NORTH | STAR FRANCIS HOWELL NORTH | ST. CHARLES, MO 63303 | 05.06.20 | VOL 34 ISSUE 08
‘
WE R E
Y AWA ND FA
OF
SENIO R EDIT ION
On the Cover
IN THIS ISSUE 06
02 Look at Me Now
Take a look at how seniors grew up through out the years.
One Word
Teachers and administrators describe the senior class using only one word.
08
Illustrated in the original Dr. Seuss style, a balloon flies over the cloud. This edition of the North Star will recognise the seniors, as they fly off towards their next chapter. (Illustrated by Gracie Bowman)
13
High School Highlights Seniors share some of their most memorable stories at FHN.
Today You are You
Seniors share how they overcame some of their hardest obstacles through out high school
A LETTER FROM THE
EDITOR
What a twist ending, right? It almost doesn’t feel real. High school has felt like this huge marathon. We’re all running towards the finish line. We’re thirsty and we’re all tired. We have our highs where we all run for miles. We have our lows where our feet hurt and we can’t catch our breath. At the finish line, there’s celebrations, cold water to quench our thirst and, finally, a break. At the finish line, there’s this fresh start for some people. A huge, red reset button that some of us can’t wait to get our hands on. The finish line is the new starting line for each and every one of us. We were so, so close. We were cheering each other on, patting each other on the back and reminiscing. We screamed together during the spirit meters, our faces covered in red paint. We snapped as loud as we could when we heard the Chocolate Cake Song at Coffee House. We laughed at the Joke of the Day together every single morning. Everything was going so smoothly. We were so close, we could taste it. Then, a fog settled. Our vision got blurry. We all got tripped and scraped our knees. Our plans were soiled. Our celebrations got taken away from us. We were all in disbelief. We were all heartbroken. This was something out of our control. As much as we joked about that finish line, as much as we begged for it to come sooner, we didn’t realize how sad
it would be if it was actually taken away from us. We grieved as we lost our senior prom. We lost our last KOE picnic. We lost our final month of high school. That month that belongs to the seniors. The month that is the build up to graduation. We don’t get to stand outside the school and wave at the buses as they honk at us loudly. We don’t get to hug our teachers and thank them. We don’t get to hug each other. Although we are ending this year differently, we are ending it as a united group. We have one another to lean on. We’re going to grab each other’s hands and run towards that finish line together. We’re going to keep going even if we can’t see anything yet through all the fog. We have each other’s back. We’re carrying each other, wiping each other’s tears, sharing laughs while we continue to run or walk or skip towards the big finish. It’s blurry right now. But we are all going to make it. We are doing it together. We have each other. We’re not in the hallways right now. We won’t be dancing next to each other at prom. We don’t know exactly what our finish line is going to look like when we reach it. But somehow, even though we are at least six feet apart, this crazy turn of events has brought us closer. In a weird way, I’m grateful for that.
Gracie Bowman Editor-in-Chief
FHNTODAY.COM | 05.06.20 | SENIOR EDITION
PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
We’re Off to Great PLACES Seniors should mark their calendars for the revised graduation date, Sat. July 11th, at 2:30 p.m; however, write it in something erasable because even that date is subject to change. Not even the location is constant anymore. Currently, assuming physical graduation occurs, graduation will still be held at the Family Arena. If the July date becomes impossible, an online graduation ceremony will most likely be held. Unsurprisingly, graduation practice has also been suspended since students will be out of school for the remainder of the year. At this point in time, all students should expect sudden, unexpected developments and changes. Not even FHN faculty have figured out exactly what they’re doing yet. “At this point, I don’t even know what time students should be there or where they should go,” senior class sponsor Kristen Jobgen said. “We also were supposed to have auditions for songs and speeches, but that will have to be moved too.”
Graduation is part of a growing list of event casualties including many state competitions and school events like the 4.0 Luncheon and Senior Awards Night. Graduation remains more of a symbol of the completion of 12 years of schooling than an actual functional event, but it’s because of what graduation symbolizes that makes its cancellation so striking. “I have dreamed of walking on that stage forever and if it’s canceled, I will be very upset and disappointed,” Senior Class President Salam Abouchleih said. However, many students also acknowledge the importance of such a large event’s cancelation as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a problem. “Personally, I think it is best if we cancel graduation for now or move it to a later date when we can host it,” Abouchleih said. “I know a lot of seniors will be disappointed as well.” (Brief by Connor Peper)
Senior Awards Night Schedule Virtual FHN Senior Recognition and Awards Event When: May 12-14 Where: FHN Facebook page and FHNtoday.com/senior2020 Time: 7:00 p.m.
We Won’t be Up All KNIGHT After long consideration, the All-Knighter, which was previously scheduled for June 6th following the old graduation date and time, has officially been cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak. “The district recommended we do this and we could not figure out a way to keep everyone safe,” organizer of the All-Kighter, Kirsten Labarge, said. “It was ultimately the safety of the students that made us cancel.” A large sum of money has been paid for the All-Knighter and the natural question would be what will happen with it. Luckily, it has been confirmed that refunds will be given to those
who have paid their dues towards the event, and they will even get a t-shirt and a small gift with the money raised from fundraisers. Past that, the money will be used to pay for the senior gift to the school. Luckily no money has been lost as all previously spent funds towards pre-planning have been recouped. “Please know this decision was not made easily,” Labarge said. “We all wanted to enjoy this last time with everyone and are truly saddened to have to make this decision. We want nothing more than to see all of you succeed and can not wait to see what the future has in store for all of you.” (Brief by Andrew Reese)
Each night will recognize something different. May 12: FHN will recognize all FHN seniors.
May 13: FHN will acknowledge the seniors receiving special awards.
May 14: FHN will announce seniors receiving department awards and scholarships.
Students who are being recognized for individual awards or scholarships on May 13-14 will receive individual emails that invite them to tune into the live videos.
Important Links: FHN Facebook: bit.ly/NSFHNFacebook FHNtoday.com/senior2020 PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
SENIOR EDITION | 05.06.20 | FHNTODAY.COM
01
Look at me! LOOK AT ME NOW!
Take a look at how different these seniors look their senior year compared to years past (Photos submitted)
Hari Patel
Tom Jamison
2016
2020
Anjolina Blackwell
2004
2020
Gracie Bowman
2007
02
2020
Gabi Negrete
2017
2019
Nolan Hutson
2019
2017
2020
Amanda Hasenback
Tanay Parwal
2016
2006
2019
FHNTODAY.COM | 05.06.20 | SENIOR EDITION
2008
2020 PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
Our Senior Year in Review
TAKE A LOOK AT OUR CHILDHOOD BOOKS
The North Star takes a look at what meme was all over the internet every month of senior year (Content by Gracie Bowman)
Seniors share their thoughts on books that they grew up on
In Meme Review
August
September
October “I loved reading Dork Diaries because Diary of a Wimpy Kid was so funny, but this was the girl’s version so it made it even better.” Allison Cavato
IGHT IMMA HEAD OUT
Spongebob Squarepants has been a birth place for memes. This one took the internet by storm and is still popular.
November
JOKER ON THE STAIRS After the new Joker movie came out, this image circled the internet. It was edited in different ways to create jokes.
December
BABY YODA
SCREAMING CAT
February
March
After the character appeared on the Star Wars series featured on Disney Plus, baby Yoda was too cute not to turn into a meme.
These two seperate images of the screaming women and cat were brought together to create this hilarious depiction.
OK BOOMER
The tension between baby boomers and later generations climaxed when gen y and z began responding to typical boomer behavior with “ok boomer.”
“I liked how Clifford was abnormally bigger than the other dogs when I was a kid.”
January
WWIII
Grant Cole
“I liked Junie B. Jones because it was always so silly. Looking back, the plot was really bad, but it kept me entertained when I was a kid.”
WW3 memes broke the internet when the USA assassinated one of Iran’s generals. The internet once again turned the scary situation into something humorous.
April
Hannah Davis
“The art was simple, but eye-catching. I liked the message it had about sharing and happiness.” Alex Ortiz
ICE AGE BABY
In February, the internet seemed to turn against the baby from the Ice Age movie. Everyone online shared a hatred towards the character and it quickly turned into a joke. PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
TOILET PAPER
While everyone was fearful over the COVID-19 virus, toilet paper became the subject of jokes when stores were selling out of it. People were buying it in bulk in fear of being stuck at home because of quarantine.
QUARANTINE
With COVID-19 keeping people inside their homes, people brought to the internet, making jokes over how bored and stir crazy they are getting in quarantine.
“My mom used to read ‘Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book’ to me almost every night before bed. I still have the book sitting on a shelf.” Gracie Bowman
SENIOR EDITION | 05.06.20 | FHNTODAY.COM
03
Those Who Taught Us To Fly FHN seniors share how some of their teachers impacted them during high school
“Mrs. Parks was really inspiring and a solid person for me my sophomore year. Parks really cared for us AP Foundation kiddos and she kept me in line and believed in all my goals.” Addy Bradbury
“Mr. Willott is the smartest man I’ve ever met. His methods of testing student’s knowledge and ensuring that they receive that knowledge are unmatched.” Andrew Reese
“Mrs. Heyer’s very kind and an amazing teacher and is always positive even when things don’t go as planned and she’s always there for her students and knows how to put a smile on their face.” Alivia Faupel
“I would say that Mrs. Dillon impacted me greatly. I’ve only had her as a teacher this year but she has changed the way I look at math and she makes it so easy and fun.” Abby Korte
“Stegeman is one of the teachers that you just never get bored of. Always exciting in the band room and pushes you to be the best person you can.” Sumi Chen
“Ms. Soltysiak always said to me to never give up on a tennis match and how everything is a challenge but to always try.” Daniela Negrete
04
FHNTODAY.COM | 05.06.20 | SENIOR EDITION
PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
WARNING!
49% OF STUDENTS ...HAVE NOT PURCHASED THEIR YEARBOOK FOR THIS YEAR YET. Why is this a big deal? • The price goes up to $75 June 1. • The staff will not be ordering extras once the final number is set at the end of the year Check on FHNtoday.com to make sure your name is on the list of who has purchcased a book. You can find that list here: https://fhntoday.com/excalibur-yearbook-order/
You can purchase a 2019-20 yearbook: • on FHNtoday.com under the YEARBOOK tab on the top menu
One Word
Teachers and administrators describe the class of 2020 in one word RESILIENT
“No matter the challenges that have come their way, they always band together and rise to overcome them. I could not be more proud of the Seniors of 2020.” Jennifer Oncken
ENERGETIC
“The senior class has always been full of vigor and just a lively group overall. I will miss them tremendously.” Chris Birch
What do we Know?
The class of 2020 was surveyed to find out more about them and what they experienced during their four years at FHN (20% of the seniors surveyed) Did a teacher impact you during high school?
92%
8%
61%
39%
Yes
No
Yes
No
Have you been to a school dance?
ENTERTAINING
The class of 2020 have been visionaries. They have worked very hard to mentor other students, improve their school and the world around them, and to advocate for their own futures. This class has vision and the drive to make the world a better place.” Kim Coil
97%
3%
Yes
No
Yes
No
Have you ever cheated on a test?
Have you enjoyed your time at FHN?
67% 33%
88% 12%
No
Yes
What is your favorite school subject? Social Studies Science Math English
graduation
HISTORICAL
“I have a daughter who is also a senior, so I can relate to how this is screwing up your last moments of high school. You guys entered this world around the 9-11 tragedy and are exiting your compulsory education with the Covid 19 pandemic. Wow, the history you have already witnessed. I hope you don’t dwell on the past; move on and make your own history. Just make it positive please.” Tony Roungon
06
graduation
5%
“The class of 2020 has so many unique personalities, but my students have made my work so much fun! They love to have a good time, laugh easily and enjoyed their school experience to the fullest.” Jani Wilkens
VISIONARIES
Have you gone to a sporting event?
95%
HEARTFELT
“They were more than happy to step up and volunteer for helping in the community and they were sincere about helping out those who needed help.” Donna Malkmus
Have you had a relationship during high school?
What are your feelings aboutgraduation graduation approaching? Terrified Nervous, but excited Mostly ready Ready to graduate tomorrow
FHNTODAY.COM | 05.06.20 | SENIOR EDITION
Yes
No
music What is your favorite music genre?
Pop Rap Country Rock Alternative Jazz Other
peaked When did you peak during high school? Freshman year Sophomore year Junior year Senior year Haven’t peaked
peaked
political
PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
Emily Hood looks at her camera. Hood is the Executive Producer of the video staff at FHN. While working on her portfolio, she branched out to writing and photography as well as video. (Photo submitted.)
Juliana Morales poses with her dog outside in the snow. Morales worked hard to become more confident with the English language. “It was a year full of new challenges and experiences,” Morales said. “I had to learn a new language while trying to understand classes and get good grades.”
From
HERE To THERE
After Juliana Morales immigrated to the USA, she overcame the obstacles of a new home, new school and new language
through consistent and strenuous trial and error and keen observation. “I paid close attention to the way words were ne of the most common tropes in pronounced and my best friend Daisy Ortiz entertainment is the “new school.” In helped me a lot to improve my English,” Morales shows, in movies, in books, everyone said. “She would tell me when I was saying has seen at least one story where a character is something wrong and taught me the right way to stressed about leaving their friends behind and pronounce a word.” enrolling in a school where everyone’s a stranger. Morales has formed a special connection to That scenario is child’s play to senior Juliana para educator Karen Thambyrajah . While they’ve Morales who came to FHN and the United States only known each other this year, they’re already without a great understanding of the lingua extremely close. franca. “She’s just so respectful, she’s just very sweet “I would say I knew basic English for a and has a sweet demeanor,” non-English speaker,” Morales Thambryrajah said. “She is a said. “I could’ve had a 20-minute conversation with some errors “Think left and think hard worker and really cares about doing the right thing. when speaking, but my writing right and think low When I first met her she was and reading were always better. I and think high. Oh, really interested in learning. couldn’t understand the majority of the things you can We had a good relationship my classes which gave me a hard think up if only you because she was so eager to time. learn.” try.” Morales immigrated to the Ironically enough, Morales United States three years ago, her DR. SEUSS has had reduced interactions sophomore year, from Ecuador. with her own class until this Morales shared the same concerns year. This is because, due to most students have when changing a lack of proficiency in English, she was placed schools but with a unique twist. in Freshman classes her sophomore year, but “I was nervous and full of anxiety,” Morales Morales has made up for lost time. said. “I didn’t know what to expect from my Morales plans to pursue a career in medicine, classmates, classes, teachers. Before coming hoping to eventually travel the world as a medical to live here I heard a lot of stories about people volunteer. being bullied and judged because of their native “This year, I got to know a lot of people and language or accents and that scared me a lot. I share moments with a lot of seniors,” Morales wanted to have fun and have friends but I just said. “I became close with a lot of people that I couldn’t express my thoughts because I couldn’t never would’ve imagined I would be close to. This communicate.” year has been a lot of fun and filled with special It took two years before Morales felt confident in moments with my friends.” her mastery of the language, a feat only possible
by Connor Peper
officialconnorpeper@gmail.com
OO
“ ”
PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
YOU WILL TOP ALL THE REST A zoom call wasn’t how she expected to hear the news. The Journalism Education Associations’ national journalist of the year was supposed to be announced at a spring journalism conference in Nashville. Due to COVID-19, the convention was cancelled and the award announcements were made on a Facebook live. So Hood, seated next to her mother on the couch, sat on a zoom call with a handful of friends, family and FHN faculty anxiously awaiting the big moment. “Congratulations to our 2020 high school journalist of the year Emily Hood of Missouri” Hoods journey to this point started nearly four years ago when she joined the video staff in the second half of her freshman year. It was this year that she began making ‘The Hood Report’, a weekly news show that Hood continued to make all through her time in the journalism program. “When she started she had a good idea of what she wanted to do and she set goals for herself and she just worked to meet those goals and then set new ones,” Advisor Aaron Manfull said. After taking note of her ambition, Manfull approached her about putting together a portfolio to enter the journalist of the year competition. Hood and Manfull worked to build a portfolio that showcased the work she had done in different areas. “The goal with this competition is to make you a well rounded journalist, which is so important if you want to go into journalism,” Hood said. “I was able to try out a lot of things that I might not have looked into or wanted to do.” After submitting her portfolio, Hood was first named Missouri’s journalist of the year before being entered into the national competition. “I think the award is a nice testament to the hard work she did on staff for three and a half years,” Manfull said. “She continually worked hard not just for herself but for the other people in the room.” Despite her own hard work, Hood is the first to acknowledge that the award wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her advisors and peers. “I really don’t feel like it’s just an award for me,” Hood said. “I feel like it’s an award for the room because there are so many people who are so amazing and helpful and who work so hard in that room and who have really helped me.” (Story by Sophie Carite) SENIOR EDITION | 05.06.20 | FHNTODAY.COM
07
HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS
FHN seniors share some of their favorite moments from their time in high school
“When everyone rushed on to the football field after this year’s Powderpuff game, it was so exciting and it felt like an entire class had come together to celebrate something and have fun.” Julie Hohensee
“I loved dressing up for the spirit days, winning powderpuff, decorating the senior football players driveways and getting to perform studline.” Sam Key
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FHNTODAY.COM | 05.06.20 | SENIOR EDITION
“It was definitely winning the curling championship. We started the team as a joke, and after winning our first game, we started taking things seriously. In the finals, we were actually down by three points, yet we still came back and barely beat our opponents by one point. I still remember holding that trophy after the game, it was awesome.” Rajat Nepal
“We [marching band] beat Howell by .1 and remained dominant at Bands of America in 2018, and then this year, we beat them by even more.” Maria Lindquist
“During the snowcoming pep assembly this year, when the cheerleaders didn’t have the music working, the whole school stood up with them in their beginning pose. I thought that was a cool moment.” Anjolina Blackwell “Thescon was amazing. I performed an individual event or a solo musical performance and got a rating of excellent. I learned so much and bonded with all of my fellow cast and crew members.” Ash Bozich
PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
We can’t thank our business sponsors and patrons enough for their partnership this year. Their support could not have made this year possible for us, and we hope during this time you will consider supporting them. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Abusoud Familiy Adarza BioSystems Ammons Family Basye’s Birthright Bogey Hills Vision Bondada Family Boone Family Buse’s Flower Shop Central Fire and Rescue Chick-fil-a Clean as a Whistle CourseCreatorsHQ.com Crossfit - O’Fallon Cruise Planners Dance Plus Daniel’s Farm and Greenhouse Diva Nails DTJ Sports Academy European Accent FHN Booster Club Fierce Creative Agency Freddy’s Frozen Custard Glo Beauty and Tan H&G Schultz Door Hair Design by Becky Lutz Hanson Family Harvester Animal Clinic Harvestowne Auto Body Hogan Family
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Horstman Family Jamison Family JB Auto Body Kokomo Joes Kumon of St. Charles LA Jewel Hair Studio Laulie Cakes Lawrence Florist Lloyd and Company Lox Family Hair Design McGurks Public House Mike’s Lawn Service Nangle and Associates Next Step College Essays Niemann Family Steve Oien - State Farm Ortiz Family Peterson Family Peper Family Picasso’s Coffee Pickleman’s - St. Charles Q Nails Ramirez Familiy Ray Family Reese Family Restore St. Louis Rich Family Rohrbach Familiy Romero Family Roto Rooter
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Sederberg and Associates Shearlock Combs Dave Schlansker - State Farm Springhill Suites St. Charles Brick Co. LLC St. Louis Crossfire STL Buy and Sell Realtors STL Shirt Co. Jeff Strickland - State Farm Sumner One Sunrise Church Tafra Family The Collector Store The Painted Pot The Styling Team Tony’s on Main Street Tower Family Tran Family Walmart Williams Family Willmann Family Wilson Family Dental Valerie Winkler - Remax Witherbee Family Woodcrest Dental Wright Family Xtreme Baseball
On Your Way Up Heaven-Lee Nichols is continuing her lacrosse career in college after playing all four years at FHN by Riley Witherbee
rileywitherbee59@gmail.com
Senior Heaven-Lee Nichols has been playing lacrosse since around the age of six years old. She began playing lacrosse while enrolled in a private school in New Jersey. Nichols lost touch with Heaven-Lee Nichols runs across the field during a lacrosse game. Nichols has played on the FHN team since lacrosse after moving to Missouri, but in eighth grade, freshman year. Her lacrosse journey will continue at Quincy University. (Photo submitted) she came across her gym coach, Ryan Darks, who It has always been a dream of hers to play lacrosse in college. After Nichols recommended that she attend one of the FHN camps. traveled to Quincy University for a visit, she loved the small school feel. It not “After I went to the camp, it just felt so natural,” Nichols said. “That’s basically only has the opportunity for her to fuel her love of lacrosse, but also her desire how I fell in love with lacrosse.” to become a veterinarian. She knew Quincy University was the school she Nichols spends her time teaching underclassmen the skills they need to wanted to sign to. be successful during the lacrosse season. Nichols also plays for STL Samurai, While Nichols moves onto playing lacrosse in college, she will continue to a club lacrosse team, during the off season. A coach at STL Samurai, Rachel follow a piece of advice that Benzing has given her. Benzing, inspired Nichols. “You know your worth, you know your game, you know you,” Nichols said. “Rachel Benzing took me in when my mom kicked me out,” Nichols said. “She “Life is your game. Don’t change your game for someone.” took me in, fed me, gave me a bed, a shoulder to lean on. She pushed me to Nichols has always kept true to those words and will continue her lacrosse keep fighting through everything. She was going through one of the hardest journey in college. times in her life and so was I and we helped each other heal. She’s the strongest “If you are looking to play lacrosse, do not give up,” Nichols said. “If it is woman I know. I’m grateful to call her family. She’s compassionate and caring something you really enjoy, practice everyday, watch college games and go to and gives the best reality talks. I hope that one day I am half the woman she is.” clinics. Do not give up.” This year, Nichols is the only senior to sign for a college from the FHN team. Tom Jamison throws a frisbee towards another teammate. Jamison found a love for the sport after trying it on a whim. He hopes that underclassmen will take it over when he graduates. (Photo submitted)
Leaving a Legacy Tom Jamison started a team sport at FHN that has forever changed his heart, but the sport will die out at North after his graduation by Connor Peper
officialconnorpeper@gmail.com
Many people live their life as a series of decisions to enact, for example, “To become a doctor, I must join HOSA and get into Washington University.” But not all joys in life are the sum of calculated risk and pre planned events. Senior Tom Jamison fell in love with the unusual sport of Ultimate Frisbee. This was not part of the plan. “Last year, I decided I was done playing competitive sports and I was going to focus on academics,” Jamison said. “Then I saw an ad in the newsletter. I showed up, I didn’t even have cleats, but I left practice and bought all the equipment. I just felt right there. It was a great program and I really wanted to be a part of it.” Jamison plays on an Ultimate Frisbee club team made up of mostly FHN, FHC and FHH students. Despite only being on the team since junior year, Ultimate Frisbee has already had a lasting impact on Jamison. “It brought me into the Ultimate Frisbee community,” Jamison said. “It’s crazy. Everyone
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FHNTODAY.COM | 05.06.20 | SENIOR EDITION
I’ve met in Ultimate Frisbee is really great. I’m going to continue playing Ultimate Frisbee for the rest of my life, in college, and in summer leagues for fun. It’s my sport now.” Part of the appeal is the nature of the sport and the sportsmanship it promotes. For example, competitors are responsible for reporting their own fouls. “It takes a different kind of maturity and respect,” Jamison said. “In baseball you can always walk away and blame it on the refs, but when you get beat in Ultimate Frisbee it’s on you, and it makes you respect other people’s skills more.” While Jamison was able to convince fellow senior Joey Prize to join him for his last season, no underclassman have expressed interest in grasping the batton Jamison will leave behind. “I really hope [that someone from North will join the team next year],” Jamison said. “It’s a unique experience. It’s a very unique sport. I would encourage anyone at any age to try. You don’t have to know how to hold a frisbee. I didn’t know. It doesn’t take a lot to pick up and impact your life.” PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
Jessica Papka, Abby Johnson and Lindsay Papka pose together for a photo at a football game. After years of hard work on the cheer team, the three seniors became varsity captains together. (Photo submitted)
Charlie Jones stands in the goal, readying himself to block the hockey puck from entering the net. Even though Jones was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, he still continued to play hockey when he was sick. Jones is currently now in remission. (Photo by Riley Witherbee)
There Are Games to be Won Charlie Jones overcame his battle with cancer his senior year at FHN by Hannah Davis
hannahnicdavis@gmail.com
T
e en years spent on the ice. Ten years of tying up laces. Ten years of calming your nerves, of first skating out onto the ice. Years spent blocking shots on your net, years of hearing the familiar hymn of the buzzers. Ten years spent playing the sport you love. Ten months fighting cancer in hopes of being able to play the sport again. Being diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a rare cancer that occurs in bones or in the soft tissues around the bones, during his junior year of high school, senior Charlie Jones knew there was going to be a journey of recovery leading up to him being able to be his best on the ice again. “My first thought when I’d heard I’d beat it was, ‘When can I get back on the ice?’,” Jones said. “That’s all I wanted to know. Could I get back on the ice? Maybe make the North team a bit better than they already were.” Jones had been playing hockey for a total of ten years, five spent on the hockey team at North. Time spent on club teams before high school earned him a spot on the Junior Varsity Development team before high school started. Throughout his journey of beating the cancer, Jones felt as though he had a very strong support system. His friends, family, school and community all worked together to not only support him mentally, but also helped hold many fundraisers such as “Hockey Fights Cancer” to help pay for his medical bills. “A lot of the support for me was fundraisers PAGE BY GRACIE BOWMAN
or doing things that were raising awareness of what was going on and helping to pay for all my medical bills,” Jones said. “I could go into detail about just how much there was, but it’s almost better to just say there was so much encouragement, from a lot of people.” Jones is one of the three goalies on the FHN hockey team and despite him having trouble at times with being in net during those ten months, Jones’ team and coaches were nothing but supportive of the entire process and eager to have him back. “I have worked with Charlie over the length of his high school hockey career,” head coach Ryan Gannon said. “I have enjoyed seeing him grow up and honestly can’t believe how much of a fighter and a real hero he is. Not many people in their lives will experience what Charlie has, and I couldn’t be more proud to coach him, or let alone know him.” In November of his senior year of high school, Jones was finally able to beat the battle he had been fighting for many months. The overwhelming support from family and friends and the entire experience itself helped to shape Jones and get him through it. As well as his desire to return to the ice as soon as possible. “The thing I took away from it the most was ‘Never give up’,” Jones said. “I would always say that. There would be times where they would tell me I needed to have something done and that they would want to wait three months, and I’d tell them ‘No, let’s just do this now.’ Just, never give up.”
SOARED TO GREAT HEIGHTS Seniors Abagayle Johnson, Jessica Papka, and Lindsey Papka have been cheering together since Freshman year at FHN. They have all come from different backgrounds of cheer teams but now are captains of the same team. Being captains comes lots of responsibility and lots of hard work. “My favorite part of being a captain is being able to help make the decisions and when the other girls come to me when they have a problem,” Jessica said. Becoming captains was not easy for the three girls. It included almost two hours of practice everyday after school and extra practice on the weekends. Along with hours of practice, the girls also built up trust and leadership with the team and coaches throughout the years. “I’ve been on the varsity team since I was a freshman, so the coaches trusted me,” Lindsey said. “I also was very knowledgeable in everything about cheer so a lot of the girls felt like I was a good leader.” The job of the captains is to create new cheers, lead the team during competition, games and practices, make decisions on what uniform to wear and to be a positive role model. This took a lot of teamwork between the three girls to make the best decisions for the team. “The hardest part about being captain is having to be sharp about every decision you make cause it will affect the whole team and everything we do,” Johnson said. None of the girls are planning to continue cheering in college, but have taken knowledge they have learned from becoming leaders of the cheer team and apply it to real life. “I learned that there is more than one right answer or solution to a problem,” Johnson said. “There doesn’t always have to be a ‘right and wrong’ because you can take two great ideas and make them one.” (Story by Riley Witherbee) SENIOR EDITION | 05.06.20 | FHNTODAY.COM
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Today You Are
YOU
Seniors share their stories of how they have grown, not physically, but emotionally through out their four years of high school
You Can Steer Yourself in Any Direction You Choose A senior editor encourages underclassmen to join publications by Sophie Carite svcarite@gmail.com
Liz Cox From a small town in Ohio to the city of Saint Charles, senior Elizabeth Cox made a big transition moving into her first year of high school. For her it was an opportunity for new friends, new accomplishments and new memories. “I had many new experiences that year,” Cox said. “I had just moved. I didn’t know anyone.” Cox had good things going for her with sports and school, but that doesn’t mean that other aspects of her life were good at all times. It has taken hard work and been an emotional journey for Cox. “High school has been a huge lesson for me,” Cox said. “High school isn’t perfect, and it’s not supposed to be. Each of us has learned that not all things go as expected. We’ve learned how to live and work around that.” Through even the hardest challenges that Cox has been through, her family has always been there to support her along the way. “I am extremely grateful for my family,” Cox said. Even when I was making mistakes, my family helped pick me back up. That’s something I will always hold close to my heart.” Freshman year Cox was uncertain of what her high school years would be like. Over the course of four years, Cox has grown emotionally and learned from all the high school experiences she’s had, the good and the bad. As her senior year comes to a close, she’s realized that high school has prepared her to take on the next chapter in her life. “High school has really prepared me for making friends that will help benefit me by pushing me towards my goals for life,” Cox said. “The programs that I was a part of have really shaped my interests and values. I’m ready for college, I’m excited to start taking classes that will really get me ready for my life.” (Story by Rocio Romero)
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Cameron Minter Senior Cameron Minter bounces his foot on the floor of his dad’s Honda Pilot. The silence in the car speaks volumes. His dad has to know. He couldn’t know, it’s just silence, it happens all the time. “Something’s still wrong, is your brother the only thing bothering you?” He knows. Here come the tears. The words flow out like a crashing wave, not a single one of them sounds like English. Afterwards, his dad spoke with kindness and supportive curiosity, and he knew it would be okay. “My struggles have felt like I’ve had nowhere to go,” Cameron said. “I’ve felt completely empty inside and it got to a point where I’d felt there was no reason left for me to live.” Anxiety in high school is par for the course, but for Cameron, it’s a whole new level of emotional pain. Starting freshman year, he aspired to stand out, but social anxiety left him thinking anything he did would be judged. The biggest problem he had was revealing to friends and family of his sexuality. “[Right before I came out] I was extremely depressed and had lost touch of reality,” Cameron said. “I was so afraid of being rejected by them that I had almost taken my own life.” Cameron’s family and friends had a resounding positive reaction to him coming out as homosexual. “It made me so sad to hear Cameron say he was afraid to tell us that he is gay,” Cameron’s father Matt Minter said. “I think parents should think about how they felt about their child before the child came out, and ask themselves what is truly different about the person who is their child.” While he still has some anxiety, Cameron is improving day to day and he thanks FHN and his peers for making this a positive senior year. “Don’t be afraid to take that chance, otherwise you may miss it, and you might never see it again, “ Cameron said. (Story by Andrew Reese)
I first heard about the journalism program at FHN in my eighth grade english class. A couple students from the high school came and did a presentation on the different classes offered and the staffes you could join and I decided right then and there that I wanted to be a part of it. Maybe that’s how you heard about the program too. Or maybe it was from one of the various letters we send out to students, or by looking at the newspaper or you just heard some commotion coming from room 105 and wanted to see what the source of the chaos was. How you heard about us doesn’t really matter though because it got you to this point: You’re thinking about joining the publications program. If you’re in a crunch for time and you want the short version of my advice it can be put quite simply as “Do it”. But if you have a moment to sit and read, here’s some of the things to expect if you join room 105. You’ll learn a lot. Sure we’ll teach you how to use a camera, or ways to improve your writing or how to work the podcast equipment. And with some hard work you’ll have the opportunity to be great at all of that and more. But beyond that, publications will teach you things that you will use for the rest of your life, regardless of your career path. At the very least you’ll learn how to talk to people, the importance of sending thank you notes and why you should never be late to a meeting. You’ll get a ton of opportunities and encouragement. There is no duo in the world more supportive than our two advisors Aaron Manfull and Jordyn Kiel. No matter your interest, from social media design to political reporting, they’ll be there to help you along the way. You’ll meet people that you never would have without being in the room. The pub room is open to all, and there are students from all different backgrounds on each staff. I have met some of my best friends by just hanging around in the pub room. If you’re anything like me, when it comes time to graduate the pub room is a place you’ll never want to leave. Regardless of what you think you want to do after high school, or what other clubs you plan on joining, be a part of the publications program. You won’t regret it.
SENIOR EDITION | 05.06.20 | FHNTODAY. COM
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Who are we? Just look and see! More than just your average club,
WE ARE THE PUB HUB!
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Name: Gracie Bowman Staff: Editor-in-Chief of the North Star Newspaper “I am very small and I have no money. So, you can imagine the stress that I am under.” - John Mulaney
Name: Connor Peper Staff: North Star Staffer “I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” - Arthur C. Clarke
Name: Andrew Reese Staff: North Star Staffer “It’s okay, we like normal and boring.” - My Dental Hygienist
Name: Phoebe Primeau Staff: Co Editor-in-Chief of Photography “CEO of having mental breakdowns under the tables, but we don’t talk about them...” - me
Name: Ella Manthey Staff: Co Editor-in-Chief of Photography “Lol no worries at least this planet has namjoon.” -Kim Namjoon of BTS
Name: Kaili Martin Staff: Newspaper Photo Editor “You can’t just give up. Is that what a dinosaur would do?” - Joey Tribbiani from Friends
Name: Riley Witherbee Staff: Sports Photo Editor “The Office. Season 7, Episode 13, Time: 5:50-6:42.”
Name: Addy Bradbury Staff: Social Media Photo Editor “Orange.” -Me
Name: Salam Abouchleih Staff: Photo Staffer “Why didn’t anyone compliment my haircut?” - Salam Abouchleih
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Name: Alayna Furch Staff: Photo Staffer “You’ll never get rid of me, Manfull. Never.” - Alayna Furch
Name: Adam Hogan Staff: Photo Staffer “Be who you are don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, only you know who you are.” - Adam Hogan
Name: Courtney Wortman Staff: Photo Staffer “See ya later, dudes.” - Courtney Wortman
Name: Sophie Carite Staff: Editor-in-Chief of FHNtoday “I’d give you a hug, but my shirt smells weird today.” - Nick Miller from New Girl
Name: Carson Ramirez Staff: Managing Editor of FHNtoday “I regret nothing. The end.” - Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation
Name: Isabel Bira Staff: Web Staffer “Thank you for a great four years.” - Isabel Bira
Name: Sumi Chen Staff: Web Staffer “One out of ten stars. Would not recommend.” - Sumi Chen
Name: Amanda Hasenback Staff: Web Staffer “We went Blues!” - Brett Hull
Name: Rocio Romero Staff: Web Staffer “To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence.” - Cesar Chavez
Name: Emily Hood Staff: Executive Producer of Video “Oh, it’s a video.” - Emily Hood
Name: Jena Pae Staff: Chief Editor of Video “Jena Pae is the way.” - Jena Pae
Name: Tom Jamison Staff: Podcast Editor of Video “I’m not qualified for this.” - Tom Jamison
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SENIOR EDITION | 05.06.20 | FHNTODAY. COM
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Name: Anjolina Blackwell Staff: Video Staffer “Good morning, and in case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight.” - Truman Burbank
Name: Nico Boenitz Staff: Video Staffer “Here’s some simple advice: always be yourself. Never take yourself too seriously. And beware the advice from experts, pigs and members of Parliament.” - Kermit the Frog
Name: Kelsey Carnes Staff: Video Staffer “When it comes to senior year..... there are no days off.” - Kelsey Carnes
Name: Ellen Davis Staff: Video Staffer “Real G’s move in silence like lasagna.” - Unknown
Name: Louis Primeau Staff: Video Staffer “It’s hot in here.” - Louis Primeau
Name: Coong Tran Staff: Video Staffer “A man should not strive to eliminate his complexes but to get into accord with them: they are legitmately what directs his conduct in the world.” - Sigmund Freud
Name: Joshua Wright Staff: Video Staffer “You haven’t known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football.” - Archie (Archiekins) Andrews from Riverdale (Season 3)
Name: Allison Cavato Staff: Editor-in-Chief of the Excalibur Yearbook “Sorry, I can’t. I have Orange Theory at four.” - Allison Cavato
Name: Hannah Davis Staff: Student Life Editor of the Excalibur Yearbook “I’m not doing that. That’s not happening.” - Hannah Davis
Name: Brett Hammond Staff: Yearbook Staffer “Let’s go Blues!” - Bret Hammond
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- Dr. Seuss
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