Searching for light pg. 12
THE
MIRROR
De Smet Jesuit High School
Students share experiences with being involved in leadership programs and how hope comes from them
Volume 48 / Number 2 / November 2017 De Smet Jesuit High School / 233 N. New Ballas Rd. / St. Louis, MO 63141
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THE
STAFF
Letter from the editor’s desk As a staff, we know that in life, people have highs and lows. People struggle and people overcome the struggles. The staff decided that we wanted to tell the stories of people overcoming their lows, and people helping those who have hit rock bottom. The cover was designed by artist Darrian Sandoz to create a picture of a person walking the path from a life that couldn’t get any worse, to a life where the sun is always shining. Our goal for this issue is to give people who are at their lows the idea that life will only get better, and that you can always do something to make someone else’s day great. The staff will also cover, in this issue, the problem of vaping and how vaping isn’t actually safe for you. With this being our second issue of five, the staff wanted to inform you all that happened in the first three months of school and will be reporting to you again in December.
-Jacob Young, Editor-in-Chief
Kevin Berns / Adviser Jacob Young / Editor-in-Chief Grant Stegman / Editor-in-Chief Nick Einig / Web Editor Jacob Deighton / Multi-media Editor Josh Becher / Copy Editor Dalton Hahn / Staff Writer Mario Ghazal/ Staff Writer Chris Bateman / Staff Writer Mitchell Martinez / Staff Writer Zack Hilboldt / Staff Writer Spencer Caldwell / Staff Writer Brennan Dolnick / Staff Writer Eric Nikolaisen / Staff Writer Adam Jenkins / Staff Writer Jay Dolan / Staff Writer Darrian Sandoz / Artist
Our Mission
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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 or emailed to desmetpress@gmail. com. All letters must be signed, but names will be withheld upon request.
November 2017
Page design by Dalton Hahn
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Table of Contents
Contents
THE
MIRROR
Opinions
Features
4 / Smoke break
14 / Creating a legacy
A look into the vaping devices of the JUUL and the PHIX. What are they and what do they do to your body?
4 4 / Opinions 4 / Opinions 6 / 8News / News / In-Depth 812 / In-Depth
14 / Feature / Feature 17 12 / Sports 20 14 / Entertainment / Sports
Showcasing a student who will be joining the R.O.T.C. program.
5 / Teacher testing
15 / Determined for success
Students get graded every day on how well we do. Should teachers be graded on how well they do?
Looks at a students 5,000 mile journey to America, then joins the school.
News 8 / A place to call their own New club is created to give students ways to make friends.
Entertainment 22 / Hot Black Friday items Get ready to have your hands full of new electronics, clothes etc this Black Friday with these hot new items.
“ I find it difficult to explain how I feel.� - Yaya Keita , Determined for success , Page 15
Want to become a
12 / Searching for light
In-depth look on how this generation gives teachers hope for the world today.
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6 / The melting earth
Friend of The Mirror?
Global warming continues to create conversation throughout the world. What can we do to help it?
November/2017
Contact desmetpress@gmail.com Editor ($25) Editor-in-Chief ($50) Publisher ($100+)
Page design by Grant Stegman
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Opinion
Smoke Break by Jacob Young, Editor-in-Chief
It is advertised as an alternate solution to help adults stop smoking, but teenagers have taken it to a whole new level. Students started smoking the JUUL, the PHIX, and just about any other vaping device to get a nicotine buzz. But that is not the real issue. Kids have now become so addicted that vaping has found its way into schools. The law in Missouri states that you have to be 18 to buy any e-cigarette device or cigarette, and 21 in St. Louis County. But somehow teenagers 11-17 are also getting their hands on these e-cigarettes. A JUUL and PHIX have 5% nicotine by weight of the pod which come in four pod packets. The difference, though, is these packs of pods cost about $15-20, and a pack of cigarettes cost $36. So the question is why has vaping become so intriguing to the young, and how has it leaked into our schools? Teens have turned to vaping for one reason, “vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes.” But for those teens who believe that vaping is safer, it’s really not. With every hit you take of your vaping device you are still inhaling chemicals into your body, maybe not the tar and other chemicals cigarettes have but it's still foreign chemicals. 70 to 80 years ago people had no idea how bad cigarettes are; it took them many years to figure out the illness cigarettes caused. Vaping has been around since 2007, so about 10 years, and studies have not been done on the lungs of someone who had vaped for a majority of their life. These vaping devices are so concentrated with nicotine, that kids who smoke them have become super addicted. One single pod from a JUUL is equal to a pack of cigarettes. Kids now have urges to smoke them so much that they have brought them into school. Kids will find any slight moment to go hit their device and try to get the hit in before the teacher turns around or comes back into the classroom. How will the problem be solved with these kids bringing them into the schools? Well the best solution is to first have a sit down with the student who is caught with a vaping devices and show them how bad they are and take it. If they are caught again, give them detention. Finally, if they really are that addicted and can’t stop bringing these devices into school the punishment should most likely be greater than a detention. To stop the growing issues of teenage vaping and smoking, the best thing to do is scare them and show them the statistics. How smoking can shorten your lifespan a great amount. When you bring the aspect of life or death into something, you will always get someone's attention, so hopefully by informing them that smoking can take a toll on your life, kids will realize that the buzz is not worth it.
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November/2017
Art by Darrian Sandoz
Page design by Jacob Young
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Opinion Should students be able to grade teachers?
No
7.60%
**291 responses**
What average grade would you give your teachers? D
F 5.2%
4.2%
c 13.5
yes 92.40%
ayes 22.9% 92.40%
Photo by Jacob Young Decisively, Senior Kameron Ziercher decides on how well Fr. Farrell is teaching.
b 52.4%
What should teachers be graded on? 85.5%
How well teachers relay the material
Teacher Testing A new way to better the classroom for the student
72%
How they impact students How hard the homework is
36%
How well you do in the class
28.7%
52.4%
How cool they are
28%
by Nick Einig , Web Editor
yes 0 20 92.40%
Everyday students are graded on their homework and how well they understand material, but students never get to grade their teachers on how well they are doing. The best way for students to learn is from their teacher, but if that teacher isn’t teaching the students and doesn’t know it, the students will continue to struggle. Students have the best feedback on their teachers by being in their classes every day, something the other faculty does not have, and the kids should’ve the opportunity to say if their teacher is or is not effective. Students want to do well in their classes therefore, students should be able to grade their teachers so they can teach the students better. Teachers being graded by their students allows them to make the changes they need to make in the classroom to give their students the best chance at doing well. Using the regular ways of teaching like PowerPoint documents, note taking, and memorizing things may bore some students and many students might not learn because it doesn’t keep them interested or excited to learn when they walk into the classroom. Giving the teacher a bad grade on engaging with the class may motivate the teacher to make learning more interesting. New ways of teaching will excite students when they walk into the classroom and make them wonder what fun thing will they be learning today. Teachers interacting with students individually is important in a classroom setting, it allows the students to ask questions privately and get a more detailed explanation on how to do something. Being able to grade your teachers on how well they set apart time to speak with everyone individually is
important. If the class feels like they need more one on one time with the teacher they should say something about it, but sometimes students don’t want to criticize their teachers upfront, or just don’t even have the opportunity, so being able to give them a grade on it will make it easier to let the teacher know how well they are doing. Students are the teacher’s best critic. On the other hand, students are still immature and may grade their teacher in a bad way if they have a personal problem with the teacher such as getting a bad grade when they thought they should have done well. Students also could use the whole idea for their own benefit such as receiving less homework or not enough break time. A way to fix this is not give the students the freedom to type when they are grading the teacher and ask specific “yes or no” questions that don’t include ideas of homework or break time. What should happen is every once in a while the students should be sent an email with their personal schedule and have poll questions on each of their classes with a final question asking what letter grade would they give this teacher. The results of the poll with go back to the teachers, where they will have time to analyze the results and make the changes they need. Teachers may see their “grade” and think it doesn’t matter because they think they know what’s best, but teachers sometimes need to be humbled and listen to the students. Students being able to grade their teachers will help them do better in the classroom, create a good relationship with their teachers, and make things more fun for everyone.
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What they are involved with How many demerits they give
26%
19.4%
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40
60
80
100
Page design by Nick Einig
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Opinion
The
Melting Globe Our planet is getting warmer and warmer everyday and we might not be able to stop it by, Chris Bateman, Staff Writer Global warming or climate change has been affecting the planet in many ways and recent reports have said that the effects could be irreversible. With the recent hurricanes in Texas, Puerto Rico and Florida, there must be some changes to prevent these disasters from continuing because if there are no changes, our planet will be in ruins. Less energy usage is very important because it can prevent carbon dioxide from getting into our atmosphere and warming our planet even more. The reason why less energy should be used is because wasting energy isn’t good for the environment and the people living in it. Things like deforestation, cement production, and burning fossil fuels can emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which helps fuel global warming. There are many ways to preserve energy like using fluorescent light bulbs, recycling, driving fuel-efficient car and using less tap water. Energy is wasted almost every day and that’s not good because if this continues to happen, the planet will continue to get hotter. Society should try to gravitate away from fossil fuels like oil and coal and move toward cleaner and renewable energy sources. The usage of fossil fuels is one of the main reasons why global
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warming has been increasing at an alarming rate for the last decade. When fossils fuels are burned they emit gases that go into the atmosphere which produce heat and if they can not escape;that heat stays in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels are used for everything such as air conditioning in homes, electricity, manufacturing and many more everyday things. Some renewable energy sources that society could use are solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy and hydro-power. It is hard to move away from fossil fuels because renewable energy is expensive and the more fossil fuels are used, they will eventually be harder to find and will eventually be depleted. If all of the fossil fuels are used up then sea levels could possibly rise to levels that could engulf an entire city. There are many people who believe that global warming is not a real thing and it’s just a theory from scientists but they are wrong. People who deny global warming believe that the data that is being collected is not exactly accurate. The fact that there are colder winters gives them the idea that global warming is not real just because it is cold outside. One of the net effects of global warming is
November/2017
that some areas will get hotter while others get colder. Many scientists have said that one of the effects of the melting ice caps is colder temperatures in other areas. They also believe that humans are not a source for global warming. Humans are definitely a source because humans burn fossil fuels and waste energy doing basically everyday things. Many of those skeptics have been proven wrong by lots of data so that should give a consensus that global warming is a real thing affecting our environment. Global warming is real, and our environment is drastically changing with stronger hurricanes, floods and earthquakes happening all over the world. Society must come together to use more renewable energy sources and get other areas to as well so we can have a livable planet for future generations. Page design by Chris Bateman
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Opinion
A “healthy” dose of gaming Do the positives of gaming outweigh the negative? by Spencer Caldwell , Staff Writer Video games are very addictive to many teens; some teens spend hours on games every day. Around 97% of teens play video games but why do they play them. It has grown and will keep growing. The average video game company makes $12 billion yearly in revenue. Many teens play different types of games, about 74 percent of teens play racing games making it the most popular genre, puzzle games at 72 percent and sports games following at 68 percent. I believe that the upside of playing video games outweigh the downside. Many types of video games can affect your brain in a good way. For example, a study was conducted where 23 adults at the age of 25 played 30 minutes of ‘Super Mario 64 ‘ for two months. The patients had a dramatic increase in memory formation, spatial navigation, motor skills in the hands and strategic planning. Video games have also been proven to slow down aging process. Action video games have proven to help people with dyslexia to read faster and more accurately. Video games are good for teens because they also give them something to do, which is why many people like to play them. Video games for me are an easy way to talk to my friends from a different school and relax. Video games are an easy way to bring something impossible to reality with a touch of a
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button. Although playing an excessive amount of video games can hurt teens and adults in the long run. Between fatigue, headaches, isolation from others, restlessness and poor personal hygiene video games cause downsides but do more good. Studies have shown that playing an excessive amount of video games results in an increase of depression and anxiety. Many bad habits from video games have caused diseases such as postural, muscular and skeletal disorders and tendinitis nerve compression,and obesity. Cutting down on your time while playing video games may lower your risks of the side effects of excessive amounts of video games. Substituting playing video games with something like playing basketball or read a book. Overall I do not believe video games downsides should keep people from exploring the video game world. Video games give people the excitement when they win and keeps them on the game when they lose to get better and win. Leveling up also keeps people interested in the game by trying to be a higher level than all of my friends.
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62%
of parents say they play video games with their children
36%
eSports surged in 2016. Expected to double by 2020.
75%
of people who play video games thinks it helps mental stimulation or education.
$23.5
billion was spent on video games and systems in 2016
56%
of parents say video games positively effect their children
Page design by Grant Stegman
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News
The lead members of Helping Rising Students all pictured here posing for a group photo, to promote their new club.
photo by Mario Ghazal
A Place To Call Their Own New club aims to foster new friendships between old and new students
by Mario Ghazal, Staff Writer new club is armed with a mission to create role models of the upperclassmen students, while helping underclassmen find their place at school. Helping Rising Students (HRS) looks to make itself a club for fun activities and a place where upper and underclassmen can intermix and make new friends. HRS is headed by seniors Jon Boyle and Josh Reany, and is supervised by Student Support Director Dr. Latoshia Ellis. The club’s first event will happen sometime in the last week of November in room 205 and will meet together for major activities like tournaments and meetups twice a month. HRS started as a small group of friends who regularly hung out with one another, whom simply referred to themselves as “HRS,” without the name having any connotation. “I didn’t find a solid group of friends until sophomore year,” Reany said. “We’re trying to make a club where [a student], no matter who [they] are as a person, feels welcome.” The previously de facto ‘members’ of HRS found that their time with one another helped each other through their high school careers in invaluable ways. “Your friends define who you are as a person, and it helps you figure yourself out as a person,” Reany said. ”If you’re able to find that group, it helps [you] grow as a person.” The intent of HRS is to act as a funnel, guiding new members towards groups of people of all classes with similar interests. This gives upperclassmen the opportunity to become mentors to underclassmen. The club plans to grow these mentorships simply by bringing upper and underclassmen together for various activites, similar to the
A
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“Whether you want to or not, you’ll stumble into a leadership role eventually.”
- John Boyle
club leaders’ own experiences. “Life isn’t all just grades. Whether you want to or not, you’ll stumble into a leadership position eventually,” Boyle said. “I feel that I’ve become a better leader because I’ve found things I enjoy here. You’re developing a skillset that helps you later on in life.” HRS values qualities in students that help foster one another’s growth, and places emphasis on getting to know one another. “If you’re not willing to be open and respectful to others, not willing to try and understand others, then HRS is not a place for you,” Reany said. “That’s something that’s always been important to me.” Students looking to join should email either Jon Boyle or Josh Reany at jreany@desmet.org or jboyle@desmet.org respectively, or get in contact with Latoshia Ellis at lellis@ desmet.org in room 205. “HRS has more of an interactive and fun activity sort of vibe,” Boyle said. “We hope to have students experience life instead of just learn about it, push them on to do more things, and find something that calls to them.”
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Page design by Mario Ghazal
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News
G.R.I.T by Mitchell Martinez, Staff Writer
It allows us to overcome obstacles. It’s the drive that keeps us pushing towards our goals. Grit is a character trait that may not be heard of very often, but is still rather important. It is defined as “firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck.” Grit lets us work towards our goals, despite any opposition. It comes from a sense of perseverance and determination to do good and continue on, even though it may be tough. “I think grit means never giving up,” senior Adam Nagy said. “I think we all need a little bit of grit in our lives.” Students are raised and taught in a way that fosters a strong sense of grit in everyone. Mr. Lenzini and Mr. Poelker have come up with an acronym to help us stay professional as a student body and also to help gain a sense of grit: 1. Get to class on time 2. Respect each other, staff, prayer, and mass time 3. In dress code 4. Trust “I think the word itself epitomizes a lot of things that we have historically been about as a school which is to say that we value the guy that is willing to work hard,” Mr. Lenzini said. “We don’t care how talented
you are; we care about how hard you work. It’s part of our identity as a school.” Each of the 4 points in the acronym focus on a small part of professionalism, which helps us grow as individuals. Getting to class on time teaches us to be punctual, which could help us impress others. Respecting others and our environment will allow us to cooperate peacefully. “I think,” Lenzini said. “If we’re respecting each other a lot of other things are going to take care of themselves,” Being in dress code keeps us looking neat and professional, and people tend to be more willing to help out a neat person than a disorganized one. “For as arbitrary as dress code can seem, it is also a way for us to make sure that we look neat, presentable,” Lenzini said. “That we send a signal that we all have to meet that basic standard of professionalism.” And finally, trusting others leads to strong bonds and relationships that could last a lifetime. “Integrity is really important,” Mr. Lenzini said. “I think that each of the 4 components of GRIT take us in the direction of all of us living up to the person that we can be.”
photo by Grant Stegman
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November/2017
Page design by Jacob Young
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News
Never too early for an application by Dalton Hahn, Staff Writer To give seniors a way to receive support with college applications, college admissions counselor William Gunn is taking questions for applying for college. Gunn worked at Washington University as an admissions counselor. “An application is suppose to get information about you to the colleges you want to study at,” Gunn said. “Its designed to be a collection of academic and personal information.” Everyone wants to make a good impression on the school they are applying too. Schools look at ones standardized test scores and GPA. Colleges look at all four years of your high school career. There are ways to make your essay stand out more than others. “Generally speaking, for the younger guys, take challenging classes,” Gunn said. “Colleges really do pay attention to the classes that you take.” Most college applications has an essay applicants can fill out to talk about things more than academics. It’s an essay to show who are someone is outside of a student. Most colleges offer scholarships for essays. “Be open as much as you can about how you see the world,” Gunn said. “Also write about what makes you an unique and interesting person. Also highlight what means the most to you in your essay.” There are so many different colleges that you can apply too so it might be hard to narrow it down. There are no limits to schools you can apply to. There might be schools where you want to go, but do not think you’ll get in. Counselors here help students on what schools to apply too and how many. “We advise students here to have one or two “safe-schools,” where they will be admitted practically guaranteed, and hopefully even get some scholarship money,” Gunn said. “We want students to apply to one “reach” school. Where they think it might be a little unlikely they will get in, but still have a chance. We also want students to apply to schools in the middle as well.” When you apply to a college there is always a chance you won’t get in. It does not mean the end of the world. There are a lot of schools you can still go to. “It happens to people. It is unfortunate when it does.” Gunn said. “The thing to concentrate on is that
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Photo by Jacob Young Filling applications is a long process, so its never too early to start filling them out!
there are so many incredible schools in this country, so many amazing options.” It is never too early or late to start looking into colleges, but if you’re a senior you should better get busy on applications. Freshman and sophomores can start looking into ACT prep and start thinking about what courses will help you get into college. Juniors can start to narrow down their college choices and start taking visits to the campuses. Seniors should have started their applications by now. Their is still a chance if you have no idea where you wanna go or study. The counselor’s office is located on the second floor room 211 “Talk to your college counselors if you have no idea.” Gunn said. “Come in and talk to Mr. Boland and Mr. Gunn. We are here specifically for that. We get paid to help students with their college process.”
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TOP 5 Spartan aplications
1) Mizzou 2) SLU 3) Missouri S&T 4) Rockhurst 5) Missouri State Page design by Adam Jenkins
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New ways of learning Online education programs help teach students math and english by Adam Jenkins , Staff Writer
desmetmirror.com stats
Grades 4th-12th 25.38/
2.61 mil
day
Sessions per month
pageviews
Locked Place Out!
no Red ink
Quarters Completed
1
10:10 min Session Duration
It is never easy doing homework, especially busy work. But teachers have been using IXL and No red ink in classes. IXL and No red ink are two new ways of learning for students and a new way of assigning homework for teachers. “IXL and No red ink are nice because you don’t have to worry about doing any written work.” student Ryan Reichmuth said. “But at the same time IXL, and No red ink are repetitive in ways that can make doing it boring.” No red ink is an english based website that some teachers use for students to practice and do lessons. No red ink also uses personal interest to teach students grammar, after signing up No red ink has students choose favorite TV shows, movies, and books, and when students start practices and lessons it has references from the following TV shows, movies, and books the students choose. “No red ink is a great way to engage with the students,” English teacher Mr. cavanagh said. “It also helps them learn in a lot easier way. Which is big for the students here.” IXL is a math based website with tons of different lessons and practices that teachers can assign to students. But unlike No red ink, IXL isn’t completely free it cost $9.95 a month. Teachers at Desmet have been using these two websites since about last year. “IXL helps students learn and expand their math skills,” math teacher Mr. DeGreeff said. “Through subjects like algebra and other mathematics. I also think it is a great way to have students help each other.”
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Searching for light Students share experiences with being involved in leadership programs and how hope comes from them by Grant Stegman, Editor-in-chief
The Mirror
desmetmirror.com
13 It is 8:30 in the morning, phones are ringing, emails are flying into his inbox, conversations are brought about, and he is still working. He sits gazing upon the crowd of students and recalls his own high school life. Thinking, ‘It was much different back in my day’, he greets students at the doors, the smiles and openness of the students give him his reasoning to be there. His reasoning is hope. “You guys give me hope because you are smarter, more hope-filled, and you do not accept the ‘this is how it is going to be’ thinking,” President Corey Quinn said. “This divide is able to be connected because of this generation. This is the first time it has ever been like this.” One program, GRGR(Give Respect, Get Respect) instills students with the knowledge of being more aware about diversity, oftening promoting it, as well as how to get respect by giving it among peers. The school has been involved with this program for years, and gives students a way to voice their opinion. “The program,” Student Support Latoshia Ellis said, “ trains high school students to be leaders in the area of diversity and inclusion in their schools.” The program has sparked the friday conversations at school. Once a month, students can be apart of a discussion about diversity, race and inclusion. Senior Kendall Fields thinks the answer to tension is respect. “Everyone should give out respect in order to get it back,” Fields said. “I feel like society today just does not see that with the different problems going on whether it is racial or violence. I think it should start with youth.” Ellis prides her teachings and discussions on one specific bible verse, it comes from Isaiah 1:17. ‘Learn to do right, seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.’ “The bible tells us to speak up for the oppressed,” Ellis said. “I think it is a powerful thing for students to be able to find that voice and speak up for those oppressed people.” Another program called Focus STL, is another group of people who discuss and promote leaders within the realms of diversity. “It is a way to find leaders in the school and in the St. Louis area,” Senior Katom Parnell said. “Any type of leadership within school, can give me hope.” Focus STL gives students around St. Louis the chance to voice their opinion just as GRGR does. Hope is something Quinn sees everyday at our school. He sees the smiles in the students, willingness to learn and grow, but mostly he sees the respect students give. Respect is what GRGR preaches. “There is something about the men that walk through these halls,” Quinn said. “It gives me hope, I realize that we all are here for a reason, I see hope in that.” “This program is a good way I can get myself and De Smet out there and show that we can do good things,” Parnell said. “It is a good way to see what else is going on in other schools.” Quinn thinks the current generation can bring about change in society and the city of St. Louis. He believes programs like GRGR and Focus STL bring about this change. “I think these programs can help instill in the youth where to start,” Fields said. “It starts with respect, if you do not have it, you cannot move forward.”
“ This divide
is able to be connected because of this generation”
President Corey Quinn
Page design by Grant Stegman
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Features
Date
Pay to the order of
YOUR NAME HERE
$100,000 00
One Hundred Thousand Dollars
100
Memo Army ROTC Scholarship 0000000000010000 100000000000
Creating a legacy
Student plans to join R.O.T.C. program after high school by Zack Hilboldt, Staff Writer As college selection begins and scholarships are applied for, Senior Charlie Thomasson is taking a different route. Thomasson has always been willing to dedicate part of his life to the United States Armed Forces. Thomasson plans on joining the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. “I wanted to join the ROTC program because I know it will be a great learning experience, help pay for my tuition, and potentially fight for a country I love,” Charlie Thomasson said. “ The ROTC program is also a great resume builder as it forces me to follow a specific schedule in college.” Joining the ROTC program has certain basic requirements. You must be between the ages of 17 and 27, graduate from high school or have a General Education Development (GED), have 2.5 high school GPA, 19 on the ACT, and meet specific physical requirements. “I meet all of the requirements, and so do many others. College is not cheap and if you are willing to dedicate your life to the military for 4 years after this is a great opportunity to eliminate college debut,” Thomasson said. “ I believe this will be a great experience.”
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The ROTC program requires an 8 year commitment ( 4 active and 4 in the reserve), and accountability, but allows you to still have free time in college, some college athletes at smaller, more expensive schools join the program to help pay for their tuition. Essentially, joining the ROTC program would be like attending West Point, the Naval Academy, or the Air Force Academy. “If I had the opportunity to play baseball in college, and join the ROTC program, I would do my best and try to balance my social life, school, baseball, and training,” Thomasson said. “This would be a great honor.”
“
I believe this would be great a experience ”
TOP ROTC PROGRAMS *IN TERMS OF ATTENDENCE*
The Citadel Texas A&M Norwich Austin Peay State Hampton Virginia Military
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Sports
Determined for Success 7’0”
wingspan Ray Allen 6’9” Larry Bird 6’10” Kobe Bryant 6’11”
Freshman Yaya Keita shows off his 7’0”wingspan while palming two basketballs. The Mali native is learning his third language in pursuit of a college degree.
Photo by Brennan Dolnick
Freshman traveled 5,000 miles to seek new opportunities by Brennan Dolnick, Staff Writer
H
e gets on the plane to America traveling over 5,000 miles away from those he loves most. Hopes of bettering his education and playing basketball keep him going as he worries about what the future holds. “It’s so tough to leave your family and your friends for such a long time,” Freshman Yaya Keita said. “I find it difficult to explain how I feel.” Yaya was determined to take the opportunity of coming to America. It seemed scary traveling to a new country, but Yaya knew he’d find a place full of opportunities in America. “I was inspired to come by myself,” Kieta said. “I realized how important this opportunity was, and I knew I couldn’t pass it up.” For Yaya, America has been a much different experience. He had to go to a new school, make new friends, and speak a new language. With those challenges
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also came new opportunities. His new teachers were able to give him a new insight into learning by teaching subjects more in depth. And the schools better access to technology has also helped Yaya learn at a faster pace. “At my old school we only had few computers, here everyone gets one,” Kieta said. ”Also teachers in Mali aren’t always as good quality as they are here.” In Yaya’s home country they speak Bambara and French. Yaya came to America with a small grasp on the English language. Since arriving here he’s made great progress in learning the language. Some people may think it’s tough to communicate in sports for someone just learning English, but he disagrees. “Most of the time I can pick up on what people are saying even if I don’t understand it too well,” Kieta said. “If the team is all connected we can find a
November/2017
way to communicate well.” Ever since Yaya was a kid he always enjoyed playing soccer and basketball. In Mali, schools do not have sports teams, so the only organized games Yaya played was amongst friends. Yaya hopes that being able to participate in high school sports will help his abilities get noticed much better than before. “I like playing on organized sports teams,” Kieta said. “My teammates help me grow and develop better as a player.” Yaya played Freshman soccer earlier in the year, and is now practicing with the basketball team in the mornings. He likes playing with his new teammates because they’ve helped him improve his game substantially. “He’s fantastic in his terms of respect and attitude,” Freshman Maroon Soccer Coach Rob Hutchinson said. “I’ve never encountered a kid so happy to just play the game.” Page design by Brennan Dolnick
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Features
A change in the dogs’ days Social Studies teacher brings his dogs to his classroom by Jay Dolan, Staff Writer In spite of being at an all boys school, Ginger and Lizzy attend class like it’s their own. And at the end of the day they are finally let outside and are able to relieve themselves at the bewilderment of passerbys. In Tom Sothers’s honors American History classroom, dogs roam free. Ginger and Lizzy, or Sothers’s “girls,” are a common sighting to students. Ginger, the smaller of the two, is half Miniature Pinscher half Chihuahua while Lizzy is a Border Collie mix. “I rescued Ginger; some friends of mine found her in South County in the streets,” Sothers said. “I adopted Lizzy from my nephew when she was a puppy.” Sothers tradition of bringing his dogs to school started back in the late 90’s with his old dog, Rudy. He figured it would be good to bring his dog because he was usually gone 14 hours a day teaching and coaching. “I got permission to have him in
the locker room and everyone loved having him around,” Sothers said. “Generally the reactions were very positive.” Having the dogs around has mostly been smooth sailing but there have been some hiccups along the way. “When Lizzy was younger, one time we were walking down the hallway, and right in the middle of the hallway of the first floor she took a poop,” Sothers said. “[Then principal] Dr. Densberger was walking down and pretended he did not see it, so I had to hurry and pick it up.” Ginger and Lizzy are lovable dogs according to students and Sothers. Students like having them hang out around the classroom. As students walk in the room they are greeted with excitement by Ginger and Lizzy. “They brighten up my day,” junior Dan Walsh said. “It’s something different I experience in school, I like that Ginger lets me hold her. Lizzy is a bit more timid but still
Hisotry teacher, Tom Sothers holds his dog Ginger, while Lizzie stares off into oblivion.
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November/2017
fun.” Ginger and Lizzy may have not grown up together as puppies and have conflicting personalities but they are still the best of friends. The dogs are always on their best behavior aside from a few barks here and there during class. “Ginger is very confident and kind of bossy; she does what she wants,” Sothers said, “Lizzy is very eager to please. She’s also very smart and loves to play fetch with a ball.” For these special students, school days are the best type of days. The dogs even get sad when Sothers leaves the room for a few minutes, so leaving them at home by themselves is bad for them. Room 303 sure beats being at home by themselves any day of the week. “When I tell them it’s time to go to school they run to the car and wait by the door,” Sothers said. “When they are home all day, they are home by themselves. At school they get lots of attention and they like to be with me.”
Photo by Jacob Deighton
Page design by Jacob Young
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Features
From the stage to the turf
Photo by Brian Grassi Sticking his foot to try and steal the ball, Heidger plays defense.
by Eric Nickolasen , Staff Writer The spotlight is beaming down on him, hours of practice from the last few months finally being put to the test. A full house, not a single open seat. Cum exerferibero te modit eturia It’s hisremoment to shine, and there is is no time for regrets. dolo quatur, officia eictam quiandaerit Duringquo theto weeks of July, velici seniorvent Hudson Heidger ipsam inulparibus was apart of the 7 a.m. Division I conditioning ande dus,These officientio. voloconsist cum workouts. series Et of quiae workouts volupta tatias nobist imolorion of rigorous sprints, ruthless long distance, and exhausting agility courses. Heidger’s outlook was different than others, instead of taking an easy way out, he always gave one hundred and ten percent effort. “In order to do well on the field, or really anywhere, you have to practice,” Heidger said. “When on the field I feel great because I get to see the results of hard work.” For Heidger, playing soccer for De Smet was a goal he had been wanted to achieve for years. This year, he made sure nothing got in his way from achieving this goal. “Playing for DeSmet was a wish of mine since sophomore year, and until this year I was just letting worries about playing holding me back,” Heidger said. “This year I went out for soccer because I realized that it was my final opportunity to do this.” This idea came about when Principal Bonat gave the idea of different people joining different sports and activities. Heidger is not involved with theater here, but goes into girls schools to do theater. “It gives me a way to meet people,” Heidger said. “I thought joining soccer would give more people chances of joining new things no matter what year you are.” Heidger had not played soccer since his CYC career finale in the fifth grade. Seven years later, he had little time to catch up on the skills that others had gained while he was taking his time off of the field. “My support really came from my team, coach Littleton, and my parents,” Heidger said. “They were all extremely encouraging, and my teammates all really helped me push myself and work hard.”
Photo by Jack Hummel Dribbing the soccer ball, Heidger gets ready for his game versus Rock Bridge.
Photo by Jacob Deighton Heidger has not been in a play at school, but does plays for other schools.
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November/2017
Page design by Grant Stegman
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Sports
Photo by Kevin Berns
Freshman Ben Mueller leads the De Smet varsity cross country team in the race to the finish line.
Front of the Pack Ben Mueller is the first freshman to qualify for sectionals since 1998 during his first year of running cross country. With legs about to give out and gasping for air, freshman cross country runner Ben Mueller placed in districts to be the first freshman cross country runner to advance to sectionals since 1998. Mueller placed 27th out of 30 in the district race on Oct. 21 and he raced at sectionals October 29th and finished 47th with a time of 17:38. “It was definitely different experiencing running on my own ,” Mueller said. “But I was still excited to represent De Smet at sectionals.” Along with cross country, Mueller plays freshman soccer as well. Soccer and cross country are both fall sports and their seasons take place during the same time. “I had never ran in the past and I just
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stuck with soccer,” Mueller said. ‘Coach Traughber convinced me to decide to run and I just thought that would be really cool.” Most students stick to one sport a season to be able to manage time and focus on improving at one sport at a time. “My coaches have been supportive and make sure everything is stays manageable,” Mueller said. “I try not to procrastinate too much.”As one of the top runners on the team, Mueller plans on focusing on cross country and trying to get better everyday. “I’m going to be running in the winter and summer since I’m not playing sports during those times,” Mueller said. “I’m doing this to stay in shape this winter so I can be ready for track in the spring.”
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Top 5 Varsity Cross Country Runners 1. Colin Donovan 2018 17:21.20 2. Ben Mueller 2021 17:37.80
*for the 5k*
by Dalton Hahn, Staff Writer
3. Owen Madigan 2020 17:57.00 4. Nolan Shannon 2018 17:59.20 5. Alex Voelker 2019 18:02.20 Page design by Mitchell Martinez
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Sports
Bleed
BLUE Finding schools most crazed hockey fans by Eric Nikolaisen, Staff Writer
Photo by Kevin Berns Colin Donovan, Adam Boehm, and Matt Lucas, believe they are the biggest Blues fans out there.
When Senior Matt Lucas was in kindergarten, Matt had a “show in tell” that to this day lives on to tell stories. His item was a little more rare than most of his classmates. Instead of an object or cool toy, Matt brought in the two hundred and twenty five pound, six foot three Center for the St. Louis Blues, David Backes. Lucas has been a season ticket holder his entire life. His father, Bryan Lucas, is VP of corporate sales which helps Matt get all the inside scoop on the team before an average fan finds out. In the past eight years, Matt has been to over two hundred and fifty home games and fifty away games. “Blue runs deep in our family’s blood,” Lucas said. “I’ve known the ins and outs of the blues organization since I was born, if you need to know who’s playing well, who’s not, whose on the verge of being traded, who are we looking at, I’m the guy who knows it all first.” Senior Colin Donovan has been a fan of the Blues his entire life, hasn’t missed a game since fifth grade, and goes to 10 home games every year with his brother and father. Donovan describes a superfan as someone who goes above and beyond the average fan, knowing the ins and outs of the franchise. Even being able to remember special moments “There’s obvious aspects of a superfan, they go above and beyond to watch all the games, to get access to all the
games, to follow the team, the injuries, the hot streaks, all that stuff,” Donovan said. “But I feel like there’s another level to it. You have to be willing to lay it out there when someone starts to push against the team. You’ve gotta be able to fight for your team. In recent memory, game 7 against the Blackhawks in 2016. Troy Brouwer scored the game winning goal and I hugged some random drunk guy next to me and he spilled beer all over my Parayko jersey. I didn’t even care.” Math teacher, Adam Boehm, has been a Blues fan since January of 2015. While most proclaimed superfans have been fans their entire lives, Boehm is new to the title of a superfan, but certainly lives up to the name. “I never really have a problem with people bashing on my respect for the blues,” Boehm said. “When they do, I just tell them that I wasn’t brought up in blues culture, I chose it on my own accord.” Last year, the St. Louis Blues hosted the NHL Winter Classic. An event that is hosted outdoors between two rivalry teams. A true once in a lifetime opportunity that is a must attend for Blues Fan. Boehm was one of the lucky fans who got tickets. “My Dad called me the morning of the game, and said that he had gotten tickets from his boss,” Boehm said. “We had seats in the second section, and the atmosphere was incredible.”
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November 2017
Blues home schedule Nov 11 - vs. New York Islanders Nov 21 - vs. Edmonton Oilers Nov 24 - vs. Nashville Predators Nov 25 - vs. Minnesota Wild Nov 29 - vs. Anaheim Ducks Dec 01 - vs. Los Angeles Kings Dec 07 - vs. Dallas Stars Dec 10 - vs. Buffalo Sabres Dec 12 - vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Dec 14 - vs. Anaheim Ducks Dec 16 - vs. Winnipeg Jets Dec 27 - vs. Nashville Predators Dec 30 - vs. Carolina Hurricanes Jan 02 - vs. New Jersey Devils Jan 04 - vs. Vegas Golden Knights Page design by Eric Nikolaisen
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BLACK
GoPro Karma Currently 799$ (Is expected to drop from anywhere between 150-250$)
FRIDAY
by Grant Stegman Editor-in-chief
Entertainment
Google Home
Top Brand Speakers- 99$(30$ off) Compares to the Amazon Echo or Dot which will sell for 40$.
DEALS
Haier 55’ 4k HDTV Reg. Price 400$ 300$ (25% off)
Beats Solo 3 Wireless AT AMAZON 199$ 120$(80$ off)
iPhone X Starting at the companies all time high 999$, Apple has released its plans for Black Friday. $0 down and a $300 gift card when activating an installment plan. The iPhone 8 is going for 700$ and a 0$ down with 250$ gift card. The 8+ is going for 800$ with 0$ down and 250$ gift card. The Mirror desmetmirror.com
Playstation systems Playstation 4 199$ Playstation VR 50$ off
November/2017
Fitbit Ionic
Normal Price 299$ No information has been leaked about the price drop but there will be a drop. Fitbit Ionic has been getting comapred to Apple Watch.
Canon EOS Rebel t6 Orginally 550$ Going for 450$ at Kohl’s
A key-added-feature was the introduction of Wi-Fi and near-field connectivity for transfer of data to devices such as computers and smartphones. Page design by Grant Stegman
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Entertainment
Things to do this fall by Dalton Hahn ,Staff Writer
1
2
Carve a pumpkin Apple picking with that special someone
5
3
Get over fear of heights! Go on a hot air ballon ride
4
Go on a hike
6
Have a movie night
Make a bonfire with family and or friends
Get absolutely lost in a corn maze
8
Eat, eat, eat especially on Thanksgiving
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November/2017
Page design by Dalton Hahn
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Entertainment
Class
room
lookby Adam Jenkins , Staff Writer
alikes
REVIEW by Nick Einig , Web Editor Length:7 hours and 37 minutes Creator: The Duffer Brothers Rating: A **SEASON 1 SPOILERS**
Rob Hutchison
Tom Cruise
Christopher Farrell Robert de Niro S.J.
Mark DeGreeff
Howard Place
Vin Diesel
Rob Bergman
Kevin James
Adam Boehm
Benedict Cumberbatch
Kit Harrington
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November/2017
“Stranger Things 2” released on Oct. 27. was long awaited for. The new season picks up one year after Mike and his crew defeated the Demogorgon, with an interesting intro showing a random girl with the numbers 008 on her arm, who has powers somewhat like Eleven’s. Again, we find that something has happened to Will and the plot for this season is revealed, to fix Will. And again, Hawkin’s Lab has something to do with it. During the beginning part of the season there wasn’t much action but as each episode passed it got more and more intense and interesting leading to the climax at the end of the last episode. Throughout the season the actors keep the viewer entertained and believing the fear they are experiencing during each episode. Winona Ryder (Joyce) does a great job portraying a protective, scared, and ruthless mother who will do anything to protect her child. While Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) has the viewers believing how hurt and scared she is from lab experiments in the past. Lastly, Finn Wolfhard (Mike) shows how much he misses Eleven in his life. All the actors do a great job of portraying their individual characters. From the first moments of the new season the creators create a scene that grabs the viewer’s attention. The show brought back questions that were unanswered last season and created new ones during each episode wanting the viewer to keep watching to find out what the answer is. This new season of Stranger Things keeps up the momentum that last season had. It is mysterious, interesting, and frightening from episode 1 all the way to episode 9. Page design by Mario Ghazal
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Entertainment Call of duty:WWII
Star Wars battlefront II Release date: November 17th
features a story-driven single-player campaign and multiplayer character classes; it also features cross-era characters and locations from the original, prequel, and sequel Star Wars movie trilogies.
Justice League
Release Date: November 3rd set in European theatre of the war. The campaign is centered around a squad in the 1st Infantry Division, and follows their battles in the Western Front, while the multiplayer expands on different fronts not seen in the campaign
release date: november 17th
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.
Album
DARKEST HOUR release date: November 20th
November 3rd “Red Pill Blues”
During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds.
Feauturing new single Help me out Concert dates have been released
Wonder
Release date: November 17th
WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
Jumanji
Release date: december 20th
Star wars: the last jedi release date:
December 15th Having taken her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey joins Luke Skywalker in an adventure with Leia, Finn, and Poe that unlocks mysteries of the Force and secrets of the past.
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Four teenagers discover an old video game console and are literally drawn into the game’s jungle setting becoming the adult avatars they choose.
Album
Luke Bryan December 8th “What makes you country” Feautring single i can’t even
November/2017
days gone
release date: Early 2018 an open-world action-adventure game set two years after a devastating global pandemic. Play as Deacon St. John, a bounty hunter facing a brutal struggle for survival, searching for a reason to live.
Page design by Grant Stegman
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1:17