GL BE BRAVE NEW YEAR
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WELCOME TO THE *VIRTUAL* DOG H OUSE
. VOLUME 92 . ISSUE 1 . CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL. CLAYTON, MO. SEPTEMBER 2020.
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WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL DOGHOUSE 14 New Faculty
Meet the new teachers of CHS
18 Alternative Learning
Angela Xiao explores alternatives to
traditional elementary school.
22 Sports Preview
Find out how sports are adjusting
to social distancing guidelines
ELI MILLNER, PHOTOGRAPHER
CONTENTS 3
GL BE STAFF
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sofia Erlin and Shane LaGesse
CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR Siddhi Narayan
CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR Angela Xiao
SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS Ella Cuneo Lulu Hawley Noor Jerath Kaitlyn Tran Yiyun Xu
SECTION EDITORS Alex Hagemeister & Ruthie Pierson, NEWS Emma Baum & Seraphina Corbo, FEATURE Ivy Reed and Disha Chatterjee, OPINION Kaia Mills-Lee & Cece Cohen, SPORTS Kate Freedman and Moriah Lotsoff, REVIEW Max Keller, PRO/CON
COPY EDITORS
REPORTERS Owen Auston-Babcock Graysha Benjamin Stella Bishop Jenna Bush Rachel Chung Alexandra Cohen Sonali Dayal Aashna Doshi Cecilia Dupor Isabel Erdmann Grace Helfgott Isra Kayani Tatum Ladner Enoch Lai Chloe Lin Sophia Lu Sophie Matiszik Ella McAuley Samantha McDonough Charlie Miller
Kirby Miller Isaac Millians Ana Mitreva Hannah Moon Sofia Mutis Ruby Nadin Medha Narayan Katherine Perrin Abby Rosenfeld Simone Sah Samuel Smith Abby Sucher Leo Taghert Andrew Thompson Sophia Thompson Carola Vaqueiro Espinosa Estella Windsor Chloe Wolfe Annie Xiao Elaine Yoo
PHOTO EDITOR Eli Millner
Vivian Chen and Margy Mooney
PAGE EDITORS Luka Bassnett Eliot Blackmoore Chloe Creighton Sahithya Gokaraju Maya Goldwasser Noor Jerath Sasha Keller
Daphne Kraushaar Rachel Liang Naveed Naemi Emma Raine Sophie Srenco Sophie Yoshino
PHOTOGRAPHERS Natalie Ashrafzadeh Celia Baer Audrey Deutsch Davia Goette Lucia Johnson Whitney Le Hayley Lewis Amy Ma
Charlie McDonough Deborah Park Maya Richter Jacob Schneider Madalyn Schroeder Emma Stipanovich Anna Walsh
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from the editors Going back to school this year will look a little different. As a rising senior, back to school season usually brings the excitement of being top dog on campus. Pep rallies, dressing up for spirit week, the Golden Greyhound and Homecoming were all things that came to mind when I imagined what my senior year would look like. This year, because of COVID-19, the only similarity my senior year will have with the one I imagined is college applications. When quarantine started in March, we all hoped it would be over in time for the start of summer. Now that it’s clear we’re in for the long haul, it’s hard not to feel upset by all the things we took for granted before. Things like sneaking some chips into the library and being packed into the Globe room for morning meetings won’t be happening anytime soon. While quarantine has been a time of isolation, it’s also been a time for community building. Before social distancing, most of us were too busy to know what our siblings were up to, let alone our neighbors. Seeing neighbors on family walks and teachers being distracted by their pets on Zoom has allowed us to connect with people in ways we never did before. Part of that community building includes helping others in the St. Louis area who need support. For those of us who have been lucky enough to not face financial crisis because of lockdowns, it’s important to remember that millions have lost their jobs. In the St. Louis area alone, hundreds of people are facing the threat of eviction. If you’re able to, donate to a group working to protect St. Louisans who are most vulnerable during this time, like ArchCity Defenders or the St. Louis Housing Defense Collective. Order takeout or buy gift cards from your favorite local restaurant to help them make it through the pandemic. As we ease into online learning, it’s easy to get caught up in our own lives. When will we see our friends again? Where will we apply to college? When will we resume in-person learning? But now more than ever we have to remember that we’re in this together.
Sofia Erlin
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
It’s important to remember that every morning, we all sign into the same Zoom classrooms for our online learning. We all face the same technological challenges and the difficulties of learning remotely. We all still don masks when entering public areas and stand six feet away from our friends when able to meet them in person. I, along with many of my other peers who are entering junior year are busy stressing over the uncertainty around our AP tests, with the added concerns about the effectiveness of online classes. Standardized testing, college visits and sports seasons are all up in the air. The pandemic has thrown us all, as students, into uncertainty, but it’s important to remember to be flexible. Understand that many of the difficulties you now face are felt by everyone else, and come to embrace some of the benefits of this new learning experience. I, for one, will not be rolling out of bed until 8:55 in the morning and enjoying using it yet again during lunch. It’s important to keep a positive outlook, and as cheesy as that sounds, there really isn’t much we can do at this point but accept the circumstances and do our best to mitigate the damage. Hopefully, we can return to a state of semi-normalcy sometime in the future, but for now we can all push forward with a positive mindset and enjoy our next semester of high school. Make sure to thank your teachers for all of the extra work they’re putting in to make cohesive online curriculums, and your parents for helping you sort through this uncharted territory. This year is new for all of us, not just the incoming teachers and freshmen. A lot will change throughout the course of the year, and we will likely have to change with it. Regardless of everything, I’m looking forward to another, albeit different, year of high school.
Shane LaGesse
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
a new classroom As CHS students remain at home for the first quarter, teachers have come up with creative ways to keep their classrooms feeling normal. Mr. Peck, a chemistry teacher created a unique new seating arrangement.
Photo by Erin Sucher-O’Grady
HAILING IN HARRIS After weeks of anticipation, Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joseph Biden has announced his running mate as Jamaican/Indian-American California junior senator Kamala Harris.
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ince 1:45 AM CDT when Donald J. Trump was announced to be the next president, the resistance against his reign and rules has been a main target the left. The past two decades have introduced equality, social justice and non-discrimination into the mainstream. To many individuals, electing Trump was a major setback in this progress. For the past three years and seven months that Trump has been in office, heaps of individuals (some with a background in politics and some not) have attempted to become the Democratic Party Presidential Candidate. With a total of twenty-seven major Democratic candidates all set on defeating Trump in the 2020 election, only Joseph Biden, former vice president to Barack Obama, remains now. After weeks of decision-making, presumptive Democratic Presidential Candidate Biden decided on and announced his vice presidential pick as Kamala Harris, the current junior senator from California. As the presumptive running mate for Biden, Kamala Harris would make history as the third woman and the first woman of color ever chosen as the Vice Presidential nominee . Born to a Jamican professor father and an Indian biologist mother, Harris moved often as a child and has lived in Berkeley, California, Quebec and Urbana, Illinois. In 1986, she graduated from Howard University in Washington D.C. majoring in political science
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Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris make their first public appearance together, clad in face masks, at Alexis Dupont High School in Wilmington, Delaware..
KAMALA HARRIS WOULD MAKE HISTORY AS THE THIRD WOMAN AND THE FIRST WOMAN OF COLOR EVER ELECTED TO VICE PRESIDENT
NEWS 8
DREW ANGERER, PHOTOGRAPHER and economics. She then proceeded to attend University of California Hastings College of the Law, graduating in 1989. A year after graduating, Harris was hired as a deputy district attorney for Alameda County in California and later was elected the district attorney of San Francisco. After this victory, she became California’s first person of color district attorney. Next, in 2011, Harris was elected the Attorney General of California and stayed in this position until 2016 when she was elected as California’s junior senator. Harris was originally another presidential candidate for the 2020 race until she dropped out on December 3rd, 2019. In her book “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey”, Harris wrote that she wishes to be a “joyful warrior” for “Americans trapped in the cost-of-living crisis.” Among representing and supporting middle class and poverty-level
California’s junior senator presumptive running mate for Joe Biden’s presidential campaign Kamala Harris speaks at an event.
ALEXANDER DRAGO-POOL, PHOTOGRAPHER American families, Harris also believes in giving Dreamers citizenship and assistance, gun control and raising minimum wage. Her combination of influence, political background and advocation for justice and equality would bring a different set of experience to a Biden administration. Additionally, if elected, Harris would be both an inspiration and role model to the African-American and Asian-American communities. During Harris’ time spent as California’s Attorney General, she focused heavily on incarcerating felons -- raising the conviction rate from 50% to 76%. She even defended the death penalty on multiple occasions as recently as 2014. She also created a Hate Crimes Unit to help protect LGBTQ+ youth from abuse. As California’s junior senator, Harris
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AS CALIFORNIA’S ATTORNEY GENERAL, HARRIS RAISED THE CONVICTION RATE OF FELONS FROM 50% TO 76%.
sponsored the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act in 2018, but the measure ultimately did not pass through the House. The goal of the bill was to designate lynching as a federal hate crime. The presumptive Democratic duo of Biden and Harris are seen as “our nation’s most pro-equality ticket in history,” according to Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David. While still in the running for Democratic presidential primary, Harris vowed that she would pass the Equal Rights Amendment -- a bill that would end gender-based discrimination completely. For the many Americans that are hoping to flip the executive branch to blue this November, Harris adds an level of diversity to the presidential ticket that is more reflective of the overall Democratic Party.
lulu hawley SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR
NEWS 9
BUSH BEATS Cori Bush defeats Lacy Clay in the Missouri’s 1st Congressional District primary.
Cori Bush speaks onstage during The LA Promise Fund’s “Hello Future”
(Rachel Murray/The LA Promise Fund’s “Hello Future” Summit/Getty Images/TNS) On Aug. 4, 2020, nurse, single mother, pastor and activist Cori Bush defeated 10-term incumbent William Lacy Clay Jr. in the Missouri 1st congressional district primary election. If elected, Bush will be the first Black woman to represent the district. The Clay name has had control over Missouri’s 1st congressional district for over 50 years. Before Lacy Clay succeeded him, Clay’s father was in congress for 32 years. In fact, this was not Bush’s first attempt to defeat Clay in the primary; in 2018, she ran and lost by a 20-point margin. Since then, Bush’s 2018 campaign against Clay was featured in the Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, alongside prominent U.S representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Coupled with the publicity due to the film, her more aggressive second campaign was backed by organizations such as the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats, as well as the endorsement of progressive U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. Still, defeating Clay was no simple feat.
10 NEWS
He had endorsements from distinguished establishments such as Planned Parenthood and the Sierra Club, as well as Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was endorsed by the editorial boards of local St. Louis papers-- the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and St. Louis American. “He was endorsed by many of the ward organizations, some of which even said, ‘Well, you just don’t go against the Clays. Even though we may like you, you just don’t go against them publicly,’” Bush said. Being a Black woman running for office posed its own unique set of challenges as well. Bush noted that often would often draw the focus away from the policies she was promoting to her physical appearance. “Since I decided to run for office and especially since I won the primary, people have commented on everything from my clothing, to my hair, to my hips, to my AAVE. I am a Black woman and I am proud of it. I am the people I serve, and I’m bringing that to congress,” Bush said in a tweet.
In terms of policy, both Bush and Clay can be categorized as progressive. Clay’s father was a notable civil rights activist, and Clay has voiced his support for proposals such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. However, a key difference between the two has been their lived experiences and the degrees of their activism. Bush worked as a triage nurse and organizer at the 2014 Ferguson protests and was assaulted by police at the event. She previously raised her children while homeless. She even suffered from coronavirus, putting a two-month pause in her campaign. “Three days after I recovered, we were on the streets protesting the murder of Breonna Taylor. If people didn’t understand why I was involved with the movement in 2014, they can see the persistence, the longevity of the commitment now,” Bush said. Both Bush and Clay launched attacks against each other in the course of the campaign. Clay has claimed that Bush is anti-Israel for her sup-
disha chatterjee OPINION EDITOR
port of BDS, but her campaign rivaled back with a statement that she stands in solidarity for the Palestinian people. Clay mentioned that groups which backed Bush, such as the Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress, were essentially using her as a prop. “They use her to raise money to support their infrastructure,” Clay said. Bush disagreed, rebutting that she had no prominence until she came out of the Ferguson uprising and gained a name for herself, not because of any group’s financial support. She also claimed that Clay has been largely absent from protests and has avoided creating meaningful change. “When we were getting our butts kicked and I was maced in the face in Florissant a few weeks ago and people were getting beat on by police officers… did he show up the next day to say, ‘You can’t do this in my district, you can’t treat people this way?’” Bush said. If Bush defeats Republican Anthony Rogers in the general election, she plans to remain strongly connected to the activist community. She believes that if something occurs in her district, she will remain involved and participate in events such as protests and rallies. Clayton High School junior Olivia Whittle is one of several students at Clayton in support of Bush and the policies she advocates for. “I think it’s super important, especially now, to have representatives that will actively fight against racial injustice. Cori Bush is dedicated to creating positive change in office. She advocates for the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and criminal justice reform, specifically targeting the racial
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I FIGHT BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, TO BE BURDENED WITH STUDENT AND MEDICAL DEBT, TO LIVE DAY TO DAY IN ST. LOUIS WHERE POVERTY IS VIOLENCE, CRIME IS RAMPANT, AND OUR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY GROWS DAILY. WE NEED A CHAMPION FOR POLICIES THAT WILL AFFECT RESIDENTS OF MISSOURI’S 1ST DIRECTLY. I AM THAT CHAMPION. - CORI BUSH inequalities within each of these issues. These are all things that I support and am happy to see her taking an initiative with,” Whittle said. The general election on Nov. 3 will determine if Bush will secure a seat in congress. In a tweet,
Congressional candidate Cori Bush speaking at an Expect Us rally.
Wikimedia Commons
Bush shared a picture of her standing outside the Capitol building, noting it was her first time stepping foot inside. “All I can think about is how proud I am to be bringing St. Louis with me,” Bush said.
NEWS 11
AP TESTS DURING COVID-19
AP tests have unprecedently shifted online, and students worldwide have had to adapt to the change.
CHS student Medha Narayan studying for her AP Exam
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n the year 2020, an unprecedented global virus spread throughout the world. Millions of people caught coronavirus, and it affected daily life everywhere. In the U.S., coronavirus is especially strong, and has changed student experiences for the foreseeable future. A huge change that has affected both students in the U.S. as well as international students was the movement of tests to an online platform-- a primary exam being the Advanced Placement (AP) exams. AP exams in the past have typically lasted 2-3 hours, using a combination of multiple choice, short answer, and long answer questions. Exams are usually done in person, typically at the student’s school. In 2019, when exams were taken in person, almost 5.1 million AP exams were taken. This year however, approximately 4.6 million AP exams were taken online worldwide, lasting
SIDDHI NARAYAN, PHOTOGRAPHER
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TESTS THIS YEAR WOULD BE VERY HARD FOR STUDENTS WITHOUT STABLE INTERNET ACCESS OR WITHOUT A RELIABLE QUIET PLACE TO TEST.
PROBLEMS DUE TO SERVER OR INTERNET ISSUES ARE REALLY FRUSTRATING.
siddhi narayan
12 NEWS
CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR
approximately 50 minutes per exam. This change was received differently by different individuals, garnering both support and disdain. Some felt that the new format of AP exams unfairly disadvantaged international student testees. All exams had to be taken at a standard time, and therefore several students across the world had to take their exams in the middle of the night, leaving them stressed and tired. Another downside was technical difficulties. Recent Clayton High School graduate Myles McCarthy expressed that testing from home may have caused issues for some students. “Tests this year would be very hard for students without stable internet access or without a reliable quiet place to test. Problems due to server or internet issues are really frustrating.” said McCarthy. Several students encountered technical difficulties such as internet problems while taking the test, causing them to be behind schedule, unable to submit their exams, or unable to complete their exams. While in the second week of exams, CollegeBoard attempted to resolve the issue by adding the option to email your answers to them within
10 minutes of the end of the exam, several students who had faced difficulties in the first week had to retake their exams. The length of the exams also posed difficulties for students. Many students felt that 50 minute exams with two questions each was not enough time to encompass a year’s worth of knowledge. The length of the written exam was not the only thing cut short that caused problems. For many students taking foreign language exams, like CHS senior Koray Akduman, the reduced time for the oral portion posed a problem. “Our entire score [for the oral portion] was based on 140 seconds of speaking, while usually it’s based on 18 minutes,” said Akduman. “I didn’t feel like that was enough at all to accurately convey our speaking abilities.” Despite all of these setbacks, there were some benefits to the online AP tests. A large plus for many students was the ability to utilise notes during the exams. “I didn’t have to stress as much because I had my notes. There was less memorization, which was really good,” Akduman said. The open note aspect also gave a more broad way for students to prepare for the exam.
“The fact that they were open-note this year means I spent more time on conceptual ideas and less on things I could just look up,” McCarthy said. In addition to this, some tests that featured both an exam and a project had one of those parts removed. In the case of AP Computer Science Principles, the test was removed, which CHS junior Sonia Palamand greatly appreciated. “If I had had to study for a full-blown computer science exam, I would not have gotten a good score. But because it was project-based, I really enjoyed it, and it helped me strengthen my love for computer science,” said Palamand. The future of AP exams is uncertain for now. Nobody is sure if things will return to some sort of normalcy in the future, or if the next round of exams will be similar to this one. Whether schools and testing locations open up or not, many wonder if CollegeBoard will evaluate both the ups and downs of this cycle of AP tests, and make changes accordingly. At this point, students can only speculate what the next cycle of testing will bring them; wonder if there will be unprecedented changes made by an unprecedented virus.
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FRESH FACES TO CHS
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ERIKA WHITFIELD CHS welcomes a new English teacher.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WHITFIELD
I WANT STUDENTS TO KNOW THAT I REALLY PRIDE MYSELF ON ADVOCATING FOR THEM.
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AND I PRIDE MYSELF ON ALLOWING THEM TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES. 14 FEATURE
became an English teacher because I enjoy sharing literature with students. I enjoy exposing them to things that they normally wouldn’t read. And I enjoy writing a great deal… I think that combining the two as a career is like a match made in heaven,” said incoming CHS English teacher Erika Whitfield. Whitfield has been an English teacher for eight years. She first taught in St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) for six years and then at the Archdiocese of St. Louis for two. However, this fall will be Whitfield’s first time working with high school students. “I’m really excited about working with high school students,” Whitfield said. “I’m really excited about talking about more relevant issues that are happening in the world today like talking about race issues, talking about gender issues, finding readings that really resonate with that and having some open dialogue about it.” Despite her passion for teaching, Whitfield did not start out as an English teacher. “[Before teaching] I worked in a corporate office at a grocery company, and I used to be a pricing analyst. So that’s a big difference from being a teacher. And I learned that my appreciation for literature and students weighs so heavily that if I didn’t do it I wouldn’t be okay with myself,” Whitfield said. After transitioning to become a teacher, Whitfield was able to experience the bonding with students she had missed as a pricing analyst. Her favorite teaching memory was at SLPS. “I had a student who was really low in reading and he was embarrassed to try,” Whitfield said. “And so I really enjoyed working with him one-on-one to help him build his confidence. And then, probably about second semester, right when we came back from break, he raised his hand in class.” While she hasn’t been able to teach this book in a class yet, Whitfield’s favorite novel is Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. “I just enjoy the story just because Siddhartha is going through all of these different changes to become this enlightened person, which is kind of like who we all are as people trying to become our best selves.” Although this school year will be unorthodox, Whitfield is excited to create systems to help students get as much of a normal classroom experience as possible online. “I want students to know that I really pride myself on advocating for them. And I pride myself on allowing them to advocate for themselves.”
sofia erlin
EDITOR IN CHIEF
ALYSSA OVERMANN The Globe profiles CHS’ new band director.
A
lyssa Overmann first picked up the trumpet as a fourth-grader, in awe of jazz band and enraptured by the sound of brass instruments. Although playing an instrument serves more as a hobby for some, Overmann quickly found that she had a natural inclination toward the trumpet and persevered with the instrument since middle school through a combination of understanding the principle of perseverance and her enjoyment of making music. “It’s one of those beliefs where you stick with one instrument and try to get really good at that one. I just stuck with it because I enjoyed it and tried to get really good at it,” recalled Overmann. Overmann’s musical passion was in part cultivated by her high school band director, who she also cites as the inspiration for her decision to pursue teaching music as a career. “I decided my sophomore year of high school that I wanted to give the same experiences, feelings and opportunities to other students,” said Overmann. Upon graduating high school, Overmann attended Missouri State University, where she was fully immersed in music alongside other aspiring musicians and music educators. This experience allowed her endless options in different types of concert, jazz and symphonic bands, as well as travel experiences that took her across the world. “It was cool to live music for that time period, and that’s pretty much all I did other than classes. We went to London and played and did a parade there, we did the Rose Bowl in California [and] we went to Texas to play for other college band directors.” Although Overmann had the opportunity to play with Missouri State in multiple cities, she recalls her favorite music memory being a performance locally in Missouri, at the Missouri Music Educators Conference. “We finished [the performance] and the seniors were getting ready to leave and everybody was just crying after that moment. It was the adrenaline rush and coming down off of it. It was pure love and togetherness and knowing that we did something really awesome.” Since then, Overmann has been teaching at Alton High School in Illinois for the past 11 years and plays a range of brass instruments from her main instrument, trumpet, to trombone and tuba, in addition to a few woodwind instruments like flute and saxophone. As an educator, Overmann has been aware of
PHOTO BY ERIN SUCHER-O’GRADY the CHS music department’s stellar reputation for quite some time. “They have a history and tradition of being great,” said Overmann. “I’m excited to join that team. I’ve known [the other band directors] for a while, and I’m excited to get to work with them on a daily basis because I know they’re both really good performers and teachers, so to be able to collaborate with them is a very neat thing.” Of course, achieving high levels of collaboration is a tough feat with the current situation of remote learning. “This virtual platform makes it really kind of rough because music is such an in-person, personal thing. My go-to phrase is band online isn’t a thing. But we’ll make it a thing, right?” said
Overmann. Describing her teaching style as “pretty laidback,” Overmann says her main goals this year are to get to know students, build relationships and maintain the high level of musical performance that CHS is known for, and she has plans to accomplish these despite any challenges presented by learning online. Overmann intends to utilize small-groups to allow students to continue to play their instruments and get helpful feedback from herself and other band directors. “I am gonna take the opportunity to just kind of meet everybody individually and just talk; just get a feel for everybody and where they’re at,” said Overmann. “So that when we can finally get back together in-person, we’re ready to rock.”
noor jerath & kaitlyn tran SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS
FEATURE 15
TAI ONEY
CHS welcomes new choir director Tai Oney.
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layton’s mission statement stood out to me right from the beginning,” said Tai Oney, the new CHS choir director. “One of the phrases was to love learning and to challenge, and that’s what I like to do for my students.” Oney comes from Concord Academy in Massachusetts, where he was the Director of Vocal Music. He has also sung professionally as a countertenor in operas for the last ten years. “I first came to St. Louis in 2015, when I performed with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in one of their productions,” Oney said. “So I am very well aware of the St. Louis community and Clayton.” While Oney holds a passion for music at heart, he hasn’t always wanted to pursue music as a career. “When I first went to high school, I was fascinated with biology and anatomy,” Oney said. “I really wanted to become a doctor, more specifically an OBG/YN.” He also considered being a psychologist or a music therapist, since he was interested in both medicine and music. “Anything that’s kind of social and interactive,” Oney said. “Something that allows me to form relationships or to understand another person or their perspective. Those are the things I like.” Oney’s music teacher in high school was the first to put the thought of music education in his mind. “She really taught me the nuances of music, the history and the theory, how it works, and how it connects to society as a whole,” Oney said. “I became really intrigued and decided that I wanted to major in music education.” While Oney eventually decided to pursue the route of performing during his masters degree, he has always been a teacher at heart. “I’ve always enjoyed sharing the knowledge and the gift that I have [in music] with others and seeing that light bulb kind of spark and go off in people, and just allowing others to have fun and enjoy it,” Oney said. As a teacher, Oney greatly values student voice and looks forward to a classroom with open communication and collaborative experiences. “I mean, I have my ideas and my opinions and my experiences that I bring to the table. But I think it’s also important that there is student voice, and at times definitely student choice,” Oney said. “That doesn’t mean that I’m choosing everything or students are choosing everything.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ONEY It’s just having that dialogue and having that communication line open for students to be able to say, ‘I would love to be able to try this out.’ And I may say, ‘Okay, that’s great. Let’s see what works and what doesn’t.’ Or I may say, ‘You know what, it’s probably best to do it this way. For now, let’s just try this way and then see if it evolves into something that sparks your interest.’ I like students to try new things, and I think if there’s a dialogue that’s going on and I’m not doing all the picking and students aren’t doing all the picking, then I think that’s when success comes in.”
Most of all, Oney strives for students to be in control of their own learning. “I teach students to become teachers,” Oney said. Outside of school, Oney is a big lover for games, especially board games and card games. He also enjoys working in the yard, cooking and hanging out with friends. “But mostly music,” Oney said. “I like to share that passion with others and I like to continue having it to fulfill my life.”
yiyun xu
16 FEATURE
SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR
PHOTO COURTESY OF HAHN
yiyun xu SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR
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ncoming CHS history teacher Eric Hahn has about 80,000 bees in his backyard, from which he has collected over 160 pounds of honey this year. “My interest [in bees] started in high school,” Hahn said. “I was at a party and the owner had an observation hive against their kitchen window, and I was just fascinated by the bees. I thought about it on and off until six or seven years ago, when it sounded pretty easy to start beekeeping. So my hobby is backyard beekeeping now.” While his interest in beekeeping began in high school, his interest in teaching did not. However, after having worked with an outdoors education program with kids in college, Hahn discovered that he actually liked working with the students much more than the outdoor education piece. “I did a little inventory on myself, and social studies was definitely the best fit for me in terms of competency and interest,” Hahn said. “So I went back and got a master’s in teaching, and
that’s how it all evolved.” Hahn first started teaching at Metropolitan High School, which no longer exists, as a special education teacher. However, he was forced to give up the position after three years, as he found out that he was constantly in burnout mode and he was taking on burdens too heavy for him at the moment. “I love special education personally, but I realized that it was very challenging for me,” Hahn said. “Which is why I have so much respect for special education and special education teachers now.” For the next 27 years, Hahn taught mostly Advanced Placement US History and Advanced Placement World History at Ladue Horton Watkins High School until his retirement in 2017. Aside from teaching, Hahn works on curriculum writing for publishers, and he holds professional development and teacher workshops. “It’s a little bit weird for me to not be teaching in my own classroom while doing those things,
so it’s a win win [when Clayton] offered me this position,” Hahn said. “Clayton wanted a part time teacher for World History, and I wanted my own classroom. And I’m still loving the profession.” Since classes are moved online for the first part of the school year, there are many new challenges for teachers to adjust their curriculum to the online format. Hahn, however, is very excited for the new year to begin. “I have lots of fun ideas for working online; [ways to] engage students and make our classes relevant to the current world,” Hahn said. As a history teacher, Hahn believes that a subject should be, first of all, enjoyable, it should be relevant, and it should have the right amount of challenge. “My hope is that with social studies, students can become global engaged citizens,” Hahn said. “This understanding is what keeps me in teaching.”
ERIC HAHN
New CHS history teacher comes to the district from Ladue.
FEATURE 17
Members of a learning pod sit down to eat lunch together.
SARAH GIETSCHIER-HARTMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER
PEDAGOGY PODS
Parents of the district’s youngest learners look for alternatives to traditional school.
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itting still for thirty minutes is grueling. It’s difficult for me, an almost seventeen year old to do. For elementary schoolers, it’s nearly impossible. A five year old has plenty of things to think about. From what snack they’re going to eat later to their half-finished drawing, it’s hard to keep them in one spot for more than a few minutes. As online learning becomes the new norm, the School District of Clayton’s youngest students have the arguably biggest change to their school routines. Previously, their days were filled with interactive classes, time to play, and lots of recess. However, now they’re faced with their interactions with friends limited to Zoom reactions and their bedroom converted to their classroom. It’s an understandably difficult transition to make. The School District of Clayton is operating on a synchronous learning schedule for the first
quarter of the new school year, meaning students will get the opportunity to attend all of their classes, led by their teachers. Although classes are greatly structured for young students, it’s still up to parents to help monitor their learning from home. For working parents, there’s a challenging decision to make: accompany their children for online classes or get their own work done. Many parents don’t want their jobs to compromise their children’s education, so they have started to look at alternative methods of schooling. “Since the District made the commitment to go virtual for the entire first quarter, we knew we would need extra support to help Joey (2nd grade at Meramec) and Max (kindergarten at Meramec) during the day, while my husband works from home and I teach my classes from the classroom I created in my basement,” said Clayton High
School Physical Education teacher, Sarah Gietschier-Hartman. Her family embraced the idea of learning pods. A pod is comprised of several kids who are similar in age or grade level. These small groups give children the opportunity to safely interact with their friends, while still completing their online learning. Gietschier-Hartman said, “Forming a pod gives our children the structure and routine they crave, socialization with their peers in a small, controlled group, and lower childcare costs for each family.” Once a pod is established, parents of the students decide how they would like the pod to be conducted. They decide how often the pod meets, how it’s led, and where it will take place. “We chose to coordinate a learning pod with two other families from our sons’ school (Meramec). The pod has five children. We created a schedule to rotate the kids to a new house each
angela xiao
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CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR
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week and have set-up learning spaces in our homes. Since all six parents work full-time, we hired two caregivers to help our children navigate virtual learning during the day. (One will help us on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the other will help us on Tuesday and Thursday each week),” said Gietschier-Hartman. For other parents, the experience of in-person classes for their children is one they are not willing to sacrifice. These parents turned to independent schools, which are also known as private schools. The parents of an elementary school student in the Clayton School District made the challenging decision to switch their child to an independent school for the year. “In the end, we were drawn to the independent school’s bold commitment to in-person learning this fall. We were impressed by the thoughtful and strategic plans that were laid out early on by the school’s leadership team - even in this ever-changing environment. We also believe that the independent school we chose, has and will continue to invest the necessary resources to ensure a safe, successful, and thoughtful transition between in-classroom and out-of-classroom learning,” said the parents. After many public schools announced that the start of their school years would be virtual, private schools were flooded with applicants seeking in-person instruction. In local independent schools, nearly all elementary classes are full, with many students still on their waiting lists as well. These private schools often have more resources to allocate to ensuring in-person instruction can take place. For example, New City School is an independent elementary school in the Central West End. New City has chosen to return to in-person classes, with the option for families to start the year virtually. Students will be organized in cohorts in an attempt to limit contact as much as possible. New City has also purchased various resources to help keep their students safer. Touchless water fountains, plexiglass dividers, and increased PPE for teachers are some of the new additions to the school. Even with the additional resources of an independent school, the decision to withdraw their children from the School District of Clayton was agonizing for some parents. “Making the decision to send our child to an independent school for the 2020-2021 school year was something we spent many hours considering over the last few months. We felt strongly that it is the youngest learners that can (and should) be learning together safely in school,” said the parents.
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WE RECOGNIZE THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS THIS OPTION, AND FEEL VERY FORTUNATE AND RELIEVED THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PUT A POD TOGETHER.
Joey Hartman, a second grader at Meramec Elementary School, attends his virtual class.
SARAH GIETSCHIER-HARTMAN, PHOTOGRAPHER
FEATURE 19
INCOMING COACHES
CHS welcomes its newest athletic coaches for the 2020-2021 school year. shane lagesse and ella cuneo EDITOR IN CHIEF & SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR
COACH
SODEMANN Sodemann has coached with the Greyhounds for the past two seasons of Boys’ Basketball as the Head Junior Varsity and Assistant Varsity Coaches.
Sodeman steps up to the line with twelve years of coaching, a bachelor degree in Physical Education from Westminster College and a Master’s degree in Sport Management from Illinois State University. “#GBOE ; Greyhound Blue Over Everything” is Sodeman’s mantra for his upcoming season. He wants students to take pride in being Greyhounds and take pride in their school. “The player-coach dynamic is an amazing opportunity to develop skills both on and off the floor,” said Sodeman. Sodeman, in addition to growing Clayton’s spirit, wants to build relationships with his players and allow for them to achieve their goals.
COACH WILSON
Willis has been coaching basketball for seven years from middle school all the way to collegiate level teams.
“All great achievements require time,” said famous author Maya Angelou. Girls’ Varsity Basketball Coach Brittney Willis hopes to encourage this mindset throughout the upcoming season. Willis not only wants to create a “new competitive environment” but she also wants to build strong relationships with her players and get to know the CHS environment. Willis graduated from McKendree University with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. Willis holds an important record as the 14th member in school history to score 1000 points. She also attended Parkway South High School where she achieved two District titles, scored over 1000 points and was First Team All Suburban West. As it’s her first season at CHS, Willis hopes to, “inspire student athletes to strive for greatness.”
20 SPORTS
COACH
ESPINOSA
Espinosa has been coaching soccer for two years prior to coming to CHS.
COACH BRIGGS
Having grown up in South America, soccer has always been a part of Carlos Espinosa’s life. He has been coaching soccer for two years, and is excited to become a part of the CHS soccer team. Espinosa said he looks forward to seeing the relationships form between teammates, and that he hopes the students will be able to develop friendships which go beyond just their freshman year. A big believer in effort and hard work, Espinosa hopes to bring a sense of healthy competitiveness to the team. “I believe that everyone has the opportunity to succeed on the pitch as long as they try their hardest,” said Espinosa. Espinosa mentioned the importance of the phrase “La pelota no se mancha” to him, which translates in English to: “The ball will never be tainted”. He described why he loved the quote, saying, “No matter the hate that we see in this world, a soccer ball will always bring people together and will never be tainted by the hatred.”
Coach Briggs has been coaching for 6 years with various Youth Clubs in St. Louis
Christian Briggs has been a soccer coach for 6 years, coming to Clayton with experience from St. Louis Scott Gallagher Youth Club and the St. Louis FC Youth Academy. This year, he will be taking on the position of Varsity Boys Assistant Coach. He has also played soccer at some of the highest levels, and attended first class institutions at SLU and Loyola University Chicago. Briggs stressed the importance of the academic component of student athletes’ development. Briggs said he was most excited to meet and begin coaching a new group of kids. He looks forward to getting to know the team and working to guide their development as both players and students. Briggs explained he hoped to help the team avoid some of the pitfalls he has seen and experienced through his soccer career. He said that when coaching, he encourages the phrase: “actions speak louder than words”.
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FALL SPORTS
Clayton fall athletes will experience a season like no other.
22 SPORTS
ELI MILLNER, PHOTOGRAPHER
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angela xiao CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR
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layton High School sports are underway again. But, this year, they look starkly different. Masks, temperature screenings and health checks have all become the norm for Clayton athletes. At the start of the school year, sports, along with nearly every other aspect of the traditional school day, were surrounded by uncertainty. The School District of Clayton is basing many of the decisions they make off of St. Louis County’s COVID-19 task force and the St. Louis Sports Medicine COVID-19 Task Force. Both of the task forces’ recommendations are spearheaded by a few guiding principles. These principles address the inherent risk that comes with playing with a group of other athletes and acknowledge the rapidly changing landscape. Currently, St. Louis County is in Phase 2 for Youth Sports 9 (as of Sept. 2, check the St. Louis County website for up to date information on the Phase in process), meaning that restricted practices can occur. However, schools cannot compete against other schools until at least Phase 4. The St. Louis Sports Medicine COVID-19 Task Force has divided fall sports into different categories depending on the level of contact between players. This division will help programs make more targeted decisions regarding each individual sport. Low frequency sports include cross country, golf, tennis, and swim/dive. As of August 7, these sports have been permitted to conduct full-team practices and team scrimmages with restrictions. Masks must be worn anytime athletes are participating in vigorous physical activity, coaches must remain in masks at all times and all sports equipment must be disinfected after each use. Moderate frequency sports include cheerleading, field hockey, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Lastly, football is considered a high frequency sport. Moderate and high frequency sports have also been able to begin team workouts and practices but face more restrictions. Team contact drills are permitted in groups of less than 20 athletes. Two coaches are allowed to accompany this group of 20 or fewer athletes. In addition to these specific guidelines, there are more general guidelines that apply to both groups of sports. Masks must be worn, no spectators are allowed, no games can be played and social distancing must be maintained as much as possible during all activities. Before athletes enter any practice or group activity, they must pass a health screening. Temperatures are taken and athletes are asked questions about any symptoms they may be experiencing. The School District of Clayton has been complying with all of the County’s guidelines and
MY MAIN CONCERN IS KEEPING EVERYONE HEALTHY AND SAFE RIGHT NOW.
The CHS girls volleyball team runs through a socially-distanced drill on August 3, their first day of practice.
STEVE HUTSON, PHOTOGRAPHER is continuing to make decisions based on case numbers in the area. CHS Athletic Director Steve Hutson said, “We’re huge supporters of athletics. We want to [return] safely, and we want to do it following the county guidelines. We feel like it’s not so much for the physical well being of students but for their mental well being.” Clayton High School began phasing back into sports on August 24 following Phase 2 Youth Sports guidelines. Low frequency sports began with no restrictions on practice on August 24. However, social distancing guidelines were still enforced, and mask wearing was mandatory when not performing strenuous physical activity. We do temperature checks at the beginning of every practice and any time we’re not running everyone wears a mask, ” said Ruthie Pierson, captain of the girls cross country team. Moderate frequency sports also began full team practices on August 31. As sports commence, both athletes and coaches are faced with a certain level of worry. For girls volleyball head coach, Kyle McCord, the issue
hits close to home. Both his mother and sister contracted COVID-19 and have been experiencing long term effects. McCord says, “My main concern is keeping everyone healthy and safe right now. At the same time, there is a certain level of stress from uncertainty in how things will progress. We don’t know if we will get to the point where we can have competitions with other schools, and if we do, what that looks like.” Despite the new cirumstances that surroundsports, many athletes find comfort in at least one aspect of their lives returning to some semblance of normal. Pierson said, “Even though practice has been different, I’m really grateful that we’re still having a season. There’s still some uncertainty with meets and how those will go, but for now I’m just glad we’re able to practice as a team.”
*St. Louis County Phase information is as of Sept. 2. It is subject to change.
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The Clayton Education Foundation advances the School District of Clayton’s culture of academic excellence and helps students reach their full potential by: Funding classroom innovations Providing increased access to educational opportunities Promoting lifelong connections for alumni
Check out some of the Clayton Education Foundation’s recent projects
Partnering with School District of Clayton PTO, we raised nearly $32,000 to provide food support to student families in need due the coronavirus pandemic.
Ian McCormick, Class of 2020, received the first CHS Graduate Scholarship from Foundation Board President Alex Berger III.
Donate Today! www.claytoneducationfoundation.org The Clayton Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization; all gifts are tax deductible.
