April 2023: The Photo Issue

The Photo Issue

An abandoned building shares the story behind its own history based on the debris left to collect dust

[ From the Editors ]

Alot of people believe that being a photographer is a job that can be accomplished easily, that taking a photo is as simple as clicking a button and boom, out comes the perfect shot. Most people don’t realize just how difficult getting to that perfect moment is. It involves understanding the camera, attaining the right settings, reading the light, and most importantly, knowing what is happening around you, because if you turn away at the wrong time you’ll miss something essential. The photography staff at Central Photo has been working non-stop to be there for the big and small moments at our school, whether that be an awards ceremony, a rivalry sports game, a pep assembly, or just shooting images of a club to show representation. In this issue, we wanted to showcase just how much photography can be, with the images in each story being more outside of the box than what we would normally shoot. As you go through the pages, you will get to see the creative ideas that have come to life and the effort that these photographers have put in for the last two months, and reveal photography is much more than just a click of a button.

FHC PUBLICATIONS STAFF ]

CENTRAL FOCUS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Lorelai Finoch

FHCTODAY.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Emily Sirtak

ASSIGNMENTS EDITORS

Reilly Scobey, Sarah Schmidt

PHOTO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Aniya Sparrow

PHOTO ASSIGNMENTS EDITORS

Samantha Castille

VIDEO EDITOR

Raina Straughter

STAFF REPORTERS

Emme Bernard, Birdie Brereton, Amber Davis, Anabel Gundersen, Nolan Haberstroh, Ana Hollowood, Amity Ianiri, Colin Nichols, Kailey Pallares, Moth Payne, Cadence Rulo, Matthew Rupp, Ian Spencer, Aly Wittig

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Gavin Bearup, Rachel Blanchard, Bryce Cash, MaryGrace Cummings, Kyly Jacobs, Rocco Muich, Avah Pauck, Amelia Raziq, Ava Reyes, Brock Slinkard, Bella Smith, Makenzie Solis, Caroline Tarleton, Magi Temelkova, Isabella Totra, Andy Waliszewski

ADVISER: Matthew Schott

Photo by Kyly Jacobs

As the typical rush of Homecoming occurs around him, senior Noah Garthe is stuck in what seems like a daze. The people bustle around him while Garthe is highlighted by the spotlight on the dance floor. “I wanted to take a moment and relax before the next song came on and we all started jumping up and down again,” Garthe said. The decades-themed Homecoming for 2023 was Garthe’s favorite. “It was definitely the best Homecoming I’ve gone to. A great way to start my senior year.”

Photo by Samantha Castille

Missouri’s Haunting History

By Kyly Jacobs and Amelia Raziq

Almost everyone has experienced the enthralling world of true crime, fueled by a morbid curiosity. Something similar, that remains a global controversy, is fueled by fear: the paranormal. Although, among skeptics and believers alike, it is hard to deny that the history it stems from is enthralling. Missouri, in particular, has a rich history of tragedy and loss that prompts discussions of the paranormal. From cemeteries to inns, there are countless stories reporting dark happenings in seemingly tame locations.

The trailhead for the Al Foster Trail in Wildwood begins perpendicular to tracks of the Wabash Frisco and Pacific Railroad which remains in service to this day. The train tracks were the site of Della McCullough’s death, the wife of a judge who was hit and killed by the train.

Charles Borromeo’s body was buried on site of the church along with multiple others as years passed. In 1854, construction began which prompted the movement of several bodies, including Borromeo’s; however, they refused to move the rest of the bodies due to strange occurrences following the first relocation.

Photo by Kyly Jacobs

Photo by Amelia Raziq

The St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Parsh Church, located in Downtown St. Charles, is home to “The Lady in White,” a woman buried in her wedding dress on site of the church. She is said to leave hunting equipment on the walls of the church.

Photo by Amelia Raziq

Creve Coeur, translating to broken heart in French, is home to tragedy and deep lore. The legend goes that a Native American princess fell in love with a French fur trapper; however, it was unrequited. In a fit of agony and grief, she leapt from a ledge overlooking the lake. The lake then formed into the shape of a broken heart.

The Creve Coeur waterfall is said to be the ledge that a Native American princess leapt from; however, only a small creek was left beneath the rocky structure over the years. The park and lake had transformed from the location of tragedy to a hotspot for locals, complete with canoe rentals and sand volleybal courts.

The Lemp Mansion, a renovated family brewery, is a hot commodity amongst nightlife in Missouri due to its variety of activities offered. Several nights a week, dinners and tours are held to entertain guests with an opportunity to spend the night in the building that was the site of several deaths.

Lemp Mansion now stands as a restaurant and inn, said to be haunted by the tragedy-stricken Lemp family. To the immediate left of the foyer is a dining room that was formerly the brewery office. William Lemp Jr. committed suicide in this room 18 years after his father did the same.

Photo by Kyly Jacobs

Photo by Kyly Jacobs

Photo by Kyly Jacobs

Photo by Kyly Jacobs

Pick-a-Pocket

Even though trinkets may often seem insignificant, sometimes the things we carry around in our pockets tell the most interesting stories. We chose six people from the FHC school building and asked them to let us photograph a selection of their most valued, pocketsized possessions. Items varied from silly to sentimental but what we found united all of them is that they all revealed a part of our subjects that we wouldn’t have otherwise known.

Of her items, Dr. Amy Roznos’ favorite is her Ear-aser which her now wife had given to her a couple of years ago when she was going through a tough time in her life. The small picture is of one of the Spanish teachers from Francis Howell North High School; the picture had been given to her as a joke and she now takes pictures of the photo at all of the places she travels.

Sophia Poenicke’s most notable item is the small baby she carries with her every day which is named after one of her close friends. On her keychain, she has her salted caramel chapstick from her large collection of chapsticks and many hair ties because she often gets asked for one.

The stretchy dog Sophia Burkhalter carries was given to her by her friend as a joke originally, but it has since become a token of good luck for Sophia. The jewelry is what makes a part of her everyday appearance.

Photos and story by Caroline Tarleton and Magi Temelkova

All of senior Nathen David’s items are placed on his scarf, which he has recently taken to making a part of his everyday outfits. He always has a surplus of Band-Aids on him because he works with second and third graders at the school district’s after school daycare program, Vacation Station.

Dominic Debro’s grandpa was at his air force base when he received the comb which now belongs to Dominic. The chair was made of small wooden sticks by him and his friend this past summer for their band The Musical Chairs.

Emily Rehr made her die in Introduction to Art during her sophomore year. Made of excess clay, she crafted this trinket which now has a small chip in one of the corners; she likes the imperfections that it has added to the die.

ABOVE: I truly enjoy this photo for many reasons,firstly the difficulty in capturing this moment. I had struggled with settings and lighting for a large portion of the event and finally came to the perfect settings when the sun was coming down and found the best timing possible to capture this elegant moment. That brings me to my other point being the sunlight shining across his back adds a great positive and relaxing effect to the photo.

BELOW: This photo is special to me because it was from my very first assignment as a photographer. I think the Spartan flag in the background and the way the sunlight frames Kate’s face and facial expresions is very beautiful and just flows right. I’m so proud of how detailed and clear it looks for being one of my first photos.

ABOVE: I like this photo because of the expression on the wrestler’s faces. I love how the face of the wrestler on the bottom shows how hard he is trying his best to break free.

ABOVE: I like this photo because I was able to capture the staff worker of central looking into the crowd of FHC students. I love how I captured the back of the shirt showing that he truly loves FHC.

RIGHT: I like this photo because even though you can’t tell what she’s singing or where she is, the drama of the excess blackness adds an almost abyssal effect, creating more drama and emphasizing the raw emotion on her face. It looks to me like a concert poster.

Photo by Ava Reyes

Photo by Brock Slinkard

Photo by Kyly Jacobs

Photo by Rocco Muinch

Photo by Andy Waliszewski

SPECIAL Spotlight

As A photogrApher it AlwAys feels nice to hAve your photos AppreciAted And shown off. our photogrAphers shAre their fAvorite work throughout the yeAr, yet it does not show All of their hArdwork, just A glimpse of their tAlent And progress.

ABOVE: I love the intimacy of this photo, and how the low, warm light shines on her face. The positioning of her hands is another thing I love because it’s such a beautiful and natural movement. Photo by Marygrace Cummings

ABOVE: What I love about this photo is the boldness and contrast of the colors. I really like the movement and expression that the musician, Sean Latta, shows in the photo. Photo by Caroline Tarleton

RIGHT: I like this photo because the main focus in it is Lillie Hodges, who is very focused on whatever it is that she’s working on. I love the way the colors in the photo complement each other. I just feel like the photo feels crisp in a way. Photo by Bella Smith

LEFT: This is my favorite photo because it shows the dedication to running and how tiring it can be, although it is worth it in the end. It also shows the competition between the two runners facing off for a chance to win a medal.

Photo by Bryce Cash

Lost & Found

Sometimes not all things abandoned have no meaning, what appears rundown and empty holds many memories from the past. Walking through these places allows you to create your own story of what you believe happened before coming to this eerie and lonely place. These pictures have the ability to create stories, even if you never witnessed them, you can still imagine the events that occurred. Each photo taken was hidden in its own history that we uncovered. We went out and found our own adventures and documented it. Now you can go make your own and document it yourself.

An old platform used to provide a place to walk for a factory in St. Louis. The abandoned theme park, Cementland, was created from former cement factories which are home to the photo shown. Photo by Rocco Muich

A group of houses created to sit together is currently abandoned right next to Cementland. The buildings were home to multiple trash piles in each building because people destroyed the previous contents of each house leaving nothing but rubble.

Photo by Rocco Muich

The feeling of filling in the puzzle with your own imaginary pieces. This may make a person who has come to this couch, what brought them here of all places, and what was going through their mind when sitting here looking out. And who will continue to visit this place and see all of the stories that were left behind after me.

A couch sits neatly inside a cold and silent abandoned house in St. Louis. The house was near Cementland, an old abandoned theme park that never was finished in St. Louis. Everything was destroyed completely except for one chair.

Photo by Rocco Muich

Photo by Brock Slinkard

Two worn-down apocalyptic trucks sat in an alley of overgrown brush, clearly sitting for a long time shown by the lack of maintenance to the brush and rust all around the trucks. Photo by Brock Slinkard

The remains of a strip in downtown St. Charles stands with broken and punched-out windows. Now, many have recently been replaced with plastic windows with a mesh design on them to indicate their new stability. This building was part of the strip at the bottom of the old town street, a strip that once hosted a sort of meeting hall, a mechanic shop, and even an art museum. All of these buildings have long since been abandoned to deteriorate by the hand of the unforgiving and indecisive Midwestern weather.

An old house in Cottleville - or rather, what’s left of it - sits in an open field of unkempt property, alone and uncared for. Despite the various vines and other plants that have grown over and through the house’s cracks, the solitary building never ceased to be a sight to behold in the beaming sun, begging any passersby to bring it back to life.

Photo by Bryce Cash

Half of an unidentifiable, circular rock formation lays hidden in plain sight in front of a building in the aforementioned strip. The formation seemed to have hosted a manhole cover, but evidence of neither the cover nor the manhole are visible today, so its purpose continues to be a mystery.

Photo by Andy Waliszewski

Photo by Andy Waliszewski

Stories Of The Shattered

Cracks in glass or concrete are often used as a metaphor for the brokenness we as humans may feel. A shattered window may still create a beautiful, shining mosaic on the floor, but the pieces themselves can be incredibly dangerous if handled with recklessness. The malfunctioning, disconnected pieces of one’s inner psyche may create a gorgeous smile when exposed to shining faces, but once those pieces are left alone in the deafening silence and isolation that comes with the nighttime, they can become unbelievably dangerous. In these photos, we attempted to capture the duality between broken, abandoned things and the beautifully tragic stories they may carry with them.

A Warren Elementary School sidewalk cracks down the center, creating an almost earthquake-like mosaic in the concrete. Though the school itself isn’t very old, the relentlessly oscillating Missouri weather and ingenuous roughhousing of the children sped up the inevitable process of the building’s wear-and-tear.

Photo by Bryce Cash

The shard of an aggregate concrete guardrail foundation perched atop what was once its home. This guardrail foundation stood along a slope that split off an abandoned parking lot area to raise toward a now out-ofservice mechanics shop along the abandoned strip in Downtown St. Charles.

Photo by Andy Waliszewski

The Devil’s Trio

Once thought of as the eight evil thoughts by the monk Evagrius Ponticus, the seven deadly sins include lust, wrath, gluttony, sloth, pride, greed, and envy and are supposed to represent the seven worst things a human can be. Some sins are thought to be worse than others and are hated by the masses and constantly critiqued by the human population. Lust, sloth, and pride get the most attention in the news for doing the devil’s work.

Above: Ashlin Bieble stares as if she is lusting for something in front of her. Lust is described as a strong craving or desire for something which seems harmless and natural but is thought to be a dangerous feeling that has a habit of taking over and controlling you. Photo by Samantha Castille

Left: Ashlin Bieble is demonstrating how distracting lust can be. Bieble personally feels that can be good if you are only lusting after one person.

Photo by Samantha Castille

Below: Isabella Duncan kisses the mirror to express the overwhelming love that she has for herself. The kiss represents only having eyes for her, and her only.

Photo by Raina Straughter

Left: The deadly sin sloth is mainly represented as a form of laziness or overall lack of concern for oneself and even others. Model Jerry Forno sleeps and in a pile of clothes and trash with no intention of starting the day. Photo by Aniya Sparrow

Right: Isabella Duncan stares longly into her own eyes, completely mesmerized with the reflection of herself. She protrays a prideful person who can’t get enough of themselves. Photo by Raina Straughter

Jerry Forno sleeps through the flashing alarm on the phone, the time being almost 1:30 in the afternoon. This photo was set up to show the lack of concern for responsibilities or lack of care for starting the day, procrastination at its finest.

Photo by Aniya Sparrow

Dead But Beautiful

Nature during the winter seems barren and depressing at first look, but when looking closer at it and looking for the good when nothing is alive-beauty is found. Looking how everything falls into place perfectly and how memories from fall lay on the ground makes winter look anything but dead.

RIGHT: This tree stands in the cold morning air. This tree was in front of the dead garden.

Photo by Gavin Bearup

BELOW: An old tree sits on the edge of the forest during a cold winter morning. The picture was taken at Laurel Park behind a trail.

Photo by Ava Reyes

The roots of a tree come uncovered as leaves blow away. The roots blocked the trail at Shady Springs Park. Photo by Bella Smith

LEFT: A fallen tree trunk lays on a ground full of old leaves. The trunk was on the shoulder of a trail at Shady Springs Park. Photo by Bella Smith

A man-made teepee sculpture sits still in a small clearing. The teepee was off the trail at Shady Springs Park. Photo by Bella Smith

The last few leaves fall off of a small bush on the edge of a pond. The bush sat in front of a few trees at the Laurel Park pond. Photo by Ava Reyes

These dead bushes still have Christmas lights hung up. The lights have been up since last Christmas. Photo by Gavin Bearup

her from getting skin cancer, but will always be a reminder of what used to be there.

Schniepp puts her hands in her lap close to her scar. This scar prevented

Photo by Makenize Solis

Schniepp fidgets while she poses for the camera. Nervously waiting for the sounds of the camera clicks, the clicks that stress the feeling of the scar that will never fade.

Photo by Makenzie Solis

Aby Van Doren demonstrates her birthmarks from Klippel-Trenauay syndrime. Van Doren describes how its often hard to stop comparing yourself to others. Photo by Marygrace Cummings

“It’s the body you’re born with, why hate it?”

-Aby Van Doren

“My scars don’t define me, they just exemplify who I am.”

-Sydney Schnlepp

The History Our Bodies Share

Scars, the story of us. Where we have been, what we have experienced, reminders of things that used to be. Physical marks on our bodies tell the history of our lives. Scars come in many different forms and looks, sometimes it’s a birthmark that covers 70 percent of our body or a large scar from an intense surgery. Scars are beautiful reminders of either fond memories or terrifying times. Either way, they can be amazing tales of our history.

100 million people acquire scars yearly

There are an estimated 11 million keloid scars and four million burn scars, 70% of which occur in children.

-National institude of Health

Van Doren smiles lightly at the camera while showing the way her birthmark wraps to her stomach as well. She touches her stomach lightly and lovingly.

Photo by Marygrace Cummings

Above: Aby Van Doren turns her back towards the camera to show off her back and the tattoo she got to accentuate the beauty of her birthmark.

Photo by Marygrace Cummings

Sydney Schniepp poses with her hand on her knee showing off the scar. She recalls the weeks after her surgery during recovery when she wasn’t able play her sport. Photo by Makenzie Solis

Joey Seevers and Elaina Parrent pose as a couple kissing through sheets over their heads to showcase the painting “The Lovers II ‘’ by Rene Margritte (1928). Margritte was only 14 years old when he found his mother after she had committed suicide. It was said that she had drowned herself in a nearby river, to which her head was found wrapped up in her skirt, as how the sheets were wrapped around the heads of the models in the painting. Though there is no clear proof as to whether or not Margritte’s mother’s death was the inspiration behind the sheets around the heads,based on other works including “The Son of Man,” concealing faces, heads, or just “hiding” portions of the image in his paintings has been a common theme throughout his career.

Summer

as a homeless man in the painting

Old Guitarist”

painted this painting to depict the lives of those who were poor or cast out from society as he was impoverished when he painted this.

Listen to Your Art

Caroline Kraft portrays Cecilia Gallerani in Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting, “Lady with an Ermine.” This painting was based on the Duke of Milan’s mistress, with the ermine representing purity and moderation.

Photo by Ava Reyes

Suarez poses

“The

by Pablo Picasso. Pablo

Photo by Bella Smith

Photo by Aniya Sparrow

Claudia Poenicke models as a woman in a painting from the series The Color of Life: Painting People by Mandi Larkins. Mandi Larkins decided to paint people because she claims, “People are God’s most precious creation.” She loves painting the different expressions and how their eyes are all different. I chose this specific painting because of the way the woman looked at the “camera.” Claudia did a great job of portraying the woman. The woman’s eyes in the painting were also very interesting to look at. I loved the different colors that were presented and I knew it would be a challenge to create since it’s something I’ve never done before. I loved the challenge and I think the photo came out great. Photo by Rocco Muich

The piece of art I chose, named “Head of a Skeleton with a Burning Cigarette” is a painting created by the artist Vincent Van Gogh in January-February 1886 while studying at the art academy in Antwerp. The painting shows he had a good command of anatomy. The academy had consistent intent on its students drawing skeletons, but painting them was never part of their curriculum. My approach to this recreation was very simple by borrowing a prop skeleton from Mr. Reed’s classroom (anatomy teacher). The most challenging issue I faced was keeping him sitting upright without falling over, luckily afterwhile he got comfortable in the chair, I got the cigarette situated relaxed like in his bony teeth and took the picture at a slight angle.

Leon-Francios Comerre was a French painter from the 1800’s. He wasn’t very famous or popular but he was known for painting beautiful women from his time period. There was no caption for the painting, making the woman the showcase and leaving things up to our imagination. The only thing we know is that she was in fact, classically beautiful. Grace Wakelam takes the role of the unknown beautiful woman, imitating things like her pink dress, gold olive wreath headpiece, and garnish. Photo by Raina

Graduate Raine Nelson embodies the age-old question of whether art imitates life, or vice versa in this Renaissance recreation piece. This photo was heavily inspired by the painting “The Approaching Storm” by Guiseppe Mazzolini in 1854. I chose this painting because the colors and composition of this painting grasped my attention and sparked curiosity in the story behind the woman I would later come to discover would appear in almost all of Mazzolini’s works. Though I found no clear answers to who this woman was, my fascination never wavered, and instead sparked inspiration. In a casual conversation, Raine mentioned that due to the unique structure of her curves and clothing style, she’s been compared to Renaissance art all her life. Photo by Andy Waliszewski

Straughter

Photo By: Brock Slinkard

Many people use art to express themselves and it can mean many things to many different people. Art takes on a lot of differnt meanings and forms and mediums but we decided to focus on paintings. Everyone on staff took their shot at recreating a famous, well-loved painting that meant something to someone.

This painting was made by Vincent Van Gogh in 1889 while he was visiting Paris for vacation. He painted “Self-Portrait of a Painter” because he wanted to practice painting people. According to some art historians, he stood in front of a mirror in order to paint himself. Photo by Gavin Bearup

Left:

by

man in

This painting holds so much meaning to me because of the comment on humanity it makes. All humans have secrets, we are all hiding behind something whether it’s an apple or another obscure action, idea, or thing.

Right:Chase Williams becomes the question of “Salvador Mundi” painted by Leonardo Da Vinci or Leonardeschi. This painting is notably famous for being the most expensive painting ever. Being sold for $450 million many people wondered, why? Many historians believe Leonardo Da Vinci did not paint this. They also question the motive behind the person who bought it, Mohammed bin Salman. During the bidding, he outbid everyone by millions. He then tried to open an art museum called the ‘Louver,’ but it got shut down due to copyright. To this day no one is aware of the painting’s location. Due to the controversy around this painting, I knew I had to do it because I love a little drama. Photo by Makenzie

An oil painting done by AnneMarie Zilberman is based on the Norse goddess Freya; a depiction of her emotion after the loss of her husband, the God Od. As Freya’s tears fell, they hit a tree and turned to gold; Zilberman paints the golden tears as a representation of the pure love and grief she feels for the loss of her husband. Chloe Anderson beautifully portrays Freya, with golden teardrops drawn on her face with eyeliner and glittery eye shadow. Photo by Caroline Tarleton

Dominic Debro poses as the

“Son of Man” painting

Rene Magritte.

Photo by MaryGrace Cummings

Solis

Oscar Woods poses as the “Male model” painting by Lawrence Stephen. This painting was created from one of his childhood memories in 1908. The idea sparked from his trip to the lowery which is another name for Salford, England.

Photo by Bryce Cash

Reagan Troha becomes the subject of Pablo Picasso’s “The Dream.” Picasso was a co-founder of the cubism movement and one of the most influential 20th-century artists.

“The Dream” was painted in 1932 and attempted to capture the beauty of his then-lover Marie-Therese Walter. I was drawn to the bright colors and sharp lines of the painting as well as the peaceful, loving atmosphere so I wanted to try to represent that on camera and through my editing. Photo by Magi

Madison Arle poses as “Madame X” in a portrait painted by John Singer Sargent, of a woman named Virginie Gautreau who was a well-known beauty in Paris when the painting debuted in 1884 but faced serious criticism because many thought the painting was too scandalous. I chose this painting because I loved how elegant and poised the woman is, I also love how it almost looks candid because of how she is looking away. Photo by Samantha

Cassidy Lowe poses in a creek as John Everett Millais’ “Ophelia.” The painting was inspired by a scene from William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” which detailed Ophelia’s death as a tragedy where the young girl fell into a stream while collecting wildflowers. Young and innocent, Ophelia was blissfully unaware that she was being drowned by her dress, lungs filling with water as she sang. Photo by Kyly Jacobs

Temelkova

Castille

Spartans Shoot Short

Story and photos by Rachel Blanchard

The varsity ice hockey team entered the Founders Cup finals with high hopes after taking home the trophy last year and beating Zumwalt East in a nail-biting semifinal just a week before. Despite this, the Spartans suffered a tough loss against Westminster, losing 7-3. Their loss wasn’t due to a lack of effort, each player fought until the buzzer, coming out of the game black and blue. But even after a hard season, and an even harder loss, the players emerged with smiles on their faces, ready to tackle the roller season.

Players celebrate with junior goalie Dylan Gonz after winning the Founders Cup semifinals against Zumwalt East. Once the team had made the winning goal, they were quick to skate over to celebrate together.

Sophomore Fisher Klein races to the puck, with fellow sophomore Jacob Haas close behind. Both players are focused on the game, never taking their eyes off the puck.

After the buzzer, senior Braden Silver takes a moment to himself before skating over to his teammates. Though he was disappointed about the loss, he came off the ice with a smile.

Junior Aiden Lee reacts to Westminster’s goal in the Founders Cup finals. Though Westminster took the lead, Lee fought hard until the buzzer.

Freshman Evan Hall’s skates scrape the ice as he fights to make a goal for the Spartans. Cheerleaders, family, and friends cheer him on from behind the glass.

Leading the Pack

The photography editors have been taking charge this year, pushing out more content than we have in the past two years to due to COVID-19. With the help of the staff, the editors Aniya Sparrow, Samantha Castille, and Raina Straughter have been able to capture the best moments from the school for everyone to enjoy. And with this spread, it’s time to showcase the best of the leaders in room 139.

This photo was taken at the very beginning of the year, during the Homecoming Pep Assembly. I love this photo of the Senior Showmen, because of the facial expressions from all the boys that I was able to get as well as the perfect still image of Evan Erickson in

Senior Caroline Tarleton screams at the FHC marching band during on of the first home football games. I love the way that you can see Tarelton’s excited expression, as well as the position of her body in the shot.

This photo was requested for a story about the recent banning of books across Missouri entitled “Back to Banning,” by Cadence Rulo. I took this photo with the idea that the book in the model Cordelia Kraft’s hands represented more than just words on a page. I love this photo because I got to be able to use more creative lighting in making the background of the photo completely black, while also being able to express motion with the teardrop on Kraft’s cheek. Photo by Aniya Sparrow

the air.

Photo by Aniya Sparrow

Photo by Aniya Sparrow

An older brother keeps his younger brother entertained during the academic night held for incoming freshmen in mid-January. You can really feel the warmth and joy radiating from their smiles.

Varsity cheerleaders perform an engaging stunt during the Fall Festival, roping people in to celebrate the upcoming season for many teams and sports. I love this photo because the lighting and sunshine comes through nicely, and the movement in the image is really clear.

I really love the detailing of the grass blades flying up behind her club.

Brendan Ward is on the ground in the middle of a boys varsity soccer game due to him being hurt. I love this photo because of how the world seems to move around him and is blurred while he is clear and stuck in this painful moment.

Right: Senior Hanna Lange practices her swing for her first ever golf match.

Photo by Raina Straughter

Photo by Raina Straughter

Photo by Raina Straughter

Senior Abigail Money clutches a trophy in a theater rehersal just days before the show “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” I love Money’s facial expressions and how the spotlight is directly on her highlighting her talent.

Photo by Samantha Castille

Photo by Samantha Castille

Seniors Allie Raines and Trevor Nichols walk through the cheerleaders during the 2022 fall pep assembly as they are being cheered on for being homecoming court nominees. This photo is so cute because of how excited their expressions are and the excitement of the people around them. Photo by Samantha Castille