THE
MIRROR
De Smet Jesuit High School
Page 8
Volume 47 Number 1 / November 2016 De Smet Jesuit High School/ 233 N. New Ballas Rd. / St. Louis, MO 63141
2 THE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MIRROR
Contents Opinions
Sports
4 / Taking Personal Finance
15 / Ahearn Feature
Why the skills learned in personal finance are invaluable.
5 / It’s all Over
America is on the verge of being run straight into the ground. Read how the people can take their country back.
6 / Laramie Project creates conversation The school play addresses controversial topic with the help of mature student actors.
14 / The All-Spartan Team Showcasing the athletes who have gone through thick and thin to compete at the highest level.
Mr. Dressler and several students start a school cricket team.
Entertainment
6 / Back to the ten point scale
10 / Black Friday Blowout
15 “
10 / Entertainment 12 / Feature 14 / Sports
15 / Join the cricket team today
News Administration decides to change the grading scale for next school year.
4 / Opinions 6 / News 8 / In-Depth
Head basketball coach Blake Ahearn shares his death defying experience in Ukraine.
Must see items that people should buy on Black Friday.
I like to put myself into someone else’s shoes, just to see what it’s like for that day.” - Thomas Schartner, In the Spotlight, Page 12
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
Letter from the Editor’s desk
-Brendan Johnson, Editor-in-Chief
Our Mission
The goals of The Mirror, as De Smet Jesuit’s official student newspaper, are to provide accurate information in the spirit of responsible journalism, to entertain and to offer a forum for the ideas of students, parents, graduates, faculty and administrators. By-lined commentaries represent the opinions of their writers; they do not necessarily express the views of the administration, faculty, student body or The Mirror staff and its adviser. Editorials without bylines represent the opinions of the editors and the staff. At least a three-fourths majority of the staff is needed for an article to be considered an opinion of the paper. The Mirror welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be limited to 500 words and should be submitted to the publications office in Room 212. All letters must be signed, but names will be withheld upon request.
STAFF
THE
The staff has spent hours upon hours of planning this year out, and are ready to get rolling on our print issues. Issue one’s cover, designed by Darian Sandoz, showcases our in-depth story on diversity and acceptance. With all the talk about preventing hate speech lately, we thought it would be suitable to put in this issue. As a newspaper staff, our role is to be the voice for the voiceless: a role we take on every time we write a story. We thank our readers for giving us the opportunity to share their stories and ideas with the world. We also thank the “Friends of The Mirror” for their generous donations to our department and for helping make great things like this issue possible. So, take a look inside and see all that we have spent the last few weeks working on.
Kevin Berns / Adviser Brendan Johnson / Editor-in-Chief Drew Brown / Managing Editor Alex Kramer /Sports Editor Patrick McHugh / Entertainment Editor Jacob Young / Social Media Editor Mario Ghazal / Staff Writer Alex Cleveland / Staff Writer Nick Einig / Staff Writer Chris Bateman / Staff Writer Grant Stegman / Staff Writer Darian Sandoz / Artist Matthew Hillmer / Artist
Friends of The Mirror Editor ($25) Andrew Rivituso ‘02 Editor-in-Chief ($50) Henry Pfeil ‘01 Joe Jennings ‘88 Publisher ($100+) James Ortbals ‘94 Gregory Pohlman Mark Jansen Jason Fank ‘01 John Goessling ‘71 Michael Mahoney ‘97 Kurt Jones ‘78 Michael Jett ‘00 Bill Dulle ‘84
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4
Everyone should take Personal Finance
Opinions
by Matthew Quinley, Contributing Writer Ever wonder how to setup a bank account, manage your money, or invest in stocks? As many high school students stand on the brink of adulthood, they should realize that personal finance is a class that is essential to helping them prepare for their future. Anyone thinking they can get rich without the skills personal finance teaches, think again. Getting paid the big bucks is just the start. Being able to manage money is important to their success as well. If anything, budgeting and financial planning are the skills that are going to give individuals a head start in the world. With 87% of students nationwide feeling confident in their future investments from taking courses like this, the only natural assumption is that everyone should take personal finance to better prepare themselves. It is better for everyone to understand the value of the dollar now rather than later when they have money and don’t know what to do with it.
In financial situations, the skills personal finance teaches will not only help a person survive, but prosper.
Design by Christian Weishaar
Learning things like how to successfully invest or utilize legal loopholes will do more for individuals than keep them afloat. No matter what their goals are
in life, having the knowledge to maximize their benefits will help further their success and speed up the process to achieve them. These are skills that students should be learning now, not when they’re 40 years old and just realizing all the opportunities they missed out on. Some students, who risk becoming one of those clueless 40 years old adults in the future, simply brush personal finance off as another math course or a course that is just plain boring. However, it is one of the few courses that teaches information that is impossible to forget because it is applied so often. It is designed to give students the tools to manage their own money without hiring someone else to do it for them. While the class can be dry at some moments, most of the time it is filled with engaging information that paves a path to get rich quick like the wall street pros. Unfortunately, students here are only allowed to take personal finance during their junior or senior year. This is due to the fact that the course is intended for mature students that can better understand the deep and intricate workings of one’s personal earnings. As tough as that sounds, personal finance teachers like Andrew Lange are able turn their students into wise financial planner and help them prevent ending up bankrupt on their parent’s doorstep. “Managing your money should not be hard; it’s easy math”. Mr. Lange said. “My students will be prepared.” Overall, while the course does teach meaningful facts, it is designed to give students real life skills that are useful in everyday life and prepares them for a future where they may achieve financial success.
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Opinions Staff Editorial
IT’S Many believe that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will be the end of the United States, but that’s not true. The real end will come from the lack of voting of the American people. This country was built on one theory: freedom. So, the founding fathers created a republic, where people have the right to elect their leaders. Now, we aren’t doing our job as civil Americans if we don’t go out and take advantage of that right. Only 28.1% of eligible voters came out to make a difference in the primaries. Only 43% of democrats a are satisfied with their candidate, Hillary Clinton. Had they voted more in the
THE END AS WE KNOW IT OF THE WORLD primaries, the Democrats might of have ended up with a more agreeable candidate. Donald Trump is in a similar situation. Only 40% of Republican voters are happy with their candidate. Technically, had the other 60% gone out and voted, another potentially more qualified candidate could have led the Republican party in the presidential election. Supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton think these numbers are a good thing. They’re not. A candidate should be able to rally their party and have a 80-90% approval rating. Think about it, when a winner is decided and the next president is sworn into
office, his or her approval rating will could be at a historic low. The country’s fate is sealed now. The only thing voters can do now is do everything in their power to prevent putting the election in this situation again. If they recognize that the primaries are just as important as the presidential election, voter turnout will increase. Hopefully that will be enough to prevent orange haired freaks and compulsive liars from slithering into the oval office. When the next primary comes around everyone should go out and vote for who they want as our candidate so we can have a more appealing candidate.
73% of students tend to vote right 27% of students tend to vote left
52% are satisfied with their party’s candidate
84% now believe the country is doomed no matter who wins
Cartoon by Darian Sandoz
6
News
LARAMIE
The Preparation AUDITIONS
Photo by Luis Mejia
Theatre Director Kurt Knoedelseder addresses the crowd before beginning auditions.
The Top Performances Luis Mejia
Will Brown
Camden Brazile
John Cary
Michael Tran
Joseph Merrick
REHEARSAL
Photo by Brendan Johnson
Junior Will Brown reads his lines during rehearsal of “The Laramie Project” Sept. 19.
NIGHT BEFORE
The Reactions
by Patrick McHugh, Entertainment Editor
Photo by Jack Hummel
Anna Choflet, Danny Cogan and Caroline Turner dressed as angels to protest homophobia during dress rehearsal.
The Laramie Project opened on Oct. 20 and was met with positive reactions throughout the community. The play focused on the murder of Matthew Shepard, who was targeted because he was gay. His death inspired discussion about homophobia and hate in not only Laramie, but the entire nation. Senior Sean McDowell felt that the play conveyed a personal message. “I thought the play showed what happens when we let our emotions get the
best of us instead of thinking something through.” McDowell said. “Just because we disagree with a certain idea, in this case sexual orientation, does not mean that we cannot get along with each other.” Senior Joe Reed found that the multiple perspectives given by the characters gave deeper insight into Matthew’s story. “I enjoyed being able to hear people’s different takes on the incident,” Senior Joe Reed said. “I think it gave the audience a better understanding of what happened.”
7
News
Back to the 10 Point Scale The 10 point scale will be a little GPA booster compared to the 7 point scale by Drew Brown, Managing Editor A new grading scale will be put in place to help students next year. Administration will begin changing the grading scale to a more traditional ten point scale. The purpose of changing the scale is to simplify things for both the students and colleges. Almost every college think of grades on a ten point scale, so it helps students when colleges look at their letter grades. Also, it will not have a major impact on a student’s daily experience.
Student’s current grade point averages (GPA) will not be recalculated but starting next year they will be determined using the ten point scale. All colleges student apply to will be sent a note about the change from our counselors so that they understand why some letter grades are different. More information about the exact details of how letter grades will translate into GPA will be finalized in Feb. 2017.
Proposed Grading Scale A A- B B- C C- D F 100- 93- 89- 83- 79- 73- 69- 5994 90 84 80 74 70 60 0
Student Reactions “I would feel like I would have to work harder because then it would be easier to get an A. Right now, I feel like it is impossible to get an A.” Freshman William Wichmann “I feel like I like it but then again our grading scale makes us different and makes our academics harder. Peoples’ grades will be better but it won’t be as challenging.” Sophomore Thomas Hubeli “I’m super amazed by this, my grades are drastically going to be helped by this switch in scales.” Sophomore Corey Patterson “I feel like this is better, and relieve some stress from us kids.” Junior Keegan Reichert
IN THE DARK 8
Students share their experiences of feeling unaccepted in their own communities Brendan Johnson, Editor-in-Chief
9 Calvin feels trapped and has felt that way since 7th-grade, when he first realized that he was different. “You don’t know what it’s like to be unnatural,” Calvin said. “You don’t know what it feels like to be ashamed of who you are.” Calvin, a student here, is gay and in the closet. The name Calvin is used to protect the identity of this student. He feels helpless, unaccepted and in the dark; all emotions that create the weight on his shoulders that grows heavier each day. “[I have] to pretend to be someone else, hoping that everyone will at least accept the person I pretend to be,” Calvin said.
transfer from another school and would eventually bring Calvin to the realization of who he really was. “I liked him and I knew it,” he said. “I was never interested in talking about girls with all the other boys, but I liked talking about him. Over time it hit me that girls weren’t my thing, and I didn’t have a problem with it at the time.” They became quick friends and ended up spending a lot of time with each other. They sat alone together at lunch, played alone together at recess, and hung out alone together on the weekends. He became a target for the other boys and was teased relentlessly. Being insulted with homophobic remarks like “gay,” “fag,” and “queer” eventually became a way of life for him. After school, it wasn’t uncommon for him to cry for hours in his room, the only place he felt he could escape the bullying. “They attacked my character and made me feel ashamed of who I was,” he said. “The worst part was that they never knew the truth. They went after the person that I really am, without even knowing it.” Even here he hides, doing everything he can to avoid reliving his past. He still hears His mother and father are those hateful words once among the few people that directed at him. They echo are aware of Calvin’s struggle, throughout the halls, linger in and knowing what he is going the classrooms, and resonate through takes a toll on them in the lunchroom. as well. The homophobic comments “I have to watch my son go are not only a testament to through one of the toughest the fact that homosexuality things in his life,” Calvin’s is associated with being a mother said. “The worst part bad thing, but also that there is I can’t always be there to are few that are willing to tell him that everything is acknowledge and defend those going to be okay.” driven into silence. His mother has prayed for “I don’t hear homophobic her son to find a place where remarks] from everyone, he can feel accepted every day but I also never hear anyone since revealed that he was gay. standing up against them,” Her prayers have yet to be Calvin said. “That’s where the answered. problem is. There needs to be Calvin’s story begins with the a feeling that someone has arrival of a new student in his your back.” 7th grade class. The boy was a Unlike Calvin, junior Kendal
“You can’t put yourself in my shoes: you can’t hate who you are.”
Fields doesn’t want to hide who he is. As a black teenager, he is aware of the glances and expressions that people like him get in the halls and the attitude society has towards them. As a strong advocate for racial acceptance and diversity, he has tried a number of times to change that attitude, but to no prevail. The problems in society, such as police shootings or hate crimes, give Fields a sense of helplessness similar to that of Calvin. “They give me the feeling that black people are also trapped in the closet with our mouths taped shut,” Fields said. “We don’t have a voice, and we have to watch those things happen.” Fields makes it known that the tension is not one-sided, and encourages his peers to set their biases and work to promote brotherhood within the community and beyond. “There’s the issue that both sides struggle to accept the idea that there is a problem,” Fields said. “They need to know that there are stereotypes that we put on each other and, more importantly, that they aren’t true.” Fields hopes to promote brotherhood within the community and beyond and encourages his peers to do the same. “It all starts off by letting us know that we are welcome,” Fields said. “After that, everything will take it’s turn.” Diversity Director Armando Gilkes aims to change way students think and act. Doing so may be enough to give Calvin, Oliver, Kendal and all those like them a place where they can feel accepted. “A lot of times you are able to see that we have been desensitized,” Gilkes said. “We need to continue these deeper discussions so that we can begin to understand why we do the things we do and the effects our actions have on other people.”
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Battlefield 1 The newest Battlefield entry takes a step back in time to World War I and delivers action packed multiplayer and breathtaking graphics. Battlefield 1 is the biggest shooter release of the year and will definitely keep gamers glued to their TV’s for hours on end.
PS4 Pro/Xbox One S To anyone that has been holding out on buying a next generation console: now is the perfect time to buy one with the releases of both the Xbox One S and PS4 Slim. Both are slimmer and sleeker versions of their predecessors and provide additional features not found on the regular consoles, as every new console should.
Logitech G900 Mouse This is the ultimate gift to PC gamers looking for the most cutting edge mouse for the best gaming experience possible. With quick and responsive controls, gamers will dominate their competition with the Logitech G900.
Beats Solo 2 Music fans can rejoice with the release of some of the top of the line headphones that will surely be one of the biggest items on sale during black Friday. The Beats Solo 2’s are currently $245, and will be on sale for as low as $96.99.
BLACK FRIDAY
READY by Patrick McHugh, Entertainment Editor
Music Box
If you want to jam to your favorite tunes wherever you go then the Music Box is the perfect fit. The Music Box is one of the most portable high quality speakers out there and the best choice for a blue tooth speaker.
Dell Xps 13
The Dell XPS 13 is a contender for the smallest 13” laptop ever. The near seamless display is a wonder to behold. With the power of the Intel 7th gen Core processor, it is on its way to the front lines against its competitors.
Apple Watch Series 2
Anyone who loves their iPhone will also love the new Apple Series Watch. It is waterproof, has a GPS, and packs a bright display that is visible even under sunlight. The Apple watch is the watch of the future that will be flying off the shelves during Black Friday.
Entertainment
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Black Friday History Black Friday is one of the craziest and chaotic days for business across America as millions of shoppers try to get in on the lucrative deals, but how did Black Friday become Black Friday? Black Friday is believed to have been coined in the 1960s to mark the kickoff of the shopping season. The color “black” refers to when business sales moved from the “red” to the “black”, back when accounting records were kept by hand, red would indicate a loss while black would indicate a gain. Thus the term Black Friday was born.
What Do You Buy On Black Friday?
Other 19% Appliances 7.2% Tv/ Computer 11.4% Consoles/ Video Games 30%
Clothes 32.3%
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In the
Spotlight by Alex Kramer, Sports Editor
W
aiting for the play to begin, he isolates himself offstage. With his undivided attention, he contemplates how he will not only capture, but also inspire the audience with his role. From high school theatres to professional stages, freshman Thomas Schartner has performed in a variety of plays and musicals. His first performance was in fourth grade and he has been performing ever since. The idea of taking on a role and becoming someone else has captivated him ever since.
He has always wanted to act even before performing on stage. Schartner thinks of his life as a reality television show with the camera always watching.
“I like putting myself into someone else’s shoes, just to see what it’s like for that day,” Schartner said. “It gets fun, especially when people don’t know when you’re doing it.” Photo by Nick Plassmeyer
Schartner was originally going to attend his local public school but was not willing to invest himself in the undeveloped theater program that it had to offer. After exploring several private school options, he fell in love with the program at the Palace on Ballas. In addition to performing in school plays, Schartner also performs in professional productions at places like The Muny. They give them the chance to learn from professional actors. “The experience of being in a professional production is incredible,” Schartner said. “A lot of people I’ve met through doing theater are big role models to me. They are all people that I look up to, especially those on the professional level. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of professionals who are really inspiring with what they do.” Without a doubt, Schartner has a passion for acting. “The best part about acting is being able to inspire someone else through a story and being able to share that story as the person who’s telling the story. I think that’s a big thing; being able to be someone else and use your experiences to become that person.”
14
THE
ALL-SPARTAN - A look into some of the school’s top sports players
Team
by Alex Kramer, Sports Editor
The Long Shooter
Sean Skoff Senior guard Sean Skoff will be entering the 2016-2017 season as the basketball team’s top three point specialist. Last year, he led the team with 41.8% on 55 attempts in the three point category. Skoff also led his team in free throws for an efficient 82.4%. He will surely be used as a prominent shooter in his last year as a Spartan.
The Two-Way D-man
Mike Joyce Senior defenseman Mike Joyce is not only how to carry the puck up to the offensive from the point, but he can keep the puck his back checking ability. Joyce will be a in the coming 2016-2017 season.
SPORTS
a great defenseman, but knows zone. Not only can he score out of the defensive zone with threat to the opposing forwards
The Wall Breaker
Neil Winter Senior runner Neil Winter can easily be characterized as fast. Winter can run five kilometers in as fast as 17 minutes and 22 seconds. That’s roughly a 5 minute and 35 second mile run, three times. His fastest recorded mile was 4 minutes and 55 seconds. Other than his speed, Winter is most proud of his work ethic. In the MCC Championship run this past season, Winter literally ran himself too hard. Winter managed to run a 5k in 17:23 and ended the race with a stress fracture in his leg.
The Offensive Anchor
Jack Klingler Senior captain centerman Jack Klingler led the soccer team this season with seven goals and is second in the assist category with a total of five. Klingler also scored three game winning goals. Not only was he an offensive threat, he also knew how to play the ball in the defensive zone.
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Photo by Nick Playsmeyer
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Photo by Kevin Berns
Photo by Nick Playsmeyer
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Photo by Nick Playsmeyer
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SPORTS
Layups and Life Lessons by Brendan Johnson, Editor-in-Chief
New coach talks time as professional basketball player
H
e has dined with Tony Parker and his wife Eva Longoria, played for 12 professional and semi-professional basketball teams and traveled all over the world while doing so. Blake Ahearn’s professional career wasn’t all glamorous, however. When it took him to Ukraine for nine months to play for Budivelnik, he saw the worst of life while living amidst an oppressive government and revolution to drive it out. When he picked up basketball as a kid, Ahearn had one goal, and one goal only: to be able to play in the NBA. Despite what others said, he was able to make it to that level and play alongside big-shots like Tim Duncan and Dwayne Wade. “They always told me that I couldn’t do it and I needed a backup plan. I just wanted to prove people wrong and that’s why I worked my butt off in order to do it.” He began his professional career with a D-League team named the Dakota Wizards. From there, he bounced around signing for a number of teams, including the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. His experiences playing in the huge arenas in front of massive crowds were what Ahearn could only describe as “surreal.” What was even more surreal for Ahearn were the relationships he developed on the court. “The guys I played with, particularly those in San Antonio, are just so down to earth,” Ahearn said. “I came to find out that they’re just like any other teammate.” Of all his experiences, it was his time in the dark, the depressing city of Kiev, Ukraine that changed his perspective on the world. “You see and read stuff about the oppression in the world, and in this case, Ukraine’s oppression under Russia, and that’s one thing,” Ahearn said. “But then you’re around the people affected, the people of a little brother country that are always bullied around, and you realize why they decide
Photo courtesy of Blake Ahearn
Blake Ahearn played in the regular season for three NBA teams. The Miami Heat, being one of those teams, signed him to a ten day contract.
enough is enough.” A revolution had begun in Ukraine and all eyes, including the media’s, were on the country as a war was being fought in its streets. After seeing everything that was going on, relatives back in the United States were calling Ahearn and his wife non-stop, encouraging them to get out of the country. “It was a tough thing to deal with,” Ahearn said.
“Hearing the people back home as they called fearing for our lives was really scary for my wife and I.”
Ahearn and his team were in Germany when the civil war escalated. Watching from a TV monitor in the airport, Ahearn learned that 130 people were murdered within 100
yards of his family’s home in Kiev. That’s when he, like the people of Ukraine, decided enough was enough. “Especially when you have a family there it’s a completely different story,” Ahearn said. “My wife and kids were basically held hostage in our apartment.” When he got home, Ahearn took his wife and daughters to the airport to escape back to the United States. They waited five hours for the first flight out, which was heading to Paris. From there they found their way home on a flight to Chicago. “Even after we got out of there it was still stressful,” Ahearn said. “We still had a 29 hour trip with a six and 18-month-old ahead of us. Once I was finally home it felt good.” A first-hand experience of the Ukrainian people’s struggle opened Ahearn’s eyes to a new way of life. It, along with the lessons he learned there, lives on in his story. “[The event] puts a lot of things that goes on in the world into perspective,” Ahearn said. “I don’t take a lot for granted after seeing that side of the world. You don’t get that type of experience anywhere else, and I’m grateful to finally be home now.”
One Wizard
Four Houses: Do you prefer to study with your friends or alone?
START
A fight broke out in ENCOURAGE the great hall. What do you do?
OBSERVE W
ALONE
IT
H
FR
YES
DS
Go to the library or go monster hunting LIBRARY
House
RAVENCLAW
Founder: Rowena Ravenclaw Colors: Blue and bronze Mascot: Eagle Traits: Wise, academically motivated and accepting
HIDE
NO
R
E ST N MO NT HU
A OF K K IN AC You are able to take TH MEB O either Quiditch, Transfigu- C ration, or Defence Against QUIDITCH the Dark Arts DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS NO The dementors are about to catch you, what do you do? SACRIF SLOW ICE FRIE DEFEND YOURSELF ND INTERVINE
IEN
Someone wrongs TRANSFIGURATION you, so you... GET EVE BE THE N BIGGER MAN Are you competitive?
How do you put someone in their place?
Would you sneak out past curfew? YES
House
GRYFFINDOR
Founder: Godric Gryffindor Colors: Red and gold Mascot: Lion Traits: Daring, good-hearted and sometimes reckless
NO
HUFFLEPUFF
Founder: Helga Hufflepuff Colors: Yellow and black Mascot: Badger Traits: Loyal, hardworking and fair
Are you one to take charge of a situation? YES If you want someone to do something for you, you would...
Y
CEL
NI ASK
House
FIGHT
MANIPULATE
House
SLYTHERIN
Founder: Salazar Slytherin Colors: Green and silver Mascot: Snake Traits: Amibitious, cunning and self-oritented