[This Month] Harvest Moon
Fall begins with the Harvest Moon tonight. The term “Harvest Moon� refers to the full moon that falls nearest to the autumnal equinox, which is Sept. 22.
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DC vs. Marvel
All In For Ala
The debate continues. Marvel or DC? Staff and students pick favorites and continue the age long debate of which is better. See Page 10
Junior Ala Blaszczyk knows a lot about teamwork. And, she has a huge team of supporters on her side as she battles cancer. See Page 12
Sept. 16, 2016 [Volume 48, Number 1]
Lafayette High School 17050 Clayton Road Wildwood, MO 63011
FLAGS FOR FLAMION
Manne spearheads charity event for Ballwin officer
Head Football Coach Boyd Manne explains the rules to the flag football participants at the start of the Showdown charity event. Staff members from all four Rockwood high schools as well as area police officers participated in the event. See pages 8-9 for more coverage. [photo by Nick Horstmann]
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[2] OPINIONS
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[image editors] editors in chief news /feature editor asst. news /feature editor opinions editor cover story editor sports editor encore editor webmaster digital media editor artist adviser
kayley allen & anna james suzy blalock erin coogan jack deubner nick horstmann tyler burnett brinlee frazier jessica cargill jimmy bowman ryan oberlin nancy smith
[reporters] jackson bartholomew, arpan das, emily dicarlo, kate golder, shwetha sundarrajan
[digital media staff] kiley black, emma grant, jack weaver
[student publications policy statements] general information The Image is published nine times a year by the News Production class. Subscriptions are $30. Free issues are distributed on campus. The 2014-2015 Image received an All-American rating with five marks of distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association. The 2014-2015 website received a rating of First Class with three marks of distinction. The 2014-2015 Image was awarded the George H. Gallup Award from Quill and Scroll.
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1:1 plan has its pros, cons After a test run this year with a few classes, the Class of 2021 members will each receive a personal Chromebook for school. A lot of money is being put into the project, which means it is fair to scrutinize its merits. On one hand, it will allow all students 24/7 access to the Google Drive and other applications. Students seem to be drawn to computers for the obvious advantages. For example, most students would prefer to type out their notes or simply have a copy of their teacher’s slideshow. On another hand, this also opens up a grand opportunity to slack off in every hour of the school day. Though the school Wi-Fi blocks
PICK Five things you shouldn’t miss out on in St. Louis this coming month.
any website containing “prohibited content” like games or social media, there are plenty of ways to get around these restrictions. And, having the school provide a laptop to the generation already under fire for being too involved with electronics may not go over well in the public eye. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, whatever, we’re on it a lot and carrying a school distributed laptop makes it even easier to stay connected. Whether or not the school should spend money on feeding this “addiction” is what is in question. How much student use will actually be enhancing? These Chromebooks aren’t designed for one thing; they’re
designed for whatever you want to do with them--including lots of non-school related things. Want to play games? Chromebooks can do that. Check your Facebook during your English class? Go for it. Find some shoes for Homecoming? Yup. Write up those college essays you’ve been putting off? Open up Google Drive, and get on it. The temptation the internet provides, with how vast it is, can easily distract any student. So 1:1 is a win-lose situation. The school can prioritize online tools to help teach, but the students can easily ignore these instruments to do what they’d rather do instead. And, this time they have the chance to do that on the school’s dime and time.
The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. Operating as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decision making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper.
contact us Located in Room 137A at Lafayette High School, 17050 Clayton Rd., Wildwood, MO 63011. Our phone number is (636) 733-4118 and our e-mail is thelancerfeed@gmail.com. Visit us on the web at www.lancerfeed.press and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @thelancerfeed
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The Best of Missouri Market takes place Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 in the Botanical Garden. The market celebrates the culture of Missouri through hundreds of vendors offering baked goods, flowers, crafts and more. The Blues opening game is Oct. 12 against the Chicago Blackhawks. It’ll be a nice way to warm up your autumn nights. The inaugural year of this electronic festival has headliners like Dan Deacon, Flying Lotus and plenty more that you shouldn’t miss out on. Murmuration takes place on Sept. 23-25.
The first Undefined Improv show will be Sept. 23 at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Come support your (hilarious) fellow students.
Hungry? From Sept. 23-25 this BBQ Bash brings caterers like Pappy’s and Salt & Smoke to Soldiers’ Memorial in downtown St. Louis. Admission is free.
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Stars Stars:
&Gripes
Trusting the seniors enough to write whatever they’d like on a ceiling tile, but not write anything stupid. Challenge accepted. After four long years of waiting, Frank Ocean’s Boy’s Don — I mean, Blond is here and already stealing the hearts of so many people. The new water bottle fountains. That’s it, they’re just great. No snarky comment or anything. You no longer have to walk through seas of paper sheets during Homecoming Week thanks to hall decorations getting the kabosh.
Gripes: The Junior Hallway. These kids have been here for three years already, you’d think they would know to not block up the hallways and shove each other into people who just want to get to class. Administrators always being so uptight about the phone policy when they’re the ones who’ve been blowin’ us up with all their retweets of one another. Having to introduce yourself to every new computer with Windows 10. Yes I know you have cool new features to show me, cool. Apple has announced the new iPhone 7 will not have an analog headphone jack instead of getting rid of that one feature where Siri goes off in the middle of class.
OPINIONS [3]
Major music festivals need to calm down You’re standing in a field full of people, all sweaty and drunk, some shoving others out of the way to get to the front of the lines while others boast up signs that you can’t quite make out what it says, but you’re pretty sure one of them is just Nicolas Cage’s face. The dude next to you is a bit too close, asks you for a cigarette twice, then won’t shut his mouth for the rest of the event. No, this isn’t the scene of a protest rally.This is what any major music festival’s headlining show has turned into. Music festivals are the amalgamation of various bands and artists coming to one event, creating typically a two-three day long event. The rise in popularity in music festival culture has led to huge lineups, thus leading to huge turnouts to these events. Since these lineups are just massive, loads of different kinds of artists and bands have been attending these festivals.
This brings loads of different kinds of people who have ridiculous amounts of trash, making these huge events more of a place to be seen at then to enjoy. The culture surrounding major music festivals is all around gross, absurd and Instagram crazed. The mixing of two separate crowds that these festivals brings together just isn’t pleasant. I experienced this while attending two days of Lollapalooza, another huge music festival, over the summer. I honestly only attended to see LCD Soundsystem and Radiohead, so whenever passing the EDM stage, I felt out of place with the waves of tank tops and marshmallow heads. Even while waiting in the (obnoxious) line to get in, some loud frat bro in front of me was discussing what kinds of girls were at which shows. “LCD will have all the lame alt-girls but Zhu will have all the hoes!” he said. This is what the norm at these events have become, more of an odd
social gathering than an event to attend. Lollapalooza even cleverly placed a huge frame of where the perfect Instagram shot would be to show off to your friends. Sure enough, there was a massive line to step up into the wooden rectangle to prove just how hip you are to add to your online repertoire. If these festivals continue to grow in popularity and size, it’ll have more of a negative impact then a positive. Screw the “memories” you’re making, you got drunk watching the Red Hot Chili Peppers, good for you. You don’t need to spend an obscene amount of money to make memories. Tickets to all four days of Lollapalooza this year were around $335, and that's just if you were lucky enough to buy them off the website. All tickets provided from Lollapalooza’s website sold out within minutes to lucky buyers, but mostly to hotshot companies like StubHub or TicketMaster who shortly shot up the prices to over $400.
[ ] Hi-Jacked by Jack Deubner Opinions Editor
This is what should happen. Instead of one huge festival continuing to grow, create handfuls of festivals appealing to different audiences. This is why you’ll never catch jazz artists at major music festivals. They have their own fests so they don’t have to deal with people who don’t care. So that's it—paying $400 to see about seven of your favorite bands all while cruising through the gross fest grounds and eating a $12 hot dog. Is it worth it? Absolutely not. Paying a bit less but seeing plenty artists from a certain genre or niche of music that you enjoy? Much better.
Defined oppression not found in West County If you Google “oppression,” this is what you see; “prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control,” yet it doesn’t quite match to everyday women in the United States. While a feminist movement is striking millennial women, I’m sitting here wondering if some of my female peers actually know why they claim to be oppressed; oppression is women in the Middle Eastern countries that deal with scalding from their husbands daily. Oppression is being brutally beaten by a man who you were forced to marry because you do not wish to have any more children. Every day, women around the globe die giving birth, yet somehow women in the U.S. have the audacity to say we are oppressed because we
are run by men. Granted yes, not as many women are elected into upper level offices. Times have changed. Women are a crucial part to many businesses, government agencies, educational facilities and medical centers. I do believe the pay gap is very crucial to fight. But, do you seriously want to say females are denied opportunity? Maybe in the earlier ages women were neglected, yes. Women in our country are given opportunity for higher education and choosing their own life path, which is an upper hand that millions of women don’t even get to consider around the globe. Honestly, if you have a man degrading you solely on the fact that you are a woman, he is immediately
ignorant. Studies have shown that by far women are more empathetic than men, so you should use that to your advantage. Acknowledge his ignorance, feel sorry. For you are worth far more than what a rude man wants to claim what you may or may not be. I don’t want to gripe about feminism. That is not my place. I just want people living a high societal life to understand that they indeed are NOT oppressed. Prisoners of war, children in sex trafficking, LGBTQ and people of color who get their rights shut down: these are the people who need to cry out in oppression. Equality within the nation will never come to terms, simply because not everyone has the same beliefs.
A LITTLE
Southern
Charm
Anna James editor in chief
AJJ strive for new sound, but ultimately fall flat In Case Jack Deubner opinions editor Folk-Punk heroes, AJJ (or whatever you want to call them nowadays) take a turn for a new sound on their newest release The Bible 2. After their 2014 album Christmas Island, AJJ has come back with a powerful, lo-fi sound that smacks you across your face for the entirety of this new album. Right from the first track, “Cody’s Theme,” this crazy over driven guitar blares throughout the song over some typical Sean Bonnette lyrics that you’d expect on an AJJ record (i.e. religion, politics, mental problems.) This song particularly surprised me when I first heard it I was expecting something like the albums I’m a bit more familiar with like Knife Man or People Who Can Eat People are the Luckiest. It rocked me back
with some melodies that reminded me a bit too much of “Song Against Sex” from Neutral Milk Hotel’s On Avery Island. This new sound AJJ strives for doesn’t make much sense to me. It’s not horrible or anything, it’s just fixing something that really doesn’t need fixing. This band already has a very specific sound, with Sean’s prominent squealy vocals matched up with the acoustic guitar and double bass combo. It really stands out from the other modern punk bands. But ignoring how AJJ is trying to evolve themselves through this record, it’s not bad. Not amazing, but not bad. AJJ doesn’t fail at what they’re going for, an emotional and lo-fi rock album. Now this isn’t a masterpiece or a huge staple amongst AJJ’s discography, but that doesn’t make it a bad album. There are some stand out tracks like “Small Red Boy” and
“Terrifyer.” Both these songs have the new sound AJJ is striving towards but still have the emotion and vitality of their earlier work. But, as an album, The Bible 2 lacks any real momentum or really any sense of the songs flowing together nicely. Songs like “White Worms” and “American Garbage” break up any real emotional value that the album had going for it, with their sort of gimmicky sounding keyboards and indie-pop vibes that ring throughout. These songs aren’t horrific, (“White Worms” is actually pretty catchy) but it doesn’t fall into place for the same band that wrote “Rejoice,” a song about ignoring the fact that this world will “tear you to shreds.” These songs just break up the feelings (or lack there of) the album had flowing (“My Brain is A Human Body” on the other hand, isn’t too great of a song.)
Missed It The long awaited follow up to the Avalanches debut album has arrived, and Wildflower is fantastic. The raw and personal emotions that I saw on Knife Man (“Big Bird,” specifically) and their other albums, just aren’t here for The Bible 2. AJJ aimed to make an accessible, mellowed out but sad rock album and hit the nail on that, but that, personally, isn’t what stands tall for this band. The album isn’t terrible, it’s just missing the critical parts it needed to be the great that AJJ had previously.
Singer songwriter Jenny Hval teams up with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and Kim Myhr to create one of the most beautiful records this year.
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[4] NEWS
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Trumping Tradition
Observers agree 2016 race blends social media frenzy, personal attacks with historic election firsts Anna James problem with “thisTheyear’s editor in chief election
(art used with permission from Tribune News Service)
There is no doubt that the race for the presidency is unlike any race in history before it. With the two main political parties putting up candidates that have so strongly polarized the country, they are running almost even in the polls and it has both sides working to promote their choice while strongly trashing the opposition. Raucous rallies, leaked emails, FBI investigations and a huge wall are regular media focal points. Republican nominee Donald Trump is the political outsider and television star. Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee is the first woman in history to be the party’s official nominee. She is a former First Lady and Secretary of State. Political Science professor at Washington University St. Louis
Steven Smith spoke about this years election in a light many would agree with. “Republicans have put up a candidate that surprisingly many people are siding with. Although he has no political experience he promises what the people want to hear,” Smith said. Trump’s promise to “Make America Great Again” is a claim backed up by his immigration policy and national security views. Social studies teacher Amy Merriott said both campaigns are confusing to the voters. “America was built on immigrants. In a sense, Trump’s policies for deportation doesn’t make sense,” she said. On the other hand, she said, the email scandal involving Clinton is troublesome because there has not been a reliable release of information. Smith also brought up the idea of populism, a fear tactic, that Trump has used to inform
Americans that “America will be great again” by ridding the country of all Muslims, illegal immigrants, etc. Polls conducted by Huffington Post show that 58.3 percent of surveyed people have an unfavorable view of Trump However, 55.2 percent have an unfavorable view of Clinton. Another campaign technique that is making this election historic is the boom in technology era where the access to information has become much easier and the candidates themselves are utilizing social media to promote themselves and their views. “Trump has made a point to stand out in the media and he does it very well by using free media, via his own Twitter account to say some pretty outrageous things,” Smith said. Twitter wars between the two candidates have become common, leading some to question their emotional stability and ability to
is everyone is so misinformed. Media doesn’t always show both sides to a story.”
Amy Merriott handle criticism. “In the day we live in, information spreads like wildfire. Everything is on the internet the second something happens whether it is accurate or not,” Merriott said. That makes it even harder for voters to distinguish the truth. The candidates will meet in their first head-to-head debate on Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. This will give the voters a chance to see whether they will promote their platforms or just continue to take jabs at one another.
Future voters share opinions on Presidential candidates
“Gary Johnson [Liberal Party candidate) would have my vote. A president who doesn’t have a one sided bias is important to me.
Brett Balzraine, 12
“Donald Trump is a good leader. We need someone who will take America to great places and not ruin our country like Hillary [Clinton] would.”
Mason Blosser, 10
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“We need Hillary Clinton to unite our country and not separate it into two sides. She has respectable presidential qualities.”
Anaya Cunningham, 9
“I think neither of the candidates are trustworthy people. There is no way of knowing what Trump could do to America, and nobody knows if Clinton is a scandal.”
Prathi Pitchyaiah, 11
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NEWS [5]
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Legs& BREAKING Traditions
The cast of the Fall Play includes junior Elizabeth Burton, Bill Slank; sophomore Juliana Sweet, Mack; junior Claire Caubre, Hawking Clam; junior Catarina Kalamboukas, Fighting Prawn/Sanchez ; sophomore Abby Mirikitani, Smeed; senior Alex Dederer, Molly; senior Peyton Boyd, Black Stache; junior Braden King, Peter; senior Callandra Hudak, Mrs. Bumbrake/Teacher; senior Emma Forness, Ted; senior David Holmes, Lord Leonard Aster; junior Kane Carpenter, Prentiss; freshman Ethan Leslie, Captain Robert Falcon Scott; freshman Kyle Yerby, Grempkin. [photo by Kate Golder]
Peter Pan prequel hits Missouri high school stage for first time Kate Golder reporter Lafayette will be the first Missouri high school to present the play Peter and The Starcatcher when it opens on Oct. 20. The reason no other schools have taken on the show is financial. Because Music Theatre International just released rights, it is an expensive show to produce at around $2,500 for the stage rights. The show is a comedic prequel to the well known pop culture figure, Peter Pan.
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been done at Lafayette,” she said. Peter’s comedic backstory to the character, made most famous by Disney’s animated feature film, centers around a nameless orphan, Peter, and curious Molly Asher. “Peter is an orphan who doesn’t really know himself yet, but becomes more confident and empowered and begins to find out who he really is,” cast member junior Braden King said. The characters of Peter and Molly will be played by King and senior Alex Dederer. “Peter Pan is such a beautiful tale about a kid who never wants to grow up,” Fischer said.
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Director Natasha Fischer has spent hours preparing for the production. She has also been contacted by many other schools asking for tickets to see the productions. “So that’s very scary. All these people are looking at us to see how a high school can put on Peter and the Starcatcher,” she said. Karina Patel, senior, will be putting together a documentary on process of putting this production together. “The goal is to document the process from beginning to end because it will be a super unique show, different than anything that has
“It’s moving. We get to be the first Missouri high school to characterize these characters, and that’s an amazing feeling,” Dederer said. Although there is a certain amount of pressure in putting this production up, Fischer is very confident in her cast and crew. “It’s also very exciting because I do have the kids, I do have the ability and I do feel like we could make this bigger than any of the fall plays we have done before,” Fischer said. Peter and the Starcatcher will be presented in the theater at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20-22, Tickets will be $8 in advance and $10 at the door.
SPECIAL OCCASION STYLES STARTING AT $22. Visit GrabberSchool.edu or call 314.966.8888 for more info. Services performed by Grabber students under the supervision of licensed educators.
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[6] NEWS
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District moves toward 1:1 plan
Certain classes will get Chromebooks for at-home use Suzy Blalock life & news editor As technology advances, so do educational opportunities. Rockwood is moving with the times and will soon be supplying and sending home computers with students. Starting in early October, students in Advanced Language Arts and Research Project (ALARP) I and II classes and Reading Strategies will receive Chromebooks to take home each night. Chief Information Officer Will Blaylock said, “The Curriculum Department, in coordination with building administrators and staff, recognized the requirement to providing a mobile solution for students to use to conduct research and collaborate with other students.” The funding for this comes from the 2015 Bond Issue. It will cost about $1.31 million for 3,500 Chromebooks. Currently, the district owns around 11,000 Chromebooks. Dawn Indelicato-Faw, ALARP I and II teacher, is excited for the computers to come but isn’t sure if it’ll make a big change for students. “It means they’ll continue their research at home, as that’s a large part of their homework. I believe most kids in ALARP already have computer access at home, so I don’t know if it’ll make a huge change for them,” she said. Indelicato-Faw learned about the change the Thursday before school started. However, the ability to take laptops home won’t change the curriculum much since a majority of the work is done online already. She admits, “It will be nice though to not have to hunt down a Chromebook cart every time we need one.” Her only reservations come from the “business side of the Chromebooks,” as she puts it. “I worry about what to do when the computer breaks or the Chromebook wasn’t charged at home,” Indelicato-Faw said. “I’m not much of a techy person, so I don’t know if I can help much” Zoe Spriggs, a freshman who is taking ALARP I, doesn’t find much need for the Chromebooks personally. “I think it’s cool because I moved here a year ago, and my old school is giving kids iPads. But
Language arts teacher Sophia Title’s class works on Chromebooks during 4th Hour. Starting in October, ALARP I/II and Reading Strategies will receive Chromebooks just like these to take home every night. (Photo by Nick Horstmann) I already have a laptop, so it’s kind of pointless for me,” Spriggs said. Crystal Gray, Reading Strategies teacher, thinks the ability to take Chromebooks home will benefit her students immensely. A majority of her students don’t have regular access to a computer at home, so this will make a change for the better “It gives them the ability to take home the work we’re doing in class. If students in my class don’t have access to a regular computer at home, so it’ll allow them some extra time to work,” Gray said. Like ALARP, a majority of the assignments in Reading Strategies are online already. “Everything we do in class I put on the computer simply because that way they’ve got access to it if they aren’t here or if they need to print it out. So I put everything on Google Classroom or Google Drive,” Gray said. Chromebooks were chosen as the computers for a variety of reasons. Blaylock said, “Chromebooks are durable and require little maintenance. The Technology Department can manage the Chromebooks remotely. If a device is corrupted, we can perform a factory reset to return it to its initial state. Additionally, the cost of a Chromebook
is approximately $250, which makes it very competitively priced.” Additionally, the fact that Chromebooks come fully integrated with Google Apps for Education is a benefit. With the computers come expectations of students. For example, it’s expected that computers return in the condition they were given to students in. “The biggest concern is what will be done if a device is broken. The devices were purchased with a three-year complete care warranty. This will cover the cost of one major breakage per year. Predominantly, screens or keyboards are the items that break. With that said, other districts have found that the break rate is lower in a 1:1 program because students tend to take better care of the devices assigned to them,” Blaylock said. With all students receiving Chromebooks, there may be concerns that the Wi-Fi may not be able to handle all of the activity. However, Blaylock said there is no need for concern and that the interface can handle the activity. “Yes, we believe it will. We already have a significant number of devices connecting to our Wi-Fi. The key is more in that our devices will
be travelling home with students,” he said. Though students will be assigned laptops, they still have the ability to bring electronic devices from home. “While it would be recommended that students use the Chromebook assigned to them, they could use their own laptop. We do not plan to end our practice of allowing personal devices to come into the district,” Blaylock said. The integration of the take-home program of Chromebooks for ALARP and Reading Strategies students is a precursor to next year’s endeavor of assigning each freshman a laptop. “Beginning in August of 2017, we will provide Chromebooks for 6th and 9th grade students. This will continue into the foreseeable future,” Blaylock said. This plan is district-wide and will occur in phases over the next four to five years. But for now, these select classes will be receiving the Chromebooks, and the hopes for student success are high “It gives them the opportunity to continue their education past the school day, and it gives them the opportunity in their other classes to hopefully put in place some strategies that might help them where they don’t get it normally,” Gray said.
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S T U C O
[8 & 9] COVER STORY
Rockwood staff, local law enforcement compete on turf in charity event to raise funds for injured colleague Nick Horstmann cover story editor On July 8, Ballwin Police Officer Mike Flamion was shot twice in the neck during a routine traffic stop, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Since then, there has been an outpouring of support from community members through various charity events and a GoFundMe page. Head Football Coach Boyd Manne wanted to do his part and decided to put together a charity flag football game and donate the proceeds to Flamion. “I got the idea from my sons’ football game at Southeast Missouri State at the end of the summer. There was a lot of effort regarding police officers to see them in a different light rather than just on the streets,” Manne said. Manne decided to replicate the idea with the four Rockwood schools and also team up with local police officers. “It’s a way for high school students to give back to the men and women that help protect our communities everyday,” Manne said. The event included multiple raffles and auction items. Those and donations raised $5,135, which was all directly donated to the Flamion family.
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Increasing dangers of law enforcement profession on mind of officers, loved ones The Aug. 9, 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the ensuing protests and violence that spread nationwide changed public view of law enforcement. No matter which side you are on, there is no doubt law enforcement officers around the country have lost some respect and are under closer scrutiny as they perform their jobs. On the other side, police are facing greater risks at work. Police are more hesitant to use force because of the media spotlight, which potentially puts them in more danger. In addition, some individuals have targeted police in acts of violence, even as close to home as Ballwin. We asked some local people directly impacted by this trend how it has impacted them and their loved ones.
son of a law enforcement officer “It’s nerve racking to know that shootings have been happening, when they shouldn’t be. My father has a higher position in the police force, so he tends to be in the office more. I still worry about him, but not too severely,”
Luke Bader, 11
After the games, the police officers gathered at midfield to be recognized. Forty officers from the West County area and 15 officers from St. Louis City Special Weapons And Tactics [SWAT] were able to participate in the event on Sept. 7 at Lafayette. [photo by Nick Horstmann]
possible future police officer “I’m in the St. Louis County Police Explorer program. We get to see an inside look on what police do on a day-to-day basis. I still want to be a police officer. The recent shootings aren’t going to change that for me, if anything it’s going to drive me to become a better officer than before because a lot of people today seem to have a disrespect for police. As part of the program, I get to have an inside look on what police do on a day-to-day basis to help defend the public.”
Chris DiCarlo, 11
wife of a law enforcement officer While playing defense, physical education teacher Adam Hicks, social studies teacher Jodie Lee and Officer Bernie Widdis try to grab the opponent’s flag. Widdis has been in law enforcement for 28 years. [photo by Nick Horstmann] In the Rockwood Summit versus Lafayette round, Austin Stofer goes back to position to officiate the next play. Some varsity football players from all four schools were officials for the games, while others went around collecting donations in the stands. [photo by Nick Horstmann] After losing in the first round against Rockwood Summit, science teacher Joe Wier throws the ball to a teammate in the game against Marquette which helped lead the Lancers to a victory in that game to seal third place overall. [photo by Nick Horstmann]
The Sports and Entertainment Management class designed four different shirts to represent each Rockwood high school. Each shirt had Flamion on the back, as well as, 302 to represent Ballwin Officer Mike Flamion’s badge number.
Brittany Trott, social studies
law enforcement officer
Coach Boyd Manne instructs the participants on how each of the games will be played. With help from the other head football coaches, Manne organized the event in just five weeks. Looking for an open receiver, math teacher Jason Schneider prepares to throw the ball. “It was a great time, for a even better purpose. I’m happy and proud to do it,” Schneider said. [photos by Nick Horstmann]
“Ferguson was one of the hardest times in my life for many reasons. Being a Law Enforcement Officer Wife (LEOW) is very stressful, but with children is incredibly hard. In a country that was once proud of first responders, there is a new feeling that this line of work could make you a target. Seeing this country divided on this issue, officers and citizens losing their lives, breaks my heart. The sound of that Kevlar vest being taken off when he gets home and his boots hitting the floor, means I can finally breathe. However, I wouldn’t change his occupation for anything in the world, he is our superhero!”
Bernie Widdis, school resource officer
“There is a good and bad type of change. In a bad way, the news media doesn’t portray things the right way because they want to be first to report something, so they aren’t very accurate. On the positive side, a lot of people are starting to see how dangerous this job is and the demands that are placed on police officers. It’s gotten to the point where officers are questioning why they are doing the job. I have noticed a drastic drop in police officers due to early retirements. My department is down right now, and I’ve had to pick up shifts because of the shortages. On the Ferguson anniversary, I had to work 12 to 14-hour shifts with no weekends off. Even myself, I question how much longer am I going to stay being an officer. This year I’m at 28 years as an officer; at 30 years I can go, and I haven’t decided how long I want to stay.”
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Hero Showdown: Marvel or DC? Fans talk about superhero preferences Shwetha Sundarrajan reporter
T
hey are the flashy, quick witted, and morally honorable characters that we, the readers matured with from a young age.
Their impeccable moral compass impacted the youth of generations before and now to be righteous and brave. For senior Aaron Collier, DC comics has always appealed to him from a young age. “Oh, I definitely love DC comics. I was just raised with it because my dad is really into comics and he would always give me them to read,” said Collier. Collier prefers the DC characters such as Batman and Superman because they seem more classic. DC Comics were founded in 1939 by Malcolm Wheeler Nicholson who published the first sole comic book rather than newspaper rerun comic strips. Rather than be a fan of the movies like most, Collier prefers the comics. “I prefer the comics better than the movies because you can pull off a lot more in the comics such as have more characters and they have a deeper plot,” said Collier. Language arts teacher Paul Jaycox agrees that the comics can pull off more material than the movies. “At first, with the earlier Marvel movies, the comics did not translate well into movies because they were trying to be comic books into movies — like the visuals were comic-like,” Jaycox said. He added, “They had the lines sound campy like the comics. Very rarely did you have a comic book movie that was presented well in the media it was in.” A great example he said, is the Batman series, which transitioned between the line of comic book-esque and movie. The original Batman movie characters were dark, and so was the overall theme. The early Batman comics were
especially violent, and Batman killed his enemies. Only in the later comics did he refuse to kill. The movies accurately portray the darkness one usually sees in the Batman comics. The ‘Batman Forever’ and “Batman and Robin” are considered to be the worst movies of the franchise due to their silly theme. When Christopher Nolan rebooted the series, he reintroduced the characters that were dark and brought back villains that were a menace, not a joke,” Jaycox said. Nevertheless, senior JJ Thorley agrees that although Marvel is doing exceptionally well in the movie industry, DC has been having small successes in the television media. ”Marvel has been making these fantastic movies in a row, and DC hasn’t been able to produce a liveaction movie like Marvel has. I think DC has always been proficient in the comic book aspect of it and with their live action TV shows like The Flash and the Arrow,” Thorley said. Despite Batman being his favorite character, Thorley likes the Black Panther, a Marvel character introduced in Civil War. Black Panther was the first African American superhero to be introduced into mainstream comics. The Black Panther had many names, such as the Black Leopard or the Coal Tiger because many readers associated it to The Black Panther Party. Senior Victoria Sorrentino loves the characters in Marvel, because of the humor incorporated in the movies. “I do like some of the DC characters, but if I had to pick, it would be Marvel. If DC specifically made a movie to rival Marvel’s movies, then it would be definitely be Marvel because their characters are a lot more entertaining and use the theme of team building a lot more than DC does,” Sorrentino said. The Avengers unite under a capable leader who is also Sorrentino’s favorite character, Captain America. “One of my other favorite characters is Captain America, because he is the team leader of the
DC comics was nearly sold to Marvel Comics in 1984.
In 1980s, Marvel artists created a story line for the Transformer toys at Hasbro’s request.
Lex Luthor originally had red hair. There were mix ups between artists and Luthor ended up bald.
Language Arts teacher Paul Jaycox poses with cardboard cutouts of his favorite childhood super heros Batman and Wolverine. Jaycox has a vast collection of Civil War comics and movie posters in Room 146. He also has a replica of Thor’s hammer. (photo by Shwetha Sundarrajan) Avengers, and he always does things for the right reason. He also doesn’t question himself as much as the others do, and has this aura to keep the team together. Also, he’s really hot,” Sorrentino said. Sorrentino’s father introduced her and her brother into the world of superheroes and became smitten with Iron Man and Captain America, her two favorite characters. Jaycox also fell in love with the superhero universe as a teenager. “I grew up reading the X-men comics and watching them on the Sunday morning cartoons,” he said. Sorrentino added, “One of my all
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time favorite character is Iron Man, and I think Marvel did a fantastic job with casting Robert Downey Jr. to play him. I think he perfectly captured that playboy but super smart genius billionaire character,” Sorrentino said. Superheros bring people together, no matter what differences they have. “My friends and I were not part of the norm-we were the nerdy kids, the dorks, who played role playing and video games and we weren’t on a softball or football team like the other kids were. The fact that Wolverine could be accepted in a group or go off solo really impacted us,” Jaycox said.
In 1954, The Comic Code Authority banned the use of werewolves in an attempt to make comics kid friendly.
Hulk was originally gray, but Marvel changed him to green due to poor color separation.
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Cyclists face dangers on area roads Erin Coogan asst. news and feature editor It’s not just toddlers that have trouble with the concept of sharing. There is a lot of controversy surrounding cyclists sharing the road with cars. Some people believe bicycles belong on sidewalks, others believe cyclists have every right to share the road with cars. And, it’s not just a matter of personal choice. It is a legal issue and a public safety issue. According to Missouri Department of Transportation, 14 cyclists were killed due to accidents with cars between 2012- 2014. Missouri law considers a bike a vehicle, so it is illegal for cyclists to be on the sidewalk with pedestrians. But, junior Alyssa Davin disagrees with the law. “It’s dangerous. Bikers create traffic, and as a younger driver, I’m afraid of hitting them. If I am driving down a road going 40 miles per hour, turn a corner, and see a bike going 15 miles per hour, I have to slam on my breaks. The people behind me have to also. Then I have to try and pass the cyclist, but there are cars coming on the other side of the road. It’s just not safe. For either of us. They could get hit by car, or I could hit someone else trying to avoid them,” Davin said. Lafayette social studies teacher Vince DeBlasi is an avid cyclist and even competes in cycling competitions. He may be one of the bikers you see on the road from time to time as he uses the roads in the area to train for upcoming competitions. “There is this misconception that everyone out on the roads is just riding bikes for fun, and I would say majority of the people out there are doing that. However, there are a number of us that race. There’s about 400 people in the St. Louis area that compete. I’m very serious about
what I do, and I am out there for a purpose. I’m not just out trying to ride my bike,” DeBlasi said. DeBlasi has a trainer who sets up his workouts and tracks his progress. During a typical week, he trains up to six days. “I’ve been hit three times. Once while I lived in Germany, and twice here in America. All three times it was the driver’s fault, but I will say about half of the time it is the cyclist’s fault, too,” DeBlasi said. Davin has almost got into a car accident due to a cyclist. “I’ve almost gotten in a head on accident because of cyclists. They were riding on a windy road with two right next to each other. There wasn’t enough room for me, so I tried to pass. Then another car going the other way came, and I was stuck in the middle between the two. I’m lucky I didn’t get hit,” Davin explains. Davin also has issues with cyclists when they do not obey the laws of the road. “I’ve seen so many cyclists run traffic lights and disobey street signs. The most common thing I see is them not riding single-file. I’ve seen bikers riding three people across. That goes into my lane,” Davin said. DeBlasi also has had experiences with bikers not following some laws. “I think it’s really important to stress: if
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there are a whole bunch of cyclists on the road and I am in my car, if they aren’t following the rules, I get upset about that. They give us all a bad name,” DeBlasi explains. Another concern motorists have is how some roads are unsafe for bikes. Davin thinks some roads are too thin and windy. “I just think some roads are unfit for bikes. We have a lot of skinny roads bikers just don’t belong on. It is just unsafe for all the people involved. It scares me to drive behind bikers in general, but adding that on to skinny, winding roads just makes me nervous. I don’t want to hurt them or myself,” Davin said. DeBlasi tries to avoid roads he considers dangerous. “With all the curves on some roads around here, I try to avoid it. If it is too windy, then I
won’t go on it. I try to ride in the morning, so there won’t be cars out, but obviously I’m going to fight for cyclist rights,” DeBlasi said. “I do have some risk by being on the road. I do know I could be killed,” DeBlasi adds. The Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation has some tips to make the road safer for cyclists. The group advises that cyclists obey all laws, just like a car should. They also advise cyclists to be attentive and yield to cars, wear bright clothing, refrain from riding at night, and use safety gear. There are laws in place to make the road safe for everyone. Legally, cyclists are allowed on the road and considered to be vehicles and it is up to drivers to be aware of them and share the road accordingly.
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[12] FEATURES
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in for
ALA
Left: Junior Ala Blaszczyk started classes this fall, along with all of her classmates. She is working with teachers to manage the workload. [photo by Kayley Allen]
Girls volleyball supports teammate after cancer diagnosis Kayley Allen editor in chief
different, she was aware that it wasn’t just a sore muscle. “The next day, I found another one lower on my collarbone. I went to my neighbor, who’s a nurse, and she told me it was probably mono,” Blaszczyk said. A Monday doctor visit resulted in clean blood tests and an appointment for an ultrasound. “I went for an ultrasound on Thursday. As soon as I got home they called us and said they wanted to do a biopsy because they were a little worried. I went back to the hospital that night and got a chest scan, and that’s when they told me that there was a mass there. The next day I had a biopsy, and they confirmed that it was lymphoma,” Blaszczyk said. Being a healthy, competitive athlete since elementary school, this diagnosis was the furthest thing from Blaszczyk’s mind.
O
nly a few months ago, the final week of the 2015-2016 school year, a familiar feeling of anxiousness and excitement hit the students at Lafayette. Finals were being taken, days were short and the long-awaited summer was almost here. For junior Ala Blaszczyk, summer wasn’t the only thing on her mind. “It was the last Thursday of school. I remember because I was supposed to take my math final the next day,” Blaszczyk said. That Thursday marked a very important date for Blaszczyk. “I was diagnosed with stage two hodgkin lymphoma,” Blaszczyk You hear stories of people who said. have cancer and you always say Lymphoma is cancer ‘it’s not going to happen to me.’” that attacks cells in the immune system. These Ala Blaszczyk, 11 cells are all over the body, in places such as the lymph nodes, spleen and “I’ve always been like that, too. It’s bone marrow. just shocking when it actually does Lymphoma causes these cells happen to you,” Blaszczyk said. to change and grow rapidly out of According to Cancer.org, control. Hodgkin’s disease accounts for “Luckily it’s Hodgkin’s, which about three percent of all childhood means it’s curable. They think it cancers. was caused by some sort of virus,” “Everyone thinks they’re Blaszczyk said. invincible, and this was really a A few warning signs for realization that I’m not and that this lymphoma include fever, swelling really can happen,” Blaszczyk said. in ankles or legs, fatigue, enlarged After the diagnosis, Blaszczyk tonsils, headache, etc. For Blaszczyk, decided to go through chemotherapy her warnings were a little less treatment to try and terminate the noticeable. cancer. “My shoulder area was a little “It was a 12-week process, and swollen, and I thought it was a knot every cycle was three weeks. The on my neck because it was aching. I first week of every cycle I had three put a heating pad on it. I didn’t think days of chemo which was intense. much of it,” Blaszczyk said. The second week there was less When it started to look and feel
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Top: Blaszczyk tuned into the volleyball game via headset on Sept. 8. The coaches have the headsets to communicate during the game.[photo by Mollie Rogan] Bottom: Blaszczyk and junior Merry Gebel grab a selfie last spring before Blaszcyk was diagnosed with lymphoma. [photo courtesy of Merry Gebel] chemo being done and the third tweets, which was really nice. The On Sept. 8, Lafayette’s volleyball week I would come in so the doctors support was crazy,” Blaszczyk said. team played Eureka. The theme for could do lab work to see if I needed Blaszczyk and junior Merry Gebel the match was “All in For Ala.” anything and what the status was. both play on Lafayette’s volleyball Weeks prior to the game, some And then that process was repeated,” team as well as Rockwood Thunder, a of Lafayette’s players ordered purple Blaszczyk said. local club team. bracelet’s with the words “All in for The demanding schedule of the “She came up to the team after Ala” and sold them to students and chemotherapy treatment changed a scrimmage and told us what was staff during lunch. Blaszczyk’s daily The game also featured a 50/50 routine and especially raffle to raise money for Ala and her It’s hard because she’s a really impacted her volleyball family. involvement. On that Thursday, the team good setter, and at practice Since 4th grade, sported their jersey’s to school, per and games she always pushed volleyball has been a big usual, but they were different from everyone to be better.” part in Blaszczyk’s life. their normal home jersey’s. She was a typical student The numbers on these jersey’s Merry Gebel, 11 athlete — eating, sleeping were marked with lavender glitter; and breathing volleyball. lavender representing cancer Because of the awareness. physical and mental demands of the going on. We were all shocked Lafayette’s volleyball team has chemotherapy treatment, Blaszczyk because none of us thought that been State champions for five years in was unable to do some of the things would ever happen to someone we’re a row. This being said, these athletes she had been participating in for the so close to, let alone Ala,” Gebel said. have always known how to bring past eight years. While Blaszczyk was going their A- game. During this match, “I was pretty isolated from through her chemotherapy, Gebel they wanted that win more than ever. volleyball when it first happened, and some of Lafayette’s team decided Due to the increased drive and and I couldn’t compete in Nationals to show her their support. desire from the players, varsity, junior with my club team. When I had time “Me and some of the girls decided varsity and freshmen volleyball teams I decided I should go to open gyms, to go to Ala’s last chemotherapy all defeated Eureka. but that was when I could still do session. Also, a few of the girls on “All of the proceeds from that, as stuff,” Blaszczyk said. the Rockwood Thunder team and I well as the concession stand, went When the chemotherapy’s full decided to cut our hair and donate to Ala and her family to help with effects set in, Blaszczyk was unable to it to Locks of Love. We just wanted medical bills,” Young said. do some things that came naturally to her to know how much we support The diagnosis not only affected her before. her and that we are there for her no Ala’s health, but her outlook on some “I can’t set because my fingers are matter what’s going on,” Gebel said. things as well. numb, I can’t move as fast because Not only did volleyball I don’t have reflex in my legs. The change for Blaszczyk, but chemo affects you and makes you for Lafayette’s team as well. I think I really centered my life less focused. You also have to take “Now, she can’t play around volleyball too much.” steroids, so you gain weight and you as much because she’s can’t sleep at night. In school it’s hard always tired so it’s hard Ala Blaszczyk, 11 to focus, but my teachers are helping when she’s not there. It’s me with that,” Blaszczyk said. different on the court Because volleyball has always without her constant been a big part of Blaszczyk’s life, motivation,” Gebel said. “This whole journey has made me she’s made several friends through Varsity volleyball coach Zachary realized that your health and your Lafayette’s team as well as her club Young agrees there’s a little bit of a family is what’s really important. I team. change not having Ala always on the don’t know if my body will allow “Girls on my club team were good court. me to be as competitive now, so I’m friends with girls on the Lafayette “Ala is a very motivated and going to focus more on school. I need team, so word got around pretty driven player, and we miss not being to focus on getting better,” Blaszczyk quickly. I received a lot of texts and able to see her everyday,” Young said. said.
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New Class Pick Guitar 3 presents option for more advanced players Emily DiCarlo reporter For those students who took and enjoyed Guitar 1 and 2, and are wondering, “What’s left after 2? What do I do now?” guitar teacher Traci Bolton has just the answer. Guitar 3 is designed for the advanced guitar students who are seeking to further their career in music. She teaches the standard, twosemester class in Room 102 during
4th Hour. She is the only teacher for this course, so anyone who signs up is guaranteed to learn under her. The process to make this dreamclass a reality took seven years of constant persuasion on Bolton’s part and she is now seeing the results. Because the class is so new, only nine boys are enrolled. Bolton said her classes tend to be “guy heavy,” so she is always looking for girls to sign up and balance out the population. Bolton’s students have only praise for her relaxed teaching style and fun atmosphere in the classroom.
“She is by far the best guitar teacher...one of my favorites” junior Adam Flannigan said. Junior Connor Bond agreed. He said, “She allows us to have a lot of freedom in the class. It’s a smaller class, that’s what I like.” Some of the curriculum covered includes learning chords, working together as an ensemble and actually composing their own music. Students take a more mature approach to songwriting and Bolton said, “They are challenged. It is a fun class. We’re a little rowdy at times.”
Guitar 1 and 2 are not a prerequisite to take the class, but anyone who has taken those classes has the advantage of already experiencing Bolton’s teaching style. This is a pilot course for the district that Bolton created. It is not offered at any of the other three high schools currently. It could be added to their schools in the future if it is successful at Lafayette. Junior Chris Harwood said, “As soon as [she] told us that there was another guitar class, that’s when I decided to take it.”
Guitar teacher Traci Bolton pilots a new Guitar 3 course for more advanced instruction. [photo by Emily DiCarlo]
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‘Bringing Home the Gold’ takes out the old Suzy Blalock life & news editor
Wednesday morning of Homecoming week traditionally consists of two things: students walking around before classes admiring class hall decorations and administration tearing down the decorations at the 8:16 a.m. bell. Student Council (STUCO) decided that the cycle won’t repeat. Since 1990, decorations have decked the grade halls every week during Homecoming, fitting to whatever theme was selected. This tradition is coming to an end, however, in the hopes to save paper and time. STUCO president Marlo McElroy, senior, said, “We have been wanting to change hall decorations because most people can agree it is a big waste of money, time, and paper, all to be taken down the next morning.” Administration was also looking for another Spirit Week activity for similar reasons. Activities Director Steve Berry said, “The administrative team was trying to find ways to try and do something that still supported Homecoming and class decorations, without just throwing up a whole bunch of paper that got ripped down and thrown away.” STUCO approached the administration about the change. “[STUCO] met with the principals and outlined what they wanted to do, which was to eliminate hall decs since it was a waste, and administration wouldn’t let them stay up past 1st Hour after all the hours went into it,” sponsor David Choate said. “So, we decided to do something else.” That “something else” is banners. These “banners” will be huge sheets of paper (size yet to be determined) for each class to decorate with their dictated theme. This year, with the Homecoming theme being “Bring Home the Gold”, referencing the summer Olympics this year, each grade has been designated a country to decorate their banner for. Seniors have been given the United States of America as a theme to decorate their banner. Juniors have China, and sophomores have Greece. Freshman have Russia. The STUCO Executive Board will also make
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a banner bigger than each grades to celebrate the theme of the dance. “It’ll be the same as hall decs, where the banners will be made on Tuesday and judged on Wednesday. We’re going to hang them in the Gym, so they’ll be up all week. We’ll hang them Tuesday night. They’ll be up during the Pep Assembly so we’ll still be able to see them,” said Choate. Berry, a fan of the idea, said, “This is something that they thought could get everyone involved, wouldn’t be such a waste, and they’ll be able to keep up all week in the Gym.” Some students, however, aren’t as keen on the idea. Faith Frings, senior, has done hall decorations since her freshman year. With this being her final year to continue the tradition, she’s upset with the change. “‘I’m not that happy about it because this is my senior year, and my friends and I really wanted to decorate the halls and really go all out,” Frings said. “I feel like decorating the halls really helped people bond, and you got to meet and work with people you have sometimes never met.” Even with different opinions on the change, it will take a shorter amount of time for creating the banners. “It shouldn’t be as time consuming. You don’t have the sheer size of having to decorate an entire hall. Instead, it’s just a banner,” Choate said. Whether it will cost as much money is up in the air, though a considerable less amount of paper will be used. “It depends on how elaborate they want it to be. You’ll be using paper still, and you’re always going to need paint and markers,” Choate said. The idea came from the Student Council at Palo Verde High School in Nevada, where Executive Board member Kennedy Plant has friends. Another change this year will be the addition of a movie at the end of the run on Sunday. Following the run, which ends on the football field, a movie will be shown on a projector screen through one of the field goals. STUCO encourages students to bring blankets and friends to sit and watch the movie. Popcorn will be provided.
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McElroy said, “We wanted to extend the run so that way we don’t just run and then leave all within 30 minutes. So we decided to add an Olympic themed movie on the turf at the end to get everyone in the Homecoming spirit.” The movie has not been decided on yet but will be Olympic themed. “It’s just a matter of finding a movie we’re allowed to use for copyright reasons, which means that the school just has to own it. That will probably be determined the week before,” said Choate. STUCO is hoping these changes lead to a greater Homecoming experience than before. McElroy said, “I hope this turns into the biggest attendance and best participation yet for the dance and for the whole week leading up to it.”
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We have all the newest cool spiritwear, LA books, coffee, sodas, snacks, etc.
Top: Philanthropy chair Courtney Khlomann leads the STUCO meeting in the wave. This meeting was the first of the year where members brainstormed spirit day ideas. Bottom: STUCO president Marlo McElroy explains the differences with this year’s Homecoming. Several parts of Spirit Week were changed. (photos by Claire Duncan)
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Elephant-sized problem
World celebrates pachyderms on Sept. 22 to create awareness I think a big Brinlee Frazier “ contribution is encore editor
P
opular in cultures around the world, elephants storm their way through the hearts of many, making it logical to celebrate a day devoted to elephants. Elephants are imperative to the ecosystem, for they forage their ways through their habitat, creating natural pathways, and they also eat and drop seeds, helping pollination. Interestingly enough, elephants can either be right or left-tusked. These tusks help them in their everyday lives: for offense, defense, lifting, digging, gathering food, and protection. Unfortunately, their greatest asset is also their fatality. According to National Geographic, an estimated 100,000 elephants were poached from 2011 to 2014.
It isn’t unusual for a poacher to shoot an elephant, remove the tusks, then leave it on the ground to die. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) writes that in the past 40 years, 90 percent of the elephant population has been wiped out by human activity alone. Senior Sammy McCarthy, co-founder of the Lafayette Environmental Club, offers her opinion about sustainability and animals. “I think a big contribution is how we treat our environment and resources. A big decline in populations, like elephant populations, isn’t just caused by poaching,” McCarthy said. The average American produces approximately 4.3 pounds of waste per day, per the Duke Sustainability Center. This means that 220 million pounds of waste are created annually. That’s just the USA. Globally, it’s a lot bigger. A frightening study conducted by Dan Hoornweg and his two colleagues predicts that the amount of global waste will triple by 2100,
how we treat our environment and resources.” Sammy McCarthy, 12
creating problems for humans and elephants alike. In a like manner, habitat destruction is another leading cause of elephant endangerment, according to WWF. Human involvement, such as expanding human settlements, farming, raising livestock, etc., creates harmful situations for elephant herds, causing them to have trouble accessing vital resources such as water or food. McCarthy later added, "Education is one of our only hopes. Raising awareness and engaging people will definitely help save Earth and its animals". Lafayette's Environmental Club meets every second and fourth Wednesday of the month.
Get to know the gentle giant 1. Baby elephants weigh around 250 pounds when born 2. Elephants spend around 16 hours a day eating. Relateable. 3. Elephants can live up to 70 years, on average. 4. One ear from the African bull (male) elephants weighs roughly 100 pounds. 5. They consume around 300-495 pounds of food per day, the same as the average male teenager. 6. Elephants walk at approximately four miles per hour, as opposed to humans, who walk at about three miles per hour.
Is It Really Worth It? Cheaper make-up brands save cash, maintain quality With all eyes on Kylie Jenner’s Lip Kits, shoppers are emptying their wallets to get their hands on the $17 tubes. The high price of these glosses have people asking, “Well, is it worth it?.” Encore investigated to find the answer. Lily Otero, senior, is known for her cosmetic skills. When asked about her preference over high-end or drugstore products, she said, “I typically wear drugstore makeup, but I am willing to pay more for highlighters.” Copious Pinterest Boards, beauty magazines and blogs offer dupes, jargon for cheaper versions, of the high-end products. We found some, and we put them to the test.
Highlighters/Shimmers VS ELF Shimmering Facial Whip Cost: $1
Benefit Cosmetics High Beam Cost: $26
Pros ELF: four color options, cruelty-free, good pigment Cons ELF: wears off easily, poor texture, messy Pros Benefit: easy to apply, high pigment Cons Benefit: expensive (.45 oz for $26), difficult to blend, one color option VERDICT: ELF. Even though it is nice to treat yourself with a luxury highlighter, we figured that Benefit High Beam is not worth it. Since ELF Shimmering Facial Whip is so inexpensive and comes in a variety of colors, appealing to all skin colors, we decided that the dupe dominates.
Eyeshadows VS NAKED3 by Urban Decay Cost: $54
*information from soselephants.org
Revealed 2 by Costal Scents Cost: $19.95
Pros of NAKED3: Offers matte, shimmer, and sparkly shades, range of colors, comes with Urban Decay brush, highly pigmented, long lasting Cons of NAKED3: Difficult to remove, hard to blend Pros of Coastal Scents: Bright colors, shimmery Cons of Coastal Scents: irritating, chalky, oily VERDICT: NAKED3 Yes, it is expensive, but through personal experience, guru Otero prefers the pricier palette. “I love NAKED. It is one of my favorite products,” Otero said, “It is one of the only products I splurge on.”
Liquid Lipsticks As the school year kicks off, students are flooded with high levels of stress as they acclimate themselves back to their rigorous schedules. Physical Education teacher Ashley Lewis, who is also a coach and busy mom, offers her three favorite exercises that she uses to combat stress.
Running Lewis named running as her number one go-to exercise to relieve stress. This isn't surprising due to the fact that runners often experience what they call runner's high, which is caused by a release of endorphins in the brain.
Swimming
The coach identified swimming as another exercise she enjoys. Swimming exercises can range from swimming lengths, water aerobics, aquatic jogging and water polo. This aquatic activity is beneficial to people suffering from shin splints.
Cleaning
Though it isn't an orthodox stress relieving activity, Lewis noted that cleaning is another option. "I really enjoy cleaning when I'm stressed, strangely enough," Lewis said. So, when stressed, pick up a duster and get cleaning.
VS Kylie Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick in Dolce K Cost: $17
NYX in Sandstorm Cost: $7
Pros of NYX: Inexpensive, highly pigmented, no cracks, long lasting, nice smell Cons of NYX: drying, patchy, shiny Pros of Kylie: smooth, highly pigmented, Cons of Kylie: Expensive, difficult to remove VERDICT: Tie. It really depends how much you want to spend on a liquid lipstick. Both products offer fantastic pigment and lasting stay, that being said, Otero favors the Kylie lip product.