April 18, 2019 Magazine

theimagemagazine Lafayette High School - Wildwood, Missouri - April 18, 2019 - vol. 50, issue 6

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Opening 2

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In This Issue: pg 6

pg 12

Opinions 4 6 7

ONLINE CLASSES Computers may soon be the next classrooms—but are they good for students?

COLLEGE SCANDAL The college admissions scandal is a very serious crime, and we are its victims.

NORTH KOREA We need to rethink our stance on the humanitarian crisis in North Korea.

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ST. LOUIS MERGER A petition to merge St. Louis City and County is gaining momentum.

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CHESTERFIELD MALL

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VACCINE POLICY Health professionals discuss the need for school policy on vaccinations.

pg 22-23

pg 31

Lifestyles 22

HOT RODS Vehicle enthusiasts talk about their collections of cars and bikes.

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TASTE TESTER

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POETRY

The Image staff reviews different brands of chocolate Easter eggs.

Language arts teachers discuss the role of the art form in the 21st century.

pg 20

After years of disarray, the mall’s fate remains to be determined.

Sports 28 28 31

WORKOUT TRENDS

Features

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ALL THAT JAZZ

Lafayette’s Jazz Ensemble participates in a festival hosted by the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

FORE!

Country club caddies Alec Brooks, Brenden Jackson and JJ Stinnett talk about their side hustle.

HOW TO SAVE THE EARTH

The Image breaks down the top 10 things that need to be done to keep the world spinning.

GEOMETRY IN CONSTRUCTION

A new math class is giving students the chance to apply geometry in the real world.

Four Lancers talk about what they do to keep in shape.

WHAT’S IN A NUMBER? Student-athletes tell the significance of the numbers on their backs.

Stay Connected

WATER POLO HISTORY

The Lancer Feed

Lafayette gets an all-female water polo team for the first time.

@thelancerfeed

General Information and Policy: This year represents the 50th volume of the Image.

The publication is produced by students in the News Production class. Free copies are distributed on campus.

The publication’s primary purpose is to inform its readers about events in the school and community, as well

as issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population.

While serving as a training ground for future journalists, we adhere to all rights and responsibilities granted under the First Amendment.

Operating as a public forum, student editors will apply professional

journalistic standards and ethics for decision-making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the publication.

A full listing of all the policies and procedures used by student publications can be found at lancerfeed.press under the About Us tab.

@thelancerfeed

Web

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April 18, 2019

FROM US TO YOU A

s we look toward the future, we also need to try and remember the past.

For example, our generation has given us all new kinds of music, but the one that kicked off the “modern” era was actually jazz. Yet even within jazz, so many genres began to form over the years—big band, swing, blues, cool jazz, bebop.

These subgenres added their own changes without deviating from the original “jazz”.

Now, we can choose to analyze and play whichever of these types of music we want or continue to adapt jazz to the modern world. Lafayette’s Jazz Ensemble, for instance, performs both classics and newer compositions, from Louis Armstrong to Wynton Marsalis.

Music isn’t the only thing that will continue to change.

Looking ahead, our community might appear very different in the future than it does now.

The derelict Chesterfield Mall’s future remains unknown, and a proposal to merge St. Louis City and St. Louis County could greatly impact the region if implemented. At Lafayette, we might follow in the footsteps of Kirkwood High School and do away with summer homework.

And if we don’t take drastic measures to help our climate, we might not have much of a future at all.

We can’t predict the future.

But we can talk about the present. In this issue, we cover all of these topics so you can stay informed about the changes in our school and our city. And, no matter what the future holds, we’ll be here to report on what’s next.

Image Staff: Editors-in-Chief: Travis Bodell Amisha Paul Web Editors: Chloe Baker Grace Kirtley News and Features Editor: Delaney Stulce Opinions Editor: Alex Rozar Lifestyles Editor: Hayden Cottrell Sports Editor: Kayla Carpenter Social Media Editor: Jack Weaver

Advertising Manager: Jasmin Kim Artist: Grayden Kurtz Staff: Makayla Archambeault Shelby Darnell Elizabeth Elliott Hannah Fitts Morgan Goertz Lourdes Hindi Melina Hudak Caroline Kesting Carson Luther Maya Manor Naomi Saegusa Sophia Scheller Corren Tipton Morgan Vehige Jacob Ward

Digital Media Staff: Digital Media Editor: Jack Weaver Staff: Emily Budde Jackie Day

Janka Gerber Sam Knutson Jonah Nickerson Ryan Post Ava Saegusa Colin Swan

Adviser: Nancy Y. Smith, MJE

Sponsors: Thank you to our sponsors for their support of the journalism program.

Hayden Cottrell and Alex Rozar Lifestyles Editor and Opinions Editor

Carpenter Family Paul Family Baker Family McDowell Family Heather Pick, Berkshire-Hathaway Home Services

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OPINIONS

Staff Editorial: Are online classes the future of education?

Student editors determine the content of the Image including all unsigned editorials. Views stated in the staff editorial represent the majority opinion of the publication.

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April 18, 2019

Opinions 5

Online classes offer fix for scheduling issues, not easy solution for social anxiety, slacking off In May 2018, the Missouri House and Senate passed legislation requiring all Missouri public schools to offer students free online classes for every subject offered at school.

With no limits on the number of online classes a student can take, the Missouri Course Access and Virtual School Program essentially allows students to take online classes full-time and pass up the traditional classroom experience.

The act was passed under the stipulation that schools must fund the online classes. Missouri’s previous online schooling program, Missouri Virtual Instruction Program, was unable to enroll many students due to the fact that it depended on state funds to run the program.

The program was established with the intention of eliminating differences in educational standards due to “zip code bias”.

This way, students at rural schools who may not have access, funds or resources for certain classes are not necessarily disadvantaged in the educational realm because of their school’s location.

The program supports a wide range of needs within the student population. It is an option for students who wish to take more than seven classes, for those who want to get prerequisite courses out of the way in order to take more difficult classes during the school day, for those who are athletes with a demanding practice schedule and for those who may be facing medical issues.

However, more people are also seeing the program as an attractive option for students who struggle in the social atmosphere of a school.

With the addition of these online classes, schools are seeing many more students opting for online classes as a way to avoid the typical classroom setting.

But how beneficial are online options in the long run for students with social anxiety?

If the goal of K-12 education is to prepare students for college and beyond, then online schooling just won’t cut it.

Despite a student’s ability to handle the content of these online courses, online classes take away the vital human interaction aspect needed for students to grow and become well-rounded adults.

In the moment, reverting to exclusively online classes seems like a good way to escape those social anxieties. But that is just avoiding the problem, rather than helping it, potentially making social anxiety that much worse.

Students who are using online schooling because they cannot keep up with the social demands of a typical high school experience will most likely find later on that the demands of the real world are much worse than high school.

And without experience in such a setting, the real world could

knock them off of their feet.

College professors likely will not care if students miss their 300-person seminar, but students still have to be able to work with professors and peers in order to be successful in their courses.

Future employer won’t care if you aren’t “feeling it” on a particular day—in the workforce, deadlines are strict and work must get done. The physical classroom setting is the perfect starting point to prepare students for these real-world expectations.

Not only are exclusively online courses detrimental to social anxiety, students also miss out on vital experiences that impact learning as well as basic experiences most high schoolers have.

A major part of learning comes from classroom conversation and being able to hear perspectives other than your own.

Without having your ideas challenged, it is much harder to completely understand all aspects of what you’re learning.

Not only will students miss out on vital learning experiences, but they will miss out on important life experiences.

High school is the time that students begin to develop close friendships and get involved in activities that they otherwise would not have joined, or will not get to take part in again after high school.

And students who are considering online classes should be forewarned of the difficulties of online classes.

Many students sign up for these programs under the impression that online courses are “blow-off” classes, and thus do not require focus or dedication.

But in reality, online classes often equate to a heavier workload and require extensive self-discipline, time management skills and organization.

These classes exist to enrich the already existing curriculum, and should be treated as such. Students should be prepared before enrolling that these classes will require just as much as, if not more, work than the in-school equivalent. If you are expecting an “easy out”, these courses are not the fit for you.

This is not to say online schooling can’t be beneficial. In certain cases, it has allowed students to flourish during their high school careers, whether academically, athletically or in any other aspect of their lives.

But the students who are most successful in these courses are still involved in the traditional, in-school environment.

Students who are interested in enrolling in online schooling should take a serious look at their personal goals as well as what they are looking to get out of the class.

Are you trying to get an easy credit? Are you trying to avoid social interaction?

If so, then maybe online schooling isn’t for you.

Opinions 6

“Face the Music”

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comic by GRAYDEN KURTZ

In the college scandal, we are the victims This March, federal prosecutors charged over 50 individuals in a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy that allegedly enabled the otherwise underqualified children of wealthy parents to gain acceptance into elite universities.

This scandal involves millions of dollars in bribes allegedly being paid to university athletic coaches and standardized test administrators to fraudulently exaggerate the applicants’ athletic and academic abilities.

At first look, this may seem like a victimless crime, as the parents, students, coaches and others involved all got what they wanted—a “win-win-win-win” scenario. However, this is indeed a very serious crime—and we the honest, hard-working high school students of America are its victims.

Degrees from elite universities are highly sought-after, and for good reason. Graduates from these institutions gain lifelong advantages such as access to stronger career placement services, alumni networks and higher paying jobs on average.

Acceptance rates at some of the universities involved in this scandal, such as Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern and Yale, are as low as six percent.

This means that each year, many deserving applicants are left on the outside looking in.

When undeserving applicants are selected, they take coveted spots away from those who would have been accepted based on merit alone. Or, as Andrew Lelling, an attorney in the college admissions case, said, “For every student admitted through fraud, an honest, genuinely talented student was rejected.”

Simply put, the system is rigged.

Which is exactly why the college admissions scandal should strike a nerve with every high schooler in the country.

This scam has pulled back the curtains on a much larger chasm in our society—that no matter how smart we are or how hard we work in school, we still may be at a disadvantage to those who happen to be the sons or daughters of athletes, CEOs or ‘80s TV stars.

ALEX ROZAR Opinions Editor As one might have predicted, each of the universities embroiled in this scandal has denied knowledge of wrongdoing, claiming that they, too, were duped by the students’ fake ACT and SAT scores and other false athletic and academic credentials.

Even if this defense is taken at face value, it raises a different concern—that a conspiracy of this scope could continue for several years without any alarms being raised.

In response, all universities need to massively overhaul their admissions processes, regardless of whether they were complicit in this scandal or not.

However, colleges still need to

address the root of the problem and seriously re-evaluate the systems in place that could allow such a breach of impartiality.

As Maryville University president Mark Lombardi eloquently put it, “The college admissions scandal is a symptom—not the disease.”

This means universities need to reassess the weight they currently put on standardized test scores.

Requiring a benchmark ACT or SAT score allows the privileged the chance to game the system, and pigeonholes elite colleges into a detrimental mindset where they flaunt “selectivity” above providing a quality education.

Instead, colleges should look at all applicants from a holistic approach. Doing so would allow a chance for the less-privileged to overcome barriers and make it in a high-powered career.

Elite colleges claim to accept students on a “need-blind” and meritocratic basis so that all qualified students are able to attend. They must truly embrace these fundamental tenets to restore fairness in the system.

Opinions 7

April 18, 2019

True crime, violence affects society Pop culture’s latest obsession with true crime may seem bizarre to some; however, the glorification of serial killers and mass murderers, whether it be morally right or wrong, isn’t something all that new.

Although this recent craze seems to be more widespread than past instances, the phenomenon has been going on for centuries.

Even way back when, in 1888, when O.G. serial killer, Jack the Ripper, began his infamous string of murders, the newspapers and tabloids of the day were all over the case, covering it with a fanatic and morbid fascination. His letters to the police were publicized and garnered so much attention that his reputation precedes him to this day.

As history progressed, society continued to obsess over each new series of grisly murders.

In the 1970s, the public was innundated with news of case after case, and the craze grew even more. The Manson family, the Zodiac Killer, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, Jim Jones and Jeffrey Dahmer—one after another, these cases all captivated American audiences.

All of these individuals were highly publicized, often even sexualized, by the media.

The attention placed on the cases brought to light a community

of people whose obsession with both the crimes and criminals themselves went beyond intellectual curiosity and into the realm of admiration.

These individuals would send fan mail to incarcerated killers and even pursue actual relationships with the infamous men and women.

The focus in today’s society has shifted to include not only serial and mass murderers, but also school shooters. Those who don’t die in the aftermath of their crimes, such as Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, receive alarming amounts of fan mail from young people all over the world.

“There are piles of letters [to Cruz],” Broward County public defender Howard Finkelstein said.

“In my 40 years as public defender, I’ve never seen this many letters to a defendant.”

Even killers who die after committing their crimes have large followings—perhaps most notably the Columbine killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

In many online communities, Harris and Klebold are worshipped as fallen heroes, garnering an alarming amount of violence accredited to their names from all around the globe.

Just last month, two former students of a K-12 school in Brazil

Stars: • Game of Thrones is back with its final season. Don’t let it distract you from studying, though — there won’t be a geography test on Westeros.

NAOMI SAEGUSA Staff Writer shot and killed five students and two school employees.

Friends and former classmates of the two young men told investigators that the offenders were obsessed with Columbine.

The general population enjoys judging any young individuals who find themselves drawn to these violent offenders, questioning their mental health.

However, I believe what we should be questioning is how the violence we see portrayed in popular culture and the news media’s constant glorification of violent offenders could have affected the thought processes of young people and, in turn, society as a whole.

I feel I should clarify that I in no way support any violence, especially not violence in honor of past crimes.

What I wonder is how we can blame anyone for an obsession with violence when our generation has been practically raised on it.

• A British psychic opposed to Brexit is now calling on people to join him in using mind-control to convince PM May to remain in the EU. Guess he misunderstood the phrase “will of the people.”

• Avengers: Endgame is almost here, and with all this hype, it feels like half the universe is going to see it!

Gripes: • A Los Angles artist built a “cheese wall” along the U.S.-Mexico border to “Make America Grate Again.” Unfortunately, the wall will soon be toppled and all that will be left is de Brie.

• Prince Harry recently suggested a ban on the video game Fortnite, saying there is “no benefit in having it”. Interesting words from someone who’s sixth in line to a throne that’s had no real power for over a century.

• A New York woman is suing TGI Fridays, alleging their “Potato Skins” snacks do not actually contain potato skins. We’re just waiting to see what happens when she finds out their hamburgers aren’t made of real ham.

It’s time to rethink the North Korean human rights crisis North Korea has always been the pariah of the global community.

However, its name currently carries the weight of notoriety like no other country in the world.

With nuclear weapons in hand, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, presents a constant threat to the United States.

On Feb. 28, President Donald Trump met with Kim to discuss details on the denuclearization of North Korea and economic sanctions currently placed there, causing the topic of North Korea to flood a myriad of news outlets.

However, as people lost themselves in the influx of political news and debates, North Korea became merely one of many political topics to discuss on the dinner table.

But is North Korea really just another topic for political discussion, or does it deserve more analysis?

JASMIN KIM Ad Manager It is well-known that Kim is a ruthless leader who reigns over 25.7 million people with terror. Kim even ordered the execution of his own uncle. Every day, people in that land will die of hunger, and there is no statistician who can tell us exactly how many have died as a result of Kim’s tyrannical rule.

According to South Korea’s Ministry of Unification, there are currently 32,467 North Korean defectors who escaped and entered South Korea.

The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea estimates around 120,000 people to be imprisoned as political prisoners,

and we need to understand that North Korean prison is actually a concentration camp, where unimaginable torture happens everyday.

Last year, Otto Warmbier, an American college student, was also a victim of North Korea’s cruelty, for after being released from detainment in North Korea, he shortly died in the arms of his parents. Nobody would ever know what kinds of torture robbed the life away from Warmbier.

In North Korea, poverty is the language of life. Hunger is the appetite never served. Death is an everyday sight. Freedom is a mirage that one should not even think about.

Therefore, when we simply focus on North Korea with a political lens, we fail to see the real people who survive in this land each day not knowing if they will be alive tomorrow. We must see beyond

what is presented in the news.

We must start to talk about the humanitarian crisis that engulfs the people currently living under Kim’s despotic leadership.

Most importantly, if we do not address the crisis now, one day, when we become parents, we will have to tell our children that there is still a country in this world where people have no freedom and starve to death. How will we answer when our children ask us why?

I understand fully that both the political and humanitarian issues of North Korea will require a long time to resolve. However, if we do not start conversations and make small steps of progress now, the day will come when we will have to answer for our ignorance.

It is my greatest hope that we do not have to teach our children about a country without freedom in the future. This can only start with a shift in our perspective.

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NEWS

comic by GRAYDEN KURTZ

Kirkwood bans summer work

Action taken to better mental, physical health of students MAKAYLA ARCHAMBEAULT Staff Writer

D

uring a recent staff meeting at Kirkwood High School (KHS), Principal Michael Havener announced the school, in addition to the “no homework weekends” that were already in place, would no longer administer required homework over summer break.

“We started off with things such as ‘no homework weekends.’ That was last year and carried over into this year,” Havener said. “One of the conversations that has been going on was looking at summer work and what that may look like here at KHS. It was part of the ongoing conversation about wellness in the school.”

Although this change does eliminate a large portion of out-ofschool work, Havener continues to stress the importance of homework.

“I am a big believer in homework.

I think there’s a proper way of assigning homework, whether that’s looking at the amounts, looking at the purpose or looking at the overall aspect of the course. We are not headed in the direction to get rid of homework,” Havener said.

This ban on assigned summer work, however, does not mean that KHS believes students must

cease learning over the summer.

Opportunities such as optional clubs are being added to the curriculum.

“We are going to have some chances for students who wish on their own to continue learning with such things as optional book reading clubs, but students are not going to have any required work that has to be done by the first day they return to school,” Havener said.

The reasoning for making the decision was to give students time to partake in personal events that KHS deems necessary for their physical and mental health.

“I think the benefits are going to be things such as allowing students a time to pursue opportunities that may consist of internships, traveling, opportunities to spend more time with family and to get outside and exercise,” Havener said.

Also being considered in this change is the mental effects on students and staff.

“We have been at a lot of different schools around the area, looking at social and emotional well-being of our students and staff and this is part of those ongoing discussions and ideas on ways that we can support all of the students and staff,” Havener said.

Although the amount of

homework is being reduced, Havener wants to emphasize that expectations will not.

“Some of the things that we need to make sure we do is making sure we maintain the high level of learning that’s occurring. You never want to lower your expectations,” Havener said.

Although summer homework at Lafayette is still in effect, Principal Karen Calcaterra acknowledges the pros and cons of those types of assignments.

“People need to make sure that they find time to unwind and decompress over the summer.

Students can’t spend a whole summer doing work and never giving their mind a break. On the other hand, students shouldn’t go a whole summer without reading and staying connected that way,” Calcaterra said.

Calcaterra emphasizes the importance of reading over the summer and staying connected to school work even if it isn’t through summer homework.

“When students go a long time without staying connected to coursework, they forget some things. I don’t know that all homework over the summer should be required as much as it is available practice,” she said.

News 10

Better Together?

Plan proposing to merge city/county governments, services comes with plenty of controversy

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CHLOE BAKER Web Editor MELINA HUDAK Staff Writer As of Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, citizens and public officials of St. Louis City and St. Louis County have been in turmoil due to Better Together St. Louis, a formal proposal to combine the city and the county.

This would establish a new type of local government—a metropolitan city—as well as transform St. Louis into the tenth largest in the United States. In 1867, St. Louis was split into a city and a county, known as the Great Divorce.

Now, with the vision for St. Louis City and County to remarry, Better Together would eliminate individual municipalities and place all of St. Louis under one government with the goal to relieve the city from debt.

Tina Haberberger, a community organizer at Better Together, explains how this unification would work.

“We are proposing one Metro Mayor, one Prosecutor, one Assessor, a 33-member Metro Council, a regional pooling of taxes and the maintenance of municipalities, but reclassified as municipal districts,” Haberberger said.

Currently St. Louis is comprised of one mayor for the city and 88 separate municipalities.

Better Together is confident that this merger will be an upturn for the city of St. Louis, but acknowledge that it isn’t a perfect fix.

“I think it’s important to note that for our plan, we don’t think it’s just a silver bullet, end-all-be-all solution to everything that is happening in St. Louis. This is just the starting point that it makes, addressing all those other problems easier because our structure will be unified,” Haberberger said.

Pat Kelly, executive director of the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis, argues that by removing the previous

News 11

April 18, 2019

government, there will be a drastic shift in municipal services.

“Under Better Together’s proposal they are taking the municipal operations out of that equation. In doing so we are going to see the quality of services given to citizens of St. Louis County-specifically those within municipal boundaries-- really decline,” Kelly said.

One service that would shift is law enforcement. Under Better Together’s proposal, the city and county police would merge together.

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar

encourages the idea of reforming the law enforcement system, but is hesitant to remove all 52 municipal departments currently in play.

“When we take look at the city of St. Louis and the challenges it has today, whether it’s economic development or crime or a combination of both, I don’t necessarily think we can draw a line and eliminate the Kirkwood Police Department and say this is the answer to our problems,” Belmar told the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

There is some concern that a consolidation may hinder the current services provided by law enforcement, changing response times to emergencies.

“That is going to impact the ability for them to provide the same quality of services now, as we have municipalities, but also as a region.

I think it is actually going to make crime more of an issue for the entire metropolitan St. Louis,” Kelly said.

Mike Roemerman, Ellisville mayor, is also concerned about the officers’ jobs and the effect it will have on their relationship with the community.

“My police department would not be reduced, it would be eliminated completely. The neighborhood policing that we have, the ‘get to know your police’

wouldn’t exist,” Roemerman said.

“A lot of our police know our neighbors, but who knows where they would end up or how they would be hired or what salaries they would make. It would all be made up from scratch and we have no idea what that would look like.”

Board of Aldermen members Brandon Bosley and John CollinsMuhammad believe the merger will bring forth complications within African American communities due to reduced representation.

In response, they initiated a group called Citizens to Protect St. Louis. “[The merger is] a whitewashing of the voting electorate. AfricanAmerican representation is something this city and region have fought hard to achieve,” CollinsMuhammad told the Post Dispatch.

Both Bosley and CollinsMuhammad were frustrated with St. Louis City Mayor Lyda Krewson’s encouragement of the merger and encouraged a recall of her position.

Roemerman believes there is the potential for our development into a large and economically flourishing city, bringing in business growth.

However, the problem that comes into play is the current state of the city.

“The problem is the city doesn’t have any money. If something doesn’t change they will probably go bankrupt,” Roemerman said.

“That might be the best thing that could happen because then it would give the city a chance to reset. But there’s no guarantee as to what might come with any of this so it’s a huge experiment,” he added.

Also, Roemerman is concerned

about Ellisville tax dollars. With the new proposal, the city would control money, leading to the county’s loss of money.

Ellisville taxes have been voted on by citizens to pay for things like services. Under the merger, those tax dollars would be used for things that they were never intended for, which is currently illegal.

“It’s unconstitutional in the current Missouri Constitution, so that’s why they want to take it to a Statewide vote to amend the Constitution,” Roemerman said. “It’s a money and power grab, it would be like having the entire United States vote to merge the state of Missouri with the state of Illinois-Does that seem like it would be fair or right? This is in my opinion an evil plan to destroy St. Louis County as it currently exists.”

Despite facing conflict, Better Together believes they could hold the answer to all the conflict St. Louis faces and encourage citizens to reach out to them.

“There is a way on the website for you to submit questions to us, you can come to one of our town halls and ask a question there, you can come and request that we speak at your meeting or at your home and we will come to you,” Jack Seigel, a community organizer for Better Together, said.

Better Together plans an initiative petition that would put its proposal to merge the county and city to a statewide vote in November 2020. If the plan goes through, a two-year transition would begin in 2021, meaning the new Metro City government would be in full operation by 2023.

art by AMISHA PAUL and CHLOE BAKER

News 12

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The past, future of the almost vacant lot off Highway 40 Chesterfield Mall faces redevelopment options SOPHIA SCHELLER Staff Writer Chesterfield Mall first opened 44 years ago in 1976. At the time of its opening, enclosed mall settings were very popular and a large growing business venture. However, as the technological age began to take off, malls became outdated and replaced with online shopping.

Although technology seems to be the driving factor behind the evolution of retail, many other factors have served as catalysts to these changes.

For about 20 years, Chesterfield Mall served as a community center and hotbed of shopping in West County. At the time, the mall’s only other worries were the other St. Louis area malls, such as the Mid Rivers Mall.

Then, in 1993, the Chesterfield Valley levee broke, flooding the area.

After the flood, property in the area quickly gained value. In 1995 the City of Chesterfield leaders looked to develop the area after the flood, leading to $72.3 million raised by taxpayers to go toward fixing the levee. Two years later the federal government gave the greenlight to the newly fixed levee, successfully reopening the Valley for developments.

In 1999, the Chesterfield Commons opened, allowing for over a billion dollars in sales and the eyes of approximately 20,000 vehicles per day.

Some of its powerful anchor tenants include Walmart, Sam’s Club, Lowes and Best Buy. The new Chesterfield powerhouse was the spark that ignited the Chesterfield Malls collapse, according to Tim Lowe, Vice President of leasing and development for The Staenberg Group, a St. Louis company that develops, leases and manages shopping centers.

Not only was the mall challenged by the immense growth of commercial shopping nearby, it also began facing structural difficulties.

At the time of the mall’s development, the technology and infrastructure was advanced and ahead of its time, but as the mall aged, it was left behind.

Eventually, the mall’s infrastructure began to fail as evidenced by the 2016 water main break in Dillards. At first, Dillards had planned on returning for business in 2017 but eventually decided not to return to the mall for retail purposes, although they still own the property.

Soon after, other stores began closing, including Sears, leaving Macy’s as the last anchor tenant. On June 27, 2017 the mall was foreclosed on.

In April 2018, The Staenberg Group sought to purchase the mall in a foreclosure sale.

“We acquired the Sears site to lead and control the eventual redevelopment of the mall site. Hopefully, Macy’s will want to stay and participate in the eventual redevelopment. [Dillards] has not yet decided if they will remain and participate in the redevelopment,” Lowe said.

Despite The Staenberg Group’s hope to control the future of the mall, on July 18, 2018, Georgia-based Hull Property Group purchased the mall.

Top: Following the 2016 flood caused by a water main break, one of the Chesterfield Mall’s anchor tenants, Dillards, closed permanently. Later, Sears followed suit and left the mall, leaving Macys as the malls last anchor tenant. Bottom: On April 1, the once lively mall sits almost vacant with no shoppers. (photos by JACK WEAVER)

Due to the distance of Hull Property Group, local residents as well as developers voiced concerns over their ability to redevelop the mall.

“Hull is not a local St. Louis developer and acquired the mall in a foreclosure sale. They did not understand the market and did not understand what the market will dictate for the redevelopment. A complete teardown of the mall and redevelopment is not a Hull skillset,” Lowe said.

Despite the uncertainties that surround the project, developers do have a general direction for future redevelopment.

“The eventual development of Chesterfield Mall will include a high-end residential, office, retail, restaurant, supermarket, theater, health club urban downtown development,” Lowe said.

Even with all the private parties in agreement, there will need to be a lot of strong behind the scenes work to move the project along.

“The redevelopment of Chesterfield Mall will be very complicated and require a strong public-private partnership with the city to provide the required infrastructure, road and utility network to support the development,” Lowe said.

News 13

April 18, 2019

Rockwood policy offers vaccination exemptions

AMISHA PAUL Editor-in-Chief With the recent surge of memes and jokes regarding vaccinations, it can be easy to see the topic as a silly matter. However, according to The American Academy of Family Physicians, the number of nonmedical vaccination exemptions are on the rise.

In the Rockwood School District, all students are required to be up to date with their vaccinations before enrolling in school. However, there are exemptions to this rule.

“We do require students to be vaccinated to attend school. However, they are allowed to be exempt from this for medical or religious reasons,” Lafayette nurse Rita McLafferty said.

Vaccination requirements and exemption rules in the United States are established by state and local laws. In Missouri, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) sets the guidelines for schools to follow regarding vaccination policy.

“The Rockwood policy is this way because we are looking at the guidelines for DESE. For us, we’re not doing anything different than what the policy suggests. All school districts follow these guidelines,” Rockwood Executive Director of Students Services Terry Harris said.

In Rockwood, there are currently 147 students exempt from vaccines due to medical reasons and 416 students exempt from vaccines due to religious reasons.

“It’s not a whole lot of students, but there certainly are students whose parents opt out of vaccinating their children within the district,” Harris said.

The risks of having unvaccinated students in the district are still unclear.

“There’s always a risk to unvaccinated students since if one person acquires a disease, they are more suscpetible,” McLafferty said. “However, vaccinated kids don’t really run that risk and most kids are vaccinated here.”

With the rise of anti-vaccination sentiment, it is difficult to decide which point of view is credible.

“It depends what side on the fence you’re on. Some research supports the side that vaccinations are good and other ressearch that says the opposite,” Harris said.

Either way, districts are required to acknowledge the differences in opinion and honor exemptions.

“As a public institution, we have to accept all kids, so we have to be very careful with taking a side,” Harris said. “Our position is that we follow what the DESE asks us to follow. At this point, DESE says all students must have up-to-date shot records to enroll in school. But, if a parent decides not to share their shot records due to a medical or religious reason, then we do not keep those kids out of school.”

The process of receiving an exemption is relatively simple for parents to pursue.

“From the DESE, there’s a committee that requires for individuals to have their shots. Exemptions are allowed by filling out and submitting a form saying why in order to be exempt,” Harris said. “But sometimes, it’s not that formal. Parents just have to give us something in writing, whether that be an email or letter, or even sometimes verbally explain to us.”

State allows some families to opt out of required vaccines

BY THE NUMBERS vaccinations currently prevent

2-3 million deaths per year

Influenza kills

more people in the U.S. than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined

vaccines

save more lives than

seat belts in the U.S.

*Statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Immunization Global Partnership

More than

80 percent of U.S. adults are not caught up on whooping cough vaccines

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April 18, 2019

On the

FEATURES

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LHS Jazz Ensemble takes on annual St. Louis festival CORREN TIPTON Staff Writer During the early 20th century, jazz music began in New Orleans. The unique style of music combined modern rhythms with both African and European roots. It also became popular in Kansas City and eventually made its way to St. Louis.

Initially, ragtime music was popular, but the blues began to become incorporated as it gained popularity. Chuck Berry, Miles Davis and Albert King are just a few artists who made a name for themselves in Missouri.

The annual Greater St. Louis Jazz Festival allows bands from all around Missouri to participate in a performance in front of adjudicators, who judge/grade their playing and give feedback.

Performers can also receive feedback from clinicians, who listen to the band and give them a mini lesson on improving their performance. This year’s festival, hosted by the University of Missouri—St. Louis (UMSL), goes from April 10-13.

The festival was created in 2004 by Jim Widner, who has over 40 years of festival experience and involvement.

Widner is UMSL’s Director of Jazz Studies as well as the Artistic Director of the festival. He also teaches a Jazz Pedagogy class to help students determine the path of their musical career. However, this task requires many professors.

“Being the Artistic Director gives me the opportunity to work directly with the guest artists and deciding what will work the best during their engagement with us which includes clinics with our students as well as the performance,” Widner said.

“As far as impacting other musicians, if it’s students, they must learn the value of dedication to their craft and studies. [To impact] other professional musicians, you actually learn from each other by simply observing what their approach is and then seeing how it differs from yours,” he added.

Instrumental music teaacher Brad Balog said the LHS Jazz Ensemble will travel to Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus along with the Rockwood Valley Middle School (RVMS) Jazz Band.

The Zero Hour Jazz Ensemble has been preparing three pieces since January and one other since the fall. “[We prepare] by doing lots of rehearsing, lots of listening and lots of playing,” Balog said.

The Jazz Ensemble practices four days a week, mainly during Zero Hour. Their rehearsals include sectionals, full ensemble rehearsals as well as individual practice outside of school. All of this practicing is in preparation for their performance on the Anheuser Busch Stage.

“After our performance, we go to another performance and attend a 30 minute clinic,” Balog said. “[The clinicians] are world renowned and nationally renowned jazz artists and educators.”

While the bands are there, they also support one another by attending other performances.

“This year, we’re going to be able to watch other groups perform in the morning, and I know [the students] will enjoy that,” Balog said.

Lafayette has gone a majority of the years, exempting

“

The community gets to take advantage of great live concerts from the best artists in the business.”

—Jim Widner, Artistic Director

other years mainly due to scheduling conflicts with the ACT and EOC preparations.

Festival Coordinator Jessica Flannigan said, “The festival is unique because it’s rooted in education. A lot of other festivals are competitive and have placements or ratings.”

Scheduling ensembles, filling out paperwork and keeping track of the budget are just a few of the things Flannigan’s part-time job consists of.

“I enjoy the puzzle of trying to fit all of the bands into their requested days and times. One of the best parts of being involved in the festival is getting to spend time with the clinicians and adjudicators. Having a jazz background myself, it’s incredible to get to talk with some of the huge names we bring in, who are people I’ve looked up to for a long time,” Flannigan said.

However, the festival is not a fundraiser. Even though the jazz combos and big bands are required to pay to participate, the money is used to hire adjudicators and clinicians. “[The festival offers] top tier clinicians and adjudicators.

We always bring in the best jazz educators, musicians, composers and arrangers we can find,” Flannigan said.

One of the adjudicators this year is Jerry Tolson.

Tolson is Professor of Music Education, Jazz Studies and Chair of the Academic and Professional Studies Department at the University of Louisville.

He has also performed in multiple countries and played in various jazz ensembles.

On Friday and Saturday night, a free concert is offered to those who participated in the festival. However, those who did not participate are still able to purchase tickets.

“The community gets to take advantage of great live concerts from the best artists in the business,” Widner said.

The performances feature the UMSL Jazz Ensemble, which is under the direction of Widner.

There are also guest artists who are some of the best jazz musicians in the country, Flannigan said. This year, the guests include the DIVA Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Sherrie Maricle and the Ultimate Jazz All-Stars Big Band under the direction of Gregg Field.

“Anytime we go anywhere, whether it’s with the Concert Band, Jazz Band, marching band or Winter Guard, what is it doing that’s going to help us be better? What feedback are we going to get that’s going to help us and our kids grow?

[That’s] always what we’re centrally looking for,” Balog said.

art by TRAVIS BODELL

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Working on the Range Caddying at golf course entails a variety of responsibilities LOURDES HINDI Staff Writer

JACOB WARD Staff Writer

Students have a huge variety of part-time jobs. In this area, because country clubs are a common place where individuals spend a good portion of their time away from their everyday lives, they offer a solid opportunity for students to find employment.

Caddying is a main occupation at these clubs and seniors Alec Brooks, Brenden Jackson and JJ Stinnett make their money working as caddies at The Country Club of St. Albans and the clubhouse.

Each of the students have been working for one or more years at the course.

As employees, they take care of whatever is needed at the club, whether it is cleaning the range, washing and stocking the carts or attending to the members.

“We are also expected to make sure the range is good condition and make sure the members have everything ready for them when they go out for a round of golf,” Brooks said.

1) A wide-ranged view of the St. Albans clubhouse.

2) BRENDEN JACKSON,12, rake out the sand pit to even it out and keep the course tidy.

3) The entrance view of the Country Club of St. Albans.

4) JACKSON measures the distance from his ball to the hole.

5) The driving range is where club members go to practice their swings.

6) JJ STINNETT,12, follows through with his drive. One perk to the job is a free round of golf each week. (photos by LOURDES HINDI)

ALEC BROOKS, 12

BRENDEN JACKSON, 12

JJ STINNETT, 12

“It is such a great atmosphere to be surrounded by. I have always played golf for fun and loved the sport. We also get a free round of golf a week, which is a pretty good perk.”

“I love working there, and it’s very enjoyable. I make pretty nice money from it, and everything is pretty laid back.”

“It’s right by my house, so it’s very convenient for me to work there, and plus I got into playing golf so going to work there was just another opportunity to play the game in my free time.”

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April 18, 2019

1.REDUCE 2. decrease car usage water usage Save water by reducing shower time as well as turning off water when brushing teeth.

Substituting a vehicle like a car and opting for alternative methods such as biking, walking and taking public transportation significantly reduces the emission of greenhouse gases, which are largely accountable for climate change.

3. RECYCLE & COMPOST 4. buy bulk food 5. VOLUNTEERING,

Recycle newspapers, bows and gift bags by reusing them. You can also create something unique by using old newspaper, maps, and clothes. Making new things out of old things is a great way to save resources and money. Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up about 30 percent of what we throw away and should be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Choosing to buy bulk food will help reduce unnecessary waste. 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted worldwide each year, which accounts for one-third of the food on Earth.

community services

There are many reasons to plant a tree—they produce oxygen, provide habitat for wildlife, assist in water conservation, prevent soil erosion and much more.

Plant a tree any day of the year, or take part in the annual national celebration of trees: an all day, national tribute to the trees.

6.USE LED LIGHT

steer clear 7.

BULBS OR FLUORESCENTS of palm oil Consider using LED bulbs or energy saving fluorescents to save electricity. Initial installation or replacement may be considerably costly, but you will enjoy lower electricity bills monthly.

8.TO SAVE GAS

Palm oil use has proven to have caused damage such as the large-scale conversion of forests and the loss of habitat for numerous endangered species. Palm oil plantations are also contributing to air, soil and water pollution, soil erosion and climate change.

inflate your tires

When preserving natural resources, gas is definitely one to save. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration, Americans consumed 140.43 billions gallons of gasoline in 2015, or about 384.74 million gallons everyday. If you happen to be on the road, keeping your tires inflated is important because they not only make the tires durable, but they also save on gas.

reusable water 10.DONATE OLD 9. Use bottles and containers CELL PHONES According to Plastic Oceans, an overwhelming eight million tons of plastic waste is thrown into our oceans. Using these reusable bottles and containers could minimize this pollution and help save all the animals, reefs, etc. living in our oceans.

Cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDA’s) contain a variety of precious metals, copper and plastics. Recycling or reusing cell phones and PDA’s not only conserves these valuable materials, it also prevents air and water pollution and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that occur during manufacturing and while extracting and processing virgin materials.

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ALL HANDS ON DECK Geometry in Construction class offers new type of learning for students ELIZABETH ELLIOTT Staff Writer For the 2018-2019 school year, Lafayette is offering a new course: Geometry in Construction.

This course gives students a chance to apply math concepts from the classroom into a real world construction setting.

The class is taught by math teacher Patricia Mabie and industrial technology teacher Curtis Ahlers.

Previously only offered at Eureka and Rockwood Summit, this course combines math and industrial technology.

Freshman Andrea Jacobson said, “I think Geometry in Construction is a really important class because not everyone does well in a typical classroom setting. There are some that aren’t as successful in classes not because they aren’t trying, but because the nature in which it is taught doesn’t let them visualize the material.

Which is why I think these alternative math classes are really helpful.”

Geometry in Construction balances both the math and the industrial part of the curriculum by spending one block day in the classroom doing math and the other outside building.

In the beginning of the year, students studied the tools and performed supervised tasks to prove their proficiency before starting larger scale construction.

“We do half math-based and half constructionbased, so we start with shop safety. We go over each of the different power tools that the kids will use and students have to perform a task with each tool while being supervised. Once they are cleared they can use the tool freely,” Ahlers said.

Students then take these new skills and use them to build with the help of the math they learned.

Currently, the class is working on sheds.

Before the sheds, the class built cornhole boards for the Lifetime Fitness and Recreation class.

For the course, teamwork is an integral part of the building.

At the start of the year, coming into a class where many students do not know each other, it is hard to immediately connect as a team.

“At the beginning of the year we do a bunch of team building exercises, and that’s one of the

reasons we start the year with construction. It gets them going through tasks just having to work together and communicate,” Mabie said.

While the use of tools is an important lesson to learn, it isn’t the only focus of the class. The geometry behind the building is a large part.

Brooke Ring, sophomore, said, “We started by learning the basic rules of triangles which helped with building the roofs. Then we had to learn the math conversions of a ruler. Being able to use the Pythagorean theorem or knowing the different angles and the sum of a triangle, and knowing this is the right measurement cause all the angles add up is really important,” The structure of the math class is different from that of a normal geometry class due to the construction element.

In regular geometry, students start with the basics, but because the students need to start building right away, students start with more indepth concepts.

“The curriculum is covered in a different order, so we started with area instead of starting with the basics of geometry. This way we were starting with concepts that we could immediately use outside and start construction,” Mabie said.

The current project in the class, the sheds, will be donated to two elementary school upon completion.

After finishing the sheds, the goal is to build something else that can be given back into the community, and they hope to continue building for charity in the future.

“Next year, the idea is to build something that could go into the community. Besides the sheds that we did this year, we are ultimately wanting to be building a covered area for the playground for a non-profit in the city called Our Little Haven,” Ahlers said.

1) Freshman LAWSON HOLESTINE works to lift part of the roof.

2) Sophomore JUSTIN BOGAR uses a power saw to cut pieces of wood that will be used for the shed.

3) Sophomores GABRIEL FRANKENBERGER and LOGAN PHILLIPS prepare to place the one of the final pieces of the roof. Most of the events will continue with other students and staff members facilitating the projects. (photos by JACK WEAVER)

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April 18, 2019

Gupta one of select STL seniors interning at the Fed

$

JASMIN KIM Staff Writer

“

The feedback from that was really cool. I got t. Louis is home to one of the 12 Federal to see how interested kids were. They asked Reserve Banks in the United States, which function as America’s Central Bank and me questions afterward, [and] we even had produce monetary policies for the economy. some kids that were looking into applying for Each year, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis selects a maximum of 18 high school the same program next year.” seniors in the area to serve in their Student Board of Directors.

—Kashish Gupta, 12 On this board, students are exposed to different career paths available in the business field and are prepared with real life has been meeting other students of her age who possess experiences in economics field. similar interests as her.

Senior Kashish Gupta, who is a current member of the “There is definitely a friendship that is created just student board, became interested in the program her junior because we have so many similar interests. We all year when she read about it on the Rockwood website. participate in similar business-related activities [in our “There was a kid from Marquette that got the internship schools], so definitely going there, we have lots of last year. It was on the Rockwood website, so I saw it,” intellectual conversations that not a lot of people are Gupta said. “Then, I talked to [Social Studies teacher John] interested in,” she said.

Deken about it. He had heard of it and was an advocate for Through the student board program, the members also the program.” get a chance to prepare for their professional career path.

As a member of the student board, Gupta attends a “They taught us how to make our own resumes [and] meeting once a month at the St. Louis Federal Reserve personal brands and to advocate for it ourselves in the Bank to meet with various bank executives, and to learn workforce. [We also learned] how to make yourself stand more about the economic systems of the U.S. out when getting and applying for jobs,” Gupta said. “They “It’s once a month from 7:30-9:30 a.m. We get to meet want to prepare you for a career in the business world, with bank executives from pretty much every department of but they also want us to learn basic information about the bank and learn about various careers, so basically, it’s a macroeconomics and how we can immerse ourselves in class on how to get jobs and to successfully navigate your that world at an early age so we can be more aware.” way through the workforce while learning about economic In addition to educational aspects of the program, as a policies,” Gupta said. member, Gupta also had a responsibility to educate others So far, one of her favorite experience in the student as well about the Federal Reserve Bank and its monetary board was meeting the current president of the Federal policy making.

Reserve Bank of St. Louis, James Bullard.

“Through the Fed, another part of my internship was to “Meeting Bullard was huge because he’s been serving on create a monetary policy, Federal Reserve presentation, so the Federal Open Market Committee this year,” Gupta said.

I presented to all three of Deken’s AP Economics classes.

“It’s really cool to see what one of the leading economists The feedback from that was really cool. I got to see how does in their day-to-day life and ask them questions about interested some of the kids were. They asked me questions their careers. It gives you the exposure you never thought afterward, [and] we even had some kids that were looking you would get before.” into applying for the same program next year,” Gupta said.

Gupta has been highly active in the meetings. Alan Ernst, Gupta sees herself having a career in business even Co-Manager of Student Board Directors, noticed Gupta after the program. It was one of her childhood dreams that with the amount of work she has put to the program. she kept for a long time.

“Kashish has attended and actively participated in all of “When I was little, I always loved listening to my dad our monthly meetings,” Ernst said. “She also successfully talk about [economics], and I would buy my own stocks completed online work and collaborated with other Student when I was in middle school,” she said. “My intended major Board members to prepare a presentation about the Federal as of right now is finance and economic consulting. I am Reserve.” hopefully looking into a career that incorporates both.”

Another perk of being on the student board for Gupta

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LIFESTYLES

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Monninger’s restoration of cars leads to bonding, competition HAYDEN COTTRELL Lifestyles Editor

A

s he approaches the barn, junior Trevor Monninger is eager to see prepares to see if the car inside will be what the ads promised. Inside is a 63 Corvette convertible, one that Monninger’s been on the search for months. Once the doors open, inside is the older car in the middle of the barn, looking a little rundown but also seeming to be in decent shape. Monninger carefully inspects the car, making his way around, taking notes over every scratch and issue he can see.

Trevor Monninger first began getting into cars as a young child, with his father and grandfather introducing him and teaching him about the cars.

Monninger’s father used to take him and his younger brother around on rides, and his grandfather used to own a car shop, where Monninger first began to learn how to fix up cars.

“My dad would normally, when my brother and I were younger, just take us on drives,” Monninger said.

“When I was about 10 or 11, my grandpa actually brought me to his

shop and we’d just work in there.

Along the way with all the clubs and stuff you can get into, they help you a lot. They give you all the information and stuff you need.”

Currently, Monninger has a 1963 Corvette Convertible and a 1962 Corvette Convertible Spider with a turbo engine. He bought the latter to have a car in common with his grandpa, who also has a 1962 Corvette convertible spider in Daytona blue, a special blue paint.

Monninger finds his cars from different internet ads and through different connections with his grandfather or dad.

Monninger has a specific list of things he searches for while inspecting the older models. He searches for different scratches, anything that indicates any sort of collision and rust before negotiating the price of the car.

“When you were first going in there [to look at the car], you just write down stuff that you think most cars have a problem with,” Monninger said. “If rust is on the floors, then you write ‘a whole new floor’, which is $500. If [the rust] is in the trunk, then it is $200. Right off the bat, you’re going to be in it

$700, so then you try to explain that to the seller and then get him to try to take that off the price because you can’t drive until you fix that stuff.”

Monninger has attended multiple car shows over the past few years.

Since his dad doesn’t fix cars as much as Monninger or his grandpa, Monninger joins him on those trips.

“I go to quite a few of those on weekends. A few times a year, I’ll go to the national convention forum, which last year was in Pittsburgh.

This year, it’s going to be in Chicago,” Monninger said.

On top of attending the car shows, Monninger has also entered into some competitions at the car shows, including one called the Edward N. Cole Award.

The Edward N. Cole Award is in honor of the former Chief Operating Officer and president of General Motors, and is given to the Society of Automotive Engineers member who places high in a competition.

“You enter your car in a concourse, which is basically a judging on how stock and factory your car is and how good condition wise it is. Then you do the day of the economy run, how many miles

per gallon you need to make your car run well. After that, you have the rally, which is how to get from point A to point B with just written instructions as fast as possible.

Then they have the autocross, which is a time loop track. Last year, I didn’t win the award, but I got fifth in the economy run, seventh in the rally and first in the autocross,” he said.

As for the future, Monninger is unsure if he will be able to continue with funding his restoration activities, but he hopes and plans to.

“I think the biggest deciding factor, at least about the hobby, especially bigger sized ones, is all about funding. It’s not the cheapest thing to go out and do all these,” he said. “As long as I can get through college and start with a job and fund the rest of it, I’ll be good.”

As Monninger finishes his close inspection in and around the vehicle, he runs through the list of issues with the car, trying to decide if the car is worth the cost or not.

Eventually, Monninger decides it is and turns to the man who owns the car to try and negotiate him into a lower price. “I’ll take it,” he finally says.

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April 18, 2019

Crouch invests in street bike hobby with brother GRACE KIRTLEY Web Editor

I

t’s the first night of senior Nick Crouch owning a street bike. His brother Patrick, an experienced rider, is pushing the pace past what Crouch is comfortable with.

The adrenaline and shock of the speed is amplified by the wind. He’s not yet comfortable with leaning on the turns to hug the curb. Even so, he focuses in on keeping up despite his beginner status. His bike and the road is all that matters in that moment.

Beginning as a shadowing of his brother’s interest in street bikes, senior Nick Crouch’s fast-paced hobby has grown to owning his current bike, a Yamaha R3 street bike.

As a subset of motorcycles, street bikes are built for speed with an aerodynamic body and engines that can reach over 200 miles per hour. For Nick, this focus on speed is an important factor to what he rides.

“Street bikes are super sporty and, in general, are made to go fast around corners. But the whole focus around street bikes isn’t comfort or anything like that, it’s just

speed,” Nick said.

The speed, however, does pose problems for many street bike riders in terms of safety. To ride the bikes require a specific endorsement through motorcycle safety classes after a training class.

“Street bikes are inherently more dangerous; you don’t have all that aluminum surrounding yourself. But the biggest thing on the road is being super vigilant and aware of other cars around you. You have to be super focused with no distractions,” Nick said.

Apart from cars, street bikes allow the rider to feel more of the wind, creating a more exciting experience, according to Nick.

“On a bike, it’s just you and the road and the bike… it’s like nothing else, out in the wind, full tuck. [Full tuck is when you’re] completely lied down on the [bike], it’s insane. You get to the point where you’re not thinking about it until it’s done. It’s a super huge adrenaline rush,” Nick said.

However, with bikes comes maintenance and care, something considered commonplace for Nick.

His garage acts as a sanctuary for the three bikes that he and Patrick

own with a separate space to keep them from the weather.

“Since I love it so much, I always keep it in the garage, it will never be outside if I can help it. If there’s any bugs or anything [Patrick and I] have little plastic things that help to get all the bugs off and wipe it all down. We keep it in the best condition possible and we do regular maintenance on it,” Nick said.

The three bikes have been a bridging hobby for Nick and Patrick to share, from cleaning the bikes in the garage to the streets of West County.

“It’s really fun [to ride with my brother] especially since we got a communication system so we can talk to each other while we ride,” Nick said. “It has definitely been a bonding thing for us when we work on the bikes in the garage, it’s very fun.”

Often, street bike owners add modifications to make the bike more streamlined or louder. Nick modified the bike various ways to streamline the model, including an integrated turn signal and a condensing of the taillight and license plate on the back of the bike.

In the near future, Nick hopes

Pictured left to right: BRYAN

MONNINGER, NICK CROUCH, PATRICK CROUCH and TREVOR MONNINGER. (photo by JACK WEAVER)

to upgrade from a beginner bike into a bike meant for higher speeds and experienced drivers. Just this month, he sold his first bike.

Nick’s dream bike would be a Ducati V4, a superbike meant for extreme speed. In the near future, Nick hopes to upgrade from a beginner bike into a bike meant for higher speeds and experienced drivers.

Other than the speed, the sleek look of the bikes is a major draw for Nick.

“My favorite part other than riding is honestly just looking at them. I go out in my garage sometimes and I’ll just stare at them cause we have three of them lined up right next to each other,” Nick said.

However, in the end, Nick’s favorite part of the bikes is the speed, this began with the first night his brother took him on the back of his Yamaha R6. As he gripped the bike, his adrenaline spiked in the scariest ride he’s been on.

“We actually went on a ramp on the highway and they had redone the road and there was a lisp in the asphalt and we hit and caught air. It was terrifying, we were floating in midair,” Nick said.

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taste tester

Chocolate Easter Egg Candy Edition

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or this issue, two Image staffers sampled chocolate Easter egg candies from Lindor, Oreo, Cadbury and Reese’s. Here are their reviews for the best Easter candy this holiday:

DELANEY STULCE News and Features Editor NAOMI SAEGUSA Staff Writer

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April 18, 2019

Lindor: D Price: $1.29

The Lindor egg made no attempt to make the candy festive, keeping the red foil used for the regular truffles. Although the wrapping was plain, the shell was the most detailed, being etched with flowers. The shell is pretty, however the egg goes downhill from there. The egg is completely empty on the bottom half of the egg, causing an entire bite without filling. Along with the ratio of shell to chocolate is very off, the small amount of filling that was in the egg was overpowering. The filling was extremely thick, buttery and very sweet. This makes even one bite too much to finish, let alone the whole egg. Not only was the filling overly sweet, the chocolate was as well. The mix of creamy sweet milk chocolate and the sugary, thick filling was simply too much.

Finally, the egg leaves an intense and lasting unpleasant aftertaste.

Oreo Egg: BPrice: $0.99

The egg wrapping of the Oreo, although clearly an Easter candy, is not very festive. In regards to taste, the ratio of chocolate shell to filling was very good. The shell, however, was made of relatively cheap and overly sweet chocolate. It began to slightly overpower the filling, due to how milky the chocolate is. On the other hand, the filling was the saving grace of this egg. It was smooth and creamy blended with Oreo cookie.

The sweetness was not overbearing and balanced out the extreme sweetness of the chocolate. Although the filling was very good, it could not stop the aftertaste created by the chocolate.

Cadbury Creme Egg: C Price: $1.29

The Cadbury Creme egg is a classic, well known Easter candy, but the wrapping is not particularly special or festive. When the egg is opened, it is filled with a white creme with an orange sphere, as if it was cracking open a real egg, adding a very unique touch. Although the filling was intriguing, the icing tasted very sugary and a little overpowering. Additionally, there was much too much filling compared to the rather thin shell. Despite the thinness, the shell was by far the best quality chocolate. It was not overly sweet and left no aftertaste.

The egg was unfinishable past one bite. It would be much more enjoyable in a smaller quantity.

Reese’s Egg: A Price: $0.99

Reese’s managed to keep its company’s theme while creating the appearance of a decorated Easter egg. It continues the theme by etching the same design into the chocolate shell. The shell bordered on being too thick, but the mild sweetness of the chocolate allowed for it to not be overwhelming. The peanut butter filling, unlike the regular Reese’s peanut butter cup, was very smooth and creamy fills the shell a perfect amount. Additionally, this egg does not leave any bad aftertaste.

Lifestyles 26

Celebrating National Poetry Month

theimagemagazine Linzy Cruzen and Jeff Landow are two poetry lovers at Lafayette. (photos by HAYDEN COTTRELL and SHELBY DARNELL)

SHELBY DARNELL Staff Writer

Q&A with published, aspiring student poet Linzy Cruzen Q: What got you interested in writing poetry?

A: “Over the summer between 7th and 8th

Q: How did you get your poetry published?

A: “When I did Beatnik, my 8th grade language

Q: Why do you write poetry?

A: “You don’t have to use grammar or be

Q: What made you want to publish your

grade, I went to the Joseph Baldwin Academy (JBA) at Truman State University, and one of the classes I took was a writing class. We mostly focused on poetry. I wrote a lot last year.”

perfect with your words like you do when you’re writing an essay. I’ve written since fourth grade and I’ve always loved books. The JBA class really got me started.”

arts teacher, Julie Spurgeon, told me about this website called Teen Ink where people get their poetry published. I signed up and published my poem there.” poems?

A: “I thought it would be an interesting

experience. I can publish other things on it if I want, but having a published poem is just nice to have in your pocketbook like, ‘Hey, I have a

Language arts teachers provide tips, tricks to understanding poetry lessons

P

oetry lessons, for most high school students, are boring and painful to sit through. For many, the poems that are taught are hard to understand and, therefore, may seem pointless. However, poetry remains an integral part of classrooms and curriculum.

Two of Lafayette’s biggest poetry advocates are-- no surprise—language arts teachers David Choate and Jeffrey Landow.

“Most high schoolers are not going to become English majors, so poetry itself probably is not important, but poetry is a great tool for teaching close-reading and high-level critical thinking skills,” Landow said.

However, both teachers understand how daunting of a task interpreting poetry written centuries ago can be.

“What I teach students is to react to the poem and try to understand what the poet is saying about his or her topic. I am not as concerned with finding every metaphor or symbol,” Choate said.

He added, “I find students are less anxious when they are asked to simply read and ask questions about the poem, and slowly students begin to become more comfortable and engaged with poetry as a whole.”

Landow believes, and has seen, that the high school curriculum naturally builds up the ability to interpret poems over four years.

“I think they are totally freaked out by it when they start high school, but after some exposure and practice most students (in my experience) are actually pretty good at deciphering poems by the time they graduate,” Landow said.

For Landow, however, poetry has meaning beyond just building up important skills in the classroom.

“I know that poetry is cool because it’s somewhere between prose and music--it conveys human ideas and emotions, but in a really beautiful way,” Landow said.

“It has the power to hit the human heart and soul in a way that traditional writing does not, but is still merely words on a page. It’s cool stuff,” Landow added.

Choate finds that exposure to poetry is now more necessary than ever.

“We need to expose students to various voices that provide staggering views about the big four (love, nature, death, God) so students can feel and understand how different voices, cultures, genders question these topics,” Choate said.

art by TRAVIS BODELL

April 18, 2019

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Ads 27

SENIORS Don’t miss your chance to select the Class of 2019 Superlatives or leave your parting words in the Senior Magazine Check your Rockwood email for the link to the Google Form or go to lancerfeed.press Forms Due April 22

28

SPORTS

theimagemagazine

Fitness Fanatics Lancers use many techniques, resources to vary their work outs

Fitbit: Rena Owens, junior Owens employs popular fitness gadget to track work outs

Better Me: Grace Rook, senior Rook uses cell phone app to stay active

KAYLA CARPENTER Sports Editor

Staying in shape no longer requires hours spent in a traditional gym setting with scores of treadmills and dumbells. Today there are various new resources and workout regimens that assist students and teachers alike in staying healthy. Here are how four Lancers use various tools and routines to workout:

Fitbits are wireless technology that measure data such as number of steps walked, heart rate and quality of sleep.

These devices were originally founded in 2007 in San Francisco, California by James Park and Eric Friedman.

Only 10 years after these devices were founded, more than 63 million Fitbits were sold and there have been over 50 million registered users.

Junior Rena Owens is one out of the many people who use Fitbits for tracking their personal fitness.

“I use [my Fitbit] to track my runs or when I am weightlifting. I run six of the seven days a week and I try to weight lift about three to four times, if possible,” Owens said.

Fitbit devices contain many different

Senior Grace Rook uses an app on her phone called Better Me to stay in shape.

The app helps develop personal workout plans, formulates healthy diets and creates at home workouts for users.

“This app is really amazing, and I actually can’t wait until I can do these exercises after my long day, which is totally opposite than what I felt about working out [in the past]. Before, I used to hate working out,” Rook said.

For Rook, the app is not only enjoyable, but it is also a convenient way for her to stay in shape with her busy schedule.

“I do these workouts after school or after all my activities. One thing I love about this app is I can bring it everywhere I go, and it only takes

MAYA MANOR Staff Writer

45 minutes of my day to do these exercises,” Rook said. “I used to think you have to go to the gym or run outside, but I found out you don’t have to do that, and you can actually enjoy working out and just do it at your house.”

Rook hopes that apps such as Better Me will become more popular among high schoolers in the future due to their convenience and enjoyable nature.

“I hope this app becomes more popular because, seriously, it is so much better than working out at a gym,” Rook said. “I don’t think kids think about these apps or even know about them, and if we build more awareness about them, I think kids will have more joy and not hate working out like me!”

features for monitoring and tracking your activity. Before use, Owens suggests becoming knowledgeable about what the Fitbit is capable of.

“It’s super important to just click around and look at all the features before starting because there are so many monitoring options and you want to use the right one so it’s accurate to your activity,” Owens said.

Owens’ overall favorite workout is running, which she uses the Fitbit to track her heart rate and steps taken.

“Running is by far the best part, it’s great for reducing stress and connecting with others. Running in groups is definitely a preferred method, even though running alone can be therapeutic,” Owens said.

Sports 29

April 18, 2019

CrossFit: Max Bennett, junior

Bennett excels in growing fitness regime CrossFit is a branded strength and conditioning fitness regime that was created in 2000 by Greg Glassman in Santa Cruz, California.

The sport involves a mix of highintensity training, weightlifting, plyometrics and gymnastics.

Junior Max Bennett has been an avid participant in the growing athletic phenomena since he was 12 years old.

“Typical workouts usually starts off with a 20 to 30 minute warm up with some stretching and anything to get the body moving. After that, I’ll start working on some strength or skill work. Usually for strength, it’ll be weightlifting, and skill work consists of gymnastics skills,” Bennett said.

“Afterwards, I’ll do the Workout Of the Day, which is a highly intense onslaught of work to finish for reps, time or weight,” he added.

Unlike traditional fitness regimens, CrossFit workouts can vary greatly day to day, and Bennett finds enjoyment in the irregular schedule.

“I like CrossFit because there’s always something new to do everyday,” Bennett said. “There is always change and no routine, and you always work to improve yourself everyday as well. My favorite part is having an achievement in anything.

Whether that be improving your heaviest squat or getting a faster time on a workout.”

Throughout his time in the program-, Bennett has learned the most important aspect of it’s the fundamentals.

“If someone was starting their first day of CrossFit, I would tell them nail the basics of CrossFit first because if you don’t do that, you’re not gonna have a whole lot of success with it,” Bennett said.

photo courtesy of NANCY MILLER

Yoga: Tracy Gladden, language arts teacher Gladden develops passion after difficult time

Over 5,000 years ago, in northern India, Yoga was developed by the Indus-Sarasvati civilization. Up until the present, the practice of yoga has only become more and more popular.

During the 1980s, yoga became very popular as a source of exercise across the western hemisphere due to the yoga gurus from India.

Approximately 37 million people in the U.S. practice yoga today, nearly double the amount from a mere three years ago.

One of these participants is language arts teacher Tracy Gladden.

Gladden began partaking in yoga after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012.

“I had to start taking care of my health, My mind, body and soul became a priority to me,” Gladden said. “It was no longer a ‘I should do that’ or ‘one day I will’ because there was no way to keep living like I was and still have the chance to do all that I want to do.”

Typically, one day consists of two practice sessions for Gladden, and she is committed to her routine no matter the location whether she is at home, in the studio or at school in between classes.

Yoga is known to be healthy for the mind and body, and Gladden enjoys the challenging and intellectual aspects of yoga. “[Yoga is] one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done.

I like learning about breathing techniques, present moment awareness, anatomy and energy centers. I like that yoga is so much more than just poses,” she said.

Over her seven years of studying, Gladden has learned that yoga takes both practice and patience.

“Be patient and kind to yourself. It’s so much more than just a physical exercise.

Learning flexibility and breathing will help you off the mat,” Gladden said.

photos by KAYLA CARPENTER

Sports 30

theimagemagazine

The NUMBER behind the ATHLETE From superstition to family history, an athlete’s number can be much more than just a way to track game stats MORGAN VEHIGE Staff Writer

I

Abby Charlton: Softball #23

n most team sports, players are required to wear a number that distinguishes them from their teammates. These numbers also allow for easier tracking of each player’s statistics.

In professional football, players have numbers according to what position they play. If you’re a rookie in baseball, you’re automatically assigned a number. In professional sports, there are retired numbers that belong to past idols that no one can touch.

However, at a high school level, numbers work differently. Athletes usually choose their number based on the jersey size availability and then seniority. For sports like baseball and football, uniform numbers go quickly, so athletes take pride in getting a number that means something to them.

Athletes share number choices #16 Cade Fladda, senior “My brother wore the number 16 when he played for Lafayette. I believe it helps with my performance because he was a really good player and it reminds me to strive to be the best I can be.”

For freshman Abby Charlton, the number 23 has impacted both her father’s life and her own.

When her father was a kid, he played baseball, and he was always 23, so it carries a legacy with her. Charlton also considers it her lucky number for another reason. “Twenty-three is my lucky number because I was born on Aug. 2, 2003. If you put the two and the three together, it’s 23.”

Collin Carnahan: Soccer #6

Senior Collin Carnahan never believed his number helped with his performance, but it did tell a fun story to those he shared it with.

“I started using the number six because of the Cardinals jingle from On The Run that said “six is a serious number” which meant that if the Cards scored at least six runs, the next day fountain drinks and slushies at On the Run were only 50 cents.”

#11 Bre Nelson, sophomore “It’s my lucky number for a couple of reasons. One, because my birthday falls on the 11th and because one of my favorite football players, Larry Fitzgerald, wears it.”

#76 Reese Ward, junior “When I wear my jersey, I’m always reminded of my grandfather because I chose 76 to honor him.”

#8 Landee Wasson, sophomore “It’s always been my lucky number ever since I started playing. I remember whenever I would get eight strikeouts I would be so happy because they would correspond with my number.”

Casey Murphy: Water Polo #13

Murphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. However, freshman Casey Murphy decided to embrace the unluckiness instead of running from it. “For my family, numbers that other people consider unlucky are actually lucky for us. I think wearing the number connects me with my family, knowing they’re going to be with me no matter if I fail horribly or do well.”

Sports 31

April 18, 2019

The girls take the pool All-female junior varsity water polo team makes its debut at Lafayette TRAVIS BODELL Editor-in-Chief CAROLINE KESTING Staff Writer For the first time in the program’s history, the water polo team(s) consist of seven female players, enough to field a complete starting lineup. The girls compete at the junior varsity level against other all-female teams.

The girls junior varsity team is primarily coached by Jessica Kempf, who has been involved in the Lafayette water polo program since 2018.

Varsity coach James Waeckerle and junior varsity coach Evyn Spencer also assist in coaching the girls. Kempf has experience playing in an all-female setting.

“I played for Parkway North, where we also had enough girls to compete in a few girls games during the season,” Kempf said. “It had a totally different dynamic than the co-ed games.”

One difference is the size of the ball the girls junior varsity team plays with. The team uses a size four polo ball that has a circumference of around 25.5 inches, as opposed to the size five, 27 inch polo ball that is used in the co-ed junior varsity and varsity games.

“All of the coaches are excited for female players to develop and showcase their skills by playing with other girls and using the properly sized women’s polo ball,” Kempf said.

Sophomore Sophie Arceneaux joined during the 2017-2018 school year, where she was one of only two female players.

“It’s really different playing with an all-girls team,” Arceneaux said. “It’s nice to play with people more similar in size to you.”

The rest of the team consists of juniors Kim Auzat and Chloe Baker, sophomores Breanna Nelson and Casandra Urdi and freshmen Devan Ellison and Casey Murphy.

During a match, each team has six players in the pool at a time, with a seventh as goalkeeper.

Because most of the players are new to the sport, the girls rotate positions to try them out.

Having only seven total players on the team proves to be challenge.

“Players have to keep pushing even when they are tired,” Waeckerle said. “They are going to have to work hard and play smart.”

Additionally, if a player was to receive three exclusion fouls, they would be removed from play and the rest of the game would be played man down.

The girls practice with the boys most of the time. They sometimes practice as a team to get

1.

1) Taking a timeout, CASEY MURPHY, SOPHIE ARCENEAUX, CASANDRA URDI, DEVAN ELLISON, KIM AUZAT and CHLOE BAKER get ready for play to resume.

2) Preparing to make a pass, SOPHIE ARCENEAUX, sophomore, scans the pool for an open teammate during the March 26 girls home game against Marquette.

3) Freshman DEVAN ELLISON competes for the ball.

All-female water polo games have allowed for the girls to use a smaller ball, different to what is used in the co-ed junior varsity and varsity games. (photos by SHANNON WORLEY)

used to playing with each other and to the size difference of the girl’s ball.

“It’s different this year, not having just me and one or two other girls in the locker room before practice,” Arceneaux said.

On March 26, the girls took on Marquette in the programs first all-girls game ever. Lafayette lost 17-1.

“We knew we were up against girls that had been playing on club teams before,” Arceneaux said. “We are also a really new team, since most of the girls have never played before.”

Finding other girls junior varsity teams to play has been difficult.

The March 30 all-girls tournament hosted by the Lancers was supposed to be attended by teams from Oakville, Melville and Parkway North, but Melville was forced to pull out of the tournament due to a shortage in females.

Marquette filled in the gap.

All of the girls junior varsity events scheduled for the season have passed, but the team still plans to play as a unit in other ways.

“We’ve talked about putting in the girls lineup in for some of the junior varsity games,” Kempf said. “Most of the girls are still just learning the game, so they want the experience.”

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