Globe Newsmagazine, March 2019, Issue 6, Vol. 90

globe.

those who came before us

Clayton High School. Clayton, MO. March 2019.

2 | SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! The Globe is an entirely self-funded publication. We receive no funding from the school district for printing. Each issue of the Globe costs approximately $2000 to print.

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

ISSUE SPONSORS ($2000 Level) Gail Workman Herbie’s in Clayton

GOLDEN GREYHOUND SPONSORS ($200+ Level) Big Bend Auto Center Center of Clayton Integrity DTLS Landscape Architecture Dale Avenue Pediatrics Windsor Madonna O Cotlar Centene

Yeung Realtors Melissa Clark Clayton Pilates Studio The Thompson Richardson Team St. Louis Suit Company English-to-English Clayton All in Coalition

WORLD TRAVELER SPONSORS ($100+ Level) Northwest Coffee The LaGesse Stanton Family The Brown Family The Higuchi Family The Sturmoski Family The Abburi Family Jane Cross Eugene Cross Bob and Betsy Cuneo Bob Chapman The Stemmler Family Charlotte de Sauvage Nolting The Curtis Family Sangeeta Khanna and Aseem Sharma The Chung Family Washington University Physicians Allergy & Immunology Clinics Mary and Dick Anthony

Robin and Neil Snelling Christy Hager DDS Ann Sachar Sarah Bernard Dr. James Fehr Dr. Anne Glowinski Angela and Troy Quinn Chandrakant C. Tailor Alex Waldbart Florist Protzel’s Delicatessen Cobblestone Quality Shoe Repair Celsius Cryo-Therapy The Erlin Family Debbie and Andy Schwartz Chandrakant Tailor The Choo-Kang Family The Family of Lary Baker Go Inc. Kay Quinn Malone

Lillian Kanterman performs for the winter musical Chicago.

Photo by Eric Woolsey

3 | CONTENTS

CORRECTIONS In the “Education” section of the January cover story “The Gilded Zipcode,” the Globe reported that the State of Missouri helps fund Hawthorn School for Girls via a foundation running parallel to the school. This foundation is actually a source of private donations that augements the money the state provides for each student attending the school.

In the same part of the cover story, the Globe stated that 96.8 percent of Clayton residents have obtained a college degree.

This statistic should have referenced the percentage of residents 25 or older who have attained a high school education; only 78.6 percent of residents 25 or older actually possess a college degree. ______________________ Send your thoughts to globe@claytonschools.net

March 2019 10 Tax Levy The District’s request for a tax levy that would allow continued funding of infrastructure and educational programs.

14 Alumni Profiles

The Globe staff profiles the lives of former CHS students and how their time spent at Clayton impacted their futures.

42 Sports Preview A look into the upcoming spring season, including the sports that will be played and the athletes to look out for.

44 The Metric System

An opinion piece exploring both the positive and negative consequences of adopting the metric system.

BEHIND THE COVER Featuring a photo of Clayton High School taken in 1955 by Henry Mizuki, provided by the Missouri Historical Society. We manually colorized the photo and applied a gradient to give it the affect of transitioning from the past to the present.

Cover design by David Higuchi

globe.

STAFF

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Luka Bassnett

Keilan Morrissey

Eliot Blackmoore

Siddhi Narayan

Disha Chatterjee

Laura Parvulescu

Danielle Choo-Kang

Ruth Pierson

CHIEF VIDEO EDITOR

Cece Cohen

Sophia Puerto

Sean Kim

Ella Cuneo

Reese Quinn

Camille Curtis

Emma Raine

Michael Bernard and Jacob LaGesse

CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR Justin Guilak

CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR Michael Melinger

REPORTERS

COPY EDITOR Anna Sturmoski

Sofia Erlin

Dheera Rathikindi

Kate Freedman

Helena Reuter

BUSINESS MANAGER

Sahithya Gokaraju

William Redington

Daniel Cohen

Mhari Harris

Maya Richter

Tallulah Hawley

Damien Stahl

Maxwell Keller

Ingrid Stahl

Sasha Keller

Abigail Sucher

Paul Liu

Jackson Swinigan

Shane LaGesse

Kaitlyn Tran

SECTION EDITORS

Rachel Liang

Louis Van’t Hof

David Higuchi, NEWS

Moriah Lotsoff

Jessie Wang

Sara Stemmler, FEATURE

Gabriela Madriz

Angela Xiao

Daniel Cohen, SPORTS

Kaia Mills-Lee

Lana Xu

Ashley Chung, OPINION

Margy Mooney

SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS Richard Cheng Grace Snelling Lila Taylor

Hongkai Jiang, REVIEW

PHOTOGRAPHERS

PAGE EDITORS Sarah Baker

Jimmy Malone

Josephine Cross

Neema Naemi

Lise Derksen

Junyi Su

Zachary Fisher

Sophie Thompson

Katie He

Bridget Walsh

Noor Jerath

Victor Wei

Isabella Clark

Caroline Marsden

Gwen Duplain

Mallory Palmer

Catherine Holtzman

Deborah Park

Xuenan Jin

Maya Richter

Lucia Johnson

Elia Rios

Areeba Khan

Annika Sandquist

Cicely Krutzsch

Madalyn Schroeder

Julian Lawless

Emma Siegel

Kathleen Lay

Anna Walsh

Whitney Le

Lauren Wolff

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

Photo by Mi

5 | editors letter

from the editor My arms never felt heavier than they did the second day of swimming practice my sophomore year. I never had so much trouble breathing, never knew my shoulders could grow so sore. I never felt so inadequate.

It was the week before classes started, and I thought joining the high school swim team would help me get in shape for baseball season. I didn’t sign up to feel the way I did that August workout: physically and emotionally defeated.

As I trudged down the outermost lane of Shaw Park Pool, Coach Rob Laux called my name. I grabbed hold of the concrete wall and looked up, sucking in air.

“Peter,” Laux said. “On the last day of the season, you’re going to think back on this practice and realize how far you’ve come.”

I don’t know if I would have quit the swim team had Coach Laux not talked to me that day, but I know his words ensured I didn’t. I was a pudgy, relatively unathletic bundle of hormones, but I had someone who believed

Photo by Michael Melinger

in me.

That’s what I needed.

For a long time, Clayton High held a peculiar place in my heart. I loved it, yes, but I resented the way it made me view myself. I felt pressure to take challenging classes and never saw myself as the smartest in a room. When I chose to go to an in-state, public college, I felt lesser than my classmates.

Those emotions were valid. Clayton has a distinct, intense environment, and that’s not easy to navigate. But the high school also brought tremendous good into my life. It gave me teachers to look up to, lifelong friends, and memories that still make me smile.

I can trace my current passions back to CHS. The Globe instilled a love of storytelling within me. Now, nearly eight years since I joined the paper, I’m set to graduate from journalism school. I cherished my high school baseball and swim teams, and those are sports I still write about.

Where would I be if Coach Laux didn’t pull

me aside my first week of swim practice? If the Globe office didn’t become my second home?

High school is a perfect time to discover a passion. Students, embrace the groups and classes that bring you joy. Don’t sacrifice what you love for an extra AP class. Join a club because you care about it, not to boost your resume.

Teachers, realize how much your words impact our lives. You have the power to believe in growing minds, and that can make all the difference. Just look what Coach Laux did for me. It doesn’t go unnoticed, and we appreciate you.

The Globe has never hesitated to point out Clayton’s flaws. Neither have I, and that’s because I care. I’ve seen the good our community can do, and I see the strides we still can make. We need a more diverse environment.

We need to bridge the achievement gap. We need to believe in all students, even the ones struggling academically and the ones barely making it through swim practice.

PETER BAUGH | EDITOR IN CHIEF CLASS of 2015

clayton does chicago Senior Nate Slaughter stars as Billy Flynn, a high powered lawyer tasked with freeing both Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, and performs with the ensemble during the show.

“Chicago,” a 1970s voguequeues show, unravels the tale of both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly in their struggle for freedom and fame after Billy Flynn bounces between both cases, creating a media frenzy.

MARCI PIEPER | YEARBOOK ADVISOR

news & notes

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Who’s Next?

DAVID HIGUCHI | NEWS SECTION EDITOR

Freshman Kellen Mottl finishes 2nd in State, sets new school record.

Three Highest Ranking Virginia Democrats Embroiled in Scandal

With a time of 1:05.44 in the 100-yard breaststroke, Kellen Mottl swam to a silver medal and a school record. The freshman’s 2nd place finish is one of the highest places a CHS swimmer has earned in decades at the State Championship meet.

Photo from Kellen Mottl

The leadership of the state of From left to right, Lt. Gov Justin Fairfax, AG Mark Herring, Gov. Ralph Virginia was thrown into chaos when Northam(Steve Earley/Virginian Pilot/TNS) a photo appearing to show the state’s governor Ralph Northam in blackface was released. The picture, found on Northam’s 1984 medical school yearbook page, depicted a man in blackface next to a man in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. At first, Northam apologized and said he was indeed in the photo, although he did not say which person was him. However, the next day Northam claimed that he was not in the picture. Northam has resisted pressure calling for him to resign, a matter further complicated when Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, who would succeed Northam if he were to step down, was faced with multiple accusations of sexual assault. Then, as if things couldn’t get worse, Attorney General Mark Herring, who would become governor if both Northam and Fairfax resigned, pro-actively came forward to admit to wearing blackface in a 1980 college party. So far, none of the men have stepped down.

Rapper 21 Savage was arrested

by ICE earlier this month who claim he is a foreign citizen who has overstayed his visa by more than a decade. The 26-year-old, whose real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, said during an interview that he was brought to America from the U.K. when he was 7-years-old with his mother and brothers. He says he “doesn’t remember” too much about England and as far as he’s concerned, Atlanta is home. His lawyers believe the rapper was targeted by ICE because of his celebrity status to send a message.

(Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)

Opportunity Dead after 15 years

When Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004, the rover was only supposed to last 90 days. It lasted over 15 years and became the longest-lasting robot on another planet. During its lifetime, Opportunity trekked over 28 miles and made many important scientific discoveries. The rover sent back more than 217,000 images and other data showing that Mars once was abundant with water. Opportunity had been silent since June, after a severe dust storm likely covered the rover in dust. Its final words: “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.”

NASA’s Opportunity Rover looks back over its own tracks on Aug. 4, 2010. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Trump Declares National Emergency To Build Border Wall The president announced on Feb. 15 that he would declare a national emergency on the southern border in order to bypass Congress after they refused to fund his border wall. “We have an invasion of drugs and criminals coming into our country,” Trump said.

Critics claim the move is reckless and unconstitutional. Even many Republicans say that it sets a dangerous new precedent for executive authority.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

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21

TryPOD is a peer teaching program to help educate teens on the effects of alcohol on their developing brain. To get involved, ask a health teacher for more information.

www.allincoalition.com

10 | NEWS

clayton tax levy

The School District of Clayton levys for a new property tax to improve the District’s infrastructure and educational programs

ELLA CUNEO, SHANE LAGESSE and KAITLYN TRAN | REPORTERS

Board members discuss the potential levy during a meeting. Photo by Naomi Merrihuelrving.

F

or the first time since 2003, Clayton will be proposing an operating tax levy increase for Clayton residents to vote on in April.

The School District has been considering an operating tax levy since 2012, but this year the matter had reached a point of necessity.

If the operating levy is voted on in affirmation, the School District will increase local property taxes which go into the District’s budget.

The District’s budget operates under a system of revenues and expenditures, which define when another operating tax levy is required.

The operating levy will effectively prevent the District’s fund balance from dropping below 18 percent, the lowest they would ever consider reaching.

We will see roughly $8 million worth of infrastructure maintenance on both the schools and the Center of Clayton, and the Board of Education is looking into other ways of improving the district.

“There’s a cyclical nature to school finance,” explains Sean Doherty, Superintendent of the Clayton School District. “And part of that is that the school district will build up its fund balance,

which is basically like a savings account, over a period of time. And we’ll continue to build that up to a point where the expenditures start going higher than the revenues, and so we’re at that point right now where our expenditures are higher than our revenues coming in. And we’re having to spend down our fund balance, basically our savings account.”

This imbalance is what has pushed the district to put forth another operating tax levy.

Chief Financial Officer of the Clayton School District, Mary Jo Gruber, believes that the operating levy will have a positive effect on the school community, providing the District with more money to fund its infrastructure and educational programs.

“We’re adding new money to our budget to maintain the excellent programing that we’re able to provide for our students, but it’s also to the point where we can make sure we’re taking care of our facilities.”

Gruber described that the funding will be beneficial for the infrastructure in the District.

The increased budget will allow the District to further improve the safety and function of our facilities.

“Our work is bigger than just providing the curriculum and the teaching, we have to provide really safe spaces for our students,” said Doherty.

By passing the operating tax levy, there will be money to spend on advancing the infrastructure of the schools in the District.

Some examples of potential changes made to the structures of the schools, given by Doherty, include fixing roofs on some of the older buildings in the District, renovations to school entry ways to provide the staff with a better line of sight of who is entering the school, and in general fixing the facilities to make everything run smoother.

Both Doherty and Gruber agree that the District has reached the time to call for a new operating tax levy on the ballot, the most recent having been in 2003.

“Basically, we have a set budget for facility maintenance and repair every year and some of the projects are a lot larger scope, and they’re very difficult to put in to that budget,” Gruber said. “And so they tend to get pushed to a later date and some of those are at the point where we kind of have to stop pushing them. So, like an HVAC system. You can only keep repairing it for

11 | NEWS so long. But there is a point where you do need to replace it.”

This is not the first time Clayton has considered proposing an operating tax levy since 2003.

In 2012, another was considered, but with reallocation of funds and by making significant budget reductions, it was avoided.

“I think that we’ve been very prudent with the way we’ve been spending our money over the last 15 years ... we’ve met with our community and took a deep dive into our finances to make sure that we were doing things the way everyone wanted, and fiscally prudent,” Doherty said in regards to the cuts made in 2012.

“The next step for reductions would impact students in the classroom,” Doherty said. “We feel like we made pretty significant cuts that we’ve maintained. And so, there’s two options: you reduce expenses, and then you look at revenue. So we feel like the second is the better option.”

John Ryan, an English teacher at CHS and the building’s representative for the National Educa-

tion Association, believes that the school needs the operating tax levy, and agrees with Doherty that there would be negative consequences if the vote did not go through.

“I personally fear, and this is just me, I’m worried that we would have to increase class sizes, that we would have to see some positions being cut,” Ryan said. “Some of the essential staff who aren’t teachers, but help make our jobs possible, we would lose some of those people. So, I feel it’s really important to see this go through.”

As Ryan said, if the operating tax levy is not approved in the vote, the District would need to make cuts in materials and staff. Doherty wants this to be the last possible option as the District has essential staff currently.

“We really want to be leaders of compensation for our teachers. I think that that’s a way to retain good teachers,” Doherty said. “And we also know that our teachers work really hard and we want to make sure that they’re getting paid well.”

In addition to retaining the teachers the

School District currently has, it is important to be competitive in the education system to employ the most qualified teachers available.

“We make sure that we are competitive and that we offer enough compensation, including the benefits to staff so that they feel like we’re a good choice when we’re trying to complete for great teachers,” said Gruber.

As of now, the School District of Clayton has gone nearly 16 years without an operating tax levy increase.

Through careful budget management, Clayton has managed to keep the District functioning.

As the careful balance of the cycle begins to inevitably uneven, the times call for yet another to pass.

Presently, the District has placed the operating levy on the April 2 election ballot. If it passes, the district will start receiving new revenue in December.

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those who came before

profiles of clayton graduates

foreword

sean doherty superintendent

S

tart with the end in mind.

In the development of our Clayton curricula, we use an approach called Backward Design or Understanding by Design. The fundamental formula is the development of learning goals first (the WHY), then determining methods (the HOW) for reaching those goals.

Backward Design causes educators to be extremely thoughtful about determining the learning outcomes first before thinking about instruction.

It makes logical sense.

I believe our students should always be our WHY and the center of our decisions.

As we reached the sunset of our current strategic plan, I felt compelled to think differently about our approach to it. I researched how other successful learning communities handled the strategic planning process and was intrigued by the concept of the Profile of the Graduate.

Similar to Backward Design, it was starting with end in mind – our students.

In developing a Profile, we need to prioritize what competencies we want for every Clayton graduate. I see this not only influencing what our students are learning, but I also feel it would influence how we are teaching and the culture we promote. In developing our strategic plan, the Profile would hold us accountable to what we want to prioritize and how we will measure our impact beyond standardized assessments.

Once our Profile is developed, it will influence the content of our stra-

tegic plan and goals. I want our strategic plan to be the driver of our work and not a document completed out of compliance. I envision a plan that will influence our approach to learning and challenge the mental models of what our schools look like for our students.

In Clayton, I believe we have an opportunity to think differently about how learning might look for our students. My hope is a more personalized and experiential learning. For example, if we truly want our students to be critical thinkers, then we will need to think beyond being purveyors of content. We need to think about what the students can do with that content knowledge to critically analyze relevant problems.

We are a great school district. As a District that is focused on a growth mindset, we need to think about consistent improvement. We cannot be complacent in being a great school district – we need to think about how we can be even greater for our students.

The Profile will provide collective agreement for our goals and cause us to question systems and processes that might need to be transformed to better support student personal growth and learning.

Finally, I believe an integral component of the Profile is having student voice in the process.

Our students’ perspectives, experiences and core values will impact the development of our Profile and ultimately our strategic plan. They are our WHY and will provide the input that will help us be transformational in our thinking and approach to education.

14

justin atkinson, ‘13 event planner

by gaby madriz

J

ustin Atkinson, Class of 2013, carried many of the lessons he learned at CHS with him into college at Western Kentucky University, and has kept them close since.

Atkinson began his journey in the District at Ralph M. Captain Elementary. He recalled being at school and seeing CHS’ show choir coming to perform for the elementary school students.

“I remember the day Clayton’s show choir came and danced for us way back in probably 2004. And in 2013 I got to sing and dance at all of Clayton’s elementary schools,” Atkinson said.

During his time at CHS, Atkinson was involved in a variety of both curricular and extracurricular activities, including the swim and dive team, water polo team, orchestra and show choir.

By branching out and pursuing his interests, Atkinson found friends with similar interests and passions. From being in orchestra class, Atkinson learned about working together in groups to create a final product, like playing a piece well. This knowledge could then be applied to college, or any line of work as well.

“You also learn how to be punctual, on time and how significant you are as one part of the whole group and what you can bring to the table,” Atkinson said.

In his senior year at CHS, Atkinson saw all of his hard work and hours of involvement pay off when he won the Lorraine Kelvin Memorial award, the Clayton Key, Service to school and the Al Burr Trump card award.

Atkinson’s most emphasized piece of advice for any Clayton student is to always keep in touch with those you meet.

“Take the time to get to know not only your teachers but your librarians, custodians, lunch cooks and cashiers, and even your administrative staff,” Atkinson said. “You’d be surprised at how those Clayton connections you have will still be very relevant, so always be sure to keep in touch, even though the real world goes pretty fast.”

Now, back in St. Louis, Atkinson is a certified wedding planner and the Banquet Supervisor at the Moonrise Hotel in the Delmar Loop. He continues to pursue activities that fuel his happiness, and always has time to share his many takeaways from CHS to anyone who may listen.

bob barnes, ‘57 corporate development officer

by sasha keller and lila taylor

B

ob Barnes graduated from Clayton High School in 1957, a time filled with school spirit, letter jackets and soda fountains. After high school, Barnes attended DePaul University in Greencastle, Illinois, where he graduated as a liberal arts major in economics. He did his postgraduate work at Northwestern. Now he works as a corporate development officer for the company Fresh Ideas Food Service.

Barnes appreciated Clayton’s campus-like feel and rigorous courses, and described it as being the first school in the nation to have this greater sense of freedom and maturity in a high school environment.

Although, looking back at his time at Clayton, Barnes wishes he could have indulged in the learning process, at the time he was more focused on athletics and social relationships with his peers. He was captain of the Clayton track team for four years, where he held a school record for the 440 yard dash for 35 years.

He also was on the football team for three years and the wrestling team for two. Many of his memorable high school experiences centered around social or athletic events.

“We used to go to the Depot, which is where the administration building is now. It was open on Friday nights,” Barnes said.

“After football games you’d go there and they had a soda fountain on the lower level and a fireplace and you could dance. The doors opened up onto the grass. When school was out, everyone would run to the Shaw Park pool on the last day of the school.”

Barnes’ experiences at Clayton impressed on him a sense of loyalty and pride for the school.

“I’m extremely proud that I went to Clayton. I was proud to be a greyhound, I was proud to wear my letter jacket. I still meet with my classmates quarterly. I think that speaks of the respect we have for friendships and the respect we have for maintaining those relationships,” Barnes said.

Barnes also loves that his three grandchildren have and continue to attend CHS. “What is really cool is I get to relive my experience through [my grandchildren],” Barnes said. “I remember when my grandaughter wore my jacket. That jacket is 60 years old. I get to walk past my locker. I don’t know that many adults have that same connection.”

jacob blair, ‘18 student

by katie he

J

acob Blair was an active member of Mock Trial and was the president of Speech and Debate during his time at CHS. He also challenged himself academically by taking the most rigorous classes Clayton had to offer.

At Harvard, Blair has continued his Mock trial career, practicing and competing at a much higher standard.

“Mock Trial is different from high school because it is a lot more professional and serious. There is more of a time commitment and it is more complicated. In college, you have the opportunity to pick witnesses and actually be given the chance to analyze things. It is just on a different level, adding to the fact that people are more professional, it just takes the competition to the next level,” Blair said.

In his first semester of college, Blair has already ventured out to try new things such as writing for the university’s political review and joining an advisory club. The club allows students to sign up to do legal work about once a week.

“Basically what the club is doing is going out to find people who need legal work assistance and giving them advice for free while also giving undergrad students the experience of working with the law.”

Blair said.

Blair explains that in college, he has a lot more time to explore new things and think about his future. In contrast to his high school experience, he feels more relaxed and free.

“I was lucky enough to get into school in December so I had a lot more time to think about college and what I wanted to study. By thinking through what were the concrete things I thought were interesting, that set me up to be a lot more acclimated when I got into college.

At college, what I found liberating was that you are left to your own devices and so you get the opportunity to do what you want. It’s your prerogative to schedule your own day and go about accomplishing all the tasks that you have set for yourself,” Blair said.

In addition to that, Blair feels that there is less pressure and less stress at college, which has allowed him to dedicate more time to do what he is passionate about. As a result, his involvement in activities surrounding law has shaped his future aspirations to become a professor in law.

“I think that the law itself is really interesting. It was an interest that I picked up during my years of debate of defining the law and the government. I am a lot more interested in creating the rules then devising the best way to play by them. You get to put form and create these ideas of what the law should be and potentially see that law actually get implemented rather than just analyzing the law and interpreting what is already there.” Blair said.

In the future, Blair hopes of implementing education laws that would improve the educational system in America. With education being something that Blair is passionate about, he hopes of challenging himself to solve those problems.

peter baugh, ‘15 journalism student

by daniel cohen and louis van’t hof

D

uring my freshman year, I was standing in the Globe office, and Noah Eby, who was the Editor in Chief at the time, had a grape. We were just joking around and a bunch of people were in there, and he threw me a grape. I made a leaping catch with my mouth and caught it. It was just a really pure moment where everyone laughed and I felt really good about myself. I felt included and valued, and I think that the Globe continually made me feel like that during my time at Clayton,” Clayton graduate Peter Baugh said.

As as student at CHS, Baugh had a deep love of learning and enjoyed challenging himself inside the classroom. Additionally, he participated in multiple extracurricular activities, in which he excelled. Along with winning the District title with the CHS boys’ varsity baseball team in 2015, Baugh served as the editor-in-chief of the Globe and captain of the boys’ varsity swim team during his senior year.

The Globe served as a second home to Baugh. This organization shaped his experiences in high school, and he dedicated a majority of his time to working on the national award winning publication.

“Going through high school, the Globe was a community I really tapped into a lot and that taught me a lot about myself and my writing,” Baugh said.

Baugh graduated from CHS in 2015 and decided to pursue his love of journalism in the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. He will graduate this spring.

While writing at Mizzou, Baugh has been able to cover Mizzou sports and even travel with some of their teams.

Last summer, Baugh reported for the St. Louis Post Dispatch by covering the St. Louis Cardinals. He sat in the press box at Busch Stadium during games and had the opportunity to interview players and coaches.

Other unique opportunities journalism has presented Baugh include interning at Politico Europe in Brussels and covering the 2017 World Swimming Championships in Budapest. Although the scope of his stories has greatly expanded since high school, Baugh continues to attribute the discovery of his passion for journalism to the Globe.

“My experience with the Globe is that it was two fold. Relationship wise, I built so many good bonds with so many people that will last for the rest of my life,” Baugh said. “And then from a career development standpoint, the Globe pushed me really hard and it taught me how to work hard and how to value hard work.”

16

robert cohen, ‘64 judge

by david higuchi

I

n 1975, CHS Alumni Robert Cohen was a young lawyer living in St. Louis.

After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis University Law School, Cohen wasn’t exactly sure of his future, but he wasn’t afraid to take risks. So when his best friend from law school told him his plans to run for county judge, Cohen saw an opportunity and was up for the challenge.

At just 28 years old, Cohen was only three years past the constitutional minimum age in Missouri. Despite his young age, Cohen says people responded well to his candidacy. One of the most critical factors that lead him to his successful career as a judge, according to Cohen, was his time at Clayton.

“I enjoyed my time here at Clayton High School. I was very well aware that I was fortunate and had every advantage provided to me to go to such a great school and school district.”

One of Cohen’s favorite memories at Clayton was the annual talent show which was a musical written by the students and performed by the students.

“I had this dramatic part that involved singing a couple of songs. I had no experience with that before. No formal training. But it was very much of a fun thing to do.”

Inside the classroom, Cohen says he was no outstanding student.

“I was absolutely not among the best students here,” he says.

But Clayton’s strong academic environment pushed Cohen to do better.

“I was surrounded by very highly motivated students,” says Cohen. “I mean people who had great goals and college plans and career plans, and you just couldn’t help but absorb some of that.

With more than 41 years of service, Robert Cohen was the longest-serving judge in Missouri when he retired in 2016.

However, he says he never once lost interest in his job as every case was genuinely uniqueAs for Clayton students today, Cohen says always to remember to enjoy life and be happy.

“Enjoy your lives, enjoy this time in your life. Don’t worry so much about the future. I think it’s important to be motivated and to do a good job in the school but not to the point that it’s so all-consuming that it’s upsetting to you. After all you, young people, you have your whole lives ahead of you: have fun, enjoy your friends, enjoy school, and take it down a few notches. Be happy. If you’re happy, you’ll do well regardless.”

tracy einstein, ‘09

health instructor by bridget walsh

F

17

or every ‘no’ there are a million ‘yeses’,” was the mindset Tracy Einstein used when determining her future career path.

When Einstein was asked in high school if she knew what she wanted to do as an adult, an immediate and resounding “no” escaped her lips. Both an athlete and a performer, Einstein managed to juggle her passions throughout all four years at Clayton, yet she still was unsure of a possible career path.

After becoming a teacher of the Alexander Technique, a mindfulness practice intended to encourage good habits, Einstein had no idea what she wanted her profession to be. She decided that she would become a doctor, but only because that was what her past relatives had done. After giving it a little more thought, Einstein realized that she was throwing away her gift of performing.

Reflecting upon her best memories of high school, Einstein remembered getting cast as Tinkerbell in the school’s production of Peter Pan. What interested Einstein most, in her words, was that she, “got to create this whole physical life of the character that did not actually exist in the script”. Without this role, Einstein may have never realized her true gift of performing.

Einstein has found a way to seamlessly incorporate her two passions into her ideal career.

The Alexander Technique has physical, mental and emotional wellness value. Her passions from Clayton dictated her path in life.

More than passion, Clayton taught Einstein to feel comfortable and confident in her higher education at Columbia University.

“I really felt like after Clayton, college was not that hard and I went to an Ivy League School,” Einstein said. Confidence in the classroom is key to unlocking opportunities in life and Einstein took advantage of everything she had.

Clayton merely sparked the interest in Einstein to explore her true passion, Einstein’s brilliance comes from her own ability and drive to achieve. Einstein has now helped so many people and continues to help more each day.

Einstein’s lesson in life: do the things that inspire you and give you joy.

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hael Melin

ic Photo by M

amy feder, ‘97 rabbi

by camille curtis

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my Feder, CHS graduate of 1997, is a successful and well-known Rabbi at her local synagogue. She attributes her intellectual advantages to CHS for preparing her properly for the college years to come. Although she was not very interested in mathematics or science during high school, Feder enjoyed the arts and theater.

“I had an amazing experience at Clayton. I loved my teachers, and there were a number of things that I learned how to do at Clayton that I realized the people I went to school with had no idea how to do,” Feder said Feder’s knack for communication arts differentiated her from her classmates. Writing proper papers and having the social skills that many young adults struggle with positively assisted her through her high school career.

“I really learned how to write at Clayton,” Feder said. “[I went to Michigan for college] and I would sit with other kids and think to myself how insanely difficult it was for them to write a paper.”

Being involved with musical theater and the performing arts crew, Feder realized she had gained a sense of confidence along with her already existing talent. The feeling that she could be who she wanted to be and do what she wanted to do in life all came from her experience at CHS. “I was really involved with musical theater in high school. Learning how to sing and learning how to have stage presence and then just how to have confidence in myself- being able to do whatever I wanted to do

[in life] all came from Clayton,” Feder said.

Feder also frequently experienced the joys of being with friends during her free time. According to Feder, school wasn’t as stressful for her generation, and therefore her life and the lives of her peers were made somewhat easier. She has kept in close contact with her peers since graduation day, some of whom were in her wedding. Keeping up with old friends and even teachers has had a positive impact on her life.

“Another thing that I love about Clayton is that in this town I see people everywhere and I still remember them. At Wydown, my 8th grade teacher was the coolest guy. His name was Mr. Wright — he was so nice and I just loved him. A few years ago my birthday marked the twenty year anniversary of when I was in his class. He sent me a letter that I had written him at the end of 8th grade that basically told him how awesome of a teacher he was. He sent the letter back to me and just to think how cool it was for someone to care so much — a teacher that had kept this letter all these years and knew enough to send it back twenty years later.”

Feder said.

Clayton impacted Feder’s personal career as a Rabbi heavily. She writes quite often for her job and speaks and sings publicly for her synagogue on the weekends as well. Her participation in choir gave her the assurance necessary to stand in front of massive crowds and do what she loves most. She teaches sermons and classes for her young followers, and often thinks fondly of CHS for all of the ways that it has benefited her adult life and career.

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sara garfinkel, ‘12 performance artist by josephine cross

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ara Garfinkel, 2012 CHS graduate, has traveled all around the world. She currently performs as a dancer and singer on the Oceania Riviera Cruise ship, touring the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas. Garfinkel has cruised through Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Croatia, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and seen most of the Caribbean Islands and Central America.

“I love absolutely everything about my job. On this current contract, I wake up in a new place every day. I spend the daytime hours exploring wherever we are that day, and the nighttime hours on the stage. I have met so many amazing people, guests and crew, from all over the world,” Garfinkel said.

Garfinkel’s performance career started with dancing classes at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) when she was still attending school in Clayton. As a student, she loved to write and incorporated her interest in dancing with her writing.

“My most influential teacher was my English teacher, Mrs. Hamilton,” Garfinkel said. “She encouraged me to use dance and performance in as many essays and projects as possible. She had me really dig deep into my art form, and that allowed me to develop an even deeper connection to what I love so much.”

After graduating from CHS, Garfinkel has had a very diverse dancing career. She danced as a soloist with the Tallahassee Ballet Company, auditioned for jobs in the theater and entertainment realm and danced in both productions of “Winterfest” and “Oktoberfest”.

Most recently, she has been performing on the Oceania Riviera cruise ship. One of her favorite places to visit so far has been Taormina in Sicily, Italy.

“It is so breathtakingly beautiful - I spent the whole day in absolute awe that it was a real place!” Garfinkel said.

One of the things that Garfinkel loves about CHS is its supportive and open atmosphere.

“I truly believe that every student leaves Clayton High School as a stronger and more authentic version of themselves,” Garfinkel said. “I left Clayton confident in who I am and what I do, ready to take on the next step, invincible even, and that is something I will always be so thankful for.”

max fischolowitzroberts, ‘06 teacher

by moriah lotsoff

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ax Fischlowitz-Roberts is a 2006 CHS graduate. He is currently a teacher at Newton North High School in Massachusetts. His classes include 10th grade Modern World History, 11th grade U.S. History and a 12th grade elective called Contemporary Conflicts, which is essentially a current events discussion class.

“One of the things I remember most about my time at Clayton was every year having fantastic teachers,” Roberts said.

“Even though I didn’t know that [being a teacher] was what I was going to do, they really inspired me and helped shape me into what I have become.”

During his time at Clayton, Roberts was involved in theater, show choir, orchestra and community service club. He starred in plays such as “Sweet Charity,” “Les Miserables” (a highlight) and “Into the Woods.” He remembers participating in student-run musicals all 4 years and directing the student-run orchestra of “Pippin” in his senior year. Roberts played soccer for two days during his freshman year but decided that it wasn’t for him and stuck with clubs that helped people and activities with the arts.

When asked to give advice to current CHS students, Roberts said, “Take a mix of classes and do things outside of class that make you happy.”

mariclare gatter, ‘18

gap year for research by lise derksen

milena garganigo, ‘91 district administration by jimmy malone “I adored this place as a student, so I figured if I liked it that much as a student, I would probably like it as a teacher too,” Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Milena Garganigo said.

Garganigo, class of 1991, has always had a strong connection to Clayton High School. As a student, she was very involved.

“I was in orchestra and the manager of the volleyball and softball teams,” said Garganigo. “They gave me a sense of community, being a part of something bigger.”

While attending Clayton, Garganigo made sure to take advantage of her resources. She especially valued the conferenced english program, which helped improve her writing.

“I remember being pretty confident in my writing. That really helped me get through college,” Garganigo said.

Her teachers also helped her beyond high school by inspiring her to explore a career in teaching and education.

“The teachers that I had were really the crux of what influenced me to become an educator,” Garganigo said. “What I experienced with them as far as the kinds of activities they had us doing in class pushed me to become a teacher.”

She quickly found her way back into the Clayton community after graduating from Washington University when she received a teaching position at the high school. She then moved to Wydown Middle School, eventually making her way to her current position in administration, where she works with teachers about curriculum and teaching strategies.

“I miss teaching every day of my life, which is part of the reason why I try to get into classrooms as much as I can,” Garganigo said.

By working in the district she once attended, Garganigo has a unique perspective on the Clayton community.

“Going to school here gave me a sense of what parents expect in the community, especially the heavy emphasis on education,” said Garganigo. “My transition in as a teacher was easier because I already had a sense of the community and its expectations.”

Garganigo learned many lessons from being a student and educator within the Clayton School District.

“I learned to follow your passion,” Garganigo said. “Figure out things that you’re interested in, and just keep going and pursue it.”

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During her time at Clayton, Mariclare Gatter was known for being a strong student, having a driven personality and participating in many out-of-school activities including swimming, TEAMS and the Globe.

Gatter graduated with the class of 2018, but decided not to directly attend a university. Instead, this past year Gatter has taken a gap year to focus on finding independence away from the competitive environment that CHS brings.

“I realized I defined my goal more based on the expectations of others and what others were doing rather than my own motivation,” Gatter said. “My gap year kind of came from that realization.”

Gatter also took this gap year to work in a research lab in Washington, D.C. She is currently living in a shared home and doing daily research on a new technology called CRISPER-CAS9 that can target specific mutations within a genome and edit, delete, insert or replace sections of DNA that can specifically help people with sickle cell anemia.

The college application process at CHS was stressful for Gatter, and she felt there was a toxic environment surrounding her. However, this upcoming fall, she is planning on attending a university with a whole new perspective. Just recently, she applied to schools for the fall 2019 semester.

“I was obsessed with college in terms of what an admission officer would want to see: who do they want me to be. Rather, this is who I am and the school who wants me for who I am is where I belong,” Gatter said.

Gatter was deeply involved in her classes and learned many lessons during her high school experience. One of her favorite teachers, Rex Rice, recently retired after teaching her and other students one of the most important lessons during her high school career. “He is the one who taught me to isolate the first step and to not get overwhelmed,” Gatter said. “I think that’s something you can apply to your whole life and to everyday situations.”

shelby girard, ‘03

interior designer by michael bernard

Shelby Girard, 2003 CHS graduate and head of design at Havenly, an interior design and decorating service, attributes much of her success to Clayton’s creative atmosphere.

“Although I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career when I was at Clayton, I always felt like I wanted to be in a creative field, and Clayton encouraged me to think outside of the box, work hard, be kind, dream big and hustle, all of which have helped me in my current career,” Girard said.

At CHS, Girard was involved in volleyball, soccer, basketball and musical theater. Clayton gave Girard the confidence she needed to be successful, and theatre teacher Kelly Weber helped her tremendously.

“She encouraged me to have confidence, try new things, and be imaginative, and I loved how she connected with every student,” Girard said. “I was very social, but on the shy side, and have definitely gained confidence since my high school years.”

After graduating, Girard used the skills that she gained at Clayton to transition into college. She received her B.A. in Urban Studies and Creative Writing from NYU, and later received her M.A. in Interior Design. From there, she began working for a company called Havenly, which is a startup that provides design consultations and designs whole homes. Girard manages the design team and does special project work.

“I found Havenly through a job listing when it was just two sisters with business backgrounds starting the company. They needed designer expertise to help figure out what an e-design service might be, what that process could look like and to get started testing the idea with some initial clients,” Girard said. “That was almost six years ago and we’ve grown a ton since then, and my role has changed tremendously along the way.”

Throughout her time at CHS and NYU, Girard has often questioned her life intentions.

“There is a path for everyone regardless of the type of student you are in high school. Don’t worry about not knowing what you want to do. I didn’t know until I was 23, and everything I did up until then helped me figure it out in one way or another,” Girard said. “Make friends and be nice to people, because chances are you’ll gain life-long connections in high school.”

elad gross, ‘06 politics

by jacob lagesse and ella cuneo

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When Elad Gross, 2006 Clayton graduate, walked into St. Louis City Hall on Jan. 30, he fully expected to get arrested.

In the midst of the subzero temperatures felt throughout the Midwest early this year, Gross organized a protest with the goal of opening up more homeless shelters throughout the city. Gross and his fellow protesters staged a sit-in in City Hall, but were eventually asked to leave by police officers.

Although Gross was ready to submit himself to the police, one officer changed his mind. Instead of spending time arresting Gross, he explained how he would rather be out on the streets, looking for people in need of a warm place to stay.

Gross’ frustration at issues like these in his hometown inspired him to launch a campaign for the office of Missouri Attorney General. However, his passion for social justice began much earlier, as a student in the Clayton School District.

To Gross’ family, the value of education could not be understated. His mother was raised in a poor household in Israel, but was given opportunities later in life through her own schooling.

To allow Gross to attend CHS, his family rented a home on Clayton’s border with University City.

“It wasn’t great,” Gross said. “It was falling apart on top of us, but we could afford it. That’s how I got to go to school here.”

Gross, known as “Potter” throughout his high school days, was a football fanatic, track enthusiast and science-loving geek.

He loved his time at CHS and built lasting relationships with his friends and teachers, especially with Roz McCoy. He once served a two-week stint as the school’s secretary, covering for her when she was out sick.

After high school, Gross continued his love for learning at Duke University, where he was introduced to the DukeEngage program. This program gave students the opportunity to travel and do charity work anywhere in the world. However, instead of traveling abroad, Gross chose to return to St. Louis and began his first nonprofit organization within the St. Louis school system.

For the past 11 years, he has given underprivileged students in the city area a chance to continue to learn through classes taught by local high school students.

Gross hopes that he can make a difference in his community, and he wants to inspire students, teachers and voters to keep fighting for what they believe in.

“If we do get involved, and we do it the right way, there is so much change that we can make,” Gross said.

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hael Melin

ic Photo by M

james heuser, ‘04 digital media

by michael melinger and shane lagesse

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providing media coverage for the hockey team. After graduating, he soon got a job working for the Redskins, which brought him to Washington D.C. He was eventually able to take an opportunity to cover the 2018 Stanley Cup Champions, the Washington Capitals, in 2011.

Heuser’s experience with sports is multifaceted. Both a football and lacrosse player at CHS, some of his greatest memories were centered around sports.

“It was extracurricular activities that stick out the most, I can clearly remember them the best,” Heuser said.

CHS not only stressed the idea of keeping an open mind to one’s career, but also provided a diverse environment in which Heuser was impacted by the importance of tolerance and acceptance.

“It was an environment that was very inclusive,” Heuser said. “I got to come out of high school knowing a lot of different kinds of people, and learned to accept people for who they were, I didn’t realize at the time that that was a somewhat unusual, unique environment.”

Aside from athletics and academics, Heuser’s experience as a whole with CHS continues to push him to become a broad-minded individual.

To him, CHS was a place where he could soak up every opportunity that was presented to him.

“I had no idea that 15 years out of high school I’d be a sports executive, and maybe it was being an athlete that helped me with that,” Heuser said. “Maybe it was some of the work I did in drama that helped me understand what good content is or just keeping that open mind and trying everything out.”

ames Heuser was the youngest of five, and began his time at CHS on the cusp of Y2K, the beginning of a new millennium. After graduating in 2004, he now holds the position of Senior Director of Digital Media for the Washington Capitals. However, during his high school and college careers, he had no specific ideas for what he wished to pursue; instead choosing to follow a broader variety of his passions, both in academic courses and extracurriculars.

In high school, Heuser was very passionate about theater, starring in multiple productions. He attributed his enthusiasm to one of his teachers, Kelly Weber, who heads the theater production. Not only did she fuel his interest in theater, but also introduced him to video recording and editing.

Building on his new interest, Heuser took a film studies course his junior year, which reinforced his love of film production. Heuser brought film production back home when he would make highlight reels of his brothers skateboarding.

“I would follow [my brother] along, usually on a bike or skating alongside him, filming all of his tricks and we’d edit those all together to highlight tapes that we’d watch with friends,” Heuser said.

At Boston University, he followed paths that included science and communication. Nonetheless, his time in college still allowed him to maintain an open mindedness that was largely influenced by his experiences at CHS. “Clayton wanted to let students be who they wanted to be. They were never about becoming a machine student,” Heuser said.

While attending BU, Heuser worked with the athletic department,

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sarah hobson, ‘93 ethnodrama by noor jerath

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arah Hobson was in third grade when Clayton underwent desegregation. Having moved to St. Louis from an integrated New York City a few years prior, Hobson immediately noticed a stark contrast between the two cities.

“I was automatically struck by racial divides,” said Hobson.

“I had lots of questions, even as a little one, about why my community was so predominantly white, what was happening in the city and why it was a ghost town, and why there wasn’t some integration.”

She attributes learning surrounded by students from different backgrounds to her present-day awareness, and has drawn from these experiences to inform her current job. “[Desegregation] raised more questions for me about why I had so much privilege and so many resources and why I could go to bed or not worry about violence or about any of those kinds of things,” Hobson said. “The experiences I had because of desegregation at Clayton helped me begin to bump up against all of the discomforts of people looking at me with resentment and frustration… That taught me what it meant to have a lot of humility and step off the pedestal that everyone in my world had put me on.”

In 2015, Hobson founded Community Allies as a way to promote equity through ethnodrama. Ethnodrama is the dramatizing of a compilation of different responses to a single scenario or topic.

“So I do this kind of work with kids and I run after school programs where they create ethnodramas to make change in the world,” Hobson said. “I also bring that work to teachers and help them use ethnodrama in the classroom to connect their teaching to real-world learning opportunities and to engage their students in doing real-world research.”

Hobson credits her time at Clayton for providing an environment that allowed her to develop her skills and passions into the active community member she is today.

“That lifelong journey of learning how to serve when the world has been built around you and has served you… I think it started with just having an awareness of the fact that I had privilege,” Hobson said. “That’s the advice I would give: don’t stay in the bubble.”

marttise hill, ‘05 filmmaker by bridget walsh

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was fortunate enough to have a sense of what I wanted to do, I knew probably around sophomore year that I wanted to do something with media production,” 2005 CHS graduate Martisse Hill said.

Hill has known his passions from a young age and worked hard to make them a reality. Now a film director and producer featured in the Sundance Film Festival, as well as many other prestigious film festivals, Hill fondly remembers his time and experience at Clayton. Looking back upon his favorite classes, video production was at the top of his list.

When asked to recall a favorite memory of Clayton, Hill remembers a time that the Clayton staff went above and beyond what “normal” teachers might do, just so he could do what truly made him happy.

Hill, a member of the state-winning football team of 2004, made it his annual job to make a highlight reel for the team’s banquet. Realizing that he would not be able to finish the video in school and with the banquet fast approaching, Hill made a request: that he could take home the computer for the weekend.

Some strings were pulled and Hill got the computer. He was able to finish the video and ended up devoting his entire weekend to the creation of this tape. Looking back, he realized that none of this would have been possible without the Clayton staff and their desire to inspire.

“That moment sticks out for me because of the support that the school gave me… they have always been supportive and have always gone over and beyond to support any project or any endeavor,” Hill said.

Opportunities like these furthered his passion for film-making, helping him realize his dream was possible.

“It was at Clayton where I got to explore those things more frequently and with a structure which proved to be very valuable for my growth as an individual and as a storyteller,” Martisse said.

Taken from his experiences, Hill offered some advice to current Clayton students: don’t underestimate your impact on your community, be a person of your word and be good to others.

ben hochman, ‘98

journalist

by kate freedman

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ne of the main things infused in each student at CHS is to leave your legacy. Whether that be by sports, academics, theater or helping the community, all students are encouraged to make their mark on the Clayton community.

One such person who has made a lasting impact on Clayton is Ben Hochman, a sports columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Hochman graduated from Clayton in 1998 and went to Mizzou to study journalism. After college, he worked in New Orleans and Denver before returning to St. Louis in 2015.

“I never thought I’d move back to St. Louis and now I don’t think I’ll ever leave,” Hochman said. “There is definitely this badge of honor going to Clayton High School, and in this town where everybody asks where you went to high school, I never hesitate—I’m very proud of where I went to school.”

Hochman described Clayton as “an amazing institution that offers you the springboard into all these fields.” During his time at CHS, Hochman played basketball, soccer and baseball, as well as writing for The Globe and being a sports editor. He also participated in choir and wrote the student-led musical his senior year.

“The musical instills confidence and it instills the idea of performing,” Hochman said.

He has combined his love for storytelling, writing and sports into a career that he loves. “[Sports were] just my orbit growing up. I loved storytelling, the aspect of it,” Hochman said.

According to Hochman. Clayton gave him the characteristics necessary to excel in his career.

“There’s no questions that [Clayton] propelled me into being a well rounded person,” Hochman said.

Since returning to St. Louis, he has become a member of the Clayton Education Foundation Board, and even twenty years after graduating from Clayton, Hochman continues to leave his legacy.

“I’m proud to be a part of the Clayton community all over again.”

jeff hochman, ‘67

entrepenuer by ingrid stahl

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eff Hochman, 1967 CHS graduate, has been a Clayton resident for almost 70 years.

Hochman grew up on the streets of central Clayton as he attended Glenridge Elementary School, progressed to Wydown Middle School and eventually graduated from his beloved CHS in 1967. As a high school student, Hochman spent most of his time in the workshop and engaging in architecture classes.

“I realized that I really enjoyed working in the shop. I even entered a model car that received honorable mention through General Motors,” Hochman said.

As well as spending time in the shop, Hochman played football and was a member of the wrestling and track teams. During Hochman’s senior year, his football team held an amazing record, losing only two games during the season.

On the weekends, Hochman and his friends would hop on a bus and head downtown to watch a movie and have dinner or stay local and walk over to Brentwood Boulevard and get a soda at Fitz’s.

After graduating from CHS, Hochman attended Elmhurst College on a football scholarship, then transferred to St. Louis University after one year. A few years after college, Hochman moved to Webster Groves with his wife and taught at Webster Groves High School for one year. He then went to work with his step-father and took part in a used clothing business, in which they would buy used clothes from donation centers, sort them and send them overseas.

Around this time, Hochman and his wife were beginning a family, so they moved into a home in Clayton. Hochman enjoyed his years in Clayton and he wanted to give his children the same education and experience he had.

“It was very important to me for my kids to go to Clayton,” Hochman said.

Only a few short years after graduating from CHS, Hochman found his way back to Clayton and has not left since.

john howard, ‘15 college athlete by victor wei

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dedicated baseball pitcher, business aficionado, part-time historian and full-time community member, 2015 CHS graduate John Howard is much more than just a student.

As a double major in history and marketing at WASHU, as well as the varsity baseball pitcher, Howard is busy, often putting in 35 to 40 hours during the season. However, Howard already has his future in sight: he will be moving to New York, working for a company called AlphaSights.

Despite getting ready to move on to the next stage of his life, Howard still cherishes the memories he has of his high school alma mater.

One of the biggest ways Clayton has helped Howard is by teaching him communication.

“Clayton really teaches you how to be a better communicator and how to interact on a daily basis in a mindful and professional way with adults and authority figures,” Howard said. “Just being up front and making sure that you are communicating with people early of possible issues or conflicts, and that stems from the high school level and is something that I have really noticed, and it has helped me a lot in college.”

At CHS, Howard remembers himself as someone who really enjoyed learning.

“I was a person who sat typically in the first or second row of the class in order to stay engaged.” Howard said.

However, always on the lookout for improvement, Howard also mentioned that he realizes he could have applied himself even more.

Besides the classroom environment, Howard was also involved with the jazz band and ensemble, pep band, varsity baseball, JV basketball and Link Crew. As a current varsity baseball player for the Washington

Univeristy Bears, Howard mentioned how Clayton baseball helped him in college athletics.

“One of the big things is that you learn and mature as a ball player in high school. As a freshman, you have to learn and adjust to new coaching and look up to some of the guys that are older than you, like the juniors and seniors,” Howard said. “As you mature, you then have an opportunity to be a role model to the freshman and sophomores on the team. And then when you get to college, you go through that experience again.”

Additionally, as an engaged student, Howard developed strong relationships with teachers.

“I had powerful relationships with people like Coach Luhning, Ms. Shenberger, Mr. Verby, Mr. de la Paz and just a number of teachers I saw inside and outside of the classroom,” Howard said.

Specifically, Howard mentioned his baseball coach, Mr. Sucher. “[Coach Sucher] acted like a dad to me for four years, and it was really special.” said Howard. “Sucher has seen my highest highs and lowest lows. He is someone who, when things are going well, he was right there.

But also, if you’re down, if something happened away from school, if something happened in the classroom, he was also there.”

As Howard begins the next stage of his life, he remains committed to empathy and integrity and continues to love learning.

“Learn as much as you can, and be involved in things you are passionate about.” Howard said. “You only have the opportunity to be in high school once, so really make the most of it and the friends you have around you.”

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dusty kessler, ‘11 photographer by grace snelling

“Wednesday I fly to Atlanta for the Superbowl, I’m shooting some stuff for Bud Light. They’re doing a three day music festival before the actual Superbowl on Sunday, so I’m gonna be shooting all of that. It’ll be people like Post Malone, Cardi B, Migos, a bunch of people will be performing,” said Dusty Kessler, CHS alum and photographer.

Kessler’s career in photography started at FK Studio, a photography studio based in St. Louis, before he even graduated high school.

After having his work published in Rolling Stone in college, he gained exposure to the industry, and the candid style of his work has attracted attention from many celebrities. However, his true passion is in discovering and assisting up-and-coming artists.

“My whole thing has kind of, for a long time, been working with people who maybe aren’t celebrities yet or aren’t known to the general public,” Kessler said. “So a lot of my work, especially with G-Eazy, has been just following his career path for a long time and that’s what I love doing the most. I really started tour-

ing more and being on the road in 2013, so that’s when I was starting to have more access to the artists. One of my biggest tours that I’ve done was in 2016 in Europe, and that was one of the first times that I took photos of Justin Bieber. In 2016 I was also taking pictures of people like Drake and stuff. But I really could care less about big names and stuff like that. I’m more interested in the smaller guys who could turn into something really big.”

Though Kessler emphasized the importance of independence and determination on his experience in the music and photography industries, he also attributed much of his early success to his education at CHS. “You never can say really, but I wouldn’t be where I’m at without coming to Clayton and going to high school there,” Kessler said. “The standout person who pretty much helped me through everything was Chris Vodicka in the arts department.

Back then I still didn’t know that I could make a career out of photography. She’s really the best, in my mind. She’s the main reason that I was able to succeed.”

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jayson lawshee, ‘06 student

by michael bernard and paul liu

“I realized I enjoyed lighting design in elementary school,” Jayson Lawshee, CHS graduate of 2006, said. “At Meramec [Elementary], [we would] hang foil lights and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I didn’t know it was something I could do with my life.”

Once in high school, Lawshee met Theater Manager and Technical Director David Blake.

“My freshman year was his first year here,” Lawshee said.

“We learned about the bilding together.”

Lawshee informed Blake of his interests in lighting design.

Blake helped him learn the basics.

“I did every show there was,” Lawshee said. “The show everyone still talks about is Cabaret, my senior year.” In his junior and senior year at CHS, Lawshee designed the student run musicals alone. As a CHS student, Lawshee was employed at CHS as a theater assistant. Lawshee realized that he had a passion for designed, and decided he wanted to go to college to pursue it. Kelly Weber, CHS Director of Theaters, helped Lawshee to set up an interview with the head of production at Webster University.

Lawshee is currently a junior at Webster University, and is studying lighting design. According to Lawshee, attending school there has many side benefits.

“Webster has a humongous [theater] network,” he said. “In St. Louis, if a school or company is looking for designers, they’ll email my faculty, and they’ll tell us.” He is often paid to design high school plays and musicals.

Lawshee currently has fairly clear plans for what he wants his future to hold.

“I want to leave St. Louis. St. Louis is not the place to be in theater. In an ideal situation I would be in Chicago,” Lawshee said. “I would find a company that needs a resident lighting designer or master electrician.”

According to Lawshee, many of his peers will head to New York City to attempt to do free lance work. However, he feels that that is not the best career choice for him.

“Light and design is such an umbrella term for everything I can be doing under that,” Lawshee said. “Who knows what ladder I will climb?”

will lieberman, ‘94 renovator

by ruthie pierson

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“Be really nice to your classmates,” Will Liebermann, a CHS graduate, said. “Go out of your way to help other people.” Liebermann graduated from Clayton High School in 1994. Now he runs his own business renovating and repurposing historic buildings in the St. Louis area, specifically in South City.

During his time at Clayton, Liebermann was a self-described average student; however he participated in many sports as well as DECA, the business and marketing club that still has a large amount of participants at CHS. Liebermann also worked several part-time jobs while in high school which consumed a fair amount of his time. He had many and varying interests during his time in high school and the strong academics helped propel Liebermann’s education. “I think as a high school student I became more serious about my education,” Liebermann said.

“There were pretty high expectations.”

Another important takeaway from Liebermann’s time at Clayton was the immense amount of resources available to students.

“I had resources that probably would not have been available at a number of other schools,” Libermann said. He was able to pursue his curiosities and passions with all the tools at his fingertips.

One of Liebermann’s favorite moments was the aviation class he took from the freshman physics teacher at the time, Mr. Mullgardt. The students in the course were able to do labs and learn about aviation. The course was one of the highlights of Liebermann’s education. This unique opportunity Liebermann experienced is just one of many examples of the resources available to help Clayton students pursue their love of learning.

Liebermann’s time at Clayton gave him the confidence to face the outside world and pursue the career he felt passionate about. Liebermann’s business now works to renovate and rent historic properties in the core of the city, near Cherokee Street.

This job is important to Libermann because a prominent issue in this country today is consumerism habits.

“We build or make things and throw them away,” he said.

Liebermann hopes to bring back the historic beauty of South City, making our environment a habitable one that future Clayton graduates can be proud to live in and continue to improve.

ryan mcadams, ‘00 orchestral and opera conductor by lana xu

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s Ryan McAdams finished the last notes of “Rhapsody in Blue”

by Gershwin, he stood up and saw the teachers, the band and the people who supported his music throughout his high school years at Clayton. He knew music was right for him.

Having graduated from CHS in 2000, McAdams is now a world-renowned orchestral and opera conductor. He studied piano performance at Indiana Jacobs School of Music and conducting at the Juilliard School.

McAdams was born into a musical family, with his mother as an opera singer at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and his father as a theater director. At CHS, McAdams enjoyed participating in theater and music programs.

“Clayton gave me a tremendous amount of space to pursue [my different interests],” McAdams said.

As a freshman, McAdams loved to hang out with Erik Anthony, the choir teacher of CHS at the time, in the choir room and talk about music.

“He was an extraordinary inspiring force for me. He zeroed in on my talents quickly,” said McAdams. “[Also,] Kelley Ryan casted me in a bunch of musicals, “South Pacific” and “Pajama Game”. That was a fabulous outlet for me.”

Besides music, McAdams also loved history and literature. At CHS, he adored Bill Mickelson, his AP US and European history teacher, and Kathleen Poor, his AP English teacher. “[Ms. Poor] and I would have lunch once a week and talk about music and literature,” said McAdams. “I still have books of hers that she give

me that she thought I would love. Clayton High was an amazing place for me.”

In college, McAdams continued to study philosophy and comparative literature as minors.

“I didn’t just want to go into a hole and just study music in a vacuum for the rest of my life,” McAdams said. “I think it was really because of my history and English teachers in Clayton that I realized that I wanted to keep studying literature and be a well rounded human being for the rest of my life.”

McAdams ran the New York Youth Symphony as his first job, and he has continued to work with high school students.

“The best thing that you can do in high school is not worry that the things that you really like are in any way negative and do your best to find the people in the school that have the same passion,” McAdams said.

“If you can find your family, it just allows you to define yourself in such a clear way, so that when you go to college and you go out of college and into the workforce, you have a clear idea of who you are, what you love, what you don’t love. The interest, the passion, the talent that you have, that make you feel separate from everyone else, the things that make you feel less part of the Clayton society, uncool, unpopular. Those are the things, four five years later, will be the best and most interesting about you. So whatever is making you feel weird, that is the stuff that will make you attractive four years from now, so cling to it and the people around you who love it.”

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shula neuman, ‘86 radio journalist

by luka bassnett and jacob lagesse

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hula Neuman, executive editor at St. Louis Public Radio and 1986 Clayton graduate, hated her time at CHS. “In retrospect, I probably would have hated any high school,” Neuman said. “But it’s only recently I’ve figured that out.

I really put a premium, even to this day, on people treating each other with respect and kindness regardless regardless of where you’re coming from. And that was just not there at [Clayton].”

So great was her dislike of the school that Neuman took summer classes and doubled up on P.E., managing to graduate a year early. Although she struggled in Clayton’s social environment, she valued the education she received (especially the English conferencing program) and grew close with several of her history and English teachers.

Her own academic journey was shaped by her lifelong dream of a career in journalism. At CHS, she joined the school newspaper, then called the Claymo. However, after high school, Neuman spent her time pursuing other paths.

“I wanted to be a reporter from the time I was a little girl,” Neuman said. “In college I lost my way. When I did some soul-searching in my 20s about what I really wanted to do with my life, I was like ‘Hey, I really loved that, writing and reporting.’”

After living abroad for a few years, Neuman returned to the U.S. where she attended Columbia University’s graduate journalism program. From there, she traveled the country, bouncing from one newspaper to another. However, she always knew she wanted to try radio journalism.

The opportunity to pursue this presented itself when she returned to St. Louis to care for her parents. A job opened up at St. Louis Public Radio as a subject matter editor, and Neuman pounced on it.

Given her own history in journalism, Neuman is concerned about the current political climate surrounding the field and the general decline of newspapers and other media.

“I really love journalism”, Neuman said. “The pay sucks and you’re hated by a lot of people. But I really feel like it’s an important mission. We play a very important role in society. I can’t describe how sad it makes me because local journalism especially is so important. If nobody is watching what’s going on, bad things happen.”

ikshu neithalath, ‘11 student

by dheera rathikindi

I

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was repeatedly rewarded for my success, so that even the sleepless nights and obsessive studying it required became like appetizers to sate the hunger for recognition. I doubt I will ever forgive myself for the amount of time I wasted doing schoolwork,” said Ikshu Neithalath, a Clayton graduate with all of the typical traits of one.

“I was competitive and motivated by academic success. I held myself to absurdly perfectionist standards. Yet I strove to maintain a carefree attitude, as if I were good at everything without even trying. Of course, this was not even remotely true.”

Neithalath graduated from CHS in 2011 and went to Stanford for his undergraduate degree, and currently is attending University of California, Los Angeles earning his PhD in mathematics.

He hopes to become a research mathematician at a university, but if that doesn’t work out, Neithalath will pursue teaching.

While he was at CHS, Neithalath was an overachieving student.

He was captain of the Quiz Bowl team and was the strongest player in the state his junior year.

He was also on the speech and debate team and competed in many chemistry, physics and math competitions. But Neithalath soon regretted his mindset during high school.

“I had a huge ego and I felt as if my academic success entitled me to it. I wish I had the courage to let go of my ego and focus on the things I enjoyed, instead of trying to be the paragon of academic achievement,” said Neithalath.

Neithalath believes that apart from the economic advantages that Clayton offers, the friends he made at CHS were one of the things that impacted him.

“I still keep in touch with several of my friends from high school, and it feels likely that many of these relationships will last my lifetime.”

Ironically, Neithalath does not believe in putting complete faith in our deeply rooted system. “You should try to separate the things that don’t matter, the artificial standards of what a high school education ought to be, from the things that do, such as learning for [its] own sake,” Neithalath said.

becca polinsky student

by max keller

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rom Glenridge, Wydown, and finally Clayton, Becca Polinsky is an avid greyhound alumnus. Currently studying Spanish and International Studies at the University of Michigan, Polinksy still misses her days at Clayton, especially her teachers.

“I was an editor for the Globe, and obviously [Ms. Sucher O’ Grady] had a very personal impact on my life,” said Polinsky.

“She just really encouraged growth.”

Ms. Schafer, a spanish teacher, also had a great impact on Polinsky’s life. In fact, Polinsky credits her entry into the field of Spanish to the mentoring of Schafer.

“I felt like she knew me very personally, she’s like a special companion of mine and has a very special place in my heart,” Polinksy said.

Polinksy not only participated in the Globe but also played tennis and soccer at Clayton, as well as performing for show choir and musical theater. She reminisced about her happy days preparing for performances at Clayton during her senior year: “Coming out of “Into the Woods” and then into “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”, that period of time was just a really fun experience,” Polinsky said.

Now, she’s preparing to join Teach for America, a nonprofit organization that enrolls outstanding teachers in low-income schools to teach for two years. By coincidence, she’ll be teaching in St. Louis.

“After that, I would like to pursue something with international affairs or relations,” said Polinsky.

In a word of advice to current Clayton students, she remarked, “take advantage of the fact that there are so many opportunities and ways to engage in the community.”

hava polinsky music student

by kaia mills-lee

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HS graduate from the class of 2017, Hava Polinsky, has continued her pursuit of a career as a violinist at perhaps the most prestigious art school in the country: Julliard.

Starting at the end of eighth grade, Polinksy knew that she was destined to play the violin. Her passion for music was partially derived from her access to the resources and classes that Clayton provided. While at CHS, Polinsky focused her time towards the symphonic orchestra.

In addition to the orchestra at school, she spent many hours playing with the St. Louis Symphony.

“My senior year of high school, the conductor of the St. Louis Symphony asked me to solo with the orchestra during their New Year’s Eve concert,” Polinsky said. “It will definitely always be a highlight of my life.”

She credits part of her success to the community at Clayton and its flexible, supportive environment.

“Senior year, when I was auditioning for music schools, I really needed to have as much practice time as I could. Everyone at Clayton, all the staff, the counselors, everyone was super willing to let me have as many free periods as I could,” Polinsky said. Mr. Henderson, the CHS orchestra teacher, played a major role in helping Polinsky to succeed. “[Mr. Henderson] is great,” Polinsky said. “He’s obviously an incredible musician who understands what it takes and helps his students to achieve it.” Mr. Henderson’s wisdom and guidance has paid off as Polinsky is currently auditioning for various summer and winter festivals in New York, and as predicted, has been excelling in those as well.

Polinsky found it very comforting to have the support of her peers and teachers in high school, and their willingness to do whatever it took to support her success.

“Don’t feel threatened by the societal pressure,” Polinsky said. “It’s sort of like the elephant in the room that no one will really talk about, but if you find a track and you find something you’re passionate about, then Clayton can help you engage in that and run with it.”

ruthie polinsky news anchor

by michael melinger For Ruthie Polinsky, Clayton runs in her blood.

As the oldest of three sisters to move through the District, she led the Polinsky legacy. From CHS on to Michigan and now settling down in Rhode Island, she has kept what Clayton gave her near and dear to her heart.

Largely shaped by her time in the theater productions, Polinsky carries a special sentiment for being in front of an audience as she currently covers sports in the greater New England area.

“I was really involved in theater,” Polinsky said, “There was so many resources dedicated to the theater department and we have such incredible mentors and teachers that have shaped me.”

Polinsky considers theater an integral part of shaping her throughout high school, and along with that experience came bonds and relationships that are etched in memory.

Polinksy looks to Kelly Weber and Alice Fasman as two of the most influential teachers during her tenure at Clayton. Both recognized by Polinksy as giving her the guidance and confidence she needed.

While Fasman has moved on, Kelley Weber continues to serve CHS. Onstage, performing in countless productions during her time, Polinsky distinctly remembers “Oklahoma” during her senior year.

“I think it was probably a Sunday matinee,” Polinsky said, “I just remember leaning over the edge of the stage, we are just belting out Oklahoma and I just remember soaking it in. I just remember embracing the moment and being like, don’t forget how you feel right now because you’ll remember this forever.”

Behind the scenes, Polinsky grew not only appreciate her time in

the spotlight but the actual education Clayton provided her. As she went to Michigan, she realized just how special the ability to soak up knowledge was at CHS. “I went to the University of Michigan and when I got there I just felt so prepared. I remember being in my first English class and it was a required English credit that we had to take my freshman year and I just knew how to do it,” Polinsky said.

Polinksy left high school and eventually college with a lot of memories and some gained wisdom.

College decisions can consume much of someone’s senior year but looking back on it Polinsky has a different view thanks to Brenda Bollinger, her senior year English teacher.

“We watched a documentary called ‘The Race to Nowhere.’ It was about all this work and all this effort that we do to get into college,” Polinksy said.

Bollinger also changed the way Polinsky saw actual school work.

Shifting from this is all for college to this actually has a purpose.

“I just remember being introduced as a student, just so many new ideas and concepts that like made me think really hard about the world and like a greater context rather than just ‘I need to write this paper exactly how my teacher wants me to write it so that I can get an A,’” Polinksy said.

Outside of the two New England Patriots Super Bowl’s she has covered as a journalist, she still considers Clayton home.

“Every time I go to see my family in Clayton, or I talk about Clayton, like back home to me, I think that’s always going to be home,” Polinksy said.

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louise post, ‘85 musician

by angela xiao

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hile at CHS, Louise Post, 1985 graduate, thrived. Post described high school as her “glory days”. She did wellw academically, but also flourished socially.

“I was probably 50 percent academic and 50 percent social. I loved the social aspect of high school and spent a lot of time with my friends.” Post said.

Post immersed herself in sports and extracurriculars.

“I felt really supported in the sports and in the arts, it was all available to me. I loved it all.” Post said.

CHS also helped foster her love for music. Post was involved in the CHS musicals and in the band. She even played in an R&B band outside of school. It gained some fame throughout St. Louis and played at country clubs and dances, including CHS’ own Peppers dance.

Post was additionally involved in student government and was a part of the cheer and basketball teams. Some of Post’s many fond memories involve sports.

“My basketball team would also sing all the time,” Post said.

“We sang on the bus going to and from games. I remember our coach saying in the school paper, in the Globe, that it was always the saddest thing that when we lost a game we wouldn’t sing on the way home.”

After her time at CHS, Post graduated from belting on the basketball bus with her team and started the rock band Veruca Salt. With the help of three bandmates, Veruca Salt began gaining fame, releasing hits like the song “Seether”. Eventually, it became a well-known band that signed with a record label.

Post strongly credits CHS with her success.

“Clayton gave me a feeling that I was invincible, I could do anything. Clayton paved the way for the rest of my life. It prepared me for college and gave me a network of friends that I still have today. It gave me so many incredible memories. The teachers were amazing and helped me to believe in myself. They helped give me a foundation of learning that was essential for the next four years and way beyond that,” Post said.

When asked how current Clayton students can achieve their own success, Post provided a few simple, yet tremendously important words: “Don’t worry too much. Just enjoy yourself.”

arti rai, ‘83 law professor by justin guilak

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iochemistry, economics, Obama, education and law— somehow, Arti Rai’s career hits them. Rai, CHS graduate and current Duke law professor, was raised in Clayton after her family moved from India. After attending school in Clayton, she graduated in the Class of 1983 as one of the most intellectually motivated students in her grade.

Her academic diligence and participation in activities like the school newspaper and math contests helped Rai earn admission to Harvard as a biochemistry major. But, according to Rai, it wasn’t just her hard work that gave her success.

“One thing that I can say unequivocally is I still think the best teacher I ever had was at Clayton High School,” Rai said. “It was a cadre of teachers who all knew each other well and made a real effort for all of their students.”

In fact, Clayton’s excellent teaching helped shape Rai’s career goals.

“I wanted to be a professor, in part, because of some of the teachers I had in high school. [Teaching is] really a process of refining and updating your own beliefs and your own ways of thinking about things. The teachers at Clayton were open to new ideas, they were open to revisiting ways they’d had of doing things, and I think that’s what the best teachers do,” Rai said.

After graduating from Harvard and starting medical school, though, Rai realized that perhaps she was preparing to teach the wrong field. She developed an interest in science policy—a field which combines research with economic and law theory—and decided to instead attend Harvard Law School. Eventually, she wound up pursuing her love for education as a law professor.

However, unique pportunities arose, and Rai temporarily took leave of her job to join Obama’s transition team’s “innovation” group, where she reviewed the patent office and helped restrict the granting of unnecessary patents.

Rai is back at her job at Duke and intends to remain there, where she works alongside Stephen Sachs, another CHS graduate.

For anyone from CHS looking to follow her path into science policy and education, Rai stresses three traits: openness, willingness to work and the ability to network.

“For education, openness to new ideas and the ability to work hard and pursue those ideas is critical. That ends up being more important than whatever one might call ‘intelligence.’”

meredith redick, ‘10 non-profit leader by siddhi narayan

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eredith Redick lives in Alaska. From Sitka, she runs a program called the Alaska Fellows Program Redick described as “a post graduate fellowship program that brings young, talented, people to Alaska and places them in public sector organizations.”

Redick also works for Outer Coast, a non-profit that will be providing affordable higher education to Alaskan natives in the near future.

In addition to running and participating in non-profits, Redick enjoys fishing and boating. However, Redick hadn’t always lived in such a picturesque area.

She attended CHS and was a top student, participating in a variety of activities, such as TEAMS, Rocketry Club, and the Globe, as well as starring in many of the school’s musical productions. After graduating from Clayton in 2010, she attended Yale with the recommendation of one of her beloved English teachers, Rebecca Taylor.

She graduated with degrees in biochemistry and English, then moved to Chicago to teach. She became interested in education largely because of the teachers that she had at Clayton.

She taught at a multilingual school before moving to Sitka to work at and eventually run the Alaska Fellows Program.

Redick had no clue that she would would end up where she is now, but her love of educating others drove her all the way across the country—and she doesn’t regret a thing.

camille respess, ‘17 journalism student by katie he

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amille Respess, Class of 2018, currently attends the University of Florida (UF). During her time at CHS, she was the co-president of Green Club, a Link Crew leader, a member of the girls’ lacrosse team, a Community Service Club member and the editor-in-chief of the Globe.

Respess’ deep passion for journalism reflected how much time and effort she put into the Globe. Writing over 50 articles, several being major cover stories, she displayed tremendous leadership and dedication to the journalism community. Respess reported on issues mostly focused around education. With the cover story State of Mind, she reported on the mental health of students at CHS. With the completion of a major three part series of the Globe called Separate and Unequal, Respess and the Globe went on to uncover the injustices in the St. Louis metropolitan education system and its huge division in education quality. Her stories won numerous prestigious national journalism awards such as the National School Press Association Pacemaker Award and the Brasler Prize.

Journalism has been a big part of Respss’ life. As the assistant project editor of the Trace, she helped shed light on America’s gun violence through writing obituaries of children who have died since the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting at Parkland. She also worked as a news intern for the Riverfront Times, a longform reporter, curator and radio host for WUFT News (News and Public Media for North Central Florida) and a University administration staff writer of the Florida Alligator. Respess challenged herself to reach out within her community and address its issues.

“I think journalism has impacted my life because it was opened up opportunities to think about many different facets of my life, our lives and the lives of people who have nothing to do with me. And because of that, I have grown a sense of responsibility to tell those stories and shed light on on things that I think that there should be conversation about, whether that is education and how unfair our education system is or how our country has a horrific gun violence issue. I was able to be a part of telling that story. So I think that journalism has impacted me because it allowed me to act on things that I cared about in a way that I have been able to feel like it was impactful.” Respess said.

sean rochester, ‘97 english teacher by sara stemmler

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itting at a desk one day, several years after college, editing content for Dell products at an advertising firm, CHS graduate Sean Rochester (‘97) made a drastic life choice: he was going to teach at none other than his very own alma mater.

“Coming back here to teach was always a dream. This is embarrassing, but I applied three times. It took me three times for them to take pity on me,” Rochester said.

Rochester currently teaches Honors English I and Honors American Literature at CHS. Many of his own practices both in the classroom and in life are based off of his own high school experience and his former teachers.

“Growing up in Clayton, it just became the norm to try to excel. It wasn’t a hope, it was an expectation. And to be surrounded by adults who did the same, it seemed normal. So I applied that attitude to my own college life and professional life.”

Aside from academics, many of his formative years were composed of team comradery in basketball, baseball and soccer.

Rochester fondly recounted a vivid memory of the soccer team his senior year, after making it to district championships.

“All of us were playing our guts out because we knew it was the last time we were going to play,” Rochester said. “And it was fall, so it was freezing out. And we ended up losing in shootouts.

And walking off the field, I started to cry. Because I realized this was the last time we would go to war together, and soccer was such a major part of my life, and I knew that I would play again in the future, but it would never be the same. I was proud of representing Clayton, and knowing that that was over, it’s bittersweet. We lost, but there was still pride.”

As for current CHS students striving to uphold the District’s desired student qualities, Rochester grants one piece of advice: “Absolutely work hard, try your hardest, but keep things in perspective. As important as grades are, as important as a transcript is, there are larger things in life than how many points one gets on a quiz or a test. It’s important to maximize experience outside of academics, and to really live.”

andy rochman, ‘64

retired

by vivian chen

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fter graduation from CHS in 1964, Andy Rochman attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut for two years, then moved back to St. Louis and graduated from SLU with a master’s degree in mathematics.

During his time at CHS, Rochman excelled in bookkeeping, accounting and mathematics. However, he didn’t enjoy his language-related classes, especially English. “I wasn’t a very good reader or writer,” Rochman said. “I detested reading and writing, and when I got out of Clayton High, I could barely write a sentence.”

Rochman first worked at General American Life Insurance, then quit the job after seven years.

“I didn’t feel that I had the right personality,” Rochman said. “[They needed] somebody who was a little more reserved, somebody who stayed within the lines.”

Rochman moved on to work for Tillinghast Nelson & Warren consulting firm. During his first few years working for the company, he enjoyed it greatly.

“We had about 115 employees in eight offices… It was very comfortable,” Rochman said.

However, the more successful the company got, the less he enjoyed working for it. “[They started telling] the clients what they needed rather than listening to the clients for what they wanted… They were good at what they did, it just wasn’t the way I wanted to work,” Rochman said. He left soon after. “Everyone told me I was crazy for walking away from a good job.”

This proved to be anything but a crazy decision. Up until his retirement, Rochman worked as a pension actuary, where he designed and administered pension plans. Since his retirement, he has received a check every month.

Andy Rochman now lives comfortably and retired in St. Louis, the city he grew up in and has lived in his whole life. “I exercise every day, I go walking with friends, I’ve got a dog I take to the dog park, I do some writing, I do some reading… [and] I go out to lunch with people,” Rochman said.

He has proven that happiness isn’t only found in being number one, but can also be found in staying true to yourself.

todd rubin, ‘99 buisness executive

by michael bernard and paul liu

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ea is my passion. Tea is all about ritual,” Todd Rubin, CHS graduate of 1999, said. “Some people drink a cup of tea to start their day.

Some people like to drink a cup of tea before bed, or a cup a cup of tea crossed with a book. Tea as a culture provides ritual.”

Rubin currently serves as the president and minister of evolution of San Francisco based tea company The Republic of Tea, and was named one of San Francisco’s 40 under 40 by San Francisco Business Times in 2016. The Republic of Tea was bought by Rubins father in 1994 from the founders of the Banana Republic.

In 1995 Rubin moved to Clayton from southern Illinois, and began his journey at CHS as a freshman. However, he made a very quick impression in the community. Rubin was awarded with the most outstanding freshman award at the end of the year.

“I felt that I was able to be successful my first year, coming in new. I was able to prove to myself that I was able to be successful in this new environment. Sophomore year I won the outstanding sophomore award,” Rubin said. “I was awarded a Clayton key in ‘98, and in ‘99 when I graduated [I was awarded] the George Stuber award.”

Rubin also attributes the theater program at CHS to some of his success in life. Drama and English teacher Noreen Bush (formerly Noreen Colbeck) impacted Rubin greatly.

“She encouraged me to get involved in extracurricular activities,” Rubin said. “I was interested in design, so I got involved with the theater program and did props and the set design for three of the productions.

That involvement in the drama program has stayed with me since then.”

Rubin often travels to New York City and invests in Broadway Pro-

ductions. He recently invested in the musical Jagged Little Pill, which will be on Broadway in the fall of 2019.

Rubins high school interest of design led him to receive a degree in architecture from Syracuse University.

“I did not have the pressure from my family that I needed to go to college and do a business program,” Rubin said. “They were very encouraging of me to pursue my own passion.”

After working at an architecture firm in New York City out of college for four years, Rubin decided it was time for a job. He joined the family business and took a sales role. Three years, ago Rubin succeeded his father and gained his current role.

“My duties are to be the leader of the company. To be successful. Also to develop new innovations. We come out with new tea every year.” Rubin said. The company recently released 13 new tea flavors in January.

Even though Rubin is no longer working as an architect, he still takes advantage of his degree.

“Our production and shipping facility is in Nashville, Illinois. We needed to add offices,” Rubin said. “So, we built an addition onto the building. We had to design a space to connect those buildings. I designed that space.”

Rubin also designed new offices for the company in California.

Rubin believes that much of his success as a professional was pushed forward by his education at CHS. “The honors [CHS] bestowed upon me helped build my confidence in becoming a leader and successful in what I’m doing today,” Rubin said

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juliana schafer, ‘05

architect

by lise derksen

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owen st. germain, ‘18 student

by zachary fisher

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wen is known by his teachers and his peers as someone who leads by example, in the class and particularly in robotics he always seems to go out of his way to help others.

Stephen Beauchamp, the engineering teacher and robotics coach, has taught Owen for all 4 years and has worked with him on the robotics teams throughout Owen’s high school career.

“One of the things that is really remarkable about him was his demeanor, he was always very cooperative both with the teacher and with other students and he was always willing to help other students with issues they came across...He always prepared things for the up and coming team members through teaching our rookies and leaving a legacy that would allow our team to move forward.”

Owen was deeply involved with the robotics team and says one of his most memorable moments was going to the 2017 St. Louis robotics regional and driving the robot for the first time; even though it was stressful driving the robot for the first time in such a competitive environment, he felt that it was one of the most fun experiences he’s had and he wouldn’t change a thing about it. Additionally, Owen feels that Mr. Beauchamp and the classes he has taken with him has been a large influence on his career choice in STEM. Similar to most students at Clayton he found some of the classes and the intense workload difficult at times but he credits his success to staying organized and maintaining a planner.

“For the longest time I would just remember my deadlines in my head and do them as I felt necessary, but once the workload gets harder that method just adds way too many extra steps, by writing down what I’ve had to do I’ve saved myself all kinds of mental effort.”

Owen is currently studying engineering at Boston University and even though the classes are tougher than the ones he took in high school, he felt that Clayton has prepared him well and helped him develop a robust work ethic.

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uliana Schaefer graduated from Clayton High School in the year 2005. Schaefer now furthers an occupation in architecture. Schaefer works for SGM architecture who specialize in improving school facilities for safety and improved learning. “We have worked with Parkway Schools and the Northwest school district” Schaefer explains “we meet with the administrators and designers and plan facilities to improve their schools.” Schaefer describes her work as “very interesting because it is a combination of everything and you get to use a lot of different skills.”

During her time at CHS, Schaefer was involved in tennis for all 4 years and soccer for 3. Schaefer was also very interested in art so her senior year she participated in the art club which met once a week after school.

Schaefer credits a lot of her success to the classes and courses taught at CHS. “The art classes taught a me a lot and definitely prepared me well for my profession now.” O’Brien explains “there was also an opportunity where we got to shadow a profession we were interested in for a week which really allowed me to become interested in architecture and art.” besides the hands-on courses CHS gives students, CHS also “taught me work ethic and challenging myself ” Schaefer explains “in order to pursue a license you need to do a lot of studying and loads of work, CHS prepared me well.”

Outside of her profession, CHS taught Schaefer many values and morals. The importance of having an open mind, diversity and accepting others were just a few. “You have to serve everybody in a community in order to be successful.”

shiori tomatsu, ‘14

musician

by danielle choo-kang and ashley chung

F

or a perfectionist like Shiori Tomatsu, making even a small mistake could become a major source of stress. When she was a freshman in high school, Tomatsu, a flutist, auditioned for the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra and was devastated when she didn’t make it. Although she warns people against it, Tomatsu started to practice for eight hours per day, intensely motivated to get in, which led to her future acceptance into the orchestra and other later successes as a musician.

“It’s okay to fail,” she explains, “As long as you’re willing to bounce back and work hard.” She now appreciates her failures, as they helped her to push her to grow and become successful.

A CHS graduate of the Class of 2014, Tomatsu devoted much of her time during high school to music. She played with several bands and orchestras outside of school, and also helped to create new opportunities for flutists at Clayton by starting the flute choir. She was able to juggle her many activities, which also included several non-music-related extracurriculars, because of her passion for them. She continues to play flute past high school, having majored in music at Yale.

Although Tomatsu has a passion for music, she ultimately decided to pursue medicine, as she is now a student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Despite her struggle with choosing between career paths, she is glad that Clayton allowed her to explore both subjects.

Clayton also helped her learn to balance all of her interests and spend her time and effort wisely. Tomatsu has been witness to several of her peers exhausting their passions by overworking.

She expresses the importance of taking breaks for the sake of mental health.

“Work hard, but not too hard... Don’t burn yourself out.”

kevin wall, ‘98 activist

by keilan morrissey

K

37

evin Duncan Wall, 1998 CHS graduate, took a unique career path that has given him interesting perspectives on life.

During his time at Clayton, Wall considered himself to be a high-achieving student who actively partook in school clubs and groups. He spent a good deal of time in the yearbook office as an editor. Much of what he learned there still applies to his current life, and winning the Pacemaker award for yearbooks is an achievement he still proudly cherishes to this day.

Wall was a DECA member, wrestler and captain of the soccer team. He was a fairly popular kid, who realized in hindsight that he often tried to fit in with other boys in his age group. But he eventually grew to be bored with the social scene, and craved something beyond his typical interactions with peers.

After reading Dostoevsky’s book “Notes from Underground”, he decided to get creative and write his own piece titled “Notes from Above Ground”, centered on his alienation from the Clayton social world. While in this creative mindset during his senior year, he began indulging in fictional books as a form of light escapism.

His AP English teacher, Kathy Puhr, encouraged him in his reading endeavors, and helped facilitate the connections he made through reading to life and the darker parts of his own self. He truly felt like she, more than any other CHS teacher, really understood him.

As Kevin continues to mature, he realizes more and more that he did not need to try so hard to impress people during his time in school.

Senior year was a major turning point in Wall’s life at Clayton, because it was also the year that he began taking theater classes.

Theatre was a comforting environment in the school that did not feel quite so academic. His involvement in theater was a pathway to the route he took in college; the circus arts. He attended circus school in France, then went on to write a book about circus titled “The Ordinary Acrobat”. The book described his own experiences in the world of circus. He even taught circus history at Montreal Circus School for over a decade.

He fell in love with the non-hierarchical nature of circus, and how every member of a circus is just as important as every other.

Everyone has their own unique talents, and they are all equally valuable. Even the crowd itself is a vital part of the performance, and crowd members feel included. These themes of equality were a bridge to his current career of social activism. He now runs an event space in New York that promotes activism.

anna widder, ‘15 student

by ashley chung, sonia palamand and danielle choo-kang

I

’m here to go to school, I’m going to learn stuff.” This is how current Stanford University senior Anna Widder described her approach to school. A member from the CHS graduating Class of 2015, Widder has a genuine passion for learning that distinguishes her from many of her classmates. She made the most of the courses available to her at Clayton, and, because she enjoyed taking physics and Latin in high school, is now majoring in Engineering Physics and Classics.

In addition the heavy workload of her classes, Widder also took on several extracurriculars, both academic, such as TEAMS and WYSE, and athletic. Widder was on the field hockey, soccer and swim teams. She continues to explore different sports now as an épée fencer on the Stanford team.

She is glad that she used her time in Clayton to discover what she enjoyed, contrary to the many students at Stanford whose sole aspiration had been getting into the school. Now, she explains, those students are left feeling lost.

Widder is saddened by the competitive, college-centered atmosphere at Clayton, which she believes can be toxic to students.

“Just help each other. You’re not really competing for spots anywhere. If you are all excellent, then excellent colleges will accept you all.”

She hopes that students can work with each other, rather than against each other, in order to achieve their goals.

Widder encourages students to focus on their passions and to appreciate the present while they still can.

“There are things about home and about high school that will go away,” Widdersaid. “Go play fetch with your dog!”

sarah widder, ‘16 student

by zachary fisher

S

38

arah Widder can be described as having an eclectic personality, to say the least. Participating in various clubs ranging from playing the guitar in the Buskers Club to tutoring fellow classmates through Helping Hounds, Widder was deeply involved in her high school career.

Widder, like many students at Clayton, was very serious about her education and often had her GPA in mind. She said that Clayton pushed her to strive for her best, but it also taught her to know her limits. She values the skills that Clayton taught her, such as good study habits and time management.

Her teachers reflect similar sentiments. Both her physics teacher, Mr. Rice, and her chemistry teacher, Mr. Peck, have high praise for her conduct in and out of class.

“Sarah Widder was that unique student who was able to work at the very highest academic level and to participate in diverse activities outside of school while maintaining a relaxed and positive attitude every day,” Rice said. “She was a powerful student who was fun to have in class.”

“If I was given the opportunity to make an AP Chemistry Hall of Fame, Sarah Widder would be a unanimous first round pick,” Peck said. “Everything Sarah did, both in and outside of class, was stellar. Besides being a shining academic star, she was a person that seemed to enjoy every aspect of life.”

Widder said that despite Clayton’s pressure to take many AP classes and join hundreds of clubs, this doesn’t always lead to success.

“You don’t have to be involved in a bunch of clubs or take all-honors classes to be successful,” Widder said. “Just find what you’re passionate about and spend your time doing that. Keep an eye on the bigger picture—all the little things that seem so stressful and world-ending right now won’t really matter in the long run.”

Widder is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Yale University and is currently interested in research regarding the connections between cognitive science, computer science, and linguistics.

corrine yap, ‘12 actor

by sofia erlin

C

HS graduate Corrine Yap is an actor, playwrite, mathematician and lover of purple. While Yap transferred to Clayton during the middle of her sophomore year from a small Catholic school in rural Missouri, she took advantage of her time at the high school.

Attending CHS opened up a new world of opportunity for Yap. She was able to challenge herself academically and became involved in Clayton’s flourishing theatre program.

During her senior year, Yap was both president of the Speech and Debate team and the music director for the student-run musical, “Rocky Horror Picture Show”.

“That was a really great show. I personally don’t think I was the best music director because I don’t sing, but I really enjoyed being part of the process and it kind of opened my eyes to what it really takes to put a show together… I still think about that show all the time,” Yap said.

Besides her passion for theatre, Clayton allowed Yap to excel in mathematics. The wide variety of classes offered supported her love for math.

“I decided to study both math and theatre because while I was at Clayton I was able to continue doing both of them. Clayton was a really great environment for allowing students to do a lot of things so that was what pushed me to study both in college,” Yap said.

Yap also enjoyed the conferenced English program at CHS. She feels that it allowed her to have closer relationships with her teachers, specifically her AP Lang teacher Amy Hamilton.

“Senior year I had her for AP Lang and I was chosen as a Presidential Scholar to go to DC and when your chosen you’re allowed to bring a faculty member with you so I brought Amy… she really cared about me succeeding,” Yap said.

The largest difference she noticed about Clayton compared to her previous schools was the encouragement of the CHS teachers. She was supported by them which allowed her to believe in herself. Their mentorship was invaluable to her during her high school career.

“At Clayton, there were so many teachers who I just admired for being so passionate about their subjects and for really supporting the students... so I’d say meet your teachers and make them your mentors because it’ll be worth it,” Yap said.

tong zhao, ‘18 student

by kaitlyn tran

T

39

ong Zhao, Class of 2018, is a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Zhao was an involved member in the Clayton community in STEM fields, participating in science and engineering competitions TEAMS and WYSE. He also participated in math club and was a member of the Mu Alpha Theta Honors Mathematics Society. His inclination towards the math and science fields led him to decide on declaring a major in computer science.

However, although he has a strong background in STEM, he also deeply appreciated the humanities perspective that he received while studying at Clayton High School. On the humanities program, Zhao notes that “teachers teach you things you don’t learn from a textbook,” and he especially credits Ms. Teson, his Honors American Literature teacher, as one of the most inspiring figures in his humanities career. Along with Ms. Teson, he also cites physics teachers Mr. Rex Rice and Dr. David Schuster, and math teacher Mr. Kurt Kleinberg, as the most influential teachers he has had the experience to learn from at CHS. Upon arriving to college, he realized the differences in experiences he had compared to students from all across the country.

“I guess I realized after I got here that all the high schools are very different and the culture of each high school is different,” Zhao said, “Clayton is the cream of the crop of the Midwest, and then you have all these private east coast and west coast high schools. It gives you a unique perspective.”

Zhao has also found the environment in college starkly different compared to his time in high school.

“It’s different. People here are more professionally minded,’ Zhao said. “What am I going to major in? Which professor am I going to do research under? You’re thrust into it and it’s very overwhelming. It’s nice to be in the Clayton bubble.”

Lastly, on advice to current Clayton students as a graduate, he suggests, “Read a lot. One thing I regret is not reading a lot in high school. Don’t slack off in English!”

Although Zhao is a new alumni, he will always remember the memories he created over his four years at Clayton High School and will use the education he received to continue to pursue his

jake zimmerman, ‘92 county assessor by david higuchi

A

self-described nerd in high school, CHS graduate Jake Zimmerman says as an underclassman you would most likely find him in a corner reading a book.

Zimmerman, now the St. Louis County Assessor, still greatly enjoyed his time at Clayton.

“I was a theater kid. I loved being on stage even in circumstances where I wasn’t very good at it. And I loved speech and debate again with not much success at least from my first couple of years at school though I got I got better at it during my junior and senior year.”

Zimmerman says he was able to come into his own during his junior year as he developed some close friendships and received some critical mentoring from teachers.

“Somewhere along the line it all kind of clicked. So by the time I was a senior I was having the time of my life,” says Zimmerman.

After graduating from Clayton, Zimmerman went on to Claremont McKenna College in California and then to Harvard Law School. Despite living on both sides of the country, home to Zimmerman was still back in St. Louis.

Returning in 2000, Zimmerman worked as a lawyer in private practice before becoming Missouri assistant attorney general, deputy legal counsel to the governor, spending five years in the Missouri House of Representatives and finally being elected St. Louis County Assessor in 2011.

“So the punchline is I can’t seem to hold a job here,” jokes Zimmer-

40

man.

What has remained constant through all of his jobs, Zimmerman says, is his driving motivation to keep working.

“I’ve always wanted my life to make a difference in the community and specifically in this community,” says Zimmerman. “that’s always been more important to me than the title that I would hold or the number of zeroes tqhat might be in my paycheck one day.”

Although becoming County Assessor of all things was never something he imagined, Zimmerman says he feels it’s been his most fulfilling and rewarding job.

As Assessor, he is responsible for finding the value of all real and personal property in St. Louis County. “[It’s] important that you pay your fair share relative to everybody else,” says Zimmerman. “If somebody gets a sweet deal and gets a hundred thousand dollars knocked off the value of their home because their uncle knows somebody or because the computer made a mistake, then everybody else pays more to help fund the school district and the fire department. So my job is to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”

Zimmerman hopes that future Clayton graduates who go off to colleges in different cities won’t choose to find the highest paycheck in L.A or New York.

“Instead they’ll come back to the place where they are from and try to make a difference here because this is a place that’s worth it,” says Zimmerman.

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42 | SPORTS

by DANIEL COHEN | SPORTS SECTION EDITOR and JIMMY MALONE | PAGE EDITOR

33

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW

Photos from Globe archives

BOYS’ LACROSSE Players to watch:

GIRLS’ SOCCER Players to watch:

BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD Players to watch:

Trystan Goette Hutton Murdoch Gabe Johnson

Lauren Wolff Eliza Copilevitz Sara Litteken

2017-2018 Record:

2017-2018 Record:

2017-2018 Record:

6-9

N/A

3-11

Goals: To win the State Championship.

Goals: To build a strong team dynamic and a competitive mindset.

George Gelzer Liam Simckes Reese Barnett

Goals: To build team unity and qualify athletes to state.

43 | SPORTS GIRLS’ LACROSSE Players to watch:

BOYS’ TENNIS Players to watch:

BOYS’ BASEBALL Players to watch:

Grace Muhm Caroline Marsden Annika Sandquist

Ben Schneider Manny Vidal Max de la Paz

Blake Bax Mac Redohl Henry Keil

2017-2018 Record:

2017-2018 Record:

2017-2018 Record:

1-13

3-4

7-18

Goals:

Goals:

Goals:

To become faster, stronger, and closer as a team.

To make it back to the State Tournament again this year.

To improve everyday.

BOYS’ GOLF Players to watch:

WATER POLO Players to watch:

David Cramer Michael Bernard Eitan Fredman

Leeor Michelson Victor Wei Ivy Befeler

Karrington Green Teaia Jackson Sophia Thompson

2017-2018 Record:

2017-2018 Record:

2017-2018 Record:

6-4

10-6

N/A

Goals:

Goals:

Goals:

To advance as a team from the District Tournament and be competitive in Conference play.

To train a new generation of water polo athletes and get the sport to grow in Clayton.

Rivalry Schedule Boys’ Golf vs Ladue April 4, 3:30 PM Girls’ Soccer vs Ladue April 16, 4:15 PM Boys’ Tennis @ Ladue April 16, 4:15 Boys’ Baseball @ Ladue April 27, 3:30 PM Boys’ Lacrosse vs Ladue May 1, 7:00

GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD Players to watch:

To train hard every day and get distance runners to State.

44 | OPINION

pro: metric system

A metric system conversion will have many benefits to America in the long run LANA XU | REPORTER

Photo by

Photo from Globe archives

O

ut of 195 countries in the world, the United States is the only industrialized country that has not adopted the International System of Units, also known as the metric system, as its official system of weights and measures. The SI is an international decimal system of weights and measures used by every single country in the world except three: Liberia, Myanmar, and the United States of America.

“Because the metric system allows easier conversion, it is more likely for people using the imperial system to make a mistake than people using the metric system,” said Dr. David Schuster, a CHS physics teacher.

It is not uncommon to make mistakes when converting between the two systems. On Nov. 11, 1999, NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter, a $125 million satellite, was lost because the software controlling the machine’s thrusters calculated the force in pounds, while a separate software took the data in assuming it was in the metric unit: newtons.

In the medical industry, organizations such

as the Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices have long recommended hospitals and healthcare facilities to only use the metric system to avoid confusion over patient weights and medication dosages, yet a boy in 2011 was still medicated with a dosage designed for a person more than twice his weight because the nurse mistook 35 pounds as 35 kilograms.

Had America converted to the metric system, such tragedies will be less likely to happen.

“I actually believe fewer Americans would grow up thinking ‘science is hard’ if we didn’t have to teach kids to get out of the stupid system their elementary school taught them before we do any science,” Schuster said.

In the US, most children primarily learn the US Customary System, which is derived from the British Imperial System. They are taught to memorize that there are 12 inches in a foot and that three feet is a yard. However, in middle school and high school courses, students need to learn how to convert measurements from the customary system to the metric system, using tech-

niques like unit conversions.

Since students will have to learn and utilize the metric system in further education levels, why don’t we just teach them the metric system to begin with? More than 75 percent of the students at CHS believe that the US should consider adopting the SI as its official system.

The metric system is the international language for science, medicine and commerce. Because the US is the only remaining industrialized nation with no formal commitment to going metric, international trade becomes an obstacle due to unit conversions. US manufacturers often have to make two versions of their products: one for the US with customary units and one for the rest of the world with SI units.

Even products made solely for the US often include labels in both customary and SI units.

International companies also have to consider if it is worthwhile to adjust its products to fit the customary system.

In fact, despite the stubbornness of the US with converting to the metric system, many companies and industries within the US have switched to the metric system anyway. The US military uses the metric system extensively to ensure interoperability with its allied forces.

“Not only does the vast majority of countries… use metric units, but the system itself is easier to comprehend, which in turn aids calculation and negates the necessity to remember untoward conversion factors,” said junior Samuel Cooper, a British student.

Conversions within the customary system are already complicated with conversions such as one mile equating 5280 feet and one liquid gallon equating 256 tablespoons, not to mention how confusing the different units within the system are to children.

Schuster said, “We always lose instructional time and mental effort working with a system that developed organically in medieval Europe and includes such technicalities as hands, feet and stones.”

On the other hand, SI units were designed with simplicity in mind. “The metric system has an internal logical consistency, where all of the units relate to one another in some way,” said junior George Mitrev.

For most people, familiarizing themselves with only the units gram, liter and meter will suffice. In fact, all of the SI units are derived from merely seven base units. Of course, there are different prefixes and suffixes added to different units to represent the different powers of 10, but conversions are as easy as moving the decimal point left and right.

Of course, it would be expensive to convert the whole country from the customary system to the SI system, but such conversion will only benefit America in the long run. Companies wouldn’t need to make two versions of their products, mistakes regarding conversions would be less likely to occur, and integrating American products and culture with other countries’ would be much easier. Like Schuster said, “it’s time to rip off the band-aid, America.”

45 | OPINION

con: metric system The benefits that would come with a complete switch to the metric system may not outweigh the challenges that the change would present ZACHARY FISHER | PAGE EDITOR

W

hen growing up in America, students learn to have a complicated relationship with measurement systems. We grow up learning that the imperial system is the main way to measure and we see that system being used in sports, at gas stations and in our schools. Despite this, we are also taught the metric system and learn to utilize both in our math and science classes. We learn fractions, decimals, inches, meters, miles, grams and pounds and eventually almost every student asks the age old question: why don’t we just use the metric system?

Well, like most things American, it comes down to a long and complicated history of stubbornness and an affection for money.

There have been multiple times in history when switching to the metric system would’ve been a much simpler process and it would’ve made sense, but unfortunately they were all met with failure.

The metric system initially grew in popularity in Europe around the 19th century, with many European countries adopting the system and utilizing it in their colonies. Eventually it became the global measurement system.

Throughout American history, many notable scholars such as Alexander Graham Bell tried to push for change, but it was never made into law that America should rely solely on the metric system.

One major advancement with conversion to the metric system was with the Metric Conversion Act, which made the metric system the “preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce.” Despite this, there wasn’t much change in the way we use imperial and metric system. Factories owners and manufactures weren’t willing to invest the money to change their equipment and accommodate for a new unit system.

Over time, America has developed a dual measurement system in which many manufactures print their labels in both imperial and metric, and students nowadays learn the benefits of both systems.

One of the main issues with the idea of a full conversion to the metric system is the logistics behind such a feat. Having to change every speed limit sign alone would be an economic challenge and the many other systems that are based on the imperial system, such as gas stations and car manufacturers, would also have to convert their measurements to one that is unfamiliar to many people. Culturally, a full shift would never become successfully implemented, as people would be reluctant to stop using the measurements they’re used to and it would cause mass confusion to have such a large change.

Manufacturers have shown in the past that it isn’t worth it financially to change, and the imperial system is far too ingrained in our everyday lives to convert fully to the metric system.

Conversions to the metric system for international trades nowadays are simple and are utilized every day in manufacturing when transporting things between countries. Many companies use both systems when printing labels and sizing portions.

At an educational level, students learn to use both systems, which allows them to learn the importance of both fractions and

decimals, as well as teaching the usefulness of unit conversion.

Overall, when analyzing whether or not we should make a full switch to the metric system, it is evident that the metric system is already heavily utilized in America and thus the benefits of a full switch wouldn’t outweigh the costs.

Photo from Globe archives

46 | OPINION

staff ed: city county merger The Globe discusses the impact of unifying the St. Louis city and county LILA TAYLOR | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

St. Louis was first established as a city in 1764. By 1876, St. Louis County split off from the city in an event named “The Great Divorce”. Kirkwood was a train station, Ferguson a lone train platform and Clayton was just a farm. The 1870 population was upwards of 300,000, while only 30,000 lived in the county. For taxation purposes, the city desperately attempted to separate itself from the county. The county voted against the separation. As a result, the city brought the decision to court where it was overruled. The city and the country became two separate entities.

St. Louis City and County have tried to merge back together before. There was an attempt in 1926 that passed in the city but was voted against in the county. In 1962, a borough plan was promoted, but voted against by both sides. Now, a new merger plan sits idly on the horizon.

Better Together is a St. Louis based organization fighting for the unification of the city and county. Their mission is to “support the St. Louis region by acting as a catalyst for the removal of governmental, economic and racial barriers to the region’s growth and prosperity for all of our citizens by promoting unity, trust, efficiency and accountability.” Forming in 2013 after an increase of public interest and the negative effects of St. Louis’ fragmented local government, Better Together began its three year research and released their proposal in 2016. In Jan. 2019,

Better Together and their City-County Governance Task force released their recommendation to create a stronger St. Louis.

Their recommendation includes a new government and tax structure aimed at benefiting the economic growth of St. Louis as a whole, as well as the creation of a more modern government that can evolve over time. They hope to create a larger metropolitan area, which would make St. Louis the ninth most populated American city.

This new government, consisting of the current geological boundaries of St. Louis City and St. Louis County would have one mayor, one prosecuting attorney, one assessor, as well as a 33 member council. The proposal is expected to be on the 2020 ballot, and if approved, a transition period would commence on Jan. 1, 2021.

The cities within St. Louis County would not be able to have their own police departments or municipal courts, and neither school nor fire districts would be affected by the merger.

While it is reported that schools would not be affected, why are they not written into the proposal?

Better Together’s proposal states, “The Task Force recommendations do not specifically address schools for two reasons. First, the Task Force, as endorsed by the Mayor of St. Louis and St. Louis County Executive, charged its members to review potential efficiencies in government/municipal services—a scope that does not include schools. Second, in the state

of Missouri, school districts are a different class and type of political subdivision, separate from a city or county in which they are located. This is evidenced, in part, by the fact that education is governed by an entirely different part of the Missouri Constitution than provisions governing cities and counties.”

Since the establishment of Better Together in 2013, the public has called for school and education coverage in the proposal. This led to the task force engaging in many conversations regarding the impact the merger could have on education.

Another organization, Forward Through Ferguson, an St. Louis organization working towards equality, has called for a task force assigned to create a new finance and education design. While the Better Together task force supports Forward Through Ferguson proposal, they are still lacking an educational equity plan in their otherwise in-depth proposal report.

The recommendations presented by Better Together do highlight the positive effect their tax and zoning reforms would impact the children and schools of St. Louis.

“(1) the reform surrounding the use of TIFs in our region should help restore lost funding to school districts; and (2) once an inclusionary zoning policy is implemented in the Metro City, it should have an impact on economic and social mobility such that children and families that may live in an under-performing school district will have the ability to move and attend school in a school district where the needs of those children are met.”

They do not highlight any negative effects their proposal would have on school or education equity.

Schools are such a fundamental and crucial part of society as well as the St. Louis community. Education inequality throughout the St. Louis area is a large issue, and with the merging of city and county, it is an issue that needs to be addressed by those heading and recommending the merger.

The formation of the Metro City seems beneficial to the city, and potentially schools but Better Together’s proposal does not go into detail regarding education and schools enough for it to be enough. Thorough research done on how schools will be both positively and negatively effected is only the beginning; Better Together must also provide specific recommendations for St. Louis’ education system in order to gain the support needed to transform the idea of a county-city merger into a reality.