April 2022: Farther Than Face Value

Farther Than Face Value Meeting the alternative learning community beyond its label

STAFF

From the Editors E

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tea Perez

ach student who walks through the halls of FHC is unique,

PHOTO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Keaton Frye

an individual with feelings, opinions, thoughts, and interests.

EDITORS CENTRAL FOCUS: Faith Beckmann MULTIMEDIA: Hannah Bernard SOCIAL MEDIA: Maya Culian HISTORIAN: Madi Hermeyer VIDEO: Aniya Sparrow DESIGN: Sydney Tran FHCTODAY.COM: Rachel Vrazel PHOTO: Riley Wania

With a school as big as our own it’s impossible to learn everyone’s stories, however, something can be said about the lack of a connection between our able-bodied students and our visibly disabled students. The alternative learning hallway, or the SPED hallway as many people refer to it as, is home to students who deserve the chance of being seen beyond the label given to them by

STAFF REPORTERS Elisa Carter, Lorelai Finoch, Clara Kilen, Olivia McCary, Lauren Rohde, Reilly Scobey

their disability. In this issue we get to know these students beyond their disability as we explore their unique talents, interests, and personalities. We also dive into the world of “invisible disabilities”

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Samantha Jaramillo Castille, Isaiah Flowers, Rebecca Hornberger, Charlie Rosser, Raina Straughter

such as ADHD and the effects it has on a student’s life and how the school accommodates those with disabilities, whether through special programs and classes

ADVISER: Matthew Schott

or devices to assist those with sensory issues. The word

THOUGHTS?

Have a letter for the editor or a question for us?

If something we wrote demands your voice, please e-mail us at fhcpub@gmail.com or drop your handwritten letter off with Mr. Schott in Room 139.

We can also be reached via snail mail at 519 State Highway N, St Charles, MO 6304. The Central Focus staff will print the entirety of your letter, providing it meets the standards of publication laid out in the FHC Publications editorial policy, which is available in Room 139 or at www.fhctoday.com for your perusal.

“disabled” is often accompanied with a negative connotation.

In our world designed for able-bodied people, there needs to be a shift in how we as a student body give value and meaning to students with THUMBS UP, SMILES OUT: Sophomore Clinton Payne stands posed for the camera smiling with a thumb up.

Payne loves to laugh and joke with those he’s comfortable around. He is hesitant of new people, but once he warms up to someone his personality shines.

Photo by Madi Hermeyer

disabilities.

SINCERELY, Tea Perez and Faith Beckmann

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Page by Tea Perez

12-20

FOCUS

THE FACE BEHIND THE FONT: Senior Caleb Wynn sits at a desk concentrating on the peice of paper in front of him, he holds the pen steady as he writes each letter of the alphabet with a curious precision. To showcase Wynn’s talent in penmenship we created a font from his handwriting that is used in each spread of the focus for either headlines or subheads. Photo by Maya Culian

DISCOVER 4

Meet Teacher of the Year winner Trisha Morrow

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Choir composes a song with the big leagues

FEATURE 8 10

NAHS selling prints to raise money and support FHC’s artists The Fine Arts Festival makes it’s return

Page by Tea Perez

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN: Senior Josie Bezzole smiles cheering on her teammates from the duggout. This year was huge for the spartan softball team taking second in state.

Photo by Keaton Frye

MOVE

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This year it’s a compliment to play “Like A Girl”

ENTERTAIN VOICE behind the 24 22 Looking scenes of the morning announcements 26 Telling the stories of 23 the oddities in many teachers classrooms 27

The visible struggles of invisible disabilities How “Autism Speaks” funds ableist ideals Staff Editorial

CONTENT

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Rewarding Success Ms. Morrow catalogues her best moments while teaching, and how she got to where she is today

TWO AT ONCE: Ms. Morrow engages with siblings Sidney and Tayor Marshall, during a collaborative learning time. Connecting with students has built up the positive repertoire Ms. Morrow now holds.

PHOTO BY BRYCE CASH

By Lauren Rohde Staff Reporter It’s fifth hour, and a student is struggling to complete a problem in their math packet in front of them, specifically number 19. They’re asking their peers around them for help on the question, but all they receive is the answer, not the pathway to solving it. After continually trying themselves to do the right work, they eventually ask for the help of their teacher, Ms. Trisha Morrow. After getting around to other students who have had questions, she finally reaches the student who is stuck on the question. She gently reaches over the desk to look at the problem, and asks the student what part they were stuck on. After some long communication between the two, the student eventually solved the problem.

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The behavior mentioned above is why math educator and department chair Ms. Morrow was nominated and the winner of the highly sought after “Teacher of the Year” for 2022. Teacher of the Year is awarded to one faculty member at FHC each year for their outstanding work inside and outside the classroom.

“I consider myself a humble person. And I am not someone that does anything in my life for recognition,” Morrow said. “But it’s just such an honor [to be teacher of the year].”

Ms. Morrow has been a math educator for 18 years, all of which have been spent at Central. She has taught geometry for her whole teaching career, and in the past couple of years, has taught pre-calculus.

However, being an educator wasn’t her original career choice, and she ended up

changing her major during her junior year of college. She was going to school to be an actuary, which is a career oriented to analyze mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to evaluate risk and uncertainty in the financial industry.

“I actually wasn’t originally going to be a teacher,” Morrow said. “But I realized that I wanted to work with people, and the career that I was going to do wasn’t going to be very people-oriented… so I had decided that I would change my major at that point and decided to become a high school math teacher.”

The change Ms. Morrow made from a career involving advanced mathematics, to one revolving around helping people better understand math and applying it, was a large jump she made in college.

However, she made clear that her motives

Page by Lauren Rohde

didn’t include money, or recognition.

Instead, she wanted to see people succeed.

“I like to help people,” Morrow said.

“That’s just my nature of wanting people to succeed and wanting to help people through something. And since I’m good at math, I chose that one.”

Ms. Morrow has so far exceeded her original goals of helping people, and there is a unanimous liking that her students hold for her. Junior Ella Borgmeyer gave some insight into why students connect with the math educator so much.

“I think everyone likes her as a teacher and thinks she is very helpful,” Borgmeyer said. “She’s always willing to help when you need help, and she’s very understanding about things that [might happen] to come up.”

Borgmeyer is in one of Ms. Morrow’s precalculus classes, which is an advanced math course, taken before a student goes on to calculus. And while Morrow expresses love for all courses relating to mathematics, she has a soft spot for her pre-calculus classes.

“Pre-calculus is fun because I get older kids in there. So that maturity level is up there, plus, because it’s an honors course…

I get more students that like learning and want to be at school,” Morrow said.

Even with her positive attitude and

OFFERING ASSISTANCE: Students Tanner Jones and Ian Johnson pay close attention to the directions their pre-calculus teacher gives them. It takes work from both the student and the educator to get a point across and understood. PHOTO BT BRYCE CASH

intentions to help others, Ms. Morrow has had her fair share of difficult situations.

One of her most memorable ones occurred 16 years ago, when she was a new educator.

“I was pregnant with my now 16 year olds, [and] I was a newer teacher. I had a lot of the lower level math students and we had a pre algebra class. It was called Intro to algebra,” Morrow said. “I had to randomly [go to] the hospital, but it was actually not a pregnancy complication.

It was actually kidney stones and I was

MORROW TO THE RESCUE: Ms. Morrow makes her way over to a student who raised their hand. Ms. Morrow gives help based on a first-comefirst-served style; she makes her rounds to her students by whoever raised their hand first.

This decision makes sure she is fair to those who were waiting longer than others, and gets to them quickly. PHOTO BT BRYCE CASH

Page by Lauren Rohde

hospitalized for several days. Long story, but I remember that my freshmen that were in this lower level class that was a high maintenance class. It was challenging for me, and challenging for substitutes.”

Ms. Morrow went more into depth as to how it made her feel as an educator, as she believed that her students at the time didn’t care about her, or the struggles she was going into. She had a firm belief that the classroom was in shambles, and the students had erupted into chaos. She was, however, proven to be wrong when she had returned back to work after her hospitalization. “[My students] got a humongous piece of paper from the library and they made a huge banner for me. And all of them signed it like a get well kind of banner and stuff like that. They all wrote me cards and I remember coming back thinking, here I am, this young teacher with these somewhat unruly kids. And [just knowing] they cared enough about me to want me to get better and to make this big banner?

It was just kind of like, just such a cool feeling for me, because I obviously make some kind of impact on them,” Morrow said.

Ms. Morrow has made it clear through her actions that no matter what happens to her outside of school, she wants people to be their best selves. Spartan nation is extremely grateful for her work, and are excited for what she has to offer in the future.

DISCOVER 5

Compose

Yourself

Famed composer Jim Papoulis commissions a piece for choir

By Emily Sirtak Staff Reporter

Although famous artists like Beyoncé, Snoop Dog, or Aretha Franklin are known for their hit songs and performances, they don’t actually compose their music. Jim Papoulis is the artist behind the scenes who composes songs and performances for a wide range of genres, including these famous musical artists. This year, the FHC choir was able to work with Papoulis and composed their very own original song, marking a monumental point in Central’s choir program.

Choir students from several classes had the honor of working with Papoulis, writing lyrics, and changing the piece however they wanted.

Through many days of hard work, these choir students were able to create their very own piece, “Free Myself,” which they will perform at their choir concert on May 17. Mrs. Elisabeth Baird, the choir conductor, can barely contain her excitement and wonder as she describes the rewarding experience her student got to have.

“I couldn’t believe Jim was going to come in and write a piece with us, but I knew it would be so beneficial [for] the kids because his mind is so unique and works in such a different way. With the kids, I think there’s this mentality that composers are so far beyond what anybody could do,” Baird said. “Jim gave the kids an opportunity to see that composing is an attainable goal, and I could really see that understanding and wonder in the student’s eyes as they sat down and worked with him.”

The choir students, such as junior Matt Tierney, were shocked about the process Papoulis takes to write music. By inviting a composer into class,

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CONCENTRATION ON CONDUCTING: Choir students are closely attentive as Mr. Papoulis conducts his newest draft of the piece. The choir students have been working for two days on the first draft of their original piece. Photo by Keaton Frye

“I love learning about people and their emotions through their ideas for writing music. This group was wonderful to work with.”

- Jim Papoulis

Page by Emily Sirtak

WONDEROUS WORKING: Mrs. Baird’s choir class pays close attention while Mr. Papoulis conducts his newest draft of the peice.

Their first time performing the finished piece marks a historical accomplishment for the choir program. Photo

by Keaton Frye

it gives choir students the opportunity to see potential futures they can have in the music industry. Tierney, who is deeply involved in the choir program, has built up an interest in songwriting and composing with classical styles.

When he saw the way Papoulis writes and composes, he realized the more contemporary approach he can have on songwriting.

“Seeing him compose gave me a better way of writing larger pieces that are more than 16 to 24 measures,” Tierney said. “The way he worked gave me a [better] idea [of] how music comes together and [how] writing a piece for the choir is better than prewritten music because we understand why it was written and the emotions behind the pieces.”

One of the biggest benefits of writing an original piece is the idea that you get to come up with your own lyrics that hold emotions and sentiment. To write a piece that others will hear is daunting for those who are new to the world of composition.

Senior Audrey Beahan discusses the unique experience of song writing and the vulnerabilities that come with it.

“It’s a really interesting experience for a lot of us because we’ve never written a song like that,” Beahan said.

“I think it really connected us as people because that’s a very vulnerable activity especially when you’re putting your emotions into a piece that others will judge and listen to. Writing this piece brought us closer as people and it was such a cool experience.”

Working With the Pros

FOCUSED ON THE FRONT: Choir students face Mr. Papoulis with new wonder. They were shocked with his brilliant songwriting process. Photo by Keaton Frye

Papoulis has worked as a musical director and keyboard player for large CBS television events and performances with these famous artists.

Page by Emily Sirtak

DISCOVER

7

The Future of Fine Arts

FINE ARTS

By Lorelai Finoch Staff Reporter

FREDDY THE FROG: Kaye Latzel’s print design sits prouly upon a shelf in Mrs. McCune’s classroom. Both NAHS prints and designs from the printing class can be found hanging on the walls in the upstairs hallways.

Photo by Hannah Bernard

From their casual meetings before and after school, to their donation of supplies at the Festival of the Arts, at the top of the National Art Honors Society’s lineup of events is this year’s addition of linoleum relief prints made, sold, and bought by students. With each rotation featuring another student artist, NAHS members gear up to design and carve a new design exclusive to each month. Junior Kaye Latzel is responsible for March’s lovingly crafted print design. “[Printmaking] has been very fun. I would love to continue doing it. Though linoleum is a very permanent medium…[my design] has a bunch of little lines involved, especially on the cattails,” Latzel said. “Those took a long time, trying to figure out the right height and manage all of the empty space, but I love it.”

Latzel worked with other, more experienced members of NAHS to create the desired product such as fellow junior Olivia McCary, who first dove into printmaking in Intro to Art. “Printmaking was something I did in my freshman

8 FEATURE

NAHS’ recent endeavors pave the way for future artists

year of Intro to Art and I really loved the way the prints could be made over and over again. I just fell in love with all of the tools and line-work involved,” McCary said.

The theme Latzel was meant to draw inspiration from was nature, and eventually, their final design was of

Page by Lorelai Finoch

needing to get into the heavier detailing and focusing on the little things that bring it all together,” Latzel said.

“And, I was worried, but I was able to keep things simple and straightforward…Everyone was also very helpful. They were all so willing to help me and teach me what to do and how to do it properly.”

The rotation for print-artist-of-the-month is completely random, with each participating member’s name entering a hat before the next month’s ‘chosen one’ is pulled by Mrs. Michelle McCune, giving a new and different stylised feeling to each new print put out to the student body. “[Most] of the artists haven’t had the printmaking class before. So, a lot of them are learning a new skill AMONG FRIENDS: NAHS members meet to talk and create after a long day of school. Members meet after school on Mondays upstars in room 241. Photo by Hannah Bernard

with relief printing…and we chose with everybody putting their name in a hat, if they’re interested in making a print, and then I drew out five names,” McCune said. “We’ve drawn for January, February, March, April, and May, so we have five artists that will be represented and showcased through NAHS.” Another bonus: your purchase of a print doesn’t only give an ego boost to the artists, nor simply go to show the success of NAHS’ most recent expansion, but it also supports an ever growing college fund.

McCune said. “To buy one print, it’s ten dollars, or you could buy all of them for forty dollars. You could also get a frame, and all that…and all of the proceeds go to the Amy Roseline and Bill Hurst scholarship, which then goes to an NAHS member who plans on pursuing art of art education as a career.”

everyone’s favorite hopping green guys.

“I named him Frederick…and there were a lot of ideas that came before Frederick, just in trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to do,” Latzel said. “But, then, I thought of frogs. Frogs are easy, and they’re great. I love frogs. So, then, it was just a matter of getting him to be the right shape and fit into a scene.”

Senior Sarah Percy, a fellow frog-lover, has pre-bought herself one copy for each monthly design.

“I just thought that [the prints were] a very good idea, and I was worried that they might not get the attention I feel they deserved. Especially because, at this school, we tend to prioritize our sports over the arts, so, I was just nervous that people wouldn’t give it the appreciation they should,” Percy said. “I’m a big animal lover, too, and our prints are nature themed, and who doesn’t like frogs?”

Latzel, creator of the aptly named ‘Frederick the Frog’, worked incredibly hard with the other members of NAHS to complete this LIFE/DEATH: The NAHS’ first released print from January print rests against a whitebard print, with the balance of negative along with a QR code directing sudents to spacing and thin line-work. But, purchase their own releif print. These prints are made by NAHS members in a collective finally, it all came together. effort to spread the importance and enjoy“You can do a lot of cool stuff ment that can be found in the fine arts. Photo with [linoleum]. It’s really just

by Hannah Bernard

Page by Lorelai Finoch

FEATURE

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Gr o wing With the Arts

The Fine Arts Festival returns to FHC

By Emily Sirtak Staff Reporter Through desolate times of pandemics, closed schools and complicated schedules, many of Central’s programs have been affected. The Fine Arts Festival hasn’t seen the light of day since the Covid lock down, but this year marks its return. Although art programs are a vital part of our school, they’re often overlooked because of our sports. The Fine Arts Festival is the biggest community event for our art programs, and gives the art students the spotlight.

READY TO RUMBLE: The band is known for spreading their pep at school events and the Fine Arts Festival is no exception. They will play three pieces at the festival. Photo by Sam Castille

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PERFORMANCE PRECISION: Choir teacher Mrs. Elisabeth Baird directs with optimistic joy for the upcoming performance. Choir students are excited to show off their talent at the festival. Photo by Charlie Rosser

The Fine Arts Festival will be in the Cafeteria on April 1 from 5-8 p.m. At the festival, there will be displays of both the school’s art and performing arts programs for the entire community to see. Ms. Michelle McCune, a teacher of many art classes and the leader of the National Art Honors Society can barely contain her excitement and optimism for the coming festival.

“It seems like you know an elementary school already brought their work home and your mom put it up, but in high school, you don’t necessarily do that,” Ms. McCune said. “This is a way for parents and grandparents and siblings to be able to come in and see the work on display.”

The Fine Arts Festival is a way

to show off the art programs at FHC. While most think about the performance of our sports programs, the festival is able to shift the spotlight onto the many art programs our school provides, according to junior Kaylee Wright. As a dedicated member to the choir and theater programs, she discusses the benefits of showing off the art programs.

“If people come and watch, they can see that we do a lot with our voices that not everyone can do in the same way that not everyone can throw a football 100 yards. Not everyone can sing some songs that we sing or play,” Wright said.

“This festival can really give people an insight on how complex music is and while it is something that we can enjoy

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PRINTING PERFECTION: Ms. McCune lends a guiding hand as Sarah Percy prints her NAHS shirt for the upcoming festival. The shirts will be shown off at the festival to signify the helping members. Photo by Hannah Bernard

recreationally, it’s also something we can compete and get really good at.”

Wright has always been around music and performing arts because of the positive communities they provide. With music comes trust in others that they will perform as well as you, therefore groups of performers and artists need to be a tight knit family in order to be successful.

“The Fine Arts festival is another way that we can show how music brings us together,” Wright said.

Whether you are a music enthusiast or have never seen a performance, the Fine Arts Festival will show off different musical performances including the band, choir, and theater programs for everyone to enjoy. Junior Anna Schwarm is a member of the symphonic band and is excited

Page by Emily Sirtak

for people to come see the performances, no matter how much music experience they have.

“Going to the Fine Arts Festival is wonderful because it doesn’t matter how much you know about music,” Schwarm said. “It’s just a great place to experience and be alongside art.”

The Fine Arts Festival is a way to get a taste of what our school has to offer with our art programs. Whether you come out of interest, boredness or just want to sit and listen to some fantastic performances, the festival is a way to get involved with the community created through our art programs.

SET THE SPOTLIGHT: The spolight players and theatre department shine bright at evey event. The improv team will be performing and there will be promotion of the upcoming musical, Emma. Photo by Aniya Sparrow

FEATURE

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SMILE AND SHOOT: Jermario Fateen stands at the free throw line in the small gym with a huge smile on his face preparing to shoot while some students in the gym class gather behind to cheer him on. According to Keith Cissell it’s not uncommon for Fateen to get attention from other students while he plays basketball. “Even [members of the basketball team] recognize [his skill]... they even see him and they’re like ‘Wow, that dude’s talented’,” Cissell said. Photo by Madi Hermeyer A SNAPSHOT OF JOY: Jermario Fateen smiles in the midst of shooting a basket.

Fateen has a natural athletic ability that Keith Cissell would love to see put to use one day.

“I would pray that he plays on a Special Olympics team somewhere because I really believe he would be amazing,” Cissel said.

Photo by Madi Hermeyer

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NEVER NOT SMILING: Jermario Fateen sits on a tarp on the football field with a big smile on his face. Fateen is rarely seen without a smile, one of his most valued qualities is his ability to bring joy to anyone around him. Photo by Keaton Frye

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

A

Shooting Star

Highlighting one student’s athletic prowess

By Tea Perez Editor-in-Chief

JACK OF ALL TRADES: Jermario Fateen holds a football preparing to throw it to another player. While basketball is Fateen’s trademark and favorite sport, he is extremely capable in all areas of athletics. Photo

by Keaton Frye FINDING HOME ON THE COURT: Jermario Fateen dribbles a basketball as he plays solo just shooting hoops. Fateen has found a true passion in basketball, when he steps on a court he sports a big smile and doesn’t stop. “[Fateen could] make a lot of teams, he’s really talented, and he loves it,” Cissell said. “I think that’s the most important thing; you’ve got to love something before you really want to be taught it.”

Photo by Madi Hermeyer

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

A few members of the boy’s basketball team walk down the hallway to the small gym passing by the open doors of the multi-purpose room, one of them glances in and sees freshman Jermario Fateen practicing his free throw with the adaptive PE hoop. They stop to observe and turn to para Keith Cissell.

“That dude’s shot is fire.”

When Fateen transitioned from Saeger Middle School to Francis Howell Central, Cissell was told two things about him: He’s a cuddly bear and he’s great at basketball. Without much more information to go off of, Cissell didn’t know what to expect, but Fateen has astounded not only Cissell, but anyone who sees him play. “[Fateen] has a beautiful shot… I don’t care if you’re eight [feet tall] or three [feet tall], he has a beautiful shot, nice follow, and that’s coming from a basketball coach,” Mr. Cissell said.

Fateen’s natural talent for basketball has translated into a genuine love and passion for playing.

“Everyone has their happy place and [the basketball court] is his happy place.

[Just] give him a ball and give him a ten-foot room,” Mr. Cissell said. “[Playing basketball] is his reward [for doing well in school]. He works hard, gets his job done, and then he shoots hoops.”

FOCUS 13

New Friends, Familiar Faces

Getting to know...

By Tea Perez and Sydney Tran

Clinton Payne

Sophomore Clinton Payne, like most kids, loves going outside. When he is in his Adaptive PE class, you can count on him being outside on the track on nice warm days. He will skip, run, walk around, enjoying the nice weather and the warmth the sun shines on his skin. While he can’t be outside every day, he does prefer being active outside over inside. Sometimes he will sit, and look up and just watch the clouds float over him while feeling the sun’s rays on his face. If Payne had the choice he would be outside, all day, every day.

One of Payne’s favorite classes is art, where he can show his interest in metals and cities. His explanation for his affinity of said subjects was very to the point.

“Cities are cool,” Payne said.

Payne likes to visit St. Louis and go to architectural structures like the Arch. He has visited the old main street of Memphis and will share how much he liked walking around. Payne will walk around a city with his family, marvel at the great feats of architecture, and dive into the history each brick has, another subject he excels in.

Payne is known for his love for history, and his remarkable memory of events. Many students may see him stroll into Mrs. Lisa Niswonger’s history class to deliver mail and notice him taking a detour to carefully read and study the history posters that cover the concrete walls of the class.

When he comes across common items like VCRs he wants to learn everything about it from the inventor to the history of how the technology has progressed.

However, what many do not know is, when asked, Payne will share that his love for history is rooted in a bond with his younger brother.

“Cody, he’s my brother,” Payne said “He likes

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SIMPLY SMILING: Sophomore Clinton Payne sits criss-cross on a soccer goal gazing up at the sky with a smile.He finds solice in the outdoors, always looking for an opportunity to bask in the sun. Photo by Madi Hermeyer

the Titanic.”

Payne’s interest in history parallels his brother’s interest in the Titanic and they often converse about this topic. This is one of many ways that Payne can connect with his brother beyond Minecraft.

Payne’s loves are a reflection of ways he can connect with his family. His love for history creates a connection between him and his brother, Cody. His outings with his family include the parks and the outdoors, so he can spend quality time with those he loves in an environment he feels comfortable in. Outings with his family inspire his interest in cities such as Memphis and St. Louis. These interests are how Payne connects with others and ways he can create new connections.

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

Ella Hellebusch

Freshman Ella Hellebusch walks apathetically down the school hallway headed to her next class when she spots one of her favorite people in the world, senior Morgan Corbitt, walking in her direction. A gigantic smile breaks across her face as she bounds up to Corbitt and embraces her tightly, happy to see her friend.

Hellebusch and Corbitt spend seventh hour together in Hellebusch’s adaptive PE class. During this hour one can find Hellebusch partaking in some of her favorite activities: cheer, dance, and singing. Oftentimes Corbitt, a cheerleader herself, will spend time practicing skills with her in the multipurpose room. She sometimes

dreams of being on the school’s cheerleading team, sharing her bright smile and contagious joy with the rest of the student body. “[Ella] shows me how to be myself... I feel like I can be authentic around her,” Corbitt said. “She’s so easy to talk to, like you can say anything and she’ll just laugh about it... we just connected on so DANCING TO HER OWN BEAT: Ella Hellebusch showmany levels.” ing off her moves during Adaptive PE. Hellebusch Hellebusch is a lover of performance, loves performative arts such as singing, dancing, and especially cheer. Photo by Madi Hermeyer with her affinity for cheer and dance, as well as her love of music and singing.

Caleb Wynn ARCHITECT AND ARTIST: Caleb Wynn carefully drawing a house with precision. One of Caleb’s favorite thing to draw is houses.

Photo by Maya Culian

Senior Caleb Wynn is someone who is easy to talk to. Every conversation will start with a bright hello and a “how are you”. He will say “I am doing great”, and as the conversation ends he will say, “it was nice talking to you”.

Everything about Wynn is welcoming, and he is always ready to put a smile on someone’s face.

Wynn is known for his impeccable handwriting. Wynn has been practicing for years, and as a result, he can write letters as if they were printed off a machine. His fine motor skills allow him to draw letters with unmatched precision. This skill is always something that amazes those around him, and his love of writing allows him to show these skills off. During any free time Caleb will write the credit lines for the tv show “Baby Einsteins”, lines he knows by heart.

“I like to watch Baby Einsteins,” Wynn said.

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

She’s in treble choir with Mrs. Baird and loves performing for others and even just for herself. Sometimes getting back into the routine of school every Monday is tough, so she uses her music as a means of comfort. She’ll put on her headphones, turn on a playlist, and escape from the rest of the world to focus on her own world where there’s an audience to be performing to.

Her list of things she enjoys most about school is short but very defining of who she is.

“I have Morgan [Corbitt]... and my choir class,” Hellebusch said.

Hellebusch’s bubbly spirit is often held back by her shyness towards new people, but once she gets comfortable with someone her personality shines through. She’s sassy and loves to show off her dance moves, she’s not afraid to tell you off if she catches you talking to her “boy-girlfriend” as she likes to call her special someone, and when you hug her if she’s sad she hugs tight and doesn’t want to let go. Her verbal skills aren’t perfect, she has to repeat what she’s saying quite a bit to get her point across, but she never fails to make those around her excited to spend even more time with her.

But, more so than writing, Wynn especially loves drawing. It is clear from his penmanship, that his artistic ability can rise above the alphabet. He likes to draw houses because they are “awesome” to him, and one of his favorite houses is the one where he lives. The one where he spends time with his family. The one that’s backyard he and his brother will play tag in. For Wynn, that is “awesome”.

In the future, Wynn would like to use his artistic ability to become an artist in the future. But, he also loves school, he doesn’t care about waking up early. Wynn wants to come to school every day and sometimes expresses that he doesn’t want to graduate. However, Wynn has also expressed he is not worried about the future and feels sure that things will be okay, which is a reflection of how our special education system can both create a positive environment for students and prepare them to leave high school ready to take on the world.

FOCUS 15

Accommodations and

Inclusion

A BROTHERS BOND: Junior Jason Kuhn stands with a supportive hand on his brother freshman Jeremy Kuhn’s shoulder during a track event. Jeremy has grown up with Jason by his side as a figure of support in all his endeavors. Jason has always been protective of his younger brother and is willing to go to great lengths to ensure his brother is safe, comfortable, and happy. Photo By Raina Straughter

District works hard to provide inclusion for students in alternative learning settings

By Faith Beckmann Newspaper Editor

As the rest of the track team begins to warm up for its afternoon practice, junior Jason Kuhn works with his brother, freshman Jeremy Kuhn, to ensure that he understands each exercise. As the team begins to practice, Jason walks alongside Jeremy to offer his support and make sure he is on his best behavior. All of this is done to guarantee that Jeremy has the best possible experience in track that he possibly can.

Growing up, Jason always aimed to be a supportive figure in his brother’s life. Knowing that his brother has a disability and may not be able to stand up for himself, Jason wanted to provide a defensive voice for him and a relationship where Jeremy would always have someone by his side, ready to back him up when needed.

“It was really always just like me wanting to look out for him because I’m a firm believer in that if someone cannot stick up

16 FOCUS

for themselves physically or mentally, they should always have someone that can,” Jason said. “So that’s always the role that I’ve tried to play for him. Try and make sure he has a friend and whenever he needs help with something at home, or just in general, I always try my best to be there.”

Even though Jeremy has a disability, his family has always tried to make certain that he has as normal a life as possible. Thus, a few months ago, the Kuhn brothers’ mother brought up the idea of Jeremy joining track as a way to get more involved in the school community and the family agreed with her.

“We all just want him to have that normal high school experience. We don’t want him to be limited to anything,” Jason explained. “So we just wanted something that he could do. And since I wrestle, I knew Coach Breuer and I’ve known him for a long time. So we knew that he would be fine with Jeremy doing track so we just did that.”

Jason wanted to make sure his brother adjusted well and

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

understood everything during practices, so he decided to join a lot to them].” track as well. During practices, Jason sticks by his brother’s side to However, issues like noise levels do prove to require other assist him with warm ups and drills. accommodations being made to make sure that these students “I just help him with warm-ups and stuff like that,” Jason said. can participate in certain activities without their comfort levels “And since I can’t run, I kind of just like to stay behind him and I being compromised. Alternative Learning teacher, Dr. Michelle walk aways behind them, just to make sure he’s doing everything Burkemper, described how the department supplies students right all the time.” with headphones to help cancel out some of the noise and Additionally, the track program make specific experiences more has tried its best to accommodate enjoyable for them.

Jeremy and make sure he feels “Noises are a big distraction for as included as possible in the them,” Dr. Burkemper expressed. program.

“Some of them get scared with “[Coach] Breuer lets me take loud noises. Typically, we alert [Jeremy] to the side and just do them to any upcoming drills individual drills with him. Once because of their dislike for the everyone else has gone, he runs noise of the crowd… Many of alongside Jeremy,” Jason said. them wear headphones when at The inclusion of students with assemblies… just to kind of distort disabilities in day-to-day activities the noise.” such as sports practices is the All in all, the school district has most important accommodation put a lot of effort into making sure that the school can make to students with disabilities have STAYING ON TRACK: Jeremy Kuhn walks on the track ready to take on the support those with disabilities. the support and education they track event occuring that day. Jeremy joined track as a means of connecting with the student body and having a fun high school experience Paraprofessional and FHC alum need to thrive in life. However, the without his disability holding him back. With great help from Jason, his Lindsey Palmer recalls how happy brother, and the school has Jeremy been able to step onto the track and main area where there’s room for step out of his shell. Photo By Raina Straughter the students she works with get improvement is accommodation whenever other students simply among peers. Most students tend make an effort to acknowledge and include them. One situation to avoid their classmates who have disabilities at all cost, leaving she says especially makes the students’ days is when studentthem out of conversations and other various ventures. This leads athletes take the time to come over and play sports with them. to students with disabilities becoming almost alienated from the “I’ve seen a couple athletes be able to come down with our kids rest of the student body. According to Dr. Burkemper, the best way and just play basketball with them if they really enjoy basketball,” to solve this issue is simply for students to reach out and talk to Palmer said. “And like that makes that kid’s day because [they’re] their classmates with disabilities. obsessed with basketball and having “They want to be talked to and someone that’s on the basketball have friends just as much as team or super athletic play with everybody else,” Dr. Burkemper [them] kind of makes [them] feel said. “If you see somebody, include good.” them, speak to them, talk to them.

Additionally, Palmer commented Our essential skills kids typically sit on how allowing students to together, but other students in our participate in pep assemblies is Alternative Learning Department beneficial to them in the sense that don’t all sit together. Some of them it makes them feel appreciated by are sitting alone, so just including their peers. them and speaking to them asking “When we have the pep sub about their life [makes a difference]. assemblies… Like when our kids used They’re just like you and I. They may to go out and dance and stuff or have communication issues, but [when] Jeremy [Kuhn] said you know, they’re able to get their point across ‘Welcome FHC!’ during the assembly in other ways.” and everyone went crazy, that Jason also gives examples of what makes his day, you know?” Palmer students can do to make their peers described. “Or when they dance and with disabilities feel more included. everyone stands up. That gives me “Look out for them, really,” Jason the chills, so I’m for sure imagining expressed. “Like if you see them in what they feel. They’re probably way TRACK TALK: Jason Kuhn goes in for a high-five with his brother the hallway, say hi to them, give Jeremy Kuhn after completing a track warmup together. Jason overstimulated, but they super love them a fist bump. You know, just start joined track soley so his brother could join the sport. Jason is there it because everyone’s accepting of a conversation with them like you to provide him with any extra help he may need. Photo by Raina them. It’s those moments [that mean Straughter would anybody else.”

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

FOCUS 17

Fighting to How ADHD affects the lives of those afflicted

By Hannah Bernard Multimedia Editor After a long day at school, freshman Quinn Douglas joins her family at the table for dinner. She is overwhelmed by the sounds of her sister chewing, forks clattering, and her mom asking her how her day was. She can hardly focus on the plate in front of her. When the meal is done, she scurries to her room to take a breather.

Douglas’s experience is characteristic of someone with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or more commonly, ADHD, which is characterized by inattention, forgetfulness, impulsivity, fidgeting, and disorganization. ADHD is one of the most common learning disabilities in the U.S., with roughly 10 percent of U.S. children receiving an ADHD diagnosis according to the CDC. Senior Bobby Soderstrom was diagnosed with ADHD in early elementary school and struggles with staying focused and on task.

Fo c u s “Your mind is going 1,000 miles per hour, but you’ve got to try and slow it down,” Soderstrom said.

For some, getting an ADHD diagnosis takes multiple appointments, specialists, and tests which can make it inaccessible for many. Douglas was diagnosed at 13, and she remembers how intense the process was.

“I had to go to an evaluation with a psychiatrist and we just talked first…then we had to schedule another day for the actual test which takes about two or three hours depending on how fast or slow you go,” Douglas said. “They test your auditory processing, they ask you a lot of questions about your family life…and then about two weeks later, you end up getting the results.”

Junior Hanna Lange was diagnosed with ADHD when she was in elementary school. She remembers what it was like to experience symptoms of ADHD at an early age.

“I started to drink cups of coffee every morning to calm me down. I would go to different rooms with no windows during

FADING NOT FOCUSING: Senior Bobby Soderstrom is seated trying to concentrate on his homework as other versions of him attend to different tasks. While not always visible, the minds of many students with ADHD are often jumping from one thought to the next faster than they can keep up with.

Photo by Madi Hermeyer

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Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

6.1 MILLION children in the US have been diagnosed with ADHD Information courtesy of the CDC’s ADHD statistics and data

12.9%

of boys are likely to get diagnosed with ADHD

5.6%

of girls are likely to be diagnosed with ADHD

storms, and I had to go in different rooms for tests,” Lange said.

“Since I was young, I didn’t really understand, so it was easier, but now I struggle with it more since I’m getting older. It just gets harder and harder.”

Lange’s family does their best to support her, but she struggles with comparing herself to others in her family.

“They were more accepting and try to help me the best that they can. They do whatever they can to calm me down or to help me out,” Lange said. “I can’t do a lot of things that my sister can do and then it makes me feel stupid.”

ADHD affects all areas of life; Lange struggles with social anxiety because of her diagnosis.

“I have really bad social anxiety, so I won’t talk to a lot of people that I don’t know or I won’t talk whenever I’m in a class that I don’t know anybody,” Lange said.

Problems reading social cues is a common symptom of ADHD and one Douglas experiences.

“It makes it hard for me to read social cues with other people,” Douglas said. “I get told a lot I use a lot of sarcasm because that’s for me the safest way to communicate with people.”

For most high schoolers with ADHD, keeping up socially and academically is a chore. Douglas struggles with inattention; she may be physically present in class, but she doesn’t always feel mentally present.

“No matter how hard I try, I can’t focus in class,” Douglas said.

“Some days I am not really all here, so I’m just kind of going through my day doing what I need to do, but I’m not actually enjoying anything or having fun.”

Soderstrom has similar struggles. Focusing in class and studying are especially difficult for him.

“It’s hard to study. Or sitting in [AP Calculus], it’s hard to keep that attention span going,” Soderstrom said.

Despite these difficulties, Lange feels like the staff at FHC are supportive of students with ADHD; they do a lot to assist students who are struggling.

“If [teachers] start to see me struggling, they know just to help me out or just pull me out and talk to me. Calm me down,” Lange said.

Douglas feels supported by staff at school, but still has moments where understanding her teachers is difficult.

“I also have rejection-sensitive dysphoria, which is something that you can only have if you have ADHD, so a simple comment like ‘You could have done better on this test’ could send me into a really big downward spiral.”

Every person with ADHD has their own way of managing

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

A national survey in 2014 conducted with parents of children 4–17 years of age with ADHD found that

6 10 9 10 IN

children with ADHD have at least one other mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder

OUT OF

children receive school support and accommodations

symptoms, for Douglas, this is medication. “[The medication] affects my appetite a lot. It’s really hard for me to eat during the day. I’ve lost a lot of weight because of it, but it does help me focus a lot better in class and be less distracted,” Douglas said.

Soderstrom began taking medication for his ADHD when he was in elementary school.

“Through elementary school, I was on different doses to get the right balance,” Soderstrom said. “Freshman year I was like ‘I want to go off the medication…I don’t want to have that crutch in life.”

Freshman and sophomore year Soderstrom thrived without medication, but due to recent problems performing well in school, he has decided to start taking medication again.

Lange used to take medication but now uses more creative solutions to manage her ADHD. “My medication is to drink caffeine because it has the reverse effect on me, so it just calms me down more,” Lange said.

ADHD is a learning disability, but every individual with ADHD has different experiences connecting with the disabled community.

Soderstrom does not feel connected at all with the disabled community, but Douglas and Lange have been able to connect a lot of their experiences to those of different disabilities.

“My sister also has a learning disability…we both have to learn differently and have to do things differently from other people because of the disability,” Douglas said.

Although ADHD is very common, public perception of the disorder can be inaccurate.

“I think a lot of [the misconception] has to do with what studies were done, and the fact that only white men were studied on, so a lot of people only see the hyperactive part which is physically showing like jumping around or being distracting in class,” Douglas said. “That really affects how people understand it and they don’t see the need to go and look it up what it actually is.”

Soderstrom believes that the misconceptions arise because of how new ADHD is as a diagnosis.

“It’s newer, when our parents were in school [ADHD] wasn’t really a thing…people are learning more about ADHD every day,” Soderstrom said.

Douglas hopes that people will continue to learn more about ADHD and be more accomodating in the future.

“There’s some days I wish I didn’t [have ADHD] because it affects every single thing,” Douglas said. “It affects my sleep. It affects my social life. It affects how I learn in school, it affects everything, but there’s also days where I’m really happy saying ‘Yeah, I have ADHD.’”

FOCUS 19

Seeking

Success

Students find support in success classes

By Reilly Scoobey Staff Reporter

English II Success teacher Mrs. Melissa Fry strives to create a stress free environment for her success students. She knows many of these students struggle with more than English, so she structures her class in a way that helps them in multiple subjects.

On Mondays they work as a group on an assignment that allows mentees to be exposed to different English skills. On Tuesdays mentees are allowed guided study time. This allows them to catch up on homework as well as provide them with one on one help. On Wednesdays they work on grammar skills on NoRedInk. Finally on Thursday, they start the class with a test prep question which allows them to earn points towards a party in the future.

In America, one in every five children struggle with a learning disability. Up to 80 percent of learning disabilities revolve around reading. Many of these students taking success classes struggle due to an underlying learning disability, but for some students the skills just never clicked.

Sophomore and mentee Maddy Krechel’s biggest struggle is memorizing the skills. “[English] has never clicked in my head, I have struggled since elementary school [with] skills like punctuation and grammar,” Krechel said “It just doesn’t click [for me].”

For many students not being able to master a new skill is frustrating, but Krechel remembers the overwhelming feeling all too well.

“It made me upset to the point where I didn’t know what else to do,” Krechel said. “I just pushed it to the side because I [thought] I couldn’t get the help [needed] to understand.”

Thankfully success classes were designed to provide the support many students lacked in previous school years.

Mrs. Fry structures her class in a specific way, so she can fit the needs of all of her students.

“The number one purpose is to provide in the subject area, but also students [who] struggle with managing all of their classes and being successful,” Mrs. Fry said.

While every Success teacher structures their class differently, Mrs. Sheri Baize believes they all have a similar understanding of what their students need.

“You [need] to have an additional level of compassion and understanding as well as a willingness to work with kids that need

20 FOCUS

FRIENDLY FOUNDATIONS: A mentor and mentee having a friendly talk during their success class. This class is founded on the bond between mentors and mentees share, a dpends on interactions like these.

Photo By Riley Wania

academic help,” Mrs. Baize said, “But sometimes they just need to know that somebody sees them.”

The backbone of any Success class are mentors. They provide students with the one-on-one attention they need to succeed.

Through their guidance many mentees receive the help they need to move forward. With each class having fifteen students, teachers rely on their mentors to provide the support their mentees need.

Mrs. Fry’s class couldn’t run smoothly without her mentors.

“Their relationships with the students mean so much more than I could ever do,” Mrs. Fry said. “Because they have to strike that balance between being a friend to them, but also someone they look up to.”

While friendships between mentors and mentees are important, mentors’ focus is to guide mentees to success, but this task is never easy. Junior mentor Anna Schwarm strives to be the supportive outlet her mentees need in times of stress. “[Many of them] already have it in their head that they’re gonna [fail], so being a positive outlet for them is really beneficial,” Schwarm said.

Throughout the year mentees are able to form connections with their peers that could never be achieved in any other class.

The environment students are in allows them to open up to their peers in a way they have never explored.

Krechel’s connections she has formed expand further than she intended.

“I got [close] to people I didn’t even [know] or talk to before this class,” Krechel said “the [environment] caused me to open up and talk to new people.”

For Mrs. Baize these connections are the most rewarding part of teaching.

“There’s so many, little moments where I see kids make a connection with another kid in class,” Mrs. Baize said. “[You] can see the connections happen and when they [expand] beyond the classroom that is always rewarding.”

Throughout the year all teachers help students practice goal setting, time management, and problem solving, but Mrs. Fry wants her students to improve in all aspects of their life.

“I want them to be confident in their abilities and to know that they can be successful not just academically, but in all areas of their life,” Fry said.

Page by Sydney Tran and Tea Perez

“Like

A

STRENGTH IN SHE: Junior Sophia Miller pins her opponent to the ground during a senior night match. Photo by Madi Hermeyer SHOOTING HER SHOT: Varsity basketball player junior Briana Mason goes for a layup.

Photo by Keaton Frye

PITCHING AWAY: Senior Kennedy Jensen pitches the softball in the district game against Howell.Around her sit the friends and family of the girls watching in support. Photo by Madi Hermeyer

SERVING HEAT: Sophomore Zariya Robertson prepares to serve the ball during a game against Howell. Photo

by Samantha Castille

GIRL” CROSSING BARRIERS: A girls cross country runner focuses on the finish line during a cross country meet. The girl’s cross country team competed in the Class 5 State Championship. Photo by Charlie Rosser

Female sports teams savoring success this year

By Elisa Carter Staff Reporter

Girls cross country takes 2nd in GAC’s, girls volleyball makes it to the final four at state in 2019, softball takes 2nd in state, multiple female wrestlers fight their way to state in the 2021 season, and the sensations qualify for nationals, taking their talent all the way to Florida. Along with many other accomplishments these are all things that female athletes have accomplished here at FHC. As a whole girls have been stereotyped as being less athletically gifted than boys, but at FHC female athletes have achieved major accomplishments.

Our girls sports teams have proven time and time again that they dominate in athletics. Yet there seems to be a lack of recognition and promotion for their teams.

Senior Luke Cummings, a member of the Pep Club, feels that part of the reason that girl sports get less promoted is due to the simple fact that the time and date of the games are less convenient than other games.

“I feel like there is a main event to some sports, especially basketball,” Cummings said. “The girls usually play before the guys… [the guys’ games] start at a later time, usually seven or eight, I feel like [that time has] been more that primetime [for

Page by Elisa Carter

students to attend games].”

While yes it is much less convenient and heard of to attend a game on a Thursday night, than it is to attend a game on a Friday night, the time and date of an event is not the only reason why these games go less attended. Part of the reason is due to lack of promotion for these games. Not to say that there is no promotion for the girls events, there simply is not enough promotion for our female sports. Senior Kennedy Jensen, a varsity softball player, feels that the softball team deserves more recognition for their accomplishments compared to the recognition that they receive now.

“We definitely don’t get as much recognition as football or any of the other male sports… I definitely think that [the recognition we receive should] improve,” Jensen said. “When we played Howell in the regular season… I wish that there [was] more of a student section there.”

Their lack of recognition does not go unnoticed, and this mistreatment is disheartening to a lot of athletes. However, this is not the fault of one particular person, this isn’t even the fault of FHC, this is the fault of tradition and stereotypes.

Stereotypes that have been put on athleticism and gender and tradition that

needs to be broken. The students here at FHC have noticed that the female athletes have done tremendous things not only this year but in the past as well.

“I’d definitely say that this year especially, the [athletics] highlight reel has been all girls, we had like 4-8 state runners in cross country and then our softball team made it to the top 4 in state,” Cummings said. “And in boys soccer we didn’t really make a good run, neither did football. And that has kinda been the focus especially in the first semester, is that the girls have been on the highlight reel.”

This year marks the beginning of an important change to how the school and student body views women’s sports. To throw like a girl, to run like a girl, to hit like a girl, is to act like an athlete.

“We as women have proved ourselves to be able to break the stereotype [that women can’t play sports] and be [great athletes],” Jensen said. “People wear different types of clothing on [boys] game days. But if we had theme days then maybe that would get us out there more. If we had a blackout theme, white out theme for the days that we have games then we could potentially get more people to come to our games.”

MOVE

21

Starting the Day Off

Wright

Behind the scenes doing the morning announcements with Kaylee Wright

i

D

Ding Ding Ding g n

By Clara Kilen Staff Reporter

Senior Abby Poenicke who recently moved to Central, noticed a positive difference in announcements here at FHC compared to her old school. She applauds Wright’s enthusiasm and school spirit.

“At my old school our principal would do them… but I love hearing the [announcements] here and having a student voice,” Poenike said, “It’s nice to know there are students who care about the stuff going on [at school].”

Wright dedicates her mornings to the announcements and sacrifices the first few minutes of her first hour each day. Her effort does not go unnoticed by students or staff, and the fun endings she thinks up are enjoyed by all Spartans. “[Wright] is just always a very positive person and I appreciate her commitment to [the announcements],” Hall said.

Central can expect to hear Wright’s voice for the remainder of this year and the following year, but her successor will have large shoes to fill. Wright has been the only student to do morning announcements for three consecutive years and this unique legacy will stick with her even after she tosses her cap.

“It’s kind of just one part of who I am and I feel like I’m leaving my little mark on the school,” Wright said.

“Good morning FHC please rise for the pledge of allegiance.”

The beginning of each day at Francis Howell Central is marked by the morning announcements that feature the accomplishments of various students, upcoming events, and the helpful reminder to have a mystical Monday.

The voice that preaches having a mystical Monday comes from junior Kaylee Wright, who has been the spokesperson for the morning announcements since the 2020-2021 school year commenced. She stumbled upon this role as the responsibility flowed down the line of succession without any takers. In years past, the voice of the morning announcements was a senior selected by the head of the theater department, but there were no seniors or juniors available so Wright stepped up to bat as a sophomore. “[The responsibility] fell to sophomores, which had never happened before… [and I responded] ‘Yeah, sure I’ll do it,” Wright said.

Though announcements themselves may be a one-man job, there is a hidden figure in the process. Stephanie Hall, the administrative assistant in the guidance office, communicates with coaches and sponsors to create Wright’s script.

“I am the person that receives all the emails from teachers and club leaders and any staff members that would like [to make an announcement],” Hall said.

The announcements go from Hall’s desk to Wright’s hands and straight to the intercom. At around 7:15 each morning Wright makes her way to the guidance office to retrieve her script from Hall and makes a beeline to the attendance office. In the attendance office, she will often review the information she will broadcast to minimize mistakes.

“I mess up all the time. It’s really about competence and plowing through [mistakes] and not doubling back,” Wright said.

At 7:20 the bell rings and Wright begins addressing the student body.

PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE: Junior Kaylee Wright reads morning “The [tardy] bell rings and then I count to three and ring the announcements to begin her day. Wright is the student selected to do announcements to fill in studets about the upcoming events at school. “It [announcement bell] and play the ding, ding, ding,” Wright said.

feels good to know that I am a recognizable voice for people,” Wright said.

22 ENTERTAIN

Page by Clara Kilen

Classroom Curios

Teacher’s unique decor contributes to students’ classroom experience Rachel Vrazel Web Editor

Celebrity Crush While students might come and go from Mrs. Christina Lentz’s English classroom, there’s one person who stays by her side all day long: Adam Levine.

His presence has been a constant in her classroom for about six years, when Mrs. Lentz added a poster of the singer to the room. Since then, the Marron 5 singerhas become an integral part of the classroom. “[Sometimes] I’ll ask them to create some sort of analogy, or... be like, ‘How is this person like my

love for Adam Levine?’ And they like to rip on his outfit and we constantly talk about how I feel like celebrities never age.”

Adam Levine became a household name in her classroom years ago, which she admits is because Levine was her celebrity crush in her early 20s. Mrs. Lentz believes the poster helps foster connections with her students.

“Kids like to see you as a person and not just as a teacher,” Mrs. Lentz said. “It gives them something to talk to you about.”

Princess Peppa In Mrs. Emily Harris’ classroom, don’t just learn math forumlas they also hide plush Peppa Pigs she keeps in her classroom.

The game deemed “hideand-seek Princess Peppa” began three years ago because of Mrs. Harris’ daughter, who requested she bring her stuffed animals to work so her mom would think about her during the school day.

“I would bring them to work and I would put them out, and then I would put them back in my bag and take them home,” Mrs. Harris said.

When her students caught on that the toys were disappearing, they found their own way to participate: hiding one for other

Page by Rachel Vrazel

HIDE AND SEEK: One of Mrs. Harris’ hours hid Peppa next to her filing cabinet on an outlet. Photo by Rachel Vrazel

hours to find.

“It’s very entertaining… I think it’s fun to see where she could be at places I don’t think of and it’s just neat to see [the students] so interested in where she is.”

A HIGHER PLACE: Mrs. Christina Lentz’s Adam Levine poster hangs high above the student’s heads in the corner of her classroom. The poster is loved by students and an important part of the classroom environment. Photo by Rachel Vrazel

Bobo the Clown Mrs. Stacey Dennigmann stands at the front of her classroom, lecturing as students students listen intently. And, in the corner looking back at them, is Bobo the Clown.

The inflatable clown was gifted to Mrs.Dennigmann in 2020. When teaching about Bandura’s Bobo the Clown experiment, she mentioned she had a Bobo the Clown as a kid. So, a student brought one to school to cheer her up after she’d had a difficult two weeks.

“When I came [back] to school, he was just in a random desk one day, and I was like, ‘who got me Bobo?’

Since then, Bobo has become a beloved part of Mrs. Dennigmann’s classroom. She even started to dress the clown in different outfits.

“When it came to twin

day for teacher spirit days... the kids were like, ‘you should make Bobo your twin.’ So then I was like, ‘I should start dressing Bobo up.’”

For Mrs. Dennigmann, Bobo isn’t just a fun - he’s a reminder of the kindness she received.

“It’s just a good memory that a student cared so much for me that he wanted to make sure that I had joy when I came back.”

FASHION FORWARD: Bobo the Clown sports the StuCo shirt, grass skirt, and hat Mrs. Dennigman dressed him in. Photo by Rachel Vrazel

ENTERTAIN 23

Invisible Disabilities

The Stigma Surrounding Illness You Can’t See

By Rachel Vrazel Web Editor

anxiety and stress, her body converts that anxiety into episodes of partial paralysis Disability. When you read that word, you with the inability to walk, or vocal and probably think of athletes in wheelchairs motor tics. Yet, as difficult as life is for playing basketball, or children walking her, people struggle to understand and through halls with comprehend simply paras, or inspirational because she does not stories about a blind “look” disabled. person navigating This has been a visual world. What especially evident you are less likely to in Rosemary’s picture is an average experience over the looking fourteenpast nine months, year-old girl riding as her illnesses her bike down a have significantly neighborhood street worsened. She’s had to visit her best friend close to 10 trips to the after school. But that ER for various injuries description is no less and flare-ups, been accurate in terms of hospitalized twice, what disability can and even switched look like because schools to receive disability doesn’t more support. With always look the same how serious things - in fact, sometimes have become, my you can’t see it at all. family has started My sister Rosemary the process of raising is that little fourteenmoney to have a year-old girl, living service dog trained with a disability that for her. It’s my hope people cannot see that, aside from or even begin to providing much comprehend. With a needed care and slew of four separate interventions, having chronic illnesses - EDS, a service dog will help AMPS, MALS, and FND others understand - and severe anxiety, the severity of her depression, OCD, and condition. That it mood disorders, each can somehow act HAIR DYE DISTRACTION: Rosemary Vrazel sits on her living room couch for a picture after dying her hair. day for Rosemary She dyed it to bring something positive to a day with particularly bad flare-ups and pain. Photo courtesy as proof for those of Rachel Vrazel is a struggle. One of she encounters that these illnesses alone her illness is indeed is enough to cause debilitating pain and taking a shower. She can become overly disabling. significantly handicap a person, let alone emotional and worked up because of her All disabilities, visible and invisible, several. Her joints are constantly popping inability to regulate emotions, sometimes are challenging in their own ways and out of place. She sprains and breaks bones having breakdowns similar to a four or five absolutely valid. But one problem unique easily because her body doesn’t produce year old. And because of all the excess of to invisible disabilities is that people are

24 VOICE

collagen correctly to keep them together.

She lives in constant stomach pain - but she’s so used to it, she’s tuned it out.

She can have multiple panic attacks a day over things as simple and everyday as

Page by Rachel Vrazel

FURRY FRIEND: Rosemary’s service dog in training, Amber. Photo courtesy of Rachel Vrazel

much less compassionate and accommodating. If people saw a blind child walking down the street, they’d take care to get out of their way and be as helpful as they could - and anyone who didn’t would be seen as unkind. People would be quick to come to the child’s rescue.

With Rosemary, however, the situation could not be more different. Because she looks typical, her peers sometimes assume she’s faking her pain or trying to get out of work when she goes to the nurse at school. They shoot curious, judgmental glances our way when she starts to cry in public because she’s anxious and overwhelmed.

And when all of her issues began to come to light and we struggled to find answers and a diagnosis, even doctors were suspicious of her pain, suggesting she was over dramatic and dismissing her situation without helping to find deeper answers.

From the everyday judgment of peers to medical gaslighting, the struggle to be taken seriously is one she has faced for over eight years as her illnesses have worsened.

This stigma makes an already difficult situation even harder to bear. Going through excruciating pain daily, not being able to run and play like a normal kid because you’re always breaking bones, and having crippling panic attacks during the day is hard enough when you have the support you

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need. Exchange that support for contempt and suspicion, and the situation gets ten times harder - not only for the disabled person, but for their family and caregivers as well.

With such a lack of compassion and understanding in the world, it’s been difficult for me to even know where to begin when talking about her issues. For years, it was something I never talked about partially because it was just my family’s normal and seemed not worth mentioning. Besides that, her issues are so complex and involved it would take so long to explain. But it’s also because I didn’t know how people would react to her - would they be kind and understanding, or would they decide she’s just too much? Without the support of medical officials who were willing to diagnose her or trust her symptoms, it was at first hard for even me to recognize her illnesses and their effect on her life for what they truly are: a disability.

Thankfully, over the past several years as she’s finally gotten some diagnoses, it’s been easier to understand and also to cope with.

Having the label of a disability has actually been freeing, because knowing what is causing her issues and having them validated has made it easier to discuss, which has been like a weight lifted off of my shoulders.

It gives me the words to explain to my friends what’s happening when she has a panic attack, or why I missed rehearsal because of a family emergency when Rosemary was admitted to the hospital. It helps remove the stigma and shame surrounding invisible illnesses, removing the idea that those who suffer from them are simply crazy or broken. That validation is something needed and also deserved - not only by athletes in wheelchairs and children with paras, but also by normallooking fourteen-year-old girls who like to ride their bike to their best friend’s house after school.

EDS

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a connective tissue disorder caused by a genetic fault in the production of collagen. EDS is generally characterized by joint hypermobility, instability and subluxation, dislocation, and skin hyperextensibility which causes a greater predisposition to injuries such as sprains, strains, broken bones, and bruises.

Source: Ehlers Danlos Society

AMPS

“Amplified Amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS) is a condition that can cause intense persistent or intermittent pain anywhere in the body. When a child has AMPS, he or she often experiences a degree of pain more intense than normally expected.”

Source: Johns Hopkins

MALS Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome is an illness caused by a tissue in the chest which presses on the artery which supplies blood to the upper organs. This causes intense stomach pain, stomach pain after eating or shifting position, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Weight loss is also a common symptom due to the fear of eating food which may develop as a result of the pain experienced after. MALS is progressive and pain will worsen with time.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Functional Neurologic Disorder (formerly called a conversion disorder) is a condition affecting the nervous system. It causes symptoms such as inability to walk, talk, see or hear. It can also cause tics. The sufferer cannot control their symptoms, which are usually physical manifestations of stress or a response to trauma.

Source: Mayo Clinic

Scan here to learn more about Rosemary’s story or contribute to her service dog fundraiser.

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Up Speaking

A PUZZLING PICTURE: A collection of blue puzzle pieces form an interlocking grid.

The blue puzzle piece is the logo for Autism Speaks. Illustration by Hannah Bernard

Autism Speaks funds anti-autistic rhetoric

By Hannah Bernard Multimedia Editor After placing my order at White Castle, the voice on the drive-thru speaker asks, “Do you want to round up for Autism Speaks?” As a fan of charity and perfect totals, I usually say yes without a second thought. I mean, it’s for a good cause, right?

I am no stranger to Autism Speaks.

Growing up with an autistic sibling I was always surrounded by their events and their rhetoric. As a new mom of an autistic child, their events seemed like the best way for my mom to connect with the autistic community. I remember going downtown to Forest Park with my family for an Autism Speaks fundraiser walk. I remember my mom wearing puzzle piece jewelry and clothes to support my brother. I remember feeling like we were doing something good.

That we were helping.

A few years ago, social media began to buzz about Autism Speaks. A simple Google search and you’re flooded with articles from news outlets, autism advocacy groups and autistic bloggers all chronicling their hatred of the organization.

But why? To be perfectly candid, Autism Speaks doesn’t help autistic people. In fact, a lot of their actions and language actively hurt the autistic community.

One of their most infamous fundraising tactics was their 2009 “I Am Autism” campaign. It featured a video of children playing while a grim voice-over stated that autism “works faster than pediatric AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined” and was coming to “rob you of your children and your dreams.” In summer 2019, Autism Speaks partnered with Sesame Street to promote a resource that advises parents

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to follow the five stages of grief for their newly diagnosed (and still very much alive) child. Likening autism to a serious illness such as leukemia undermines those who have lost loved ones and creates a lasting stigma against autistic people.

Campaigns such as these were designed to scare viewers, and in turn, increase donations for Autism Speaks.

What the organization planned to do with the funds they raised was far scarier than any caricature they could paint of autism. While many believe the money they donate goes to supporting autistic people and their families, this could not be further from the truth. In their most recently available financial report, 68 percent of their annual budget went to fundraising and lobbying efforts. “Lobbying for what?” you may ask. Autism Speaks consistently stands against self-advocacy for autistic people; this is most clearly seen in their efforts to kill an amendment to the Autism Cares Act in 2014. An amendment that would have allowed for autistic people to be included in creating the policies and conducting the research that affects their lives.

Another 27 percent of their budget goes towards research. Autism Speaks has faced intense backlash for focusing on solutions or cures for autism, and ended up removing the word cure from their research goals to soothe tensions.

Removing a word can’t erase a history of anti-autistic rhetoric and research.

Autism Speaks makes a special effort to support parents of autism. Even I can’t argue that this isn’t admirable. I have watched my parents struggle to raise my brother. Struggle to prepare him for adult

life. They need people to support them too, but at the end of the day, I expect more than just parental support from the leading autism advocacy organization.

Committing to listening to autistic people, involving autistic people, and actively supporting autistic people is the bare minimum, and with few autistic people in positions of leadership and less than one percent of their annual budget going towards family services, Autism Speaks isn’t doing nearly enough to support the autistic community.

If you’re wanting to support the autistic community without supporting Autism Speaks, I recommend focusing your resources on the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. ASAN works to give autistic people the tools to control their lives, includes autistic people in leadership roles throughout the organization, and seeks to organize the autistic community to ensure that future progress echoes the desires of autistic peoples.

Vote with your dollar. Support organizations that support your values, and next time White Castle asks if you would like to support Autism Speaks, say no.

PENNY PINCHING: For every $100 donated to Autism Speaks, families of autistic people recieve less than a penny. Illustration by Hannah Bernard

Page by Hannah Bernard

Inclusion

NOT

Exclusion

The importance of seeing the person, not the label

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YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME: Freshman Ella Hellebusch sits and scrolls on her phone while senior Morgan Corbitt looks over her shoulder. Hellebusch and Corbitt have been able to form a close bond over the course of the school year through their shared love of cheerleading. Unfortunately, Corbitt has witnessed blatant ableism from students when Hellebusch approaches her in the hallway to give her a hug, but Corbitt ignores the snickers and dirty glances because she knows Hellebusch is her friend. Photo by Madi Hermeyer

he bell rings and students shuffle out into the hallways to move to their next hour. As they walk, suddenly the student body becomes intermixed as students of all grades, races, sexualities, and so on hurry from one end of the school to the other. This is normally the time when most students see students who are a part of the alternative learning program here at FHC. Though this is the only chance for many to converse with this portion of the school’s population, the majority of students have the tendency to ignore the students in the alternative learning program or even judge them whenever they see them in the hallways. What they don’t know, however, is that they’re missing out on some incredible members of our school community.

When the newspaper editors and staff decided to do an issue on the topic of disabilities, we knew we had to do it right.

We didn’t want this to be an issue that focused on the disability, we wanted to focus on the individual. In the weeks leading up to our deadlines, a few of us editors spent our seventh hour in Dr. Burkemper’s Adaptive P.E. class to get to know the students who would star in this issue.

Going to that class soon became the highlight of our day. We’d go down and

just get to know who Ella, Clinton, Jay, and so many more students were. In getting to know them, we soon learned that they weren’t that much different from us. In fact, we were a lot more similar than we realized. Just by talking to these students, we were able to find shared interests and opinions on certain subjects, allowing us to form some great connections.

Within our time going to the Adaptive P.E. class, we learned one truth that, though we already knew it unconsciously, needed to be said out loud: students with disabilities are still students and all students are human. Part of being human is that we all have our own unique thoughts, feelings, interests and worldview. There is so much more to these students than their disabilities and the labels that come with them.

That’s something that a lot of people in general don’t seem to understand, simply because they are either too scared or too uncomfortable to reach out to these students and talk to them.

As a school, we do need to be more conscious of our treatment of students with disabilities within our community.

Oftentimes, we do not realize the unconscious bias we have against these

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students until we recoil away from them as they pass us in the hallway or simply ignore them when they say hello to us.

It is wrongdoing on our part, because at the end of the day, just like all other teenagers, they just want to be accepted for who they are. They want people to talk to them during lunch or in classes. They want you to answer back when they greet you in the hallway. They want the same experiences as every other student in the building.

Ultimately, the overall consensus on the best way to accommodate students with disabilities is inclusion. There have already been some steps made towards better inclusion of these students in recent years, but there is still room for improvement, especially from the student body. Students still put labels onto their peers with disabilities, essentially alienating them from their classmates.

They must realize disabilities are nothing to be ashamed of and do not change the person inside of the body, otherwise division is unavoidable. We all have aspects of our personalities that could be seen as “different,” yet we do not let them define us. We should allow students who have disabilities the same opportunity.

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Double trouble Coach Brian Bitney sits atop Coach Andrew Carter’s shoulders after dunking the basketball, scoring a point for their team during the

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winter pep rally. As part of the rally, a group of teachers formed a team and had a teacher vs. student scrimmage. The

By Samanthan Castille pep rally — the Staff Photographer first held inperson since winter of 2020 — took place Feb. 11 to get the school excited for winter sports and encourage them to attend games.

I really love this photo for multiple different reasons. First off I love how it captures the contrasting facial expressions, from Carter’s cheery face to Bitney’s serious one. I also love all the colors of the crowd and the band behind them, cheering them on.

Taking this photo took patience in the same place. I was about to move locations and get a different perspective, when I saw this happening I decided to stay.

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FINAL FRAME

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Page by Samantha Castille