Ladue Panorama September 2013 Volume 62, Issue 2

panorama Ladue Horton Watkins High School • 1201 S. Warson Road • St. Louis, MO 63124 • Volume 62 • Issue 2 • September 9, 2013

A&E

fall movie preview [pg. 11]

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international volunteering [pg. 7]

OPINIONS

senior privilege [pg. 14]

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FEATURES

SPORTS

fall sports preview [pg. 16]

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NEWS egyptian connection [pg. 3]

PHOTO take two [pg. 8]

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St. Louis Manifesto Many native St. Louisans tire of the city’s perceived monotony. With the introduction of this section, we aim to shed light off the beaten path and to help people discover St. Louis anew. Countless field trips and family outings to the Arch or Forest Park dilute the splendor of these actually impressive attractions. After a lifetime of the same old things, we long for the excitement of newness. St. Louis Manifesto aims to showcase the city’s hidden gems. «

This month: Cherokee Antique Row a&e editor news editor

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eople rarely venture farther than the Central West End. Remain on I-44 East for just a few more miles and you can discover a picturesque stretch of Cherokee Street called Antique Row. Restaurants, antique shops and book and record stores offer eclectic merchandise in a unique ambiance.

From the friendly faces and greetings behind the cash registers to the bike-riding, tea-drinking customers, Antique Row emanates a pleasant, worldly atmosphere.

Walking around, you see weathered paint on the sides of old industrial brick buildings mingled with the ornate original storefronts painted in vibrant colors with tiles lining the doorsteps. Look in any window or past any gate to see rusted signs, old

toy trains and everything in between.

You feel a sense of subtle satisfaction seeing parts of history repurposed, appreciated and unforgotten. The Antique Row experience is about immersing yourself in history.

Enter any shop and you are nearly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff. Shelves overflow with old leather bound books and copies of Life magazine. Drawers are brimming with old polaroids, postcards and costume jewelry. Every nook and cranny is utilized to house just about everything you could imagine – it would take years to explore it all, and the stores are constantly restocking with new vintage treasures.

One store, called The Purple Cow, attracted our eye with its backyard.

Weave carefully through the narrow walkways between shelves and furniture to find yourself outside, in the back of the store, closed in by window panels and old doors. Beyond

Off Broadway

3511 Lemp Avenue

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ff Broadway is a one-room concert venue at the end of Antique Row near the Lemp Brewery. From the antique decor bought at local stores, to indigenous prairie plants growing outside its doors, to its promotions of up-and-coming bands, Off Broadway demonstrates loyalty to the city and artistic community. The laid-back enthusiasm that permeates the flannel- and denim-clad audience makes for an unintimidating concert experience.

The stage, a simple three-foot platform, allows the audience to get up-close and personal with the musicians. The music is candid and unencumbered by embellishments. Off Broadway offers a raw, vivid experience that music lovers yearn for. Opening the door to the dimly lit, black-and-white tiled room, there is a certain magnetism that enchants the patron immediately whether it’s his first visit or his hundredth. «

the barricade lies a wonderland of random artifacts. A bridge over a creek runs under an old sign for petroleum gas and toward a life-size alien figurine. The surrealistic, chaotic scene brings an involuntary smile and sends your sense of curiosity wandering. This is the quintessential sentiment opening any door or rounding any corner on the whole block.

Our only apprehensions are the price tags. Pricing varies widely.

You can pull from a bowl of one dollar jewelry while standing under a chandelier worth $2,000. While there are plenty of affordable things, you must remember much of the merchandise is for admiring rather than purchasing – at least not with a high schooler’s budget.

Antique Row is a mix of urban grit offset by welcoming, nostalgic sights. You cannot help but be delighted looking at an old (Photo by Karen Figenshau)

(Photo by Alli Loynd)

Dead Wax Records

1959 Cherokee Street

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e’re all familiar with Vintage Vinyl in the Delmar Loop.

While we’re fond of the bumper stickers and vast array of merchandise, the prices are high and the sense of closeness is lacking. “11-5 p.m. Saturdays or by chance” written on the door of Dead Wax is the perfect representation of the difference between it and Vintage Vinyl. Buying my first record from Dead Wax, this difference was reinforced. The guy behind the register, who introduced himself as Jeremy, talked casually as I browsed and encouaged me to message him on Facebook with any inquiries and requests. Though the inventory is only a fraction of Vintage Vinyl’s, most albums are easily accessible within a week with a simple Facebook message.

Dead Wax is the equivalent of a charming neighborhood hole-in-the-wall versus a chain restaurant. «

carousel horse sitting outside a gate with “Private Yard of St. Louis City Kitties” written in bright green.

Though St. Louis is often regarded as a dangerous city, the vibrant art and banners lining the street and welcoming characters on the sidewalk make Antique Row innocuous and fit for light-hearted exploration.

The social dynamic is manifested in everything from bright posters

promoting local artists and bands to a stack of books on a table on the sidewalk with a sign advocating, “take a book, leave a book.” Leaving with a handful of fliers and a plethora of business cards, the universal sense of community is unmistakable.

In all, Antique Row embodies the history of our city and allows us to refresh the pride and love we feel for our hometown. «

Directions to Antique Row 1) Take I-64 East 2) Take exit 34B for Hampton Ave. 3) Merge onto I-44 East 4) Take exit 290A for I-55 South 5) Take exit 206A and turn right onto Arsenal St. 6) Turn left onto Lemp Ave. 7) Turn right onto Cherokee St.

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NEWS

LOWDOWN

Boys’ soccer wins Quincy tournament

Gatorade players of the game are juniors Michael Wielansky and Justin Espinosa.

Fall play leads Leads in the fall play are freshman Journey Smith, sophomore Joe DeBoer, juniors Jack Lavey, Jarami Calhoun and Janine Norman and seniors Lily Kennedy, Catie Ryan, Chris Shirar, Hope Williams and Sam Israel.

Counselor of the Year LMS counselor Janey Worthington has been selected as St. Louis Suburban School Counselor Association’s Middle Level Counselor of the Year.

Research awards Junior Sarah Jacob was named a winner of the LMI Aerospace Inc./D3 Technologies Award for Excellence in Research for her work at the Students and Teachers as Research Scientists summer research program.

September 9, 2013

A diversified portfolio

St. Louis Mosaic Project and district diversity initiatives aim to promote immigration and a sense of community showed that the number one reason why we have population stagnation and economic decline is benews editor cause we don’t have enough foreign-born individuals in our community.”

The Mosaic Project’s efforts were recently t. Louis has far fewer immigrants than other cities of its size, according to a new initiative featured on Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN. The story highlighted the success of FroYo owner Jason called the Mosaic Project. The organization Jan, an immigrant from Malaysia. Jan described St. aims to change that by promoting “regional prosLouis as a very welcoming place for immigrants perity through immigration and innovation,” under and a great city to raise a family, and has created the direction of Ladue alumna Betsey Cohen, a numerous jobs through his business ventures. member of the distinguished alumni Class of 2002.

Jan’s success as an immigrant in St. Louis is a Founded two years ago, the effort is based on the idea that immigrants bring energy and ideas that story the project hopes to see more often with their initiatives. help revitalize comLearning about different cultures, ethnicities, According to Cohen, munities. nationalities, perspectives and experiences these efforts The project, include only grows our capacity as a human racesupported

by St. Louis there is only one true race of people. It allows working with City mayor us to better understand how we all function companies Francis Slay to streamindividually as a global community. and County line the visa Executive - Derrick Wallace, Director of Student Services and hiring Charlie process and Dooley, aiding in career recredentialing programs from imhopes to make St. Louis the fasting growing metromigrants with degrees from foreign countries. politan area in terms of immigration by 2020.

“We will attract people who create jobs that “We commissioned a study on economic impact employ others,” Cohen said. of immigration on our region,” Bob Fox, a partner The Mosaic Project is not only confined with the Mosaic Project, said. “That study clearly to the city. Part of the project’s efforts include employing Mosaic Ambassadors, volunteers who help foster multicultural awareness and acceptance.

Ambassadors support local organizations that work to help immigrants and make connections among international students and organizations.

In addition, the Ladue School District is taking action to celebrate and promote multicultural awareness and diversity. The district’s diversity initiative, led by Director of Student Services Derrick Wallace, aims to focus on issues regarding diversity, inclusion and equality.

“The goal of our diversity initiative is to promote an inclusive school environment that upholds high academic standards for all students through culturally responsive classroom instruction, professional development and sustainable relationships with all community stakeholders in an effort to support student-learning in our school district,” Wallace said.

Along with Cohen and Fox, Wallace stresses the importance of building an international community. While the Mosaic Project focuses on the broader community of St. Louis, Wallace is applying these same goals of integration and innovation to the microcosm of Ladue Schools.

“First and foremost, learning about different cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, perspectives and experiences only grows our capacity as a human race – there is only one true race of people,” Wallace said. “It allows us to better understand how we all function individually as a global community. Our

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schools are a reflection of this global community in which we live.”

While the Mosaic Project works in the broader sphere of regional businesses, global companies and universities, Cohen and Wallace agree that revitalizing a community begins on the individual level.

Both encourage citizens to broaden their sphere of influence, whether it be visiting an ethnic restaurant or reaching out to members of the community that are often overlooked.

“Specifically, high school students have a wonderful capacity to make connections to the global society in which they will soon be more active participants,” Wallace said. “Understanding one’s self before understanding others is a critical first step. Reach out to other students that you would not normally reach out to with the goal of building community.”

Some students have already been working towards briding the gap between international students in order to foster a greater sense of community. Junior Michael Prablek assists at Spoede Elementary’s English as a Second Language department, where he teaches ESL students from across the globe English and cultural immersion.

“Despite all of the ESL students’ diversified backgrounds, by working together, we’ve really established a sense of community and mutual understanding,” Prablek said.

art by AUDREY KOCHER

Prablek’s individual goals for a sense of a diversified community are equally aligned with Wallace’s. Ladue is home to an extremely diverse community of individuals, and the challenge that presents itself is focusing on common denominators and ways to celebrate differences rather than creating petty divisions, according to Wallace.

“The focus needs to begin with building a greater community within the school community, one where every person feels connected and feel their contribution is valid and worthwhile,” Wallace said. “There are over 47 different spoken languages that we know of in the Ladue School District. What a wonderful opportunity it is to develop and build on the sense of community that already exists. The challenge is yours if you accept it.” «

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September 9, 2013

NEWS

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Nation under fire: inside Egypt Egyptian students reflect on the current state of political upheaval and social unrest many citizens, and led to the overthrow of Morsi by the Egyptian military. Some Egyptians are glad Morsi was overthrown but do not appreciate the violent acts of protesting, such as Egyptian sophomore Kyrollos Shenouda. adue students are closely watching the drama in Egypt “[The Muslim Brotherhood] needs to stop doing what they are unfold, especially those with connections to the country. doing; Morsi was an awful leader... he’s by far the worst presiEgypt’s former president, Mohamed Morsi, was forced dent,” Shenouda said. “I think in a little while, it’ll probably calm out of office July 3. Following his overthrow, Morsi’s supporters down, and we’ll get a new president. Hopefully he will be better have been protesting in Egypt. than the last two, and he’ll stop this craziness that’s going on.”

In protest, members of the Muslim Brotherhood continue to While both Muslims and Christians are being affected and burn churches of Coptic Orthodox Christians, as well as killing killed by Morsi supporters, Coptic Orthodox Christians are being Coptic Orthodox Egyptians and killing Muslim Egyptians as especially targeted by the Muslim Brotherhood. Some Ladue well. Recently, senior Muslim Brotherhood leader, Mohamed Elstudents are members of the Coptic Orthodox faith and have conBeltagi, was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. Students nections to the people and churches that are suffering. with Egyptian heritage have strong ties to the conflict in the once “My church in Egypt was completely burned,” senior Miriam peaceful country.

Bisada said. “A lot of [the Muslim Brotherhood members] got “My connecinto the church, and they just started burning the tions are that I have whole building.” family there. I’m also When these Egyptian students compare Egypt I miss how peaceful Egypt was a Coptic Orthodox, to America, they see both similarities and differbefore anything happened. Any ences. They feel that there is more diversity in the and they’re trying to eliminate that sect tourist that has ever been to United States and that American people are more of people,” junior Egypt would tell you how cool it accustomed to democracy while citizens in Egypt Mariam Salib said. see corruption as a normal part of government. was, how hospitable people were.

“They just want it “A lot of people can be heavy on stereotypes to be their country. and racism, so [conflict] can happen anywhere - junior Mariam Salib Everybody who’s not really,” Shenouda said. “The U.S. is very differa Morsi supporter is an enemy to them.” ent. One reason is that there’s a lot more religious freedom in Salib, who lived in Cairo until eighth grade, was forced out the U.S., whereas in Egypt, the Christians and other religions are of Egypt due to the increasing hostility towards Coptic Orthoseen as inferior over the Muslims.” dox Christians. Her family still owns land there, but is unable to Many Egyptians of various ages, genders and religions have return due to the conflict. died due to the protesting. Salib, Bisada and Shenouda are hopeBefore Morsi’s rule, Egypt was led by president Hosni ful that the fighting will eventually die down.

Mubarak. After 18 days of demonstrations from Egyptians, “I miss how peaceful Egypt was before anything happened.

Mubarak resigned Feb. 11, 2011. Following Mubarak’s resignaAny tourist that has ever been to Egypt would tell you how cool tion, Egypt held elections that resulted in Morsi’s election as it was, how hospitable people were, how people were welcoming president in Egypt’s new democratic state. and they were so nice,” Salib said. “Right now, my aunt can’t go During the elections, the Muslim Brotherhood bribed poor to work because they’re blocking the roads, and it’s pretty scary Egyptians to originally bring Morsi into power. The bribing upset because people die for no reason. People have been thrown off news writer

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Washington and Colorado The Justice Department has decided that they will not challenge state laws legalizing marijuana as long as they do not break new federal enforcement policies regarding drug sales. (Read more on page 12)

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN • Smiling broadly, junior Miriam Bisada locates Egypt on a map. Bisada’s father is a Coptic Orthodox priest, and her entire church in Egypt was burned due to the increasing violence against Christians in Egypt.

(Photo by Magda Lijowska) of buildings if they’re caught saying they don’t support Morsi.

Luckily, we caught one of the main brotherhood leaders. Hopefully we’ll catch the others, and this will be over.”

Despite the hostility she has had to face against her people, Salib hopes to return to Egypt sometime in the future when the conflict subsides. She hopes to put her international background and experiences to use by pursuing a career in government or international relations.

“Egypt will always be my home. It is the most beautiful place,” Salib said. “Someday I really do want to run for the president of Egypt.” «

WHAT IN THE WORLD? Spain, Denmark, Serbia, China and Sweden This year, exchange students from Spain, Denmark, Serbia, China and Sweden are attending Ladue. (Read more on page 6)

Key West, Fla. Diana Nyad becomes the first swimmer to make the 110 mile swim from Cuba to Florida at age 64.

Egypt Top Muslim Brotherhood leader arrested; violence and politcal instability continues.

(Read more above)

Syria The United States is currently preparing for a series of limited military strikes against Syria in regards to President Bashar alAssad’s apparent use of chemical weapons against civilians. art by AUDREY KOCHER

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NEWS

September 9, 2013

Ladue graduates earn gold in Olympiads:

Alumni deepen educational experience after graduation news writer

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our Class of 2013 alumni extended their academic pursuits this past summer with participation in International Olympiads and the creation of a summer camp. Haohang Xu started her camp at Washington University in St. Louis to teach middle school girls about computer programming while Max Schindler, Runpeng Liu and Victor Wang were each selected to be a part of the U.S. teams that competed at the International Linguistic, Chemistry and Math Olympiads this past summer. The Olympians traveled to Manchester, Moscow and Santa Marta for their respective competitions.

Liu took a preliminary test and several labs in St. Louis before he was selected from 20 students nationwide to attend a summer training camp at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., a year before the competition. By the end of the camp, he had to exhibit why he should be one of the four best students to represent the U.S. team in Moscow.

“The best memory from the event itself was meeting lifelong friends from other countries,” Liu said. “I still keep in contact with the guys from New Zealand.”

Like Liu, Schindler also had to go through extensive preliminary evaluations that included two tests administered by the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad in order to qualify for the International Linguistic Olympiad. From the test, the top eight were selected to form the U.S. team.

“The individual contest is a five problem, six hour long test,” Schindler said. “The team round is just one problem, for which you are given four hours to do as much as you can.”

The International Math Olympiad, in which Wang competed, was a four and a half hour, three-question exam that had very complex questions. The three Olympians all earned gold medals either collectively on their team or individually. However, many of them valued what they learned even more.

“I gained a deeper appreciation for chemistry’s ability to improve human lives, whether through medicine, clean energy or something as trivial as making new pesticides,” Liu said. “Almost anything we can think of that makes our lives easier, like the material in our cell phones and computers, has chemistry behind it.”

While Liu and Schindler were pursuing their interests, 2013 graduate Haohang Xu started Girls Leading in Technology to Change Humanity, a summer camp that teaches young girls about computer science programming. Xu held her camp at the campus of Wash U. “We wanted to do something for the community in a meaningful way,” Xu said. “My co-program leader, Smitha [Milli], and I are both planning to pursue computer science in some way, and by a fortunate happenstance, we managed to more or less walk into all the resources we needed to run a computer science camp — something that both interested us and had the depth of impact we were seeking.”

For math teacher John Pais, who had all four students in class, hearing about such accomplishments comes at no surprise. Pais is very proud of his former students and looks forward to hearing

Parent Association preps for new year: news editor

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hile students were still enjoying their summer, the Ladue High School Parent Association was already in full swing. So far this school year, they’ve worked on their Sunday night newsletter, hosted a family night for freshmen and new students, and handed out free snow cones at Blue and White night.

“Our goals are always to support the students, support the staff and [support] the parents,” Parent Association co-president Carolyn Jaeger said. “Those art by TING DING are always our over-reaching goals, but each year we try to achieve those goals and they change as a result of the environment and new things that are happening.”

OLYMPIAN • 2013 graduate Runpeng Liu was part of the U.S. Chemistry team that competed in Moscow this past summer. “I gained a deeper appreciation for chemistry’s ability to improve human lives, whether through medicine, clean energy, or something as trivial as making new pesticides,” Liu said. (Photo courtesy of Runpeng Liu) about the accomplishments they make in the field they choose to work in.

“Each one of them is not only blessed with exceptional intellectual ability, but more importantly, each one of them is naturally driven to learn about and understand the world we live in at the deepest level,” Pais said. “Consequently, each one of them has exciting potential as an innovator and a design thinker.” «

In session since July, with focus on providing resources to students, parents and Ladue community

The Parent Association executive committee is a group of 12 parents who meet monthly.

The Parent Association has been meeting since July 1. The committee works on distributing information, gathering volunteers and writing the Rambell during the first month of school.

“It should line up, what we do for the school should be what the school needs and wants,” Parent Association copresident Tricia Soncasie said.

“If you have it in balance there, then you have a lot of resources going towards something important.”

The group dedicates the first month of school to letting parents and students know who they are, so that they have someone to call when seeking advice. These families are typically given the phone number of a Parent association member.

“A parent or family who doesn’t know what they want, who they’re supposed to be, what

they need, or they don’t understand how this works, typically get one of our names on the executive committee,” Jaeger said. “Its a phone call reaching out to them to help them along and transition into the building, with freshman and new students coming in.”

The association also works with families who are preparing to transfer seniors out of the building. Other major goals for the year include supporting Ladue parents and students and providing resources to everyone who is involved in our high school.

“I really appreciate the Parent association’s [efforts] and all of their hard work for Ladue High School,” sophomore Arron Chen said.

While the association receives many requests from parents on how to make the school a better place, they rarely hear from students, and are eager to provide aid to all student organizations.

The association can be contacted by phone number or email, both of which can be found on their website, laduehighpa.com.

“We’d love to hear from the students on things they are concerned about, ideas they may have, support that we can give them,” Jaeger said. “We’re here. All it requires is an email, text or phone call for support.” «

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September 9, 2013

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The most common order at Bread Co., in my experience, [is a] “You Pick Two:” strawberry poppy seed and chicken salad, black bean soup with a French baguette and a medium soda.

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ST. LOUIS BREAD COMPANY

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Yin and Yang

OLIVIA RAE DESIGNS

I sell skirts and button bracelets. My audience is mainly teenage girls, but I also have designs for little girls and grown women. [I started this company] to make people feel confident and happy enough to [walk] around in clothes of good quality.

FEATURES

- senior Hiyabu Habtemichael

features editor

- sophomore Olivia Davis

features editor

features editor

art by AUDREY KOCHER

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Where do you

WORK?

WATERWAY

It’s a great idea for students to get jobs because it teaches them the value of the dollar and the amount of work it takes just to get by.

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- senior Craig Emert CONGREGATION SHAARE EMETH

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[I] assist the teachers and make sure al the kids are on task… it’s fun to see the little kids being introduced to Judaism for the first time.

- freshman Shaina Kahn

BUCKEYE INTERNATIONAL INC. [Working at a factory] was eye-opening. The greatest lesson I learned was to work your full potential and through the pain because with it comes reward.

- junior Jenna Fee

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OLIVETTE PARKS AND RECREATION

I [referee] the younger kids who play soccer for the Olivette league. I ref because… I like watching the kids have fun [and]… I used to play soccer growing up and always wanted to blow a whistle at people and get paid to do it.

- sophomore Adam Sherberg

o the Class of 2017: Congratulations, you made it. You’ve successfully stepped up from the colored hallways of the middle school to the bustling hectic world of high school.

For those of you with older siblings, you may have already bombarded them with questions about what to expect, what classes to take and which teachers to avoid. However, for those of you who don’t, here are some tips I wish someone had told me freshman year: Join as many clubs as you have time for. Freshman year you will have the least amount of homework. Use leisure time to your advantage and dedicate it to extracurriculars. Sign up for multiple clubs with different goals and get involved in their events. Then, when you’re a sophomore, cut down on the amount of extracurriculars you’re a part of and focus on the ones you have a passion for. By taking the time now to broaden your experiences, you’ll have a better understanding of what you really enjoy.

Pay your dues. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not the top dogs anymore. You’re freshmen. Your time to own the school has passed and won’t return for four years. Although you can’t change your lowly status, you can change how upperclassmen view you. Respect the upperclassmen you come in contact with. If they ask for your attention, listen up because chances are they know what they’re talking about.

Second, don’t talk back to older students. Nothing is worse than a loud underclassman who thinks they’re all that. The bottom line is show your peers respect and ride this one out.

Take interesting classes. The difference in work load between middle school and high school is significant, but there are ways to make the transition easier. First, when given the option, take classes that you’re interested in. It’s much easier to study for a test in a subject you care about than one you do not, and you’re more likely to push yourself to achieve excellence. In addition, do not be afraid to challenge yourself by taking advanced classes. Although advanced classes move at a faster pace and demand more time, it is more rewarding when you do well in them, and it will give you more course options later.

Be active. We’ve all been in those classes in which no one wants to answer a problem or ask a teacher a question.

Fight the urge to be that kid. If you have a question, ask your teacher for help. If you don’t feel comfortable in front of the class, go in during Ac Lab. Additionally, take notes on what the teacher says and write down examples. Show your teachers that you care about their classes, respect them and be thankful for their time. If you develop a relationship with them, you’ll find the class more enjoyable and may secure future recommendation letters.

These are just a few tips which will help you in your freshman year. The most important thing is to use your time wisely and conduct yourself in a tolerable manner. This year I challenge you all to take advantage of the school and its resources, to step outside of your comfort zone and learn how to become a well-rounded individual. « (This column reflects the opinion of the writer.)

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FEATURES

September 9, 2013

New clubs seek to make difference

Four new clubs aim to expand students’ horizons with local and global goals

art by AUDREY KOCHER features writer

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he start of a new school year means new clubs and new opportunities for students to explore. Some of these new clubs are the Student Sustainability Initiative, Dance Marathon, English as a Second Language Club and Art Club.

The Student Sustainability Initiative is a group that strives to promote environmental awareness. SSI wishes to push for solar power energy and composting at the high school.

“Our goal is to work to make the district of Ladue a more environmentally conscious place,” senior Elyse Mack said.

cause he believes it is for a great cause. In addition, it is similar to Mack’s interest in the environment began when she took Sweeney La Barge’s Advanced Placement Environmental Science some of his own work that he does outside of school, which also involves working with chronically ill kids. class. Mack got the idea to start the club after hearing that Park“Dance Marathon was a natural fit for me,” Farrell said. “It way School District was trying to conserve energy by installing is similar to my position with Camp Rainbow, which serves solar panels on their roofs.

Many students have shown interest in the club. These students children with cancer.”

Another club is English as a Second Language. The club aids are excited about adapting the energy conserving projects that international students at Spoede Elementary School learn English. other school districts are implementing.

“We help the kids expand and retain what they learn in daily “I think it is a worthy cause, and it is exciting that Ladue is class,” junior Michael Prablek said. going to pursue this sustainability initiative,” sophomore Emma ESL members have the opportunity to interact with young Cohen said. “This initiative offers a great opportunity for students children and help them improve their English speaking skills. to help out the environment and the school.”

Members say the feeling of satisfaction gained from boosting These issues cannot be addressed without taking action. SSI helped better the environment Sept. 7 by cleaning and beautifying confidence is overwhelming.

“Students can gain experience working with kids and help Deer Creek. those who need it,” Prablek said.

“The only way these things “Plus, the kids are really fun and will happen is because of the awesome.” students,” La Barge said.

It is a great opportunity for Another new club, Art Club, offers Student participation is also students to meet other stua great chance for students to express key in the Dance Marathon club. dents, that share the same their individuality. Through making This club strives to raise money art projects, students can show off for Children’s Miracle Network interest. their personality. by participating in a four-hour - sponsor Patricia Chavez “Our mission is to create an even dance marathon. This dance will better art community in Ladue and to allow students to have the be held once a year sometime in January or February. time, tools and support to express themselves through whatever “This is a great opportunity for students to make a difference medium they choose,” sophomore Elaine Zhang said. and put a smile on a child’s face,” senior Sophie Lustman said.

Art club will have weekly themes, which will allow the stuThis club strives to help a child that doesn’t have all of the dents to actively be involved in their projects. It is also a chance benefits that most kids do. Lustman believes that by bringing for students to use the time for open studio. this club to Ladue, students will gain the rewarding pleasure that “It is a great opportunity for students to meet other students comes with giving back.

“I think students have learned they can make a difference even that share the same interest,” art teacher Patricia Chavez said.

These new clubs add a unique element to the school and prothrough doing the smallest things,” Lustman said. vide students with a medium to express their interests. Students Others agree with Lustman’s philosophy and have joined can take pride in the accomplishment of bettering themselves the club to support her and Children’s Miracle Network. Math while also helping others. « teacher Micheal Farrell decided to sponsor Dance Marathon be-

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STUDENTS GAIN INSIGHT ABOUT NEW CULTURES:

Making a change with foreign exchange features writer

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ola. Bonjour. Ciao. Hallo.

There are hundreds of different ways to say hello, just as there are hundreds of different countries and cultures that speak these different languages.

Not many people get the opportunity to experience more than one culture, but there are a select few students that do. Ladue has the privilege of hosting some of these foreign exchange students.

Most young people that come to America for a school year are here in the hopes of gaining insight into different kinds of people and different perceptions of the world. One of these students looking to broaden her horizons is sophomore Jana Rsumovic from Serbia.

“I think there are a lot of opportunities [in America],” Rsumovic said.

“People are really nice, and this is a

land of mixed cultures, so I think it’s really fun to see all the differences.”

To get the chance to come and see the differences in culture is a long process, and people have many different reasons for wanting to come to the United States.

Sophomore Andreas Poulsen came to the U.S. from Denmark after his cousin and some of his friends participated in the program and told him about it.

art by AUDREY KOCHER

“All of my friends really enjoyed it,” Poulsen said. “I thought I would try it out.”

Junior Alazne Benito-Cruz left her home in Barcelona, Spain because she

wanted to learn English. She finds it challenging to adjust to classes in a different language.

“I studied English in school, but the level wasn’t very high, so it’s pretty hard to go to school in America,” Benito-Cruz said.

Former Ladue graduates Andrew, Anna and Christina Shaw are hosting a Chinese exchange student named Tony Deng. Junior Michael Wielansky’s family is also hosting an exchange student from Sweden.

Wielansky believes spending time with someone with different roots can be extremely beneficial.

“I like getting to know someone from a different country and learning how they live,” Wielansky said. “Teenagers in Sweden are more independent than they are [in America].”

The students visiting have noticed differences in culture as well. Food, language and schools are all different in some aspects.

“In Denmark the students sit in one class all day while the teachers

move from class to class, rather than students moving like they do here,” Poulsen said.

Despite the many obvious cultural differences, there are also similarities that the students see. Both Poulsen and Benito agree that music and clothing among teenagers are pretty much the same between their countries and America.

With that in mind, gaining knowledge about the way people live across the globe can be extremely beneficial.

“I think that in the future, I will be able to contribute [more] to my com-

munity in Serbia because of the skills and knowledge I have learned here,” Rsumovic said.

Despite the challenges students face when coming to a foreign country, most would agree that it is a great way to develop themselves. Not only do they learn about other cultures, but they learn how to adapt to different environments. In addition, they gain insight about themselves.

“I would do this again,” Rsumovic said. “I’ve learned so much about the world outside of my comfort zone, as well as about myself.” «

panorama

September 9, 2013

FEATURES

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What you didn’t know about...

(Photo by Jeanne Wilkinson)

Maritza Sloan

FOLLOW THE LEADER • Traveling across Morocco, senior Jordan Christ learns about different cultures. “Through all my travels with Rustic [Pathways], I have discovered the world, year after year, ultimately discovering myself and who I want to be,” Christ said. (Photo courtesy of Jordan Christ)

Around the world in 80 days Madison Barker, Jordan Christ and Jessica Puyo volunteer abroad over the summer

“I was set in a more rustic lifestyle,” Christ said. “I traveled in a bus called a ‘tro tro’ and drank out of water pouches.” features writer Christ built houses, cleaned the environment by picking up trash and taught English to children in Morocco. Puyo, who traveled with the Experiment in International Living program, also here are many ways a student can spend their summer vacation. They may decide to travel, go to sleep-away taught English when she visited Tanzania. camp or even just stay home. Seniors Madison Barker, “I went to Tanzania this summer because I wanted a program Jordan Christ and Jessica Puyo chose to spend their summers inthat focused on community service as well as cultural immersion,” Puyo said. “The people volved in programs around the world. in Tanzania are amazing. They Christ and Barker participated in a program called Rustic Pathways. completely love you and trust It is truly the experience of a This program allows students to visit you... The little kids would run lifetime. If I could do it again, any of 16 different countries and to us when they saw us and say I would go back in a heartbeat. ‘mzungu’ or ‘white person.’ They engage in a variety of activities. loved having their picture taken.

“Each country has different I’ve never been happier anywhere programs; some are service, some are -senior Madison Barker adventure and some are photograelse. ” phy,” Barker said.

In addition to completing service, these trips offer unique activities. Barker was given the chance to go market shopping and During her first two years in the program, Barker traveled to Tanzania. This summer, which was her third summer participating elephant riding while Christ traveled in a caravan. “[In Morocco] I got the opportunity to ride camels into the in the program, Barker traveled to Thailand and Mongolia.

Sahara Desert and spend the night there,” Christ said. “I also got “I did a program called ‘Come With Nothing,’” Barker said.

“So I came with one bag. It had [items] like shoes and sunscreen to spend a lot of time swimming in the ocean on our own private and [I had] the clothes on my back.” beach for a couple days.”

Both Barker and Christ observed cultures very different from In past years, Christ visited Tanzania, other places in Africa and Cambodia. This summer, she traveled to Ghana and Morocco. ones they experience at home. These cultures allowed them to try

T

“

#DoubleTake

sophomore Jacob Granick

Taylor Lautner

Q: Have you ever visited a Spanish speaking country?

A: I am a native of Costa Rica. I have studied at the Universidad de Salamanca, Spain... I have had the opportunity to travel to Mexico and other Spanish speaking countries.

Q: What was the hardest thing to learn about English?

A: The pronunciation in English is very tricky sometimes.

Q: What’s your favorite food from Costa Rica?

A: I love rice and beans, the main staple in Costa Rica.

Q: If you were stuck on an island and could bring one thing, what would it be and why?

A: A box of matches. If I were stranded on an island, I would like to make fire so that I won’t be cold at night and to cook my food. new things and learn more about different lifestyles all around the world. Actions which may have been appropriate in America were not in other places.

“The culture in Thailand is a lot different than [the culture] in the United States,” Barker said. “They dress more conservatively, and the head is considered holy, so it is rude to touch the top of someone’s head. Also, you never point your feet at someone while sitting on the floor.”

Just like Puyo, Barker and Christ both greatly enjoyed their time traveling. Although they lived in underdeveloped countries, the students experienced new cultures, made new friends and learned to appreciate their own lifestyles more. All three highly recommend the experience to anyone.

“The conditions are rustic to say the least, but it is truly the experience of a lifetime,” Barker said. “If I could do it again, I would go back in a heartbeat.” «

Panorama scoured the school for students who look like famous entertainers... Here are the results:

freshman Julia Biest

Elle Fanning

junior Jack May

Josh Duhamel

(Student photos by Sammy Leary; celebrity photos by taylorlautnerwow.com, fanshare.com and chacha.com)

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PHOTO

panorama

September 9, 2013

September 9, 2013

panorama

PHOTO

Life Imitates Art

And art reflects on our lives. The most effective works, and often the most enduring ones, allow us to empathize with their characters; they reveal something about ourselves through the experiences of others. Can you recognize these famous movie scenes as portrayed by Ladue teachers? Scan the QR Code to the right with your smart phone to see their cinematic inspirations. ÂŤ photo editor

photo editor

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ADS

panorama

September 9, 2013

Join us for FRESHMAN PREVIEW DAY. Friday, Oct. 11, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (lunch is on us!) * tour campus * learn about academic programs * check out financial aid & scholarships

Register online: www.fontbonne.edu/ladue To learn more, contact our admission office at 800.205.5862 or fbyou@fontbonne.edu.

panorama

September 9, 2013

A&E

Making up for wasted time: a&e editor

S

ummer is a time for many fun activities. One of which is the array of big budgeted movies to keep millions of people entertained, and in return, generate millions of dollars for the industry. Unfortunately for Hollywood, their recent tactics of recycling plots and rebooting old films proved unsuccessful over the past few months. Few films were worthy of any positive recognition. However, autumn has an incredible lineup of movies, many of which are original scripts, and some of which are must sees.

One guaranteed money maker is the highly anticipated “Catching Fire,” the next addition in the Hunger Games series. Worldwide, the last film made nearly 700 million dollars in theaters. Jennifer Lawrence will reprise her role as Katniss, along with rest of the cast from “The Hunger Games,” unless, of course, they died in the Hunger Games. Once again, Katniss and Peeta must return to the arena to fight to the death, this time with all of the other victors from previous Hunger Games tournaments.

At first, this plot seems like kind of a reach, however it evolves into something more intriguing when a rebellion starts to brew among the oppressed districts of Panem, inspired by Katniss’s heroics.

Nine years is a long gap to hold in between sequels, but no one complained when “Anchorman 2” became official a few years ago. Since then, director Adam McKay and his crew have been making the long awaited follow up to 2004’s comedy landmark. The original “Anchorman,” from my experience, is the most quotable film that our generation has experienced. The movie will feature many cameos from celebrities like Harrison Ford and the rap artist Drake, and

11

After a disappointing summer, autumn films look promising

the hilarious Kristen Wiig will also be playing a new character in the movie.

Controversy surrounded director Peter Jackson’s decision to split “The Hobbit,” - approximately a 200 page book - into a trilogy. Part one of the series received lukewarm reviews from critics; I thought it was a fun, more lighthearted take on Middle

art by ASHLEY TURNER

Earth. The second installment follows Bilbo and the dwarves on their quest to slay the dragon Smaug and retrieve their stolen gold. It looks very promising and action packed, and despite the

odd splitting of the trilogy, I trust Jackson more than anyone with “The Hobbit.”

Horror fans are also in for a treat this fall: a remake Stephen King’s “Carrie” is being released this October, just in time for Halloween. Carrie is a troubled girl with an insane mother who is mercilessly bullied at school. At a school dance, a few students take a prank too far, pushing Carrie to her limits and forcing her into a murderous trance. Another horror film being released this fall, “Insidious: Chapter 2,” is the sequel (obviously) to 2010’s surprise hit “Insidious.” Director James Wan, who also directed “The Conjuring,” takes viewers back into the tortured Lambert family house so we can see them be haunted again.

Then we have the Oscar contenders, the movies that always come out this time of year, and the movies you’ll hear about for the next five months. First, we have “The Counselor,” from famed action director Ridley Scott. Michael Fassbender stars as a lawyer who gets in over his head when he becomes too involved in drug trafficking. Other big talents include Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and Cameron Diaz. The script comes from a book written by Cormac McCarthy, his other works including “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men.” Both were adapted into movies and the latter winning Best Picture at the 2008 Academy Awards. Another serious contender is “The Wolf on Wall Street,” directed by Martin Scorsese, who can’t make a film without it taking a couple Oscars. This one stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a wealthy stockbroker who makes it all the way to the top, then gets involved in corruption and crime on his way down. Lastly, “Captain Phillips” stars Tom Hanks as a cargo ship captain who must deal with Somali pirates hijacking his freighter. Director Paul Greengrass has proven his ability to helm a thriller in “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

Autumn, without a doubt, will come with some exciting new movies. Whether it’s comedy, action or horror, audiences worldwide have something to look forward to before winter arrives. «

New burger joint reigns supreme

Dave and Tony’s opened in 2011 to master the patty between the buns, fries as well a&e writer

W

ow. The burger gods have truly blessed Dave and Tony’s Premium Burger Joint off Olive Boulevard with utterly incomparable tasting food unlike I have ever had before. First opened in June 2011, this place has been cranking out some of the best burgers ever.

Cattle don’t die in vain if they are made into a Dave and Tony’s burger.

The restaurant itself is very clean, hardly a noticeable spot anywhere in their spacious, diner-style eatery. Its design and overall feel is that of a burger place, but no one is expecting mahogany trim and plush armchairs when eating burgers and fries. There is one nice flat-screen hanging on the wall that will project whatever St. Louis sports team is playing at the present moment.

You approach the single register and then the fun begins. Yes, they have traditional steakburgers, but you come here for their specialty burgers

– no formulaic Big Macs here. But the very best part is their “Build Your Dream Burger” menu, off which I ordered my custom burger.

So many possibilities. I broke out my abacus and calculated there are approximately 99 billion ways you can make your own burger with a total possible 68 ingredients (all of them as in-house made as they can possibly accomplish) that could go in your burger.

Here’s what my order looked like: well-done steakburger on Dave’s original bun, gorgonzola blue cheese, mild cheddar, iceberg lettuce, red onions, tomato, onion rings, bacon, house mayo and steak butter. The custom burgers run a little more than menu ones, ($10 as opposed to around $7.50) but that extra $2.50 is an insignificant price to pay for deliciousness. Along with that, I ordered a cookies n’ cream milkshake ($3.50) and an order of fries ($1.75).

I was given a number and told that my food would be delivered to my table, and when it came, we were overcome with joy.

With my soaring heart, I bit into my burger and was immediately transported to world where flowers prance through prairie grass and bunnies sing Beatles songs on a loop.

That burger was, and still is, the tastiest, most satisfying burger I have ever had the good fortune of eating.

The entire ensemble was nirvana.

The house mayo didn’t taste at all like that Hellman’s gloop; the bacon was thick and crispy. You could taste the onions in the lightly battered rings, the meaty burger with mouthwatering, and non-vegetarian juices escaping from protein heaven just took me for magic carpet ride.

The very best part, though, was that steak butter. A mixture of butter, wine and various spices blended together, it could seal a black hole and has even proved a cure for the common cold.

The hand-cut fries, which were fried perfectly and sprinkled with just the right amount of salt, complimented the burger beautifully. And although the cookies n’ cream shake tasted more like regular chocolate, it

too rivaled even the great and famous Crown Candy shakes and malts.

In terms of menu burgers they have Mushroom Bacon (selfexplanatory), Hawaiian BBQ (ham and grilled pineapple toppings), a local St. Louis burger featuring provel cheese and thousand island dressing, a Southwest Turkey and even a Mediterranean Veggie. Menu burgers come with a variety of buns depending on your order: rye, pumpernickel, pretzel and their Dave’s original bun, all of which are also available on the DIY menu as well.

The one menu burger we tried was the Mushroom Bacon ($7.95) with mild cheddar. Obviously, it wasn’t going to come close to my original masterpiece, but the burger did not disappoint. Better tasting than any other mushroom burger, it was jam-packed with ‘shrooms on top of exquisitely melted cheese. The burger itself was equally fantastic.

TWO GUYS, BURGERS AND FRIES • Above

is a customized burger at Dave and Tony’s Premium Burger Joint. Burgers here have seemingly endless toppings and possibilites. (Photo by Andrew Tsiaklides) I will never go to Steak ‘n Shake again until I’m a broke college student. There is absolutely no comparison. The quality and taste of Dave and Tony’s burger, fries and shake makes Steak ‘n Shake want to run to its grandmother and far surpasses the Golden Arches. As the owners say themselves, next time you’re craving burgers, please consider Dave and Tony’s Premium Burger Joint. If you don’t like it, I will personally refund you (not really). «

panorama

OPINIONS

Annie-way...

The grass isn’t always greener

St. Louis boasts new, unexpected opportunities opinions editor

art by AUDREY KOCHER

art by AUDREY KOCHER

A step in the wrong direction opinions editor

A

h, summer. Full of sun, swimming, and socializing. And, of course, scandals.

What am I speaking of, you ask? Well, for starters, summer just wouldn’t be summer without some sort of controversial, media-circus type trial that unfolds like a soap opera. In the 1990s there was OJ Simpson, a few years ago Casey Anthony appallingly walked free, and in 2013, we watched the Trayvon Martin trial. Did a neighborhood watchman by the name of George Zimmerman shoot and kill black teen Trayvon Martin in pure self defense? Or was he motivated by racial hatred? When George Zimmerman was declared not guilty of first-degree murder, it sent shockwaves through the nation. Whether you agree with the verdict or not, the nature of the case itself poses some questions. Chief among these queries, echoed by newspaper reporters, television pundits and regular citizens alike, is that question that we never can quite answer. Is racism still a major issue in America?

In a word, yes.

Look around. Left and right, new tales of contemporary racism are cropping up. Recently, there has been much discussion about New York City’s “Stop and Frisk” laws, which give police the authority to, well, stop and frisk anyone whom they regard as suspicious. While proponents claim that this law has deterred many criminals, critics argue that it is no more than a form of racial profiling. All things considered, it’s hard to argue with that conclusion. Recently, a federal judge ruled this policy unconstitutional, citing how it violates the Equal Protection Clause as well as the Fourth Amendment’s ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. The judge, Shira A. Sheindlin, remarked on how African-Americans and Hispanics are the subjects of most of these inspections, higher than the rate at which they are responsible for crime. While this ruling is a step in the right direction, an appeal is likely, so stay tuned.

Let’s not forget about another controversy that reeks of racism, one that hits even closer to home for us Missourians. During the Missouri state fair on Aug. 10, a rodeo clown donned a mask of President Obama at a bull-riding competition. As the crowd jeered, voices over the loudspeaker asked them if they wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull.” Another clown ran up to the one dressed as Obama and played around with the mask. One witness likened the whole scene to a Klan rally.

Events like this one are vile, offensive and just plain deplorable. I was sickened upon hearing that this whole episode happened in Missouri. While the people behind the stunt are playing it off as a harmless joke that went too far, the bottom line is that no matter what the intention, racist comments or actions are always unacceptable, and it is up to us prevent them from happening.

Racism is by no means extinct. As evidenced by these recent incidents, we still live in a society where bigotry and intolerance are commonplace. Rather than marvel at how far we’ve come, Americans need to concentrate on advancing even more. Advancing beyond racial profiling. Advancing beyond stereotypes. Advancing beyond narrow-mindedness. And ultimately advancing to a world free from racism. « (This column represents the opinion of the writer.)

September 9, 2013

opinions writer

A

round this time every year, thousands of high-school seniors in St. Louis are thinking about where to apply to college.

Visions of New York City, Los Angeles and Miami dance constantly in their heads. And what do all of these glamorous places have in common?

They are all a long, long, long way from St. Louis.

But why are teenagers in such a hurry to leave St. Louis? After all, any place that serves toasted ravioli on a regular basis can’t be all that bad. Yet somehow many are tempted by the siren song of larger, flashier cities.

Granted, St. Louis is not exactly a cultural hotbed, an economic hotbed, or, for that matter, a hotbed for much of anything. But perhaps that’s just the thing that makes St. Louis so incredibly special.

Nestled comfortably in the Midwest, St. Louis truly is a wonderful

place to grow up. The perfect blend of small town and metropolis, St. Louis serves as the backdrop for many an idyllic childhood. Who among us doesn’t recall riding the train at the zoo, waiting in line at Ted Drewes, or rooting on the Cardinals at Busch Stadium? Despite its reputation for being dull and monotonous, upon further inspection it is revealed that St. Louis is anything but.

Still want to escape to a new

town for college? Go right ahead. But don’t be surprised if pretty soon the lure of good old St. Louie is too much to resist. After all, there is a reason why so many people make their home in St. Louis. It’s a great place to live! With a low cost of living and lower tax rates. St. Louis appeals to many families and professionals. Not to mention the many job and career opportunities. St. Louis is home to a plethora of large, well-known corporations (Monsanto, Mastercard and Purina to name a few). St. Louis is also expected to experience continued growth in employment and career opportunities.

St. Louis is not flawless - the crime rate is still high, the weather is not ideal, and some would say the pizza is too thin, but it has many qualities that make it a great place to live, work and play. «

art by MARY XIAO

Staff EDITORIAL Recently CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta made national press when he announced his change in opinion on medicinal marijuana. Gupta shared that he had discovered concrete evidence that medical marijuana works better at treating certain conditions than medications can. Gupta’s change in opinion garnered controversy, and challenged people to reconsider this issue.

The truth of the matter is that there are patients with legitimate illnesses in the United States who would benefit from marijuana. Case closed, right? Wrong. While newer scientific studies have shown that marijuana can relieve some symptoms, some people still argue that legalizaart by tion of medicinal marijuana would be ELA INE ZHA practically the same as legalizing the drug NG altogether. This is because it is hard to draw the line of who actually needs it for their health and who does not. Who is to

Panorama is produced 10 times per school year by the journalism class of Ladue Horton Watkins High School « 1201 S. Warson Rd., St. Louis, Missouri 63124 « (314)-993-6447 ext. 5463 « www. laduetoday.com Panorama strives to inform and entertain students, staff and community members and to uphold professional standards of accuracy and fairness. The publication aims to engage the student body by eliciting dialogue among readers.

Panorama welcomes and encourages letters to the editors.

Ideally, Panorama accurately represents the issues most important to readers and should serve as a public forum for all students, staff and community members.

Therefore, letters voicing readers’ opinions strengthen the paper. Please bring signed letters to Room 216 or email them to panorama@ladueschools. net. Panorama reserves the right to edit submissions as long as the original intent remains unaltered. «

Medical marijuana will do more help than harm

say that even the least severe of symptoms doesn’t warrant a prescription? In this respect, marijuana would be legally accessible to all.

Critics say that with easy access of the drug comes a high risk of abuse. However, tobacco, a legal substance, has a 30 percent addiction rate, as opposed to marijauna’s 10 percent addiction rate. Marijuana, unlike tobacco, can be used to help treat medical conditions. So why is it still illegal in all spheres?

It is irresponsible of the medical and legislative communities to deny the suffering any sort of treatment that could potentially benefit their health. The fact is that a large number of people would trulybe helped from the legalization of marijuana. « (Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of Panorama stafff.)

First day issue corrections: • on pg. 2, Brad Griffith taught at Metro Academic and Classical High School in St. Louis, Mo. • on pg. 2, Audrey Kocher’s art was uncredited.

SPORTS EDITORS Aaron Bry Jason Kaplan

(Photo by Jillian Proehl)

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ART EDITORS Audrey Kocher Ashley Turner

BUSINESS MANAGERS Andrew Cherrick Nick Nash WEB MASTER Warren Biest

WEB EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Justin Cole

PLEASE RECYCLE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Chloe An Emily Biest A&E Editors Karen Figenshau Charlie Garside

Features Editors Sarah Jacob Sabrina Medler News Editors Ali Gold Alli Loynd

Opinions Editors Annie Cohen Mike Figenshau PHOTO EDITORS Elyse Mack Jeanne Wilkinson

WEB EDITORS Yoav Kadan Rachel Wagner-Muns Sarah Kessel WRITERS Juliann Bi Will Deutch Salim Douaihy Hannah Frankel Levi Greenberg Hayden Hunt

Jacob Jacob Bram Levy Michael Petersen Hannah Schwartz Janey Sheth Hannah Snidman Andrew Tsiaklides WEB WRITER Henok Getahun

PHOTOGRAPHERS Sydney Ellis Sammy Leary Magda Lijowska Jessica Puyo Jenna Shanker Danielle Thompson Emma Weller ARTISTS Juliann Bi Ting Ding Matthew Hooper Mary Xiao Elaine Zhang Eric Zhu ADVISOR Jillian Proehl

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September 9, 2013

It all looks the same to me: Students should dig deep to truly differentiate colleges opinions writer

C

olleges love to display particular statistics on their websites, letters, emails and advertisements in an attempt to make themselves appeal to any potential applicant. It is rare that these statistics provide meaningful information for high-schoolers who want to make educated decisions about where they will attend college.

For example, take Mizzou’s website. On the home page, in the “Mizzou Measures Up” section, there are the following stats: first, “Mizzou educates 25 percent of all undergraduates who attend Missouri’s public universities.”

Second, “MU’s nationally prominent faculty art by ERIC ZHU scholars and scientists publish more than 1,600 books and scholarly articles each year.” Third, “Every year more than one million Missourians turn to MU Extension to improve their lives, communities and economies.” Lastly, “During fiscal years 2010–12, MU Extension’s Business Development Program generated $2.5 billion in economic impact for the Missouri economy.” Wonderful. Now we know that there are some great things going on at Mizzou. But does this information really allow applicants to differentiate Mizzou from other colleges?

When colleges offer generic sales pitches, students are driven to pick their colleges on bases such as reputation and name. This

is dangerous because students struggle to choose their colleges by evaluating important factors that are more influential on their college experiences, such as variety of extracurricular activities, specific academic programs and opportunities to study abroad.

Applicants need to dig deep to isolate viable schools and break through mountains of statistics to find unique characteristics in each school they consider.

So, from here an essential question arises: “How does one determine his best college fit?” What’s important to one person may not be as important to another. For example, some people may feel that school size is a higher determinant than location, type, setting, selectivity, cost or any other factor. Online tools such as the College Board’s Big Future program allow students to weigh the elements in certain colleges by separating schools that meet specific criteria. But objective tools such as Big Future are insufficient in the entire search for colleges. Students must also evaluate colleges holistically.

According to College and Career Counselor Scott Cornwell, the key question is, “What setting do you see yourself the best in?” Cornwell likes to use the analogy of dating for deciding colleges. The main goal should be to end up with the college that one could enjoy for two to four years. “Trust me, there is a college that is the best fit for you,” Cornwell says.

Students must avoid taking college promotions at face value, even if that means evaluating countless criteria and poring through tons of advertising materials, because every college is unique and a possible match. «

Staff EDITORIAL Imagine life without long security lines at the airport, constant terrorist scares on the news and public debates concerning the trade-off between security and private rights. Kind of hard, isn’t it? In fact, stop any student walking down the hall, and chances are they do not remember life before Sept. 11. Ever since that tragic event in our history, our society has become numb towards the loss of life and violence, and simply because we don’t know any better, this desensitization towards tragedy has manifested itself the most in the teenage generation.

Some blame the video games or the grotesque movies, while others point towards media’s tendency to cover negative events on a daily basis over random acts of kindness. But regardless of the cause, our youth is no longer capable of intense compassion for tragedies.

We shrug off babies suffocatart by AUDREY KOCHER ing to death in overheated cars or bombings in the Middle East killing 20 or more innocent civilians with a “oh, that’s too bad,” and a sense of gratefulness it didn’t happen to us.

It isn’t until tragedy hits too close to home that we begin to understand the depth of loss and pain. The loss of community members can snap anyone back to reality, and the past month has done just that for the Ladue community. Classmates flooded social media outlets with sentimental messages of memories and

Society should be more sensitive to tragedies and widespread violence

condolences, strangers and friends alike offered their sincerest sympathy for the families and students donned the school sign in the front circle with flowers and notes in memory of the two students who used to walk the halls of our school. Ladue students bled blue in the most respectable manner possible, and many were reminded of the brevity of life in the harshest way possible.

Why must it take the loss of loved ones for us to realize the cruel reality of death? Why do we have to be slapped in the face with a tragedy that affects us personally before we can feel deeper empathy for others?

The hardest part of this problem is that there is no obvious solution. It’s easy to identify the problems and simple to try to pinpoint the causes, but taking action to fix it is a different issue altogether. We can’t wave a magic wand and suddenly make violence and tragedies no longer a norm. We can’t tell people to start feeling bad when they are bombarded with tragedies on a daily basis. But we can try our best to slow down and appreciate life more – educate ourselves about the conflict in Syria, take a moment to remember the teenagers who died in the car crash in Wildwood even if we didn’t ever personally know them and treat every building fire, death or terrorist scare as a reminder that life is to never be taken for granted. « (Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of Panorama staff.)

OPINIONS

The Fig Picture

art by AUDREY KOCHER

No way, NSA opinions editor

I

t may seem crazy to think that the government could be spying on unsuspecting Americans’ emails, text messages and phone calls, but under Prism, a clandestine mass electronic surveillance data mining program, the National Security Agency has worked with telecommunications providers to install equipment that scans, filters and copies about 75 percent of domestic telecom traffic. Armed with a court order, NSA can command the surveillance system to provide the information it asks for. The Obama administration has defended and endorsed Prism and has claimed Prism only allows “modest encroachments on privacy.”

Although the NSA’s intentions are reasonable, Prism violates the letter and spirit of federal law, as no statute explicitly allows mass surveillance, and the administration has employed several sneaky strategies to justify the program.

The government justifies Prism under the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which grants the president broad authority to conduct warrantless electronic surveillance. If the attorney general and director of national intelligence certify that the surveillance is intended to collect information about any nonAmerican individual or entity not known to be in the United States, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court can provide the NSA surveillance orders and can require companies to provide access to the data. However, the court does not approve the target or facilities to be monitored, nor does it assess the government’s efforts to minimize its intrusion, correct collection mistakes or protect privacy.

Under the FISA Amendments Act, the government “may not intentionally acquire any communication as to which the sender and all intended recipients are known at the time of the acquisition to be located in the United States.” Prism is intended to produce at least 51 percent confidence in a target’s “foreignness.” By ignoring the fact that at least 49 percent of the communications might be purely among Americans, the NSA has intentionally acquired information it is not authorized to have.

The NSA has also mislead the public. When Congress reauthorized the FISA Amendments Act in 2012, legislators said Prism could not “target” American citizens or permanent residents. Under the act, a “target” is a person or entity the government wants information about - not necessarily the people the NSA is trying to listen to. Therefore, the act allows the NSA to to grab Americans’ messages if they are communicating with a target or anybody outside the United States.

Many Americans believe this widespread misconception.

Finally, Prism violates the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment requires the government to prove probable cause before conducting searches and seizures. There is simply no precedent under the Constitution that allows the government to seize so much information about telecommunications. The government has negated the Fourth Amendment by repeatedly referring to specific Supreme Court cases, decided before the era of widespread Internet access and cell phones, to argue that American citizens have no expectation of privacy in cell phone metadata or in electronic messages stored with third parties, overriding the need for probable cause. This infringes on privacy and contradicts basic constitutional law.

Although the public may never fully understand the Prism completely, the administration has abused language, avoided statutory protections and used secret, unintelligible legislative mechanisms to violate the letter and spirit of the most basic federal laws. The administration needs to be more transparent, cooperative and explicit in its procedures to fulfill its professed duty of protecting Americans’ privacy. « (This column reflects the opinion of the writer.)

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OPINIONS

September 9, 2013

Senior Privilege Is... a reasonable reward for seniors and a solid incentive for underclassmen. ward for what they have accomplished so far.

Similarly, the prospect of senior privilege motivates underclassmen to fulfill their credit requirements so fter three long, hard years of high school, seniors senior year does not become a final definitely deserve some sort of reward. After all, classes panic to earn credits, because only keep getting harder, college deadlines approach, and the all-too familiar senioritis starts thinning motivation to do anything students who can afford to use senior privilege are allowed to use it. When but watch Netflix and sleep. Senior privilege allows the “top these classes are taken earlier in high dogs” at Ladue to have some down time and rewards their hard school, more schedule spots open work during their first three years. up for a reduced schedule or for By the time senior year arrives, most students have already completed most if not all of their required credits. Having a fourth a class that someone actually has interest in. year with a complete schedule is essentially doing unnecessary Senior privilege can produce other work. Unless a student wishes to do so, taking classes for unbenefits as necessary credits is a waste of time well. Many and effort. Besides, senior privilege use only takes up one period of the entire Seniors should have the opportunity seniors their extra time day. Rather than depriving students to either come to school late or leave off, notably in of school for many hours, senior privilege shortens the school day by early as a reward for what they have the afternoon, get in extra a mere 90 minutes. Senior privilege accomplished so far. Similarly, the to hours at a job is a practical, appropriate reward for prospect of senior privilege motivates that go towards seniors who are on track to graduate.

Besides, seniors deserve some underclassmen to fulfill their credit their college tuition, their sort of bonus for the work they have requirements. family’s expenses, accomplished. High school involves or even extra money for fun. Even students who do time and dedication, so making it through freshman, sophomore not work spend their senior privilege productively and and junior years is an achievement in itself. Seniors should have the opportunity to either come to school late or leave early as a re- wisely. In other words, it is better for a student to have opinions writer

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additional time to have a job, study or even relax, than to be required to stay at school and take classes that do not interest him.

Seniors usually put their senior privilege time to good use.

While not at school, seniors can use this time to do homework and work on college applications. Many students can barely complete all of their usual tasks in one day, so the addition of timeconsuming applications is a scary thought. Seniors should have additional time to complete their even lengthier to-do lists. Even with this year’s stricter Learning Center rules, it remains difficult to accomplish as much work as possible when surrounded by a large number of other students. At home, Starbucks or somewhere else, off-campus seniors have the potential to get much more work done because they can generally choose their surroundings, avoid distractions and enjoy pleasant, quiet environments for work and study.

Finally, senior privilege improves students’ morale and health. Many seniors with busy schedules can benefit from extra sleep and become more productive and motivated. The ability to sleep in or go to bed earlier can substantially improve a teenager’s day and will improve his attitude about going to school, studying and participating in extracurriculars and is also beneficial to student health.

Although senior privilege takes students away from school, it rewards them for years of effort, offers an appropriate opportunity for productivity and helps students rest enough and handle their schedules. Most importantly, it serves as an incenR OOPE tive to complete credits and work HEW H T T A art by M hard right from the first day of freshman year. «

an invitation to waste time and pass on valuable academic opportunities.

art by JULIANN BI

opinions writer

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t’s the beginning of yet another school year. And, with the dawn of the fall semester comes the perquisites that virtually every senior has been waiting for, namely, the fabled senior privilege. There is an indefinite amount of arguments that can be made as to how advantageous these newly bestowed liberties are.

The excuse we all hear for the use of this supplementary time is predictable. Many seniors will claim that they use it to the utmost efficiency: preparing dreaded college applications, completing homework for whatever classes they have left to take, or simply taking a job.

Admittedly, some seniors do make justified use of their senior privilege hours. However, the percentage of people who maintain this integrity is comparable to that of the number of productive students in Ac Lab: infinitesimal. The truth is, no one can rightly be blamed for this misuse of time. Perhaps instead of arguing over whether or not students should loiter around after school or applying regulations to the Student Handbook that never gets read cover-to-cover, the school board should opt to develop a cure for

senioritis: the real reason those with senior privilege don’t use their time optimally.

Senior privilege causes seniors to live an unconventional schedule. This elicits the inner laziness that is already an intrinsic feature of seniors. In the real world, one does not simply leave the workplace at random intervals of the day. For some, this instigated laziness and irregularity may be shrugged off with the increased workload and activities in college; for others, it will abide as an ill habit forever.

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Senior privilege causes seniors to live an unconventional schedule. This elicits the inner laziness that is already an intrinsic feature of seniors.

In addition, much of that privilege goes to waste. Parties, movies and lounging by the pool easily split up the valuable time that could be used for educational opportunities. Education is cumulative, the more time spent on it, the more it yields.

At this point however, seniors will probably shrug off Malcolm Gladwell’s theory that one needs 10,000 hours to master something, but the fact is practice makes perfect. For seniors, an entire school year of missed opportunities could result in a developmental fissure. Those who took a full course load are bound to have discovered new viewpoints and interests, while those who simply slept a few more hours will probably not. I am not saying that the life of a high school student should be all pain and no fun, but the Ladue district has some of the best facilities for learning in our state. Why not take advantage of it?

At this time, seniors should savor the last remnants of their high school experience, put the “school” into “school year,” and save those social escapades for summer. After all, you are only young once. We should take advantage of the opportunities that we have here at Ladue. The bottom line is that we won’t have readily accessible educational services at our fingertips forever.

It’s no secret that seniors already tend to be more on the “laidback” side, and giving them permission to leave school is hardly helping the problem. Having this time off can make already checked-out seniors even more lacksadaisical. A senior privilege is not synonymous with a study hall. Students in a study hall are far more motivated and focused than those with senior privilege.

This is due to the fact that there are is an infinite amount of distractions and temptations in the real world that are absent within the schoolhouse walls. It seems that for seniors, Starbucks and St. Louis Smoothie have an almost magnetic quality, and for most the lure is simply too strong to resist.

Perhaps the strongest argument against senior privilege among the underclassmen is the issue of fairness. Why should seniors be the only ones to enjoy this perk? There seems to be no reason why a junior or sophomore who is on track to receive all of their credits shouldn’t be given this privilege as well.

Ultimately, senior privilege is a great resource to have, at least for those who use it the right way. However, time is often spent dreaming of college rather than drafting college essays or knocking out an hour of homework. Of course, this is an exclusive privilege that isn’t easy to relent, but having costless, good-quality education that comes with a multitude of courses and possibilities is also a luxurious privilege not present in many parts of the world. In retrospect, giving all that up for a few spare hours every day is by far a most nonsensical exchange. «

September 9, 2013

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panorama

SPORTS

Sterling squashes Spain Junior Emma Sterling travels to compete against international athletes and improve her skills sports writer

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mma Sterling, one of the country’s premier squash players, traveled to Spain this summer to focus on the sport. Having gained a passion for the game from an early age, this junior has spent long hours in the courts to hone her craft.

“I started when I was eight,” Sterling said. “My dad has been playing for a long time, so it made sense for me to start. When I was 10, I took a break, but I started again when I was 12, and have been playing ever since.”

Sterling’s brother, thirteen-yearold Alex, also excels at the game.

Clearly, competition is fierce when this family enters the court.

“It’s very competitive when we play each other,” Emma Sterling said.

“The whole family gets into it, and there’s always a lot of pride on the line.”

This year, he only took my brother, a “Meeting the locals was very cool Despite the fact that she is one for me,” Sterling said. “It was a big of the best squash players in her age girl from Cleveland and me.”

Sterling and her coach, Mike Puer- part of the trip. We went to this old group, Sterling rarely gets the oppormonastery that’s no longer in use tunity to showcase her talents in local tas, share a close relationship. Puertas and there was a huge music festival. tournaments. In order to do this, she is confident in Sterling’s on-court abilities and skill.

I got to try different Spanish foods must travel often. and hear all sorts of different “Squash definitely music.” requires you to travel,” SterWhatever happens, I’ll end up Sterling now has her ling said. “The East Coast sights set on the future. She is where most of the big happy. There’s other ways to hopes to play squash in coltournaments take place. In St. play squash besides being on lege and plans to work hard Louis, there are only about an actual team in college. I’ll to get there. one or two competitions I can “It’s very hard to get play in every year, so I have probably play the game for a a scholarship for squash, to go to places like Pennsyllong time either way. so I’m really focusing on vania or Boston.”

- junior Emma Sterling academics in order to get into Sterling has certainly schools,” Sterling said. “I made a habit of traveling for tournaments. This summer she “Emma is one of the better players haven’t really spoken to any college coaches quite yet. I practice with the traveled to Santiago de Compostela, I have coached over the years,” Puerthe capital of Galicia, a province in tas said. “She is very smart and has team at Washington University in excellent decision-making skills. She St. Louis and my coach also coaches Northwest Spain. there, so that’s probably where I have “It was really exciting to go out picked up a lot in Spain and had tons the best chance to play.” of good experiences. She definitely there and play against their local talWhile she has no offers yet, Sterent,” Sterling said. “My coach is from has the potential to play in college.” ling will continue to work hard knowSpain, and he normally takes players Sterling has made vast improveout there to see what they can do. ments to her game since the trip. ing this is the best way to improve her chances. As one of the best players in While it was indeed helpful to her the country, she will continue playing squash career, according to Sterling, tournaments and matches against top it was also a very important, eyecompetition. Having already been opening cultural experience. around the world and back, there is no WHAT’S WITH ALL telling what the future could hold.

“Whatever happens, I’ll end up THE RACKET • With her eyes happy,” Sterling said. “There’s other on the ball, junior Emma Sterling ways to play squash besides being on winds up to play squash. Competing an actual team in college. I’ll probhere against her brother, Sterling preably play the game for a long time pares for the trip of a lifetime. (Photo either way.” « courtesy of Emma Sterling)

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Drop your plans and hitch a ride to go cheer on your Rams at these must-see matchups:

• Sept. 9- Girls Tennis vs. MICDS • Sept. 16- Boys Soccer vs. Saint Charles West • Sept. 20- Boys Football @ McCluer • Sept. 23- Girls Field Hockey @ Clayton (Photo by Elyse Mack)

Senior Sit-down Each month, Panorama sits down with a senior athlete. September’s athlete is Brent Morrow of the boys football team.

Jason Kaplan: What are your expectations for this season?

BM: I expect us to have a winning record, and of course, the ultimate goal is a state title.

JK: What are some games you are looking forward to?

BM: Parkway Central, McCluer, Clayton, of course, and probably Fort Zumwalt North because they’re all key games to win.

Morrow was chosen, along with other athletes across the nation, to play for a selective football team called Team USA. JK: Tell me about Team USA. BM: It’s a team where they get together kids from all around the country to play together. We’re practicing the first week of February in Austin, Texas. We play Canada Feb. 7.

JK: How has the Ladue coaching staff shaped you as an athlete?

BM: Coach Tarpey and the rest of the coaching staff have all helped us grow as men. They preach good character and show us respect.

JK: What are your responsibilities this year as a captain?

BM: As a captain, I am taking on a leadership role. I have to help the younger kids learn the ropes and be a good role model.

(Photos courtesy of Brent Morrow)

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panorama

SPORTS

September 9, 2013

Fall Sports Preview art by ASHLEY TURNER

boys’ soccer

girls’ tennis

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fter an 8-7 record last year, the girls’ tennis team is ready to play even better this season.

“Our goal for the season is to play hard, get better, and win a lot of matches,” coach Kevin Lackey said.

The team has a different look this year. Last year, the team graduated key players, but Lackey is optimistic about new players being able to fill their empty shoes.

“We have one new freshman, Irina Uminskaya,” Lackey said. “Also, senior Cam Newton and sophomore Kate Bisig are healthy.”

Newton, a captain, missed all of last season with a back injury. She put her goal for the team simply: win state.

The team’s next matches are at the Parkway West Doubles Tournament Sept. 10-12. The team hopes to start strong and come out of the tournament as the champions.

If the players can stay healthy and play to the best of their ability, the team could have a very impressive season. «

sports writer

sports writer

fter last year’s crushing 1-0 defeat against Parkway Central in sectionals, the soccer team is ready to go even farther this year.

“We are going to work hard during the season and use last year as motivation,” senior Javi Ritter said.

Last year, the team finished 16-7-1 and won districts. They hope to do even better this year.

“We think that we can get 18 plus wins, compete for a conference championship, and advance into the state playoffs,” senior Eric Petersen said.

Only three seniors played last year, giving this year’s squad a very experienced feel. Head Coach Matthew Prange is looking for the team to build off of last year’s success.

“I am looking for most of the team to be better than last year,” Prange said. “Most of us have been here already.”

After winning the season opener against Priory as defending MICDS tournament champions, the boys hope to hold on to their title and kick off the season strong. «

HARD DEFENSE • Fighting over the ball, seniors Javi Ritter and Nathan Rushing battle with each other in a scrimmage. This is Rushing’s and Ritter’s second year on the team.

(Photo by Magda Lijowska)

cross country sports writer

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ith their first meets behind them, both the girls’ and boys’ cross country teams are gearing up for a successful season. Last season, they both moved up from Class Three to Four, which is the largest group for cross country.

“It was a difficult transition,” senior Victoria Soncasie said.

“The competition is definitely tougher in Class Four than Class Three.”

The teams prepared for it as both the girls and the boys participated in running camps during the summer. The girls had a special opportunity to attend a running camp in Oregon as well.

“Most of our athletes ran over the summer, which is great, and is the foundation to a great season,” senior Drew Hutchens said.

Both captains agreed that their biggest obstacle for this season will be competing with difficult Class Four schools. The teams look forward to competing and having their hard work pay off in the new season. «

LEADING THE PACK • Setting the pace for her teammates, sophomore Felicity Brading kicks out in front of the rest of the girls. This is Brading’s second year on the team. (Photo by Danielle Thompson)

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EYES ON THE BALL • Focused on the game, junior

Sarah Waldman completes a pass and helps the field hockey team win. (Photo by Emma Weller)

field hockey

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web editor

or most people, the end of summer means the beginning of school. For the field hockey team, the beginning of school also means the start of what hopefully will be another fantastic season.

Ladue’s field hockey team has been consistently strong for the past five years. The team has made it to the Elite Eight every year since 2008, even making it to the Final Four in 2009. Their coach, math teacher Barbara Dwyer, is hopeful that the team can make a run similar to 2009.

“I’d like our team to get to the Final Four again this year,” Dwyer said. “I’d also like us to win the public school conference and the public school tournament. We’ve been getting second recently and we got second last year to Lafayette High School.”

Because the team lost eight seniors last year, Dwyer has some concerns. However, she is confident the team leaders will step up.

“When you lose that many seniors, you never can be sure if the rest of the team will step up to replace them. We are going to need several players... to perform well this season and we are going need some leadership from this year’s seniors as well,” Dwyer said.

If the team gets good performances from both seniors and younger players, there is no reason to think that they can’t meet their goals and perhaps even shatter expectations. «

softball

sports writer

ON HER TOES • Ready for the ball to come her way, sophomore Charlotte Mabbs sets up in an athletic stance at shortstop. (Photo by Emma Weller) ast year was a great season for the girls’ varsity softball team, and this year they hope to do it again by continuing to win throughout season.

“Last season we had a really good start, with a nice streak of wins,” sophomore Jessie Rich said.

They hope to open the season in a similar manner this year.

However, last year the team graduated four seniors, forcing them to readjust.

“They were all key players,” senior Jessica Mormol said.

“We’re going to have to make a few changes this year to help fill in their spots.”

In starting the new season, all the coaches are returning for their third year. They also welcome a new assistant coach, English teacher Katelyn Trombetta, to the varsity squad. Mormol and Rich hope that the team performs well in the postseason and come out on top, beating their previous records. «

SERVES UP • Gearing up for her powerful serve, junior Pamela Dogra sets up to ace her opponent in practice. (Photo by Sydney Ellis)

boys’ swimming web editor

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fter performing well in their first meet, the Ladue boys’ swim team is ready to dive into a successful season. Last year the team had trouble picking up wins. But the team only lost five seniors and retains some skilled swimmers who should be able to help lead the team to a better season this year.

“Some key swimmers this year will be seniors Enze Chen and Collin Ladd,” coach Corey Miller said. “However, every swimmer will have a specific role during our meets this season.”

Winning is not the only goal for the team this year. Team chemistry and support will be very important, regardless of overall record.

“One of my goals for the team is for the team to bond and realize that while each swimmer is competing in an individual event, their performance adds to the team score,” Miller said.

The team’s remaining players and the widespread support from the whole team should allow the team to have a successful season in the standings and in the state tournament. «

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DEEP BREATH • Inhaling while maintaining his stride, senior Jackie Chen works to perfect his freestyle stroke. This is Chen’s fourth year swimming. He wishes make it to state this year.

(Photo by Magda Lijowska)