November 2019: Bound in a Body

volume 23, issue 2

bound in a body

Those afflicted by eating disorders feel trapped within themselves

FROM THE EDITOR

STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF CENTRAL FOCUS: Kayla Reyes FHCTODAY: Megan Percy CENTRALIZED: Lanie Sanders ERGO: Lanie Sanders PHOTO: Gracie Kruep PAPER ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR: Natalie Walsh WEB ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR: Kierigan McEvoy COPY EDITOR: Kana Chung DESIGN EDITOR: Isaiah Salin PHOTO EDITOR: Amelia Vohsen VIDEO EDITOR: Savannah Drnec SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR: Rachel Vrazel STAFF REPORTERS: Aidan Allen, Grace Bahru, Faith Beckmann, Alyssa Bernier, Anna Carroll, Sam Chen, Kana Chung, Emma Clasen, Craig Eddy, Essy Ingram, Faith Jacoby, Ruthann Kimbrel, Morgan Kromer, Zoe Michals, Ty Nedungadi, Avery Olson, Sarah Percy, Robin Ziegemeier STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Hannah Bernard, Faith Carter, Nicole Crangle, Paige Fann, Benjamin Freeman, Ann-Maree Gammell, Madelyn Hermeyer, Andrew Houmes, Emma Hultz, Taylor Krieg, Zoe Lentz, Kathryn Linke, Robert Pordea, Erin Reitz, Suzie Safi, Rhyen Standridge, Abby Turner, Corinne Vorderstrasse, Emily Wolfe Gretchen Wood, Kayden Zipoy ADVISER: Matthew Schott

I

n a world so focused on self-image, it can be difficult to meet the standards of what is seen as beautiful by the prying eyes of our society. The expectations of perfection

that are presented every day across all forms of media are, in many ways, unattainable and unhealthy. Methods of attaining this unrealistic standard of beauty can be detrimental and in some cases, deadly. In this issue, we discuss the warning signs of eating disorders and the ways they affect those in our Kayla Reyes

2 Page by Kayla Reyes

resources and stories of success to

encourage those with eating disorders to reach out and get the help they need.

Sincerely,

ABOUT THE COVER STORIES Forced to Fit (in)...14-15

The ideal body is plastered all over social media, ruining the minds of young individuals and destroying their self-esteem.

The Road to Recovery ... 16-17 Successful stories of recovery inspire those still in the process of battling an eating disorder.

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 5199 State Highway N, St Charles, MO 63304. 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.

community. Additionally, we provide

Editor-in-Chief

Finding Support... 18-19

For those with eating disorders, reaching out to loved ones can be one of the most powerful ways to get well.

A Different Perspective ... 20 Lanie Sanders shares her story of struggling with an eating disorder.

GET CONNECTED Follow our social media accounts to stay in the loop about all things FHC

Instagram: @FHCToday

TikTok: @FHCPublications

ABOUT

Twitter: @FHCToday

Facebook: @FHCPublications

Online: FHCToday.com

DISCOVER Adapting to Their Needs ... 4-5

The new Adaptive PE class addresses the needs of students with special needs.

AP Sign-Up Date Moved Up ... 6

College Board’s decision to move registration date sends waves through AP classes.

Dab Pens Cause Serious Health Concerns For Teens ... 8-9 Vapes do even more damage when fraudulent oils are added into the mix.

FEATURE In a Rush ... 10-11

Interests ranging from music to sports keep Allison Rush busy.

Step Team Continues to Grow ... 12

4

Bounce Back Steppers hope to perform at more sporting events this year.

Inked Up ... 13

Students often choose images that have aesthetic, personal meanings.

MOVE Hitting the Gym ... 22

Girls basketball continues to pound away with preseason workouts despite construction.

Skating For Fun ... 23

Nathan Roark’s passion for ice skating keeps things enjoyable on the ice.

Moving For the Blues ... 24-25

Colleen O’Leary moved to St. Louis for a chance to play with the Lady Blues.

ENTERTAIN Finding Fall Fun ... 26

Faith Beckmann shares some ideas of where to head to enjoy the best of fall.

VOICE

12

23

Recognizing Dignity... 27

Decision to focus on dignity has had positive effects, according to Kana Chung.

Too Many Meds? ... 28-29

Kierigan McEvoy ponders whether society medicates children too soon.

Getting Past Art Block ... 30

When you get stuck, artist Craig Eddy suggests you just keep practicing.

Holiday Support ... 31

Our Editorial Board asks you to support those struggling with eating disorders during the holidays.

Final Frame... 32

Our new photography feature debuts, showcasing one of our photographer’s best images from the Homecoming parade.

Visit FHCtoday.com for more photo galleries

CONTENTS

Page by Kayla Reyes

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BEAN BAG BONANZA: Junior Dylan Waters laughs and claps as he and sophomore Zoe Grumich play with bean bags. The two students generally work together during third period. The bean bags and other toys are things they are allowed to play with during their Adaptive PE class, a class that has been on the books as being available to students, but hasn’t had the enrollment or equipment to support it. “I work with Dylan, most of the time, but I also work with Hannah and I like developed relationships with like everybody in there so it’s really nice,” Hulbert said. PHOTOS BY SAVANNAH DRNEC

meeting their needs The Adaptive PE Class helps special needs students become more physically active

By Ruthann Kimbrel

Staff Reporter The multi-purpose room lights are dimmed and the sounds of laughter and words of encouragement from mentors and TA’s echo through the hallways.

The students in the class are playing their designated game of badminton, the rare game of the class, with their mentor and TA friends that the course helped them develop a relationship with. This is the Adaptive PE class at it’s finest.

The Adaptive Physical Education class is a year-long physical education class for special needs students that helps with the physical development of all students who participate.

Principal Dr. Sonny Arnel is in high spirits about the Adaptive PE Class.

“I think it’s important for us to offer courses that meet the passions, the intellectual curiosity and the development of every kid on our campus, so we need a spectrum of classes to make sure we meet the needs, and the curiosity and the passion of all of our kids. So, it definitely is

4 Page by Ruthann Kimbrel and Natalie Walsh

another class that is an attempt to do that to meet the needs of our kiddos,” Dr. Arnel said.

Dr. Arnel gives the athletic and PE Department credit for starting the Adaptive PE class this year.

“With the Adaptive PE class, that’s been around forever, but to have classes like that, make it or not make it based on the number of kids that take them,” Dr. Arnel said.

The number of kids to take this class for the 2019 to 2020 school year exceeded the amount needed and because of that, it needed to be to be ran by a gym teacher or two.

“The Adaptive PE class was kind of spearheaded this year by Dr. [Michelle] Burkemper, Mr. [Ken] Henson and Mrs. [Jennifer] Denny. They worked really hard with Mr. Radigan, the PE department chair, and Mr. Henson that had brought equipment in for our alternative learning department.” Dr. Arnel said. “And the teachers, Mrs. Denny and Dr. Burkemper really have a passion to meet the needs of our kids.”

DISCOVER

The teachers are not the only ones involved with the class; mentors and teachers assistants also get involved and are given credit where it’s due.

“I love what the teachers are doing for our kids and we also have our mentors and TA’s that push in there too, and they’re actually another element of support for our kids,” Dr. Arnel said.

Mrs. Courtney Jilek has noticed how the SPED kids have been working hard in the SPED class after joining the Adaptive PE Class due to the ongoing support and encouragement being given to them in that course.

“I think that them being in a class where they have mentors that are encouraging them and supporting them, has them be a lot more physically active so a lot of the exercises and things that they do, they try a lot harder because they’re being encouraged by their peers,” Mrs. Jilek said.

She appreciates that a program like this creates a new atmosphere for every pupil in the school, allowing them to make

PICTURE PERFECT: Seniors Dillon Davis and Mitchell Murry stop the stretching exercise they were doing to pose for the photographer. “The kids are all so sweet and they really just want to talk to people they want to be part of something,” Grumich said.

“I like to watch and see how their faces light up and how excited they are whenever they see their friends in class.”

-

Zoey Hulbert, Adaptive PE mentor

ENCOURAGEMENT: Mr. Keith Cissell high fives a happy Michael Hewkin during an activity. Both the students and teachers in the class work with the same student in order to build a relationship between the two people. “You look forward to seeing them everyday and and it’s so nice when you see them the hallway and they come give you a hug or say hi or they’re so excited to see you,” junior Zoey Hulbert said.

friends with other students.

“I think it builds community for [our] students to be able to see people they know in the hallway and have friends, just like every other student and getting to know people and building relationships and having friendships is a really important part of high school and so for all students to have that I think it’s really important for a school community,” Mrs. Jilek said.

Mrs. Jilek encourages TAs and mentors to join this class for the pure contentedness of the students in the Adaptive PE class, teachers and themselves.

“They do have quite a few mentors in there [and] that’s a good way to get involved. It’s a lot of fun for our students to interact and build friendships with typically developing peers [and so] they love being in that class and if there are openings for mentors, it’s there third hour,” Mrs. Jilek said.

The teacher of the class, Dr. Michelle Burkemper, is hopeful for the class and how it helps the SPED students throughout not only

high school but life in general with making friends and adapt to the adjoining area.

“They’re working with regular ed kids, as well as other kids with disabilities. So they’re able to perform and work in different areas, whether it be in the multi purpose room, the big gym, small gym, or outside,” Dr. Burkemper said.

To keep the kids involved and enjoying the course, Dr. Burkemper changes the activities on a day-to-day basis.

“So they might do stations where they’re bowling, or basketball or ladders. Sometimes we do some badminton, just depends on the day,” Dr. Burkemper said.

Dr. Burkemper is ecstatic about how the class has many kids with and without disabilities are working together in the class to create a community with no boundaries.

“It allows the students to be included and it allows for A-Plus tutors to help them as well, so we’re including all of the kids in the school versus separating them and segregating them,” Dr. Burkemper said.

DISCOVER

HIGH FIVES: Junior Zoey Hulbert gives junior Luke Doll high fives after he completed one of the activities in class. “It really just makes me like so happy to see them so excited and just wanting to do better,” Hulbert said. “It’s like a fun activity for him and it just helps everybody in the class.”

Page by Ruthann Kimbrel and Natalie Walsh

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COMING UP SOON: After piloting an earlier registration date in a couple places around the country, the College Board moved up the registration date for the entire country to Nov. 15 for this school year, while also instituting a late fee for students who register between Nov. 16 and March 13. This change will affect many students as last year FHC wrote the most AP tests in school history. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GRACIE KRUEP AND SAVANNAH DRNEC

$94 The cost for signing up for the test by the Nov. 15 deadline remains unchanged.

$40 Any student who signs up between Nov. 16-March 13 will be charged a late fee.

Source: The College Board

816 According to Associate Principal Andy Downs, 816 exams were written by FHC students in the 2018-19 school year.

alarming advance

By Alyssa Bernier

Staff Reporter On top of the extreme pressures exerted on already busy high school students, the advanced peers at FHC are struggling with committing to a test that may determine their future college careers.

Advanced Placement is a program run by the College Board in which collegelevel curriculum and credit are given to high school students in an attempt to better prepare them for college. Students can opt to pay for and take an exam run by the board, and score at least a three to earn college credit for each AP class they choose to take.

For as long as many students can remember, there was a generous amount of time before the AP tests took place each year. They had until March to decide if they wanted to sign up and take the test.

Students were used to having this time before partaking in the exam to ensure they were committed to the class and willing to invest in the exam.

This past year, the College Board made the controversial decision to move the sign up deadline to Nov. 15th. This shortened period is causing many different issues to arise with students. Senior Emma Mize has many concerns regarding this change.

To start, she believes the moved deadline

6 Page by Alyssa Bernier

makes the tests significantly more intense than they have been in past years.

“I think the change is a little intense ... It didn’t need to be [moved up to] this soon in the school year. You still don’t know if you really like the [AP] classes you are in yet,” Mize said.

In addition to the intensity level increasing for students with the moved deadline, the amount of time decreasing for students to come up with the money needed to take the tests is also an arising issue. Each AP test costs $94 to take. With most students left to pay for their own tests, this significant decrease in the sign-up period makes it a tricky task for many. This holds especially true for the many students, like Mize, who are taking several AP tests.

“I definitely think people are concerned with how they’re going to pay for [the tests]. I guess they had more time to gather up all the money before the tests [in past years],” Mize said.` Another change in the policy of the AP test is a new $40 late fee instituted for any students who sign up past the Nov. 15th deadline decided by the College Board. This new attribute is causing much controversy to arise as many individuals feel it is just a way for the College Board to get more money from the students.

With each test coming in at $94, not a lot

DISCOVER

AP registration date moved up of students can afford to pay any more than they already have to pay for the tests alone. Although history teacher Jane Kelley doesn’t have very strong feelings toward the change, she feels the earlier deadline was a deliberate decision made by the College Board to get more money.

“I don’t understand it. I think it’s a money grab by the College Board, because they can now institute late fees,” Kelley said.

Although many people look at the policy change as having a negative impact on students, there are just as many benefits to it as well. For one, this change encourages students to commit to their AP classes sooner and take them more seriously sooner rather than later.

This in return better prepares them for the fast paced nature of college.

Senior Carl Swanson thinks the change will be good for him as it helps him prepare for his classes sooner and challenge his battle with procrastination. “[The moved deadline] helps me get my stuff together sooner because I can’t procrastinate as much anymore,” Swanson said.

This change through the positive and negative effects on all students, will be an important factor students need to take into consideration when signing up to take their AP classes moving forward.

2019-20 YEARBOOK FORM

VANTAGE POINT! Reserve your copy of the 2019-20 yearbook at registration.

Cost of the book is now $50.

You can also order the book online: www.yearbookforever.com (this goes live on July 25)

Order form for the 2019-20 yearbook Date:________

Cash: ____

Check#_____

RECEIPT

RECEIPT

____________________

REMINDER: YEARBOOKS ARE DISTRIBUTED AT REGISTRATION.

DISCOVER

1. START AT YEARBOOKFOREVER. COM 2. Search Francis Howell Central.

4. Click on “Get Started.”

Follow the steps as the site navigates you through creating your ad!

All checks must be made payable to FHC Publications

The price of the yearbook will be $50 until THE FINAL DAY OF FIRST SEMESTER The last day of school is the FINAL day to purchase your yearbook. Book price in second semester is $65.

Staff signature:

Senior baby ads are now on sale via our website only. Follow the instructions below to honor your 2020 graduate!

3. Look for “Create a Senior Ad.”

Name: _________________________________________ Grade: ____

BUY A BABY AD FOR YOUR SENIOR!

Ad sizes and prices 1/8 page = $70 1/4 page = $100 1/2 page = $150 Full page = $250 DEADLINE FOR PURCHASING YOUR SENIOR BABY AD: Dec. 20, 2020.

There will be no sales after Dec. 20 Page by Kayla Reyes

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dabbing with death Vaping with THC likely cause of recent deaths

By Zoe Michals Staff reporter

Addiction. We are addicted. Addicted to convenience. To people. To feelings. In a country where mental illness, reckless substance abuse, and a “need to please” attitude are all growing exponentially, too many teens are turning to addictive alternatives to cope. And now, as the 36 dead would give anything to be able to testify, the consequences are catching up to us.

Dab pens are a form of vape pen used by teenagers at an unfortunately high rate. For marijuana-smoking students, like Skylar Stone*, many started using them because their friends were and there was an opportunity that they took without considering the consequences. This reckless decision has proved disastrous for some.

“Someone just offered me one and I did it,” Stone recalled.

Though they may be past their peak in popularity, dab pens are still a very relevant issue that demands to be discussed. A quick glance at local or national news, reveals that 36 people have died in recent months as a direct result of vaping, according to the Center for Disease Control. Further, vaping tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is almost certainly to blame for taking the aforementioned lives.

To preface, dab pens are like any other vape pen in look and function, however, they run off of cartridges (carts) of “dab,” or an oil containing THC. And while there are some liquid forms of THC for regular vape pens, dab pens are most common among those seeking a high. Dab pens, in short, are a digital form of marijuana, but are so much worse.

The major problem, aside from breathing in foreign substances, lies in the contents of the carts. The drug sales industry is infamous for its fraudulent producers and products. Especially in a state where recreational marijuana is not legalized, buying carts is a risky business. School Resource Officer Troy Inserra, spent years as an undercover cop and knows the immense concerns with the use of dab pens.

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“It’s dangerous… I tell anyone who’s doing it, ‘You need to stop,’” Officer Inserra said.

One branch of the issue is the chemicals in these dabs. The contents of many popular vendors’ carts alongside the products used by hospitalized patients have been closely examined and tested positively for both pesticides and vitamin E acetate.

Pesticides are not meant to be inhaled. They are meant to kill weeds, however, through careless purchases and reckless abuse, they are killing humans.

Vitamin E acetate is an oil derived from vitamin E. At high temperatures, the oil becomes a vapor, but when exposed to cooler temperatures inside of the lungs, it reverts to the oil state. The fatty droplets now trapped inside patients’ lungs can lead to many lung diseases including, but not limited to, lipoid pneumonitis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Another part of the issue is people selling carts that aren’t what they claim. “Trusted” brand names, take for example the popular provider Dank Vapes, have no face; they lack regulation. This causes the sale and purchase of carts to be just as risky as any other illegal drug. Dealers can simply refill used cartridges with any mixture of substances and proceed to sell it under the trusted name to fool the consumer. This is where not only the pesticides and vitamin E acetate come into play, but the coach takes many other impossible-topronounce chemicals off the bench to join. And these chemicals definitely play games with user’s lungs.

“I always tell kids: ‘You never know who you’re buying from,’” Officer Inserra explained.

With all of these negatives and risks, it may be a little confusing why dab pens are still used. The appeal is actually relatively easy to understand. Jasper Jones* explains.

“Nothing really stands out [about dab pens] except that it’s more convenient … You can do it wherever,” Jones claimed. *The use of asterisks next to the names of sources in this article indicate the use of a pseudonym for the protection of sources’ anonymity.

DISCOVER

“When I hear [those] things, I start going away from them... [it’s] terribly unhealthy. In my opinion, I think the key is controlling and knowing what you’re putting in [your body] is a risk.”

-Jasper Jones freshman

DISCOVER

Page by Zoe Michals

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JAM SESSION: Alli Rush plays a song on her guitar for her English class, much to her classmate’s delight. Rush brought her guitar to school for extra credit on a Spanish assignment, and played for her other classes as well.

PHOTO BY KAYLA REYES

IN a rush With interests ranging from music to sports, Alli Rush keeps busy

By Robin Ziegemeier

RECITAL: Alli Rush performs on her guitar at one of her first recitals at Guitar Center. She began playing the guitar during her freshman year after years of wanting to start. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALLI RUSH

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Page by Robin Ziegemeier

Staff Reporter The bell above chimes as junior Alli Rush opens the door to Guitar Center, with her guitar in hand.

She and her band set up on the small stage as parents begin to trickle in for their kid’s recital.

After a quick soundcheck, they are ready to play their opening song, “Californication” by Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Rush inherited her love of music from her parents, especially when her dad would play his rock albums for her. He also got her into jazz, and is one of her main inspirations for why she wanted to learn how to play guitar. On top of being her inspiration for pursuing music, her parents also support her in all of her endeavors.

“It’s really nice that they support me in doing what I want to do, and usually help fund me with a lot of stuff,” Rush said. “My dad especially encourages the rock music and is all about it. He shows up to every performance I do.”

Before Rush started learning guitar, her mom began teaching her the piano as they had one at home. Since she didn’t know how to play guitar at the time, she would learn how to play guitar parts of her favorite songs on piano.

“It was in fourth grade, my mom wanted me to learn how to play an instrument, and we have a piano in our living room. So she’s like, ‘We’re going to do piano,’ and she also played piano,” Rush said. “I can still kind of play piano. I learned [to play] Guns and Roses because I couldn’t play it on guitar.”

The next instrument Rush learned was the alto saxophone for beginning band in sixth grade,

FEATURE

which she still plays in the Symphonic band. She takes home her sax almost everyday so she can practice, on top of having band class daily. She also has aspirations of joining one of the jazz bands, but has not had the chance due to schedule conflicts.

However, the instrument Rush is most passionate about is the guitar. On top of practicing it whenever possible, she also plays it in the mornings in the band room, as well as occasionally bringing it to class. She began playing the guitar two years ago, after years of wanting to learn how to play it. The opportunity arose when she got her first guitar for Christmas. Her parents then signed her up for lessons at Guitar Center, where her talent started to shine through.

Every few months, Guitar Center hosts a recital showcasing the students there, and before performing for the first time, Rush needed an accompanist. Luckily, she knew junior Emma Smallen plays the drums, and asked her to play with her. Although, after a couple of gigs, Smallen ended up quitting due to their differing tastes in genres. However, the two remained friends, and Rush found other band members.

“It was super cool. She took lessons at Guitar Center, and she was like, hey I need a drummer for a band I’m doing for a recital, so I said I could do that,” Smallen said. “I [ended up] wanting to play in a different genre than they were playing, so I was like, ‘If you guys need me I can play, but I want to go off and do my own thing.’”

Though she no longer takes lessons at Guitar Center, Rush and her band, currently named Jinx, still gets invited back to be the opening performance at the recitals.

On Sept. 20, she brought her guitar to school to get extra credit on her dicho, a weekly speaking test to show what phrases she learned in Spanish that week. After playing the song to her Spanish class, she went to her next class, AP Language and Composition, and showed Smallen the chords to the song. Soon the class grew quiet, and Rush broke out into song.

“I learned [the Dicho song] the night before on the guitar and then I brought it into Spanish and played it. My next class [was] English, and Emma [Smallen] asked me what the chords were,” Rush said. “I was showing her the chords when everybody [got quiet] and they had their phones out.”

Despite her musical talents, Rush diversifies her hobbies, as she also draws and plays sports.

During the spring, she plays on the girls soccer team. During the Fall, she runs on the Cross Country team.

Rush began playing soccer while she was in second grade for her church’s team in the CYC league, and ended up enjoying the sport. Over the years, she switched from CYC to a team for Norco, then to Missouri Rush after that team broke up. However, that team only lasted a year, due to a change in the league basing age groups on the year players were born rather than their grade level. Because of the division of her team, she switched leagues once more to play for AFA, where she has been playing for three years. Rush currently plays for the school’s girls soccer team during the spring season.

“In second grade, I was put into the CYC church league, the St. Jane Flames, then it morphed into the Cheetahs. Then we went to Norco, and then to Rush, and now I’m at AFA. I also play for the [school] team,” Rush said.

Cross Country is another thing her dad introduced her to in order to stay in shape. At first, she didn’t enjoy the running portion of it, but stayed because she liked the community of it. Now, she’s one of the top ten runners for FHC’s cross country team.

“I wasn’t really into running before [joining cross country], but my dad pushed it as a way to stay in shape, and it turned into ‘I really like this’ and the people are amazing here, so I keep coming back,” Rush said. “I’m in seventh [place] now, I was in tenth.”

Junior Lily Chung is one of Rush’s teammates on both the soccer team and cross country. They both started cross country during their freshman year, and have been striving for the top ever since.

Chung acknowledges Rush’s improvements, and admires her drive to get better at the things she’s passionate about. “[Alli] has really improved a lot, and she’s really driven so she’s gotten a lot better and faster,” Chung said. “I think she has a whole lot of different talents, like with art and she’s athletic, so just all around talented.”

Some other hobbies Rush has are archery, water skiing, wakeboarding, and drawing. She got into archery after being introduced to it at a friend’s birthday party and partakes in water sports at her grandparents’ lake house. On top of all of her hobbies and activities, she also takes multiple classes for college credit. Despite her busy schedule, she still takes time to hang out with her friends, and uses her hobbies as a way to destress.

“It definitely takes up a lot of my time, but it’s also a very good way to relax and forget about problems for a little bit,” Rush said. “Honestly, just focus your energy on something you enjoy doing.”

my favorite: FOOD FOR THANKSGIVING

By Faith Jacoby

LEAD GUITAR: Alli Rush performs at Guitar Center with her band as the lead guitarist in her band. Despite not taking lessons from there in a while, she is still invited back to perform the openings for the recitals.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALLI RUSH

BAND TOGETHER: The members of Alli Rush’s band, Jinx, stand together after the end of another great performance. It started with her playing guitar and Emma Smallen on the drums, but has lost and gained new members over the years. PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALLI RUSH

FEATURE

Staff Reporter With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s no secret that the excitement that revolves around the holiday is more directed towards the food. There are dozens of traditions that come with the holiday, and so many choices of food that it can be a bit overwhelming to choose just enough for a dinner. So, here’s a list of the top five best Thanksgiving foods that need to make an appearance on your table.

Pecan pie: Whether you pronounce it pee-can or pih-con, this pie is indubitably the best pie out there. It’s crunchy, soft, sweet and just all around perfect. You can’t go wrong with pecan pie on Thanksgiving, or any other day for that matter.

Mashed potatoes: This fluffy version of potatoes can go with dinner all year round, proving it to be the superior side.

It’s amazing with both butter and sour cream, or nothing at all. Mashed potatoes are always the way to go.

Corn bread: Much like mashed potatoes, corn bread can go with most dinners through all 12 months of the year.

As someone that despises corn, corn bread tastes nothing like the cobbed vegetable, making it tolerable.

Turkey: The classic Thanksgiving food. Turkey is undoubtedly the face of Thanksgiving, making it a must have.

Although it’s not my favorite, turkey definitely deserves a spot on the list.

Pumpkin pie: Probably the most known Thanksgiving dessert next to apple pie, pumpkin pie is inevitable. Arguably as classic as turkey, pumpkin pie has a reserved spot in the Thanksgiving food hall-of-fame, and in my heart.

EVERYONE LOVES PIE: Pecan pie is a traditional Thanksgiving dessert that people love for its contrasting consistencies between the filling and the pecans that cover the top of the pie. PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Page by Robin Ziegemeier

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STepping up, standing out STOMP: The Bounce Back Steppers perform at the 2019 fall spirit week pep rally, exciting the crowd. The group has become a staple of pep rally performances and is looking to perform during more school and sporting events throughout the school year. PHOTO BY ZOE LENTZ

Bounce Back Steppers gain respect and opportunities after overcoming difficulty

By Morgan Kromer

Now, the Bounce Back Steppers are working toward Staff Reporter another goal: becoming an official spirit team.

A whole gym full of phones are out, cameras are Dailey-LaFlore said it started when they began recording and everyone is elated. It’s a typical pep performing at more basketball games. Now they rally. The Bounce Back Steppers are bouncing their are requesting even more basketball and football way onto the empty gym floor for their performance. games.

The Bounce Back Steppers are planning on “We kind of wanted to do more football games, becoming a spirit team now instead of a club. Being a it’s just figuring out where to stand where they can spirit team has many advantages: they receive more actually hear us,” Dailey-LaFlore said. respect from students and teams, and get more The team started off with Ms. Shannon Harting, performance opportunities, to name a few. Member a counselor, as their sponsor. Now it is Mrs. and senior Elizabeth Dailey-LaFlore compares Jessica Bulva, an English teacher, who is not just being a Bounce Back Stepper to a representative figure in being a dancer. the Bounce Back Steppers So when a club really is more community, but more of a a team, they would like to be coach. recognized as such.

Loggins also explained some The team have practices new ideas being incorporated every Tuesday and Thursday, this year. They are working more unless it is the week before the with music, And each member’s performance, then it is every steps will be slightly different day. They have to choreograph every time because they are Heaven Loggins, their moves and make changes allowing the steppers to make bounce back stepper as they go, just like dance and performances their own. theatre. They feel the stage “We have been incorporating fright like every other team or performer. music a lot more. Not just for the intro or end of Senior Heaven Loggins feels because they don’t the show but we’re using music in the middle of a perform at many school events or have titles from lot more or having a lot more customizable steps,” competing at competitions, they don’t receive as Loggins said. “[Mrs. Bulva] goes to practice. She tells much support as spirit or sports teams do. you when something’s wrong … she’ll give you a “We’re not going to competitions and bringing suggestion on what you can change.” back trophies for the school to show off in the case The step team has such a strong bond, they’re and put on Twitter for people to see, so it’s hard to more like family than friends sophomore member get recognition for accomplishments when you Rickeena Brantley said. don’t have tangible items,” Loggins said.

“We’re always arguing, but we treat each other like They are also made of a minority within the school a family,” Brantley said and believe they do not receive as much recognition Loggins says the people on the team and how they as spirit teams when they do just as much work. interact offstage, not what they perform onstage is “Particularly in the area it’s hard to find things what make them special. that are tailored to people of color: things that have “...it’s the people. Yes, the elements like being culture behind it, deeper meaning and just says able to be yourselves and have a good time and just something,” Loggins said. encourage each other, it’s not just during step; but The Bounce Back Steppers started in 2017 as a if somebody accomplishes something the whole cultural club. Something different, new; an outlet for team celebrates at anything. It’s the culture … that’s minorities to have their own, special performances. what makes it,” Loggins said.

“It’s the culture... that’s what makes it.”

-

ALL IN LINE: Clapping in sync with her team members during the Sept. 26 pep assembly, junior Asia Johnson concentrates on her choreography. PHOTO BY ZOE LENTZ

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FEATURE

INKed Up

By Isaiah Salin

Design Editor Bzzzttt. Bzzzztt. The needle moves in and out of the skin, injecting ink into the second layer of skin.

For many people, tattoos are a major appeal, for looks and meaning.

Tattoos and piercings are a large factor of modern-day culture and they have become a simple way to show art on your body. For a large portion of students, tattoos and piercings are the norm and a large number of students have them.

For many, the main issue of getting tattoos is the safety of the needle, making sure the needle is sterile and safe.

Junior Alfonz Luster had major concerns with the safety of his tattoo, and wanted to ensure his safety.

“I wanted to be sure I didn’t get infected and that it was [a clean needle],” Luster said.

Luster’s tattoo is on his arm, and it is of FLYING HIGH: Junior angel wings, representing his grandma Alfonz Luster has a who passed away. tattoo of angel wings, “I have a tattoo of my close grandma representing his late that passed away a few years ago… when grandmother. she died I knew my heart was becoming cold,” Luster said.

The significance of the tattoo for Luster was to remember his grandma every day.

“I think about her every day so I decided to get

Tattoos often carry special meaning for those who get them

her on my forearm, so that way I have something to motivate me everyday,” Luster said.

Melissa Hicks, an employee at the Threshold Body Art tattoo parlor, believes that it is very safe to get tattoos.

“The needles we use are cartridges that come sterilized from [American companies] meaning that they are regulated by the health department,” Hicks said.

As safety is a concern for many people wanting to get tattoos, Hicks assures that safety is a big priority.

“All of the artists are trained to fight bloodborne pathogens and perform CPR,” Hicks said.

Junior Zachary McDonald has an owl tattoo on his right forearm, and it represents how he wants to be his own person.

“Owls are really unique in their own ways, and its one of those [tattoos] that I’ve always wanted to get,” McDonald said.

A big priority for McDonald as well was his safety while getting his tattoo.

“I got mine at the Greatest Shot, it was free, but I still wanted to make sure that the needle was clean so I could be safe,” McDonald said.

McDonald wants to make sure his unique personality is expressed on him in the form of tattoos.

“I want my entire left arm to be things that make me different from everyone else, and to prove how I’m unique from all the other people,” McDonald said.

FEATURE

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MEASURING UP: A girl looks into a mirror, measuring her waist. People affected by eating disorders often feel inadequate in their appearance and turn to unhealthy methods to become happier with themselves. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLA REYES

forced to fit (in)

The ideal body is plastered all over social media, ruining the self-esteem of young individuals

By Faith Jacoby

Staff Reporter She pushes through the group of students crowding the door as the bell rings. Her laces are caught under her shoes as she hurries to the cafeteria. She shuffles through the lunch line and grabs a lunch tray as quickly as possible.

The vegetables on her tray remain untouched for the entire 25-minute lunch period.

In fact, she rarely glances down at the tray full of food as she makes her way into the bathroom, shoving the door open and quickly

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locking it. She takes a deep breath and sits on the toilet. The thought of eating makes her uncomfortable, disgusted, and weak. She sets the tray out of her way and starts working on homework instead, drowning out the sound of her stomach rumbling with the ruffling of papers. Another day goes by and not one meal has been fully digested. As she realizes lunch is about to end, she wipes her tears from her cheeks and unlocks the stall door. Her mind is flooded with negative thoughts and the flawless image of what she could be drilled

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in the back of her head reminds her that she never can be what everyone else is.

Almost invisible to the naked eye, eating disorders are more common than uncommon.

The pressure to be perfect is advertised all over social media and in everyday society. The minds of people both young and old are tricked into thinking the ideal male body is big and bulky, or the most feminine a woman can be is with her hourglass shape and tiny figure. These images are constantly plastered into the brains of countless people, and while some can push

them aside and shrug it off, others feel that this image is a must-have, and automatically feel uncomfortable and sickened with their body.

So, they change what they think is the reason behind their unbearable structure; food.

Eating disorders can mean different things for different people, like any other psychological disorders, they vary from person to person, which means they see the words ‘eating disorder’ and think of divergent ideas.

Junior Kathleen Tallmadge* described eating disorders as a change in eating habits that leads to becoming a mind game that your brain controls.

“It's an abnormal eating habit that affects the person negatively in mental and physical health,” Tallmadge said. “It's when someone purges after they eat, or they barely eat in a day, or they eat way too much.

Things like that.”

Junior Elijah Calignaoan, who has suffered with an eating disorder, defined them as something unique. “A quirk in the brain- a trick in yourself to believe what is wrong, is actually right,” Calignaoan said.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, people that struggle with body image and a lower self-esteem tend to be more likely to develop an eating disorder.

Like someone’s definition of an eating disorder, their struggle can be different, especially how and why their eating patterns start changing. Calignaoan described how his eating habits started to slowly change.

“It just started with not eating for a day, then two and so on,” Calignaoan said. “My body just got used to not eating for a day or two at a time. It was definitely unhealthy and my friends said what I was doing was dumb and I should eat, but it wasn’t that simple. I tried eating at school and I felt lightheaded and sick. I have no idea why but I just did.”

Tallmadge also went on to explain how her habits changed and how little she would eat each day just to achieve the body society deemed as ideal.

“The [eating habits] started to form because I used to get bullied about how fat I was and how I was just bigger than everyone at school,” Tallmadge said. “And so I became extremely self-conscious. I admit that I wasn’t as skinny as others, which led to negative thoughts that started making me nauseous every time I ate food, so slowly I ate less and less to where I was eating maybe 300 [calories], sometimes less, a day.”

The average person intakes around 2000 calories per day, consuming anything lower than 1200 calories per day will send your body into ‘starvation mode’.

Although everyone’s upbringing can have different factors, they usually share one

common aspect: image.

“I know it boils down to self-esteem,” Calignaoan said. “That’s the simplest way I can put it.”

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, bullying pushes the likelihood of an eating disorder forming. Bullying can lead to a decrease in self-esteem, social isolation, and poor body image, which ultimately lead to the sudden change in eating patterns.

Calignaoan also described why his habits began to change and what brought him to adapt to different eating patterns.

“As someone who has been harassed because of weight, I would do anything just to lose some more pounds just to be accepted,” Calignaoan said. “That stuck in my

“I lost a lot of respect for myself.

It only damaged my already low self-esteem and I fell into a hole that left me with scars.”

- Junior Elijah Calignoan subconscious and I kept on continuing.”

Tallmadge elucidated that she started noticing her eating habits changing after a while. After Tallmadge noticed, her mom noticed not only how she had changed, but also the way she ate and what she ate.

“My mom noticed that there was something wrong,” Tallmadge said. “I wouldn’t eat breakfast or dinner with my family anymore because I was embarrassed.”

Calignaoan claimed that it didn’t have much of an effect on his friends or family, and that it was more personal.

“I feel accepted at home for who and what I am,” Calignaoan said. “I can eat when at home. Occasionally I’ll throw up but that doesn’t involve them. I keep to myself because I believe it would be harder to work on myself when they are constantly injecting themselves into my conflict.”

Despite knowing the consequences and effects on the body, Calignaoan claimed that he knew he had an eating disorder from the beginning, and didn’t do anything about it.

“I absolutely knew I had an eating disorder,” Calignaoan said. “I knew what I was doing from the start. I truly wish I knew why I chose to be weird and do this to myself but I did. No harm, no foul. But there was harm and I didn’t really see it at the time. Looking bad not too

long ago, it’s clear as day what it did to me mentally.”

Without a doubt, having an eating disorder and the sudden change in eating habits affects your physical health and appearance, but it also affects your mental health.

“It's definitely changed my personality,” Tallmadge said. “It seems like I've become a little more serious and I apologize for my actions–even if it was just talking to someone.”

As stated by the National Eating Disorders Association, having an eating disorder affects your cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and endocrine systems, as well as impacting you neurologically.

With this being said, Calignaoan went on to explain how it impacted him mentally and the lasting effect it had on him.

“It has affected me so much,” Calignaoan said. “I lost a lot of respect for myself. It only damaged my already low self-esteem and I fell into a hole that left me with scars. It was not worth it.”

Tallmadge explained the symptoms she experienced with having an irregular eating pattern.

“Headaches, stomach pains, chills, and tiredness,” Tallmadge said.

The National Eating Disorders Association listed refusal to eat certain foods, signs of uncomfort while eating around others, and skipping meals as just a few symptoms or signs of an eating disorder that is either present or forming.

With different symptoms come different coping mechanisms and adaptations, which can be very unique to the person possessing the eating disorder.

“It’s a slow process for me personally because I don’t have the kind of will power some people do,” Calignaoan said. “I just snack a lot now. I eat light stuff often so I don’t feel grossly stuffed from one sandwich.”

Tallmadge mentioned that she goes to a therapist for her eating disorder and has grown to track her calorie intake.

“I go to a therapist and I have this calories notebook,” Tallmadge said. “Whatever I eat I write it down and how many calories were in it. It's to make sure I eat what I should to function properly and it's there so I don't eat less.”

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, treating an eating disorder generally involves a combination of psychological and nutritional help, along with medical and psychiatric monitoring.

“It wasn’t worth it,” Calignaoan said. “I want everyone to know it’s just not good for you and it may be affecting you more than you think.

With it affecting you, it then affects people around you. Having loving friends and people who boost you up is important. Not just for eating disorders, but for life.”

*The use of asterisks next to the names of sources in this article indicate the use of a pseudonym for the protection of sources’ anonymity.

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15

the road to recovery

TIED UP: A teenage girl stands hunched over a sink and looks into a mirror, her hands bound with pastel-blue tape measures.

Those affected by eating disorders often feel disgusted within their own bodies, and turn to unhealthy tactics to solve “fix” themselves. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLA REYES

The steps in recovering from an eating disorder require intense thought and dedication

“T

By Natalie Walsh

Print Assignments Editor

oday I am a good weight for my height and happy in my own skin,” sophomore

Emma Cowherd said in regards to her struggles with an eating disorder.

16 Page by Kayla Reyes

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Cowherd began engaging in poor eating habits in seventh grade and went on the downhill slope towards her eating disorder.

“It started with me not feeling hungry, but then I started to see a difference and I liked how I was getting skinnier… I thought I looked better,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd, like several other high school students, notice that there is a pressure in our society to look a certain way. Skinny waist, thin legs, toned arms. Unfortunately, some of us conform to this thought process and undergo unhealthy habits to achieve an unhealthy goal.

Whether someone has struggled with an eating disorder or is struggling with an eating disorder, the most important part of it all is recovery.

Recovery is obviously not easy. According to the Eating Recovery Center, the highest risk for relapse is in the first 18 months after treatment. With relapse around the corner for some who are recovering, it takes will power and determination to stay on track to success.

According to the National Eating Disorder Organization, recovery takes five steps: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance (or relapse).

It all begins with “precontemplation.” This step normally includes friends and/or family approaching someone about their eating habits. At this step, the affected individual doesn’t acknowledge the problem.

Sophomore Lexi Lyons described her experience fitting this mold.

“My mom noticed and then she brought it to my attention … at first I didn’t think anything of it,” Lyons said.

For Cowherd, pre-contemplation also began with her mother.

“My mom started getting concerned when I didn’t eat dinner,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd began engaging in poor eating habits in seventh grade and went on the downhill slope towards her eating disorder.

“It started with me not feeling hungry, but then I started to see a difference and I liked how I was getting skinnier… I thought I looked better,” Cowherd said.

Cowherd, like several other high school students, notice that there is a pressure in our society to look a certain way. Skinny waist, thin legs, toned arms. Unfortunately, some of us conform to this thought process and undergo unhealthy habits to achieve an unhealthy goal.

Whether someone has struggled with an eating disorder or is struggling with an eating disorder, the most important part of it all is recovery.

Recovery is obviously not easy. According

to the Eating Recovery Center, the highest risk for relapse is in the first 18 months after treatment. With relapse around the corner for some who are recovering, it takes will power and determination to stay on track to success.

According to the National Eating Disorder Organization, recovery takes five steps: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance (or relapse).

It all begins with “pre-contemplation.”

This step normally includes friends and/or family approaching someone about their eating habits. At this step, the affected individual doesn’t acknowledge the problem. Lyons described her experience fitting this mold.

“My mom noticed and then she brought it to my attention … at first I didn’t think anything of it,” Lyons said.

For Cowherd, pre-contemplation also began with her mother.

“My mom started getting concerned

“I am getting [to recovery] and I think I am on a track where I won’t relapse as easily”

- sophomore Lexi Lyons when I didn’t eat dinner,” Cowherd said.

After being approached by friends and family, the “contemplation” stage sets in.

Lyons began to notice what her friends and family were worried about. Recovery was beginning to be a thought worth thinking about.

“Seeing myself so small after not being that small for a really long time upset me.

Really upset me. And then, I just looked at myself and I was like, ‘You’re so skinny to where its gross.’ I don’t know. It really upset me,” Lyons said.

Following these contemplative thoughts, “preparation” began. Once someone decides they need to seek help, determining how is always a difficult choice. Do they approach a parent? A friend? A counselor, or an eating disorder professional?

For most, treatment is full of unexpected barriers and obstacles. The sheer fact that these individuals will have to change a habit they have developed over time is hard as it is, but then adding on to their worries is all the questions they have. Where do I find treatment? What will treatment look like?

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H o w can I open up about my issues? All of the unexpected must be addressed first before any action can take place to ensure safety.

Once all questions are asked and answered by doctors, friends and trusted adults, “action” can finally begin.

For Lyons, action began with a doctors appointment. Being able to put a label on the habits she was forming helped her learn how to treat them.

For Cowherd, action began with her mother. Approaching someone you care about to an incomprehensible degree is understandably difficult. No one said the steps towards recovery was easy.

“Anybody who is dealing with it; It sucks.

And I wish the best of luck to anybody who is dealing with the same problems,” Lyons said.

And then, we reach the hardest step; maintenance. This step is the hardest because there are so many ways in which it can go wrong.

“I am getting [to recovery] and I think I am on a track to where I won’t relapse as easily,” Lyons said.

But not everyone is as lucky. For anorexia and bulimia specifically, relapse rates are between 35 and 36 percent. According to the Eating Recovery Center, relapse typically spawns from poor body image, poor social relationships, slow results from treatment, and lack of motivation to recover during and after treatment.

“The biggest challenge was convincing myself that im not getting fat. It was convincing myself that I’m getting healthy.

That's definitely the hardest part,” Lyons said.

Cowherd went through recovery and is healthier now. Cowherd was able to catch herself at an early stage, which made for a speedier recovery.

“Recovery is different for a lot of people.

For me it wasn’t the hardest thing but it’s different for a lot of people and just know if you're in the process of recovering, you can do it and believe in yourself,” Cowherd said.

The further along one is in their eating disorder, the harder recovery is; the more one has to backtrack. But along the way, there are several resources available to help.

“It doesn't matter what other people think. Get yourself to where you're happy and healthy,” Lyons said.

“Some advice I would give is that I know how difficult it is but you are worth more than your disorder,” Cowherd said.

Page by Kayla Reyes

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finding support Reaching out to loved ones about struggles with an eating disorder is a helpful step in the process of recovery TRAPPED: A girl’s hand are bound in a tape measure as she covers her face. Eating disorders often make individuals feel trapped within their own bodies. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLA REYES

By Anna Carroll

Staff Reporter Like a fortune cookie she laid: wafer thin, concealing the truth regarding the uncertain moments to come within the walls of her emaciated frame.

Outside her hospital window, snow drifted down from the heavens as a chilling, serene reminder of one’s mortality. As time too drifted and she remained unconscious, her family feared the worst.

Four years ago, on Christmas Eve, sophomore Aayranna McInnis collapsed. Her heart had stopped. Born with a heart defect, McInnis was exceptionally weak because she had been starving herself for months.

“I didn’t even have the

strength to look at my heart monitor,” McInnis said.

Waking from her unconscious state, she realized the path she had been walking for five months, anorexia, had waned until it was nothing more than a tightrope on which she tottered, her life and death in the balance.

“I seriously thought that was the end. I did not think I was going to make it,” McInnis recounted. “In my head, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this isn’t right. I have to fix this. I can’t, I can’t be like this.’ And I started getting really scared. And I’m like, ‘could this happen again? Could I actually die at this time?’ I don’t want to be like that, because I have so many friends here.”

McInnis’s battle with anorexia started in 6th grade.

“When I was 13, I decided it would be a good idea because I was getting bullied a lot, being called fat, chubby,” McInnis said.

“So I’m like, ‘You know what? I’m going to stop eating. I’m going to do better. I’m going

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18 Kayla Reyes

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to make everyone else happy. I’m going to do this...Just stop eating. Stop doing what you love.’ ” Evidently, everyone’s happiness came at a steep price, one which her body had to work overtime in order to pay.

“When I started to stop eating completely on some days, I started noticing my body started shutting down... I’m not as strong as I was before I decided to go into the starving spree that I did. Because basically when I starved myself, I didn’t think of ‘Oh, this is what’s going to cause it. I’m going to get weak. I’m getting sick.’ I wasn’t thinking that. I’m like, ‘I’m just going to get smaller and who cares?’ “ McInnis said.

Counselor Mr. Kristopher Miller has periodically checked in on McInnis since her freshman year to help her along the process of recovery. An experienced counselor of over 20 years, Mr. Miller knows the detrimental impact eating disorders can have on a student.

“At its base it’s an anxiety disorder. But, a

“We’ve bonded closer together and... We’ve had to go through a lot of challenges and tasks, especially involving her anorexia.”

- sophomore Dakota Dunman

lot of times, you know, that anxiety will increase and it can become overwhelming in terms of your ability to try to continue your regular lifestyle — Keep your grades up, keep your social interactions up — because you’re so preoccupied with your eating,” said Mr. Miller.

With McInnis, as she continued to abstain from food, she likewise embarked on a social isolation binge, fasting, severing herself from family, friendship, and love — the vitamins of life.

“I didn’t want to interact with people, because I knew they could see ... So I actually started withdrawing from people, including my family,” McInnis said. “When my social life went down, ... my mental stability went down too because without people try[ing to] talk to me, and me not letting them in, I started thinking, ‘Oh, I’m worthless. I’m not not good [enough] for this.’ ...I started getting more angry with myself, but I started going after the people I loved [rather] than myself because I was mad at myself. [I’d] lash out at people without meaning to, but I couldn’t control myself because I was not mentally okay.”

Fortunately, McInnis’s time in the hospital proved to be a sobering turning point; she soon found strength and solace in those around her. Sophomore Dakota Dunman, a cherished confidant for McInnis since the start of her trek against the slippery slope of anorexia, has been dedicated to aiding her in her fight.

“If she needs emotional support she always calls or texts me or [she comes] to my house and just talks about life,” said Dunman.

As McInnis valiantly stands in the trenches of starvation, she does so arm in arm with Dunman and other friends, forging stronger relationships. “ We’ve bonded closer together and... We’ve had to go through a lot of challenges and tasks, especially involving her anorexia. So like, we grew really close,” said Dunman.

Similarly, McInnis’s eating disorder has reinforced her bond with her mother.

“When [my mom] saw what I had, she went, ‘You know what? Forget all those people and what they got to say. It’s just me and you —

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and of course your little sisters — against the world. Don’t let any man, woman, children, old people, bring you down,’” said McInnis.

McInnis’s mother has struggled with bulimia for years. Her experiences enable her to foster new, poignant connection to her daughter.

“When my mom helps me fight this, we can better ourselves,” McInnis said. “[My mom] takes her experiences and she passes them to me and helps me through it. ‘Cause she’s like, ‘I’ve been in your shoes before... Me and you, we’re going to go at this together. Don’t think you’re by yourself.’”

Now, McInnis continues her journey with anorexia as she walks the halls. Numbing frost may have encroached upon McInnis’s reality as she lay motionless, utterly consumed with the precious brevity of life, but through support, guidance, and persistence, the bitter cold has begun to thaw. Germinating in the grounds of gradual acceptance, her confidence is blooming, revealing that her fortune was, and is, one of inspiring hope.

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struggling through recovery Lanie Sanders recounts her personal difficulties with an eating disorder

By Lanie Sanders

Centralized Executive Producer and Ergo Editor-in-Chief “Am I going to have to start weighing you again?”

My dad asked me after noticing how thin my face looked. My heart stopped. A wave of cold rushed over my body and I froze. My hands became clammy and a sinking feeling grew in my stomach. Looking down to avoid eye contact I mumbled that I was fine and prayed he would just drop it.

He didn’t.

Every week I would have to walk into my parents’ bathroom, arms wrapped around my stomach and so incredibly ashamed of myself. It was looking at my dad in the eyes as I stepped onto the scale, feeling this incredible sense of self-hatred because I knew I was letting him down. Every week I would look between my feet and feel a mixture of emotions. To some extent I was happy, seeing the number slowly trickle down. But on the other hand, I was frustrated that the number wasn’t as low as I had hoped.

It was standing in my bedroom and measuring my ‘success’ by how loose my favorite pair of jeans would be. When I noticed them getting too tight for my liking, I didn’t eat. But as my parents started to notice, it became harder and harder to hide what I was doing.

I would skip breakfast every morning because “I didn’t have time,” either throw away my lunch at school, pawn it off to a friend, or eat my only meal for the day. I would say we were getting food in one of my classes, or that I ate when I got home from school so they wouldn’t make me eat dinner. And when they did I would eat as little as possible to prevent myself from feeling the all-encompassing guilt that surrounded my consumption of food.

I tried to fix myself.

I would force myself to eat full meals because I knew how unhealthy my behavior was. But that made me sick. I tried snacking throughout the day to prevent me from feeling sick, but then I would inevitably binge on something and then fall into the same cycle of binging and purging.

For Christmas one year, I asked for Crest white strips so my teeth wouldn’t be discolored, because I was doing everything in my power to hide my behaviors from my friends and family. I started wearing oversized clothes so my dad wouldn’t notice the change in my frame.

For me it wasn’t Barbie dolls or social media, it was just a general hatred of the way I looked. It was getting my seventh-grade yearbook photo back and crying because of how fat my face looked, and then deciding that it needed to change.

For me it was asking a friend to borrow her hoodie in seventh grade gym and her saying no because “it would be way too small” for me.

I was in seventh grade, wanting to be able to wrap my hands around my thighs.

I was in seventh grade, watching YouTube videos on how to lose 10 pounds in three days.

I was in seventh grade, researching how much liposuction was and how hard I would have to work to

20 Page by Kayla Reyes

get it as soon as I turned 18.

There was a time in freshman year where I noticed that I could see my ribs, and I remember crying tears of joy because I was finally satisfied with the way I looked.

And then one day it finally clicked for me. It was at a softball game, in near 100 degree heat. The day had been pretty long for me, I had played two games already and didn’t have much time to rest. I was standing in my position, getting ready for the pitch when I started to feel sea sick.

The world around me seemed to move in wavelike motions and I was trying my hardest to stay afloat.

Overheating was nothing new to me, so I tried to take a few deep breaths and stick it out for the rest of the inning; but this time something was different.

As I called for a time-out I realized that I couldn’t hear anymore. An overwhelming ringing filled my ears as the muffled voice of the umpire called for the break. Little squares floated in my vision as I started to accept the fact that I was going to pass out. But no matter how much my body wanted to shut down, I refused to let it happen, because there was nothing I wanted less than to be that person.

So, with shaky legs and distorted vision, I walked into the dugout and sat down on the bench. They put another girl in my position and I poured my entire jug of water over my head. I knew that if I were to drink anything I would automatically throw it up, so I had to wait for the nausea to subside. I finally realized I was killing myself.

So here I am today, at 124 pounds, noticing that my favorite pair of pants are a little tight on me; but I don’t skip meals anymore, or make myself throw them up.

Because even though I don’t engage in those behaviors anymore, there’s a little part of my brain that’s telling me that I’m not hungry, a little part of my brain that encourages me to stick my fingers down my throat.

On the first day of fall break I was standing in my bathroom, getting ready for work. As I was putting on my uniform I took a good look at myself and started to cry. After so long of doing well and being happy with myself, I was relapsing. With my parents out of town I knew I would be able to skip all the meals I wanted without consequence. So I did. And in a week and a half I lost 8 pounds.

I’m not better. I’m not okay. It’s like I constantly live with someone following me, waiting for me to be vulnerable and then take advantage of me. It knows when I’m weak, it knows when I’m least expecting it. Without warning I’ll once again be completely enveloped by it. Not a day goes by where I don’t partially shame myself for eating, and I really wish that wasn’t the case. For the most part I can busy myself with work or other activities to distract myself from the shame I feel, but I can never fully escape it.

Every single time I look down at my hands I’m reminded of how much I’m changing. My bones are becoming more apparent and I constantly feel the need to cup my hands together so I can feel just how thin they are and exactly what I’m doing to myself.

My eating disorder hasn’t left me and I don’t think it ever will.

FOCUS

SHAKEN UP: Lanie Sanders thrashes her head back and forth, portraying the anxiety inflicted by her eating disorder. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAVANNAH DRNEC

Poetry. SHort stories. ART. PHOTOGRAPHY.

ERGO submit to ergolitmag@gmail.com by november 22 ERGO

Page by Lanie Sanders

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weighting it out Preseason workouts move during construction of performance center

LEAN IN : Members of the girls basketball program work out in the new workout facility during an early morning workout in early October. The team was forced to move workouts while the center was being created but didn’t see a decline in attendance, despite cramped conditions in the temporary workout site. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAYLEY LEAKE

By Chloe Schultz

Staff reporter The girls basketball team has been training in a series of different ways this last month. With the weight room being redone here at school, the team has had to overcome some obstacles in their preseason workouts, but they haven’t let that stop their drive.

Alum Pierre Desir donated $185,000 to the Performance Center to give back to the high school that gave him so much. For two weeks, the girls have had to adapt to life without their normal weight room.

Through working in different spaces and getting a different kind of elite workout in, the girls managed to continue their preseason growth waiting for the new and beautiful weight room to be complete.

“We have had to do many different kinds of workouts over the last couple of weeks. We focussed more on agility and more specialized kinds of work in the time we had to wait. The team would work inside Radigan’s classroom as well as the small gym multiple times a week so that workouts could continue,” freshman Macy Pearson said.

Coach Malach Radigan moved as much of the equipment as he could into his classroom so the girls could still lift weights three mornings per week. His room was filled with benches and weights with the intention to keep his teams strong.

Multiple agility-based workouts took place in the gym as the girls split into groups and always kept themselves busy with different kinds of work.

“You would think that the attendance would have gone down, but the same amount of girls showed up every morning looking to work and get better than they were the last time,” sophomore Kilee Webster said.

It has always been very important to the program that people show up and keep a good attitude. Attendance is one of the most important things to the girls basketball program.

With six workouts per week, three of them being at 6 a.m., it takes extreme commitment. The girls who have been there all of preseason continued to show up everyday to better themselves and others.

“I have seen the way those girls work together. It is one of the most family type of environment I’ve seen

Girls basketball tips off 22

Page by Chloe Schultz

here at school. Watching them put in that work every day is the reason I want to manage the team. Those girls have an amazing attitude no matter the obstacles they have to face,” sophomore Mia Williams said.

Williams has multiple friends on the basketball team, and she knows the attitude those girls have. The game is their life, and they will put in any amount of work necessary to go further with the sport. Basketball is full of passion and love, and the program we have here at school thinks of themselves as nothing less than a family.

“Every workout or practice, no matter the time of day, has more energy than anything I have ever known. All of the girls work to hype each other up and push everyone as far as they can go. We all want the best for each other. Basketball is my passion, and I could have never expected to come into this program with such open arms. That’s the kind of program this is. Nothing stops us,” Pearson said.

Everyday, 20 or more girls show up to the workouts with any coach they have, and they put in endless work.

No matter if the practice is early in

The varsity girls basketball team has a preseason jamboree on Nov. 22, then opens their season at the Lutheran St. Charles/Little Caesar’s Tournament from Dec. 2-6. After that, the JV team will participate in the Ft. Zumwalt South Tip-off Tournament from Dec. 2-5.

Freshmen open their season with a home game against district rival Francis Howell North on Dec. 9.

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the morning or late at night, they not only attend, they bring energy and noise that other people cannot begin to fathom.

“Playing a fall sport is amazing, but I always miss the environment that basketball has and the people I’m surrounded with. Those girls love the team as much as they love the game. Everyone goes in there and immediately becomes more than a team. The people I’ve met on the team I’ll have forever, and I’m so thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with this program,” junior Sara Zelei said.

Through the weight room being redone, and the obstacles the ladies have faced, they have grown in so many ways. They now understand the kind of things that they can get through when they’re together as a team.

Over the last three weeks, they have grown as players, and as teammates.

Now that the Performance Center is complete, they have a new facility to reward the level of work that they have put in. The time it was being redone didn’t slow them down, it only increased their connection to the game.

Skating to success

A unique activity for a unique individual

By Craig Eddy

Podcast Editor Strapping on the thin-bladed skates, stepping out onto the cold, empty rink, emptying the mind of all the stresses and worries of the day, taking it all in. No distractions, just the rink and the skates.

Every week, junior Nathan Roark goes through this simple yet unique process at the Rec-Plex for his riveting recreation: figure skating. For many high schoolers, figure skating may not be the average answer for an after school activity, but for Roark, it was a wonderful idea.

“I needed something to do, I thought [figure skating] was cool,” Roark said. “So I started taking lessons and it just took off from there. It’s sort of like a second home to me.”

Ever since his freshman year, Roark has been skating the day away in hopes of becoming the best he can be. Thankfully, he has his skating friends and his coach to lead him through to the end.

“A lot of my other friends that skate are really good motivation,” Roark explained. “They’re my biggest supporters and my coach really helps me out.”

Along with his friends, Roark has been defying the norms of society and other high school ideals, starting way back when he first decided to try figure skating.

“I remember I was going through a phase where I didn’t want to be a couch potato anymore, however nice it is,” Roark said. “And everyone else was into soccer and football. I was looking at something online and it was about figure skating, and I’ve

always liked skating so I pushed for it and wanted to try.”

Something as simple as an Instagram post can strike a certain chord with people, and be the start of something grand. Roark has been putting his all into this hobby, and it’s paying off. As for his aspirations, he’s just going with the flow, or more accurately, the figure.

“I’m just looking forward and seeing where it takes me, you know?” Roark mentioned. “[during practice} I kind of mess around and stuff. I play.”

Figure skating can be anything from recreational to competitive, with tournaments and contests left and right. For Roark, however, it seems as though he is taking it easy and learning as much as he can before putting himself before the world.

“Right now, I get lessons with a coach and I do a lot of practice. I kind of mess around — I play,” Roark said. “But I would like to [compete]. It seems fun.”

In the financial world, professional figure skating has a less than preferable salary, earning roughly $20,000 a year, according to a study done back in 2017 by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is significantly less than many normal career choices, but figure skaters may think the joy from skating outweighs the financial issues. For Roark, this may be an issue.

“Right now it’s kind of a financing [problem],” Roark explained. “You know, figuring out the money and where to put it.”

Although money may be an issue, Roark is not giving up on his dream, and he’s working hard to make it a reality.

FUN ON THE ICE: Nathan Roark sprays ice as he comes to a stop during a training session at the Rec-Plex in October. In the photo at right, he throws his right leg back to generate power and momentum before a jump.

PHOTOS BY GRACIE KRUEP

“I’m just looking forward and seeing where it takes me.”

- Junior Nathan Roark

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Page by Craig Eddy and Natalie Walsh

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moving for the blues

INTENSE ON THE ICE: O’Leary’s passion for hockey keeps her focused on the game. She’s built her skill set over the 11 years she’s been playing.

PHOTO BY GRACIE KRUEP

Colleen O’Leary left Seattle to play for the Lady Blues

By Kayla Reyes

Editor-in-Chief At five years old, senior Colleen O’Leary strapped on her brand-new hockey skates, there was not yet an inkling in her mind that she would be moving away from her home and leaving her family behind for the very reason she stood on the ice.

As she stepped out onto the rink and struggled to keep her balance on the razor-thin blades of what would eventually become an extension of her own feet, O’Leary had not yet imagined that skating on even the most unfamiliar hockey rinks in the least familiar places would soon become instinctual; there was no way she could have known that she would one day be playing for one of the best competitive youth hockey teams in the country.

As she slowly began to move herself forward on the ice of the Seattle hockey rink she would grow so close to, so comfortable with over the next 13 years of her life, she had not yet envisioned the drastic ways her life would be changed by the sport she was only just beginning.

Her balance now impeccable and her skills now honed, O’Leary, a player for section 19U of the AAA Lady Blues (17th ranked AAA team in the country), has come a far way from the little girl she was back in Seattle.

Becoming part of such a highly selective team was by no means an easy process for O’Leary, and it began months before this

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hockey season had even started.

In April of this year, O’Leary traveled to St. Louis for a tournament, having no clue that it would alter the course of at least the next year of her life and give her opportunities she never imagined she would be presented with.

“The team that I was on last season didn’t have enough players to make it to the next year because everybody had graduated,” O’Leary said. “So while I was at the tournament, [the Lady Blues] had a trial that I attended, and the coaches asked me to [play] for them.”

One of O’Leary’s coaches, Todd Stimson, explains that recruiting players from different states is quite common for the AAA Blues. If a player has unwavering dedication and undeniable talent for the sport, the AAA Blues will make all adjustments necessary to get them on the team.

“We recruit anywhere from four to five players that are top 10 players from outside St. Louis,” Coach Stimson explained. “That does two things: it keeps us very very competitive and it gives girls from outside of St. Louis… the opportunity to get great exposure and be seen by colleges and have a great… platform to demonstrate their skills.”

Coach Stimson adds that the players who are most desired by the AAA Blues need to have a variety of strengths, from skill to sociability. “[O’Leary] is a very talented player,

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very fast, skilled, knows how to score, great personality. That’s probably more important than skill; you could have a ton of skill but if you aren’t the nicest person we would probably have to pass, so you have to have good qualities,” Coach Stimson said.

While O’Leary is an incredibly talented hockey player, she has only gotten to this level with a healthy dose of dedication and determination.

“Hockey kind of dictates everything.

Like I have to practice a lot. I always have to be in shape,” O’Leary explained. “And there’s a lot of pressure, there’s college coaches and you really want to impress them.”

Though it has been trying at times, O’Leary’s adjustment to a new environment has been easier than she originally anticipated, in part due to O’Leary’s familiarity with the city. “[The adjustment] has been pretty easy because I used to live out here for school the summer before fifth grade. I have friends [here],” O’Leary said.

While adapting to a new environment, O’Leary has found herself taking solace in her relationships with her teammates.

Communication is imperative in running an efficient and successful team, so the friendships built by O’Leary and her teammates have been beneficial in more ways than one. “[I’ve learned] that teams, like the team I’m on right now, are like one big family

DILIGENT DETERMINATION: Colleen O’Leary focuses on the game she’s playing. A player of 11 years, O’Leary has honed her skills and become determined and hard-working on the ice. PHOTO BY GRACIE KRUEP

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and everybody cares for each other. We can mess around and be serious at times,” O’Leary said. “It makes it easy for us to communicate with each other and know each other’s plans and make it work.”

Though moving to a different state during high school, even if for a sport, is not an uncommon occurrence, one aspect of O’Leary’s situation is. She moved here by herself. Her family is still back in Seattle, while she is spending the last year of her childhood away from them. O’Leary is not completely on her own, however. She lives with Taylor Wensink, a player for section 12U of the Lady Blues and a seventh grader at Saeger Middle School, as well as Wensink’s family.

Wensink’s experience with housing O’Leary has been an overwhelmingly positive one. She is an only child, so having O’Leary has been like getting the sibling she never had.

“I was playing in Boston and we got a call that a girl needed a place to stay in St. Louis, and so my mom offered for us to have her in our house,” Wensink explained.

“It’s kind of like having a sister. We just hang out. It’s normal now.”

O’Leary agrees that living with a new group of people was initially nervewracking, but it turned out to be a great experience.

“It’s been good... It’s like a big family now.

I’ve been just like part of the family and I go out with them and all kinds of stuff like that,” O’Leary explained.

While O’Leary received a warm welcome from both the Wensinks and her teammates, adapting to an entirely new routine has been challenging. Coach Stimson sees the struggles O’Leary has endured and commends her for being so flexible and growing so much in such a short period of time.

“I think she’s matured quite a bit. I think the transition you have from being at home with your mom and dad and having that experience to then all of a sudden… you fly 2500 miles across the United States from Seattle to St. Louis,” Coach Stinson said. “The climate is different, the family’s different, your bedroom is different. You walk into a new high school and... you don’t know anybody there. So I think it’s been challenging for her, but I think she’s handled it with grace and I think she’s becoming quite an [independent] young lady.”

Having the opportunity to go out on her own and follow her dreams has been an incredibly unique and invaluable experience for O’Leary. She’s gotten the chance to focus on her future while many of her peers in these hallways have hardly begun to do so.

She’s been able to drown out the noise of the world around her and keep her eye on the ball — or puck, rather. And as the puck drops and the crowd around her goes silent, O’Leary moves along the ice and brings her hockey stick down to the puck, swiftly sliding it toward the net. At the same time, she’s working in tandem with her skates and the slick, icy ground of the rink to move towards her future in hockey and the rest of her life.

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Hiking

Bake a Pie

By Faith Beckmann Staff Reporter

The smell of warm, fresh pie baking often brings about memories of being with the ones you love at celebrations such as Thanksgiving. Even so, pie doesn’t have to be just for the holidays.

There are many different types of fallassociated pies like apple and pumpkin.

You can even ask around to see if there’s a family recipe you could try. So, roll up your sleeves and start baking.

Fall festivities

One aspect of fall most people seem to find the most fascinating is the beauty of nature. There is nothing like walking and seeing the brightly colored leaves and breathing that cool, crisp air that only fall seems to have. One of the best ways to enjoy nature’s beauty at this time is to take a trip over to a local park and go hiking. Hiking is not only a source of exercise with many health benefits, but it also provides time to hang out with friends and family. With many hiking trails located around St. Louis such as the Spencer Walking wTrail in St. Peters, the Katy Trail in St. Charles and the Pine-Trail at Busch Wildlife in St. Charles, the hardest part is choosing which one to go to first. Freshman Analiesa Hollowood has been hiking with her girl scout troop for years and finds it fun for a multitude of reasons.

“I like the fresh air of it,” Hollowood stated. “And then… when you hike for a really long time and your lungs start to burn... it really just makes you grateful for your life.”

Fall activites you must crank in your calendar before the season ends Go to a Pumpkin Patch

Remember being a young child and going to pumpkin patches with your family every year?

You would walk around, climbing through towers of hay and running through corn mazes. Well, the fun isn’t just for little kids anymore thanks to places like Daniel’s Farm and Greenhouses and Thies Farm. Pumpkin patches like these offer a large variety of activities to fit with the fall season.

Some even offer activities aimed specifically at teens such as zombie hayrides and pumpkin chucking. Freshman Molly McGraw explains her recent experience at a pumpkin patch.

“Pumpkin patches are so much fun. I went to one over fall break...,” McGraw said. “You could go out and pick whatever pumpkin you wanted and there was a whole bunch of little kids there...

It was adorable watching them pick [their pumpkins]… it was a really nice place.”

Go to a Fall Festival

Though some people may only associate fall with orange leaves and pumpkins, there is another aspect of fall that many people seem to forget: being together.

There is no better way to get together with others and be surrounded by people than to go to one of the annual fall festivals in the St. Louis area. Go learn more about the culture of Germany at Oktoberfest located in either St. Louis or Hermann. Or go indulge yourself with apple butter at the Apple Butter Festival in Kimmswick.

Just as well, no matter what festival you go to, you are surrounded by people who also share similar interests.

PUMPKIN PATCH FUN: Freshmen Marygrace Cummings and Emma Schultheis look intently at a kitten at local pumpkin patch. Pumpkin patches are a fun way to get together with your friends and have some fun well celebrating the spirit of the season. PHOTO COURTESY OF: MOLLY MCGRAW

Learn to Knit/Crochet Knitting and crocheting doesn’t have to be an activity associated with your grandma. In fact, these crafty activities can allow you to create cozy, unique accessories such as hats and scarves to keep you warm during these colder months. Besides, there is a variety of colors of yarn so you are almost guaranteed to find something to fit your style. Knitting and crocheting is also a good activity when it’s too cold to go outside and all you want to do is curl up in a corner by yourself, as it allows for an activity that doesn’t involve just scrolling through your phone. Though she does not knit herself, Freshman Magi Temelkova feels that through comfort, knitted goods enhance the fall experience.

“A lot of people in my family do knitting and I enjoy knitted stuff,” Temelkova said. “I think they’re nice and they feel cozy and cute and I think that’s how they relate to fall. Because fall, in general, is about feeling at home and feeling cozy.”

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Page by Faith Beckmann and Natalie Walsh

ENTERTAIN

Something you’re born with How we choose to treat the dignity of others is up to us

By Kana Chung

Copy Editor “Please step forward if you wish people at school were nicer to one another.”

I take a deep breath, and do what I feel is right. I feel my heart race as I unlink my arms from those of my neighbors, and my foot leads the rest of my body three steps toward what I’m sure is social suicide. However, to my surprise, I turned back to find a vacant space where upwards of 150 people had stood arm-in-arm just moments before.

Almost every other person in the room had joined me.

I look back to our guest speaker who holds up his hand, his ring and middle fingers pressed against his palm; a symbol that, in American Sign Language, means “I love you.” He oscillates back and forth a few times, much like an electric fan, making sure his comforting gesture reaches every person at some point. Suddenly, I wasn’t so different from everyone else.

This was the overwhelmingly supportive environment created by the equity training: an event led by Trent Day Hall where student-leaders were taught how their

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actions affect those around them. The experience was one that can’t be compared to anything else I’ve ever experienced. For as long as I can remember, my schedule has been jam-packed with activities, sports and many other group and team activities.

However, none of them can even come close to mirroring the amount of genuine encouragement I bathed in that day. Having this experience, and feeling this magnitude of unconditional support, I cannot help but want everyone else to experience the same.

The way Hall described it, dignity is a sense of self; something each person is born with; something that no one can take away.

Our only responsibility is how we choose to treat our own dignity as well as that of our peers. To honor someone’s dignity is to treat them as your equal.

On the flip side, to violate someone’s dignity is to put yourself above them. There are many ways to violate a person’s dignity, and most of the time we are not even aware we are doing it. That being said, it is important for people to consider how their emotions will affect those around them, because for every action, someone is

affected.

That guy you befriended in math class so you could get help on the homework; you used him as a vehicle. That girl you talked bad about because she got the part you wanted in the school play; you only see her as an obstacle. That teammate you stopped waving to in the hallway as soon as the season was over; you treated them as nothing.

Luckily for us, respecting the dignity of others doesn’t take much. The largest component of being able to respect people’s dignity is being aware of your own actions. Since every action will affect another person, taking a second to consider the impact of your actions can make all the difference.

You don’t have to go out of your way, either. It could be something as simple as smiling at a familiar face in the hall, to something as impactful as having a heartto-heart conversation with a close friend.

Any effort put into others has the potential to make a person’s day. In the end, the decision is up to you.

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Kana Chu

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Gumball Machines and Growing Seeds Society is overmedicating ADHD, killing creativity and individuality

Kierigan McEvoy

He was seven. The just learning cursive, starting chapter books, still-into-PowerRangers-and-wearing-mismatched-socks kind of seven. The second grade, still a kid who thought it was cool to climb to the top of the dome at recess, kind of seven. But something changed. No longer was he the little kid he was supposed to be; now he had to sit down and concentrate. Focus.

“Take your focus pill,” I heard my parents say every day to him before school as he sat and ate breakfast beside me. Every day from then to now. He’s 16 now. If you do the math that’s roughly 1,620 days; 1,620 pills that his body has had to process.

Growing up, I didn’t quite grasp the severity and the stigma that comes with kids who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder) in the educational world.

My parents just told me that he was going to be fine. He just needed a little extra help to do well in school and taking his “focus pills” was going to help. If anything, I thought it was kind of cool.

Buddy, my brother, had something that made

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him special, but as I got older and older, the less and less special he became.

Since my brother was first diagnosed, the classification for his diagnosis has changed.

Instead of the dilemma being ADD vs. ADHD, both are now considered to be ADHD and fall into three subtypes under ADHD. These categories are: primarily inattentive, primarily hyperactive-inattentive, or combined.

According to “ADD vs. ADHD: What’s the Difference in Symptoms?”, an article written by an ADHD Editorial Board and medically reviewed, roughly 11 percent of children and teens in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD. The average age of onset and diagnosis is five to seven years old, leaving me to wonder if diagnosing and medicating at such a young age is what is best for a child’s development. Instead of medicating, we need to teach; teach control, teach restraint, teach creativity, and teach expression. Not all cases need to be solved through

the suppression and standardization that prescribed medication causes.

White walls, white tiles, a white bench and chairs. Decals from the Disney movie “Cars” are the only decorations the pediatric room holds.

My brother perched on the bench, tapping his dangling feet together over and over again. I watch as my parents converse back and forth with the doctor, looking concerned and solemn.

I hear phrases like “10 mg,” “No, 15 mg.” “He hasn’t been eating,” and “That’s a common side effect,” getting thrown around back and forth. And then there’s him. Completely oblivious to the conversation happening around him and too busy focusing on mouthing the words to a made up song while inspecting all of his favorite “Cars” characters adorning the walls. So innocent; so unapologetically himself.

The years go on; nine of them to be exact. Now the dosage is 25 mg, and it has increased four times since his first prescription. He becomes increasingly dependent on his “focus pills” for everything it seems. From school work, to out of school activities, even on weekends to get chores done. Meanwhile every time he puts that orange and white “remedy” in his mouth, his gumball machine brain receives another deposit. I still see my brother, but inside he’s not the same. Yes, he is still goofy and silly and animated like always;

but not in the way that I know him when he is explicitly stripped down to just himself. I wish the world could see that side of him.

So when does the medicating stop? In college?

Once he gets a good and stable job? When he has his own family? When he’s 80? Meanwhile more and more orange and white fills his head to the brim, concealing more and more of what was once there. When he speaks a gumball is dispensed to those listening and they eat up his words, not knowing that they are not completely and utterly his own. Society has become addicted to this sweet seduction, and when the flavor starts to get bland, no need to fear! Just give the machine another quarter and more candied goodness will appear.

Do not think I am saying ADHD is not a real diagnosis and a real problem; believe me, I know it is. But how, as a society, can we live with ourselves when we are forcing children to change how their brain works to cater to how the world is run. We are taking away something special from children and teens with ADHD when we medicate them.

We are putting them down and leading them to believe that they cannot function without their medication — that their value and productivity is measured in a pill, rather than letting them come as they are, bringing what they have to the table.

Educational advisor Sir Ken Robinson is a

strong proponent of the idea that ADHD is a fictitious epidemic in today’s society. He argues in the highly stimulating world that children and teens live in today, it is no wonder why the cases of ADHD are on a record high. Yet, educational systems are surprised when kids can’t sit still long enough to listen to a lecture as they can while playing a video game.

“If you sit kids down, hour after hour, doing low-grade work, don’t be surprised if they start to fidget,” Robinson said.

The bottomline is medication is not the only answer to kids fidgeting and not being able to sit still and focus. If we took time to sit kids down and teach them control while still maintaining their unique minds then the work and effort that goes into this endeavor will be far worth the reward. By planting this seed when kids are young, we give them a chance to grow on their own and become their own person.

So, stop spitting gum out and replacing it at the first sign of blandness. Stop inserting the quarter and waiting for the cheap gumball to dispense.

Instead wait. Plant the seed. Water it, take care of it and watch it grow. Taller and taller and taller; greener and greener and greener. Watch it bear beautiful blue fruit and eat that. That naturally sweet all on its own piece of fruit will be far more satisfying.

ADDICTION: From the time they can crawl to becoming grown adults, children with ADHD have to endure addiction to a medication. This is not a normal physical addiction; it is an emotional and social addiction. They are hooked on society’s approval, so day after day, their addiction grows stronger.

ILLUSTRATION BY ANNA CARROLL

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artists unblock

Overcoming artist’s block is done through simple practice After a long monotonous seven hours of school, sitting down for a nice relaxing break from the everyday struggle. Picking up the pen and tablet, pencil and paper, or any combination of the two, and resting with a nice drawing or painting… until the mind goes blank and the inspiration is lost. Yep, you’ve got artist’s block.

Artist’s block. It’s a mental traffic jam of ideas and inspiration. In general, it’s a draining period of time.

Losing all motivation and inspiration is crushing for an artist, and it’s a merciless place to escape from.

Lost in a mentally Craig Eddy Podcast Editor exhausted void of ideas is an awful experience that, unfortunately enough, happens to almost everyone. Whether it’s a painter, author, songwriter, any form of art has its own respective block to ruin the artist’s day. Or week. Or month. Artist’s blocks can be indefinite, it all depends on how the artist themself deals with it.

Throughout the multitude of ways to break down

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the block, some are more effective than others. There are those who lose all hope once it hits and think that with time it will disappear from their head.

These types of people seem to think that through sheer willpower, inspiration and motivation will seek them out. That’s not how it works. From someone who’s gone through too many art blocks to count, you are the one who has to use that powerful will to push through the blockage and overcome the oppressive obstacles. Others may find the search for definitive determination fruitful, but that also can cause problems for those who fail their quest.

The best and easiest way to overcome any block in creativity is the one everyone is so tired of hearing over and over again. Just practice. It may seem simpleminded and idiotic, but the truth of the matter is that through the power of the mind can one definitively escape the terrifying trial.

However; only saying ‘just practice’ is unhelpful to the artist. Some better strategies would be; take 10 or 20 minutes every day and practice your art; find prompts or ideas from others and build off of them; get together with others and brainstorm, work, and help each other out. There’s so many more ways to do so and they are truly so much more helpful than watching and waiting. In the end, you reap what you sow.

STAFF EDITORIAL: EATING DISORDERS

the pressure to be perfect A

s the holiday season approaches, festivities will soon begin — celebrating with loved ones, exchanging gifts, eating as much as we want with only the occasional thought about the fact that eight Christmas cookies probably doesn’t align with our diet. For most, the food is one of the best parts of the holiday season; Thanksgiving turkey, Grandma’s famous apple pie, an unfathomable amount of Christmas-themed candy. But for a select few, the treats of the holidays bring about great fear and anxiety; for those with eating disorders, the holiday season can be a nightmare.

Eating disorders are a great cause of stress for those affected by them, especially in regards to their experiences with food. While the majority of the population feels a sense of nostalgia and comfort when looking at their favorite holiday treats, the 30 million people in the U.S. who are affected by an eating disorder feel the exact opposite: disgust, shame, self-hatred.

There is so much pressure in this society to

PHOTO BY SAVANNAH DRNEC

have a perfect body, and there are so many images of what is deemed “perfection” across all forms of media. However, societal expectations of beauty are unrealistic and unattainable.

In the eyes of our society, a woman has to be slim, but not too skinny; curvy, but not too big. A man has to be muscular, but not too bulky; tall, but not too lanky. But these bodies are hardly ever achieved in a healthy way; plastic surgery and photoshop come in handy, but there are truly not many ways to achieve this image without also endangering one’s life.

This pressure to be perfect can be detrimental, even deadly. The notion that achieving this incredibly unrealistic standard of beauty is an accomplishment is harmful as well — it only further promotes the unhealthy behaviors used to attain such expectations.

Despite the shame those with eating disorders feel, there are ways to offer support and guidance to them. Reducing the stigma around eating disorders is the first step; in

VOICE

order for people to seek help, they must feel comfortable and safe enough to share their struggles. While we can’t completely abolish the stigma around eating disorders, we can make them less taboo in our everyday lives.

Opening the door for an honest conversation about unhealthy eating habits to our loved ones can be a good way to offer support. If we make it evident that we’re trustworthy and nonjudgmental, our loved ones with eating disorders will feel more comfortable confiding in us about an issue that is, by many, seen as shameful and disgraceful.

So reach out to your loved ones. Educate yourself on the telltale signs of disordered eating — eating less, dieting excessively, seeming withdrawn (especially during meals or around food) — and check in on your loved ones if you see these signs cropping up.

Reduce the shame people feel around their issue, and help them overcome it. Point them in the direction of professionals, and keep supporting them throughout their process of recovery.

Page by Kayla Reyes and Kierigan McEvoy

31

‘A perfect ball of fun’ floats through hoco

[ final frame

By Faith Carter

32 Page by Faith Carter

of fun. Everyone loves my dog.”

theatre kids rang throughout the streets

To me, this photo was something I

of Cottleville. The Homecoming parade

knew I wanted to get as soon as I saw the

on Sept. 26 was filled with students

float. I tried three times to get this shot,

chanting and throwing candy. Behind

but the dog was honestly a coincidence.

the marching band, the theatre float

When Krystal stuck her dog through the

was decked out in red flowers. Among

hole, I knew I had to try everything to get

the crowd of theatre kids was Benni,

this shot. Earlier, I was just trying to get

junior Krystal Arias’ dog. Held primarily

someone sticking their head through

by Krystal, Benni got to experience the

the window, but this shot is much more

screaming and joy firsthand.

interesting. Everyone loves Benni, and I

[

Staff photographer

The shouts from a float filled with

“At that time, [Benni] was around seven

am glad I got this adorable picture of him.

or eight weeks so he had just gotten his

The composition and colors of the photo

shots, and I didn’t want to leave him at

are my favorite part; I always look for these

home,” Arias said. “He’s a little, perfect ball

elements when I shoot.

FINAL FRAME