On The Cover
Illustration by Michaela Manfull & Violet Newton
Designed by Violet Newton HEAD PRINCIPAL
News Section
Superindent Leaving, Board of Education Election, Phone Bans
Lifestyle & Entertainment Section
Prom Fashion, Blogigate Clothing, Nintendo Switch 2
In-Depth Section
District Laws, Frequently Banned Books, Lois Lowry Interview
Features Section
Jellycat Collection, Student Award Show, Board Certification
Sports Section
Janes' Retirement, Wrestling State, New Lacrosse Coach
FHSD considers implementing restrictions on the usage of phones in classroom settings
by Peyton Thies pthies629@g.fhsdschools.org
Recent conversations have pushed the topic of cell phones in schools into the spotlight, and brought to question where they belong in an educational space. The first plan of action earlier this school year was creating a focus group to aid in this task.
“One of the things from the comprehensive school improvement plan for our district was it talked about having a conversation around cell phones,” Kevin Morrison, Director of Human Services for FHSD and the creator of the focus group said. “Our goal is to talk to principals, get feedback, talk to the committee [focus group] again.”
do not seek to create a state-wide ban on cell phones, but require school districts to have restrictions put in place for learning environments. Although they differ in what they apply to, the bills would still give districts the ability to tailor their policies to fit their individualized needs. The bill that will end up moving forward after the hearings will most likely be a combination of the three.
“I believe a future solution would include having students with access to their phones, but clear directions on not using [them], which would allow students to use their phones in case of a critical emergency.”
- Steven Blair
The focus group was made up of a number of parents, teachers, administrators, staff members, board members and other community members. Meetings consisted of going through research, results of phone policies in neighboring districts and the results of the surveys sent out. All to find a reasonable policy tailored to the District.
“I think there was a general consensus amongst everyone that instructional time is definitely compromised by the use of cell phones in the classroom, particularly at the middle school and the high school levels,” Kris Newman, parent and member of the focus group said. “So I think we did all agree that there needs to be a change, something has to be done. But I do think everyone kind of brought something different to the group and had different ideas of how to do it.”
In Missouri, there are currently three bills in motion surrounding the issue. They
“If that passes, those would be things that all schools would have to adhere to, not just Francis Howell,” Jennifer Jolls, Chief Communications Officer for FHSD said. “We understand the need to put some consistency in place here at Francis Howell, but at the same time, if the state were to come out at the end of their legislative session and say, ‘here’s a new law’ that will obviously impact our decision as well. There’s just a lot of moving parts right now, which makes [the decision] a little bit tricky.”
Schools in Missouri have already started implementing policies restricting cell phone usage on their own. According to the St. Charles West Student Handbook, cell phones are allowed before school, after school, during passing periods and at lunch only. They are highly discouraged, and students are recommended to keep them turned off and out of sight at all times. However, unlike FHSD, St. Charles is a one-to-one district, meaning Chromebooks are provided to every student. While there has been countless research proving phones to have a negative effect on student performance, in some cases such as ESOL students, or students with impaired hearing or vision, phones can provide students with resources that can aid in education. Additionally, many parents and students in today’s world have concerns
about the ability to contact one another in the event of an emergency.
“I don’t believe a full phone ban is in the future for Francis Howell,” school board member Steven Blair said. “I think there might be versions of a partial phone ban that are more restrictive than the current policies. I believe a future solution would include having students with access to their phones, but clear directions on not using [them], which would allow students to use their phones in case of a critical emergency.”
The popular belief among administrators is that FHSD is inevitably going to create a phone policy in one way or another. The question of if the policies will actually be effective, however, is up to the method of enforcement.
“My primary concern is, who is going to be implementing this policy,” Sean Fowler, social studies teacher at North and member of the focus group said. “If it’s down on the teachers, then I have failed in my role in advocating with teachers because we already have too much to do. The one thing that was made very clear to me by other teachers, wherever they were on cell phones, is if this is left in the hands of teachers, and we have to be the cops on top of everything else, nothing’s gonna change.”
Any phone policy can only be effective through the right means of enforcement, which is another piece of the verdict. Many voices were involved in making this decision that will be finalized this spring and implemented next school year.
“I really think it’s important for people to know this isn’t like one person saying, ‘I’m going to go take away phones from kids’,” Jolls said. “It really is a group of stakeholders trying to get a well-rounded group of people to look at this from lots of angles, understanding that our main goal at the end of the day is to make sure that students learn. That’s what we’re all about in schools.”
How do the students and teachers feel about the possible phone policy?
“I don’t agree with phones being banned because I feel like if phones are gonna be banned in schools, we lack resources, such as books, and students are not really motivated [to] write again, like back then. So I feel like phones or electronics being banned, that wouldn’t really help us much.”
Winnie Vergara, 12
“I think phone bans should happen to a certain degree. Like only prohibiting students from playing games or things that aren’t educational. I work as a tutor and I think education is something important for the future. Seeing kids use phones for non-educational purposes really hinders them.”
Alex Prudhomme, 12
“I do think that phone bans should be considered. I think that phones have more cons than pros. You have more issues with bullying, you have issues with cheating, you have issues of, you know, kids taking pictures of assignments and sending it to kids later on in the day.”
Jill Rudolph, Social Studies Teacher
by Caleb Thompson cthompson211@g.fhsdschools.org
As the old front doors of the school came down a few months ago, phase two of the new FHN campus is underway. Many changes will continue to take place in order to fully finish the school.
“[The new road] will go all the way up to Hackman, pretty close to where the other entrance used to be for the old building,” head principal Jeffrey Fletcher said.
The new road circling the back of the campus was designed to help traffic flow in the mornings and afternoons. It was added for buses and teachers to leave the campus faster without blocking in cars.
“The student lot has almost 600 spots in it, it is not currently full. It’s not getting any bigger,” Fletcher said. “Just because it’s already the size that it was designed to be.”
The backside of the stadium is set to be completed with new bleachers. A sidewalk is being added that will connect the front gates to these bleachers, but will also connect to additional bathrooms. All of the projects are scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the new school year.
“The [new] athletic fields being completed, which also then kind of completes the backside of that stadium,” Fletcher said.
Allows students to showcase their abilities and skills in the design field. This is an individual or team event allowing students to present a business plan with a heavy design element.
Allows students to gain preparation for an upcoming job interview in a roleplay style setting. This is an individual event and you will be allowed to have prejudged notes.
Allows students the opportunity to show their knowledge in preventing and fighting against internet viruses, spam and spyware. This event is a testing event.
This event is intended for ninth and tenth grade students. This allows incoming FBLA students to showcase their knowledge about the organization. This is a testing event.
by Nadia Okilee nokilee160@g.fhsdschools.org
Future Business Leaders of America
(FBLA) is a club at FHN that prepares students for what could be their future career. Students will be competing for a spot at internationals, which will occur this summer in California. They were able to get feedback and pointers to ensure they perform to their best ability at state.
They mainly focus on business leading, marketing and business literacy. Abigail Davis, the club’s sponsor and business teacher, will be taking the district’s qualifiers to state in Springfield MO this April.
“Depending on events, different placements or scores need to be met for state qualification, same with internationals,” Davis said.
Davis is excited to see what’s next for FBLA’s competition season. She’s excited to see how they perform, but truly has one important goal.
“I don’t think succeeding would be the kids placing, I know the kids want to succeed and they want to win,” Davis said. “But I just care that they get the most out of this experience, they’re capable of learning and applying life-long skills.”
by Nylah Smith nsmith474@g.fhsdschools.org
FHN celebrates students’ hard work by hosting a fun picnic to recognize students’ success and accomplishments. The KOE picnic is held every year to honor students who have shown dedication and success at North.
“[You are eligible to attend] if you are above a 3.0, have been a student of the week or knight of the round table,” KOE cosponsor Kristen Johnson said. “You also have to have 90% attendance.”
For the last couple of years, the picnic had been moved inside because there was no space or field to do it outside with all of the construction.
“Before all of the construction it was outside in the stadium, but hopefully we will be able to move it back out there this year,” Johnson said.
Since the gym was smaller than the stadium, KOE had to split up students into two groups by classes, so freshmen with sophomores and juniors with seniors. As we’re back to having it outside, all classes will come out at the same time.
“The picnic will be on May 1st in the stadium during the 6th and 7th hours,” KOE co-sponsor Lindsey Scheller said.
by Nylah Smith nsmith474@g.fhsdschools.org
To celebrate the many seniors who have worked hard and accomplished keeping good grades, FHSD invites seniors with a 4.0 or higher GPA to recognize their great accomplishments. This event is set to happen April 25. Francis Howell high schools will be collaborating to make this event happen.
“[Students] will leave their third hour to head to Old Hickory for lunchtime,” co-sponsor of KOE Jordyn Kiel said.
It’s more of a business casual event, so students should dress accordingly. While students are there, they will be served lunch, then there will be an award ceremony followed by a speech from the superintendent or a principal from one of the three district high schools.
“They all get recognized by name, they get a medal they can wear at graduation,” Kiel said.
“It is so special to recognize seniors in every way,” Kiel said. I just feel like it’s fun for [students] to get dressed up and recognize those achievements, so I’m just really glad that we get to host something like this to celebrate them.”
Every year, the teachers and staff of FHN vote on who they believe deserves the title of “Teacher of the Year” and “Support Staffer of the Year.” Out of many nominations, it was decided that FHN’s teacher of the year is Sara White, and the support staffer of the year is Dana Button.
Button is a Main Office
Administrative Assistant at North.
A typical day for Button involves calling students to the office, facilitating staff meetings, working with homebound students and writing discipline notices.
“The thing that I love about being here is the variety of people I get to work with,” Button said. “I love the students, but I also love the people in the office that I get to work with. There are some really fantastic people here at North that care about students and care about education, and I enjoy the role I can play in that to help some of those things happen.” (Brief by Caleb Thompson)
On Feb. 11, students from FHN’s DECA club competed at the district competition held at Mid Rivers Mall.
A total of 113 members participated in various events.
At the conclusion of the event, an awards ceremony recognized outstanding performances. Many students received awards, and 45 members qualified for the state.
“Qualifying for state is hard to do,” DECA sponsor Michael Freedline said. “Whether they qualified or not, it was a great experience.”
The DECA State Career Development Conference will take place on March 23-25 at the Crown Center in Kansas City. Qualified students will do their original presentations and business role plays in order to qualify for nationals in Anaheim, CA, in April. (Brief by Cherry Clark)
by Abby Dunbar adunbar938@g.fhsdschools.org
When the new school was being designed every teacher, student and sport was being considered. This includes FHN’s esports team. But with the schoolwide hack last year, the esports teams was left with thousands of dollars worth of equipment that wouldn’t work due to new precautions that were taken after the hack.
“The issue was the WiFi for the school didn’t want to work on the computers for a while, so the tech guy had to find a way to make it work which they eventually did last week,” esports team member, Wayne Chaplin said.
After last year’s cyber attack and the rebuilding of the WiFi domain following, the district has become extremely careful with every device that is added to the network in order to prevent another issue. The new esports room includes gaming PCs for the team to practice with, but no stable WiFi for them to connect to.
“I had a WiFi connection here, so I had some [nintendo] switch players in here, but we’ve had some problems with that,” esports coach, Zach Goodsell said.
This left the team stranded to practice at home on whatever devices they had, even if it’s not what they are supposed to compete with. Which came with its own problems and drawbacks.
Team Decision Making Events
These events are partner events, the event consists of a test and a role play. Your topic can range from travel and tourism to sports to management.
Individual Events
These are very similar to team events in the sense that they consist of the same roleplay and test, but you are by yourself and your topics are a little different, covering things from finances to entrepreneurship to restaurant management.
Entreprenueurship Events
These events are pre-prepared events, you are given about a month to come up with your product or service, depending on what event you choose. There is a testing portion of this event.
esports has a practice that was held in the esports room. On this day, they were practicing for a competition that will happen on Thursday. Practices are held every Tuesday and there are competitions every Thursday.
Griffin)
“People that had PCs, would just play from home,” Goodsell said. “I’d say half, or more than half of my players are on consoles and they are kinda limited in terms of frame rate and connection. Whereas on the PCs, you get better quality and a lot of things.”
While some players may not be able to practice at home causing them to not have space to further their skills or be able to connect with team members online, the room is becoming the space the team needs to become more cohesive and prepared.
“When they’re in here, they can just focus and game. Having this available is just a total game changer,” Goodsell said.
Two current Board of Education members’ terms are expiring this April leaving four people running to fill the open slots
by Gavin Swart gswart370@g.fhsdschools.org
The reins of control over the Francis Howell School District are once again up for grabs. The next election for the position of Francis Howell School Board member is being held on April 8, and the candidates have already filed. Adam Bertrand and Randy Cook’s terms are expiring this April leaving two new slots open to fill them. While Cook is running for the position once again, Bertrand has decided not to pursue reelection. This election is incredibly important to the future of FHSD as the people who get elected will determine the outcome of votes for years to come. The new candidates, listed in the order they will appear on the ballot, are Amy Gryder, Sarah Oelke, Randy Cook and Ashley Sturm.
On Feb. 20, Adam Bertrand speaks at the FHSD Board of Education’s monthly meeting. The meeting ran the routine format of congratulating a group in the District, this month it was the esports team at FHHS. Howell High also introduced their honorary student representative, Anika Jain. Patron comments followed soon after with members of the community voicing concerns they have with the operation of the Board. (Photo by Eashaan Patel)
“I am aiming higher for Francis Howell as a lifelong resident, product of our district and optimist for expanding our idea of what is possible.”
Amy Gryder has been engaged with the political process around FHSD for many years now. Gryder wants to help rebuild trust and communication within the district, especially when it comes to Francis Howell’s finances. Gryder would like to see an increase in funding for the district to help maintain the district into the future. Collaboration and connection is the main goal that Gryder wants to accomplish with a
Randy Cook has served on the Francis Howell School Board for years and is now running once again. Cook values responsibility and seeks to make sure that the school district stays secure financially. Cook has a clear recognition of what schools need to be focusing on, specifically, academics. More than anything else, Cook wants to make sure that we do not fall behind in academics. Cook believes that we have done a lot of good work in providing quality education with our limited resources,
term on the Francis Howell School Board.
When it comes to finances, Gryder recognizes that FHSD has very complex finances and plans to do deep dives into the internal causes of problems to make sure that they are fully solved. Gryder believes that in order to have a strong basis of trust with the constituents in Francis Howell, we need to have increased transparency and communication.
“Our people are our potential.”
School District for 23 years. Oelke wants to help bring new ideas into the Francis Howell School District to help fully embrace the wishes of the community. Oelke recognizes the incredible strengths that FHSD teachers bring to the district as a whole and wants to review Board policy to ensure it does not hamper teacher’s ability to properly educate
students.
To tackle the financial situation within the district, Oelke would seek to free up more spending by cutting out redundancy especially at the district level. Specifically, Oelke has concerns with how a lack of communication costs the district money. Oelke wants to invest more money into ensuring that the students in Francis Howell have the infrastructure they need to thrive.
“I’m a father of two who has experience as a Board member and is very risk-averse and detailoriented.”
and we need to make sure we continue to improve in the future. Cook is continuing to emphasize his current policies of fiscal responsibility. The money that the Board of Education spends is straight from the taxpayers, and Cook always takes that into account before deciding where to spend. Cook has many talks with the FHSD Chief Financial Officer to ensure that he has the proper knowledge and data to back up his budgetary decisions.
Ashley Sturm is the head of marketing for a major data center technology company, and now she is looking to apply her skills in the Francis Howell School Board. Sturm is widely in favor of giving teachers the peace of mind that administration will listen to and enforce their concerns. Sturm is highly focused on the facts and making sure that she has the knowledge she needs before she makes a decision.
“I’m a parent who is deeply invested in the community and an unwavering focus to student success is the priority for our district.”
Fiscal conservatism is one of the key factors that Sturm emphasizes when it comes to budgeting for Francis Howell. Sturm would like to see the rate of pay for both teachers and paras increase in order to keep FHSD’s salaries competitive. Sturm sees the Board of Education’s current system of fiscal conservatism as being successful and wants to help lead it into a prosperous future.
(Photo by Shutterstock.com)
Scan this QR code to read more about the Missouri state audit report and check the highlights below.
FHSD faces financial controversy for earning the worst score possible on Missouri state audit, causing consituents to worry about trends for the future by Nadia Okilee nokilee160@gmail.com
Taxpayers and families across St. Peters are confused and upset over a recent Francis Howell District audit, in which the final rating was poor. However, the controversy over the situation continues to take place among the community. Taxpayers are frustrated and confused over where their money went and what this means for the community.
In June 2020, voters approved the $93 million rebuild of FHN, which eventually became $165 million. When the audit was released, taxpayers were surprised to see the building cost estimate had doubled. The poor communication and follow-up between the board and other district officials, among other things, contributed to the low rating of FHSD.
“It was the Jan. 19 board meeting, he suggested to the board that the district ask for a state audit report,” Carol Embree, Chief Financial officer of the district said. The audit came back flagged with reports on the district’s transparency. Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos wanted to clear the chaos
that was occurring within the controversy over the report, specifically clarifying the budgeting along with pushing clear communication about the new FHN building citizens voted on in 2020.
Although many only see the negative effects, this report is already being used as constructive criticism and good feedback for district employees. Since this audit, plans have been made and employers are already working towards better outcomes in the future. It’s also important to point out that a lot of the conflicts that the audit “exposed” were problems that were already resolved.
“I think the fact that we have done so much, the new administration has done so much to affect the right change that needed to happen early on, before the audit was ever released,” Embree said. “I think that that’s made a huge impact in them understanding that this was a problem from the past that is no longer taking place. So that we already know people have fixed a problem. It makes you feel differently when you learn more about what the problem was.”
$244 M
Original estimate for all projects in Prop S. Prop S Pricing
$86 M
Original estimate for the new FHN building.
$165 M
Final price of the new FHN building.
1/2
Of new building estimates were not reported to the BOE.
71
Planned Prop S projects will not be completed.
Additional Audit Findings
41%
Of schools did not conduct intruder drills as required.
1,617
Hours overstated on attendance for 20212022 school year.
bigger things in terms of his career.
“This will be the first time I’ve worked in education and I’m not in a specific building with kids every day, and so I’m taking more of an executive role,” Fletcher said. “That’ll be a big change for me, I’ll oversee a lot of hiring and recruitment for that district.”
The district is currently undergoing hiring procedures for a new building principal at FHN. Even though Fletcher’s role is a tough spot to recruit for, he has no doubt that North’s teachers, students and office staff will help the new principal feel at ease.
“We have a pretty amazing staff here and pretty amazing teachers,” Fletcher said. “They’re adaptable, they’re flexible, they’re also really good at what they do. So, no matter who’s sitting in this office, I think they’re always going to work to continue to do what’s best for our students here at North.”
Fletcher’s main worry as he plans to leave his position is North’s unfinished construction.
“I’ll probably always think next year, ‘Oh, I wonder, how’s the construction for the practice fields going?’ ‘Are the track and field events set up correctly?’” Fletcher said. “I just want to make sure that the actual, physical building continues to function in the best way for kids and teachers.”
Even so, he encourages staff not to worry.
“This is a great school,” Fletcher said. “It’s a great group of kids. It’s a great group of teachers. It’s a great overall community.”
Take a minute to relax and try out the maze, crossword or challenge a friend in a game or two of tic tac toe. Both the maze and crossword are generated and used with permission from Discovery Education (Content by Canyon Dubis)
Puzzlemaker is a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and print customized word search, more-using your own word lists. This is your Maze!
Puzzlemaker is a puzzle generation tool for teachers, students and parents. Create and more-using your own word lists.
When you’re stressed, you should take a deep ______
You focus on your breathing when you ________
Writing about your day or goals is a form of __________
On the weekends, you hang out with _______
When someone has AirPods in they are usually listening to _____
When in nature you are _______
When at the gym you ________
When you sleep during the day you are _______
“The ____ is better than the movie” 7. Not running, but _______
After getting home from school you eat a _____
Growing up is something everyone has in common; look around to learn more about FHN’s most
“I used to really love her dreamhouse and her cars in the show. When I first played with it [I was] definitely 7 or 8. My first doll was a black Barbie doll so I guess I just kind
Zanyiah Howard, 10
“I was definitely a Barbie girl. Me and my sister, we used to climb trees with our barbies and play in the trees... It’s just fun, you can dress them up however you want- it’s basically choose your own
“We had a Goosebumps loved that game. This character is in a theme park and you gotta beat
Check out toys special to FHN because of their personal significance and value.
“I had a mini electric dirt bike [when I was] around four or five… As long as it’s charged you get to use it whenever and you get to ride it around.”
Rahul Senthil, 10
“...We spent thousands of dollars…because they were most notable. [My favorite was] the suspense of not knowing what’s inside of them because they’re surprise dolls.”
Avee Volk, 9
by Noah Tucker ntucker088@g.fhsdscdhools.org
Clothing and fashion have undoubtedly been a pillar of culture in nearly every community, and that is especially true for high school students. It’s one of the strongest ways for students to express themselves in a time where that can be difficult for many. Within that pillar of culture, buying used clothing or thrifting has always been a prominent part.
played a whole bunch on it, mostly Pokémon the uniqueness of its
“[I loved] playing with him whenever we were moving, I was always allowed to have one toy unpacked at all times and I always just picked that one.”
Eric Kramer, 12
“... It was like 2017. Sometimes I would pretend I was a vet or a daycare for pets and I’d take my sister’s and my cousin’s [Hatchimals] and be like, ‘Okay time for bed!’”
Ashlyn Reid, 9
“It could go from any terrain and it could also convert into a water boat…it gave me great memories, it let me go outside.”
Trent Thayer, 12
“This allowed me to be creative without any talent. I used to draw figures and pictures with my friends and then I would give them to them.”
Debb McDonald, FHN Media Specialist
Some stores, such as Plato’s Closet, operate on a resale business model, in which people can sell their used clothing for some pocket money. The store sorts through the clothes that are bought and donated and determines which items are most likely to be sold. Those clothes are then put up on the shelves at a substantially lower price than the market value. This allows people to buy clothing at a cheaper price while also allowing the store to make a profit.
“I love the culture of the store,” Emily Moore, part-owner of Plato’s Closet said. “It’s sustainable, too. The entire business model is fantastic and people love it.”
The biggest advantage buying used has over buying new is the price and the variety of items that can be found as opposed to what is currently on the shelves. While some stores follow a resale business model, more typical stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army operate on a purely donation-tofloor business model. That allows those thrift stores to sell goods at a low price that is particularly accessible to high school students looking to change up their wardrobe in any way.
“I would say thrifting culture is mostly really chill but there’s some people who will thrift items that are really nice and then resell them online for way more expensive, and that’s not cool,” senior Shaylin Jones said. “I think it’s really annoying, and they just want to make a profit.”
The culture around thrifting is nothing new, especially to those in spaces where fashion does not line up with what is currently trending on the mainstream, or to those who grew up during times of financial hardship. However, like any other culture, it has changed significantly with the times and continues to evolve as it gains more popularity.
“Thrifting culture has been around for a long time, just look at how many different stores that continue to pop up,” fashion teacher Marissa Heyer said. “A great deal of people feel rewarded to donate and they’re doing better for the environment when they purchase something secondhand.”
(Photo
by Shutterstock)
by Cheyenne Steed
csteed056@g.fhsdschools.org
Nintendo’s new unreleased console has Nintendo lovers on the edge of their seats.
With new hardware that is efficient, refined and reliable, the new console will make gaming more entertaining and as well as provide a new fresh experience for the younger generation.
“I think the release of the new switch isn’t going to have much success,” said junior Logan Upchurch. “It feels just like another cash grab and I feel like the switches we have already work just fine. Although I probably won’t purchase it, I’m hoping for a better worldwide system for playing with people who are far away and a better stylus.”
After a slick reveal video that Nintendo posted on Jan. 16, the new Nintendo Switch is expected to be released sometime this year. As far as new features that come with the new console, new improved joy-con controllers, a bigger display screen and a new kickstand have been added to the console. No specific details have been revealed, but expect more power from what’s likely to be an Nvidia chip, potentially longer battery life and possibly more storage. The new console will continue to have game cartridges but will not offer digital alternatives at the launch unlike other consoles such as the Xbox Series X|S and the PlayStation Five.
There’s a Nintendo Direct on April 2, where the company will share more details about the new Nintendo Switch but until then the release date will remain undetermined. As far as games go for the new console, no games have been confirmed completely but some that have been listed along with the reveal video include “The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom,” “Mario & Luigi: Brothership and Lego Horizon Adventures.”
“I own a Switch Lite and I like to play on my switch when I’m mainly on a bus ride to a competition for color guard or if I’m just sitting and doing nothing,” junior Katy Schmitt said. “I feel like if the console reaches a certain audience or if it’s affordable for people it could be successful. If I ever wind up having the money for it I might purchase it if it’s not too expensive.”
Prom has always been an opportunity for students to express themselves with fashion. Whether it be with a tuxedo, a full ballgown or a tighter style, unique pieces always manage to make their way to the dance (Content by Moira Dustin)
Magenta metallic strapless dress with corset design
“I wanted a dress that was very me,” Harr said. “And everyone that I’ve shown this dress to is like, ‘Oh my gosh, the blue was
Where: Khol’s Style: All back tuxedo Alterations: None
Additions: Pink tie
“Yeah, I like black tuxedos,” Conley said. “I’m not a super colorful guy. And then my girlfriend’s dress inspired me to get the pink tie.“
Where: Amazon Style: Peacock colored with beads and mesh additions Alterations: Taking off length Additions: Black heels and silver jewelry
“I knew I wanted a slimmer fit,” Haislip said. “Also, last year I had a slit in the dress and I loved that, so just past experience kind of shaped what I wanted.”
MAYGHEN MUEGLE 2016
“My favorite memory was just having fun and experiencing it with my friends,” Muegle said.
1998
“Mr. Scheller and I actually dated in high school,” Scheller said. “He actually went to a different high school and it was in the gym with some horrible under the sea theme. It was terrible.”
Despite many controversies, Disney’s live-action “Snow White” takes theaters (Illustration by Cheyenne Steed)
by Violet Newton violetannenewton@gmail.com
After braving mass amounts of controversy and delays, Disney’s long-awaited live-action Snow White is set to grace the silver screen on March 21. Through years of editorial squabbles about casting choices, modernized themes and CGI dwarfs, the film has undergone significant changes, each change fueling yet another debate about whether this reimagining will stick with audiences. From the beginning of the scripting process, Disney was clear in making this a story of a damsel-in-distress no more. Rachel Zegler, the actress of the starring role in the re-telling of the classic tale, stated that Snow White was “not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love” and that instead the film would position her as a leader, reflecting values of female independence.
“I think it’s cool because they are making it into a realistic form,” junior Javon Godfrey said. However, before the film could even reach production, controversy sparked over the casting of Zegler, a Latina actress, in such a role. Critics questioned the decision, arguing that the character’s description in the original fairy tale, was needed for her identity. Others applauded Disney for embracing diversity, seeing it as a necessary step in the ongoing push for inclusion.
The reimagining didn’t just stop at Snow White herself. Disney initially planned to cast a diverse group of actors to portray the Seven Dwarfs. However, this idea was met with criticism from actor Peter Dinklage,
who called the depiction of the dwarfs outdated and offensive. In response, they opted to replace the Seven Dwarfs with CGI characters, a decision that sparked yet another round of debate this time over the replacement of real actors with digital figures.
“I was really excited for it but it hasn’t been talked about a lot recently,” junior Kailyn
St. Louis Music Park Concerts
- $234.50.
- Thursday, August 21, 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices range from $39.50 - $654.50
Tour Parte 2 - Friday, April 25, 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $41.50$211.50.
St. Louis Hollywood Amphitheatre
Cant
- Saturday, June 8, 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $44 - $275.
- Thursday, June 12, 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices range from $52 - $316.
by Samantha Hall shall102@g.fhsdschools.org
Bright sunny days and long summer nights are on their way. With the amazing weather and positive vibes, there are countless things to do this upcoming season. One of the best ways to spend a night this summer is going to an outdoor concert.
“Outdoor concerts get you a little bit out of your comfort zone, because you are enjoying music and dancing around people you don’t even know,” sophomore Riley Kesel said.
Going to an outdoor concert should be added to everyone’s summer bucket list because of the unforgettable experience that comes with it. There are many places to see outdoor live music in St. Louis. Avril Lavinge, Dave Matthews, The Lumineers and many more big artists are coming to perform at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater this summer. Empire of the Sun and the Goo Goo Dolls will be performing this summer at the Saint Louis Music Park.
“It’s a good experience because it’s something new than being indoors, and it really gives you an earthy feel,” sophomore Raiyn Kent said.
Those who have been to an indoor concert know how cramped and tight it can be. Outdoor concerts provide so much space and comfort to sit or stand wherever preferred. Some people prefer chilling in the very back and sitting down, and some like to stand right below the stage to watch their favorite artists perform right in front of them.
“I feel like a lot of indoor concerts are crowded and very much compact, but outdoor was nice and open,” freshman Sadie Huff said.
Even though outdoor concerts do seem perfect, being prepared is important especially in the summer heat. Before going, bring these essential items, sunscreen, a blanket, chairs, sunglasses and a charger. Depending on the concert, there might not be assigned seating. Most outdoor concerts take place in a large grassy field, so make sure there is a good view of the stage.
Outdoor concerts are a lot of fun and you just get more of the full view than you do when you’re inside,” sophomore Rylan Trotter said.
What is the opinion on resturants and stores carrying more plant-based foods?
ntucker088@g.fhsdschools.org
Due to religious purposes, concerns with animal treatment and efforts to preserve the environment, many people, especially in the modern day, have made the dietary switch to vegetarianism and veganism. Along with the growth in the vegan and vegetarian population has also been the growth of plant-based protein alternatives, mainly in the form of imitation meat.
“At first I went from not eating pigs anymore and then I just went to not eating meat at all because I looked more into eating meat as a whole,” freshman Lily Thompson said. “The imitation meat mostly tasted the
by Sam Hall shall102@g.fhsdschools.org
Blogilates is a fitness and health blog created by Cassey Ho. She provides workout videos, healthy food recipes, a 90-day body transformation challenge and her newly released athletic wear clothing line now carried at Target. Blogilates sells a wide range of athletic apparel such as dresses, skirts, tank tops, sports bras, leggings, jumpsuits and belt bags.
“I like that they have different styles and it can be used for athletic wear,” sophomore Kasey Lewis said. “I really find interest in their dresses because I feel like they’re very flared and stylish while being able to use them for workouts and sports.”
For athletes, comfort in what is being worn is one of the key components in performing well in a sport. One of Blogilates’ main goals is confidence. Fashion is the best way to express yourself, and it is important to feel confident and comfortable when competing. Having a cute and comfortable athletic outfit can motivate people to complete their fitness goals.
“I like using their outfits and athletic wear for tennis because it lets me be able to express my style and my personality while playing and feeling confident in what I’m doing,” Lewis said.
by Cheyenne Steed csteed056@g.fhsdschools.org
For decades, the gaming industry stood tall as one of the main components of entertainment. However, today the physical gaming industry is slowly dying. In addition, the industry has experienced a drop in quality, massive layoffs, topped with Artificial Intelligence replacements which have all caused outcry among many communities within gaming spaces.
“One of my favorite games is Minecraft and I think the older games were a lot better in quality and more entertaining compared to the current games that are being released,” junior Owen Mumford said.
“I think they are very important to those who want or need them, they’re alternatives, that’s why they are there” Samuel Prinster, 10
The creation of plant-based meat varies from each manufacturer, usually through a blend of plants that are high in protein to mimic animal meat. These blends consist of generally familiar foods such as lentils, peas, potatoes and soy. To imitate the taste and texture of animal meat, coconut oil, wheat gluten and nutritional yeast are often used.
“I think that people need to eat what they like while also finding something healthy,” health teacher Jenelle Louis said. “I think plant-based foods are a great option, and I think more information needs to get out about it so kids can consider that option.”
The physicality of the gaming industry continues to struggle when it comes to design, accessibility, and simplicity, while the actual industry skyrockets in revenue. Another issue involving the industry is the use of AI. Despite protests, it continues to play a major part in today’s world of gaming, which has changed gaming from what it used to be.
“Honestly, I do feel disappointed that the current gaming industry has been ignoring what people have been requesting in games, and I think they could recover if the higherups in companies didn’t mess with any of the development of the games,” senior Ayden Debonnaire Lucas said.
by Cheyenne Steed csteed056@g.fhsdschools.org
The release of “Assassin’s Creed: Shadows” is expected to release on March 20, bringing a new story and plot for the gaming community that will focus more on stealth, unique tools and new animations that are different from previous games.
“I really liked the parkour aspect and the gameplay that came along with the previous games,” senior Aidan Martinez said. “I’m looking forward to playing the next game coming out.”
Released in November 2007, Assassin’s Creed has progressed and spread into over 13 installments in total. Assassin’s Creed’s plot is mainly based around an order of assassins who are fighting for peace and free will. Due to the time period in the game, it’s the first game in the series to feature assassins and templars in their classic form since 2015.
“I’m really excited for the name game, I have played most of the games and will definitely be getting the new one,” junior Hussain Mushtag said. “I’m really hoping for new stealth tactics, better weapons and a good story behind the game.”
by Abby Dunbar adunbar938@g.fhsdschools.org
Almost every kid has watched the classic 80’s movie, “Karate Kid,” at least once since it was released 41 years ago, but the franchise is still thriving with its latest installment months away from being in theaters, releasing on May 30.
Karate Kid Legends follows the storyline of all the other movies and series by picking up where Cobra Kai left off in the year 2025. The kid in trouble this time is Li Fong, who moves from Beijing to New York City and is sucked into a karate tournament by
by Bella Vassoller ivassoller054@g.fhsdschools.org
The game Block Blast has been around since 2022, but skyrocketed in popularity during the beginning of the school year. Students are seen playing all around the school, and have reached surprising high scores.
“I was in physics class and my friend next to me was always playing it,” senior Teagan Lee said. “She looked so entranced on what she was doing so I decided to download it.”
There’s nothing extraordinary about it, but students are satisfied by how selfexplanatory the game is. It has become a popular new hobby.
“It’s so addicting because it’s just so fun to play,” freshman Nathan Hanson said. “It’s easy to do, and it’s perfect for any little bit of
What streaming services are best for specific budgets and wants (Content by Caleb Thompson)
With a lineup of over 6,000 TV shows and movies, some original and some licensed, Netflix offers up one of the largest content libraries that money can buy.
In the past, Netflix was a strictly ad-free service. Now, with the current state of streaming platforms dominating as the most common method to consume television in America, Netflix offers three different plans.
Combining top-of-the-line, award winning content from HBO, Warner Bros., Discovery, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and DC, Max provides some of the greatest moments of film and television in recorded history.
Max is responsible for shows such as “The Last of Us,” “Euphoria,” “Dave Chapelle: Killin’ Them Softly” and “The Sopranos.”
his friend. His sensei in New York notices his talent and asks the “original” karate kid, Daniel Larusso, to take Fong to the next level for his competition.
While new actors like Ben Wang, who plays Li Fong, enter the cinematic universe, many pre-established actors are also returning to this new film. Ralph Macchio is reprising his role as LaRusso from the original movie, and Jackie Chan is reprising his role as Mr. Han from the 2010 Karate Kid remake.
Overall this film is set to run a similar storyline to that of the first, but set in a new city in modern day time. This movie also is coming to us to combine two previous movies in the Karate Kid cinematic universe and tie the storylines together.
time you have between classes.”
The game has quickly taken over, but possibly in beneficial ways. Students have found that they started to prefer opening Block Blast rather than opening a social media app when they have free time during a class period.
“Any time I have free time at school, I try not to go on TikTok or Instagram because they are both very distracting apps, so I decided to go on Block Blast which has turned out to be just as addictive,” Lee said. Block Blast is just as addictive as it is popular. Lee wasn’t the only person to see a friend play and decide to search for it on the app store.
“It’s just normal to see someone doing something cool and you follow,” Lee said. “People saw their friends doing it and they are like hang on, this looks kind of fun. Now they can also be relatable to other people; I feel like it created another area where people at our school can connect and relate to each other.”
The cheapest plan is “Standard with Ads” at $7.99. The middle plan is “Standard” at $17.99, and the highest plan is “Premium” at $24.99.
In giving Tubi a try, users will find free access to popular shows like “Kitchen Nightmares” and classic movies such as “Godzilla” (2014).
During the 2025 Super Bowl LIX, Tubi offered free streaming of the entire game, including the halftime and post-game show.
Max has three price plans to choose from, starting with “Basic with Ads” at $9.99, then “Standard” at $16.99 and finally “Premium” at $20.99.
For a total price of $0 a month, Tubi offers a surprising amount of high-quality content with sparse, 30 second commercial breaks placed strategically throughout your movies and shows.There’s no doubt about it, Tubi is well worth the price of admission.
Brianna Taliaferro
“AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A GANGSTER” I PUT THE
JEEP...
“I DIDN’T THINK ABOUT JOURNALISM WHEN I GOT TO HIGH SCHOOL, BUT I TRIED IT ANYWAY. I REALLY LIKED TO DO ART AND WASN’T SURE IF I’D FIT IN ON A STAFF FOCUSED ON WRITING. NOW, I’M FOUR YEARS INTO THE PROGRAM AND NOT ONLY DID I WRITE STORIES I AM PROUD OF, BUT I’VE ALSO GOTTEN TO ILLUSTRATE, DESIGN, LEARN ADOBE PROGRAMS AND MAKE FRIENDS AND CONNECTIONS EVERYWHERE. I’M EVEN CONSIDERING GOING INTO COMMUNICATIONS IN COLLEGE.”
—Michaela Manfull, North Star Editor-in-Chief FHN Media
ENROLL IN A JOURNALISM CLASS FOR NEXT YEAR. Journalism - (Writing & Design Focused) - 1/2 Comm Arts Credit & Dual Credit Option Broadcast Journalism - (Video Storytelling Focused) - 1/2 Comm Arts Credit Digital Photojournalism - (Photography) - 1/2 Practical Arts Credit ALREADY TAKE AN INTRO COURSE? JOIN STAFF. Applications for 2025-26 are available now. Find out More at www.FHNtoday.com/TellMeMore
Happy spring semester FHN!
We are even more excited to bring you this paper than we were for first-semester finals to get cancelled. With a calendar new year in the making we aim to bring you a little slice of everything in this paper. This section, though, is one big slice strictly devoted to book banning.
Book banning has become a burning topic in many minds and mouths in our community and our state. Some are doomsday prepping over what they believe is the stripping of First Amendment rights, while others feel more positive about the ability to challenge and ban books in order to ensure a safe reading environment for all students.
There are few neutral parties.
While many worry about our school district taking part in the uptick in book banning in the district, no books have been actually successfully challenged and banned. However, this does not mean that the possibility of books exiting our libraries is obsolete.
It’s a story in the making.
As students and as vessels of the press the topic of book banning lays heavy on our hearts. We aim to present this from an unbiased perspective, delivering a series of chronological stories, much like a chapter book, each bringing a new part of the story forward.
Along with the chapter style layout, each story has highlighted sections and informational annotations that give you yet another part of our unfinished story.
We hope that no matter who you are, you will take something Books matter.
Education matters.
Keeping students in a safe learning environment matters.
And that will never change.
No matter what side of the issue you are on, this debate must be settled by community members that are aiming to look out for what they believe is best for students. Most K-12 students don’t have the ability to vote, even on issues like book banning that directly affect them.
So, read the stories, take in the pros and the cons and get involved.
- Michaela Manfull & Violet Newton, Co-EICs of
News Staff
Where Missouri’s book banning laws started and their eerie similarities to popular dystopian and science-fiction novels
by Amari Ammons aammons371@g.fhsdschools.org
Ray Bradbury’s novel “Fahrenheit 451” depicts a dystopian society in which literature is controlled and suppressed by an authoritarian government. Books are deemed contraband and are liable to be violently censored with streams of flame issued by law enforcement. “Fahrenheit 451” is also among one of the most challenged books in the United States, with concerned citizens around the nation calling for it to be removed from the shelves of school libraries due to its obscene language and disturbing content. This reflects a larger trend of book banning in the United States which has only grown in recent years.
“In Florida, book banning has become an issue, much more so than the state of Maine, where I usually live,” Lois Lowry, author of the novel “The Giver,” said. “A lot of school classrooms have had to remove all the books in the classroom, and libraries have had to remove a lot of books.”
The term “book banning” is a bit of a misnomer. There are no books that are actually illegal to own in the United States, excluding those containing illegal materials. When people talk about book banning, they are referring to the practice of schools making a book unavailable to be borrowed. This usually happens as a result of a concerned third party approaching their local school board to challenge the book’s appropriateness. If the board deems the book unsuitable, the book will be removed from the district’s libraries and classrooms. While it’s not quite as severe as a flat-out ban, this practice is still very concerning. School is the only way for many students to reliably access books. By taking some books off of school shelves for their disagreeable content, students are being deprived of the unique perspectives held within them.
“In order for our students to be informed about issues,
they need to have access to all of the arguments, all of the sides, all of the information, so they can make their own informed decisions rather than what we tell them to believe, or we prevent them from even having the possibility of believing.” Luke
Lammers, the Director of Curriculum for FHSD said.
Here in Missouri, the fight for and against book banning is largely a story in the making. In 2022, the Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 775, which prohibited the distribution of materials containing sexually explicit content in school settings. This sparked a wave of school districts taking books they deemed inappropriate out of their libraries. The Wentzville School District took this to the extreme, temporarily banning over 200 books from their libraries, though most were returned after they received backlash from authors and illustrators. In August of last year, several policies were implemented by the FHSD board allowing for the challenging and banning of books within the district. While the board has not banned any books yet, this could change at a moment’s notice. The prospect of North’s libraries being censored may soon become a reality, a cause for great concern to some.
“If we think about a world where book bans are normal, then we’re talking “Fahrenheit 451”, we’re talking no more democracy,” Justine Pas, a professor of English at Lindenwood University said.
A quick read of the pros and cons of removing materials from public libraries and public school libraries
by Michaela Manfull mmanfull438@g.fhsdschools.org
groups of people, especially when the context around them change.
world around them that they may not have access to at home.
Chapter Four
Chapter Two
The author of “The Giver,” a commonly read book in FHSD English classes which has been one of the most challenged books since before bans were even in the spotlight, shares her thoughts on book banning (Content by Naomi VanDyne)
Have you noticed any changes in the types of books being banned or challenged over the years?
My first book was published in 1977 so we’re going way back. The question was never raised about homosexuality in books. It wasn’t until much later that there began to be gay characters in books, and that’s become an issue. Now, many, many books are challenged and
What do you feel is the primary reason behind why books get banned?
I thought a lot about that, because my particular book, “The Giver,” does not have any profanity and does not have any sex, and so that was puzzling. I’ve come to believe that the reason that it’s been challenged so many they . Their fear, I think, is the motivating factor. Today’s parents have more to fear than my parents did, because the world is such an uncertain and frequently frightening place for them now. They’re clinging to their beliefs and when their own kids begin to fight back against those beliefs and they see this reflected in a book, then they fear that book. It might encourage their kids in rebellion and all the things that they’re frightened of.”
banning that’s taking place now because of the removal of people’s freedom of speech, which is a constitutional right in this country. It’s a politically frightening thing and makes us worry about what the future holds for education.”
Do you believe that books containing difficult or controversial topics can actually provide valuable lessons for young readers?
Hear more from Lois Lowry about book bans and their effects on public schools by scanning the QR code below:
“I feel very strongly that literature that contains difficult or controversial topics, when handled well by the author and by the person who places the book in the hands of a young person, can be absolutely invaluable, because every kid, even if it hasn’t happened yet to them, it will happen in the future: something terrible will happen. They will have to be witness to or participant in some tragedy, because that’s what human life consists of, and reading about it, reading about these things in the context of fiction...will allow him or her to to feel all the emotions that are connected to difficult and controversial things, but in a safe way.”
What advice would you give to students, teachers, or parents who encounter book challenges or bans?
What do you think book banning says about society’s approach to education or freedom of thought?
I’m very frightened of the increased book
“They should take part in whatever form that controversy takes you, they should go to the school board meeting. They should speak up if they have an opinion, either for or against. They should write letters to the newspaper. And there are organizations that are very helpful along with that. One is called the National Coalition Against Censorship.”
Senate Bill 775 was primarily designed to support victims of sexual assault by expanding protections and resources for survivors. However, an overlooked provision within the bill also granted schools the authority to challenge and remove books, a clause that has since sparked controversy across Missouri.
A look into the beginning of book banning in Missouri, and how the Francis Howell School District has responded
by Violet Newton violetannenewton@gmail.com
In May of 2022 Senate bill 775 was approved and signed into law by Mike Parson June 29, 2022. It took effect in August of 2022 and was sponsored by Senator Holly Thompson Rehder. The bill’s main focus is to protect victims of sexual assault but buried deep in the bill contains a clause allowing schools to challenge and ban books. Though the bill explicitly targeted images, many school districts took a broader approach, leading to the removal of numerous books from their libraries.
One of the first districts to ban books after this legislature passed was the Wentzville School District, where parents and community members began challenging and banning books that were deemed inappropriate. Hundreds of books were challenged and several titles were removed.
of things, the most important is probably freedom of speech. You’re sort of tap dancing on thin ice here if you’re going to ban books and at the same time not violate someone’s freedom of speech or freedom of expression.”
Following the district being challenged, some books were reinstated to the library like “The Bluest Eye” and “Fahrenheit 451.”
“Legal arguments are typically used to justify banning books for freedom of speech and freedom of expression,” Davis said. “I mean, you can have a bumper sticker on the back of your car that says something vulgar and the government probably can’t do anything about it. Now a school can prohibit things, like no vulgarity on your shirts or hats, because it’s a specialized thing. But in the general public you can’t.”
200titles questioned andseveral removed.
“ I was honestly shocked because one of the ones that was being challenged that I read and loved was ‘Speak’,” junior student at Liberty High School Meghan Lynch said. “And it wasn’t really explicit at all.”
During this district-wide debate as to what should be deemed inappropriate, the American Civil Liberties Union stepped in, bringing a lawsuit on behalf of two students against the Wentzville School District. The lawsuit was brought forth alleging that the district violated students’ First Amendment rights by engaging in viewpoint-based removal of books.
“You get really deep into the weeds with politics here,” lawyer John Davis says. “Either conservative, far right, conservative or far left, that’s what you’re dealing with here. And the argument comes down to free speech. The First Amendment allows a lot
After all of this debate in a district less than 30 minutes away, students, parents, teachers, librarians and countless others in the FHSD remain on edge. While some push for books to be challenged and others push back and protest, the district hasn’t banned any books. The district has maintained that if parents have concerns about certain titles, they should work with teachers and librarians to guide their children’s reading rather than impose restrictions on all students. While the district has not banned any books, the discussion continues to bring light on differing perspectives on the role of literature in students’ lives. Some believe books provide valuable insight and support, while others argue for more oversight in what students can access.
This ongoing debate raises questions about the balance between parental concerns, educational freedom, and the impact of literature on young readers.
“ It can help students find understanding about the world and about themselves,” Lynch said. “Sometimes when you go through something, either difficult or traumatic, or just everyday life things, you need something else to turn to, and a lot of times that is books. That’s literature, that’s people who have been through these things and are sharing their stories. It’s like coping in their own way by writing it and that can help you cope by reading it and by taking that away. It’s taking away a lot of people’s support systems.”
The Court’sSupreme 1982 decision in Board of Education v. Pico ruled that schools cannot remove books becausesimplythey disagree with the ideas within them, but they can restrict materials deemed inappropriate for minors. This legal gray area has ongoingfueleddebates over what constitutes “appropriate” literature in schools.
A look into how the new legislation effects students, classes and clubs in FHN
by Cherry Clark cclark599@g.fhsdschools.org
In recent years, book bans nationwide have soared, affecting thousands of schools. In Aug. 2024, at a school board meeting, the Francis Howell School District approved a proposal allowing the district to ban inappropriate books from entering its libraries. Upon a request for removal, any book containing elements like explicit content or alcohol and drug use must be taken off the shelves. That banned book must gain the school board’s approval again to be added back.
Since then, the district has not banned a single book. While the policies have not been directly enforced yet, they remain in effect. In spite of the lack of enforcement, these policies still impact educators. For example, teachers must apprehensively approach the process of bringing material outside of their classes’ curriculum into their classrooms. The same goes for the FHN Book Club.
“One of the challenges is that it makes a lot more hoops to jump through to get materials,” Ashley Siess, English teacher and FHN Book Club sponsor said. “If you want text, they have to meet all these different criteria. You have to tell the librarians. Then, the librarians put it on the list. After that, it has to go through a process with the school board, where people have an opportunity to comment.”
It is a setback for teachers who want to teach books outside of their class’ curriculum. To get a book approved by the school board is even more exhausting. The school board also evaluates the benefitcost ratio, whether the book’s educational value warrants the effort, cost, or potential controversy of its approval. More often than not, potential controversy outweighs any educational benefits.
How the district’s policies work depends on the school setting, whether the policies apply to a class with a standardized curriculum, a class where students choose their own books, or the FHN Book Club. There is much less paperwork involved for classes where students can openly pick their novels or for the FHN
Book Club settling on a book, in comparison to a class that requires all the students to read the same book.
“Romeo and Juliet is in the curriculum. I don’t have to do anything for that [for regular literature classes],” Seiss said. “I can make all of my kids read it. But for something that’s not already written in and codified, I’ve been told they won’t approve it. It will not happen.”
In classes where students can choose which novels to read, the policies’ effects have not been felt as profoundly. At North, English teacher Lindsey Scheller teaches an elective class, The Novel, where students can choose their own books.
“I have not had a lot of personal issues with it. To be honest, I feel like I had more issues with when we used to do class novels.”
Scheller said.
“You know, [when] we would all read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.”
In Scheller’s Novel classes, the book chosen by a student can be any genre. The one main guideline is that it should be fiction. Nonfiction titles can be permitted as long as they follow the typical narrative of a fiction book.
“Kids get to choose their own books all the time,” Scheller said. “There is nothing in that class that I make the kids read.”
In the future, the policies may lead to the district’s first book ban. So far, they have acted as a deterrent for teachers looking to introduce new books into their classrooms. Still, they could become further difficult to handle as books face full removal.
“It makes me less apt to want to ask to order stuff,” Seiss said. “Because of the timeline and the headache.”
All classes at FHN have both required and optional assignments.reading
“I do not agree with the banning of books, especially in schools because I feel they’re in schools for a reason, they teach us something. Books are of literary merit. I feel they are good for children, especially high school children who are learning and growing every day.”
- Havana York, 12
“I feel like banning books makes us less educated because, the fact that we have technology rather than books is already taking peoples attention away from the teachers so if books will be banned, then how are people gonna be knowledgeable about things?”
- Winnie Vergara, 12
“I personally hate the idea of it because, you know, we have First Amendment rights in the US, so banning books is just another form of banning free speech. And I like reading, I like books so I would like as many options as possible. I just don’t agree with it at all.”
- Bailey Cosby, 12
Novel is the only class that’s the exception, where all books are chosen by the students.
“I think it’s kind of wrong because I think everybody should have the ability to read whatever they would like to and I think it should be open to people of all ages and left up to them to decide what they’re able to read and what’s mature enough for them.”
- Marguerite Leeper, 10
“I don’t read all that much, but I don’t think it’s right. It goes against the first amendment.”
-Logan Hawkings, 12
During the last few school years, multiple books containing controverisal content began to be removed from public libraries. Below, several people at FHN gave their opinion on a book that has been banned in multiple places (content by Bella Vassoller)
Jay Asher
“The subject matter of the book is about suicide. So that’s obviously a pretty dark topic, and depending on what kind of things are going on in a teenager’s life, I see where that would be concerning. As a parent there are certain things that you don’t want your kid to be exposed to, but my problem with banning books is that I don’t think that it’s fair for a group of people to decide across the board.”
- Lindsey Scheller, English Teacher
Stephen Chbosky
“The book does have some pretty heavy components, theres a lot of emotional stuff that the main character is going through, like self harm, suicide, sexual assault. I can see how people could get caught up in what it’s like for young readers to read about that, but I think that people are being people.”
- Ashley Seiss, English Teacher
by Michaela Manfull mmanfull438@g.fhsdschools.org
John Green
“I really liked the book, so the fact that it’s being banned [in other places] makes me really upset because I feel like that shouldn’t be controlled. People should have the freedom to write whatever they want to write, and people should have the right to read whatever they want to read.”
- Madeline Hecht, 12
Khaled Hosseini
“I can tell you that every student that has ever read ‘The Kite Runner’ in my classes loves it. It’s just that they get it, it’s a redemption story. That book satisfies everything on every AP essay, that book is fantastic. It’s just a very valuable novel for teaching. There’s just one page with a scene that happens in an alley. It’s one page of the book.”
- Amy Stoker, English Teacher
Sarah J. Maas
“It definitely has more adult topics, but I think it shouldn’t be banned. There’s some violence and there’s stuff in there that shouldn’t be read by children, so I agree that it might not be good for middle and elementary schools, but I think high schools should be a little bit more lenient.”
- Joanna Jolly, 10
Readmore onpoliciestheseto theright
On Aug. 15 last year, Board of Education members of FHSD voted to put three new policies in place that many believed would mean the end of “Fahrenheit 451,” “The Giver,” and other titles across the district.
“We do have the first amendment but we want to make sure that the resources available to kids are developmentally appropriate,” Luke Lammers, the Director of Curriculum for FHSD, said. “Some of Shakespeare’s titles probably wouldn’t be appropriate at the primary, K-5, level based on some of the content, but it’s totally fine for high schoolers.”
Six months later, however, a total of zero titles have been removed from the shelves of any district building due to a challenge. This is largely due to the policies and opportunities for alternative materials that were available to students before these new policies came into play. While removing a book from the shelves of a school district is occasionally the solution, more often than not it can be solved between individual students and their teachers.
The materials include everything from books to movies to database sources and more
“There are examples where a parent disagrees with a core text for an English class and they make their objection to that text known to the teacher and or the principals,” Lammers said. “In every case the teacher has worked with that family to provide an alternate text to be able to still accomplish the same educational objectives, to meet the same standards just through reading a different text, and that is pretty common in schools.”
The policy doesn’t only apply to books, it applies to all materials the Learning Commons and individual classes distribute. Even movies that are viewed in class are subject to these same policies and challenges.
“We do teach classes, we teach database research works and citing your sources,” Gabrielle Weston, a FHN Learning Commons Media Specialist said. “A lot of our staff use DVDs for their curriculum, too.”
A lot goes into the behind-the-scenes of creating and passing policies like these. While the district policies were set in motion by the Board of Education, they ran these policies by Media Specialists and district-level curriculum coordinators before making their final votes on them.
“Us librarians were invited to a meeting over the summer where we discussed the language of the policy,” Weston said. “We didn’t necessarily have a say in the passing of the policy, but we did have the opportunity to collaborate and have an idea of what would be passed and the language from the original draft that we eventually changed together.”
The way the final policies turned out were accepted by the masses, though members of the district have yet to attempt to ban a single book. It is the role of the school to provide a fair education to all students, so long as it’s deemed developmentally appropriate. Just because one person believes a text or material should be removed from the library does not mean that everyone will agree with them.
“In order for our students to be informed about issues, they need to have access to all of the arguments, all of the sides, all of the information, so they can make their own informed decisions rather than what we tell them to believe, or we prevent them from even having the possibility of believing,” Lammers said. “That’s not our role. Our role is to give them access to the information so they can make critical decisions for themselves, and if we get in the way of that, that can be dangerous. That can be dangerous and can run counter to the basic tenets of living in a democratic system.”
Media
Challenged Instructional Materials
• Instructional materials can’t be banned because of the writer’s views on the world
• Materials should present ALL points of view
• As long as a material has sound factual authority it can’t just be removed from or added to a classroom because of some random partisan issue
“Every effort will be made to provide materials that present all points of view concerning international, national and local problems and issues of our times.”
Learning Commons
• Classroom libraries count as libraries as long as they were paid for or donated by the community
• All new LC materials have to be approved by the board before they can be purchased
• Explicit acts are not allowed in any form of content in the LC with the exception of science materials, but even then they can be challenged still
“This restriction does not apply to materials used in science courses, ... however, the appropriateness of materials for said classes may be challenged under Policy 6241.”
Read more of these policies on the FHSD BoardDocs website.
Challenged Learning Commons Materials
• Any resident or employee of the district can challenge materials
• The BOE can remove materials if they are deemed to be pervasively vulgar or lack educational suitability
“The Board may not remove materials from the Learning Commons because they dislike the ideas contained in those materials and seek, by their removal, to prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matters of opinion.”
by Riley Jensen rjensen810@g.fhsdschools.org
PEN America is an organization that actively supports writers. They give out awards and host workshops for current writers as well as financially supporting aspiring writers.
Members of PEN have been keeping track of book banning: how many book bans have been counted across the states so far and what types of books we should expect to be banned.
should be directly involved with the issue of book banning as it is a legal issue that puts student’s freedom on the line. They anticipate that this surge of banned books will open the door to more legalized censorship in the future. They host multiple events such as meetings for authors, book signings and fundraisers to support both current and future authors. Students can become members in order to have access to resources relating to writer’s freedom. There are multiple committees under PEN that people can apply to become a member of and or donate to, including committees for children’s books, translators, avid readers and novel writers.
To get involved or learn more visit PEN.org or scan the QR code to the right.
Join the Booster Club and support your student!
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Funds raised through memberships and concession stand earnings in 2023 allowed ABC to provide over $20k in money to teams, general activities and scholarships*.
Funds raised through memberships and concession stand earnings in 2023 allowed ABC to provide over $20k in money to teams, general activities, and scholarships*.
Email any questions to: HowellNorthAthleticBoosters@gmail.com
Black Membership: $25
Email any questions to: HowellNorthAthleticBoosters@gmail.com
Pizza / Wings / Salads / Sandwiches
https://www.panteraspizzahazelwoodmo.com/
Business Hours: Monday - Closed Tue-Thu: 11am-8pm Fri: 11:30am-9pm Sat: 11:15am-8pm Sunday - Closed
Carryout Hours: Monday - Closed
Tue-Thu: 11:10am-7:45pm Fri: 11:30am-9pm Sat: 11:15am-8pm Sunday - Closed
Black Membership: $25
Black and Gold Membership: $50 (comes with $25 booster bucks)
Knights Membership: $100 (comes with $50 booster bucks)
Black and Gold Membershi $50 (comes with $25 booster bucks)
Membership cards can be picked up at the FHN concession stands.
Knights Membership: $100 (comes with $50 booster bucks)
*Parent must be a booster member for student to be eligible to submit scholarship application.
*Parent must be a booster member for student to be eligible to submit scholarship application
Delivery Hours: Monday - Closed Tue: 11:15am-7:30pm Wed: 11:30am-7:30pm Th: 11:15am-7:30pm Fri: 11:30am-8:30pm Sat: 11:15am-8pm Sunday - Closed
7209A N Lindbergh Blvd Hazelwood, MO 63042 (314) 895-8777
After 16 years of teaching, Kristen Johnson takes on the rigorous National Board Certification program to enhance her skills and provide the best possible education for her students
by Canyon Dubis cdubis608@g.fhsdschools.org
In school, students are always graded on what they do and corrected on their mistakes, but the same doesn’t appear to be true for teachers. For English teacher Kristen Johnson, she decided to take the next step and to get graded on the things she did as a teacher and become better at them by becoming National Board Certified.
“I think in most careers, there are natural opportunities for growth and this board certification is a big one for teachers,” Jordyn Kiel, a close friend of Johnson said. “But it’s a lot of time, up front it’s quite a bit of money, and it’s super challenging. So, I think if you’re going to jump in, you really have to be in it to win it because you kind of know those things going in.”
The National Board Certification program was created to recognize, develop and retain accomplished teachers and continue to improve schools across the country. It is the highest accomplishment a teacher can receive.
“You don’t need a certification to be a great teacher,” Kiel said. “But I think this is like the official stamp of showing your commitment to growth as an educator, and what you’ve done in your time as an educator to show your investment to the career and to the kids.”
The program is very challenging and takes a lot of support to get through the process. Johnson was supported in her journey by Kiel who started the program at the same time.
“I actually loved that we were in different categories because it made it so we still had to follow the same steps, but our content was a little different,” Kiel said. “And, I liked it because we knew what we needed to do and to accomplish. But having her perspective was nice because we would offer outside perspectives and viewpoints to each other. But, I think the process is so time-consuming and so challenging, and this sounds funny coming from a teacher, but the instructions are very complex. So, just having someone to make sense of things with you and in terms of instruction is huge more than anything.”
Johnson wasn’t doing the program just for the validation. She was also doing it for her students. She wants to be the best teacher she can be for them.
“It made me reflect on what I’m doing in the classroom and why. If you’re just giving formatives or assessments and you’re not actually looking at that data, that’s worthless, you’re not growing as a teacher, and your kids aren’t doing anything.”
Teachers have three years to complete this program. Within the program, a teacher must complete four components. These include a test, a writing segment based on feedback, a video of a lesson done by the teacher and another writing segment about growth over time. If a teacher does not score high enough they must redo the component.
“One of them was all about tracking how you help students with writing,” Johnson said, who has been a teacher at North for 16 years and was even a student teacher there with Shelly Parks. “That might have been my favorite because I had to track a full class, but then I also had to track a single student. So, I really got to know that student and his writing super well. So, that was really cool.”
Within the district, there are 44 Nationally Board Certified Teachers and within North, there are seven.
by Moira Dustin mdustin047@g.fhsdschools.org
Here are some FHN students’ unique designs and what they enjoy most about having creative freedom with their nails.
“I like being able to express myself how I want.”
Kierra Williams, 11
“I like that I can do whatever length I want or whatever color.”
Mildreth Esquivel, 11
“I think it just offers a way to showcase cute designs or favorite colors or really anything like that.”
Becca Grieshaver, 12
-Kristen Johnson
“When you get the test results back, it definitely tells you, ‘This is something you’re good at teaching, and this is something you could work on within teaching’,” Johnson said. “I passed all of it, but I did notice that I needed to work on how to be a better teacher in terms of reading, whereas, my writing scores were super high. So, it made me reflect on what I’m doing in the classroom and why. If you’re just giving formatives or assessments and you’re not actually looking at that data, that’s worthless, you’re not growing as a teacher, and your kids aren’t doing anything. So, it was definitely a reflective process, not necessarily a super enjoyable one, but I did learn a lot? Yeah.”
Her students have also seen the impact of this and enjoy her teaching style, making her a very enjoyable teacher to have.
“I think she’s a really flexible teacher,” junior Sam Slunaker said. “She’s really great about making sure that the students are understanding things and changing if something is too hard or too confusing, she’s also a trustworthy person. I feel like she’s a teacher that I could go to if I needed to ask any sort of questions about anything. She’s a sweet lady. I love her. She’s silly and goofy.”
“I was on Pinterest and I really liked the flowers, so I got flowers in lots of colors.”
Tabitha Hickman, 10
“They can just add to any day, or any outfit and make something less basic.”
Mackenzie Frische, 11
“I can show off and do something artistic without it being super complicated.”
Olivia Prinster, 10
A student hosted award show event takes its place among FHN students (Photo by Jordan Ousley)
by Violet Newton violetannenewton@gmail.com
Anew monthly event called the “Elysians” has emerged at FHN all from a basement conversation between senior Jordan Ousely, and junior Kailynn Bockerstette.
“Me and Kailynn had just started sort of doing dances and modeling in my basement, just for funsies, then it just grew into something way bigger, like a whole event,” Ousley said.
The first mention was during winter break when Ousley and Bockerstette put on dancing, singing and modeling performances just for fun, then it blew up into a full-on social event. They had a small get-together with other students including junior Vegas Harry, Erin Susic and Chris Brandt, who have all now become keystone members of this event.
“I couldn’t have done it without my team,” Ousley said. “Host Erin Susic, host Chris Brandt. I was obviously the MC and the event coordinator, my chef and bartender Vegas Harry. I also couldn’t have done it without Kailynn, she really built the idea that Elysians was based around. I could not have done anything without them.”
The next and most recent event took place Jan. 24 at Ousley’s house and had upwards of 20 guests, several judges and even a made-up restaurant that provides the catering service. Guests followed a dress-up theme all wearing emerald and gold.
“It took me and Chris about a week to plan. We just started off with what theme we wanted,” Ousley said. “We decided on an emerald and gold theme, that’s when we decided how we wanted to set up the venue. We came out with a menu and figured out everything we wanted to incorporate.”
When guests arrived they were treated with food from the event’s very own catering service called “Gummy Tackanos.” Ousley and Harry worked together to pick out the menu, buy ingredients, meal prep and cook the meal. Spending over $200, the meal was nothing short of a feast.
“Me and my friends made up this fake restaurant to cater for Elysians called ‘Gummy Tucanos’,” Ousley said. “I made a red and white cajun pasta, we had garlic bread,
salad with a light balsamic vingarette, toasted ravioli for appetizers and we had a chocolate fountain with marshmallows and rice crispies to top it off.”
Not only do guests watch performances but they also take part in them. All things ranging from carpet dances to “Arabian Nights” to runway modeling take place. These are all judged by a panel of judges which counts towards the awards later in the evening.
“Jordan used to be the only person who would perform, and then I broke out of my shell and did it,” Harry said. “Most people would come and be so scared to perform and then they would just branch out when they saw everybody else do it. Jordan’s energy had a big impact on people.”
At the end of the event performers are all up for the chance to win one of the six awards handed out. The awards cover all the bases with an overall award called “The Grand Elysian,” and other more niche awards including “Designer of the Year,” “Model of the Year,” “Performance of the Year,” “Innovation,” “Elysian Voice” and the “Best Dressed.”
“It was just amazing [to win the grand Elysian award] because I had practiced so long and attended so many Elysians and never won any awards,” Bockerstette said. “I never won any awards and that time I got it because I participated in all of the categories.”
While the event already has a good turnout, and a staff of dedicated event coordinators and hosts, they only plan on going up from here. Hosting another event in March the group all has visions for the future of Elysians. From growing amounts of attendees to adding more awards, it’s safe to say that big things are coming.
“We had four people to start and then it grew to 10 and then more like 17 people, were thinking of renting an event venue just for the night and having a giant Elysian gala, but we’re still planning,” Ousley said.
by Naomi VanDyne nvandyne312@g.fhsdschools.org
With society’s ever-increasing focus on themselves, the world around them soon disappears. The
Missouri Department of Conservation
A brief scientific overview of monarch butterflies and their ecoystems.
For Monarchs
A collaborative organization’s information on monarch habitats.
Xerces Society
Monarch populations have seen a decline in recent years, often attributed to the US, where amounts of milkweed have significantly decreased. However, the population decrease is also due to generation.
“We’re going to not only help the pollinators and the monarchs, we’re going to help ourselves too.”
- Amanda Templer
“If we’re gonna plant some things, we’re gonna plant some milkweed and we’re gonna plant some oak trees,” Templer said.
It’s really that simple. Missouri offers many different native milkweed species, and any of them will work for monarchs as they return in the coming weeks. Beyond that, there are multitudes of different programs and movements to get involved in. When it comes to conservation, even the smallest contribution
“We as a society don’t prioritize protecting natural species because it doesn’t fit our selfish needs,” master gardener Ashley Seiss said. “My hope is that people start doing more, planting more and caring more.”
Kokomo Joe’s is a “Family Fun Center” in St. Peters. The center offers an abundance of activities such as bowling, laser tag, an arcade, trampoline park and bumper cars. FHN will host their annual All Knighter at Kokomo Joe’s on June 7, this being the second year it has been off campus. The event allows senior students to spend one last night with their peers
(Content by Eashaan Patel)
Father and son play a “Plants vs. Zombies” arcade game. Both played games in the arcade before proceeding to a birthday party held by the amusement center, a service that is offered.
Missouri is full of historical women ranging from people helping in the academic field to filmmakers and Civil Rights activists. In honor of women’s history month, these are a few that are worth knowing the names of (Content by Kaylee Priest and Illustration by Cherry Ann Clark)
Harriett Woods was born in 1927. Growing up in University City and dying in 2007 at the age of 79 years old, Woods was the first female Lieutenant governor of Missouri along with a democratic politician and an activist for women’s rights. In the early 1960s she began to work on a talk show as a writing narrator and host that was streamed on local television stations. There she discussed topics of child abuse, women’s rights, civil rights and issues about wars. In 1967 she was given her first role in office to finish out a term of a previous member. In 1976, she was given a different role in office and tried to run for state senate at the same time. This was not a popular time for women to be running in office, so she was one of only two women running. During her time in office she was able to strengthen nursing home regulations, improve drunk driving laws, along with helping fix education, mental health and poverty issues.
“Harriett Woods was working behind the scenes to help get things done, you most likely knew her but she wasn’t one of those politicians people hated,” history teacher Kimberly Coil said. “She helped a lot with women’s rights and drunk driving laws for sure.”
Maya Angelou was born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, and died in 2014. She was most famous for being a poet and a civil rights activist. But she was also a singer, dancer, actress, composer and Hollywood’s first black female director. She’s known for the memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” which was published in 1969. This book made headlines for being the first nonfiction bestseller made by a black woman. She was an inspiration to many young black women through her speeches and poems she wrote and preached.
“She was more than just a writer, she was also a civil rights activist and the first black female director,” English teacher Rowan Pugh said. “She was able to take her writing skills to different avenues of the world.”
by Addilyn Lee alee452@g.fhsdschools.org
St. Peters has welcomed a brand new ramen restaurant to the area called “Ichiro Ramen.” Ichiro Ramen is a small restaurant located at Plaza 94. They offer a variety of ramen, sushi and other Japanese dishes.
“It was similar to a place in St. Charles called ‘Yummy House’ but the vibe was definitely different,” junior Kailyn Curtis said. “I liked the ramen place better because it was just overall a nicer place.”
Joshphine Baker was born in 1906 in St. Louis, Missouri, and died in 1975 at the age of 68. She became famous in France for being an entertainer with her singing and dancing. She also worked for the French resistance movement and fought for civil rights in the United States in the 50s and 60s. By the end of her life she managed to adopt 12 children of different ethnicities that she referred to as her “rainbow tribe.” Baker was an activist for LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights and black rights.
Susan Blow was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1843 and died in New York City and 1916. Blow was considered one of the most important leaders in the education system at the time. She founded the first public kindergarten in St. Louis in 1879 and ran it for almost 11 years unpaid. Schools and classrooms at the time were very plain, dry and boring. She made her classroom very bright and cheerful, allowing plenty of plants, books, toys and colors for the children to use during work and playtime. Shortly after 1884 Blow became very sick so she traveled to New York City to try and improve her health but unfortunately passed away in 1916 at the age of 73.
Ichiro Ramen is a small family owned restaurant, with two locations currently. Before Ichiro Ramen, a restaurant called “Mandarin Garden,” a chinese restaurant, occupied the space. They recently had to close and sell the space and Ichiro Ramen took its spot. Even though the name of the restaurant is Ichiro Ramen, ramen is not the only thing on the menu.
“We didn’t want our focus to be limited to just ramen so we added some American and Asian foods on the menu and any other items we wanted to try,” Raymond Sun, manager of Ichiro Ramen and FHN alumni said. “For a solid moment I thought it was too much but we wanted to give it a try.”
Their menu is full of options. There are different types and styles of ramen, but they also have a variety of other kinds of foods like fried rice, dumplings and salad. They also have different drinks to choose from including water, tea, soda and ramune which is a carbonated Japanese drink.
“They had a variety of appetizers and entrees if you are not feeling the ramen,” Curtis said. “I think my friends enjoyed their meals as well.”
The decor and the food they serve are what make Ichiro Ramen different from the other restaurants in the area. With Burger King and Taco Bell nearby, the Japanese menu makes going to Ichiro Ramen an easy choice for a taste of something new and different. Ichiro Ramen incorporates a lot of Japanese style, through their decor and cuisine.
“Most restaurants in the area are more focused on traditional American foods and Ichiro Ramen branches out,” junior Robert Silzle said.
by Kaylee Priest kpriest027@g.fhsdschools.org
Crave Cookie, a popular cookie small business known for its rotating weekly flavors, has made its way to Ballwin, bringing a sweet treat to the local community. Similar to Crumbl Cookie, Crave Cookie offers six new cookie flavors every week. From “KitKat Cookies and Cream” to the “Flintstones ft. Fruity Pebbles,” there’s always something new to try. The cookies are based around New York style cookies, which are big, rich and gooey with a crunchy exterior. The business opened in late December of last year, and announced the grand opening of their new location via Instagram, where one can find daily updates, weekly flavors and deals for an economic cookie.
“I like the cookies, don’t get me wrong, but the dirty sodas are my favorite part, every time I have been there has been a long line but it’s always been well worth it,” junior Tyler Armsby said.
But it’s not just about the cookies. Crave Cookie also sells “dirty sodas,” a drink that combines sodas with cream and several different flavor options which allow for endless flavoring combinations. These drinks are the perfect complement to the cookies and are quickly becoming a favorite among consumers. The new Ballwin location has already become a popular spot for teens and foodies alike, offering a cozy atmosphere for friends and families to hang out while enjoying their sweet treats. With friendly staff and a constantly changing menu, Crave Cookie is quickly becoming a hit in the area. While there aren’t any other locations in Missouri, there are 41 around the country, in states such Texas, Arizona and Pennsylvania, just to name a few. The business is hoping to expand even further from their original location in California. Whether one is a cookie lover or just looking for something new to try, Crave Cookie is definitely worth checking out.
“A few friends and I went back when it first opened,” junior Isabelle Wilkie said. “I saw it on TikTok and wanted to give it a try, I liked it, it kind of reminded me of Crumbl Cookie.”
Here are a few tools that will help anyone learn an instrument.
Bandlab
This online tool is designed for for music creation and learning. Equipped with virtual instruments and a rich sound library, this app is built for those wanting to learn an instrument.
TrueFire
For those looking to be educated by GRAMMY award winners, this is the place. Working at your own pace is only one of the benefits of TrueFire.
Simply Guitar
Those who want a more video game like approach, Simply Guitar gives real time feedback as you learn the chords to your favorite songs.
GuitarTuna
The app is used to tune guitars with professional accuracy Some of the benefits this guitar tuning app has to offer is 100+ tunings and tips from expert guitarists.
Band director Ryan Curtis teaches students the art of music through guitar in a year-long course
by Haley Beffa hbeffa397@g.fhsdschools.org
Students at FHN have been working to better their music skills through the offered guitar class that band director Ryan Curtis teaches. Curtis has been teaching the class for the past three years, after moving to North from Lindenwood. When he got the position here as a band director, he felt that he was the best fit to teach the class since he enjoys teaching others how to play various instruments, and has years of experience in musical arts under his belt.
“My favorite thing about teaching the class is just being able to let the students play some recognizable songs,” Curtis said. “Learning where the notes are, and how to transition that into future songs.”
Students in the class are given the opportunity to learn their favorite songs on guitar, even if they have no background playing an instrument. The class is beginnerfriendly, starting with the basics of the strings, beginner chords and music theory. As the year progresses, the students will be taught harder chords to play, memorization, more in-depth knowledge of music theory and how to read sheet music as well as tabs.
“No previous experience is required to take the class,” Curtis said. “The hardest thing is just the first initial teaching of rhythms.”
Brisa Dimas, a junior at FHN, started her guitar journey through this class. She had little experience with guitar beforehand, and has been working to better her skills over the past six months. She has noticed visible improvement, and enjoys how she has been
able to progress with the help of the class. Now, she can play a few songs she likes, and has a better understanding of how the instrument works.
“I love this class,” Dimas said. “I wouldn’t say it’s difficult, but it takes time and patience when you’re learning to play guitar.”
One of Dimas’ favorite things to learn is the chords. Though she started off confused, she quickly learned how to maneuver her hands to properly play each chord without fret buzz or pressing on the wrong string. Something that kids in the class often mess up on is the rhythm and time signatures, since oftentimes beforehand, they weren’t taught them fully.
“I was always taught 4/4 in elementary, but never 3/4,” Dimas said. “It messed me up on a few occasions, but I got the hang of it.”
Students do not need to own thier own guitar to join the class, either. The school provides up to 30 guitars for students to learn on, but they are free to bring thier own from home. Though if they do bring one in, there is no guaranteed safe space for the guitar to be stored, so thay must be sure to keep it somewhere they trust. The class offers one fine arts credit, and is a two-semester course that anyone in any grade can sign up for. If someone is looking to take a fun, easy class, they should talk to thier grade level counselor to make sure they secure a spot for next year.
“The students are wonderful,” Curtis said. “And it’s great to have varying abilities of guitar students in class for other students to learn from.”
spent on her collection.
“I’ve probably spent well over $500 on Jellycats,” Bockerstette says, “They appeal to me because they come in such odd things like, you’d never expect to see a cauliflower stuffed animal.”
For someone her age, it might be frowned upon to dedicate this much time and money to a few stuffed animals, but to Bockerstette, it’s much deeper than a few stitches and button eyes. Like many other adolescents, Bockerstette’s life isn’t always easy. Many teens struggle with different aspects in life, Although Bockerstette has other outlets like speaking to her parents or her therapist, she’s found additional ways on her own. For example, she finds comfort in Nicki.
“If you see Kailynn without Nicki, then it just isn’t [her],” Bella Vollmer, a longtime friend of Bockerstette, said.
Bockerstette is always seen with Nicki, whether in a candid TikTok or on her drive to school. One morning, Bockerstette was driving to pick up her friend Logan Vollmer for school, but when he went to sit, someone had taken his spot.
“I first became aware of Kailynn’s collection when I got in her car one day and there was one buckled in the passenger seat,” Logan Vollmer said.
What he had seen was Nicki, buckled in beside Bockerstette. Another day, Bockerstette’s government class had a field trip, again, she needed Nicki by her side.
“At first I thought it was funny, our whole government table laughed. But it made me realize how much this item helps her cope with other internal conflicts,” Haar said.
Bockerstette’s mother, Angela Cochran, has seen the impact of these stuffies go from a fixation on toys as a child to a life-changing coping mechanism.
“She’s always had stuffed animals, as soon as we got her her full size bed, from the toddler bed, it was just nothing but stuffed animals,” Cochran said. “I got rid of one stuffed animal, she was four years old, and she still remembers it. It was a 4-foot-tall dinosaur, we donated it during the Joplin
teens go through. Bockerstette has struggled peace.
“I feel like my brain is always going, it never slows down, so it’s nice to have that physical reminder with me,” Bockerstette said .
As for all moms, it was hard for Cochran to watch her daughter grow up with these challenges, feeling like you can only do so much for the person you love the most. However, she was able to watch how much Kailynn’s appreciation twords her collectables grew into a life lesson she will hold onto forever.
“When you struggle with anxiety and ADD, your thoughts can really travel on their own and a lot of times you can’t really get ahold of that,” Cochran said. “And so when she has something with her that’s so familiar it can help bring back her mind to a place where she has more control. I think that’s really important for her, especially as we explore new medications and other sources of relief.”
Her anxiety has been a direct cause of a reoccuring fear of Bockerstettes, the thought of getting sick in public. It randomly spawns and drowns her mind. It makes simple responsibilities a challenge, along with going to school, focusing on work and even hanging out with friends. Sometimes to the point where Bockerstette will feel physically sick, but the familiar scent of home, family and comfort is just what Bockerstette needs in times like those.
“I would say I have very bad anxiety, and when I have my stuffed animals with me they keep me in touch with reality and so I’m not ‘freaking out’ as much,” Bockerstette said.“They bring me a great sense of joy, seeing their smiley faces all the time, and how soft and cuddly they are. It just makes me so happy that they are always happy.”
Check out the most sought-after Jellycats below.
Bashful Bunny
The Bashful Bunny is Jellycat’s signature plush and comes in tons of colors.
Customers line up in front of the Small Sliders location in Bridgeton, Missouri on Sat. Feb 22. The location opened in late Jan. with drive-thru lines consistently wrapping around the building.
(Photos by Aubrey Henning)
2
Amuseable Avocado
This plush went viral for its adorable smiling face. It’s part of the Amuseables food collection, which has a massive fanbase.
3
Bartholomew Bear
This bear has a soft, vintage-style look and has been a favorite for both collectors and kids.
Odell Octopus
Odell has been a top-seller for years because of its cute expression.
by Ashlyn Thies athies277@g.fhsdschools.org
Smalls Sliders is quickly gaining community recognition all over the country as a new location opened in Bridgeton on Jan. 22. Since opening, there has been a constant line of cars, often going into the street. The location is in a good spot with lots of foot traffic.
“Everybody is still coming out and trying it for the first time,” Blake Koutroubis, one of the owner-operators said. “We’ve been very successful the past three weeks.”
To order, there is a drive-thru option or you can walk up to the window. It is an outdoor restaurant, and you can still be comfortable in the cold months as there are heaters. The staff members make the experience great because of their positive attitudes.
“The workers were very nice, funny and appropriate,” freshman Kira Pierce said.
This isn’t the beginning of their journey. There are locations all across the country, mostly in the south. There are plans to drop more locations in St. Louis and Kansas City soon, as well as other locations in Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi.
“We’ve went down to Lake Charles in Louisiana, where it was started down in Baton
Rouge, we went down to Louisiana and did a manager in training down there for a couple weeks, so we came back up here, found this location, and we thought it was a great place to start our journey here,” Koutroubis said.
The style of the menu is similar to Raising Canes as Koutroubis mentions, because it has four main options to choose from. The difference is how many sliders you get which have their signature sauce on it, and every option comes with a drink and fries which have their signature seasoning. They also offer milkshakes and individual items such as different kinds of sliders, grilled cheese and queso. If you’re looking to cater for a party or a gathering, they offer party packs which are available in multiples of 25 sliders.
“I always recommend that everybody tries out signature small sauce as well as the
Queso on the fries. It goes very well together,” Koutroubis said.
Three sophomores lives’ are forever held together with resilient thread
by Esther San esan231@g.fhsdschools.org
Three threads. Three simple threads that hold these stories together.
Three abnormal threads that don’t split nor fray. Three resilient threads that hold bonds worth lifetimes. Three sophomores: Jobanjit Dayal, Noah Rowland and Danny Shi whose friendship and lives are comfortably tangled within the threads. It began with two similarly unraveling spindles: Dayal and Shi. The two met as kids and were neighbors. They grew up alongside each other. In 2020, quarantine caused the two to drift. However, they found a new passion for volleyball together.
“I stopped talking to Danny during quarantine,” Dayal said.
which was Danny at the time,” Rowland said. “I looked up to Danny because he was so popular and got along with everybody. I wanted to be like him.”
To sharpen their skills, Dayal and Shi would practice at volleyball open gyms hosted by the St. Peters Rec-Plex. Rowland, hearing of this, asked the two if he could tag along. At last, the three threads intertwined.
“I remember Joban saying every Sunday ‘I’m going to the Rec-Plex for volleyball’ and that sounded like a lot of fun,” Rowland said. “I texted Danny and Joban, and asked ‘You guys mind if I come?’ and they were apprehensive, but said ‘You can come if you want.’ I ended up going and bonded really well with both of them”
“Individually, all three of us had the love for volleyball. That’s what brought us closer. It solidified why we love volleyball.”
“Randomly, I saw some pro-athletes playing volleyball on TikTok and it looked really fun. I took a chance and rang Danny’s doorbell for the first time in a while and asked if he wanted to play volleyball.” Shi also remembers their long practices.
“We spent at least 100 hours outside,” Shi said. “When we started we could not pass the ball well or really do anything. We would just be outside, during summer, in the heat, passing to each other. We’d go out at around 12 and not come back until nine.”
It continues with a separate spindle with no prior connection to the duo. A lone spindle which carried its own thread: Rowland. In 2022, he was put under familial pressure to get active. Looking for a sport to play, Rowland took Shi as inspiration.
“I wanted to fit in with the cool kids,
-Danny Shi
A duo turned into a trio. One pre-existing conjoined strand in combination with an admiration turned to friendship. Dayal, Rowland and Shi’s past as strangers to their present as a tight-knit trio stemmed from their love for volleyball.
“Individually, all three of us had the love for volleyball,” Shi said. “That’s what brought us closer. It solidified why we love volleyball.”
Dayal agreed.
“Our love for volleyball grew as well as the love for each other,” Dayal said.
The trio’s well threaded bond shows in their athletic performance.
“I don’t have to look back to know that Joban digs every single ball,” Rowland said. “I don’t have to look back to know that Danny is gonna run for that ball. I have a lot of trust in them and they have a lot of trust in me.”
Challenges arise and threads aren’t
guaranteed to neatly lace. Dayal, Rowland and Shi tried out during the 2024 volleyball season. Rowland and Shi made JV, while Dayal made C-team. The boys were disappointed. They wanted to play a season together. But, this setback only fortified the trio’s work ethic.
“It made us all want to try to be better at volleyball,” Dayal said. “It gave us something to work towards. For me, especially, it pushed me to practice harder to guarantee I have a chance to play with Noah and Danny.”
This wasn’t the only trial that faced the trio. While playing against Francis Howell Central, Rowland tore his ACL and dislocated his knee. Rowland was out for the season, but their threads didn’t fray nor split. Their threaded bond withstood, despite Rowland’s absence on the court.
“I hung out with them a lot because I wasn’t on the court and this made us even closer,” Rowland said. “I’m never gonna forget my injury because Danny and Joban were always there for me. The scar I have on my knee is a reminder that they were constantly there supporting me”
Dayal, Rowland and Shi’s resilient connection empowers the belief that their threads will continue to weave far beyond high school.
“Our thread is just going to get bigger and bigger,” Shi said. “It’s going to wrap the world.”
As the boys’ stories continue to spin and someday find their end, the trio will forever keep this friendship worth lifetimes sewn in their hearts.
“I was a rock with Danny and Joban,” Rowland said. “I feel like our bond has transcended generations. They’re like family and I genuinely love these guys so much.”
Scan the QR code to see a season recap from the 2024 season.
Below are the next two boys volleyball games.
“We’ll do good against Howell. We were solid last year, but even better this year. We got it in three or four sets.” Alex Williams, 12
20 years after taking the job, Mike Janes announces his retirement
by Miriam Litchy mlitchy791@g.fhsdschools.org
Mike Janes has been an activities director for 21 years, with 20 of those being spent at FHN. He was originally an activities director at Warrenton and transferred to FHSD to pursue his career.
In 2003, he became head coach of FHN’s softball team; in addition to softball, he coached soccer and track and field. While coaching, he worked with two activities directors at Francis Howell and two at FHN, knowing that one day he wanted to become an activities director. Janes left FHN and went to Warrenton High School because they had an opening for an assistant principal and activities director, applying just to see what the process would look like, doubting he would land the job. Janes spent his first year in Warrenton before transferring back to FHN and spending his next 20 years as the activities director.
When going down any career path, there are going to be challenges, lessons learned and changes. One of the challenges Janes faced starting his journey was not knowing anything, as well as not knowing the ins and outs. He emphasized how much networking helped him to be so successful in his career.
“You have to know them and build relationships with them,” Janes said.
Talking to different activities directors in other districts and scheduling so many events, there is always a conversation. Some of his most influential peers were Terry Kasper and Darlene Jones. Kasper was the activities director at FHC who retired roughly 10 years ago and Jones was FHN’s head principal for 17 years.
“She hired me, she took a chance. I mean I was only 29 or 30 when I started here,” Janes said.
Jones and Janes still talk to this day.
Reflecting on memorable events and games, he says the most recent Black and Gold Day was special because it was the grand opening of
the new school and was organized perfectly by everyone. At FHN our coaches, players and staff members always try to make every game day an event for people to celebrate; whether it be pink out, senior night, teacher appreciation or middle school feeder games.
After 20 years of being an activities director, Janes knew it was time to wrap up his career. On game days, he will be at the school as early as 6:30 a.m. and be one of the last people to leave at night.
“There is paperwork for every game that is played,” Janes said.
Oftentimes, Janes will not even sit to watch games due to his busy schedule. Janes spoke on how FHN has a really good retirement system. According to him, it has made this process go by smoothly for him.
“This process came at a time that is good for me and for the school as a whole, there’s no better people that can do it from here,” Janes said.
North will continue to grow and improve as the years go by, partially due to the work Janes has done up until now.
Looking ahead, FHN’s future activities director will be Dusty Weiskopf. He has known Janes for almost six years through different coworkers and teaching Janes’ daughters. They have built a connection over the years. While the conversation of retiring had been going on for years, it still caught some a bit off guard.
“I wasn’t shocked, I was a little surprised. I thought he would wait a little longer,” Weiskopf said.
Weiskopf sees Janes as a mentor who has helped him out over the years; he was honored to have the opportunity to continue on Janes’ work. Weiskopf believes that he is ready to step into the role. There is always going to be pressure when starting a new job but he is confident that he will do a good job for the community and the students at FHN.
“I want to make this school the best it can be,” Weiskopf said.
Sophomore Laurel Bratcher practices her figure skating at the Centene Community Ice Skating Building on Feb. 17. Bratcher has been figure skating for over six years with different clubs. Currently, Bratcher performs with Saint Louis Synergy Synchronized Skating Association. (Photos by Kaylin Mort)
Bratcher does a variation of a sit spin called a bullet spin during practice at Centene Community Ice Center on Feb. 17. Seven months ago, Bratcher had a skating accident. She had split her arm and wrist open all in which required surgery. Bratcher’s recovery time took three months and within those months, Bratcher wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue skating. “My friends were there for me through the whole thing,” Bratcher said.
by Morgan Smith msmith922@g.fhsdschools.org
Most people play sports at an early age, go through high school and finish playing at the collegiate level, leaving their athletics behind. For North math teacher Emilee Fischer, that was what she did with lacrosse. Fischer played lacrosse for three years including two in high school and one collegiately at Lindenwood University-Belleville. She was just hired to become the FHN Assistant Coach for varsity girls
“We are really excited to see what she brings into this team,” head coach Rowan Pugh said “She has already brought in some new ideas which will help make us a wellrounded staff.”
Not only is coaching a difficult job by itself, but teaching and coaching at the same time can bring many challenges. One of those big challenges is time management and scheduling, not including weekend events. While still being a Geometry and Algebra l teacher, Fischer still finds ways to get out and work individually to be there for the team.
“Some nights are very late and days can get very long depending on my schedule,” Fischer said. “I have been able to get out my stick though to be better individually.”
As far as the team goes, many goals are being set for this upcoming season. Some include getting past the first round of districts while ultimately having fun. For the Knights, they are coming off of a 10-7 record last year. The staff, being one of the bigger and most educated staffs when it comes to athletics at North, includes English teachers Pugh and Joey Hall, Fischer and a non-staff member at North, Shelby Pritt, all of whom played lacrosse not only in high school and at a young age but also collegiately.
“I am super excited about our coaches and our new one to bring in knowledge,” senior Lexi Merritt said. “I hope they benefit and Fischer benefits in new ways.”
by Eric Taylor etaylor790@g.fhsdschools.org
In the state championships on Feb. 20, junior Riley Jensen participated in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 1:05.22, placing 29 overall in the event. North’s 200 free relay and 200 medley relay also had state qualifying times and were ranked 33 in the state.
“My Butterfly improved the most this season,” Jensen said. “Which allowed me to go to state this year, compared to last season where I only went to state in freestyle, and I hope next season I qualify for state again.”
FHN ended their season at GACs on Feb. 12, with FHN placing fifth overall in the competition.
“This season was crazy successful; we had so much growth from last season and we had two of our relays have state qualifying times and can make it to state next season,”
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On Feb. 28 through March 1, boys and girls wrestlers went to state
by Miranda Fabian mfabian486@g.fhsdschools.org
Boys Wrestling:
TCoach Rowan Pugh said. “I was super proud of the team at GAC’s and we had the best score and best placement since I’ve been coaching.”
The FHN Girls Swim Team is losing three seniors this season, including Madeline Dustin, Teegan Lee and Sophia Arnold. Even though the team as a whole is proud of their results this season, the majority of the team does not believe that it was their finest moment.
“I am most proud of sticking with girls swim and not giving up when it was getting hard,” freshman Aerilyn Ide said. “I shaved some good time off on my events and I am proud of my team for keeping the spirit and not quitting during the season, even during Winter Break.”
The team was also proud of being together as a team and being a family for one another.
“I’m proud of the friendships I’ve made this season because I started out not knowing anyone on the team and now I am friends with everyone on the team,” Jensen said.
he boys’ qualifiers hit state Feb. 28 through March 1 at the Mizzou arena and sought huge success. Sophomore Wyatt Dannegger, who wrestled in the 106-pound weight class, won first place, while senior Collin Conley won sixth in the 165-pound weight class.
Conley and Dannegger weren’t the only ones to place at districts. Returning qualifiers junior Cole Dillon and junior Lito Ledezma, along with newcomers freshman Noah Brown and senior Collin Costello, also made their way to state. For many of the wrestlers, as well as their coaches, it was mostly about cultivating a winning mindset leading up to state.
“A big part is that Coach Brown keeps driving home to the athletes to visualize success and have a belief that you are there and you’ve got the training,” Assistant Coach Sean Fowler said. “Now you just gotta go out and execute it.”
Throughout the season, there have been many highlights with newcomers. Noah, a freshman, made it to state right off the mat.
“I’m always thinking about how to get the win and wanting to get the win,” Noah said.
Freshmen aren’t the only ones who can be rookies at state. Costello improved greatly throughout the season, earning him a trip to state for his first time.
“Collin Costello made some big jumps; it was his first time being a state qualifier and we could see the improvement as the year went on,” Head Coach Chris Brown said.
Emotions can be high and aren’t limited to the fresh faces at state, as coaches can also feel the immense pressure from the sidelines.
“I find it a little more difficult to be a coach on the side where you have all that sympathetic arousal - fight or flight type thing - where you can’t actually compete,” Fowler said.
Balancing passion and support for their wrestlers, the coaches strongly aimed to keep their wrestlers prepared without adding additional pressure.
“Believe that they can be a state medalist, that’s the thing we’ve been preaching the most and that they’re deserving,” Chris said.
Girls Wrestling
On Feb. 14-15, girls wrestlers senior Isabelle Apple, sophomore Ashlynn Alexander, junior Aubrey Peterson and sophomore Maddy Howell went to districts and came back as wrestling state qualifiers. On Feb. 27, the girls’ wrestling team left for the Mizzou arena to compete in state wrestling. They returned home March 1 with an impressive portfolio.
Apple secured her spot as a two-time state finalist, placing second place in the 105-pound weight class. Peterson and Alexander both earned fifth place in the 135-pound and 170-pound weight classes.
For the girls, consistency and their experience eased their nerves. Throughout the season, a primary motto that coaches attempted to engrave into the wrestlers was the importance of relying and depending on their strengths.
“This time in the year, it’s about drilling your top stuff and turning it into muscle memory,” Assistant Coach Sean Fowler said. “That way, when you’re out there wrestling, you don’t have to think about it. You have a plan, you go execute it. [If] it’s not there, then you have a plan B.”
The rest of the coaches agreed; leading up to state, the best course of action was to ease up on the pressure while being consistent in what they know and refining those skills. The mindset on that road can often be fragile and can make or break the outcomes for many.
“I feel like I come in with a really negative mindset, so this year I’ve been really working on trying to change that, and a lot of my coaches have been there to help me along with that,” Howell said.
Howell qualified for state for the first time after making a comeback through a blood round in which she had a second chance, following her loss during her first match. Although she pushed through at districts, she fell short at state after losing in two matches.
“Growth is the whole mindset, right?” Assistant Coach Kim Skwira said. “So if you qualify and make it to state, great; if not, you’ve experienced a season, and now you know what to expect next year.”
For Apple, that approach seemed to have worked well. In years prior, it helped her become a two-time state finalist. For Alexander, reaching state meant a lot. She had only wrestled for two years and saw a lot of success in the sport leading to her fifth place victory at state.
“It feels pretty good [to get to this point],” Alexander said. “I’m proud of myself and the work that I have put in.”
View the upcoming livestreams for the spring sports season below (Photos by Faith Smith)
What are the key differences from last year to this year with the team?
We did lose a lot of seniors last year, so we are kind of rebuilding a little bit, but the seniors this year were really looking for them to kind of take it up a notch and be the leaders for this team. What is a team goal for this year? Would definitely
What are you looking forward to most about this upcoming season? Coming into this year, we have new coaching staff, giving us a lot more opportunity to succeed over the season. How do you think this season will go compared to last season?
I see a lot more wins in our record book, and I think that we’re going
What is the biggest thing that makes this season different from others?
The group of seniors this year was one of my best freshman squads that I’ve had. Now they’re all seniors, and so the juniors that I had for the last two years are up with them. So I’m really looking forward to seeing what the varsity
Camille Krekeler, defense
What will need to happen for North to win this season?
We have a pretty strong defense right now, but for offense, we’re just gonna have to train those girls to have more confidence and get to the goal so we can score.
What are some goals you’re setting for your team?
In the season, I think we have like 14 games, I’d like to win five. I think that’s reasonable for us, and just working together and getting to know each other better.
(by Natalie Epplin)
Ella VarVera, senior, attack
Sean
Borgschulte, varsity
How do you feel about the team’s chemistry?
Our team has always been very close off the course. But some members have a tendency to be over competitive when it comes to spots on the team.
I think everyone needs to have the mindset that your performance is for the team, not yourself.
Is there anyone on the team who has really stood out to you in terms of
Sean Borgschulte, senior, 4-year player
What is your main goal for the team this season?
[Our] main goal is to grow the team numerically. but also to help them grow in their confidence on the court and their in their leadership. What will need to happen for North to have a good season?
Just keeping all the players healthy throughout the season. But also just keeping a focus on the long
How do you expect to do this season compared to last season? Last season, I was trying to get more into that leader role, and this year I’m definitely going to push myself to push others and be a role model. What are your team’s expectations? Track and field is a sport where
senior, rank one
Have you purchased your yearbook chronicling the 2024-2025 school year?
Check the “Yearbook” menu item on FHNtoday. com to make sure your name is on the list so you don’t miss out.
If you need to buy your book, you still can in room 131 with Mrs. Kiel or online at FHNtoday.com under the “Yearbook” menu.
This year’s book chronicle everything from each of the sports seasons to graduation and everything in between
How the practice of book banning does nothing more than prejudice and harm children
Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner” first found me during my sophomore year. That was when I read its tender story about the lives of two Afghan boys, Amir and Hassan, their families, and their lived experiences after the collapse of the Afghan monarchy. I then encountered its bleak themes of assault, betrayal and political turmoil.
To be completely honest, I was not prepared to read some of the book’s most graphic scenes. I would be lying, though, if I said the novel did not provide incredible insight into life in the war-torn Middle East.
Above all, I learned that this was a real portrayal of what thousands endured in the midst of the Afghan conflict. I stumbled upon historical events I had never learned, but should have.
It dawned on me, while reading it, why narratives like this matter. Because when it comes down to it, that’s what books are supposed to do.
Books must teach us about the unfamiliar, demanding critical thought. They beg us to think beyond our own lived experiences. Books, then, must help us hold onto history.
As things stand, however, we let politicians and insecure individuals tell us that this is not what books should do. Instead, they say books should hide history, even erase it. They remind us that they can and will use book bans as a tool to conceal the fact that American history is not all revolutionary. To them, hiding a book is easier.
Other conservative leaning states have arrived at this dystopian reality too. They took action by banning thousands of books at the state level. It is not just those states though, many others have banned hundreds of books. As for Missouri, 57 books have been banned at the state level.
Those states have done bans under the premise that these books are “dangerous,”
exposing children to explicit content. There are, without a doubt reasonable concerns, some banned books do fit that criterion and are actually inappropriate. But there is a larger concern, states are disproportionately banning books. The grim statistic is that nearly half of the banned books feature LGBTQ+ identities or address racism. All that does is send us an unmistakable message that LGBTQ+ identities or hardships of discrimination are simply inappropriate. That they are not worthy of discussion, not worthy of being taught. That, once again, history was never that terrible in the United States.
What is even more tragic is that we then tell students and children who experience discrimination firsthand, simply because they are LGBTQ+ or a different race, that they are inappropriate. That their stories do not matter. That they should feel shame they do not deserve.
What is absolutely certain is that books do not disappear so easily. A banned story still tenaciously holds a story. It is not an easy endeavor to censor the truth. Time has repeatedly shown that society opposes stories like “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “The Bluest Eye.” Books that matter and enlighten the youth. No matter how often they are challenged, these books still prove to be a necessary tool, to show a crucial perspective of history.
Remarkably, “The Kite Runner” remains on shelves and in backpacks, despite being one of the most relentlessly challenged and banned books in the country.
Book bans will never work. If you tell a child a book contains something unfamiliar or forbidden, they will be undeniably drawn to it.
If anything, they make the banned books more powerful, and more necessary. Undoubtedly, the stories we are not supposed to read are often the ones we need the most.
with a chronic condition called POTS. To put
resting to a standing position. But as anyone else with POTS would agree, it’s a lot more than just that. In my case, it affects almost every aspect of my life. There’s days where I can barely walk, the simplest of tasks can make me feel like I just ran a marathon and being out in the heat for more than a few minutes is challenging.
When I got diagnosed, no one really knew what to do. The condition was fairly new, and not a enough people had it for there to be solid ways to cope with it.
I tried medication.
I tried a specialized form of physical therapy.
I tried exercises.
I tried adding salt to foods to retain water. Pretty much every suggestion I was given. But almost none of it worked.
While I was able to get my fainting under control fairly quickly, I was still struggling a lot with the building pile of other symptoms that felt like they were getting worse by the day. Along with multiple tests constantly being done on me and how I was feeling, I had to balance my academic life. My attendance was slipping because of doctor appointments and sick days. As it progressed, I found myself able to do less and less.
I couldn’t keep up with it.
One of the things that helped me the most with dealing with a chronic illness was therapy. Not just for the mental aspect, but with pain management and ways to take a step back and do what’s right for me. As I started working with my therapist, I also switched neurologists to one that was a better fit for me and my needs. Ever since I’ve been working with them, I’ve managed to get my symptoms to a manageable standpoint and am learning how to properly live and adapt with what I have. After two and a half years of having this condition, I’m finally able to get out and do what I love without all the previous restraints I was tied down with.
As I sat with my friends by the pool months
the colleges we planned to commit to in the coming months, all I could think about is how
teeth had even fallen out would be all across the country a year from now.
Now six months later it’s no longer applications and college essays, but instead housing agreements and commitment fees. It begins to feel all too real. And it’s not a mess I can just shove further and further under my bed.
I still can’t help but cry on my way home from every last.
Last full newspaper.
Last skating competition.
Last school dance.
But along with those have come so many firsts.
First college admission.
First conversation with my future roommate.
First time not feeling excited for college. I cannot help but ruin good moments by thinking about my impending graduation, and move out that I know is coming. I can’t kick my brother out of my room for being
annoying, because I know there’s only so long that I’ll get to hear about his silly girl drama or cool new skate tricks. I can’t skip out on family events without thinking about the fact that this is the last year I will truly be living with them, and not just staying for the summer. I know true adulthood is far away, yet much like the monster in my closet it seems a lot bigger and scarier than it really is.
Every shared laugh, every casual conversation now carries a bittersweet undertone. The thought of just visiting or calling the people who have made me who I am today makes me want to freeze time. I know that this transition is inevitable and necessary, even if it feels like the first time I saw true darkness as a kid and claimed my eyes didn’t work anymore.
And while I have fully functioning eyes I also have noticed a new-found excitement for what comes next. A smile has begun to emerge as I tell my family about what college I’m going to attend, what major I’ve settled into, who my future roommate will be and what career I plan to pursue. I see my friends who are first-year college students enjoying their new school and have begun to get a teensy bit of FOMO. And while I am not anywhere near wanting to be out of this place, I feel just a bit better.
“Na-na-nah-boo-boo, you can’t catch me!” Was heard throughout the halls of the old Francis Howell North building on more than one occasion. My little brother and I would run all around the cafeteria while the cool high schoolers had their banquets and awards.
“Ohhhh, your last name matches that one teacher!” Is what I hear near the beginning of every school year. Some people figure it out on the first day of school and others don’t notice until a few weeks in, but, nonetheless, it has persisted through all four years of high school.
“I remember how little you were when you were four!” Is what I hear at least once a week, now that I’m in my final year of high school. Most of the teachers and faculty at this school were teaching when I would visit the building, but some were still students.
If you weren’t aware of this yet, I’m a teacher’s kid. A high school teacher’s no less.
Being a teacher’s kid has its benefits. People immediately assume I’m trustworthy and awesome (which I am) because I have a parent in the building with me. I get a classroom to hide in whenever I need a break or have a free hour. I’ve been in the new building since the first day teachers were allowed in, and the old one before most of the people in my class.
My parents had some of the students babysit me and my little brother. Now when I see them coming back to visit the new building or out working at the library, I’m towering over them, trying to remember if they’re the one I made sunflower stew with or the one who played the Sugar Plum Fairy on Main Street during the holiday season.
The one thing that sucks the most about being a teacher’s kid, I grew up in that old building. I was there back when the journalism room was in room 026, a dark little corner in the basement between janky elevator number one and the faculty bathrooms that every student used at some point. I was in the loft area in the cafeteria, reserved for seniors, before I knew what high school was.
Yes, there were issues from burst water pipes, to random fire alarms that lead to hour-long evacuation in sub-freezing temperatures. But there were also tons of memories that I, and so many other students, made there.
That said, I am not upset in the slightest about how new and nice and clean our current building is. I do not ever intend to miss the building itself, nor the headaches and sickness that would descend upon the population when the heaters kicked on in the winter. But it wasn’t all that bad.
I only get one year in this new building, and I probably won’t miss it as much as I miss the old building, my friends or my teachers. But the biggest thing I’ll miss from all of this? Probably the free snacks in my dad’s room whenever I get hungry.
FEEL?
“I don’t agree with phones being banned. It’s like people use them so much, like you feel unsafe without them.”
don't have access to a computer, or if I don't have my own personal computer, then I study on my phone, and it's an easier way to access your resources.”
Delaney St. John, 12
On Behalf of the Editorial Board yourfhn@FHNtoday.com
Since the rise of the smartphone in the early 2000s, phones have quickly become integrated into daily life. Many people use phones for almost everything, from ordering something with just a click of a button to helping with homework.
Our Stance
The district believes that a strict phone policy needs to be implemented. As of right now, phone usage is discouraged but not prohibited; however, there hasn’t been much improvement, nor has it taught students anything. If the plan is to install a heavier restriction, it won’t solve the issue of students misusing their phones, and it may hinder them even further, especially when they leave high school.
Drawbacks of the policy
Phones serve as an alternative device for students who don’t have the resources like a computer or calculator. Phones are flexible and convenient, students can easily pull out their phones and use the calculator app or type on a document. Although students can check out a Chromebook or a calculator from the library, the system isn’t practical. To check one out, students need to get a form and have their parents’ approval. It takes at
least a day or two for the librarians to give it to students, which can be inconvenient for a student who needs to get to work and get assignments done quickly.
Limiting phone usage doesn’t work for students who are active in the community and school. Phones are the easiest way to keep track of activities and are used as a source of communication. A limit would hinder students from keeping track of their activities and seeing if any sudden changes in their schedules occur. Phones make it easier to communicate with either a coach or club sponsor as students can no longer travel during Knight Time or during study hall, so students who may need to communicate would have no way for them to get in contact during the day.
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Along with that, having some sort of phone ban will ultimately affect students who have disabilities. Students who may use technology to remind them if they need to take medication will face difficulties because not having full access to their phones may make it harder for students to keep track of what they need to do for their health.
If our district is going to ban phones, there won’t be anything to replace the convenience of phones. Many complaints have gone around throughout the years about how complicated it is to use a Chromebook as they aren’t in the best condition, so many students use their phones instead. With the phone restriction, it would be harder for students to get access to online assignments, activities and grades. That also conflicts with students who don’t have a personal computer to be able to finish assignments.
The Benefits of the Phone Ban
While there may be many disadvantages, a phone ban may help students. Studies have shown that students often feel nervous and have poor communication skills since phones replace the need to talk to someone face-to-face. Therefore, with a phone limit students may feel more inclined to start connecting with people in person, but this isn’t guaranteed. Many students have school work and extracurricular activities, so they don’t have time to talk in person with someone; a quick text or phone call is
on information. Though this may improve many students’ attention span and learning, this will not help the students who use their phones for classwork and activities, and instead of helping them, the policy is taking away the only resource they have.
Solution
Ultimately, if a phone restriction is going to be a future policy, our district should be able to give students their own Chromebooks on a one-to-one basis. Banning phones will not help students learn how to use their phones properly. Instead, it’s better to teach students how to use their phones appropriately and help them recognize when it’s a good time to use them. In order to do this, we should invite a specialist to conduct a lesson for each class to help properly educate the students. Something like this will help students understand the consequences of misusing phones and teach them the proper way to use their phones, which helps students in the long run. This could be a big assembly or visiting students’ Knight Times instead would help to connect with the students and gain their attention better. This solution is an alternative that provides other options instead of banning phones. There need to be other options to help with student phone usage in school instead of restricting students from being on their phones at all.
According to FHSD’s phone policy focus group survey
• 1,939 parents responded
• 69% prefer partial
• 1,161 students responded to the survey
• 45% rarely experience phones distracting their instruction
• 13% sometimes experience phones distracting their instruction
• 83% of students use phones for classwork
• 57% of students use phones for texting during instruction time
• 80.4% of students don’t want a full restriction, but would support a partial restriction
Teachers speak on the usage of past technology in a school setting
Editors-in-Chief
(Illustrations by Shutterstock.com)
“I didn’t have one. They cost money and I didn’t have a need for one. [They would not be as much of a distraction as cell phones today] I don’t think there was a way to mute them, they were really loud. Plus they were expensive and you had to pay a monthly fee just for that.”
Kimberly Coil, social studies teacher
“When I was here, we had a bag and tag policy. So if you had your phone out, the teacher would take your phone, put it in a bag, staple it with your name on it and send it to the office. It was a lot easier to get caught with your phone too because the buttons made noise. I think it was just known that you use your phone in the hallways and during lunch and otherwise it was emergency only.”
Rowan Pugh, English teacher
Smartphone Flip Phone Pager
“I think that it was a problem [when I was in high school], it just wasn’t as big as what it is now. I have kids that will literally sit on their phones the entire class period whereas it was a respect thing when I was in school. That was not tolerated. There were consequences if we were on them.”
Mayghen Mugele, science teacher
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