April 14, 2016

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April 14, 2016 • Vol. 47, No. 8

Best. Summer. Ever. (Or Not.) see page 9 for Lancer summer camp stories

Lafayette High School • 17050 Clayton Rd. • Wildwood, MO 63011 • lhsimage.com • @LHSimage

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page two • opinions

April 14, 2016

Getting caught up in stress that comes with April testing, events is pointless, unhealthy staff editorial Opinions expressed on the editorial pages do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school administration. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board.

Signed columns, blogs, editorial cartoons and reviews reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the Image Editorial Board.

Staff • Policies

Editors

Seth Boester • Editor in Chief Anna James • News Editor Jessica Collins • Lifestyle Editor Kayley Allen • Opinion Editor Ben Rachell • Entertainment Editor Josh Waitsman • Sports Editor Kaitlyn Wylie • Feed Editor Suzy Blalock • Webmaster Garrett McBay • Asst. Webmaster Nick Horstmann • Ad Manager Nancy Y. Smith, MJE • Adviser

Staff Members Image:

Tyler Burnett, Jessica Cargill, Erin Coogan, Arpan Das, Jack Deubner, Kira Downing, Brinlee Frazier, Breanna Hunt, John Levine, Elly Levy, Sabrina Ross, Dominic Scaglione, Shwetha Sundarrajan

Digital Media:

Logan Jordan • Editor in Chief Julianne Beffa • Editor in Chief Malcolm Beattie-Hauser, Jimmy Bowman, Nathan Hinton, Olivia Jaeger, Shelby Robbe, Mason Smith, Laura Stewart, Cameron Wolk, Gina Yu

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 AllAmerican 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.

Philosophy Statement

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.

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A complete explanation of the Rockwood School District Policies and Regulations concerning official student publications and the policies and procedures used by the Image staff can be found on the website www.lhsimage.com under the About Us tab.

April is National Stress Awareness month. Most would agree that April is also the most stressful month. Oh, the irony.

We can’t deny that April is always a busy month. We are dealing with the ACT (possibly two for juniors), End of Course (EOC) exams week, Prom, finalizing college plans, upcoming AP tests and all of this with nothing but five-day weeks across the calendar.

Our to-do list’s are constantly filled with everything we have to cram in before the end of the school year.

But it’s just another month.

Just because it’s a busy one doesn’t mean it has to be stressful. Many people get overwhelmed with all of the testing and assignments, but we’ve been taking tests and completing assignments all year, there’s nothing new about this concept.

It might be easy to believe that all of the teachers had a secret meeting and decided to assign all of the tests on the same day, but that isn’t true either.

At this point, not getting a perfect score on that test isn’t a big deal. That’s not to say we should stop studying. We should still focus on the classes that need improvement, and maintain our grades in

the other ones.

But if raising a letter grade in a class isn’t possible, there’s no point in worrying about it. Just work hard to keep the grade from dropping any more.

EOC’s are nothing to worry about either.

It’s basically like a final; it’s everything we’ve learned put together on one test.

The grade we have in the class is most likely around the grade we will receive on the EOC. It won’t impact a grade in the class as much as one may think.

Another stressor in the month of April is the ACT. Chances are those who take it this month are underclassmen, which mean we still have time to improve if we don’t get the score we want.

It’s only a number, it doesn’t define what we’re worth.

Prom can also be a major source of stress for those who are attending. The truth is, whoever is in our prom group won’t really matter in 10 or even five years.

We shouldn’t stress if we don’t end up with that $800 Sheri Hill dress.

It also doesn’t matter if that girl we have beef with is in our group, if we don’t get a party bus or if that annoying kid is at our table.

It won’t matter who we went with, or if we went alone. What will be remembered is the way we felt that night.

Prom is supposed to be a fun event with our friends. People we’ve gone to school with since kindergarten, people we might not see until our high school reunion.

It’s supposed to be a break from all of the high school stress, not another stressor.

Sometimes Prom drama is inevitable, but it can also be kept to a minimum if a positive attitude is held.

Instead of constantly worrying and being stressed this month, try making the best out of everything.

Rock that ACT, EOC and all of the other tests this month. If we don’t? That’s fine too.

Have fun at prom. Get excited about finalizing college plans. Seniors, make the most of the time you have left. Don’t spend your last few months stressing over things that won’t matter after these months are over.

Make the most of this month, but don’t give it any special treatment or add unnecessary stress.

It’s just another month.

Trust me, you don’t want her life It’s an ordinary Sunday night. Although there’s still a list of things that have to be completed, we’re all doing what we do best as high school students: procrastinating.

We scroll through Instagram because refreshing an app every five minutes is less mentally demanding than that math homework we should be doing.

As our thumb glides up the screen, a picture catches our eye. It’s a celebrity account that we follow, or maybe just an account with thousands of followers.

Regardless, the face staring back at us is drop dead gorgeous.

We’ve all been there. We stare at this person’s picture, studying every inch.

Their face, body, the scenery behind them, everything.

And then the jealousy creeps in. We can’t stop the automatic comparisons we make with the person we’re looking at.

Some might even think, “This person is beautiful, they look so happy and healthy. I wish I had their life.”

But trust me, we don’t. Before we start to fantasize about what life would be like if we were them, there’s some things we should keep in mind.

First, Instagram models get paid to look like models. Yes, Instagram models are a thing, and yes, that is their career.

They get paid to tag products in their pictures. They spend every waking moment eating healthy and working out because that is their job.

It’s what they get paid to do, it’s how they make a living.

We can’t say the same thing. We go to school, have jobs, play sports, participate in extracurriculars, etc. We aren’t Instagram models, therefore, we shouldn’t expect ourselves to look like that.

If the person that we envy happens to live a more normal life, like someone at our school, we still shouldn’t wish to have their life over our own.

The truth is, we have no clue what other people are going through.

They might have the perfect body, a cute relationship, a 4.0 gpa, an amazing wardrobe, a nice car, lots of friends, etc.

It’s understandable to look at other people and pick out the things that they have and we don’t.

However, to say you want

That’s What She Said kayley allen opinion editor someone’s life is to say you want all of these things, as well as everything else that comes with it.

That girl with the cute boyfriend? The only time they’re actually happy is in the pictures they post on social media. That guy with a perfect body? He’s battling a drug addiction. That girl that gets straight A’s? She’s struggling with a mental illness.

The guy with a super nice car? His dad never calls anymore.

The beautiful people we admire, celebrities, people that have that one thing that would make our lives complete. We don’t truly know what their life is like. We don’t know their story, their traumatizing past. We don’t know what they go through on a day-to-day basis.

It could be something that we would never imagine, something we are incapable of handling.

Everyone goes through something at some point in their lives. It’s part of life. It’s what makes us who we are.

We should never say we want someone’s life. We might be in love with the idea of the life they live, but we don’t really know what that entails.

Instead, simply admire how pretty their hair is, or what a good relationship they have with their mom. We shouldn’t forget to admire ourselves as well. We all have amazing qualities that other people long for as well.

It’s difficult, but once we learn to love ourselves and appreciate the life we are given, it can be pretty amazing.

Model Alexis Ren and her boyfriend Jay Alvarrez are considered “Tumblr Famous” and have about 8.3 million combined followers on Instagram. (photos courtesy of Alexis Ren)

April 14, 2016

Violent video games might be less harmful than you’d originally think What is the deal with the misconception that enjoying violent video games will lead to violent acts of crime?

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen an overly-cautious, uninformed attitude from older generations of people regarding this topic. It’s been apparent for many years due to various scientific studies that there is no correlation between the two.

The endless talk about this subject on various news outlets is nothing but fear mongering, and as somebody who has been viewing violent media for many years, I can attest that the argument is pointless.

To understand where the other side of the argument is coming from, we must first break down the situation that a naysayer might be in to cause them to oppose violent games.

The most vocal group is parents. They see the commercials and trailers for the newest mature games, and instantly think to themselves “I don’t want my son/daughter watching or playing this.”

It’s understandable, an 8-year-old child should probably not be playing Grand Theft Auto; the graphic things you can pull off in that game would be too much for Junior’s little developing mind.

But what if the child was 16 or 17? Would it really make sense to keep your child from viewing this media, even though they’re of age?

As a parent, you’re allowed to arbitrarily withhold things from your kids, but doing it on the grounds of “My kid will become violent because of playing this or watching that,” just seems unreasonable.

However, I can’t just sit here and spout my thoughts without concrete backing. In a study done this past August, the American Psychological Association found that while there is a correlation between playing violent video games and exerting aggressive emotions/thoughts, there was not enough evidence to conclude that such items would lead to notable acts of violence or crime.

The study also stated that the long term effects of playing the games on a child’s development were inconclusive.

A 12-year-old boy who loses a match

in Call of Duty may get angry, but losing matches consistently over the course of a month may not yield psychosocial behaviors from him.

And it’s not even specifically the act of playing them that exerts the behavior. It’s the act of playing them for longer periods of time.

In a study published by the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, researchers found that “overall those who played for less than an hour a day were less likely to have problems such as aggression than those who did not play at all. But those who spend more than three hours a day displayed higher levels of aggression and were less academically engaged.”

So it’s apparent that gluing your eyes to the TV screen playing games for hours on end is bad for you; that’s something everybody’s been aware of since the birth of video games.

It’s one thing to assume that playing violent games will cause violent behaviors, but it’s another to assume that they would also cause a person to lose all moral boundaries and go on a killing spree.

Famous entertainers Penn Jillette and his partner, Teller, once starred in a show called Bullsh*t! which tackled several different social issues, and gave their educated opinion on each topic.

In an episode regarding video games, they found a 9-year-old boy who played them daily. They decided to test his reaction to firing a real gun by taking him out to a range.

With the help of a retired U.S. Marine, he was able to successfully load and fire an AR-15 rifle. The child was unphased at first, but after several minutes went by, he started crying, claiming it was “loud and scary” and that he never wanted to fire a gun again.

What opponents of the topic fail to understand is that most people have some form of moral backing in their brain, a voice telling them not to do something because it’s just not right.

I can walk around in a game and shoot people here and there, but to actually pick

Real Talk seth boester editor in chief up a firearm in reality and end somebody’s life with it, let alone multiple people’s lives?

There is a very, very big divide between the two examples.

Most people don’t play violent video games just because they want to commit acts of violence in real life. They play them as a form of escapist entertainment.

As somebody who has been playing these things my whole life, I can attest to the fact that not once have I ever wanted to physically harm someone because of a game, and I am sure that the same can be said for most gamers.

Due to their relatively young existence, video games are the new thing older generations flock to when acts of violence and crime show up in the media.

In the words of Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto, “Video games are bad for you? Isn’t that what they said about rock-nroll?”

As time moves forward and the older generation goes away, video games will eventually be accepted as a reasonable and harmless form of entertainment, but until then, those on the pro-game side of the debate will have to endure the same arguments over and over again explaining how playing them will lead us to become emotionless killers.

Hitting the wall is just a part of life garrett mcbay • asst webmaster It’s April. After four years, this will be the last time that I get to write to Lafayette as a whole, as in May I will be working on the Senior Issue instead.

I feel it is proper for me to leave a piece of advice to any underclassmen who will listen. So now, to any who care to read: take a seat because I have a story to tell.

For a long time, I never really understood the problem with school. Sure, I went, I learned, I took tests, but I never felt like there was much of a challenge. I’m not trying to gloat or inflate my ego or anything; I acknowledge that for some it can be difficult.

Actually, some of the people I have the highest respect for are those who struggle in school (more on that later).

All I can say is that for a time I found school easy. It breezed by, quickly and relatively painless. Sure, I occasionally messed up. I didn’t always put my 100 percent into everything. I didn’t see much consequence in procrastinating and moving on.

I didn’t see the point in studying, I felt I didn’t need too. It didn’t matter if I messed up that one test. I did so good on the rest that by the end, the average was still good.

I didn’t need to prepare a presentation.

I was good enough at speaking and last minute rushing that I could pull something together overnight.

I was riding high and dry, not having to worry about school, or anything really, in the slightest.

And then came AP Physics.

AP Physics was the hardest class I had

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page three • opinions

ever taken. Even finishing my final semester, I can look back and still see it as the biggest challenge I faced (Not to bash the class! It actually is a great class and the teachers who teach it are some of the best, the material just didn’t click with me).

I went into that class with the same mind set that carried through the rest of my scholarly career, expecting the same outcomes as before; something that I now look back at as arrogance.

But the ease didn’t come. The students around me seemed to be excelling in just the same manner I had been, but I was falling behind.

I wasn’t getting this the easy way.

Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t learned any other way to begin with.

This realization that the old way of breezing through school flooded me with panic. What if nothing was easy anymore?

What if I can’t do it? Would it be easier to drop and find something more basic and try to fly through that, just like before?

I had to put up with the fact that there couldn’t be a “just like before,” anymore. I couldn’t rely on gut feelings and the almighty excuse of “I never had to study before, why start now.”

I hit a wall. And hitting it has built in me the personal belief that probably all people will hit a wall, maybe not in school but in some fashion, in their life. There will come a point where the rug gets pulled out from under you and you’ll have to start working to stand back up.

Despite what we think about natural talent, even people with that talent will come to a point where the realize they will have to work to reach their goal.

I did my time in AP Physics, and leaving with my passing grade I can only look back and have one thought: When you hit that wall, there’s nothing you can do but do your best to try and overcome. Even if you fail, even if it seems like you can’t, you need to keep on trying to overcome.

Like I said, I have nothing but respect for people who struggle in school because these are the people who try the hardest out of all of us.

Because of the fact that people who struggle come back everyday, even when some kids would rather skip and stay home, the fact that they hit the books every night even when some feel like they don’t need to in order to succeed, the fact that they put in as much effort as possible all the time, rather than doing the bare minimum necessary to pass by or giving up altogether, I can only look at them with reverence.

People like this have seen the wall, and rather than stand there looking up, they are trying to climb it.

People who keep on trying don’t deserve ridicule and demeaning regard. They deserve applause and a pat on the back for being brave enough to try again, even if they’ve seen failure. They put in the work to be able to succeed. To me, that says more about a person then anything.

In the end, my parting words of advice to the younger classes of Lafayette are this: you will fail at some point. You will stutter, fall or maybe sprint head first right into that wall.

I’ve witnessed it and have done it first hand.

But what shows your character, what says who you are, isn’t what you did that made you fail. It’s what you’ve done to try to recover.

stars & gripes

Stars: - In what appears to be an ongoing effort to cut ties with North Korea, China announced that they will place sanctions on the country, restricting imports of valuable materials such as coal from the country. This is the political equivalent to a dad taking the credit card away from his teenage son.

- Villanova is the 2016 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament champion, beating North Carolina 77-74.

There have been reports that Twitter purchased more servers before the game to prepare for the amount of crying Michael Jordan memes that flooded the website the next day.

- California and New York plan to gradually increase their state minimum wage to a whopping $15 an hour.

At that rate, you could buy a mansion off of the Pacific coast with a Walmart greeter job in no time!

- Mother’s Day is this Sunday, so be sure to plan something fun and celebrate the mom in your life!

We almost gave you a heart attack there, didn’t we?

Be calm, you have until May 8, but this is not the one to put off until you have nothing to offer but a cheesy homemade coupon book and gas station flowers.

- As of today, there are only 29 more days left of school. Although if you’re a senior, you probably checked out mentally sometime in mid-September.

- Scientists at the Harvard Medical School recently developed living human heart tissue from stem cells.

This means that we are one step closer to being able to repair broken hearts...Stacey…

- A man in Australia has designed concepts for a “Sleepbus” which would provide safe shelter and transportation for homeless people, as well as their pet dogs. What the man doesn’t realize, however, is that this idea has already been implemented in New York City, under the name of “The L Train.”

- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has set fire to 15 tons of elephant ivory as part of the East African nation’s efforts to curb poaching. I wouldn’t want to be that hunter that happens to be around the first elephant to learn how to use an AK-47 with his trunk.

Gripes: - With the combined efforts of various world news outlets, the “Panama Papers” have been released, containing proof of tax evasion by over 240,000 companies and world leaders. In other news, the Cayman Islands have seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth.

- After being on network TV for over a decade, the hit reality music show American Idol has finally come to end. Make sure to text 21523 and vote on which popular series you want FOX to run into the ground for the next 10 years.

- Guns N’ Roses recently announced a nationwide reunion tour. However, St. Louis is nowhere to be seen on the list, with our sister city across the state getting the bid instead. Or, as local salty music fans seem to be putting it, “Take me down to the Kansas City where the grass is brown and the girls aren’t pretty.”

- Mississippi recently passed a controversial bill that allows private business owners to deny service to gay people on the grounds of religious freedom. This law is a fitting tie-in to the state’s well known motto, “Mississippi: on the wrong side of history since 1817.”

- Trouble is brewing in Rio de Janeiro, as the country is having trouble selling tickets 2016 Summer Olympics events. Another year of problems at the Olympics, and another year of Canada insisting the games be renamed to the World Championship of Curling.

- Hit television show The Walking Dead recently aired its season six finale. Here is quite possibly the least spoilery summary of the ending for casual/first time viewers: “Wait this show has zombies in it?!?!?”

- Don’t forget, tomorrow is the last day to file your state and federal taxes. If you don’t, the government sends out the dreaded Tax Gorilla to sneak into your house at night and attack you in your sleep.

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page four • entertainment

Food Truck Frenzy With summer approaching, food trucks are booming

April 14, 2016 Yelp’s Top Recommended Food Trucks

jack deubner • reporter As the local weather continues to improve, the opportunities to hit the town and spend some time outside become more appealing.

All the parks in downtown St. Louis, like Forest Park, Tower Grove Park, Lafayette Park, along with many more should be bustling this spring and summer season.

These busy outdoor areas are a prime hotspot for food trucks to take advantage of hungry city dwellers and park attendees.

Food trucks are mobile food hotspots that can roam their local cities and recently in St. Louis, they’ve been a pretty booming topic.

There’s no real downside to having a food truck. Honestly, in the food business, it’s almost cheating.

It’s easier to operate and maintain than a typical brick and mortar location. Plus, you can avoid property taxes since you’d always be on the go, as your driving to where people are designated to be.

Despite not having to pay property taxes, food truck operators currently have to obtain a permit in the City of St. Louis.

The permit allows for vendors to serve their food anywhere in the city that doesn’t fall in the restricted areas near Busch Stadium and the America’s Center, which typically holds local conventions.

Lots of local St. Louis restaurants have been taking advantage of this idea. Vendors like Seoul Taco in the Loop, Gioia’s Hot Salami and Mission Taco are all on the road now.

There are even local food trucks that don’t have an actual established building. Food trucks like The Cheese Shack, Completely Sauced, Guerilla Street Food and plenty more are all roaming the streets of St. Louis without a brick and mortar location.

Though running into a food truck without really having the idea of attending one in mind

1) Revel Kitchen - This truck stems from the original restaurant on Cherokee Street. Main options are extremely healthy foods, yet still delicious.

2) Bombay Food Junkies - Flavourful Indian and vegetarian food that packs a punch with the curry.

The Completely Sauced food truck parks near the Arch in downtown St. Louis awaiting hungry customers over the lunch hour. Several apps and websites are available to help customers find their favorite food trucks during the day. (photo courtesy of Completely Sauced) may be difficult, there are plenty of apps on both the App Store and Google Play ready to help you locate a food truck near wherever you are.

The app Roaming Hunger seemed to help me out the most while searching for food trucks in the St. Louis area.

Some good places to keep your eyes on for lingering food trucks are the Wash U area, the Central West End, on Market Street near the CityGarden area, on Olive near the Firebird and even out in Town & Country and Creve Coeur.

Food Trucks are typically always near office buildings around lunch time, like Clayton for example.

After the success of food trucks initially took off, the next step was having an event where all the most popular trucks can get together.

Though starting in May, Tower Grove Park will be hosting “Food Truck Fridays.” Every second Friday from May to October, over 20 food

trucks will meet in Tower Grove Park for a mix of food, drinks and live music.

It wouldn’t be too surprising to see all of the essential St. Louis food trucks alongside some new budding trucks that could be making their debut.

With Sauce Magazine as the sponsor of the event, the event will serve all types of food from pizza to tacos, crepes to cupcakes, grilled cheese to sausages and plenty more.

Live music acts Letter To Memphis, Emily Wallace, Tommy Halloran, Cree Rider and Western Satellites are all set to perform on the various Food Truck Fridays.

With beautiful weather and scenery that the summer in Tower Grove Park will no doubt supply, there’s no reason to not go to at least one out of the six Food Truck Fridays.

With over 40 food trucks scavenging around St. Louis, they shouldn’t be too hard to find in the summer.

3) Frankly Sausages - A truck that will supply plethora of sausage types, from lamb to Italian.

4) Lulu’s Local Eatery - Similar to Revel, this truck offers fresh, wholesome, all natural food on the go. Gluten-free options are available.

5) The Sweet Divine - Winners on the Cupcake Wars TV show, this food truck will happily serve some of their specialty cupcakes 6) The Cheese Shack - Mac n’ cheese lovers, this one’s for you.

From mac and cheese on their grilled cheese sandwiches to fried mac and cheese balls, this truck will satisfy your cheese need.

Terrace Martin releases new album: Velvet Portraits ben rachell • entertainment editor Hip hop producer Terrace Martin is one of the most critically acclaimed and unique record producers that has come out of Los Angeles in the past couple of years. Besides hip hop production, Martin has worked independently as a jazz musician.

In terms of creating jazz-inspired funk anthems, Martin’s production credits range from the likes of Kamasi Washington, to platinum selling rapper Kendrick Lamar.

In fact, most recently, Martin racked up six production credits on well received album of the year candidate, Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. On this new album, Velvet Portraits, he takes on several directions and different genres of music including soul, jazz and p-funk.

Besides his track record as a producer, Martin has released his own independent music and it hasn’t gotten near as much attention as the songs he’s produced, cowrote and performed on.

This new record, titled Velvet Portraits, is Martin’s sixth full length album, and his first official independent full length release since 2014.

After the first time I listened to the album, similar to Martin’s previous works, it’s obviously a funk and jazz album. The smooth brass is seen throughout essentially the entire record and is easily accessible to any setting; it can play to many facets of environments.

When I say many facets, I mean that the songs on this album are multidimensional; most of these beats could have ended up being used on a rap record while simultaneously applicable in a coffee shop setting.

In fact, some of these tracks are so smooth and antique that I could easily see a couple of them ending up on To Pimp a

Butterfly.

My favorite thing about Martin is how he includes sounds from west coast hip hop into his grooves; a lot of his instruments he uses sound like they could end up on a Snoop Dogg album, or some of his riffs could be part of a hook on a Dr. Dre song.

His fusion of genres somehow fall somewhere between catchy and trendy while primarily maintaining their musical grounds of funk and jazz; which in music, is rare.

Delving into the album, it gets off on a positive start, with the self titled Velvet Portraits. It’s a nice way to kick off the record and although it doesn’t really set a direction for the album, it still gives off a chill mood.

Maybe not the best opening track I’ve heard, but the second song is definitely a strong point.

The next song, Valdez off Crenshaw can be best described is very funky and has a bit of a gangster attitude to it.

It’s a decent song and is one of the most interesting takes on jazz I’ve heard in awhile.

Push, the third song that pops up on the track list, was sort of released as a single before the album came out (although it’s not designated as an official single from the record), is definitely an anthem.

It is for sure a highlight of the album; it reminds me of a number of Stevie Wonder songs and it surprisingly corresponds well with the next track With You. The beat on With You is poppy and trendy as well as smooth and jazzy. I could see the sample Martin used ending up on something like a Mac Miller album.

Like To Pimp a Butterfly, this record’s transitions are articulate and tactical; however it’s problem lies in that it doesn’t follow an objective direction.

If there was any discernable or objective theme or message I could draw from this

record, it would be to experience life as it happens and enjoy both the ups and downs of what comes with it. For the most part, the album is a collection of nice sounding songs that attempts to appeal to too broad of a palette of emotions.

The main difference with Lamar’s record is that it starts and ends somewhere; this record, despite it’s similarities instrumentally and sonically with To Pimp a Butterfly, just mires on.

This project is nearly 70 minutes long, so the fact that the album is disjointed and drones on is complemented by it’s extraordinary length. The gist of what I’m trying to say is that just because the project sounds good for the majority, it’s length and message drag it down from being an overall exceptional piece of art.

And although I admit this album certainly has filler tracks and will not appeal to everyone due to its sound, it’s interesting to see Martin’s independent music, and being able to compare it side by side with his hip hop production.

Moving forward, songs like Curly Martin (Martin’s spin on Kendrick Lamar’s These Walls), Turkey Taco and Patiently Waiting are all fantastic songs that have a very innovative sound to them.

The tenth track on the album, Oakland, is a smooth and slow ode to the bay city. But like many of its counterparts on the track listing, it lacks cohesiveness and seems like Martin just kind of tossed it in there to make it longer.

The eleventh track Bromali, begins with a nice drum break. It’s clean and crisp sounding due to it’s Santana-esque guitar lead that booms throughout the majority of the song. Despite being a bit forgettable, I felt that when I focused on the track instead of letting it fade into the background, it was

quite enjoyable.

The thing I find I enjoy mostly about albums like this are that sometimes you have to put in some work and extend your attention span to be able to grasp their full context and message. When you listen to each track individually and really try to conceive what an artist is doing, it’s nice when it clicks for you.

Also, apart from the nit-picking (although true) critiques I’ve mentioned, I find Martin’s story inspiring. It’s interesting to see someone turn their head away from the glorified gang mentality that has plagued South Central Los Angeles and pick up something like a saxophone. Martin understands his position, his shoes to fill- and it’s not the falsely romanticized lifestyle that many of his peers share.

Martin’s best quality as a musician, in my opinion, is that he can make wonderful music that’s optimistic in the face of adversity and communicate that to the youth of his community.

April 14, 2016

Trashed

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page f ive • news

Special assignment has students bagging it to track their recyclables anna james • news editor Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES) students started a unit on Waste Management the first week of April.

All students were assigned a lab in which they were to record all trash in a notebook that they would be throwing away for a week.

Some of these items included paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, Styrofoam, etc.

They were not however assigned to collect the actual food waste for the seven days.

At the end of the time period, the students were to separate and weigh the different types of trash to see what they used the most.

However, an opportunity for extra credit was awarded to those who would carry a trash bag around for five school days and two days of the weekend, collecting their waste.

“I’ve been doing this for four years now

and one thing I constantly get is students not realizing how much waste they actually collect and how much they throw away,” science teacher Gretchen Whelan said.

Collected items could include any paper, plastic or metal, but no materials with a high health concern or those in use for hygiene and food waste.

Students participating in this were also required to take pictures of themselves daily with proof that they carried their trash bag at school.

However, students who attended afterschool extra curricular activities such as sporting games and practices were not required to carry the bags during this time.

“It opens up great dialogue for the type of stuff you throw away and the options you have for recycling and other alternatives,” Whelan said.

Whelan also told APES students who had a job that they were not required to carry the bag at their workplace unless they wished or their bosses were comfortable with it.

Students were not simply allowed to put the trash bag in their locker or in their backpack; they had to have them on display for everyone to see.

“It also makes students more conscious of what they’re throwing away at lunch when they have the bag because they see how much food waste we generate. But, we don’t collect that in the bag due to the period of time,” Whelan said.

Whelan made sure to bring it to the attention of students that she had multiple teachers around the building watching them to make sure they were not allowed to cheat.

This experiment was designed to make students aware of how much waste they

generate and what materials they use throughout the day.

Whelan mentioned there is a reflection at the end of the project that students have to type up in their lab write up. Over a period of time, she has seen students say it makes them think about what they throw away versus what they recycle.

Students in previous years have stopped buying plastic and paper packaged items in the lunch line because they didn’t want to have that waste in their bags.

“I’ve done it before and it’s amazing how much waste I generate at school compared to home. When I’m here at school, there are so many trash cans. But, it’s not my job to take them out,” Whelan said. “Yet when I’m home, I recycle more and I worry about what I throw away because I’m the one that sees the trash and takes it out to the road.”

Not A Waste of Time APES students reflect on week-long trash bag project

by Garrett McBay and Elly Levy

Ryan Kelly, 11

“We’re studying human waste, and it’s to see how much we generate. I think mine is pretty empty because I use a reusable water bottle and a lunch box instead of paper bags.”

Anna West, 12

“I’m actually not a very wasteful person. Most of the things I throw away tend to be organic waste that can be turned into compost. I see people with big bags and wonder what kind of waste they produce.”

Jarid Morton, 11

“We’re supposed to figure out our footprint in the world because America is pretty wasteful and we need to figure out how to fix that.

You realize you have to think more about the environment.”

Saria Peterson, 11

“You don’t really think about your trash until you start carrying it around with you.

Mainly its water bottles and paper for me.”

Allison Shakman, 12

“It’s definitely made me more conscious and I’ve tried to not eat processed foods because the packaging is bad for the environment. I really like the environment and that’s why I decided to take this class.”

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE April 21st @ 7 p.m. $5

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Undefined

image

page six • news

April 14, 2016

To the left, presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton shake hands at recent Democratic debate.

On the right, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and John Kasich stand with their hands over hearts during the National Anthem at a recent Republican debate. (Photos used with permission by MCT Campus)

Students share origins of political beliefs anna james • news editor Political ideology is a certain ethical set of ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class or large group that explains how society should work and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order.

This definition is what classifies a person in their political stances and what helps one determine what candidates and party they will side with during election years.

Presidential elections bring extra attention to those idealogies every four years.

Most adults have had years of experience voting, therefore they are more clearly aware of what side of the political spectrum they fall on.

However students, whether they are educated on politics or not, are just now registering to vote when they turn 18. Some blindly choose a popular candidate without researching their ideals, policies and plans for the future.

Hot media topics such as abortion, immigration, climate change and minimum wage could be what typically sways a young voter on whom they will vote for.

Although voters may not fall on one side or the other, the most popular stances are liberals and conservatives. To be clear, a Google definition of the two are that liberal policies generally emphasize the need for the government to solve problems whereas conservatives believe in personal responsibility, limited government, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense.

However, one main prospect in a student’s choice of a political candidate or side may come from their family and the values they were raised on.

Junior Hayley Stephens speaks about her political stances. Believing she gets some of her outlook from her parents, yet the candidates she sides with seem not to match up with her family’s.

“My parents are more on the conservative side. I’d say I’m on the left of the political spectrum. If I were to vote, I would for Hillary Clinton but my parents would vote for John Kasich,” Stephens said.

Although morals and values a person is raised on impact their political views, another way one would find a political stance was investigating policies and seeing with which they side.

“I wouldn’t say my parents and I are totally opposite but I watched political debates and made my own dedications from there,” Stephens said.

Factors such as social media are taking campaigns to new levels with areas of advertising presidential policies and ideals.

Stephens said she believes a lot of the articles she reads online and the things she sees on social media from the candidates sway her point of view.

Candidates such as Donald Trump have 4.74 million followers and Hillary Clinton retains 5.88 million on Twitter.

Junior Aubree Hardesty believes she has also landed on the left wing of politics.

“I didn’t find the candidates I liked from my parents. I watched a lot of debates and that’s what formed my opinion,” Hardesty said. “My mom was actually thinking about voting for Hillary Clinton, only because the Clinton name was familiar to her because she voted for Bill Clinton when he ran for president. But that was until I talked with her about Bernie’s [Sanders] political policies and she found out she was more leaning towards him,” she continued.

However, both students gave similar stances on hot topic issues such as gun control. Stephens said she loves Hillary Clinton’s plan for strict gun control and hopes to see requirements for acquiring a gun to become more difficult.

Hardesty as well said gun control was a very important aspect to her.

“Even though Bernie’s policy isn’t that strong yet I think he’s working his way into it and he will do well no matter what,” she said.

Although both more liberal points of view, they both agreed if it came down to any Republican candidate, they would hope for John Kasich.

“I would hope that if Donald Trump got the Republican nomination, most conservatives that sway to the middle more would vote Democratic. I just don’t think Donald Trump would be fit for a President,” Hardesty said.

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A survey of 65 government students from Amy Merriott’s class was conducted to determine the political beliefs of some LHS teens.

40 of 65

believe large corporations make too much profit

26 of 65

43 of 65 believe the U.S. should intervene in countries facing terrorism

53 of 65

believe racial discrimination is a main factor in why minorities are not as successful

29 of 65

believe illegal immigrants should be deported due to their jobs earning money yet not being taxed

believe the U.S. military should be involved in all foreign affairs due to the strong force

33 of 65

37 of 65

believe the government should be more aggressive in preservation of the environment

believe financially well off families have a better chance at professional success

April 14, 2016

image

page seven • news

April 19 Plans:

Underclassmen test while seniors play

After receiving his special award, Principal John Shaughnessy and Superintendent Eric Knost grab a selfie so the news can be tweeted out. (photo by Chloe Hendel)

Shaughnessy receives award

Lafayette Principal John Shaughnessy was named a Consummate Principal by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) recently.

MASSP selects one principal from its eight districts for the special award.

Those chosen demonstrate leadership in improving student achievement, ensure the school climate is positive and reflects high staff and student morals and is respected by students, colleagues, parents and the community at large.

Associate Principal Karen Calcaterra said, “He does everything he can to instill confidence in our leadership team, teachers and staff who work in our Lafayette school community.”

STUDY SKILLS

M AT H

S AT / AC T P R E P

WRITING

Next Tuesday, April 19, students in each grade level will be involved in various activities including some mandatory testing.

The Freshman Class will have its first taste of the ACT with the Aspire Test.

Assistant Principal Kirti Mehrotra, said, “It’s a form of ACT for the freshmen to take and we use that information to find their academic strengths and weaknesses.”

The test will begin at 8:30 a.m. and take until 1:45 p.m. Students will have a break during the test for lunch.

On April 11, lists were posted to let freshman know which room to report to for the Aspire Test. Students need a Number 2 pencil and a calculator.

After the test, the freshmen will participate in service activities for places such as Crisis Nursery and Humane Society.

The Sophomore Class will take the PACT, a practice ACT. The practice ACT won’t be recorded, but only used to see approximately what their ACT score might be.

Afterward the test, they will attend a College and Career Fair in the Gym. “We brought lots of people from different fields and local businesses to come and talk to the students,” Mehrotra said.

Some examples include a graphic designer, law enforcement official and a nurse.

Colleges including Lindenwood, Maryville, Truman and others will be at the event.

READING

From 8:16 a.m.-12:30 p.m. the Junior Class will take the ACT. They will need a Number 2 pencil, a photo ID and a calculator to get into the testing room.

No cellphones, smartwatches, electronic communication devices, textbooks, and highlighter pens will be allowed into the testing room.

Calculators that are allowed for the ACT will be posted near the Junior Office.

Lists that show juniors which room to report to for the ACT were posted on April 11.

Juniors should be in their rooms by 8 a.m. to ensure that the test can begin on time.

The State of Missouri requires all 11th

graders in public schools to take the ACT and the Rockwood School District pays for the exam.

After the test juniors will be eating 3rd lunch and doing service activities or watching the movie Chasing The Dragon.

The seniors will go on a senior trip while all the other grades are taking the test.

This year the seniors will visit the St. Louis Zoo with Assistant Principal Tim Jones and other staff members serving as chaperones.

“We’ve always had a trip for the seniors, even before we started giving the ACT there was always space for a senior trip,” Mehrotra said.

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page nine • cover story

This One Time at Band Camp....

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Evolution of summer camps has people trying bigger, better experiences jessica collins • lifestyle editor

elly levy • reporter

Furry Friends

Out of This World!

Aviation Challenge is an alternative to space camp that focuses more on fighter jets instead of rockets and spacecraft.

Two Lafayette students got to experience this camp a few years ago in Alabama.

“It’s as if you were in the Air Force. You get in flight simulators, you fly planes around, you do dog fights, you learn survival skills, you learn how to sneak out of enemy territories and you get to do water landings. It’s insane,” senior Nathan Fredrickson said.

Camp goers are challenged in the fields of aerodynamics, aeronautics and jet propulsion. The militarystyle program uses simulated combat scenarios and other activities to give the trainees an understanding of basic flight physiology.

They are tested on their wilderness survival through series of outdoor survival challenges. The main things camp attendees learn while being there are outdoor survival skills with an introduction on how to use flight simulators.

Senior Thenuis Gerber got to go to the week long camp as a middle school student twice.

“My favorite part was all of the tournaments we had against each other in fighter jet simulators. I’m a

competitive person and the tournament was intense,” Gerber said.

Fredrickson got to experience the camp a grand total of four times. Each time, he got to go with one of his best friends, senior Connor Staurt.

“My best friend Connor Staurt was the one that got me to go. We have always wanted to fly together.

The two went one year in elementary school and all three years of middle school.

“The most valuable thing I learned was how to beat my best friend in a dog fight.

I will hold that over him forever. I am so proud of that,” Fredrickson said.

Overall, the camp lets kids get a taste of what it would be like to be in the airforce. It’s similar to the actual space camp, but breaks off by focusing more on survival skills.

Camp Success: Not every camp ends with a person leaving with a major injury or a scarring experience.

Some camps leave people with memories that are never forgotten with friends that last forever.

Junior Lauren Kulick was able to attend SeaCamp, which is a marine biology camp in Key West, FL. The camp lasted 18 days and camp attendees were able to snorkel, catch sharks, fish, windsurf and other outdoor, water activities.

“I got scuba certified and learned so much about the ocean. I also took a bunch of different classes while I was there,” Kulick said.

Kulick’s roommate was from Italy and she met other people from different

Cub Creek Science Camp started over 20 years ago as a dream of Scott and Lori Martin to create a truly unique summer program that focused on the natural curiosity of children as it related to nature, science and animals.

It started with 10 campers per week for three weeks, in a rented facility, offering 20 hands-on activities and a few small animals.

They now serve over 1,000 campers each summer, from nearly every state and several foreign countries, offering 100 different activity choices and home to over 100 different species of animals.

Senior Ariel Ferman is one of those lucky camp members able to experience literally living in a zoo. Ferman has been going to Cub Creek for 2 weeks every summer for the past six years. She’s taken care of almost every animal possible, from a camel to a cockatiel.

“You can adopt camels, fish, hamsters, birds, alpacas, llamas, horses, pigs, goats, and there’s even a monkey you can adopt but you can’t actually hold it. You can only do the normal care things like feed them, give them water, give them love, even exercise with them,” Ferman said.

Though its main focus is taking care of animals, Cub Creek also has numerous other activities to do as well.

“It offers everything from zip lining, painting, sculpting, hiking, hammock swinging… almost everything you could think of,” Ferman added.

Since she’s been going there for years, Ferman has high hopes of becoming a counselor sometime in the near future.

“I’m definitely going to become a counselor, I would never miss the opportunity to do that. I hope to be one not this summer but probably the summer after just so I can get college figured out. But I would definitely be one and I will definitely be one more than once.”

Along with being just a fun place to be, Cub Creek is known for its diverse atmosphere. There are all types of people from around the world just to be there, like from Japan, China and even Australia.

All in all, Cub Creek Science Camp is an incredible program for kids who love nature, crafts, adventure and science.

“You never get homesick at Cub Creek because it’s like your home. Everyone you meet is like your family and you create memories that will last you a lifetime.”

states and different parts around the world.

“I met people from all different backgrounds and we all bonded.

We became great friends by the end of it. It taught me that people are extremely different from each other, but there are still ways to get along,” Kulick said.

Kulick went on to say that the only downside to attending the camp was the cost.

“I really want to go again but the money thing is holding me back. It was an amazing experience though.”

Camp Fails: Sometimes the reality doesn’t match the shiny camp brochure.

Sometimes it is much, much worse.

Carly Bull, 11 “I went to Girl Scout camp when I was younger and the counselors were really mean. They woke us up every hour of the night to check for spiders because we had to sleep outside.”

Scott Caraway, 11

“I went to a Maryville soccer camp a few years ago. I knew no one there, so it was really boring.

The coaches kept making me run all of these drills I didn’t want to do. It wasn’t fun like camps are supposed to be.”

Karen Farmer, 12

Devyn McDaniels, 12

“I was at Lake Williamson for a camp. They had a blob in the water and my youth leader jumped on the other side. I wasn’t ready for it and I flew off and bit a hole in my tongue. I ate ice cream for the rest of camp.”

“I went to a soccer camp when I was younger. We were walking through the parking lot. I opened a gate they close off the lots with—one of those silver, metal ones—and a swarm of wasps chased and attacked me.”

Ali Neskar, 10 “When I went to Camp Lakewood, my counselors were so mean. We had to write letters home and they opened mine and never sent them out. It was so embarrassing.”

Drew Sawyer, 10

“I went to a summer baseball camp once and it was awful. There were so many kids there that it wasn’t even worth it.

Most of the time we just stood around in lines and barely got any reps in.”

image

page ten • lifestyles Seniors from Eureka, Lafayette and Rockwood Summit High School participated in the service trip to build houses in areas affected

by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. They worked with Habitat for Humanity. (photo courtesy of Tim Jones)

April 14, 2016

HOLA NOLA ‘16 Forgoing a traditional senior trip over Spring Break that night have led them to a sunny beach or a big city getaway, 15 Lancers joined students from other Rockwood schools and boarded charter buses and headed south to give back to areas still suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Senior Michaela Rogan said she chose this Spring Break activity because she thought it would be good to take this last opportunity in high school to do some major community service project.

“I worked inside of a home that was almost finished painting walls and ceilings. The ceilings were the hardest to paint. I would leave every

day covered head to toe in paint,” Rogan said.

In addition to the four days of hard work, the group got to go to the beach in Mississippi and had dinner at Pass Christian High School, which Lafayette partnered with right after the hurricane.

“We also got to go to a Baptist church in Pearlington, MS on Sunday morning and serve as the choir and sing all the songs,” she said.

The trip is in its 10th year and is coordinated

by Assistant Principal Tim Jones.

“It was very life-changing. No one has ever come back and said it wasn’t a great time. You can hear that from the students themselves.

They will tell you,” he said.

With hammers in hand, Ryan Rigabar and Jon Trout prepare to build the exterior walls of a Habitat for Humanity home. The seniors went to New Orleans for a service trip that took place March 11-18 “The service trip allowed me to work alongside friends for something I believed in, and I knew my work there would leave a positive impact on someone’s life,” Rigabar said. (photo courtesy of Michaela Rogan)

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page eleven • lifestyles

InstaSpam: Second accounts take over suzy blalock • webmaster Maybe you’ve seen it in your suggested accounts to follow.

Or you’ve seen a username and clicked on it to find a private account with only a few followers. You may even have one yourself.

It’s the new trend with a plethora of names. Spam Instagram accounts, second accounts, or even “finstas”, whatever you may call it, are a common thing on social media.

These accounts differ from the normal Instagram accounts. On normal Instagram accounts, what many refer to as his or her “main”, people will plan out what they post and space posting over time to avoid “overposting”.

People may feel bad for posting a lot on their normal account, especially when they have a lot of followers, because it can clog up people’s feed.

“I have so many pictures I don’t feel like hogging up my normal Instagram with all those,” junior Camilla Kachar said.

“The pictures on my spam are mostly pictures of me, my friends, my food or my traveling.”

Some use second accounts as fun outlets, like junior Kate Golder. She decided to make hers in April of last year when about 10 of her other friends had one.

“What makes it different [from my normal account] is I have fewer followers, and I post really dumb stuff. I don’t have any material I wouldn’t let people see on my main, but I post rants about politics or funny memes,” Golder explained. “If I see a picture of a dog on Twitter or Tumblr I will post it on my spam with no caption or reason, just because I think it’s cute. I will also post a picture of a math problem I don’t understand.”

Second accounts typically have less followers because people like to keep them private, but that’s not true in all cases.

Kachar has over 100 followers, while others may have only 30 or so. It all depends on the person. “[My spam is] not even private. If people want to know what’s up in my life, go right ahead! I’m not hiding anything. It’s just another account, but less put together, just day to day stuff I do, eat, go, etc.,” Kachar said.

Though Golder’s account is private, she isn’t secretive about it. She will let anyone who’s friends with her follow it.

Though there are a lot of benefits, sometimes second accounts can cause some problems, though minor.

“I have a lot of selfies so people might find me narcissistic.

People might find me weird as well because I have a lot of edits of Putin but you know,” Kachar said.

Golder has had an incident where she posted a picture of her dog and a potato on her main account when it was meant for her second account.

“It started to get likes so I just kept it there for a few hours,” Golder said.

One of the biggest aspect people like about second accounts is the community.

With such low numbers of followers, people become pretty close, especially when people get emotional on their accounts, as some do.

People may offer up different advice that wouldn’t be expected by their normal crowd.

It also can be a source of help, like with understanding math problems as Golder uses it sometimes.

“Everyone is pretty chill. This helped me make friends with people I normally would not have ever talked to,” Golder said.

Top 5 Instagrams to Follow Foster Huntington

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The Naked Diaries

Anyone looking for some help on feeling insecure should look here. Various people post their stories about feeling insecure, along with a photo of the insecurity, and how they overcame them. Definately encouraging when you’re doubting yourself or feeling low. Warning: it’s called the naked diaries for a reason!

Olivia Giannulli

Full House lovers rejoice! Here is Becky’s oldest daughter, who is a shocking reincarnation of her mom, but with more updated style. Follow for cute outfits and great travel photos, along with the occasional peak of her mom!

Dr. Dan Cake

A St. Louis native who is pretty famous for his dope breakfast treats- realistic pancakes! You can see his amazing designs he’s making all over the world, from Jesus to Mega Man to the nearby Nerix Hall logo.

Sav Montano

This is a teen just like us, except she’s a founder of a clothing company and a model! She’s frequently seen in her modeling pictures or with her boyfriend who is also a model. Though you might be a little green with jealousy, it’s a fun account to follow.

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page twelve • lifestyles

April 14, 2016

‘I’m just a little different; I have Autism’

Group works to make others aware of challenges faced by those on Autism spectrum

ption misuse is drug abuse. kira downing • reporter

shwetha sundarrajan • reporter

Since 2005, April has been designated as Autism Awareness Month. It was developed by the organization Autism Speaks to make the world more aware of what Autism is and how it impacts those diagnosed with its various forms.

April 2 is the one Peyton Berardi, 11 day out of the entire month that is specifically assigned to raising awareness.

Lafayette Special School District teacher Krista Wyatt said Autism is a communication disorder which affects a person’s verbal and nonverbal communications as well as social interactions, and often involves repetitive behavior patterns.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a brain based disorder that may impact a person’s motor skills and behavior. Some who struggle with ASD may go through many difficult challenges throughout their lives. From living with Autism to living with a person who has Autism, it can be a daily struggle.

“Just as no two snowflakes are alike, no two people with Autism/ASD are alike. They are unique individuals with varying degrees of communication and social skills, academic abilities and talents. Being on ‘the spectrum’ means that an individual has Autism, but some have exceptional abilities and live quite independently. While others may be nonverbal and need more support for functional life skills,” Wyatt said.

Junior Peyton Berardi was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at six years old.

Asperger’s is usually diagnosed at an early age.

Autistic children typically exhibit difficulty in picking up on social cues, and maintaining a conversation.

Peyton’s mother Susan Berardi said, “I think the hardest thing for a parent, people misperceive kids with Autism or Asperger’s and they think they must like being alone, or they are more comfortable being alone. As a parent, it just breaks my heart.”

All forms of Autism affect people differently.

Peyton is not able to pick up on facial expressions or sarcasm.

After being asked how it affects his daily life, “Multiple reasons. One, it makes me more shy than people my age. It makes me have different interest than others. It makes me take things literally and not understand people’s facial expressions. Those are the main things,” Berardi said.

Dealing with Autism or any form of it affects each child differently. Some kids are more laid back and able to function alone.

Others crave the companionship of their peers and elders. Because of this, children diagnosed with Autism take interest in subjects that aren’t popular among other kids their age or are attached to certain things that become apart of them.

It is yet to be known why kids are attached to these items or activities, it is just part of the disorder.

For Peyton, he takes a special interest in different shows put on by Broadway, old music and also the Oscar movie awards.

“Many kids my age don’t watch the Oscars.

But, I watch them every year and I watch all the nominees. I watch them with my parents; it’s kind of a tradition. I love old music too like Bob Marley. But, not everybody likes Bob Marley. I love Broadway and not a lot of kids my age like Broadway. I just love it.”

Not only is it hard to have Autism and deal with it daily, but it’s also a struggle to be a parent of a child with Autism.

“I would say that our world stopped. It was difficult to breathe for probably about a month after the diagnosis,” she continued, “All I pictured was some kind of strange behavior, average person that wouldn’t be able to fulfill any of the dreams: going off to college, getting married, having kids, falling in love, you see all

To participate in Autism Awareness Day at Lafayette, each staff member was given a blue puzzle piece to wear to support and spread awareness about Autism. The pins were made by students in the Special School District classroom at LHS that was created several years go for Autistic students who are not able to be main streamed into regular education classes. (photo courtesy of Kira Downing) that just looking at this six year old boy. You get There are also many different levels of that diagnosis, and you go through a grieving severity. Along with the types of Autism there period, almost like you have lost something.” is a spectrum, which determines the level of Autism is typically diagnosed around the severity. age of three and four, when developmental Some struggle with very severe cases changes begin to happen. and are nonverbal; others are still able to A typical diagnosis involves a team of communicate and only go through very mild pediatricians, psychologists, speech and symptoms. language pathologists and occupational Wyatt was an elementary school teacher for therapists who observe the behaviors of the 26 years and then decided to make a change. child.

“I was an elementary general education There are many different types of Autism teacher for 26 years, but I always had a desire that can affect each individual differently. to reach out to students with disabilities.”

Those with Asperger’s Syndrome are generally Autism is a very serious disorder that is higher functioning, but struggle socially. much more common than people generally Childhood Disintegrative Disorder is more think. of the delayed development aspect of Autism.

It is very prevalent in the United States, as Pervasive Developmental Disorder are those one in every 68 children are diagnosed with who struggle with the social side of Autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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April 14, 2016

page thirteen • lifestyles

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Setting the record straight on stereotypes People are defined by who they actually are and how they are perceived. Stereotypes have stood the test of time. Lafayette is not immune to stereotyping. But, just because a person’s appearance or some of their behaviors match a certain pre-conceived stereotype, no one really fits those misconstrued ideas. erin coogan • reporter

“Just because I’m a girl, doesn’t mean I’m weak.”

Sophomore Megan Kiser said she is sometimes stereotyped by her gender. She mostly faces this in P.E. classes.

She said when her class is playing sports, the boys go easy on the girls.

“I think that’s so stupid because a girl can do just as much as a guy can,” Kiser said.

She doesn’t know about how the Megan Kiser, 10 stereotypes were formed, but she believes those stereotypes are being reinforced by the media.

“If one person acted a certain way once then that’s who they are categorized to be. It becomes who they are for the rest of high school,” Kiser said.

“Just because I’m blonde, doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”

One studens who has had to endure being stereotyped is sophomore Cali Gammill.

“People typically assume because I have blonde hair, that I don’t take advanced classes and that I tend to take classes that don’t really challenge me.

When they find out that I am actually smart, they are surprised.”

Cali Gammill, 10 Cali takes advanced classes such as ALARP, Honors Chemistry, Algebra II and AP World History.

Once on the way to a lacrosse game, the team was talking about classes and their GPA. “Everybody was talking about what classes they were taking, and I said I took ALARP. Everybody was really surprised. They all said, ‘Wait, really? You’re in an advanced language arts class?’ I was like ‘Yeah. I get straight As, too.’ I can’t believe they were all so surprised,” Gammill said.

While it is difficult to deal with at times, Gammill sayid the negative stereotyping pushes her to be the best student that she can be to prove her stereotype wrong.

“Just because we’re twins doesn’t mean we’re the same person.”

Juniors Kayleigh and Madison Halter have always been stereotyped by beliefs people have about twins.

From when they were very young, they were the Kayleigh and Madison Halter, 11 same height and had the same facial features. As they got older, people automatically thought they were into the same stuff or they ate the same things.

“We don’t like the same things. We are two completely different people,” Kayleigh said.

Although they do like some of the same things, they said they are very different in many more ways. For example, Madison likes dark soda and Kayleigh despises it.

Each of them have their own interests and goals. Kayleigh wants to be a marine biologist and Madison wants to be an ultrasound technician.

“We want to be close when we’re older but we also want to do different things in the future,” the Madison Halter said.

Al Brown, 12

“Just because I’m black, doesn’t mean I don’t have a father.”

Senior Al Brown has to face this stereotype.

People immediately think that just because the color of his skin, that his father isn’t part of his life. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

“People automatically think that just because I’m black, that means I don’t have a father. My father is still in my life, and he is still married to my mom,” Brown said.

“Anyone can grow up without a father,” Brown continues, “You can be White, Hispanic or Asian. It doesn’t matter.”

jessie cargill • reporter

“Just because I’m thin, doesn’t mean I’m anorexic.”

Sophomore Jenna Brickey is not the only one among students who have been categorized into being thinner than average.

She said just because people are thin, does not mean that they are not eating the way they are supposed to.

“People think if you don’t Jenna Brickey, 10 have curves, then you must be starving yourself. But, it doesn’t always work like that,” Brickey said.

She has been in a situation where someone has offered her food and just because she turned them down, they said she was starving herself, “People think if you don’t have a butt or some type of curves then you don’t eat. They don’t understand that maybe it’s just the way the person is,” Brickey said.

In fact, she said has a normal diet just like anyone else.

“Just because I’m a teacher, does not mean I don’t have a life outside of school.”

Math teacher Kevin O’Gorman explains how some students stereotype him of not having a life outside of school just because he is a teacher.

Kevin O’Gorman, staff Although he spends many of his hours at school, he also does things outside of school.

“I don’t spend every hour of the day here. I go home and do things outside of school,” he said.

Students often have a perception that teachers just stay home and plan lessons or grade papers all the time, but O’Gorman said he enjoys many of the same things his students do like exploring the downtown area and going to the Arch.

Another of his favorite outside-of-school activities is attending Cardinals games.

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page fourteen • sports

Club vs. School-Sanctioned Athletes weigh pros, cons of sports programs tyler burnett • sports In the past decade, club sports have become more and more popular both for athletes who play sports that are no school sponsored and for athletes who play in the off season.

Lafayette has a few club teams for athletes who do not have the option of participating in their favorite sport as part of a schoolsponsored team. Among those are the hockey, boys lacrosse and racquetball team.

Also, a couple of Lafayette students play on the the Eureka club rugby team.

The racquetball team was a dominant force this year as they capped their season with a State victory and brought home the hardware.

“We knew we had to continue the legacy of greatness for Lafayette racquetball,” senior Drew Cusumano said. “And with an undefeated season, it felt even nicer to have a trophy at the end of it all.”

The boys lacrosse team started its season over Spring Break when they played Annapolis Christian (Maryland) on March 19. Lafayette lost the contest, 13-5. But, went on to win four of their next five games.

Since forming the team in 1991, the boys lacrosse team has won three State championships in 25 years. Since 2012, the team has been a State quarter finalist three times.

The team has six seniors playing this year. They are hoping to plunge deeper into the State tournament after a 11-6 record last year.

Though it is not a schoolsponsored sport, boys lacrosse is still a very popular St. Louis area sport and the teams can play full season schedules without having to Midfielder Oliver Byers (7) cradles the ball and looks for an open teammate as he outruns a Eureka player during a game travel. against the Wildcats. Byers is second on the team in points scored with 26 and is also in fourth in the St. Louis area points Other players, like soccer or leaders. (photo by Nick Horstmann) volleyball, may play on a club team during the high school off season. to participate in. leave high school athletes with enough time to These teams offer additional training, But, high school sports give athletes with deal with homework and their studies. competition and exposure to college scouts. limited financial resources the chance to play Weekend tournaments out of town can Basically, a club sport is a sport that is not the sport that they desire without having to impact attendance and grades as athletes at financially supported by the high school. spend a fortune just to play. high levels may miss school to travel with their Therefore, if the athlete wants to play on a Another aspect that high school sports offer club sport team. club team, there is more of a financial burden to enhance the high school sports experience is Also, an athlete who plays for the school involved. athletes play for a community and their school. and a club sport team had little time to hold a This is a huge disadvantage for athletes that “You can become actively involved in the part-time job or participate in another activity can’t afford to play a club sport, even if it’s the school and community climate, culture and find since they don’t really get a season off. only option. that niche within the school and community,” And, of course, some athletes do not have Club sports generally have to generate Berry said when talking about the benefits a choice because not all sports are offered money from each participant to pay for field of high school sports. “Plus, you gain the through the high school. time, officials, coaches, uniforms, tournament opportunity to leave a lasting legacy with the But, sometimes athletes do have a choice fees, equipment and even travel. specific sport you participated in.” as to whether or not they want to play on a club Even with fundraising, this can add up to a Some other drawbacks to club sports is team or a high school team or both. major financial burden for the athletes. they generally do not get a huge fan base.

For example, during the volleyball season, But, there are also advantages to playing a School sports are more likely to get a crowd athletes can play for Lafayette and then play for club sport. at games, whether they are at home or away a club team in the off season, “You can get possible collegiate exposure because student fan clubs that are already in In the end, an athlete has to decide what since the club season, typically, is not during place like Superfans. is best for them. This includes managing what the high school or college season,” Activities Also, they tend to get more coverage at sport to play and when.

Director Steve Berry said. “Plus, you have the school through signs and announcements.

Many athletes will play high school sports ability to participate in a sport with friends from An example at Lafayette would be when the during the school year and then play club other school districts.”

Lancer football team has a game on a Friday sports over the summer. The upside to this On top of that, athletes destined for college and a banner is hung up in the Commons that is the athlete will gain an immense amount sports or even pro sports generally travel quite advertises the game details. of skill which can help them obtain a college a bit with a club team and can be seen by more Also, most school-sponsored teams play scholarship and really stand out among their coaches.. after school or early in the evening and play class.

Still, traditional high school sports have their close to the home school.

The problem with this setup is the athlete benefits as well.

Club teams, since they are made up of has no time to let their body recover, which is A high school sport is defined as a sport extremely important becomes then they are financially supported by the school, guided by a athletes from several schools sometimes, do not really get a “home crowd” and they often more prone to an injury and their body can set of guidelines by a ruling body that sanctions play in venues that are out of town or fairly far wear down very quickly. all of the high school sports and is coached by away.

Either way both club sports and high individuals hired through the school district.

Another drawback of playing on a club sport school sports have their pros and cons. The A good example of a high school sport is that it can be more time consuming. ultimate decision lies in the athlete’s hands for benefit is if an athlete’s family has financial Both high school and club sports are time whether or not the athlete wants to pursue a issues, they more than likely can’t afford to let consuming, but high school sports tend to college sport or leave behind a legacy at their their son or daughter play on a club sport. Most better accommodate with school hours and school. club sports cost a substantial amount of money

April 14, 2016 An Opinion

Top 5 Blown Calls in Sports

arpan das • sports reporter 2012 Green Bay at Seattle: The “Fail Mary”

On the final play, with eight seconds left, Seattle attempted a hail-mary. In the end zone, Seahawks WR Golden Tate pushed off Packers CB Sam Shields to get open in the end zone, what should have been an offensive pass interference.

Upon further review, it appeared that Packers CB M.D. Jennings intercepted the ball and Tate ripped the ball out afterwards while both players were on the ground.

However, the replacement referees ruled the ball as simultaneous possession, a call that always favors the receiver. Because of the controversy, the NFL Officiating Department later reviewed the play. They upheld the possession ruling, but admitted to missing the interference call.

Several tweets were made criticizing the NFL from both current and former players.

Packers Guard TJ Lang posted several explicit tweets, one of which broke the Twitter retweet record at the time.

1986 World Cup Argentina vs. England: “Hand of God” Quarterfinal of the 1986 World Cup. Argentina’s star striker Diego Maradona made his run toward the goal. The run looked as if it had ended, but English midfielder Steve Hodge mishandled an easy clearance and flicked it over to Peter Shilton, the English goalkeeper.

Maradona, eight inches shorter than Shilton, reached over and batted the ball in with his left hand, which should have resulted in a handball. However, the head referee claimed he did not see the infringement, a claim resulting in much controversy and eventually a bitter rivalry.

1985 World Series Cardinals v. Royals: “The Call”

Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. The Cardinals lead the Royals three games to two. The first batter in the bottom of ninth inning, Jorge Orta, hit the ball to first baseman Jack Clark who threw the ball back to pitcher Todd Worrell.

Despite Worrell reaching the base first and catching the ball, Orta was called safe.

After several on-screen replays, it was clear that Orta was out, but the officiating crew refused to change the call. The blown call on first base helped the Royals win Game 6 and eventually World Series.

1990 Colorado v. Mizzou: The “Fifth Down Game”

On their final drive of the game, Colorado ran the ball up to around the two-yard-line on second down before calling their final time-out. At this point, the down marker failed to flip and it remained second down when it should have been third down. The extra down let Colorado have a fifth down that they scored on to win the game, 33-31.

.

2015 Miami v. Duke College Football

Final play of the game. On the kickoff, Miami lateraled the ball eight times, before a Miami player took the eighth lateral to the end zone. The officials spent 20 minutes reviewing the play, only to miss that on one of the laterals, a Miami player was on the ground before fully throwing the ball, a missed call that would have ended the game. There was a flag for a block in the back, but it was picked up and ruled as a block on the side.

The entire on-field crew was suspended for two games as a result of the missed calls and violations of referee conduct.

April 14, 2016

page fifteen • sports

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Little Field of Horrors Youth baseball umpires share stories of altercations with various loud, angry coaches john levine • sports reporter In youth baseball where the players stand low but tensions run high, consistent verbal and occasional physical confrontation is the standard.

Both parents and coaches antagonize the often young umpire about their calls, perceived treatment of players and attitude.

Umpiring is an accessible, interesting and well paying job for teenagers.

There are several popular ballparks in the West County area that host youth baseball games and tournaments, including ones in Ballwin, Ellisville, Eureka, Manchester and Wildwood (Pond).

Some athletics associations like Pond have fairly lenient qualifications, only requiring applicants to be at least 12 years old, with a couple of training days to prepare for the job.

Other, larger associations like Ballwin can be more strict, upping the age to 14 and establishing a specific set of guidelines that prove an applicant’s experience.

Most ballparks in the area fall under St. Louis County Athletic Association rules and guidelines.

These rules were influenced

“

Adults must be a positive role model exhibiting sportsmanlike behavior at games, practices and at all times.”

- National Standards for Youth Sports • #6 Sportsmanship by the National Standards for Youth Sports, created by the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS).

Pay for an umpire can be anywhere from around $15 to $30, $40 and even $50 a game, based on experience level.

There are many umpires at Lafayette.

Most have normal encounters with parents and coaches on the job.

Some have a different experience.

Here are some their wildest stories.

Conflict arises from coach heckling pitcher on his form

Stolen base, assault with baseball leads to ejection

Field conditions, aggressive behavior yields coach ejection

“It was a 9u tournament championship game.

One team had a pitcher who was struggling a little bit and the batting team coach started Jon Trout, 12 harassing the pitcher and making comments saying he doesn’t know how to throw. It really started to get on my nerves so I told the coach to knock it off and the coach threw a fit about it.

He kept going and I told him to stop again, I finally got him to stop when the kid was about to start bawling his eyes out.

After the game when that coach’s team had already won, he came up to me and got all up in my face.

I was about 14 or 15 years old at the time and he started shoving me and yelling at me about how he could say whatever he wanted to the pitcher and how he could do whatever he wanted now that we were off the field and I wasn’t working.

Basically, he tried to fight me.”

“I was 15 and I called a player out on a stolen base. It was a good call and he was obviously out.

The coach started screaming Christian and then grabbed Marble, 9 a baseball and threw it at me. I jumped out of the way and then ejected him, but he wouldn’t leave so the UIC had to come and kick him out.”

“It had just rained so the fields were a little bit sticky.

A player tried to slide into third base, he kind of got stuck and he never Cade reached the base.

Peterson, 10 The third baseman tagged him and I called him out.

The coach was upset because he didn’t think the field conditions were the best. I had no control over that and I told him he had to go back to the dugout and the player was out because he never touched the base.

He kept on talking as he walked back, and I said ‘that’s your final warning, one more word and you’re gone’.

He stopped for a while, then the next pitch he started yelling at the home plate umpire about a strike call, and I kicked him out.

I always like to ignore it because everybody says one or two things throughout the course of a game, but when it becomes a regular occurrence that’s when I’ll warn them, and usually after two warnings I’ll throw them out.”

Ump blamed for call despite not having authority on it I was the field umpire and I was watching for the catch when there was an obstruction.

The coach was yelling at me even though it wasn’t my Zach Janicki, call.

He kept 11 complaining the entire game about random stupid stuff like that.”

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April 14, 2016 • page sixteen

kaitlyn wylie • feed editor

Picture Perfect

Find the best location this Prom to capture memories

Savvy Spending Save where you can this Prom season At Mary Cates Salon, manicures start at $21. This is pretty standard, but does not include tip. If you have peep-toe shoes, a pedicure is must. But, that’s another $31 at Mary Cates.

Instead of getting it done professionally, doing it yourself can save some cash. Usually it costs between $5 and $15 for nail polish, but it can be used over and over again.

Nails

Event makeup application at Ulta starts at $50. At Mary Cates, it’s less than half as much at $21. But even less than that is doing it yourself, even with the purchase of a few extra special lipsticks or eyeshadows, and no one knows how you like your makeup quite like yourself.

Make-Up

Professional hair styling can be very expensive. At Ulta, formal styling starts $51, which does not shampoo and blow out. Slightly less is Mary Cates Salon at $43 and up and LookAfter for $40. All of these prices are starting points and they may even be more depending on length of hair and the style you choose. Having a friend do your hair or even doing your hair yourself can have savings of over $50.

Another advantage of doing this is being able to practice that look and see if it is actually what you want, as opposed to getting it done and not liking the results an hour or two before pictures.

Hair

The “Gateway to the West” gives a classic St. Louis background to your pictures. Located in the heart of downtown, this option is 20 minutes past the Ritz-Carlton. But if you have a limo or party bus with your friends, what’s an extra 20 minutes anyway?

Playgrounds offer a different and fun photo opportunity. Take pictures on the swings, the slide or even the merry-go-round for a unique memory. There are many parks near Lafayette such as Anniversary Park.

Only about 10 minutes away from the Ritz-Carlton, there are many different places within Forest Park that will serve as a great location for beautiful pictures. There is Art Hill, right outside of the Art museum that provides both the statue of Saint Louis and a large fountain for the backdrop. Pagoda Circle, near the Muny, is also a great spot for pictures due to its elegant looking gazebo.

The Grand Hall of Union Station offers an awe-inspiring location that works rain or shine. There is also portrait photography available by reservation for $50 a hour. Union Station is 15 minutes out from Ritz-Carlton.

Dress

Finding second-hand dresses online, especially on Facebook, is easier than you may think.

Prom dresses are most always only worn once or twice, and a lot of these dresses are still in great shape. There are also prom dress rental shops, like One Night Stand, that provide an alternative to buying your dress.

Tuxedo Just looking online before going to rent the tuxedo can save money. At Men’s Wearhouse, there is an online coupon for $40 off rentals. All you have to do is go to www.menswearhouse. com and give them your name and e-mail. There are also other money saving opportunities to be found through Groupon for men’s prom apparel.