Globe Newsmagazine, December 2017, Issue 4, Vol. 89

GL T

BE EQUITY

H E

I S S U E

issue 4, volume 89 Clayton High School. Clayton, MO. December 2017.

T H A N K Y O U TO OUR SPONSORS! The Globe is an entirely self-funded publication. We receive no funding from the school district for printing. Each issue of the Globe costs approximately $2000 to print. We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for their support of our publication. They make our work possible. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please email us at globe@claytonschools.net.

ISSUE SPONSORS ($2000 Level) Gail Workman

GOLDEN GREYHOUND SPONSORS ($200+ Level) The Respess Family Anne Glowinski and James Fehr Big Bend Auto Center Cit y of Clayton Center of Clayton S t. Louis Communit y College Integrit y DT L S La n d s c a p e A rc h i te c t u re The Family of Larry B a ker Subway Dale Avenue Pedia trics Windsor

WORLD TRAVELER SPONSORS ($100+ Level) Nor thwest Coffee The LaGes se S tanton Family The Sharma Khanna Family The Althouser Krutzsch Family The Kim Family The Higuchi Family

SPONSORS SPONSORS

2 23

GL 18 28 34

42

BE

contents december 2017 issue 4, volume 89

Displaced and Erased Winter Sports Preview Clementine’s Opinion: Equality vs. Opportunity

Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery in Clayton has become a popular stop for Clayton students since opening in the DeMun neighborhood (Photo by Michael Melinger).

3

CONTENTS

GL

STAFF

BE

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS

Noah Brown and M itali Sharma

Madeline Bale

CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR

M ichael Bernard Charlie Brennan

Lauren Prais s

J acob LaGes se

PHOTO EDITOR

SECTION EDITORS

Michael Melinger

Justin Guilak, NEWS

COPY EDITOR

L i l a T a y l o r , F E AT U R E

N e e l Va l l u r u p a l l i

Daniel Cho, SPORTS

CHIEF VIDEO EDITOR

Olivia Joseph, OPINION

Sean Kim

Richard Cheng , RE VI EW

GRAPHICS EDITOR

REPORTERS

Lizzy Mills

BUSINESS MANAGER Daniel Cohen

PAGE EDITORS

Ashley Chung

William Redington

Cindy Combs

Leo Thoma s

J osephine Cross

Sophia Thompson

Camille Curtis

S a m Yo u k i l i s

S a m Ze i d

Ka t i e H e

Sam Fehr

Hongkai Jiang

Ca therine Walsh

Sophie Bernstein

Leo Gavitt

S a n Kw o n

N ikki Seraji

Maddy Ackerburg

J a n e Ka l i n a

Ke i l a n M o r r i s e y

Grace Snelling

Lise Dersken

Cody Krutzsch

Laura Par vu lescu

Ka t i e S n e l l i n g

Mariclare Ga tter

Paul Liu

Philip Stahl

Sarah Baker

Gracie Morris

James Malone

Junyi Su

Sara S temmler

Theo Fehr

Neema Naemi

Victor Wei

PHOTOGRAPHERS Synthia Baer

Fiona McGuire

Erin Brown

Alexandra Hardie

Barrett Bentzinger

Jovan Miller

Isabella Clark

Paige Holmes

Elizabeth Cordova

Mallory Palmer

Za ch a r y C o b l e

Xuenan Jin

Alex Darmody

Sophia Ryan

Cindy Combs

Caroline Marsden

Ella Engel

Saniya Sah

Ka t h r y n C o o p e r

Ka t h e r i n e O w i n g s

Catherine Holtzman

Annika Sandquist

Gwen Duplain

Mia Redington

I sheeta Khurana

Emma Siegel

Madison Gudmestad

Madison Rudd

Professional Affiliations: Sponsors of School Publications, Missouri Interscholastic Press Association, Missouri Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association

F R O M T H E E D I TO R When I was a young, up-and-coming freshman I was tasked with working on a part of the Globe cover story, “Bursting the Bubble.”

Before working on this article, like many at CHS, I had heard of this so-called “Clayton bubble” encompassing almost all aspects of our day-to-day lives. In writing this article, our goal was to “pop’ this bubble and showcase to our readers the uniqueness of communities around us.

To immerse ourselves in the story, several reporters and I spent a few hours driving around University City one Friday afternoon, trying to soak in as much of the city’s flavor as we could. We ended the day with a self-guided tour of University City High School, where we talked to students with the hope of learning about what made life different for a U-City student in comparison to a Clayton one.

Feeling satisfied with what we had learned, we were preparing to leave when we were approached by a student who was curious as to what we were doing. As we had many times that day, we rattled off our spiel.

I expected the student, like most of the others we had talked to that day, to respond with a simple “cool” or “that’s interesting.” However, he did not interpret the idea quite like we had.

“So,” the student said nonchalantly, “you’re basically writing a story about how superior Clayton is.”

This, as one can imagine, caught me offguard.

As this was not at all the intention of our work, we tried to explain to him how this wasn’t our goal and how we just wanted to write about the highlights of his community.

However, throughout the rest of the day I could not stop thinking about what he had said.

I was taken aback that the student’s first thoughts of us were that we desired solely to emphasize the inequities that exist between his world and ours.

The perspective of someone on the outside of this bubble caused me to reconsider my own perspective of my community. Until this point, I had been content to live my life within the Clayton bubble. I knew that Clayton was not diverse and that most of the people I interacted with lived affluent lives, but I did not consider any potential consequences of this closed-mindedness as relevant.

The word “Clayton” has become synonymous with adjectives such as “affluent” or “white.”

As I learned from that random encounter with a student I will probably never see again, the Clayton bubble is not a phenomenon experienced just from the inside.

To people living outside of Clayton this bubble is all too visible. They see a community lacking in diversity, and they see the consequences of this we are often blind to.

However, as examined in this issue, this wasn’t always the case.

The Globe Newsmagazine exists to inform, enter tain, 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 repor ters write is published in the print newsmagazines . Visit www.chsglobe.com for additional stories and photos and for more information about the Globe itself. We reser ve the right to refuse any adver tisement - for more information about advertising and subscriptions, please contact our office: Clayton High School Globe 1 M a r k Tw a i n C i r c l e C l a y t o n , M O 6 31 0 5 ( 314 ) 8 5 4 - 6 6 6 8 globe@claytonschools.net

Clayton once possessed the some of the diversity that strengthens its neighboring communities. Now, many Clayton students grow up in a sheltered community that is not necessarily representative of the people and situations they will encounter in the future.

And this is not likely to change soon.

We must challenge ourselves to be more open-minded, to dive into solving the problems of inequity that plague our society instead of standing safely on the shore.

Then, maybe, we can expand upon and revise the definition and perception of what it means to live in Clayton.

jacob lagesse @jlagesse95 SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

5

LETTER

Cast members from the Clayton High School Fall play, “She Kills Monsters,� stand armed and ready.

Photo by Eric Woolsey

Now open!

C

o

Accepting new patients.

Same day appointments available.

m

e g w o wi r t h us

DALE AVENUE PEDIATRICS Kristin Stahl, M.D.

7600 Dale Avenue

Sarah O’Grady, M.D.

Saint Louis, Missouri 63117

Gretchen Sander, M.D.

p: 314.833.KIDS

Liling Lai, M.D.

DaleAvenuePediatrics.com

Call US

314-645-4704 Your Auto Service Experts For Over 50 Years

address

Big Bend Auto Center 1710 S Big Bend Blvd St. Louis MO 63117

Welcome Back to School Clayton High!

Time for an Oil Change Take

$6

Need Car repair Take

OFF*

Off $10 any Service*

*Not to be combined with any other offers. Some restrictions apply. See shop for details Expires May 31st 2018

www.BigBendAutoCenter.com info@bigbendautocenter.com

St. Louis Warehouse Fire On Wed, Nov. 15, a warehouse in the Botanical Heights neighborhood of St. Louis caught fire. The warehouse burned completely down, despite efforts from the fire department. Nobody was seriously injured, but a wall collapsed on a nearby firetruck and damaged it. The fire department did, however, have concerns about toxic chemicals from the warehouse producing harmful fumes in the smoke. Insect repellent candles and Styrofoam were among the possible threats.

A wall fell on this firetruck during the warehouse fire. Photo provided by David Carson in St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Last year, CHS English teacher Ben Murphy and friends of the late Julie Englesman created a writing contest and award to honor her and her approach to life. Englesman graduated from CHS in 1984 and was known for living her life true to herself -- authentically. The prompt for the writing challenge honors this, calling for students to “use your life as inspiration and write about anything your soul needs said.” The essays will be evaluated by a committee of English teachers, and the first three winners will be awarded up to $250. Last year, junior Cindy Combs won first place, followed by freshman Emilio Rosas-Lindhard in second and sophomore Carmen Goodrich in third. The deadline for the 2017-2018 essay submission is Jan. 25. For any further questions, contact Ben Murphy.

BOTANICAL GARDENS “GARDEN GLOW”

22 NOV - 3 JAN UNION STATION POLAR EXPRESS

1-28 DECEMBER FIRST NIGHT IN GRAND CENTER

31 DECEMBER

Clayton High School on Lockdown Following an early morning-collision on I-170, Clayton High School went on soft lockdown on Nov. 15.

A Brentwood police officer attempted to pull over a vehicle on the highway, but the driver fled, eventually colliding with stopped traffic. The driver continued the escape on foot.

Clayton police, with help from the high school’s Student Resource Officer, Herman Whittaker, arrested the suspect just outside of CHS in the Field 7 baseball dugout. About an hour later, at 9:20 that morning, the police informed Clayton administrators of a second suspect.

Based on the level of threat indicated by communication with the Clayton police department, the school was put on a soft lockdown.

As opposed to a complete lockdown, students could still walk freely in the halls and move between classes.

However, they were temporarily restricted to the campus and the front entrances were monitored by school supervisors. Additionally, classroom doors were locked.

Soon after, at 10:05, the search for the second suspect had stopped and the soft lockdown was lifted.

While there was no known threat to the school during

This map highlights the closeness of the suspected threat to Clayton High School. The red circle shows the point where officers arrested the first suspect on the morning of Nov. 15.

that period, the lockdown was a precautionary measure to ensure student safety.

In all situations like this, the school consults with the Clayton Police Department to determine the nature of any threats, then acts on these regularly-practiced lock down procedures.

News and Notes

Julie Englesman Living Authentically Writing Award Offers Cash Prize

THINGS TO DO

ESCAPING THE BUBBLE Clayton students and parents share their thoughts on the Exchange Student Program.

by Sara Stemmler @sarasally_stem PAGE EDITOR

Loris Halama from Berlin, Germany (left) with host Nick Pompian (Photo by Barret Bentzinger)

LORIS HALAMA • Berlin, Germany How did you end up in Clayton?

So my host family and me have a very special relationship because my host father went to Germany in 1984, whereas my father has been to the US, so we have kept in contact. I met [Angela Pompian’s] parents in Pennsylvania, that’s where we go for Christmas.

FEATURE

10

So they hosted my father in 1984, so we kept contact, and they offered for me to come, and we are kind of friends. That’s why I came to Clayton.

What has been the most difficult aspect of being an exchange student?

To adapt a new life, to get along with your family, to manage and tackle all tasks independently, I mean, you don’t have your parents with you, so you have to see how you get along with everything. So I think this is what makes you develop this independence.

Kim Butler from Berlin, Germany, with host Julia Belize (Photo from Butler)

Why has there been a lack of CHS students that participate in an exchange?

The Department of State (Foreign Relations Department in the government) is much more strict about how exchange programs take place -- there are a lot more restrictions. I think it has to do with 9/11 and all those changes with visas.

So, if you’re an exchange student, you have to be on a certain kind of accredited program.

ANGELA POMPIAN Host mother to Loris Halama (Photo from Pompian)

KIM BUTLER •Berlin, Germany

What have been the benefits of being an exchange student?

Improving my English skills. Also to meet so many different people, trying to get a feel of the culture here, how things work, learn more about the country. I have a U.S. World History class, so I learn about how things work here in the government. It’s kind of like culture, people, school.

What advice would you give to CHS students looking to study abroad?

I would definitely suggest that they do it. It’s such a great thing to meet new people and have a second family. You really start loving them. My host family is part of my life now. I can’t imagine my life without Julia, my host sister, because I feel she is my sister. Also, just getting to know another country and another culture. It’s such a great thing. I mean, being international, you gain a lot of experience, you improve your language skills . I would do it again.

Seth George, host of Pauli Tapia Hernanzez (right), and Erik James Aslaksen (left). Photo from George.

What would you suggest for making the program better?

So what I was saying in this Strategic Visioning session was that we should do more of these two-week things, because two weeks is easy for a kid to take off school and to then have their own partner stay in their house for two weeks, and it’s more direct that way.

SETH GEORGE •Denmark

What compelled you to study abroad?

I think it was hosting Pauli from Chile, because she talked a lot about how fun it was, and I think the idea of meeting new people from other countries really intrigued me because I was adopted from the Philippines when I was ten months old. Hosting would probably be the reason I went abroad.

What advice would you give to CHS students looking to study abroad?

Don’t be afraid to just leave, and escape the Clayton bubble, they will be there when you get back. Nothing will change. It will feel like nothing really changed besides you.

And in a good way. And then you are prepared for college, you will have friends … like everywhere.

11

FEATURE

M A K I N G H I S TO R Y CHS history teacher David Aiello went to Phoenix this past fall to compete in the Men’s Senior Baseball League 55+ National Division World Series.

I

n the week of October 23-26, while students and teachers routinely attended school, CHS psychology teacher David Aiello became a world champion. To accomplish this feat, Aiello joined 17 of his teammates to compete in the Men’s Senior Baseball League 55+ National Division World Series in Phoenix, Arizona.

For a lifelong baseball player such as Aiello, the opportunity to play in the Senior Men’s World Series came after years of practice.

“I started with a Clayton parent whose son I coached probably 25 years ago, and when he found out that I was a baseball player, he asked me if I wanted to play on his team, and so I started doing that and I’ve been playing basically with that team for the better part of the last 25 years,” Aiello said.

Soon, Aiello was asked to go to Arizona with the team.

“Obviously, the players like myself have aged through the years, and we’ve gone from the over-25 league to the over-35 league, but every year for the past three or four years, there were a couple of guys who asked if I would be able to go to Arizona with them for what they called the World Series,” Aiello said. “Whenever they would tell me the dates, it would always be a time where it wouldn’t work out; most significantly it was always right around

FEATURE

123

when we had parent-teacher conferences, so I couldn’t miss that.

This year, when they happened to ask it was the week after parent-teacher conferences, and I said yes.”

In Phoenix, Aiello had the opportunity to play where many major league baseball teams participate in their spring training, and where many minor league teams play throughout the summer months.

“They’ve got these huge complexes that have a stadium field where they actually play their games, but then around the stadium, they have anywhere from six-eight more practice fields,” Aiello said. “We were able to play on all these different complexes, so we played one game at the Chicago Cubs complex, two games at the Cleveland Indians complex, one game at the Cincinnati Reds complex, and two games at the Oakland A’s complex.”

With this opportunity, also came playing seven hours a day in 95-100 degree heat.

“I tried to get myself into a little better shape in the weeks leading up to it, but nothing can prepare you for that. We’re constantly drinking as much water and Gatorade as you can,” Aiello said.

In fact, the night before the championship game, Aiello started getting Charley Horses in his legs.

“I would wake up, and I was trying not to wake my roommate

Photo of Aiello (fourth from right in second row) and his team in the Men’s Senior Baseball League 55+ National Division World Series (Photo from Aiello). to let him at least sleep, but I was sort of screaming under my breath and I was trying to get them not to hurt as much as possible,” Aiello said.

Nonetheless, Aiello served as a major contributor to the team.

Gary Siegel, Aiello’s teammate, describes Aiello’s leadership on and off the field.

“I played against Dave for years,” Siegel said. “However, twoyears ago, we started to play on the same team. I always knew he was a great player, but quickly learned that he was a great teammate. He is a quiet leader who always conducts himself with dignity on the baseball field. While many players are demonstrative after getting a bad call from the umpire, Dave never argues with the ump. He always is a positive influence in the dugout and encourages players who, like me, may make an error or two.”

Aiello showcased his positive attitude and leadership through his willingness to play any position that was needed in order for the team to win.

“Dave is the type of player who [it]would be within his rights to tell his manager that he will play only shortstop or pitcher or catcher,” Siegel said. “He is one of those players who is gifted enough to play any of those positions at an elite level. However, Dave has no ego at all and, on our championship team, was asked to play second base. He played almost every inning in the field and solidified our infield with his stellar play.”

As a result, the team dominated the tournament and won their third championship over the last 22 years.

“Because we won, we get to have some bling, so we had to go back to another one of the stadiums where they had sort of home base, and we all got fitted for rings, and we got to pick out what the inscriptions are and all that kind of stuff,” Aiello said. “So, we’re going to get those delivered in December, and we got a t-shirt that says ‘champions’ and all that other kind of cool stuff. It was so

much fun, it was so tiring.”

Although the team took home the winning championship, Aiello debates whether to do it next year due to the cost of the trip and the time it requires him to take away from teaching.

“It’s kind of difficult right now because we do have two kids in college and the entire trip was probably around $1600 to $1700 dollars, which is a little less money that our kids would have to take out in loans if I didn’t do it,” Aiello said. “So, we have to figure all that kind of stuff like that.”

Ultimately, however, Aiello is proud that he went on the trip and does not regret making the sacrifices to attend. As a teacher, father, and husband, Aiello dedicates the majority of his time to helping others.

“This was something that I did for me,” Aiello said. “It was really kind of cool after all these years of doing all these things for other folks to feel like this is just for me, this is just fun for me. Just to be sort of a kid again, and have all that sort of fun that I can remember now what it was like back in college and high school playing with a team. I really do feel like, as an adult, you lose some of that stuff that you used to do as a kid. As people get older and life starts to take up more of your time, sometimes we forget to do this kind of stuff, so this was just kind of a cool experience for me.”.....

lauren praiss @l.praiss CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR gracie morris @graciemorris827 PAGE EDITOR

13

FEATURE

M AT T H E W ’ S MISSION Photo of Garvey (right) in Fallujah, Iraq. Photo from Garvey.

“We had about three weeks left in Iraq, and then we were[going to] be packing up and heading back home. We were occupying a building [that] was part of the Iraqi government complex. The insurgents tried to overrun it by force. They started dropping mortars on us. About 150 insurgents tried to overrun our position,” Matthew Garvey, long term English substitute for Kathryn Schaefer, said. “At the same time they took a dump truck loaded with 15,000 pounds of explosives. They drove it into our entrance and blew it up. I remember thinking in my head, ‘well at least I know how I’m going to die. I’m gonna get blown up.’”

Garvey, who studied education and history at the University of Missouri St. Louis, is not completely new to teaching. In 2016, he spent time as a long term English substitute at McCluer North High School. However, before Garvey began his teaching career, he was working first hand with United States foreign affairs.

When Garvey was 24, he enlisted with the US Marine Corps, and soon after was deployed to Iraq as an infantry rifleman.

“I had two brothers that went in before me. I saw what the Marine Corps had done for both of them. I had an overwhelming feeling that operation Iraqi freedom [was] going to be the defining moment of my generation,” Garvey said. “It seems that every generation has this war.”

Garvey’s family has an extensive history with the US Armed Forces. His grandpa fought in World War II, and many of his uncles were in the military. His father additionally lived through the

FEATURE FEATURE

14

entire Vietnam War. His inspiration for joining the Marine Corps stemmed from his militaresque genealogy, and that two of the closest people to him, his younger brothers, were in the Marine Corps.

“I would sit and I would talk with a lot of people, and I would brag about my brothers. I would talk about how they’re in the marines and how they’re doing all these really awesome things,” Garvey said. “It seemed that everyone that I talked to that was older always had the same response. They always said, ‘I was going to join the marines, or I was going to join the military but…’ They always had an excuse that they were coming up with. I just knew that there was no way I could grow up and be in my 40s or 50s when you’re too old to join and look back and think, ‘I could’ve done that.’”

Garvey lives his life free of any regret. And the idea that he would be potentially missing a life changing experience was what finally pushed him over the edge to signing his name into service.

“I also had an overwhelming sense of service because there’s a lot of people in the world that are born with certain disabilities, and even if they wanted to they couldn’t do the physical things that we do,” Garvey said. “I just didn’t want to have that regret of knowing that I could’ve contributed and I could’ve done something and I could’ve been apart of something great.”

Before Garvey could begin training, he was required to take a baseline test in order to determine which jobs he would excel at.

The results of the test showed the Garvey would be exceptional in nearly every job available with the Marine Corps. The recruiting

officer suggested that Garvey should do a technologically based “I was probably in 1000 houses at least in my time over there. job. However, Garvey was determined to be right where the acSometimes you would have to search the house. A lot of times we tion was; he wanted to be in the infantry. were just using their rooftop as an over-watch position,” Garvey “[The recruiter] really tried talking me out of it. If I was gosaid. ing to work at a computer job in the military I would join the Air “Other people would be running operations in the area, and Force. They have much more of that technology,” he said. “I’m not we would have overlook positions. We were just looking around, joining the military to get some kind of technical training. I’m joinmaking sure everything was okay. I spoke a little bit of Arabic, so I ing the Marine Corps because there’s a war going on and I want was able to converse with the families,” Garvey said. “We always to go fight,” had to bring them into one room so we could keep an eye on evThe recruiter was an infantry veteran, and knew that it was not erybody. I would always try to be extra friendly with the families an adequate fit for the majority of enlistees. Unbeknownst to the because we were inconveniencing them [for] sometimes for six, recruiter, Garvey was one of the few that fit right into the infantry. eight or 10 hours.”

“Our job is to take the fight to the enemy, and in order to do According to Garvey, one of the more common injuries to that you have to be at peak physical and mental condition. Before American soldiers in Iraq are concussions. However, different each one of my deployments, we had six months of training to premilitary personnel often chose to handle the injury differently. pare for that,” Garvey said. “It was “I had several concussions when six months straight of you’re up at I was over there. I didn’t report it four in the morning everyday, and because if you had a concussion they you go, go, go until midnight. You would basically pull you off the front have a few hours to rack out and lines,” Garvey said. “I had friends then you’re going at it again.” over there who had pretty major Controlling the insurgents was concussions, and for two to three not the only daily task of Garvey weeks they couldn’t do anything. I and his comrades. couldn’t do that. You have a big sense “When we were in Iraq we foof brotherhood and duty.” cused a lot on nation building as Garvey did decide to report one well. Not the nicest place to be in concussion, but immediately regretthe world at that time. We kind of ted his decision. lived and died by a saying called, “It was the worst feeling in the ‘no better friend, no worse eneworld because if anything happened my.’ We fought as hard as we could to those guys, and I wasn’t there when needed be, but when it was with them, it would have been the time to be friendly with them we most horrible feeling,” Garvey said. really lived by that no better friend “I wasn’t going to do anything that part,” Garvey said. would keep me from my platoon.

According to Garvey, the local When I did have a few concussions, I families were incredibly caring, desay anything to anybody.”

Garrvey teaches in his classroom. didn’t spite the foreign encroachment of Now, months after returning from the Americans. The soldiers repaid Photo by Michael Melinger. the Middle Eastern state, Garvey is the citizens of Fallujah for their unstill affected by these head traumas. wavering hospitality.

“After I had been back for “We opened up the first elementary schools: three elementary about six months, it was then I really started to realize I had schools in Fallujah. None of the kids had gone to school since the some problems. I had pretty much no short term memory,” Garwar started in 2003,” Garvey said. “We installed their first ever vey said. “I would forget appointments. I had a lot of insomnia sewage line. They never had any sort of sewage in the city before [and] headaches.” we got there.”

Garvey also suffers from an interminable ringing in his left ear.

Garvey and his compatriots even went so far as to repair the Garvey claims it is nearly impossible to comprehend the overlapdeficient electrical grid of the city. ping discussions of students in the classroom.

“Before we showed up 70 percent of the city had power 50 “I felt that I had really been blessed by God with a good mind, percent of the time. When we left we had power pushing to 90 a good body and a good spirit,” Garvey said. “I felt that if I wasn’t percent of the city 100 percent of the time, so the power never utilizing my gifts that God had given me to its ultimate potential, went out,” Garvey said. “They had a lot of blackouts when we first then I feel like I would just be letting myself down.” got there.”

His company even worked to support the local government michael bernard and police and military forces. @mkevvb “We helped run recruiting drives for the Iraqi police and the SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR Iraqi army. [We] supervised some of their first democratic elections that they had had since the Saddam-Hussein regime,” Garlise derksen vey said. “We did a lot of good things over there.” As a result, Garvey became acquainted with some of the police officers and @lise.derksen soldiers involved.

PAGE EDITOR While in Fallujah, Garvey would have to personally enter the houses of the citizens for various reasons.

15

FEATURE

eq•ui•ty

|noun| Justice according to a natural law or right

INTRO

We chose to make this issue “The Equity Issue.”In other words, we decided to pay particularly close attention to “equity” –- historically, and its present manifestations in the school setting.

Our conversation started with a collective acknowledgement that before we could begin to address the manifestations of equity in any present-day setting, we must first solidify an understanding of the historical underpinnings of inequity. It is the prevalence of inequity and an understanding of its effects, after all, that makes the discussion and pursuit of equity worthwhile.

We ran a three-part cover series last year -- “Separate and Unequal” -- that examined the underlying issues associated with racial inequity in St. Louis. Last school year, as a staff we also watched and discussed the short documentary “Displaced and Erased,” which explores the origins of inequity – specifically in Clayton.

Keeping the momentum of last year’s exploration alive, we decided to delve further into Clayton’s segregated history and also investigate the present state of educational equity that has informed and will continue to inform the study and focus of Clayton faculty professional development. In this modern world, education and technology do go hand-in-hand, and we looked at how this relationship plays into equity as well.

ZONED OUT

By Jacob LaGesse, Anna Sturmoski and Grace Snelling

In the early 1940s, a young black man left his home in Mississippi to travel to St. Louis. Upon his arrival, he asked several acquaintances if they knew where the richest people in the city lived. Their answer was Clayton. “[Anna Williams’ father] took the trolley to Clayton, got off at Bonhomme and Hanley, and there was a black crossing guard.

And he said to the guy who’s helping these black kids across the street, ‘oh… you have black folks here? What’s the school system like?’ and the crossing guard told him it was great. He then wrote his wife, ‘get the kids together, here’s the money to come.’ And they lived in Clayton,” said former CHS history teacher Donna Rogers-Beard, who has spent the past several years researching

the history of African Americans in Clayton.

From the early 1880s to 1960, Clayton was home to a substantial percentage of black citizens (compared to today) -- numbering nearly 300 black inhabitants at the height of the flourishing community. These people made up a predominantly African American neighborhood which was situated near the Ritz-Carlton off of Brentwood, Hanley and Bonhomme, as well as several surrounding streets. According to Rogers-Beard, it was a community where, despite the division elsewhere in the country, people of varying backgrounds and races felt comfortable.

“It was actually an integrated area. There were white people who lived in that area. And there were apartment houses, there

were rooming houses, there were dwelling houses, it was a really mixed bag,” Rogers-Beard said.

The Bonhomme and Hanley neighborhood offered not only a relative sense of safety to those who lived there, but also an opportunity for black parents to seek a better education for their children. Crispus Attucks Elementary, erected in 1894 at the intersection of Bonhomme and Hanley roads, was a single-room school built in response to the segregation of Clayton schools, which were initially integrated.

“In comparison to the education that was afforded black people in the city at the time, the Attucks school was considered to be a good school. There were programs available during the summer that were paid for by Clayton’s board of education. And the people who went to Attucks school fondly remember those programs.

It was a good place in the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s, when a lot of places were absolutely horrible. They had an opportunity to be in the best school district, which was Clayton, where property values were going up most,” Rogers-Beard said.

Bertha Rhoda, who taught at the Attucks school, told Wydown middle student interviewers in the 1970s that she did not believe that the children who attended her school felt estranged by their inability to attend white schools.

“We were just children and it was our school. Children do not see the things that adults see. There were children that were their white friends. They would play with them. There was no particular ill-feeling.”

Those who attended the Attucks school and lived in the neighborhood recall it fondly, accrediting the tight-knit community with their ability to experience a blissful and care-free childhood. In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio, former Clayton resident Reverend Doris Graham said, “Those were some of the best days of my life. I went to Attucks school from kindergarten to third grade.”

Other residents of the Bonhomme area shared similar sentiments. Cora Rue, a white woman who lived in Clayton for her entire life, said of her experiences in the neighborhood during an interview with Wydown Middle School students in the 1970s, “It was very peaceful. We did have a few negro families in Clayton who were fine people. There was no discrimination that I can remember.”

For 60 years, the neighborhood grew and thrived– according to Rogers-Beard, most people who lived there were related to each other by blood, marriage, or work. However, by the 1950s, city developers began to speculate that the Hanley and Bonhomme area would be relatively easy to expand into based on its demographics. At first, this proposition was met by resistance from Clayton officials who attempted to prevent a highway from being built through the Attucks school area, but eventually they agreed with the developers.

“They sat down, government leaders and business leaders, and they made a decision about how Clayton should be in 20 years. And they were doing that across the country in the 1950s.

It was a time of economic prosperity and involved an incredible amount of change, a lot of movement of people. And I think when you are doing that you look at what’s the cheapest area to acquire through eminent domain, and also I think you look at who doesn’t have a seat at the table,” Rogers-Beard said. “So the decision was made to go down that strip and zone that from residential to commercial. First the city put in all sorts of requirements like you have to have so much footage, only so many people could be in these dwellings, etc. I don’t think anyone sat down and made a deliberate, ‘oh we’re gonna get rid of the black folks!’ as much as it was the cheapest area to gain access to.”

Donna Rogers-Beard photographed by Michael Mellinger

The rezoning was strategic in that African American families were individually offered above-market prices for their homes and forced out of the neighborhood slowly. Thus, Rogers-Beard said, the erasure of the community was not immediately apparent, even to those who continued to live there.

“It was done in a sort of buying off little by little until people realized that everyone was gone. You’d look around and say, ‘wait a minute … where’d everybody go?’” Rogers-Beard said. Essentially, the rezoning was completed in a fashion that was meant to avoid accusations of overt racism.

Gerard McKay, who attended the Attucks school in Clayton, as did his parents and seven older siblings, said, “First, the term ‘racist’ was not in our vocabulary or consciousness in Clayton in the mid-1950s.” Before having to move to California in 1957, his family had lived in Clayton since 1900, and possibly even earlier.

“Although I don’t recall any visible signage, there were clear and outward practices of segregation and discrimination by law and custom remaining in Clayton into my early childhood.”

McKay describes a pleasant childhood in Clayton, where he played outside, explored the city, and spent afternoons with his friends, both black and white.

“Although our family faced various degrees of segregation and discrimination over the years ... Clayton was also in many ways an idyllic island.” In fact, McKay says that he didn’t really understand the concept of segregation until he left Attucks Elementary to attend the much larger Maryland School, where several teachers caused feelings of alienation and embarrassment due to his

3

19

d.

Forsyth Bl vd.

rk

Pa

n Ave. S. Bemisto

Ave. S. Central

S. Meramec

Park D r.

Attucks School

e Ave.

Ave.

Bonhomm

Shaw

Ave.

d.

Carondelet

Shaw Park Dr.

LOCATION OF NEIGHBORHOOD IN CLAYTON DARKER BLACK REPRESENTS A HIGHER CONCENTRATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN-OWNED HOMES race. He remembers in particular his music teacher, who had the class sing songs of the antebellum south.

With added insight which he didn’t have as a young child, McKay says, the rezoning caused disruption, dislocation and ultimately, the total elimination of a community of people that had existed in Clayton since well before the turn of the 20th century ... although rezoning created an overwhelming property tax burden, it also produced higher property values and higher selling prices.

This again allowed families like ours, to have the financial ability to exercise new housing choices or to finance the start of a business as my father did.”

Although some citizens resisted the officials who hoped to push them out of Clayton, almost all of them were gone by 1960. The loss of African Americans in the Clayton area as a result of eminent domain was devastating. Culture, too, was lost in the rezoning -- Clayton’s second-oldest church, which was a black church, was taken over and demolished, as well as the Attucks school.

“There used to be signs in [predominantly white areas of] Clayton that said ‘This is Clayton.’ Clayton saw itself as becoming a lot more uniform, a lot more affluent,” Rogers-Beard said.

Today, Clayton is still feeling the effects of its decision to displace so many black community members. Based on a survey

by Data USA, there are currently 6.58 times more white people in Clayton than people of any other ethnic group. The Clayton School District, Rogers-Beard said, claims to prioritize diversity, while the city itself lacks citizens of diverse backgrounds.

“I don’t think that Clayton has been able to recover from losing that much diversity. Because we’ve been busing people in for I don’t know how long, but these people were a part of the commuity. They weren’t outsiders, they were tax-paying people who worked and lived in Clayton. It was a big, big mistake,” Roers-Beard said.

Clayton’s Voluntary Student Transfer program began as the result of a court order that legally bound the state of Missouri to put into place a rememdy for discriminatory schooling practices in the City of St. Louis. The program was designed to ensure equal learning opportunities for all children throughout St. Louis.

It buses in African American students from St. Louis neighborhoods across the city to schools in the Clayton School District

The Voluntary Student Transfer program is paid for by the state of Missouri and is in the process of phasing out. The last year that new students will be enrolled is in 2023.

When she first heard of the School District of Clayton beginning a VST program, Rogers-Beard was against the idea. She viewed it as a cheaper solution to the very expensive problem of establishing affordable housing. After hearing of the accomplishments of students who benefitted from the program, however, her opinion on the matter shifted.

“Once the program began, I really saw so many success stories.

But still there’s that feeling of being an outsider rather than being part of the community. Now that it’s ending, I think Clayton has another opportunity to say, ‘we want to make sure that we have diversity’. And maybe we need to revisit housing and income,” she said.

Superintendent of Clayton School District Sean Doherty said of VST, “We value the program because we want our students to have a window and mirror to the world. We want their school experience to be similar to what their life is going to be outside of the Clayton bubble. It’s an opportunity for our students to be exposed to diversity.”

Doherty also said that the members of Clayton’s school board, as well as himself, are currently brainstorming ways in which they could increase the school district’s diversity after VST comes to an end, as Clayton’s natural population of African Americans remains diminutive.

According to Sarah Umlauf, historian for the Clayton Century Foundation, one of the reasons that Clayton continues to lack affordable and diverse housing is that laws preventing minorities from purchasing houses may have existed during the early to mid 1900s.

“I’ve heard that there actually were rules against blacks owning homes in some of these neighborhoods. I believe that there were restrictions on African Americans building or buying homes [in Clayton],” Umlauf said.

The existence of such informal laws would not be surprising, as many neighborhoods throughout the United States enforced similar housing restrictions for several decades before the ratification of the Civil Rights Act in 1968, which made any form of

S. Hanley R

n C ir.

N. Hanley R

.

si

Dr

d Blvd.

ai

de

S. Brentwoo

Hunter Ave

M a r k Tw

.

Clayton High School

d.

N. Hanley R

housing discrimination illegal.

Forces beyond the rules of small neighborhoods also played a role in making Clayton such a white-dominated city.

In 1934 the federal government established the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). This organization was created to insure home mortgages in the United States so that banks could loan money without risking losing money.

The FHA used maps created by the Homeowners Loan Association to determine what mortgages to insure. These maps were color-coded according to which houses and neighborhoods would be most beneficial to invest in (“low risk” investments, which were green) as opposed to housing that would be least beneficial to invest in (“high risk” investments, which were red).

Older housing, multi-family housing and housing in predominantly African American neighborhoods were all considered “high-risk”.

By these calculations, the FHA decided that banks shouldn’t loan property to people in those areas. “[These areas] were essentially starved of investment capital,” said Margaret Garb, professor at Washington University.

The capital that was not given to African American families was instead directed towards segregated and primarily white subThe McKay urbs.

Another major factor was that of real-estate steering.

This occurs when realtors and developers tend to steer white families to predominantly white neighborhoods and black families to predominantly black neighborhoods.

According to Garb, this process is carried out under the belief that it will create better housing markets; however, whether or not this is the case is unclear.

Although lack of investment capital and real-estate steering played a large part in the ultimate segregation of St. Louis, black citizens were often refused the opportunity to live in affluent neighborhoods simply because white families did not want to live next to them.

“Most suburbs simply refused to sell houses to African Ameri-

cans. Even if a black family could get a loan, developers refused to sell to them on the basis that white families didn’t want to live next to black families. This is a combination of both private developers and federal housing and banking programs to create a highly segregated housing market,” Garb said.

The policies that were put into place across the United States to enforce segregation through housing have had permanent effects on its demography, especially in St. Louis.

“St. Louis is certainly considered one of the most segregated cities in America. There were long-term institutional forces creating segregation in St. Louis city, this was not based just on personal choice,” Garb said.

When asked what St. Louis and specifically Clayton could do to become more integrated, Rogers-Beard again emphasized the importance of accessible housing.

Additionally, she stressed the fact that there is a lack of representation of African Americans in the local government, and that this stunts Clayton’s ability to move towards a more integrated population. “[Black people] have to have a seat at the table,” Rogers-Beard said.

Rogers-Beard contended that when one race holds the majority of political influence, they are able to silence those who have opinions with which they do family in 1956 not agree, and erase people with whom they do not want to interact.

She defined power as, “the ability to remove what you don’t like,” which was an ability that white developers and government officials had when they decided to rezone African Americans in the Bonhomme and Hanley neighborhood.

Addressing this fact, Rogers-Beard said, “The irony was, so few people knew that there were black people in Clayton … even people living in Clayton. It’s that whole idea of invisible Clayton, it’s this population that people just ignored. And there were a lot of them. That they existed at all, is, I think, significant for them.

And that’s what’s important. That it was significant to them.”

21

EDUCATION

& EQUIT Y by NOAH BROWN & MITALI SHARMA

with reporting by NOOR JERATH

I. INTRO CHS social studies teacher Deb Wiens is no stranger to misfortune.

“My P.E. teacher kept telling me I had to have tennis shoes and I couldn’t tell her ‘my parents don’t have money for tennis shoes.’ We barely had money to eat because we were on a small farm, trying to make a living,” she said. “Every time I would rather take a berating than admit I didn’t have tennis

CONTENTS

33

shoes.”

Wiens’ past memories were rekindled when she saw that students, specificallyAfrican-American students, in her classes were in a similar plight -- a lack of opportunity and resources that was, and still is, affecting their performance in school.

“It’s like playing baseball with a rubber bat for some of these students,” Wiens said.

II. THE DISTRICT These columns represent all students who have elected to take honors/AP courses at CHS. The orange is representative of the percent of the non-African American student body that take honors/AP classes.

The blue is representative of the percent of the African American student body that take honors/AP classes.

-- data from the School District of Clayton

The School District of Clayton has, collectively, begun to develop new strategies to combat inequities. One person leading the effort is District literacy curriculum coordinator and English teacher Jennifer Sellenriek.

“A lot of our work as educators has to be in understanding the historical underpinnings of a lack of equality,” Sellenriek said. “If we don’t understand where the inequalities come from, sometimes we don’t act on the inequities.”

The District has updated its cohesive Strategic Plan to address the concept of equity. Accordingly, an emphasis on equity has developed as a primary focus in professional learning for faculty members across the district. For Sellenriek, a primary goal is to solidify a collective understanding of the inequities plaguing Clayton and beyond.

“There are few faculty members of color and they shouldn’t be studying inequity or implicit biases in the way I should be. What we’re trying to do as a District is provide a variety of experiences and also provide some like experiences so we can meet individual needs but also make sure we have a solid shared experience,” Sellenriek said.

Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Milena Garganigo spent much of her career as a foreign language teacher, on both the middle school and high school level. Constant was her in-classroom approach to ensuring equity for her students.

“I’ve always had this philosophy of fair and equal are not the same thing. Treating people fairly doesn’t mean I’m going to do the exact same thing for everybody. That’s always been my philosophy,” Garganigo said.

For many, the word “equity” has no clear definition. Like Garganigo, School Board President Kristin Redington believes that an understanding of equity must begin with an important distinction from equality.

“What comes to mind when I think equity is making sure that everyone is able to start from the same base point,” Redington

said. “So not everybody needs to have the exact same things.

Some people need more than others.”

One branch of the District’s focus on equity stems from an understanding of its demographic make-up. As a District with a significant population of African-American students, conversations have been held specifically regarding the opportunity gaps the District creates for certain groups of students.

“What are the opportunity gaps we are creating in the context of our work? What are the things that are happening that we aren’t realizing are happening within our classrooms? In the way that we treat students or different groups of students, or the way we talk to them, or what the things we expect from students?” Garganigo said.

The term “African-American achievement gap” has often been part of the conversation around educational equity, viewed in the lens of race. However, the District has been cautious about the language it uses in these discussions.

“Originally the District began an African-American Achievement Gap Initiative and they’ve been really thoughtful about not calling it that because what we wouldn’t want, unintentionally with our verbiage, is to communicate that this is a problem that was created,owned by African-American students and their families,” Director of Learning Center Carol Lenhoff-Bell said. “So what we did is we switched the term to educational equity and what we should be owning,focusing on is the education -- as a District.”

As Lehnhoff-Bell mentioned, the District realizes the importance of being self-critical during the process of addressing inequity. Through the various professional development sessions this year, faculty have been researching the roots of racial inequity and examining the current state of the District. “[We’re] really talking about some of the strategic laws and strategic policies that were put in place to divide and to create inequity,” Lenhoff-Bell, who has been a leading voice in these

3

23

conversations, said. “We’re also looking at the data. I think that’s really important and compelling. When you look at the data, it’s rather heartbreaking -- both in our district and nationwide -- to see the disparity in achievement.”

Research and gaining awareness is only the beginning. Transferring the insight gained from research into practice is requisite for a tangible solution to be made.

The search for tangible solutions is at the heart of many professional development discussions in CHS now that the building is looking at equity audits. Teachers who are further along in this “journey,” as Lenhoff-Belled deemed it, of educational equity, are beginning to do action research to ascertain what changes could be made quickly to better fit the needs of this specific subset of students. “[We’re] looking at some of the structures that are making inequity and looking how to change that. It’s really personal work too because I’ve maybe contributed to that, but it’s like ‘alright, it’s time to be different,’” Lenhoff-Bell said.

The deliberate nature of the District’s conversations has manifested in specific academic contexts as well. The literacy curriculum has, for example, adopted new texts with a focus on equity in mind.

“Changes in the types of books we put into classroom libraries, like at the elementary schools and even up through the high school. Students are seeing themselves reflected in protagonists in books,” Garganigo said. “If you look at a lot of the books we were reading before, they were dominated by white male characters. And us being much more deliberate about choosing characters of color and successful characters of color.”

A closer inspection of the student experience has yielded a more thorough examination of the way teachers are incorporating technology in their curricula.

“This is the most serious we have been about asking ourselves ‘what in our system is preventing kids from having an even playing field?’ What about the way we hold parent conferences? What if you don’t know – you’re not part of the ‘mama’ network here.

And the next day, slots are available but parents are at work. So we’re talking about all those systems, those barriers. And looking at how to take [those barriers] down,” Wiens said.

One of the most prominent barriers, Wiens suggests, is the use of technology in the classroom. As she teaches current issues and government classes, Wiens is constantly making use of students’ access to Internet. These classes are dependent upon research and news, and technology and wifi access greatly increase the efficiency of such tasks.

“Government is constantly changing. It’s revolving and rotating; it’s not like talking about history. Abe Lincoln is Abe Lincoln.

That story doesn’t change. Government has to have instant access,” she said.

However, in such a technology-dependant environment, Wiens noticed that some kids were beginning to fall behind. While most of the other students could go home and complete their research or write their papers, these kids could not complete the work due to a lack of resources.

Whether this was a complete absence of sufficient technology in the home or the unreliability of internet, it became obvious that all of these students were not having the same educational opportunities as the majority. Even with teacher accommodations, Wiens believes that there are students that remain at a disadvantage.

“I had one kid who I was trying to help and we were just super rushed. It’s research; you can’t really rush research. I had to print it all before the bus came,” Wiens said. “That’s a huge sacri-

fice because a Clayton kid or a kid living in the City with Internet can go home and leisurely read through things and save things to their computer, but he didn’t have that opportunity.”

As the world of modern education continues to progress, Wiens is adamant that such inequities need to be addressed with great urgency.

“If all the kids are expected to use and they don’t have that equipment it’s the same as telling a kid ‘sorry. you can’t have a seat in a class, you have to stand.’ ‘You can’t have a textbook, you have to search everything up.’ ‘You can’t have a calculator,’” Wiens said.

Filling the gap that exists in students’ access to technology isn’t so straightforward. The administration is in the process of finding the right solution.

“I can tell you that we had conversations about hotspots. We had conversations about access to wifi outside of the school building. We’ve had conversations and policies on access as far as the filters that are required on computers. So all those things are being thought of right now with the technology department and the committee that’s working on this,” Redington said.

Transition to one-to-one at the high school level next year is one dimension of the District’s approach to closing the gap – to combatting the inequity in access. But the conversation doesn’t end there, Garganigo insists.

“I don’t know if [going to one-to-one] is seen as a solution but I think it’s a step in the right direction,” she said. “When we hand a student a device and say you have 24 hour access to this device, if you don’t have internet access at home or readily available internet access, then what’s the solution the district can come up with? We’re exploring those options right now. There’s a lot of other districts that have done it before us so we can learn from them to be able to figure out some alternatives to provide support to all students.”

Even for students who may have ready access to a computer and/or internet, another obstacle may come in the way. All students and parents are required to digitally sign a “Acceptable Use Policy” before they can use the school computers and access the google suite capabilities. Just recently, the District shut down the accounts of all students who did not have this form filled out.

These accounts allow students to access things like google classroom, google docs (where students write essays), google sheets (where students compile data for science classes), google drive (where students store important school documents) and gmail (how students often communicate with teachers).

The decision was not made hastily. Administration and faculty members have been making phone calls, sending emails, and reminding students in-person to get this done. However, 95 students and their families still failed to do so. 51 out of these 95 students are African-American.

For Lenhoff-Bell, who also tries to individualize each child’s learning, it is data like this that undeniably shows an inequity affecting a particular group of students.

“We want to be careful to not lump a group of students because they are all individual so there’s a caution that needs to be put into place if we’re doing this work. If you start to clump together, do we start to stereotype? That’s not what we want to do,” she said.

“When I first came to the district, the way to look at this opportunity gap was to look at individual kids and to really be thoughtful about the individual kids and I understood why our district wanted to do that. But I equally understand why now there’s this push to look at the larger [picture] -- because when you do look at the data, you see that this is a group and no matter what their background, they’re underperforming.”

This December, 95 students had their Google accounts suspended after failing to digitally sign the District’s Acceptable Use Policy.

Over half the number of all suspended student Google accounts belong to African American students.

Whereas, less than 20% of the CHS student population is African American.

III. STUDENT LENS

Kaevon Damous, a junior at CHS, does not have a computer at home. If he wants to get his homework done, he must ask his father to drive him to the city library -- which is a 10-20 minute drive from the house.

“Nine times out of ten there is a computer available (in the library). The limit is an hour. I can’t get all of my work done during that time,” Damous said. “Some nights I don’t do the homework because the drive is too much.”

Trying to get the work done in school is an arduous task as well. Damous often goes to the library before school, but his arrival time is generally 8:03 A.M., giving him a mere seven minutes to complete his assignments before the first bell rings Even when he goes during lunch, the bustling environment of the library makes it hard for him to focus.

Damous recognizes that the quality of his work suffers because of these circumstances.

“To get it done, my work is simple even though I have to put in extra effort,” he said While Damous prefers utilizing the library resources, other students turn to the Learning Center. The Learning Center offers technological and educational support for any student who needs it.

“It’s a place where -- when we do look at some of our students who are underperforming -- if they have a learning center built into their schedule, this is a place we can individualize their learning and work with their teachers, and families, and maybe them to make some progress in trying to close that opportunity gap,” Lenhoff-Bell said.

Nevertheless, for students like Damous, finding time to visit the Learning Center can be difficult. On top of that is added a hesitancy to ask teachers for help or tell them about their predicament. Damous, for example, has only told one teacher: Wiens.

“I don’t ask my teachers because I feel like I can do it on my own and it’s not worth it,” Damous said. However, he is beginning to notice that managing his work completely by himself is an onerous undertaking, and telling teachers about his situation might help relieve that burden.

“In English, we had a Frederick Douglass essay that I didn’t get to get done,” Damous said. “I didn’t tell my English teacher. I don’t know why I didn’t tell him.”

Wiens has also noticed her students’ disinclination to share their situations with her.

“I have to be really careful with how I ask a student whether or not they have capability because it feels painful, it feels insulting,” she said. “They sometimes don’t want to admit it and so that’s really difficult.”

Wiens has been pushing for the one-to-one program for years after teaching several students like Damous. Damous is also hopeful that the implementation of the program next year will help him and other students complete their assignments on time and with better quality.

“Having a Chromebook to take home will be a lot more effective because you won’t have an excuse why you didn’t do your homework,” he said.

IV. CONCLUSION As this inequity stems from a myriad of historic policies, making way towards an equitable education in the District and beyond can be likened to a lengthy quest.

Indeed, Lenhoff-Bell calls the path towards this goal a “journey.” She herself has been on this journey for 10 years, but in her eyes, that is nothing.

When you really think about the work needs need to be done, Ten years feels like I’m relatively new on this journey of educational equity. But I feel a huge responsibility to that as an educator, so that’s why I’ve been doing the work,” she said.

As for the District as a whole, educational equity has only recently become a major focus, making it one small step when compared to the entire trip ahead. Garganigo agrees.

“It’s still pretty new for us. It’s not that the issue or that the fact that we need to be thinking about this is new to us; I think we have sort of a newfound energy around it,” she said.

3

25

CONTENTS

CALEB’S QUEST The Globe sits down with senior Caleb Heusel, who has emerged as a leader on CHS’ boys’ varisty basketball team.

“I started to really work with some really good coaches, and Senior Caleb Heusel did not start playing competitive basketwith guys that were a lot better than I was. I was exposed to a lot ball until he was 12-years-old. However, since his sophomore year better competition. From there I saw my skills really develop and at CHS, Heusel has been starting for the Varsity squad. take off more than they had in the past. At first it definitely was “I started playing in fifth grade. I was on two or three rec league [frustrating], but after a while I learned to appreciate [it],” Heusel teams with my friends. Ever since seventh grade, every year I’ve said. “You go and you train with these kids that are better than been more and more invested and more competitive. You got you, and then you come back to your rec league and nobody is as to tournaments everywhere,” Heusel said. “I played with a lot good as the kids you’ve been against. It’s frustrating in the fact that of kids that didn’t go to my school. I picked it up pretty quick. I you’re not as good as was already decently athletthey are. But then you ic so that didn’t miss out so bring it back and you much.” can see that it pays off As a kid, Heusel primarfor you.” ily played football and baseHeusel was eventuball. However, once the ally given the opportupreteen felt the basketball in nity to play with many his hands, he could not put of his close friends, it down. It was initially not which allowed him to Heusels’ idea to try the new feel more comfortable sport. He attributes his newon the court. found skill to another figure “To have them with who plays a large role in his me throughout that prolife. cess made it a lot easi“My dad has influenced er,” Heusel said. “And a me the most. [He] was the little bit more fun.” one who encouraged me to In eighth grade, go out and start playing,” Heusel made the deciHeusel said. “He was the one sion to focus primarily who encouraged me to go on basketball, and to out and try out for my first put his other extracurcompetitive team.” ricular activities behind Heusel’s father was not it. the only relative of his to Before the start of push him in the sport. His freshman year, Heusel, twin brother, Ethan Heusel, who grew up in Iowa, also a senior at CHS, has moved to Clayton. He encouraged him as the two immediately noticed have played alongside each key differences beother for much of their catween the CHS and the reers. high school he would “He’s always been there. have attended in Iowa.

Heusel high-fives teammates before entering the [He] has pushed me in the “The high school last year. He was a manager. game. Photos by Mallory Palmer.

I would’ve gone to in He could tell me after pracIowa was a lot more athletically focused than Clayton,” Heusel tice or during practice, if he saw me doing something wrong or said. “It really wasn’t too big of a change I don’t think. The off seasomething good - he would point that out,” Heusel said. “He’s alson stuff is almost mandatory up there. Coming down here it’s ways there to [give] words of encouragement.” very loose.”

For Heusel, the recreational games did not expose him to a Coming from intense training, the transition to the CHS baslarge enough challenge in order to properly develop his skills. ketball team for Heusel was especially smooth. Heusel played on Heusel’s transition from the recreational league to the traveling the freshman team his first year at Clayton. However, Heusel did team was not painless given his lack of experience.

SPORTS

26 3

Heusel goes up for a shot in the paint during a practice in Stuber Gym.. not feel that he had yet to reach his full potential.

“Sophomore year, over the summer I really earned my spot to be on varsity. That year, even [as] my first year on varsity, my role changed from coming off the bench and being more of a practice player to being more of a starting role,” Heusel said. “Being someone that can run an offense and put in two, three or four points a game. Not just being a role player.”

Halfway through his sophomore year, Heusel joined the starting five on the court. Since then, his role as a leader on the team has not stopped expanding.

“Over these last few years that role has grown to where I didn’t [just] have to score ten points a game, but I had to be that role player,” Heusel said.

“I see my role as helping our underclassmen and juniors to see their roles as well. My role has always been to be someone that can run an offense, score when we need to, hit shots, play defense. As I’ve grown I’ve become more comfortable scoring more and playing strong defense.”

Heusel does believe he bears weaknesses in his leadership role. Heusel feels as if he could be more vocal on and off the court.

Although he has his own concerns about his leadership role, his teammates do not fail to trust him at any point.

CHS junior Jake Sher recognizes the large leadership role Heusel possess on the team.

“Caleb constructively criticizes other players in a way that they won’t go into a shell or feel too neglected by him,” Sher said. “He really tries to uplift people and assist them in getting better.”

Sher has received the opportunity to work one-on-one with Heusel on multiple occasions.

“Caleb has assisted me in many ways. Especially in the way of being there when I need someone to shot around with or receive advice about basketball when coach is not there,” Sher said. “He has really helped me grow as a player.”

According to Sher, Heusel does not stop motivating and pushing his teammates to work harder.

Since last year, the team last two of its leading scorers: Ben Littiken and Nick Almond. As a senior, Heusel feels that he needs to fill the shoes of his predecessors.

“I see my role as filling the shoes of those guys, and helping our underclassmen and juniors to see their roles as well,” Heusel said.

Although it is not his primary concern, Heusel does have aspirations to play at the next level.

“I have goals to play in college. Not necessarily at the really high level, but somewhere where I could play and get a really good education,” Heusel said. “Basketball would be almost a pastime. A continuation from Clayton.”

At the moment, Heusel has not received any offers. He plans to walk onto a small Division III school in Minnesota.

“I’ve been talking with coach [Ty] Cochran and I’ve got a highlight film. He can reach out and I can reach out,” Heusel said. “I’m going up to a school to visit, and to meet the coach up there. Once I start getting stuff sent and and once I start reaching out to these coaches, I’ll start getting some interest back.”

Head varsity basketball coach Cochran has been the greatest influencer on Heusel in this respect. Cochran has noticed the potential that Heusel bears, and believes Heusel should take his talents to a university.

“Ever since the very end of last year, he’s been [telling me], ‘I want you to not only lead this team but I want’t help you for the next four years if you do play in college. You have the ability to go somewhere.’ There’s tons of opportunities,” Heusel said. “He’s definitely pushed me to be the best player I can be and prepare me for what’s next.”

“I see my role helping our underclassmen and juniors to see their roles as well.”

- Caleb Heusel

daniel cohen @danielc_52 business manager

michael bernard @mkevvb senior managing editor

27

SPORTS

GIRLS’ SWIMMING Players to watch: Christine Kuehn Julia Beliz Sophie Thompson

2016-2017 Record: 0-6

Goals: To qualify as many new swimmers to state with the new class system

Photo by Ellayna French

KEY GAMES: Girls’ Basketball vs. Ladue Jan.19, 4:00 PM Boys’ Hockey vs. Whitfield Dec. 21, 8:15 PM Wrestling @ Ladue Jan. 24, 5:00 PM

WINTER SPORTS

Boys’ Basketball vs. Ladue Jan. 19, 7:00PM Girls’ Swimming @ Ladue Feb. 6, 4:00 PM

WRESTLING Players to watch: Max Friedman Trenton Dickens Adam Sieber

2016-2017 Record: 1-5

Goals:

Photo by Michael Melinger SPORTS

28 3

To have a winning season and qualify as many wrestlers to state as possible

P

R S

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL Players to watch: Mira Upshaw Jadan Connor Sara Litteken

2016-2017 Record: 23-6

Goals: To get far in districts, exceed last year’s performance and to work together as a team

Photo by Ellayna French

BOYS’ HOCKEY Players to watch:

PREVIEW

neel vallurupalli @nvallurup COPY EDITOR

David Tamksy Cooper Barnes Sam Humphreys

2016-2017 Record: 1-19-1

Goals: To get a high seeding in the Wick and keep playing as a team

BOYS’ BASKETBALL Players to watch: Darryl Sams Josh Hagene Caleb Heusel

2016-2017 Record: 11-17

Goals: To compete hard in every game and have Caleb Heusel dunk at a home game

Photo by Barrett Bentzinger

29

SPORTS

ATHLE TE PROFILE:

JEREMIAH AUSTIN

W

ith the conclusion of the football season, CHS junior Jeremiah Austin is gearing up for the wrestling season. With his drive to perfect his craft after a tough shoulder injury late last season, Austin has been hard at work. However, Austin was not always a wrestler.

Freshman year, Austin originally planned to play basketball.

However, after a full practice of running, he decided he had had enough.

“I really didn’t like all the running we did in basketball. I was talking with one of the football coaches and he [suggested] that I should come out and try wrestling,” Austin said. With this suggestion, Austin greeted a sport that has now become one of his passions.

Austin is one part of the well oiled machine that CHS has this year. The team has assembled another solid group of individuals and coach Cory Reichert has high hopes.

“Our team is open at the lighter weight classes but should fill the middle and heavy weights. We have some backups in weight classes so we will have the opportunity to rest. There is a mix of skill on the team from three and four year wrestlers to brand new to the sport freshmen,” Reichert said. “Our main goals this year is to qualify wrestlers for the state tournament and to have a winning dual meet record. I feel we will accomplish both.”

With these ambitious goals, the team has been hard at work.

Austin is leading the pack this year by setting a strong example at practices. After an unfortunate shoulder injury right before districts last season, Austin has been hard at work to recondition his body.

“I overextended my shoulder near the end of last season, so I couldn’t get to go to districts. I had to go through a lot of therapy and it was pretty scary,” Austin said. “However, now I’m working with the rest of my teammates and going through the basics again.

The injury set me back. I’m working hard and trying to stay positive through it all.”

Reichert believes that Austin has the potential to have a breakout season.

“His greatest strength is his stamina, [and] I think his talent has progressed some but it is not where it should be or to the level he is capable of,” Reichert said. “I feel he will qualify this year if he consistently is aggressive in practice and in competition.”

In fact, junior Adam Sieber alluded to the impact that Austin has had on the team itself.

“Being our only heavyweight for the last two years, Jeremiah has certainly helped the team in a close meet. Jeremiah is known to overcome the adversity and give the team a win,” Sieber said. “[More importantly], Jeremiah has contributed to the team by bringing a positive vibe to each and every practice and meet.”

As Austin reflects on the upcoming season, his main goal is to build upon the success he experienced last year.

“I want to never be fearless when I go to a meet and use this mentality to win at least 25 matches. Hopefully, I’ll also qualify to state,” Austin said.

Likewise, Sieber believes in Austin’s ability.

“I have noticed a huge different in Jeremiah’s confidence level along with his skill and technique. I predict Jeremiah will go to state this year as long as he continues to learn and get better as the season progresses,” Sieber said.

Nevertheless, regardless of the success he might see on the mat, Austin is just glad to be playing the sport that he loves.

“Wrestling has helped me a lot,” Austin said. “ It’s helped me to be a better football player, I’m very close to the team and the coaches are very helpful, and my parents love to watch me wrestle at meets.”

daniel cho @cho__bani SPORTS SECTION EDITOR

Photo by Kate Lay SPORTS

30 3

WINDSORSTORE.COM

l a e Stthe t h g i l t o p S

Potter Pastries A new French bakery in Tower Grove, La Patisserie Chouquette, charms with both its baked treats and playful themes.

M

By Katie Snelling

uggles from the St. Louis area had the chance to experience the tastes of Harry Potter’s magical world. La Patisserie Chouquette, on 1626 Tower Grove Avenue, dedicated the month of October to Harry Potter themed foods. La Patisserie Chouquette normally specializes in cakes, French macaroons and afternoon tea. However, during Pottermonth, the elegant patisserie was filled with Potter-themed decor.

Magical decor was not the only aspect of Pottermonth, the sweet treats were the main attraction. La Patisserie served butterbeer, chocolate frogs and many other treats inspired by the Wizarding World. Among the pastries created were the Quidditch Quiche (inspired by the sport in the Harry Potter series), Cho Chang’s Caramel Apple Cake, Tonk’s Chouquette, Umbridge Strawberry Cheesecake, the Felix Felicis Banana’s Foster Mousse, treacle tart, the Golden Snitch and Dobby’s Gillyweed pistachio mousse.

Photos (above) by Matt Snelling.

Photos (right) by Grace Snelling.

REVIEW

32

Tonk’s Chouquette Potter-fan Stamp of Approval: Yes Bewitching Presentation: 1 2 3 4 5 Magical Taste: 1 2 3 4 5

While Tonk’s Chouquette was not the most visually appealing out of all the pastries, the flavors compensated for the simple design of two pastry layers and a small flower on the top. The pastry was perfectly cooked and the frosting to pastry ratio was ideal. The dainty dessert was certainly enchanting.

The Felix Felicis Banana’s Foster Mousse was beautifully presented, but in terms of flavor, called for an acquired taste.

Expecting a banana mousse, the over3 powering flavor of rum may take one by surprise. For those who dislike a strong flavor of alcohol, steer clear of the Felix Felicis. The decoration on the dessert embodied the lucky potion given to Harry Potter by Professor Slughorn.

Felix Felicis Banana’s Foster Mousse Potter-fan Stamp of Approval: No Bewitching Presentation: 1 2 3 4 5 Magical Taste: 1 2 3 4 5

The Golden Snitch Potter-fan Stamp of Approval: Yes Bewitching Presentation: 1 2 3 4 5 Magical Taste: 1 2 3 4 5 The Golden Snitch, used in the game of Quidditch, was covered in a chocolate shell, coated with gold and decorated with silver wings. The inside of the Snitch tasted like a cookie, and was extremely dense.

The Golden Snitch was the most recognizable Harry Potter themed dessert.

Dobby’s Gillyweed Pistachio Mousse Potter-fan Stamp of Approval: Yes Bewitching Presentation: 1 2 3 4 5 Magical Taste: 1 2 3 4 5 Dobby’s Gillyweed mousse was an oval shaped dessert. The pistachio mousse itself was covered by a layer of some jelly-like film. The top of the dessert was speckled with gold splatters, and the bottom was encircled by chopped pistachios. The outer layer enveloping the mousse resulted in the dessert having a very strange texture. The overall presentation of Dobby’s Gillyweed pistachio mousse was intriguing and most definitely channeled slimy Gillyweed and Dobby’s green color.

33

REVIEW

CLEMENTINE’S Clementine’s, the popular local ice cream store, finds a new home in DeMun.

Black Cherry Ash and Salted Crack Caramel ice cream. Photo by Michael Melinger.

Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery is the only microcreamery in the midwest, and draws in many customers in the St. Louis area, with its two locations: one in Lafayette Square, and the other in Demun. This unique ice cream parlour makes all- natural, small-batch ice cream by hand, according to its owner and head chef Tamara Keefe.

“We are the only all-natural creamery in Missouri,” Keefe said.

“Every ingredient we make ourselves or some local company does.”

The requirements of a microcreamery are that all of the ice cream has to be made in small batches by hand, ingredients have to be all natural and ice cream must be made with less than 30 percent of overrun. Keefe explained that store bought ice cream is 100 percent overrun, meaning that 50 percent of what you buy is ice cream, and the other 50 percent is air. With less than 30 percent overrun and 16-18 percent

REVIEW

34

butter fat––regular ice cream has 10 percent butterfat–– Clementine’s ice cream is heavier, creamier, denser, and slow melting.

In addition, Clementine’s creates uncommon flavours in their kitchen located in the city. We tried flavours such as Thai Tea, Toffee Butter Brickle, Black Cherry Ash, Gooey Pumpkin Caramel Pecan and Cinnamon Apple Pie. There was a noticeable difference in density and creaminess in the ice cream. It was extremely rich, and despite ordering the smallest amount, it was impossible to finish it all.

The Black Cherry Ash was fun, jet black and infused with real charcoal, turning the consumer’s mouth and teeth black as well. Many of the flavours were fun and vibrant colors, such as Thai Tea and Beet Strawberry Sorbet.

CHS sophomore Mason Sharon is a Clementine’s employee who started working there this summer when they opened up their new location in Clayton.

“They opened up the new location in Demun and it’s like a tradition in my family for their first job to be working in an ice cream shoppe,” Sharon said. “So that and the fact that I already loved their ice cream and needed a job for the summer.”

Although she does not participate in the ice cream-making process, Sharon knows the differences between Clementine’s ice cream and the ice cream found in other shops and stores throughout Missouri.

“Everything is as locally sourced as possible, and it’s locally owned, and organic so it’s got a lower sugar content than other ice creams,” Sharon said.

“From my extensive ice cream eating––we get it free on the job––it’s richer than any ice cream I’ve ever had. We collaborate with local companies like Park Avenue Coffee and Big Heart Tea Company. Our flavors are also pretty unique and delicious. And we also offer naughty (alcoholic ice cream) for customers over 21.”

While the ice cream was delicious and the decor was charming, the price was anything but. Each ice cream cone costs upwards of six dollars, before tip. While Clementine’s is a tasty treat, it should not be considered be a classic, like Mr. Wizard’s or Ted Drewe’s. It’s a stop that everyone should make; just make sure to beware of the prices before visiting.

lila taylor @lilataylorr FEATURE SECTION EDITOR

bridget walsh @bridgetwwalsh REPORTER

SUSHI ST L OF

STO R Y BY R I C H A R D C H E N G, JACO B L AG ES S E A N D S E A N KI M

A L L PH OTO S BY M I C H A E L M E L I N GE R

TANI SUSHI BISTRO 7726 FORSYTH BLVD, CLAYTON

The most hyped location on our list, we visited Tani with excitement. The decor is very attractive, boasting plenty of space and elegantly-placed tables and decorations. We sat down to order from Tani’s diverse menu.

We began with a California Roll, which we used as a basis for each sushi destination we visited. The sushi rice was cooked well, but adding more vinegar would have helped the sushi on the palate.

The crunch from the cucumber and creaminess of the avocado made for a solid roll.

The next roll, the Oh My God Roll, came to us on fire. Beyond the stunning presentation, the tempura shrimp inside with the sweet sauce drizzled on the outside made for a wonderful combination of spice, crunch, sweetness, and salinity.

Finally, we tried the Mr. Kim Roll. The shrimp tempura inside went nicely with the crab and other assorted fishes, making for another solid addition to our meal.

Overall, while it may not be the most authentic sushi, Tani provides delicious, gourmet sushi rolls for a fair price. We would highly recommend this destination.

STRAUB'S 8282 FORSYTH BLVD, CLAYTON Easily the cheapest of the locations we visited in our sushi tour of the city, we decided to see whether the Straub’s sushi was a viable option.

Immediately, we noticed that the only sushi rolls offered were the California Roll, vegetable roll, and an assorted sushi one. We opted for the California Roll which looked dull and was drizzled with a strange sauce.

The rolls fell apart very easily when grabbed with chopsticks.

With our first bite, we were immediately hit by the coldness of the sushi along with a strong chewiness that made for an uncomfortable mouthfeel. The imitation crab had no flavor, the sushi rice was mushy and did not have a vinegar flavor, and the roll could use more crunch. The only saving grace of the roll was the strange orange sauce drizzled over it which provided an inkling of flavor to an otherwise bland roll.

While the price is unbeatable, the quality is pretty abysmal. We recommend you skip the sushi next time you visit Straub’s and just purchase something else.

SUSHI AI 4 N CENTRAL AVE, CLAYTON On the Sunday evening we visited, Sushi Ai was packed. We were greeted by a small, cozy interior with Japanese art scattered across the walls. Outside seating was also provided.

We began our tasting with the classic California Roll. The roll provided all the essential ingredients: imitation crab, avocado, rice and cucumber.

The crunch and refreshment of the cucumber against the creamy avocado provided an excellent balance. Although the roll is nothing special, it has good flavor and everything you would expect from a typical California Roll.

Next, with the spicy tuna, even though the spice was near nonexistent, the small fried bits of tuna combined with the creamy, blended tuna for a fun bite. There was also a good salinity in the sushi that made it tasty.

The salmon nigiri had a soft, texture that made the chew extremely easy. In addition, consistently with each roll and nigiri the rice not only was cooked perfectly but also was seasoned with vinegar. The sourness from the sushi rice really complemented the rest of the rolls and made the food better on the palate. Overall, Sushi Ai is a very solid choice if you’re craving sushi, especially since their all-you-caneat is actually pretty cheap and maintains a quality you don’t normally from all-you-can-eat menus.

WASABI SUSHI BAR 16 S CENTRAL AVE, CLAYTON

Located on N. Central Ave in the heart of downtown Clayton, Wasabi Sushi Bar boasts high-quality sushi. Voted “Best Sushi in St. Louis” 13 years in a row by Sauce Magazine, we had high expectations.

We started with the California roll. As a fairly basic roll, we weren’t expecting much. Overall, the textures blended nicely, but we found it to have an odd sweet flavor attached.

The next roll we tried took its name from the city, the “Clayton” roll. It consisted of shrimp, mayo, and tuna. The crunch of the tempura complimented the softness of the rice and raw fish quite well, and the spice was great.

The final roll was called the “Playboy”, a mix of shrimp tempura and spicy tuna, topped with salmon and avocado. This was the largest roll, but it lacked the variety of flavor from the Clayton Roll.

For nigiri, we ordered a small sashimi platter.

The fish were prepared well, with no detectable fishy taste. However, they were cut quite thickly, and this made them somewhat difficult to eat.

Wasabi Sushi Bar is a good option if you’re looking for a decent bite. However, if you’re famished, there’s Sushi AI’s all-you-can-eat option a block up the street which isn’t offered by Wasabi, and if you’re willing to spend a bit more, Tani is just minutes away. And as to its claim to have the “Best Sushi in STL,” you might be left a little disappointed.

FA C U LT Y FA S H I O N The Globe picks the brains of CHS’s finest fashion icons Lauren Compton Q: How would you define your style?

A: Comfortable. I like to be comfortable

because I’m always on my feet with my style of teaching. I’m always moving, so comfort is key.

I remember my first year of teaching I would always show up in business professional, and had heels, and Mrs. Boland would ask why I was so dressed up … So although comfort is key, I also try to stay on trend. I would say I’m a good mix between preppy and eclectic, I think it just depends on my mood that day what I want to dress in.

Q: How long have you dressed in this style?

A: My style probably changes a lot. In high

school I wore the typical Hollister and Abercrombie, in college it was very popular to dress in Forever 21. Post-college, I still lent myself to more of the preppy style, like J.Crew and Ann Taylor. And I still shop there occasionally, but with the addition of two new mouths to feed in the family, I probably would lend myself more to shopping at Target and Old Navy. I’ve been really impressed with Old Navy, I think that they’ve done a really good job with the new stylists and the people they’ve hired. So I think my style has evolved, and will continue to evolve.

Some days I put more effort in what I look like, and some days it’s a t-shirt and jeans, and that’s comfy for me.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: I get my inspiration from Pinterest. There

will be days when, say, I really want to wear a black top, and I might be in bed waiting for the twins to wake up just surfing on Pinterest for black top outfits. I’m notorious for doing that, and then pulling pieces together that I have in my wardrobe. If I have a piece that I know I want to wear but I want to switch it up, I just look on Pinterest. I like to look at other vloggers and what other people are wearing to give myself ideas. A few of the social media vloggers on instagram, too, some of them I know from high school, have gotten really into fashion vlogging.

So I look at them too.

REVIEW

38 3

Photo by Michael Melinger Q: What do you look for in clothing?

A: Comfort and affordability are my main

influences. Especially now, as a parent, now that it has been a year, I want to spend my money on my kids and their clothes. Even though they’re going to grow out of them in a month, I’d rather do that than go to J.Crew and spend a ton of money on myself. So aside from looking at what people my age are wearing and Pinterest, I really look at what’s affordable and what’s comfortable and what’s going to last. I want to buy pieces that are good quality.

Q: What colors do you usually dress in?

A: Lately I’ve been wearing things in the

darker color, like darker olive greens, which is funny because I never used to pur-

chase a lot of black clothing, but I feel like black is classic and you can dress it up and dress it down. So when I look at my closet I do have a lot of colorful pieces, but I definitely have bought more over the last five years in that darker hue category. And also it just depends on the weather.

Q: What is the most important part of an outfit?

A: I think you have to have some

really good basics to build around.

Whether it’s a plain t-shirt or a plain top, or a really good pair of jeans, I think having those basics is key because, again, you can dress them up and dress them down.

Q: How would you define your style?

Amy Hamilton

A: Comfort comes first. Teaching is kind of a physical job, so I like to be comfortable. But also, not generic. I like black because I think it’s classic.

Q: How would you define your style?

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: I shop at estate sales. I like the hunt for the things that I’m into.

Right now I’m into pins and buttons, so I like going out and seeing what’s around. My husband calls it art outfits, when it looks like they clash, but I love it.

Q: How long have you been dressing in the style you wear?

A: I would saying there’s always that underpinning of that classic style, just the black, the classic silhouette sort of thing, but I’m always obsessed with details, like scarves and buttons and pins.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: I go through certain phases of being into certain art movements.

Like right now I’m really into pop surrealism, so it’s kind of that cartoony aspect of how things look. So right now I’m wearing way more color than I used to, I used to be very black on black on black, but now I’m more into color.

Q: What do you look for in clothing?

A: I like men’s clothing a lot. I like to see what men and boys are wearing, and I often shop in the men’s department because it’s so much cheaper. So when I’m not working I’m usually wearing some men’s t-shirt.

A: From writers and artists. As a writer myself, I’m kind of aware that artists have a certain style, sort of casually sloppy. I don’t wear a tie to work, I think it’s too constricting. My wife John Ryan and kids definitely have a say, too.

Q: What colors do you usually dress in?

A: Blue and black are probably what I go to more often than not. I also play around with socks.

Q: What is the most important part of an outfit?

A: I try not to clash, I can thank my wife and kids for that.

I appreciate how many styles I see around the halls among students and teachers, I just think it’s a place that people can be pretty free to express themselves.

Q: How would you define your style?

A: I would define my style as traditional and basic. Things will go in and out of style, but I can continue to wear my clothes and everybody will think you’re still in style.

Q: How long have you been dressing in the style you wear?

A: My style doesn’t change a lot. I would say I’ve been dressing like this pretty much all my life. I’m a person that accessorizes-- I always wear slacks and a vest, but it’s the jewelry that changes, not the clothes.

Rosalind (Roz) McCoy

Photos (above) by Alex Darmody

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: I get my inspiration from my mother.

She’s basic, and we just dress it up with the accessories, because the accessories never go out of style.

Q: What do you look for in clothing?

A: I like the ethnic styles. I’m really into black art, so to bringing it to the forefront because of my ethnicity is important to me.

39

REVIEW

Follow & Like

GL

@chsglobe

BE

www.chsglobe.com www.facebook.com/chsglobe

When freshmen walk through the doors at Clayton High School, timid and afraid on their first day of school, they are automatically struck with the same fear that plagues students across the nation: will I be able to succeed? Will I be able to follow my dreams, and fulfill what I want to in life through my education?

At many high schools across the country, the opportunity to follow one’s dreams may be different based on a variety of traits such as gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Some students, based on traits differing from the rest of their peers, may not be able to obtain the same educational benefits as someone that may be straight, white or male.

However, at Clayton High School, there is a stark difference between equality and opportunity. The moment a freshman walks through the doors at our school, they are given the same opportunities that every other student has, regardless of gender or ethnicity. They are free to choose their electives, the rigor of their classes and work ethic.

We are told from the moment we step into freshmen orientation that we are free to do what we want with our time in high school; we can choose to either slide by the skin of our teeth, or to work hard to succeed.

With the no-cut policy at Clayton, we are all given the same opportunity to participate in sports, whether or not we have been given the opportunity for expensive select club training as children. We are given the opportunity to, if we wish, participate in things that we never thought we would be a part of--swim team, speech and debate or French club.

As students at Clayton, we are all given the same opportunities, and it is up to us to choose whether we want to be in the back of the class or at the front.

Equality, in contrast, is very different than the way in which opportunities are provided to students. If everyone at Clayton was equal, we would all take the exact same classes, at the exact same level, with the exact same teachers. We would all be on one sports team, instead of junior varsity or varsity, regardless of how much

dedication others show towards the game. We would all take the same electives and participate in the same things if Clayton was equal.

However, Clayton is not equal. We are not all treated the same, because we do not want to be treated the same. We all want to be given the same opportunities--given the option to take difficult classes, join a club or try out for a team--but we do not want to sit in the same class as twenty other students who are not interested in learning about the Civil War for the sixth time since elementary school. We want to sit in a class with students who want to sit in that class, who want to learn, who are interested in the same things we are. That is why Clayton is so different than other schools across the country--we give students the option to make what they want of high school.

Ultimately, as a school we need to make a decision. Do we value the comfort of making everyone the same, or do we embrace our differences? We should not sacrifice our diversity so that we can all be equal, we can only provide the opportunity for everyone to be on the same level.

Every timid freshman on the first day of high school is given their chance to succeed. The high standards of education at CHS give everyone the chance to get their foot in the door - to begin determining their own future. If a student at CHS believes they can do well, they can harness the opportunities available to do so.

theo fehr @theowithaccent PAGE EDITOR

maddy ackerburg @maddy.ackerburg PAGE EDITOR

41

OPINION

BANNED BOOKS

T

American LIbrary Assocation’s Banned Books week brings to light the issues surrounding America’s “Most Wanted” books.

he last week of September: Banned Books Week.

This week is described by the American Library Association (ALA) as a week “in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.”

There are currently over 11,300 banned books in the United States and most have been banned for one of three reasons: sexually explicit material, offensive language or unsuitability for any audience, according to the Office of Intellectual Freedom.

Some of the most popular books and book series of this century are actually banned, including the Harry Potter series, The Bridge to Terabithia, and the Hunger Games trilogy.

In order for a book to be banned, it must first be challenged. Although anyone can press to ban a book, a study done by the ALA shows that 42 percent of book challenges are by parents.

While these challenges are presented as a way to “protect” the books’ audiences (usually children and young adults) from unsuitable ideas, they are the center for a great debate over the constitutionality of this practice.

In the 1989 Supreme Court case Texas vs.

Johnson over the right to burn the U.S. flag, Justice William Brennan Jr. said, “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”

Yes, our inherent right to read is protected by the First Amendment, however, the banning of books is not only an attempt to remove the accessibility of these controversial books from the public, it is an insidious way to restrict our ability to craft our own

OPINION

42 3

opinions and views. Charles Brownstein, chair of the Banned Books Week Coalition, spoke to this by stating that, “Our free society depends on the right to access, evaluate and voice a wide range of ideas. Book bans chill that right.” Having a book be inaccessible to a population is depriving that population of the knowledge in that book, and subsequently, creating a less knowledgeable, less dimensional population.

Fortunately, many banned books are still readily accessible in libraries and schools. Not only are they available for self-reading, many classic titles such as “The Great Gatsby”, “1984”, “The Catcher in the Rye”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, and “To Kill a Mockingbird”, just to name a few, are all books schools teach as extremely influential in the shaping of our country, despite all being banned.

The ability and privilege to be able to read and learn from the diverse collection of books that circulate us is one that should not be taken for granted. Every individual book presents a unique take on a world and addresses a problem that potentially could appear in our own lives in some shape or form.

A joint statement by the ALA and the Association of American Publishers known as The Freedom to Read Statement says, “Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe.”

Illustration by Jim Atherton/ Fort Worth Star-Telegram

noor jerath REPORTER

PRO: N GA FACI LIT Y The NGA facility brings attention and the prospect of economic revival to St. Louis.

Robert Cardillo, the director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, recently recommended St. Louis as a site for their new facility. The 99 acre site will cost around 1.75 billion dollars to build, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is a combination of an intelligence agency and a combat support agency. They collect geospatial intelligence, which is information about human activity and geographical information on Earth, they then use that data to assist the government and national security.

City leaders have said this will spark the economic revival in St. Louis, providing 3100 jobs for the NGA and 5200 construction jobs.

The only negative to this decision is that houses need to be destroyed or moved in order to make way for this massive facility.

St. Louis has a history of moving people from their homes into urban housing projects that are not well maintained and lead to poverty and crime such as the Pruitt Igoe facility. The NGA is aware of this history and does not want to repeat the same mistakes made in the past. The NGA is providing many options for residents in the area, including real-estate agents that will provide individual support for residents moving, along with financial reimbursement, and physically moving houses to different locations.

81-year-old Charlestta Taylor was devastated when she heard that her home was going to be demolished to make way for the new facility. She and the city agreed to physically move her house to a new location. They put the two and a half story brick building on wheels and moved it to a new address about seven tenths of a mile across town. The NGA and St. Louis is providing residents with up to three times the value of their house, allowing each person to choose where they are relocated to, and providing them with financial aid. “It was not about trying to push people out and make them uncomfortable to relocate. We want them to continue with

Art by Lizzy Mills PRO/CON

44 3

their life,� said Otis Williams, the director of the economic development agency.

According to the St Louis Dispatch, the city also promised every homeowner that they would be willing to move any house in the NGA facility area to a new location, but Charlesetta Taylor is the only one to take them up on this offer so far.

Although the thought of moving and/or demolishing these houses is hard to stomach, the majority of the houses being moved are vacant and uninhabited. Those who live there are being helped and relocated to wherever they want.

This facility provides high income specialty jobs to the area and influences other companies, such as T-Rex, who funds entrepreneurs and startup companies. Cortex, a graphics information company, is moving their facility from New York to St. Louis to work with the NGA and take advantage of the new jobs coming into the area.

The NGA hires specialty jobs such as engineers and analysts, which influences other tech facilities and government agencies to navigate towards St. Louis.

Recently the NGA hosted an open house event to instill community connections. They spoke to Gateway Middle School students and local community members, promising that a sizable percentage of contracting will go to minority-owned businesses and that the facility will build up the community with increased jobs, security, and access to regional/ federal agencies. They also said they are looking to St. Louis youth for new jobs in their facilities.

The NGA is taking great care to make sure that this move is not a repeat of the Pruitt-Igoe facility by providing individual support and financial aid. They are also making strides to improve the community and St. Louis as a whole. Although we have to make sacrifices for the facility, through the NGA St. Louis can become one of the premier tech cities of The Modern Age.

zachary fisher @zach_t._fisher REPORTER

CO N: N GA FACI LIT Y By embracing the NGA project, St. Louis continues to exhibit its historical tendency of developing in impoverished neighborhoods.

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency‘s (or NGA) construction of a future western headquarter in north St. Louis has dangerous implications.

The site will affect mainly the St. Louis Place neighborhood, where hundreds of buildings are being destroyed and residents moved.

The St. Louis Place neighborhood harbors a rich history that offers insight into social changes within St. Louis throughout the past two centuries. Originally inhabited by first and second-generation immigrants, mainly German, Irish, Italian or Polish, the community underwent a profound demographic change after World War II. White residents began fleeing the inner cities in droves, and St. Louis Place became primarily inhabited by African-Americans.

Through the ‘70’s, St. Louis Place thrived and left a legacy of beauty and historical significance in St. Louis. The construction of the new NGA facility in North St. Louis threatens a remarkable cornerstone that remains a testament to the complex narrative that is this city’s history.

St. Louis Place not only houses rich history, but the community contains beautiful works of architecture. Notably, the James Clemens Mansion, built by the uncle of Mark Twain, stands not only as a stunning landmark but also champions a connection between the city and Mark Twain. Along St. Louis Avenue, stately houses that predate the twentieth century prove that this city remembers and acknowledges its past. The construction of the new NGA endangers these buildings that are integral to St. Louis’s identity.

Not only has the new NGA facility destroyed parts of St. Louis history, the construction also has displaced residents of the neighborhood. The destruction of homes to make way for the new $1.7 billion facility forced families out of their communities. While at a final annual block party in the St. Louis Place neighborhood, Janet Bradley expressed sorrow for leaving the neighbors she had

Art by Stella Monshausen

developed such a close bond too. She told St. Louis Public Radio, “Once you’ve been together this long, you’re no longer friends.

You’re really family.” Others at the party were in tears and heartbroken. The creation of the NGA facility has destroyed communal bonds and displaced over 100 residents already.

Finally, the construction of the NGA site has disturbing parallels to Pruitt-Igoe. Built in the 1950’s for middle-class and poor white and black residents, the Pruitt-Igoe building complex was meant to become the paragon of public housing.

Instead, Pruitt-Igoe festered in murder, rape, and drugs as white residents quickly fled the complex. Ultimately the Pruitt-Igoe buildings were destroyed.

Sylvester Brown Jr., a formal metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said, “Oddly, in my role as a community activist today, I use the erection and destruction of Pruitt-Igoe as an ominous warning of what can happen when rich and influential people decide poor people can be discarded, displaced or delegated to other neighborhoods-all in the lofty name of ‘development.’”

In the award-winning documentary, The Pruitt-Igoe Myth, the last line is, “The City will change but in ways different than before.

The next time the City changes, remember Pruitt-Igoe.” Pruitt-Igoe is widely regarded as a disastrous urban renewal failure, and any parallels between the construction of this new NGA site and Pruitt-Igoe should be seriously considered.

While it boasts thousands of new jobs for St. Louis residents, the construction of the new NGA site in the St. Louis Place neighborhood threatens the history of the city that should instead be treasured. The arrival of the new facility should be looked critically and addressed with caution.

richard cheng @rcheng01 REVIEW SECTION EDITOR

45

PRO/CON

S TA F F E D : S E X U A L A S S A U LT Clayton must incorporate more self-defense and consensual behavior lessons into its curriculum.

In October, the “#MeToo” campaign went viral after actress Alyssa Milano tweeted, “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me Too’ as their status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

This sparked a flood of posts, tweets and updates using the newly introduced hashtag, calling out sexual predators across the globe.

The numerous allegations made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein triggered Milano’s tweet.

Dozens of women have recently accused Weinstein of sexual assault, and as a result, the Weinstein company fired him and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences terminated his membership.

Three women have accused Weinstein of rape, in addition to over 60 other reports of sexual harassment. He continues to deny all claims made against him.

Others have accused powerful Hollywood figures as well. Five women accused comedian Louis C. K. of sexual misconduct. Consequently, his movie release and comedy special were canceled, and FX discontinued relations with C.K..

Women are not the only ones who are coming forward about their struggles with sexual assault. Over a dozen men have accused House of Cards actor, Kevin Spacey, of sexual misconduct and attempted rape. Spacey admitted to some of the claims and used the accusations to come out as gay.

This angered many in the LGBTQ community, who viewed this as a smokescreen to distract from the accusations of pedophilia. Spacey has since been suspended and replaced from his series House of Cards, as well as other projects.

Sexual assault is not just plaguing Hollywood.

Powerful figures in business, sports and politics are being accused of sexual misconduct everyday.

Over a dozen women have accused President Donald Trump of sexual harassment. This cycle of sexual assault is one that needs to be broken, and it starts with the youth of America. Educating students in college, high school and middle or elementary school on consensual behavior is essential to America’s growth and improvement as a country.

The fact that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men will be raped in

OPINION

46 3

their lives, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, shows that there is a problem in the nation, and this issue, like most, can be traced back to poor or lack of education during childhood and early adulthood.

Clayton High School has begun to take the preliminary steps to educate its student body about this immense problem.

“In [the class] Healthy Decisions, we had Safe Connections come in and talk about sexual assault and sexual consent,” CHS physical education and health teacher Alexandra Libby said. “Then we also had, in our Racket and Net classes, and ATA Martial Arts company come in to teach about self defense.”

Safe Connections is a not-for-profit based in St. Louis that is devoted to reducing sexual assault and violence through education, counseling and other services.

But 47 minutes of lecturing during a student’s sophomore year and self defense classes for students who take a certain gym class is not enough.

Art by Lizzy Mills The School District of Clayton should begin educating students at Wydown Middle School about the importance of consensual behavior. Students in Racket and Net Sports should not be the only students given the opportunity to learn self-defense. Defense classes should be required in all physical education classes so Clayton can educate its students; therefore, assisting them if they find themselves in a dangerous situation.

Even students who took the self-defense class thought it to be insufficient in teaching students how to protect themselves from assault.

Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, according to RAINN, or Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.

If Clayton can do more to protect its students from these horrific acts, in addition to teaching students not to engage in said acts, then our schools should be doing everything they can.

Sexual violence causes intense distress, elevated chance of drug use and damage to both professional and personal relationships. Clayton should educate its students in order to prevent these challenges from affecting students. Ending sexual assault and abuse starts with education, and it starts in the schools.

88% of the Globe staff agrees with the overall sentiment and content of this piece.

The Center of Clayton Stay active all winter with membership.

Resident rates available for all Clayton School District families.

(314)-290-8500 www.centerofclayton.com

Center C C The Center of Clayton

CAUSE

AN EFFECT Make dinner a selfless act by joining us for a fundraiser to support The Globe, Clayton High School Newspaper. Come in to the Chipotle at 1 North Central in Clayton on Thursday, December 14th between 10:45am and 2:00pm. Bring in this flyer, show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure that 50% of the proceeds will be donated to The Globe, Clayton High School Newspaper.

Online orders will not be included in the fundraiser total. To ensure your purchase is counted in the fundraiser, be sure to order and pay in-restaurant. Gift card purchases during fundraisers do not count towards total donated sales, but purchases made with an existing gift card will count.