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THE
MIRROR
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De Smet Jesuit High School
pg. 12-13
senior edition
Volume 48 / Number 4 / April 2018 De Smet Jesuit High School / 233 N. New Ballas Rd. / St. Louis, MO 63141
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This year has been MIRROR a good year to learn the in-and-outs of the newspaper production process. We wanted to dedicate the double truck (pg 12-13) to the Class of 2018. Also, as every final issue does, the State of the School. The cartoon was drawn by Matthew Hilmer. The article goes over the highs and the pg. 12-13 lows of the year. As a staff, we congratulate the seniors on their 4 years at De Smet and we wish them luck in their future. Next year, the Mirror staff will look to get the SNO Distinguished Site award for three consecutive years. Also, as a staff, we will be ready, more than ever, to produce a product that peaks students interest. Stay tuned for the Day 1 issue next year! Have a great summer folks. - Grant Stegman, Editor-in-Chief THE
De Smet Jesuit High School
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senior edition
Volume 48 / Number 4 / April 2018 De Smet Jesuit High School / 233 N. New Ballas Rd. / St. Louis, MO 63141
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Letter from the editor’s desk
STAFF
Kevin Berns / Adviser Grant Stegman / Editor-in-Chief Nick Einig / Web Editor Jacob Deighton / Multi-media Editor Jay Dolan / Features Editor Cameron Range / Sports Editor Brennan Dolnick / Management Editor Daniel Hennesey / Entertainment Editor Spencer Caldwell / Opinions Editor Josh Becher / Copy Editor Mitchell Martinez / Staff Writer Dalton Hahn / Staff Writer Jacob Young / Staff Writer Mario Ghazal/ Staff Writer Chris Bateman / Staff Writer Zack Hilboldt / Staff Writer Eric Nikolaisen / Staff Writer Adam Jenkins / Staff Writer Tim Chiapel / Staff Writer Jordan Johnson / Staff Writer
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.
April / 2018
Page design by Dalton Hahn
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MIRROR
Contents Opinions
Sports
4 / State of the School
13 / Battle at Busch
Mirror staff addresses the highs and lows of the year.
The Varsity baseball team is scheduled to play at Busch Staduim.
5 / Mars or Bust
Entertainment
Why it is essential the world sets it’s sights on colonizing the red planet.
News Juniors create new religious retreat for students.
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pg
10 / Features 12 / Sports 14 / Entertainment
A comprehensive look at the two wildly successful survival games.
“They haven’t quite gotten there yet,
so we are really working...”
- Thomas Larson, Larson’s Legacy, Page 12
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T J ESU IT
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4 / Opinions 6 / News 8 / Class of 2018
Which music streamer is the better option for you?
16 / Battle of the Royales
6 / Vitae Retreat
Larson’s Legacy
14 / Apple Music vs Spotify
7 / Studying Abroad
11 / Meme Machine
Senior decides to go study in Germany for college.
Senior created a very successful meme page that has reached thousands of followers.
|The Mirror| desmetmirror.com
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M.D.G. Page design by Dalton Hahn
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Staff Editorial
State of the School Mirror staff looks at the highs and lows of the year
artwork by Matthew Hilmer The administration brought a new look to the 2017-2018 school year. Developing a more modernized school system is something that our school should pride itself on. By giving us the schedule, grading scale, and Innovation Center, administration gave us more time to be high schoolers and get the most out of our years at school. Introducing these new things for the school was a great move for students. Now, keeping something consistent should be top priority moving forward. “Innovation” can not end in 2018; it must continue on year after year. Although the staff laid a good foundation, some things need a closer look moving into the future. FACULTY BUY-IN By creating a more structured discipline system, administration is in need of faculty buy in. It seems as if teachers don’t know what is a JUG/ demerit and what isn’t. Because teachers don’t know, students don’t know. The dress code we have now looks different than the one we had earlier in the year. What can we wear and what can’t we? Many times this has changed. Faculty buy in also looks like the teachers actually pushing dress code. If teachers want to create a structured discipline, have ALL teachers buy into the discipline code. If all teachers don’t buy in, then students get upset over which teachers give what demerits, what teachers give JUGs,etc. It is time to take it to the next level. Creating the discipline system was good for the
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school, but getting everyone on board is something that the school needs. Make a clear and precise plan on what is a demerit versus a JUG and what dress code looks like. DEEPER THINKING Having assembly after assembly is not a bad thing. A couple assemblies were really put together well and hit students with a great message. However, some lacked meaningful and touching messages that really sparked students’ “thinking caps.” Think back to Jeff Yalden last year, and when the Puerto Rican students were interviewed in front of us. Yalden made us think. He was pretty vulnerable, and people respected him. The Puerto Rican students gave us their perspective on a life-changing event. Again, people were into it. That is what a school assembly should look like: a way to get students to buy into the message and really think about the topic being brought up. Give the students assemblies that touch us, give us something that we can look back on and really use to make change within the school. There were many times where the message was simply to be men for and with others, restating our mission statement, or telling the student body how good we are. Although, it is good to hear these things, the life stories make for better assemblies. If that means going above and beyond, so be it. Students love enjoyable and relatable stories. Be more consistent with the assemblies.
April / 2018
ADULT INFLUENCE School spirit is at an all-time low. There are no student sections at sporting events and the pep rallies are often not hyping anyone up. Although it may seem as if school spirit is just a student problem, the adults have a huge impact on school spirit. The disconnect between administration and faculty plummets the school spirit. When a student hears a teacher make fun of the delay in the Innovation Center opening, it makes students think, “Why should I have pride in going here if the teachers don’t have pride here?” or “Why should I trust the administration if teachers don’t?” Finally, and maybe the most important: accountability. Faculty and administration need to understand their impact on the students. What they say and do reflects the “school spirit” of the school. When teachers say certain things, school spirit goes down. Take pride in our school. A lot of teachers lack care for assignments and deadlines. This rubs off on the students drastically. When teachers don’t give students deadlines and are careless when an assignment isn’t turned in, students don’t care either. No one penalizes them. No one is there to push them to be better. If we are all about helping high school students become better students, lets try and help teachers become better teachers. The school needs a system of accountability. Teachers need to push deadlines. The sooner the administration and teachers know that their comments and actions have reflection on the students own comments and actions, the better off the overall spirit of the school will be. Page design by Jacob Young
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Opinion
Mars Matters
SpaceX successfully landing two Falcon 9 Boosters simultaneously during the Falcon Heavy Launch to be recovered for reuse in future missions.
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ars presents an opportunity of existential progress for mankind. While Mars isn’t very hospitable for human life, it is still possible to colonize and terraform. If a space program built to colonize Mars were successful, there would be a tangible feeling of hope and pride that humanity is becoming something greater among the stars. “You want to wake up in the morning and think the future is going to be great - and that’s what being a spacefaring civilization is all about. It’s about believing in the future and thinking that the future will be better than the past. And I can’t think of anything more exciting than going out there and being among the stars.” — Elon Musk, CEO and Lead Designer, SpaceX SpaceX’s mission is to colonize Mars. CEO Elon Musk has said himself that he founded the company solely for this purpose. Thanks to SpaceX’s ambitious mission, it has come much farther than any other space agency at making advanced rockets such as its most recent spacecraft, the Falcon Heavy. While some would say that SpaceX’s ambition is too far-fetched or the attempt at fulfilling a billionaire’s fanciful dream, SpaceX means to achieve its founding goals with every measure of seriousness.
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By Official SpaceX Photos
A look into why landing on Mars is a good idea
So far, the company has upset the space industry dramatically, cutting the costs of launching objects into orbit dramatically by developing and mastering the engineering required for reusable rockets. The best example of SpaceX’s proficiency at launching and landing its rockets is the recent Falcon Heavy launch. The astonishing display of rocket engineering featured the most powerful rocket launch since the Saturn V, two rocket boosters landing simultaneously, and ended its grand display by livestreaming CEO Elon Musk’s own cherry red Tesla Roadster floating in space with the words “Don’t Panic” on the dashboard and blaring David Bowie’s “Life on Mars.” The maiden voyage of the Falcon Heavy is best described as science fiction made real.
by Mario Ghazal, Staff Writer SpaceX has no plans of slowing down. Its first planned mission to Mars will happen in 2022, carrying cargo. A second mission, using the upcoming Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) carrying both cargo and as much as 100 passengers, is planned for a mission in 2024; 6 short years from now. SpaceX’s goal is to bring down the costs of a ticket to Mars to an average of $500,000 dollars, the price of a middle class individual selling off his property and belongings. It’s entirely possible that, at SpaceX’s current pace, students currently attending De Smet have the option to migrate to Mars before they are middle aged. A small population of our very own may even choose to become a part of this mission, and become one of the first to plant their boots onto the martian surface.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s Cherry Red Roadster, in space with passenger dummy Starman.
April / 2018
By Official SpaceX Photos Page design by Spencer Caldwell
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Vitae Retreat
News
Juniors create new type of religious retreat by Brennan Dolnick Managing Editor This summer juniors Sean Feltz, Blaker Hilker, and Matthew James are helping run a new type of religious retreat that has never been done before in St. Louis. The Vitae retreat is a retreat created by teens for teens. It is open to all high school students and will take place from June 1-3. This retreat is pretty much the first of it’s kind,” Feltz said. “I’m excited to be able apart of something like this.” The Vitae retreat is run by a board of directors who are all teens involved in campus ministry at parishes all around St. Louis county. The only adult involvement is for chaperones and housing for the kids. The teens are hoping to draw in kids from many different youth ministry groups around St. Louis. “We wanted to market this retreat to anyone,” Feltz said. “Not just a catholic school thing, or west county thing. We’re able to do this by getting a board of teens from all around the county not just one parish or school.” The retreats board likes to think of themselves as the “builders” because they are helping build God’s kingdom on earth. To them nothing can happen in youth ministry without the presence of Christ around them. So they be workers of God’s will rather than the master builders. “A lot of times we hear youth minister’s tell us you are the church,” Hilker said. “I feel it’s a lot easier to believe that when it’s coming from someone your own age that’s clearly interested in God.” Feltz said he is getting tired of people within the church telling him “the youth are the future of the church”. Sean believes the youth are the church and that you are never too young to get involved in ministry within your community. There’s several references from scripture saying people are too young in certain facets of church leadership,” Feltz said. “I want to face that.” Feltz and Hilker encourage everyone that is on the fence about the retreat to give it a chance. They believe an opportunity to encounter God is very important and should not be passed up. They hope their retreat can become that opportunity for every kid who goes on it. “If you’re considering going please take time to consider it,” Blake said. “And if you can’t come please pray for us and all that go on the retreat.”
Photo by: Brennan Dolnick The Vitae Retreat was created by Sean Feltz.
The difference from a year ago STUGO elections are different this year by Mario Gazhal Staff Writer The election cycle for the Student Government (STUGO) is different this year, changing both the way that positions are acquired for the candidates in question as well as how students are considered for their offices. While the changes are largely structural, the changes are intended to improve communication between student needs and the school administration. The factors that the candidates must score favorably in order to win a position in STUGO are the general vote count, teacher recommendations, and private interviews with Mr. Russo, Director of Student Activities and Ms. Bowers, Assistant Director of Student Activities. Of these three factors, the student body’s vote is considered the most important. Students received an electronic ballot through their email, like in previous elections. However, this year the
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candidates are running for leadership, rather than specific positions in the Student Government. The candidates who win more votes than their competition are then nominated for selection into four specific seats: Student President, Vice President of Student Voice Committee, Vice President of Events Committee, and Vice President of Leadership Committee. The positions are made to be specific than the responsibilities of the old positions of Vice President and Secretary, and these changes in structure are intended to increase focus so that the elected students are more easily able to take ownership for their positions. The introduction of specialized seats in STUGO will also enable more precise questioning of the candidates for their desired positions. An informed vote is more likely to get the best people the student body has to offer into STUGO.
April / 2018
Juniors named finalists in ACA video contest Juniors Jack Windler and Ben Bochantin were named finalists in the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) high school video contest. The ACA is an archdiocese organization that supports catholic ministries and schools to keep them up and running. The school was awarded a $2,500 grant for their efforts in the contest.
The ACA Video Contest gives $10,000 in awards. Page design by Brennan Dolnick
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News
Students to work for, with in Nicaragua by Dalton Hahn, Staff Writer
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Photo provided by Sean Dolan Sean Dolan with two of his friends during his year in Germany.
Studying Abroad Senior contemplates return to Germany by Dalton Hahn, Staff Writer
After spending his junior year in Germany for an exchange program, Senior Sean Dolan is planning on returning and studying in Germany for college after he receives his diploma in May. “I’m trying to study in Germany because there is an opportunity for free education, basically,” Dolan said. “The German education system has free tuition for EU (European Union) students.” Dolan is currently looking at colleges in Berlin and Mannheim. “In Mannheim, I would have to pay $1,500 a semester and in Berlin it would be free,” Dolan said. “I’m currently in the application process, but it is difficult because I’m also looking at the University of South Carolina.” Dolan is having trouble making a decision due to the way the application process is for both countries. “For South Carolina I’ll have my
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admissions letter in April, but I can’t even apply for a German school until May,” Dolan said. “I would have to tell South Carolina whether I am going there or not before I even know I am accepted into a German school.” Dolan is applying between May and July. He should know whether he is accepted or not in August, because school does not start until October in Germany. While in Germany for his junior year, Dolan learned the language. “Once I learned the language, I fell in love with the schools, and also fell in love with the people, the culture, and the country,” Dolan said. “I made some friends from last year and it will be nice to see them again.”’ Dolan played varsity soccer and he cannot wait to get back to the soccer in Germany. “I’ll probably play a little over there,” Dolan said. “When I was over there last time I went to 4 or 5 games and it was amazing.”
April / 2018
tudents and faculty will travel to Nicaragua to work with Amigos for Christ on June 9. De Smet has been helping Nicaraguan communities with various projects since 2012. The group travels to Nicaragua for one week every year and often times do not know what they will be doing until they arrive in the country. Once they arrive, they depart for a community that needs help with a project where they can do things such as building clean water systems, building schools, and providing help with health and economic issues. “De Smet has gotten this reputation of being these big strong guys who are going to go,” Theology teacher Alex Hall said. “If there is a tough job or there is a dirty job, they are going to get it done.” Senior Brendan Fitzgerald went last summer. He was inspired to go after taking part in other service projects. “I helped with special Olympics and I really enjoyed that,” Fitzgerald said. “Junior projects is when I really developed my love for doing service, so I decided to go to Nicaragua.” Hall was inspired to go on another mission trip after going on one to Honduras his senior year of high school. “Something like Amigos is really something that is life changing,” Hall said. “The second I got off the plane I texted Mr. Hawkey and I said if there aren’t teachers for next year, let me know and I will do it again in a heartbeat.” De Smet along with many other people and organizations travel from Missouri and Georgia to Nicaragua for a common cause. “You don’t know someone but you know what they are about, because if they weren’t about good stuff, they wouldn’t be there,” Hall said. “From there you can really make these awesome friendships.” Many of the students and faculty were able to make connections with the people and children of the community. Every time a group travels with Amigos for christ, one day is set aside for the group members to celebrate the work they have accomplished. “One memorable experience was I met this kid who liked all the same things I liked,” Fitzgerald said. “I really developed a good relationship with him.” Opportunities for rising seniors are available every year to go on the mission trip. “For anyone who is thinking about going on this trip they should definitely do it because it is a life changing experience,” Fitzgerald said. “I went and I got to experience first hand what living in a third world country is like and it really changed me for the better.” Page design by Mitchell Martinez
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MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT State Soccer Run in 2015
Photo by Kevin Berns Lining up for the national anthem, the soccer team prepares for the state game.
TRADITION WISH-LIST ITEMS
Committed to Justice Joey Hormberg De Smet Jesuit has helped me become committed to justice over the course of my four years through the many opportunities offered to me. Through the extra curricular events as well as in the class room De Smet has instilled the values of making sure that all people are heard and treated justly.
Loving Christian Chiapel “The religion classes senior year really challenged me and my faith. They made me think more about it and what my faith what is really about and not just being on the surface level of my faith.�
Open to Growth Kenneth Gibson
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Open to Growth is a process of maturing. De Smet Jesuit gives great opportunities to grow mentally, physically, and spiritually. We are able to grow mentally through the classroom and challenging coursework. Also with all of our sports teams and newly renovated weight room we have many different ways to stay active and physically active. Finally we are able to grow spiritually through the retreat opportunities we are able to go on.
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Stud experie Grad at
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Students share their perience of growth in ad at Grad categories
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Intellectual Competent Patrickson Jean De Smet helped me in developing mastery of critical thinking and prepared me to excel in a college environment. Thanks to De Smet, I am more confident in applying my knowledge to new situations, to work with others , and to understand my role in bettering our community.
Religious Grant Jenkins “The religion classes senior year really challenged me and my faith. They made me think more about it and what my faith what is really about and not just being on the surface level of my faith.”
Developing as a leader Joe Lane DeSmet has helped me in the “Developing as a leader” aspect of the grad at grad by it has shown me that a good leader can lead not only by his voice, but by his actions as well whether he knows it or not. When I was an underclassman, I remember when I would listen to the upperclassmen during practice and do what they told us to do because I thought of them as leaders, but I would also watch what they did because I wanted to be like them when I was an upperclassman.
Going away
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he final chapter of our De Smet careers are coming to a close. Looking forward to the future, keep in mind that this brotherhood last for a lifetime. From cheering at the sporting events to Saturday mornings at the Soloman Projects, we have poured our hearts and souls into this school. As a class, we have developed into amazing leaders that will transform the world. To prepare for the future, keep in mind the mission that we have lived out these four years. To be men for and with others by embracing, innovating, and empowering each other and the world. As we spread out across the country at the greatest Universities, just remember that we will have each other’s backs no matter what. - Nick Thorpe, School President
Page design by Grant Stegman
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Features
Hard Work pays off Junior speaks on what it takes to achieve black belt in Karate by Jay Dolan, Features Editor
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ours upon hours in the dojo every night, spending time working and fighting with people two or even three times his age and weight. Getting thrown to the ground and punched all over his body, at the end of it all he laughs it off and heads home. This is the fun of a weeknight for a Karate black belt. This is Junior Michael Hovis’ favorite hobby and second home. Becoming a black belt in Karate takes a lot of hard work and Hovis was completely ready to embrace that when he started in 3rd grade. As the years passed and he spent more time at the dojo he began to become really close to his peers. “It was fun to be around them and work out,” Hovis said. “They shape you into being top physical shape but mental shape as well. They made me the best version of myself.” Hovis became really good after moving into the advanced class. He would work and spar with full grown men as a 7th grader. “I always looked forward to going to practice. I have a lot of friends their who were in my advanced class who were mainly adults,” Hovis said. “We would make it fun but work hard at the same time.” Karate helps Hovis live out the slogan “Men for Others” as he helped around the dojo as a middle schooler to help kids learn the basics of Karate. Hovis learned how to become a leader through this. “It was very important to me. It felt good to be a role model to all the kids,” Hovis said.“The moral virtues De Smet teaches are very similar to the ones I learned at the dojo.” Getting better at Karate takes long diligent work, but this hard work pays off for Hovis in tournaments. He has won four different sparring trophies, two first place and two second places trophies. Hovis is very proud of these trophies he worked hard for. “It felt amazing to win [these trophies],” Hovis said.“It was important to me because it felt like I was progressing. I would get beat up but I
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“The moral virtues De Smet teaches are very similar to the ones I learned at the dojo.” -Michael Hovis Photo by Brian Grassi Junior Michael Hovis performs a kick while wearing his black belt that he achieved freshman year.
would keep going.” As a black belt has many responsibilities to go along with the virtues he learns. To Hovis being a black belt is more than a label, it is a lifestyle. “Being a black belt is to be a leader,” Hovis said. “It is the pursuit to be the best person I can possibly be.”
Each belt a participant in karate can receive in order White Yellow Orange Purple Blue Green Brown Black April/ 2018
Taekwondo vs Karate by Mitch Martinez, Staff Writer Karate and Taekwondo are two of the most well-known martial arts in the world, but someone who hasn’t trained in either of them may not be able to tell the difference between the two arts. Karate is a Japanese martial art that originates from Okinawa, Japan, while Taekwondo originated in Korea. Karate focus more on strikes with the arms, such as punching and elbow hits. Taekwondo, on the other hand, puts more emphasis on kicking techniques. Each acts as an unarmed form of self-defense, and each style of martial art is taught in a dojo. Taekwondo and Karate are going to be featured in the Tokyo Olympic games in 2020. Page design by Jay Dolan
Features
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Photo by Chris Bateman
Dubuque proudly shows off his meme page.
Meme Machine
Senior Teddy Dubuque runs a meme page that has garnered over 21,000 followers. by Chris Bateman, Staff Writer
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fter hearing a joke from a game called Civilization V, Senior Theodore Dubuque decided to create a Dutch meme page. The joke was originally a comic format called Polandball, which pokes fun at different countries, and Dubuque was very intrigued by it.
Dubuque has a meme page on Instagram that features jokes about the country of the Netherlands and its neighbors. The page was created in 2015 and it has garnered a lot of attention. He originally created the account as a joke, but Dubuque eventually wanted to take it seriously as time went on. “I saw other people had accounts and I thought it would be fun to meet new people who thought this was funny like
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I did,” Dubuque said. “I did not take it too seriously as first, but as time went on I really took it to make a real and functioning page.” The meme account has gotten approximately 21,600 followers on Instagram and is continuing to grow as time goes on. “I did not think I could get as many followers as I did,” Dubuque said.”I remember being excited about getting 100, 200, 500, etc. followers only imagining reaching the 21,600 followers that I have now.” Dubuque’s meme page has been a fun experience for him but it has also taught him some things as well. “At first it really exposed me more to what is currently happening in the
April / 2018
world,” Dubuque said, “and more about other countries history and cultures I did not previously know. Poland for example is a big one. I have met people from the US, Canada, Europe, Indonesia and even one who claims to be North Korean, but I think he is Chinese.” Dubuque expects his Dutch meme page on Instagram to get bigger and bigger as time goes on. “From where I am now I really just see it getting bigger.” Dubuque said. “Although it is not growing incredibly fast, at least there are new people coming to enjoy my posts from wherever they may be.” Dubuque’s Dutch meme account is called Netherlands.ball on Instagram. Page design by Mitchell Martinez
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Sports
Larson’s legacy Senior hopes to lead water polo to state finish by Timothy Chiapel, Staff Writer
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enior Thomas Larson is hoping to push his team to new levels this year. With the water polo team only making it to quarter finals last year, the captains, including Larson, hope to change that. Larson made second team all-state this past season and is hoping to make first team all-state this upcoming season. Recently, Larsen broke the De Smet water polo record for most goals in one game, where he put in 11 beating the previous record of 10. Larson has been playing water polo since seventh grade and understands the basic fundamentals and hopes to pass that along to future captains. “Our team is really young. We got a lot of freshmen and sophomore players and they are trying to learn the fundamentals,” Larson said. “They haven’t quite gotten there yet, so we are really working on our team this year.” Larson plays on the “Jungle Cats” during the off seasons of De Smet, winter and summer. “You meet a lot of people because water polo is a small community,” Larson said. “When playing club water polo, you will meet kids from all different schools.” Larson began playing water polo because of his brother and it came to him very easily. Standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, Larson has a noticeable build in the water. “I picked it up easier than most people do,” Larson said, “and the way that I play helps me in ways that other people struggle.” Last season Larson was awarded Most Valuable Player on De Smet’s team. “I try to clear my mind in the locker room,” Larson said, “and before the swim off I hold on to the wall, go underwater and clear my mind.”
Tricks up his sleeve Senior uses golf skills to help shape his character by Zack Hilboldt, Staff Writer
Photo by Dan Likos Senior Christian Chiapel wins “Bulldog Battle Tournament.”
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Photo by Dirt & Turf Thomas Larson shoots against Oakville. Larson is a top player in the state.
It started all the way back in second grade for senior Christian Chiapel. Instantly he fell in love with the game of Golf and it has been a huge part of his life since. Chiapel started by playing in CYC tournaments, and later began to play in more competitive ones as he became more skilled. Golf has not always been about winning, but sometimes growing as a person. “Honestly, it was so long ago that I can’t remember much of it,” Chiapel said. “But, I remember loving it at first grip of the golf club.” Instantly, Chiapel knew he wanted to do it the rest of his life. He began working with a coach to develop a swing, so he could compete at a higher level. Chiapel has never thought of any sport besides golf. “Its something I knew i wanted to do the rest of my life,” Chiapel said. “I have loved it ever since and haven’t looked back.” The game also allows Chiapel to be himself. He is worry free while he plays. Once he steps into the tee box,
April / 2018
nothing else in the world matters at the time. “It allows me to find myself on the course but I use it as a way to find myself off the course as well,” Chiapel says. “It serves as a relaxer to me and i can fall back on it as a way for me to express my feelings.” Along the way, Chiapel has also picked up a few other tricks. He has learned how to become a better person through golf, and learned a few golf tricks as well. “I can juggle the ball with the club, and can hit it like a baseball,” Chiapel says. “Golf has taught me to be a better man in understanding that you are on your own accord and have to stay true to yourself.” All good things come to an end at some point, and this might be Chiapel’s last year of competitive golf. “My favorite aspect is being able to meet new people from all ages,” Chiapel says. “I will be able to play this game for the rest of my life and meet new people as a result of it, which is pretty cool to me.” Page design by Nick Einig
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Sports
BATTLE AT
BUSCH Photo taken from St. Louis Cardinals
Baseball gets an opportunity to play a game at Busch Stadium by Cameron Range, Sports Editor
I Player Profile LOGAN PAYNE Bio: Logan Payne is a Junior who has been on varsity his sophomore and junior year Best Moment: Beating CBC in the District semifinals game Goal: To become a better baseball player and hopefully be able to play in college
t is the dream kids have when they start playing baseball. It is going to be De Smet vs. Warrensburg and the two teams will face off at Busch Stadium on April 21. They will be playing in the same locker room, using the same facilities, and be playing on the same field the Cardinals have played on for the past 12 years. “The idea of playing on the same field as the Cardinals is unbelievable,” junior Logan Payne said. “It is going to be so cool to play on such a nice field in such a big stadium, playing this game is just a once in a lifetime experience and I can’t wait for it.” These high school kids are going to be playing on the same field as some of the greats like: Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and other players like Miguel Cabrera, Randy Johnson, Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz. “Having this opportunity to play in Busch
Stadium and just to be able to use the same locker room as the St. Louis Cardinals use, is unbelievable,” Payne said. “I know this is going to be one of the best days of my life, I can’t wait. The baseball team is playing this game because a couple of senior parents contacting the head coach, Dave Stewart, and they let him know that there was an opportunity that was available to play at Busch Stadium. So, Coach Stewart worked to find out how to do it, and then made it possible. “I am personally looking forward to, besides playing on the actual field, being in the dugout and bonding with my teammates at Busch,” Senior Grant Jenkins said. “Since every player on Freshman, JV, and Varsity will be there, it is going to be packed, but just having everyone there will make it that much better.”
Behind Enemy Lines by Brennan Dolnick, News Editor He watches every hockey, football, basketball, and baseball game. Junior Charlie “Chuck” Goldkamp is truly a Boston sports superfan. Chuck first started watching sports in 2013, when the Boston Bombing occured. The way everyone handled the atrocity, really touched Chuck. “When David Ortiz addressed
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the Red Sox fans, it was so powerful to me,” Goldkamp said. “It was the first sense of togetherness and human strength I have witnessed.” Ever since then, Chuck has rooted for the Boston Red Sox. Because of his love for Boston, he continued to support them in hockey, basketball, and football. Since becoming a fan of
Boston sports, Chuck has devoted much of his life to following the team and supporting them. “It’s important to me that I watch almost every game,” Chuck said. “I want to know what’s going on with Boston teams everyday.” Chuck has received some hate from fellow students because
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they think he’s a “bandwagon”. Chuck wants them to realize that he only cheers for one city, Boston. “I get called a bandwagon a lot because I’m not from Boston,” Chuck said. “But when I grow I hope to move to Boston so I can live in a great city with my favorite sports teams.” Page design by Cameron Range
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Entertainment
Spotify and Apple Music Logos
Photo courtesy of accidentalfactory.com
Which Music Streaming App is Best? An in depth look at why our students think Spotify is the best music streaming app by Eric Nikolaisen, Staff Writer The debate over which music streaming company is the best has been a popular discussion around the halls.. New streaming apps and companies are constantly being produced and bringing competition to top companies like Spotify, Amazon, and Apple music. While there are many close competitors against Spotify to claim the “best” title, a majority of students have spoken out and gave Spotify their own personal trophy. It gives you the most music to stream, is accessible on any phone or computer, and comes at a great price: free or paid for. “Spotify has been around longer than its competitor apple music. I think the users like how simple it is to use the app and work it, it’s something they are used to and I think that’s why people vouch for it so hard” Senior Henry Benoist said. The competition in the cost aspect of the app is as close as can be. The family package deal for Spotify Premium matches Apple Music’s family package deal of $15.00 per month. The family package allows you to have up to six users per premium account, and gives you access to all the music and libraries the company has. Spotify has over 100 million users compared to Apple Music’s 40 million, so we have to ask why so many users are choosing this app over others? Spotify has a broad music selection with over 30 million titles. The paid (Premium) version of the app allows you to have access to a “Discover Weekly” play-list. This play-list updates every week with the newest songs released by big name musicians. With Apple Music, the closest thing that they have to compare to Spotify’s newly releasing play-lists is their 24 hour radio; however, the issue with this is that you may not get to hear the genre of music or artists that you want to hear from.
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The Spotify app (Premium) allows you to take any album, song, or play-list and download it to your library. When this is done, you can access all of your music and listen to it without the need Wi-fi or usage of phone data.. “ It was an app that came out before apple music, you had every song at the touch of your fingers. The spotify premium is awesome because it gives you accessibility to downloading songs to listen to whenever or wherever you want.”
The Cold Hard Facts
Spotify
1.) Over 70 million paying subscribers 2.) 20,000 songs added EVERY DAY 3.) 19 billion, yes billion, Net Worth 4.) 150 million active users 5.) Over 2 billion created play-lists
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Page design by Eric Nikolaisen
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Entertainment
Solo: A Star Wars Movie A preview of the hottest summer movie by Adam Jenkins, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Han Solo movie poster
This summer another great movie in the Star Wars franchise is coming out on May 25, 2018. Solo: A Star Wars movie is based on the charter Han Solo. The movie is going to take you on the adventures of Han Solo as a young kid getting ready to fight and join the rebellion with his longtime friend and partner Chewbacca. Alden Ehrenreich will be starring as Han Solo. Unfortunately, this means for big Star Wars fans Harrison Ford will not be playing Solo. The movie will also feature Solo’s friend Lando Calrissian played by Donald Glover, a smuggler in the underworld of the Star Wars galaxy. George Lucas has said that these standalone movies for the Star Wars franchise this and Rogue One: A Star Wars movie are going to be referred to as Star Wars Anthology series. These standalone movies have a lot of different perspectives for huge Star Wars fans some being
good some bad. “I think it will be interesting because we get to find out about Han Solo’s past.” Senior Will Oliver said, “it’s also good for new young Star Wars fans being able to experience and find out who Han Solo is.”
Top 5 Summer Movies 1. Avengers: Infinity War 2. Incredibles 2 3. Deadpool 2 4. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 5. Mission Impossible Fallout
Rocket League Legend Senior becomes top in the nation for Rocket Leauge by Josh Becher, Staff Writer On the surface, Rocket League looks like a game of soccer or basketball played with cars ripped out of Gran Turismo. Players’ cars flash by across the screen, straining as they use their thrusters to knock the massive soccer ball into the goal. This game has a large, competitive fanbase that includes teams from many parts of the world- from North America, there are teams such as Cloud9 and Ghost Gaming; from the EU, there’s the team Method and Mock-It (yes, that is their name); and from Oceania, there’s a team like Chiefs eSports Club. Senior Alex House has been playing this game since June of 2016, a year after the game was released. For a time, he was the #1 player in the United States, and currently stands at #44 in the world. “A lot of my friends were better than me, so I wanted to get better at it,” House said. “My friends were playing it, and told me to buy it.” House isn’t the only student who’s wanted to play video games professionally- in 2015, senior Andy Bateman was voted “most likely to sign a con-
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Photo courtesy of Psyonix
tract with CLG, becoming a League of Legends pro player”. League of Legends, a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena developed by Riot games, is vastly different from Rocket League, but in terms of strong team communication, developing smart strategies, and understanding a player’s role, they’re not all that different from real sports. “I think the teamwork needed and and how fast things need to be done really drives the whole competitive spirit of [Rocket League]. It’s people who are really good at this game working together that adds to that,” House said. Every movement is pixel-specific; the slightest twitch can be the difference between victory and defeat. Rocket League has one of the highest skill ceilings in competitive gaming, akin to Counter-Strike, Starcraft, or Street Fighter. Each of these games has something that makes it competitive, whether it’s Counter-Strike’s map layouts and weapon recoil patterns; Starcraft’s massive amount of keystrokes needed to assemble an army; or Street Fighter’s split-second combos needed to decimate opponents. Websites like RocketLeagueStats track
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how many goals players score, and match that with players all over the world. Two professional Rocket League players he was inspired by when he started playing were Cameron “Kronovi” Bills and Mariano “Squishy” Arruda from North America’s team Liquid. “It was how good they were, and it was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know that was possible in this game.’” House has a couple of tips for improving at Rocket League and other games- “If you watch someone who’s really good at the game, you can see what they’re doing and try to replicate that. Work on basic mechanics of the game and you’ll be fine.” Page design by Adam Jenkins
VS Phots courtesy of Epic Games and Bluhole Studio Inc. Both Fortnite and Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) over last man standing battle royale game play. The big question is: which game is better?
Fortnite vs. PUBG
by Mitchel Martinez, Staff Writer
The basic premise of Battle Royale games are almost identical: 100 players drop down onto an island, and then proceed to eliminate each other one by one while searching for better loot to help them along the way. Battle Royale games have taken the world by storm over the last few months, and the two most popular games in the genre are PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. The most glaring difference between the two games is price. While PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) will set you back $30, Fortnite is a free-to-play game, making it more accessible to the average gamer that doesn’t want to spend money on anything new. Graphics There is a large difference in graphics and art styles between the two games. PUBG is meant to be more realistic in its art style, with dark colors and realistically shaped environments and buildings. Fortnite, on the other hand, is more cartoony, with more bright colors and wacky looking characters. A more serious look may be more off putting to a possible player, as a cartoony world makes the game seem easier, but there is allure there as well. In addition to this, Fortnite will run better on a PC, as the graphics aren’t as resource intensive as PUBG. Maps World space and maps are also important to the appeal of a game as
well, as playing in the same area again and again may eventually get old for players. In this category, PUBG has Fortnite beat. While Fortnite only has one map, PUBG already has two, with a third on the way. PUBG fans get to enjoy two drastically different environments in both Erangel, a green and wooded Russian island, and Miramar, a desert area located somewhere in Mexico. In addition to more map options, the size of PUBG’s maps are also larger than Fortnite’s. This gives players less areas and buildings to search for loot, and is one of the main reasons that an entire game of PUBG may last up to 30 minutes, while an average Fortnite game is closer to 20. Gameplay PUBG is meant to be a realistic military shooter, so every weapon in the game is based off of a weapon that you can find in real life and you can find attachments for each one. Guns have realistic bullet drop and different firing modes, so there are many different ways to take down an enemy. You can carry two main weapons, a secondary weapon, and a melee weapon. Health items and extra attachments are stored in the inventory, which has limited space, but can be expanded with backpacks. In Fortnite, however, the guns are less detailed, and there are no attachments. Your inventory space consists of only 5 slots, which can carry either a weapon or a healing item. Fortnite also has a
unique building mechanic, which allows you to place walls, stairs, ceilings, and traps. This may appeal to players who would like to build a fort or base to defend, but to others it may seem hectic and out of place. Travel In PUBG, players can switch between first or third person perspectives, and there is also a first person only mode for players who prefer it. Fortnite, however, can only be played in a third person perspective. The maps in PUBG have more open space, and as a result it is easy to be spotted from far away. However, players have the option to go prone, which allows them to hide in tall grass or other obstacles. Fortnite players are only able to crouch, as going prone is arguably unimportant when in a third person perspective. And finally, PUBG has vehicles such as cars and boats. They allow players to travel more quickly across the map, escape other players, and avoid the deadly blue zone. Fortnite does not have any vehicles, but as the map is smaller, they are not as necessary. Which To Choose? In the end, choosing between PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite comes down to two things: whether you are willing to spend money on a game or not, and what type of gameplay you are looking for. But no matter which option you go with, if you are playing with friends, you are sure to have a good time.