Globe Newsmagazine, January 2020, Issue 5, Vol. 91

G T h e G lob e

disorder. + pg. 18

. VOLUME 91 . ISSUE 5 .

CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL. CLAYTON, MO. JANUARY 2020.

THANK YOU 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.

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ISSUE SPONSORS ($2000 Level) Gail Workman

GOLDEN GREYHOUND SPONSORS ($200+ Level) DTLS Landscape Architecture Dale Avenue Pediatrics Windsor Madonna O Cotlar Dave Stine Woodworking Yeung Realtors Melissa Clark Clayton Pilates Studio

The Thompson Richardson Team St. Louis Suit Company Clayton All in Coalition Van’t Hof Family Cobblestone Quality Shoe Repair The Retina Institute

WORLD TRAVELER SPONSORS ($100+ Level) The LaGesse Stanton Family The Sturmoski Family The Abburi Family Jane Cross Eugene Cross Bob and Betsy Cuneo The Stemmler Family Charlotte de Sauvage Nolting Sangeeta Khanna and Aseem Sharma The Chung Family Washington University Physicians Allergy & Immunology Clinics Mary and Dick Anthony Robin and Neil Snelling Maya Jerath and Sanjoy Baruah Venkatesh Narayan and Gita Krishnaswamy Christy Hager DDS Ann Sachar

Angela and Troy Quinn Chandrakant and Aruna Tailor Protzel’s Delicatessen Celsius Cryo-Therapy The Erlin Family Debbie and Andy Schwartz Chandrakant Tailor The Choo-Kang Family The Family of Lary Baker Go Inc. Kay Quinn Malone Geoffrey Espe David LaGesse and Laura Stanton Mindy Keller Jill Moran The Chatterjee Family The Palamand Family The Fisher Family Sharon and Riley Gordon

Christine Auston The Melinger Family Maya Jerath and Sanjoy Baruah Antonie and Makedonka Mitrev The Kerr Family Mindy Knows Katy Morris and How Sweet Is This Marisa and Josip Kos David Anston Kim and Tom Coorigan Karen Prechtt

January 2020

Photo of CHS varsity basketball player Hunter Chesnutt-Perry helping up his teammate Rohan Tripathy. Read more about Chesnutt-Perry on page 28.

Photo by Eli Milner.

12 Conner Sings

Freshman Holly Conner, who is autistic and blind, pursues her musical passions.

14 Decade Recap

The Globe explores some of greatest events of the 2010s.

18 Disorder

The Globe dives deep into the world of eating disorders and body image.

globe.

STAFF

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Grace Snelling and Lila Taylor

CHIEF MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Michael Melinger

CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR Richard Cheng

SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS Ashley Chung Katie He Noor Jerath Sara Stemmler

SECTION EDITORS Cece Cohen, BREAKING NEWS/ DIGITAL Shane LaGesse & Kaitlyn Tran, NEWS Disha Chatterjee & Sofia Erlin, FEATURE Jimmy Malone, SPORTS Eliot Blackmoore & Danny Choo-Kang, OPINION

REPORTERS Owen Auston-Babcock Isabella Bamnolker Luka Bassnett Emma Baum Sophia Boyd Danny Bui Jenna Bush Seraphina Corbo Chloe Creighton Isabelle Cross Sonali Dayal Hannah Do Paige Espe Tiancheng Fan Thomas Gustafson Alexandra Hagemeister Max Hagemeister Abigail Hoelscher Sasha Keller Ryan Kerr Daphne Kraushaar

Rachel Liang Moriah Lotsoff Isaac Millians Ana Mitreva Sofia Mutis Ruby Nadin Sofia Puerto Reese Quinn Emma Raine Ivy Reed Helena Reuter Maya Richter Ananya Shah Kathryn Smith Samuel Smith Sophie Srenco Abigail Sucher Sava Tamanaha Carola Vaqueiro Elaine Yoo Sophie Yoshino

Siddhi Narayan & Bridget Walsh, REVIEW

COPY EDITOR Yiyun Xu

PHOTO EDITOR Ella Cuneo

PAGE EDITORS Sarah Baker Vivian Chen Josephine Cross Kate Freedman Sahithya Gokaraju Tallulah Hawley Maxwell Keller Kaia Mills-Lee Margy Mooney

Neema Naemi Naveed Naemi Ruth Pierson Dheera Rathikindi William Redington Junyi Su Sophia Thompson Angela Xiao

PHOTOGRAPHERS Natalie Ashrafzadeh Celia Baer Natalie Bone Lillan Brown Jelani Christmas Isabella Clark Abigail Cooper Audrey Deutsch Gwen Duplain Ellayna French Sophie Furdek Davia Goette Lucia Johnson Kate Lay Whitney Le

Haley Lewis Naomi Merrihue-Irving Eli Milner Mallory Palmer Deborah Park Elise Restemayer Elia Rios Ryan Rosenthal Katherine Rother Annika Sandquist Emma Siegel Emma Stipanovich Katherine Walsh Olivia Williams Lauren Wolff

Professional Affiliations: JournalismSTL, Missouri Interscholastic Press Association, Missouri Journalism Education Association, Journalism Education Association National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association Please visit chsglobe.com for our editorial policy, mission statement, and ethics code. You can contact us at chsglobe@claytonschools.net with comments, story ideas or letters to the editor.

5

from the editor RICHARD CHENG | CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR

MICHAEL MELINGER | PHOTOGRAPHER It’s been days into my last semester in high school, and I’m thinking about learning more than ever.

I’m not talking about academics, and I’m afraid that more and more Clayton students are forgetting that there’s more to education than what you get in a classroom.

Clayton High School students are among the most academically prepared students in the country, but sometimes I wonder if that rigor is diminishing natural curiosity. I see it in the halls when my friends didn’t even have time to sleep because of physics homework. I see it when students crash and shut down over the weekend because they’re too exhausted from their workloads.

Between highly structured classes and standardized tests that pressure students into learning very specific skills, why should we be surprised that kids don’t have enough time to pursue their own learning?

As we begin the end of another school year, I urge Clayton students to embrace more independent education.

It definitely does not have to be really insightful stuff. But between learning precalculus on the side and memorizing European history, it’s crucial that kids remember that they can make their own choices with their education.

The pedagogy of CHS teachers is undoubtedly successful, but I really hope that we don’t forget how powerful self-directed learning can be.

The past two months, I’ve been reading a lot about etymologies. Did you know that the word “tragedy” comes from the Greek “tragodia,” meaning “goat song?” I don’t get it either. Apparently “robot” comes from the Czech “robota,” which means forced labor. That’s pretty dark.

My “studies” in this discipline are, to be frank, pretty trivial, but it’s been a breath of fresh air in my life to read and study something I want to,

and I really hope that Clayton students remember that they don’t need a teacher around to dive into their own curiosities. Speaking honestly, I’m not quite sure how a Clayton student would discover a passion in East Asian studies or film without outside, independent learning.

We have to do better as a school and community to recognize that there is no ideal Clayton student: we shouldn’t be advocating for perfect-GPA students that can follow the most ideal, rigid course schedule, and that’s a failure that we all bear right now.

Clayton High School students, if you have time after your sociology class and AP Environmental Science homework, try to find something you really want to learn about. Call me a geek, but -- wait, maybe don’t do that. Apparently, the word “geek” actually was a term for circus performers who bit the heads off of small living creatures.

TO THE HOOP The Clayton Greyhounds boys’ varsity basketball team faced off against John Burroughs High School on Jan. 7. Ahmad Weston makes a move past the Burroughs’ defense. The Greyhounds lost in a tight game 44-40.

Photographer ELI MILNER

8

news & notes SHANE LAGESSE | KAITLYN TRAN

NEWS SECTION EDITORS

mmea recognition The Clayton High School Symphonic Band was selected to play for 25 minutes at the Missouri Music Educators Association’s 82nd annual conference on Jan. 23.

australian wildfires

impeachment A whistleblower complaint has sparked a long chain of events leading to the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Read the timeline on the next page for a better description of the events which have transpired.

credit: thomas gustafson

As for the CHS Symphonic Orchestra, qualifying violinists, violists and percussionists will perform pieces by Mahler and Bates with the Missouri All-State Orchestra at the Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks on Jan. 25.

Australia currently experiences deadly wildfires that began in late July with the start of the fire season. Victoria and New South Wales have declared a state of emergency, with countries such as the United States, Canada, New Zealand and more sending foreign aid and firefighting assistance.

US-Iran conflict On Jan. 3, Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed by a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The airstrike was motivated by Soleimani’s alleged plans to attack Americans, according to the Trump Administration and State Department officials. In response, Iran launched missile attacks on two U.S. airbases in Iraq on January 8. Hours later, Iran shot down a Ukraine International Airline flight, an event they stated was caused by “human error”. The U.S. has since imposed additional economic sanctions against Iran. Tensions in Iran are building as protests form against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as between Iran itself and the U.S.

rising minimum

On Jan. 1, Missouri became one of fourteen states to raise its minimum wage through legislation. Missouri’s minimum wage is now $9.45 an hour, increasing from the 2019 minimum wage of $8.60.

9

impeachment

The Globe organizes Trump’s impeachment trial.

IVY REED | REPORTER MAX KELLER | PAGE EDITOR SHANE LAGESSE | NEWS SECTION EDITOR

Jul. 25: Trump/Zelensky call, $391 million in Ukraine aid that was already approved by Congress as part of the 2019 federal budget is officially put on hold by the Trump administration.

Aug. 12: Anonymous whistleblower complaint filed, likely by CIA official.

Oct. 17: Mick Mulvaney, acting White House Chief of Staff, admits to reporters that Trump withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine into a Biden investigation. When asked whether there was a quid pro quo, he responds, “We do that all the time with foreign policy.” Mulvaney later tries to deny his answer.

Sept. 11: Trump administration releases Ukraine aid.

Sept. 10: Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff demands whistleblower complaint from Joseph Maguire, acting Director of National Intelligence, after Maguire blocked whistleblower complaint from Congress.

Sept. 13: Maguire subpoenaed by Schiff for the whistleblower complaint.

Sept. 24: Pelosi announces impeachment inquiry, saying that Trump’s behavior was unconstitutional.

Sept. 26: House releases a public version of the whistleblower complaint.

Oct. 11: Former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testifies that Rudy Guiliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, led a smear campaign against her and that she was unfairly ousted

by Trump. She is one of several witnesses involved in the Ukraine affair.

Sept. 25: White House releases memorandum of Ukraine call. Zelensky brings up purchasing weapons from the U.S. for defense against Russia, and Trump responds with, “I would like you to do us a favor though.” Memorandum reveals Trump urged Zelensky to investigate information about Joe Biden allegedly blocking an investigation by the Ukrainian government into the energy company where his son, Hunter Biden, held a position on the board.

Oct. 23: House Republicans enter and refuse to leave the room where hearings are going on, claiming the inquiry is unfair.

Nov. 4: Ambassador to E.U. Gordon Sondland admits Trump was involved in a quid pro quo with Ukraine.

Nov. 13: Intelligence Committee hearings begin.

Dec. 4: House Judiciary Committee hearings begin.

Dec. 18: Impeachment Articles are passed. Article I (abuse of power) passed with 230 yea’s and 197 nay’s.

Article II (Obstruction of Congress) passed with 229 yea’s and 198 nay’s.

10

custodians care

The Globe spoke with three dedicated CHS custodians to learn more about their stories and motivation for working in the district.

michelle maley

KAITLYN TRAN | NEWS SECTION EDITOR VIVIAN CHEN | PAGE EDITOR Photos by ELLA CUNEO | PHOTO EDITOR Michelle Maley works as a school plant worker at CHS, but she is also a mother of two, a St. Louis City native and has been passionate about caring for children all her life. Maley grew up in South St. Louis as a middle child between three sisters. As a student, Maley especially loved English.

“I had English and spelling Bees I won and all that kind of stuff was fun,” Maley said. “I used to challenge my sisters and they all can write better, but I could spell better. That was fun. We used to play school all the time.”

Maley held a very family-oriented outlook, always accompanied by her siblings on their adventures around the city.

“I have three sisters, no brothers, and a real, real close relationship with every one of them. And a lot of fun. Not a lot of money, but that’s beside the point. It’s really worth it, really. I love them all,” Maley said.

This close relationship Maley had with her siblings shaped her future career choice.

“I could never get enough with kids and the interaction and the fun responsibilities. I had an older and two younger [siblings]. My mom had

my younger sister late in life, so I felt like I was her mom. Just being around kids is good; that’s really what I wanted to do,” Maley said.

Maley later had one daughter, which greatly

impacted her perspective on life.

“My daughter was born with her liver not connected,” Maley said. “I waited my whole life to

diane eldridge-rucker “No young girl should ever have to go through [what I went through].” Diane Eldridge-Rucker said.

Eldridge-Rucker has experienced great triumphs, but also difficult losses in her lifetime.

As a child, she was raised by her grandmother, lacking the strong mother-daughter relationship that most get to experience.

Eldridge-Rucker’s life soon took a turn when she was raped at the age of 11.

“It’s very traumatizing. It makes you feel like you’re nothing,” Eldridge-Rucker said. “All that went through my mind was, ‘Why me?’... You push the trauma out of your mind, just live life like nothing ever happened. And that’s how it

was when it happened. I just went home like nothing ever happened like a normal day, but I suppressed it for so long, it made me just real bitter.”

Eldridge-Rucker was faced with another life-changing experience on Sep. 30, 2000, when her son Jeremiah was fatally shot in the chest at the age of 23.

“I just never thought I would bury a child at the age of 23 years old. He should be burying me, that’s what I thought.”

Eldridge-Rucker turned to Christianity for comfort and answers during this period of her life. She vividly remembered one specific experience during her time of coping,

have a daughter. At about 6-weeks-old, they did surgery on her, and they connected everything to the liver, to the body and internal organs. It’s just that it was touch-and-go for three years, and they didn’t know if she was going to make it or not. But [now] she’s well and fine and on her own It was pretty scary.”

Her daughter has since grown, spending a year as a foreign exchange student in Bremen, Germany, one of the locations in Europe that Maley plans on staying in upon retirement.

“My plan after retiring in a couple of years is to go to Europe.

That’d be fun...We’ve been invited to stay [in Bremen] with the [exchange] family for almost a year.

Maley takes great precautions to ensure that the school facility is safe and clean and loves working with the students here at CHS. “I find it very gratifying being right here in the center,” Maley said. “I can take care of the kids every day, make sure they have a clean school and a clean slate to start with, and that it’s safe. That is important.

And they can come to us. We’re not educators, but we care about them.”

11 while struggling with the side effects of the medication she was prescribed.

“I was so depressed when my son died.

They put me on Prozac to cope with the pain.

And I was just talking to the Lord one day, and I said, ‘I don’t want to take this medicine,’” Eldridge-Rucker recalled. “I could hear a little still voice say to me, ‘Seek me’. So I stopped taking it.

And I just started feeding off the word of God… I knew that God had a plan, and I thanked him for the 23 years that he did give me with him.”

Despite the burden of the situation and the grief that came with these experiences, Eldridge-Rucker discovered a silver lining in her struggles. Her painful experiences inspired her to follow her passion through making a difference in the lives of others: counseling.

Eldridge-Rucker would go on to tirelessly pursue this dream. At the age of 52, she received

her GED. At 55, she earned her bachelor’s degree.

Currently taking classes at Lindenwood University, Eldridge-Rucker is on her way to earning her master’s degree in counseling next year. In addition to her courses, she has published a book, titled “Broken Pieces: He is the Potter, I am the Clay,” detailing the story of her life and what she has endured. She is also the CEO of Broken Pieces Pottered Together Ministry.

Eldridge-Rucker’s accomplishments possess an overarching biblical theme: the idea of a potter and clay being remolded comes from the book of Jeremiah in the Bible, which happens to be the book that she named her son after.

Eldridge-Rucker’s passion for ministry and healing is undeniably present in her work.

“I go to the prisons and I minister to women… I go to the Clayton jail and minister to the women that are there. I’ll do a Bible study, I teach

them about who Christ is and their identity in Christ,” Eldridge-Rucker said.

Throughout her career, Eldridge-Rucker has seen and heard numerous heart wrenching stories, bringing her closer to her community.

“I met a family whose daughter was raped [at the age of 12]. And that stuck with me, because I can relate to it from my story myself. And her mother wanted me to mentor her, to talk to her and be with her,” Eldridge-Rucker said. “[The daughter] lashed out at her mother and other people because of what had happened to her. She just needed love, really. She needed someone to show her love.”

Throughout her life, Diane Eldridge-Rucker has faced countless hardships, and time after time she continues to push through them.

“Never give up,” she said. “Always have faith.

There is a brighter day coming.”

thai duong

“Experiences that we have received from the way our parents raised us [are life changing].

When I was younger, my family was poor, and my life was hard, so I learned that you have to push yourself and strive for greater [things]...

Everything that our parents teach us is valuable.”

Thai Duong’s current ideals were heavily influenced by his own parents through his experiences while growing up. Respecting your parents and elders, called lòng hiếu thảo in Vietnamese, is a large part of Vietnamese culture, and therefore a primary guiding factor in Duong’s views on parenting.

For Duong, respecting your elders does not necessarily mean blindly submitting to their wishes. He weighs the importance of communication between a child and their parent and believes in diplomatically resolving conflicts and disagreements.

“If your parents discipline you, that means that you didn’t do the right thing [so they scold you]. If you think that you’re right, you have to

*translated interview

explain,” Duong said. “If you want to study to become an engineer and your dad tells you that you have to become a doctor, you have to explain to your parents that you don’t want to become a doctor, but that you want to become an engineer… you have to explain that you like this career and that if you choose the other career, you won’t have enough comprehension in that field to be successful.”

Duong’s perspective was not only shaped by his culture and surroundings, but also by his experiences growing up in war-torn Vietnam. Duong faced the aftermath of the North Vietnamese victory and subsequent occupation of his homeland in South Vietnam, which determined his viewpoints on war.

After the North Vietnamese victory, the dramatic shift in the ideology of the government left Duong fearing the repercussions of a changed lifestyle that he and his community would have to face, especially transitioning after years of French occupation and an American-backed South Vietnamese government.

Duong describes living under the censorship of the North Vietnamese government.

“I don’t hear about the newspapers; I can’t read newspapers from America or other countries. You know everything [in America].

When you live in Vietnam, you don’t know anything that they don’t want you to know,” Duong said.

He further explained his frustration with the demands of the government: “They tell you to do everything. If you need something, it’s always money first. And if you don’t have money, they will deny you. They won’t worry about you.”

Throughout his childhood, Duong held

dreams of growing up to work as an engineer.

However, after the Vietnam War, this dream began to slip away.

“Back when I was in Vietnam, when the North Vietnamese occupied our territory… in school, they would ask you to report about your family and your family’s future, like what your grandparents do. If your grandfather worked for the previous [South Vietnamese] government, then you would be prohibited from further education,” Duong said. “At this time, when North Vietnam won the war, all I could do was find a job and make money to survive. I couldn’t study anymore.

I wanted to study to become an engineer, but that wasn’t possible. I wanted to design machines, but I couldn’t because I didn’t have the necessary education.”

Duong was granted immigration to the United States through a marriage visa, and although he initially assumed he would now be able to begin his engineering studies, the opportunities gradually drifted away from him.

“I thought that I could go back to school, but it was too late because, when I first came, I operated a popcorn machine for 13 years. I only stayed in America for 5 years [when I started my operating job], but I [kept working there] because the job had good employee benefits, but now there’s not many years left until I retire,” Duong said.

Because Duong was unable to pursue his passion, he urges Clayton High School students to take advantage of the opportunities granted in America, along with the freedoms that he was never fortunate to have.

“All of the students at Clayton High School should continue to work hard and should strive to study. Living in America, [students] have the freedom to learn and do everything, so you should strive to work hard. Right now, you are young.”

12

connor sings CHS freshman Holly Connor realized her passion for singing at a young age. She recently performed the National Anthem at a Blues game.

GRACE SNELLING | EDITOR IN CHIEF

On Nov. 30, 2019, CHS freshman Holly Connor stepped out onto the ice rink of a hushed stadium, glaring overhead spotlights directed straight at her, and grasped the microphone stand.

She was about to sing the National Anthem for the St. Louis Blues.

From a young age, Connor has been aware of her passion and talent for music.

“I started to sing when I was 3-years-old,” Connor said. “I have instant memory, which means that when I hear a song, it’s in my brain forever. And perfect pitch, which means that I sing on key. Perfect pitch is when you hear a note and memorize it. For example, if someone plays a G, I can sing G. If someone plays a C, I can sing C.” These skills have helped Connor not only with her voice, but also in learning a variety of instruments. She plays the ukelele, harmonica and piano, as well as dabbling with the kantele and pan pipe. Several videos on her YouTube channel, Holly Connor, feature her singing along to one of these instruments.

However, despite her talent in many realms of music, vocal performance remains Connor’s core interest.

For this reason, she has participated in countless musical theatre performances, notably appearing as Glinda in the Wizard of Oz and Mama Ogre in Shrek the Musical, as well as actively singing for multiple choirs. Currently, she

is a member of the CHS show choir and COCA’s Allegro show choir. These experiences have allowed Connor to grow as a musician and have set the stage for a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“It was August,” Connor said. “The St. Louis Symphony Education Coordinator, Jessica, decided to host a competition for new national anthem Blues singers. And I was part of the competition.

I never got back for the finals at Powell Hall, but I didn’t need to be in the finals, because the Blues coordinators were blown away by my voice in the video. I just went and sang confidently.”

Although thousands of fans would be watching her performance, Connor didn’t feel nervous before she sang, as she was confident that she had perfected the piece. When she reached the line, ‘and the home of the brave,’ and the audience echoed back, ‘Blues!’ she was struck by the meaningfulness of her accomplishment.

“After it, I felt very, very proud of myself. My dad was like, ‘Oh, Holly, you did very good!’ and I saw a good friend of mine, my acting coach, she

saw it too and said it was so good,” Connor said.

Holly is blind and autistic, and she hopes that her achievements in the music world will help to raise awareness for people in her community.

“I think [me singing the anthem can help spread awareness],” Connor said. “Because people are there to support me. When my mom looked at the videos on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, there were no negative comments. They were all positive.”

Looking ahead, Connor aspires to pursue a degree in vocal performance, so that she can focus on her passion into adulthood. In the near future, she’ll continue to perform with her choirs and in musical theatre shows. She’s hopeful that, before she graduates, she’ll get another opportunity to sing for the Blues.

In an interview for the NHL highlight reel of her performance, Connor repeated her goal in singing on a larger scale: “This is a message to all the audience to spread ability awareness for blindness and autism to the world!”

13

an affinity for divinity CHS graduate Carly Beard received a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and now explores “head” and “heart” approches to spirituality.

SARA STEMMLER | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

Beard outside of the Princeton University Chapel. Photo from Beard.

The final rays of the sun filter through the about the religious tradition that I inherited. I Even within the classroom, Beard gets a taste Venetian blinds. Candles are lit in prayer before a sensed a deep desire to develop my own sense of of the vast diversity of religious practices the massive spread of food on a long wooden table. It spirituality and walk with others as they discover outside world has to offer. is an evening of peace and holiness. As the Gage “Because Harvard Divinity School is not theirs,” Beard said. family’s dinner guests bow their heads in prayer, A Master of Divinity is composed of both officially affiliated with any particular relia young girl scribbles furiously on a notepad academic courses and vocational training, Beard’s gious tradition, there is significant diversity in under the table. “Shabbat” is scrawled at the top, progress towards her degree has occurred both religious traditions represented in the classroom followed by some of the girl’s observations about in and out of the classroom. After completing her and requirements for graduation can really be the traditions taking place. Thus, the fascination undergraduate degree at Princeton University, configured to complement individual research begins.

Beard joined the Episcopal Church of the USA, interests,” Beard said.

CHS graduate Carly Beard, ‘14, is currentwhere she is now an aspirant to the priesthood.

Beard’s research interests motivate her to prily rounding out an impressive education in a oritize her coursework on ancient languages, the In her last year of college, she applied to field not many Clayton grads have explored.

Harvard Divinity School with the intention of critical study of the Bible, and twentieth century After earning a vigorous curiosity for ordained obtaining her MDiv, and was able to defer her Jewish and Christian theologies. In addition to ministry, in part through the Wydown Middle admission for a year of research in Germany with these courses, she is completing her first year of School world religions unit and later through a a 2018-2019 Fulbright grant. Her research was Field Education at the Lutheran-Episcoal Minishigh school assignment, “The Bible as/in Litercomposed of exploring the life of Edith Stein, the try at MIT, where she explores higher-education ature,” Beard is pursuing her Master of Divinity “Holocaust martyr,” in Cologne, particularly her chaplaincy by assisting with worship services and (MDiv) at Harvard Divinity School. Her current involvement in the 1918-1919 Prussian women’s leading the community in spiritual reflection. education reflects her appreciation for religious suffrage movement. Beard was eager to absorb Outside of the classroom, she contributes to mutraditions as a young girl.

German culture, also performing with a tradisic on the guitar, bass and voice at the Christian “I was raised at Central Presbyterian Church, tional German dance troupe, Hellige Knäächte and multifaith worship services. which is in the Reformed Protestant tradition un Mägde.

During a time in which many attempt to sepof Christianity. I have so many fond memories And Beard’s outside research does not stop arate the intellectual from the emotional, Beard is of growing up in the church -- singing in the there. In addition to taking classes rooted in grateful for a medium with which she can comchildren’s choir, crafting in Sunday School, particdisciplines like history, philosophy and ancient bine the two in an overall goal of self-betterment. ipating in the Christmas pageant, to name a few,” languages, as well as classes related to spiritual “I’ve long sensed a deeper emotional or Beard said. and professional development, she is required to spiritual pull towards religion. From a young age, As she matured, Beard began to examine the complete at least two years of a part-time internI’ve had to grapple with questions around God, is Her coming to Clayton with several years of study experience. root of such traditions inNew order history to deepen teacher her own Danielle ship calledDuHadway Field Education. internship will the divine, and death.

In the and practice spirituality, as well as that of others. be focused on bringing her classroom education GRACE of religion, I’ve found a space to use both of these SNELLING | PHOTOGRAPHER “As I came of age, I started asking questions into real-world practice settings. ‘head’ and the ‘heart’ approaches.”

14

decade recap ELLA CUNEO | PHOTO EDITOR ABBY SUCHER | REPORTER DHEERA RATHIKINDI | PAGE EDITOR

315360000 seconds, 5256000 minutes, 87600 hours, 3650 days, 10 years, one decade. Most of us have lived through this, and maybe more. We have survived the ever repeating tunes of “Let It Go,” “Despacito” and “Shake It Off.” We have seen lives being affected by gun violence, protests surrounding the #MeToo and the Black Lives Matter movement, the impeachment process, hurricanes and major steps in LGBTQ+ rights. Although toys from this decade, such as Elsa dolls, Transformers, Silly Bandz and Zhu Zhu Pets have been lost over time, we can still reflect and reminisce on some of the moments that made us love our childhood—and say goodbye.

The St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019

person of the year 2010

mark zuckerberg

2011

the protestor

2012

barack obama

2013

pope francis

2014

the ebola fighters

2015

angela merkel

2016

donald trump

2019

the silence breakers

2019

the guardians

2019

greta thunberg

sports

The Chicago Cubs won the MLB World Series in 2016

The St. Louis Cardinals won the MLB World Series in 2011

Michael Phelps won 28 gold medels and Simone Biles is the most decorated American gymnast

major events In the past decade, Barack Obama was reelected and Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. Despite this, Clinton became the first ever woman to win a major party nomination. Recently, our country has witnessed President Trump undergo impeachment. Major activist movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo forever shaped this decade.

15 We would like to commemorate the lives lost and affected by natural disasters this past decade including: the Haiti Earthquake, Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Harvey and Amazon Wildfires. The more recent Australian bushfires have placed many native species in a position to soon become extinct, and have caused at least 24 human fatalities.

The increasing frequency of natural disasters has contributed to both political and scientific discourse surrounding the issue of climate change.

The Fifth Assesment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded in 2014 that “The impact of anthropogenic climate change on fire weather is emerging above natural variability.”

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We pay respects to the friends and family of those who were killed in mass shootings this decade including; El Paso Walmart (22), Stoneman Douglas High School (17), Las Vegas (59), Sutherland Springs Church (27), Orlando Nightclub (50), and Sandy Hook Elementary School (28) shootings.

movies

Movies have changed dramatically throughout this decade. To the left is the top grossing movies of each year, with Avengers: Endgame being the highest grossing movie of the decademaking $2,797,800,564.

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spreading like weed

Illinois has officially legalized recreational marijuana. What does this mean for Missouri residents, and is recreational marijuana inevitable for Missouri?

ALEXANDRA HAGEMEISTER | REPORTER DAPHNE KRAUSHAAR | REPORTER MAX HAGEMEISTER | REPORTER

Long lines continue on the second day of recreational cannabis sales on Jan. 2, 2020 along Clark Street outside Sunnyside in Lakeview.

(Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune In less than 25 minutes, a student from Clayton High School could drive downtown, across the Mississippi River and into Illinois.

As of Jan. 1, 2020, Illinois became the 11th state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana. To purchase marijuana, you must be at least 21 years of age. Additionally, Illinois residents may only purchase and possess 30 grams at a time, while non-residents are allowed half of that.

J.B. Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, said that the legalization of marijuana would “give hundreds of thousands of people the chance at a better life -- jobs, housing and real opportunity.”

The state is also focusing on using tax money from marijuana sales to expunge 770,000 minor marijuana-related cases. Many advocates for the drug believe that the government has been targeting minorities during the War on Drugs.

This new law now protects those minorities from these injustices. The state also plans to use the remaining tax money to “support drug treatment and enforcement programs, improve mental health counseling access and bolster the state’s general fund.”

The question everyone has been asking is, “Is it legal to bring marijuana back into Missouri even if I purchased it in Illinois?”

The short answer is no.

Let’s break it down. The first time you are caught possessing up to 10 grams, you could incur up to $500 in fines. On the second offense, you could face up to 1 year in jail and $2,000 in fines. If you are caught possessing more than 35 grams, the charge is upgraded from a misde-

meanor to a felony, which would mean up to 7 years in jail and $10,000 in fines.

Even with all of these restrictions, will Missourians be deterred from bringing marijuana back? Only time will tell, but law enforcement is prepared to combat the drugs’ entrance into the state. This may be done by monitoring bridges, as well as monitoring cars with Missouri license plates and whether they intend to cross back over the bridge after a purchase.

In Missouri, the arrest rates from the sale and possession of marijuana from 2014-2016 increased by more than 19%, according to the FBI. 58,469 people were arrested for the possession of marijuana from 2014-2016. This massive number puts Missouri in fifth place out of all the states regarding possession arrests. The arrest rates are predicted to skyrocket because of Illinois’ legalization.

Due to these changing regulations, a simple question might be asked: “Why doesn’t Missouri legalize marijuana?” The answer isn’t simple. Even though arrest rates could decline because of the legalization of possessing specific amounts of marijuana, it might cause a snowball effect.

Mark Hagemeister, a former prosecutor of the City of St. Louis predicts increased traffic fatalities, decreased productivity, higher unemployment and potentially more abuse of other drugs if marijuana were to be legalized in Missouri. This idea that marijuana is a gateway drug is quite controversial.

According to a study conducted by Yale University, “Adolescents between ages 12 and 17 who began abusing marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco

were 266 times more likely to develop an addiction to cocaine, and adults who abused gateway drugs were 323 times more likely to also develop an addiction to cocaine.”

On the other hand, the Center for Disease Control claims that marijuana is not a gateway drug because the majority of marijuana users do not eventually use harder drugs.

Hagemeister also predicts higher revenue from various taxes and more rehab facilities. His primary concerns are the unknown effects of persistent marijuana usage on the developing brain and other potential negative health consequences.

Unlike alcohol, marijuana is not a poison to every cell in the human body, but it may have some undiscovered effects. He believes that the misuse of marijuana could result in decreased motivation and ambition in a larger segment of the population.

“Ironically, removing this source of income from illegal marijuana dealers is both good and bad,” Hagemeister said.

Some dealers are breadwinners for their families who may be forced to seek legal employment if the drug becomes legal. Still, he worries they may resort to other illegal activities with potentially higher negative consequences.

“It’s a grand experiment; somewhat akin to legalizing gambling. More tax revenue at the price of higher rates of addiction and more bankrupt families,” said Hagemeister.

But in this case, even though most scientists believe marijuana is not physically addictive, studies have shown a possible psychological addiction.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 9 percent of marijuana users will become addicted to the substance. This number rises to 17 percent when users start using marijuana in their teens. Marijuana is psychologically addictive because of the effects it has on the brain. In his experience, occasionally smoking a moderate amount of marijuana in a controlled environment may be therapeutic and socially acceptable.

However, Hagemeister also said that, “inevitably, the irresponsible, uneducated, undisciplined, and immature segment of the population (which he thinks is a much higher number than most people believe) will not use it occasionally, will not smoke a moderate amount, and will not use it in a controlled environment. The long term societal and medical (including mental) health consequences make legalization of marijuana an uninformed decision at this time.”

Marijuana being legalized in Illinois (which is the second-most populous state that has allowed the recreational use of marijuana) will increase the chances of legalization throughout Missouri and the country. More organizations are popping up and fighting for the opportunity to allow U.S. citizens to have access to the drug. The bottom line is that the likelihood of marijuana becoming legal in the future for the state of Missouri is very high.

*This story contains imagery and personal stories pertaining to eating disorders. Some content may be triggering to those that have struggled or currently struggle with a disorder. Please read with your own safety in mind.

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disorder.

How do you learn to love your body, if that means losing your sense of control?

19

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i n t ro Your phone dings. It’s a text from your friend. “Want to go get food with me?” it reads. Your heart drops. You think back to earlier that day, to the donut you couldn’t stop yourself from eating. Before you can think twice, you’ve calculated how many calories you’ve eaten that day. The answer brings on a rush of guilt. You’ve become numb to the hunger gnawing at your stomach, but nonetheless the thought of food persists in the back of your mind. Overwhelmed, you turn your phone over and try to push the thought of eating out of your mind.

You know what you’re doing is unhealthy, but you can’t bring yourself to stop.

b a c kg ro u n d Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, with approximately one person dying as a direct result every hour, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Currently, over 30 million people suffer from eating disorders in the United States.

Recently, the Globe released a survey regarding disordered eating to CHS students. Eight percent of those who responded have been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and 58 percent say they know someone who has one. Because of the stigma and misinformation surrounding these disorders, only one in every 10 people struggling receives the necessary support, as reported by the Eating Disorders Coalition.

While there are many types of unhealthy and dangerous eating habits that can be classified as disorders, they cannot all be placed into distinct categories.

There are, however, three main manifestations that professionals most commonly encounter in patients.

The first is anorexia nervosa, more commonly known as anorexia. This eating disorder is characterized by restricted food intake, an intense fear of weight gain and severely distorted body image. Due to such restrictive eating habits, people with anorexia are often, but not always, underweight.

Bulimia nervosa, or bulimia, is similar to anorexia in that those afflicted are acutely aware of their body. Conversely, however, those struggling with bulimia experience repeated episodes during which they uncontrollably eat excessive amounts of food, followed by periods of purging, fasting or extreme exercising in an attempt to counteract the effects of these binges and prevent themselves from gaining weight. As such, people with bulimia are often a normal weight.

Binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States. It is characterized by repeatedly consuming large quantities of food in a short amount of time, even when not physically hungry or even when full. As with bulimia, these periods are denoted by a perceived lack of control and lead to overwhelming guilt and shame. Those with binge-eating disorder will turn to food to cope with these emotions, furthering the cycle. Unlike people with bulimia, though, people struggling with binging do not purge after eating, often leading to obesity.

Eating disorders are thought to be caused by a combination of genetics, environmental pressure and personality traits, as those with eating disorders are likely to also suffer from depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance abuse.

According to Monica Wolters of McCallum Place Eating Disorder Centers, “While one patient may have developed their eating disorder as a result of a trauma, another individual may have developed their eating disorder as a result of a strong and enduring diet culture within their family. There are also instances of athletes developing eating disorders due to coaches insisting that weight loss will improve results. Because environmental causes vary widely amongst individuals, it compounds the difficulty in understanding and awareness [of eating disorders].”

At the root of all eating disorders, however, is a need for control, according to Rebecca Lester, Associate Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis.

“I think for all eating disorders, they are a way [for patients] to manage their lives, whether it is by not eating, or by binging and purging,” Lester said.

Because teenage years are marked by uncertainty and lack of autonomy, eating disorders are often associated only with teenage girls being picky or going through a phase. This misconception dissuades many of those who are struggling from reaching out for help, leading to severe underdiagnosis.

“We definitely hear a lot of misconceptions,” said Katelyn Viscuso, the Intake and Admissions Director at McCallum Place. “But… the reality is that anyone can struggle--any gender, from any culture or race… Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes.”

Currently, there are over 30 million people suffering from eating disorders in the United States.

Only one in every 10 people struggling receives the necessary support.

21

psychology “They can be hard, and scary, but eating disorders can develop quickly, and [they] are life-threatening. They are one of the deadliest mental illnesses, so we really stress early intervention,” Katelyn Viscuso said. She is the Intake and Admissions Director at McCallum Place, an Eating Disorder Treatment Center in St. Louis.

Body image and eating concerns have proven to be prevalent within the Clayton School District community. From a Globe survey polling CHS students, 58 percent are personally acquainted with (an) individual(s) who have an eating disorder. With eating disorders affecting a large portion of the school community, it is crucial to understand the psychological background of eating disorders.

Eileen Vollmer, the Intensive Outpatient Coordinator for the St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, cites genetics as a major factor to being diagnosed with an eating disorder.

“The research does show that there’s a strong genetic component to most eating disorders. That means if mom or grandma or great-grandma or somebody in the family had an eating disorder, then you are genetically predisposed to having an eating disorder yourself,” Vollmer says.

In addition, Vollmer states that certain tipping points could prompt eating disorders, such

as a sharp decrease in body weight.

“We will see people get very sick, for example, with the flu or with mono, and in the course of getting sick, they accidentally lose weight and they go below their ideal body weight. There’s something about being below your ideal body weight that triggers anorexia and triggers wanting to restrict more. Sometimes an illness like that can prompt someone to sort of stumble into an eating disorder, even though they never intended to, just by going below their body’s set point,” Vollmer said.

Other triggering factors could include a rapid transitioning point in one’s lifetime, or a traumatic event. These all contribute to the development of an eating disorder by spiking an unhealthy reaction in an individual, with or even without a family history of eating disorders. “[This] can be a transition, or trauma. Maybe you go from eighth grade to high school, or maybe your family moved…[It is] not really any one simple thing. There are lots of factors that can sort of ‘pull the trigger’ on an eating disorder,” Vollmer explained.

Eating disorders, although varying on a caseby-case scenario, often follow a set of stages.

“Generally, the first two phases [involve] denial. People will put them on the scale and

they will be obviously very underweight by any chart. And they will mentally deny that they have a problem at all, or they don’t like the label of an eating disorder. Most people start out in denial.

Part of what we have to do is educate them (and their parents, if they’re adolescents) and convince them this is serious,” Vollmer said, “Eating disorders are strange in that people can start off with anorexia. And then it can actually turn into binging and purging. It can really morph into different forms of eating disorders. There’s not really one specific trajectory because each person is so unique when they come in.”

Within these phases, heavy emotions of fear and control manifest in detrimental ways, with Viscuso clarifying that, “Everyone’s story is so different, and everyone is affected in a different way. What we commonly see is an intense fear of weight gain, or a fear of eating certain foods. This fear will often spiral and turn into a great deal of anxiety for the individual.”

She adds by explaining the ‘control factor’ that many of those with eating disorders struggle with.

“For some, food feels like the only thing in their life they can control, so they attempt to control what they will/won’t consume. There’s a lot of shame and self-depreciation that one experiences

data

Do you think you have a healthy relationship with your physical appearance?

Not at all

Definitely

22

11.8%

4.7%

12.7%

8.5%

11.8%

6.6%

11.3%

14.2%

8.5%

9.9%

when they are struggling. People often will be hard on themselves and put additional pressure on themselves to be perfect,” Viscuso said.

Furthermore, there is a consistent relationship between eating disorders and other mental health issues, which can, in turn, enhance the effects of the eating disorder.

“Nearly everybody that presents an eating disorder has a co-occuring disorder; deprived depression and anxiety are the two most common ones we see. There’s almost always a dual diagnosis: eating disorders, and then a secondary diagnosis of anxiety or depression,” Vollmer said.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has a relationship with eating disorders because of the brain’s tendencies to mimic OCD qualities while in a starved state, or through an actual co-existence of clinical OCD and eating disorders.

“Interestingly, OCD seems to like to link up with eating disorders quite a bit. A brain that is starved through malnourishment can get very rigid and almost act in an OCD fashion,” Vollmer said. “People may exhibit strong OCD behaviors that actually can go away or subdue after their ideal body weight is restored and they’re eating regularly after their blood sugar stabilized. That presents something that looks like OCD, but it is actually just the product of what is called the

hungry brain...Clinical OCD does occur quite often with eating disorder and that makes it a little trickier to treat, a little more difficult, but still very treatable.”

The culture that surrounds eating disorders can greatly influence an individual struggling with this illness, especially with respect to seeking information and treatment. Foremost, the social stigma that encompasses eating disorders forces more obstacles in the pathway towards treatment.

Rebecca Lester, Associate Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, believes that the pressure to portray a certain image further intensifies the self-aware component to eating disorders, especially in the age of social media.

“I think it would be difficult, how you present [yourself] to the world, not really how you feel or what skills you have, but how interesting you are.

You want to portray a certain kind of thing to the world and how many likes you get. This kind of imagery seems like it could be easily fed into the eating disorder and [prompt thoughts] about not feeling good enough and wanting to have some validation that you are feeling okay,” Lester said.

Gender roles also play an important part in eating disorders, with a common belief being that only teenage girls are affected by eating disorders.

This notion prevents individuals outside of this demographic from reaching out for help, serving as an additional barrier to the necessary psychological help that eating disorders often entail. “[A common misconception is that] boys don’t get eating disorders, but they do. They may not have it as often or as prevalently as females, but they do have it. They might take different forms. Sometimes, it can be about having enough muscle mass or a certain amount of muscle mass,” Vollmer said.

The approach towards an individual with an eating disorder is particularly crucial in appropriately showing your support and opening up a comfortable dialogue between yourself and the individual concerned.

Psychologically, eating disorders are extremely complex, especially as they greatly vary between individuals. However, particularly with the focus on image as the climate of today’s society, eating disorders have become more prevalent and need to be properly addressed without stigma.

“Eating disorders don’t go away. They don’t fix themselves. If you suspect you have a problem, you probably do. There’s no harm in getting it screened and checked out. You’re being directed to people that can help you and walk with you. It’s not something you should go through alone.”

Have you ever felt unhappy with your body or how you look?

(1 = all the time, 10 = never)

*data collected from Globe survey of 212 middle and high school students

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evan For CHS senior Evan*, the root of his body issues was media. He would watch superheroes in Marvel movies with their six-packs and toned muscles and compare their bodies to his own. Holding these glorified looks as an ideal, he began to strive to achieve them. However, once the pressure of perfection built, his goal manifested itself into episodes of stress, which came in the form of eating. When Evan ate, he felt guilty.

“I would be like, ‘Well I ate too much and I’m gonna gain weight, I need to get rid of this,’ and I would make myself throw up,” Evan said.

Evan did this periodically. There would be stretches of time throughout which his relationship with food improved, and there were certain phases where he would relapse and fall back into the cycle, often when trying to regain control in his own life.

“The disorder is that, in some ways, very assuring, because it’s something you can control when it feels like there are things in the world you can’t control.

And you can see the changes within yourself,” Evan said.

Evan recognized that this was a problem. So, he talked to his parents about getting professional help. However, they dismissed his concerns. While they considered the idea of a therapist, they didn’t ever follow through. Evan believes that their lack of concern may have to do with his gender.

“I think the attitude that my parents have, why they don’t accept or believe me, is [that they think] boys don’t have [eating disorders],” Evan said.

Evan thinks that this mindset is a symptom of society’s emphasis on disordered eating of females rather than males, and a stigma that only women can be uncomfortable with their bodies. Part of Evan’s struggle with asking for help came from a need to maintain a ‘masculine’ image and remain stoic in the face of emotion. Much of this, Evan believes, stems from modern media.

“You’ll be at the grocery store and seeing the Men’s Health magazines--how to get shredded and stuff like that. Everyone wants to get big,” Evan said.

For changes to be made in regards to how young people view food, Evan believes that society’s outlook on nutrition needs to be altered.

“This calorie counting, “I have to eat this or I can’t”, it’s bad for me, but at the same time, everyone’s messed up with all the processed food we eat. I don’t know what the answer is,” Evan said.

Evan’s struggle with body image has somewhat stabilized, but it’s not steady. As a male, he is learning to validate his feelings as well as the way that he looks.

One thing is certain to him, however: for people to accept their bodies, the mindset of society needs to change--in more ways than one.

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julia “It was Mother’s Day and I had passed out in the bathroom. When I sat up, I just kind of asked myself why I did this to myself,” said CHS junior Julia*.

Julia has struggled with restrictive eating since sixth grade. Initially, the graphic personal stories featured in the eating disorders unit during health class, combined with negative self-image, triggered her first episode. However, more recently, a need for control provided the spark.

During relapses, Julia’s entire life revolves around her eating schedule.

“When you’re in a relapse, food is the most important thing in your life,” Julia said. “It occupies every thought that you have besides school. And it makes your mind super foggy… Every time you eat, it feels like you’re surrendering to the disorder.”

While relapsing, Julia becomes obsessed with regulating her consumption.

Her disordered thinking alters how she views herself.

“When you’re gauntly thin, you still will look in the mirror and see that you want to lose more weight. [During relapses] I found myself following really thin models on Instagram… just as [a reminder that] ‘this is how pretty you could look,’” Julia said.

Although she has fought her disorder for years, many of Julia’s friends do not notice that anything is wrong until she confides in them. During her relapses, Julia often receives positive comments about her body that fuel her disorder.

“Whenever I relapsed, carefully prepped every meal and worked out religiously, I got so many comments from people saying that I look great, that they wish they had my dedication, but… I physically could not refrain from doing those things without experiencing overwhelming anxiety and guilt,” Julia said.

Julia believes that society’s weight loss mentality contributes to people’s unhealthy relationships with food. While eating disorders are not openly praised, restrictive diets and unrealistic body standards are celebrated on social media and other platforms.

Julia refrained from seeking help for years because of this mindset.

“When you are experiencing depression or anxiety, you want that feeling to go away. But, with an eating disorder, it gives you this high… you feel like you’re doing something right,” Julia said.

Julia began her recovery process by reaching out to her close friends and parents. Recently, she also received support from her therapist and physician.

Although her friends and family encouraged her to get help, Julia had to decide whether she wanted to recover herself.

Her recovery hasn’t been linear.

“Since I started seeking treatment, I have had a relapse and [I] worry about the future sometimes when I won’t have all the resources like my parents and my therapist ready to help me when this happens,” Julia said.

One aspect that makes recovery extremely challenging is relearning how to have a healthier relationship with food and body image. “[During recovery], you are trying to undo all of this disordered thinking you’ve acquired over the duration of your relapse… you have to come to terms with the fact that weight gain is not a negative thing,” Julia said.

Julia’s eating disorder has caused her to form dangerous habits that she has to fight every day. As someone who knows how difficult recovery is, Julia’s advice to others who are struggling is to reach out.

“Even if you don’t want to seek help, just talk to other people about it.

Keeping it all inside is not good.”

* Names changed for anonymity

There are two types of days for CHS junior Emily*: days when she allows herself to eat and days when she does not. She is constantly aware of her body shape, and any perceived deviation from the unrealistic ideal she strives for has the potential to ruin her day, or even her week.

Feeling self-conscious isn’t a new phenomenon for Emily--she had been hyper-aware of her body shape since the age of five. A self-described “chubby kid,” Emily first noticed her body was different from those around her in first grade. During her second year in elementary school, Emily’s parents divorced. To cope, she began to channel her anger and distress from the separation towards her physical appearance.

She would get out of the shower and find herself standing sideways in front of the mirror, criticizing every aspect of her body, especially her stomach. She would search for baggy clothes in the mornings to hide her body as best she could.

It was not until eighth grade, however, that Emily began to actively try and change her body. With the help of a calorie tracker, Emily restricted her eating and quickly shed water weight, which reinforced her determination to continue to cut calories. Soon, though, Emily found it harder and harder to shed pounds. She began skipping meals in hopes of flattening her stomach. This self-destructive thinking spiraled into Emily believing that she could only have two meals a day: a choice between lunch or dinner.

“I loved to go to sleep feeling hungry, because that meant I could eat the next day,” Emily said.

Although Emily’s restrictive eating habits would keep her from eating proper meals during the day, she would frequently binge on snacks or junk food at her mother’s house, either due to stress or hunger. Guilt from binging would lead Emily to starve herself further, continuing the vicious cycle.

Emily’s family knew she was grappling with self-image, but never commented on her drastic weight loss until her grandmother visited one summer and was disgusted by the frailty of Emily’s body. Despite her grandmother’s shock, Emily’s parents never truly understood the depth of their daughter’s struggles and were therefore unable to offer adequate support.

“My dad told me as long as I was healthy and strong, I would be okay,” Emily said.

The reactions Emily received from her friends mirrored those of her parents. Even after admitting her problems to friends, many did not believe her or make any attempts to understand what she was going through; they would instead tease or laugh at her.

“People don’t think that if you’re skinny or thin you can [also] have an eating disorder, and that’s really frustrating,” Emily said.

Although Emily had a primary care physician during this time, she felt ashamed to “complain” about her body and confide in her doctor. Her hesitance to seek help was exacerbated when, in the second semester of freshman year, Emily’s family took her to see a psychiatrist. Dismissive, the psychiatrist chastised her for believing she had an eating disorder and told her she would be fine.

She would not.

To this day, Emily goes through phases where her every decision is plagued by thoughts of calories and how much she weighs.

An ever-present force in her life, Emily’s eating disorder continues to shape her life in damaging and painful ways.

emily

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media & misconceptions More than a third of incoming seventh graders will have Mrs. Cassandra Conner as their science teacher. Many of her previous students can recall Conner telling them about her time in the military, as well as revealing that her reason for leaving was a mysterious injury.

What many students do not know, however, is that a physical injury is not the only thing Conner left with.

When Conner sustained an injury during her time in the military, she was devastated. Being in the military was something she loved, and the injury forcibly removed her from active participation. Conner felt as if she was slowly spiraling out of control and had lost her direction. She eventually turned to restricting her food intake in order to regain that sense of command over her life.

“I would purposely restrict how much I was eating in order to regain control. I felt so out of control with having to leave the army-it was what I thought I was going to do [for the foreseeable future], so I didn’t know what to do,” Conner said.

Eventually, Conner got professional help when, during a routine weight check, one of the military doctors noticed how dangerously low she measured. As a result, the military provided her with counseling to talk through her disorder. However, this did not help much.

“Because the counseling was provided by the military, they didn’t really care much. It was more because they had to,” Conner said.

While this was years ago, and Conner is much more comfortable with her body but she still does not consider herself recovered.

“An eating disorder isn’t something you ‘recover’ from. There’s always a chance of a relapse. Sometimes I’m scared that I will relapse again,” Conner said.

As a teacher who has gone through an eating disorder herself, Conner sees the same signs that she exhibited with some of her students now--even those who are only in seventh grade. She sees young children discuss their weight and count their calories in an extremely damaging way. She strongly believes in the importance of recognizing if someone has an issue and the importance of reaching out for help.

“If you have a problem, reach out for help. It is so important for you to get help because an eating disorder can ruin your life. I know it can be hard, but it needs to be done,” Conner said.

cassandra connor 26

One of the primary contributors to negative body image is the unrealistic portrayal of bodies in the media. Commercials, TV shows, movies and magazines all advertise the ideal figure, often heavily edited and posed. As these misleading images do not reflect reality, impossible standards are set.

In more recent years, social media has amplified this issue. Every day, users are bombarded by hundreds of airbrushed images of models and celebrities. Additionally, restrictive diets and unhealthy cleanses, such as FitTea, gain momentum on platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. “[Social media is] not really how you feel or what skills you have, how interesting you are. It is about … how many likes you get,” said Rebecca Lester, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Washington University of St. Louis.

Social media is not the only form of media that fosters unhealthy habits.

Big-picture media, such as movies and television shows, can also enhance the danger of comparison, with many love interests and “beautiful” characters synonymous with skinny characters.

Media also holds the power to push misconceptions of eating disorders onto viewers. Many portrayals of eating disorders on major media outlets focus on skinny female characters, which is not always the case in real life, according to Intensive Outpatient Coordinator for St Louis Behavioural Medicine Institute, Eileen Vollmer.

“A common misconception is that you have to be extremely visibly underweight to have an eating disorder. Number two, that boys don’t get eating disorders, but they do,” Vollmer said.

The media also often portrays eating disorders as a struggle that individuals can fully recover from, but this is, unfortunately, not always the case.

Eating disorders always pose the possibility of relapse.

“About a year to 18 months point [into recovery] is the time when people are [most] at a risk for relapse,” said Vollmer.

Furthermore, a common misconception that media can perpetuate is that eating disorders can just be “switched off ” merely through willpower, which is simply not true, according to Vollmer. “[People] have a hard time understanding why you can’t just eat a sandwich, just stop exercising, just stop purging. They don’t really understand that it’s not as simple as that,” Vollmer said.

However, while media can promote “comparison culture” and misconceptions of eating disorders, it can also make change positively. Recently, the body positivity movement has picked up on social media and led to a wider acceptance of different body types and sizes. For example, actress Jameela Jamil created her “I Weigh” account to highlight women’s accomplishments, rather than focus on their weight.

Despite its negative impacts on body-image, recent trends prove that social media is moving towards being an effective vehicle to spread acceptance.

“[People] have a hard time understanding why you can’t just eat a sandwich, just stop exercising, just stop purging. They don’t really understand that it’s not as simple as that.”

re s o u rc e s Eating disorders are extremely difficult to deal with, especially for teenagers. The intense academic and social pressure found within schools coupled with unrealistic body-image can be large contributing factors to eating disorders.

While eating disorders can be life-threatening, unfortunately, most teenagers with eating disorders keep them hidden. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, signs of eating disorders may include preoccupation with food, extreme concern with body size/shape, withdrawal from friends/activities and extreme mood swings.

However, many of these signs can be difficult to notice, especially within a school setting. For example, it is easy for students to skip meals by doing homework during lunch, or creating excuses such as leaving their lunch at home. If you notice these patterns and think that someone may have an eating disorder, there are certain actions you can take.

When approaching someone who you suspect is struggling with an eating disorder, remember that people with eating disorders have a mental disorder and hearing what they are doing is dangerous will not cause them to stop. It is important to help them get professional help from a counselor, doctor or other trusted adult. If you plan to confront them, rehearse what you are going to say to them and set a private time and a safe place you can talk. Remain calm and be caring but firm. Tell them about your concerns and urge them to seek professional help. Make sure to emphasize that there is absolutely no shame in receiving help.

However, an intervention may not succeed. If you reach out and they refuse your help, tell someone. Do not wait as the situation gets worse. Although your loved one may not be happy with you, it is better for them to be angry at you as opposed to them getting hurt due to their disorder.

Above all, it is essential that you educate yourself on eating disorders. Learn what healthy nutrition and exercise look like, and how they vary between different people. Try to be aware of the comments you make regarding people’s appearances. Commenting on someone’s body size can have unintended dangerous consequences. Knowing more will provide you with the resources to aid those who need help.

If you or a loved one may be struggling with an eating disorder, here are some resources: National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA): Website- https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org Helpline - (800) 931-2237

Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (FEAST): Website - https://www.feast-ed.org/ National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD): Website - https://anad.org/ Helpline - (630) 577-1330 Eating Disorders Recovery System: Website - https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/ Contact Information - (877) 711-1690 McCallum Place Eating Disorder Centers: Website - https://www.mccallumplace.com/ Contact Information (24/7) - (878) 648-6244 Location (STL) - 231 W. Lockwood Ave., Suite 201, St. Louis, MO 63119

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notorious h.c.p.

After moving to St. Louis his freshman year, senior Hunter Chesnutt-Perry has not only regained his passion for basketball, but he also found ways to exercise it off the court.

JIMMY MALONE | SPORTS SECTION EDITOR

Chesnutt-Perry drives to the basket against MICDS. ANNIKA SANDQUIST | PHOTOGRAPHER “Moving here freshman year, no one knew me yet,” varsity basketball captain Hunter Chesnutt-Perry said.

Before becoming a leader for the Greyhounds, Chesnutt-Perry grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where he explored his passion for basketball. As a young athlete, he played for an extremely successful AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team.

“We would win most of the tournaments around our area,” Chesnutt-Perry said. “We played in a tournament called the gauntlet in Vegas every year. It consisted of about 150 teams from around the country, and we placed fourth.”

At the beginning of his freshman year, Chesnutt-Perry transferred to the Clayton School District after moving from Boulder.

“It took me a while to get back into playing basketball and regain my passion for it,” Chesnutt-Perry said. “But once I made the transi-

tion, it’s been great ever since.”

As a sophomore, he was promoted to the varsity team, where he gained crucial experience and mentorship that would guide him for much of his high school career.

“My parents never really pushed me into anything, which I think was really important for developing my passions” Chesnutt-Perry said.

“They have always been completely supportive.

My mom would drive me to school early everyday to work out, and then she would go home and get ready for work.”

In addition to his parents, he found guidance from his early coaches.

“Coach Jared McCoy was a really big influence on me when he was here,” Chesnutt-Perry said. “He had a special confidence in me. He would pick me up before school, and we would practice three or four times a week after team practice.”

This work ethic instilled in Chesnutt-Perry proved to be valuable as he stepped into his role as a leader.

“I am definitely a quiet person, so I have been a leader by example for sure,” Chesnutt-Perry said.

“People see what I’m doing and see the work I put in and want to emulate that.”

On top of basketball, he found a strong interest in weight-lifting, contributing to his success on the court.

“Junior year I hurt my knees quite a bit from how much I was playing. I took a little bit of a step back from the sport and picked up lifting,” Chesnutt-Perry said. “It carried over to my play because I feel a lot stronger than most kids. I can do a lot of pushing around which has translated most to rebounding.”

Chesnutt-Perry sees weight-lifting as a passion that he could pursue further in the future.

“I will definitely keep fitness in my lifestyle for a long time,” said Chesnutt-Perry. “Right now, I’m studying to be a personal trainer. My friend from New York and I have a childhood dream of opening up a gym together, which I would love to do.”

Through his weight-lifting, Chesnutt-Perry has developed a physical style of play, helping him defend some of the best players in the area.

“The mindset going into a game changes based on the players,” Chesnutt-Perry said. “It’s most important not to rely on one person to guard their best player. We just try our best to keep them out of the game.”

This season, Chesnutt-Perry hopes to lead the Greyhounds through the district tournament, hopefully winning a district championship. He currently leads the team in rebounding, as well as averaging 9.5 points per game.

Chesnutt-Perry sees himself continuing to play basketball recreationally once he graduates.

“I’ll definitely play a lot,” Chesnutt-Perry said. “I think it will be more about just having fun and not worrying about all of the mistakes I make throughout a game. I’ll probably try to join an intramural league and just have fun with my friends.”

Basketball has been a very important part of Chesnutt-Perry’s life, causing him to work extremely hard on and off the court.

“Basketball has been a big part of developing who I am,” Chesnutt-Perry said. “It has built my work ethic in a way that I don’t think many other things could. I’ve been able to use that towards other things and will be able to use that throughout my life.”

29 “Sports, in general, teaches you how to deal with everyday life situations, and I think in that regard, sports has always been a benefit to me,” Steve Stipanovich said. “Sports very much mimic the real-life situations as you grow.”

Born November 17, 1960, Steve is a retired NBA player and a father of six children. He started his basketball career at De Smet High School in Creve Coeur, St. Louis, and later played college basketball at the University of Missouri in Columbia. The Indiana Pacers, an NBA team, drafted him in 1983.

His two youngest children, Emma and Luke, are current CHS students.

“I personally don’t take basketball as seriously as some of my siblings and my dad do, but I do really enjoy it,” junior Emma Stipanovich said.

“It’s a fun sport, and it’s a fun hobby to have.”

With their father once being one of the finest basketball players in the country, the Stipanovich family grew up playing basketball both recreationally and professionally.

“I have five daughters and a son, Luke, but I’ve never really pushed them in sports,” Steve said. “[The passion for basketball] had to come from them. Even though I was a professional basketball player, by no means did I try to project them to be even interested in sports.”

Despite this laissez-faire approach, many of them ended up playing for NCAA teams regardless due to the influence in sports they have grown up with.

His second oldest daughter, Kelli Donat, played volleyball at the University of Arkansas; Sadie Montgomery, his third oldest daughter, played basketball at Saint Louis University; and Hannah Stipanovich, the fourth daughter in line, played basketball at Western Washington University.

The family passion for athletics also strengthens their familial bonds. While average households may occasionally play board games for fun, the Stipanovich family enjoys going outdoors and playing sports.

“I have a huge family, and every time they’re in town, we always play family basketball at the Center and in the neighborhood. Sometimes we get too intense, but that makes it really fun,” Emma said. “It’s so fun because it’s something we all enjoy. Even though I have siblings and in-laws who don’t play it seriously, we have so much fun and get so competitive in a good way.

It’s one of the things I look forward to the most on holidays.”

Even though Steve does not deliberately push his children in basketball, his feedback towards their playing and sportsmanship is always appreciated “When I’m done with the game and I’m coming home, my dad will comment on what I need to work on and what he saw that I did well,” Emma said. “It’s really helpful, and it’s a really good resource that my dad can give me any advice that I need.”

Emma never feels negative pressure to perform just because her father used to be an NBA player.

“I feel kind of pressured [when my dad comes to watch my games], but not in a negative way,” Emma said. “It’s like with most parents, I think.

I do want to impress him and play well, not because he’s going to be mad at me, but because I want him to be proud of me. I know he is, but still, any child would want their parents to see them do well rather than to see them do bad.”

Emma also appreciates her teammates’ support and understanding as she participates on the Clayton girls’ varsity basketball team.

“When people first find out [that my dad was an NBA player], everyone freaks out, and it’s really funny,” Emma said. “But my teammates never pressured me [to do better] just because my dad was in the NBA. I love my teammates; they’re the most supportive people ever.”

For freshman Luke Stipanovich, Steve serves as a father as well as a role model in life.

“I think of [my dad] as a very big role model because I also play basketball, and I think he’s a very good teacher,” Luke said. “I look up to him because he was very talented. I want to be just like him someday.”

Now 59 years old, Steve considers himself to be just like any other dad in Clayton. “[Basketball] was just something I did, like a carpenter or electrician,” Steve said. “My kids gravitated towards sports, and that’s great; that’s what they wanted to do. ... Sports are a big part of our family, and we all enjoy them, but they don’t make up our entire identity. Right now, I’m just their dad.”

the stipanovich legacy Art by Sonali Dayal

YIYUN XU | COPY EDITOR JUNYI SU | PAGE EDITOR

Steve Stipanovich and his direct family members pose for picture.

From left to right: Luke Stipanovich, Kelli Donat, Hannah Stipanovich, Steve Stipanovich, Katie Putnam, Sadie Montgomery and Emma Stipanovich. Photo from Emma Stipanovich.

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clayton quartet Four CHS seniors have been able to lead the girls’ basketball team to success during their time at CHS. CECE COHEN | BREAKING NEWS EDITOR KAIA MILLS-LEE | PAGE EDITOR On March 2, 2019, the seconds were ticking down in the girls’ basketball Class 4 District Championship game. The referee blew the whistle. CHS won the game, beating Jennings High School, 38 to 36. Immediately, Sara Littekan ran over to teammate Mira Upshaw, celebrating their win.

For Litteken and Upshaw, as well as fellow seniors Sammy Williams and Ruby Gallegos, it was a massive victory because it marked the team’s sec-

ond district championship win in their three years at CHS. The first win took place in 2017, over Career Academy, 49 to 34.

Williams was sidelined in the 2019 district championship due to tearing her ACL in a game earlier in the season. Gallegos knew the feeling all too well, after being unable to play in the 2017 District Championship due to an ACL tear.

Williams recovered from

her injury quickly, allowing her to return to the court for her senior season. Gallegos, however, took much longer to recover.

“I’m a little slow to get back. I’m always going to have to deal with pain from the surgery just because it was a surgery, but it’s definitely gotten so much better through progress,” Williams said.

Their shared injury has also created a bond between them.

“We can support each other and we know what each other feels because it is an ongoing injury, you are always dealing with the repercussions of it, but since we both went through it, we both know what each other are going through and how to pick each other up,” Gallegos said.

To Litteken, the district championship was more special in 2019 than in 2017.

“The 2017 district championship was more of a learning experience for us because we came into a really established team who had really strong players already, but we still played a role on the team,” Litteken said. “When we won the district championship in 2019 it was more personal because it was our team that had been working for it and put in so much effort for it, so we had more of a role in that game and more of a role throughout the season.”

The CHS girls’ basketball team also won their home tournament this season, something they have not been able to do the past two years.

Their hardwork and dedication has helped them experience large successes.

“We have a tough, tough district this year versus last year,” Litteken said. “Ladue and John Burroughs and MICDS and a couple other teams who are pretty strong are in our district. We

31 hard work and leadership has taught current juand Upshaw and Gallegos beginning in second really want to put in a lot of work to improve niors what it means to be a leader, ” junior Regan grade. Soon, their basketball paths crossed. In throughout the season, so that come district time, we’re ready for several tough games.”

Wade said. fourth grade, Litteken, Gallegos and Williams Some of their success can also be attributed to began playing together for Greyhound Basketball Their hard work has also helped encourage Club. Two others to play years later, harder. joined “All four “All four of them being out there really raises the intensity and Upshaw of them being the trio, making it the well out there reit makes me play harder. Playing with higher skilled players known Clayton ally raises the bring my skill up.” intensity and it Quartet.

Being best makes me play -Reagan Wade friends has harder. Playing also helped to with higher strengthen their chemistry. skilled players brings my skill up. It’s really fun their strong chemistry on the court, which they when you all connect and can play at such a high have been able to build over the years playing “We know how to pick each other up on the with each other. court,” Upshaw said. “We also know when someskill level. Next year will definitely be different body has had a bad day.” without these seniors. They have been able to Their love of basketball began at a young age, with Litteken and Williams starting in first grade, change the CHS girls’ basketball program. Their

33

ordering original j’s New barbeque Tex-Mex resturaunt opened by Half & Half owners in Clayton.

BRIDGET WALSH | REVIEW SECTION EDITOR LILA TAYLOR | EDITOR IN CHIEF In 2011, Clayton welcomed a new breakfast, lunch and brunch restaurant to Maryland Avenue––Half & Half. This coffee and comfort food go-to has been a staple cuisine destination for the past 9 years, and opened a second location in Webster Groves in 2017. Co-owners Mike and Liz Randolph recently opened a new restaurant

in Clayton on Forsyth. Original J’s, the Tex-Mex and Barbeque joint has been highly anticipated throughout Clayton.

At Half & Half, Liz manages the front of house staff while Mike manages the kitchen, and both work together to create the menu. In addition to their extensive menu, Half & Half also features

Original J’s Pulled Chicken Tacos with pineapple habenaro salsa and J’s sauce.

MICHAEL MELINGER | PHOTOGRAPHER

weekend specials which typically prove to be very popular.

Original J’s is already featuring specials, further proving that they have the potential to live up to their well-known counterpart.

While not always as packed as Half & Half, it can still gather a crowd, especially at lunch and dinner time on the weekends. The serving style is fast casual, and after ordering, the food was brought quickly to our table.

While very different than any other restaurant the couple has opened, Original J’s still maintains a high quality experience.

Initially walking in, everything feels authentic and creates an aesthetic that perfectly matches the food. The rustic decor, featuring everything from longhorn skulls to Coca-Cola chandeliers, transports the customer straight into Southern Texas. The casual blue and white checked tablecloths and barbeque sauce bottles, as well as food served in red baskets, gives the place a friendly family vibe.

The menu is extensive enough to provide a wide variety of options, but not so extensive that it is overwhelming. In addition to the typical barbecue dishes of ribs, brisket and pork, the menu includes options like tacos as well as vegan alternative to make the restaurant appealing to everyone.

Other than entrées, the menu also features appetizers, desserts and drinks--alcoholic and non-alcoholic. We tried the brisket taco with tomato, onion and queso. The mix of flavors created the perfect juxtaposition between the sweetness of the tomato, the smoky brisket and the kick of the queso. All wrapped in a corn tortilla, two are just the right size for a lunch. The cole slaw on the side of the tacos worked almost as a palate cleanser or just a simple side to crunch on. Many of the dishes feature the same meats, just with different sides and in different forms, so we decided to try two of the meats.

Then, we tested the pulled chicken taco with pineapple, habanero salsa and onion.

Again, this dish played on combining flavor profiles, but in a less subtle way. Both were excellent, but we, like most customers, left raving about the brisket.

frozen 2 Following the Disney hit “Frozen,” Frozen 2 came out in theaters this November.

SARAH BAKER | PAGE EDITOR KATIE HE | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

When Frozen came to theatres in 2013, it was revolutionary, earning over $1.28 billion globally and becoming one of the most watched animated films of all time. A tale about the power of sisterly love, this film was beloved by many. When Queen Elsa runs away after accidentally freezing the land of Arendelle in a perpetual winter, her sister Anna joins iceman Kristoff and reindeer Sven to break the evil spell and bring Elsa back home.

Frozen’s catchy songs, lovable characters, and messages about the power of friendship and sisterhood were the perfect combination for a re-watchable Disney movie. So, many young children were excited to experience the Disney magic again in the sequel, Frozen II. Frozen II delves into Elsa and Anna’s childhood, revealing more about their parents’ lives before the fatal boat accident, and also explores

the characters’ futures. Elsa is finally happy with her life in the kingdom, but does not feel completely settled.

She begins to hear distant voices calling her into the unknown to discover a truth about Arendelle. Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and their beloved snowman companion Olaf travel to uncover the past and save their kingdom.

Elsa’s storyline was very simple and easy to follow, mirroring almost exactly that of the American monomyth, where Elsa, the hero, ventures into the unknown, as coined by song in the movie “Into the Unknown”, discovering something important, and ultimately coming back to the place where she began as a new and improved individual.

Although Elsa’s storyline was relatively straightforward, it still embedded some important values of family and self-exploration.

Aside from the fillers and Elsa’s saga, the film also expanded a lot on Anna’s character. Contrary to the first movie, Anna does not seem like a helpless drag on Elsa. Although she continues to follow Elsa where she goes, even if it is in danger, Anna is portrayed as a much stronger character, and is given the essential task of saving Elsa and Arundelle. Together, she and Elsa make a heartfelt story about the power of sisterhood and the importance of family.

In the midst of making the sequel, there was some speculation that the creators of Frozen would give Elsa a girlfriend, making her Disney’s first LGBTQ+ princess.

However, the writers went in a different direction. They decided to focus on the power of Elsa and Anna’s familial love, not giving Elsa a love interest in the story.

Anna, however, continues the relationship that

35 she began in the original film. Her boyfriend, Kristoff, spends much of the movie fretting over how to propose to her. And although Kristoff ’s storyline may seem relatively uninteresting in Frozen II, fans applauded his rejection of toxic masculinity stereotypes by showing his shy and nervous side when trying to propose to Anna.

Although his relationship with Anna had its low points in the sequel, Kristoff stepped aside and did not attempt to overpower his girlfriend.

Instead, he supported her and reminded her, “my love is not fragile.” In the midst of a chaotic plot, Kristoff ’s reliability was much needed.

The most important storyline in Frozen II is the backstory to how Elsa got her magical powers.

Her rugged journey to self-discovery could have been a whole movie in itself with its embedded values and lessons. However, combined with the backstory of Elsa and Anna’s past, their parents’ fillers, as well as the individual plotlines that Elsa, Anna and Kristoff had in the film, the overall film’s storyline soon turned messy.

There was just too much happening simultaneously.

In addition, there were some awkward inserts of famous lines from the first movie.

Those familiar references were unnecessary and forced, making the sequel feel as if it was trying too hard to capitalize off the original movie’s

fame. Nonetheless, the plotline did not fail to tell what was important, emphasizing issues such as mental health and climate change and expressing the importance of family, friends, self-exploration and appreciation.

A staple of the first Frozen movie was definitely the music. “Let It Go” and “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” were enthusiastically sung by children and adults alike. Almost anyone who watched the first movie could recite snippets of each. But the Frozen II soundtrack was a disappointment compared to the first. However, the music was generally okay, and the songs definitely still had that “Frozen feel” to them.

Some songs in the second film, such as “Into the Unknown” and “Show Yourself ” had rescued famous melodies or chords from the first movie, but none were catchy enough to top the original soundtrack. However, it would be remiss not to note the relative success of “Into the Unknown,” with its repeated three note melody of ‘Ah’s This song was pretty interesting in terms of music theory and composition. It wove in complicated chord sequences and structures, but to the general public who does not understand or appreciate the nitty-gritty details of music theory, the intricate chordal patterns are unimportant, and moreover, not catchy.

The sequel did improve in some areas, particularly in animation. There are notable differences in the detail, quality and appearance of the clothes, hair, facial expressions and landscapes.

The animators made sure to include intricate jewels that sparkled individually on Elsa’s flowing gown, the tiny stitches in the fabrics and the realistic white specs of water from the ocean crashing. They did a phenomenal job paying attention to the details of animation, from the way they incorporated different breathing patterns to show different emotions, to the way they added varied movements for the two sisters to show their indviduality. For example, Elsa’s movements are much smaller and more controlled than Anna’s, which effectively accentuates their different personalities.

Another amazing feat that the animators were able to achieve was their creation of a horse made of water. Compared to other Disney movies in which inanimate objects come to life, such as Moana, Frozen II’s oceans and water were much more complex. The water in Frozen II had a much wider range of emotion, from calm to raging, and also was able to morph into dynamic water horses.

The wind and fire also had their individual characteristics and personalities that animators had to learn how to convey. This was done effectively. Overall, Frozen II’s huge advancement in animation made the movie captivating and fun to watch and set the new standard for future films to follow.

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golden globes The 77th annual Golden Globes commenced on January 5, 2020.

EMMA BAUM | REPORTER CHLOE CREIGHTON | REPORTER

Best Motion Picture- Drama Joker: When most people think of a superhero movie, they envision an impressive drama of bold red capes, evil lairs and villains plotting to rule the world. “Joker,” directed by Todd Phillips, transports the audience into a much darker world. The film casts classic tropes aside as it constructs the origin of Batman’s arch enemy. Joker is a social commentary on mental illness, and how the system fails people in need. The intensity of the story is enhanced by Joaquin Phoenix’s stunning performance. His perfection of the Joker’s laugh and movement adds depth to the character. For superhero-lovers and comic-book-haters alike, Joker is an unforgettable film that addresses societal flaws in a deeply emotional way.

all photos from MCT Campus

Marriage Story: “Marriage Story” captures the emotional turmoil of a reality many families face. Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) have every intention of settling their divorce quickly and without legal intervention. This plan rapidly unravels when Nicole’s brings her son to a divorce lawyer to seek advice.

Driver and Johansson have, in recent years, been known for their prominent roles in the Star Wars and Marvel universes, respectively.

Marriage Story is evidence that both are skilled in switching between genres. Their performances amplify the already deeply emotional plotline. At the heart of this film is the age-old realization that our parents, the people in our lives, and we ourselves are imperfect. ‘Marriage Story” stands out as an honest depiction -- no filters, easy resolutions, or neatly wrapped endings -- of what living and loving is. It displays the gritty details of the unraveling of a relationship between two people.

Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy Rocketman: “Rocketman” captures the life of Elton John through beautiful cinematography and lively musical numbers.

Elton John’s songs are woven into his life story. The movie examines Elton’s struggle with fame, addiction, and depression. One unique element of the movie is Elton’s relationship with Bernie Taupin, and how their friendship saves him. The film is strengthened by Taron Egerton’s performance.

Jojo Rabbit: This dark comedy tells the story of Jojo, a young boy in Nazi Germany who must face his blind nationalism when he discovers a Jewish girl hiding in his house. Jewish director Taika Waititi cleverly uses comedy as a tool to make the movie more serious, creating a sharp contrast between perceived humor and the gravity of the subject. Seriousness builds within the film, and interestingly, the humor and tragedy are rooted in the same ideas.

Participation in humor at the beginning of the movie makes the audience later feel the weight of the dehumanization of Jews. The film is sure to stick with audience members long after their first viewing.

Knives Out: “Knives Out,” directed by Rian Johnson, is an engaging murder mystery. The all-star cast captures the audience in a complex network of family dynamics. The movie examines how money can turn people against one another, and touches on the struggle of immigrants. The sprawling cast of this enjoyable mystery feels like a modern revamp of Clue. “Knives Out” takes the unorthodox approach of presenting itself as a story of a young nurse trying to hide her guilt from the police, at the urging of her late employer. The police interviews with each character are cleverly placed to highlight the petty contradictions the family members make. The scenes of tense family conversation that give viewers second-hand embarrassment for everyone in the room are well acted and applicable to many people’s experiences with the holiday season. Though it may not merit the top spot in the Golden Globe line up, “Knives Out” is still a good way to spend a few free hours, and is sure to satisfy the sleuthing detective in all of us.

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little women

The Globe reviews the new take on an classic tale that viewers have been raving about. *SPOILERS AHEAD* SEREPHINA CORBO | REPORTER “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as just beauty.

I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for.”

This quote, by protagonist Josephine “Jo” March, touches on one of the main themes of the newly released movie “Little Women”: female equality and empowerment. Released on December 25, 2019, “Little Women” is the latest film adaptation of the novel by Louisa May Alcott and tells the story of the March sisters, Meg, Amy, Jo and Beth, and their experience growing up during the Civil War. The March sisters grow up rather poor with their father away fighting in the Union Army.

They are constantly reminded throughout the film of their place in society as women; that their duty is solely to get married to a rich man.

Beth died of scarlet fever before she ever married, Meg gave up the chance of luxury and wealth when she married a poor man and Jo is never married, leaving Amy with the burden of supporting their struggling family.

While all four girls are intellectually curious in different pursuits, Jo finds herself caught up in the world of writing, and strives to write stories that will satisfy a publisher in her area. Defying gender stereotypes, Jo writes the book “Little Women,” starring a heroine who she planned to never have wed, but who she reluctantly ended up marrying off due to pressure from her publisher.

The film is colorful and charming, and perfectly captures a story of sisterhood and coming of age. It puts a modern, quirky spin on a historical drama, and although it may not have the riveting plot like that of a Marvel movie, “Little Women” is captivating and inspiring with a wonderful cast.

I was initially drawn to this movie because actress Emma Watson stars in it. I always find that she adds a refreshing spark to any film with her intelligence and wit. In addition, the crotchety Aunt March is played by Meryl Streep and Jo March is played by actress Saoirse Ronan, who starred as the lead role in the award-winning film “Lady Bird”.

“Little Women” is yet another fantastic film that explores the issues of gender and class in our society in a memorable way. Similar to films such as “Hidden Figures,” “Little Women” features strong female leads that challenge the accepted beliefs of the world they live in. These types of films are especially influential to young women and girls, as they show how important women really are in the world, that they are not just meant to serve domestic functions, but that they can achieve even their greatest goals.

It expresses that women need not only focus on getting married and having a family, that they can become anything -- a painter, writer, mathematician, actress, or pianist -- if they stay resilient and work hard. These are the lessons that I believe young girls need to learn today and in the future.

Saorise Ronan (left) and Timothee Chalamet (right) star as love interests in “Little Women”. Photos from Wikimedia Commons.

Gen Z females have grown up with sexist Barbie and Disney princess movies and television shows that enforced gender stereotypes and encouraged negative body image -- with the idea that girls should have shiny long hair, wear dresses, and be willowy thin in order to be beautifu However, young girls of today are growing up with movies like “Hidden Figures,” “Little Women,” and “Harriet”. I do think that these types of movies are important for boys and young men to see as well. Stereotypes about women are not just hurdles that girls have to learn to either confront or maneuver their way around, boys should be taught about these obstacles and how to challenge these stereotypes and prevent themselves from perpetuating them as well.

So far, “Little Women” has been underrepresented this awards season, with only two Golden Globe nominations -- best performance by a leading actress in a motion picture and best original score.

This may be the result of lack of male viewer’s interest or bias against the female-dominated film, although it has had quite a large audience in its first days in theaters overall and has been received well among many film critics and celebrities.

“Little Women” is a delightful film that I believe everyone should take a couple hours to go see. With its stunning scenery and marvelous cast, director Greta Gerwing is sure to have viewers hooked.

38

dou dou cafe

The Globe reviews a newly-opened Vietnamese restaurant in Richmond Heights.

HANNAH DO | REPORTER ELAINE YOO | REPORTER

The exterior of Dou Dou Cafe, with its humble decor, gives little indication of the quality of its food. Don’t be fooled, however; this small Vietnamese restaurant is worth a stop. Located on 6318 Clayton Road, the family-run restaurant opened on December 5th. Named after the child of the family, the restaurant shows a close family relationship.

Though the location of Dou Dou Cafe is close to CHS, the restaurant may be difficult to find.

The parking spaces are located behind the building, which decreases its accessibility slightly.

When we stopped by, the restaurant was clean and organized, with an open kitchen. Although the cafe is set up for smaller parties, the family is quick to push tables together to accommodate a larger group.

In addition, the building felt spacious, with many windows creating an open atmosphere.

Even before trying the food, the interior design of the restaurant gave its own unique taste, with a modern and minimalistic style.

First, we had two of the soups: the beef noodle soup, and one of the more popular dishes of Dou Dou, the spicy lemongrass beef noodle soup.

The beef noodle soup was aromatic, with the meat, herbs and vegetables combining to create a wide array of balanced flavors. While the spicy lemongrass soup was hot enough to satisfy spice-lovers, it was mild enough that many others

could enjoy it as well.

We also ordered the spicy pork belly rice for our main entree, which consisted of pork belly, white rice, bok choy and egg. Although the dish was not all that spicy, it was still enjoyable. The pork was slathered in rich sauce and complemented the rice well.

We then had spring rolls, which were appetizers. We were served two spring rolls per order, with a plate of sweet dipping sauce on the side.

The hand-wrapped rolls were stuffed with a mul-

titude of vegetables, along with shrimp and beef.

To finish the meal, we ordered the Hong Kong milk tea. The creamy texture added a sweet touch to the meal.

Overall, we enjoyed our time at Dou Dou Cafe. Service was quick, and everyone there was friendly and courteous. The close family staff created a neighborly and warm environment.

Although the food was a little pricey for the amount, the taste of the dishes was well worth the money, and we hope to return soon.

Spicy pork belly rice, Hong Kong milk tea and beef noodle soup at Dou Dou Cafe.

Photos from Hannah Do and Elaine Yoo.

39

star wars: the rise of skywalker The newest and final movie in the Star Wars saga was released on December 20.

ASHLEY CHUNG | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

The end of a beloved saga, “Star Wars: The Skywalker” did not please fans with its characters. a major character in the previous movies, was onRise of Skywalker” was an entertaining movie Many new and arguably unnecessary characters screen for a total of 1 minute and 16 seconds in and closed out the Star Wars saga well; howevwere added into the movie as plot devices. In conthis entire movie. Rose Tico was so insignificant er, it was disappointing to avid Star Wars fans. trast, main characters like Rose Tico or Finn were that she wasn’t even a plot device. She could have Receiving a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.9/10 not necessarily helpful to the story’s plot. easily been removed and replaced by an extra. on IMDb, the movie did not live up to its high While traveling, Poe, Finn and Rey encounter I suspect that the major reason Rose Tico was expectations. one of Poe’s old friends, Zorii Bliss. Soon after I even kept in the movie was because she needed The movie follows Rey, Finn and Poe Damwatched the movie, if you had asked me why Zoto fulfill the quota of the Asian representation in eron, played by Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and rii Bliss was important, I would not have known the movie. It did not hurt that she’s a woman, so Oscar Isaac, respectively, as they Disney was able to kill two birds attempt the find the resurrected with one stone by using her as a Emperor Palpatine and put an end character. to his plans to create a new emRose Tico was not the only pire. Through this journey, Finn quota-filler in “Star Wars: the Rise and Poe must unite the galaxy to of Skywalker”. During a celebraput an end to Palpatine’s schemes, tion, the camera focuses on two and Rey prepares herself for her female extras kissing. Inherently, inevitable meeting with Kylo Ren, there is nothing wrong with a kiss portrayed by Adam Driver. between two women; however, the With a production budget of random shot of the kiss seemed $275 million, the visual effects thrown into the movie as an of “The Rise of Skywalker” attempt for Disney to claim that were impressive. At times, it they are progressive. was difficult to believe that the Additionally, there were many spaceships and planets were not other unnecessary romantic relareal. As expected, “Star Wars: the tionships tossed into the movie.

Rise of Skywalker”’s visuals met The movie hinted at a potential its high standards. Additionally, it relationship between Finn and a was impressive that the producers new character, Jannah, as well as were able to incorporate General a relationship between Poe and Leia Organa into the movie, even Zorii Bliss. though actress Carrie Fisher Without even clarifying the repassed away in 2016. lationship between Rose Tico and Although the storyline held Finn, who shared a kiss in “Star several twists and the movie itself Wars: The Last Jedi,” “The Rise of was enjoyable to watch, many Skywalker” acts like the kiss didn’t critics and fans were disappointed even happen and consequently by the plot. confuses viewers. None of the roWithout spoilers, there are mantic relationships in the Rise of several plot holes that comSkywalker had any meaning, nor plete the saga neatly, but were did they add to any of the characconfusing to fans who diligently ters’ personal development. followed the saga in the past Overall, the movie held so years. For instance, as Screen Rant much potential and could have pointed out, “the X-Wing [Luke] A movie poster for “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”. been so much better, but ended up purposely crashed underwater Photo from Walt Disney Studios. being just average: not terrible, but during his severe self-imposed not great. exile turned out to be fully funcAlthough extreme Star Wars who she was and why she was even in the movie. tional”. Different aspects of the movie, including fans might have been appalled by some aspects of Because there were several new characters characters and small details, were changed as plot the movie, I would recommend “Star Wars: The added, the protagonists in the past movies were devices.

Rise of Skywalker” for those hoping to watch an neglected. Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran, Furthermore, “Star Wars: The Return of entertaining movie.

40 OPINION

is the act fair?

The ACT has been an American practice for decades. But is it truly fair for all students?

LUKA BASNETT | REPORTER Feared by teenagers throughout the United Those with the means to purchase such a score on average “Nearly three points higher than States, the ACT has for many years been used device are therefore at a great advantage, as a single-testers”. However, this opportunity comes as a gauge of student knowledge, and taking student able to operate the calculator can use it to at a significant cost. For the ACT test with writing, it marks a critical step on the path to college. solve many of the ACT’s questions automatically for example, the test booklet and answer form The ACT’s standardized testing experience is a (regardless of whether he could complete the used during the exam costs each student nearly useful barometer in America’s varied educational work with pen and paper alone). Avoiding this $70. Is it still a fair, “standardized” system if stusystem, a tool by which schools and colleges can problem could be quite easy. If the ACT banned dents able to pay for additional tests score perhaps compare one prospective student with anothall calculators, they would ensure that their exam three points higher than their less well-off peers? er. In view of this, a number of states require is truly a test of student knowledge, not of a A simple solution would be to lower the price of high-school students to take the the exam, limit the number of possible ACT before graduation; Missouri, for retakes to one or two or none at all, or example, demands that high schools require that colleges take all test scores “Through the use of expensive calcuoffer their students the opportunity into account, instead of only those of free of charge. the student’s most recent retake. lators and test retakes, the ACT alHowever, is it really true that the Even without mentioning the lows those with the ability to pay to ACT is a “standardized” test? Colexpensive test-prep solutions offered leges seem to think so. After all, the by the ACT and private companies, in effect ‘buy success’ -- all with little ACT tests given to students are basiit seems obvious that what the ACT’s regard for the test’s intended target.” cally the same for everyone. However, proponents call a “standardized” exam there are a number of factors that is anything but. Through the use of make the ACT not as “standardized” expensive calculators and test retakes, as one might think. the ACT allows those with the ability Consider the mathematics portion of the student’s financial resources. to pay to, in effect, “buy success”—all with little test. Although the math test can in theory be The ACT’s retake process provides another regard for the test’s intended target, students’ completed without the use of a calculator, there example of unfairness. In Missouri schools are reknowledge and actual academic skills. As it occuare a number of calculators that test-takers are quired to provide their students with a free ACT pies such an important place in the college search allowed to bring to the exam. These include, (as test—after that, high-schoolers unhappy with process, we might ask that the ACT modify its an example) some versions of the TI-Nspire, a their scores are able to retake the test as many practices—perhaps lowering its price or limiting $160 graphing calculator used by many Clayton times as they like. This retesting policy can be of the use of fancy calculators—so that it can truly students that has the ability to draw graphs, solve great help to a struggling student—according to provide the fair and standardized experience equations, and manipulate complex numbers. the ACT’s website, students who retake the ACT high-schoolers need.

Student in a College PowerPrep course studying for the science portion of the ACT. SHANE KEYSER/MCT | PHOTOGRAPHER

41

OPINION

amazon under fire

Amazon’s booming business may not be a good thing for its workers.

ANGELA XIAO | PAGE EDITOR

Boxes roll down the conveyor inside the Amazon Fulfillment Center on Tuckaseegee Road in Charlotte.

JOHN CLARK | GASTON GAZETTE/TNS It’s the day before Christmas, and suddenly, you realize you forgot to buy your mom a gift!

Frantically, you pick up your phone, open the Amazon app, and scroll through hundreds of products: shampoos, bikes, jewelry, books and more. You end up picking a book, which is much cheaper on Amazon than at Barnes and Noble.

With all of your Amazon Prime information already saved, all you have to do is click “Order Now”. At checkout, you select the one-day shipping option. By the next day, an Amazon truck delivers the book and places it at your doorstep.

You breathe a sigh of relief, Amazon has once again saved you from catastrophe.

But, Amazon’s convenience comes at a cost.

Amazon’s Fulfillment Centers are where customers’ orders are packaged and “brought to life.”

The centers are hundreds of thousands of square feet, housing millions of products. The warehouses are jungle gyms, with metal slides and ramps transporting the products. A blend of robots and employees ensure production runs smoothly.

However, the perfectly timed laborers and intricate systems reveal the unrealistic expectations that employees face. The actual employees are held to standards that would only be reasonable for their robotic counterparts. They are given quotas to fill, with only seconds to scan, pick, or pack an item. Employees’ scan rates are tracked and analyzed, with their statistics being sent to managers. If an employee doesn’t hit their quotas

or target speeds, a manager could write them up. Three “write-ups” lead to a firing. Amazon continually claims that their priority is safety, but employees argue that their only concern is speed.

Their need-for-speed mentality greatly jeopardizes worker’s rights.

Amazon employees work 12 hour days, with only two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch. Considering the magnitude of the fulfillment centers, it takes workers nearly half of their lunch to walk to the bathroom and back. In 2018, investigator James Bloodworth discovered that workers were peeing in bottles, as the walk to the bathroom was more than a quarter of a mile.

They feared being punished for wasting time, and therefore losing their jobs. Former workers echo Bloodworth’s concerns and add that managers limit the number of bathroom breaks they can take.

In addition to limiting workers’ basic rights, worker safety remains low on Amazon’s priority list. In 2018, 11 out of every 100 Amazon workers sustained serious injuries, meaning they required time off or medical attention. This rate makes labor at an Amazon fulfillment center twice as dangerous as average warehouse work. Additionally, the weeks between Black Friday and Christmas are Amazon’s busiest time of the year, and subsequently the worst for worker injuries. Injury rates peak at more than double the company average the two weeks prior to Christmas. Despite the

increased injury rate, most Amazon employees don’t receive health insurance or paid time off because they are part-time or seasonal workers.

On November 25, over 100 workers and other supporters protested dangerous work conditions and injury rates outside of the Staten Island Amazon facility. A similar protest occurred weeks later, when more than 30 workers at a Sacramento fulfillment center walked out, protesting the lack of paid time off. The protest illustrates the growing frustration of Amazon’s workers towards the policy-setters, as the pay gap between these two classes of employees continues to expand.

In 2018, Amazon’s median pay was $28,446, according to company records. This annual salary accounts to about $13.68 an hour. In comparison, Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO and the World’s Richest Man, has a net worth of 116.2 billion dollars.

According to estimates, Bezos makes approximately $150,000 a minute, more than 15 times the average Amazon worker makes in a year.

Despite all of the criticism facing Amazon, even some of its toughest adversaries turn to the online website to buy products. After all, Amazon is cheaper, has a larger variety of products, and is much more convenient than most brick-andmortar stores. As consumers are confronted with the startling truths behind their online orders, they face a difficult decision.

Morality or convenience?

42

OPINION

adventure awaits

When choosing a travel destination, opting for unconventional areas out of your comfort zone can lead to educational, enriching and exciting experiences.

DISHA CHATTERJEE | FEATURE SECTION EDITOR

The Chatterjee family riding camels in the Thar Desert, a desert in the Northwestern region of India.

Photo from Disha Chatterjee When I discovered I would be out of town for winter break, I was less than thrilled.

Most who travel during the holidays go for the wonderful, exotic scenery or the bright sunshine in the dead of winter. The word “vacation” conjures images of Hawaii and the Maldives.

My destination paints quite a different picture. Think: dense smog that shrouds the sky. Unhealthy air quality. A constant stream of honking from cars that know no traffic rules.

Rows of dilapidated buildings. Crowds and crowds of people. Dirt and dust everywhere.

If you guessed India, you guessed right.

I’ve never considered my time there as a real vacation. For me, it’s a chance to stay with my grandparents for a while and visit a plethora of extended relatives. But even from the perspective of a foreigner, I couldn’t picture the city I was in -- Kolkata -- as a tourist destination. Why anyone would choose to travel across the globe to a country with all those qualities was beyond me.

This year, I think I’ve figured it out.

A lot of India doesn’t offer the prettiest views or optimal relaxation, but like other foreign cities or countries, it definitely offers a chance for adventure and education.

The adventures didn’t take place in the two days I spent at a comfortable hotel, which I originally and incorrectly assumed would be one of the highlights of my trip. It took place in the places outside my comfort zone, the places you’d think nothing of at first glance.

Eating delicious street food from a crowded stall. Riding in an auto rickshaw, where the entire side is exposed and you’re slightly scared a neighboring car might graze your shoulder. Driving through a jungle. Chasing after irritated goats and sheep on a farm. Feeding a litter of hungry stray puppies who take your shoelaces for food as well.

Hanging on the edge of a train while the breeze whips through your hair.

It may not sound like much, but the little things count. Each chance for adventure is often a chance for learning as well. Whether it’s hearing about the British occupation in India, or understanding how the expansive railway system came to be, or learning about the wide selection of ethnic foods, there’s so much to be discovered in a new country, even one I’ve been visiting for years. Yes, it’s polluted and loud and crowded, but it’s also filled to the brim with culture and history that you don’t get from a few pages of a textbook.

And while the thought of spotty wifi and sub-par facilities may be off-putting, the exciting experiences that come with truly exploring a foreign country are definitely worth it.

Often times, I’m trapped in my own little bubble of the world. It’s comprised of the city I live in, the news headlines I read, the people I talk to.

I hardly ever acknowledge the fact that there’s billions of others out there with completely different lifestyles and customs, so learning about a foreign country pokes holes in that bubble and expands my world significantly.

If you’re looking for a relaxing break from the crazy reality of your day-to-day life, I agree that a leisurely vacation by the seaside is the way to go. But if you’re hoping to spend your travel time broadening your view of the word, don’t discount the unconventional areas you know so little of. They might not be the first places that come to mind when considering where you might get the best Instagram pictures, but you might be surprised at what you learn from a visit there.

Adventure can be found anywhere, so channel your inner explorer and step past the bounds of your comfort zone.

43 OPINION

love, the globe: a column A love-hate relationship with a rural grocery store.

MARGY MOONEY | PAGE EDITOR

The inside of a supermarket in St. Louis. MARGY MOONEY | PHOTOGRAPHER grocery stores in town. Now, whenever I visited When I walk into the Schnucks, nothing has the old country Schnucks, it began to seem changed. There’s still the same faint buzz from smaller, dimmer and less exciting. There were no the harsh fluorescent lights, same rows of half-off dragonfruits or jars with unreadable Arabic labels produce, same red shopping carts and green like at the stores in the city. Instead of warm naan and white tiled floors. Marooned between our isolated farmhouse and the highway, the country or baguettes, there were bags of Wonder Bread in aisle four. Often my parents complained about Schnucks in Washington, Missouri has always how they would have to go into St. Louis to buy served as a stopping point to pick up ingredients for the coming week’s meals on the drive back home from St. Louis.

“I felt like people were always watching As a little girl, my brother and I would like they saw I was different.” clamor to go to Schnucks, excited by the promise of the free cookies they gave to children. I would fresh figs or plum vinegar for tomorrow night’s eye the store from my perch atop my mom’s shopping cart, waiting in line as she ordered dinner.

If you went to the grocery store early enough deli meats from the tall man behind the counter.

When I could walk around the store by myself, I on a Sunday morning, it was almost a guarantee loved to press my face up against the cool glass of you would have the place to yourself. I savored the lobster tank, devising plans with my brother being alone because now, for the first time, I felt to free them. Everything was big and bright different. A little while ago, after not being able to find the matzo and gefilte fish we needed for and new. The world seemed endless and full of possibilities.

Passover, I had asked my mom why there wasn’t A few years later, my family began to live in a big display of Passover foods like there was in Clayton during the week. For the first time in town. My mom told me that there just weren’t many people like us there. Suddenly, I began my life, my mom began to regularly take me to

to see little details that I hadn’t noticed before.

Whenever I would go to the Schnucks, I felt like people were always watching me. I felt like they saw that I was different.

I stopped anticipating our trips to the grocery store. I made excuses. I had other things to do.

Even though it was just in my head, going made me uncomfortable. The store began to symbolize everything I hated about myself and the little town surrounding it, and soon me. I felt whenever I went to buy yogurt or half-off fruit, my loneliness would tag along like an unwanted guest.

A year ago, it had been a long time since I visited the country Schnucks. I had to pick up something for my mother, so I made the once routine trip. As the doors slid open, it was like stepping back in time. I browsed the familiar aisles and smelled the same smells from my childhood. I saw the same men who drove in dusty trucks, pants splattered with oil and mud, the same older women coming back from church, pinned up white hair and floral cardigans. In that moment, I realized that while the Schnucks did not carry the freshest produce like the stores in town and it certainly was not anything fancy, it would always be my home.

44 OPINION

pro: finals exemptions In lieu of taking finals, students with an A in a course should be exempt from the final exam to spend more time studying towards their harder tests.

SASHA KELLER | REPORTER

A student feeling stressed out as finals approach.

LILA TAYLOR I PHOTOGRAPHER Should a student’s final grade depend so much on an hour of one semester? Virtually all students at CHS can agree that finals are too stressful and overwhelming. In addition to the hours of studying and re-learning students dedicate to finals, creating and administering finals is stressful for teachers. Some schools in the St. Louis area have recognized the toll of unnecessary stress on teenage students and have created a no-final policy.

In order to reduce stress before winter break and push their students to work harder throughout the semester, the no-final policy states that students can choose to opt out of taking a final if they already have an A in any particular class.

This strongly reduces the amount of overwhelmed students during the final week of each semester. Many students keep this policy in mind during their classes, and tend to work harder and study more in their courses to avoid taking finals.

Many could argue that this policy is unfair to students who struggle to maintain an A in a difficult class and would create a very competitive

environment. However, this policy can ultimately help students feel more secure in their classes as well as reduce the overall amount of stress associated with finals week.

For example, Rockwood School District has created their own final-related policy. Anna Kaestner, a sophomore at Lafayette, said, “If you have an A in the class, then you can choose to be exempt. But you can only exempt yourself for one class. And it only applies after first semester of freshman year.”

Many students have at least one A in a class, which automatically decreases the number of finals they are required to take.

“Of course everyone likes having that option since it takes away the stress of an extra class,” Kaestner said.

Lafayette’s policy can give students the option to focus on studying for more difficult classes, and sets them up to achieve better scores. Even though this policy eliminates only one final for each student, it has already reduced their stress.

No-final policies can also reduce the stress

that teachers feel during finals. At CHS specifically, teachers have a deadline for grading at the end of each semester. This deadline is most commonly the final day of finals or the following day, which does not allow for teachers to grade at their own pace. Creating a no-final policy could decrease the number of students testing each day, which also reduces the proctors needed to administer finals. Teachers could use this given free time to finish grading any projects or previous tests from prior weeks and avoid rushing to finish grading before the deadline.

Assessments throughout each semester cover all of the topics that appear on the final exam.

Therefore if students do well on each unit test, they should not need to take an exam that covers the same topics. Most commonly, students will cram all of the semester’s information into their heads the night before in order to perform well on the final, but in doing so a student is less likely to retain the information taught in the class. Finals enable students to forget all of the valuable lessons taught in each class that could be necessary for understanding other classes or college courses. Without a proper foundation of information, students are less likely to perform well in more difficult classes.

Along with a lack of true understanding, finals are more likely to hurt your grade than help it. A final can be worth up to 20% of a students grade in a class, so if you do poorly on your final, it could potentially drop your grade down an entire letter. In contrast, a good grade on a final rarely raises your grade. For example, if you had a low A- in a class, even if you got an A on the final, it is most likely only going to raise your overall grade a percent or two.

Additionally, some students do not excel in test-taking environments. Along with the stress of studying for a final exam, a time limit and a very quiet classroom creates an overwhelming environment. This environment could be too stressful for certain students and cause them to make unnecessary mistakes on their exams or not be able to complete the test at all. A no-final policy could allow these students to opt out of some finals and reduce their overall stress levels along with those they feel in a classroom.

A no-finals exam policy can be extremely beneficial to students and teachers. It can reduce study stress, test taking stress and the overwhelming deadlines teachers face for grading. Students can focus on their difficult classes and feel more secure in their abilities nearing finals week.

45 OPINION

con: finals exemptions Finals are helpful for students to see what they have learned across the semester and should be mandatory for all students, regardless of their grade in the class.

SOFIA MUTIS | REPORTER As a freshman who has completed her first finals week, I can tell you that it has a completely different mood compared to the week before winter break in middle school. While middle schoolers are watching movies and enjoying a stress-free schedule, the high schoolers are studying like maniacs for tests that could be up to 20% of their final grade. Sometimes more for upperclassmen.

It’s easy to say that finals week feels like unnecessary stress to most students. However, students with an A in a class should not be exempt from taking the final in that class. While most students would disagree, they are unaware of the benefits that finals can bring.

For example, finals can help teachers analyze how well they taught their course. If the questions people get wrong about are somewhat scattered then that could be interpreted as the lessons were taught well, but naturally students struggled to learn different things. Meanwhile, if practically all of the students got something wrong about a specific lesson that means the teacher most likely didn’t teach it well. After noticing this the teacher could then improve the way they teach that lesson so future classes can completely grasp the concepts that are being taught to them. If students with an A in the class didn’t take the final that data would be incomplete.

Also, finals make students work hard for what they want. And what is that? What most students at CHS want is to go to college eventually. To do so they need to get good grades. To get good grades they need to do fairly well on their final.

To do well on their final they have to study.

Studying for finals can teach students what study techniques work best for them. It is very helpful to know how to study more efficiently.

This can become especially helpful while studying for ACT/SAT tests and for college exams. If students with A’s in their classes don’t have to study as much and as often as students who are “struggling” with their classes, then their study habits don’t develop. When a class they do struggle in comes by, these students won’t be able to study for them as effectively as they could because they are used to not having to study as much, and don’t have the best techniques to help them.

One thing everyone agrees on is that finals can be stressful. However, stress is everywhere in life. High school students need to be prepared for the real world and know how to handle stress.

They need to learn how to not let stress overwhelm them so much that they can’t do their work. Everyone deals with stress in some way or another. It is inevitable. Finals teach students how

to handle stress in an indirect way. It’s better to figure out how to deal with that problem in high school rather than the real world on your own.

If the students who have an A in the class don’t have to face stress and deal with it, they will be ill-prepared for their lives ahead of them.

Also, what some people fail to think about is how this policy will affect students who struggle to keep and “A” in the class. Although some may argue that it will push them to work harder throughout the semester, that isn’t always the case. There are times when a student can work, and work, and work on a concept and still not be able to understand it. Effort is not always the reason a student can’t get an “A” in a class. That student could be doing all their homework, talking to their teacher, and taking lots of notes but still have a “B” or maybe a “B+” in a class. In that scenario they would still have to take their

final.

If students who couldn’t keep an “A” in a class start to realize some students don’t have to take the final anymore, not because they worked harder but because they are naturally smarter, that would create a more frustrating and stressful environment for them. While some students who excel may become less stressed, others who don’t naturally excel might become more stressed because they feel they are lagging behind and not smart.

All in all, finals give students the skills and teachers the reflection that they don’t necessarily ask for, but desperately need. And this policy could lead to the students who couldn’t get an “A” in their class to become more stressed than before. That’s why students with an A in a class shouldn’t be exempt from taking the final of that class.

A student completes his homwork for finals’ preparation.

LILA TAYLOR | PHOTOGRAPHER

46 OPINION

staff ed: body image in the digital age

A student scrolls through their Instagram profile.

ELI MILLNER | PHOTOGRAPHER It’s a Sunday, and you’ve just finished your work for the weekend. You close your laptop, leave your binders and papers scattered across your desk, and collapse on the couch to indulge in a little social media rotation: switching between Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter until you feel like you can’t look at a screen any longer.

Then you see it; another brightly-colored, oddly enticing picture of a slim, smiling woman posing on a beach. Or maybe it’s a body builder, lifting up his shirt to reveal six-pack abs. You don’t even want to tap on it, (you’ve seen this type of post hundreds of times) but for some reason, you

do anyway. It’s hard not to compare your body to theirs, especially when appearance seems to be the focus of so many of these accounts. After scrolling through similar posts for a while, that familiar feeling of inadequacy sneaks into the back of your mind. Why don’t I look like them?

Now more than ever, access to unrealistic beauty and body standards is increasing. This isn’t just an issue for women, either; men are also surrounded by media that encourages them to fit a certain aesthetic ideal, maintain some level of “fitness” and possess qualities that are deemed attractive. Nor is it solely about physical

appearance, as most social media platforms are rife with varying perspectives on the ideal diet and lifestyle. There’s debate on whether it’s better to be vegan or keto, if cardio or weight lifting work more efficiently and whether living “minimal” is responsible or a waste of time. While this content can be valuable for advice or to empower followers, and many creators likely have good intentions, such a slew of perspectives is often overwhelming to those who consume it.

Not only that, but within the majority-adolescent audience that is most apt to be viewing these videos and posts, there is a distinct potential for the development of unhealthy relationships with body image, disordered eating or obsessive outlooks on lifestyle in general. Especially with the prevalence of Photoshop and Facetune, influencers spread the idea that average people should attain a standard that even they themselves cannot achieve.

In early November, Instagram announced that it would be testing the effects of removing likes from pictures. This way, the owner of an account could view their likes, but not the likes that others received. However, the change may never be permanent, and only the users chosen for the study experienced any difference. This transition may represent a step in the right direction for media platforms. Still, removing likes isn’t truly a solution to the anxiety and depression that studies have linked Instagram usage with.

Though it’s certainly not realistic to expect students to give up social media, the time that one spends admiring other people’s lives or bodies is worth considering. At this point, it has become increasingly clear that corporations under the Facebook umbrella don’t necessarily hold user mental health as a top priority. Thus, the responsibility falls on individuals to responsibly manage the content that they consume.

While social media is likely not the greatest contributor to mental health issues or body dysmorphia, it can certainly exacerbate these problems. Take a look at who you follow, and ask yourself if you did so because you genuinely enjoy their profile, or because of an urge to compare yourself to them. If that’s the case, consider unfollowing. Try setting a timer on your Instagram and Snapchat to limit daily usage. This step can help to dispel the urge to open apps throughout the day out of boredom, and ultimately reduce reliance on social media for entertainment or comfort. Changes like these, though minimal, can have a larger impact than you might think.

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20/21

auditions applications will be accepted until march 27 preliminary auditions: april 2020 final auditions: june 2020 (on stage at Powell Hall) apply online at: slso.org/youthorchestra for additional information, please contact Samantha Sachtleben, Youth Orchestra Manager at samanthas@slso.org

2020 free* spring concerts youth orchestra performs symphonic dances sunday, march 15 at 3:00pm

youth orchestra performs on npr’s from the top sunday, may 31 at 3:00pm

*free tickets available on the orchestra level; dress circle and grand circle seating is $10; a $1/ticket handling fee applies to all tickets.

slso.org/youthorchestra 314-534-1700

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