The Happy Issue

CENTRAL focus francis howell central high school volume 22, issue 3

Table of Contents 2 CONTENT

DISCOVER

Life after high school ... 4-5

A deeper look into the different paths you can take after graduation.

Gendered education ... 6-7 There are classes that are more popular among one gender over another, with some exceptions.

Hands on learning ... 9

Some students attend Lewis and Clark Technical School during the day for a different type of learning.

FEATURE

A unique game ... 12

A focus on one student's journey of learning and winning as a competitve pool player.

Culinary competition ... 13 Students from across the district compete in teams in an Iron Chef challenge to show off their culinary skills.

MOVE

VOICE

Effects of yoga ... 22-23

Mini editorials ... 28

The challenges, benefits, and gains of adding this form of exercise to your life.

Staff speak their mind on the little things that bother them day-to-day.

Plus the editorial from our staff on optimism.

Student athletes talk about finding balance with practice and school.

Lanie Sanders gives ten tips on how to make life a little happier.

Practice makes perfect ...

24-25 It takes passion ... 26

Profiles on student athletes who's passion drives them in doing the sports they love.

How to be happier... 30 Being woke ... 31

Chloe Bockhorst asks people to protest injustice instead of preach on Twitter.

BETTER TOGETHER: Members of FHC's cheer team hundle together in support at a competition. Both JV and Varsity performed at Cheer Regionals on Nov. 10 at St. Francis Borgia High School. "Before we go out and perform we start to say some words of encouragement for all of us," said Kensely Mellor.

PHOTO BY ABBY TARLETON

T

Dear Readers

Staff

his issue is for those around you that, through small gestures, make the day a whole lot better. They're rays of sunshine,

that make waking up before the crack of dawn

Liz Baker

Editor-in-Chief

and dragging your stumbling, half-awake body to Francis Howell Central worth it. They're peppier than the caffiene you chug in first hour to get

you through the day. These stories encompass those individuals as well as the clubs who work constantly to give back to our community and the people whose passions are what drives them. This is The Happy Issue, to celebrate all the energy and effort FHC students put back into the community year round. Almost every single article inside of these pages contains an uplifiting outlook. It is our light at the end of the tunnel before finals and winter break.

Sincerely,

About The Cover Stories The Happiest Teacher: Michelle McCune is known for being one of

the happiest people you'll meet,and there's a story behind her contagious smile.

Passion Projects: Some people fall into a subject or hobby they're passionate about, and spend time cultivating their knowlege and skill.

A Helping Hand: At Central, there are plenty of ways to get involved with any of our clubs that work hard to make a difference in our community.

12 14 16

Look Out The More Good project chronicles Mary Latham's journey across all 50 states as she collects stories of human kindness. She relies on the help of strangers to find kindness in every city and you can follow her journey at www. moregood.today. Check out FHCToday for more coverage on her journey.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: CENTRAL FOCUS: Liz Baker FHCTODAY: Lanie Sanders PHOTO: Gracie Kruep DISCOVER EDITOR: Megan Percy FEATURE EDITOR: Jessica Fults MOVE EDITOR: Kana Chung VOICE EDITOR: Chloe Bockhorst ENTERTAIN EDITOR: Craig Eddy BEATS EDITOR: PJ Sheehan PHOTO EDITOR: Payton Amlong VIDEO EDITOR: Grant Boehne LIVESTREAM EDITOR: Zach Jones SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS: Kierston Fisher and Whitney Klein COPY EDITOR: Gabby Buchholz STAFF REPORTERS: Breanna Epperson, Marc Falcomata, Madison Fuller, Ruthann Kimbrel, Kierigan McEvoy, Kayla Reyes, Isaiah Salin, George Schlotzhauer, Natalie Walsh, Holly Whaley, Seth Wilcox, Margaret Wilkerson, Robyn Ziegemeier STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Faith Carter, Savannah Drnec, Paige Fann, Olivia Fong, Samantha Gnuse, Vincent Graczyk, Andrea Hake, Allison Huffman, Zoe Lentz, Sarah Skelly, Abigail Tarleton, Amelia Vohsen, Doug West, Meghan Zadell ADVISER: Matthew Schott

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.

Connect With Us Instagram: @FHCToday

Spotify: @FHCPublications

Twitter: @FHCToday

Snapchat: FHCToday

ABOUT 3

College or career?

Everything has always been college, college, college, but they never say how or if there are other options

By Whitney Klein and Ruthann Kimbrel Social Media Editor and staff reporter

From the moment kids step foot through their kindergarten classroom doors, they’re being pushed; pushed towards deciding what they want to be when they grow up, pushed towards doing well in school because “it’ll help for college”, pushed to do extracurriculars because “they’ll look good on applications”. The push to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life is eminent in K-12, but no one ever talks about the other options. What if you don’t go to college? What if you want to go to Art school or Culinary school, community college, tech school? What then? Kids have choices, they just haven’t had their eyes opened to them yet.

Now run, run to the mailbox for your acceptance letters! Bring them to your family like Charlie with his golden ticket! You’ve done it!

4 DISCOVER

Find your passion.

Take different classes, play different sports, find what calls to you.

Start looking at the requirements for your dream profession. Are there specific schools or degrees needed?

Look into the schools for that certification or degree.

If you come to an impasse, talk to your guidance counselor.

48% Only 48 percent of high schoolers know what they’re doing after graduation.*

The next step, once you’ve found your dream school, is to apply. Along with your applications, you should be shipping AP, ACT, and/ or SAT scores, and your high school transcript to your chosen institution. This can be done in the guidance office with a little bit of help from the secretaries.

94%

You’ve sent out your applications and your test scores and all the letters from your teachers saying just how perfect you are to go to whatever school and do whatever you choose. What’s next? Well, have you thought about how you’ll pay for college?

With rising tuition prices, the idea of college sounds impossible, but everyone has options.

The school guidance office has an entire drawer filled with scholarship information, and websites

94 percent of students say they will attend college after high school.

You think you’ve done everything, right? But, wait, there’s more! The FAFSA! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid! Find it online, get your parents, sit down and fill it out! ASAP (or as soon as it opens)!

like scholarships.com take your demographic information along with your future aspirations to find scholarships perfect for you!

*statistics from a survery of over 130 FHC students

So you’ve decided that college is not in your future. The first thing you need to do is figure out what is.

Whether it’s joining the military, building your business, or working your way up in the career field, the first step is research. Where can you get the training you need? Is there someone who can be the Yoda to your Luke Skywalker? What do you need to do to follow your dreams to the best of your ability?

You’ve done all the research you can, so what now? Now’s the time for action! No more staring at a screen dreaming of what could be. Apply for the job!

Start your company!

Enlist! Get your start and show the world just how great you are.

Going for your dream job straight out of high school? Make a rockin’ resume and own your interview. You’ve got this!

College has been pushed on you your whole life: “Colleges want this,” “Colleges want that,” “It will look great on applications,” but what if you don’t want to go to college? The idea of sharing a room with a stranger and having lifelong debt doesn’t particularly appeal to you. No one ever talks about what to do if you don’t want to go to college or if you want to do something that isn’t major-based. What are you supposed to do?

Military:

The first step is looking into all of your resources. What branch pulls your interest? The ASVAB test can help! It helps you decide which brach is best for you; it can be taken in guidance on March 7, 2019 during 1st through 4th hour.

For more information, talk to the members of the military who visit FHC regularly with more information, or you can check online or with a nearby recruitment office. The closest recruitment office to FHC can be found off Suemandy Drive near the mall and Barnes and Noble.

Check out Todaysmilitary.com for more information on serving the United States!

Alternative schools:

Not everyone needs to go to a state university for a bachelor’s degree.

There are all different kinds of schools out there. There’s culinary school, tech schools, and vetrinary school. The world has something for everyone, so go out there and find what’s yours!

Joining the military?

Everyone else is gonne give it 100 percent, so go out and give it 200. Show everyone that this is who you’re meant to be.

Building your own business? Get the loans, get the building, get the celebrity endorsement, and don’t come back until Selena Gomez is talking about your company on TV!

6%

6 percent of students are not going to college after graduating from high school.

PAY DAY

The world is yours. All you need to do is go out and take it.

DISCOVER 5

SEALING THE DEAL: Isabella LaBanca working hard at her welding project. The welding class can be very helpful in getting job experience in this field, one LaBanca plans on going into despite it’s reputation as being male-dominated.

PHOTO BY PAYTON AMLONG

NOT-SO STEREOTYPICAL

A look at why some classes are dominated by a certain gender

By Craig Eddy

Entertain editor Entering a classroom for the first time can sometimes be a stressful situation for a student. Looking for friends, enemies, or overall people they know. Sometimes, however, the classroom could be made up of something entirely unexpected: all one gender.

At school, some classes are generally geared towards one gender rather than another. This may be caused by one gender not necessarily being interested in said class, or another gender being very interested. In the case of senior Hannah Rodecap, who took an engineering class her freshman year and stuck with it all the way through, it was on a whim that she enjoyed the class.

“I honestly took the engineering class my freshman year just to get the practical art [credit], but I ended up liking it and sticking with it,” Rodecap said. “And I am planning on majoring in aerospace [engineering].”

With engineering, Rodecap didn’t really know that the class would be as gender dominated as it was.

6 DISCOVER

“I had no idea [what I was getting into], “There’s not that many girls in this there were two other girls my freshman class, so [the Career Center] really wants year and my sophomore year they were more girls in this class, and you have a gone,” Rodecap said. “But I guess people better chance of getting in if you’re a girl,” a s s o c i a t e LaBanca said. engineering with But even before the being a male Career Center asked dominated field.” for more girls, LaBanca In other cases, did not need more classes can be information on the class. generally one “It did not entirely gender focused, [influence my decision]. but the class I’ve always really liked would like other building things,” genders along LaBanca explained. “And with it. The Lewis I didn’t really know what & Clark Career they had there.”

Center program Along with getting is one where job experience, LaBanca students can was doing something leave school and Hannah Rodecap, she enjoyed doing, and go to a building senior it didn’t matter if it was with different job mainly males in the experience classes that can help prepare class. Similarly with Rodecap, she didn’t someone to take said job in the future. mind either.

One class in the program is welding, which “I feel like a lot of girls probably are senior Isabella LaBanca took knowing that intimidated by being the only one in the the class was going to be male-dominated. room,” Rodecap said. “But it has never

“ I f e e l l i ke a lot of girls p ro b a b l y a re intimidated by being the only o n e i n t h e ro o m ,” -

been an issue for me.”

Another class generally populated by one gender is physics, and classes similar to physics. Most average physics classes, according to Mr. Ryan McCoy, have more males than it does females.

“There has been years where I have had maybe 1/3 girls, or even 1/2 girls,” McCoy said. “But this year it seems to be a little bit low.”

While the ratio of genders can be equal at times, it mainly depends on the interest of the students, and which year has more people interested in taking said class.

“I think people do what they feel they are comfortable with or what they can handle,” McCoy said. “I think there’s a lot of ingrained thoughts that we have a hard time breaking.”

With these ingrained thoughts in place, it’s good to hear that students are aware of this fact. In Rodecap’s case, she knew what she was getting into.

“Since it is such a male dominated class, and people associate [engineering] with being a male dominated field,” Rodecap said. “I feel like women probably pursue more biomedical classes instead.”

But Rodecap knew all this before she joined, and it still didn’t influence her decision to keep on going through the field.

“I don’t really think there’s any issues with [genderoriented classes] to be honest, it’s not something that I really consider when I look at classes,” Rodecap said.

With LaBanca however, the choice to join the welding class at the Career Center was partly influenced by the gender and partly influenced by her own viewpoints.

“No one is going to learn the same way, and [Common Core] is not applicable to each and every student,” LaBanca said. “And because that was the point that people at the Career Center drove, that they really want more girls in these [male-oriented classes].”

One reason for the inequality in these classes is the generation of each student and how each student’s interests are based on the classes they take. And for

Looking Forward Dec. 19-21 Finals School

FORGING A FUTURE: LaBanca worries about her own projects rather than being the only girl in her welding class. “It did not entirely [influence my decision]. I’ve always really liked building things,” LaBanca said. PHOTO BY PAYTON AMLONG

Mr. McCoy, he sees this inequality with the parents of the students he taught.

“You don’t know how many times I have had parents come in and say ‘I don’t know how to do that,’” McCoy said. “The guys get it sometimes but the moms generally don’t get it.”

And this inequality has been proven by a recent study done in 2017 by the Davidson Institute.

According to the study, 13 percent of the male students majored in physics, compared with only 6 percent of the female students. Along with this, 12 percent of the male students took the 5-point level exam, compared with only 9 percent of the female students.

With classes like these, the main solution is to simply find more people with interests in said class. It depends on the interests of students in each year. And with more and more generations learning about each subject in greater detail, the interests can be piqued easier.

Ends at 2:20 on Dec. 19th, 11:30 on Dec. 20-21.

DETAILS: The last three days of school this year..well, of 2018 at least! Study hard and good luck on your exams.

Finish the semester strong!

Dec. 22- Jan. 7 Winter Break Not at school All day DETAILS: ‘Tis the season to relax and rejuvenate. After a long semester take time with your family to kick your heels up and enjoy the long break before finishing the second half of the school year.

Jan. 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Your house All day DETAILS: Take this day off in remembrance of one of the most prominent civil rights figures in history.

Feb. 2 Groundhog Day Punxsutawney, Pa. 7:25 a.m.

DETAILS: An annual event hosted in this small Pennsylvanian town in which the groundhog Phil either sees his shadow and disappears back into his hole, promising six more weeks of winter, or comes out, meaning spring is here.

Feb. 8 Winter Pep Assembly Large gym TEACHING EACH: Mr. Ryan McCoy talks to his class about the lesson of the day. Mr. McCoy doesn’t find an issue with the amount of girls in his class, just that he wishes more would join. PHOTO BY MEGAN PERCY

“ I t h i n k p e o p l e d o w h a t t h e y f e e l t h e y a re c o m f o r t a b l e w i t h o r w h a t t h e y c a n h a n d l e .”

-Mr. Ryan McCoy, physics teacher

1:00-2:20 p.m.

DETAILS: Celebrate the end of winter and the begining of spring in this schoolwide festivity. Acknowledge the winter sports and their great performance.

DISCOVER 7

8 DISCOVER

$50 $50 $50

The end of the semester is your last chance to buy your yearbook for

INTERACTIVE LEARNING: Cheyenne Morris engages in her daily activity for the Health Occupations program, praticing putting bedding in and around her classmate.

Students enrolled in the Health Sciences programs at Lewis and Clark learn all the essentials of taking care of patients, giving them vital skills for their future careers.

PHOTO BY PAYTON AMLONG

a hands-on approach

Tech school attendees seek out a different method of learning

By Kayla Reyes

Staff reporter It’s 10:15 in the morning and the cafeteria is filled with the noise of students talking and putting down their belongings as lunch starts. As they are entering the cafeteria, junior Anna Burg changes into her scrubs, exits Central, and boards a bright yellow school bus.

Burg spends half of her day at Lewis and Clark Career Center for the Health-Related Occupations program that is offered to high school juniors and seniors.

She learns skills required for a job in nursing or other health-focused careers. In addition to the Health Sciences program, the institute offers Advanced Manufacturing, Constructions Trades, Automotive and Mechanical Technology, Education and Training, Information Technology, and Hospitality programs.

Lewis and Clark Career Center focuses on giving students hands-on experience in their field, which will give them a better chance at acceptance from universities or securing a job straight out of high school.

Step one Meet with your counselor to see if you’re eligible for application

“We do a lot of hands-on activity in the lab,” said Burg. “We work on how to take care of patients, how to communicate with people, and basic care for the elderly,” Burg said.

The school is a perfect environment for students who want an engaging learning experience that will give them the confidence they need to continue with their desired field. Burg loves the program. From what is taught to the way it is designed, Lewis and Clark is tailored to Burg’s needs and those of her classmates.

“Lewis and Clark is the best thing ever, getting to leave after third hour and meeting new people from all the schools in the county,” Burg said.

Lewis and Clark student counselor Ms. Casey Lober sees the positive impact the programs have on students.

“Our students are happy with their choice. You see our students coming on days when they don’t have regular school because they like spending time at our school so much,” Ms. Lober said.

The program prepares students for whatever choice they make regarding life after high school.

Whether that be further education at a two- or four-year university, or going straight into the

workforce, Lewis and Clark gives students what they need to succeed with the choice they make.

Dr. Andrew Stewart, the director of Lewis and Clark Technical School, regards the programs as having a positive influence on students that gives them numerous opportunities past high school education. “[Lewis and Clark] is an opportunity for students that they can’t get anywhere else. They can leave high school and make a good living wage for the foreseeable future,” Dr. Stewart said.

The skills students learn from the program provide them with the information necessary for excelling in the path they take after highschool.

Senior Caitlyn LaTour is enrolled in the Early Childhood Careers program and she feels ready for her future. Lewis and Clark helped her decide what she wants to do beyond high school.

“I want to be a special education early childhood teacher, a preschool teacher that helps kids with Down syndrome and things like that. I feel a lot more prepared. I’ve gained so many skills and I’d absolutely recommend Lewis and Clark to other students” LaTour said.

Interested in Lewis and Clark?

Step two Text fhc to 555888 to take a quick survey on the program

Step three Go to lewisclarkcc.org to sign up to shadow with a Lewis and Clark counselor

Step four Meet with your counselor to take the OASIS (occupational aptitude survey and interest schedule) test for evaluation

Step five Make your application online at lewisclarkcc.org

DISCOVER 9

Cool under pressure

Evans’ cool demeanor helps fuel success, travels as a billiards player “ If something is affecting you in your life, it’s going to reflect on your play.”

- Richard Evans

10 FEATURE

By Robyn Ziegemeier

Staff reporter Richard Evans steps into the crowded arena, along with a multitude of other competitors. Even though he has gone to many competitions before, and is confident with his abilities, he still gets nervous during competitions. Despite the nerve wracking pressure, he still puts on a stone face and focuses on winning against his current opponent.

Evans first got into pool at the age of seven. His dad had owned a pool hall and introduced him, along with his two older brothers, to playing pool at a competitive level. While one of his brothers no longer plays competitively, Evans is still going strong and is currently competing in the 18 and under bracket.

Other than his family encouraging him to start playing, he is mostly self-taught and relies on a good practice schedule to improve, as well as the occasional tip from more seasoned billiards players.

“I really never had any coaches or any teachers.

I’ve [received] a couple [of] here and there tips from people that make comments, but the overall teacher is myself because I just practice,” he said.

As for his practice regimine, he tries to practice at least five times a week for one to two hours. He always aims to practice against someone better than him in order to keep improving.

“Always be playing with somebody who is better than you when you’re practicing one on one,” Evans said. “That’s because if you play with somebody who’s worse than you, you’re gonna pick up on their habits.”

Learning how to cope with stress is also an important part of not only practicing, but playing in general. As pool is a one on one game, it can get stressful while you’re playing because you don’t have a team to help you, and keeping a straight face is extremely important to have a shot at winning. Even the smallest smirk or frown can feed competitors’ ability to win, even if it

only lasts a fraction of a second.

“You’ve got to make sure that even if things aren’t going right in life, you can cope with it, because it’s a lot of mental [focus and] when you’re out there, you don’t have a team to rely on. So if something is affecting you in your life, it’s going to reflect on your play,” Evans said.

“If somebody sees that you’re happy, [if] they’re seeing emotion in general, that’s a bad thing because they can feed on it, whether it be positive or negative.”

When competing, his opposition is extremely fierce, also making sure to keep a stone face. One of his competitors even attempted to cheat against him by using pattern wrapping. Pattern wrapping is a type of foul when a player manipulates the balls to go into the same pattern when the balls are supposed to be random. After that foul was called, it motivated Evans to play even harder, and it paid off, as he won every game after that point.

As he travels all over the world to compete — six countries to date — it can get very nerve wracking to play, especially in an arena filled with people wanting him to lose. When World Championships are in other countries, especially countries such as Russia and China, it can become especially pressure-inducing.

“You’re playing in an environment that is over in Russia for World championships and everybody in the room [are] all from opposing countries wanting you to lose,” said Evans. “You’re out on your own, so you’ve got to show them what’s up and play.”

Even with his fierce competitors, he still proudly boasts that he normally places first at nationals.

However, this past year he placed fourth, though he plans to win next year. His best placement at world championships is fifth place, and he plans on continuing to improve to get higher placements.

His next competitions are the Super Billiards Expo in March and Junior National Championships at Las Vegas in June.

CUE: When Richard Evans travels the world for competitions, he has to learn different techniques for staying calm under the stressful situations. Evans also has to take into account the resources different teams have for competitions. “{When} training for Team USA when we go to play other countries, they have coaches for [keeping a straight face], and that’s just for a whole team coach,’” Evans said. PHOTO COURTESY OF PIXABAY

FOCUSED ON FOOD: Senior Carson Thorpe adjusts the temperature on the stove during his second hour Culinary Arts class on Nov. 27. Thorpe was a member of the Iron Chef team that took third place in the district’s annual cooking competition. “We would practice during seminar and most Thursdays in Mrs. Bear’s room, working and tweaking up our entrees,” Thorpe said.

PHOTO BY ANN-MAREE GAMMELL

Top 10 Christmas songs

showing their mettle Culinary students show skills in Iron Chef competition

By Maddie Fuller

Staff reporter Senior Carson Thorpe took a breath in, grabbing one of the ingredients for the salad he was about to make. He calmed his nerves by exhaling. This was it, this was what he was looking forward to, this was the Iron Chef competition.

Together, his team started to prep for the competition ahead.

Central, North, Howell, and Union are the four high schools within our district. Annually they come together and go head-to-head against each other for a chance to cook their meals under the guidelines and possibly win.

On Nov. 13, culinary arts teacher Bethany Bear got a group together to compete in the Iron Chef competition. The skills taught in her classes helped the culinary students prepare for the competition.

Each culinary student had their own Italian-style dish to make and someone within the audience judged their meal as a whole. They took into account different aspects of the dish, such as the taste, texture, and presentation.

“Each person has a different thing they are assigned to make.” Thorpe explained. “This year our theme is ‘Food Truck’ and so we get to make interesting things based off that.”

Junior Eli Allen, one of the culinary students who had competed, had the job of handling the entree

for his task. The steps to make the recipes was made easier by dispersing the different components of the dish among the students, taking some of the stress away in the competition.

“I was in charge of the main course, so I had to roll pasta dough and cook it,” Allen explained.

Central’s team of culinary students were assigned to make a big Italian salad with herbs, vinegar, and croutons. They also made an Italian stromboli, an italian turnover, with homemade marinara, pasta in tomato cream sauce with shrimp, and deep fried cookie dough.

The culinary competition was hosted by Francis Howell North High School this year and Central’s group got third place overall for their entrees.

Junior Dylan Stover was pleased with the outcome.

Although the team did not win the first place award this year, they got to see the unique creations made by some of the other schools, including Union’s Japanese cuisine.

“Despite getting third place, it was still fun being there and watching everyone else’s interesting things they came up with, like Union made sushi,” Stover said.

At the end of the competition, Stover said the team had fun whether they won or lost, and most importantly they learned how to work together as a team and use skills learned in class.

“It was also fun just making the food as well, whatever the outcome was,” Stover said.

The silky voice of Bing Crosby in “Winter Wonderland” gets this absolute classic to the 10 spot on this list. The section about the snowman Parson Brown just had to be on here.

“Holly Jolly Christmas” has an unmatched hippity hoppity tone created by Burl Ives bubbly voice.

“Silver Bells” has a beautiful melody and the duet dynamic makes its sound unique. The lyrics create memories of Christmases past.

Andy Williams comes in with all the vibrato and creates a fantastical celebration in “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The b a n d in the background makes this the most jubilant song on this list.

Perry Como has the most oldfashioned voice, which makes you feel like you’re listening to “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” on an old wooden radio.

“Sleigh Ride” is the only song on the list without any singing, sleigh ride is a brilliant and fitting musical composition.

Although it’s lyrics have been controversial at times, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” itself is beautiful. Dean Martin’s smooth deep voice has the perfect quality for this tune.

Frank Sinatra’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is beautiful, and it’s message about the loss of inhibitions and the joy of Christmas time represents one of the best things about Christmas.

So much can be said about this well-rounded Christmas Anthem. “The Christmas Song” announces it’s supremacy as the ultimate Christmas song. Nat King Cole’s amazingly deep resonance earns it the top spot on our list.

FEATURE 11

ThAt unique spark

Michelle McCune’s kindness impacts all she encounters

BRIGHT SMILE: Senior Rishith Mishra laughs along with Michelle McCune during AP Art History. Mishra talks with Mrs. McCune about his life becuase he knows that she will listen and help him problem-solve.

PHOTO BY SAM GNUSE

By Natalie Walsh

Staff reporter Waking up around six in the morning everyday to trudge to school is a battle endured by every high schooler; a battle most of us lose.

The snooze button is smacked once (or twice), and when we finally get the urge to scurry out of the house, we find ourselves sitting in a classroom of 20 other students who endured this same struggle. And while our brains are still turning on and our focus is still in our daydreams, first hour can be hard.

If only there was a light at the end of the tunnel, a spark of energy at the peak of the race, a teacher who radiates joy before the sun does.

A teacher like Mrs. Michelle McCune.

Mrs. McCune is the AP Art History and Printmaking teacher here at Francis Howell Central and is widely known for her positivity and optimism. In a high school full of students who participate in several activities and advanced placement classes, Mrs. McCune is a teacher that understands the stress.

She makes her classroom a safe place for students to have fun and learn simultaneously.

With artwork made by former students covering every square inch of brick wall, her classroom is like no other.

12 FOCUS

She is widely invested in her student’s lives as well. From the good to the bad, Mrs. McCune wants to know everything about her students.

This includes projecting a student’s video of their ice skating performance on her smart board for the entire class to see, as well as listening to you tell her about your weekend on a Monday morning.

Ashleigh Bick Dawes, a junior in Mrs. McCune’s AP Art History class, views Mrs. McCune as the light to her Ashleigh Bick day. junior “She’s a very nice person, and she always makes you feel welcome … she really cares about you and you can always tell. She’s just happy to be here and see everyone’s faces,” Bick Dawes said.

And although Bick Dawes enjoys school, she, like several other students here at FHC, has moments where school sounds like a nuisance to your day and a waste of your time.

When debating if school is worth her while, she

remembers the smiling face of a teacher who cares.

“Sometimes, I’m sitting at home and I think, ‘I really don’t want to go to school.’ But I know that if I do, I’ll get to see Mrs. McCune … I like walking down the hallway so I can see her,” Bick Dawes said.

Bick Dawes is not the only student who sees Mrs. McCune in this light. Rishith Mishra, senior in Mrs. McCune’s first hour class, is inspired by her joy and positivity.

“One really great thing about her is her laugh.

Her laugh makes you want to laugh with her, it’s Dawes, contagious,” Mishra said.

He himself has noticed the several acts of kindness from Mrs. McCune for all of her students.

“She has a Keurig in her room that she lets students use, and she gives you mints. Also, she knows when students have big test weeks in all their classes, and she will let you go to the library and study when you’re stressed out,” Mishra said.

Mishra also remembers to take into account

“ S h e re a l l y cares about you and you can a l w a y s t e l l .”

-

the individual attention Mrs. McCune has given to him.

“There was this one week when I was just really down and stressed out with family and school and I just talked to her about it. We went through everything and it really made me feel good after,” Mishra said.

That’s what Mrs. McCune does, isn’t it?

She makes us feel good. From coffee/ cocoa and mints, to help in stressful situations, Mrs. McCune goes to great lengths to make us feel the best we possibly can. Through a glance in her classroom, it is evident that she tries to make the most of even the simplest moments.

For example, a Friday to any student is full of mixed emotions. Yes, when the day is over, you can look forward to spending Saturday and Sunday the way you wish to; but that is only after eight long hours in the classroom.

To Mrs. McCune, a Friday is just a reason to celebrate.

“Give the person across from you a high five and say ‘Happy Friday!’,” Mrs. McCune said one day during class.

The high five was not done to help the students stay awake, or to teach the proper mechanics of a high five, but rather to simply spread happiness.

Happiness and joy can do several things for anyone who possesses it. Joy can improve your health, your interactions with others, and even your academics.

Experiments have been performed to show the truly positive effects of joy on success. Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania partnered with Patrick D. Quinn and performed a study in search for a correlation between academic success and happiness. After several trials throughout several age groups, they came to the conclusion that happiness helps academics and in return, academics help happiness.

As far as room 246, Mrs. McCune does everything possible to make her learning environment happy, educational, and safe. This includes, but is not limited to, her use of softly lighted lamps throughout the class to help make her room feel more like home.

“I’ve tried to create an environment in the classroom that is relaxed and comfortable and a safe place for students,” Mrs. McCune said. “I just try to keep it fresh, and keep them awake more than anything.”

Mrs. McCune is inspiring to all of her students; her happy energy flowing from person to person. The source of this energy, according to Mrs. McCune, comes from her family.

“I have a really strong family support system, and they’ve always been there from me. I have always felt a lot of love and happiness from the people that I’m around,” Mrs. McCune said.

Mrs. McCune is blessed with the family unit she has. Two children and supportive relatives, including a father who pursued the same career as her, inspires her to overcome any negativity and fill it with a more optimistic view.

Sadly, not all students are blessed with the family unit she has, but Mrs. McCune feels there are several different ways to stay positive throughout life.

“I have days that I’m not feeling that great or a little down, but I always try to think of something that is going to make me feel better. Sometimes it’s just talking to a friend or getting a Starbucks, or watching a TV show that makes me happy.”

Besides her students, Mrs. McCune also is an uplifting spirit towards her coworkers. Mr. Jeremy Winingham, Intro to Art and Digital Art & Design teacher, states that she is always genuinely happy. Her love for her job and what she does is inspiring to him.

“She loves the students. And I always tease her, saying that she rides a unicorn to work everyday. That shows you what her attitude is like,” Mr. Winingham said.

He also shares how other art teachers have been impacted by her as well.

“I think, just overall, she brings up the whole department. It’s like, no matter how sad or tired you’re feeling, she’s always so upbeat that it’s hard to not smile,” Mr. Winingham said.

For a world engulfed in negativity and disagreement, positivity can always be found in room 246.

Mrs. Sprick Teaches: Intro to Art & Ceramics Favorite activity: Teaching Color of happiness: Yellow why: “When it comes to artwork and student’s artwork, or just me looking at art. When you see yellow in a piece, it shows movement, it shows dancing.”

Happiness Essential: “Just always having a positive attitude. Knowing that if something bad happens, the next thing will be better.”

Definition of Happiness: “Constant butterflies. It doesn’t have to be tht huge, anxious feeling, heart beating fast but if you just have that ongoing [feeling].”

Favorite piece of ADVICE: “Do what makes you happy, seriously, just do anything that you love.”

Ms. Roznos Teaches: French Favorite activity: Teaching Color of happiness: Yellow why: “Because of sunshine. Happiness is usually associated with yellow.”

Happiness Essential: “It’s my favorite color and I’m very often drawn to green things, like everything in my house is green. It just makes me calm for some reason.”

Definition of Happiness: “[Happiness is] being okay with things going on in your life and making sure that things are going okay in other people’s lives.”

Favorite piece of ADVICE: “Accept that you don’t have to be perfect, I struggled with that for a long time, and it’s okay to make mistakes, everybody does. As long as you’re trying to be better, it’s okay.”

AJ Vargas GRADE: 9 Favorite activity: Drawing Color of happiness: Warm orange why: “[It’s] like the sunset.”

Happiness Essential: “I watch my favorite videos and read a book.

I drink tea, I love tea. I also hang out with friends, I love my friends.

Definition of Happiness: “Making other people feel good, you know, like making other people feel happy.”

Favorite piece of ADVICE: “You might not be doing that well but it’s about staying positive and realizing it’s going to get better.”

Alise Grogg Grade: 12 Favorite activity: Ice skating Color of happiness: Yellow why: “The sun and light is associated with happiness.”

Happiness Essential:

“I’m a Christian and the church makes me happy and that’s where a lot of my hapiness is established from.”

Definition of Happiness: “Happiness is a feeling you get when you feel very positive about yourself and your life.”

Favorite piece of ADVICE: “Seek it in what they think will make them happy, like a sport or pursuing friends or exploring new things. You kind of have to find what makes you happy.”

FOCUS 13

beyond themselves Clubs, student leaders create culture of giving at school

By Kierigan McEvoy

Staff reporter Senior Grace James is involved in Central Outreach, National Honor Society, Principal’s Council, Areté, women’s tennis, track and field, and formerly Student Council and has witnessed first hand the impact of helping others can create.

“Helping others has influenced me greatly because it has helped me to realize the importance of giving,” James said.

“I feel like it’s just kind of part of my job. I guess because I’ve been involved at my church. I’ve been exposed to it since I was really young.”

For the last six years James has been giving her time to help the Oasis Food Pantry through her church, New Hope Presbyterian Church. Oasis Food Pantry is an organization providing goods, such as food and hygiene items, to residents living in the area.

When volunteering there, James is charged with the task of finding items on a list to bag up. In a warehouse piled high with canned food, James tracks down corn, baked beans, mandarin oranges, and chicken noodle soup to add to her bag that will be tied and walked to the car of a resident in need of food. She does this over and over, list after list, until every car that has pulled up to the Oasis warehouse has been given a bag, full of not just food, but love and compassion “I am so blessed to have a supportive family, food on the

14 FOCUS

table, and shelter over my head. It makes me want to help others that don’t. I think that is such an important part of lifebeing able to give to others that aren’t as fortunate as you,” James said.

Like James, many students are involved in clubs or activities that are impacting the community throughout the county.

Athletic Director Scott Harris calculated that last year FHC donated $35,057 and 4,166 hours of counted volunteer work to charities and organizations with nothing in common except the desire to help those around them and make an impact on the community. To say that giving, money or time, is not a popular trend at FHC would be dead wrong.

Since Aug. 9 of this year, clubs have been working to serve others through donations, money, and time. Clubs like Student Council, Spanish Honors Society, Central Outreach, and Central International, to name a few of the many clubs students can become involved in to serve others.

For some, giving is routine and something that you just do because it’s right. Others have a deeper meaning behind their giving ignited by past situations and experiences.

Senior Hattie Ransom, who is in NHS and involved in her church, began collecting prom dresses last year after prom was different than what she expected it to be. She talked to hair salons and worked with them to get free hairstyles for girls who could not afford them, and she talked to a lot

EMBRACING CHARITY: Spanish Honor Society bracelets, made by impoverished people in Nicaragua and Guatemala, sit, waiting to be sold by members. The club only started this year and is already finding ways to help spread happiness outside of the school. PHOTO BY GRACIE KRUEP

DONATE: Corrina Trimble, senior, takes care of a fellow student after he donated blood. Student Council hosts this blood drive yearly for those in need of blood donations at local hospitals.

PHOTO BY ETHAN WAGMAN

of teachers who helped her raise money to allow students with financial problems to attend prom.

“It was such a cool experience to be able to know that, especially being at prom, that there were people there that I was able to help. And that there were people there that would not have been able to go unless those tickets had been bought for them,” Ransom said.

This year, Ransom plans to host an actual prom dress drive where girls can bring in old prom dresses and donate them to girls who cannot afford to buy a dress. The drive is still in the planning stages, but be sure to look for it around February and March as another way to get involved at FHC to help others.

Donations will also be accepted, no matter how small, to purchase prom tickets.

Giving, however does not have to involve money. Simply giving time to help others can create a huge impact.

Every year, Student Council plans the Homecoming dance and parade. They put up decorations, sell tickets, make posters, and tear decorations down after. Jordan Merli, a senior and Student Council member of three years, two of those in an officer position, describes Homecoming as being a lot of work.

“We start planning the theme and decorations for each section in May/June and pick out certain things we like over the

summer,” Merli said.

The Ingrams have also made posters for When August comes around, the goal is to Light the Field, Homecoming, and the MDA be as prepared, decoration-wise, as possible Penny Wars. Yet another, small way students so that other important things, like picking at FHC give their time to help create events a charity to donate to for homecoming that add something special to being at and the Light the school.

Field Event can be Principal’s Council a primary focus. is another club that This year, Student takes time out of Council donated one their busy schedules dollar from every to give and represent homecoming ticket the student body. purchased to the Things like Valentine’s Backpack Program: grams and selling a local program that ornaments to hang provides meals for on a Christmas tree students in FHSD to and donating the take home over the money to a charity weekend with them is just scratching because they do not the surface of the Hamzah Bari, have food at home. community service senior As a result Student that happens in Council, and the rest Principal’s Council as of the student body, raised $1,200 to donate described by member Reagan Miller, a to this program that gives back to the FHSD senior, Varsity Sensation, and a member community. of Spanish National Honor Society among Junior Ian Ingram, a three-year Student other activities.

Council member serves his school and “The majority of it is talking to Dr. Arnel community with the help of his sister by about what needs to be changed or what we making posters advertising events put on by think could be better or ways to do things Student Council. differently. And then also, he’ll ask feedback “Recently my sister and I both made on things like the ACT or finals schedules or posters for the blood drive,” Ingram said. assemblies,” Miller said.

“ [G i v i n g ] feels good you k n o w, b e c a u s e y o u ’ re h e l p i n g o u t s o m e o n e .”

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FOCUS 15

Students involved in Principal’s Council are invested with the small things in school; things that get overlooked. They take in feedback from their peers and give voice to them in meetings with Dr. Arnel, not to mention giving up precious class time for these meetings.

Other clubs like National Honor Society (NHS) and Central Outreach specialize with community service outside of FHC. For NHS this includes service projects available even during the summer time for members to participate in. Vice President of NHS Hamzah Bari, a senior, talks about some of the service projects that NHS has been involved in past years.

“We do the Race for Reversing, which is an Alzheimer event. We also do a bunch of stuff during Thanksgiving… in the past we’ve done kind of a canned food drives, donations, coat drives, all that kind of stuff,” Bari said. “[Giving] feels good you know, because you’re helping out someone, you’re making someone’s day.”

Senior Grace Brodland, involved in NHS and Central Outreach, described a recent event hosted by Central Outreach that involved members giving up their time on the weekend to help out.

“We actually just did a food drive where we went to Dierbergs and we sat outside and we passed out these flyers that said ‘Can you buy these items for these kids?’ And it’s [for] this program called Bear Necessities,” Brodland said.

The program goes to helping kids at Henderson Elementary have food on the weekends and impacts many families.

Central Outreach members braved the cold from 1:00-5:00 pm in two hour shifts to stand outside the doors of Dierbergs and pass out flyers with a list of food hoping that when shoppers exited the store, they would drop a bag off with the members for the program.

“We actually had a huge turn out. People going into the store with flyers and buying stuff, and then donating it on the way out which was super cool,” Brodland said.

Spanish Honor Society sold bracelets from impoverished people in countries like Nicaragua and Guatemala for $5 and sent all the money back to them so they could make a living. These bracelets are hand made and come with a tag that has the name of who made it as well as a picture of them, so you know who your money is going to support.

Epsilon Beta hosted a Veteran’s Day weekend breakfast before school in the Learning Commons. This breakfast honored Veterans who are teachers, teachers whose spouse is a veteran/still in service, and junior and senior students who plan to serve after high school. They supplied fruit, coffee, Chick-fil-a breakfast sandwiches, and pastries for those in attendance.

The choir and band also took time out of their morning to show up early and provide entertainment for those being honored.

Central International this year celebrated World Peace day by providing all seminar

1,803 students 137 Staff 54 clubs 22 sports

all donating

16 FOCUS

classes with paper and instructions on how to make an origami crane, the symbol for peace. A small, but simple way to connect all classes and promote peace in a hands on way. They have also raised money to give goats to families in Ethiopia. These goats can provide milk, cheese, and other resources for these families in need.

Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) held a food drive and spiced it up by making it a battle between seminars.

Mrs. Staback’s seminar was the winner with a total of 62 items donated out of 231 total items. Another example of how clubs at FHC work to create fun ways to give.

Diversity Club recently held a coat drive.

In total 55 coats were collected and will be given to those who are in need this winter season as temperatures get low. Now, 55 more people will be able to brave the cold of a St. Louis winter and still be warm.

FHC has an abundance of students who are moved by compassion to help those in need around them. They do not brag about their good deeds and expect nothing in return for giving their time, energy, and money towards creating a better world for everyone. This holiday season, open your eyes, open your hearts, and see what clubs are doing around you for others and how you can step up and give. Giving is an important part of the culture that is FHC and will continue to be because as Mr. Harris says, “FHC gives back and FHC cares.”

Teddy Rosen GRADE: 11 Favorite activity: Band Color of happiness: Yellow why: “It just is a very bright, positive color and brings in positive vibes.”

Happiness Essential: “Accepting myself, because you can’t be happy without being you.”

Definition of Happiness: “Just being positive and showing kindness towards others and not seocnd guessing yourself, really expressing yourself and being who you truly are.”

Favorite piece of ADVICE: “Show your true colors because it helps you and lets others know who you really are.”

finding their passion Motivation comes from doing what they love

By Isaiah Salin

Staff reporter It’s a typical Thursday afternoon for sophomore Carson Howe, during which he reads up on German history from the late 1800’s, and current German politics. He exhales, and picks up a new book on his favorite topic. He sits down and begins to research more about his passion, German history.

Passion is something everyone feels, according to a study by the University of Stanford, and something that can be found or created by anyone. Passion can even be hereditary, shown through the same study.

Howe, sophomore, found his passion for German history through his greatgrandfather and it has become something very important to him.

“My great grandpa fought in the Second World War, and when he came back he brought some books with him,” Howe said.

Through his family, Howe found his love for German history, and has continued to study and read up on current German politics.

“I read through a lot of current German politics, so I can stay up to date with my homeland,” Howe said.

Before his great-grandfather went to Germany in WWII, his family already had history in Germany, adding to his reason to continue studying Germany as a whole.

“I’m mostly German, so it gives me a thing of insight into my past.” Howe said.

This insight is very important to him as he has spent a majority of his life studying German history, and a great amount of time

each day-upwards of three hours daily. “[I’ve spent] about six years studying mostly the German Empire, from lots of different authors,” Howe said.

Six years of reading adds a lot of information to his extensive knowledge of German history, and his reading has reached many authors and topics.

“I read books by the same few authors about German history, and for a few hours a day.” Howe explained.

For Killian McEvoy, the passion for tennis is a newfound one, and has become very important to him.

“I started tennis freshman year, and it’s really fun, and something I have put a lot of time into it,” McEvoy said McEvoy has found his passion for tennis, and has found it in a very unique way.

“I found tennis through a friend of my dad’s and enjoyed it a lot, so I decided to give it a try.” McEvoy said.

According to the aforementioned study by Stanford University, finding passion is more or less stated as something impossible to find alone. The study concludes that finding passion is very difficult for most, not being discovered until late in life for most.

Finding passion for McEvoy was much easier than for others, as it was just introduced to him by a friend, rather than discovering it by himself.

“I didn’t think I would like tennis as much as I did, but was really surprised at how much fun I’m having,” McEvoy said His love for the sport was found after he was introduced to tennis, and he has steadily grown in his love for it.

“I’m not amazing, but I still like playing a lot, and put a ton of time into practice and playing.” McEvoy explained.

Kendall Borjes, politics enthusiast, has had the passion for politics ever since the 6th grade.

“I was just watching a political YouTube video by accident, and decided I didn’t agree with the ideas they had, so I researched and found my beliefs.” Borjes said.

According to a study by Stanford University, teenagers tend to find their passion at age 16, which is a pinnacle time in growth as a teenager. This postdates the time in which Borjes found his passion.

For him, the ideals that he found were those that he still doesn’t agree with, but he has kept up with his politics.

“I know more about politics than my dad, and even went to the Trump rally in Springfield” Borjes explained. “I’ve always liked politics since that day, and hopefully I continue to like it, maybe even turn a career out of it.”

For Borjes, he has attended the dream of many political supporters, a rally for the president, one that is especially influential for young political supporters. If Borjes loves politics enough to make a career out of it, then his passion is something that is insurmountable.

“For me, politics isn’t just a passion, but something that I love. I put a lot of time into research and keeping up with daily,” Borjes said.

If something is important enough to keep up with it daily and to put time into it everyday, then it is important, and truly a passion.

mary wachtel

anna caRroLl GRADE: 11 Favorite activity: Painting Color of happiness: Yellow why: “I feel like it’s just such a sunshiny like warm color.”

Happiness Essential: “People that I’m around and like the positive positivity and support that they bring me.”

Definition of Happiness: “Making other people feel good, you know, like making other people feel

GRADE: 11 Favorite activity: Lights Crew Color of happiness: Green why: “it’s my favorite color and it’s really bright and pretty.”

Happiness Essential: “Company and friends. definitely.”

Definition of happiness: “When I’m with friends and at ease and not stressed out.”

Favorite piece of ADVICE: “You’re never really alone like ever cuz I mean for me and my friends I’m always there for them even if they don’t think so. Just text me.”

happy.”

Favorite piece of ADVICE: “Whatever happens happens for a reason and that it will all turn out like for the best in the end.”

FOCUS 17

SERENITY NOW: Not only does yoga aid in developing peace of mind, but also has various health benefits. Sophomore Kayla Reyes demonstrates the cross pose.

PHOTO BY WHITNEY KLEIN

for the soul

Practitioners find yog helps alleviate stress, improve fitness

By Holly Whaley

Staff reporter It’s the end of the day, and almost time to go to bed. After many long hours of school, work, extracurricular activities, and personal life, it is common to find oneself anxious and overwhelmed. Whatever the issue may be, people are always feeling a bit stressed.

But what is there to do to help relieve this?

For many people, it can be difficult to find an outlet for all of the stress and overwhelming feelings felt on a daily basis.

One outlet that helps to unwind, however, is yoga.

Yoga student and instructor at Team Branch Fitness and Training, Lindsay Mooney, uses yoga to relieve her stress.

“I started doing yoga when I was 25. I wanted to deepen my meditation practice, and I wanted a physical outlet to get in shape,” Mooney recalled.

While she may be a student in some yoga classes, Mooney is a yoga instructor as well.

“I love being able to share my passion with others. Yoga is a huge tool I use to better myself and better my life and I like to help others do the same,” Mooney said.

Mooney teaches people of all ages; from

18 MOVE

pre-k children to senior citizens.

While she loves being a yoga instructor and helping others learn yoga, Mooney finds the common misconceptions of yoga quite frustrating.

“People think that it’s easy, that there’s not much to it. They think that you’re just going to lay on the floor, and that is not what it is at all,” Mooney said. “People also think that yoga will not help them lose weight and get in shape, and that is also very untrue.

I think out of all the misconceptions that people have about yoga, the most common one is that it is a religious practice. Some people will downight refuse to try yoga because of religion. While some religions do participate in yoga, yoga overall is not a religious practice.”

Mooney thinks that yoga is for everyone; no matter someone’s age, gender, religion, or status. She is open to teach anyone, and encourages everyone to try yoga.

Mooney’s favorite kind of yoga is called “Yoga Hour.”

“Yoga Hour is a type of yoga that takes place in an 85 degree room. It is used for the shape safety and refinement, and is an alignment-based practice,” Mooney

explained.

Mooney participates in yoga classes at Bluebird Yoga Studio on Main Street, and teaches yoga classes at Team Branch Fitness and Training in O’Fallon.

Yoga can help with many different things.

Whether someone has chronic pain, needs a relaxing outlet, or simply just wants to get in shape, yoga is always there to try.

“The most important part about beginning to learn yoga is simply showing up,” Mooney said. “The yoga community is one of the kindest, most open, and most gentle group of people you’ll meet.”

While trying new things can be intimidating to start, the yoga community welcomes anyone wanting to give yoga a try.

“When starting yoga, keep in mind that it is an exercise of the mind, body, and soul. Know that it is anything that you make of it, and remember to stay connected to your breath,” Mooney said.

Mooney also emphasizes that athletic ability is not needed to participate in yoga.

It only requires the will to try.

Note: Mooney encourages first-times to be careful when starting yoga.

scan QR codes for instructions

For the mind: *Big toe pose/toe touch

This pose is not only good for the organs and thigh muscles, but it releases tension in the mind as well. It also helps relieve headaches and insomnia.

*Relaxation/cross pose

This pose is literally known as ‘the relaxation pose’. It is commonly known to enhance the mind’s sense of peacefulness, as well as helping reduce anxiety.

*Child’s pose/balasana

This pose helps fatigue and tension. It is recommended to people to help with tiredness and dizziness.

*Viparina karani/up the wall

This pose is very calming, and clears the mind. It is known to be one of the most relaxing poses. It also helps with migraines and insomnia.

*Corpse pose

This pose may seem extraordinarily simple, but when using the concentration and focus on the position, the corpse pose is very relaxing, and releases tension in both the mind and the body.

relaxation/cross pose

For flexibility: *Extended triangle pose

This pose is beneficial for practically everything, but especially for increasing the flexibility in the hips, hamstrings, ankles, calves, and spine.

*Downward dog pose

This pose works both the upper and lower body at the same time. Nearly all areas of the arms and legs are targeted in this pose, as well as the back.

*Head-to-knee pose

This pose targets the hamstrings, but is also beneficial to flexibility of both the upper and lower back.

*Standing foreward pose

This pose flexes the hamstrings and calves, as well as the neck and back.

extended triangle pose

For balance: *Tree pose

This pose improves general sense of balance. It engages the core muscles to maintain this balance, as well as increases concentration.

*Half-moon pose

This pose is a bit more advanced than other poses in this category, but is totally worth working towards! While also stretching the torso and legs, this pose is great for concentration as well.

*Warrior pose

This pose is a classic in the world of yoga. It exercises stamina and focus, and has numerous health benefits.

*Dancer’s pose/mountain pose

This pose is an essential balancing pose in yoga. By using the core and leg muscles, the dancer’s pose exercises one’s focus and concentration, improving balance.

tree pose

MOVE 19

The extra mile

Outside work helps athletes improve their game EYE ON THE BALL: Seinor Jenna Mathis is locked in to the game as she dribbles the ball to victory. Her love for the game drives her to be on two individual soccer teams, despite the stress it puts on her to complete homework and a life outside of the sport. PHOTO BY ALURA BERRY

By Breana Epperson

Staff reporter It’s almost 90 degrees outside. The sun is beating down on the football field. Freshman clarinet player Lesa Haarmaan is focused on her performance and hoping for her best run through. The drum majors begin conducting, the show is about to start. She’s already been practicing this set for a week, and she moves through the routine with confidence.

Despite that, she ends up stumbling. After practice, she goes home determined to improve her mistake. She immediately starts her homework, making sure to finish it with time left to spare. This extra time is used to correct the mistakes she had made earlier that day.

For Haarmaan, this cycle of practice has become a regular routine.

“There’s lots of work that just can’t be done in practice, lots of independent work on music and just improving on my instrument. I have to memorize all the show music which was not easy at first and took time to get used to,” Haarmaan said.

For Haarmaan, scheduled practices are just a start. There’s just not enough time to get everything done in practice. Between academics and sports, it’s difficult to find free time.

“During the marching band season there’s not much time outside of band and academics.

When I get home from band I usually have a few hours of homework and then I work on memorizing my marching band music and improving my marching style,” Haarmaan said.

Although being in marching band is a huge

20 MOVE

commitment and a lot of work, it pays off in the relationships that come from it.

“Getting to know everyone and all the amazing times we have as a family is worth all the hard work,” Haarmaan said. “It’s like having a second family, you’ll always have someone to talk to and hangout with.”

Senior Jenna Mathis is a member of the varsity soccer team and also on a select soccer team.

“We travel for all our games, so pretty much every weekend I spend traveling out of state to a game, [then] spend the entire weekend playing games. It’s really cool because you travel with your team all season,” Mathis said.

“You [become] really close.”

Although soccer takes a lot of time Mathis still has time to do school work and have a life out side of school and soccer.

“I don’t really like going straight home from school and doing homework because my brain is kind of fried from school, so I’ll go home and chill then go to practice,” Mathis said. “But by the time I get home it’s like 10:30 at night and I normally have four hours of homework to do plus studying.”

Even though soccer takes up most of Mathis’ time, life without it is almost unimaginable.

“I just can’t picture not playing soccer; it takes a bunch of my time, but I feel like I would be sitting there procrastinating anyway,” Mathis said.

Sophomore basketball player Sophie Delaney puts in a lot of work outside of practice and over the summer. Delaney does

everything she can to improve her skills.

“During the summer [I practice] probably more than two times a week because I already have practice three times a week. Then during the season, we’re in the gym every single day, six times a week,” Delaney said.

Delaney believes as long as time is managed properly, anyone can fit everything they want to do into their schedules.

“It honestly depends. It’s just how you manage your time. So in my case, I go to basketball and put in my work there. Then, when I get home, I do my homework. After that is my free time, if I have any, that is,” Delaney said.

Not only is the extra practice essential for Delaney for bettering herself, but she also uses it to uphold the reputation of the basketball program.

“After the reputation we had last year of winning most of our games I just want to continue that and maybe even better it,” Delaney said. “[Iwant to] try and get farther than state quarterfinals if possible.”

Every school sport and activity has a lot of work and there is not always time in practice to get everything done. Lots of students put in work outside of practice to succeed. “[Extra practice is important] so you don’t get called out by the band director on something you should’ve known, if you had practiced it. Also it helps the band if everyone knows what they’re doing” Haarmaan said. “[I practice] knowing that even if it’s hard at first, it’s worth the challenge,”

Introducing the

Tune in on: The Science of Sports

Podcast editor Zach Jones discusses sports injuries and various sporting events throughout history that effected modern sports. Episode 1 premiered on Sept. 10 and will air every other Monday.

Lanie & Craig vs. The World

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PREMIERING: Inside the 300

Lanie Sanders and Craig Eddy put their unique minds together to produce interesting takes on everyday topics. So far, Lanie & Craig have discussed school, horror stories.

Love strange foods? Kana Chung and Megan Percy explore food in the St. Louis area. Megan and Kana have sampled pickle-flavored shaved ice and weighed in with their thoughts on all things pumpkin spice.

Podcast editor Zach Jones discusses sports injuries and various sporting events throughout history that effected modern sports. So far, Zach has talked about the importance of Jackie Robinson, concussions and other injuries.

Inside the 300 features discussions with students, faculty and staff from around the FHC community. Episodes began premiering in December.

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COMPETITION DEVOTION

Athletes explain their passion

By Whitney Klein Social Media Editor

Sydney Love

Q: How long have you been in Taekwondo?

A: Seven Years Q: How did you get started?

A: Well, you see, I was a lazy child. I wasn’t doing any sports or anything. One day, we saw a sign for a martial arts place outside of my grandma’s apartment complex, and I decided that I wanted to try it. After that, I just kind of fell in love.

Q: What level are you at?

A: Black belt Q: Why do you love it?

A: I feel like it’s not like other sports. It’s more of a journey of personal growth.

I get my workout year round, so that’s a good thing. It’s more of a journey of continuous personal growth where every time you learn something new or you master something, there’s another thing to learn. And so it’s never like you’ve talked out or you can’t play after high school or that type of thing. It’s like a lifelong journey.

Brian Coombs

Q: Why do you love wrestling?

A: Well, because I have friends in it, and they help me stay focused and encouraged and make practices and all those things be fun. Plus I kind of enjoy the sport most times. There are times when you can hate it, but you still love it.

Q:How did you start wrestling?

A: Well, because I have friends in it, and they help me stay focused and encouraged and make practices and all those things be fun. Plus I kind of enjoy the sport most times. There are times when you can hate it, but you still love it.

Corrina Trimble

PRACTICE TO PERFECT: Sydney Love cuts through the air at Tae Kwon Do practice. Her love of Tae Kwon Do has become somewhat of a career as she teaches classes at the Lyndell Institute, where she studied, and the Renaud Spirit Center.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SYDNEY LOVE

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Q: How long have you been swimming?

A: I started swim lessons when I was 3 or 4. I joined the team in kindergarten, and I stayed on that team from kindergarten until the fall of my sophomore year.

Q: How did you start swimming?

A: When I was younger, I got injured, and the muscles in my ankles were weakened. I was told that if I didn’t strengthen them, I wouldn’t be able to walk right for the rest of my life.

Q: Why do you love swim?

A: It became one of those things where it was a part of my life, and seeing it go was hard. Deciding to give up competitive swim year-round was such a difficult decision for me because it felt like I was losing a part of myself. Something that had defined me for years, suddenly didn’t define me anymore.

Q:Why is swim different from other sports?

A: I feel like it’s one of the only sports that can fully engage every single one of the muscles in your body at once. Unfortunately, that’s why we have a lot of joint damage.

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CLUB QUESTIONS

focal points

Every issue, the Central Focus staff is asked what issues have been on ther mind as of late. The best are chosen to go on this page.

Members of a club or sports team are asked a question relating to their goals for this year. This issue, we asked hockey:

What do you expect to get out of the season?

Grant Hartenbach Plays forward “We have more skill this year, like speed and shot power, so I feel like we’ll go farther,” Hartenbach said.

THE BEAUTY OF BAND: Sam Bippen, Kobi Nolan, and Samantha Gnuse play drums in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Beats editor PJ Sheehan describes his dail y experiences in band, inspiring his love for it. PHOTO BY BRIANNA LATOUR

Rayan Barghchoun Plays forward “We’re a closer team, and a lot of new people who are coming in have a lot to contribute as well... it’s going to be a much better year,” Barghchoun said.

Timmy Schmidt Plays defense “To have a lot of fun with friends ... hopefully get some memories to cherish when I leave,” Schmidt said.

Jacob Hurlbert Plays defense “[I’m] hoping to maybe actually make playoffs this year... I’ve always wanted to win a championship,” Hurlbert said.

Appreciation

Liz Baker

Editor-in-chief

Band During the school year, there are few places I would rather be than in the band room. I spend any time I can there. From its tile floor stained with the condensation of hundreds of instruments from years gone by to the cabinets whose doors show the strain of being opened and closed every day. Most can’t even close right. Sometimes I am the only person in the room and I can feel the energy of music played before I had even considered playing in a school band myself. As I open my case every day I see my instrument’s welcoming glow as the lights hit its metal surface. Now that I look back on my time in this school’s band program I think of how I have always belonged here. And how I will always call it home.

Local music

Margaret Wilkerson Staff reporter

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Love your closest friends. Love the people you don’t know so well.

Appreciate the people you encounter every day. The ones that make you smile and the day a little brighter. Nobody knows how often someone hears that their work is noticed and appreciated and that they are loved. People need to hear those things more often than anyone could ever possibly imagine. And I can guarantee from personal experience that the more often you say it, the more often you’ll hear it and you’ll realize how much you needed it too.

PJ Sheehan Beats editor

Being in a small band myself, seeing others playing shows and getting their start here in ordinary, and seemingly bland, suburban Missouri always feels refreshing. Being able to create and play music is a privilege many don’t appreciate, as well as the huge amount of guts it takes to get out there and play original music to an audience. From experience, playing in front of an audience is completely terrifying - but worth it. It allows you to create an image of yourself and express what you’re going through in a healthy, creative way. Many others have formed their image and found a niche within St. Louis. Watching those people gain an audience and have fun proves that doing what you love unabashedly will always pay off. The community of artists and bands within St. Louis is endlessly inspiring and fulfilling, and will always be a significant part of my life.

staff editorial: optimism

the perks of being positive A

Having a happier outlook can change you for the better

larms blaring, people yelling, stomachs rumbling. It leaves many people believing the day will suck. For others, however, it’s a start to a brand new day. It’s easy to be negative when dealing with these problems on the daily, but a new outlook can change your perspective.

Having an optimistic point of view is a strange but helpful way of changing your life. Instead of looking for the worst in each day or calculating each possibility and what could really happen, hoping for the best really opens your eyes to being positive and happy.

Waking up late and having to rush through getting ready for school or work can leave you feeling like there’s a storm cloud over your head for the rest of the day. In an optimist’s outlook, it can mean they improved on how fast they can get ready.

It’s all about how you look at the world. Many people in this day and age are way too pessimistic, thinking each day will be worse than the last, always looking for the worst to come and always being hopeless. Others have a realist personality, calculating all the possibilities to figure out what could happen, never feeling too careful or too carefree, bracing for

impact as life takes its course.

Very few optimists exist nowadays. People who hope for the best, even when they are at their worst. Expecting the best to come from the worst can be a dangerous game, but optimists play that game with a smile on their face, ready to fight on and make each day better than the last. Optimism in and of itself is a possibly naive outlook, but it goes to show how positive you can be to always hope everything good can happen.

Everyone needs a little optimism in their life, or at least an optimist to show them the way. Everyone is always negative and searching for things to be bad, which usually results in being too focused on the bad things to realize what good things are around you.

Yes, hoping for the best and having that not work out for you can leave you heartbroken or discouraged, but being able to push past that and know things will get better from here is how optimism thrives. Knowing that you are down in the dumps and possibly even at your worst time can mean that you can only get better from here.

Pessimists think that everything can only get worse and worse.

Don’t know how you did on a test? Knowing that you passed gives you the encouragement to go and see. Failed the test? That means you’ll know what you did wrong in order to completely destroy the next one. Lost an item somewhere and can’t find it? Now you have a reason to look for it and get fulfillment from finally finding it. Broke a bone?

Know that your body will make it stronger so it doesn’t happen again. You get the point.

Sure it may be hard to determine a good thing that comes from a bad situation, but the one thing you can be certain of is that there’s always something good to come. It may come later or earlier than you expect, but that’s the fun of it. Not really knowing when it will happen, just knowing that good will come to you.

Take one aspect of your day and change it, just a little bit, so you can experience a positive outlook too. The difference in your day will be positively, drastically changed. Even if you do the smallest things to improve your life or someone else’s, it will change your perspective. So take the step forward to change; I guarantee it will be for the better.

- The editorial board

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happier By: Lanie Sanders Web Editor-in-Chief

With focus on the negative events in our society, positivity can be fleeting. Here are my top ten tips to find joy in your everyday life.

Don’t overload yourself. You may think you can handle doing ten things at once, but you need time to rest. There’s nothing worse than being stressed about something but having no time to relax. Seriously, put your health first. This ties into knowing your limits. Schedule at least one night a week for yourself.

Stop comparing yourself to others. In the digital age this can be difficult, but you have to realize there are so many factors to every aspect of life that there is no way comparing yourself to others is fair in any sense. Just know there’s no limit to the number of people who can be pretty or successful.

For me, I realize I have individual strengths and talents that others don’t. I take the time to recognize that I am unique in my own ways and don’t need to conform to anyone else’s standards.

Give back. Take some time to do something for others, whether it be donating clothes, volunteering, or telling someone that you appreciate them. Doing small things to help other people will help you know that you’re doing the right thing. I personally donate a lot of my old clothes to different places; along with this I volunteer every summer and whenever I can. It’s so important to give back and help those who are less fortunate.

Respect your own limits. Know yourself. Sure, stepping out of your comfort zone is good and can lead to new opportunities, but if something feels wrong, trust yourself. If you need to take a day off work or school for a mental health day, do so.

It’s so important to keep your mind and body in top shape.

Some ways I like to relax are: doing face masks, writing, going for a walk or watching my favorite movies.

Find a passion project. Find something that motivates you and engulf yourself in it. There’s nothing more uplifting than working on and finishing a project you’ve poured your heart and soul into. Follow your dreams, you never know where it might lead you. This summer I decided what branch of

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journalism I want to go into, and ever since I’ve been working very hard to plan, and get it off the ground.

Surround yourself with good people. Easier said than done, but cut toxic people out of your life. You should have a support system of great friends and family around you.

Having people who pollute your mind with negativity will only hold you back. Whenever you’re having a bad day, it’s very beneficial to have a good friend at your side, and my best friend provides a much needed positive outlook into my life and is always there for me when I need it.

Take pride in your accomplishments. Whether it be getting an A on a test or getting a new job, congratulate yourself and realize what a good job you’re doing.

Have goals. This sounds kind of stupid, but I promise it’s not. Have something that motivates you. If you float through life with little to no desires, you’ll never be able to feel the satisfaction of reaching them. Carry a notebook. Having a physical copy of the things you want to accomplish is key to completing them.

Don’t settle. You can always improve; never think that you are where you’re supposed to be. Strive to gain more. when we settle is when we give up and eventually lose happiness.

Know you can always do better and fight for it. Once you’re content with your work, it’s time to start something new.

Realize you’re worth it. If you have a position, it’s for a reason.

Don’t ever think anyone deserves it more, or is better than you.

They might be stronger in one area but everyone’s different; your strengths are someone’s weaknesses, and vice versa.

You are talented and smart and beautiful, and if someone tells you differently, they’re not worth your time. When you’re getting ready in the morning take a second to give yourself some love.

Preaching versus protest In the case of injustice, talking can be easier than actually taking action

When I’m scrolling through Twitter at any given time, it’s no surprise to me when half of my timeline is made up of scathing remarks, calls to action, and people pleading others to donate or just do something about the current political climate. I know it’s not just me - pretty much everyone I know retweets something at least once that clearly shows that they are against the current negligence of people’s basic human rights. It’s good to know people care about such pressing issues.

Yet while I see people caring, what I don’t see is

By Chloe Bockhorst people around me doing Voice Editor anything about these problems.

Every day I see at least a handful of people, even teenagers, talk about the importance of our generation voting, but no one is really planning to vote themselves.

Photos of protests circulate and dates of demonstrations float around, but anyone who participates in them is deemed as “too extreme” or “cares too much.” Even if something bad occurs right in St. Louis, people only rant about it; even a small step to help isn’t usually made.

If no action is made, then it causes us to take a step back. Words can only do so much, and recently, they have little meaning or reason behind

them. Calling people to action is helpful, and for that the endless posts are useful. However, all of these voices only create more cacophony and chaos. Eventually, only talking about what needs to be done will become more harmful than helpful.

So match your words to your actions. There’s likely more ways to help than you think, and most of them don’t even require getting political.

Specific sites, like volunteermatch.org, will find a place you can volunteer at that matches what you’re interested in.

Places like an animal shelter only require an hour of your time if that’s all the time you have.

You can even volunteer from your own home via the Internet. If you feel the need to get out and do something, join peaceful protests or demonstrations.

Making yourself heard and especially seen, letting people know that it is an issue that people really do care about, will get your point across more than sitting at home and just letting your profile picture do the talking.

I understand it’s hard to make the leap into action. It’s scary to step out of a circle of likeminded people into a world where you’re constantly harassed for standing up for others and yourself.

Seeing the current demonstrative leaders, it can seem like any contribution has to be massive, and that anything you want to do is too difficult. Any steps you make don’t have to be big; if a majority of people do just what they can, the world would be such a better place. To make a positive mark on the world, one’s input doesn’t even have to be political. It just has to not make the world worse.

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