May 2, 2018- Blowing the School Year Away

NORTH | STAR FRANCIS HOWELL NORTH | ST. CHARLES, MO | 05.02.18 | VOL 32 ISSUE 07

Blowing the school year away Page 22

ENTERTAINMENT 1 Summer Fun

Students share the plans for overseas trips over the summer.

NEWS 3 Downs Moves to FHC Andrew Downs is leaving FHN to be closer to his family and passion.

7

FHSD After Prop Learn FHSD must figure out how to account for Prop Learn’s failure to pass.

Are you ready for your Summer job interview?

(Content by Rebekah Myers)

See if you’re prepared to make some cash over summer vacation Do you know what you’re going to do at this job?

Do you have a complete resume?

Why? You’ll be asked questions about

Why? Most employers will want to see

your preparedness for the job, so knowing what you’re going to do once you’re hired will make you look competent.

YES

FEATURES 10 Connected by Country Han Cam and Chahn Tran’s Vietnamese heritage brings them close together.

12

Plan your Prom Night

Don’t know how to make it to Prom on time this Friday? This infographic can help.

SPORTS 18 Working to be #1

Through hard work Will Schellman is number one on the FHN varsity tennis.

19

Rice Plays AAA Hockey

Freshman Gracie Rice plays with the Lady Blues travel hockey team.

OPINIONS 20 Come Together

The solution to America’s problems with guns requires both sides to work together.

ON THE COVER

Freshman Caroline Mitchell poses by blowing bubbles to represent the upcoming summer and the end of this school year. The last day of school is May 17. (Cover by Kamryn Bell and Hannah Wilson)

NO

your resume. It should have everything from your achievements, education, clubs and contact information.

YES

NO

Do you have two forms of identification?

Have you filled out the application for the job?

Why? In order to legally work in the

Why? Some businesses may have

United States, you need two forms of identification. One has to have a photograph of you on it.

YES

NO

online applications, others have paper.

Without this, you probably won’t even get an interview scheduled at all.

YES

NO

Are you prepared to pass a drug screen?

Are you emotionally prepared to take on a job?

Why? It’s best to be prepared for one.

Why? If you have too many clubs or too

More often than not, a business will want to know you passed one before giving you the job.

YES

NO

much homework in a week to hold a job, then you might want to reconsider. Your mental health or grades could suffer.

YES

NO

Do you have any questions to ask about the company?

Do you have any personal or business references?

Why? It is expected that you have

Why? Recommendations from previous

questions for your employer. A good example would be “What challenges do you expect me to face in this position?”

YES

NO

workplaces and other important people you know can put you a step ahead of those you are competing with.

YES

NO

Have you had a job before this interview?

Do you have decent clothes to wear to the interview?

Why? Having previous job experience

Why? Your interview is probably

may get you a higher chance in getting employed, especially if that job was in the same field.

YES

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | ENTERTAINMENT

NO

going to be your first impression on the employer, and you want it to be a good one.

YES

NO

Did you answer “yes” more than you did “no”?

You’re more than ready to go for your interview! You know what you’re going into, and you’re a step ahead of the competition.

Make sure you practice your interview questions, keep calm, and go get that summer job!

“I didn’t know I was already ready for a job interview. I thought it took a lot more work and preparation for this.”

-Kyia Keene, 11

Did you answer “no” more than you did “yes”?

While you may still get through the interview and get the job, it might be important to know that there are others that may be more prepared than you are. These people have a higher chance of taking the position that you were aiming for.

“Now I feel like I should prepare more to know that I am above other candidates.”

-Brady West, 10

PAGE BY REBEKAH MYERS

WHERE YOU

GOIN’?

Four students are heading overseas this summer for many reasons. Read more below to find out where they’re going and why

Name: Skylar Hance, 11 Location: Haiti Duration: One week Reason: Mission trip Activities: Volunteering at the orphanage, Playing soccer, and Visiting with the kids “We are going to the House of Hope Orphanage, so I’m excited to meet all the little kids and put a smile on all their faces. My goal is to learn not to take what I have for granted because these kids I’m going to meet have dreams of having a fraction of what I live everyday.”

Name: Aslee Addison, 11 Location: China Duration: One week Reason: Vacation Activities: Exploring, Hiking, and Visiting Guilin to see some natural wonders “I’m most excited to ditch the itinerary and just explore because I think you find a lot of cool stuff and things you would normally overlook. I feel like there is more of a people connection when you don’t have an itinerary because you’re not just seeing the country, but you’re seeing all aspects of the country. ”

TOP SUMMER MOVIES Movie: Incredibles 2 Release Date: June 15 Summary: In longawaited return of the heroic family of five, “The Incredibles” face new challenges as Elastigirl fights crime and Mr. Incredible is forced to sit back and watch the kids.

“I love all the characters, and I loved The Incredibles so much. Plus, Jack-Jack is all grown up, and I love Jack-Jack.” Amelia Primeau, 10 Movie: Deadpool 2 Release Date: May 18 Summary: The raunchy superhero returns to the screen this year filled with action and sarcasm. Wade Wilson, otherwise known as “Deadpool”, takes on the time traveling gunman Cable.

“I’m looking forward to the comedy and character development.” Daniel Ostrovskiy, 12 Movie: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Release Date: June 22 Summary: Once again, humans return to the island of Isla Nublar in order to save the remaining dinosaurs from an impending volcanic explosion. While they are there, Owen and Claire discover new terrifying information that could lead to a path of destruction.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the new problem that they have to work through.” Alyssa Horn, 11

Name: Jordan Chapple, 12 Location: Costa Rica Duration: One week Reason: Senior trip Activities: Zip lining, Horseback riding and Swimming “I’m excited to go and relax after graduation and being able to adventure around Costa Rica.”

Name: Victor Escobar, 10 Location: Cuba Duration: One week Reason: Visit Family Activities: Getting together with family, Eating a traditional Cuban meal and Exploring the city of Camagüey “I’m most excited about seeing my family, I last saw them two years ago. Also, this will be my fourth time visiting Cuba.”

(Content by Hannah Wilson)

PAGE BY HANNAH WILSON & MACKENZIE PUGH

Movie: The First Purge Release Date: July 4 Summary: In a prequel to the twisted trilogy, “The First Purge” tells the story of how the tradition starts and the first-ever Purge night. Watch in horror as America is immersed in a night of no rules and no consequences.

“I’m most excited because it plays with real life events and even politics and it scares us even more because we see events in the movie occurring in real life.” - Maggie Cox, 12 (Content by Hannah Wilson)

ENTERTAINMENT | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

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DOWNS leaves for fhc

Head Principal Andrew Downs is leaving FHN to spend more time with his family and focus on academics at FHC

by Sophie Carite

svcarite@gmail.com | @iovefromsoph

A

ndrew Downs leans back in a dark blue office chair. Surrounded by the same light gray office walls that he was when he took over the position of head principal at FHN five years ago. Downs reflects on his time spent at North with a faint smile on his face, remembering the individual students, families and faculty members he’s gotten to meet and interact with in his time as head principal.

At the end of the 2017-2018 school year Downs will leave his position at FHN to fill in the role of Associate Principal at FHC. While Principal at FHN, Downs oversaw all aspects of managing the school, but the associate principal position has a particular focus on the academic achievement side of overall school improvement, which Downs is looking forward to.

“Ultimately, the job I’ll be doing is more academic minded which is something I am very interested in and passionate about,” Downs said. “It will also give me some opportunity to be with my own family, not that I don’t love the kids here and the families that are here.”

In his nine years spent at FHN, Downs says he has dedicated himself to working with the whole school community to be able to see FHN students improving academically and getting better scores each year on state testing. Aside from that, he also made sure the school would see an increase in the importance of student voices. He hopes that student involvement will continue to grow and flourish after he leaves.

To Downs, the best part of his experience at FHN was the people he was able to work with and the students he was able to see grow.

“It’s been really wonderful to be able to be a part of the community for so long and see brothers and sisters matriculate through the school and be able to see entire spans of families go through and graduate,” Downs said.

The graduating seniors in 2018 will be the last and one of the only classes that had Downs serve as their head principal for the entirety of their high school experience. For Downs, this makes his goodbye just a little more bittersweet.

“Every time I’ve talked to him, he’s seemed like he’s really excited to be here and to help students in any way that he can,” senior Connor Gallagher said.

Head principal Andy Downs works on his computer in the office. After the end of this school year, Downs will become an assistant principal at FHC. Downs has been the head principal at FHN since the 2013-14 school year. (Photo by Kaili Martin)

Before he began working at FHN nine years ago, Downs was in his first administrative position at FHC. The current head principal at FHC, Sonny Arnel, hired Downs 11 years ago as the dean of students. Downs originally left to pursue the new opportunity of working at FHN as an assistant principal then later as the head principal. However, Downs says that he’s excited to return, and according to Arnel, the staff at FHC is glad to have him back.

“Mr. Downs cares a lot about making an environment where students can thrive,” Arnel said. “He understands how to incorporate parents into school and were so excited for him to bring his talents back to FHC.”

SUCCESSFUL DOUBLE FEATURE FOR DRAMA According to drama teacher Kim Sulzner, Drama Club had an “almost perfect” double feature play on April 12, 13 and 14 at 7 p.m.

“It went so well, I can’t come up with enough adjectives to explain it,” Sulzner said. “There is just so much that went well that I can’t pick one thing over another.”

Drama Club was hard at work since February. Set building finished early, leaving them with enough time to work more on props that were not a part of the original design, such as the ship’s wheel and little trinkets. The extra time also allowed the designers to perfect their props.

“I think the extra detail we had time to add helped make it better,” junior

PAGE BY MICHAEL ZULL

Sarah Maye said. ”I think it helped give it a little more character.”

According to Sulzner, even though the performances went well, FHN is not likely to see another double feature anytime soon due to the high prices for the combined royalty fees of the two plays.

FHN may see more children-themed plays. “Peter Pan” and “Princess and the Pauper” were both children stories allowing students from Henderson Elementary to come over to view the live performance on April 12. “[Performers] really enjoyed doing it and working with the little kids.” freshman Zoë Meier said. (Brief by Michael Zull)

Sophomore Dan Sommer and senior Bree Williams hide behind a rock during the dress rehearsal for “Peter Pan”. “The Knight Stories”, a combination of “Peter Pan” and “Princess and the Pauper”, was performed by the club on April 12, 13, and 14 in the auditorium.

(Photo by Paige Westermann)

NEWS | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

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AP TEST DATES May

7

Monday

May March

8

Tuesday

May

9

Chemistry: 8 a.m.

Room 222 Psychology: 12 p.m.

Small gym

Spanish: 8 a.m.

Lab 26 Physics(Algebra): 12 p.m.

Room 222

English Lit. 8 a.m.

Small Gym

Wednesday

May

10

Government 8 a.m.

Large Gym

Thursday

May

11 Friday

May

14

Monday

May

15

Friday

Tuesday

May

16 Wednesday

May

17

Thursday

May

18 Friday

4

Computer Science Principles 12 p.m.

Room 222

Junior Elise Gordon poses with a pen pal from Nahed Chapman New American Academy. The students from Francis Howell North have been communicating back and forth with their pen pals by sending each other letters. The students from FHN and Nahed Chapman met on April 20, for the first time. (Photo submitted)

GROUPS TO HOST DANCE

NHS and StuCo members along with Pen Pals are throwing a non-profit dance for the Naheed Chapman students in St. Louis

by Gracie Bowman

Biology: 8 a.m.

Small Gym Physics(Mechanics): 12 p.m.

Room 222

Calculus AB: 8 a.m.

Room 222 Calculus BC: 8 a.m.

Small Gym

English Language and Composition: 8 a.m.

Large Gym Macroeconomics: 12 p.m.

Room 222

Statistics: 8 a.m.

Small Gym

Human Geography: 8 a.m.

Room 222 Microeconomics: 8 a.m.

Room 229 European History: 12 p.m.

Room 222

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | NEWS

graciebowman310@gmail.com | @_gracie__b_

N

HS is hosting a dance for the Nahed Chapman New American Academy for refugee students. Members of StuCo and NHS will leave FHN to prepare for the dance at Roosevelt High School on May 18. The dance will have a refreshment table, a DJ and a dance floor for the students.

“We want to ease them into what most refugee students would never expect,” junior Sarah Zimmerman said. “A dance at our school is highly different than anything they have ever experienced.”

Decorations from FHN’s previous homecoming dances will be used to enhance the students’ first dance experience. NHS and StuCo members who help decorate will get to attend the dance. The dance will be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and there is no admission fee for any of the students.

“It’s not really a charity dance,” Zimmerman said.

“It’s more of a welcome to the U.S. by introducing them to a huge part of American high schools, which is the dances.”

Students that have been pen pals with a number of students from Nahed Chapman also get to attend the dance. StuCo members and others who wanted to participate have been pen pals with the students at Nahed Chapman throughout the school year.

Almost every month, students would write to their

assigned pen pal, and they would receive a letter back. Students got to ask questions and answer any questions their pen pal had. As new students arrived at Nahed Chapman, they could also join the pen pal program. Students at FHN could join as well to write to them.

“I think it’s great to have someone you can talk to and get to know more about,” sophomore Riley Witherbee said. “The dance will help the students embrace the public school feel. They will have more people to interact with and they can feel more included.”

Zimmerman and other members of NHS want to welcome the students into the public school system. A dance not only prepares them for their future school experience, but it also helps them come out of their shell, according to Zimmerman.

NHS has been holding a prom dress drive since April 23. Students can donate their used prom dresses, homecoming dresses and party dresses.

Zimmerman will be collecting them until May 17.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for new students from across the globe to connect and build connections,” Zimmerman said. “It’s a great way for our American students from FHN to not only get a greater world view from meeting these students and getting introduced to their other cultures, but to introduce the refugee students into the American culture and assimilate into our education system and help them build a friendship to make the transition easier.”

PAGE BY KYLAH WOODS

MEET YOUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

HOSA members stand waiting for the medal ceremony to begin at the HOSA 2017 International Leadership Conference. On March 26-27 seven members of the FHN HOSA club qualified for this year’s internationals.

(Photo submitted)

HOSA QUALIFIES 7 FOR INTERNATIONALS Seven members of HOSA competed at state and qualified to compete at Internationals in June in Dallas

by Patty O’leary

pattyannoleary@gmail.com | @pattyxoxo_

T

ime. Hard work. Passion. These three things are evident throughout all of HOSA in the eyes of the sponsors of the club that get to see their efforts day in and day out. From rigorous study sessions before State to having seven qualifiers for internationals this year, they have had quite the successful year that’s led them to be able to fly down to Dallas to represent FHN’s HOSA. Although their gears are already turning towards the upcoming Internationals, they’re taking a moment to reflect on the success at the state level.

“It’s just really cool to see them qualify,” HOSA co-sponsor Dawn Hahn said. “I know the ones that are in this group, and I know how much time I see that they put in and that’s not even a touch of how much they really prepare outside of school. It makes me so happy for them that they can see their success and feel their success.”

State occurred on March 26 and 27.

Prior to State, they understood the level of studying required to perform well. Not only did the students crack open the books, they went to all sorts of measures to ensure their preparedness for State competition.

“There were study sessions that some of our officers ran,” Hahn said. “They spent a ton of time outside of the classroom. I mean nothing was done in class to prepare for it, so it is truly all done outside of class. There were groups that made flashcards, groups that ordered extra text books and groups that found time to meet with other groups that had already competed in their category previously, to give them an idea of what the competition will be like.”

At State, senior Emily Helmick got second

PAGE BY SOPHIE CARITE

place in veterinary science, senior Erin Stock got second place in sports medicine, senior Emma Durham got third place in sports medicine, juniors Hannah and Sarah Zimmerman got second in CERT skills and senior Madeline Fields got second place in behavioral health. The performances from State qualified these six individuals, as well as junior Juan Alega for being honored by the HOSA organization at Internationals for completing over 250 hours of community service, the opportunity to experience the top level of competition there is within the organization.

“For most of our students, Internationals are kind of an eye-opening experience to see the level of competition out there,” Hahn said.

“The ones that are currently some of the best in our building realize how crazy it is when they meet every school’s best in their building and the competition level with that many smart kids is crazy.”

For some qualifiers, the International level of competition will be a totally new experience. For others this will be their second time flying down to Internationals, carrying a suitcase of experience all the way to Dallas.

“We are returning three of our six that placed at nationals last year,” Hahn said. “The group that qualified has a lot of experience going into this year’s competition.”

The students worked extremely hard and take pride in the time, hard work and passion they put in to get them to qualify and are celebrating that, yet they are not dwelling on the success. They are preparing to fly down to Dallas to be fierce competitors even on such a large scale of competition.

“It’s pretty amazing to see your students go up there and be among the best in the world at the level of competition they are competing at,” Hahn said.

Janet Stiglich and Chad Lange are the school board’s newest members as of April 5 Janet Stiglich

After 24 years working as a nurse in the school district, Janet Stiglich became the newest FHSD board member. Now, her main priority is to learn more about her position and the district. While she realizes that this position comes with a lot of tough choices, such as dealing with decisions about Prop Learn, she is excited for the opportunity to give the students more opportunities to be heard.

“One of the things I really want to think about is making sure the board is more open to the kids because in the past couple months, I have really gotten to know some really cool kids and I would really like for that to continue,” Stiglich said. “Students are our future and we need your ideas and we need to make sure we are listening to you. I’m a patron of this district, I love this district, but you guys are what makes this district. I really want to make sure that I am working with the kids and that I keep that contact with the kids.”

Chad Lange

Following a three-year term, Chad Lange has been re-elected to the FHSD board. His goal is to continue to move forward and make FHSD one of the top school districts in Missouri by trying to implement the Strategic Plan that the district has formed.

This plan was made by teachers, parents, district staff and community members and includes resources like emotional support for teachers and students. He is appreciative for another opportunity to support the schools and keep FHSD moving in the right direction.

“I want to continue to support our teachers, support our staff, support everybody in the district and making sure everyone is on the same page,” Lange said. “I also want to keep everyone informed of what is going on, no more behind-the-scenes talks. Just being more open and receptive to opinions and suggestions, whatever we can do to make it better is what we need to continue doing.”(Briefs by Hannah Wilson)

NEWS | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

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GATEWAY TO READING Students and teachers read Gateway books over the course of this year to win prizes

by Kylah Woods

kylahwoods27592@gmail.com

Every year FHN has a Gateway Readers Contest where students and teachers try to read the most Gateway books over the course of the year. Student winners receive a 50 dollar gift card of their choice and teachers receive a 20 dollar gift basket.

“Ultimately, any book on a the Gateway list is a good book because it goes through such a long process to be a Gateway,” media specialist Tara Willen said.

To win the contest, students not only have to read the book, but they have to take and pass quizzes about each book. They also have to vote for their favorite Gateways for the quizzes to count. Students can vote at a voting party or during the first week of March.

This year’s student winners are Madison Abanathie and Christina

Turnbull, and the teacher winners are Nancy Richardson and Joelle Sanders. The english class that won was Kristen Johnson’s sixth hour.

“The number of books students have to read varies from year to year,” Willen said. “Our goal was to encourage more students to vote.”

Gateway books go through a long process to become Gateways. It starts as a list of 25 books, and people read as many as they can by and give them a rating out of 25. A committee looks at those ratings, and the books with the highest ratings are the Gateways for the upcoming year.

“All of these books are relatively newly released and the books have been through a process so you can be sure that these are gonna be good young adult books,” Sanders said.

The 2018 Gateway Readers Award books sit on a table in the FHN learning commons. The goal of the award is to find books that appeal to the students’ interests, needs and reading levels. (Photo by Kaili Martin)

DEDICATION ON DISPLAY

Senior Riley Kampff works on art piece in the AP art room. The Lillian Yahn Art Gallery had an AP art exhibition for FHN and FHHS April 10-26.

(Photo by Allie Moore)

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FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | NEWS

In FHN teacher Mandy Knight’s class, the AP art studio students each displayed two pieces at the Lillian Yahn art gallery. The gallery was on display from April 10 to April 26 and ended with a reception on the last night of the gallery, where the students brought friends and family to view their art.

FHN isn’t the only school that participated, AP art students from FHHS also displayed their work in the gallery.

“We do the gallery with a class from Howell every year,” Knight said. “It’s a good way for the students to interact and share a positive experience.”

Over the school year, Knight’s students created 24 pieces of art. From these 24 pieces, the students had to choose the two that they felt best represented them as artists.

Senior Riley Kampff selected a painting of Amy Winehouse depicted as Frida Kahlo’s ‘Thinking of Death,’ as well as a piece depicting 80’s expressionist Jean-Michel Basquiat in an expressionist style. For Kampff the choice was simple with the help of Knight.

“She didn’t just help with choosing our pieces,” Kampff said. “She was a huge help with framing and matting our work so that it would look nice when we put it up at the gallery.”

According to Knight, having art on display in a gallery is a meaningful experience for any artist, especially high school students.

“It’s one thing to show pictures of what you do to someone, but it’s a whole other experience to get to show it off in a gallery,” Kampff said. “It makes you feel like a real artist.” (Brief by Sophie Carite)

PAGE BY KYLAH WOODS

UPCOMING EVENTS May

4

Graduation Practice Time: 7:30 a.m.

Where: Large Gym

Friday

May

4

Friday

May

7-11

Prom Time: 7 p.m.

Where: New Town

AP exams Where: FHN

Monday-Friday

Senor Amber Pryor holds a Prop Learn sign outside of a polling booth on Apr. 13. The FHN Young Democrats stood outside polling stations in the FHSD area to convince voters to vote in support of the tax levy. Prop Learn failed by a mere 3%, forcing the Board of Education to start thinking of new ways to save money. (Photo submitted)

PROP LEARN: LIFE AFTER DEATH After the failure of Proposition Learn, the district looks ahead to try and find solutions to their financial issues

by Hannah Wilson

hannahmae691@gmail.com | @hannahwilson30

In a loss by 627 votes, Proposition Learn failed to pass, leaving the district short on funds. Prop Learn was the third tax levy in four years that hasn’t passed, each year the margin getting smaller and smaller. Because of this, the district has had to make sacrifices, such as freezing teachers’ salaries, cutting some extracurriculars and delaying the advancement of technology into classrooms.

“I just think the failure of Prop L is disappointing because I would hope that the community as a whole, whether they have kids or not in our district, would understand how important it is to give our kids the best chance possible,” science teacher Dawn Hahn said. “As a group of teachers, I feel that we’ve insulated students from a lot of the cuts that we’ve seen because we’re not going to allow the kids to be affected that way, and it’s frustrating that the community doesn’t realize that we have been doing that already and it doesn’t seem to matter.”

Before the election, the district was able to make reductions in order to prepare for the tax levy not passing. Now, they are able to continue with the same services offered due to those reductions. But, because the levy did not pass, they are now unable to implement aspects of their strategic plan. The strategic

PAGE BY SOPHIE CARITE

plan committee was made of teachers, parents, district staff and community members in order to try and provide services to those in the district, like offering more emotional support for students and teachers and providing more technology in the classrooms.

“Proposition Learn would have allowed us to dedicate new resources to initiatives that we think would move us forward,” Kevin Supple chief operating officer of finance said. “Now we are going to have to figure out what it is that we are going to have to do differently in order to do the things we think are important. So, we are going to have to make some very hard choices.”

Even though they have planned for the short term, the district must begin to discuss long-term solutions.

According to Superintendent Mary Hendricks-Harris, the district will be focusing on prioritizing the things that they think is most important to hold on to. With this comes the potential of cutting extracurriculars, cutting technology and making cuts to the services that students get.

“I do think it’s a shame,” Hendricks-Harris said. “We have a great vision for where we want to be and for our students and it’s very difficult for us to accept the fact that is not what our community wants. We are going to make our adjustments and we are going to do our best everyday for our students. That’s who we are. We’ll regroup and we will figure out a way to move forward.”

May

9

Wednesday

May

Spring Choir Concert Time: 6 a.m. - 9:30p.m.

Where: FHN Auditorium

15

Finals Hours: 1,2,7 Where: FHN

May

Finals Hours: 3,4 Where: FHN

Tuesday

16

Wednesday

May

17 Thursday

May

17

Thursday

May

17

Finals Hours: 5,6 Where: FHN

Board of Education Meeting Time: 7p.m.- 9p.m.

Where: FHSD Administrative Building

Last Day of School Where: FHN

Thursday

June

2

Saturday

Graduation Day Time: 7 p.m.

Where: Family Arena

NEWS | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

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There’s still time to sign up for staff or one of the intro journalism classes for next school year.

Make friends.

Make cool stuff.

Make a difference.

JOURNALISM

Writing and Design and Multimedia - You can get a 1/2 credit of Comm Arts towards the 4 you need to graduate and you’ll become a better writer and designer.

It’s the class most people entering the FHN media program take.

JOURNALISM 2

Video - You can get a 1/2 credit of Comm Arts towards the 4 you need to graduate and you’ll become a better video broadcast storyteller in the process.

DIGITAL PHOTOJOURNALISM

Photography and Multimedia - You can get a 1/2 credit of Practical Arts towards what you need to graduate and you’ll become a photographer and multimedia creator in the process.

www.FHNtoday.com/TellMeMore FHN media or speak with Mr. Manfull or Mrs. Kiel for more info.

Find out more.

BORN TO BE BEST FRIENDS

Han Cam and Chahn Tran are connected by their relation to Vietnam

by Gracie Bowman

graciebowman310@gmail.com | @_gracie__b_

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Juniors Han Cam and Chahn Tran pose together by hugging. The girls have been close friends for about 10 years. “It gave us a connection stronger than just friendship,” Tran said, “It made the experience of adapting to America as new American citizens easier.” (Photo by Kamryn Bell)

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FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | FEATURES

hahn Tran walks down the crowded streets of Vietnam. Food stands line both sides of the street where foods like pho, cha co and banh xeo are sold.

Before her eyes, her whole world is turned upside down, and she is sitting on a plane next to her mother. She prepares herself emotionally and mentally for her new life in the U.S., where she will unexpectedly meet one of her closest friends.

When juniors Han Cam and Chahn Tran realized they speak both Vietnamese and English, the girls introduced themselves to each other in first grade. The girls related to something they couldn’t relate to with many people other than their family: they both were born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

“Moving was a total new experience,” Cam said. “Chahn and I shared that. Not only with language, we bond culturally and with family things.”

The girls bonded over speaking Vietnamese, family traditions and culture.

Their friendship grew, and their families also connected through their daughters’ friendship. Even when Tran switched from Becky David Elementary School to Harvest Ridge Elementary School in second grade, the girls managed to stay connected and continue their friendship. One of the largest factors of becoming friends was their communication through their language.

“I don’t know a lot of Vietnamese people here,” Tran said. “The language thing is very unique because she’s the only person I can talk to in Vietnamese.”

Cam moved to the United States when she was about one year old, while Tran moved when she was about four.

Both families moved to seek out better opportunities for their families. Job opportunities and healthcare is relatively better here than in Vietnam, according to Cam. While their family had the chance to create a happy and successful life in the U.S., both Tran and Cam had to leave a large majority of their family back in Vietnam, along with old family traditions.

“Our traditions are close to family, and our family was divided when we came here,”

Tran said. “It’s hard to go back to traditions when half of your family is somewhere else.”

Vietnam is divided into North Central Vietnam and South Vietnam. Vietnam’s cities are small and crowded, with a young demographic. According to Cam, traveling to Vietnam is like a culture shock in her own country. Cam’s family tries to visit every seven years, while Tran’s family doesn’t go very often. Vietnam is expensive to travel to, averaging at about $22,440 for one person.

Cam and Tran both agree that one of the reasons they’d both go back to Vietnam is to study and embrace their culture individually.

“It feels more exotic,” Tran said. “I like that it’s different. I like to feel like a foreigner in my country.”

According to Tran, learning formalities was difficult for her when she first moved to the U.S. and can be hard to understand completely. Formality is very important to the Vietnamese; age plays a large role. When addressing someone older, the younger person talks in third person and when a younger person addresses an older person by their name, they have to say “Chi” for older sister or “Anh” for older brother. When two people become closer the formality may be dropped if chosen to do so; Cam and Tran would address each other by name if they lived in Vietnam. Traditions are also different in Vietnam. People in Vietnam celebrate Chinese New Year, so most people take nearly a week off to celebrate. They enjoy time with family and friends and have parties filled with music and food.

“Understanding different cultures is kind of like stepping over boundaries and getting to know them so you can become closer,” Cam said. “It’s never a bad thing to learn more about others.”

Tran and Cam were born in the same city, but there is no way of knowing they would have met if they didn’t move to the United States. They view each other not only as close friends, but as family.

“We have that bond,” Cam said. “I don’t think we would’ve met if we both stayed in Vietnam. If we didn’t have this cultural bond, I feel like we’d still be friends, but not as close. It’s the small things that make you feel more familiar. I do have somebody who understands.”

PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN

Freshman Jaylon Petit stands in a pavilion in St. Louis. The group of students were learning about the effects of poverty and how to stop poverty at its roots through an activity. (Photo submitted)

Students gather in the parking lot outside of an Ethiopian restaurant in St. Louis. The leader gave directions and talked to them about Ethiopian culture. The group was preparing to begin a “prayer walk”, where they would walk around the city and pray. (Photo submitted)

MISSIONS IN MISSOURI Freshmen from FHN went on mission trip to inner city St. Louis over spring break to help people in poverty

by Ashlynn Perez

ashlynnkaeperez@gmail.com

S

tudents had spent the whole morning working in the garden. A few lined bricks around the mulch, some organized the tool shed and others carried sticks and brush to the recycling bin. It was raining hard on the street in north city St. Louis, but it did not hinder the group of freshmen.

The students joined Harvester Christian Church on a mission trip for four days during spring break. FHN freshmen Medjine Gibson, Chloe Horstman, Grace Kies, Jaylon Petit, Connor Ray and Tyler Windsor were with them. While in the city, students partnered with an organization called Under the Same Tree (UTST), which works with women in countries like Kenya, Uganda and Syria.

“I loved getting to talk with Syrian refugees,” Ray said. “I got to learn about their culture and what they went through to get to America. It was really cool, and it was an experience I won’t forget.”

Students worked in gardens and were educated on how to work with people in poverty. They got the chance to eat and talk with refugees from Syria, orchestrated

by Katie Gresham, the founder of Under the Same Tree. Gresham founded the organization in 2013 because of her passion for assisting women out of poverty.

Staff and volunteers organize micro finance loans for the women so they can start their own business and make a self-sufficient income. Gresham was excited to have teenagers taking part in UTST over spring break.

“I loved every minute of [working with UTST],” Kies said. “It was an amazing experience. The organization did so many cool things to help us see the community of St. Louis.”

The goal of the trip was to change the students’ perspective on mission trips.

According to Kies, it helped changed their idea of missions - painting churches or cleaning schools - to a more relational view. While they did some labor on their last day through the gardens, the majority of their trip was talking with refugees or families in poverty and learning.

“I thought that missions had to be out of the country and a big deal, but you don’t have to go across the world to make a difference,” Kies said.

Although the mission trip was only four days long, Gresham believes that a change was made in the community of St. Louis through the teenagers.

“It takes ordinary people to create change that’s real and lasting,” Gresham said.

“We’re doing work with people in poverty that is real, smart and intentional. We’re changing lives for the long term. It doesn’t take wealth or age to change a life.”

FOUR DAYS IN MISSIONS

Students spent part of spring break helping the St. Louis community. Here’s a breakdown of their trip Sat., March 24 Morning Arrival in St. Louis

Sat., March 24 Evening Documentary on Poverty

PAGE BY ASHLYNN PEREZ

Sun., March 25 Morning City Church Service

Sun., March 25 Evening Prayer Walk

Mon., March 26 Afternoon FaceTiming Family from Kenya

Mon., March 26 Evening Eating With Refugees

Tues., March 27 Morning Gardening

Tues., March 27 Afternoon Went Home

FEATURES | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

11

PROM

IN 3 HOURS OR LESS

Since prom is on a Friday this year, getting ready after school may be tough. Follow this timeline to get ready in a time crunch

Quick Tips: • • •

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Make sure your tux is ready to be picked up the day before.

Try it on ahead of time to make sure everything fits.

Make sure your corsage is ready the day of. Pick it up on your way home from school so you don’t have to go back out while you’re getting ready.

2:30

Take a shower.

3:00

Style your hair.

3:45

Put on your tux

It’s going to be okay for us seniors because we get out early that day anyways.

- Alex Baker, 12

4:30

Play Fortnite until it’s time to leave for pictures.

5:00

Get your pictures.

5:45

Get to dinner.

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | FEATURES

“ “ “

I don’t want to feel overwhelmed and stressed, but since [prom] is on a Friday I feel like I am going to be rushing. You won’t have time to run to the store if you forget something, there is no room for error.

I plan on doing my nails Thursday night to save time.

- Erika Rogers, 11

“

E

M TI

F

It’s going to be hard because I’m going to have to be a lot more prepared ahead of time. I can’t just go out on the day of prom to get my jewelry and stuff.

- Hannah DeGraw, 11

“ “

S Y O B E

N LI

OR

PAGE BY MACKENZIE PUGH

GIRLS TIMELINE

Quick Tips: • •

•

•

•

•

Have all of your jewelry and accessories laid out the night before.

Get your nails done ahead of time. Don’t get them done more than a week in advance, that way they will still look fresh.

If you need to pick up a boutonnière, do it on the way home from school so you don’t have to interrupt getting ready. Plus, that’ll be one less thing to worry about.

Make sure to tell the hair stylist you’re in a hurry. Also, when choosing a hairstyle take into account how long each style will take. For example, getting curls may not take as long as an intricate updo.

When choosing where to take pictures, remember to take account the amount of time you want to spend taking photos, the weather prediction and whether or not you want to go somewhere that may be crowded.

If you’re planning to go out to dinner, make reservations ahead of time. Since there will be a lot of people wanting to

PAGE BY MACKENZIE PUGH

FOR

Follow this if you have a hair appointment:

Follow this if you’re doing your own hair: Take a shower.

While your hair is drying, do your makeup.

(Have someone dry it for you if you need).

Once your makeup is done, your hair should be dry, and you can start styling it.

Once your hair is done, get dressed and accessorized. (You may need someone to help you getting your dress or jewelry on).

Get your pictures.

Get to dinner. Prom starts at 7, but they let people in until 7:45, so don’t stress if you’re a few minutes late.

2:30

2:30

Get to your hair appointment.

4:00

Get your makeup done or do it yourself.

3:00 3:45

4:30

5:00

4:45

Get dressed quickly.

5:00

Get your pictures.

5:45 5:45

Get to dinner. Prom starts at 7, but they let people in until 7:45, so don’t stress if you’re a few minutes late.

FEATURES | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

13

A LEAP FORWARD

Natalie Archer focuses on pole vaulting after an injury ends gymnastics career

by Sarah Zimmerman sammieherr17@gmail.com

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Junior Natalie Archer poses on the vaulting track with her vaulting stick. Archer has been pole vaulting for the past three years. She made the switch to pole vaulting after leaving gymnastics due to injury. (Photo by Kamryn Bell)

he spent 13 years pouring her heart and soul into one sport. She clocked in over 24 hours per week at practices for one sport. She dedicated thousands of nights to one sport. Then she was forced to change her sport.

After many years of competitive gymnastics, junior Natalie Archer was forced to quit in 2017 due to spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis is a spinal disorder where a vertebrae slides forward into the bone below it. As Archer pushed her gymnastics career forward, she, unfortunately, also pushed her body to the limit.

Gymnastics caused the spondylolisthesis, which, in Archer’s case, caused a risk of paralysis. Because of this, Archer was forced to quit gymnastics.

“There are times where you are just tired of it, but you learn to push through too, especially when there are skills that are also very difficult to get,” former teammate Allie Leary said. “I think it’s definitely helped her in other sports, which are important to her. I think it’s also like she’s probably grown with other people and made friendships with other people and created friendships, but she’s also learned that determination and the drive that you need to have for stuff and I think she’s applied that to other aspects of her life.”

One of the ways Archer has pushed through her injury

and applied her determination to other aspects of her life is by focusing more on track since she cannot participate in gymnastics anymore. To strive for pole vaulting success, she attended a pole vaulting camp and plans to vault for St. Louis Pole Vault in order to practice even when track isn’t in season.

“Gymnastics taught me to be determined,” Archer said.

“A lot of the time, when I can’t do something right, I get really, really annoyed, so I just have to keep trying and with gymnastics. I had to keep doing that...so now that I pole vault, I keep trying and trying again...I’m trying to do pole vault in college so I really am focusing more on improving myself in pole vault so that I can do that in college.”

Although her dream has now shifted from participating in gymnastics at Mizzou to competing in pole vault in the University of Kentucky, Archer continues to work hard and stays optimistic about her future.

“I think it’s been a journey...a journey of emotions, being nervous, being sad, but also having good experiences out of that as well,” Archer’s mother Donna Archer said. “I think it’s kind of like life in general. You learn from things that happen and then move on. We do miss the gymnastics, but at the same time, I think she’s enjoyed the track and it’s been another great experience for her. I’m just proud of what she does. She works her tail end off to try to be successful and I think that’s awesome.”

SLIDE AND SWIM INTO SUMMER An updated Wapelhorst water park prepares to open with new attractions and updated buildings

by Sammie Herr

sammieherr17@gmail.com | @ouchthatherrt

Five years ago the St. Charles Parks had its pools and slides inspected. With each water park aging to over 20 years old, it was said that Wapelhorst and Blanchette needed to be updated. From there, the St. Charles Parks and Recreation, a board of members who look over the parks, created a five-year plan to coordinate, plan and construct a new pool and some new slides.

Wapelhorst is finishing their construction and will open just in time for summer.

“This year Wapelhorst will be even more like a water park, and we’ll have a lot of activities for the people to do which will be fun,” Maggie Cox senior and St. Charles lifeguard said.

St . Charles Parks and Recreation worked with the company Contegra Construction, who hired a company called Capri Pool to build the pools.

They constructed a newer, bigger pool within the water park, a lazy river, new slides, a larger children’s structure, a new building with a pump room, a lifeguard/first aid room and an extra

14

bathroom. There’s also new shaded structures scattered throughout the park to sit by the pool.

Other factors like entry prices and bathrooms were updated to fit the park. Adult prices are now $8.50, and senior and child prices are now $7.50. Everything within the grounds is either new or has been updated, with the exception of the blue speed slide. The large slide stayed due to residents’ demand.

“The most exciting thing is seeing the excitement of residents,” Aquatics Coordinator Missy Hollander said. “Especially applying to the new Wapelhorst, I like to see families making memories and enjoying themselves together.”

The new park will have an opening ceremony, open to the public, on May 24 at 6 p.m. The actual park opens the following day May 25 at regular pool times and stays open for the rest of the summer.

“I’m really excited for the new boomerango slide,” Michael Willmann said. “It looks fun, and I’ve heard it’s supposed to be the fastest slide there. I live right next to it, so I see the construction almost every day.”

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | FEATURES

The newly constructed yellow slide stands in its new placement in Wapelhorst water park. The park is keeping only two of its old attractions. (Photo by Isabella Schneider)

PAGE BY SAMMIE HERR

Junior Trey Dehesa jumps in the middle of a huddle and chant before their game. The FHN boys varsity volleyball team won in two sets against FZE. (Photo by Josie Santel)

BOYS’ BASEBALL PHOTO COLLECTION Junior Hunter Tabor runs to score at home plate after his teammate hit the ball.

Knights played against Pattonville.

DIGS FOR DAYS This year junior Trey Dehesa is playing a new position on the boys’ volleyball team.

In previous years, Dehesa has played as an outside hitter, right side hitter and setter.

This year he has stepped up and is now playing as libero.

The libero is a player specialized in defensive skills and also wears a different color jersey than their teammates symbolizing they are restricted to playing back row and can sub in whenever.

“On the court I play as libero,” Dehesa said. “I am supposed to see what people are doing wrong and I point them out. I don’t do it in a bossy way, more constructive manner. When people are getting down on themselves, I find it my duty to pick them back up.”

Dehesa has been playing volleyball for three years. For two of those years, he has also played for a club team called Crossfire.

This is his first year as playing libero.

“If Trey gives me a good pass, I can make many different plays from that pass,” teammate Avery Ward said.

Most of the varsity volleyball players are playing positions that are brand new to them except for a few. The team is looking to get more wins to go over 500 this season.

“It was a rocky start,” Dehesa said. “We had a few games where we forgot why we played the sport. We play to have fun and we started taking it too seriously. Now we are improving very much and everyone is adjusting well to their positions.” (Brief by Claire Huss)

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Junior Justin Rhomberg pitches the ball to the opposing team up at bat.

This was Rhomberg’s first time as starting pitcher for the varsity team.

Senior Ryan Woods catches a ball that was pitched towards the ground.

They lost to Pattonville with the score 9-3. (Photos by Kamryn Bell)

NO SENIORITIS THIS SEASON For many seniors, their last semester of high school is a time to relax and watch the calender slowly go by. However, Senior Daniel Ostrovskiy has a different idea for his senior spring as he is a main leader on the FHN throwing team. The throw team at FHN is the track and field athletes that compete in events such as shot put, discus, and javelin.

“I started throwing mostly for football,” Ostrovskiy said. “Throwing helps me to keep my balance and stay in shape. It also helps me to gain more power.”

This season, with a new coach taking over the program, Ostrovskiy has been looked at even more as an example since he brings past experience and leadership qualities to the team.

“The younger kids on the team look to Daniel on the team,” coach Jasmine Boyer said. “He brings tenure into this program and steps up when needed.

It could be as simple as starting warm-ups and stretches he just steps up and does it. The biggest thing about Ostrovskiy is that he leads by example and that is a key example when being a senior leader on a team.”

Ostrovskiy got the idea to do track while looking for

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | SPORTS

something to help with his primary sport, football. He had the idea because he knew that this could benefit him not only on the field, but as a person as well.

Because it is Ostrovskiy’s last year, he made the decision to take this year as serious as possible. In order to do this, he attends every practice which occur 6 times a week.

“I have done throwing in the past, but am taking it for real this season,” Ostrovskiy said. “Because of the change in attitude this season, I want to try and go far and get to state this year as well as placing first in meets.”

Coach Boyer has many high hopes for Ostrovskiy and the team as she goes into her first season with the FHN team.

“I want him to get stronger but also more agile in order to be explosive,” coach Boyer said. “I want to get him to master technique so he is able throw far and throw well. As a team I want each member to reach their personal goals in and out of the ring, as a coach if everyone reaches their personal goals, inevitably team goals will be reached.” (Brief by Sam Cary)

PAGE BY PATTY O’LEARY

GIRLS’ SOCCER PHOTO COLLECTION

Junior Megan Crain defends the ball from the opposing team. The Knights played against Troy Buchanan but lost to the Trojans.

Junior Bria Hamilton runs after the ball. In the second half of the game against Troy Buchanan, the Trojans caught up and scored two goals, winning them the game.

Senior Nicole Grellner passes the soccer ball down the field to her teammate. Grellner helped score the first goal of the game by assisting the ball to her teammate where she kicked the ball into the net. (Photos by Savannah Wandzel)

BOYS’ GOLF GACS RECAP At GACs, boys’ golf was given the opportunity to compete against the best of the best in the conference. The event occurred on April 25 and Thomas Bell received second team All-Conference.

“GACs were definitely a lot more competitive. Everyone was a lot more serious and there were a lot more rules and officials. As a team we definitely could’ve done a lot better but we still did okay and we’ve improved a lot over the whole season.” - Zach Askew, 10 “I was just excited to get to play with my friends. At GACs Junior Varsity and Varsity played together and it was actually not that bad of weather which set the meet apart from others.” - Drew Brissete, 12 (Photos by Kaitlyn Snyder)

PAGE BY PATTY O’LEARY

SACKING TO STATE The boys’ rugby team, Howell Force, has been performing above and beyond expectations and plans to ride this momentum all the way into a state championship game. Rolling through the last three cup games, only having to win two but with the goal of coming out victorious in all three, the boys are looking forward to the tough competition of their rivals and coming out on top.

“Chaminade and Priory and some rivals of ours so we look really forward to seeing them in cup play,” said senior J Pae. Looking into these important games coming up in his senior season, J says the boys look to get back to fundamentals of their game to secure their spot in the State game.

“Really we just need to work on our basics,” said Pae. “There have been a lot of times in the past games where it’s something really simple that gets us.”

The team is most excited about the attention the sport will get if they advance into playoff games. As

a non-school sponsored sport, rugby is not as well known around the halls of FHN, and the team is eager to change that.

“Us making it to state is going to make students become more interested, everyone loves to support a good team,” said Pae. Pae is sharing his senior season with a few other Knights including Floris Kruger, who has taken on a leadership role in his last year, being named Force’s team captain.

“Being a captain, stuff like that is not easy,” said Pae. “He does well working on team mentality, keeping us in shape and keeping us focused in games and practices.”

These two and the rest of the senior rugby boys are not taking their last season lightly, and after everything the game has given to them, are looking to make their final games count.

“For all of us, this marks growth,” said Pae. “Growing as a player and as a person.” (Brief by Liz Wagner)

SPORTS | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

17

ACE IN YOUR FACE Sophomore Will Schellman has worked hard to be number one on the FHN varsity tennis team

by Claire Huss

clmhuss@gmail.com | @Claire_huss

S

Sophomore William Schellmen serves a tennis ball at practice on the Francis Howell North tennis courts. He practiced over the summer and did many training sessions. “Being the number one player, you just got to go for the placement shots, if you hold back you’re going to lose,” Schellmen said. (Photo by Isabella Schnieder)

18

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | SPORTS

tepping out onto the tennis court, sophomore Will Schellman’s focus is on how he is going to beat his opponent. Schellman has put in countless hours focusing on improving his game for tennis which has led him to being the number one player on the tennis team.

“Playing number one, I play really good players who are older than me and that are more experienced than me,” Schellman said.

To determine what rank you are on the team, everyone plays in challenge matches against at the beginning of the season. Last year, Schellman played as number six on the team. When Schellman started participating in tennis he would watch the upperclassmen before him play. He wanted to be as good as them and he wanted to have the same passion for the sport as they did. This gave Schellman a drive to play and to improve. They showed Schellman their passion for

tennis which made him fall in love with the sport.

“Will has grown a lot as a player because he came into the season last year brand new, now he is at number one so he gained a lot of skills,” FHN tennis coach Beth Jameson said. “Now he has pretty strokes, a nice serve, and good technique on strokes and spinning the ball.”

Schellman puts a lot of work into the off season to improve his game. He gets lessons over the summer twice a week from FHN alumni Matt Dunn who plays division one tennis at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

“He puts a lot of personal time out on the courts,” Jameson said. “He put in a lot of smart training. He has the drive and desire to continue to work and improve.”

Schellman has improved his ground stroke and serve which are key parts to winning. He also has improved on his volleys and approach shots which have helped him win points.

“He is very consistent and he is very good at moving the ball around,” doubles partner, Sachin Milli said. “He is good at constructing points and knows how to move the ball around.”

The tennis team is a relaxed and fun environment. They are all there to have fun, to improve and to support each other.

“His teammates look up to him,” Jameson said.

“He hangs out with a lot of them and they all get along really well. Having those friendships is what tennis is really centered around too.”

Schellman hopes to continue to improve all his skills throughout the season and throughout the years. He also hopes to win more matches and improve on all things.

“I have a drive to win,” Schellman said. “I hate losing and I want to improve to be successful.”

PAGE BY CLAIRE HUSS

Junior Autumn Schrader shakes hands with one of Incarnate Word’s captian. Schrader started off on JV but quickly moved to varsity her freshman year. This year she is a captain for the varsity team. (Photo by Sam Cary)

LEADING LACROSSE

Freshman Gracie Rice poses with her stick and jersey. Rice moved to St. Louis from Las Vegas to play competitive hockey for the Junior Blues travel team. She has played in tournaments all across the country since joining the team. (Photo by Jordan Milewczik)

Skating to St. charles Freshman Gracie Rice travels across country to play for the Lady Blues travel hockey team

by Hannah Wilson

hannahmae691@gmail.com | @hannahwilson30

As she laces up her skates, freshman Gracie Rice mentally prepares for the tryout ahead. After meeting the members of the U16 Triple-A Lady Blues Hockey team at a tournament, Rice knew that she wanted to develop her skills and face tough competition. Playing through her nerves, Rice skated her way into a place on the team as a defenseman.

The only problem: they wanted her to be an in-town player. That means that she would have to move from Las Vegas, Nevada to Saint Charles, Missouri in order to play on her ideal team.

“I was really excited when I made the team, but I was so sad because I had to leave my home,” Rice said. “But, I had wanted it for so long and last season I was still playing Double-A hockey and this is Triple-A hockey. I wanted to make the jump, and I wanted to be on the Blues. They were my number one pick and they were so high ranked, the team is one of the best. So, I said that I wanted to follow through with this, and my parents said that they wanted to do it with me.”

After making the decision, Rice and her family moved to Saint Charles, where she is now able to practice, play and travel with the team. They practice three days a week, with the potential of more practices on the weekends if there isn’t a tournament. Rice goes to the gym to workout every day of the week; she runs, lifts weights and skates.

The Lady Blues practice in order to prepare for the tough

PAGE BY HANNAH WILSON

competition they will face in the U.S. and Canada. “[Going to Canada] is awesome, I love it,” Rice said.

“It is so stressful, but it is so much fun, especially at the airport with my passport. This season was the first season I ever went to Canada, but it is a lot of fun. There’s huge Canadian flags everywhere, and it’s very obvious that the Canadians point us out as Americans. The Canadian hockey teams are big and aggressive.”

Even though she is playing the sport that she loves and is able to travel to places she has never been before, Rice has had to find ways to manage her time, school work and social life. Due to her busy schedule, she has to find time to be a normal teenager.

“Balancing everything is hard,” Rice said. “I try to stay on top of all my school work, and I talk to my teachers all the time about getting my work ahead of time because I miss so many days. I normally just do my homework during my study hall. After school, I’ll knock out as much as I can before I go to the gym or to practice.”

Even as a freshman, Rice is looking forward to the future.

Her goal is to earn a scholarship for a Division 1 college hockey team. One college that she has in mind would be Ohio State because members of her family went there.

Because she has been preparing, she feels as though that is in reach. Her mother, Sandy Rice, also agrees that Rice is a very hard worker and a good hockey player.

“Due to her busy schedule, school and hockey is about all that she can fit in her life right now,” Sandy said. “I think that the passion she has for it and the drive to make herself better makes her good at hockey.”

After three years of playing a brand new sport to FHN, junior and midfielder Autumn Schrader stepped up as one of the Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse team captain along with Bree Schmidt and Liz Wagner.

Schrader started playing lacrosse when it was first introduced as a sport at FHN in 2015.

“It’s not a real high powered position, we’re all still very equal,” Schrader said. “I still feel really precious to my team for choosing me as the captain.”

According to varsity coach Charles Lott, captains are chosen on a variety of subjects such as talking on the field and showing up to off season training. Students must be worthy of fulfilling the position on and off the field “It all comes down to off season,” Lott said. “Seeing how many girls showed up to weight room and off season conditioning. Also, seeing who was putting in the extra work.”

As of print, Schrader has a record of 18 goals, one assist, and 22 ground balls this season and has come a long way since previous years. With three games still to come, Schrader has already crushed her previous years stats; she had seven goals, zero assists and five ground balls between her freshman and sophomore years.

“She definitely steps up,” Lott said. “She is a natural leader as well as a great player.”

Schrader has been a huge positive influence towards the team’s stats this year, with having the second highest amount of goals. Schrader not only helps on the game field but at practice as well.

“You can see the amount of growth our team has gone through in the past three years,” Schrader said. “Even just this year to last year we have grown so much as a team.”

(Brief by Michael Zull)

SPORTS | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

19

COMPROMISE IS THE ONLYSOLUTION Applying restrictions to firearm is a polarizing issue, but finding a solution requires working together

STUDENT TAKE: HOW CAN WE END GUN VIOLENCE? “It’s always going to be there, but we can look for the signs and that can prevent most of it.”

IZZY BARLOS, 11

“I would say is that we should come up with a protocol that ensures the buyers of the guns are going to use it safely and we don’t put them in the wrong hands.”

SAVANNAH HEART, 12

“I think the reason people are allowed to have guns in the U.S. is to prevent a tyrannical gov, so in some ways it’s a necessary evil to let people have guns in their homes.”

DONAVAN GORZEL, 9

“We should ban guns because if there’s no guns there’s no problem.”

WILL SCHELLMAN, 10

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by- Heeral Patel

heeral.patel03@gmail.com | @HeeraL12

O

ur eyes pass over headlines covering the shootings involving law enforcement and those occurring in public places -- schools, concerts, churches, movie theaters -- while regular shootings in urban areas are largely ignored.

Whether or not we have personal ties to the gun debate, most people hold tight to their opinion on the issue. So tight, that many aren’t willing to understand those that disagree with them. As individuals who want the best for our country, our communities, it would be in our best interest to find a compromise.

There appears to be two sides: one pushing for change and another voicing caution so everything is not only funded, but also complies with the Constitution. Opinions are strong and diverse, making America’s complex relationship with guns difficult to navigate. Instead, we find walls dividing us and the people that we don’t agree with. We fall back on what feels safe, which unfortunately involves disdain for ideologies different from our own. A “with us or against us” mindset prevents us from hearing anything that doesn’t comply with our own beliefs.

The tendency to exaggerate the extremity of opposing views muddles the problem even more.

People get hung up on their differences and demonize those whose views don’t match their own. They start the same fights again and again, preventing any progress to take place. Protecting the rights of responsible gun-owners doesn’t have to be the same as being lenient on potentially dangerous people. Advocating for gun regulations doesn’t have to be a violation to our liberties.

Nor should it.

To find a realistic solution we need to find a compromise. For that, people need to be willing to talk to each other about the issues, and this isn’t as far fetched as it may seem. A 2017 Pew Research study found 89 percent of gun-owners and 89.5 percent non-owners support preventing the mentally

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | OPINIONS

(Illustration by Heeral Patel)

ill from purchasing firearms; 79 percent of gunowners and 86.5 percent of non-owners support background checks for private sales and 83.5 percent of gun-owners and 85.5 percent of non-owners barring purchase for people on a no-fly or watch list.

There are ideas we can agree on. Focusing on the similarities rather than differences can help build a solid base for us to work together to find the answer.

Then, together we can move forward.

Studies conducted to analyze the effects of such regulations as well as find what causes violence in the first place would help provide a more holistic view of the situation, which can pave way for an effective solution by providing facts. We need to find out what’s causing the violence, but that’s nothing if we don’t discuss our views and understand each other’s logic, reasons and concerns.

How do we make sure everyone who has a gun handles it safely?

Where does funding come from for regulations?

Who’s responsible to teach gun safety?

How can we make sure that people who use a gun as a tool to protect themselves and others are not deprived of their rights, but still bar those that wish to use guns for malicious purposes?

It’s a complex problem, but the best way to solve it is through compromise. This doesn’t just apply to politicians. We face the debate in our daily lives through conversations in real life and online. Far too often our initial reactions may be an angry rebuttal, or just to ignore the opposing argument all together.

In these instances, it’s important we slow down our thought process, approach the conversation with an open mind and try to really understand the other person’s logic. Be respectful and listen. We need to focus on what we agree on to formulate a solution that we can all rally around and advocate for. Only then we can start taking the first steps to put a solution in place, one that takes everyone into account. It doesn’t have to be the end-all-be-all solution. It can be adjusted as we learn more about what works and what doesn’t, but this can at least give us a starting point.

PAGE BY HEERAL PATEL

AP AVALANCHE

Some finals this year are scheduled at the same time as some AP tests, which could cause unnecessary stress on a few students

(Illustrations by Sophia Schmidt)

PAGE BY SOPHIA SCHMIDT

OPINIONS | 05.02.18 | FHNTODAY.COM

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Editor-in-Chief: Carolynn Gonzalez Managing Editors: McKayla Bogda Noah Slaughter Copy Editor: Anna Lindquist Entertainment/Opinions Editor: Jake Price News Editor: Sammie Herr Features Editor: Heeral Patel Sports Editors: Mackenzie Pugh Hannah Wilson Rule of Three Editor: Heidi Hauptman General Staff: Grace Bowman Ashlynn Perez Sophie Carite Ashya Roberson Claire Huss Sophie Schmidt Patty O’Leary Kylah Woods Rebekah Myers Daniel Xiang Michael Zull Editor-in-Chief of Photography: Alex Rowe Newspaper Photo Editor: Kamryn Bell Sports Photo Editor: Sam Cary Yearbook Photo Editor: Savannah Wandzel Photographers: Devilyn Bedwell Allie Moore Juliet Borgschulte Phoebe Primeau Mackenzi Durrett Josie Santel Michaela Erfling Isabella Schneider Abagayle Johnson Wil Skaggs Kaili Martin Kaitlyn Snyder Jordan Milewczik Te’a Tonnsen Paige Westermann Business: Gavin Atkinson Carson Ramirez Jadon Herrman Jamie Sneed

FHNTODAY STAFF

Editor-in-Chief: Taylor Sheridan Managing Editor: Isaiah Bryant FHNtoday Editor: Madison Abanathie Sports Editor: Dominic Hoscher Web Staff: Orion Allman Riley McCrackin Stacy Beasley J Pae Jenny Blanchard Tyler Rogers Joel Boenitz Fabian Schwuchow Nick Browers Uma Upamaka Jabari Cope Liz Wagner Jacob Dulaney Ethan Winchester Sarah Zimmerman Executive Producer of Video: Alyssa Barber Podcast Editor: Emily Hood Livestream Producer: Madi Shinault Chief Editor: Lupe Medina Video Staff: Gavin Anderson Taylor Perry Kelsey Decker Kylin Reed Audrey Dickherber Franco Romano J Pae Fabian Schwuchow Reide Pearson Lily Sontheimer Nathan Williams Advisers: Aaron Manfull Jordyn Kiel

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(Illustration by Rebekah Myers)

NORTH STAR TAKE:

SUMMER BELONGS TO EVERYONE

As the year wraps up, take a moment to learn and reflect on memorable moments On Behalf of the Editorial Staff yourfhn@fhntoday.com | @FHNtoday

Here we are FHN. We’re approaching our last weeks of this high school year together. Only two more weeks of school and we’re off to a warm, relaxing summer. Our days of staying up late studying for the big test will soon turn into nights of watching the summer sky with friends. We only need to push a little harder and we’re there.

While the year ends, freshman still don’t know the halls or how to get to class fast enough and sophomores are itching to level up to an upperclassmen. Juniors are more stressed out than ever about their grades and seniors are stuck in between wanting to graduate and wanting to wait a little longer to grow up. Regardless, we all have one mutual thing on our mind: finals. Use these last weeks to succeed because we only have limited time left. Once finals are over, that’s it. We reach the pearly, white gates of a much needed break.

FHNTODAY.COM | 05.02.18 | OPINIONS

Of course there will always be rough patches to reflect on, but we shouldn’t dwell on them. 20 years from now, when we look back on the 2017-18 school year, we’ll remember at the events we experienced, the adventures we had and the history we made. We’ll remember at the amount of hours we spent on projects. We’ll remember at the fights or arguments we had. We’ll remember at how fast we wanted to get out of high school. It will all be worth it one day. In the future, we’ll realize how much we’ve grown and matured since the beginning of high school.

As we finish this school year, don’t give up so fast. There’s still time left to work for that grade or make amends with people. Finish the year off strong with good grades and close relationships to set a base for a good summer. Make the most out of the golden years of high school. It doesn’t have to be cliché, but at the very least, make memories.

When we reach that ending point of high school, summer belongs to us. High school belongs to us. Our lives belongs to us. It does not end here FHN.

PAGE BY SAMMIE HERR