The Arch Rival Roller Derby league creates community between the athletes and their fans
Page 32-33 PROM FASHION SHOW
Page 1 IT’S TIME TO WORK TOGETHER
Page 44-45
Prom is just around the corner on April 19. Most of the responsibility for the event falls onto the shoulders of the junior class delegates.
Prom is always planned by the junior class delegates in order to give the upper class students an opportunity to have their voices heard by the people who are planning the Prom. The junior class officers are elected to their office by the junior class at the end of the year to serve for the next year.
“They run anything related to Prom,” junior class delegate sponsor Marissa Heyer said. “They’ll run Prom court nominations, or do Prom Fashion Show planning. They do invitations, the decoration and the gifts, things like that.”
Most of the details for Prom have already been sorted out by the junior class delegates. This year they settled on a Masquerade theme for the big dance. The Prom is going to be decked out with all sorts of unique decorations in order to help bring a lively and exciting atmosphere to Prom.
“I went to Prom [last year] because my friends were going and I thought it would be exciting and fun,” senior Jennifer Schelfault said. “I had a fun time getting ready with my friends as well as hanging out with them after it.”
The Prom dance always has an exciting theme in order to bring more interest to
The prom fashion show is one of the biggest fundraisers for prom and was held on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. The idea of the prom fashion show was thought up by Marissa Heyer, the fashion teacher at FHN, when she took over as sponsor for the junior class delegates. It was an event where models showcased different clothes and they danced, sang or performed any other talent they had. There was also a raffle where people could win many different items. In addition, there will be a silent auction where people can rent or pay for many different items.
“People could come out and win a free prom ticket and some awesome baskets from Starbucks and multiple different places,” Heyer said. Delegates and Heyer worked together setting up and planning the fashion show. “[Mrs. Heyer] works with clothing designers to get them to donate dresses and suits for the models to wear, [where delegates] job is to reach out to all of the companies and talk with them to see if they could potentially sponsor or donate to us,” junior class president Colin Smith said. Attendees were able to get tickets for the fashion show by contacting the models. The
the dance. Prom will also have food options available for people who are going to the dance.
“We finalized all of the location and the decoration company [and] the thematic elements,” junior class president Collin Smith said. “This year we decided to go with Masquerade and we made a style guide in the sense of the colors we wanted and the items to represent that theme.”
A lot of time and effort goes into making sure that the proper setup is done for Prom. They plan out the location months in advance and make sure that all the preparations are properly executed. Prom is being held at the Old Hickory Golf Club this year.
“In the past, Prom has been at Old Hickory [Golf Club], and North has had pretty good outcomes with Old Hickory. So, it’s kind of just tradition to host it there,” Smith said. “Obviously, with so many other schools in the area, locations are kind of hard to come by.”
Students share why they’re excited for prom.
“I’m excited to find a dress, going out to eat, and taking pictures.”
“Just going to the dance.” Leland Cruzen,
by Noah Tucker ntucker088@g.fhsdschools.org
Prescription drugs in America are notoriously expensive and have been for over a decade. This problem has formed specifically in America because pharmaceutical companies are able to acquire patents for life-saving drugs. This allows them to raise the price of these medications far above what they cost to manufacture, meaning that residents of the United States are forced to go through insurance companies to get their medicine. Because of this system, lower to middle class citizens who don’t have insurance coverage have been financially crippled in the process of getting medicine. Generally, little to nothing has been done to improve this system that has impoverished many Americans.
“I think the prices are unreasonable,” freshman Jovie Whitworth said. “People are just trying to get better, they shouldn’t have to pay so much for a bottle of pills.”
“Just being there with friends.”
models were required to sell as many $5 tickets as they could. “[Overall] there were approximately 53 people in the audience,” Heyer said. “So far, the prom fashion show has raised 475 dollars, almost reaching their goal. ”All of the profit from the fashion show and silent auction will be used to help students who can not get a prom ticket due to financial reasons. “After we get the [students] to go, any additional money will also go into dropping the ticket prices,” Smith said. Any additional profit will be going into other costly things for prom. To keep up with any other information about prom visit the junior class delegates instagram page.
In a surprising turn of events however, billionaire Mark Cuban along with radiologist Alexander Oshmyansky launched a website at the beginning of 2022 called CostPlusDrugs. This site allows millions of people to order generic prescription medicine online for a fair price, only being a 15 percent markup from manufacturing cost, and two additional five dollar fees, one being for shipping, and the other a pharmacy service fee. Their factory is located in Dallas, and they have over 100 different drugs to choose from.
Without the price hike that comes with the name brand drugs, these medications can be hundreds of dollars cheaper. It is not an understatement that CostPlusDrugs will save lives, especially those who don’t have insurance that covers all of their needs.
“I agree that other [pharmaceutical] companies should do the same,” Whitworth said. “People already have too many types of insurance to pay for.”
(Photo from Joe Seer/ Shutterstock)
(File Photo)
The KOE Picnic is on May 2, which is a day dedicated to celebrating students who have made great accomplishments throughout the school year. The picnic is held once every school year, so students can have a couple of hours to have fun.
“[We created this event] to motivate students to [work hard], so they could get invited to this celebration,” KOE Sponsor Kristen Johnson said.
Students could get invited for academic achievements like having a 3.0 GPA or above, they could also get invited for earning Student of the Week or getting recognized at the Knights of the Round Table ceremony. These accomplishments could get one invited but it is a requirement that one must have at least 90 percent attendance.
The picnic will be held in the big gym, where there will be inflatables and food. The time of the picnic will be freshman and sophomores in the morning and juniors and seniors in the afternoon.
“We’re really ahead of the game [on planning] and will continue to when on schedule,” Johnson said.
League of Legends is a multiplayer battle game that FHN has offered as a game to play in esports since the beginning of the club in 2018. Each spring, the team plays in the Monday games and Tuesday practices and playoffs will be in late April.
“We have a really good mix of people,” esports sponsor Brett Bevill said. “We’ve actually had really one of our best years I can remember. A lot of good kids and a lot of talent. So, I’m excited about League of Legends [and to] see what they can do.”
Due to a lack of players, they almost didn’t have a team playing this spring. One of the members that joined last-minute was senior McKenzie Bland, a general player who’s usually playing support.
“We get to hone our skills as we’re playing the other team and just have fun,” Bland said. “I’m just gonna keep up that energy and see how it goes.”
Many pivot from their usual overpriced pink drinks and iced caramel macchiatos before their commute to work, to other local coffee businesses in protest against Starbucks. From Ford to Burger King and countless other corporations. As a result of the current conflicts between Israel and Hamas, many citizens have shown their discomfort of large corporations supporting Israel.
People have begun showing their disapproval to the companies in many ways, in an attempt to make them stop supporting Israel. One of the biggest ways communities have tried to get involved has been through boycotts at places such as Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, Disney and many other large corporations. These companies are receiving disapproval from customers because they are supporting Israel with money or free food without an explanation to the public. Some people have expressed their disapproval in regards to the support of Israel, while others have explained there is no truly correct side in the conflict, therefore companies do not deserve to be boycotted.
“I feel like there’s no good side to take on this, both sides are committing heinous acts towards innocent people,” junior Eric Kraemer said. “I feel like people trying to black and white this, we’re losing the understanding of the issue [and] we’re slowly demoralizing everything.”
The largest and most impactful boycott has been against Starbucks, which kicked off directly after Israel responded to the Hamas attack. Many American individuals with a pre-existing bias for Palestine find Starbucks to be in support of Israel after a lawsuit Starbucks filed against their union. The Starbucks Workers Union created a social media post stating, “Solidarity with Palestine!” Many individuals were enthusiastic about the actions taken with this post. Starbucks sued the union for trademark infringement, in other words, using Starbucks’ name to make a comment that Starbucks doesn’t agree with. With the lawsuit the enthusiasm was short-lived, causing customers to retaliate against the company. Customers were upset with Starbucks, they believed they sued because they support Israel in the conflict, not Palestine. In response to the situation, Starbucks has fought back
saying they’re a neutral party, this was shown with an official statement in a letter to their workers union.
“We unequivocally condemn these acts of terrorism, hate and violence, and disagree with the statements and views expressed by Workers United and its members,” Starbucks corporation said in their letter.
With the letter showing Starbucks chooses to stay unaffiliated, customers still believed Starbucks supports Israel, with this they lashed out against Starbucks and other operations with similar situations by boycotting. Some believe the boycotts are the best course of action, but others argue otherwise. Still, many would say boycotting is inappropriate and simply a result of undereducation.
“I think about 50 percent of the people who are boycotting are knowledgeable and have taken a stance based on research, I think the other 50 percent are doing it just to do it,” senior Aaliyah White said.
There are thousands of people participating in boycotts nationwide, specifically targeting Starbucks. Etaf Abdallah, an FHN alumni who grew up in Palestine explained why these boycotts are crucial in her life.
“Boycotting is a demand from the world to invest our money into companies that don’t support apartheid, this causes companies to cut ties with Israeli investments,” Abdallah said.
The main goals of these boycotts, as explained by Abdallah, are to shut down the companies or to make them feel the incentive to stop funding or supporting Israel. While Starbucks, the largest boycott, has actually never been proven to send money or supplies to Israel; individuals are upset by the lack of support Starbucks has provided to Palestine rather than the support they’ve shown to Israel.
“Would you want the money you’re spending on a coffee to be turned into a bomb to attack Gaza? That is why we are boycotting. People are upset their money is going to be killing little children,” Abdallah said.
On the contrary, many people find that boycotts are raising tensions even higher. Citizens have expressed that these companies do not deserve to be punished.
“I don’t believe enough people are boycotting to have an impact on other countries,” White said.
People avoiding the boycotts often believe the boycotters are taking their beliefs to a new level of extreme and these individuals do not believe Americans,
as consumers, should be affected. Many express that with America’s freedom of speech, companies should not be held liable for wanting or not wanting to release statements to the public.
“I don’t think just because somebody has released a political statement, no matter their stance, should be boycotted,” White said. “I think there are a lot of followers and not a lot of leaders with this kind of thing. People just aren’t educated when making their decisions.”
The majority of largely boycotted corporations have not expressed any opinions. Although they have failed to touch on the boycotts themselves, Starbucks has released statements on the Middle Eastern conflicts. All of Starbucks’s official posts have shown sympathy for both sides of the war, keeping a neutral voice. Starbucks has chosen to stay unbiased, but other biased opinions of workers have swayed strongly to one side of the argument. Throughout the conflicts, lawsuits, and boycotts strongly pushed onto Starbucks, they have continued to stay unaffiliated. After numerous attempts to reach out, Starbucks employees have refused to comment on the issue.
“Why are our tax dollars going all the way to Israel where they drop bombs on innocent children in Palestine?” Abdallah said. “Why are we sending Israel billions of dollars in support but in America, we can’t provide free healthcare, we can’t provide help to the homeless. We have to help ourselves before supporting terrorism. The way our people can help is to stop providing our money to companies funding Israel.”
Decades worth of conflicts between Israel and Palestine, more specifically Gaza a Palestinian territory, escalated to a surprise attack by Hamas, Gaza’s militant group, on Oct. 7, 2023. This caused over 1,200 Israeli deaths, thousands injured and hundreds of hostages taken according to afsc. org. Israel quickly retaliated by firing back at Gaza. Israel’s backlash has mainly transpired as violent military action, bombings and a suspension of necessary supplies for civilians. Their reaction exacerbated the situation, prompting a crossfire between the two groups.
From the constant strikes of both countries, it is clear that after the Hamas attack, the dispute increased rapidly. Still, before the invasion on Oct. 7, there had already been numerous invasions from Israel. Amidst the aggression, America has provided approximately $3 billion in support to the Israeli military annually. This year the trend continued with the United States sending $3.8 billion in aid.
Yet, American citizens have tended to take the other side of the war, participating in boycotts to help support Palestinians in Gaza. The contrary opinions of citizens have led to an ongoing debate as to whether there is a “correct” side to the conflict.
On March 5 and 7, members of the FHN Mock Trial went to a regional competition at the St Louis County Circuit Court, where they faced off against other schools as they argued a fictional court case.
“We’ve been practicing twice a week and calling outside of school to get everything ready,” junior Sophia Arnold said.
To prepare for this event, the members of Mock Trial had been meeting multiple times a week to practice both the prosecution and defense in a thrilling trial involving selfdriving semi trucks and an arsonist hitchhiker.
“The entire state gets one court case and I think everyone who is going is prepared,” freshman Bella Ingrassia said.
Last year, the Mock Trial team won the state competition where they beat runner-up Clayton High School in the final round, and
With the construction of the new building, the athletics department will be receiving new facilities to better help various sports at FHN.
“There’s going to be more space, newer space, it’s going to be an exciting time for the PE department in the athletic department,” PE teacher Derrick Edwards said.
One new feature of the new gym is the size. The new gym and the new weight room at the building will be about twice as big as the current ones. Also, the weight room will receive all new equipment. The new gym will have a mezzanine on the top floor while also having a drop-down divider so that more activities can be going on at the same time. Another new addition is that the wrestling room will be its own room and not have to
FBLA has been preparing to go to state on April 14 - 16 and will be held in Springfield, followed by Internationals in Orlando from June 29 to July 2. As they prepare, there are many categories that they can place in. Students can choose two events among the 25 events that are qualified. So far, 24 students have qualified for state.
“It gives them an opportunity to meet other people who think the same way and have the same goals,” senior and FBLA president Riya Siddabattula said.
In preparation for the different events, many are in different places, with some practicing through tests. Others are preparing videos and written projects that will need to be presented. The events can vary such as computer science, public relations, accounting and other concepts that can fit different students.
“There’s a lot [of students] that explore but also if you’re awesome at computer science
FHN is hoping for back-to-back wins at state. Senior Natasha Haverly has been on Mock Trial for three years.
“I think we are going to do really well, we’ve done well in the past and everyone knows their parts,” Haverly said.
The Mock Trial team is confident that they will do very well because of the hard work they’ve been putting in to prepare for the event.
“I think we all have good work put in and are all prepared for the trials,” Arnold said.
share the space, likewise the batting cages won’t be in the new wrestling room.
“I think it adds a little bit more vigor to the kids, something that’s new is exciting, the equipment is going to be brand new. So, I think it also is going to greatly improve the culture, the pride, just the overall mental aspects,” Edwards said.
advisor
they’re usually the ones that take that event,” FBLA sponsor Abigail Davis said. “They usually stick to what they’re comfortable with but then they have a chance to do another event.”
FBLA has seen increasing growth in members in the club as they. This is partially due to the increase in club events they have done, including their ‘Friendsgiving’ event.
“Working with DECA together has increased people knowing who we are because we have larger numbers for both this year,” Davis said.
on the details about their upcoming trip to Kansas City. (Photo by Jordan Ousley)
After having one of their best performances at districts, 13 DECA members made their way through the state conference and are now moving along to the International Career Development Conference that is taking place April 26 through May.
“I want to have a career as a sports agent and a lot of that involves marketing,” DECA Vice President and senior Jack Engelhard said. “So, I just find it really fun. It’s something I want to pursue later on and I just really enjoy doing it. Plus, I’m competitive.”
The International Career Development Conference is taking place in Anaheim, California. This is the biggest event that happens throughout the year for members of DECA. The International Conference will feature competitors from not just the United States, but also competitors from across the globe.
“Our numbers went up this year, we had over a hundred people,” DECA sponsor Mike Freedline said. “Back in last year, I think we had 76. Plus we had more team events.”
Last year, only two members of North’s DECA program were able to make it to the International Career Development Conference. This was because it took place on the same day as Prom last year. This year has been one of the largest years for DECA.
“I think the more members we have, the better,” Engelhard said. “It really is a super fun and helpful thing to move forward in life. This year is one of our largest chapters we’ve had.”
DECA as a club has rapidly expanded over the past few years and is continuing to grow. With this added growth comes more success in the different levels of competition. DECA requires members to compete in a variety of different tests and role plays based on mastering marketing concepts in order to succeed.
“It comes down to how much they study for the state test and practice role plays,” Freedline said. “A lot of them can definitely go on [to the International Conference.]”
Four individuals vie to fill the two open seats in the spring (Content by Ben Henry, Photos submitted)
On April 2, residents of FHSD will head to the polls to elect two new members of the school board. The past year has been an active one for the Board and they have made decisions that have evoked emotion and action in the community and this is a voters’ chance to express their feelings in the voting booth.
Steven Blair works as a pastor and believes that ‘love thy neighbor’ includes giving students a good education. His vision for the district is FHSD being one of the top three districts in the state because school quality boosts local quality.
“I believe that I can immediately start impacting the culture on the Board,” Blair said.
Adriana Kuhn works at the marketing company that she owns and wants to increase academic standards in the district. She also believes in strengthening district finances and supporting parental involvement in education.
“I want to make sure that there are enough advanced and honors classes, and I want to bring back Challenge Math and English classes,” Kuhn said.
“I am wrapping up my third term on the Board of Education. In my nine years, my proudest moment is every June when I get to see all the graduating seniors finishing their K-12 education journey and walking across the stage at the Family Arena to receive that earned diploma. Getting to partake and hand the diplomas out is by far my biggest highlight,” Lange said.
Carolie Owens spent 32 years as an educator, and now works as a music minister. She believes in increasing teacher pay and improving the environment they work in. She thinks that improving teacher retention will improve the school system.
“62 percent of teachers leave in five years and we need experienced teachers,” Owens said.
Sam Young spent 20 years in the Navy as an officer before working as an engineer. He has spent the last four years volunteering to help the FHSD First Raven Robotics Team. He believes better fiscal management and academic excellence are the best ways to prepare students.
“The $79 million cost overrun on Francis Howell North shows that the that previous Boards did not have good fiscal controls in place,” Young said.
“I’m really proud of getting Prop S passed to get North this beautiful new school. I’m also proud of bringing transportation in-house. We are leaving the district in a better place,” Stiglitch said.
New security project costs $1.7 million for five schools in the district
by Grant Kilen gkilen380@g.fhsdschools.orgThe FHSD Board of Education recently approved a project which would, among other purposes, see the construction of security vestibules at five district schools—though not without a steep price tag.
On Feb. 8, the FHSD Board of Education convened for their regular February business meeting. Before the Board contemplated a variety of issues, such as how to implement administrator performance metrics, a plan for measuring the success of intervention-level math programs, and the cost effectiveness of the district’s language-translation services, another item on the agenda was mentioned during public comments.
Kirk Wolf, the first speaker, raised objections to agenda item 9(E), relating to bids to construct security vestibules at five buildings of the district. While the project had originally been estimated at just short of $830,000, the administration was now recommending accepting a bid that exceeded $1.7 million.
“Here we have what feels to me like deja vu,” Wolf said. “A project that is suddenly more than 96 percent over the estimates provided three months ago by Hoener & Associates and our project manager.”
Wolf went on to recognize that the Board was in a tight spot.
“Your immediate concern here tonight is to decide between two bad choices,” Wolf said. “Either one, delay the project; or two, continue it at almost double the cost estimates.”
Finally, Wolf warned that, while it may be tempting to accept the bids just to get the matter done and get the projects started, accepting such a steep price tag might set harmful precedent.
“If you send a message that you will accept
MORE INFO ON BOARD MEETINGS
Scan below to see QR codes regarding more information about the board meetings
BOE Meeting Recordings
Board Meeting Dates
these kind of blown estimates, then that’s all you’ll get going forward,” Wolf said. “[The Board ought to] ask our facilities director to come up with a temporary plan for enhancing security at the five schools, and give him the task of delivering this project under some reasonable margin over the original estimate, like 20 or 25 percent.”
Vice-President Randy Cook, who would later vote to accept the bid, spoke up to explain his vote.
“We’re being asked to approve a project that’s almost twice as much as what our architect estimated,” Cook said. “The question I’ve struggled with since learning about the bids is whether I still would have voted to move forward with it these past several months if we knew that the estimate was $1.7 [million] all along. I think the answer is yes.”
Cook, while of the opinion that the project was of benefit even with the increase in price, seemed to agree with Wolf that the district should look for a new provider for architectural services.
“We’ve had a long relationship with Hoener,” Cook said. “But it might be time—I think it’s time—to just see what else is out there.”
Cook underscored the paramount importance of safety as causing the necessity of the project.
“We identified this as a security priority and that was our decision,” Cook said. “Student safety, obviously, it’s almost unspoken, it’s such a top priority. That said, we could spend billions to make every school like Fort Knox, but I think we all recognize that’s not practical. But I do think that this particular improvement is not overkill and I think it’s unfortunately necessary in 2024.”
The next public board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 22 at the central office building.
FHSD News
While quadrennial presidential elections are known for receiving a wealth of media attention, the process for selecting those candidates is less-publicized and even unknown to some. In anticipation of a presidential election, state political parties hold primary elections to elect delegates. The delegates from each state then gather at a national convention to select their party’s nominee for president. In Missouri, the primary election used to be funded by the state and held just like any other election. However, after the passage of House Bill 1878 in 2022, political parties in Missouri are now left to their own devices to elect delegates.
Republicans across the state gathered in countywide meetings at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, for their caucuses. Counties containing multiple districts, such as St. Charles (which contains parts of the second and third districts), held separate meetings for each district. In St. Charles, the site of the caucuses for both districts was FHC. Each county was apportioned delegates based on the total number of Republican voters therein, and the delegates were divided up among candidates based on the number of that candidate’s supporters attending the caucus.
“A lot of folks have made comments about it,” County Councilman Joe Brazil. “They feel that this takes a little bit of the power away from the people when you have a caucus like this.”
Attend a Board Meeting
In St. Charles County, the 703 of the 789 attendees caucused for former President Donald Trump, and majorities in both congressional districts caucused for Trump, activating a rule which allots all of a caucus’s delegates to a single candidate if his or her supporters comprise the majority. Across the state, every other caucus went for Trump, furthering Trump’s lead to a presumptive 244-24 delegates over the former Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley.
The Democratic Party of Missouri has adopted a slightly different plan for its presidential primary election. A statewide primary election will be held on March 23 from 10 a.m. to noon. Votes may be cast at any of the various voting sites, of which there will be at least one per county. The St. Charles County Democratic Central Committee selected Fort Zumwalt South High School as the county’s primary site. Anyone who was registered to vote by Feb. 21 will be eligible to vote (provided one was not registered as a Republican).
(Photo from TSViPhoto/Shutterstock) On Feb. 8, the FHSD Board of Education met at their monthly meeting with patrons discussing the ongoing spotlight that has been on the Board over the last few months. (Photo by Eashaan Patel)Take this quiz to find out which story you should read in the paper based on your answer to these questions (Content by Peyton Thies, Illustration by Miranda Fabian)
1. You wake up late for school and decide to slip on…
A. A pair of old-school Vans
B. Running shoes
C. Whatever will match my outfit
D. Cute but comfortable ankle boots
4. You get the opportunity to meet one celebrity, dead or alive, who are you choosing?
A. Chris Hemsworth
B. Lana Del Rey
C. Walt Disney
D. Selena Gomez
8. You time travel twenty years into the future, your future self will be…
A. Exploring a recently-discovered underwater cave
B. On a trip to discover my family origins
C. The head of the company I created
D. In charge of a non-profit organization fighting world hunger
2. You find yourself with some free time, you are going to…
A. Go on a bike ride somewhere new
B. Check a book off of my to-read list
C. See what my friends are doing
D. I don’t have free time
5. You are at school with your earbuds in, listening to…
A. 90’s Retro
B. A true-crime podcast
C. Taylor Swift
D. Hip Hop
7. You get a little hungry in the middle of the day, what snack are you choosing?
A. An energy bar for the road
B. My favorite comfort food
C. Something I have never had before
D. Something that requires a super in-depth recipe
Unscramble the words of different stories in the paper
3. You open the weather app and often hope for it to be…
A. Cool and breezy
B. Dark and stormy
C. Perfect for the activity I had planned
D. Warm and sunny
6. You decide to put on a comfort movie, what genre is it?
A. Coming-of-age
B. Horror
C. Comedy
D. Rom-Coms
9. You are going on your dream vacation, what is your role?
A. Taking pictures of absolutely everything
B. Researching the history behind the destination
C. Planning the whole thing start to finish
D. Trying to fit my whole closet into my suitcase
Mostly A’sRoller Derby (Pg. 33)
You like vintage trends, being adventurous, and always being onthe-go.
Mostly B’sPreacher’s Daughter (Pg. 9)
You enjoy finding deep emotional connections to things in your life.
Mostly C’sTaylor Swift Bracelets (Pg. 27)
You like to be very organized and puttogether, but also have a creative side.
Mostly D’sProm Stories (Pg. 1)
You love to keep busy doing things that bring people together and that everyone will enjoy.
Innocent bystanders walking by theaters showing “The Eras Tour” movie might be shocked to hear the scream-singing inside, but for an experienced fan, it was to be expected. What else could you expect from a film of the entire Taylor Swift concert?
I have experienced the concert in person, and being in the theater with a lot of people who love the music as much as I do was like reliving it all over again. After Swift’s endless stream of content she put out in 2023, this movie was the perfect way to end the magical journey, followed by an extended, rentable version, which was an even better surprise. Prior to this tour, Swift hadn’t been on tour since 2018 for her album “Reputation,” which also had a film of the concert released. In that time, she has written and produced four new albums: “Lover,” “Folklore,” “Evermore” and “Midnights.” This brings her up to 10 studio albums in her career, and “The Eras Tour” covers all 17 years of her music. The extended version of the movie, produced by many people including Swift herself, includes three songs
that weren’t a part of the original film in theaters: “Long Live,” “The Archer” and “Wildest Dreams.”
Even though this is not the first movie she has created, it is definitely her most impressive performance. The choreography by Mandy Moore is incredibly detailed and well-thought-out. It shows a story and is different with every era, unlike her “Reputation” concert film that, although amazing, had much simpler choreography. Swift also utilized many elements in her concert such as the big video screens, intricate sets, color changing wristbands for all of the fans and even fire to make the experience entertaining for people sitting in every seat in the stadium. The extended, at-home version of the film is now available on Disney Plus with added songs, such as “Cardigan.” It lets viewers have the experience on their own terms and also helps it reach an audience outside of her die-hard fans. The film’s purpose was to capture the essence of the concert through up-close shots of the infinite amount of details she included. Almost three hours of singing, dancing, and clapping later, my voice was gone, and my feet hurt, but I was able to feel the same adrenaline I did at the concert. All in all, this movie will continue to excite fans until the release of her new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” on April 19.
cclark599@g.fhsdschools.org
‘God loves you, but not enough to save you’ is a powerful lyric in which Ethel Cain tackles the paradox of God’s love amidst her suffering. A key religious theme in her hauntingly captivating album “Preacher’s Daughter.”
Hayden Silas Anhedönia, also known by her stage name Ethel Cain, explores her rough southern Baptist upbringing and her brutal emotional relationships. As a trans-gay teenager in a religious family with her father as a deacon, Cain encountered significant backlash both from her devout family and the church, shaping her complex relationship with religion and God. “Preacher’s Daughter” explores the journey of her fictional character, Ethel Cain, who mirrors her traumatic experience with an unexpected twist.
In the album’s broody opening track, “Family Tree (Intro)”, the lyrics ‘Jesus can always reject his father /But he cannot escape his mother’s blood’ serve as a religious metaphor for Cain’s inescapable bond with her family, despite her feelings of resentment towards them; in the following track, “American Teenager,” the music shifts dramatically to a lively pop style. A euphoric song that radiates a vibe of weightlessness through Cain’s shimmer reverb.
Cain reflects on life in her southern hometown, where she felt alienated from others in places like high school football games and the local church, captured in lyrics like ‘I do what I want/Crying in the bleachers and I said it was fun.’
Then, the album continues to switch back and forth between breathless moments, as she sings about traveling and exploring the countryside with a newfound lover, Isaiah, and reflects on struggling to maintain her faith. She sings about the latter in ‘“Sun Bleached Flies” featuring a soft piano melody and poignant lyricism.
Finally, the album turns to the tense, fearful incident that results in her life’s end as she is cannibalized. In the final song, ‘“Strangers,” Cain internalizes blame for how her death occurred, trying to make sense of the pain she endured, with the lyrics, ‘I tried to be good, am I no good?’ Cain led a traumatic life and only wanted someone who would desire her back. It’s later revealed that Cain ascends to Heaven, in which she consoles her mother from the afterlife to not dwell on her death. In death, Cain’s overall journey sends a profound message to release past trauma, as holding onto them can ruin you. Due to her traumatic upbringing, Ethel Cain lived recklessly, using it as a distraction from her generational trauma instead of choosing forgiveness and forgetting.
rgriffin483@g.fhsdschools.org
djohnson440@g.fhsdschools.org
With Kevin Hart’s film record, we went into the Netflix original movie “Lift” with high expectations. Unfortunately, we were left utterly disappointed with the predictable plot and bad jokes.
“Lift,” which was directed by Gary Gray, starred multiple main characters including Hart playing Cyrus, a witty and intelligent thief. In addition, Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Abby, an international police officer determined to crack down on a major heist and there are a few other so-called “main” characters. This action comedy film was one of the first movies to pop up in 2024 on Netflix, releasing on Jan. 12. The movie should have set the year off with a bang, unfortunately was more of a weak and uninteresting flop.
The plot follows Cyrus’ group in their attempts to perform a plane heist which begins with their backstory of a previously carried out theft, which unfortunately for viewers, ended up being more engaging than the rest of the movie itself. Finally, the story leads us to the group attempting to steal a large sum of gold from a commercial aircraft. Through their many predictable hardships, the squad makes it onto the plane and starts their journey for the money.
One of the film’s many downfalls was its falsified advertisement, a movie advertised as an “action comedy” was quite frankly the worst of both worlds. Their unfunny jokes left us waiting for the punchline and the action scenes were inaccurately animated, leaving a plane seeming to be the size of an elephant in one shot but looking to be the size of a blue whale in the next. Additionally, the action scenes were nothing special and utterly forgettable. The poorly animated action and unamusing jokes left us wishing for more.
The casting of “Lift” was a good selection with a disappointing outcome. This was shown perfectly with Hart, a movie star we all love dearly, but his character was portrayed poorly throughout the entire movie. All of the clan was unsuccessfully developed, ending with us being confused about who was who in the movie. The producers of the film did not focus on character development enough, leading us to forget the main enemies’ names later on in the movie.
Overall, the movie was a major disappointment. From the cliché plot to the basic and boring jokes, we felt it was a waste of our time. This movie did not live up to Hart’s standards and would definitely not deserve a spot on his resumé. Had this movie been sold in DVD form, it would have promptly found a place at the bottom of the $5 movie bin in your local store, rightfully forgotten.
Recently there has been an outbreak on the internet over young kids who have been using makeup. They have been named ‘Sephora kids’ due to a lot of the makeup consumption being from stores such as Sephora and Ulta.
With the increase of ‘Sephora kids,’ many people have been asking for stores to restrict who can enter without an adult or restrict certain products so kids aren’t allowed to purchase them. The reason for this is due to the rapid destruction of makeup products in stores, as many kids don’t know proper makeup etiquette for testers. On the other hand, some believe that the backlash has been extreme.
“I think for kids, makeup is fun,” French teacher Jenny Liberson said. “I don’t think there should be an age limit on things just like the skincare products that are over the top that kids are trying to get to.”
There’s also a strong concern that kids aren’t getting age-appropriate makeup and skincare but rather what is trendy and influential on social media.
“There’s no longer a tween stage, there’s no more stores like Justice which is where you go through that little phase of glitter and pink,” sophomore Yoceyln Gonzalez said.
As kids see what they have access to, many are buying things with retinol and anti-aging products that aren’t necessary for their skin. There has then been an increase in kids on the internet who find themselves with ‘influencer’ accounts. They reenact what many other influencers do that get views and soon after, kids have many views and followers on social media. This has raised a different concern on how much kids should have access to the internet.
“I think it comes down to the parents moderating their kids,” Liberson said.
Many on the internet have taken the side that kids shouldn’t be allowed in the stores and are hoping the stores follow through with the restrictions. Some believe that this is the parent’s fault who lack supervision or proper education on the products. Others believe that kids are doing what kids do and are copying what they see older people do.
“As a society, we should be looking into why they feel the need to look older than they are and act older,” Gonzalez said.
(Illustrations by Alex Wheadon)
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a remake of the original Epic Mickey game. Epic Mickey was an action adventure platformer for the Wii. Mickey creates the Shadow Blot with the magic paintbrush bringing a forgotten world made by the same brush to ruin.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (PMtTYD) is a remake coming to the Nintendo Switch and is a remake of a game of the same name that released on the GameCube. This game follows Mario as he gets a map from Peach that leads to the Thousand-Year Door which holds a treasure from a civilization that was destroyed which is now Rogueport. With the help of people she meets at Rogueport, they figure out that the map may lead them to the seven Crystal Stars which can open the ThousandYear Door and so he sets out to find the treasure.
There is a difference between remakes, remasters and ports in video games
by Alex Wheadon awheadon315@g.fhsdschools.orgEach video game that is released is like a relic in time but games can also wear with time and become outdated. Game companies had to figure out ways to make old games that may be outdated new and update them for younger audiences to play. This is how the remake, remasters and ports came to be because they are a way for game studios to make old games accessible to others without emulating them. Though the names of each type of game sound similar, they are different from each other.
“My personal thoughts on remakes are that they can be really good in moderation,” senior Austin Lamb said. “What I mean is that a lot of games stand the test of time but maybe need an update and a new release so that they can be easily enjoyed by the audience of today. However, when companies use remakes to make up for a lack of good original games is when it becomes a problem. We should absolutely enjoy the art of the past but we also still need to make the art of today.”
Remasters are the simplest form of updating a game because a remaster is usually very faithful to the original version of the game. Remasters usually update the graphics and might update the game a little bit but generally stay true to the original game. An example of a remaster would be “The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker HD” a Wii U game which was a remaster of “The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker” which was a game for the GameCube. The remaster didn’t change the gameplay too much but the game updated the graphics to HD graphics while also updating the lighting system to make the game look fresh while keeping it similar to the original game.
Remakes are taking an old game and rebuilding it from the ground up. Remakes will pretty much change or update the gameplay to make it something new for audiences who may not have gotten to play the original game. Sometimes, remakes can feel like a completely new game that holds the name of the original game. An example of the ladder is the “Final Fantasy VII Remake.” This game is a remake of the game of the same name but it differs since it changes the gameplay and story of the original game and makes it pretty much its own game with the same name and characters.
“My favorite remake is probably “Resident Evil 2”,” senior Jackson Crone said. “In my opinion, it’s one of the best remakes ever made.”
Ports are the easiest way of getting a game to new audiences. A port is a game that is from an old console that is put on a newer console. Ports usually use the same assets and graphics of the original game and are updated a bit and put on a newer console for people who may not have been able to play it. An example would be “New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe” which was a port of the game of the same name for the Wii U. While it changed a bit of the gameplay, the game was pretty much the same.
“Remakes and remasters are amazing when done right,” senior Nate Stachula said. “They can allow a new audience to play older titles that were still very good, especially games that were on less successful systems like the GameCube and the Wii U. A great example of this would be the Nintendo “New Play Control” games which gave new life to games that didn’t get them before. Games like the recent “Metroid Prime” trilogy, “New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe,” “Risk of Rain Returns,” “Pikmin” 1-2 on switch and “Final Fantasy VII” Remake are all remakes and remasters done right.”
With the rise of memberships in every walk of life, music apps seem to be taking the brunt of the cash grab conundrum (Content by Izzy Lash)
There’s been a trend in recent years with music apps. It seems like every app developed has some form of a subscription, whether it relates to access to music, freedom to skip, or getting rid of ads. The trend has evolved, in a way, to make not having a subscription the most annoying thing ever. If you don’t have a premium membership or subscription, you have to sit through almost a full movie of ads, watch your playlists skip around to unrelated songs, and sometimes you can’t even access your music because of bad wifi.
Spotify’s ad revenue in 2023 was up to $1.7 billion. For context, after its 2011 release in the United States, after its six-month free trial period, ad revenue was $430 million. That’s a 295 percent increase. When Spotify was first released, ads were every four to seven songs.
Now, Spotify has ads every three songs, and instead of having a variety of ads in short bursts, every ad is a minimum of 30 seconds, and it’s the same three ads every time. For every three songs, you listen to about three minutes worth of ads. You basically spend a quarter of your time on Spotify listening to ads about Spotify.
Unfortunately, with the way the world works, there’s rarely a music program that doesn’t have a free and premium version. You’d be hard-pressed to find a streaming platform willing to suffer billions in losses to host popular artists without recompensation. Luckily, there are platforms with slightly less annoying forms of free versus premium subscription.
Amazon Music:
Amazon Music is a streaming platform by Amazon, like Prime Video but without the video. Premium subscriptions get you access to a certain percentage of blocked songs, unlimited skips, and the ability to listen to your playlists— and only your playlists. The app works pretty well even without Amazon Music Unlimited, Amazon’s premium version, allowing you to listen to music without any ads and around six skips an hour. The app does skip around to songs that don’t necessarily fit with whatever you chose to listen to, instead diverting to popular songs that might be similar, but don’t actually fit the vibe of your playlist or favorite artist.
YouTube Music:
YouTube is a well-known, well-loved video platform that allows users from around the world to post basically anything, including music that is otherwise unreleased. YouTube Premium gets you access to music and videos without ads, and most importantly, allows you to listen without having the app open and pulled up. Besides the mildly annoying and battery-draining factor of keeping YouTube open at all times, not having the premium version doesn’t really affect the experience. YouTube has probably the least amount of ads in any streaming service. You have unlimited access to all songs, and there’s no skip limit regardless of premium status. If you can lock your screen on open, all you have to do is pick your favorite playlist and you’re set for hours of music and videos, for free.
Apple Music:
Apple Music is mostly available on Apple products, hence the name, and requires users to either buy a subscription or buy and download all of their favorite songs. It’s also technically available on Androids, Samsungs, etcetera, but users have to jump through extra hoops that usually just aren’t worth it. Apple Music has no commercials, unlimited skips and a fairly large library of songs. While there’s no truly free version, there’s also no tiers of subscription. If users pay for it, users get it all. Without an Apple Music subscription, users may buy all of the songs they want, which generally costs more than just buying the subscription. No matter which version, songs can be listened to with or without wifi.
Spotify:
Despite trashing Spotify for all it’s worth on the daily, it is a rather useful app for listening to your favorite tunes. The premium membership allows users to listen to nonstop music with no ads, download songs for listening off of wifi, and skip songs with no limit. Users can also pick the order in which they listen to songs, instead of relying on random shuffle, which can get annoying when you just want to listen to that one song. Unlike YouTube Music, you don’t have to have the app open at all times, and unlike Amazon Music, you can listen to what you want without it skipping around to random playlists. However, without premium, you are forced to sit through the aforementioned 30 ads an hour, you only get six skips an hour, and the app tends to be finicky in spotty wifi.
What songs did you find on
The author Colleen Hoover has climbed the charts in the past two years. Her books fly off the shelves as they are advertised on ‘booktok,’ and are talked about among young adults. Although Hoover’s books are talked about frequently, people have not realized what the books are truly about.
“Colleen Hoover is an insanely disgusting author,” sophomore Hannah Bratcher said. “Colleen writes about very mature topics, yet claims her content is okay for people under the age of 18.”
Most of her books have inappropriate content concerning sexual tendencies, crime and other adult topics. Her books state that they are not for those under the age of 14 due to mature themes. Although, most of her books fit a certain genre that is only meant for people above 18. Some of her novels include the topic of domestic or sexual violence that is portrayed as romance which could ruin a child’s perception of a relationship.
“I suggest trying Lucy Score instead,” junior Bella Faulkner said. “Lucy Score is a better author and Colleen Hoover will just eventually traumatize you.”
“It’s upbeat and happy and justs puts you in a good mood.”
Maggie Cuccio, senior “Home” by Good Neighbors
“She makes really beautiful French music while being complex.”
Breanna Brikman, freshman
the
by Canyon Dubis cdubis608@g.fhsdschools.orgDuring the lockdown of 2020, TikTok grew in popularity. The app is known for its variety of short videos with popular music in the background. As the app has become more popular, so has the music in the videos. Many upcoming music artists get their start through TikTok. Not only is their music popular, but the already known music is as well.
“I think songs [on TikTok] become more popular because a lot of people like that style of music and then they become more popular from people listening to them more,” freshman Tabitha Hickman said.
Artists of the music do not get very much payment for their music being on TikTok. This has caused a problem with some of the more popular artists. The Universal Music Group removed their songs from TikTok on Jan. 31, thus causing a stir of emotions from the viewers and creators on TikTok.
“The music being removed was kind of disappointing,” Hickman said. “I think a lot of people had to take down things because a lot of the songs were taken away.”
by John Butler jbutler035@g.fhsdschools.orgThe Watermelon Game made its rise to fame when it was featured on TikTok live streams in which the streamers would play the game. It was also featured at the bottom of TikTok videos alongside famous TV shows. The game has also become popular because of its simplicity. It shares a similarity to old mobile games like Tetris or 2048 which involve combing items to advance.
“We have a competition to see who could get the most watermelons so you may [play as a] competition,” senior Jackie Jolly said.
QSWaterMelon or the Watermelon Game, is a game where one pairs up different fruits that combine into more with the ultimate goal of producing a watermelon. There’s also a helping tool where a timer appears and one can physically shake a phone in order to get the fruit to touch and combine. This game was released on Nov. 7, 2023, and has been a huge hit ever since the beginning of the year.
“I would definitely suggest it and it’s fun for a while,” Jolly said.
by Sam Hall shall102@g.fhsdschools.orgCoachella is an outdoor annual music and arts festival. Doja Cat, Lana Del Rey, and Tyler the Creator are headlining this year’s Coachella in Indio, California April 12 through April 24. The internet has mixed emotions about this year’s headlining artists, but many students like senior Vanessa Waldon are very excited for Coachella.
“I want to go see Doja Cat and everyone there,” Waldon said.
Tickets start at $500 for general admission, and $1,609 for VIP. If one is not able to go, Coachella will be live on YouTube. This year’s attendance is estimated to be around 250,000 people.
Each year since 1999, people have been thrilled for Coachella to go see their favorite music artists. The main attraction of Coachella is seeing the famous music artists, but one can also get to discover smaller bands that they might interested in. Artists and bands such as Deftones, Bebe Rexha, Faye Webster, and Ice Spice are also playing at the event.
“I feel this lineup of singers are really good and flow together perfectly and will be amazing to hear together at Coachella,” freshman Alex Rudoplhi said.
by John Butler
jbutler035@g.fhsdschools.org
Palworld, a new game that hit the market on Jan. 19, that is available on PC or Xbox, is being sued by Nintendo for copyright infringement. Controversy is surrounding the new Palworld game by Nintendo stating that it is a blatant copy of their Pokémon game. The game is made by Pocket Pair, Inc. that is inspired by the popular Pokémon franchise. In the game, there are creatures called Pals that the player can get and then use to fight other Pals and even players.
On one hand, the Palworld creators are stating that their Pals may share a similarity to the Pokémon because they are based on the same creatures. However, according to Palworld, they are in no way based on their popular characters themselves.
Nintendo, on the other hand, claims that Palworld is infringing Pokémon copyright by basing most of their designs on the characters the Pokémon designs took inspiration from. They also have had a record of taking down fan games with even a hint of the Pokémon franchise.
Princess Peach Showtime is a game for the Nintendo Switch releasing on March 22. In this game, Peach gets invited to a play at the Sparkle Theatre but when she gets there, the play gets taken over by the Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch. The player will play as Peach as she and her new friend Stella, the theater’s guardian, work to save the show.
“It looks really good and interesting, I’m excited to see how each of Peach’s outfits will impact gameplay and the story,” senior
After multiple years of waiting, the sequel to Dune flew into theaters on March 1. The original Dune was a smash hit in late 2021, however, a lot of the different plot lines were scattered which made it hard to focus.
“A lot of different storylines that seemed like they were amounting to something, then kind of fell,” junior Caleb Thompson said. These new movies have been struggling to accommodate overly elaborate plots.
Sophia McClure said.
In this game, the player will use Stella’s ribbon to help save the day and take the show back. Sometimes, the ribbon won’t be able to help through obstacles but that’s where Peach’s different transformations come in. At certain points in the game, Peach will change her outfit and with each transformation she will be able to use new abilities that will help her take back the show from the Sour Bunch.
They have been making up for it with a star studded cast to propel themselves to success off the back of fanatic fans. Dune 2 stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the lead in the Dune series.
“Personally, I don’t think he’s very cute, but I’ve heard people think that he’s very cute,” freshman Jasmine Dong said.
Dune 2 managed to replicate a lot of the incredible cinematography and special effects as the original film. Though it still is suffering the fate of sequels and likely will not be remembered as fondly as the first Dune.
“I thought it was a great sequel to the first Dune movie and I also think it’s a great gateway to the last movie of the trilogy,” senior Parker Smith said.
Teenagers of any generation are notorious for their use of unusual words or phrases in everyday conversations. Social media has proved to be extremely helpful in spreading the use of new sayings that get picked up fast, however, people have mixed opinions on them. (Content by Peyton Thies, illustration by Miranda Fabian)
Describes something extremely good or amazing
“I heard a student say it once describing a Mexican restaurant and I was like, ‘It’s fire? Like it’s fiery?’ So that must mean it’s good.”
-Brian Santos, Spanish teacher
Describes something that is giving off a specific vibe
“This one needs to leave. It’s driving me crazy. Especially when they say ‘it’s giving’ and don’t say anything else.” - Jenny Liberson, French teacher
To have romantic charm, short for ‘charisma’
“[I use it] to make fun of people that use it.”
- Zach Fettig, social studies teacher
To take control of a situation, or do what you say you are going to do
“[I use it] because I have to stay hip with the young people.” -Ashley Seiss, English teacher
by Grant Kilen gkilen380@g.fhsdschools.org
We’ve all been there. Maybe you were up too late and need some caffeine. Maybe you had a morning practice and you want a refreshing drink. Or maybe you’re just thirsty. You dash to the commons only to face disappointment: the kitchen is closed. But right before conceding defeat, you see the solution. For right down a nearby hallway are vending machines, stocked with all sorts of Michelle Obama-approved beverages. Elated, you check the price on your desired drink, and immediately the school delivers you an impromptu lesson in business.
“You can go up to a vending machine, get what you need real quick, and head out,” FHN business and marketing teacher Abigail Davis said. “That’s why it can be marked up.”
It’s no secret that vending machine prices at FHN are generally considered to be on the high side.
“I feel like they could be lower,” sophomore Dylan Knaggs said. “I hate how if you use a card it charges $5 automatically. Sometimes it will refund it; other times, you know, if you don’t press ‘complete’ it will let other people spend the money.”
A 16 ounce can of Mountain Dew Kickstart runs for less than $2.45 post-tax when bought in bulk; whereas it costs $3.50 (or $3.60 if a credit card is used) in the school vending machines. That’s a 42 percent markup.
“$3.50 for a kickstart is insane,” freshman Payton Counsell said. “I could just go to the gas station and buy two for the same price.”
Below are facts about the popular manga. (Content by Ray Hathcock)
Gege Akutami
Gege hides their identity by using a pen name and a made up one-eye’d cat. They use that creature in manga to help readers understand what’s going on, all while maintaining a safe social media distance.
The first release of the anime was as the movie “Jujutsu Kaisen 0,” which introduced the character Yuta Okkosu. He originally was intended to be the main protagonist instead of Yuji Itadori, because of his powerful cursed technique ‘Copy.’
Manga Page Switch
Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of “My Hero Academia,” traded bonus pages with Gege Akutami on page 150 of manga number five. “When I think about it, I break into a cold sweat, but that’s neither here nor there,” Akutami said.
The release of season two of the anime Jujutsu Kaisen has popularized its manga
by Ray Hathcock rhathcock942@g.fhsdschools.org
Astoryline that goes from an adventurous teen who is always bored to a quick-paced plotline of the deaths of thousands, whether they’re innocent or not, Jujutsu Kaisen has been one of the top grossing manga currently read, primarily due to the fast-paced ‘Shibuya Arc’ that took over most of season two in the anime, which came out July 6, 2023.
The majority of people prefer watching anime over reading manga, due to either the ability to get through a series quicker or to grasp an understanding of what the narrative is. Although the author, Gege Akutami, explains powers and little bits of information in blurbs on its own separate page in the manga to lessen the confusion.
“The anime is easier to comprehend when it comes to fighting dialogue,” junior Terry Schmitt said. “The art style of the manga gives you a much more thorough sense of style, like the style and the beam and everything, but overall I prefer the anime.”
The story follows along with the main character, Yuji Itadori, who used to not associate with any kind of magic. Though when he found an ancient finger and was explained how dangerous it was, his selfless nature and quick wit pushed him to take action and fight the cursed spirits that killed many innocent lives. It had become his mission to allow for proper deaths. That was until he was physically unable to anymore.
This action is one of the things that intrigued many of the fans, including Kalista Bolland, a senior at FHN who discovered the anime when it was first released. She saw Jujutsu Kaisen after noticing that it
was made by a studio she hadn’t heard of before then. During that time, she was very interested in anime. She only recently has read the manga, due to the influx of spoilers that were on social media.
“I’d say while I do like that the art has improved in the anime, I feel like a manga is story wise, a lot more constructed,” Bolland said. “The powers or techniques they have is my favorite. I feel like I haven’t really seen them. And I think it’s kind of funny how they always have to explain everyone’s power before. Each character is really unique.”
The primary reasons why this manga has been so popular is for its level of intensity in its action. The cruelty towards the characters, especially towards Yuji pull any punches,”
comes to character
hardstyle definitely differentiates it. And just the uniqueness characters are really hadn’t
A variety of top tier anime that should be a part of any watch list (Content by Noah Tucker, Illustrations by Violet Newton and Cheyenne Steed)
“Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End,” takes place in a typical fantasy world setting with magic, swords and goblins. The story revolves around an Elf named Frieren, who takes off on her own personal journey after finishing a decade long adventure with the heroes of the world. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End stands out by focusing on a slow, peaceful world and takes its time when displaying the intricacies of the fictional setting. The combination of the beautifully drawn scenery and the peaceful nature of the music makes Frieren shine above other shows in terms of atmosphere.
“Jujustu Kaisen” explores a world where negative emotions manifest into monsters. Jujutsu Kaisen has a lot to offer to those who haven’t watched much anime by having that consists of largely relatable characters. However, it shines the most in its action, so much so that nearly every episode has a battle between characters or curses. Season two of Jujustu Kaisen has amplified everything about the show and was the most sucessfull anime of summer 2023.
“One Piece” needs no introduction for many people, even for those who don’t watch anime. “One Piece” is notoriously long, with the anime beginning in 1999, it has been running consistently since, and has aired over one thousand episodes. For those who are unfamiliar with One Piece, it is a story about a man named Monkey D. Luffy who goes on a journey at sea to find the secret treasure hidden by the King of Pirates years ago. One Piece is filled with countless different fantastical settings, separated by each island. The crew travels between these islands dodging various obstacles.
“Blue Lock” is not a particularly deep or thought provoking story. But what it lacks in depth, it makes up for in pure entertainment. Blue Lock is a sports anime about soccer. The story follows the main character, Isagi Yoichi, who is a high school student who just lost his final soccer game of the year. That day, he gets an invitation to an event called Blue Lock, which is a program made to find the best “striker” (forward position in soccer) in the country. The story is nothing short of ridiculous, with cartoonishly exaggerated faces and an endless supply of cringe inducing one-liners which just make it even more fun to watch.
After over a decade of anime production, “Attack on Titan” finally reached its climactic end in the 2023 seasons. Attack on Titan, at its surface, takes place in humanity’s final city, surrounded by wilderness that is infested with man-eating giants, called Titans. The audience follows the perspective of Eren Yeager, when Titans break down one of the walls in the city, it leads to his local community and family being destroyed. Eren swears revenge and joins the military to help humanity fight against the Titans. Attack on Titan is one of the most in-depth stories anime has to offer with commentary on real world events and crazy plot twists that’ll leave viewers with so many different moments of realization hit like a truck.
“Vinland Saga” is a story about how violence and war truly affect people. Vinland Saga tells it’s story between the years 900 - 1100 AD in Eastern Europe, focusing on Vikings. The main character is a boy named Thorfinn, who sneaks onto his fathers boat to join him in the war. The boat gets ambushed and he begins to travel with the attackers in hopes to get revenge. This anime stands out in how revenge stories are told. In Season two of “Vinland Saga,” viewers get to see the journey of an adult Thorfinn, who is traumatized by his war ridden youth. In time the main character takes a stand against violence and begins his journey as a pacifist with the goal to end war and slavery.
Search FHNtoday in the App Stores
TWITTER: @FHNtoday & @FHNgameday
INSTAGRAM: @FHNtoday & @FHNgameday
YOUTUBE: youtube.com/FHNtoday
FACEBOOK : facebook.com/FHNtodayFan
TIKTOK : @FHNtoday & @FHNgameday
*These are social media accounts that are part of the FHN Journalism program. They are student accounts, run entirely by students.
INSTAGRAM: @FHNtoday and @FHNgameday
YOUTUBE: youtube.com/FHNtoday
SNAPCHAT: @FHNtoday & @FHNgameday
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/FHNtodayFan & @FHNgameday
TWITTER: @FHNtoday & @FHNgameday
TIKTOK: @FHNtoday & @FHNgameday
As always, we have lots of updates week as well on FHNtoday.com.
Join the Booster Club and support your student!
Funds raised through memberships and concession stand earnings are used to support athletic teams as well as year-end scholarships.
To Join Email: HowellNorthAthleticBoosters@gmail.com
Black Membership: $25
Black and Gold Membership: $50 (comes with $25 booster bucks)
Knights Membership: $100 (comes with $50 booster bucks)
info@elv8golf.com @elv8golf
Here is a look into some of FHN’s indie fashion and music favorites (Content and illustrations by Bri Taliaferro, paper images by Pixabay.com)
“Really it’s just using your own creative liberties and not letting anyone else dictate your preference.”
Erik Fabian, 9
“I can relate to their lyrics on a personal level.”
Leo Swaney, 9
“I feel like you don’t have to fit a certain gender to dress indie. Anyone can, it’s just a lot of
THE NEIGHBORHOOD
A mix of “pop, alternative and grunge.”
“The music is very calming and not in-your-face type music.”
Rylan Trotter, 9
Bee earrings Charlie Hedrich, 9
“It’s being yourself and not just fitting a norm. Recognizing who you are, I think that’s what Indie means to me.”
Katie Gaynor, 9
Bomber Jacket and Loose Jeans Chloe Filey, 10 1 2 3 1 2 3
and
“I like to be perceived as an approachable person and I feel like sweaters and lots of cute things like mushrooms, butterflies and all that stuff makes you be perceived as more of that.”
Marisa Beiner, 10
nail
“There’s nothing fancy about it it’s literally just a railroad nail curled to fit a finger. But it’s from my Dad and next to that it also means a lot to me because it’s from my old town where I was raised. Most of my life I’ve spent there and this is something from there that I can keep.” - Katie Gaynor, 9 .
“A lot of Jhariah’s strength comes from both the uniqueness of their music and also the lyrics.”
Scar Mulka, 9
Their entire tagline is all drama, no genre. It’s just fun to listen to because it really perfectly mixes elements of punk rock and jazz, which shouldn’t go together.” Scar Mulka, 9
Explore various FHN students’ keychains and their favorite items (Content by Violet Newton)
“I really like the Costa Rica keychain because I got it on one of my favorite vacations,” senior Kendra Swope.
“I love the big ‘D’ on my keychain because It was one of the first things I put on my keys when I started driving. I also love the crystal because my older sister got it for me when I was younger to put on my keys eventually, so obviously I did and now it’s very sentimental,” junior Delaney St. John.
“My favorite thing is the ‘R’ initial keychain because my baby cousin saved up his allowance to buy it for me,” senior Ryleigh Albers.
“The ‘K’ initial keychain is my favorite because one of my best friends got it for me,” senior Kaylee Lohnes.
“The Aquaphor is definitely my favorite because it works really well and always comes in handy,” senior Evie Kraus.
Junior Caleb Thompson looks at all of the albums he has saved on the “Discog” app. (Photo by Miranda Fabian)
Discovering new music that isn’t mainstream can be a difficult and time consuming process. With so much music being available on streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, a lot of talented artists can go unnoticed. To discover new music, Junior Caleb Thompson has recently developed a hobby of listening to a brand new album each day. Thompson discovers albums to listen to through his own research and from recommendations from his peers. In the past few months, Thompson has also decided to review the albums he listens to on his Snapchat story.
“I really love music and I found myself always looking for new things to listen to,” Thompson said. “To discover new music, I thought it would be fun to listen to one new album a day so I could find more artists to listen to. One day a friend of mine said I [should] just post reviews to the albums I listened to so I decided to start posting reviews on my Snapchat story.”
Thompsons music reviews always have a part of his wit and charm in them. Thompson will sometimes tell a funny story about the album he listened to or will make jokes about the album to make his reviews stand out. His friends always look forward to seeing his new stories as even people who aren’t interested in the album itself will be entertained by Thompsons reviews.
“When Caleb reviews the music he listens to it really encapsulates his personality,” junior Delaney St. John said. “He’s just a really goofy guy and I look forward to seeing all of his funny music reviews he posts.”
To track all of the albums he’s listened to, Thompson uses an app called Discog. So far Thompson has listened to 193 albums. Music is something Thompson is passionate about and he plans on discovering as many artists and new songs for his playlist as he can.
“I love music and reviewing and tracking my collection is just a really fun thing to do,” Thompson said. “It’s just super fun finding brand new artists to listen to.”
Moving is never easy, but there was an added layer of difficulty for junior Havana York who lived in Jamaica for 13 years before moving to the United States in 2021. York was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, with her mother and two half-sisters before relocating to the U.S. after her mother married an American man.
“So, at first I didn’t like hearing [that I would move] because it was very different from what I was used to,” York said. “But after a while, I got used to it and I like it more now.”
There are many cultural changes one has to make when they move, and for some it can take years to adjust to. It’s typical for people who have to move to other countries to feel very lost or disconnected. Language barriers add even more of a challenge.
Although countries like Jamaica teach English in their schools, most Jamaicans don’t typically speak English regularly. As a result, York developed a heavy accent when she began to speak English and felt insecure.
“One of the biggest challenges I faced was talking to new people and meeting new people,” York said. “I was very introverted in freshman year, and I didn’t feel like I belonged here. I did not talk to a lot of
York shares items from Jamaica
“I received these Jamaican figurines from my dad before I left Jamaica. The vibrant colors and detailing really capture the spirit of Jamaican culture.”
people. My accent was very thick, so I found it embarrassing.”
Despite the language barriers over the years, York made friends at school and in her neighborhood and became more comfortable in an entirely alien environment.
“I have made a lot of friends here,” York said. “People here are nicer than people in Jamaica.”
Winnie Vergara, a junior at North, also made a move from one country, the Philippines, to the U.S. a few years ago. Vergara became close friends with York, and together they shared the experience and stress of moving and learning to adjust.
“I arrived here in the U.S. in the seventh grade, so when I first got here, I didn’t really know how to communicate because I didn’t know how [Americans] thought,” Vergara said. “So, it took a few years to learn how to communicate and know what they’ll be thinking about me.”
Another significant challenge when moving countries is switching schools. Education in any country is very different, from school types to grade levels to education. For instance, York found the mixed-grade classrooms in the school very confusing.
“The fact that sophomores, seniors and freshmen could be all in the same class at once was very strange to me,” York said. “In Jamaica, they would be all separate. So, if you were in 10th grade, you would not be in
a class with any other grade.”
Moving added much anxiety, but York developed some ways to eliminate the stress she felt after moving. She developed a crocheting hobby because materials were easier to obtain in the United States than in Jamaica.
“I tried crocheting for the first time because it was so easy to get the materials compared to in Jamaica,” York said. “I’m not very good, but at least I tried.” York and her family had to leave a ton of familiar faces and places and carry the weight of those she left behind. However, she and her family still keep in contact with most of her family and friends.
“I do visit Jamaica often, maybe every two months,” York’s mother Alicia David said. “[My] extended family lives in Jamaica and we converse through video calls.”
Bridging the distance between them through calls helps keep the family ties close for York’s family, as it helps keep her family connected despite being separated by thousands of miles. Adapting to a new country was challenging for York, but she has gradually found that she feels like she belongs since making new friendships.
“I think it’s okay to feel nervous, but once you get comfortable and find people that you fit in with and feel comfortable with, you’ll be fine. It’s just like the beginning stage, but you will get over it,” York said.
Nadiyah Collins is a current sophomore at FHN, and enjoys doing hair and nails outside of school. She also found a deeper passion for doing things beauty related during COVID and decided to take it more seriously.
(Photos by Jupiter Stephens)
Collins shows off her own nail designs that she made herself.
It is not uncommon for teenagers to have jobs during high school, but it is a little unusual for a teen to start their own business from the ground up. Sophomore Nadiyah Collins did just that by setting up a nail studio in her basement to pursue doing nail art for other people.
“I was looking for a way to make money and I enjoyed doing [nails] on myself,” Collins said. “People asked me, so I just started.”
Collins started doing nail art in 2021 and improved by watching YouTube videos and practicing designs on herself. Once she realized that people admired her talent and also wanted their nails done by her, she started taking clients in 2022 and began to advertise her services.
“[Students] saw me doing my nails and they would come up to me like, ‘Oh, who did your nails?’ ‘I did,’” Collins said. “And then they would say, ‘okay, can you do mine?’”
Even though her business is small, Collins provides lots of creative nail designs at an affordable price with sets starting at around $35, depending on the set, and the time for each set taking from one and a half to two and a half hours.
“I do think her prices are reasonable, she always posts about sales on her Instagram story,” sophomore Ava Bartlett said. “So, she has Hoco and Snowco sales, and then she has holiday sales. I think that’s really cool.”
With her business running for a bit over two years, she has continued to be successful with her nail art and her customers. She has never received any negative feedback about her designs and she even gives care packages and punch cards to her customers that allow them to eventually get a free set.
“It’s a really good, efficient business,” Bartlett said. “She has a good Instagram on it, she always has deals and I love her little package she gives at the end.”
It is not very often that all siblings in a family go into the same life-long career, but for Kasey Yancey, a math teacher at FHN, this is her reality with all of her siblings being teachers like herself.
Yancey has two older siblings, 28-yearold Madison Stauseback and 26-year-old Samantha Yancey, who both decided to follow their passion and become teachers. Stauseback teaches in the St. Louis Public School District, while Samantha works in St. Charles.
“Madison teaches first [grade], and Samantha, she’s a case manager for kids with mental or physical health disabilities,” Kasey said. “So she’s not in a classroom, but she works with schools.”
When they were younger, their father was a teacher and they would frequently help set up his classroom, while their mother, Heather Martin, did coaching work. Despite the early exposure to the teaching lifestyle, they were never forced to become teachers themselves. They were encouraged to do whatever made them happy from their
mother, and continued to be supported by her and by each other through their careers.
“Be there for them. Support them. Support them on the bad days,” Martin said. “It all really is about just supporting them.”
With all of them being teachers, they often discuss each others opinions when it comes to teaching, and can understand what each other have gone through when it has been a tough day. Martin even believes that their jobs have brought them closer together and loves the fact that all of her children are teachers.
“It’s a good retirement, it’s a good career and we need good teachers,” Martin said. “It’s so important, especially in today’s world, that we have good, compassionate teachers out there.”
Family-owned farm Alpacas of Troy brought baby sheep, lamb and goats to Imagination Pottery Studio for a painting session. Jeff Suchland then started to go around the room putting the baby farm animals on anyone’s lap who wanted one. “The baby animals are definitely the best part of the farm,” Alpacas of Troy Co-Owner Jeff Suchland said. (Photos by Faith Smith)
Co-Owner
With over a thousand items and after years of repairs, local Soda Museum on Main Street opens and displays the American spirit that lies within
by McKenna Hudson mhudson365@g.fhsdschools.orgAdream that has taken a lifetime of collecting and saving has been capped off in the opening of the Soda Museum. Tom Smith has been collecting soda memorabilia for nearly 40 years and has turned a lifelong dream into reality. With a seemingly never-ending collection of items, Smith has his life’s work on full display with lots to do, see and drink.
“My wife’s dream in retirement is to be able to drink her coffee and watch the river,” Smith said. “My dream of retirement is to hug a Coke machine.”
On the first floor, the museum showcases some of Smith’s favorite pieces as well as interchangeable exhibits that keep the museum fresh and new for each visit. Smith’s first item he ever collected can even be viewed on full display. On the second floor, visitors can see more soda memorabilia and find obscure items such as the shortlived Tab drink created by Coca-Cola. In the basement is an arcade that houses vintage games where families can play and then enjoy a meal and a soda. However, his favorite item is one yet to be showcased at the museum.
“[This summer, there] will be a special exhibit that will be in a back room that will take full around-the-clock security,” Smith said. “So, if you can think of what the CocaCola company would least like someone to show, that is what it will be.”
At 10, Smith’s first piece was a Coca-Cola serving tray which kickstarted a lifelong obsession. Smith’s collecting didn’t stop at soda, however. He also enjoyed other vintage items, especially ones representative of his youth, those being arcade games. When he was young, Smith enjoyed combining his two interests, soda and games to create the ultimate hangout spot.
“My friends would keep coming over because it was a cool place to hang out because we had free soda and a pinball
machine,” Smith said.
As Smith got older, he knew his dream was not to be in the political consulting business forever, however, it was an interest that he pursued into his adult years.
“I started volunteering for a couple of different political campaigns,” Smith said. “I’ve worked in the world of politics ever since. I started my own political consulting business after seeing the way that campaigns were wasting money and so I knew that I could do it cheaper and I felt I could do it better.”
Below are the Soda Museum’s hours of operation and admission prices as well as a QR code more Soda Museum content
HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 5
ADMISSION
Museum Admission:
$10
Arcade Admission:
$15
Museum / Arcade Admission: $20
But in the back of his mind, soda was always there waiting. He would continue to go to estate sales and auctions and even on “junking trips” with his father. More than just a hobby, Smith would devote his spare time to getting his hands on any piece of soda memorabilia he could find. In the 1980s, he even sent out letters to members of the Coca-Cola Collectors Club in hopes that some would be willing to sell their treasures. Even today, Smith still reaps the rewards of his efforts from back in the day.
“I would send out a letter saying that I’m interested in buying the whole collections and so I would get some phone calls,” Smith said. “So, I even put a little thing on there, save this letter, you know, anytime you or
your family want to liquidate your stuff, give me a call. My last collection I bought from letters I sent out in the ’80s was last year.”
After 40 years of collecting, Smith was finally ready to move forward on his dream of opening a museum. Being a St. Charles native, Smith was familiar with Main Street and particularly 126 North Main St. A former shoe store, Smith had had his eye on the place and knew when it went up for sale it was time to strike. After much negotiation, he bought the place in April of 2021 and was in for grueling repairs.
“There were seven or eight different species of animals living in there,” Smith said. “There was three feet of standing water in the basement, the entire ceiling had fallen to the ground. It was in really, really, really bad shape.”
After a few years worth of renovation, the Soda Museum was finally unveiled to the public on Nov. 30, 2023. The reaction from Smith and his companions in the journey was overwhelming.
“It was very emotional,” Smith said. “I’ve been wanting to do this for 35 years and the day had finally come.”
Carolyn Gertsch is an employee at the Soda Museum and has been a friend of Smith’s for 17 years. Gertsch recognizes the effort Smith has put into the museum and enjoys being a part of the history.
“I think it’s amazing and I love it so much for him,” Gertsch said. “Personally, I love history and these objects all hold so much history. Not only of soda but of America itself.”
But beyond the flashy items and expensive collectibles, Smith hopes for something more when visitors come to the museum.
“My strongest goal is for someone to come in here and to remember something as a child,” Smith said.
“So, whether it is a 30 or 40-yearold, or a 90-year-old coming in here and saying ‘I remember that,’ and have it bring joy to them in some way.”
Anna Bauer, sophomore at FHN, contemplates about how she finds comfort and life in making her personality about the famous song artist. (Photo by Madelyn Brewer)
by Naomi VanDyne nvandyne312@g.fhsdschools.orgAs Taylor Swift’s reputation continues to grow, sophomore Anna Bauer’s fearless personality makes her well-known as a lover of Taylor Swift.
“It’s great, I listen to Taylor, watch Taylor, talk about Taylor,” Anna said. “The people around me kinda think I’m crazy, but then join in on the madness, so it’s fun.”
To show her love and obsession of Swift, Anna has created a multitude of bracelets that she consistently matches with her outfits each day, and has amassed quite a collection. This all got started when Anna went to see “The Eras Tour” with her parents and younger sister Nora in July 2023. At this point, Anna had been a Swiftie for a while and had started making a few bracelets to trade with others at the tour. It all started when one of her friends made her a few bracelets, and Anna didn’t even know it was a trend, but she continued to make more. This was all in preparation for “The Eras Tour,” which was a highly anticipated moment in her life ever since the tickets were acquired.
“I had just been living my life religiously obsessed with [Swift] for a while so the fact that I was gonna see her and then I did, it was just such a beautiful, amazing moment,” Anna said.
When reminiscing about the concert, Anna describes an experience that was like no other, and seemed practically enchanted just thinking about it. Afterwards, the bracelet making did not stop. In fact, Anna currently has 136 bracelets, whether that be ones from friends, trading at the concert, or mostly ones that she made herself.
“I just kept wanting to make more and more and more,” Anna said.
Since she has so many, Anna has to keep them all together. Her sister Nora got her a clear bag for the tour to keep them in, and they’ve been there ever since. Today, the bag is overflowing as Anna continues to make the bracelets of her wildest dreams
there is an even amount on each wrist whether its seven, 15 or 22, but also so the colors and theme of each bracelet match a bracelet in the same spot on her other wrist.
Anna’s Playlist
“I think it’s a great thing to have an obsession over,” friend of Anna, sophomore Kaili Melton said. “You have infinite possibilities as to what you could make and it’s a pretty fun craft. Also, in the end, when you start wearing them you can stack them and decorate your wrists which is pretty fun.”
Scan the QR code to view Anna’s favorite Taylor Swift songs (YouTube Music)
When making these bracelets, Anna describes quite the process to create them, but also wearing them. To make them, Anna first starts off with the song title or whatever words she wants on the bracelet and finds all of the letters. Then, she will find the colors that match what she pictures when she thinks of the song. A lot of her beads will usually match with whatever colors the album covers have. Then, once all of the beads are found, Anna organizes them exactly how they will be strung together on a not-so invisible string. Finally, she puts them all together and ties it off.
“I just think it’s cute to have accessories,” Anna said. “So with all these bracelets, I never have an outfit that doesn’t have an accessory.”
Putting on the bracelets is a journey as well. Every morning, Anna dumps out the bag and picks out as many bracelets that will match her outfit for the day. Then she organizes them by pairs, so that
“That’s why I’m running late every day,” Anna said.
Even though it might take a lot of time, Anna wears all of these bracelets for several reasons, one of them being to show her love for Swift to herself and everyone who sees her wrists.
“They symbolize just how much I love Taylor and the dedication that I have,” Anna said.
The bracelets don’t show this enthusiasm only to Anna, though. They are on display all day, to anyone that sees her.
“Anna is an amazing person who is especially good at bracelet making,” Melton said. “I hope people see her bracelets and maybe try making their own after seeing how cool and fun hers are.”
Turning people into Swifties is something Anna does to many people she’s met. This has definitely happened with all of Anna’s friends and family, who have gotten “Secondhand Swiftie” according to Nora.
“She always is singing Taylor Swift songs nonstop, she’s always thinking about Taylor Swift, and Taylor Swift always finds a way into all of our conversations,” Nora said. “She has a lot of references to Taylor Swift, too.”
Many people admire Swift for how influential she has become and how hard she has worked to get to that point. Because Anna likes Swift for this and so much more, she will continue to be a lover of Swift for a long time.
“I think it’s just cool to have something to be passionate about and enjoy, which is what Taylor and her music is to me,” Anna said.
Here are some items that Broadbooks uses to stay on track.
Healthy food is key to upholding personal health and staying on top of your game. These super foods could be bananas, oats and apples.
Protein is a important tool for runners as it repairs tissue, exercise recovery and improves immune function.
Getting up before the sun is one way for runners to practice before they start their day. Coffee helps you rise in the morning to complete a morning run.
Having a good running shoe helps to improve form and reduce discomfort. Some of the best brands of running shoes for runners are Hoka, Brooks or Adidas.
Barnwell teacher Jerod Broadbooks competed at Olympic Trials in early February after running just one marathon
by Chase Pray praychase315@gmail.comThe Olympics is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, so the selection process to ensure the best athletes are selected for it is one of the harshest and most selective of any major sporting event. To even qualify for the Olympic marathon trial on Feb. 3, runners must have run a marathon with a time of 2:18:00. Many runners could dedicate their entire lives to train and prepare and still wouldn’t end up having an eligible time. So, when Barnwell Middle School band teacher Jerod Broadbooks qualified for the trial after running a 2:14:59 at his first ever marathon, he was overcome with shock and excitement.
“Pretty much the only thing I hadn’t done as a runner is run a full marathon until I ran the ‘California International Marathon’ back in November,” Broadbooks said. “I didn’t really know what to expect since I had never ran a marathon before so to be able to qualify for the trials was surreal.”
Broadbooks ran during his time in high school and even ran during all four years of his time in college at Lindenwood. However, after he graduated in 2019, Broadbooks took a break from running. He changed his focus to primarily focus on his future as an educator. Broadbooks would take over as Barnwell Middle Schools band director in 2021 but his impact on students and his fellow faculty would immediately be felt. To show their support for Broadbooks, his coworkers and all of the students at Barnwell would host a surprise send-off for him when they found out he qualified for the Olympic Trials.
“Mr. Broadbooks has been a great addition
to the Barnwell community in his short time here and even though we teach completely different subjects, a couple of my coworkers and I wanted to surprise him with a surprise send-off to celebrate his awesome accomplishment of qualifying for the Olympic Trials,” Barnwell P.E teacher Jacqueline Gettemeier said. “He even has a friendly bet with some of my more competitive students who think that they can outrun him, that he’ll beat them in a race anytime and anywhere.”
Although Broadbooks decided to run competitively again, he had a new challenge to face. He was no longer a college kid who had a consistent schedule where he had daily blocks of time marked off where he could run. He was now a middle school band director and a track coach for Francis Howell High on the side. All of these were very time consuming and he needed to find a way that he could dedicate time for all of his commitments that would lower his stress levels to a minimum.
“He even has a friendly bet with some of my more competitive students who think that they can outrun him, that he’ll beat them in a race anytime and anywhere.”
To move onto the Olympics, Broadbooks would need to place top three at the trial. Heading into the Olympic trial, Broadbooks qualifying time was among the 50th best of the people competing. He ended up placing 26th which is a big step up from his projected placement. Although he didn’t qualify for the Olympics, Broadbooks enjoyed his time in Orlando and was grateful he had the opportunity to compete.
- Gettemeier
“I placed higher than I was originally ranked so that’s super cool and I’m proud about that,” Broadbooks said. “I also got to spend time with my wife Megan down in Orlando as well and overall it was just a great time and an experience I won’t forget.”
“For most of my training I was juggling a lot of things,” Broadbooks said. “I recently stepped down as the cross country and track coach because I had to cut something out because things were just too hectic. I found myself running at these really odd times and there were definitely a lot of early mornings but I managed to pull through.”
Broadbooks isn’t giving up his Olympic dreams, as he plans on training and competing in more marathons prior to the 2028 Olympic season. During that time, he is also going to focus on his other two passions; music and teaching the youth. The past few years have allowed for some self discovery and Broadbooks has pushed himself to limits he didn’t even know he had.
“The past few years have been a little crazy in a good way,” Broadbooks said. “I got married, became a band teacher at a great school that’s close to where I grew up and I discovered that I still got some gas in the tank that I didn’t know I had left in me after college.”
Jerod Broadbooks gets into a starting position on the Barnwell Middle School track. Broadbooks had to find odd times to run during his preparation for the Olympic Trials and would often run during any off time he had between his teaching career and his personal life. (Photo by Payton Johnston)St. Louis is filled with many local crystal stores, here are a few small businesses worth checking out (Content by Kaylee Priest)
Mystic Valley, a crystal store local to St. Louis, is a small business currently located on 7241 Manchester Rd. selling all sorts of spiritual things such as crystals, spiritually educational books, jewelry and more. Along with that, they also have a café which sells healthy beverages and snacks that is open in the mornings on one side of the store. A perk of shopping in the store is a free surprise at check out.
“I really like how we have all of her information about the crystals laid right next to them so you can clearly see them,” Mystic Valley employee Cece Hoff said. “I also love that we gave out free crystals at check out.”
Terradonna is one of Main Street’s many crystal stores and is completely filled with many unique gems. Terradonna is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. The small business owner, being extremely spiritual herself, only sells ethically sourced crystals that she handpicked. All crystals range in price between a few dollars to a few hundred dollars so there are crystals for any price point. Below every crystal in the shop is the name and a short explanation of what it does spiritually.
“[I like] that all the stones are fair trade, everything’s ethical,” Terradonna employee Tari Havard said. “There’s nothing man made in here, as far as stones go. So it just makes the space feel very elevated and very peaceful.”
One of St. Louis best hidden crystal stores, STL Rocks, is a local small business located on 2003 Cherokee St. in St. Louis city. They sell well over 300 different types of crystals, in all different formations, including raw, spears, towers and animals. Along with also selling over 50 different types of crystal brackets, they also sell handmade sterling silver rings, necklaces and earrings. They sell crystals ranging from 50 cents to $500 with a little bit of something for everyone.
Spring cleaning is more than just a chore, it can have a positive effect on mental health. It has been shown that doing spring cleaning can give people more control over their environment.
“It can also bring a sense of accomplishment, which could boost your mood and your self confidence,” Responsive Services counselor Ann Herman said.
Students at North have also participated in this trend of cleaning.
“[Spring cleaning] makes me feel accomplished and tidy,” sophomore Colin McGuire said.
When one organizes or cleans a living space, it can also improve other areas of one’s life. Cleaning and organizing a room may help to get school work organized or other things done.
“What the research has shown is that living in a cluttered environment is linked to depression,” Herman said.
Clutter and disorganization can lead to ongoing stress. The sight of chaos in a living space can lead to feelings of overwhelm and anxiety. A cluttered environment may make it harder to focus and get things done because it can cause someone to focus more on the clutter than other activities. It may also disrupt sleeping if where someone sleeps isn’t clean or organized. Not having a clean living space can also affect social interactions because one may have feelings of embarrassment or angst to invite people over, which could lead to social isolation and missed opportunities to connect with others.
Not having a clean environment can affect mental and emotional well being, so having a clean space is not only important for hygienic reasons but also for one’s mental health. Spring cleaning can give a feeling of a clear mind set and fresh start as the new season starts.
“It puts me in a better [mood], which makes me more productive to clean or do other things,” McGuire said.
Search for the basketball in each photo from a North varsity basketball game (Photos by Miranda Fabian and Austin Griffin, Illustration by Kaylee Priest)
NCAA division one basketball playoff is commonly referred to as “MarchMadness,” is one of the most anticipated and watched events in all of sports. This single-elimination tournament consists of 68 teams that compete in seven rounds for the national championship, similar to many other sports. The round leading up to the finals is known as the Final Four, where the remaining teams compete for the chance to go on to the championship game and have an opportunity to win the NCAA title. Viewers can create their own brackets at the beginning of playoffs to try and guess the outcome of march madness. This year, FHN is hosting its own bracket competition featuring a live bracket viewable on FHNtoday.com. The winner will receive prizes from outside sponsors. Contestants can fill out brackets using the link on FHNgameday. Brackets were be available March 17, and the deadline for contestants to compete is noon on March 21. Information will be posted on FHN socials and is being organized by Olivia Graeser and Katie Head. You can reach out to Graeser, Head or Aaron Manfull in room 105 with any questions.
FILL OUT YOUR BRACKET NOW
Scan the QR code below to fill out your bracket now.
A blocker and a pivot on the pink team work to keep the black team’s jammer from getting through. Blocker’s helmets are normal, while pivots mount a large stripe and jammers boast a star.
Beth Henry, also known as Jedi, skates around the track during the final scrimmage of the night on Feb. 17.
For more derby content, check out the photo gallery, video and more on FHNtoday.com by scanning the QR code below.
The Arch Rival Roller Derby league creates community between the athletes and their fans (Photos by Michaela Manfull and Cherry Clark, Content by Michaela Manfull)
While many who step onto the Midwest Sport Hockey rink on game night on Feb. 17 don their well-worn skates and flashy outfits, the Head NonSkating Official (NSO) Steve Brown does not. Instead, he avoids the center of the track, where players warm up and makes his way to a table sitting on the far side. He’s comfortable wearing his simple tennis shoes, jeans, a flannel shirt and a zip-up jacket. His white beard and grin make him instantly recognizable for all who’ve seen him before.
When Brown was younger, his friend invited him to a roller derby fundraising event, giving him his first exposure to the sport.
“It was an idea of something to do that you step outside the box,” Brown, whose derby name is Count Stephanos, said. “Everybody does baseball, basketball, football, whatever. Step out of the box.”
While he didn’t catch a game the night of the fundraiser, he saw one a little while later when the men’s national championships came to town. That’s what hooked him.
“I watched it all weekend and decided ‘I can do that,’” Brown said. “Well, I didn’t skate as well as everybody else. So, I said okay, I can do the non-skating one. Progressively, I went up and became the only person that knows how to run it all.”
Brown has served as an official for more than 12 years now, partly because of his love of the sport, but mostly for his love of the derby community. That community can be seen from the players battling it out on the rink to the fans in the stands. It’s one of the things that people who are part of the fun keep coming back to when they talk about why they love roller derby so much.
“Roller derby is great and everyone is welcome at every skill level,” Carol Hopfinger, also known as Cruella, a player on Arch Rival Roller Derby’s (ARCH) All Stars team, said. “You don’t have to know how to skate, you don’t have to know how to play a sport, you
can have no athleticism in your bones at all, and it’s just a great organization.”
That community can even be seen when the adult skaters show up for their practices on Sunday mornings just as the junior derby players are finishing theirs. Two weeks prior to tonight’s matches, at one of these practices, two junior skaters, Maeko King and Abbie Wann, raced to their bags to remove their gear, giggling and attempting to trip each other the entire way.
Wann: [Roller derby] is football on skates
King: Well, it’s kind of like that, but it’s not
Wann: Way more penalties.
King: Yeah. There are like thousands. I can’t even remember half of them.
Junior derby is relatively new, only becoming its own thing in the past two decades, giving younger kids interested in playing a chance to learn the basics of skating and the rules of the game before they go onto play full-contact.
King, known as Rocky Road, and Wann, Deenie the Meanie, have played derby together for over a year. They frequently finish each other’s sentences and fill in information about each other like an old married couple would– with just a little more energy. They race up and down the track to see who can yell the loudest while skating.
“The moment you start playing with ARCH, you automatically have friends,” Hopfinger said. “If something were to happen and I’d say, ‘hey, I need help with X, Y, Z,’ there would be 20 people willing to help with whatever I needed. If I needed to move, they would come and help me move. If I needed food, they would bring me food, if they needed to take me to the hospital because I broke something at practice, they would take me to the hospital.”
While the two couldn’t show their skills on Feb. 17 as there was no junior derby scrimmage, another new face made its way across the track that night. Emma Moscatello, whose jersey reads ‘EmaKidd,’ was finally cleared to play her first derby game that night. She joined ARCH after attending one of the bootcamps held every winter.
“I miss when we used to travel a lot,” league photographer Bob Dunnell said. His derby name is Mr. McWheelie, but he doesn’t use it often anymore. “We used to go to different towns and I’ve traveled literally around the world with Arch Rival so it’s really
nice to see that kind of stuff coming back.” ARCH is part of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and, as of just last year, is ranked number two on an international level and number one in their regional level in the U.S. As of now, the ARCH league has one junior team and three women’s teams, those being the Fleur-deLinquents, Nemesis and All Stars, their C-, B- and A-teams, respectively.
“For me, being able to be part of the AllStars and continually trying to get play time with them I think is really cool because I was a little bit older when I started playing and it’s just something that’s really nice to be able to check off my list and participate in really competitive play with the top athletes,” Hopfinger said.
During the games that took place on Feb. 17, each of the three teams played two scrimmages, ensuring each team played each of the others once. While not yet cleared to skate in games, first-year ARCH member, Rabia Polzin, could be found next to the announcer the whole night, manning a video
“I found out about derby because I was dating someone for most of last year who was also freshly new to the team, so I would attend practices to help keep an eye on her kid,” Polzin said. “I attended games to support the team and from the minute I started hanging around, I just found this to be a lovely community of people who I really seemed like I wanted to be around more, not just as a plus one, but as part of the actual team.”
Polzin, whose tentative derby name is Cicada Lovelace, has been working up to being able to play fullcontact games with their teammates. While ARCH was originally Arch Rival Roller Girls, they changed their name in 2016 to Arch Rival Roller Derby “to reflect and include our transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming league members.” They also have an affiliated men’s league known as the Gatekeepers, which also has female-presenting players within its ranks.
“I’m single and I’m a co-parent,” Polzin said.
you have from day one, which is really cool,” Hopfinger said. “Especially as an adult, it’s hard to make friends, it’s just a weird situation, but it’s immediate as soon as you step on the track.”
Though there are a lot of newer faces to derby, when it comes to retiring, many players never really quit. They find themselves back on the track year after year, even if it wasn’t in the same position they started out in.
“I was a skater for seven years,” outside pack referee Kim Mason, whose uniform boasts the name Sunday School Slammer, said. “I started playing in 2012 and I had heard about it for years before that. My job tonight was to watch the skaters from the outside of the track and watch for penalties.”
Two players hug as their final scrimmage of Feb. 17 at the Midwest Sport Hockey Rink ends. The black team played the first two games, but the players stuck around to cheer on the rest of their teammates that night.
“My ex-wife and I have a toddler together and it’s been pretty easy for me to work around both with supportive people in derby and outside. If I need someone to keep an eye on him while practicing, it’s available. Also, no one worries if I’m showing up late to practice, like today, because I had to drop him off later than usual. I work a 9 to 5. It’s easy for me to be here outside of that generally, and evening practices and weekends mean that it’s worked pretty well.”
No matter a person’s identity or preferences, ARCH has a spot for everyone on their teams.
“It’s an immediate group of friends that
There were plenty of penalties for Mason to call that night, as there are any time she officiates a derby game.
The night’s final jam ends with the pink team keeping their hefty lead over the white team, sending players to the high five line as they chatter and make their way off the track for the night. The crowd trickles out and the referees find their way to their locker room while Polzin and Brown help pack up the cords then follow suit until they are called back for the next contest. Members take off their jerseys, and, in turn, their derby names they don every time they’re around their teammates.
They may be done for this game, heading home at 10 p.m., but they’ll be up for practice tomorrow, Sunday morning, as always. That practice, they’ll discuss what went well and what they could improve on and keep rolling forward together.
Many different wheels turn all over the track to keep derby games rolling smoothly
Legal Name: Kim Mason
Derby Name: Sunday School Slammer
Position: Outside Pack Referee- Skates around the outside of the track to watch for penalties during the game.
Legal Name: Steve Dixon
Derby Name: Star-Spangled Hammer
Position: Game Announcer- Gives a play-by-play relay of the entire derby game through the loudspeakers.
Legal Name: Bob Dunnell
Derby Name: Mr. McWheelie
Position: League Photographer- Takes photos of every ARCH league game and travels with the teams.
Legal Name: Steve Brown
Derby Name: Count Stephanos
Position: Head NSO (non-skating official)- Coordinates all other NSO’s during the game and runs the scoreboard.
?WHO ARE YOU?
Scan the QR code to the right to find out what position on the track fits you best.
Players communicate with each other as the jammers make their way down the track on Feb. 17 during the second scrimmage. This game was a very close matchup between the black team and the white team. Usually, roller derby games have two 30 minute halves, but for their season opener, the three usual ARCH teams were divided evenly and each played one 30-minute scrimmage against each other, allowing players of all skill levels to have an equal playing field.
For every coach in high school and college, they hold their players to a high standard. Along with the rigorous training they are put through on the court or on the field, coaches expect this same effort in the classroom. Despite this, not every team makes this expectation a reality. For the FHN girls varsity basketball team, this is a reality.
“I believe our team shows the true definition of being student athletes,” head coach Danielle Rampley said. “Our team knows the expectation of working hard in the classroom as well as the basketball court.
PPG:
1.Alicia Hunn- 9.0
2. Addy Jones- 7.0
3.Evie Kraus- 5,8
RPG:
1. Kendra Swope- 6.6
2. Alicia Hunn- 6.0
3. Evie Kraus- 5.7
Total Points:
1. Alicia Hunn- 243
2. Addy Jones- 175
3. Evie Kraus- 151
Maintaining over a 4.0 GPA is a team goal and has been sustained for the past five seasons. I expect hard work in the classroom and on the hardwood.”
The girls have an average GPA of 4.0 for the team. This is an achievement only the girls tennis team at FHN has also accomplished. With an accomplishment like this, goal setting and effort prior to the season is definitely part of the team’s culture.
“A lot of our goals we set for ourselves before the season are GPA based,” junior guard Addie Butler said. “It’s definitely important to Coach Rampley for us to be well-rounded athletes.”
With high aspirations, to achieve their goals, the girls have a close knit group who are all focused on success, on and off the floor.
“Our coaches make it clear that school comes first,” junior Camille Krekeler said. “I think our team is a great group of hardworking girls on and off the court.”
Freshman Wyatt Dannegger throughout his whole life has never been the biggest guy on the team, but his passion is unmatched. With not being the biggest guy it has led him to some disadvantages, including in his sport of wrestling. Despite this, Dannegger doesn’t let this affect him. He’s been wrestling for eight years and has picked up a lot of moves throughout that time. This led him to making varsity as a freshman.
“I knew a long time ago [he was ready for varsity],” head coach Chris Brown said. “When he was still in late grade school his technique was great.”
Brown has known Dannegger since he was 6-years-old as he wrestled with Brown’s son. Dannegger’s dad got Wyatt into wrestling at such a young age, just like Brown got his son into wrestling. This was just one of the reasons why Dannegger wanted to join the team this year. The other being he wanted to keep himself occupied.
with them being a little bit longer,” Dannegger said. “But ultimately, they’ve been good.” With these new difficult practices, Dannegger has noticed many benefits. They’ve helped prepare him for his matches and put him in a better position to win.
“His skill set allows him to do a lot of techniques to stay out of those positions he might get squished.”
-Chris Brown
“I think my practice partners have got me to where I need to be to win my matches,” Dannegger said. Not only does these practices benefit him, but Dannegger is also able to help his practice partners get prepared for their own matches as well.
“He’s really good and been wrestling for a long time,” junior Isabelle Apple said. “He knows more than me so he helps me a lot.”
“I wanted to do a high school sport for the winter season,” Dannegger said.
Wrestling has been able to keep him busy as he practiced every weekday and sometimes had tournaments on the weekends. Dannegger has had to make some adjustments with the high school practices compared to his club team practices.
“[It’s] a little bit different from my normal practice
Dannegger has been able to use all his skills he’s learned throughout the years to benefit him this year. He continued dominance throughout the season, winning districts along with qualifying for state. Dannegger did not let the pressure of being a freshman on varsity succeed him.
“I honestly did not feel too much pressure because I expected to be wrestling on varsity this year since I’ve been wrestling so long,” Dannegger said.
There are many different weight classes in
Freshman Wyatt Dannegger poses in a takedown position, Danneger has learned many different techniques to help him combat the size disadvantage he has. Dannegger would go on to make state in the 106 lb weight division. (Photo by Austin Griffin)
wrestling. Dannegger is in very unique one at 106 pounds. At his weight class other kids are sometimes up to 10 pounds heavier than him. This can bring some disadvantages, but Brown knows Dannegger can still win these matches with correct technique.
“He’s learning how to not get stuck underneath the bigger kids and try to put as much weight on them as he can on them,” Brown said. “His skill set allows him to do a lot of techniques to stay out of those positions he might get squished.”
Dannegger doesn’t always get matches since some teams don’t have a person in Dannegger’s weight class to wrestle against. When he does though, he tries to make the most out of it to help benefit the team to win matches.
“He wins the majority of his matches so he scores us a lot of points, and he usually wins by pin so that’s more points,” Apple said.
The first year can be crucial for an athlete, and can help benefit the rest of the years they have on the team. Dannegger was able to have a strong showing his first year with a record of 38-7 and qualified for state. He was able to set a standard for his years to come.
“I think freshman year is setting the stage for the rest of my career,” Dannegger said.
Swinging JV players to varsity has a lot of benefits. The two biggest ways swinging JV and varsity benefits players, such as sophomore forward Ethan Scott and freshman guard Cohen Oster, is that it boosts their development and they gain more experience.
“Playing on both JV and varsity allows me to get more repetition and it allows me to slowly build up a better game sense,” Scott said. “I am also able to play two different roles. On JV, I have to play a bit more aggressive and on varsity I have to prioritize defense.”
One obstacle the players face while swinging JV and varsity is sometimes playing two basketball games on the same day. This puts additional pressure on the body to perform at a high level for longer periods of time. To counteract this, coaches have to pay close attention to the time the players are playing for. Players often have their own recovery routine to help their body’s soreness.
“I prioritize stretching to prevent injuries and to keep my body loose, allowing me to make more of an impact on the court,” Scott said. “I also take my diet pretty seriously so my body doesn’t get cramped.”
Another important factor in swinging JV and varsity is the opposing players on varsity compared to the opposing players on JV.
“It’s a lot faster and the players are bigger,” Oster said. “On JV, it’s mainly freshmen and sophomores and on varsity, it’s mainly juniors and seniors. The varsity players also have had more time to develop their skills.”
These athletes also noticed that the defensive intensity is a lot higher than it is on JV. When they recognize all of the differences between the levels, such as skill, strength, speed, and pressure, it allows them to make adjustments to their playstyle to contribute to the team’s success.
“You find yourself comparing JV and varsity and you realize that some stuff doesn’t work on varsity like it does on JV,” Scott said.
For not being a widely known high school sport, the girls Swim and Dive team at FHN has changed that pattern. With many new swimmers and some returning, the team had many successes in and out of the pool.
“When we first met each other, we played name games and just got to know each other better,” freshman Moira Dustin said.
“I think this really helped our team and our friendships grow.”
Sophomore Riley Jensen went to the Swim and Dive state competition on Feb. 16.
Jensen swam the 50 freestyle and placed 31. Jensen also participates in track which helps her swim season as well. Ever since Jensen was five she has been on a swim team and then decided to take it more seriously and swim in high school.
“I was definitely nervous, but I am glad I was able to make it to state,” Jensen said.
“I’m really happy I didn’t let my team down. Coach Keri made us work very hard, but I really like to work hard and be consistent with practices to get better. This was probably the best thing about the season because it was really cool to see the work pay off.”
Seniors Hannah Button, Torie Montgomery, Cassie Hodgkins, Sailor Sulin, Ritu Singh, and
Alayna Lohaus had a lasting impression on the team. Many teammates believe the seniors leadership led to much success and shaped the team to be what it is today.
“We are definitely going to be missing the seniors next year,” Jensen said. “They were very influential and brought our team together originally because they were very including.”
The team had a very successful season but is looking forward to the years to come with much potential from the underclassmen and new seniors looking to fill the gaps next year.
“If I had one piece of advice it would be to not give up because practices started off hard and got even more challenging as time went on,” Dustin said. “It was well worth it in the end and overall very rewarding.”
Featured are athletes from various spring sports. In order, Beckett Silzle, Kendra Swope, Andrew Head, Luke Hewlett, AJ Kime, Bryce Renz, Walter Hammond
Boys tennis will look to replicate the success that they had last season, where they sent one senior to state.
Record Last Year: 9-3
Key Returning Players: Of their top six varsity players from last season, four are returning: Kai Gustafson, Beckett and Robert Silzle and John Jameson.
Games To Note: On March 28, the Knights will travel to Ft. Zumwalt West, a chance for revenge, with FHN going 0-2 against the Jaguars last season.
“I think we will have a great season this year, we have a good chance at winning the GAC and a lot of the team has really been getting better during this off season.”
Kai Gustafson, number one singles player
The girls lacrosse team is looking forward to gaining players on the team and working with a new coach, Joanna Hall.
Record Last Year: 10-6
Key Returning Players: Midfielder Kendra Swope who has played varsity all four years is returning as well as several juniors like Laney Quandt and Michaela Manfull.
Games To Note: The Knights will be playing FHH on March 22 and traveling to Central on May 1 to play the Spartans.
“I think our season is going to go great. We are very upperclassmenheavy with everyone having played lacrosse for at least the past two years.” Maggie Cuccio, midfielder
North looks to build off last year’s success, finishing sixth in Districts. This year’s team is set to have a lot of depth and versatility.
Key Returning Players: Seniors Jack Engelhard, Sara Ausbury and Jayden Eiland are returning as well as juniors Jackson Fifer and Maddie Dustin. Eiland went to state last year for long jump and triple jump and hopes to make it back again.
Games To Note: North will face off against FHC on March 20 and 29, Howell on April 26 and May 1 and Zumwalt West on March 23 and April 19.
“I look forward to breaking the school’s records for the 100 and 200.” Trenton Brooks, sprinter and long jump
FHN varsity baseball team is excited for the season and wearing their new black and yellow jerseys as well as practicing under new head coach Mike Freedline.
Record Last Year: 8-23
Key Returning Players:
Senior Mason Mitchell is returning after committing to play college baseball, as well as seniors Kruz Robles, Chase Just and Blake Ermeling and junior Carter Stover.
Games To Note: The Knights had a collective win against the Parkway schools last season and they play Parkway South on May 3.
“I’m excited to play with the seniors who I haven’t played with before.”Dominic Jeffries, infielder
The girls soccer team will be looking to increase last season’s record with help from new assistant coach Matt Havermale.
Record Last Year: 4-14-1
Key Returning Players: Junior Addie Butler was one of the top scorers last season and will be returning. Seniors Cassie Hodgkins, AJ Kime and Alexis Morlen will also be returning.
Games To Note: The Knights will take on Pattonville on April 12, a big rivalry game. Last season, the team won against Pattonville.
“I’m super excited for the upcoming season, however it is bittersweet.
It’s my last season of soccer but of high school sports too.” Cassie Hodgkins, goalie
The boys golf team will be looking to gain skills with new coach Nikki Brinkman.
Record Last Year: 6-2
Key Returning Players: Junior Bryce Renz nearly made the cut for state last year, only two strokes out, and hopes to make it this year. Junior Sean Borgschulte was also a strong varsity starter last season and looks to join Renz at state this year.
Games To Note: The first game of the season will be against FZE at St. Peters Golf Club on March 21.
The Knights will also take on Central on April 9.
“I’m looking forward to the season, it’s crazy that this is my last season already.” Jackson McGowen, varsity starter
This season the boys varsity volleyball team will try to repeat what they did in the 2021-2022 season and go to state. Last year the boys got out in the second round of districts to Parkway South, taking the match to 4 sets.
Record Last Year: 16-13-1
Key Returning Players: Seniors this year include Parker Smith, Walter Hammond, Brendan Curtis, Jayden Le, Drake Morris and Trenton Leuthauser
Games To Note: On March 3, the Knights will play FHC and look to grab a win after losing to the Spartans twice last year.
“I’m excited to be able to work with new teammates and play in tournaments.” Brendan Curtis, blocker
View some of the best of winter sports photos as the athletes finished their seasons
Evie
attempts to get past a defender on Dec. 21 against SCW. The Lady Knights won the game 38-37.
Senior Delanie Riggs as well as Sophia Miller and other members of the Knightline dance team perform a special performance with past alumni players, calling it “The Last Dance” at a basketball game on Jan. 25. (Photo by Payton Johnston)
Page 28
Due to our worlds over-consumption and poor business practices fine crafted crafted pieces. But no. It comes up with a mix of factory produced items and even
It seems the only way now to find artists with quality pieces is to discover them on Instagram or TikTok. However within the past few years these platforms have changed their algorithms in ways that harm small artists making them even harder to find. TikTok favors highly engaged videos, which pushes videos with tons of likes, comments and shares to your page. Along with this,
artist or creator, they push more of that artist’s content at the user. While this can be beneficial for building a loyal fan base, it can also create a sort of echo chamber, where small artists struggle to reach new audiences
further complicated matters for small artists for exposure on these platforms, unpaid posts have become increasingly limited. Small artists who cannot afford to invest in sponsored content find themselves at a disadvantage. Not to mention, TikTok Shop and Instagram’s shopping feature that has become increasingly popular with teens and young adults excludes artists who require a market that’s able to give their customers personalization options like color and size.
TikTok’s changes to prioritize longer videos have added yet another layer of complexity
ever-evolving preferences, which can be challenging for those with limited resources
All of these issues for artists extend far beyond the decline of craft. It all speaks to the digital age in which the rich get richer
hyper-consumerism erodes individuality by prioritizing convenience and affordability over quality and originality. Buyers have lost sight of the value inherent in handmade goods. They have become passive consumers rather than active participants in the creative process. Content to adorn themselves with mass-produced garments devoid of meaning
However, all hope is not lost. While the landscape of wearable art may have changed, there is still a glimmer of hope for those who refuse to succumb to convenience. By supporting local artisans and independent creators, a new life is added to the age-old tradition of handmade craftsmanship and by valuing quality over quantity and investing in pieces that tell a story, the art of wearable
Abig debate for many parents is whether to send their children to get a public or private school education. At first glance, private school seems like the best option because it has a better reputation. When examined closer, however, it is clear that public school is the better option for families of all different backgrounds.
Public schools are funded mainly by state revenue and local taxes, while private schools require their students to pay a tuition, which can be upwards of $10,000 per year to attend. State funding also allows public schools to include a number of benefits into their education system, such as required professional development days for teachers and resources for students with special needs. They are required to accommodate every child in its district, so they generally have more special education teachers and programs. In addition, they most often provide free transportation, the
opportunity to apply for free or reduced lunch and some form of tutoring or academic assistance.
Professional development helps educators improve their knowledge and ensures that the curriculum stays updated. It is much more common for educators at a public school to have these days, as requirements and conditions are constantly changing and state laws require public schools to adapt to them. Unlike at private schools, teachers are also required to have a teaching certification before they are hired to ensure they are qualified according to nces.ed.gov. As a result, the public school curriculum is usually much more updated and inclusive to its everchanging environment.
Most private schools are segregated by gender and require uniforms. This limits the freedom of expression of the students and leaves them unexposed to much of the reality of the real world. Public schools better emulate what life will be like after high school by exposing students to differences among their peers, which is necessary to
build a strong sense of self-identity, but also an appreciation for others’ identities. The availability of public schools is the reason they are more ethnically and racially diverse, but it’s also the reason the population is so much larger. In addition, public schools often have more staff to accommodate the large student population, which leads to more opportunities for courses and extracurriculars that can prepare students for possible career paths.
Although private school students tend to outperform public school students on standardized tests, research has found that factors such as if a student’s parents went to college or their family’s income play a larger role in their scores than the school they go to according to usnews.com. Family background is more likely to vary in public schools, where there is more diversity.
All in all, it is up to the family to decide which is the best fit for them, however it is important to look past the glamor of private schools and really see the advantages of inclusivity and diversity in the school system.
As someone who has attended both private and public schools, it’s understandable why, for so long, parents have been struggling to decide which form of education is better for their children. Although each family may have various factors affecting their final choice, private school is ultimately the better choice to ensure a child can go about their day in a risk-free, heavily supervised environment.
A private school’s discipline system is often established over a system of beliefs and values. Each school’s core values are demonstrated to children from a young age and ensure that they mature at an appropriate speed. According to ourkids. net, children who attend private schools are less likely to be bullied because of the moral principles taught in church and religion classes, as well as the elevated amount of teacher involvement.
Private schools also have smaller class sizes so teachers and aids can more easily give their undivided attention to each student. Whereas public schools need to teach
certain topics in a given amount of time, private schools do not have a state-given curriculum, allowing them to spend more time on difficult subjects and important topics, as well as giving children the opportunity to incorporate new and effective methods of learning into their daily lives.
It is well known that the cost of private school tuition is much higher compared to the cost of public schools. Private schools make up for this through field trips, exchange programs, nutritious meals and a strong security department. With the recent scare of intruders and gun violence at school, it is becoming increasingly important for all schools to have a safe plan of action to prevent any sort of violence. Much of the money private schools earn through tuition is geared towards making the school a safer place. According to cato.org, many private schools implement heavy security systems and cameras and thus are far less likely to be targets of violence. Because of this, students are allowed much more liberty than they would have in public schools.
Most private high schools are separated by gender. This provides a more comfortable
environment for teenage boys and girls, who often feel more at ease around their own gender. To prevent a future of social awkwardness around the opposite gender, private schools offer ‘mixers,’ parties where girls and boys from different schools in the area can congregate and make friends.
Religion is a big part of many private schools. This is very convenient for religious families who hope to make friends within their parish community. Church is usually offered at private schools as well as religion classes, which enforce basic human respect and ethics: something that many young children may struggle with. Being bonded under a single religion is helpful not only to children who are just beginning to get used to the concept of friendship, but also new parents in the community who are seeking advice and support.
In the end, families are entitled to their own decisions, and the resources necessary to send children to a private school are not available to everyone. However, if the choice is granted, the educational and security advantages of a private school will serve to give any child a bright future.
Collared Shirts
Students will typically be required to wear a collared shirt with buttons. The color of the shirt can vary depending on each individual school’s color scheme.
Girls wear skirts or skorts (skirts with built in shorts underneath) representing their school colors, while boys wear either khaki or navy pants or shorts. Plaid Skirts
Most private high schools do not require a school-assigned sweatshirt/sweater, but they are offered in uniform shops. Girls are expected to wear leggings under their skirts in the cold, while boys wear long pants.
Review various ways for the FHN community to become involved in district-wide decisions.
The FHSD Board of Education hosts board meetings at least once a month. Patrons are able to speak for up to three minutes at meetings, though you must sign up prior to the start of the meeting. Scan the QR code below to sign up to speak at a meeting.
Join a Club
There are many clubs at FHN that leave a lasting impact on student voices. From Black Student Union and Gay-Straight Alliance to Student Council and Mentors, opportunities exist within the school already.
Take a Visit
The decisions of the school administrators and support staff are some of the most impactful on students. One simple way to tell administrators, counselors and other support staff members your opinion is to talk to them in person.
Counselor Request Form
Scan the QR code below to sign up to meet with a counselor.
Many students have had to voice their opinions in undesirable ways following a string of decisions that did not align with many of their views
On Behalf of the Editorial Board yourfhn@FHNtoday.com
After a string of negative press and bad attention, it is evident that the Francis Howell School District needs to expand its efforts and look for input from the ones most affected by its decisions to understand their needs better. Student voices have been ignored for far too long, and the harmful effects of this have just begun to catch up. The FHSD Board of Education, administration and FHN Student Council need to take the initiative to seek the perspective of the student body. Students must also work to utilize available resources to voice their opinions more often.
Board of Education
Set up a Meeting
Scan the QR code below to find various administrators and support staffs emails.
It’s clear that many students in the Francis Howell School District feel underrepresented. The student-led walkouts across the district following the removal and then reinstatement of the Black History and Literature classes voiced that a main problem of the decision was that students were being silenced by various members of the Board. Students should not have to risk their attendance and valuable learning time to prove a point to the school board. Rather, the school board needs to seek the thoughts of students through methods like surveys and public roundtable discussions more often. Although all input may not be useful, it
is important to allow students to feel heard. One method that the school board uses to receive public opinion is through patron comments at the monthly board meetings. Each patron is granted three minutes to speak directly to the board members. However, there are only 30 minutes of comments, leading to as few as 10 speakers which strips the opportunity to speak to the Board away from many who did not sign up in enough time. Board of Education members need to deliberately work to be in schools as much as possible and not solely rely on board meeting comments for public thoughts. Students can also become more involved in board meetings through the Student Representative Program. Students are granted permission to sit next to a school board member during the meeting and are given a chance to speak momentarily. However, only one student is representing the entire district for only one night. Additionally, there is no form of application and representatives are picked based on principal recommendation solely, leaving the rest of the school population without the chance to participate. According to one school board member’s opinion, the program has evolved into an honorary role without any real purpose.
Administration
Although the district hosts many parent
and student involvement programs, they need to give the proper amount of attention and knowledge about them. Roundtable events, a way for citizens to work together to discuss topics regarding the district have been forgotten, with the last one being hosted over a year ago. Another program, Citizens in Our Schools, is reserved for 25 citizens and only meets on Wednesdays, an often busy day for a parent who may have a job. Additionally, the program is only open to adults. It does not allow students enrolled in a Francis Howell school to sign up, leading the district to dismiss potentially valuable information that a student may be able to add to the program. The lack of opportunities for students to be involved in these programs creates a disconnect between the administrators making decisions and the students left to follow them blindly. Additionally, students should be able to utilize Knight Time to directly speak to Administrators.
The Student Council at North lacks to acknowledge many students’ opinions. According to Student Council, the Toilet Talk printed in bathrooms is a way the members collect student opinions. However, with a string of bathroom vandalism, a piece of paper taped to the back of a stall door asking students to scan a QR code is an unreliable method of collecting input. Students also are not entering a bathroom to tell Student Council representatives their opinions on topics. Another method of communication between representatives and students is through the use of grade-level group chats. However, these chats are often exclusive to a select group of students, leaving out many who deserve to be represented as well. Even
platforms like Instagram accounts are not accessible to all as many students do not have access to social media. The Student Council also fails to require a student representative at school board meetings, as accredited by their club constitution. As a club that represents the student body, it should be an expectation that the elected members work to ensure a peer has the opportunity to inform the community of the events at school and speak if they feel necessary. It is the responsibility of the Student Council to stand up for students rather than just be known for planning dances and spirit weeks.
While it is easy to point fingers at various outlets of the school, much of the disconnect between students and the district decisionmakers sparks directly from the lack of effort put forth by the students. Even with various programs in place and ways to voice opinions, students still neglect to take advantage of them. The majority of school board meetings are filled with adults, the yearly school-wide surveys taken in English classes are simply left unsubmitted and students do not take advantage of their ability to speak to administrators at any time by walking into their office.
In the end, school administrators, district officials and student council representatives need to emphasize student voices and allow them to be heard more often, while the student body needs to work to take advantage of opportunities to voice their opinions. With a constant stream of feedback, decisions that lead to negative effects could be stopped before news articles are written and walkouts happen.
Take a look at portions of the Student Council Constitution, which governs how the members participate in the club and how the sponsors or officers can work to deliver on what they’re built upon.
The purpose of this organization shall be to act as the student government of Francis Howell North by:
a. Promoting the well-being of the student body in a proper manner that is beneficial to the reputation of the school
b. Searching out, identifying and acting upon student concerns
c. Serving as the voice of the student body by conveying the wishes of the student body to the administration and faculty, and vice versa
d. Improving the school environment and fostering school spirit
e. Serving the community through the support of worthwhile activities
f. Engendering student understanding of and participation in the process of a representative democracy form of government
The powers of the student council shall include the following:
a. To coordinate student council activities at Francis Howell North High School
b. To represent the ideas of the general student body to the council
c. To convey the concerns and grievances of the students to the administration
d. To communicate policy and proposals of the administration and faculty to the student body
e. To inform students and faculty of school and community problems
f. To formulate suggestions for solutions to problems presented to the council
g. To sponsor activities
h. To use funds for the good of the students, the school, the community, the state, the nation, or the world
i. To carry out elections for council officers
j. To impeach members of the council for misconduct, school suspension, or conduct which reflects poor school citizenship
k. To petition the administration for anything that is beneficial to the students or the school
According to this section of the text, it is the responsibility to seek the opinions and concerns of students. Also, Student Council must voice the students opinions to its respective audiences.
This section discusses the powers and expectations of the Student Council, with voicing student thoughts to administration being a high priority. Additionally, the text states that the council must petition the district administration for grievances listed. Although it may be done at a school-wide level, representation lacks to happen in district-wide events.
See some FHN Student Council Cabinet members’ opinions on student involvement in the organization.
“I feel like whenever we do events we do our best to incorporate student thought by sending out polls. For most decisions we make, we try to incorporate students as much as possible.”
SophiaMcClure, Student Council President
“I feel like there’s a good amount of student involvement. There’s tons of people helping us with different things.”
Carter Houdeshell, Student Council Parlimentarian
“Student Council is not as much about representing anymore as it is service.”
Grant Kilen, Student Council Chief of Staff
