Globe Newsmagazine, March 2022, Issue 6, Vol. 93

globe.

1904 WORLD’S FAIR EXPLORED page 23

VOLUME 94 . ISSUE 6 CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL. CLAYTON, MO. MARCH 2022.

Contents

NEWS World News Closing 8 New CHS Library 9

PUZZLE 10 FEATURES

Metro 11 Jason Growe 12 Wordle 14 Tarita Rhimes 15 Buy Her Candy Profile 16 New Classes 18 Fentanyl in St. Louis 20

OPINION New York Media Overrepresentation

38

PRO/CON 39 SPORTS Ms. Long Profile 41 Graceful Grace 42

REVIEW Book of Boba Fett

45

STAFF EDITORIAL 46

ON THE COVER: 23 THE 1904 WORLD’S FAIR

MARCH 2022 VOLUME 94, ISSUE 6

This month, Daphne Kraushaar profiles the local band Buy Her Candy, whose frontman and founder, Lukas Calsyn, is a senior at Clayton High School.

PHOTO BY DAPHNE KRAUSHAAR

G EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Ella Cuneo Shane LaGesse Ivy Reed CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR

Kaitlyn Tran SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS

Owen Auston-Babcock Vivian Chen Seraphina Corbo Kate Freedman Alexandra Hagemeister Kaia Mills-Lee Ana Mitreva FEATURE SECTION EDITORS

Emma Baum Daphne Kraushaar NEWS SECTION EDITORS

Dheera Rathikindi Alex Slen REVIEW SECTION EDITORS

Rachel Chung Moriah Lotsoff SPORTS SECTION EDITOR

Alex Cohen OPINION SECTION EDITOR

Enoch Lai Sophie Yoshino

Isaac Millians Naveed Naemi Iris Park Sophie Srenco Sofia Mutis COPY EDITOR

Ruby Nadin ART EDITOR

Sonali Dayal STAFF REPORTERS

Stella Bishop Alison Booth Samantha Braidwood Zoe Daniels-Sankey JiaLi Deck Kenneth Gould Norah Gross Riley Kerley Charlotte Meyers Caitlin Kuhlmann Micah Lotsoff Sidra Major Sam McDonough Omeed Naemi Poppy Orchard Caleb Park Ezri Perrin Spencer Pompian Abby Rosenfeld Ivy Slen Samuel Smith Samuel Sun Leo Taghert Charlie Thompson Kipp Vitsky Chloe Wolfe Santi Vaqueiro-Espinosa

PRO/CON SECTION EDITOR

Sasha Keller

PHOTO EDITOR

Lily Kleinhenz

PUZZLE MASTER

Thomas Gustafson STORY IDEAS SECTION EDITOR

Max Hagemeister PAGE EDITORS

Isabella Bamnolker Chloe Creighton Izzy Erdmann Maya Goldwasser Sahi Gokaraju Isra Kayani Sophia Lu Charlie Miller Kirby Miller

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Angela Wirthin Ava Marsden Esther Wang Gabrielle Thomas Kendall Turner Maci Klaus Maya Richter Sofia Klein Owen Wohl Paige Conrad Sophie Matiszik FACULTY ADVISER

Erin Sucher-O’Grady

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 $2,000 to print.

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for their support of our publication. They make our work possible. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please email us at globe@claytonschools.net.

Issue level sponsors ($2,000+ level) Gail Workman Clayton Education Foundation Dr. and Mrs. Barry Berlin

Golden Greyhound sponsors ($200+ level) St. Louis Suit Company All In Clayton Coalition Dave Stine Woodworking Carlie Chiou Mark Hagemeister Naomi Erdmann David Auston Deck Commerce

Dayal Family The Jewish Federation of St. Louis The Sucher Family The Bassnet Family The Baum Family The Gross Family The Cuneo Family The Berlins

Gregory Booth The Baer Family The Lotsoff Family Jason Braidwood Melissa Baum Lan Yang The Cohen Family Christy Auston

World Traveler sponsors ($100+ level) The LaGesse Stanton Family Bob and Betsy Cuneo Peter and Sheila Nadin The Chung Family Gita Krisnaswamy Angela and Troy Quinn The Erlin Family The Family of Lary Baker Kay Quinn Malone Marica and Josip Kos The Slen Family Lan Yang Enoch Lai Bill Moore The Bassnett Family

Laura Pierson Alicia Espe Allison Creighton Bill Dupor Jennifer Baer Michael Reed and Julie Layton Marci Boland The Cuneo Family Jill Moran Emily Rosenfeld Jo Flannery Linda Pieczynski Pat Clenderny Abby Rosenfeld The Major Family

Stephanie Gross The Chung Family Selina Yah Marie McLaughlin Susan Goldwasser Andrew Millians The Mills-Lee Family Kyra Moore The Cohen Family The Slen Family

From the editor

Ella Cuneo reflects on the importance of uncomfortable subjects in schools.

ELLA CUNEO | EDITOR IN CHIEF

I

never anticipated wanting to stay late in my last class on a Friday. By this time of the week, most students are fidgety and ready to get out of their seats, but when Dr. Daniel Glossenger began explaining the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair to our History of STL class, I was fascinated.

Trying to place myself in the shoes of someone who had never seen a telegram or baby incubator became exhilarating. Studying Jessie Tarbox Beals’ photography transported me into the last century. Imagining the park I frequent filled with cultures from all over the world made me wonder if that could happen again.

Being surrounded by required curriculum, I had forgotten my love for discovering new things.

Classes are often constructed around necessity; what do the students need to know to succeed? How do I make sure they are the best prepared for the final exam? While this is important, having teachers who plan the class both to gain an understanding of the material and to be able to connect it to the larger world can have a huge impact on the enjoyment and learning in that class.

So, while I was learning about the grand scale of the World’s Fair, I also learned about the injustices of the treatment of the Igorot people, the struggles of obtaining clean water for STL and the importance of smallpox vaccines. Applying these topics to modern events like the controversy of mascots, safe water access and the COVID-19 vaccine can help put new solutions in perspective.

As discussed in the last issue of the Globe, Missouri legislators and residents have been pushing to ban a multitude of curriculum topics and books. Books discussing topics such as racism and LGBTQ+ families have been banned under questionable pretenses. One of the largest arguments for this banning is to avoid making students uncomfortable.

This is not to say that all topics that make you uncomfortable need to be taught, but subjects which provide historical context, or that will benefit us in the future, can be taught in an appropriate way.

One compromise when teaching particularly uncomfortable topics is giving students an option to opt out of the class or the day of work.

Some CHS history teachers give warnings before

PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ | PHOTO EDITOR covering material that could be uncomfortable, such as harsh films or sources with derogatory terms.

Coming into the History of STL class, Glossenger warned us that we would not be talking about many well-known and lighthearted topics like the Cardinals winning the World Series. He explained that he wanted to give a well-rounded history without sugarcoating subjects. After taking the class, I am thankful Glossenger gave us the full picture of parts of STL’s history because I was able to connect a lot of the modern day problems STL faces with experiences in the past.

School is where students should be able to

form their own opinions and have access to a large variety of texts and resources to do so. I’ve always thought of the World’s Fair as a magical event, so learning about the human rights abuses that occurred made me uncomfortable. But if I am always comfortable, how will I ever learn anything?

Ultimately, allowing students to make the choice to be uncomfortable versus ignorant is the most important thing schools can provide.

I would much rather be upset by something I read than be ignorant.

6

PANO

Clayton girls' swimming takes third at state Finishing an undefeated season, the Clayton High School girls’ swim team headed to the Missouri Class 1 State Championships on Feb. 17, where they took third place. CHS senior Kellen Mottl took home first place in the 100-meter breaststroke and fifth in the 100-meter freestyle. CHS sophomore Caitlin Kuhlmann took home third in 100-meter backstroke, and freshman Emma Welch took seventh place in the 200-meter individual medley. The swim team also finished first in the 200-meter medley relay and second place in the 400-meter freestyle relay. Freshman Ella Welch swims butterfly in this featured image.

LILY KLEINHENZ | PHOTO EDITOR

8

NEWS

A farewell to WORLD NEWS The local corner store is closing after 55 years of business due to reduced foot traffic from the pandemic.

IZZY ERDMANN | PAGE EDITOR

W

orld News has been a beloved and established location in the Clayton community for years. In January it was announced in a Facebook post that World News would be closing after 55 years of business since its opening in 1967. The corner store has the largest selection of cold drinks in town, alongside aisles of sweet and savory snacks. It also has every magazine you could dream of and a special section of books dedicated to the history of St. Louis.

For as long as many Clayton residents can remember, the corner store has sat on the corner of Central and Forsyth. Now driving home from work or school, you may notice the familiar windows plastered with sale signs saying “everything must go.” As part of their closure, the store is getting rid of not just their magazines and snacks, but their fixtures and shelves as well.

Now when you walk inside the familiar coolers of drinks are missing and the shelves are halfway bare.

The pandemic reduced the amount of traffic the store received drastically making the store less profitable than before. World News is not the only business in Clayton that has closed due to the pandemic. As a city that depends highly on the foot traffic of people going to work in offices the pandemic has been a hard hit all around.

The opening of larger shops with similar products, like the Dollar General-owned store DGX Clayton, has also led to less foot traffic as people choose the larger and flashier option over the small corner shop.

“It is sad but it will open the door for a lot of other things and we have been doing this for a long time,” said store manager Mike Flavin when asked about his emotions regarding the closure.

At the checkout line of World News you are always greeted with a nice conversation as you pay for your items. The little things make World News so great.

Camilla Meyers, a senior at Clayton High school, has many fond memories of trips to World News after hot days of cross country practice.

“I always used to go to World News with my friends after cross country practice. We would get our drinks and sit outside the store on the benches and talk. I loved those afternoons,” Meyers said.

The store front of World News plastered with posters notifying passersby of their closing.

While we watch the iconic shop close its doors for a final time this February remember to shop at local businesses so we can keep them open, especially in economically difficult times.

For many Clayton residents, World News will be missed.

9 NEWS

New library, new opportunities CHS is excited about the possibility of a much needed update to the library.

ALISON BOOTH | REPORTER

W

e were in the process of starting [the renovation]. And then [Dr. Sean Doherty] said, I’m retiring. And I was like, no, please don’t leave this hanging again,” said Lauran DeRigne, the library media specialist. The CHS library is a favorite destination for students. People flock there for a space to study, relax with friends or read a great book.

But, the library is in desperate need of an update. Areas for students to access the internet limit ability to collaborate. Additionally, the non-fiction shelves move like an Indiana Jones trap, scaring away potential readers.

Luckily, this summer may see the library receive a much-needed face lift.

The process officially began before the pandemic when Doherty was superintendent.

After his retirement, CHS librarians saw their opportunity for a renovation slipping away. “[Dr. Doherty] filled in Dr. Patel when he was about to leave and said, ‘Look, we’ve promised that this is going to happen,’” said DeRigne.

Dr. Nisha Patel has continued on this path for the necessary updates.

As classrooms were redone and new wings

CHS student studies in two of the many seating areas in the library

PHOTOS BY OWEN WOHL

“[Students] definitely want smaller workspaces so they can come in with two or three friends and work” DeRigne were added to the school, the library has been the only room left untouched for more than 30 years.

“And it’s a high use space… If you’re talking about changing the classroom for 100 kids as opposed to changing the library for everyone then it makes sense that that needs to be done,” said DeRigne.

But, necessity has not sped up the changes. The most recent renovations

occurred around 1990 as a response to the increasing need for computer labs. With the speed of technology’s advancements, the library quickly fell behind, ignored until 2019.

Talks began before the pandemic on the possibilities for the renovation. The current space’s foundation will not be adjusted as the area is large in comparison to comparable schools.

Additionally, the budget does not allow for structural alterations. The comfortable environment will remain with the largest effort going into improving the usability of the room.

Renovations are predicted to include updates to outdated furniture and old carpets.

The uncomfortable wooden chairs will also be replaced to the delight of students.

“The chairs are large so they’re comfortable in that way, but they are also fully wooden so that makes them uncomfortable if you sit there for long periods of time,” said Nicholas Sheppard, a sophomore at CHS. The largest change will be to the flow of the space so individuals, small groups and classes can use the areas within the library simultaneously.

These renovations will fulfill the needs outlined by the student body. “[Students] definitely want smaller workspaces so they can come in with two or three friends and work,” said DeRigne.

Other desires include different seating options such as comfortable and study dedicated.

Students would like to improve the space’s use outside of studying purposes. A spot to relax and play games and increased book access are key components, and everyone agrees that the lighting needs to improve. “[The architects] really have been listening to what we’ve said we needed,” said DeRigne.

In addition to listening to requests from the student body, focus groups have been formed to review the plans and offer a student perspective.

“A variety of students from different grades [have shared] how they’ve used the space [and] how it hasn’t worked,” said DeRigne. Teachers and library staff have also contributed to the discussions.

So, what can you expect when you walk into the building next year?

“Definitely, like moving the shelving so it’s more central [and] students feel like they’re surrounded by books,” said DeRigne. Additionally, expect a variety of areas for all library needs.

Individuals, small groups, and classes will be able to work and collaborate.

(HARD)

This puzzle is pretty stylish!

T.G.

ACROSS 77. 24-Across and others, to Flaky phyllosilicate fans Zest or dynasty 78. Lil Nas X song or Contempt-filled outburst sandwich Key of BTS’ “Butter” 80. Tyler the Creator song Sounds of disgust “A BOY ___ GUN” Plot ___ 81. Sound made by 35-Down Group of crows, maybe 82. Term for word, e.g.?

Keys? (abbr.)

Billie Eilish and Finneas 83. Slavic monarch and Tom and Jerry 85. Spanish pepper sometimes 23. “___ say!” (parental order) spelled with multiple i’s 24. “Loveeeeeee Song” 88. Made unconscious, for musician, to fans short 25. 2018 necking targets 90. Regard highly 26. Genre of the first group of 94. Honorific address for men circles in this puzzle 95. Red in Bordeaux 27. Genre of the third group 99. Subject of many “Cracking of circles the Cryptic” videos 30. One-legged photographer’s 101. Movement started by helper Tarana Burke 32. Besties in Bordeaux 103. Mediterranean 11-Down 33. “White Fragility: Why It’s whose fruit is often So Hard for White People mistaken for a seed to Talk About ___” (book 104. Songs, or what the three

by Robin DiAngelo) groups of circled letters 37. Grannies form 38. Drug taken by Steve Jobs 109. Genre of the second group in “Pirates of Silicon of circles Valley” 110. Lukewarm 40. Cheap quarters?

113. Dried bison product?

43. What Aaron doesn’t have?

114. Optic ___ (bundle of over 44. Starbuck’s order one million fibers) 47. Small battery size 115. ___ Lipinski (Olympic 49. Gr. 11s figure skater) 50. Most gas station lighters 116. “We Don’t Talk About 53. Long-snouted fish ___” (Encanto song) 54. Residents of cities, in 117. Gram prefix those cities 118. Does what a baby does for 58. Stocky meals 1-3 hours per day 60. Actress de Armas of “No 119. Tops at drag shows Time to Die” 120. Vagrants with a “code” 61. In 2022, they lost to 121. St. Louis winter hrs.

Georgia in the College 122. Approximated figures: Football National abbr.

Championship: abbr.

123. Fried ___ (battered 62. “Krusty ___” (underwater cookie) monopoly) 63. Place in a place DOWN 65. 93-Down whose name 1. Dirty race means “high one” in 2. Reptile, some of whose Koyukon species arguably have three 67. Benedict Arnold or Judas eyes 70. Encrusting with mud 3. Composer whose “Black 71. Letting, to a 107-Down Key Etude” was parodied 73. He smoked with Joe

by Lang Lang with an 74. “___ Lang Syne” (Ed orange Watkins song) 4. Donkey 76. Summer in Bordeaux 5. Ancient besieged city SAM MCDONOUGH, REPORTER EMMA BAUM, FEATURE SECTION EDITOR THOMAS GUSTAFSON, PUZZLE SECTION EDITOR 1.

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PUZZLES 10

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15 16

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6. “She loves,” in Latin 7. “Don’t take offense,” modernly 8. Last name of brothers who published fairy tales 9. 3rd largest island in the world (namesake of some orangutans) 10. In the center of 11. Garnishing plant 12. Reason for a CPAP 13. Funny failure 14. Drink like a dog 15. Suffix for meth16. How-___ (books for DIYers) 18. Disorder diagnosed three times more often in boys than girls 20. Zilch 27. Jewish New Year head?

28. Point, maybe 29. Bear spottable only at night 31. D.C. fundraisers 34. Some pulls 35. Literary reptiles 36. Tends to 34-Down, maybe 38. Singer Payne 39. Guitar brand, for short 41. Suffix with ether42. Lasso without a loop?

45. Over once more 46. Bases?

48. Equally terrible 50. Scenarios where benefits don’t outweight possible negative consequences 51. “Don’t leave me!”

52. Shot with great force 55. Hunter spottable only at night 56. Feline pheromone simulator 57. Blood type letters 59. White or black tree

98

103 107 108

105 106

97

61. Lower-level celebs 64. Collegiate Bruin, for short 66. When doubled, weapon used to hunt mammoths 68. Kylo ___ 69. “Spider-man” director Sam 72. Stats worried about by many Clayton students 75. ___ Interface 79. Modern follower?

81. In the near future 84. Powerful Greek god 86. Similar chemical compounds 87. Spanish figure, or with 106Down, French phrase meaning “very stylish” 89. Piece in a chain reaction 91. What fills an inbox 92. Trap for catching slippery fish that sounds like a cooking implement 93. Peak: abbr.

96. Disconnect, as a Flip 4 97. Curious fictional simian 98. City on the Rio Grande 100. “Good job to you!”

102. Eighth of a cup 103. Weasley or Wesley 105. Sound of disgust 106. See 87-Down 107. Adele, for one 108. There’s a couple of these in December 110. Texter’s admission starter 111. Suffix with ranch112. St. Patrick’s Day hotspot 115. Digit that occurs three times in this year

3/2022

A B C, 1 2 3

PUZZLE BY THOMAS GUSTAFSON, SAM MCDONOUGH, AND EMMA BAUM

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11

FEATURE

Public transportation in STL The Globe examines the role of Metro Transit in the city’s social and economic dynamics.

IVY REED | EDITOR IN CHIEF

E

very day, Taulby Roach takes the Metro blue line home from work. To other Metro riders, he is any other commuter; few know that he’s coming home from a day of running the public transit system. Roach is the President and CEO of Bi-State Development (BSD), the interstate compact tasked with running Metro Transit.

BSD was signed in 1949 by Missouri and Illinois, and now operates as a parent organization to Gateway Arch Riverfront, St. Louis Regional Freightway, the Metro system, and several more infrastructure projects and tourist attractions. It is funded by a combination of local revenue and state and federal funding.

Roach believes BSD plays a unique role in bridging interstate divisions across the Mississippi River.

The challenge for us as an agency and for instance, a transit operator, is to figure out how we develop public policies and deliver services in the mode of transportation, whether that be freight or transit, so that it serves the needs of the citizens, whether the citizens be in Missouri, Illinois, Clayton or Belleville,” Roach said.

Through its three systems–MetroBus, MetroLink and Metro Call-A-Ride–Metro Transit aims to meet that challenge and serve the needs of its riders.

Roach believes that a robust public transportation system should be valued by every member of a community.

“We should impart value even to people who don’t take our system,” he said. “So as an example, public transportation can’t really serve someone who works as a plumber. But when they’re on highway 40, and let’s say highway 40 is just that much less congested because people parallel are riding transit [...] then that plumber understands, ‘hey, there’s value to that service in

PHOTO BY OWEN AUSTON-BABCOCK

an integrated system.’”

The Metro system is looking for other ways to expand and revitalize, including increasing student ridership to and from Washington University.

Samuel McKee works at WashU as a research assistant, and was waiting at the Clayton Transit Center on a Friday afternoon.

“Parking can be expensive [at WashU], so taking the Metro really saves money because we also get a Metro pass,” said McKee, who takes MetroBus to commute from Creve Coeur.

“I think overall, I’ve had a pretty good experience,” he said. “I can’t really think of any sort of improvements other than just expanding the public transportation to other areas, which I think would be really helpful.”

McKee is not alone in his opinions about urban expansion of public transportation. Calls for a new northside-southside line have grown louder since 2017, when a city sales tax increase passed to fund eventual MetroLink expansion.

Linda Samuels, a professor of urban design as Washington University, was co-principal investigator on Mobility For All By All, a project that advocates for the equitable benefits of the proposed MetroLink line.

“Public transportation is embedded in the principles of equity,” said Roach, and Samuels agrees that effective transit can bring resources and environmental and social benefits to communities like North St. Louis that have experienced historical divestment.

“I think transit does a lot of logistical things but it also provides an opportunity to show that the city is creating an important investment in the north side,” Samuels said.

BSD strives to be a catalyst for transit-oriented development, or community development centered around transit stops and hubs.

“One really great example of that is there’s two new apartment projects right on DeBauliviere right near the Forest Park Station, that essentially are transit oriented development,” said Roach.

Although Metro is looking to expand and continue to serve the St. Louis area, it hasn’t been reliable for everyone.

Connor Hines, an expeditor at Five Star Burgers in Clayton, recently stopped taking transit to work regularly.

“It’s really, really good when you don’t have anywhere important to be in a timely manner, but a lot of the times it can end up being a little unreliable when you’re on a tight schedule,” he said. Hines also found that Metro Busses arrived too infrequently for his schedule. However, he still has fond memories of being a regular rider.

“Definite top of the head right now is Metro Jesus,” said Hines, remembering his time as a Metro commuter. “I used to see him on the 71 going down Grand all the time. It’s this guy who would dress up like Jesus and ride the Metro. I don’t know if that’s the only reason he was on the Metro, but it sure was very entertaining.”

Roach also takes the blue line in the mornings, traveling to the county from his home station on Skinker. He often takes the time to observe the ridership around him.

“It’s dominantly African American, and where are those folks going at 6:30 in the morning and going west? They’re going out to jobs.

So these are folks who live in the city of St. Louis, then presumably who are going to jobs or opportunities that are out in the county,” said Roach, who explained that Metro Transit wants to help create those jobs and opportunities in the city of St. Louis. “[...]And so remember what our task is, to deliver the service so that there’s an economic future for everyone.”

12

FEATURE

Jason Growe

The Globe talks with new school board member Jason Growe about his upcoming term.

OWEN AUSTON-BABCOCK | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

O

n May 19, 2021, David Gulick, a sales director at a software company, National Guard veteran and Meramec Elementary School parent, resigned from the Clayton Board of Education, citing concerns about the way the board conducted its business. The board nominated Steve Singer, a former member, to temporarily fill the position until an election could be held. When the filing opened for the April 5, 2022, municipal election in St. Louis County, Jason Growe was the only one to file. According to state election rules, no election will happen because the number of people who filed equaled the number of positions open. When we spoke, Growe had not yet officially become a board member — his oath of office will occur at a board meeting in April.

Growe and I spoke at a coffee shop in late February, and I talked with Gulick about a month prior. Gulick remains involved in Clayton politics and the school district (his son is in the district). The following interview is slightly edited from my conversation with Growe in February, and includes context in footnotes from Gulick’s in January.

Can you tell me a little bit about your background and your connection to the district?

Yeah, sure. So, you know, born and raised here in St. Louis. After college — I went to Indiana University — I moved back here to do Teach for America. So I really wanted to do some form of community service after college and Teach for America, if you’re not familiar with it, it’s exactly what it sounds like. It takes recent college graduates and it places them in low income areas of the country to teach the public schools for two years. And that was something that spoke to me, that mission spoke to me. Improving the achievement gap in public education is basically the ultimate goal, right? That’s sort of a

Above: Jason Growe, who will be sworn in as a member of Clayton’s school board in April.

Photograph provided by Jason Growe.

line in the organization. That spoke to me for a few different personal reasons, and so I wanted to do that. And I wanted to come back to St. Louis to do that. So I taught at Roosevelt High School for a couple years in St. Louis Public Schools, and had a great experience.

Fast forward to today, professionally, I own a small home health business. We provide nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and medical-social services in the home setting for patients who are able to safely be at home but maybe need a little bit of extra care and education on how to manage whatever they’re going through independently or with caregivers.

That’s what I do professionally.

I’ve lived in Clayton most, if not all, of my adult life; I moved back to the district in 2016. And now I have one daughter in the district and will have a second daughter in the district come next fall. So I’m very invested in it.

How old is your first daughter?

This is the first of a two-part series about new school board members. Next month, Sofia Mutis interviews Christine Win.

My daughter’s in second grade,1 so she just turned 8. And it’s a fun age. And then my other daughter just turned five, so she’ll start kindergarten next year.

What was your inciting incident for why you chose to run for the board? What was your reason?

Yeah, I don’t think there has been a more important time to have good quality board members on a board of education. Regard-

1 He later joked that his second grade constituents (his most outspoken, I assume) were very pro-snacks.

13 less of political perspective, boards of education are just under fire right now across the country. Now, I spend my professional career working with boards of directors for for-profit and nonprofit entities. And I just thought, you know, I have the values that I think represent our district. And if I can bring those values with a set of skills that allow me to be an effective board member, then that’s what I want to do for my community.

Aside from the priorities on your website, do you have specific ambitions for the term coming up? Are there any problems or areas of improvement in the district that you’d like to advance on or to address?

Look, Clayton School District is a great school district with a proud tradition. And so, I don’t come to it with a specific agenda. I don’t have an ax to grind on anything. But, I call it a “carry the torch” mission. There are some things that I’m interested in. I think the big overarching one is just ensuring our school district’s and our board’s stated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and as a board member, I look forward to asking questions across subject matters to make sure that we’re always looking at things with an equity lens.

Do you see your role as a new board member as being more of a policymaker or a question-asker?

I think both. My responsibility is to our community and the taxpayer.

So I don’t come into it thinking I’m the expert. We rely on our staff and leadership to be the experts in K-12 education. And my job as a policymaker is to ask as many questions as I can so that I can come to an informed decision for myself.

When I spoke to David Gulick in January, he mentioned that you and he had talked about the board, because, obviously, it was originally his seat that you will be filling. Can you tell me a little bit about that conversation?

We actually met about 10 feet or so from here. My oldest daughter and one of David’s sons are in the same grade.

And when I was serious about doing this, you know, I reached out to him,

2 Gulick had two main reasons for resigning: first, that the board was conducting business over phone calls between only two or three members of the board, which did not violate Missouri’s Open Meetings Law but did go against the nature of that law. The discussions were over whether or not to refer to the state a resident’s concern that one of the members had not paid all of their personal property taxes in past years. His second reason was that he felt the board was avoiding having difficult or uncomfortable conversations. When I spoke to him, large parts of our conversation involved his advocacy for school choice legislation and his criticism of the gifted program at the elementary schools (he says the district lowers thresholds for Black students’ acceptance into the program to attain a more diverse racial makeup; “Are we really serving students right that way?” he asked. His claims have not been verified). Gulick joked that when Joe Miller, a board member, asked him to run, he said he wasn’t an electable person: “I don’t care if we can agree or not, we can still break bread ... I don’t go with the popular flow ... I kind of joked that would be a problem for a Clayton elected position.” He also pointed out the common unanimity of school board votes in Clayton.

3 It seemed as though Growe doesn’t have a political career, per say. As he says, his work for the Democratic Party was voluntary; he’ll be seeking reelection to the school board next April, but he didn't mention any aspirations to run for higher political office.

Gulick told me it takes about 3 years for a member to fully understand how Clayton's school board operates.

FEATURE

and obviously, we got coffee. And you know, I think David is someone who does what he thinks is right for the district and clearly has a strong passion for the Clayton School District. He made the decision that was best for him and his family, and you gotta respect that.2 So, I noticed that you have worked for the Missouri Democratic Party.

You were the finance chair. Can you tell me a little bit about that? And maybe other political involvement?

So yeah, in 2018 I was the finance chair for the Missouri Democratic Party. The way that works is we’re the statewide organization that supports Democrats up and down the ballot. In 2018, our main mission was to try to get Senator Claire McCaskill reelected, came up a little short, but you know, had some successes with ballot initiatives and some state legislative races. And we put together just a tremendous field program that next sets of leadership could build off. Politics is something that — you know, that sense of service to community is something that has been just sort of taught to me since I was little, and a lot of times it’s manifested itself in

In a press release, the district announced it would not hold an election for the open board seats: BOE Candidate Filing Closes; No Election to Be Held “Filing for the April 2022 Board of Education Election closed Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, at 5 p.m. Christine (Chris) Win and incumbent Stacy Siwak were the only candidates to file for the two open, regular-term positions. Jason Growe was the only candidate to file for the unexpired, one-year term. Missouri statutes (RsMO 115.124) do not require a school district to hold a Board of Education election if the number of candidates who file is equal to the number of positions to be filled by the election. No election will be held and all three candidates will be sworn in to office in April 2022.”

politics. And through some party relationships, I was active as a layperson in [former Missouri Secretary of State] Jason Kander’s 2016 U.S. Senate races, which is what led me to being the finance chair in 2018. And when I was younger, I would work on political campaigns; you know, congressional races and state legislative races. Now obviously, I don’t do that professionally. But I was happy to contribute in that way. And I still look to find ways to contribute in that sphere as well.

So maybe this is a connection you made at the party. I did notice that your campaign had hired a political consultant. And then you made use of the party’s voter activation network. Were you expecting a bit of competition in the race? And then is that also in anticipation for a future run?

I’ll answer that in reverse order. I fully intend to be up for reelection next spring.3 I hired Michael Ousley, who was someone that I met through the Democratic Party. Running a small business, running a campaign, and some other stuff, I just needed someone to help me keep the campaign organized and get things done in a timely fashion. And Michael did a great job of that. The party does a great job of that for some other clients.

And I hired him just on a consulting basis to help me out, and yeah, I mean, I was fully expecting a competitive, spirited school board race. I was fortunate enough that that didn’t materialize, but I’m still going to go out and knock on doors, introduce myself to voters. I think everyone deserves to meet their school board member and share their experiences and their thoughts. And so I’m doing that, and I’ll be ready again a year from now when I gotta do it all over again.

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FEATURE

What’s up with Wordle? Reporter JiaLi Deck explores the game’s recent explosion and purchase by the New York Times.

JIALI DECK | REPORTER

F

ew trends have managed to reach such a large range of people than the Internet’s most recent viral sensation, Wordle. According to the New York Times over 300,000 people play the word game daily. A 50 survey of 50 Clayton students reported that 90% have heard of the game and over half play almost every day.

Wordle is a very simple game. The goal is to guess a random five letter word in just six tries. When a letter is guessed that is in the word, but not in the right spot it will turn yellow, and letters which are guessed in the correct spot turn green. Everyday, the game resets with a brand new word which is shared among all users.

Wordle was never intended to be played by thousands of people. It was invented by Josh Wardle, as a present for his puzzle-loving wife. It was mostly a side project, until he realized the vast number of people interested in playing the game. Once Wardle discovered people sharing their scores with one another using green, yellow, and gray square emojis, he encoded a share feature which would automatically type out guesses to be shared via text or on social media without revealing the word.

There’s a unique simplicity in the game which is what has drawn many users to play. There are no notifications or pop up ads. No likes or followers. You can’t play for hours like Candy Crush, or binge in a single sitting like your favorite Netflix show. Wordle is simply empty boxes and a keyboard. It’s easily accessible to anyone online and is a refreshing game which strays from the overwhelming nature of the internet.

Worlde also provides a unique connection between family and friends. Sophomore Sidra Major, who plays the game almost every day, said, “I love sharing my scores with my family and talking about it on our Wordle group chat.”

Wordle’s popularity has led to numerous other similar guessing games. These spoofs include the Taylordle where users must guess words relating to the singer Taylor Swift, Nerdle, where users guess math equations rather than words, and even Letterle, where the user must guess just a single letter.

Students are playing Wordle and its variety of spin offs for many reasons. Some enjoy the game because it’s difficult, but rewarding. As freshman Aiden Haupt puts it, Wordle is “wonderfully frustrating.”

Others play the game for a sense of connection with their peers. Audrey Fiorello said she plays Wordle almost every day “because all my friends are doing it.”

Lavanya Mani, a freshman Wordle player, likes the communal aspect of the game. “My friends play it a lot and we often talk about the day’s word” she said. “It’s a fun little challenge that doesn’t take up too much energy.”

Senior Camilla Meyers believes Wordle has gained so much popularity because it’s similar to other word games like crossword puzzles, but also includes a competitive component. “Word games have always been popular, and now that they’re accessible online it’s very easy to enjoy” she said. “[Wordle] gives a sense of accomplishment once you guess the word, and it’s a way for people to compete with one another.”

The competitive nature of Wordle is what motivates sophomore AnMei Deck. She said she plays almost every day because “It’s fun and I like to win.”

At the end of January, to some players’ dismay, Wardle sold his creation to the New York Times for $1 million.

Many feel disappointed that capitalism has managed to take hold of what emerged as an innocent and free game.

Jynx Falk, a freshman and Wordle player, said, “I’m not happy about the NYT acquisition. I’m glad for the creator of course, but am anticipating an incoming paywall, as is common with the NYT.” Sophomore Sam McDonough too was disappointed by the acquisition. “The NYT needs to stop buying everything. It’s slowly becoming the Disney of newspapers,” they said.

While Wordle may have peaked in its popularity, it serves as a hopeful reminder of the good that’s left in the world. While often divided on so many fronts, people of all ages can find a sense of connection with a simple guessing game once a day.

Rockstar Rhimes

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FEATURE

A look at Glenridge Elementary’s new principal.

ISABELLA BAMNOLKER | PAGE EDITOR

Photo of Rhimes by Lily Kleinhenz

E

very child has a passion for something.

For Tarita Rhimes, assistant principal at Wydown Middle School and the new principal at Glenridge Elementary School, a love for children has been a part of her life since childhood.

“I loved playing school and house. I liked to use my siblings and friends as my children.

I used them to be my students if we were playing school or my patient if we were playing doctor. Or if we were playing house, I would be the mother, and of course, they would be the children,” said Rhimes.

Rhines had several different internships in high school, one at a school and even one as a certified public accountant. She wanted to make sure that she gave all of her interests a try before deciding on her career choices.

Rhimes received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Middle School education with a minor in Computer Science.

“I always envisioned myself being a computer science teacher. I wanted students to see women in STEM careers and how successful women can be in a male-dominated field,” said Rhimes.

When Rhimes did student teaching, she taught a computer class to students who did not do well with standardized tests. By using

technology, Rhimes could foster growth.

“With creative portfolios on a computer, we use different programs to help students with writing, math and reading,” said Rhimes.

“It was project-based learning.

We used interest-based projects to engage students in learning.

We used different software programs that I thought were very appealing to that age group. They made storybooks for the younger kids and got to record their reading. We were able to get them engaged in different content areas,” said Rhimes.

Rhimes spent the first three years of her teaching career in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school was once a high-performing district, but when Rhimes arrived, the school was struggling to retain teachers.

“It was a school with 90 percent African American students, 90 percent free and reduced lunch, 90 percent not making proficient or advanced on the state test. So it was a failing school that the district was about to close,” said Rhimes.

The students thought Rhimes was just another teacher who would leave them. She made sure to build strong relationships. Instead of planning and taking lunch, she would use the time to play at recess and eat lunch in the cafeteria with her class. She would plan when she got home at night.

“That year, we did a lot of talking. We would have time where there wasn’t any curriculum.

We did a lot of talking about who you are, what do you want to do? What do you want to be?

How can I help get to know you? How can I help you achieve your goals? That showed me that every child needs a champion, and you can’t just give up on a child because of their situation.

That is why I love kids so hard; I take up for kids, I am their champion. I will never give up on a child.” said Rhimes.

As the new principal of Glenridge Elementary, it is essential to carry the values and experiences that Rhimes holds dearly and value relationships.

“It is first, one-on-one conversations with staff members, to see what they like about Glenridge and get to know them as an educator but most importantly as a person; what are their hopes and dreams?” said Rhimes. Rhimes also talked about the importance of talking to parents and students. She wants to get to know the entire Glenridge community.

It is also vital for Rhimes to use team-building activities throughout the year to unite staff.

“Making sure that I am vulnerable and transparent, and having open and honest courageous conversations. I think that’s the first step in putting the pieces of the puzzle together when joining a whole new family. When you’re on a flight, they say put your oxygen mask on before you put one on your kids, right? So I want to make sure that I am putting the oxygen mask on the teachers to take care of our students. I want to make sure that they feel heard, that their needs are being met and that I help them work on their hopes and dreams. I want to make sure that their social, emotional and mental well-being is taken care of so they can take care of our students,” said Rhimes.

Rhimes hopes that Glenridge students can soon return to the cafeteria with proper risk mitigation factors in mind. Socialization is essential for students’ social, emotional, and mental growth and well-being.

“My number one priority is to make sure that you feel safe and comfortable coming through those doors. I want to make sure we do everything within our control to make sure that all students know that when they enter Glenridge, they will receive what they need to achieve success, also making sure that I am visible. In classrooms, recess, in the neighborhoods, just being visible, for students to know that I am a trusting and caring person that they can come and talk to, if they are sad, happy, upset, or if they don’t feel comfortable, I want to be a person that they feel comfortable talking to,” said Rhimes.

The foundational pieces that many kids learn in elementary school excite Rhimes. The importance of specific skills that they gain to be ready for middle school, then to high school, and further on are crucial.

“I want to be a part of the change. I want to be a part of growth. I love that the School District of Clayton is a family; we take care of each other,” said Rhimes.

When the Glenridge position was posted, Rhimes had many people reach out to her to apply.

“I didn’t want to apply for anything due to peer pressure. I want to apply for something because I can make a difference and because, most importantly, I want to be there. And when I started thinking about my time in elementary school, I started to think about all the roles that I’ve had previously held in education. I knew it was time to go back home. It’s time to use all that I learned to assist with the critical foundational pieces that every elementary student needs to be successful...And I want to partner with the Glenridge community to ensure all students are loved, nurtured, valued and educated,” said Rhimes.

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FEATURE

Buy Her Candy

A look at the hit rock band led by St. Louis high school students.

DAPHNE KRAUSHAAR | SECTION EDITOR

B

uy Her Candy”: an alternative indie song released in 1997 by Sleater Kinney.

It also happens to be the name of the St. Louis rock band created by Clayton High School senior, Lukas Calsyn.

“It started off as a solo project,” said Calsyn, “but it has since become several different entities”. At first the name Buy Her Candy was simply an Instagram handle and a Twitter username, but it is now attached to seven original songs. While Calsyn is typically on vocals and guitar, he can’t take all of the credit. Since Buy Her Candy’s original conception, he has enlisted John Burroughs senior Shayfer Huitt and MICDS junior Peter Grace (pictured below).

When Huitt isn’t busy fostering four cats, he’s on stage playing the drums. Meanwhile, Grace is the band’s lead bassist, (although he also dabbles in the tambourine).

Calsyn was scheduled to play a show in 2019 on his birthday, but his drummer quit moments before they were supposed to go on. Luckily, Pruitt came to the rescue and was able to fill in.

“He played once and we were like, ‘Oh my god, this changes everything,’ said

Calsyn. After that, Huitt became a permanent member. Meanwhile, Grace started as a fan. “I was watching one of their concerts and I thought it was super cool, and I went up to them and was like, ‘Hey, you guys don’t have a bassist. If you ever want one you should hit me up,’” says Grace. It is safe to say that they did in fact hit him up, and they have been jamming out harmoniously ever since.

Together these three have been exploring the St. Louis music scene whenever possible. They are legendary in the Clayton community for their CHS bonfire performance, the night before the homecoming game. Since then, they have performed everywhere from The Red Flag to The Sinkhole, to any basement that welcomes their art with an eager audience.

“The craziest part is just where it takes you,” says Charlie Van Emden, who has been involved with the band since the very beginning. He is “passionate about art and [he enjoys] helping them create that.”

Van Emden along with another CHS senior, Annette Martinson, is responsible for all of the magic behind the scenes. They are some of the visionaries behind the Buy Her Candy merchandise including the stickers and t-shirts sold at the live shows.

For Calsyn, this is more than just a band. The songs are more than just lyrics with a catchy tune in the background. “I think of Buy Her Candy as expressing what I can’t with words.” He hopes to create a connection with every audience and have them think, “Woah! I haven’t seen that before, and leave them awestruck.”

While he is performing, it is his goal to “leave an impact and let people

go crazy, because [he] can’t do that in any other facet of life.”

He is particularly inspired by Nina Simone, who once said, “I want to shake people up so bad, that when they leave the nightclub where I have performed, I just want them to be in pieces.”

This trifecta achieves electric energy on stage. They always have crowds on their feet and “moshing” (as Calsyn puts it). As an audience member, it is easy to forget that these are just some high school students having a good time when the product feels professional. By the time people are walking out the door, they know that they have witnessed something incredible.

The process of creating something of such impact is perhaps not what one would expect.

Through improv sessions, the group has been able to pull various pieces that they love or think work well to write their original music. “Sometimes we will just be jamming and be like, ‘Wait a minute, that was really good, let’s go back to it,’” says Calsyn. “Some of the best stuff we have was an accident.” He describes their process as “just having fun.”

It is this mentality that has slowly allowed their following to grow. It started with a couple of Clayton students and their friends, and then college students in the area, and has spread to other avid participants in the St. Louis music scene. Through the power of the internet, Calsyn has even been able to develop somewhat of an international fan base with listeners all the way in Switzerland.

When each of the members was asked what was in store for the band’s future, they responded with various versions of the same answer.

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No one knows. Calsyn and Huitt will likely be leaving for college while Grace is finishing out his senior year.

“No matter what Buy Her Candy will continue, even if the lineup changes and morphs,” says Calsyn. One thing that they all knew for sure was that there would be music in their future and that the end of this road does not mean the end of their involvement with Buy Her Candy or the music world.

“This summer we have to bang it out. That’s the short-term goal,” says Grace.

Calsyn wants to thank everyone who has taken the time to listen to their music. “Even if you don’t like it, I appreciate it”. He wants to remind any hesitant musicians to “Start a band if you want to, there is nothing stopping you except yourself.” Calsyn, Grace, and Huitt are living proof that following a dream can lead to amazing opportunities, good times, and pure exhilaration.

Those interested in following them on their journey can find them as Buy Her Candy on Spotify, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and Instagram. Be sure to catch them at an upcoming live show.

Lukas Calsyn Performing at the Red Flag.

DAPHNE KRAUSHAAR

Instagram: @buyhercandy Twitter: @buyhercandyyy YouTube: buyhercandy

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FEATURE

New Courses 2022-23 CHS students will have a variety of new course options for the 2022-2023 school year including AP Art History and a variety of new semester English classes for seniors.

SEAPHINA CORBO | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR LILY KLEINHENZ | PHOTO EDITOR ANA MITREVA | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

CHS English teacher, Dana Augustine, gives us insight on new classes in the 20222023 school year.

PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHEINZ | PHOTO EDITOR

AP Art History Kamille Chavarin, future AP Art History at Clayton High School gives us some insights to what the class will look like next year, and encourages students to register for it.

Q: What is AP Art History?

“AP art history is essentially like a full year of college art history, it includes prehistory, like prehistoric art, like all the way up to present day. So it is the study of art from the very earliest art, which was like 25,000 BC, like cave paintings, and then all the way up to contemporary art, which is like, artists right now.”

Q: What do you think students will gain from this class?

“I think studying art history, more than any other type of history, is the study of the human experience. So it will open your mind to people who are different than you and how they communicate. It can really open your eyes to all different types of people, cultures, an religions. It gives you a well-rounded view of people.”

Q: Why is AP Art History important?

“Art history is really just history, right? It is the study of the human experience from way before people had a written language, all the way up to now like we communicate visually through art, right? So yeah, 1000s of years before people had a written language they were creating art people have been just like, compelled to create since the beginning of time.

And so the course is studying all of that, and studying the relationships people have with each other, how people communicate visually, why art was made, how art was made, what’s the context surrounding it. I would just say, for anyone interested in any career has to do with art, for sure. Anything that has to do with museum studies or being a curator working in an art gallery, those are all the kinds of careers that you would want to have some experience with AP or history or with art history in general”.

Q: Why do you think kids from Clayton would be interested?

“When I taught it in Hazelwood, the last year that I taught it, my 10 students who took the class eight of them right now are either

majoring or minoring in art history, in college, and most of them were not planning on doing that until they took this class. So I just think it’s something if I had been exposed to it in high school, I might have pursued things in a different way. I didn’t really know about studying art this way until I got to college. So I just thought it would be a great addition to our program for art kids and non art kids. Because it’s a great way to get your art credit, if you don’t want to draw because this is a whole different way to learn about art.”

Q: What’s your favorite part about teaching AP Art History?

“I think the biggest thing is seeing effects of different movements visually in work and seeing how one movement and art affects the next movement and how things like political issues and wars affect art. It’s just really interesting.

And you’ll look at for example, art made before World War II and during the war, and it is completely different than the art made after WWII. And that’s partly due to all the things going on in the world that were influencing it.”

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Social issues and art: “This course covers film, music, visual art and literature to look at how this range of expression is used to bring attention to social issues.”

Senior capstone: “This is primarily a research class that teaches students how research and communication can be used to create an argument. It’s a way of perfecting research and writing skills before heading off to college.”

Q: How was the curriculum developed?

ana ight 022-

TO

English Deana Tennill, Department Chair for the CHS English department, gives us some more information about what new english classes will be offered for the 2023 school year to seniors.

Q: What new courses will be offered first semester?

Myth of the Model Minority: “This course originally started as an Asian American-Pacific Islander course, but it sort of morphed into a course that uses literature to dismantle the myth of the model minority, which is a persistent problem with the way people are viewed.”

Writing Across the Genres: “This course is a split between creative writing and expository writing with a focus on a lot of work-shopping.”

Action and Adventure tales: “This course looks at the classic hero stories of romance literature and we look at how the hero cycle has become an archetype for action and adventure tales throughout history. It look at both non-western and more modern adventure tales.”

Social issues in literature: “This course gives the teacher a lot of autonomy in looking at a variety of contemporary social issues, and also looking at how communication can be used to highlight those social concerns and help to create change and bring awareness.”

Black science fiction writers: “Students will explore the style and themes of black science fiction literature from famous authors such as Octavia Butler.”

Q: What new courses will be offered second semester?

LGBTQ literature: “This course examines how people in the LGBTQ community are viewed and how literature brings attention to the issues faced by them and also how literature can be used to change perceptions and policy.”

The Western: “This course will look at the traditional western genre from a different perspective. We will look at what the role of women and African Americans and other non-white contributors to that story.”

Time travel through literature: “Students will study a specific time period in literature by pulling in lots of different readings.

For example, you might look at primary texts from newspapers and novels.”

“We started talking about expanding at the beginning of the pandemic, and we started exploring some ideas that were put aside for a while, and then we came back to it last Spring, really intently thinking about the courses that we offer. One of the first things we did was survey the seniors and sophomores from last year. We looked at what is being taught at other school districts and at the collegiate level. We took that feedback and narrowed it down to ten options that students seemed to have interest in. A few of us that were interested in teaching the senior course took three days over the summer to flesh out what those courses would look like.”

“My biggest hopes for these classes is that students are going to find something that really hists their passions.”

- Deana Tennill

Q: How did semester classes used to work?

“Several years ago, we initially changed from having semester classes that were focused on specified ideas and decided to collapse them into a single college prep course. We did that not necessarily because we wanted to reduce options for seniors, but it impacted planning for teachers and affected our overall course load because some classes were more popular than others, This year we hope to make it more balanced and effective for all.”

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FEATURE

Fentanyl in St. Louis

Recent overdoses have exposed a worrying new trend.

ALEX SLEN | NEWS SECTION EDITOR

K

enjo Bell decided she did not want to die anymore.

“I realized I had no one to blame. Everything I had been through was a reflection of my decision-making. I knew I no longer wanted to be who I was but instead the person others had once told me I could be.”

Bell’s experience is hardly unique: tens of thousands of Missourians struggle with fentanyl use.

The CDC notes that from 2013 to 2019, the rate of synthetic opioid deaths has increased thirteenfold.

Fentanyl is often called the third wave of the opioid crisis.

The first wave began when pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue Pharma launched aggressive campaigns to get doctors to prescribe drugs like OxyContin. These campaigns got doctors to prescribe OxyContin for a wide range of maladies beyond treatment for late-stage cancer patients. Soon, millions became hooked, and when prescriptions began to run dry in 2010, the second wave of the epidemic began: heroin.

Heroin is made from morphine, a natural product of the opium poppy. Heroin has very similar effects to prescription opioid painkillers like OxyContin.

The similarity between the two types of drugs ultimately drove many former users of prescription opioids to heroin, as it became easier to obtain.

According to a government study, 80 percent of heroin users stated that OxyContin was their gateway drug.

Soon, a worrying new trend would emerge: The rise of synthetic opiates also called opioids.

Opioids are created in labs and are significantly more potent than the natural variety.

Ben Westhoff, the author of “Fentanyl, Inc.: How Rogue Chemists Are Creating the Deadliest Wave of the Opioid Epidemic,” explained how fentanyl and other synthetic opioids enter the US market.

“Illicit fentanyl is almost all made in China.

And until recently, types of fentanyl were legal in China,” Westhoff said. “Now, often fentanyl and its analogs are banned in China. But China still makes the precursor chemicals which are like the raw ingredients, which is legal. So what happens most often is they sell to Mexican cartels, and the Mexican cartels make the finished fentanyl and send it to the border into the US.” The cartels then sell the finished product either as pure fentanyl or mix it into other drugs.

One of the most common ways for fentanyl to be purchased and distributed is through the dark web and social media.

DEA public information officer Andree Swanson pointed out how social media is used by dealers to distribute fentanyl.

“Between the smartphones and social media, it has put the drug dealer in your home,” Swanson said. “If you have access to a smartphone and you have Snapchat or Instagram or any of those kinds of social media apps, you can find the drug dealer on it, and they can sell you drugs.”

Social media and the dark web have changed

the game in drug use. Now illegal and dangerous drugs like fentanyl can be purchased with ease.

Social media has hooked a new generation of younger people to opioids.

Fentanyl has seen a meteoric rise in recent years due in part to its potency. To help understand how dangerous fentanyl truly is Swanson recommends picturing a standard sugar packet.

“Take a packet of sugar [2 grams] and pour it in your hand. If this were fentanyl, it could kill 1000 people,” said Swanson.

From 2015 to 2017, synthetic opioid deaths increased from 4 deaths per 100,000 to 8 per

“Take a packet of su and pour it in your ha fentanyl, it could kill - Andree Sw

PH

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100,000. In the twelve months between April 2020 and April 2021, more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses.

In St. Louis, overdose deaths increased 20 percent each year since ... according to the CDC. This meteoric rise is credited to fentanyl and other analogs, with estimates that approximately two-thirds of all drug deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids.

On Feb. 5 in St. Louis, an overdose killed seven people. Bell was not surprised when she heard the news of this most recent overdose.

t of sugar [2 grams] our hand. If this were ld kill 1,000 people.” ee Swanson

PHOTOS FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

“Overdose deaths have become so common, and the numbers continue to rise. There just is not enough funding, resources, or treatment facilities for those to receive the help they need and even want,” she said. “The other part that saddens me is that many are unaware they are even putting fentanyl in their bodies as so many other illicit drugs are cut with fentanyl”.

Swanson shared that, “the individual who was arrested is accused of distributing cocaine that was with fentanyl.”

One of the things that have made the fentanyl issue difficult to tackle is that other drugs are laced with it.

Fentanyl is cheap to produce through intricate modern supply chains and, as such, has become an attractive tool for the cartels. They figured out that it was much cheaper to dilute drugs and then add back in fentanyl than keep the drugs pure.

The issue with that is there is little margin for error. Just two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal.

According to DEA data, two-fifths of counterfeit pills contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.

However, here is a way to combat the rising fentanyl deaths: fentanyl test strips.

On Jan. 9, 2022, Representative Trish Gunby of Missouri’s 99th congressional district introduced House Bill 2570. HB 2570 would create a new Missouri pilot program to distribute test strips free of charge.

Gunby introduced this bill after seeing a need.

“Everybody in the legislature says that we’re

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at a crisis when it comes to opioid deaths. It’s an urban issue. It’s a rural issue: and we have a chance to save lives,” she said.

This program would provide funding to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to begin the process of distributing test strips.

States that have already implemented such programs have seen successes according to studies conducted by Johns Hopkins University and Brown University.

Gunby notes that passage of this bill will not be easy. In response to critics, she said, “They’re addicted. It’s a disease. They’re not trying to die.

They just are dying. Because they don’t know what they’re ingesting. So I think that something like this, gives them the wherewithal to say, you know, I just want to, I don’t want to die. I mean, how many times do we hear accidental overdose? People don’t know what they’re ingesting.

So this is a way to just prevent that from happening.

Nichole Dawsey of PreventEd appreciates programs like Gunby’s.

“We promote fentanyl test strips and distribute them at PreventEd,” Dawsey said. “While we certainly don’t encourage drug use, we also recognize that fentanyl test strips keep people alive.

They are one strategy, but certainly not the only strategy. Education helps prevent use in the first place, and medication-assisted treatment has proven very successful.”

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Nurse Lisa McDade at Clayton High School supports a test strip program, saying, “It’s not going to encourage people to do drugs more. I don’t necessarily think they want to be like users in the way that they are, it is just the addiction to it and it’s horrible.”

Kim Sherony of the All in Coalition also supports a test strip program: “Fentanyl test strips are an effective way for people, typically those who are chronic substance users, to be able to detect if fentanyl is in a drug that they intend to use. This in conjunction with Naloxone, which is the opioid overdose reversal drug, are life-saving strategies. The ultimate goal with these harm reduction strategies is not necessarily to enable continued fentanyl use but rather to keep the person who is using alive so that they will eventually get the medical treatment they need.”

This leads to perhaps the most famous tool in fighting the epidemic, Naloxone.

Narcan, or its generic name Naloxone, is a drug used to treat opioid overdoses. It was first patented by Daiichi Sankyo in 1961 and approved in 1971. Since then, it has saved countless lives from almost certain death. In response to this epidemic, all Clayton nurses and school resource officers carry and are trained to use Naloxone. The drugs came initially from a relationship with a local pharmacist who used to supply facility flu shots.

While McDade says she has never had to use Naloxone, she is still vigilant.

“We’re ready for any emergency that comes our way. If I were to see somebody it’s like, my brain will always go to like, why are they unconscious? It would be one of the differential diagnoses I have in my head like, is it a diabetic emergency, or are they having cardiac arrest or

even a drug overdose?” said McDade.

Another program that can be used to treat this epidemic is Naltrexone or Vivitrol. Naltrexone is a drug that’s used to treat recovering opioid addicts. It is delivered intramuscularly and is very effective in keeping former addicts clean.

The drug works by ​​blocking the effect of opioid receptors and decreasing cravings to use opioids. It has become a favorite of paramedics across the US, including in Clayton.

There is now a push in Missouri to make this drug more readily available. Senate Bill 1037 introduced by Senator Holly Thompson Rehder would, if passed, allow for pharmacies to sell the drug directly rather than keep the drug behind the counter.

This could potentially be a game-changer as it could increase the availability of treatment to addicted individuals. The future of SB 1037 is still very much in jeopardy as it is still early on in its life and many months from passage.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, education is a tool that can be used to treat this epidemic. Dawsey believes that education is critical in fighting this epidemic especially in schools.

“Schools need comprehensive, prevention education beginning in kindergarten. Clayton has this; many districts do not. This, coupled with adequate counselors, social workers, and nurses makes a huge difference,” said Dawsey.

Shelby agrees, “The education that students receive in health classes, conversations with their parents around substances and being involved in activities that support their mental wellness are all examples of effective ways to prevent substance use problems in youth. Pre-

vention messaging in schools needs to not only focus on the known adverse effects of using substances, but also the unintended effects, like the possibility that a drug could be laced with something else, such as fentanyl.”

Today, Bell works as a peer support specialist and a substance abuse counselor where she helps others like her former self recover from addiction. Her role entails leading group and private sessions and sharing her story. She credits in part her recovery to her current work.

“Recovery starts out mostly as something we do and gradually grows into something you feel and live,” said Bell. “Stories of others help to inspire me, enhance my hope, stay human and humble. Most importantly for me though they help keep me grounded in remembering where I came from, how hard I worked, and what I desperately never want to find my way back to again.”

1904

WORLD’S

FAIR

Emma Baum, Seraphina Corbo, Ella Cuneo, JiaLi Deck, Riley Kerley, Lily Kleinhenz, Shane LaGesse, Sophia Lu, Sam McDonough, Charlie Meyers, Ruby Nadin, Alex Slen

INTRODUCTION Hidden under the intersection of Wydown and Skinker lies a crucial piece of St. Louis history.

Invented by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the “observation wheel” went on to make an appearance 11 years later at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. Now known as a ferris wheel, the new spectacle was purchased by the Chicago House Wrecking Company (CHWC), who then dismantled and transported it by rail to St. Louis.

The massive 264-foot Ferris wheel could hold 40 people in each of its 36 revolving cars. With a 50 cent ticket, fairgoers could experience a two-revolution ride which took approximately 20 minutes, including six stops to allow passengers to enter and exit.

The wheel alone earned the CHWC about $215,000.

Officially called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the St. Louis World’s Fair was an international exposition held from April 30 through Dec. 1, 1904. $15 million from local, state and federal funds allowed the fair to become the historic event we consider it today.

The fair was attended by 19.7 million people from all over the world. Visitors became immersed in technological advances, seeing inventions such as the wireless telephone, x-ray machine and infant incubator all for the first time. Fairgoers could roam the 1,200-acre (1.9 square mile) site, primarily designed

by George Jessler, and experience exhibits from more than 60 different countries and 43 of the 45 American states at the time. While some exhibits remain revolutionary today, others are far more controversial.

Ethnic groups such as the Igorot tribe were placed on display for people to watch.

The World’s Fair is remembered for the prominence of themes including imperialism, race, and the lasting impact of new developments in history, art, architecture and anthropology. Additionally, the fair was the largest World’s Fair ever held in the country up until that time, creating a lasting impact on St. Louis history. Many aspects of the Fair remain today, including the St. Louis Art Museum building, the Bird House displayed in the Zoo and parts of the Washington University Campus.

When it came time to destroy the Ferris wheel, the architects were conflicted. How does one dispose of over 264-feet worth of metal? The crew landed on having a controlled demolition near the intersection of modern day Wydown and Skinker, using dynamite to demolish the wheel in May of 1906. Rumors about what they did with the scrap metal circulated for years until 2007, when a magnetic survey using a cesium magnetometer indicated there was a long metal object roughly 200 feet from where the wheel was demolished. This piece of metal, buried horizontally under the major roads, is believed to be the axle of the Ferris wheel.

In the following pages, we will continue to explore the potentially buried history of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

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> Left: Cascade hill from the west, World’s Fair, St. Louis, 1904. > Center: Electricity Building and Grand Basin from the summit of Main Cascade, World’s Fair, St. Louis, 1904. > Right: Western Cascade and pavilion from cascade base, World’s Fair, St. Louis, 1904.

All photos from the Library of Congress.

PREPARING STL Despite the fact that the 1904 World’s Fair surpassed all of its predecessors in magnificence, fundamentally changed modern American cuisine, and attracted nearly 20 million people during its eight-month run, few St. Louis natives know more about the fair than that it was located in the Gateway City. For the most part, their lack of insight is justified, as almost none of the infrastructure of the fair remains, and most St. Louis-area schools today do not teach about the fair or the incredible amount of work that was done to clean the city’s muddy waters and build the infrastructure necessary for the grandest event of the decade.

By the early 1860s, lingering animosities between the North and South had festered beyond cure, but the creation of the transcon-

tinental railroad in 1863 held immense implications for the American economy. New business and settlement opportunities attracted millions to cities like Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Chicago. Chicago, in particular, boasted a high population due to its position as a gateway and distribution center for the livestock and grain from the Midwest.

Long before preparations even began for the 1904 World’s Fair, the Windy City was blowing St. Louis out of the way. In 1890, newly elected Missouri Governor David R. Francis proposed hosting a large celebration to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the New World. Despite his funding efforts, Chicago, which boasted a much higher population, succeeded in taking center stage. In

1893 the event was held along the Chicago lakefront.

Determined to place St. Louis on the national stage, Governor Francis began raising funds several years later from local businesses and other states located in what was previously the Louisiana Territory. By 1901, when Congress put forth $5 million toward the effort, St. Louis leaders had collected $15 million in total, the equivalent of about $470 million today.

Despite this apparent success, there were several issues that had to be addressed. Besides figuring out a suitable method to rid St. Louis’ murky waters of silt, there was a dispute between fair organizers and city dwellers concerning the fair’s prospective location.

25

STEREOGRAPHS Many photos taken for the 1904 World’s Fair were preserved on stereograph cards.

Stereographs have two nearly identical photographs that, when paired right next to each other, create an illusion of a single three-dimensional image when viewed through a stereoscope. A stereoscope is a device that allows you to view one image in the left-eye and one in the right.

These devices and photographs were most popular between around 1870 and 1920. The majority of the photos used for this issue are cropped versions of stereographic photographs. In the image behind this box, the orange outline is the remaining part of the card the images were printed on and the writing is most likely from William Herman (18551920), the contributor listed on the Library of Congress. This stereograph depicts the main entrance to the Palace of Electricity at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

> A stereograph of Plaza St. Louis N. E. from the center of the Grand Basin, World’s Fair, St. Louis, 1904.

Photo from the Library of Congress.

While those downtown argued that the fairgrounds should be based along the river, Governor Francis thought it best to keep the exhibitions at a distance from the crowded and polluted city; thus Forest Park became the cradle of the largest World’s Fair up until that point.

To accommodate the sheer number of prospective attendees, an additional 615 acres of land were rented to the west and north of the park.

Shortly after, officials began making preparations to erect temporary edifices and purify the city’s unsightly waters, and the fair was pushed back a year to begin in April 1904.

Water purification was a tedious and costly step in readying the city for the fair. Engineers at the St. Louis Water Works began using iron sulfate and lime to separate silt from the river water. However, it would take ten times the initial amount of lime to get rid of the murkiness, an

idea introduced by Water Works chemist John F. Wixford.

The main idea was to make the fountains lining the fair sparkle and shine.

There were also many other man-made rivers, like the River Des Peres, that at the time were basically open lines of sewage. To fix this, the city created multiple water treatment tanks that helped with the smell and appearance of the water.

In the end, these last minute preparations helped fix the dirty water just in time. The final adjustments were made only twelve days before the fair opened. On opening day, one could look out across the fairgrounds and see the crystal clear water, unaware of the effort it took to make St. Louis the perfect spot for the World’s Fair.

TECHNOLOGY “As you enter the palace of electricity you hear uncanny whirrings and snappings; you see electric lights of hues and intensities that you never saw before; strange machines begin to glide or whirr or glow or click. The meaning of all these things is that electricity is put to more varied uses… than ever before.”

Featured in The Works magazine, these are the words of one of the 19 million visitors who attended the World’s Fair and became captivated by the wonder of the technologies being presented. With more than 1,200 acres full of the world’s newest discoveries, this fair was a place where people could share new ideas and inventions with a global audience.

Within the fair, there were many technological curiosities and attractions that fascinated visitors from around the world. Attendees took days to view all of the attractions they could, visiting the places that sparked the most curiosity. Notable highlights of the fair included the palaces of electricity, machinery, agriculture and transportation. Robert Rydell, a professor of history at Montana State University defined the fair as, “a momentous event for shaping the way millions of Americans came to understand themselves and the world.”

The more than thirty “palaces” of discoveries and innovations ranged in size from nine to twenty one acres of land for each building. Early radio phones, wireless transmission devices, monotype machines, wireless telegraph towers, baby incubators and gasoline powered automobiles were all first shown to the general public at the many palaces of innovation.

27

> Below: Stereograph photos, popularized at the fair, of various fairground spectacles and events.

> Below: The Bethlehem Steel Company exhibit in the Palace of Mines of Metallurgy.

> A scene of the Texas agricultural exhibit.

> The Pallatial Headquarters for Illinoisans.

> Modern Woodmen of American performing drills for fairgoers.

> The electrical illumination feature, the “most spectacular” at the fair.

> The “California Arrow” airship from Los Angeles, CA.

28

As people from around the world awed at the countless creations and discoveries, they were encouraged to try out the latest inventions, such as listening to music on the wireless transmission device or testing out the most efficient machines in the typography exhibits. Thomas Edison himself was present at the Fair to set up his own exhibit at the Palace of Electricity, known to the visitors as “The Edison Incandescent Globe Museum.”

Exhibits presenting advancements in transportation, manufacturing, and man-made innovations from companies and inventors around the U.S were no doubt the main attraction for most visitors from outside of the country. The innovations improving communication, transportation and entertainment were changing the culture and future of technology in not just St. Louis or the United States, but the world.

The technology that helped run the fair was a different story. Hosting nearly twenty million people in St. Louis presented many challenges.

For one, St. Louis’ water had a distinctive brown color, which could threaten the ideal look of the Grand Basin. Because of this, the fair organizers had Chemist John F. Wixford fix the water problem. Before Wixford, water treatment involved treating water with a mix of lime and iron sulfate at the Chain of Rocks water plant with six large settling tanks. Wixford added ten times the normal amount of lime to the water. This process ensured the Grand Basin had clean, glistening water. Fair organizers also created a new filtration plant just for the fair; however, it was never used.

Fair organizers also had to figure out how to deal with public health and sanitation during the event. Fair scholar Dr. Julie K. Brown wrote how the organizers had to come up with new

solutions to manage the influx of people from across the world, including adding dozens of public restrooms. However, the greatest obstacle the Fair had to contend with was smallpox.

Smallpox is known as one of the most infectious diseases. During the Chicago World’s Fair, there was an outbreak of smallpox according to Rydell.

“One of the most interesting things to happen in St. Louis… is that confronted with a small outbreak of smallpox during the construction period, the organizers of the Fair and city authorities mandated vaccines,” Rydell said.

The smallpox vaccine mandate along with other public health measures were incredibly successful in combating the spread of smallpox with around 50 people dying of smallpox in 1904 compared with close to 3,000 in Chicago.

The use of vaccine mandates in this situation set the precedent for modern vaccination requirements in public places.

Through the advancements of technological innovations ranging from inventions, to ideas, and concepts, to studies, one of the most important new sciences to emerge from the fair was that of anthropology.

Anthropology sought to answer questions about the development of humans and focused on one of the most looming topics of the time: race. The concept of race was at the heart of the fair, and many people turned to the new study of anthropology to further their understanding. Anthropology was given an entire pavilion at the fair further highlighting its importance.

One of the most important roles for anthropologists was managing the human exhibits, often referred to as “human zoos” at the fair.

The anthropologists worked to attempt to explain the racial differences between the white man and the “savage.”

MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS

>The movie poster for “Meet Me in St. Louis” starring Judy Garland and John Truett on the cover.

One notable incident at the Fair occurred between a group of Filipino police officers and a mob. “​​St. Louis was a racially segregated city in 1904. There was a lot of concern in St. Louis, especially when members of the police force and Filipino police force constabulary left the fairgrounds to go into the city. And they began interacting with us from St. Louis. A huge backlash on the part of many whites in St. Louis,” Rydell explained.

The St. Louis World’s Fair ingrained the ideas of American and European imperialism and racial prejudice into the American psyche.

This is perhaps the most important legacy of the Fair. The inventions and the infrastructure displayed at the Fair garnered much of the public attention, leaving one of its most important legacies nearly forgotten. The World’s Fair changed American hearts and minds for years to come, and set into motion foreign and domestic policies that had massive real world implications.

“Meet Me in St. Louis” is a 1944 classic American Christmas musical film. Created by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the film is divided into a series of seasonal vignettes.

It begins with summer 1903, it is based on the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis leading up to the World’s Fair. The film stars Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Tom Drake, Leon Ames, Marjorie Main, June Lockhart, and Joan Carroll.

The film was adapted by Irving Brecher and Fred F. Finklehoffe and was then formed into a series of short stories

by Sally Benson. The film was originally published in The New Yorker magazine under the title “5135 Kensington”, and later in novel form as “Meet Me in St. Louis.” The film was directed by Vincente Minnelli, who met Garland on the set and later married her. Tony Award winning designer Lemuel Ayers served as the film’s art director.

The backdrop for the film is St. Louis, leading up to 1904, the year of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair. It’s the summer of 1903 in St. Louis, and the Smith family lives a content upper-middle class life. Alonzo Smith and his wife Anna have four daughters: Rose, Esther, Agnel and Tootie and their son, Lon Jr. Esther is the second oldest daughter and is in love with the boy next door, John Truett. Upon its 1944 release, Meet Me in St. Louis was a commercial success. During its initial release in the theaters, it earned over $5 million in the U.S. and Canada and $1.5 million throughout the rest of the world, resulting in a profit of $2.35 million.

Time called it “one of the year’s prettiest pictures.” In The New Yorker, Wolcott Gibbs praised the film as “extremely attractive” and called the dialogue “funny in a sense rather rare in the movies,” although he thought it was too long.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture, and Best Music.

The late-19th century vintage carousel in this movie could be found at the Boblo Island Amusement Park in Amherstburg, Ontario, until the park closed in Sept. 1993.

It was eventually dismantled and sold to private collectors. The Benson house at 5135 Kensington Avenue, St. Louis, Mo. no longer exists. After being sold, it fell into disrepair, eventually became uninhabitable, and was demolished in 1994. The house had also been used in the film “Cheaper by the Dozen.”

Today, “Meet Me in St. Louis” remains praised and loved by many St. Louisans, and continues to highlight all the city has to offer.

29

BLUEPRINTS O A LOOK AT THE BUILDINGS OF THE FAIR

The Inside Inn was the only hotel in the fairground. It housed fairgoers, and provided dinner for visitors. It was built using wood and lime plaster as it would eventually be torn down after the end of the fair. Visitors of the fair described it as the biggest hotel in the world, and it employed an enormous staff. The wooden structure of the hotel was covered with a fireproof material, as well as fireproof burlap on the floors and ceilings. If the Inn still stood, it would cover most of the parking for the St. Louis Zoo.

The Palace of Transportation was the second largest exhibition building at the fair. The Palace displayed exhibits of automobiles and other types of transportation that were revolutionary at the time, including a “balloon automobile” from France. The building was located on the northwest corner of Forest Park, next to Skinker Blvd and Lindell Blvd.

AN

S OF THE FAIR

IR

AND WHERE THEY WOULD BE NOW

As the only building from the World’s Fair that still stands, the Palace of Fine Arts remains a staple of art and culture. At the fair, the palace housed paintings and sculptures, as well as engravings and fine jewelry. These pieces were created by artists from all over the world, including from France and the Netherlands. This Palace was built from steel and stone instead of wood. It was designed to stay standing, unlike most of the other buildings in the fair. Today, the Palace of Fine Arts continues to house St. Louis’ most beautiful pieces of art as the home of the St. Louis Art Museum.

The Agriculture Palace stood at a whopping 546 feet wide and 1,660 feet long, and was the largest exhibition building at the fair.

There were many different exhibits within the palace, including ones from Germany and Canada. This building was built from the same wooden and lime plaster material as most of the other buildings and was also torn down after the end of the fair. The leftover materials were sold. If this impressive building was still standing, it would be on the left of Skinker Blvd and would cover houses from Northwood Avenue in DeMun all the way to Wydown Blvd.

Below: the Palace of Liberal Arts, the Palace of Transportation, and the World’s Fair Administration building, from top to bottom. The Palaces of Liberal arts and Transportation are no longer standing, but the Administration building is now Brookings Hall of Washington University.

XENOPHOBIA ON DISPLAY Middle school P.E. class is either regarded as the best time or worst time of the school day. A flock of pubescent 6th graders in desperate need of deodorant are herded into a gym to play inane games like dodgeball or scooter tag. Should the weather permit, the students are pushed on a field to run laps or play kickball. As students jog through the humid St. Louis summer heat, few stop to question the history of the land they now stand on. For students at Wydown Middle School, any who may hesitate and think about the field’s past would be horrified to find they stand on the site of one of the most abominable exhibits at the St. Louis World’s Fair.

The most expensive element of the World’s Fair was not the Ferris wheel or fair pavilion, but this 47-acre stretch of land. The area featured cylindrical huts, and the landscape mimicked the natural environment of the Philippines. Inhabiting these mock-ups of native homes lived 1,100 Filipino,s on display to gawking white audiences.

The “Anthropology Exhibit” was the largest exhibit of the entire fair. Fairgoers often referred to it as the “fair within the fair.” Before working on the exhibit, director William John McGee was an ethnologist in charge of the Bureau of American Ethnology. His goal with the exhibit was to “present human progress from the dark prime to the highest enlightenment, from savagery to civic organization, from egoism to altruism.” McGee ultimately hoped the exhibit would be an educational opportunity for white visitors to display the progress of the human race.

With approval from President Taft, explorers traveled to the Philippines to recruit over a thousand native people for a “Philippine Exposition.” Often, recruits were unaware of their destination until they arrived in the U.S. The Igorots, a recruited tribe, became one of the most visited attractions at the fair. It was rumored that the tribe ate dogs on a daily basis, when in reality it was a rare practice. As a result, fair organizers arranged

34

for the tribe to slaughter and consume 20 dogs a week.

They even encouraged locals in the area to bring dogs to feed the Igorot people, resulting in poaching around the village to sky rocket. The legacy of this exhibit bred prevalent stereotypes, still seen today, that Filipino people are “dog eaters.” Some historians have even speculated this event gave the hot dog its name.

Once the fair was over, the Igorot tribe and the other recruits were sent back to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, with a few articles of clothing and a small sum of silver to compensate for their compliance.

Another popular attraction at the fair was the Pygmy exhibit. Featured in this exhibit was a young man named Ota Benga. At the fair Benga was marketed as a cannibal. His teeth were filed to points as part of his culture, and this was quickly capitalized on by fair managers. They spread parrot bones around his enclosure to fascinate and scare visitors, and report wild stories about the young man. One newspaper writing about Benga claimed that “[his teeth were] worth the five cents he charges for showing them to visitors.”

In reality, Benga was a survivor of the Belgian slaughter in the Congo Free State, where his wife and two children were killed. He was then bought by American missionary Samel Verner for a pound of salt and a bolt of cloth. Benga, in addition to eight other boys from the Batwa tribe, were brought to America.

The group performed “tribal dances” for passerby and lived in huts on the premise of the fair. In the winter months of the fair, Benga and the other Pygmies were not given warm winter clothing and their huts were far from properly insulated.

An ad in the St. Louis Republic from 1904 described the Pygmies as having the “characteristics of an ape” and that they “represent the lowest form of human development.”

While McGee intended the exhibit to show the progress of humanity, progress in the civil rights movement was reversed at the fair. African American veterans were not allowed on fairgrounds in military

> Top: Filipino Indians in loincloths, Philippine Exhibit, St. Louis World’s Fair, 1904. > Bottom Left: Ota Benga (ca. 1883-1916), a pygmy from the Congo who was brought to the U.S. for the Fair. > Bottom Right: Straw-thatched houses of a Moro village, Philippine section of the Fair.

All photos from the Library of Congress.

uniform, and all restaurants were segregated.

Plans for an exhibit celebrating Black achievement were proposed, but never put into place. Civil rights leader Booker T. Washington was intended to speak at an event, but his invitation was withdrawn. The only representation of Black Americans was in a small exhibit called the “Old Plantation.” In the exhibit was a stereotypical house that allowed fairgoers to watch Black actors garden and sing minstrel songs.

In addition to the dehumanization of Filipino and Black populations, in mid-August fair organizers also arranged a “Special Olympics” to have different ethnic groups compete in physical challenges against each other.

The purpose of the events was to collect data to support pseudoscientific white supremacist theories. The games resulted in the conclusion that whites were biologically superior to other racial groups and furthered eugenic theories. However, competitors were given no training or properly translated explanations of the rules. It was assumed that European sporting practices like the “starting gun” and “finish line” would be understood and followed by the non-European competitors, but this was not the case. Judges used the confusion as proof of the lack of intelligence in non-white people.

Now, present-day Wydown Middle School students absentmindedly stand on a piece of forgotten history. In fact, before the school’s mascot was the wildcat, it was the Igorot. In May of 2000, sixth graders began investigating the history of their school’s former mascot. The grade was planning a World’s Fair reenactment full of games, food, and learning about the fair.

Margie Kindt, a social studies teacher, helped her students to learn more about the Igorot tribe and their connection to the fair. Students wished to know more about the Igorots and posted a question about them online. This question managed to reach Rex Botengan in California.

Botegan was a leader of the United States Igorot Organization. He was thrilled that students were showing interest in his tribe and worked with Clayton administrators to set up a cultural exchange with Wydown. On May 25, 12 students from the Igorot tribe, some of which were direct descendants from those in the exhibit, arrived in St. Louis. The students were very interested in learning about their ancestors who, just a century earlier, had been an exhibit in the exact same place.

The fair as a whole was an example of human achievement and innovation. Millions gathered to witness the best and brightest inventions of the human species; however, this collection came with a price. Like many uglier elements of history, the Anthropology Exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair is often overlooked and lost in the glamour of the event.

THE OLYMPIC GAMES The 1904 summer Olympic games were a far cry from the modern-day spectacle of international athletic competition, but a popular attraction at the World’s Fair which hosted them.

1904 was the first year in which the games were hosted outside Europe. As a result, only 62 of the 651 competitors were from outside North America, from less than 15 different countries. Chicago won the initial bid for the games, but St. Louis insisted on holding them to keep from losing potential attendees during the Fair.

Of the 16 events, the 1904 games introduced boxing and revitalized wrestling. Keeping in time with the concurrent fair, the Olympic games were integrated into nearby venues: aquatic sports were held in a manmade pond near Skinker and Wydown; Francis gymnasium and Olympic Field now reside on the Washington University campus, where they are still in use today.

1904 was also the introduction of the now-familiar podium system of gold, silver and bronze medals going to first, second and third place. The United States unsurprisingly won by a sizable margin of 231 medals to Germany’s second place finish of 15. However, some of the medals won for the host country were later contested due to the uncertain citizenship of American competitors who had recently immigrated to the States.

Aside from citizenship, various other notable occurrences added to the chaotic nature of the games, and to the Fair which accompanied them.

One marathon runner was removed from his gold medal after it was discovered that he had ridden in a car for a majority of the race, though he later went on to win the Boston Marathon. George Eyser won six medals in gymnastics with a wooden leg.

The Games ran for 146 days, far longer than the typical contemporary two week period. While the 1904 Olympic games were, through a modern lens, chaotic, they set new precedents for the Olympics and accented the already imposing World’s Fair.

> Top: Archie (1st in the 100m dash) being given the Skiff Cup. > Center: The starting line of the marathon at Francis Field just before the event. > Bottom Left: Weightlifter Frederick Winters. > Bottom Right: Diving Champion Dickey Williams.

All photos from Wikimedia Commons

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ALWAYS A GREYHOUND: KENNEDY YANKO Class of

2007

Clayton Alumni accomplish interesting and incredible things in every industry, all across the country and even around the world! Each month, we’ll profile a different Greyhound graduate. If you know a Clayton Alum who should be recognized, we want to tell their story!

Contact us at globe@claytonschools.net.

CHS alumniaYanko prepares to weld a sculpture. Photo from Yanko.

F

ifteen years after graduating from Clayton High School, Brooklyn-based artist Kennedy Yanko frequents the metal yards of New York.

“It’s like walking into a post-apocalyptic city, where there’s [pieces of] metal that’s thirty feet high,” said Yanko.

She searches the discarded metal for colors, looking for ones that are “pale, muted and ugly.”

She sees the world abstractly, focusing on colors rather than past stories. Once she finds the pieces she wants to use for her sculptures, she loads them into a truck and drives them back to her studio. There, she sculpts poured paint to incorporate with the metal.

Yanko’s life may seem worlds away from Clayton High School but before she ever entered her first post-apocalyptic metal yard, Yanko liked to spend her time in the CHS quad.

“I always felt like there was a certain kind of freedom that they allowed the kids at our school, more than at other schools,” said Yanko.

“I just remember our teachers treating us like young adults, not like we were getting disci-

plined or anything. It was a nice environment.”

As an active, artistic person, Yanko found some aspects of school challenging. She didn’t enjoy sitting at a desk for seven hours. Math was her least favorite class and a constant struggle.

Despite this, Yanko still remembers Clayton teachers being supportive.

“I always felt comfortable asking for help.

And I think that a lot of the teachers there were willing to make themselves available and extend themselves in that way,” said Yanko.

Though Yanko struggled with math, she excelled in her creative endeavors. Unsurprisingly, her favorite class was art.

“My favorite class was Ms. [Cate] Dolan’s art class, because she always made sure that I had what I needed to make what I wanted,” said Yanko. “She would give me extra space in the back of the class to make my paintings on the floor, because I had to work down on the floor, I couldn’t work standing up.”

During her high school years, Yanko spent much of her free time pursuing a career in art.

She began painting at a very young age, and

worked out of her parents’ garage throughout middle and high school. When she was 16, she started doing shows at local coffee shops including Meshuggah Cafe in the Delmar Loop.

Most recently, Yanko was involved in a residency with the Rubell Museum in Miami, Florida, where she displayed tornado-like sculptures made from pieces of a shipping container, her self-proclaimed best work yet. Her next show, titled “Moving Weight” will feature her work alongside that of Hilma Af Klint, one of the first abstract expressionists, and will take place this April in Stockholm, Sweden.

Yanko loves her job and the community she has found in New York. All her life, she has let her passion guide her.

“I think some people like to talk about things, some people like to write about things, but for me [art] is really how I can exist here,” said Yanko. “It gives me purpose, and it allows me to be able to see and understand things better.”

Yanko’s advice to Clayton High School students is simple: “Do what you want. Follow your heart. Really, that’s it.”

Always a Greyhound Alumni Profiles are sponsored by the Clayton Education Foundation: Funding classroom innovations, providing educational opportunities and promoting lifelong connections for alumni. www.ClaytonEducationFoundation.org

38

PRO

Pro: handwritten testing O

Though COVID-19 has increased virtual testing, students are better off sticking to paper and pencil.

SASHA KELLER | PRO/CON SECTION EDITOR

Historically, standardized tests have been paper and pencil.

PHOTOGRAPH FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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t the beginning of this year, the College Board announced that SAT testing will go completely digital starting in 2024 for students in the U.S. and a year earlier for international students. With this in mind, there has been a lot of conversation about current testing processes and consideration of reform.

Testing on computers is awful. Not only is it difficult to stare at a screen for a few hours, it is much easier to become distracted when you can use a pencil or a finger to keep you physically connected to a test. Especially with reading tests, annotating the page and underlining important information can be really helpful for understanding concepts and finding the correct answer.

According to a study conducted by Georgetown University’s FutureEd, testing online has actually resulted in lower test scores on average.

“We found mode defects of about 0.10 standard deviations in math and 0.25 standard deviations in English Language Arts. That amounts to up to 5.4 months of learning in math and 11 months of learning in ELA in a single year,” said

researchers James Cowan and Ben Backes.

While sometimes this decrease can be a result of schools not having a lot of previous access to technology, their studies also showed that higher income schools with excellent access to technology also suffered a blow to their average test scores after switching to all digital testing.

Personally, I find online testing to be really difficult. I have a hard time doing homework on a computer to begin with, as I find reading and typing on a screen to be very mindless at times. I often find my mind wandering to other subjects and I eventually give in to other distractions. I loved being able to switch between pages on both the ACT and SAT and found it really helpful to annotate them when needed. Also, as a person who likes to guide their reading with a pencil, I can’t imagine putting my finger up to a screen to keep my spot when attempting to read a passage.

Schools switching to digital testing neglects the fact that a lot of people don’t learn that way or are not used to using technology so

frequently. I think giving students the option to choose a digital test, while keeping the test the same, would be a lot more beneficial and would honor natural differences in students.

This switch also begs the question, how will schools’ curricula change with complete digital testing? If a school continues to teach students with paper and packets for homework and class activities but then suddenly puts the test online, there could be a lot of disconnect between learning and then transferring that into a test.

Will schools be forced to put all learning online? This would require students to have their own technology or the schools to provide it for every student equally.

While digital testing could increase access and affordability of testing, it could cause a large percentage of students to struggle with their test scores. Considering options to maintain some level of paper testing or giving an option for students would better accommodate the changing norms around school and learning.

39

CON

Con: handwritten testing Online testing better reflects the modern digital landscape that students are used to.

HANNAH TEAGAN | REPORTER

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he College Board recently announced that the SAT will fully go digital starting 2024 for US-based students and 2023 for international students. However, this change in the testing system brings a sigh of relief for most students. In 2021 the first-ever digital SAT was introduced because of the coronavirus and endemic and the College Board reported that 80% of students who participated in the online test found it to be less stressful.

Priscilla Rodriguez, vice president for college readiness assessments at the College Board, said, “The digital SAT will be easier to take, easier to give, and more relevant. We’re not simply putting the current SAT on a digital platform — we’re taking full advantage of what delivering an assessment digitally makes possible. With input from educators and students, we are adapting to ensure we continue to meet their evolving needs.”

Student needs are always evolving, however,

PHOTO BY SHANE LAGESSE

the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a huge change in the education system. More and more schools have been pushing to buy laptops and tablets for their students and after a year of online learning, many students and teachers have grown accustomed to computer-based testing.

Because of the benefits many teachers are starting to take a shift into this digital age as well. At many high schools majority of homework and in-class assignments are taken through the computer, so why would tests be any different?

Based on a 2016 American study on the different scores attained within online testing and paper testing Steve Graham, a professor of leadership and innovation at Arizona State University concluded that, “If (students) are adept with a computer, they score higher on the computer test.”

In today’s day and age, more and more students are getting more adept with computers as

they learn typing skills at a young age. With the constant use of computers in classrooms, typing becomes a more efficient process for students compared to writing.

Living with technology in and out of the classroom gives students comfort in computers, laptops and tablets. Many students use these devices much more often than paper. Being able to use the materials that students are most comfortable with provides less anxiety come testing day.

Online testing benefits teachers as well.

Having essay questions, long answers and even short answer responses typed makes it easier for teachers to grade since they do not have to read through messy handwriting, misspelled words or similar issues. Having everyone’s test on the computer makes grading an easier and more organized process.

40 OPINION

The New York Colossus

The New York Times has gained dominance in the news market as local papers lose ground.

CALEB PARK | REPORTER

The New York Times’ emblem printed outside of the new headquarters.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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ccording to an analysis by the Columbia Journalism Review, The New York Times has more digital subscribers than The Dallas Morning News — in Dallas. The New York Times also has more digital subscribers in California than The Los Angeles Times and The San Francisco Chronicle.

The New York Times was able to gain around 587,000 new subscribers in 2020 alone, three times bigger than the total number of subscribers to The Los Angeles Times. The New York Times is a juggernaut in the media, with little standing in the way of its popularity. Even The Washington Post — a newspaper that’s seen as its viable alternative — has shown to be lagging behind financially.

How the Times conducts itself is akin to other news media companies based in New York City. The most popular networks are attested to be CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox; all four are headquartered in New York City and all four have cable news channels. The Times wants to be America’s Newspaper, with a 2003 annual shareholder report stating, “[O]ur long-term strategy is to operate the leading news and advertising media in each of the markets in which we compete — both nationally and locally.”

New York City is America’s financial capital, and, to an extent, the financial capital of the world as the home of Wall Street.

“The city government operates more like a state than your average municipality,” said CHS Senior and Globe Senior Managing Editor Owen Auston-Babcock.

With so much influence, there’s enough cap-

ital available for a newspaper based in the metropolis to hire large teams of journalists.

It’s with this wealth in New York City that allows the Times to expand into other ventures.

Ever since the rise in internet accessibility, the Times has not only successfully shifted to a subscription-based model despite consumers being more comfortable with free online content, but the Times has also expanded into other ventures.

“The other thing that they did that has been a big boon to their economic prowess is podcasts,” said Newspaper Writing Teacher and Globe Advisor Erin Sucher-O’Grady. “That started to pull the biggest resources in, in a different way.”

Very few newspapers have made such a shift to the Internet in the past several years, and even fewer newspapers have continued running independently after making the shift to the Internet.

This poses a challenge to many local newspapers grounded in their communities, with a financially superior behemoth encroaching on their turf to try becoming a monopoly. The overwhelming competition present by the Times combined with financial strain by being limited to one local readerbase, has wreaked havoc.

Since 2004, about 1,800 newspapers across the nation have shut down, meaning that there’s an average of about 100 newspapers shutting down every year.

Journalists working for The New York Times are pressured into having the scope to cover news across the country.

“The centerpiece of this strategy is extending the reach of The New York Times’ high-quality journalism into homes and businesses in every

city, town, village and hamlet of this country,” the Times’ shareholder report also reads. But with a base in New York City, can such a feat be accomplished successfully?

After all, a newsroom in New York City is a newsroom of mostly New Yorkers, and every article The New York Times publishes is shaped in the perspective of their metropolitan writers.

“When you are in a community, and you’re talking to people, and you know sources, you get different stories,” said Sucher-O’Grady. “If you are geographically isolated, you’re just going to miss things.”

For the Times, this is especially true in the Midwestern United States.

“The Times is completely missing out on Middle America, their nearest reporter to [St. Louis] is in Chicago,” said Auston-Babcock.

There’s another problem with the dominance of the Times: internal partisanship. In a FiveThirtyEight article titled “There Really Was A Liberal Media Bubble,” editor-in-chief Nate Silver wrote about the surprise around how journalists working for the New York Times were wrong about the 2016 presidential election.

“Much of The New York Times’ coverage, for instance, implied that Clinton’s odds were close to 100 percent” wrote Silver. “And yet the Times, famous for its ‘to be sure’ equivocations, wasn’t even contemplating the possibility of a Trump victory.”

What the coverage of the 2016 presidential election indicates is groupthink within the Times’ newsrooms, where outcomes are denied despite being very much plausible because of the consensus’ strength among journalists.

“If you have an idea that’s worth having, it should be able to stand up to challenge,” Sucher-O’Grady said.

The New York Times’ contribution to the field of journalism is incredible, along with the coverage the Times provides. The Times can easily mobilize resources and manpower to investigate any event that’s anywhere across the globe. However, it’s alarming that one newspaper company from one region of the country is increasingly becoming the sole pair of lenses among newspapers as the majority of Americans have only one newspaper subscription.

If New York City’s top newspaper ends up at the helm of the rough draft of history, it sets off a chain reaction where a problem within the Times becomes a problem for all newspapers.

41

SPORTS

In it for the long haul Head Girls’ Swim Coach Katelyn Long leads to the team to a third place win at state.

ELLA CUNEO | EDITOR IN CHIEF MAX HAGEMEISTER | NEWS SECTION EDITOR

Long hugging Assistant Coach Jill Allen after winning the Suburban Red Conference.

PHOTO FROM KATELYN LONG

C

layton High School math teacher and Head girls’ swim Coach Katelyn Long was soaked head-to-toe after cannonballing into the pool in celebration of the swim team’s undefeated season. But this display of Long’s level of dedication was of very little surprise to anyone. Showing up to her math classes with blue and orange painted nails on conference meet days and cannonballs are just part of the impact Long has been able to make on the team.

Long moved to St. Louis right before she started eighth grade and attended Marquette High School.

“I didn’t know anybody and joining the swim team became my little community,” said Long.

After winning state in her sophomore year of high school, Long was recruited by the University of Iowa and swam throughout college.

Beginning her coaching career in 2005 at CHS, Long aimed to create the community she experienced during her high school years. “[I just want to] make sure that we have a place where athletes can be challenged but also supported at the same time. That’s always been my number one priority. Everybody in this pool is at a different place, a different stage, and we’re creating opportunities for them to be challenged. I’m here to help them do this. Let’s do

this,” Long said. “It was so life changing for me, this sport. I can see a lot of things now, later in life, my relationships, and my career that I can tie back to skills I learned from swimming. So it’s just really important to me that they have this [and] the right environment to do it.”

Long also wishes to offer positive female encouragement to her swimmers. Having had two children since she began coaching, Long aims to show her swimmers that being a mom, a teacher, and a coach can all be possible even when you have a lot on your plate.

“It is really important that females see that you can have kids and continue to do what’s important to you. And now, it’s so important to me that my daughter sees that I’m doing this,” said Long.

The girls’ swim and dive team went undefeated this year, earning third at state in the 20212022 season. Long attributes a lot of their wins to the hard-working and dedicated girls on her team and having strong captains, seniors Katie Murdoch and Kellen Mottl, who have been able to pass down their skills to the newer swimmers.

This respect is a two-way street.

“Whenever we get to practice right after school,” said Murdoch, “Mrs. Long is always interested in how our days went and if we struggled or had a good day. She gets a gauge of how

her team is doing so she understands [if] we are not having a good practice.”

Murdoch also credits her team’s success to the increase in camaraderie that is caused by Long’s coaching, “I personally have never felt a strong connection [with anyone] like I do with Mrs. Long now. The team spirit grew exponentially from last season to this season and even from the beginning of this season to the end.

[We have] such a fun group of girls and our coaching staff is so supportive. I think her support and upbeat personality have definitely aided us in our undefeated season this year.”

While hard work is valued, Long has also created a fun community for the swimmers.

“For the most part, for all the swimmers, all the coaches, you can tell that this is the bright spot of the day, and we all really like being here,” said Long. “One day we were practicing and it was December, so it was freezing out. It was so cold.

And we looked at the windows and it was the brightest pink, orange, crazy sunset.” Noticing the girls leaning out of the pool to see the sunset, Long decided to “pretend we’re in Florida and take pictures outside.”

Unfortunately, when they opened the door, the alarms went off all around the pool. Not knowing what to do or how to turn it off, the team ran through the door and took photos with the sunset.

Laughing about the craziness of the situation, Long said, “It’s stuff like that that you just have to do. Spontaneous stuff that comes up and it’s in the moment.”

Looking forward to next year, Long hopes that the leadership from the captains continues to trickle down and the positive attitudes and fun keep going.

“Something I have learned from is to do your best and that is all you can do,” said Murdoch.

“On days when I didn’t want to go to practice or swim in a hard event, Mrs. Long was always there to remind me to swim my hardest and that I can only do what I can do and to only worry about what I can control.”

Ultimately, Long leads her swimmers hoping that the community will make a difference in their lives. When considering the one thing she hopes her swimmers take out of the team, Long said, “surround yourself with good people.

Especially when you’re trying to do something hard, or something that’s challenging, having positive people and people who are going to support you makes all the difference.”

42

SPORTS

Clayton High School Sophomore Grace Wolf dances across the stage of the Fabulous Fox Theater.

PHOTO FROM GRACE WOLF

Graceful Grace

Sophomore Grace Wolf dances across the stage of the Fabulous Fox Theater.

ALEX COHEN | SECTION EDITOR

A

round 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, 2022, CHS sophomore Grace Wolf leaped and danced across the stage of the Fabulous Fox theater, an interpretation of Schindler’s List, composed by John Williams. Wolf captivated the audience for several minutes, leaving the stage to great applause, as the fifth of 14 finalists to perform that evening in the

12th annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition.

Performing arts have always been center stage in Wolf ’s life. She began figure skating at the age of five and continued for six years, often practicing for hours a day.

She was also an extra in the 2016 film, The Accountant, as well as some additional background and voiceover work, including a PSA about po-

lar bears. Yet once she moved to St. Louis at the age of 11, dance became a part of her life.

“I hated dance at first, I thought it was so boring,” said Wolf. “But that was really the only choice for me after skating.”

Wolf also experienced various types of performing arts throughout her six summers at French Woods Performing Arts summer

43

camp, including dance and circus. Wolf began taking dance classes at COCA, eventually moving to Patsy’s Performing Arts, where she has danced for the last five years.

Performing arts and sports, especially dance, are also a part of family life for Wolf. Wolf ’s mother danced ballet throughout her childhood and adolescence.

“Even my baby shower was pointe shoe themed, as a child, I had a little teddy bear with toe shoes on. I think my mom always expected me to love dance,” said Wolf.

Wolf also has several older half-siblings, all of whom participated in sports or performing arts throughout their childhoods, including musical theatre, karate, swimming and football.

In addition, several of her cousins live nearby, and also share passions of performing arts.

“My mom believes sports create discipline and time management. But it definitely puts a lot of pressure on me, being the only kid still at home. All eyes are on me,” said Wolf.

Wolf is also one of the founding members of ASL Club at CHS, which meets on Friday mornings before school. Club members practice learning sign language, fingerspelling and expanding their abilities to communicate. Wolf first encountered ASL as a child, watching one of her brother’s basketball games.

“I noticed a father at the game using sign language to communicate with his deaf son. I had a little bit of prior experience with ASL from school so I signed good job to the player when the game was over. His dad came up to me with tears in his eyes, because no one had ever tried to communicate with his son before,” said Wolf.

She believes communication is the foundation of understanding.

At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, Wolf suffered a drop in her passion for dance, as many of her friends had graduated at the end of the previous school year. So, her mother and dance teacher, Donna Patzius-Hill, convinced her to enter the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition, run by the Fabulous Fox Charitable Foundation.

“I didn’t really think anything was going to come of it,” said Wolf. “but it helped reignite my passion for dance.”

Wolf won the Barrett Berrera Dance Performance award at the conclusion of the compe-

tition as well as several scholarships for dance programs throughout the St. Louis area. Additionally, Wolf scored in the top 24 at the Youth American Grand Pre in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Throughout her life, Grace Wolf has always been busy. In early elementary school, she woke up at 4:30 daily in order to practice figure skating before school. Now, she balances hours of daily dance practice and competition with several honors classes and spending time with friends and family.

“I use every single second to my advantage, organization helps to cover up stress and anxiety,” said Wolf.

Wolf is self-motivated and determined, using lessons of discipline and time managment from her figure skating days to accomplish all of the tasks in her life. The multi-talented Wolf also has many decisions in her future.

“I want to be a surgeon, but also I don’t want to go to college and I want to dance in a company for the rest of my life,” said Wolf.

Yet dance is play as well as work for Wolf, who enjoy the time to decompress and be with her friends after a long day of school.

She visibly smiles underneath her black mask as she describes her dance friends. She recounts how her teacher often resorts to having Wolf face the wall during class so she will stop laughing long enough to participate.

“I dance because I enjoy it,” said Wolf. “And I think there needs to be joy in the word enjoy, to make it worth something.”

SPORTS

“There needs to be ‘joy’ in the word enjoy, to make it worth something. ” - Grace Wolf

45

REVIEW

The Book of Boba Fett The new Star Wars series The Book of Boba Fett is a clumsy second to its predecessor, The Mandalorian.

OFFICIAL MOVIE POSTER FROM STAR WARS

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s a colossal media giant, the Star Wars franchise is in constant flux, with every new addition to the series pushing it in a new direction.

Of these recent additions, one of the most important and acclaimed was “The Mandalorian,” a TV series which has received two seasons on the Disney+ streaming service.

“The Mandalorian” was praised for capturing what made Star Wars special, with endearing characters, a compelling story, a fleshed-out universe, and as always, flashy special effects, while still showing an exciting glimpse into the future of Star Wars.

“The Book of Boba Fett” is Star Wars’ second go at a live action streaming show, but compared to the heights of its predecessor, it represents an experience that can only be described as disap-

pointing.

As a character, Boba Fett is a curiosity. The galactic bounty hunter is easily one of Star Wars’ most recognizable (and certainly most marketable) characters, yet received only four lines during his debut in Empire Strikes Back, before being unsanctimoniously “killed” at the start of Return of the Jedi. But despite his scant live action appearances, Boba Fett’s popularity skyrocketed.

With the renewal of live action Star Wars productions, the question wasn’t if Boba Fett would be brought back, but when.

The answer came in the second season of “The Mandalorian,” with Boba Fett, portrayed by Temuera Morrison, coming to the aid of the titular character, followed by the announcement he would be given his own series.

After his return, Boba Fett regained his trademark armor but received several major design changes, making it clear this would be a new era for the character.

Unfortunately, The Book of Boba Fett fails not only to provide a foundation for that new era, but for the character as a whole.

The Book of Boba Fett thrusts a blank slate of a character into an even larger blank slate of a setting. No matter how much characterization he might have received outside of mainstream Star Wars content, to most audiences, his role in the franchise has mainly been to look cool.

The Book of Boba Fett struggles to prove his other angles are more captivating. As is stated repeatedly, Boba Fett’s goal is to assert his role as the new Daimyo (or crime lord) of the planet Tatooine, but as a nice one rather than mean one, using his role to help the common folk rather than exploit them.

Why? That’s a bit harder to say.

The Book of Boba Fett is divided into two (later three) parts: Fett’s flashbacks to his time

after Return of the Jedi when he’s adopted by a tribe of Tusken Raiders, and his aimless ventures as a wannabe crime lord. Both feel wholly unsatisfying.

There’s no cohesion between either, and barely any cohesion within the parts themselves.

Long stretches are spent doing nothing but walking (or riding a bantha, possibly the slowest creature in the galaxy).

The scenes set in the present go from one to the next, without any buildup or payoff in sight.

Those set in the past do occasionally carry some emotional depth, designed to explain how Fett developed his soft side, but they either struggle to remain interesting or are executed so clumsily it distracts from any perceived meaning.

In a word, the series can be described as clumsy. Like Boba Fett, the plot clumsily meanders around and around for seemingly no purpose, eventually reaching a flashy but unsurprisingly shallow and poorly executed ending.

Events are clumsily placed, and characters are handled clumsily.

For example, a group of droid teenage delinquents are introduced halfway through the series, and I’m still unsure if they were wasted potential or additions that should never have been added in the first place. Action sequences are clumsy, with some feeling like they take place underwater.

Dialogue is clumsy, as characters seem determined to push past whatever realm of possibility existed concerning made up slang terms and swear words. Special effects are clumsy too, without nearly the level of polish that was found in the Mandalorian.

You get my point.

Yes, some of these issues were likely caused by the pandemic, particularly the special effects and some of the more confusing plot points. But most seem like the result of a poorly developed and directed protagonist. The proof lies in episode five, which abruptly diverts the focus of the series to follow The Mandalorian.

It stands out not because it’s the most visually stunning episode. Not because of its cameos (and heavy fan-service) but because I was actually interested in following its main subject.

Even when constantly obscured by a helmet, the Mandalorian was a familiar “face” who I enjoyed watching, who I felt invested in, and whose next steps I actively anticipated. It pains me to say that I often felt the opposite when watching Boba Fett. Episode five reeks with an unmistakable stench of irony, as Star Wars’ former model mandalorian is outdone in his own series.

46

STAFF ED

Battling book bans ANA MITREVA | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

sive sexuality education.

Legislation like House Bill 1474 which would prohibit the teaching of “critical race theory” in classrooms is also challenging the free spread of ideas in schools.

“Well, I think it all comes back to your constitutional right and the right for intellectual freedom, which means that everyone should have the right to read and to explore vast ideas and perspectives,” said DeRigne.

These attempts aren’t going unchecked. Organizations like the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are pushing back. On Feb. 25, the Wentzville school board reversed their decision on the ban of “The Bluest Eye” after two students, represented by the ACLU, filed a class-action lawsuit against the district.

“When you talk about conA stack of books targeted nationwide for their content. stitutional rights, I think that those organizations can really PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ bring that to light,” said DeRigne. n Jan. 2022, the Wentzville school board Though Wentzville has procedures to review voted 4-3 to pull “The Bluest Eye” by Toni a book before taking it off the shelves, not all Morrison from the district’s high school li- schools do. Organizations like the ALA advobraries. cate for districts and individual schools to have “The Bluest Eye” follows a young Afri- policies and procedures set in place for any type can-American girl’s coming of age after The of challenge that would come.

Great Depression. The book gives firsthand acFacebook groups like Future Read Libraricounts of racism and sexual abuse, also explor- an also support librarians with banned books ing the psychological damage racism causes. on their shelves or librarians preparing to conThe book was removed from the school’s front a board to defend why they believe a book library for complaints of the book’s explicit shouldn’t be banned. scenes and subject matter.

“I think when we’re talking about the free “All Boys Aren’t Blue” and “Fun Home” are spread of ideas, and we see the rise in the numbooks that examine homosexual struggles. They ber of book challenges that are happening, one were also banned from Wentzville’s libraries. thing that is concerning to me is that librarians “It’s the language, but you’re only targeting and others who make selections about books language in LGBTQ books or books that touch that are made available to students will start to on issues of race. So you know, there are mil- self censor in their selection of titles that become lions of books in school libraries that have bad available,” said Tom Bober, librarian at Captain language, or some sexual content,” said CHS li- Elementary School. “So a book that has never brarian Lauran DeRigne. received a formal challenge in a district may This situation isn’t unique to Wentzville. Or- never even be purchased and may never end up ganizations like No Left Turn in Education have on a library shelf, because a librarian or anothbeen a part of the rising movement against di- er purchaser is concerned about challenges that versity and equity content in schools. Their web- could come.” site includes 80+ books under the categories: This issue has become more of a culture war critical race theory, anti-police and comprehen- than a political issue that can be debated.

I

The Central York School District banned Malala Yousafzai’s autobiography and in Tennessee a book titled “Ruby Bridges Goes to School’’ written by Ruby Bridges herself, faced backlash.

“I have students at the elementary school, in several recent years come up and ask me if we have books that deal with sexual identity or if we have books that deal with certain issues of race,” said Bober. “And so we have students with questions about the world around them, and they’re looking for literature to help make sense of some of those questions.”

In regard to the consequences of book bans Bober said, “To be honest with you, I think the biggest consequence is the loss of the opportunity for students to read that book”.

By removing a student’s choice to read a book critical thinking skills are disregarded. It is decided that students aren’t able to make that choice themselves and it has to be made for them. Students will not have the opportunity to decide what they agree or disagree with and will be denied the freedom to read and explore themselves and the world around them.

“And I think about other places? You know, maybe you don’t get that broad of a perspective, I do believe that these challenges can help students grow in those communities,” said DeRigne.

Bober said, “I would encourage all the students to really be aware of what books are available, what the collection looks like at the high school. Are there books there that you would want to read that represent you and represent things that are important to you? Knowing that collection, knowing what’s there, I think is critical, because if you don’t know what’s there, it’s going to be really hard to know, if something leaves.”

These book bannings will undoubtedly spike students’ curiosity to look for and read these titles.

“Whether it’s a student organization or an individual student, coming and talking to the school librarian and saying, ‘Hey, we would love more books by this individual, or we’d love more books on this topic. And so students have a really direct way to impact the books that are purchased and put on the shelves in their library as well,” said Bober.

“I’m hoping it’s opening that communication and perspective in students where they’re like, what, how can they, you know, do this to us?” said DeRigne.“I think it’s that we are lucky to live in a community that values and respects intellectual freedom.”

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