Contents District Update Prop Y and finding a new superintendent are two problems the school board are facing.
Days
Exams
Fri, Dec. 18 (Full Day)
First Hour Second Hour Seventh Hour
7:20-8:50 8:55-10:25 12:50-2:20
Mon, Dec. 21 (Half Day)
Third Hour Fourth Hour
8:20-9:50 9:55-11:25
Tue, Dec. 22 (Half Day)
Fifth Hour Sixth Hour
8:20-9:50 9:55-11:25
Star Wars Release 6
With Star Wars coming out in one day, here are a couple things to get people excited.
FEATURES Main Street Christmas 12
Downtown Saint Charles has many Christmas traditions to spread the cheer this season.
Game Design 19
Sophomore Nat Adams builds video games from scratch as a hobby.
SPORTS
Want to know what you need on your finals? Go to http://goo.gl/ba3OD1 to go to our online calculator.
Schedule
NEWS 4
CLICK
Final Exam Information
Sophomore Olivia Archibald starts studying for first semester finals by working on review guides and looking at old notes. (Photo Alexis Rowe)
Times
Make Up Days
Times
Mon, Dec 21 Tues, Dec 22 Mon, Jan. 4 Tues, Jan.5
12:30-3:30 12:30-3:30 2:30-5:00 2:30-5:00
Sports Announcer 35 A known announcer at FHN talks about his experience with his career.
Sports Hall Of Fame 38
The 1991 wrestling team is being inducted into the FHN Hall of Fame.
OPINIONS The Top Eight 44 Check out the North Star’s take on the top eight beloved Christmas films.
On the Cover In this issue The North Star shows the different stresses of high schoolers today and how to manage them.(Page 24)
Letters to the Editor Have an opinion on something in this month’s paper? Send us a letter in 026 or an email to youfhn@fhntoday.com.
Distributed for free to FHN by the North Star Staff. Providing an open forum since 1986.
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY RILEY KAMPFF
12.16.15
Registration For The New School Year
With the 2016-17 school year approaching, it is time for high school students to register for classes Registration for the upcoming school year will begin Jan. 11 and continue through Jan. 20. Juniors will be taken out of their English classes on Jan. 11 to talk with counselors and sign up for next year’s classes. Sophomores will be meeting on Jan. 12 and freshmen will be meeting Jan. 13 for the classes they can take the following year. Registration will take place in rooms 129, 131 and the learning commons. Students can make changes to their schedule until Jan. 20. This will be the second year registration is being done with Career Cruising. Career Cruising allows students to find different routes for after high school including things such as scholarships, side by side comparison of colleges and a test to determine job choices. With Career Cruising, students can see the classes they have taken through high school as well as their graduation tracking, which shows how many credits a student is away from graduation “I like the way they do it now because that way I can talk to the teacher and that way I know a little bit about the classes,” junior Amanda Farner said. (Brief by Sami Schmid)
A Winter Wonderland
Visitors fome all over town come to the Village of Veron Hills in Illinois to see the christmas lights at the Winter Wonderland light show. You can attened the show driving through with your own car. Some families come each year for their Christmas tradition.
A local attraction for many during December is popping up again to spread cheer with a light display BY MICHAL BASFORD
karisskaggs@gmail.com
From now until Jan. 2, the Winter Wonderland lights show will be open in Tilles Park located at the corner of Litzinger and McKnight and south of Highway 40. People can come to the park and travel through the numerous lights from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for the light show and is paid at the end of the ride for a family vehicle. “[My favorite part of seeing Christmas lights is] realizing all the effort that it takes to put up all those lights,” sophomore Gaby Fitch said. “Also, it just looks really nice.” As patrons drive through in their vehicles, many people turn on the radio and listen to Christmas music to get in the holiday mood. It is open from Sunday through Friday every week until Jan. 2. Saturdays are reserved only for carriage rides, and can be reserved any night of the week. This year, more publicity has
been made for the attraction of there proposal package, which is where you can propose to your loved one. Not many details are released about the specifics in order to keep it a surprise. This whole event started with the owners. They work and start building the displays in January when it’s being designed. “I think it [seeing Christmas lights] just puts everyone in a happier, brighter spirit rather than ‘oh, it’s cold and dark at five o’clock,’ but then you get to see all these twinkling colors and sometimes they make shapes,” Fitch said. “It’s great.” After months of planning, the lights are put up in early October In order for the display to be put up in time, it takes the team six weeks to put it up with a group of only 30 workers. “It changes year after year, so even if you’ve seen it in past years, if you come again this year, you will see something a little different, ” Media Manager for Winter Wonderland Maggie Martin said.
Christmas lights twinkle in the cold air at the Winter Wonderland light show in Tilles Park. The light show is not open on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Horse drawn carriages cost more than a car, with a small private carriage (6 people) costing $80. (Photos by Michael Basford)
Upcoming Events Here’s a quick overview of some of the major events and activities coming up in the next month around FHN to get involved in for the school year DECA Cookies
DEC. 17
DEC. 23
JAN. 1
JAN. 8
This year, DECA has been selling more and more cookies. This is because they have been selling everyday of the week to raise more money for there club. Sales begin after first hour outside of room 22. They are sold between classes until they are completely sold out, which is usually before third hour on a normal day. DECA is raising approximately $756 per week now that the request to sell cookies more frequently has been approved by the school. The money made from the DECA cookies are used to fund trips and send more members to state and international competitions in the future. “I think selling the cookies everyday is a good idea because it helps raise money for DECA members and gives them opportunities to try new things [in the club,]” senior Meghan Mitchell said. (Brief by Deidre Dinkins)
On Friday, Dec. 17 there will be a board meeting at the Central Office behind Hollenbeck middle school at 7:00 p.m. Board meetings are every month in this location to allow board members and the community to talk about the school district. This month the pending issue is the search for a new superintendent and what to do after the failure of Prop Y.
On Wednesday, Dec. 23 Christmas break will begin and last for two weeks until Jan. 5. School will be released at 11:35 on Dec. 22 after finals. During this break, students celebrate the holidays of there choice. Because of this long break, any holiday that is observed in the two weeks will be able to be celebrated and give students a break halfway through the school year.
On Friday, Jan. 1 A+ hours are due for all seniors participating in the A+ program. This will give seniors the opportunity to attend any community college in the state of Missouri for two years for no cost. The seniors will have to fufill a series of requirements such as maintaining a 2.5 GPA, have a 95% attendance rate and provide a total of 50 hours of unpaid tutoring.
On Friday, Jan. 8 participants wanting to take the Feb. 16 ACT will have to register. There will be a late fee if registered between Jan. 9–15, 2016. Registering and preparing for the ACT is available on the ACT website. Scores are posted within a three to eight week range. Numerous of centers are available for the ACT to be taken at including FHN.
FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY RILEY KAMPFF
12.16.15
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College+Career Guidance is hosting a college fair to help students find classes to match with there future career path and plan BY DAN BORRELLI
danielborrelli1@gmail.com • @danboreallycool
On the first day back from winter break, the counseling department is holding an all-day event to help students of every grade level find classes at FHN to prepare them for college and a career. Each hour of the day will feature a different presentation from different courses and individual sessions to help students pick the right classes. “It’s important that adults and students talk about connecting present high school courses with what they want in the future,” counselor Lisa Woodrum said. The presentations will involve a video highlighting the different courses within a subject and how they can build skills to help students in their career fields. This way students know exactly what classes are offered and which ones to take. “I hope that students can see how many classes there are that they might not know about,” English teacher Jani Wilkens said. “There’s a lot of great courses classified under Communication Arts that students would be excited to hear about.” Following the presentations, there will be one-on-one sessions with students to help find a plan for the future that best suits each individual. “We hope these conversations all
day will give everyone a chance to talk about their future,” Woodrum said. “Students might also learn about classes they’ve never taken and everything North has to offer.” Students get a chance to work alone online using onetonline.org and mynextmove.org to find a more definite path. Questionnaires on these sites will match the interests of students with different careers to explore and full analyses of those jobs. “Hopefully, career day will get students started on thinking ahead to find out where they want to be in 10 years,” junior Jose Alega said. Alega, who is looking at colleges like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Missouri University of Science and Technology, is hoping that the day will introduce him to courses that will help him get into the field of computer engineering or computer science. Although the college fair is more directed at students who are still confused about their future, it can still help students like Alega who already have a plan for where they want to go and what they want to do after high school. “The goal is that all student learn about all courses that we’re offering for the 2016-2017 school year and how those courses relate to the career options there are after graduation,” Woodrum said.
A representative from Lindenwood talks to a student during College Night in May. College Night is suppose to help students narrow down their choices for their future by talking to representatives and seeing what colleges are out there. (File Photo)
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS The following is the schedule of events happening each hour for College & Career Day
Homeroom •Guidance Registration Video •4-Year Plan Sheet
4th Hour •Business Presentation
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12.16.15
1st Hour •Communication Arts Presentation
5th Hour •Fine Arts Presentation
2nd Hour •A+ Program, Math & Social Studies Presentations
6th Hour •Military, Science, and Physical Education Careers
4th Hour
•Lewis & Clark, Industrial Tech & Project Lead The Way Engineering Career Presentations
7th Hour •FACS & Foreign Language Presentation
District Decision Dilemmas
At the next school board meeting on Dec. 17, the school board is finalizing major changes for next school year BY ZOE LAWSON zkl131@gmail.com • @zkl131
From the introduction and subsequent failure of Proposition Y, the tax levy the district attempted to pass, to new attempts at passing a similar tax levy, and from Pam Sloan’s announcement that she will be retiring at the end of the 2016 school year, to the ensuing search for a suitable replacement, the FHSD school board faces some difficult decisions that will shape the future of the district for the foreseeable future. Superintendent Search With first semester of school drawing to a close, the school board is focusing much of their attention on finding a suitable replacement for Pam Sloan. They are not undertaking this endeavor alone, having selected a superintendent search firm to help: McPherson and Jacobson. “They were really the best choice,” school board member Rene Cope said. “They weren’t the cheapest, but they also weren’t the most expensive. They have a good reputation. We got in contact with the last school district they worked with, and they had a really good experience with them. They have promised to do a lot of out-reach to the community, which is really important to us, so we figured that they were the best option for the district right now.” McPherson and Jacobson is holding meetings with students, parents, teachers and community members around FHSD to see what kind of superintendent is the best fit for the district. A New Prop Y FHSD’s last attempt to pass a tax levy, Proposition Y, came to an end when voters cast it down on a two-to-one vote. However, the district is still in need of additional capital, so is looking to implement a new levy in the coming year. “I think a lot of people just don’t understand why it’s so important,” school board member Sandra Ferguson said. “We have lots of money, but it also takes a lot of money to run a school district. We don’t want to have to cut things, or not implement new things, but legally, there is a point at which our budget becomes unmanageable. If we dip below a certain spending-to-budget threshold, we can become unaccredited as a district.” While an exact time-line and amount have yet to be set for this new levy, school board members are hopeful, if a bit apprehensive about the new levy’s chances. “I do worry that people won’t be able to distinguish between Prop Y and this new levy,” Cope said. “I think we can definitely learn from our mistakes though. We think we know what we did wrong first time, so we won’t make the same mistakes this time around.”
Throughout a series of meetings, the school board decided to ask for a levy of $0.90, meaning an average cost of about $300 to $400 per household within district boundaries.
R
proposal
amount
cause
Prop R was spearheaded by a group of parents from throughout the Mehlville district. They proposed it to the school board, who them put it on a ballot so it could be voted on.
With three failed attempts at tax levies in the past, Mehlville settled on an amount the would provide them with half of what they needed to fund their proposed budget: $0.49.
The Mehlville School District has been experiencing budget issues since 2004, having to cut 120 teaching positions, and with buses in need of updating.
Prop
Y
Prop Y was proposed by the FHSD school board, and then introduced to the community, after the Board worked to measure community support for the idea of a tax levy.
VS.
Prop
On November 3, The Mehlville School District voted on Proposition R, a tax levy very similar to Proposition Y, put forth by FHSD. The two however, had one glaring difference: Prop R passed, and Prop Y did not. With FHSD looking to put forth another tax levy, it is important to figure out what went wrong the first time around. To figure this out, it is important to compare and contrast the two levies, to figure out where the deciding factor lies.
Judy Sclair-Stein leads a Dec. 7 meeting with students on the search for the superintendent in the auditorium at FHN. Sclair-Stien is from McPherson and Jacobson, which is the firm the school board hired to aid in the search for a new superintendent. Ten meetings were held prior to this one. (Photo by Alyssa Savage)
The district had been told for several years that they had impending budget issues but waited to act. FHSD has 150 fewer staff members than it did in the 2008 school year.
Advocates worked to raise awareness about the importance of Prop Y for district finance, but had trouble reaching people while school was not in session.
Prop Y was the only item on the ballot on Aug. 4, funded by the district. It was struck down with two out of every three people voting against the proposition.
campaigning
vote
Prop R campaigning was headed by a group of community supporters; the district had very little to do with the proposition until the actual vote came up.
Prop R was the only issue on the ballot on Nov. 3, funded by the district. It passed with an overwhelming margin, receiving almost 75 percent of the overall vote.
FHNTODAY.COM
PAGE BY NOAH SLAUGHTER
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Senior Madi Bowen works on the portrait on her own time after school hours. Leistner chose the orphan for his students to draw. All together, each of the portraits took about five hours to create. “I really like to do portraits in general and its for a good cause as well. I think it’s nice to have someone dedicate hours of their life recreating your face, so its a good feeling,” Madi Bowen said. (Photo by Riley McCrackin)
A Project to Remember
The art club gets together to create portraits for children in different countries for charity BY RILEY KAMPFF kampffriley@gmail.com
Most people from a young age are taught to give, and be open-handed and charitable. That comes with a feeling of accomplishment from doing a good deed. To show that they care, the Art Club has been involved in the Memory Project, where students duplicate portraits of underprivileged children in multiple foreign countries. “As a human being, you want to help other people and do good things and you feel great about it,” Art Club sponsor Michael Leistner said. “I guess it’s just how we are as humans, and I see that in my students and in everyone else.” Follow the link The Memory Project is a non-profit organization that is http://goo.gl/xa7b79 on FHNtoday able to give a needy child something a little special. The to learn more about the Memory Project. foundation reaches out to art teachers around the country to try to include and involve their students realistic drawing skills. They then create intricate portraits of children who have been abused, neglected, or are in financial distress. For the past three years, Art Club has done portraits for different countries each year of participation including India, Madagascar and Cambodia. “Since this is a realistic style project, I don’t really sit down and say something like, ‘I’m going to work on this for a straight hour,’” sophomore Gabbie Fitch said. “I usually look at it, tweak my sketch, and maybe experiment with colors a bit once a week. I find it hard to focus on just one project and usually end up drawing on some scratch paper I have laying around.” This charity all started in 2004 with Ben Shumaker. While in his university years,
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he discovered that most of these children do not have parents to take pictures of them growing up or even the advantage of owning any camera-related device. So he developed this organization to make sure that the children would have that opportunity to have history of themselves, also something to look back on when they get older. “It’s great because everybody benefits,” Leistner said. “My students enjoy it, these guys get a little photo and I feel good too. I’m not making a portrait but it feels nice because I’m kind of orchestrating the whole thing. From what it looks like in videos, the kids that we send the pictures to seem to enjoy it as well.” Art club members have been working once a week every few weeks to make sure that they can capture the big smiles on the little faces they’ve been drawing for a long amount of time. The portraits are going to be mailed in by Jan. 3 and then delivered to the children that are living in a home located in Madagascar soon after. “I decided to be a part of the Memory Project because I like the idea of giving youth who wouldn’t usually have pictures of themselves growing up some sort of memento of their childhood,” sophomore Christina Turnbull said. “Thinking about how happy it might make someone makes all of the work completely worth it.” There are still portraits in progress, but so far everything has been going smoothly. Everyone has been immensely excited to see the end results from putting so much time and effort into these significant projects. “When you think of the world, most would say it’s an evil place,” Leistner said “but with people that are involved in this and working in these care centers it just really makes you feel good about everything else.”
STAR WARS: THE SAGA IS REBORN STAR WARS PRODUCTION BUDGET OVER THE YEARS WATCH
Follow the link http://goo.gl/PqrK9A on FHNtoday to hear students opinions on the new film.
The Numbers: http://goo.gl/czKrH8
With the seventh movie of “Star Wars” coming out on Dec. 18, tensions are high to see if it will live up to expectations BY JAMIE HETLAGE
jamiehetlage3251@gmail.com • @jammnicole
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, there is a planet called Earth. A series named Star Wars has arisen from this planet. Now, Star Wars: Episode VII, The Force Awakens has risen out of the depths to show the beginning of a new chapter. With over 10 years since the last Star Wars film, many people are excited about the newest film release. “I like looking towards what we could possibly have in our future and seeing technology that might actually come around soon and it’s really exciting,” senior Anne Wells said. “To see it in action [in the movie] is awesome.” The movie starts off 30 years after the Battle of Endor, continuing after the events in Return of the Jedi. Characters from previous movies such as Han Solo, C-3PO, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia will be featured in this movie, but dramatically aged because of the setting, and new characters such as Finn and Kylo Ren will be introduced. Will this movie live up to its expectations with a new owner? In 2012, for $4 billion, Disney bought Lucasfilm from owner George Lucas, the franchise that owned Star Wars for years and produced with 20th Century Films. Lucas started working on Episode VII in 2011 before Walt Disney bought it. Disney decided not to go with his vision. Shortly after this, Walt Disney announced that they would be starting a new production of a whole new trilogy of Star Wars films. This is also indicated in the name of the production “The Force Awakens” which represents the reawakening of the Star Wars franchise. “I hope that it [the movie] is going to be wonderful but I think even if it isn’t big Star Wars fans are still going to love it and are still going to go see it five or six times,” Wells said.
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PAGE BY JAMIE HETLAGE
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Race Towards the Presidency
Next year, around this time the presidential race will have ended as one party and a new person will be elected to the White House. With so many candidate currently in the running, the question is, who will win? BY SASHA KAGANOV
sashakaganov17@gmail.com • @sashakag
On Nov. 8, 2016, the American people will determine the man or woman who will become the 45th President of the United States of America. The man or woman who will lead the country the next four years to become more successful and powerful as a whole. Because the current President, Barack Obama, is ineligible for re-election, both parties are fielding a number of candidates: 14 for Republicans and three for Democrats. With less than a year until the election, and less than three months until primaries, candidates are campaigning hard to be their party’s nominee. According to Real Clear Politics, Hillary Clinton is leading in the Democratic party and Donald Trump is ahead for the Republicans. With so many candidates currently populating the field, it can seem a daunting decision to pick only one, but to cover the field, here is a brief breakdown of the top candidates from each party:
REPUBLICAN PARTY
Donald Trump After announcing his campaign on June 1, Donald Trump has been the talk of politics, social media, and almost all of America. Some don’t see Trump as a genuine and reliable candidate because they feel that he is more interested in himself than in progress. Although he has no political experience, Trump has captured the attention of the country and of the media with his comments and his boisterous behavior, so much so that he is the current Republican front-runner. Many still have doubts as to his ability to serve as an effective leader, given some of his comments regarding immigrants, women, and foreign policy.
Who would you vote for? Let us know on Twitter: @FHNToday with #PaperDay
Ben Carson (Albert H. Teich/shutterstock.com)
Marco Rubio (Christopher Halloran/shutterstock. com)
Bernie Sanders (Joseph Sohm/shutterstock.com)
Hillary Clinton (photo story/shutterstock.com)
Dr. Ben Carson After successfully separating Siamese twins attached at the head in 1987, Dr. Ben Carson became known as one of the most prominent neurosurgeons in the world. Although he is very accomplished in the medical field, Dr. Carson has no experience in politics. Having never run for a political office makes many trepidatious about his ability to lead. His soft spoken demeanor and calm attitude, as well as his often right-wing opinions, however, make him an extremely appealing candidate to many voters, as evidenced by his success in the polls. Marco Rubio Born to Cuban parents, 44-year-old nominee Marco Rubio is thought to have a fair chance of winning this election because he has years of experience in politics after being elected to the Florida State House in 1999 and since then made significant impact on the state. After he began his political career as a Florida senator, he continued to work and make progress towards improving the state and wants to further his work to improving the country. Many have doubts about Rubio however, because of his apparent tendency to change his views, including distancing himself from an immigration reform bill he helped to create.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Hillary Clinton Being the First Lady of the United States and Arkansas, Secretary of State and a New York senator, Hillary Clinton has many years of experience in politics making her a well-rounded and well-connected candidate. Because she was Secretary of State for four years, she has years of experience with foreign policy, which many voters view as an unparalleled asset in Clinton’s favor. However, many voters have reservations about Clinton, both because of the perceived inconsistency in her positions and issues involving her tenure as Secretary of State, notably her use of a private email server during Benghazi.
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Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders is the current dark horse of the Democratic Party. At the start of the election cycle, Hillary Clinton seemed to have the nomination on lock, but Sanders is pulling ahead of Clinton in some key states. He has had more experience in politics than any candidate running, having held an elected office of some sort since 1981, but many are off-put by his views, as he calling himself a ‘democratic socialist,’ which many consider too radical. He is currently supported by thousands of individual donors, unlike most other candidates who depend on a few large donations from key, high-income individuals. Many pundits tend to believe that Sanders wouldn’t be able to win the general election because many say that he is far too liberal to win the independent and centrist votes. Many voters fear the moniker, “socialist,” making them uneasy about Sanders, while still others are “Feel[ing] the Bern.”
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Cracked’s new Christmas room is now open to the public. It contains an upside down Christmas tree, a control panel, a fireplace, and so much more. The jailhouse escape room contains real handcuffs and other items because Cockrell used to be in the military. (Photos by Kyra Pepper)
A group of about five people are locked into an Escape room and must use clues to break out in one hour. They may ask for up to eight clues. If people sucessfully escape from the room, they get to sign this wall with their names and their time.
Your Mission, if You Choose to Accept it..
A local entertainment escape room company opens a new Christmas-themed mission at their Escape House in addition to the already running Jailhouse mission in order to encourage customers to come back for more fun
BY PRISCILLA JOEL
pjchristo16@gmail.com • @JCPjchristo
You have been added to Santa’s “Naughty List” and need to be removed from it. You’ve managed to find your way into Santa’s office. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to erase your name off of the list. You have 60 minutes to complete your mission. Or the elves will find you. Good luck. A new Christmas escape mission at Cracked opened on Nov. 17. Cracked, located on Caulks Hill Road, is an escape house where a group of up to 10 people are locked into a room, and are given a certain period of time to discover hidden clues and riddles and to solve puzzles in the link order to escape from within the room. Customers are locked into Follow http://goo.gl/hxBvy4 to Santa’s “office,” and must look for clues hidden around the office see more of what this escape room is like. to help them remove their names off of Santa’s Naughty List. “I would go back and take my friends because it’s a lot of fun and I would like to see what a different room would be like,” senior Marygrace Cole said. Cracked has been open for approximately two months and has already had between 400 and 500 customers come through and attempt to crack the interactive, live-action game by solving the riddles and puzzles that the participants are challenged with. “I [opened] another escape room somewhere else and it was fun,” owner of Cracked Aaron Cockrell said. “There weren’t any in this area so I started one.” The first escape room to open at Cracked was the jailhouse mission, which Cockrell describes as a linear puzzle, meaning that there is a specific order that the clues must be found in order to make sense. However, the Christmas mission can
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be solved by starting in multiple different places rather than just one fixed point. “There was a simplicity to it that I didn’t expect,” Cole said, “It was really hard, don’t get me wrong, but the room itself was so simple. The puzzles were extremely hard but the room wasn’t some complex dungeon to solve.” In both escape missions, participants are given 60 minutes to break out of their cell or room using clues hidden around the room. “I like watching those “ah-ha” moments when something clicks in their head and that moment of satisfaction they get,” Cockrell said. If the participants are stuck on what to do next, they can request hints through a walkie-talkie in the room to help them crack the puzzles. As of press time, only about 20-25 percent of people have escaped from the jailhouse without using any hints, while around 50 percent of people escaped with hints. Thus far, a team called the “Legal Illegals” hold the record for the fastest time at 47 minutes and four seconds leftover. “It is narrowing down focus when you don’t know where to go,” Cockrell said. “Everyone has got different ideas and it’s deciding who to go with. It’s about discussing the plan of action to decide the best way.” Cracked entertains ages of all kinds, from 10-year-olds to adults. In addition to the two escape rooms already open, Cockrell plans to keep adding on new missions, and open a third room for Cracked at the beginning of January. “I think I will go if I have the chance because it will be thrilling and fun to figure out the clues,” senior Emma Kostelecky said. Cockrell is looking into finding new locations to house more escape rooms, while the current rooms and puzzles may be changed on a cycle. “I feel like I would be more ready because I know what it’s like,” Cole said. “It was a lot of fun and I would love to go back.”
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PAGE BY KARIS SKAGGS
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Colorful Cuts
Rachel Kehoe expresses herself through dyeing the tips of her hair BY MCKAYLA BOGDA mckayla5bogda@gmail.com
Creativity is expressed in many different ways. Some people paint, some make music, others act on a stage, while sophomore Rachel Kehoe dyes the tips of her hair to show her passion for creativity. For the past four years, she has been dyeing the tips of her hair from its natural brown to red, blue, green and purple. “The first time I dyed my hair, people were surprised at first and then said how they liked it,” Kehoe said. In seventh grade, Kehoe was inspired by seeing people around the community and people in bands with dyed hair, so she wanted to start doing it too. Her favorite part of dyeing her hair is the curious looks from little kids and random compliments from people about it. Friends thought it was cool when they first saw it and think that it expresses her personality. “I think that it has affected her by helping her to not be afraid to show who she is as a person,” Michaela Erfling, a close friend of Kehoe, said. Kehoe says it is a great conversation starter and she enjoys having it dyed. She plans on continuing to dye her hair until she gets bored of it. However, she only dyes the tips of her hair because if she messes it up she can cut it off. Her mom also only lets her dye the tips. Kehoe plans on dyeing her hair blue next, which is her favorite color she has dyed her hair. She chooses the color by picking colors she knows her hair will take, so she has to avoid lighter colors. “It has given her a way to express herself and her creativity,” Patti Kehoe, Kehoe’s mother, said. Through watching many Youtube videos, Kehoe learned how to dye her own hair. The process, according to Kehoe, takes anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours to dye, then the dye has to sit and be rinsed out. Kehoe started dyeing her hair with Kool Aid packets, but now dyes it with boxed dye. The price has ranged from 50 cents to $20. Every four months, Kehoe dyes her hair by putting new dye over the faded color, resulting in a new color. One time Kehoe bleached it to be able to dye the ends of her hair blue without the remnant red turning it purple. “It’s a way to express my personality, I like it and I think it is cool,” Kehoe said.
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Studying Tactics for Finals
As time for finals approaches, students begin to feel more and more overwhelmed with the pressure of studying for the subjects ahead of them BY DAVID BODDEN
davidbodd@gmail.com • @davbodd
Flashcards
Studying using flashcards is one of the most common techniques students use. They can have a question on one side and the answer on the other, or have a word on one side and the definition on the other for vocabulary. “Flashcards help a lot. It enables me to quiz myself, and shows whether or not I actually remember it.” sophomore Ariana Plaza said.
Studying early and a few days before the test can also help the mind learn and remember more information. Many students like to simply study for long hours the night before a test, but consistently studying helps the mind more than cramming. “Make sure that you’re chunking up the amount of material in the week leading up to a test so that your brain is able to hold that much information into memory,” psychology teacher Mark Wright said. “If you try to remember a whole lot of stuff at one time, then there’s a tendency for a lot of that to just be forgotten.”
Study Early
WATCH
Follow the link http://goo.gl/U8dPFv to see more studying tips.
Quizlet
Studying using Quizlet is a very common method around FHN. It can be used for more than just flashcards. A student has the option on many ways to study. They can choose from a number of interactive studying tactics. “I use Quizlet because lots of my teachers use it, and it actually helps with the flashcards, and it makes a little test online for you. Quizlet is my thing,” senior Monica Buckner said.
Studying using reviews or old tests is another tactic that students use. For this method, it is smart for students to collect all of their tests or section/chapter reviews and keep them throughout the semester. When it comes time for finals, they can practice their skills by retaking the questions from the tests. Many teachers also give out review guides, so using that once, or even doing it twice can help. “If we have a review, then I look at the review,” Buckner said. “Normally, I take the review and put it on Quizlet because it makes the test.”
Associative Learning
Study Reviews
Studying using associative learning is a widely used method. “People have a lot better of an ability to commit information to long term memory if they’re able to form associations with material,” Wright said. “Maybe connecting what they’re learning to something that they’re learning in another subject, or connecting something they’ve learned to a real-life situation that they’ve been through, or something that’s personal to them, so the more that you can connect and make meaning out of what you’re learning, the better you’re able to make it a long term memory.”
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Main Street celebrates their annual Christmas Traditions with returning characters such as Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Kris Kringle, the Sugarplum Fairy and Ebenezer Scrooge among other holiday classics “Each character has a collector card and each visitor can search for all the characters to get all the cards,” Godfrey said. “It’s like a really cool scavenger Walking down the bricks of Main Street, you smell hunt.” the sweet scent of peppermint and hot cocoa. It is Every Saturday and Sunday during the festival, frigidly cold in the air, yet there are multiple people starting at 1:30 p.m., Main Street holds one of their outside to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus. This is all part of most popular attractions: the annual Santa Parade Main Street’s annual Christmas traditions. at Frontier Park. This parade includes pageantry, “One day around 41 years ago, some merchants got Christmas carolers and international Santas. Main together and decided they wanted to attract new Street hires people to dress up and play different visitors to Main Street, so they started decorating the Santas from around the world. During the finale of lampposts with these pretty red ribbons and having the festival, each Santa carries the flag of their native people dress up as Christmas characters, and the land. traditions have continued ever since,” special events “I think the idea of having different Santas from producer Karen Godfrey said. around the world is really interesting and different Main Street has around 80 partthan most Christmas festivities,” time workers that they hire to sophomore Drew Struckhoff said. Follow the link entertain the guests. A portion of Main Street began their holiday http://goo.gl/Q8MUWQ these workers are people hired to traditions on Nov. 27. The festivities to see what peoples play different characters, one of the favorite part of Christmas began at 11 a.m. with their annual things Main Street is most known for Traditions is opening ceremony where Santa during the holidays. Characters carry Claus, Mrs. Claus and a variety collector cards: trading cards that visitors can receive of holiday characters arrived by a horse-drawn from each individual character. The card contains carriage at Kister Park. On Dec. 24, Main Street will be a picture of the character and information on their ending their annual holiday traditions with a closing history. ceremony that will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Frontier This year, Main Street has added new characters, Park. At the ceremony, Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus such as the Krampus, the Belsnickel and the Mouse board their carriage to head back to the North Pole in King. These characters can be found on Wednesday preparation for the holidays. evenings from 7:30-8 p.m. at North Main Street. “I like that it’s just a happy and memorable time for Visitors can get limited-edition collector cards from families,” Godfrey said. “It helps create new family each of these characters. traditions for the holidays.”
ALY DOTY
alydoty02@gmail.com
WATCH
Walking down Main Street you’ll hear bells and children cheering for the Santa Parade starting on Nov 27. The celebration ends on Dec 24 with a closing ceremony starting at 1:30. (Photo submitted)
Different Holidays in December dec. 6 Other Holidays Dec. 1 World AIDS Day Dec. 1 Eat a Red Apple Day Dec. 2 National Fritters Day Dec. 4 Santa’s List Day Dec. 5 Bathtub Party Day
Dec. 6 marks two different holidays in two of the major religions, namely St. Nicholas Day and the start of Hanukkah. St. Nicholas day is the Christian celebration of the feast day of St. Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus. Hanukkah symbolizes the Jewish struggle for religious freedom in the Maccabean Revolt against the GreekSyrian leaders in 165 B.C.
dec. 8 Other Holidays Dec. 6 Mitten Tree Day Dec. 7 Letter Writing Day Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor Day Dear S
anta,
Dec. 8 marks the Christian holiday celebrating the Immaculate Conception, when St. Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was conceived in the womb of St. Anne. The Immaculate Conception is a holy day of obligation because St. Mary was conceived, born and lived her whole life without the taint of original sin, which is a sin that everyone is believed to be born with.
dec. 25
dec. 13 Other Holidays Dec. 8 National Brownie Day Dec. 9 National Pastry Day Dec. 10 Human Rights Day Dec. 11 National Noodle Ring Day Dec. 12 Poinsettia Day
Dec. 13 is the second time in 2015 that Milad un Nabi will be celebrated by those of the Islamic faith. Milad un Nabi is the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammed. It is believed that Muhammed was the last prophet sent to the earth by God. Muhammed was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which is the holiest city in the Islamic faith, beating out Medina.
Other Holidays Dec. 13 Ice Cream Day Dec. 14 Roast Chestnuts Day Dec. 15 Bill of Rights Day Dec. 18 Bake Cookies Day Dec. 19 Oatmeal Muffin Day Dec. 20 Go Caroling Day Dec. 21 Humbug Day Dec. 23 Roots Day Dec. 24 National Chocolate Day
Dec. 25 is the Christian holiday of Christmas. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God according to the Christian faith, who was conceived by the virgin, St. Mary, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories, and went on to be the founder of Christianity, which is the largest faith in the world.
FHNTODAY.COM
PAGE BY ETHAN SLAUGHTER
12.16.15
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Junior Rachael Cutright poses in the anatomy classroom with her scrubs and stethoscope on. Everdyday Cutright heads to the Lewis and Clark Career Center to learn the basics of nursing and get a start on her future. The Lewis and Clark Career Center has other programs, such as auto service and computer programming. Many students from FHN and other schools in the area participate in the Lewis and Clark programs. (Photo by Alex Lane)
Rachael Cutright Prepares for Her Future Rachael Cutright is involved in the Health Related Occupations at the Lewis and Clark Career Center BY KARIS SKAGGS karisskaggs@gmail.com
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY ZOE LAWSON
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A typical day at the Lewis and Clark Career Center starts, for Junior Rachael Cutright, with a procedure of washing her hands. Students are learning all of the basics of nursing such as the proper way of washing their hands, as well as actually being a nurse’s assistant. Next on her agenda is just like any other class; they listen to a lecture or study terminology. Each day students must be wearing scrubs, a watch and white tennis shoes. “An average day... I get there, get my stuff all out, go change, make sure everything is done, then I go to the back and wash my hands,” Cutright said. “We have this special procedure to washing our hands, it’s a long thing, but I mean it’s all for the goodness of helping someone, to make sure they don’t get sick.” When signing up for Lewis and Clark as a junior or senior, students apply like a job. Everyone is assessed and chosen from a list. Some requirements to getting accepted are taking a general test, having a background
check and getting a drug test. One suggestion from Cutright for students looking to join the Lewis and Clark program is to try to join junior year, so that even if they don’t get in, their name will be out there for a better chance for senior year. “The program offers students an opportunity to learn a trade,” guidance counselor Rachel Faulkner said. “They get to go straight into work after high school in some instances, or learn if they like it or not.” Cutright’s favorite part of the Lewis and Clark Program is meeting so many different students from all over. She enjoys getting to know them and then working together with them. According to Amani Pullman, a student from FHN in the Lewis and Clark program with Cutright, it will help her to get her foot in the door and help with future college classes. She also described what Rachel is like in class. “[Rachael] wants to learn a lot, so she is interested in what we are doing,” Pullman
As The Crow Flies U.S. Government teacher William Crow enjoys flying his plane in his free time BY DEIDRE DINKINS deidreskyed@gmail.com
said. “She’s energetic, she’s positive, and she’s motivated.” Being a part of the Health related occupations program at Lewis and Clark is no easy task. These students learn how to define 350 compound medical terms that, when put together, can make 11,000 different words. Cutright wants to be a neonatal nurse which includes the care of infants after they are born. She decided to do the Lewis and Program to see if it was what really she wanted to do and to get experience for the future. “It was just something for me to just see how I feel if I wanted to be a nurse because it actually gives you real life experience,” Cutright said. “I learn everything that a nurse would learn, what nurses assistants would learn and much, much more.” Not only are the Lewis and Clark students learning everything they will need to know in their future, but they are getting practice. During the second half of this year long program the students get to go into hospitals and they become a nurse’s assistant. They help transport people, give baths,
and sometimes take vitals. “A lot of students think of it as the ‘nursing program’ but it’s a base for a lot of medical related occupations,” Faulkner said. “Second semester they go out on rotation and get the hands on experience with patients.” Not only is Cutright involved in this advanced career program, but to add to the stress she is a varsity cheerleader at FHN. She comes to school at 7:20 with all of the other students. She stays at FHN through lunch. She then goes to the Career Center for the rest of the day. After that, she comes back to school at 2:00 and waits until cheer practice. The program is beneficial for students to learn a trade, but it does come with its share of stress. She agrees that it is stressful but that it’s worth it. “Just be ready,” Cutright said. “Just don’t go into [the program] thinking ‘this is going to be easy, it’s a blow off class.’ No, it’s not a blow off class, it’s the reason why they have these lists. Some people don’t get in, some people do. It’s good to have.”
In the early 1990s, AP Government teacher William Crow aquired his student pilot certificate. Crow flies a small, four seater Cessna 172. He mostly flies in the St. Louis area and has flown over multiple airports in cities such as St. Louis, St. Charles, Creve Coeur and Alton. “I have always enjoyed flying and I have always been fascinated by it,” Crow said. “I’ve been on flights off and on since before I could walk.” He usually goes on flights with friends of his father. He has also flown with a few former students of his who are also pilots. “I have always been comfortable up in the air,” Crow said. “It really gives you a sense of freedom.” He believes that the whole process of flying a plane is hard, but some parts are more difficult than others. “I imagine landing is the hardest part because it takes the most focus and concentration,” Crow said. He says that there are many important things that go into flying a plane, and doesn’t believe that any one thing is more important than another. “I think the most interesting part of flying a plane is the logic in how it works,” Crow said. “But everything is equally important in order to be a good pilot.”
FHNTODAY.COM
PAGE BY EMILY WILSON
12.16.15
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Ugly Christmas Sweaters
Ugly Christmas sweaters are all the rage to add some festive spirit to the winter holidays. Seniors Andrew Stoker and Kailyn Bowman, and sophomore Lupita Salcedo show different kinds of Christmas sweaters one could wear Itchy sweaters with embroidered Santa in his sleigh, sewn on beads, pom-poms and glitter were all the rage in the late 19 century. Now, the new trend is wearing those same sweaters as ugly Christmas sweaters, to purposely make fun of the gaudy nature of the garments. There are many different places one can get ugly Christmas, buying one from a thrift store, getting one from a parent or grandparents’ closet, making a homemade one or even buying one at a clothing store. Places like JC Penney and Target now sell these
ugly Christmas sweaters, with some being ironic even saying “this is my ugly Christmas sweater.” The most popular part of the trend is to have an ugly Christmas sweater party where everyone who goes must wear one, and sometimes there is even a contest of whose sweater is the ugliest. From the 1980s to now ugly Christmas sweaters have been found during the holiday season, and people continue to buy and proudly wear them in all their gaudy glory.
“Every family has their own traditions, morals etc. and it’s really cool for people to be able to put that into something as conventional as a sweater,” Andrew Stoker, 12
One of the places one could get an ugly Christmas sweater is from a family members’ closet. These sweaters are free, and authentic because they are actually from the time they were popular. Sweater from grandma $0
“I like ugly Christmas sweaters because they are fun to wear, especially out in public where people give you weird looks,” Lupita Salcedo, 10
Nowadays you can find ugly Christmas sweaters just about anywhere. Many stores sell sweaters made to purposely look like the ugly sweaters from years ago. Sweater from Gordman’s $25
“I like ugly Christmas sweaters because they are really fun, and you can show your silly personality through them,” Kailyn Bowman, 12 Left: Seniors Andrew Stoker and Kailyn Bowman, and sophomore Lupita Salcedo pose with Santa at Mid Rivers Mall. Top: Stoker, Bowman and Salcedo stand by a Christmas tree at Mid Rivers Mall Middle: Salcedo poses by the back of Santa’s house set up at Mid Rivers Mall Bottom: Bowman stands in front of decorations hanging up in Mid Rivers Mall (Photos by Katie Worsham)
FHNTODAY.COM
PAGE BY ERIKA PAAR
12.16.15
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Coding Games Into a Reality Nat Adams uses his knowledge of coding and graphic design to prepare for the future, as he aspires to program videogames for a living. Adams shares his creations to his friends when he finalizes them BY ETHAN SLAUGHTER ethanslaughter0@gmail.com
Since his junior year, senior Nat Adams has been coding computer games whenever he gets the chance. He started coding computer games after taking all the programming classes he could at FHN. Adam’s favorite games to play are open-world, sandbox-style games where he can move around freely in a virtual world. “I’ve played video games all my life and really enjoy it and wanted to try it out,” Adams said. Adams plays video games on his Playstation 2 whenever he gets the chance to play it. He originally learned how to code from watching video tutorials on YouTube but then when he got to high school, he took all the programming classes available at North. He likes to makes small 2-D type computer games using engine coding program languages like Unity and Love2d on his Microsoft PC. “Nat is very particular about how he wants the game to turn out and and doesn’t want to tell people much about the game he’s making until he’s done and knows that’s how he wanted it to be so he doesn’t let anyone down and I think that’s really neat that he does that,” Adam’s friend Elise Gertsch said. “His games are easy to understand and play but they aren’t that easy to beat and are very interactive and fun.” Adams has known Gertsch since his junior year, when they met in class and became very close friends over their love of video games that they both have. Gertsch doesn’t code her own games, but she enjoys playing video games like adventure games, Nintendo games and Adams’ games. Adams doesn’t tell people much about his latest project until he is finished because he doesn’t want to disappoint anyone if his ideas can’t become possible. He likes the challenge of fixing issues when coming across problems in the code. “I enjoy problem solving when making games and making my ideas become a reality,” Adams said. When Adams isn’t programming his own games, he’s making mods for other sandbox games, making different templates and layouts for games or playing his guitar. He gets paid for his games by selling them to people around the world for them to play. “Nat likes the idea of creating something more than anything else,” Gertsch said. Each game takes him from about a week to a month to create the game to how he wants it to turn out. His first game that he made was the hardest to create. Adams doesn’t play his own games, but when he finishes a game he likes to show them to his friends and have them play the games for themselves. He’s made a total of five games in the past but he isn’t currently working on a game at the moment and is focusing on other things. When Adams grows up, he’d like to program bigger games for a living. “Nat has been doing past what college freshmen and sophomores have been doing in the computer science program and I think that’s really cool that he has the motivation to do that,” Gertsch said.
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY ALY DOTY
12.16.15
Senior Nat Adams designs a game at his computer on Nov. 17 at his home. Adams usually works on his games in his basement at his dual monitor computer. He tests out his games after making them to make sure he likes them.
Adams is currently writing a Trivia Crack clone for a game called Garry’s Mod. Garry’s Mod is just a sandbox game so Adams codes the mod in a language called Lua. Adams started to make games because he wanted to make his ideas tangible. He started teaching himself code by researching on the internet and spending time trying to code something functional. (Photos by Alyssa Savage)
DIY Holiday Treats
Easy DIY Holiday-themed decorations, food and presents to make for the December season
Other DIY Projects
Holiday Puppy Chow (with M&M’s)
Peppermint S’mores
DIY CHRISTMAS TREE Description: These simple Christmas trees can be made with only a few materials and in a short amount of time. Materials: • 2 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Small) • 1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup (Large) • 1 Hershey’s Kiss • Green Icing • Sprinkles Instructions: Collect all the materials listed above. Unwrap the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and the Hershey Kiss. Stick the large Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on one of the smaller Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups using the green icing. Next, stick the other small Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on top of the larger cup using the icing. Stick the Hershey Kiss on top of the three Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Drizzle the green icing over the whole tree on all sides and add sprinkles on top. The tree can be completely covered in green icing if you choose, and the color of the icing and sprinkles may vary.
Pin It!
Check out this link to see more DIY pins on Pinterest and more. https://goo.gl/6deEVC
Snowmen Iced Cupcakes
DIY HOLIDAY DECOR This Pinterest board has a variety of ideas that will help your holiday season run more smoothly, from how-to’s for hand-made presents, to themed games for seasonal parties
“Fruity” Christmas Tree
‘TIS THE SEASON This Pinterest board will give you many different ideas to repurpose common household items into seasonal decorations
Melted Snowmen Cookies
FHNTODAY.COM
PAGE BY PRISCILLA JOEL
12.16.15
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Sgt. Ryan Streck looks at his computer to decide what call he wants to help with for the evening shifts. He creates the schedule and patrols the area. Only a few minutes in and there is a call about a robbery from Toys R US on Mid Rivers. Sgt. Streck decides to help and begins drive along Highway 70. Since the suspected vehicle had Illinois license plates, he heads toward Illinois in hope to catch them. He ends up not finding them so he drives back to town.
PHOTO STORY BY ALYSSA SAVAGE
Protecting the Community: A Day in the Life of a St. Charles County Police Officer BY CHASE MEYER stlavjournalist@gmail.com
Clouds hang low overhead as the second shift of the day arrives to the St. Charles County Police Department (SCCPD) headquarters on Tom Ginnever Avenue. They’ll work from three to 11 p.m., sometimes later if call volume is heavy. After settling in at his desk, Ryan Streck, a police sergeant fills out paperwork, answers emails and phone calls as he preps to go into the field. He’s in charge of every officer on duty throughout the shift. Other officers pop their heads into the commander’s office to say “Hi” and get a briefing on the day’s events. It’s a Saturday, so life at the office is slow. As he heads out to his car, Streck checks in the compartment of the back of his department-issued Chevy Tahoe. Since 1972, the SCCPD has allowed officers to take their cars home in an effort to increase their visibility around town, along with decreasing response times in the area. As Streck is showing a “less-lethal” shotgun which shoots bean bags instead of shells, an officer is heard over the radio. A robbery has just occurred at the Toys R Us on Mid Rivers Mall Drive, and the suspects with Illinois plates have fled the scene. “This is what I love about the job,” Streck says as he races toward the area. “You never get bored because there’s always something different.”
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY RILEY MCCRACKIN
12.16.15
Other officers seem to have the situation handled, so the sergeant continues down Interstate 70, exiting at Highway 370 on his way north to Portage Des Sioux. He talks about the racers the County Police encounter on this stretch of road. Being a straight, level highway for the most part, 370 is a prime spot for drivers looking to put their hot cars to the test. Officers on motorcycles sit atop overpasses, running radar on these drivers while other units wait down a little further to catch them. As he nears Portage Des Sioux via Highway 94, Streck is constantly running radar. A red Buick passes by going exactly the speed limit. A black Ford Ranger passes by with one headlight out going 10 miles per hour under the speed limit. A minute after that, a white Cadillac Escalade passes the officer at 14 miles per hour over the speed limit. He slams on his brakes, but lets out a huff and keeps on driving. “I really did not want to make a 10-point-turn just to try and catch up with that guy,” the Sergeant says as he continues to watch his radar. “You’ve got to assess your situation. How bad of a violation was that driver committing? Are you able to safely turn around to catch up to him? We’re not being lazy. We’re looking out for the safety of ourselves as well.” Editor’s Note: There is more to what happened that evening. Read the rest at http://goo.gl/2HQzkn.
Packing for his shift, Sgt. Streck makes sure everything is accounted for. He will typically be out from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. or later depending on how busy they are.
The St. Charles County Police Department (SCCPD) cars are packed with useful tools. Tasers, mace, and some less lethal weapons such as a gun that shoots bean bags are just some of the tools the officers are provided with.
Sgt. Streck pulls over a speeding car along Upper Bottom Rd. This was the first traffic violation of the night. The SCCPD cars run radar all the time. The cars have monitors in the from and back to track car speeds. In the car there is a monitor that tells the speed of the car. If the number is green, then they are going the speed limit but if the number is in red it means they are speeding.
Sgt. Streck writes out a traffic violation. Streck keeps his ticket board in the trunk of his car. This time he wrote a warning for going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. Sgt. Streck hands the speeder a ticket. Sgt. Streck said he was feeling nice and decided to let the lady go with a warning. He says if she had multiple violations he would have given her a ticket.
FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY RILEY MCCRACKIN
12.16.15
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Over the radio, a call is heard about a harrassment complaint. When Sgt. Streck arrives on scene, two officers are already there. He checks on the caller and then checks with the other officers. He feels like the other officers have the situation handled so he carries on with his night.
Looking for his ticket board, Sgt. Streck prepares to write his second traffic violation of the night. He also gets out his flashlight which is located on his hip. He uses this to see what he is doing and to stay safe from anything that could possibly jump out at him.
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY RILEY MCCRACKIN
12.16.15
While patroling a trailer park, Sgt. Streck pulls over a white truck with a missing headlight. Sgt. Streck parks his car a little bit away from the white truck to be cautious. According to him, you never know when someone could lash out at you. Sgt. Streck gets calls about anything from an old lady not answering the door to a drug user running down the highway during rush hour.
While writing the traffic ticket for the missing headlight, Sgt, Streck grabs his radio and tells what he is doing to the station. This helps his squad and other people know where he is and what he’s doing in case he needs backup. He also checks to see if the person has a warrant out for their arrest. The man does not and is released with a warning.
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Winter Sports are Ready For the Season
Upcoming Games G. Basketball Dec. 18 Varsity vs. FHC @ 5:30 p.m.
Dec 28 & 29 Varsity Rock Summit Tournament
January 5 Varsity vs. FZN @ 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 11 C-Team vs. FZW @ 4:30 p.m.
Wrestling Dec. 18 & 19 Varsity Cape Central Tournament
Jan. 6 All levels vs. FZW 6 p.m.
Dec. 28 & 29 Varsity vs. Lindbergh Tournament
Jan. 8 Varsity GAC Tournament
A member of the 2014-2015 FHN bowling team throws a ball down the lane during a match on Feb 15. (File Photo)
Tyron Woods pins down a St. Charles West wrestler on Dec .2 during the varsity wrestling match. North beat SCW 48-28. (Photo by Kristen Pike)
Bowling Team’s New Season
Wrestling Numbers Up
The club’s two coaches, Renee Miller and Cody Uthof have been practicing with the FHN bowling team on Monday nights at Harvest Lines. “We are our own individual sport,” junior Kaitlyn Senalai said. “It benefits the hand full of people who are in it (the club) because they have a group they can go to.” Their team participates in the ‘Junior Gold’ which is a state competition where they face off against other bowling teams. “We will do this by lots of hard work, working together as a team, cheering ourselves on,” Senalai said. “You do better then you’re enthusiastic about what you’re doing.” (Brief by Bree Williams)
Returning At Last
B. Basketball Dec. 18 JV/Varsity vs. FHC @ 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 26 Varsity Seckman Tournament
Dec. 19 Varsity vs. PCHS @ 11:30 a.m.
Jan. 4 C-Team vs. FHC @ 6 p.m. Freshman Coach Wiedner talks to the girls C-team during a time-out at a game against Fort Zumwalt West on Dec. 7 with a winning score of 25-24. (Photo by Alyssa Savage)
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY GARRET GRIFFIN
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On Dec. 18 and 19 the varsity boy’s wrestling team will compete in the Cape Central Tiger Tournament “We have been working hard to improve with each practice and I’m happy with the results,” Coach Brown said. Since there are more varsity players on the team this year there are high hopes for success this season. The wrestlers are practicing extensively to prepare for the competition. “We have had decent success in the past with tournaments and if we work on our execution as a team we will do great at Cape,” senior varsity wrestler Tyler Collins said. (Brief by Erin Levins)
The freshman girls’ basketball team started their season at home vs FZW on Dec. 7. This will be the first game for the team with Ashley Wiedner as their new coach. “Overall this is a great group of girls and I look forward to the season,” coach Ashley Wiedner said. Wiedner is a proud alumni from FHN’s class of 2006. She’s been wanting to coach at FHN for a while to share her basketball experience. “She’s exactly what the freshmen team needs, she holds records for our school and will definitely lead them to victory with her contribution of knowledge and skills,” senior varsity basketball player Jessica Brady said. After coaching the girls for a few weeks, she wants to improve communication and to ensure a successful season. “This group of girls pick up on skills and drills so quickly, we won’t have a problem being a winning team this year,” Wiedner said. Wiedner has high hopes for the season and is working the team tirelessly to represent her former school and improve individual skill to create strong players to aid to the upper teams. “We are striving to win GAC’s this year and we will definitely be strong competition for the other schools and I can’t wait.” Wiedner said. (Brief by Erin Levins)
Victory on its Way Dec. 7 was the first varsity boys’ basketball tournament for the season at St. Charles West High School against Kirkwood. Although they lost 60-83, varsity coach Darrell Davis, predict sit will be a strong season due to their hard work and dedication. They’ve been building and learning new skills every practice and intend on keeping that for the competition. “We are looking to rebound this year, we’re just going to take one game at a time and improve with each match,” Davis said. Currently there are six seniors on the varsity team that will be graduating in May. Initially there was concern for the varsity team next year and the amount of players that will be able to fill those positions, but Davis is confident that there are strong underclassmen that will step up. The team is focusing on passing along leadership and skillful qualities. “Our seniors this year will inspire the upcoming players by showing that dedication and extra time in practice pays off,” Davis said. “We have seniors that are showing great leadership and skill which will be the perfect combination to take our opponents this year.” (Brief by Erin Levins)
Junior Anastasia Medley swims 500 freestyle during GAC’s on Feb. 10 at the Rec Plex. Multiple girls qualified for semifinals including sophomore Erin Stock, who placed second in butterfly. (File Photo)
Never too Late to Dip in the Pool Seniors Libby Lassanske and Lauren rounded team.” Bartram are the newest members of Lassanske joined the team during the girls’ swim team. Lassanske and her freshman year, but decided to Bartram are in the B skill focus more on other extra level. These levels are curricular activities. She selected by Coach William decided to swim her senior Crow. Currently, they year only. Bartram agreed to work with their team to join after Crow convinced her. overcome problems with Their goal for the season is technique so they can to place top 16 and place in improve their performance Follow the link individual event at state. http://goo.gl/H7m3xd during meets. “That’s a challenging goal, to learn more about the “I’m just really glad they girls’ swim team. but they have possibilities,” have come to join us,” Crow said. “Libby is a really Crow said. “They add a great depth to good swimmer and Lauren has our team. They are going to be good some great abilities,” (Brief by Bree teammates. It makes us a more well Williams)
WATCH
Varsity basketball player Chase Powelson gets ready to shoot one of two free throw. The Knights lost against Francis Howell Central with a final score of 47-50, with the Knights going into over time. (File Photo)
Hockey Team Goes For a Wickenheiser Cup Repeat
Senior Mitch Carlson leads the puck down the rink during the Knights Varsity hockey game at the Rec Plex. The Knights faced the Francis Howell Central Spartans. The Spartans won the game 6-3 after taking the lead in the second quarter. (Photo by Alyssa Savage)
With the new season starting, FHN’s varsity ice hockey team will be working toward their goal of winning the Wickenheiser Cup for the second year in a row. The Knights team has already started thinking about winning the cup for another consecutive year and beating the competition. During practices, the team works on their problem areas such as: perfecting drills and plays. The overall goal at each practice is to focus on being the best hockey team they can be. “I think this season is going pretty well,” hockey manager Bria Smith said. “The boys know what they can do and they all want to bring the Cup home again.” Last year, the Knights brought home FHN’s first ever Wickenheiser Cup. This has left the team with high hopes for this year’s season. With the new found confidence they gained last year, the hockey team is working toward that same goal now. “I feel like the win has really brought the team together, and it taught the boys to use teamwork when they’re on the ice,” Smith said. (Brief by Bree Williams)
FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY GARRET GRIFFIN
12.16.15
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Sports announcer Greg Damon leans against the field goal post on Dec. 6 on the football field at Howell North. Damon usually announces in the press box at the top of the stands during soccer, football, wrestling and basketball games. (Photo by Lucas Tabaka)
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY MCKAYLA BOGDA
12.16.15
The Man Behind the Voice The story of Greg Damon, the public address announcer for FHN for more than two years shares his story about his current three occupation life as a mechanic, radio broadcaster and PA announcer
BY JACOB LINTNER
lintner.jacob@gmail.com • @TheJacobLintner
have to believe in what you talk about, you have to know your material, but most importantly, just be yourself. Don’t try to be somebody you’re not. Your personality comes out, and that’s what brings listeners to you.” Damon notes that he has definitely improved upon his craft in his 13-year career on the radio, but he also acknowledges that he as a long way to go. “I’m a lot better than I used to be,” Damon said, reflecting over his years on radio. “When I first started, I thought I was really good, but when I listen to my first shows, everything I was saying was in superspeed. And you just learn how to talk and again, just be honest and have informative content. I still think I’m crappy, by the way.” The above opinion may not be shared by many, namely those in the FHN audience who listen to him announce their home games week in and week out. It was not always that way, though. Until three years ago, the Knights had a rotating panel of staff members who would volunteer their time to call games over the public address system. This lack of stability is what prompted Janes to approach Damon about the position.
For nearly three years, one thing has remained constant at nearly every sporting event. This one beacon of consistency is Greg Damon, a mechanic, talk show host and uncle known for sparkling personality. “He’s always been my favorite uncle, not being biased or anything,” Knightline member Kristina McKay said. “He’s always been there for me since I was little. He’s a really energetic and fun-loving person, and every time he announces he’s very energetic. He’s like my second dad.” Damon has made a great impact on others in his personal life, and his fun-loving nature in his broadcasting has earned him thousands of fans of his weekly radio show on KMOX, the Auto Show, and hundreds of fans that come out to support the Knights in their athletic endeavors each home game. “He does a great job of always sounding excited and into the game, even when the crowd isn’t or the team isn’t playing well,” color guard member Elizabeth Jansen said. “He definitely brings great energy to the games. I also love how he introduces the band and Knightline.” FHN As Athletic Director Mike Janes details, Damon’s recognition of every group makes The two met at the annual FHSD Dance Team Showcase in which all three of him a valuable part of the sporting experience. the dance teams in the district perform for each other and an audience consisting “I think our students like to have an announcer,” Janes said. “He primarily of family and friends. Damon was announcing the event over tries to get them pumped up. He likes to recognize all groups, like the Want to Hear the the PA because his niece, Kristina McKay, was in the FHN Knightline. cheerleaders, the Knightline, the band, stuff like that. Kids like to hear “About four years ago Kristina asked me if I would announce the Voice Behind the dance showcase,” Damon said. “I’m her uncle, so of course I’m going to their names called. Parents like to hear their kids’ names called. He’s Man? great at that.” do it for her. I decided to have fun with it, and I decided to make it like Though his confident voice and towering presence may make it a basketball game, like, ‘NOW, GIVE IT UP FOR YOUR FRANCIS HOWELL...’ seem like Damon has devoted his life to PA announcing high school just to over exaggerate everything and to have fun. I think everyone JV Wrestling (H) sporting events, that is not the case. had a really good time with it. 01/06/2016 “I’m not a media guy,” Damon said. “I’m a car guy. All I’ve ever “The next year, it was actually written out in the script like that. Ft. Zumwalt West wanted to do since I was 13 years old was work on cars.” Central’s dance team is called the Sensations, so the script said the By trade, Damon is an auto mechanic. He manages Sant Automotive V G. Basketball (H) ‘SENSATIONS,’ so I did it again and had fun with it. The third year, it was in St. Louis. His extensive career with cars was not the biggest factor 01/08/2016 at Francis Howell North. Mr. Janes… asked if I would be interested in in beginning Damon’s broadcasting career; rather, it began with a doing PA work. That’s how it all got started.” Ft. Zumwalt West little overconfidence, a lot of luck and knowing the right people in the While he saw the chance to announce for his niece’s high school as right places. a great opportunity, it caught Damon off guard. “I was kind of taken aback,” Damon said. “I try to be a very The Family Arena prepared guy. I can’t just walk in and start my job, no matter what it is. I was Damon’s first experience with radio broadcasting came to him over a decade ago taken aback by that because I wasn’t prepared for that. I was very honored that he when the Missouri River Otters, a now-defunct minor pro hockey team, played at would mention me like that. I decided to do it on a trial basis, and I had a great time the Family Arena in St. Charles. During their operation, Damon was in charge of all with it and went from there.” off-ice operations, including the scoreboard, the statistics, the penalty box. Every so It was a match made in Heaven-- Damon’s booming voice and FHN’s growing often, his crew would be overstaffed, leaving Damon jobless. On these nights, he athletic program. Now, students, staff and fans all around the school know him would go up to the press box and sit with the radio broadcaster, sometimes even simply as the voice of FHN athletics. doing color commentary with the regular announcer. “He will always be remembered as the voice I heard when I was nervous before That’s where it all started,” Damon said. “I used to listen to the automotive expert our performances,” Jansen said, “but he pumped me up and made me feel less on KMOX at the time, and I used to argue with his in my head all the time. I thought, nervous. That is very appreciated.” ‘This is pretty easy. I could do this.’” Many in the FHN community know Damon, and almost all of them know him in a different way. KMOX “He’s always been there for me,” McKay said, “so it’s fun to see him there for Damon did not know that his opportunity would come sooner than he expected. everyone else. I’m so glad he got to share these high school years with me. It feels He had a few friends at KMOX whom he played hockey with growing up and kept in like he pretty much grew up with me here too, as well in life.” contact with. “Out of the blue,” as Damon put it, KMOX called him asking if he would Damon tries to keep it as simple as possible. He has one goal-- to have fun. be interested in taking over the Auto Show. Of course, he said that he would, and “I hope I bring students to the athletic events,” Damon said. “I hope I help them he is still the host of the show 13 years later. have fun. I aim to make sure that everybody that’s at any athletic event has a “I must be at least doing something mediocre,” Damon said, “but I think what good time except the opposing team. I just enjoy doing it, and I hope everyone else it comes down to is that you have to be honest with what you talk about, you enjoys it.”
FHNTODAY.COM
PAGE BY MCKAYLA BOGDA
12.16.15
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Morgan Bales, Emma Eckhard, Savannah Wandzel, Desirae Hoerner stand in the wrestling room. At practices, managers will record the wrestler’s final scores after each match. “My favorite teachers last year asked me to do it, so I decided to try it and then I just really enjoyed it,” Wandzel said. (Photo by Sarah Garrlets)
Managing With Friends
A group of four friends decide to be wrestling managers for the second year in a row. They are excited to be managing and look forward to spending more time with each other BY GARRET GRIFFIN
but they are responsible for getting every wrestler’s stats and traveling with the team. They make sure wrestlers get credit for each point they earned from a match. Morgan takes her managing title very seriously and makes sure there are no mistakes. Four friends joined the FHN wrestling team their freshman year and are “It’s a commitment that I made so I go to as many meets and practices that coming back for their second year to be together once again. Sophomores they need me at,’’ Morgan said. “I take it as if I was wrestling myself.” Savannah Wandzel, Emma Eckhard, Morgan Bales and Desirae Hoerner didn’t This year the amount of people who have joined the team has doubled in actually know they could be managers until Coach Trevor Lock approached size compared to last year and the managers believe that this creates a new them and asked for them to join the team. “He was our favorite teacher and he asked us if we were interested in doing and positive atmosphere. “The whole environment will be different because it’s almost an entirely new it so we told him we’d show up, and we did,” Savannah said. team with how many freshmen joined,” Savannah said. The girls never considered becoming managers previously and had no Joining the team hasn’t just allowed the girls a chance to spend more time knowledge about wrestling but decided it would be a great way to try with each other but it has also helped them become more social and meet something new and be together as friends. new people. “I didn’t have any prior knowledge to it,” Savannah said. “I knew it was a “I used to be shy and wouldn’t start conversations with people but ever thing and I knew people wrestled but I wasn’t really that involved with it at all since I joined wrestling I’ve noticed it helped me make friends and I don’t mind before this I thought it be fun, interesting and something to fill my time.” talking to new people anymore,” Emma said. Morgan, Savannah and Emma met in eighth grade P.E. They all plan to join the team the next two years to spend even more “We just ended up super close,” Emma said. “They’re both great friends.” time together and to help the team the best they can. Hoerner enjoys the Then, Desirae joined the group freshmen year, and now, they all consider connection they all share and the help they give one another. each other close friends. “They are a big help and they always have my back when I need help, The four girls did not have to meet any requirements to become managers, ggriifin@gmail.com
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY KYLIE MOSER
12.16.15
Picture of the 1991 State Champion wrestling team. Front Row: Angelo Bezzole, Bill Evans, Brian Slingerland, Matt Kanipe, Steve Pisciotta, Niel Gwin Second Row: Phil Simmons, Wade Breen, Mike Gwin, Chris Oestereich, Brian Brinkmann, Doug Moore, Danny Roberts Third Row: Justin Stauffer, George Zidzik, Tim Brazzle, Eric Caldwell, Ryan Martin, Chris Hoel Back Row: Coach Gary Eagan, Tim Miller, Rob Fell, Nick Price, Robert Burger, Gary Barten, Rob Seely, Coach Harold Ritchie.
1991 Wrestling Record FHN
Opponent Vs.
59 St. Charles 20 Lafayette 39 Francis Howell 28 Mcluer North 29 Wentzville 41 Pattonville 34 St. Charles West 31 Belleville East 41 Ft. Zumalt S.
14 39 26 25 28 20 26 32 18
Others Inducted Into the Hall of Fame Mark Buerhle Baseball, 1997 Erin Hurt-Pollard Softball and Track, 1990 Jeremy Iwaszkowiec Soccer, 1996 Jason Sexton Wrestling, 1993 Chris Wood Basketball, 1991 For the full list go to fhnknights.org
Wrestling Team’s Legacy Remains
There will be a new addition early next year to the FHN Hall Of Fame, bringing recognition to a very talented group of athletes who had a successful season. BY BENNETT SMALLWOOD smallwood.bennett@gmail.com @bsmallwood20
24 years ago, the 1991 FHN wrestling team became State Champions. This was a first for them as they had never reached this status before. 24 years ago, they set the bar for the wrestlers after them. 24 years ago, the school was proud to have their wrestlers do something that hadn’t been done at FHN before. Today, they prepare to be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame early next year on Jan. 9. “They were a really good team,” current Head Coach, Chris Brown said. “They took second in districts and when they got to State, everybody started wrestling better than they were expected to and the last night they were like ‘Alright, if we win this match we will be the State Champs.” The team had seven of their wrestlers qualify to compete in State. Of these seven, five went on to medal. That year they had two State Champions, and two wrestlers taking second and third place. “We just had a really good break of hard-working kids who just kept getting better every year,” former head coach Harold Ritchie said. “The further we got, the more excited we were and it turns out we were good enough to win State.
The two state champions were senior Matt Kanite, who was undefeated, and senior Steve Piscotta. Another wrestler from the team was senior Neil Gwin placed second in the tournament. The wrestler who took third was senior Brian Slingerland and according to Ritchie his contribution to the team was vital. “We needed everyone of those guys to score big points to help us win, which they did,” Ritchie said. The Hall of Fame program was implemented by the Activities Department a few years back and is designed to recognize a number of athletes from the school’s history. The school and Activities Office will be highlighting important athletic moments that have occurred in several different sports. “It is just nice recognition for past athletes and team to put their names on the map from over the years,” Ritchie said. “We have had players from sports all around who are very talented and it is something that current athletes can strive for.” Coach Brown and the wrestling team encourage and hope for fans of the sport and school to come out and watch the ceremony in the large gym. “People can come to watch the induction and we would appreciate the support of the wrestling team,” Brown said.
FHNTODAY.COM
BENNETT SMALLWOOD 12.16.15
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“All I need is a reindeer!”
1650 Jungermann Rd St. Peters, MO 63304 636-922-9200 www.pretzelstop.com
WARNING!
DON’T FORGET TO BUY YOUR 2015-16 EXCALIBUR YEARBOOK • Check this link to see if you’ve already ordered: http://goo.gl/ yTriv3 • The staff will not be ordering extras once the final sale number is set at the end of the year. How do you buy your yearbook? • In room 026 • In the main office • On FHNtoday.com under the yearbook tab on the top menu
Join the FHN Media Program! SIGN UP FOR INTRO CLASSES:
JOURNALISM, JOURNALISM II & DIGITAL PHOTOJ Going Places
Meeting People
Skills
Courses
Students move out of their seats and beyond the classroom to cover community and national events. They attend a local events at places like Webster University and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Staff members also attend national conventions each year in places ranging from Denver and Orlando to Anaheim and Seattle.
Members of staff after conquring Lombard Street in San Francisco during a trip to the National High School Journalism Convention in California. This is one of the many trips the staff has taken. Future trips will be to a variety of places from Indianapolis and Seattle, to Chicago and Dallas!
FHNtoday.com FHNgameday.com North Star Newsmagazine Excalibur Yearbook FHNtoday TV
Contact FHN Media (Room 026)
Aaron Manfull, Adviser aaron.manfull@fhsdschools.org 636-851-5107 Jordyn Kiel, Adviser jordyn.kiel@fhsdschools.org 636-851-5048
Awards Join one of the top journalism programs in the country. The publications consistently rank among the nation’s elite at national conventions and contests. The staff has earned Pacemaker, Crown, Gallup and Best of Show honors numerous times. Win awards as part of a team and individually. In the past 5 years we have had two named Missouri’s High School Journalist’s of the Year and staffers have won numerous scholarships for their work.
If you’re into writing or designing, there’s a place for you. Want to be a sports reporter or a movie reviewer? There’s a place for you. If you’re into photography or videography, want to work on the web or in business advertising, there’s a place for you. Like Facebook and Twitter? We even have jobs for that. Learn skills that matter now and help later.
In room 026 you’ll meet everyone from sports team captains and Student Council members to artists and those in band. You’ll also have the chance to meet and talk with famous people. Staffers have interviewed and/or photographed everyone from Barack Obama and Rand Paul to boxing great Evander Holyfield and First Amendment fighter Mary Beth Tinker.
Looking to get an Honors Point? Publications can get you that too. Newspaper, Yearbook FHNtodayTV and FHNtoday.com staffs are all co-curricular classes that meet during the school day. You get Practical Arts credit for being a member of staff and even have the option to take the publication courses for an Honors Point. Inquire about your options.
A Deal of the Century With the Iran Nuclear Deal finished, here’s all of the reasons that Congress should pass the deal BY CHRIS ST. AUBIN cgs8833@gmail.com
The land of Persia, or Iran, is a mysterious land that’s internal affairs renders many people confused yet complacent. However, their relations with the western world have been under scrutiny recently. Recently, China, France, Russia, the U.K., the U.S. and Germany negotiated with Iran on the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. A deal was reached earlier this year that would scale back Iran’s nuclear weapons capability tremendously, yet allow Iran to continue its research and implementation of nuclear energy to the lives of normal Iranian civilians. In spite of its clear benefits, ratification of this deal is not supported by everyone in the U.S., due to the fear that Iran will not abide by these restrictions. It takes 90% uranium enrichment to create a nuclear bomb, Iran enriched theirs around 20%, showing that Iran had greater intentions than just using the enriched uranium for power and western nuclear technology. One of the agreements that Iran signed to was to limit their enrichment to 3.7%. This amount still provides a stable power source for Iran’s infrastructure and civilians. Critics believe that President Barack Obama and Secretary John Kerry negotiated poorly on the restrictions on uranium and plutonium enrichment. The need for a permanent restriction on Iran is preposterous because the whole point of negotiation is to bring Iran into the global markets. The goal of the U.S. was not to further isolate Iran and cause detriment to their middle and lower class civilians, but the goal was rather to allow Iran to prove that it is capable of cooperation with western powers. The Iran Deal protects key allies of the U.S. in the Middle East and it prevents the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Iran for years to come. Therefore, when Congress is presented with the resolution to ratify the deal, it needs to realize the benefits of this deal are simply too immense to pass up.
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY CAROLYNN GONZALEZ
12.16.15
Don’t Turn Away Several thousand refugees wander into the direction of Germany. (Janossy Gergely / Shutterstock.com)
Even after the atrocities that occurred in Paris, the U.S. can’t turn their back on the refugee families that need help them a permanent area of relocation. Even with the nondiscriminatory view provided by the Refugee Act, many anthony.kristensen17@gmail.com • @anthonyk17slsg of those that are strong conservatives have continued to call for the exclusion and expulsion of the refugees that The tragedies that occurred in Paris last month took want to come in and the ones that are already here. place at the hands of terrorists with no intention but to With Europe’s open border policies, it made it simple for kill innocents and strike fear into the hearts of the people one of the attackers to enter France. The first thing that of the world. Almost immediately after these attacks, the U.S. needs to do is secure our borders. Also, the U.S. the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) not only claimed needs to fix a drastically deteriorating vetting system. This responsibility and made more threats to France, but is same vetting system has been in use for years, and also to the U.S. and its allies and have also threatened it’s the same system that allowed the Boston bombers attacks against American adversaries. Not only have they to enter the U.S. with refugee status. The next move that done this, they’ve also killed thousands in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. should make is demanding that Arab countries leaving millions of people to leave their home countries take in refugees. As of press time, several prosperous in search of asylum. Many in the U.S. have called to help Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, those leaving their countries, but the Republican party has Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, have taken in decided to go against this, and their fear factor is working. a combined total of zero refugees. These countries are In recent polls, most Americans are shown to be supposed to be leading the region, but instead they’re opposed to bringing in Syrian refugees, after a Syrian letting the rest of the world do their passport was found on one the Since 9/11, work for them. In Europe, Germany has body of one of the deceased recieved more than 800,000 applications Paris attackers. It is said that for asylum this year and over 250,000 he made his way into Europe refugees migrated to France in 2014. with the refugees. Ever since, have entered the U.S. Lastly, the U.S. should only allow families the right wing has voiced their and orphans that are fleeing the conflict concerns on not only allowing have been in the Middle East into the country. This refugees in, but also on Muslims arrested for plotting terror way, we know that the people entering already living in the U.S. the country are here to protect their Donald Trump, according to attacks. family. Orphans should be admitted into CNN, has said that he’d screen adoptive care so they can adapt to life in the U.S. and be all Islamic citizens in the U.S., and Trump has also said adopted into a family that will care for them. that he’d force a closure of some mosques, violating the There needs to be boundaries in order to preserve a First Amendment. Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, according to strong sense of national security. We can’t just mindlessly the Huffington Post, say that the U.S. should only allow open our borders with a flawed vetting system, but Christian refugees into the country and should not allow we also can’t send these people to their deathbeds. By Muslim and presumably Yazidi refugees into the U.S. This taking in families and orphans, the U.S. can help those in is not only bigotry, but it also betrays the tradition of need and we can also keep the strong sense of national multiculturalism that the U.S. is built on. security as well. Also, let’s keep this in mind, that even Though the Judas kiss of going against American values after the heinous attacks in their capital city, France is already serious enough, these statements also go has come out and said that they’ll accept 30,000 more against the Refugee Act of 1980. The Refugee Act states refugees. that the U.S. is to allow refugees into the country, giving
BY ANTHONY KRISTENSEN
70,000 refugees per year
Three
The Comic Before Christmas
(Comic by Riley Kampff) (Cartoon by Riley Kampff)
The Hot Topic Of. . .
When Parents Need To Have “The Talk” With children being more exposed to information at younger ages due to the growth of technology, parents need to take into consideration when they should tell kids the truth about childhood myths BY ETHAN SLAUGHTER
BY NOAH SLAUGHTER
Parents should tell their kids about Santa Claus and have them believe in Santa because it’s what makes Christmas such a fun and exciting holiday. Santa motivates kids to be good all year in order to get their name on the Nice List and get presents under the Christmas tree while staying off the Naughty List and getting only a lump of coal in their stocking Christmas morning. When you’re a kid you wait for months for that one morning a year that you get up super early, run to your parents room to wake them up and then bolt to the Christmas tree to see all the presents that Santa left you overnight while you Keep The Traditions were sleeping. Kids the link believing in people Follow In The Hollidays http://goo.gl/MTVP4U to like Santa is what see more on whether or parents ahould have makes a childhood not “the talk” so great. If kids didn’t believe in Santa, Christmas wouldn’t stand out from all the other holidays in the year. Christmas time and Santa is what makes winter so many people’s favorite time of the year. If kids were told the truth about Santa Claus then they wouldn’t want to do all the other things that makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year like putting up the Christmas tree, making cookies and putting up lights outside the house. Santa is what makes Christmas different from all the other holidays like Easter, Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving. Not believing in Santa Claus would make Christmas just like any other holiday in the year, and it would be one less magical person to believe in. Parents should tell their kids about Santa and have them believe in him because it what make being a kid so enjoyable, without him Christmas just wouldn’t be the same for anyone else.
On only one night a year is it acceptable for an old man wearing all red to clamber down chimneys everywhere, leaving presents for children for the minor charge of milk and cookies. Besides the questionable logic behind him, there are several moral objections to the jolly ol’ man. First, Santa Claus encourages parents to lie to their children. Santa is a madeup figure, and he only exists through the stories told to children. While there is nothing wrong with storytelling, the story of Santa Claus is morally degrading because children come to accept it as fact. Between the lies told by their parents and the marketing of mass media, most children have Say No To That Jolly no reason to believe that Santa doesn’t exist. While Old Man the idea that Santa can grant any wish may seem fantastical and harmless, it only prolongs the feeling of crushing reality when it comes out years later that Santa is fictional. This can have a crushing emotional impact on some children and forces many to question if anything their parents tell them is true. Second, Santa promotes the idea that good deeds are rewarded with tangible outcomes. According to legend, good children are put on the Nice List and have all their wishes granted, while bad children are put on the Naughty List, only to receive coal on Christmas morning. Santa encourages the idea that children should be good because if they’re bad, they won’t get the new toys they’ve been dreaming about all year. The story of Santa Claus isn’t going to stop spreading anytime soon. However, parents should at least consider the impacts of telling this myth to their children.
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY ALY DOTY
12.16.15
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APPS FOR THE
HOLIDAYS
Talking Santa
Free
A fun holiday version of the Talking Tom apps, this game features a Santa Clause that will repeat you.
Free Toca Hair Salon Grow, Cut, Shave and style Santas beard and hair or a Christmas tree in this Holiday spin of the Toca Hair Salon.
Battlefront to Forget Just like stormtroopers, the new “Star Wars: Battlefront” game misses the mark compared to past games BY AUSTIN FERGUSON
that to be a full game, but with Electronic Arts I feel horrid giving them money. The game only has four maps It’s been years since the last Star that are different in few ways, only Wars Battlefront game, and I was both four maps, nine modes which only anxious and curious as to what the new two of them are actually fun, and two release would be like. One of the best single player modes that don’t hold my games of my childhood was getting attention. Electronic Arts, the developer another title, but this time it was made of the game “Fixes” this problem with by new developers, and new ideas. day one $50 downloadable content The game is a rush of nostalgia that that has not been released yet and no few games can manage, the rush of information has been provided, so in the sprinting down the vast and beautiful future they can make a couple more battlefield created and the familiar “Star maps to do the same thing on. All in Wars” music we all know and love. all this game doesn’t even deserve its Taking down imperial stormtroopers $60 price tag, let alone another $50 for as Han Solo and hearing him shout “Is downloadable content. It’s just rude that that the best you’ve got?” Truly, that is they nearly threw out single player all the best this game has got. After a few together, with not much to compensate hours, it starts to get dull and repetitive. for it in the multiplayer. The initial rush of the game doesn’t I really want to love this game, but last even with unlockable weapons I just can’t overlook all its flaws. The and customization maps are gorgeous. for your characters, North Star Rates There has not been a there were times better representation of where I didn’t even the planet Hoth than the 5/10 want to play the movies themselves. The game because I soundtrack seems like it didn’t have as much fun with it anymore. came just out of the movies, and will get One of the things I loved about the any Star Wars fan nostalgic. Star Wars first and second Battlefront games Battlefront was the chosen one, but it is that they both had a single-player turned to the dark side. It was a decent mode where you could fight against tribute to the franchise, but it doesn’t artificial intelligence (AI) on any level, hold up to the older games. with the same amount of players as The overall buyers remorse is the you would in a multiplayer game. I’m feeling that I get from this game. From not a super big competitive multiplayer the lack of content displayed in the person. Sometimes, I just like to have game, and the seemingly rushed and fun against AI alone. However, in the limited singleplayer make me feel like I new Star Wars Battlefront, they decided wasted my money. At a price range of to take that feature out. They have a $60, for a high budget game like this, it limited survival mode on only a couple makes me wonder what the next games maps where you fight against AI in will bring. Electronic Arts has already waves of enemies, and an extremely announced that have already started to lacking single-player squad mode on work on the next Star Wars Battlefront very tiny maps that don’t hold your games before the problems of this game attention for more than a few rounds. are even addressed. It runs well, it looks That’s it, if you wanted a fleshed out beautiful, it sounds like the original Star single player, too bad, the only thing Wars symphonny. The game leads you that seems to be fleshed out is the in to believ that it will be a classic and multiplayer, and that’s what truly makes leaves you outnumbered. This game me sad about this game. didn’t deserve the Star Wars title, as When I pay $60 for a game, I expect this game was average at best. danielborrelli1@gmail.com
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FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY SAMI SCHMID
12.16.15
Shopkick
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Shopkick allows customers to get points from stores such as Target and Best Buy that are redeemable for gift cards.
SantasVillage
Free
Help Santa build a new village. Costomize over 120 buildings, such as homes for the elves.
Hidden Objects
Free
Search for numerous different holiday objects in numerous holiday themed levels.
Christmas Puzzles Free Play over 300 levels of Christmas themed games and puzzles and challenge friends on Game Center.
Jewish Puzzles
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Celebrate Hanukkah with over 200 puzzles themed around Jewish traditions. Challenge your friends on Game Center.
Top Eight: Christmas Movies ‘Tis the season to be spending time with friends and family, so here are the best eight Christmas movies to sit down and spend quality time with the ones you care about BY ERIN LEVINS erlevins013@gmail.com
1. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”
As the Christmas Holiday approaches, the Griswold family struggles to keep it together as their crazy in laws stay in their home for the duration of the holidays. Everything seems to go wrong, whether it would be the thousands of Christmas lights mysteriously not working or the dreams of building a pool evaporating. This is definitely the movie to watch for holiday cheer and many laughs.
5. “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” In this adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s ‘The Grinch,’ Jim Carrey plays a nasty Christmas hater that plans to ruin the holidays for Whoville. He terrorizes the town and alters their holiday rituals in a sly fashion. In an all-too-adorable way, Cindy Lou warms his heart. showing him and her town that Christmas is more than just presents and gift giving. Eventually, the Grinch is convinced that Christmas is a good thing.
The Rocky Story Continues An original Rocky spin-off is worth the time to watch BY SAMI SCHMID saminicole102@gmail.com
2. “Elf”
6. “A Christmas Story”
3. “Meet me in St. Louis”
7. “It’s a Wonderful Life”
4. “Home Alone”
8. “Polar Express”
Will Ferrell is notorious for his role as Buddy the Elf, who can’t seem to fit in at the North Pole. Upon finding out he isn’t actually an elf, he leaves Santa’s workshop in search for his real father in New York. who happens to be a cynical business man on the naughty list. He works to build a relationship with his real father and give him Christmas spirit. Join Buddy as he finds love, a relationship with his father, and his true identity.
This is a big favorite in my family that warms my heart every time I watch it. This film follows an upper class family anticipating the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair within the coming year. The Smith daughters learn lessons of love and life when they are reluctant to move to New York. As they join together for Christmas, will their heartfelt stories and memories of living in St. Louis convince their father to let them stay for the fair?
My siblings and I joked about being left home alone when we were younger but we never imagined how it could possibly turn out. We enjoyed watching Kevin McCallister party in his house by himself until two robbers attempt to break into his home. This young boy proves himself when arming himself against the robbers. This comedy will make you glad your parents didn’t forget about you during the holidays.
There are plenty of times when a child thinks they’re superior to their family, and this is definitely the case when young Ralphie tries to convince his teachers, parents and Santa that a Red Ryder B.B gun really is the perfect gift for Christmas. The familiar catch phrase, “you’ll shoot your eye out!” is definitely a classic. The wintry exploits and childhood ignorance really makes this movie worth watching this time of year.
George Bailey’s story in this movie makes me so sad whenever I watch it. This movie follows a man who wished he had never been born when he is faced with a series of turmoils and disappointments. An angel is sent down to give him his wish and show him how many lives he has changed and impacted, all in time for Christmas with his family. His story makes you appreciate the things you have in your life; no matter how small.
For those who don’t believe in Santa Clause anymore you need to sit down and watch this movie. A magical and mysterious train, the Polar Express, comes and picks up a young boy on Christmas Eve to take him to the North Pole. He makes some unique friends who anticipate meeting the one and only Santa Clause. He embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
The Rocky movies are well loved by many and those who were sad they were no more will be delighted to find out that a spin-off of the story is now in theaters. In the Rocky movies, Apollo Creed was small-time fighter, Rocky Balboas’ big competition. Creed follows heavyweight champion Apollo’s son, Adonis, in his pursuit to make it big in boxing. In a twist he ends up being trained by Rocky himself and chooses to keep the fact that he is Apollo’s son a secret so that whatever successes he made would be attributed to his talent alone. While the movie has plenty of intense, edge-of-your-seat moments, it is also full of humor and wit. The movie was engaging and did well in not overplaying the boxing, so even someone who isn’t into sports could enjoy it. Another noteworthy thing about the movie is that Adonis’ first professional fight was filmed in a single shot. The creators did an amazing job at making it feel like you are actually there in the ring by filming the scene uninterrupted. In a Buzzfeed article, Creed director Ryan Coogler talks about his motivation behind the filming of Adonis’s first fight. “I’ve been through those moments when you ask people to give you a shot, and then you get it, and all of a sudden, it’s like, there’s no more excuses, I’ve got my shot, and now it’s the scariest thing in the world, because if it doesn’t work out, it’s my fault. That’s what this fight was for Adonis. He finally has somebody in his corner, and all of a sudden was nervous, because he didn’t want to let them down. There’s no more excuses. If it doesn’t work, it’s on him.”
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Student Take:
What do you Think of the Lewis and Clark Program?
“I love it. It’s a lot of fun because you learn lots of really good trades that help to prepare you for a future career.” Jesse Powers, 12
“I think that [technical education] programs are really good for anyone that might be interested in going into one of the careers that they offer.” Jessica Qian, 10
North Star Take: End Technical Training Taboo
With many schools’ well-intentioned pushes to encourage students to enroll in college, some students end up on the outs
ON BEHALF OF THE EDITORIAL STAFF yourfhn@fhntoday.com • @fhntoday
“I think that programs like Lewis and Clark are really cool because they help people out and help people find good colleges and careers.” Adewael Ogunlewy, 11
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All too often, people have a tendency to assume that technical and vocational education is for students who just don’t have what it takes, an alternative pathway for troublemakers and for slackers. This stereotype is in large part born of the fact that many schools used to do just that: push students into such paths when they deemed a student just didn’t have what it takes. College-centered education and a focus on STEM education have helped to update our education system; it’s time attitudes toward all forms of education were updated too. Recent years have seen a shift in the focus of education. Schools are working to ensure that all the instruction they provide makes sure students are “college-ready.” For more and more students, their educational path is planned out for them from the day they set foot in school: high school, and then college, and then a high-paying career. With pushes in almost every grade level to focus on the importance of STEM education, this idea has become even more prevalent. However, not long ago, college was
FHNTODAY.COM PAGE BY ERIN LEVINS
12.16.15
considered an exception, not necessarily the rule. While these eforts to advertise the importance of college have increased college enrollment, rising 39 percent from 1992 to 2012 according to the Institute of Educational Sciences, they has also served to stigmatize the pursuit of vocational or technical education. This stigmatization is in no small part due to a lack of understanding about what vocational or technical education is. In 1984, the U.S. government passed the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, or just Perkins Act, establishing federal funding for vocational training programs. In 1990, it was revised to include one of the most widely accepted definitions of vocational or technical training, terms often used interchangeably, as “organized educational programs offering a sequence of courses which are directly related to the preparation of individuals in paid or unpaid employment in current or emerging occupations requiring other than a baccalaureate or advanced degree.” They allow students to get a head start when it comes to certain careers, such as nursing, carpentry, or mechanics. According to the National Center for Education Statistics 10 percent of secondary students are enrolled in vocational
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S Editors-in-Chief: Priscilla Joel Bennett Smallwood Business Manager: Austin Ferguson Business: Brandon McCarty Editors: Sports Editor: Garret Griffin Opinions Editor: Anthony Kristensen Copy Editor: Zoe Lawson Design Editor: Erika Paar Content Editor: Jamie Hetlage General Staff: David Bodden Erin Levins Claire Boenitz Joe Luley McKayla Bogda Kylie Moser Dan Borrelli Samantha Schmid Deidre Dinkins Karis Skaggs Aly Doty Ethan Slaughter Carolynn Gonzalez Noah Slaughter Sasha Kaganov Breighen Williams Riley Kampff Emily Wilson Editor in Chief of Photography: Alyssa Savage Photo Editors: Photo Essay Editor: Abby Temper Newspaper Photo Editor: Amanda Eckhard Yearbook Photo Editor: Ashton Stegman Sports Photo Editor: Lauren Price Portrait Editor: Madi Graves (Cartoon by Joe Luley)
education, and for these students, it’s working for them. Students taking advantage of vocational or technical training are more likely to employed more quickly than their college bound counterparts. While not all salaries may be as high as some jobs requiring a degree, it is also important to consider that there is no debt inherently associated with these jobs. With the rising costs of college, it is becoming more and more difficult for any given student to graduate college without amassing huge amounts of student loan debt, an average of $28,950 per student according to the Institute for College Access and Success. This is debt not incurred, and thus not having to be paid off, by students entering the workforce through vocational training, students who are also amassing more years of work experience, and corresponding salary, while their counterparts are still in college. Another factor that many overlook is the fact that vocational schooling is actually closely aligned with the current goals of many educational philosophies. STEM focused learning, for example, encourages students to look at the technical side of things, to learn not just the how but the why of how things work and happen the way they do. According to the U.S. Department of Education, technical schools are used to “teach the science behind the occupation.” The point of technical education is to teach students how things work, why they work, and how to get them to work the way they
are supposed to. Technical and vocational education also helps to teach students how to work together, a learning goal highlighted at FHN especially though the recent implementation of Kagan learning methodologies, most of which encourage students to work collaboratively, emphasizing the idea that it takes cooperation in order to complete a task. Vocational schools require students to collaborate, with carpenters, stone masons, and bricklayers all working together to complete the same structure; with nurses learning how to effectively communicate and work with doctors and patients. Vocational training curriculum covers many of the same broad goals as traditional educational methods, just in alternative fashion. This isn’t to say a student set on college should drop everything and enroll in a vocational program. That is no more the case than saying it’s right for a student to attend college simply because it’s what most people do. The best type of education for a given student is the one they feel the most comfortable with, and the one about which they are the most passionate. A lawyer can’t safely build a house any more than a carpenter or construction worker can effectively practice law, but that doesn’t mean that either of them is any better or worse than the other. Not every job is the same, but every job is important, and it’s time to acknowledge that, and appreciate those differences.
Photographers: Samantha Alexander Hannah Medlin Ashleigh Barlow Kyra Peper Jessie Define Kristen Pike Emily Floyd Aleah Riley Sarah Gerrelts Alexis Rowe Jared Kinnard Lucas Tabaka Alex Lane Tristan Tainter Riley McCrackin Katie Warsham
FHNTODAY STAFF Web Editors: Webmaster: Chase Meyer Online Sports Editor: Garret Griffin Web Staff: Michal Basford Martin Groves Josh Cage Jacob Lintner Tristan Chenoweth Joe Luley Zach Mills Editor-in-Chief of Video: Autumn Todd Video Editors: Kyle Cuppy Brayton Larson Video Staff: Alyssa Barber Joseph Samuels Laraya Griffith Taylor Sheridan Destiny King Ilona Soininen Ben Moxley Adam Quigley Kamila Zendran Advisers: Aaron Manfull Jordyn Kiel
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