies pertaining to the website. Many people even campaigned to have it shut down.

Despite the clear potential for misuse, I have to defend the site.

Cyberbullying , even to an extreme extent, is not exclusive to Ask.fm. Countless suicides have been linked with other social media websites, yet they are not offline because of that. It’s not the particular platform that is the problem, it is the bullies.

The site can be a harmless tool used in order to have fun, but being aware that the dark side is present is extremely important.

No website is perfect. Of course, the social network was never meant to be used as a tool to dish out hate messages and vulgar comments anonymously, but people will always find a way to take advantage of something for evil. 

The social media website ask.fm allows users to ask questions of one another either anonymously or with their name displayed.

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J

STAFF ED

asvindar Singh was born on a sugarcane farm in Figi. From a young age, he helped his family grow and harvest the sugarcane crop while attending school. His uncle would often visit them and play chess with his brothers, but when Jasvindar asked to play with them, his brothers refused. Indignant, he began to teach himself how to play.

After high school, Singh began studying medicine at university while playing chess in tournaments and competitions. In 1986, the first year that Figi competed in the Chess Olympiad, Singh was one of four of his countrymen invited to compete. He won seven of his 12 games, a success rate that qualified him for an international ranking. He was the first person from the South Pacific to qualify for such an honor.

After completing medical school and a clinical residency in Fiji, Singh continued to play at the 1988 and 1990 Chess Olympiads. He was the Fijian national champion for seven consecutive years.

However, when Singh moved to the United States to find a medical specialty, he had to choose one of his two passions: chess or medicine.

Aware that it was impossible to do both at a high level, he chose medicine.

Singh, now a full time cardiologist at Barnes Hospital, is just one of the Globe’s 10 most influential people in Clayton.

The Globe wanted to share a little bit about local residents who have become leaders within the Clayton community.

But this mission begs the following question: what exactly qualifies someone as a leader?

Oftentimes, the answer to this question seems obvious. Our leaders

Photos all taken by Globe staff members (see cover story pg. 21 for photographers).

are the Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill, the fiery politicians whose impassioned debates dominate the airwaves. Or our leaders are the media giants, the photogenic and persuasive stars who give us the news, entertain us and console us from the warm pixilated glow of the TV screen.

But this popular definition of leadership is contingent upon one misconception that is overly common in our hyper-connected world: the idea that exposure implies influence.

Sadly, fame is often mistaken for value. Celebrities like the Kardashians and Paris Hilton are in the public eye, but this does not make them leaders. Just because every detail of their lives is publicly broadcasted does not mean that they are qualified to influence ours.

That’s why we must exercise caution when looking up to our politicians or celebrities as torchbearers of our society: their voice may be louder than ours but that doesn’t make their words worth listening to.

Instead, the Globe staff looked to tell the story of Clayton’s subtler heroes, our everyday residents whose influence comes not from the degree of their fame but from the quality of their work.

We interviewed chef Gerard Craft, professional violinist Dana Myers and city manager Craig Owens. Each of these leaders have dedicated their lives to enriching the community that surrounds them.

Their success can’t be measured in personal accolades, rather, it is the vibrancy of the Clayton community that gives testament to their lasting influence.

When Dr. Jasvindar Singh walks down the streets of Clayton he sees the faces of people upon whom he has operated, and whose lives he may have saved. In a small town like Clayton, this serves as an immediate reward for the work he does every day.

In addition, it serves as a reminder of Singh’s decision between his two passions: chess and medicine. Singh chose medicine and, like the rest of the Globe’s influential citizens, dedicated himself to making his community a better place. Above all else, it is that selfless decision that makes a true leader. 

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UPFRONT

12

SAm i am samuel harned With the last chalkboard in Clayton High School, CHS history teacher and department chair Samuel Harned tends to stray from the pack in terms of the mediums through which he teaches. Globe reporter Jeffrey Friedman sat down with Mr. Harned to find out more about his unique ways.

by JEFFREY FRIEDMAN Why do you choose to place less emphasis on the use of technology in your teaching methods than do most other teachers?

(Photo by Noah Engel)

I don’t feel the need to do something that’s just different if what I feel I’m doing right now is working … I do get a little tired of the overwhelming push towards technology ... There’s not a lot of serious discussion around its use in general but also its use in education. There’s a passive acceptance of it without questioning whether it really is worth the money; whether it’s an improvement; whether it’s really going to improve student learning.

Q&A

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way today’s world operates, what would it be and why?

I would like to go into schools that are not very good and figure out a way for students that are in those schools, who are very capable, to be given an opportunity to use their capabilities and actually succeed in things … I think they would flourish … If you solve that then a bunch of other beneficial things could happen if you’re deepening your talent base by drawing those people that are capable to do more.

What is the one thing, if there is any one thing in particular, you would want your students to take away from your class?

It can be exciting and acceptable to be intellectual, to love history and to use your mind.

(Photo by Olivia MacDougal)

Describe someone who has had a significant impact on your life.

Why do you choose to place less emphasis on the use of technology in your teaching methods than do most other teachers?

I don’t feel the need to do something that’s just different if what I feel I’m doing right now is working … I do get a little tired of the overwhelming push towards technology ... There’s not a lot of serious discussion around its use in general but also its use in education. There’s a passive acceptance of it without questioning whether it really is worth the money; whether it’s an improvement; whether it’s really going to improve student learning.

How has the lack of technology in your classroom seemed to positively and/or negatively influence your students’ experiences?

Positively, I think it does give them a little variety: it’s something a little different, and it’s almost so antique now, it’s almost museumlike so maybe it’s even, as I tell them, like walking back to their parents’ classroom, it’s like walking into the education museum, so maybe they get a kick out of that ... Negative, I think the thing I need definitely to get better on, and I’ve tried to incorporate it this year, would be the use of Powerpoint for art … And my eight and eleven-year-old have been instrumental in moving me forward in the world of Powerpoint art slides. And Bill has done a marvelous job at creating some of the work that I use in class.

Kudos to Bill. Students need to thank Bill.

Comment on how technology has adapted since you first became a teacher.

Well it has become much more a part of most teachers’ everyday work, and I’m sure for many it’s a good thing … I think the screen is very se-

I’d say my wife for putting up with me.

It can be exciting and acceptable to be intellectual, to love history and to use your mind. ductive in terms of its ability to get compliance with students. They are very screen-based. I’m not so sure that always a vibrant or intellectual environment is being created by it: it’s hard to know what’s going on with those. But I think there has been a drift in that direction. It could be good, it could be bad, and my motto about this is that ‘there are many roads to the Budda.’ Just don’t make me go on one road, because there could be a lot of different ways … I’ve been around long enough to know that if what I’m doing is not working, I will clearly make adjustments and move towards a more technological classroom. I’m not a stubborn, ‘I’m going to do it my way regardless’ person.

What would your senior quote be if you had the option to choose one today?

‘Samuel Harned – breaker of horses.’

If you could change one thing about the

How would you summarize your philosophy on life and work?

I’d say, the number one thing: you’re going to have to work very, very hard. That’s just the way it is … And as I tell students … for everything that you’re going to have to really devote your energy to and that you really want to be good at, you will have to prepare massively…

To somehow think that you could shortcut that would be a complete lie. I think the other thing is that you’re going to have to learn to be resilient … there are going to be very tough things to get through, no matter who you are or how much money you have … You have to be willing to get a lot of tough stuff, to keep coming back and to be hard to knock out …

Massive preparation, incredible hard work and resiliency are things that would be really important … but hard qualities to get, by the way.

Not easy. All things stated here are easier said in an interview than done in real life.

What is most important to you? What do you think should be most important to the majority of people?

Number one would be family. Always. How your family’s doing, supporting each other, trying to help each other. Especially through tough times; sticking together. The second would be that you take joy in your work. Work makes you happy; work makes you fulfilled.

The third would be that you have to have interests. Things that you find interesting, things that you want to study, things that make your mind come alive and things that keep your mind very much alive throughout your life. 

Q&A

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