Panorama September 2022

Editor's note

Over the summer, many had the lux ury to stay at home, do whatever and most importantly, wear whatever. Back at school, students now bear the burden of the intimidating public eye, where one uncomfortable stare can ruin any normal day. We, as students, are always aware of how we look and how it might make others look at us. When we are judged for our bodies before our actual selves, we can feel dehumanized. And to

feel validated in the oversexualized gaze, we warp and change our bodies to fit ar bitrary beauty standards. This month’s in-depth tackles students’ struggles with oversexualization in our clothing, our sports and our media.

In the news, we cover newly offered courses and the reintroduction of pep rallies. We also place a spotlight on a teacher returning to his career in Ladue theater and the new head football coach.

In the rest of our issue, we opine on ideas of escapism and romanticizing study ing. The staff also examine students’ child hood plushies and breakfast habits.

We hope you enjoy our first issue to gether as a staff. We wish the student body a great year.

Panorama staf

EDITORS IN CHIEF Max Eastman Olivia Hu Allen You

MANAGING EDITOR Emmi Walker

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Mac Huffman

Mimi Zhou

ART EDITORS

Tarek Al Husseini Erica Shi

PHOTO EDITOR Sydney Collinger

NEWS EDITOR Avery Anderson

FEATURES EDITOR Riley Coates

IN-DEPTH EDITOR Annie Zhao

OPINIONS EDITOR Pranavi Chintha

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Olivia Chen

HEALTH & SPORTS EDITOR Luke Lochmoeller

NEWS STAFF Mahith Samarathunga

FEATURES STAFF Jay Heintz Richie Jiang Rory Lustberg

IN-DEPTH STAFF Laura Shareshian

OPINIONS STAFF Emily Liu Katie Myckatyn

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT STAFF

Arti Jain Lathan Levy

HEALTH & SPORTS STAFF Joseph Baker Michael Zegel PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jay Heintz Vincent Hsiao

ARTISTS

Scarlette Maier Emilie Tian ADVISER Sarah Kirksey

Max Eastman Olivia Hu Allen You

Features

Table of contents

On sexualization

Opinions

& entertainment

Photo

Health & sports

Panorama policy

Panorama is a monthly newspaper that strives to inform and entertain students, staff and community members and to uphold professional standards of accuracy and fairness. The publication hopes to engage the student body by eliciting dialogue among students. It aims to reflect the diversity of the population it serves and to observe the journalistic principle of doing no harm.

Panorama is a member of the National Scholastic Press Associate, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Journalism Educators Association.

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Panorama is produced by the newspaper class of Ladue Horton Watkins High School at 1201 S. Warson Rd., St. Louis, MO 63124. The publication lab is located in room 1311, (314)-993-6447 ext. 5844.Read more stories on our website at laduepublications. com. Follow us on Instagram @laduepublications.

Front cover photo by Sydney Collinger. Front and back cover design by Olivia Hu. Front cover art by Mimi Zhou. EIC photos by Sydney Collinger.

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LEFT: Ashley Lock facilitates a discussion between sophomore Lilah Faron and other students of the History of Social Change in the U.S. The class consists of student-led discussions.

“I’m learning a lot from my classmates,” Faron said. “I knew a lot coming in, but [I’ve gotten to learn more] small details.”

RIGHT: Senior Jessie Stefek comforts it a dog during an exam. To keep animals safe, it’s important to keep them calm while using needles for blood work. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” senior Ava Hagen said. “There’s no other situation where I’m [going to] learn how to do blood work tests.” (Photos by Mac Huffman)

New lessons to learn

Social studies and science departments introduce new classes to curriculum

by Sydney Collinger photo editor

Ladue introduced three new classes this school year: the History of Social Change in the U.S., the History of St. Louis and Preventative Animal Wellness Ser vice and teaching clinic.

Sophomores and up are eligible to take the History of Social Change in the U.S. and the History of St. Louis. Juniors and seniors who have successfully com pleted biology and chemistry may enroll in the PAWS course. These three yearlong classes have been in the works for multiple years.

Molly Beck and Ashley Lock teach the History of Social Change in the U.S. with empathy and purpose. It has replaced the semester-long sociology course with a more comprehensive history of America as a multifaceted nation.

“Students who are seeking to see themselves represented in U.S. history will enjoy taking this course,” Lock said.

It supplements the curriculum with issues of race, sex, class, environment and other identities not typically repre sented in American history.

Meg Kaupp and Zach Garrison teach

the History of St. Louis from a sociolog ical perspective. Students learn the histo ry of St. Louis to understand the current issues of their city.

“It’s all in our backyard,” Garrison said. “This is a chance to really think about things that directly relate to us and what’s happening now [in St. Louis].”

A vital part of the curriculum in cludes understand ing demographics through maps of St. Louis. Students go on a guided bus tour of the city and a tour of the Belle fontaine cemetery. Key themes include the effects that the Great Depression, suburbanization, deindustrialization and segregation have had on St. Louis.

“[I like how the History of St. Louis] doesn’t have an intense schedule, so you can take time on the things that you’re learning,” sophomore Rocky Erekson said.

In another hallway, Dr. Allen Weltig teaches PAWS, a hands-on veterinary science experience through clinics. Students learn comparative anatomy and physiology in parallel with clinics.

“That knowledge and understanding [of anatomy and physiology] is the core of what veterinary medicine relies on,” Weltig said.

The clinics consist of comprehensive exams of dogs, cats, a few small mam mals and reptiles. These exams include blood work and physicals. Faculty and staff in the dis trict are welcome to bring their pets in for a check-up in which students check in on the pets wellness and potentially detect disease early on .

“[PAWS] offers students a chance to see the connection between the stuff you’re learning at a table and the stuff that you might actually do in a real world situation,” Weltig said.

Prior to the exams, each student has a role they sign up for. The combination of different roles keeps the classroom and exams moving smoothly. The classroom is set up like a vet’s office.

“I’m really enjoying how interactive it is and how it’s a hands-on experience,” senior Ava Hagen said. “[It’s] unlike any other classroom.”

“Wouldn’t it be cool if you can have a clinic right here and the kids can see that in action?”

Allen Weltig, teacher

Tradition takeover

Admin and Blue Crew host pep rally for the student body for first time in three years

by Mahith Samarathunga news Staff

Blue Crew hosted the first pep rally in three years outside at the stadium Sept. 9 to celebrate fall sports and train students on traditions.

“It was fun,” senior Edward Zhang said. “It was definitely quite energetic. Only the seniors had the tradition[s] so far. Everyone under us, juniors, soph omores and [freshmen], it was their first pep rally so they weren’t as loud as we’d like, but, maybe in future years, they’ll get more hyped about it.”

While the seniors may have been less than impressed with the cheering from the underclassmen, the spirit of the seniors did not go unnoticed by ev eryone at the pep rally.

“I was shocked how loud [the se niors] were,” freshman Will Minkler said. “But I'm probably gonna be like that my senior year.”

With three-quarters of the student body having never attended a pep as sembly before, it’s not surprising that many people felt there was a lack of tradition and enthusiasm during the pep

rally since new students had never been to a game before.

“I think that our school could have more spirit, like be more loud,” freshman Jo Gyawali said. “I mean, that's just from a cheerleader's point of view. I feel like we can be more engaged and more involved in our school.”

While one of the goals of the pep ral ly was to teach students cheers, another main goal was to show students simply how a pep rally is run.

“It [gave] me a basic overview of what a pep rally is because I didn’t know what that was before, so now I have an idea,” junior David Morgensztern said. “[My favorite part was] definitely when the football team came out. The football team was very hype, and [so was senior Dylan Brosseau] on the mi crophone.”

Now that all grades have seen how a pep rally is run, the student council is ex pected to host a second pep rally during the week of homecoming in mid October.

“Obviously, homecoming is a really ex citing week for high school students,” se

nior Jordan Hunt said. “And this is the first [homecoming pep rally] that we've had in so long, so I don't think people are used to it, especially all the under classmen because they've never been to one. I'm excited to expose them to what high school should be like and really bring everyone together. I think it's a really fun event. It makes school more fun.”

After three years of not having a pep rally, students and teachers are hope ful that the return of pep rallies will bring back more energy and school spirit back to Ladue.

“I think it was nice post-COVID to have a pep assembly,” Assistant Princi pal Mike Tarpey said. “That's great for any high school to kind of just bring that energy together. Not only to celebrate the fall teams, but also the other orga nizations that are involved in providing energy that's at lots of games. Anytime you can bring the student body togeth er in a way that's celebrating each other, it's a good thing.”

P

Chants and traditions

Students share their favorite chants and parts of the pep rally

Saba Fajors (12)

"When the tennis team ran out that was my favorite part, since I'm on tennis. My favorite chant is 'Do it' because it's a classic and it's catchy and sometimes people mess up and it's really funny."

Sawyer Bland (11)

"My favorite part of the pep rally was slingshotting the t-shirts because I'm on the Ram Shack. 'Do it' was my favorite cheer beacause everyone knows it and the energy is insane."

Noah Temple (10)

"I like the energy. My favorite chant was 'Go, Fight, Win, the one that the cheerleaders do during football games sometimes."

Marisa Schriner (9)

part of softball and it was such a cool expereince. My favorite chant to do was 'L-L-L-A-D' because it's so hype."

"The whole concept of school spirit is really fun. Being proud of your school and wanting to be involved in other sports is really cool."

Jo Gyawali, freshman

MIDDLE LEFT: Senior Nahome Tewelde watches senior Mia Wallis announce directions into the microphone. They were giving instructions for the next chant. "I like to be active and heard. It's a nice way to represent the school," Tewelde said. (Photo by Vincent Hsiao)

MIDDLE RIGHT: Sophomore Laduette Avery Berg dances on the sidelines to music. The Laduettes performed a halftime routine during the pep rally. "My favorite part was doing our hip-hop dance because we don't get to do it that often and it gets the crowd really hyped," Berg said. (Photo by Vincent Hsiao)

BOTTOM LEFT: A group of seniors make their way to the front of the bleachers during their part in "Do it." Blue Crew stood at the center of the by Vincent Hsiao)

TOP: Various students from different grades partake in Ladue's famous "Do it" chant in the

They cheered and jumped up and down as their grade was called to participate in the chant. (Photo by Jay Heintz)

Illegal identity

STATUS OF CANNABIS ACROSS

OPINIONS

HISTORY OF DRUG CRIMINALIZATION

The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act regulated opioids and cocaine. Previously prescriptions were not needed to get them, which led to high rates of addiction.

937

The Federal Bureau of Narcotics created the "Marihuana Tax Act" which made cannabis illegal. In order to do this, Harry Anslinger, the head of the FBN weaponized xenophobia against Mexicans in the wake of the Mexican revolution by referring to cannabis as its Spanish translation, 'Marihuana.'

Linder v. United States made it illegal for the federal government to interfere with doctors' prescriptions, like opioids, to patients that were addicted to them. Some mark the legalization of excessive opioid prescriptions as the foundation for the modern opioid epidemic.

illustration by | MAC HUFFMAN

Rehabilitation centers were uncommon and often abusive. The Synanon Center, which was respected at the time but was eventually deemed a cult, was known for not giving medical care to people going though life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Most treatments required people go ‘cold turkey,’ causing withdrawal, and used unethical therapy tactics.

The War on Drugs started with the Controlled Substances Act signed by Nixon. This overruled Linder v. United States by creating classes of drugs. The CSA attempted to decrease prescriptions of addictive drugs and increased the punishments for illegally distributing higher classed drugs. However, the CSA classes drugs that are primarily used by Black people, like crack cocaine, higher than their counterparts that are used primarily by white people, like powder cocaine.

The Fair Sentencing Act signed by Obama reduced the disparity between sentences for crack cocaine and powder cocaine to 18-to-1. Previously the penalties for crack cocaine were 1-to-

sentence for both. In 2011, the FSA was updated to retroactively apply to those already serving a sentence for crack cocaine This gave 12,000 people, 85% of whom were black, the chance to have their sentence reduced.

by | MAC HUFFMAN

Black people make up 13.6% of the U.S population and use cannabis at similar rates to white people, 16% of the Black population and 14% of the white population, yet they're four times more likely to be arrested for weed on a national scale and up to eight times regionally.

ABOVE: Knoedelseder sorts papers during class. He teaches and directs, so keeping everything sorted is important. “He's incredibly organized,” teacher Thomas Lowery said. (Photo by Jay Heintz)

RIGHT: Knoedelseder shows off his headshot from 1988. He also directed at De Smet from 20052011. "Faculty and staff didn't miss the musical," Knoedelseder said. (Photo by Sydney Collinger)

TOP RIGHT: Knoedelseder gives direction during a rehearsal. This is his ffth play directed at Ladue. "[The arts are] not an afterthought here," Knoedelseder said. (Photo by Sydney Collinger)

TOP MIDDLE: Knoedelseder observes a scene from his acting class. He splits up his classes to help each one. "He's constantly cracking jokes and telling stories," junior Ella Hamlin said. (Photo byJay Heintz)

the Kurt-ains

by Rory Lustberg features staff

Junior Kurt Knoedelseder trudged down the hallway. Kicked out of choir, he had nowhere to go. Class was still in progress, and he had time to kill until his next period. After trailing the hall ways, he stumbled upon the only un locked elective room, the theater class. As Knoedelseder pulled the door open, the theater enveloped his senses. Stu

dents recited monologues, practiced jazz squares and plunked out notes on the piano. Standing in the doorway, Knoedel seder felt an inexplicable attraction to an art he had never experienced. He knew that this was what he wanted to do.

A mere two years later, he was major ing in theater at MacMurray College and on his way to becoming an educator for the next 41 years. Knoedelsdeder worked as Ladue’s theater director and teacher from 1989-2005, and is back this year to take on the job again.

Thomas Low

ery, Ladue’s choir director, taught with Knoedelseder for four years during his first stint at Ladue, and they’ve remained friends since.

“He’s a gregarious person anywhere he goes," Lowery said. "He's loud. Peo ple recognize him. He remembers your name. And then he is an actor. Legit ac tor. So he brings that kind of knowledge and understanding when he's working with an actor. He knows how an actor's mind thinks and how he can reach that person.”

In addition to directing the fall play and spring musical, Knoedelseder also teaches a theater class. Due to low enroll ment, all acting, technichal theater and directing courses have been combined into one class this year. The balancing of different areas of study can be daunting, but for a seasoned teacher like Knoedel seder, it is a welcome challenge.

“I’m going to have fun when I'm teach ing class, and we're going to have fun when I'm directing," Knoedelseder said. "But we're going to get everything done that we need to get done. I want the kids to have fun in class because if they have fun in class, they'll take the next one. And inside all that fun, they're actually learning stuff that they're going to be able to use which is really good.”

Junior Ella Hamlin takes a technical theatre independent study with Knoedelseder. Hamlin has been involved in school tech theatre since she was in seventh grade. Going into this year, she was apprehensive about the conjoined subjects, but was pleasantly surprised at Knoedelseder’s class.

note to him was a play, “The Laramie Project,” that told the true sto ry of anti-gay vio lence towards a teen in Wyoming. Knoedel seder noticed a change after the play was seen by students, both at Ladue and other schools.

"He's a gregarious person anywhere he goes. He's loud. People recognize him. He remembers your name."

Thomas Lowery, teacher

“It was a time when a kid would say in the cafeteria, ‘Oh, you’re gay,’” Knoedelseder said. “And people after that show started calling people out on it.”

“It is so interactive, energetic and positive," Hamlin said. "Even if you make a mistake, you never really feel like you've messed up because [Knoedelseder is] so quick to help you with it and correct it. He just makes it into a funny scenario that isn't really stressful whatsoever."

Alongside class, Knoedelseder is mak ing other efforts to increase enrollment in the theatre program, including the spring musical. Auditions for “Matilda,” the mu sical based on Roald Dahl’s children’s sto ry, will be open to both middle and high schoolers. Knoedelseder decided on this as a way to build the high school theater program in coming years.

“The idea behind doing 'Matilda' was we need to do a show that involves young er kids,” Knoedelseder said. “Get them involved in all that we do at a younger age so they know what's available.”

Having directed four spring musicals and four plays at his first stint at Ladue, Knoedelseder has his favorites. One of

Along with working closely with stu dents, Knoedelseder also collaborates with Lowery, mostly for the spring mu sical. The two have been friends since Knoedelseder originally started working at Ladue in 1989. And while they’ve had a significant break since Knoedelseder left in 2011, the transition back to co-workers was seamless.

“Kurt and I are best friends,” Lowery said. “We were talking about the show we're going to do as soon as he found out he was on the job. So we always have a lit tle line of communication.”

Directing shows is one of the major appeals of teaching for Knoedelseder. Working with students is his favorite part of the job, which is evident by his enthu siasm and positive attitude towards his casts. Their passion fuels his own, mak ing his 41 years of teaching fly by.

“With directing, you're working with a bunch of kids who absolutely want to be there," Knoedelseder said. They want to have fun. They want to be together. They want to make something, be a part of something that they can be proud of. And that that just makes it worth it com ing to work every day.”

illustration by | RILEY COATES

illustration by | RILEY COATES

LEFT: Senior Jade Regelean (left) poses for a photo with her host sisters. "On Saturdays, my friends and I always went out to basically anywhere within a 2-hour train ride," Regelean said.

RIGHT: Students take notes during a math lecture on iPads. "There are some aspects that I'm not the biggest fan of," Regelean said. "Teachers write on the chalkboard in cursive and many of them don't have the best handwriting." (Photos courtesy of Jade Regelean)

Destination: Deutschland

Senior Jade Regelean recounts her year spent studying abroad in Germany

by Richie Jiang features staff

"

Entschuldigung Lisa, Ich muss leider jetzt los."

"Hä, warum?"

"Mein Bruder geht mir gerade auf die Nerven."

"Achso, dann viel spaß!"

"Ciao, Lisa! Bis... irgendwann lol."

This is just one of many conversations senior Jade Regelean had in German with her friends last year. However, she's not just part of a local German language club. Rather, Regelean spent her entire junior year studying in Germany at Lornsen schule in Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein.

As Regelean's school was taught ful ly in German, she struggled to adjust at first. However, being immersed in the language quickly helped her gain fluency.

“By the third month, I could under stand most things,” Regelean said. “Then, about halfway through the year, my En glish accent was completely gone and I could hold regular day-to-day conversa tions on a local’s level.”

German schools differ from U.S. ones in many ways, such as core classes and students' independence. In addition, they do not provide extracurriculars, something Regelean was not used to.

“I ended up creating the first 'club' recognised by the school called ‘Ohne

Rassismus’ (without racism),” Regelean said. “It ended up turning into a major success and we were even published in a local newspaper.”

In addition to becoming fluent, Regel ean also learned to adjust to life in a new country. While there, she experienced ev erything from German foods to holidays.

“Jade shared with me that she really started to feel at home in Germany, in her guest family, with her circle of friends,” German teacher William Layher said. “And that really warms my heart because I think that’s just such a gift.”

Regelean would typically spend Satur days traveling with her friends to neigh boring cities. Sundays, however, were spent with her host family.

“I’d normally exercise a bit in the morning and then spend the rest of the day cooking and having Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cakes) with my host family,” Regelean said. “Normally they’d try to introduce me to German Disney films which I thought was funny consid ering that I haven’t even watched most of them in English, much less in German.”

As well as traveling in Germany, Rege lean also visited other countries such as Italy. Regelean was also able to meet oth er foreign exchange students and experi enced other cultures through her club.

"[My favorite thing had] to be all the people I met," Regelean said. "Through

the club I started I was able to meet a wide range of people and experience things I never thought I would've been able to experience in my life."

The greater amount of freedom in Ger man schools allows students to learn how to be independent adults, something Re gelean has appreciated. In addition, Re gelean has become more outgoing about approaching new people, something she did to practice German while abroad.

"I think Jade's time abroad has gotten her to open up to more people," senior Lauren Widjaja said. "It got her used to talking more with people and broke her out of her shell a bit."

With Regelean's German knowledge, she can apply to colleges in Germany, where tuition is free. However, she is also considering other European schools.

"Right now I'm looking at this French university called Sciences Po," Regelean said. "You spend the third year abroad in another country and that is my dream."

Unfortunately, due to not all credits transferring from German to U.S. schools, Regelean was only able to spend one year abroad. However, many longer exchange programs exist for students.

"Do it," Regelean said. "Just do it. It's going to be a very scary experience, but it gets easier. It is the most rewarding experience I've ever had in my life and I rec ommend everyone to go abroad."

Turning cardinal red

Students and teacher attend Cardinals fantasy camp in New York

LEFT: Senior Austin Coburn sits with former Cardinals player Alan Hrabosky. “The previous day I interviewed Al Hrabosky,” Coburn said. “This is me showing him the fnal edited video.” (Photo courtesy of Mate Daus)

BELOW: Senior Mate Daus stands in between former Cardinals players Dave LaPoint and Alan Hrabosky. Daus is taking photos during one of the last few days of camp. “[LaPoint] would always joke about my hair,” Daus said. “And he would mess it up whenever he saw me.” (Photo courtesy of Don Goble)

by Riley Coates features editor “

Ozzie Smith even bought them lunch,” Teacher Don Goble says with a laugh, bringing smiles to seniors Mate Daus and Austin Coburn’s faces as they recall their experience at the 2022 Cardinals Fantasy Camp Sept. 14-18.

This camp has been operating for over 20 years, taking place three times a year for any Cardinals fans ages 27 and up. The first camp occurs in January at the Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla. The second and third are during the regular baseball season, at both the Doubleday Stadium in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Bus ch Stadium in St. Louis. Participants have the opportunity to act like majorleague players for the duration of the week.

“They give them uniforms.” Goble said. “They do a draft tryout. They get placed on a team that is managed by ei ther a Hall of Fame Cardinal or a Cardi nals legend. They get to play games at Doubleday field, which is over 100 years old, in Cooperstown where the National Baseball Hall of Fame is.”

Goble has taught broadcast technolo gy at Ladue for 18 years, and is involved in a Cardinals summer program that is open to students from all over St. Louis. Goble asked if he could bring Ladue students to one of the fantasy camps to film, as they had never had a video crew before. The Cardinals agreed, so a Ladue film crew attended the camps at Roger Dean Stadi um and Busch Stadium in 2021 This year Daus, Coburn and Goble were invited to Cooperstown to film the experience.

“We did an event at the Hall of Fame, so every camper got to take their picture next to the Hall of Famers plaque,” Goble said. “There was a luncheon where they got their uniforms and got told which team they were on. They had a dinner, where there were fantasy campers who were inducted into the fantasy camp Hall of Fame. And we filmed all of it.” Day one saw campers at a local high school in Cooperstown for draft tryouts. This is where Daus, Coburn and Goble met the legends in attendance. Ted Sim mons and Larry Walker, both recently inducted into the National Hall of Fame, were attending the camp to act as man agers. Legends Ozzie Smith and David

Eckstein acted as the third and fourth managers for the players. This day was memorable for everyone involved, getting to work with former players.

“I definitely really enjoyed just going from Ray Langford to David Freese to Ted Simmons, just back to back to back,” Co burn said. “This is really the only oppor tunity that people get to film all of them, let alone in the same video. So it was just a really cool, life changing experience.”

Throughout the week Coburn and Daus worked closely with all involved in the camp, and getting professional ex perience filming. They spent everyday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shooting the games the campers played. Even though they weren’t campers themselves, they under stood the sense of community and family that the camp promotes.

“I feel like the perfect summary of the event is the theme song from ‘Cheers,’ and specifically the section that says, ‘Ev erybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came,’” Daus said. “For me, it describes everyone’s experiences, being able to see people they knew and it was just like one big family coming to gether.”

P

Sports Sports rules are rigid and even more strict when it comes to the uniform guidelines for certain sports. But issues with clothing fall harder on fe male athletes. There have been outcries from groups that challenge the status quo against the policies that are restrict ing them, like the Norwegian women's beach handball team and tennis player Serena Williams.

“In the Olympics, athletic uniforms are a lot tighter and restricting for wom en, which sexualizes women a lot more,” Amarakone said. “Especially in volley ball, if you hit the floor, it's going to cause skin burns. Women's [sports] clothing isn’t practical.”

A large part of the answer to why women have more revealing clothes in sports can be attributed to the conse quences of over-sexualization. In sports such as volleyball and football, there is a stark contrast between men’s and wom en’s clothing.

“There is a wom en's football league and their uni forms are so ridiculous," Rogers said. "They literally wear shorts and a swimsuit top. It's a very small top with min imum padding. [What] is interesting to me [is] how the women wore that ver sus [men's] football, where they're fully clothed and padded.”

SYDNEYCOLLINGERANDMIMIZHOU

Media

Celebrities are glorified through the media. Double tap to like and quickly tap on a keyboard to formulate an opinion on a person. Nowadays, the onslaught of sexuzlization pounces even before a ce lebrity turns 18 and comes of age.

“People don’t realize that celebrities are human,” Hillebrandt said. “Mostly celebrities get sexualized because people don’t care how they feel and say whatever they like about them.”

Rogers goes on to recount that track runner Flo Jo wore longer shorts than what runners wear now, which is “[rather] comparative to a swimsuit.” Numerous concerns with athlete uniforms unearth the objectification of women buried beneath the over-sexualization.

“I mean women haven’t been seen as people but objects for years,” Hillebrandt said. “But I think more people are taking notice and taking the action to change it.”

The legacy of sports clothing and poli cies has leaned toward a more sexualized environment, which is now synonymous with our culture. We say: it’s our cul ture for swimmers to wear Speedo swim briefs. It’s our culture for track runners to wear spandex and tank tops. But, is it our culture to decide what athletes should and shouldn't be able to wear?

Sexual depictions glitter throughout T.V. shows and movies in hopes of draw ing in audiences to inflate viewership. The problem stems from directors cast ing 20-or 30-year-old individuals to play underage characters. Teenagers are then expected to have more mature bodies than they usually do, making them seem more sexually inclined. Therefore, the ways in which adult bodies are sexualized apply harshly on teen bodies.

“There's an emphasis on getting ripped,” Seifarth said. “In TV shows, the character has to go through training to get abs, and there’s always a scene where they're shirtless. This definitely affects someone’s self-esteem."

Not only do shows like “Game of Thrones,” “Euphoria” or “Pretty Little Liars” exemplify sexual references, social media is constantly redefining beauty

Stitching the stats

standards. Social media isn’t inherently negative, but it becomes so when youth try to emulate sexual trends.

“Our hypersexualization culture has been built into our lives so much,” Rogers said. “So, it’s difficult to navigate and consider how do we step away from this.”

When we cross the line from appreciation to the sexualization of individuals, we are confront ed with the repercussions of our actions. To unravel the threads of over-sexualization, we should take a step back to analyze our actions. This is crucial to making progress, and if we transform the overly sexual lens of bodies to lens es of love and acceptance, society may flourish in empowerment.

“Loving our [bodies] really allows us to embrace who we are,” Rogers said. “This way, more people can think they are beautiful because ev eryone really does look beautiful [in] their way.”

illustration by | TAREK AL HUSSEINI

Pano perspective

Students should attend larger varieties of sports events to encourage all athletes

23 out of 24 Panorama staff members agree

W hen was the last time you attended a cross coun try meet, a water polo game, a tennis match or even stopped by a wrestling meet? These are some examples of sports here at Ladue that have a disproportionately low student attendance rate. This fact needs to change.

With over 25 different sports at Ladue High School, having a large student attendance at every game or competition is not easy. Some of these games may be less covered on social media or less of a social event than others, but that doesn’t mean they should be less attended. Instead of attending games solely for the social setting, think of the impact your presence could have had on the athletes performing on the team. Showing up to one of your friend's games can influence their performance heavi ly, making them strive to perform better. On the flip side, being an athlete and seeing little to no support aside from a couple of parents can lower self-esteem and possibly remove athletes' drive for success.

Student support during games has numerous benefits for an athlete. According to sports science writer and researcher Andrew Hamilton, the results of a verbal encouragement test during physical activity tends to increase a person's maximal effort in a treadmill test. This study shows that support while

doing physical activity or playing a sport can have a tangible im pact on the way athletes play.

In this day and age, students' main channel of communica tion is through social media, so advertisement on social media for teams is imperative to get students to attend the games. This job is mainly done by Ladue’s Blue Crew via Instagram. Blue Crew does an amazing job of covering some of the bigger sports here at Ladue. Despite the fact that the football and men's soc cer teams should be posted about, Blue Crew also needs to post more about some of the less popular sports. Another way teams can increase turnout for their own games or events is to create a team social media account, so students have another place to find out when and where events will take place.

However, this responsibility is not solely on Blue Crew or the sports teams’ shoulders. They can only do so much to up the at tendance of these games. At the end of the day, the responsibili ty falls upon the students here at Ladue. Students should be out supporting their peers more often than they are. Sports games are more than just places to hang out with friends. Students need to be attending a wide variety of Ladue sporting events, not just football and soccer games because their attendance can have a tremendous effect on the performance, confidence and happiness of the athletes participating.

P

Noteworthy

The romanticization of studying is counterproductive to efficient learning

by Emily Liu opinions staff

As someone who loathes studying as much, if not more, than every other stu dent out there, I’ve cycled through countless strategies just to cope with the agony. At one point, I stumbled upon a method popularized by social media that seemingly manages to com bine both pretty and productive. These posts, boasting artistic notes, effortlessly neat spaces and quality results, captivat ed students with a false and unachiev able reality. The truth is, studying whilst attempting to create fanciful notes hin ders the efficiency that the very concept of romanticization seems to promote.

For one, romanticizing studying can be distracting as it shifts the purpose of understanding information to maintain ing stylistic perfection. Your focus actu ally diminishes when you juggle studying with admirable aesthetics, taking away from how much you learn. Rather than making studying itself more enjoyable, it becomes a method to distract yourself.

Consider the excess time it would take to produce a set of romanticized notes you could instead spend preparing for a test, or completing the next day’s home work. For instance, it takes much longer to doodle and write artistically than in regular script, which is only more time you burn while attempting to study. In

addition, when you are taking live notes from lecture, there is often no time to create flawless notes. As a result, stu dents will have to scramble to keep up and even miss bits of information. This then becomes an important issue to rem edy now, as it builds poor habits for the ture, which become harmful once classes grow demanding and it becomes difficult to keep up.

The pursuit of aesthetics also breeds materialistic desire with the influence of social media setting standards unrealis tic to high schoolers. Students are often swayed by certain products they see dis played on the internet and become pres sured to attain them, despite aesthetics translating little to educational value. It is also ultimately wasteful and illogical: if you don’t enjoy studying, why would you fund it? This holds especially true as teenagers learn to save or spend respon sibly on what matters most to them.

For many, romanticizing studying serves as a form of motivation or a source of inspiration, which can be beneficial. However, students still shouldn’t be de fining what they see on the internet as the standard or compulsively do it past a certain extent. Setting your aspirations to the lives influencers selectively choose to present is especially difficult for teenag ers. As we encounter struggles through out life, we often are unable to keep up with the conscious effort being perfectly aesthetic exerts.

So, in which other ways can we actual ly make studying somewhat bearable, or even enjoyable?

At its core, romanticization is not about forcing happiness into something you don’t like, rather, it’s about appreci ating joyful moments in life and finding little pockets of happiness wherever you go. Enjoy the weather outside your win dow, go outside to study or give internal thanks to that one teacher that chose not to give you homework over the weekend. Appreciate whatever you can whilst studying, or simply, put all your focus on getting work done so that you may enjoy your life outside of it.

Note to Self:

Stop romanticizing studying!! chem quiz history hw

illustration by | ERICA SHI

Stay unfocused

As work progresses, escapism provides healthy distraction from reality

by Katie Myckatyn opinons staff

When I was little, there was a horse living in my garage. We would embark on dramatic adventures, slaying dragons and sav ing princesses trapped in ivory towers. Even though she had wheels for legs and handlebars for a head, to my 7-year-old mind, she was my horse. As the years passed, I grew into mount af ter mount, until eventually they simply became bikes. The ivory tower ended up a treehouse, and the dragon was my neighbor’s dog all along. The stable was retired, and my vast fantasy was explored no longer.

While not everyone believed in my specific adventure, the overarching ex perience of childhood imagination is a commonly valued aspect of growing up. When we’re kids, we come up with elaborate stories that transport us beyond our monotonous reality. Once we grow up, we’re faced with new burdens and expectations that have the poten tial to become extremely exhausting and repetitive over time. With all this in mind, it’s no shocker that teens de sire relief in something otherworldly.

Whether they realize it or not, ev ery single person indulges themself in some form of escapism in their life, may it be through reading, music or just

letting their mind wander. It’s a dramatically undervalued coping mechanism that is utilized to find relief from un pleasant realities by seeking distraction. Escapism creates a safe space outside of reality that's designed to divert focus away from the boredom of life.

The main concern most people have when considering attempting escapism is being perceived as a coward. I can see how it may sound as if it’s glorifying running away from your problems rather than facing them, however, when used in moderation, escapism is a healthy way to maintain balance in your life.

I play sports year-round, and they provide an outlet for me to get out of my own head. I’ve had days where all I want ed was to just cry from frustration, but once I’m at the field, stick in my hand,

my anxieties melt away. Even if it’s just for those two hours, I’m able to escape from the grip that stress has on me.

I understand that not everyone has the time to dedicate to exercise or read ing, but that doesn’t mean that escapism is no longer a feasible option. With in creasing amounts of homework, I’ve had less opportunity to do much else. So, I’ve made it work where I could; I like listen ing to music during busy work, and read ing a book before bed. Just these small modifications to my day have made my busy schedule so much more bearable. I find that I'm more proficient in getting work done and don't hate every moment of it anymore.

Finding methods that support your own schedule and priorities is the most important part of escapism, so don’t be afraid to attempt some trial and error until you find what works best for you. May it be taking a 15-minute walk after school or indulging in shower thoughts for longer than usual, there’s always an answer to be found in stepping away from the bigger picture and simply expe riencing imagination.

Recently it’s felt like the world’s been crashing down on us, so I implore you to make the effort to escape. It isn’t cow ardly to take a break, and there is abso lutely no shame in allowing yourself the ability to find relief. Make the effort, and I promise that you will find real value in your reverie.

Written in the stars

The appropiation of astrology illegitimizes the traditions of a millennia

by Pranavi Chintha opinions editor

One of the most stressful things about the first week of school, or any social activity for that matter, are icebreak ers. Specifically THE question: “What is an interesting fact about you?” And no matter the crowd, without a doubt, there’s always that one person who says their astrological sign as their interesting fact. Really? Being a Virgo is something interesting? Though, to be fair, my an noyance at this kind of person most likely stems from the fact that I know one thing and one thing only about astrology: I’m a Cancer. Do I have any clue what charac teristics Cancers have? No. Will I still de fend my sign like my life depends on it? Yes. Don’t get me wrong, I wish I understood what a rising Mercury or moon sign was, but I grew up with a different kind of astrology. Not the kind of astrology we see in infographics about which Taylor Swift song is most like your sign, but as trology that’s more culturally significant — astrology in Hinduism.

Astrology may not be a science, but its existence and cultural impact is pret ty much undeniable, yet people belittle it everyday. It’s been so westernized that

people often fail to remember that there is more to the belief than just blindly assigning vague and inspirational horo scopes to each sign.

Oxford defines astrology as the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world. Sounds simple enough. The truth is, this simple enough practice has been around for not centuries, but for millennia. While the origins of astrology are a bit blurred, it’s been around for at least 5,000 years, and can be traced back to Mesopotamia and later India, where Vedic, or Hindu astrology, spread. As astrology continued to expand, West ern astrology found its roots in Greece, the birthplace of the 12 Zodiac signs that many of us know today. Despite the differences between these two types of astrology, as astrology becomes more popular in media, the line between them becomes blurred.

Now, astrology is seen as nothing more than a trend that white women are the forefront of. Astrology, a pseudoscience that’s ingrained in the culture and tradi tions of Hindus, is now a fun hobby or quirk. If that wasn’t bad enough, the dis taste for astrology has sparked another kind of victimization. White women have

centered themselves in the discussion, claiming that the dislike for this practice is due to misogyny. There is some truth in this of course; many men often associate not only astrology, but also tarot, crys tals, or any spiritual activity to women and then subconsciously (or consciously) decide that it’s cringeworthy.

However, this discussion goes fur ther than the white women who drive it. For them, it’s a fun hobby, but for a lot of other people it fully affects major life decisions and events. My parents, like many other Hindu families, wouldn’t buy a house, pick a name for their child, or choose a partner without referring to the alignment of the stars. Such an impactful tradition is so easily disregarded because it’s been associated with another trend that this generation has popularized.

Culture is meant to be appreciated, not appropriated, whitewashed and mocked. The lack of knowledge around the tradi tions of millions has hurt our community more than uplifted it. Vedic astrology is a fascinating and also complicated study so if practiced, should be practiced correct ly. If Vedic astrology isn’t for you, don’t worry — you can still find out what Tay lor Swift song is most like your astrology sign, but maybe, just maybe, refrain from making it your entire personality.

Western astrology Vedic astrology

Originated in Ancient Greece

Fixed Zodiac Sun-based system

Analyses planetary transits based on movement

Originated in India

Sidereal Zodiac Moon-based system

Analyses planetary transits based on time

Sticker stash

A look at unique stickers

Cindy Liu (9)

"I got this [sticker] from China. One of my family friends got it for me and it's really valuable because I haven’t seen him in a couple of years."

"On my laptop, my favorite [sticker] is the frog with a little hat on it. I got it together with my best friend."

"I was bribing 30 third graders with Among Us stickers and I had le overs so I put it on my water bottle."

“My most recent and favorite sticker says 'good vibes.' Although the message may seem pretty basic, a friend of mine got me the sticker and said it represented me well."

Matan Cohn (11)

"I had a sticker book I got in kindergarten from the book fair at Old Bonhomme. It was LEGO Star Wars and they had all these dope stickers in them. ose were 100% my favorites."

Alexandra Tsygankov

e sticker] says 'smash

Ella Bender (10)

Raquel Fellman (11)

It's time to BeReal.

!by Tarek Al Husseini art editor

Ladue students share their best BeReals

!

It’s 1:57 p.m. and suddenly you hear the notification sounds of all the phones in the room. “Dr. Duckham, do you want to be in my BeReal?” someone says. What results is a quick break from rhetorical analysis and the forever-captured selfie with your AP language teacher. BeReal is a popular social media app that asks users to post real-time, authentic photos of themselves and their surroundings daily. The app’s popularity is bringing back the low-stakes photo sharing days of social media, or just turning us all into Instagram moms who don’t think about what they post. Regardless, it’s time to BeReal.

LEFT: Students cheer in the stands of the frst home football game against Ritenour. The BeReal notifcation went off after a player got injured. "There was a lot of spirit during the frst home game," senior Kathy Bian said. (photo courtesy of Kathy Bian)

RIGHT: Varsity volleyball players take their BeReal after practice. The JV volleyball coach took the photo. "They didn't know what BeReal was so when the picture took their faces they were super surprised," junior Maggie Christen said. (photo courtesy of Maggie Christen)

LEFT: Sophomore Emma Bangert dyes sophomore Ellis Breitbach's hair. He wanted to go blonde. "I wanted to help him because I've dyed my hair a bunch," Bangert said. (photo courtesy of Emma Bangert)

RIGHT: Boys swim managers time the Ladue Invitational. Ladue won the meet, with junior Daniel Garza breaking a school record. "Timing for the Ladue Invite was a fun time," junior Anna Dalton said. (photo courtesy of Anna Dalton)

(photo courtesy of BeReal)

Breakfast of champions Rating students’ common morning breakfasts

by Lathan Levy A&E staff

No Breakfast

Here is where the vast majority of students lie: the no breakfast section. I cannot comprehend the sheer atrocity that these people bring to our community. I personally would not be able to make it past first period with hunger so bad it makes my head spin. Some times I need a snack after first period just to keep me going. And who doesn’t love sitting at a table in the morning mindlessly scrolling through TikTok, half asleep, slurping down a delicous bowl of cereal? Over all, I give this a 0 out of 5 because it is just plain insane.

Pancakes

There’s nothing better than wak ing up to the warm, sweet smell of freshly made pancakes, the aroma spreading around the room in spurts of beautiful gooey goodness. Ex cept that 6 a.m. on a school day isn’t the ideal time for an “in-depth” breakfast. Waking up at least a half hour early to get flour all over your clothes doesn’t appeal to me for some reason. Personally, I prefer Kodiak Cakes Pancake Mix over homemade mix but even though it saves some time, it still creates a mess far beyond any thing I want to clean. I don’t know, maybe to some people it is worth it, but for me I give it a 2 out of 5.

Smoothies

Let me be the first to tell you. There is nothing better than a cold smoothie after a long, hot practice. Same goes for breakfast. But as much as I love smoothies, waking up early to pull ingredients from all 15 places around your house isn’t my idea of fun. While you might not, I have parents who don’t rise at dawn, so turning on a blender would not go over well. An alternative is to leave at least 15 minutes early in order to go to Smoothie King and spend upwards of $7 to get a disgrace they wish they could call a smoothie. So despite my love for smoothies, I give them a 1 out of 5 for school mornings.

Cereal

Some would go as far as to say that cereal is the breakfast above all other breakfasts. And they would be right. Sort of. See, while cereal is quick, easy and delicious, it lacks depth. Sometimes cereal is perfect for breakfast when you are in a rush but if you plan to make it to lunch without starving, I would suggest a more nutritious approach. Another downside of cereal in the morning is the need to rush to get it down. For this reason, I like a soggier cereal rather than a crunchy cereal with some milk absorbed. The sweet flavors satisfy all morning cravings, every time. All things considered, I give cere al an 3 out of 5 as a breakfast food on school mornings.

Crystal Clear

Junior Maddie Rogers shows off their crystal collection

Junior Maddie Rogers lays below their crystals in a formation they chose. Different energies of crystals are kept separate through this arrangement. They have been collecting crystals for a little over a year and plan to collect more in the future. “I feel like crystals are just a talisman, not necessarily a complete belief,” Rogers said. "I enjoy collecting them because they're so beautiful and they come from nature and I love having that connection with nature."

(Photo by Sydney Collinger)

Rogers holds out their rose quartz crystal in their hand. This crystal connects to the heart chakra and guides platonic and romantic love. “I use my rose quartz so I can have stronger relationships, whether it be with friends [or] family,” Rogers said. "I've defnitely made a lot of friends and made stronger connections with people."

Rogers holds out their amethyst and clear quartz cluster. Amethyst connects to the navel chakra and has themes of passion. Clear quartz connects to the crown chakra. Both crystals promote clarity and are more powerful together than apart. “I have an amethyst necklace that when I frst got it [and] put it on, it felt like a heat source,” Rogers said.

Rogers holds out their favorite crystal at the moment, Botswana Agate. They charge their crystals often, in either the sun or the moon. “If I'm feeling negative energy off of them or if someone's touching them a lot, [I'll charge my crystals],” Rogers said. "I cleanse them every once in a while just to make sure that they're clean." (Photos by Sydney Collinger)

DMike Tarpey left the head football coach position open at Ladue in 2021. Af ter leaving the job to be taken by someone else, this opportunity was then taken by David Bryant, who is now became Ladue’s new head coach for the football team.

avid Bryant, who was previ ously the defensive coordi nator for the Ladue football team, was named the new head coach this summer. He took the job after it was vacated by previous head coach, Mike Tarpey, after the 2021 season.

After 24 years as the head coach, Tarpey felt it was time to move on and give someone else the oppurtunity to be in the position he once held. In order for a new person to succeed as the leader of the team, they needed to have a similar level of passion as Tarpey did, or more.

After 24 years as the head coach, Tarpey felt it was time to move on and give someone else the oppurtunity to be in the position he once held. In order for a new person to succeed as the leader of the team, they needed to have a similar level of passion as Tarpey did, or more.

that allowed for me to get out,” Tarpey said. “It needed to be coach Bryant to come in. I believed that he could take over and with the energy he has, he would succeed.”

I felt could take over the path I laid and that allowed for me to get out,” Tarpey said. “It needed to be coach Bryant to come in. I believed that he could take over and with the energy he has, he would succeed.”

David Bryant, coach

David Bryant

In the early 2000s Bryant played un derneath Tarpey as a running back and linebacker. Having a strong connection with the sport and an ability to lead others made him a consider able candidate for the position. Feeling that Bryant would be a good successor because of his history with team, Tarpey gave him the position and his sup port. Bryant is also a skilled communicator who can be a lead er to others, forming a strong team bond.

In the early 2000s Bryant played un derneath Tarpey as a running back and linebacker. Having a strong connection with the sport and an ability to lead others made him a consid erable candidate for the position. Feeling that Bryant would be a good successor be cause of his history with team, Tarpey gave him the position and his support. Bryant is also a skilled communicator who can be a leader to others, forming a strong team bond.

“It was just time for me to pass [the head coaching job] on to somebody who

“It was just time for me to pass [the head coaching job] on to somebody who I felt could take over the path I laid and

“My teacher for speech and debate thought that I would be a pastor one day,” Bryant said. “I never quite saw myself in that realm, but I definitely saw myself communicating with people and leading

“My teacher for speech and debate thought that I would be a pastor one day,” Bryant said. “I never quite saw my

self in that realm, but I definitely saw myself communicating with people and leading people. Once I finished my play ing career, I was just trying to figure a way to stay connected to the game of football. For me, coaching was that opportunity.”

people. Once I finished my playing ca reer, I was just trying to figure a way to stay connected to the game of football. For me, coaching was that opportunity.”

Football was a pillar of Bryant’s life from a very early age in his childhood because of his famiy's long-held affinity for the game they cherished. It created an early passion towards the sport having a grounded family connection with the game in its entirety.

Football was a pillar of Bryant’s life from very early on because of his famiy's affinity for the game they cherished. It created an early passion towards the sport having a grounded family connec tion with the game in its entirety.

“I had an uncle who played in the NFL [Henry Jones of the Buffalo Bills],” Bry ant said. “When I was growing up, foot ball was a really big sport. All the men in the family played football at some point. Not that it was a forced thing — I always enjoyed football — but it was definitely something I knew I would try out.”

“I had an uncle who played in the NFL [Henry Jones of the Buffalo Bills],” Bry ant said. “When I was growing up, football was a really big sport. All the men in the family played football at some point. Not that it was a forced thing — I always enjoyed football — but it was definitely something I knew I would try out.”

With having such a natural fondness for football and leadership, Bryant is the type of person to inspire his players, just as the men in his family inspired him to succeed. Bryant’s time spent playing foot

With having such a natural fondness for football and leadership, Bryant is the type of person to inspire his players, just as the men in his family inspired him to succeed. Bryant’s time spent playing foot ball has allowed him to “push himself to

"Outside of just the �oot�all feld and coaching those �ids� it's helped me be more compassionate."

by Joseph Baker health & sports staff

said Bryant. (Photo by Vincent Hsiao)

"Outside of just the football feld and coaching those kids, it's helped me be more compassionate."

ball has allowed him to “push himself to his limits” in everything he does. This translates to his coaching career and has allowed him to lead his team effectively and wholeheartedly. He stands out as a profound leader making a title for him self and helping others reach their full potential as football players.

his limits” in everything he does. This translates to his coaching career and has allowed him to lead his team effectively and wholeheartedly. He stands out as a profound leader making a title for him self and helping others reach their full potential as football players.

helps anyone on the team facing hard ships or difficult up-bringings. Bryant is teaching the players lessons that will help them flourish in their lives outside of high school football.

helps anyone on the team facing hardships or difficult up-bringings. Bryant is teaching the players lessons that will help them flourish in their lives outside of high school football.

TARPEY'S TOP TIPS

"He's a good leader,” said Chase Allen, a team captain. “He can also be intimi dating in a good way which makes you want to listen to him. Also he's one of the smartest people I've been around football wise. He really knows what he's talking about. He knows how to get you going and can really lead the team really well.”

"He's a good leader,” said Chase Al len, a team captain. “He can also be in timidating in a good way which makes you want to listen to him. Also he's one of the smartest people I've been around football wise. He really knows what he's talking about. He knows how to get you going and can really lead the team really well.”

Bryant’s coaching has farther impacts beyond the sport itself, helping players get better at football and in the process, learning everlasting life lessons. Bryant is a charismatic type of person who’s there for his players and works with different people from all backgrounds of life, un derstanding their situations. Through communication and compassion, Bryant

Bryant’s coaching has farther impacts beyond the sport itself, helping players get better at football and in the process, learning everlasting life lessons. Bryant is a charismatic type of person who’s there for his players and works with diferent people from all backgrounds of life, understanding their situations. Through communication and compassion, Bryant

“[I want them to start] investing in themselves, invest in the sport. [I want them to] think about how anything you do in life that is worthwhile takes effort,” Bryant said. “[They have to realize] that when you are doing anything at a high er level, your talent in those areas can only take you so far. Work ethic is always something you can fall back on when times get hard or when your talent can't pull you any further ahead.”

“[I want them to start] investing in themselves, invest in the sport. [I want them to] think about how anything you do in life that is worthwhile takes effort,” Bryant said. “[They have to realize] that when you are doing anything at a high er level, your talent in those areas can only take you so far. Work ethic is always something you can fall back on when times get hard or when your talent can't pull you any further ahead.”

Experiencing first-hand how football shaped his life to be able to express the valuable skills that he had obtained from playing the sport, it is not surprising that Bryant wanted to pass on his passion and legacy to a new team.

Experiencing first-hand how football shaped his life to be able to express the valuable skills that he had obtained from playing the sport, it is not surprising that Bryant wanted to pass on his passion and legacy to a new team.

“I always view football as a coach and as a player," Bryant said. "[Football is] the sport that I relate to the most in life."

“I always view football as a coach and as a player," Bryant said. "[Football is] the sport that I relate to the most in life." P

TOP LEFT: TOP RIGHT:

LEFT:

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“Coach your program for kids that aren't the star players.” “Create a culture of teammate accountability instead of accountability to coach.”

32“Win or lose you want kids to go home feeling that they got something out of the game.”

Play that again

Seeing what songs teams play pregame

PREGAME SONG Sport Name

Head in the game

Looking into what athletes do to become closer as a team

by Luke Lochmoeller health & sports editor

What is the most important factor in a winning sports team? Skill? Strength?

Good coaching? While those are crucial to the success of a team, the key ingredient to a winning team is team chemistry. Having a strong bond on and off the field can give teams an upper hand in game.

At Ladue, it’s no se cret that the athletic teams have seen im mense success. Many of that can be attributed to strong team bonds. On the soccer team's state run last season, the players remember how special the connection was within the team.

that bring the team together.”

Team traditions and bonding are important for a team because they are fun and exciting, and they can bring teams together and build relationships. Having a strong connection between members on a sports team can make these mem orable moments even more meaningful.

"Before a game I do square breathing, which is just breathing in slowly and exhaling slowly etc."

Dailyn Tate, junior

“When we beat Parkway Central with a buzzer beater, ev eryone ran onto the court. When we got back into the locker room we were throw ing water everywhere and jumping around,” senior basketball player Jaylen Swinney said. “That's some thing I'll remember for a while.”

“I remember when we won the dis trict finals and the entire bus was singing along to the team playlist and just having a great time on the bus,” junior soccer player Dailyn Tate said. “Teams building bonds and maintaining good relation ships is important, as well as traditions

What builds such strong bonds within a team? Oftentimes, the little traditions specific to each team are what connects all the players together. Sports that are played individually also have strong bonds within their teams due to these traditions. For example, the girls' golf team has very strong bond despite play ing solo during matches.

“We listen to the song 'Black Skinhead' a lot by Kanye West and that's our song of choice for the team,” junior golf player Elizabeth Fox said. “Some other things we do are wacky sock Wednesday and match ing Monday which have been a tradition for as long as I have been playing.”

Memories and traditions like this get the entire team involved and creates viv id memories to look back on for years. In addition, building these relationships help make the players perform better as a team.

“If the team is together off the field, then it's a whole different story on the field,” Tate said. “If two teams are even skill wise, it comes down to how we all play with each other.”

While it is important to have a strong team connection, it is also important for athletes to be able to focus themselves internally sometimes.

For example, solo pre-game traditions can greatly improve performance and focus.

“I like to control my breathing,” Tate said. “Before a game I do some square breathing, which is just breathing in slow ly, exhaling slowly, breathing in slowly and then exhaling slowly. I do this for a couple minutes or until my body is calm.”

"We play the song 'Free from Desire' by Gala and chant "Ladue is on re a er a win."

"We listen to the song 'Black Skinhead' by Kanye West and thats our song for the team."

"We play 'Faneto' by Chief Keef before football games, but for basketball we listen to our own."

Dailyn Tate (11) Jaylen Swinney (12)

Elizabeth Fox (11)

United as one

A deeper look into the importance of sports

by Michael Zegel health & sports staff

Watching sports on TV is one of my favorite things to do when I can. No matter the season or what time of year it is, I’ll have any sporting event on, whether it be studying for math while Serena Williams serves on the court, typing a paper when Tiger is taking on a Masters or failing history with my favorite football team on the screen. I especially love when the Olympics comes on, getting to sit down with my whole family watching ath letes from all around the globe putting their lives on the line with every event or chal lenge, carrying the weitght and pressure of their country on their shoulders.

To many others, including myself, sports and their teams are bigger than just back ground noise to throw on. For them it’s a life style, passion and for some their team can also be their first love. I love sports not just because of the entertainment aspect of them but because of the sense of belonging and community that comes with them.

Take St. Louis for example, Cardinals fans are one of the most loving, judgemental and passionate baseball fans out there. St. Louis itself is a huge baseball town, with its own district, Ball

park Village. This block is full of restaurants, businesses and a full area for shows and concerts. This whole area, including the Busch Stadium draws large crowds from all over the city full of thousands and thousands of people, all for the game of baseball.

With the new addition of St. Louis CITY SC, St. Louis’s new soccer team, and the Centene stadium downtown, a whole new group of sports fans are coming together to cheer on our team. This new team will draw even more people. Soccer being played internationally will bring a new wave of back grounds, cultures and ethnicities to come out and celebrate their city.

Sports bring millions of people together every year all around the world, providing a welcoming community for every kind of per son and sport out there. Withing these com munites you can find people with the same shared passion and love for the game.

With my own experience playing football, one of my favorite things about it is the team aspect. Everyone has the same goals, mindset and passion. Most importantly, we all want to win. The feeling of winning with all your friends is one of the most invigorating feel ings ever. spending a majority of my summer and first semester of school with the same 70 people playing football, starting as just teamates, slowly starting to make a group of 70 players feel like a family of 70 players.

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Student Connections

How do students around Ladue connect with their favorite sports?

Mahmoud Almefeh (11) Kenneth Thomas

Vicky Derdoy

Nathan Harmon

“I connect with football because out on the feld you feel free and you can let out anything your dealing with.”

“I like basketball the best because basketball has the most going on, other sports take too long.”

“I love the excitement of soccer and the feeling of scoring goals. Go MAN-U.”

“Watching hockey is my favorite beacause of the speed all the players on the ice go.”

cartoon by | OLIVIA HU