Culture & Customs

Table of Contents

Feature

How language classes at LHS incorporate culture into their cirriculum

Feature

A spotlight on the APIC and BSU clubs

Feature

Spirit: a pinnacle of both school and community

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Feature

Check out how LHS teachers cultivate a culture of their own

Editor’s Note

Hello Flyers! Join us for a very special issue of the paper wherein we discuss culture. Check out language class and club features, an overview of school and community culture, as well as teacher society. Follow along as we discuss student views on culture, community within swim at LHS and cover a change in the beloved pageant: Mr. LHS.

9 Feature Students share their thoughts on participation in school culture

10 Sports Explore customs and tradi-tions within the LHS swim community

11 News LHS pageant, Mr. LHS, turned gender neutral

Pilot Policy

Pilot is a monthly newsmagazine published by students enrolled in the Pilot Publications class at Lindbergh High School, 5000 Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri, 63126. The publications office is currently located in Room 21.

Opinions of Pilot writers or the Editorial Board are not reflective of the opinions of the staff as a whole, the Pilot, or the administration. The Pilot welcomes responses and letters to the editors. These may be submitted by email to lhspilot@lindberghschools. ws or by signed letters brought to Room 21. The Pilot reserves the right to edit submissions as long as their original intent remains unaltered, and to refuse to print material for any reason the Editor-inChief and adviser deem appropriate.

More information about our editorial policy can be found on lindberghlookup.com.

Culture: How Language Classes are Including it in Teaching

The capability of teaching students the culture of a language to help their language learning ability.

Gavin Berry Staff Writer

Over the past decades, the diversity in languages has exponentially grown as society continues to find and develop new ways to help learn these languages more efficiently. As the diversity of different languages within the U.S. increases, so does the need for English speakers to learn a foreign language. Schools play a large part in teaching new languages by implementing language classes into their course catalogs. Students are given a chance to enroll in one of the typical three major language classes taught at schools like Lindbergh: German, French and Spanish.

One LHS German class, instructed by Brian Jacob, a teacher who has taught the language for seven years, incorporates German culture into lessons, allowing students to learn more about the language. “One of my goals this year has been focusing on trying to get more than just Germany… for example this year one of our units was about music and we focused on Vienna, which is the capital of Austria, which is a major musical city,” Jacob said.

Every year, the German classes visit Stuttgart, the sister city of St. Louis, along with other small towns with the goal of immersion. The school pairs students with a host family to live with during their visit, allowing students to spend a couple of days observing German classes, taking walking tours of downtown Stuttgart to learn of the culture and history and partaking in other various activities.

Meanwhile, French Teacher Lauren Clawson was inspired by French culture. The connections she was able to make with the French language lent her the opportunity to further understand the culture through activities like reading, soon sharing this passion with her

students in her teaching.

“You can’t have language without culture, they exist together and language is so much more than just different words. The way those words are put together and are expressed tell something about the perspective about the culture,” Clawson stated.

Similarly, Maureen Reed, a Spanish teacher at Lindbergh, embraces the culture of Spanish-speaking countries by teaching her students some of the practices and traditions of these countries during events like New Year’s. Her classes then look at what those countries do differently as compared to the U.S.

“Culture and language go hand-in-hand . . . It’s easier to practice when you feel comfortable . . . And it’s extremely rewarding to witness students have these same experiences,” Reed said. As each teacher implements the culture of a language into their teaching, take some time when filling out upcoming courses to think about taking a language class.

Jacob and his German class at Hiedelberg Castle

Costa Rica, 2017

Asian Pacific Islander Coalition

The way APIC strengthens culture at Lindbergh

Elliot Lentz Staff Writer

With a variety of different students at Lindbergh, it is important for groups to be able to find each other and express themselves. The Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC) does just that by giving Asian students a space to divulge in culture and share experiences.

“We share our cultures, whether it be listening to each other’s cultural music or trying each other’s childhood meals. I love learning about my friends’ experiences and traditions as it broadens my mindset to other ways of life, which I believe is priceless,” said Sophia Santos (11), an Officer for APIC.

Those involved in APIC come up with different activities to engage and entertain everyone while also giving information about the different cultures in Asia.

“We bond over snacks from different parts of Asia as well as a monthly presentation on different events and traditions from cultures across the continent,” said Raphael Delrosario (10), an officer and the Co-Secretary of APIC.

For some, joining APIC was the first time they were able to truly connect with their culture and traditions.

“Before my sophomore year, I attended private schools with significantly low ethnic diversity which, ultimately, deterred me from my cultural identity as a Filipino-American,” said Santos. “When I transferred to LHS, I joined APIC and immediately bonded with other Asian students whom I am glad to call some of my greatest friends.”

APIC creates an inviting space for Asian students that allows them to find people they can relate to in both the

school and the community.

“APIC is not only a place to learn about Asian culture, but a place to gather as a community and meet other Asian students as well as students interested in Asian culture. I’ve made many friendships in APIC, whether it be under/upperclassmen, fellow officers, or even other Asian & Pacific

Islander club members from other schools in St. Louis,” Santos said.

Over winter break, some APIC members met together for an outing around St. Louis to indulge in food and drinks from Asian-owned businesses.

“A small group of us went and got boba at HiTea in Delmar and just talked and got to know each other. Then we went and got lunch at Corner 17 afterward. It benefits the Asian companies that we buy from and it benefits the students because it gives us a chance to get to know each other as well as learn about our cultures,” said Maya Chand (12), a CoPresident of APIC.

APIC has been up and running for a few years now and has no intention of slowing down. The proper adjustments are being made to make sure that the underclassmen are eventually ready to take over the club.

“We elected many new officers this year and as many of the past [elected] officers are seniors, we plan to have the younger officers take over and continue APIC and hopefully do even more with the club as it’s around longer,” said Chand.

As APIC continues to hold meetings, it will remain a place to both educate and to foster learning, along with encouraging Asian students to embrace their culture and enjoy traditions.

“In APIC, I’ve tried numerous snacks from the Philippines, along with learning about various Filipino traditions and celebrations. Through exploring Asian culture with APIC and the friends I met there, I have learned to love my cultural identity and embrace my Filipino heritage. My pride, strength and passion for my culture grow every day,” Santos said.

The community of APIC hopes to take away any pressure or unfamiliarity that may arise when taking part and embracing culture and works hard to be an inviting place for all who are interested in Asian culture.

“APIC bonds people from all over the world with dozens of different intermingling cultures,” Delrosario said. “Asian or not, joining APIC lets you have a safe, fun and informative community in which you’re always welcome.”

taken from @lhs.apic

taken from @lhs.apic

Black Student Union

The BSU’s involvement in the LHS community

The Black Student Union at LHS began back in 2021 and was created for students who did not feel that they had a voice or were included in the Lindbergh community. Within this safe space, culture has been created and a community has grown that is still building even today. The BSU is an important club to many students at LHS.

¨It helps black students come together and talk about our experiences. I think it’s important to have a safe space for students to come and learn about their culture. I think at Lindbergh there can sometimes be a lack of black culture so it’s important that we try to bring it forward and make it more known,¨ Jaedyn Buchek-Dial (12) said.

During Black History Month in February, the BSU tries to spread as much knowledge and awareness of their culture to the school as possible in order to represent their community.

¨The last two years we did black excellence, so we shared with the school how African American people have contributed to the progress of the United States and the world, but we really focused on what they have done in our country: inventions, ideas, science, music, all categories,¨ ELL teacher and BSU club sponsor Courtney Castelli said.

The BSU frequently goes on trips and visits places based around members culture.

¨The club has strengthened my connection to my culture in the past years, especially because two years ago we went on a field trip to the Griot African American Museum downtown and it was just nice to see all the history,¨ Lache Smith (12) said. Castelli shared some of the activities and things that happen during club meetings.

¨We talk about field trips and what we can do to enrich our understanding of black culture and black history. We also have parts on different days where we discuss how people feel being a minority in a community. Everyone should feel represented, everyone should feel like they have a space where they belong,¨ Castelli said.

The BSU is a community that is always looking for fun ways to teach its members about their culture

so they can continue to grow and learn more about themselves and others. Everyone is welcome at the Black Student Union, so all students are encouraged to attend every other Tuesday during A lunch in room 205.

¨I am just so grateful that we can offer that safe space and that community for students that didn’t feel part of the community because it takes everybody to make a community,¨ Castelli said.

BSU takes a trip to the Griot African American Museum Picture form @lindberghbsu

BSU takes a trip to the Griot African American Museum Picture form @lindberghbsu

Among the Spirit

An Insight into How LHS Contributes to School Spirit

The Pilot Staff

Just like high grades and sports wins, school spirit can be another indicator of a successful school. An on-line survey held by The Harris Poll showed that 91% of principals believed that students with high school spirit were more confident and 88% believed that they were happier. The survey also revealed that students with high school spirit, on average, have a higher GPA than those with low school spirit, 3.5 versus 3.2. High school spirit can have multiple different effects on both students and staff.

“School spirit is important because it defines the school’s culture and environment and sets a tone for our school’s community. It’s important to have because it promotes positive morale and a sense of pride for our school,” said Ivanka Huynh (11).

Not only does having school spirit set a positive tone for school life, it can also make it easier for those at Lindbergh to form good relationships.

“School spirit is what turns a school from a collection of people into a community and what creates a positive atmosphere and friendships between students,” said Jessica Wheatley (11). “ Plus, if students and teachers enjoy being at school, there is a higher chance that they will put more effort into learning or teaching and therefore make everyone’s experience better.”

Huynh and Wheatley are members of Student Council (STUCO) here at Lindbergh. STUCO creates different events throughout the school year to encourage school spirit and excite students.

“Some things STUCO does to promote school spirit is hosting spirit weeks, having a spirit cart where we sell spirit items for upcoming games and hosting events like Powderpuff and pep assemblies to bring students together,” said Huynh.

Much thought is put into each decision STUCO makes when planning an event, in order to ensure that they feel more fun rather than forced.

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“Spirit weeks and pep rallies are created to not only build spirit but also let students express spirit,” said Wheatley. “We try to make the themes something that is interesting and appealing to the student body, but not too difficult so it doesn’t stress anyone out to dress up. As far as pep rallies, we try to think of games that are funny for the audience and fun for the participants.”

Every student is different, so STUCO must work hard to make sure they hold a variety of activities that appeal to each student.

“They try to represent all different groups of students. Their big thing now is to not just look at the extroverts, who really like pep assemblies and other events like that, but also the introverts who might want to do more things like trivia nights or movie fests,” said Mark Pfeiffer, the Teacher Leader of STUCO.

School spirit is not the only thing that STUCO works to improve. They also hope the activities they plan encourage students to be active in the school and build a community with others.

“They try to create events and other things to increase school spirit and try to get people involved. They’re constantly trying to come up with new events to have more inclusion in the school,” Pfieffer said. “They’ve done a pretty good job over the last couple years of trying to create an environment at the school that includes everyone and makes everyone feel like a part of a family.”

Photo credit: Lavia Raof

Photo Taken by Lavia Raof

To ensure that they are representing and approaching the student body effectively, STUCO often sends out surveys to get the views of students when making decisions.

“We’re looking at some feedback from a lot of surveys that we have conducted recently to see what we can change around the high school to make the overall experience better,” Wheatley said.

While STUCO sets up many different events, certain activities stick out and seem to have the best effect on Lindbergh as a whole, such as Homecoming.

“Homecoming week builds a lot of spirit and morale, with the spirit week, parade, games, tailgates and eventually the dance,” said Wheatley. “Having a week full of a variety of activities gives students a really good chance to get involved and participate, and the good vibes early in the year hopefully help get students through the rest of the semester when classes start to get tough.”

Another important event that STUCO holds is Boonanza, an event that takes place around Halloween for younger children in the Lindbergh area.

“Boonanza is great because the kids in the area love it so much because of the activities and parents love it because it’s free. It’s great for students at LHS too because their clubs can have activity booths and it’s really cute to see how happy the high schoolers get when interacting with the kids,” said Wheatley.

While half of the school year may be over, there are still multiple events that STUCO will hold throughout these next few months.

“We have a lot of events going on, such as senior events like the Special Olympics. Right now, we are looking at either a winter or a spring fest that would be similar to Boonanza in the fall. We will also have either a winter or spring dance for sure,” Pfeiffer said.

When it comes to all of the events that STUCO has coming up, some of them are new, and some are events that have taken place in past years, but all will have time and effort put into them by those in STUCO.

“We are trying to incorporate connection weeks, which are similar student appreciation week in how we plan activities and gifts for students to boost morale,” Wheatley said. “We have also just started planning Spring Fling, which will include a lot of spirit-related activities like the spirit week and pep rally, and then the dance itself.”

Photo Credit: Lavia Raof

Teaching Beyond the Classroom

Lindsey Pham | Graphics Editor

Among the hallways at Lindbergh High School, teachers play a significant role in shaping the atmosphere that sets the tone for student life. Beyond their traditional roles as educators, teachers also demonstrate an important role in school culture. Teachers play this pivotal role by actively engaging in various activities that go beyond traditional classroom responsibilities, from pep rallies and sports events to cultural celebrations, clubs and extracurricular initiatives. Many teachers choose to dive into the diverse world of school life. Social Studies teacher, Timothy Deposki, discussed what he is involved with at LHS.

“I run Youth and Government mock trial, the traveling culture society or TACS, and I’m the teacher advisor on the Lindbergh Jr foundation board via,” Deposki said. “I also run the scoreboards and do announcing for sports for pretty much every sport. I played volleyball for a year and then the big thing for me was band. So I played trumpet in the LHS marching band.”

Participation not only strengthens the bond between teachers and students but contributes to the morale of the educational community. Deposki highlights the teamwork between teachers and students that contributes to school culture.

“I think having students who are passionate about what they’re doing really makes it easy,” he said.

teacher participation in school spirit is through their role in extracurricular activities. These activities showcase the many talents of educators while also providing students with opportunities to connect with their teachers on a more personal level. Whether it’s coaching a sports team, advising a student club or directing a school play, teachers become mentors and guides in areas outside the academic setting. Health and Physical Education teacher, Ali Wallner, who is the head girls soccer coach, freshman girls basketball and freshman boys soccer coach discussed her reasons for coaching.

“It gives me the opportunity to meet kids as freshmen and watch them grow and mature as players and students throughout their high school career,” Wallner said.

Teachers are shaping the future leaders of tomorrow, so it’s crucial to recognize and applaud their dedication to creating a vibrant school spirit. Through their active involvement in extracurricular activities, commitment to creating an inclusive environment, teachers become the underrated heroes behind the dynamic aura of educational schools.

“Students are the ones that lead it, I just do the best I can to facilitate their success.” Deposki said.

The impact of teacher participation in school spirit goes beyond the immediate benefits of a lively campus. Teachers, by actively contributing, become areas for a thriving educational community that work to change the tradi-tional boundaries of the classroom. Deposki felt the overall benefit of teachers contributing to school culture is the positivity it brings the school.

“I think being excited about being here, same as stu-dents, you know, I think, there’s always something to look forward to in some way, shape or form. I think that one of the best things is to be ready to go,” Deposki said. One of the most noticeable involvements of

Participation in LHS Culture

Assemblies, sporting events, spirit weeks, school dances and more build up what many students would consider “school spirit.” Despite how popular some of these events are, there are mixed opinions on the successfulness of such events. To understand why students appreciate or criticize school events, the question must be asked: what defines school culture? According to students, school culture revolves around the people participating in it.

“What defines school culture the most is not just the environment but the people within the environment. How do people contribute to the environment? What are we doing collectively that makes it so awesome here? What makes us above all the other schools in the area? What sets us apart? That’s really going to be defined by the people,” Danielle Perry (12) said.

With the idea that the students are what define school culture, the preferences of students have to be taken into consideration when planning school events. In recognizing that Lindbergh has many spirit opportunities, it is inevitable that some people may not find participating in it very appealing.

“The amount of school spirit events we have is a lot, but that’s not a bad thing. It really helps to build a better community and a better culture for the school,” Colin Yarbrough (12) said.

Understand the “why” behind participation, or the lack thereof, in school spirit.

Skyler Daubendiek Staff Writer

the same time, the fact that nobody appears at those assemblies probably means, according to public consensus, that they aren’t really needed. It being optional shows that you can’t artificially create school spirit. It has to be formed naturally and if you’re forcing people to go it doesn’t really exist, does it?” Sebastien Kasena (12) said.

While there may be reasons that students do not wish to participate in school events, there is one common factor that compels a large majority of the student body to participate; and that’s friends.

In a survey sent out to LHS students, data was gathered on school sponsored sporting events, spirit weeks, school dances and assemblies by having each student rate these events on a scale of 1 to 10 based on their satisfaction. The event that was most supported was school sponsored sporting events, with 69.7% of students rating them a 7 or above.

The most heavily split event was assemblies, with 15.8% rating them at a 1 and 17.1% rating them an 8. There was also a split regarding assemblies being required and discussion over how effectively it does or does not contribute to school spirit.

“I’m rather split because, with school assemblies, they clearly put in a lot of effort regarding organization and whatnot, but if nobody shows up it’s for naught. At

“Definitely friends, that’s a big motivator. I feel like the feeling of being left out also contributes to [students’ participation]. When you know that a ton of people are going to do something, it’s that herd instinct within us to want to be like everyone else, but that’s also what could prevent school spirit. A lot of times it’s because you feel like you’re going to be the only one dressed up, you feel like you’ll be the only person participating, and that can also be a limiting factor. Either everyone does it or no one does it,” Perry said.

Although the participation of peers contributes to a student’s participation, it also depends on the activities themselves. If an event is overly social, then introverted students will not want to participate, and vice versa. Perry went into detail about how including activities for introverted and extroverted students was important for increasing engagement in school based activities.

“[Having variety in activities is] really helpful for making sure everyone has a place and they feel included, because that is going to be the tip of the iceberg to getting Lindbergh having an amazing school culture that even other schools are like, ‘Oh my goodness! I want to be a part of that!’” Perry said.

Pie chart representing the ratings of Lindbergh-sponsored sporting events on a scale of 1 to 10.

Pie chart representing the ratings of Lindbergh assemblies on a scale of 1 to 10.

Scoping the Scene for Girls’ Swim

How the girls’ swim team at LHS have prepared for and endured their 23-24 season

With the winter months quickly passing by, the Girls’ Swim team at Lindbergh High School has been pushing through their ‘23-’24 season. With practices being held almost every day for two hours, even across winter break, and their steadily increasing yardage, their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Amelia Donaldson (12), one of the team captains, has helped the rest of the athletes by helping to organize team bonding and also aiding the underclassmen with reminders, tips and instructions for starting the sport. The start off for the actual season is pretty slow in December, as many new swimmers try to get adjusted through dry-land and eventually build up to getting into the water.

“We have a few people who are really good at keeping up all year round, doing summer leagues,” said Donaldson, “But sometimes we don’t have people coming from those backgrounds.”

Lavia Raof | Graphics Editor

@lhs_aquatics

When the time comes for the team to attend their meets to compete, they are assigned to heats, depending on how many girls are swimming that day, and events. That heat that they are in hinges on their speed level while in the water. For example, ten people who tend to have longer times go first, and the speeds increase as the heats get higher. The position of their lane also matters–the closer their lane is to the middle of the pool, the faster they are.

“Sometimes we have a larger amount of heats if we’re going against a large team, or a bunch of teams,” said Donaldson.

Many meets typically have 12 events, such as the 50 freestyle. However, the difficulty levels of these events vary. With the 50 free, the short distance depends on focus, being able to stay calm and not breathing. In contrast, swimmers have to adapt into a certain mental state when doing the 500 free, since they have to go for so long and their time often relies on flip turns.

“Those turns are very important because it’s a 25 yard pool, so the turns can be the difference between getting first and getting last,” said Donaldson.

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Even though the sport can be difficult and strenuous, the girls of the swim team find purpose and passion within every practice and tournament. It can be hard to balance swimming with school and other extracurriculars, as with any sport, but they manage and strive nevertheless.

“I came in thinking that I was just going to do this for fun, like, even if I do bad it won’t matter,” said Vivian Le (11), a Lindbergh student who is new to the team this year, “But seeing everyone around me motivates me– I learned that the community is really awesome.”

No matter how experienced or inexperienced, the team is welcoming and members push each other to put in their best effort everyday in the pool. Aubrey Bashwiner (11), a swimmer on the varsity team notes that all of the demanding effort and time that goes into the sport pays off in the end.

“My tip for people that are wanting to swim is to keep going– it’s really hard at the beginning but, if you keep going, I promise it’s going to get better,” said Bashwiner.

Mx. LHS: Now Open to All Genders

Lindbergh’s all male beauty pageant turns gender neutral

Elizabeth Cleary Editor - in - Chief

Mr. LHS has traditionally been an allmale beauty pageant hosted by Lindbergh High School in order to raise money for charity. This year, however, the student-run group that organizes the event is allowing students of all genders the opportunity to take the stage. Donning the new title of Mx. LHS, a gender neutral alterna tive, any and all students are encouraged to apply in order to ensure a bountiful number of candi dates.

“Advertising that anyone can do it, it’ll probably attract more people,” (12), a member of the Mx. LHS committee, said. Last year, in 2023, the event was unable to proceed as the number of applicants was too few. A large part of the decision to make the event gender neutral was based in the hopes that more students would apply given that all genders are now eligible. It is important to the Mx. LHS committee that the event takes place this year as it is primarily focused on raising money for the charity Friends of Kids with Cancer.

“The main point of this is to raise money for kids with cancer so the more candidates we have, the more money we can raise. I think having everyone involved is a good thing,” Schraut said.

Of course, the decision to make the event more inclusive is not solely based on the number of applications needed for the event to proceed undeterred. There is also a deeper sense of equality, inclusion and community on the minds of the event committee.

“I really love that it’s open to participants of all genders and that it allows people to express themselves authentically and to, overall, promote the inclusivity of the student body,” Tran Do (11), a Mx. LHS committee member, said.

The Mx. LHS event, in its entirety, works to showcase involved students at Lindbergh who participate in school and community activities and community service. As Lindbergh High School continues their tradition of hosting this event, all genders are invited to apply as well as to attend the pageant on Friday, April 5, 2024. The event will be held in the new Lindbergh auditorium with judges consisting of Lindbergh staff members.

“We just want to make everybody feel as comfortable and included as possible… the more the merrier,” Zenya Sharief (11), a member of the Mx. LHS committee, said.

Students partaking in the 2022 Mr. LHS pageant. Picture taken from Michelle Stortzum’s YouTube.