Jan 23, 2015

image

January 23, 2015 Vol. 46, No. 5 Lafayette High School – 17050 Clayton Rd. – Wildwood, MO 63011

lhsimage.com

Think this looks challenging? See pages 8-9 for a real life story of a woman who overcame all the obstacles and stigma associated with being a teen mom.

Staff & Policies Editors

Hannah Martin--------------------Editor in Chief Kayley Allen------------------------- News Editor Jack Rogan---------------------- Lifestyle Editor Jennifer Butler------------------- Opinion Editor Elly Levy------------------- Asst. Opinion Editor Ben Rachell------------------------Sports Editor Seth Boester-----------------------Sports Editor Alaina Strollo------------------------Feed Editor Anna James---------- News & Numbers Editor Delaney Eyermann----------------- Webmaster Megan Rigabar---------------------- Webmaster Amanda Shaw---------------- Asst. Webmaster Madison Kesselring---------Business Manager Nancy Y. Smith, MJE------------------- Adviser

Staff Members Image:

Mary Adcock, Suzy Blalock, Jessica Collins, Alex Kessler, Patrick Levine, Garrett McBay, Grant Norfleet, Anna Preuss, Dominic Scaglione, Chris Shorter, Bryan Woode, Kaitlyn Wylie

Digital Media:

Julianne Beffa / Managing Editor Karina Patel / Asst. Managing Editor Colleen Pavia / Digital Media Editor Shelby Robbe / Asst. Digital Media Editor Alex Moss / Equipment Manager Jimmy Bowman, Brian Gassel, Logan Jordan, Amelia Konicki, Laura Reynolds, Mason Smith

Information

Image is published nine times a year by the News Production Class. Subscriptions are $30. Free issues are distributed on campus. The 2013-2014 Image received a rating of First Class from the National Scholastic Press Association. lhsimage.com received a rating of All-American with five marks of distinction.

The 2013-2014 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.

Contact Us

Located in Room 137A at Lafayette High School, 17050 Clayton Rd., Wildwood, MO 63011. Our phone number is (636) 7334118 and our e-mail address is lhsimage@gmail.com or visit on the web at: www.lhsimage.com

Policies

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.

On The Web

For breaking news, check out lhsimage. com and follow @lhsimage on Twitter

&

Jan. 23, 2015

NEWS numbers $1,069

Average amount of money American teens spent on fashion goods in Fall 2014.

38

*Taking Stock With Teens Poll

Percent of teens who say they are saving money for college or a car *Rand Youth Poll

$4,923 Average income for 15-17 year olds in October 2014 *Rand Youth Poll

29.3

Average number of shopping trips the average teen makes per year. *Taking Stock With Teens Poll

BEAUTY & THE BEAST

35 Percent of women who use one to two beauty products every morning

33

What’s the Best Part of the Super Bowl?

2 misc.

The Game (25%) The Party (28%)

The Commercials (47%)

*106 people surveyed

Top Five Beauty Products You Should Never Share

Percent of men who use one to two beauty products every morning

1. Jars of lotion 2. Lip gloss 3. Mascara 4. Makeup sponges 5. Tweezers

7

Percent of women who use up to six beauty products every morning

1

Percent of men who use up to six beauty products every morning *Huffington Post

image

*Allure

Today is National Handwriting Day

You Can Quote Me On That!

“

Handwriting would not be such a problem if everything was electronic.”

–

Nicole Goettelmann, language arts teacher, on penmanship.

“

Students rarely use cursive, but when they do, they take time to write neatly.”

– Melissa Schumacher, language arts teacher, on cursive writing.

Ballwin In Central Plaza 15305 Manchester Rd. Ballwin, MO 63011 636-394-1400 www.richtersflorist.com 10% Student Discount Open 7 Days A Week

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Jan. 23, 2015

news 3

Enrollment Numbers Expected to Decrease For the 2015-2016 school year, projected enrollment expects drop in student body bryan woode – staff reporter –

The History of Lafayette Lafayette first opened in

1960 with

288 students

2,052

Average number of enrolled students in the last 10 years (from 2005-2014)

2,090

1965

students

Louie the Lancer first appeared

1993

to accommodate

freshman class added

1992 LHS opened eight portable classrooms

1963

1989 Wildwood campus opens with 1,800 students Lafayette only had sophomores, juniors and seniors

For many years, Lafayette has been the largest high school in the Rockwood School District.

However, there has been a steady decline in enrollment numbers at Lafayette since 2010.

In the near future, the reduction in student enrollment will have a negative impact at Lafayette.

All schools in the Rockwood School District (RSD) are affected by enrollment numbers, but some schools are more stable.

High schools such as Rockwood Summit, Eureka and Marquette High School all experience a slight decline in students, but it’s not as significant as Lafayette.

Residency in the St. Louis region is stable. This means there are more residents who stay in their homes than those who move out or in.

Because of this, real estate is limited and fewer new families move into and out of neighborhoods.

Once the kids go to school and eventually graduate, the families stay.

This leads to a reduction in students who live in the school district.

As a result, enrollment numbers decrease.

Since this is a continuous cycle, enrollment numbers, specifically in Rockwood high schools, could decrease as often as each school year.

If significantly fewer students are

enrolled at Lafayette next year, it could have a negative impact on the school.

“There would be a decrease in our budget next year and a decrease in our staff,” Principal John Shaughnessy said.

In the 2015-2016 school year, Lafayette is expected to lose around 100 students. The total number of students enrolled are counted at the beginning of each year.

In this 2014-2015 school year, there were 1,912 enrolled. Next school year, the projected number of students is expected to be around 1,839.

In order to prevent a significant reduction in students, Rockwood is planning on using several strategies to solve this problem such as rezoning. Rockwood plans on changing the district zone for schools to reroute the path of the high school that the students go to.

For example, if the district zone for Rockwood elementary schools were changed, it would allow more kids to attend schools.

Also, this would shift the progression of schools they go to which ensures that other schools don't have declining enrollment numbers.

Currently, this is not a significant issue because Lafayette and all other Rockwood schools’ enrollment numbers will not bring any major concerns in the near future.

STUCO Is Heating Things Up

Winter Semi-Formal Feb. 21

Baby It’s Cold Outside!

stars & gripes Stars: - So many television shows and movies were released on Netflix over break, even Friends. Pop the popcorn and turn out the lights.

- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting the Golden Globes.

Without being overtly offensive, they found a way to insult just about everyone there.

-Girl Scouts have added three new cookies: all healthy. But we’re still gonna eat the whole box in one sitting.

Intruder drill updates unnecessary staff ed

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.

- Sony Pictures finally released The Interview after cyberthreats led the company to delay the opening. Too bad the controversy was more entertaining than the movie.

-There is some controversy about the New England Patriots using deflated footballs in their victory over the Colts. Speaking of deflated balls, how ‘bout that Packer meltdown?

Gripes: - It’s mid-January and we’ve only had one snow day. This never happened under Terry’s reign.

- The Rams might be leaving St. Louis to go to California.

But is anyone even a Ram’s fan anymore?

- Oscar nominations were announced last week and the Academy shoots a brick by snubbing the Lego Movie.

- Tests within the first month of school. We need at least a month and a half to back into the groove of things.

- Anyone going to work out at their gym has to wade through the masses of people trying to fulfill their New Year’s Resolutions. But don’t worry, they’ll give up after a month.

-Scheduling opened last week.

Make careful decisions. Plan things out and remember you’ll still wind up in classes you don’t want.

Point Counterpoint

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Jan. 23, 2015

4 opinion

Every year, the Rockwood School District reviews potential capital projects for the upcoming school year and ranks these projects in order of importance. Once the rankings are established, the district works to find funding for the projects of highest priority.

We are extremely happy the Board of Education is finally recognizing some of the problems at Lafayette.

For example, tracks at the high schools might be repaved this year.

The tracks are supposed to support runners and allow precise distance measuring. Tracks are usually softer than concrete or asphalt to reduce injury.

But our track is almost 10 years old and there are countless cracks that actually increase a chance of injury. The surface of the tracks are also hardening, making our tracks ineffective.

Our gym floors might also be replaced, as well as the gym floors at three other of the high schools.

If you’ve ever been in a gym class in the past few years, you’ve probably stepped over those creaky spots in the gym or have bounced a basketball in a soft spot and the ball has never come back up.

The board will possibly replace the stadium lights that are about 25 years old and upgrade science labs at the high schools.

While all of these things would be great to update and are quite necessary to maintain safety at our school, a few of the potential projects are irrelevant to our needs.

For example, the board wants to replace the door locks for classrooms in all schools with a push button system as well as adding film on the entrance glass at all the schools.

According to project coordinators, this push button system would “help standardize lockdown

Illustration by: Grant Norfleet procedure districtwide” and though the film is not bulletproof, it would keep the glass from falling down and give the school more time to react to an intruder.

Teachers currently use their own systems to cut down on time to lock the door. Teachers have used magnets, blocks, strike covers and other methods to work around our current system.

We understand the main goal is to protect the students and teachers and a push button would cut down the time it takes for a teacher to lock the door in the case of in intruder.

But it’s not necessary.

We have not been in a situation that calls for a change in our intruder system recently.

The film is not bulletproof and we’re not sure how long that would add to a possible intruder breaking into a school. It could be a second or it could be a minute.

Even the project managers who presented the projects said the current system we have works and there was nothing to say otherwise.

It’s great that the Board of Education wants to improve our intruder system. But that’s not what we need now.

Now we need to update the old and worn out parts of our school, like the track and science labs.

Maybe after we fix the things that are truly broken we can think about film on the entrance glass and new door locks.

Letter to the Editor: Newspaper Ad Concern editor’s note

In September of 2014, the Editorial Board received this email from a concerned student regarding tanning advertisements featured in the Image. The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the Image Editorial Board.

In recent weeks, a film mocking the North Korean government led to threats of violence at theaters. Satirical cartoons led to a terrorist attack at Charlie Hedbo, a French magazine.

Do you believe free speech is worth the risk?

My name is Zachary McMillen and I am concerned with the newspaper advertising indoor sun tanning. This is a problem because people who tan indoors on tanning beds have a higher risk of getting skin cancer, the most common kind of cancer (including melanoma). Statistics show that: •The majority of indoor tanners are girls and women age 16 to 29 •13 percent of all high school students and 21 percent of high school girls use indoor tanning beds.

•Studies have shown that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light can be addictive because the production of endorphins can initiate dependency similar to smoking.

•If a person uses a tanning bed once, they are 75 percent at more risk of developing melanoma.

While most people perceive melanoma as a non-threatening cancer and that you can just cut off; this is not true. For people with advanced stage melanoma it isn’t so easy. This is because it becomes Metastatic melanoma, which turns into tumors in your body. There are very few treatments for melanoma when it spreads to organs inside the body.

Most patients die within a year.

Because of the health risks involved in tanning, some states have been proactive by banning minors from indoor tanning. Some of these states are Illinois, Louisiana, California, and several other states. ‘If Only I Knew Then What I Know Now’ is not only the headline of the newspaper, but what many people who got melanoma think about tanning indoors.

in the Constitution that we have “a It’sfreedom of speech, and I believe that that right should be upheld anywhere. It’s an important right for any body in any country to have free speech, even if it mocks other people.

If we were to say that one group couldn’t have free speech, then we would only be discriminating against that group.

”

Eric Woytus, 12

I have personally been affected by metastatic melanoma when my dad was diagnosed with it three years ago and he was in the hospital for a long time.

At the beginning, we were told he probably wouldn’t live more than six to eight months. He had to go through several operations, including one to remove a life threatening tumor in his brain that kept him in the hospital for several weeks. The whole experience with hospital visits, surgery, and not having my dad around was very tough for me, and I feel like no one should have to go through this experience anytime in life.

I hope you consider removing the STL Tan ads in your newspaper to help prevent melanoma from harming the lives of others.

“

No, I don’t think it is right.

There’s a line you shouldn’t cross when it comes to free speech. If you’re an editor or a part of a publication, where you need to be respectful of others, you should find a better way to get your point across instead of being derogatory to another group of people.

”

Emily Blair, 12

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Jan. 23, 2015

opinion 5

know WHAT

YOU

Over winter break a 17-year-old transgender teenager was struck by a tractor trailer in Ohio. The Ohio Highway Patrol has been investigation it as a suicide.

The teen’s name was Josh Alcorn, but she gave herself the name “Leelah.”

The same day as her death, Alcorn timed a post to appear on her Tumblr, coming out as transgender and her life after she told her parents.

She titled it as her suicide note.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, transgender means to be “of, relating to, or being a person who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person’s sex at birth.” This means a someone born a boy is actually a girl and someone born a girl is a boy.

If someone is transgender, use the pronouns they see themselves as, not the gender they were born with. If she says she’s a girl, call her a girl and vice versa.

But when Alcorn told her parents, they did not call her a girl, they did not use female pronouns. Instead, they pulled her out of school and sent her to a number of conversion therapists.

But conversion therapy does not work. All major mental health associations have debunked conversion therapies and their methods.

Jennifer Butler, Opinion Editor

Conversion therapy has existed for many decades in an attempt to change people of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Early methods for this therapy included institutionalization, castration and shock therapy. While today the methods are less torture-like, they’re still highly unethical in my opinion.

According to a 2009 report by the American Psychological Association (APA), techniques for conversion therapy included, but were not limited to, inducing nausea, vomiting or paralysis while showing homoerotic images, having patients snap their wrists with a rubberband or receive a minor electric shock to themselves when they think about homoerotic

thoughts. Therapies also had their patients participate in behavior that was stereotypically masculine or feminine depending on the born gender of the patient.

These methods of conversion therapies do nothing but make their patients hate themselves. And no person deserves that.

While Carla Alcorn, Leelah’s mother, says she loved her child, and I don’t doubt she did, she did not support her or her identity as a female.

According to Alcorn’s post on Tumblr, her parents were heartbroken and instead of accepting their child for who she was, they tried to change her. Now their child is gone.

I know that Carla did not intend

for her child to die and that she wanted what she thought was best for the 17-year-old, but Alcorn and other parents need to be educated.

It doesn’t matter how much you love your child; if you can’t show support for them, they cannot trust you or believe you truly love them.

Not only parents, but we as teenagers and a school need to come together to support our fellow classmates, no matter what their gender or sexuality is.

And we are.

As a school, we have come a long way to being accepting of others, whether it’s race, religion, sexuality or gender.

Our district has allowed us to protest in school. We have identified safe spaces for students to go and talk to an adult about problems and not be judged.

We are even changing our harassment and bullying policy to include transgender students.

And that’s great, but we need to continue to progress.

The fact is that overall, the LGBT community is still an unprotected minority. Forty-one percent of transgender people have attempted suicide and LGBT students are more likely to feel unsafe at school than non-LGBT students. And that won’t change unless we do something about it.

Popular Opinion #1

TAKE

What is your New Year’s Resolution? elly levy

– reporter – “To be better at basketball. Gotta work on those freethrows.”

Sammy Lawson, 9

“Work on my dedication to my activities, such as the musical, sports, singing, grades and academics.”

Alexa Culver, 10

“My resolution is to make symphonic band next year.”

=5*pollstudents of 100 students

What’s your favorite thing to do on a snow day?

YOUR

what’s

Transgender community needs to be supported

Watch Netflix (41)

Nick Sachtleben, 11

“To get a job at Dierbergs.

I’ve just applied there.”

Sleep (23) Sled/Be outside (9) Hang out with friends (27)

Elise Pate, 12

#2

Where do you usually get your lunches?

Bring from home 46

Whatever the school has

Snacks from the school store

48

8

“To go to as many St. Louis Blues games as time and money will allow.”

Brad Balog, Fine Arts

“Snow Days” By Megan Hardie, Cartoonist Friday

SUNDAY Remember to do your homework for Monday!

Despite predictions for freezing rain and negative temperatures...

...some districts have chosen NOT to call a snow day

MONDAY Well, I don’t have a lesson plan for today, so...

So write me an essay on why meteorolgy is so inaccurate

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Jan. 23, 2015

6 news

Possible A+ Funding Cuts

Due to General Revenue Balances, A+ funding may be cut, leaving students without scholarships Anna Preuss – staff reporter –

After many years of service, the A+ program funding will possibly be cut due to Governor Jay Nixon’s attempts to keep Missouri’s General Revenue Budget in balance.

For some students, the A+ program is what they are relying on to get into college.

For others, it means a gold star on their resume.

The program provides a state-paid financial incentive to attend any public community college or public career or technical school in Missouri.

Earlier this year, it was announced that funding may be cut drastically and students may have to find a new way to pay for tuition.

“Students may be required to pay for one credit hour per semester out of their pocket.

Those that are enrolling in college this semester will be paying upfront out of their pocket. Even students already in college will have to pay the one credit hour as well,” Lafayette’s A+ Coordinator Jessica Brawner said.

“The A+ Program usually pays for two fulltime years of a local community college, but with the cut, students will have to pay for eight credit hours,” Brawner said.

Though this is still a great deal for those who can’t afford regular state school, some students can’t afford to pay for those eight hours.

Reimbursable hours for students this year will likely be reduced to make sure the amount awarded doesn’t go over the amount of funding that will be available after possible cuts.

Most of the money from the A+ program comes from the Missouri Lottery, however, with the programs growing popularity, A+ has more students taking advantage of it than expected.

12,000 students received A+ funding last school year.

According to Ozark Technical Community College, that number is expected to hit 15,000 for this school year.

Affording college can be a challenge, and many students agree that two years of college tuition was a huge factor in joining the A+ program.

“

636-527-7130

Website:

www.blossomsbridal.com

Email:

info@blossomsbridal.com

To Be In The Program Students Must:

• Enter into a written agreement with your high school prior to graduation.

if they end up telling me that I can’t get money for college, it would be very upsetting. If kids are putting the work in, they deserve the funding,” Dupre said.

Even though A+ funding may be cut, there are other ways to get tuition money. One way is to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is a federal program for student aid to receive tuition money based on a student’s ability to pay for college.

There are also plenty of resources to find scholarships to apply for, such as online scholarship databases like fastweb.com, scholarships.com or books with scholarships opportunities like Kaplan Scholarships.

There are many scholarships based around what type of degree one may get.

For example, for a teaching degree, there is a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant that can pay up to $4,000 per year.

Many colleges also offer help with tuition money if an athlete is good enough for the sports team. Students who receive above a 31 on the ACT or above a 800 on critical reading and math on the SAT can get up to $3,000 of tuition money.

The final decision is said to be made in March. If funding continues as is, students in high school and college paying for credits will be refunded the money used to pay for credits.

“I think an education is important and if they take the chance to make it easier to pay away then its going to make it harder in the future and get a good career that I enjoy, and can support me financially. Im really relying on A+ to pay for college,” Dupre said.

Phone:

Fast Facts

• Be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or lawfully present in the U.S.

I think having an education is important, but four year colleges are too expensive at the moment, so A+ is a way I can still receive a college education.

– Dilise Dupre, 12 The state promised high school students that if requirements were met, then two years of tuition would be paid for. Some students simply cannot afford to go to college and they rely on A+ for admission.

“I think having an education is important, but four year colleges are too expensive at the moment, so A+ is a way I can still receive a college education, then use the saved money to move on to a larger university in the future. I also think it looks good on a resume, however, the main reason I applied was for the educational and tuition benefits. Ever since the tuition has skyrocketed, A+ was a great way to still get an education and also to help out your parents with the tuition,” senior Dilise Dupre, who will be attending Wildwood Community College next year, said.

Students enrolled in college will now have to pay three or four credit hours in the spring of 2015.

If the state cuts funding for A+ in 2015, community colleges expect a major drop in enrollments. In general, enrollment for colleges will drop significantly as well, according to Ozark Technical.

“I will personally be very disappointed if funding is cut because like I said, with tuition going up, for someone like me who comes from a middle class family, my parents can’t afford to offer up to 10 thousand to 50 thousand dollars in tuition. I mean no one has that kind of cash laying around. Unless you are an amazing athlete, scholarships aren’t as easily attainable.

A+ gives the rest of us a chance to still have a good education. I’ve put in more than 40 hours of tutoring with no pay three times a week and

A+ Program

• Attend a designated A+ high school for three consecutive years immediately prior to graduation.

• Graduate with an overall grade point average of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

•Have at least a 95 percent attendance record overall for grades 9-12.

• Perform at least 50 hours of unpaid tutoring or mentoring, of which up to 25 percent may include job shadowing.

• Maintain a record of good citizenship and avoid the unlawful use of drugs and/or alcohol.

• Beginning with the high school senior class of 2015, have achieved a score of proficient or advanced on the Algebra I end of course exam or a higher level DESE approved end-of-course exam in the field of mathematics.

Hours:

Mon: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Tues: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Wed: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Thurs: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Fri: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sat: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sun: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Homecoming & Prom Dresses Available 15882 Clayton Rd, Ellisville, MO 63011

We Want You Well!

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Jan. 23, 2015

news 7

Denim Does Good

Senior starts jean drive to aid homeless teens across the nation kayley allen – news editor –

According to DoSomething.org, over one million minors experience homelessness in the United States every year. When asked, one item they often request is a pair of jeans.

“I found Teens for Jeans last year on DoSomething.org and I thought it would be a great thing for Lafayette to get involved with because the school is filled with a lot of people interested in helping out the community,” senior Chase Rose said.

Teens for Jeans is a campaign run by DoSomething.org, which is an organization to encourage and allow youth to make changes in their society.

The campaign is set up so that anyone across the country can run a jean drive in their school or community and then donate the jeans that are collected.

Donated jeans can be for all ages, but the charity focuses mostly on teens because of the high number of homeless teens in the US. “Teens for Jeans collects new or gently-used jeans and then provides them to the homeless shelters for teens,” Rose said.

Rose presented this charity to the National Honor Society (NHS) last year, his first year inducted in NHS. Shortly after, a Teens for Jeans Committee was created to run the drive at Lafayette.

“We collected around 200 [pairs of] jeans last year at Lafayette and around the Wildwood

area. This year, we have a lot more community partners with drop-off boxes in all of those businesses, so I’m hoping we’ll get more jeans because of that. We also have a lot more attention from the media. I enjoy this charity because you know it’s helping your community, and that’s something that’s pretty important,” Rose said.

The Teens for Jeans committee is run by NHS students and sponsors. The hours spent working with the charity goes towards the community service points needed to be a part of NHS. “Last year, we used NHS kids to start it and mobilize it. They collected the jeans, folded them and packaged them up. It’s Aeropostale that powers it, so when we collect our jeans, that’s where we take them and they then distribute them to shelters,” NHS sponsor Melissa Twombly said.

The national end-date for all jean drives across the country is Feb 15.

“This year we had hoped to start earlier in August when kids are getting new jeans and getting rid of the ones that don’t fit, but it’s been a busy year. The collection ends in February, so we’re most likely going to be hitting it hard here at Lafayette towards the end of January and until the end date,” Twombly added.

Even if you aren’t a student or staff member at LHS, there are still places you can go to donate jeans.

Businesses throughout the Wildwood area with boxes to donate jeans are Lapels Dry Cleaning (Wildwood), Smoothie King (Ellisville), Dierbergs (Wildwood) and Mathnasium (Wildwood).

“During the school year, Chase has already provided drop-off boxes throughout the Wildwood area. There’s a box at those locations that says ‘Teens for Jeans. Contribute to Lafayette High School’,” Twombly said.

After the jean drive ends, all the jeans collected at the various businesses, along with the

Located at Smoothie King in Ellisville, this donation box is set up to allow anyone in the area to contribute to Teens for Jeans. Chase Rose placed this box, along with other ones in various businesses, in order to get more donations and jeans for the charity.

(Photographed by Kayley Allen). ones collected at LHS, are donated.

“There are a lot of people that have jeans that don’t fit them anymore, so this is a really good opportunity to give jeans to people who really need them. It’s also special because we’re helping people our own age that have a lot less than we do,” senior Amber Wollam said.

Wollam was inducted into NHS her junior year, and has been on the Teens for Jeans committee since it started last January.

“Jeans are such a simple thing to give, and how they help goes a long way,” Wollam said.

Drop-off boxes are set up in the Welcome Center, Library and stage at lunch.

Facts About Homeless Teens • 39 percent of the homeless population is young people under 18.

• 1 in 7 young people between the ages of 10 to 18 will run away.

• There are approximately 1.7 million homeless teens in the US. • 5,000 young people die every year because of assault, illness, or suicide while on the street.

• A US Department of Health and Human Services study found that 46 percent of homeless youth left their home because of physical abuse. 17 percent left because of sexual abuse.

• Over 50 percent of young people in shelters and on the streets report that their parents told them to leave or knew they were leaving and didn’t care.

• Teens age 12 to 17 are more likely to become homeless than adults. *dosomething.org

Attention Seniors-Juniors ACT/SAT Tutoring

Call Dr. Jack Arnold 314-805-4561 Appointments Tuesday/Thursday Evenings Saturday/Sunday afternoons www.JackArnold.org

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cover story 9

hannah martin – editor in chief –

After getting pregnant at 17, Petrik shares experience of being a teen mother, how her life changed and how protecting yourself is the most important thing High school is often described as the best four years of your life. While you are figuring out who you are and what you want to do with the rest of your life, you get to enjoy being with friends and cherishing your last few years as a “kid”.

For Nichole Petrik, her future came earlier than she had originally envisioned.

Just before heading home from her boyfriend’s house one evening during her junior year, Petrik took a pregnancy test on a whim. She didn’t think she was pregnant and doesn’t know exactly why she took the test, but she did.

At first glance, no line appeared in the window. On her way home, Petrik was going to

throw the pregnancy test out the window so her parents wouldn’t see that she took one.

“As I was about to throw [the pregnancy test] out the window, the streetlight shined on it and I noticed the line was there. I was like ‘Oh my God, I’m pregnant,’” Petrik said.

Petrik was 17 years old, grew up in a middle class family in West County and was finishing her junior year at Parkway South High School.

“It’s something you think won’t ever happen to someone like you,” she said.

Petrik and her boyfriend had been dating for around a year and a half when she got pregnant and were about to face the repercussions of not practicing safe sex.

Petrik immediately knew she was going to keep the baby. She knew she had not taken all the precautions to keep herself from getting pregnant and she had ultimately put herself in the situation.

The decision to keep the baby was the easy part. The hard part was telling her family.

Petrik was afraid to destroy the close relationship she had with her parents and how they would handle the news.

“My mom came downstairs the night I found out I was pregnant. I was sitting on my bed and she looked at me and was like ‘you’re either pregnant or you have an STD (sexually transmitted disease) because you’ve told me everything else,’” Petrik said.

Her mom took the news rather calmly, but her dad was a different story.

“Telling my dad was the worst thing. My dad really blew up on me. He wouldn’t talk to me and he wouldn’t even look at me for like three weeks. It was hard to look at my dad and know that I had really let him down,” Petrik said.

Despite everything, Petrik went back to school her senior year and attended school until she was eight months pregnant. She was determined to finish school and not be a drop out.

Luckily, she had enough credits to graduate early and not have to come back for second semester.

As if high school wasn’t difficult enough itself, Petrik had to go through her last semester pregnant and deal with everything that came with it.

“It was really hard getting bigger, dealing with hormones and trying to figure out what you’re going to do. I just don’t think it’s something that girls think about,” she said.

Petrik faced everything from the people who accepted her to the people who no longer wanted anything to do with her.

Before getting pregnant, Petrik’s post high school plans included going to an out-of-state four year university and she had already sent in a few applications.

However, everything she had planned was no longer an option nor was even important anymore.

“Instead of going off to college or even a community college, I immediately had to go to work. I had a child that I needed to provide for,” Petrik said.

Just after graduating, Petrik gave birth to son, Joshua Tygart, an LHS

freshman.

Petrik immediately shifted her focus from her college and career plans to what she needs to do for the benefit of her child, even if it meant having to work 40 hours a week.

She lived with her parents until Tygart was two because she was not financially stable on her own.

Petrik made it through those difficult first couple of years with the support of her parents and everyone else around her.

With only having a high school education, finding a good paying job was difficult and when she would receive her paycheck, it all went towards diapers, formula, daycare and more.

Petrik and her boyfriend stayed together until Tygart was about four months old until they realized how strenuous the relationship was.

“Having Joshua made the relationship so much harder because we were babies who have a baby and we didn’t know what we were doing so it just made everything a million times more intense,” Petrik said.

Although they ended their relationship, they made it a priority to stay friends and get along for their son. To this day, they have a good relationship and have worked hard to make it that way.

The first few years after Petrik and her boyfriend split were tough because they had to figure things out on their own while trying to keep a good relationship and on top of all that, raise a child.

Petrik feared it would be difficult to find another man that would accept her and her son.

“Even if that person says they’re okay with it, do they really mean it? It’s one thing to say you’re okay with, but once you get in there and realize you have a child you need to take care of 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it’s a little different,” she said.

However, it wasn’t long before someone came into her life and understood that Petrik was a package deal and was ready to take on the challenge. Petrik and her husband have been married for 12 years now.

“I think that [Josh and my husband] have a good relationship. He’s another dad figure who has been there his entire life,” she said.

Petrik’s own future was put on hold when she got pregnant and had to put all of her plans on the back burner. But now, Petrik is in school finishing up her psychology degree.

“I had to focus on my children. Not only that, I had another child at 19 and then another child at 21 and had my last child at 24. It’s no longer about you, it’s about them,” she said.

One of Petrik’s main priorities as a parent is to keep an open line of communication and to keep an extremely honest relationship.

She stresses the importance of making it clear that these things, getting pregnant, can and

“

“It’s something you think won’t happen to someone like you.”

– Nichole Petrik

will happen if you have unprotected sex. “[Having sex] may only last 15 minutes as to where if you get someone pregnant, you’re in for a minimum of 18 years commitment whether you like the person or not,” Petrik said.

She said, being a teen parent is a challenge on its own and nothing can completely compare you for what is going to come.

For Petrik, the biggest obstacle was trying to get her life and herself together in order to provide a good life for her son.

She admits she worried about her son being punished in life because of the mistakes she made.

“It scares me to think the same thing would happen to one of my children because I know what that’s like and I know the responsibility that comes with it,” she said.

Petrik never thought how other parents would look at her, though. Some parents have said they don’t want their child playing with Josh because of her age and they don’t respect her as a parent.

“Parents immediately think I’m just some girl who got pregnant in high school and couldn’t make smart decisions then, so what makes them think I’m going to make smart ones now. It’s unfair but it does happen,” Petrik said.

Petrik is aware of what can come with not so smart decision making and that is why she disagrees with the parents that look down on her.

“More than anything, I think I’m harder on my kids than most parents due to the fact that I know what can happen,” she said.

In the end, protection is the most important thing and being aware of what can happen when it isn’t used. It can happen to anyone and nobody is the exception.

“It’s your responsibility to protect your body and nobody can do that but you. I think you need to know that just because someone says I love you, it isn’t always right. You may love them now, but you’re not going to love that person in two, three years. You may not even love that person in like a week. I love you right now does not mean I’m going to love you for the rest of your life,” Petrik said.

She added, “You need to know all of your options and repercussions and waiting until it happens is not the time to have the conversations.

Since its peak in 1991, the teen birth rate has declined by 57 percent

$9.4 billion

totaled public spending on teen childbearing in 2010

Teen Birth Rate

50

percentage of teen mothers who receive high school diplomas by the age 22

274, 641

2013

A Bump in the Road

Know the Facts

Jan. 23, 2015

Teen Pregnancy:

8 cover story

27

births per 1,000 girls

number of teen births

In Missouri:

43.1 percentage of high school students in Missouri that have had sex

Ranked 31st for teen birth rate Ranked 24th for teen pregnancy rate

*all facts from thenationalcampaign.org

Child Development educates students on basics while providing eye-opening experience with Baby Think It Over elly levy

– staff reporter – Among other things, Child Development teaches high schoolers what life with a baby could be like.

They discuss conception, pregnancy, childbirth and different styles of parenting.

Though some may see it as a class to free up a challenging schedule, senior Katie Phipps saw it as an eye-opening experience.

“Overall, the class is pretty simple,” Phipps said.

But then, the “Baby Think It Over” assignment hits and things get real.

Phipps said her weekend involved focusing all her energy on the baby from burping and feeding

it, to waking up every 20 minutes to stop it from crying.

She said it’s like having a real baby, in more ways than one.

“I learned what it really felt like to take care of a baby as a high schooler,” Phipps said. “It was not fun. Not fun at all.”

When they take home this bundle of electronic-joy, students are required to take it everywhere they go—in the car, to school and even when you hang out with friends.

Though Phipps never drove with it herself, she knew it was an inconvenience to bring it everywhere she went.

“Everyone should take this class. You learn the risks of being sexually active as a teen and it

proves that things can go wrong during sex,” Phipps said.

Phipps wasn’t the only one that enjoyed the class, however.

Senior cheer captain, Elle Hillier is known to her friends and teammates as “Momma Elle.”

“I seem to have just this natural maternal instinct,” Hillier said. “It’s not that holding the baby felt natural, but it didn’t feel wrong either, you know?”

Child Development teacher Lauren Arnet agrees the main concept of the class is parenting.

“We discuss where babies come from, deciding to become a parent, risks involved, the pregnancy process, delivery and basic parenting,” she said.

Students are even required to

ON THE COVER seniors Elle Hillier and Sydney Mullen from the Child Development class show off some of the tools used by the teachers to show students the challenges of what it would be like to be a teen mother. Mullen is wearing the pregnancy belly to get a feel of what it is like doing everyday tasks while pregnant. Hillier is holding the “Baby Think It Over” which is a simulation doll that all the students take home once during the semester. The dolls are computer chipped and require extensive round the clock care, just like a real baby. (photo illustration by Hannah Martin)

walk around with a pregnancy belly to see what it’s like to accomplish everyday tasks being pregnant such as walking up stairs, tying your shoes and even hugging.

Each student has their own reason for taking the class, which tends to be filled with about 30 students.

Most join to be able to take the baby home to see what parenthood is like.

Others want to know what it’s like to be a parents, or have hopes of being a teacher in the future.

But no matter what the goal of the student is, they are learning the basic necessities of becoming a parent either at a young age, or as a married adult.

Jan. 23, 2015

10 life

Building Trust

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Superintendent Eric Knost has been leading the district for six months.

Through school visits and increased communication, Knost works to bring a greater sense of unity to the Rockwood School District. jack rogan – life editor –

Dr. Eric Knost assumed the position of Superintendent of the Rockwood School District on July 1, 2014.

Knost, who previously served as Superintendent of the Mehlville School District, is not a newcomer to Rockwood. He previously worked as a Director of Bands as well as an Administrative Intern at Rockwood schools. Due to his experience in the district, Knost said he did not face many surprises when returning.

“My expectations of the district were high because I remember the excellence when I was there before. Even though it had been many years, I had a lot of institutional knowledge of the district and the community because of my years spent,” Knost said.

One of Knost’s main goals when coming into Rockwood as Superintendent was building and strengthening trust and unity inside and outside of the District.

“I came in talking strongly of the importance of better unity and trust both inside the district and externally within our community. Before we can ever progress we have to reestablish that trust,” he said.

Knost came to Rockwood after a turbulent few years with intense public criticism of district operations.

One way Knost has attempted to better unify the District during the past six months is by visiting each Rockwood building.

So far this school year, Knost has completed a tour of each district building and is halfway through a second round of visits. He fully intends to tour each building three times and may even get to some buildings a fourth time.

“I’m in schools all the time seeing kids. I think that we’ve made great progress in doing that,” he said.

Knost’s continuous presence in schools and his desire for a more unified district appear to be well received.

“The feedback I get tells me that we’ve built a lot of trust in a short amount of time throughout the community. This makes people feel good about the direction that the district is headed. I think people feel I’m approachable and that we’ve made great progress,” he said.

Principal John Shaughnessy’s opinions on Knost’s efforts reflect the positive feedback that Knost has received regarding his practices. “[Dr. Knost] has come in with a purposeful

ROCK

message to fulfill trust and unity throughout, which is transferred through all of the schools.

It has been a healthy and pleasant experience,” Shaughnessy said.

Other than furthering a sense of unity, a major responsibility of Knost’s includes how the district will be securing funding and spending money on much-needed maintenance to many district buildings.

“I’m in the process of working with the Board of Education on a plan where we can take care of the monetary part of our curricular needs and our facility needs in our district.

We’ve been talking to the Board about what these needs are. We have around $170 million in maintenance needs,” Knost said.

In addition to determining the financial aspect of the maintenance that the district is in need of, Knost wants to continue to give students a valuable education along with making Rockwood even more honorable.

“I want to get this District to a point where people hold it in such a high regard that we’re trusted in doing the things we need to do to support our students to thrive in the world and to make sure that we move the district forward and give our students the best possible education we can,” he said.

“

At the end of the day, every decision I and the people that work for me make, should be made because it’s going to better help students thrive in the world” – Eric Knost, superintendent

A Day in the Life While Knost has many responsibilities and goals for Rockwood, his ultimate and most important ambition is to ensure that students continue to excel.

“At the end of the day, every decision I and the people that work for me make should be made because it’s going to better help students thrive in the world,” Knost said.

While Knost typically has a set plan for most school days, every day comes with uncertainties and unexpected circumstances.

Sometimes Knost’s day starts far before dawn. On days that weather poses a potential threat to school openings, specifically in the

SOCIAL

ING MEDIA

jack rogan – life editor –

Superintendent Eric Knost is an avid social media user. He has both a Twitter account and a blog that he uses regularly as a way for community members to learn about his philosophies.

“The vast majority of the time I think that social media is a way to connect with so many people in ways that we couldn’t before. If you read [my posts], you’d find a lot about me and who I am and how I think,” he said. “It’s helpful to get the word out, let people know who you are, how you think and what you’re about.”

Knost believes that social media helps with the sense of unity that he is attempting to cre-

winter, Knost is up early to determine whether or not school will be in session.

“Sometimes my days start as early as 3 a.m., or sometimes the night before with weather predictions. My day may start before the last day ends and I have an obligation to analyze those situations,” Knost said.

Most days, however, Knost begins the morning in his office responding to emails and getting back to people who have contacted him.

“I try to do that 98 percent of the time, because I like to check in and pick up on any communication that came in overnight,” he said.

On the typical day, after spending some time in his office, Knost will head to a district school or building to meet and interact with principals, students and teachers.

Typically his school tours take him up to lunch or even longer, especially if he is touring a high school.

Knost often has meetings in the afternoon along with an occasional school visit that takes place later rather than earlier in the day. Typically, though, he is back in his office by 3:30 p.m.

“By [3:30 p.m.], I usually have a flood of emails and communications I need to tend to.

It’s important for people to know that I do get back in touch with them, whether it’s a phone call I need to return or an email,” Knost said.

After a typical day that ends at his office, Knost heads home by 7 p.m. at the latest, except for days that he attends district events such as sporting events, Board of Education meetings and school concerts or performances.

ate within the district.

“Students like to be in that social media realm with me. It helps with the unity, trust and relationships. When you have a relationship with someone you tend to trust them, so it really helps aid me with the relationships I’m trying to build,” he said.

Knost’s participation in the social world of high school students is noticed and appreciated.

Junior Allison Hallums appreciates having a superintendent who prioritizes communication and connection with students and parents.

“It’s interesting having a superintendent that is so involved with students and in things that kids like to do like social media so that they can keep up with him,” Hallums said.

PAYING A VISIT On Jan. 14, Dr. Eric Knost visited Lafayette during the morning. Knost toured the building with Principal John Shaughnessy, visiting classrooms and talking with teachers and students. This was his second time touring Lafayette this year. (photos by Caroline Jordan)

Do you follow Dr. Knost on Twitter? @ROCK Supt No (44%) Yes (56%)

*111 students polled

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Jan. 23, 2015

life 11

Hair to dye for

History of Hair Dye

Dying hair has become more popular in recent years and LHS students have definitely taken to the trend. kaitlyn wylie

“

– staff reporter –

I originally dyed my hair for Homecoming. I was a little nervous because it was my first time dying my hair, but I really liked it and will be re-dying my hair again.”

– Hannah Jozwiakowski, 9

Ombré

“

I really needed a change so I cut nine inches off and ombréd my hair at a salon. My hair is healthy now, but I don’t want to keep dying it to damage my hair.”

– Alexis Richie, 12

“

Dyed differently

“

Over the summer I used Kool-Aid to dye my hair blue. The only problem was it started to turn green from chlorine. I would advise to dye hair with something that won’t turn green, maybe red or pink.”

– Anna Casey, 11

In the summer I dye my hair naturally with lemons. My dad showed me this trick, and it helps to make my hair blonder.”

– Nathan Brooks, 11

“I’ve dyed my hair almost every color from purple to green to red. Right now I need to give my hair a break since all that bleach is really hard on your hair” - Kylie Schmidt, 12

“The first time I highlighted my hair it ended up looking like huge blonde streaks. Now I go to a different salon, and it looks so much more natural” - Lauren Hance, 9

“For the first day of school, I tried to dye my hair green, yellow and red. The only color that ended up showing up was a thick stripe of red hair. It looked really weird, but I still had to go to school with it” - Lucy Chillson,12

People have been dying their hair as far back as the ancient Greeks and Romans, who used natural dyes such as those found from boiling walnuts and leeks.

In the 1860s it was discovered that there was a reaction of para-phenylenediamine with air. This discovery lead to the creation of synthetic dyes.

Even with these discoveries being made the first synthetic hair dye was not recognized until 1907 by Eugene Schueller, the founder of L’ Oreal.

Today, dying hair has become extremely popular. In a recent poll done by “how stuff works,” it was found that 75 percent of women dye their hair now compared to the only 7 percent in 1950.

There are thousands of choices in hair dye and many different ways to go about doing it, whether at a salon or at home. It is important to always go in with a set hair idea, one that is not just a passing trend that you may regret in the following weeks.

Dyed hair does not mean the hair is unhealthy, and deep conditioner and natural oils can certainly help to keep hair healthy.

Advice from the experts

“

Never dye your hair yourself. It may seem like the cheaper option at first, but when box dye goes wrong it costs $70 per hour to fix.

And when corrective color can take about three hours. It really just makes sense to get it done right the first time.”

– Katie, LookAfter

“

“Dying my hair is a fun way to express who I am” - Val Samsonov, 12

Just for fun

Dying your hair with box dye is like using a permanent marker on your hair. When you re-dye your hair, you keep depositing new color on places where there is already hair dye. It can dry out your hair and be very damaging.”

– Jenna, Salon Jolie

“Do Something With Your Hair” * * * *

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Jan. 23, 2015

12 life

?

What’s in your

LUNCH True Morse, 11

Adison Balderston, 10

Salad and protein bar

Kendall Hansen, 11 Rachel Monson, 10

Smoked chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans

Tilapia fish wrap Vlad Barbulica, 11

Panini with pesto, chicken breast and brie cheese

Campbell’s Creamy Broccoli Soup on the Go

January Lit Link Crossword Name:

*This ad is paid for by Lafayette Renaissance Complete the crossword below 1

Word Bank -equanimity -elucidate -exacerbate -immutable -gullible -ephemeral -equivocate -garrulous -flagrant -facilitate -imminent -hackneyed -extol -eulogy -formidable -fortuitous -gratuitous -expedient -homogeneous -guile

2

Bring finished puzzle to the stage at lunch for a prize!

3

4

5

6

7

8

9 10

11

12

13 14

15

16

17 18

19

20

Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker

Across 1.

3.

4.

5.

8.

9.

lasting for only a short time talkative (related word: loquacious) never changing about to occur to use double meanings in order to mislead hard to overcome, to be dreaded

Down 2. to make clear 6. similar 7. easily deceived 10. crafty deceit; cunning 11. glaringly offensive; outrageous 12. useful

Across 1. lasting for only a short time 3. talkative (related word: loquacious) 4. never changing 5. about to occur 8. to use double meanings in order to mislead 9. hard to overcome, to be dreaded 14. high praise for a deceased person 15. to irritate; make worse 16. praise highly; laud 17. evenness of temper 18. trite, commonplace 19. unnecessary, freely given 20. happening by chance Down 2. to make clear 6. similar 7. easily deceived 10. crafty deceit; cunning 11. glaringly offensive; outrageous 12. useful 13. make easy

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Jan. 23, 2015

sports 13

Continuing a Legacy Steinberg perserveres through hardship by playing sport he loves grant norfleet – staff reporter –

Senior Zach Steinberg is Lafayette’s very own power house. Being 6’9, Steinberg has served as one of the driving forces on the team, leading Lafayette to an outstanding record so far this season.

Steinberg has persevered through several obstacles to continue playing basketball.

Before the season kicked off, Steinberg visited the doctor after feeling pain in his left knee. According to his physician, Steinberg would have to have surgery to continue playing basketball, and would be out of commission for some time. He saw another doctor for a second opinion and was cleared to play again.

“Thinking I would not be able to play was devastating,” Steinberg said.

Playing basketball is something the Steinberg family has always been passionate about.

He comes from a legacy of basketball players, including his father, who played in high school in Milwaukee and in college at Southwestern University. Despite their shared love of the game, Steinberg considers himself very different from his father.

“When my dad played, he was about 6’8, he actually didn’t start playing [basketball] until his senior year in high school, and got a scholarship for it. To be honest, we were complete opposites. I didn’t get tall until the past couple of years. I used to play outside guard. It was not until this year that I started playing center,” Steinberg said.

When Steinberg was in 5th Grade, his life dramatically changed after his father, who played a crucial role in his life and basketball career, passed away from cancer.

The experience was difficult to endure, but nevertheless shaped Steinberg into the man

chris shorter – staff reporter –

and the player he is today. He credits his father as his inspiration to play the game he loves.

“My dad always wanted me to develop my inside game. I have moved around the court a lot over the years, but I have been playing inside because my dad wanted me to,” Steinberg said. “I think he would be proud of me. I have always wanted to play college basketball, [and] sort of follow in his footsteps. If he was here today, I’d think he’d be able to push me. The way that I play would probably be a little different.”

Steinberg has powered through a tragic situation by working tirelessly to improve his skills on the court.

This hard work has placed him as one of the leaders in scoring and blocked shots for the the Suburban West Conference.

Many colleges have recognized his skill and work ethic and are looking to recruit him.

Although he has still not made a decision where he plans on going, Steinberg is narrowing down his college search.

“I’ve decided between a few Division II and maybe some smaller Division I programs. I won’t know for sure until after the season ends.

Specifically, to cut it down to a list, I declined an offer from the Naval Academy. I’ve had interest from University of Albany, Eastern Illinois, Missouri Southern, Central Missouri, Springfield (IL), Northwest MO State, etc.,” he said.

No matter where Steinberg decides to take his basketball career, he will continue to push himself toward perfecting his game, just like his father did before him.

With this being Steinberg’s last year playing varsity basketball for Lafayette, he intends to finish strong before he starts a new chapter in his basketball career.

Like father, like son On the left, Zach Steinberg goes up for a lay-up, on the right his father calls for a pass while playing for Southwestern University. Steinberg plans to follow in his father’s footsteps by playing basketball in college. However, Steinberg remains undecided about his choice for a school. (photo courtesy of Zach Steinberg)

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Jan. 23, 2015

14 sports

Mirikitani’s Story of Triumph Inspires All ben rachell

– sports editor – Inspirational stories are nestled in many students and staff at Lafayette, but few standout from the crowd like this one.

Several years ago, I met Jason Mirikitani. He was working as a minister and was working as an assistant coach for Lafayette’s wrestling program. Upon my first approach, I was having a tough day, he appeared to be open about speaking to me, so I saw little reason not to fill him in on what was going on. When I told him about my day, he opened up to me and told me his story and his connection with God. Ever since he could remember, wrestling was ingrained in him through his father who coached locally at Meramec. Once Mirikitani began attending Kirkwood High School, he participated in their varsity program all four years before he graduated.

Mirikitani said, “In high school I was a State Runner-up, which was kind of a bummer because I went undefeated my senior year until I went to the State finals and lost.”

After high school, he made a tough decision to put wrestling aside. Although a talented wrestler, his plans to begin attending Washington University stood in the way of him continuing.

Mirikitani said, “My thought was…well, there is life after wrestling.

I didn’t know then what I know now. And now I get to be a high school wrestling coach, and to me, that’s great. It’s very comforting how I feel about coaching compared to competing. I would say that I like coaching more than I like competing, and I like competing a lot.

There’s really something to helping a kid who can’t get over a certain edge, and helping him find that certain edge.”

After college, he worked for several different Christian organizations. He found himself residing in Oklahoma City, helping run a youth camp. While he was working there, he and his wife Jill had their first daughter, Abby. One day, they received a phone call that Jill’s grandfather had passed away. Saddened by this tragedy, Mirikitani and his wife planned to venture down to Texas to attend the funeral.

On Jan. 15, 2002, Mirikitani and his wife Jill were traveling to Houston to pick up her brother from the airport to attend the funeral.

After arriving at the airport, they picked up Jill’s brother, Jon and had lunch before they set out on Highway I-10 in Beaumont, TX. He was commandeering a small SUV and his father in-law Jakie was in the passenger’s seat next to him. Sitting directly behind Mirikitani was Jill, with their infant daughter, Abby, wedged between her and her brother Jon. Strong winds combined with the light mass of the SUV caused the vehicle to rock.

In his book, Mile Marker 825, that reveals his full story, Mirikitani wrote, “We struggled against severe winds that were rocking our vehicle, making it difficult even to keep the car on the highway. I found myself fighting for control of my vehicle.”

Suddenly a strong gust of wind arose, toppling the vehicle and causing Mirikitani to overcorrect in response to nature’s willpower.

His car flipped five times and crashed into a semi before it eventually came to a halt.

Mirikitani said, “I was driving, wind blew me off to the shoulder and I lost control. A Marine Sergeant, Troy Dick, saw everything unfold in his rearview mirror.”

Jakie and Jon suffered little physical harm. His daughter Abby came out of the accident without a scratch. Jill died instantly on impact. Mirikitani’s head was split down the middle, and doctors claimed it would be a surprise if he would survive the night.

the destroyed vehicle from the accident sits in a junkyard. In the center, Mirikitani works for months to rehab and to

recover from his injures after the accident. On the far right, the Mirikitani family takes their annual family photo. (photos courtesy of Jason Mirikitani) Sgt. Dick’s lack of hesitation was a big factor in providing on the scene medical support that allowed Mirikitani to survive.

He said, “The accident took place around 2 or 3 in the afternoon.

He tried CPR on my wife, but she had already passed away. He had Abby in a baby seat next to me telling me I needed to stay alive so she wouldn’t be orphaned, so that was cool. They then flew me to the hospital where Dr. Angel did the neurosurgery.”

After the accident, the long recovery process began. Through prayer and support from friends and family, he regained balance and other bodily functions that were going to be necessary if he planned to board a plane back to St. Louis. In fact, while he was in recovery, he was so out of the loop that he was legitimately under the impression that his name was “Betty.”

Mirikitani said, “I was in the hospital in Beaumont, TX, Christus St. Elizabeth to be exact. I was in there for five weeks. They were not sure if I would be able to get back on the plane, and my mom pushed hard for me to get back on. They finally let me get back on the plane, and I was living at my parents’ house back in St. Louis with my daughter. She spent week days with my aunt and uncle, and weekends with me and my folks.”

A difficult situation for him, his injuries hindered his ability to be the best father he could.

Mirikitani said, “I wasn’t able to be a good dad yet. I was both physically and emotionally unstable. I was aware enough to know that Abby would feed her emotions off my emotions. With the death of her birth mom, even though she was only 15 or 16 months old, she was old enough to recognize the absence of her mom. I had to not be all frustrated and sad; I had to deal with that.”

While immobilized, he was emotionally in shambles once he learned of the passing of his wife.

Mirikitani said, “I didn’t even know until I got home back to St. Louis, which was five weeks after, that Jill had died. I had just caught wind of it a little bit based off conversation at the hospital. But when I got home, my parents and brother showed me video of the funeral,

and I asked them to show it to me again. And then I got it all. I haven’t seen it again since then.”

Halfway into his recovery, doctors not only urged, but required him to read a book for 45 minutes to an hour each day. This was so his brain could begin making connections again and to get it back into the swing of things as his recovery efforts progressed.

Once doctors told him this, he went home and pulled a book off the shelf to get started. The book he happened to pull off the case was titled The Wounded Healer.

The novel was actually one he purchased before the accident.

The story is about a story a man who gives and gives, despite being injured himself.

He believed this story was parallel with his own tragedy, convincing him that what he read in the book was a sign for him to continue dedicating himself to his faith.

Mirikitani said in retrospect, the entire experience can be explained through a single Bible passage that he holds very close to his heart. He recites Psalms 23:4: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

He said it helped him understand that God had always been with him. This helped motivate him after the accident to continue working at the youth camp. But he inevitably decided to move back to St. Louis so he could live closer to his parents.

Upon his arrival, he began attending the Covenant Theological Seminary, graduating with a degree in theology.

Here is also where he met his second wife, Christie, and is where his family lives.

Besides coaching wrestling and officiating youth sports, Mirikitani works at Gentiva Hospice as a chaplain and bereavement counselor.

He alters his misfortune and spontaneously turns it into inspiration for his patients at the hospice. He uses his story of tragedy to travel around the country to speak and inspire. You can learn more about his story at ourrescuer.com.

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Jan. 23, 2015

sports 15

To Leave or not to Leave?

Rams ownership planning a possible move to Los Angeles amid disputes with city officials over local stadium plans patrick levine – staff reporter –

The St. Louis Rams’ lease with the owners of the Edward Jones Dome could be broken after the 2015 season, meaning that the team is free to move to another city.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, a reclusive heir to the Walmart fortune who also owns the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL and the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, has plans to build an 80,000 seat stadium in Inglewood, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Officials from the City of St. Louis say that Kroenke has refused to negotiate with them

“

regarding remodeling of the Jones Dome or construction of a new stadium in St. Louis.

A task force appointed by Gov. Jay Nixon revealed plans on Jan. 9 for a new, outdoor, 64,000 seat stadium on the riverfront in downtown St. Louis. The new stadium would also be able to host soccer matches, in case St. Louis gets a Major League Soccer team.

The stadium could be open as early as 2020.

If the plan goes through, the stadium construction, which is estimated to cost between $860 million and $985 million, will be funded with a combination of bond issues from the Edward Jones Dome, loans from the NFL, state tax credits and investment from Kroenke.

If I was Kroenke, I would leave, but as a Rams fan I want them to stay because St. Louis is an NFL city. I believe that we have what it takes. I mean, even with losing records we still fill the Dome pretty frequently.

–Grant Garske, 11

“

I think if we lose an NFL team, we would eventually get an NBA team and so I’d be down for that, but honestly [the Rams] would get a lot more revenue in Los Angeles.

A new hope An artist’s rendering of the proposed riverfront stadium. The new stadium is projected to cost anywhere from $860 million to $985 million. The proposed stadium would be funded through a combination of pre-existing bond issues from the Edward Jones dome, loans from the NFL, tax credits from the state of Missouri and personal investment from team owner Stan Kroenke. (photo by HOK)

“

Before this plan unraveled about this new stadium, I thought they were definitely gone. But this new plan and stadium really gave me hope. I thinks it looks awesome and I love the location of it. I think if anything was going to save the team, it would be this.

– Scott Beaver, business teacher

– Christian Verde, 11

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the feed C

KIE

CRAZE Girl Scout cookie season kicked off Jan. 10. This year’s selections include old favorites and some new flavors. Below are their three new additions.

-Rah-Rah Raisins are an oatmeal raisin cookie with a twist of Greek yogurt.

-Toffee-Tastic cookies are a gluten-free option with buttery goodness mixed with the classic crunch of toffee.

-Trios are another gluten-free alternative.

These cookies have a mix of whole grain oatmeal and peanut butter.

Which television & movie app is best?

page 16 January 23, 2015

lhsimage.com

alaina strollo

– the feed editor –

Listen Up!

Android and Apple products have a variety of music apps. Some are duds. Others are genuinely helpful. Below are the best free applications for listening to your favorite music.

1. Spotify Though Spotify is a free app, there is a monthly fee for membership. Users have access to an impressive gallery of songs, suggestions and playlists. Also, members have the ability to make their own playlists and follow people they know.

6. 8 Tracks 8 Tracks caters perfectly to every listener’s mood and desired vibe. Listeners choose two to three different tags.

Those tags vary from an artist to a mood. Then, a variety of individualized playlists appear to provide several vastly different playlists to choose from. In addition, users can create their own playlists.

7. TuneIn Radio TuneIn Radio works for every Apple and Android device and is another app for radio listening. The app has over 100,000 stations to use and browse through. The app also has stations for a plethora of podcasts.

2. Pandora Pandora is a reliable app for finding new music. There are hundreds of channels of popular or obscure genres, artists and songs to browse from. From there, once a channel is selected, a variety of similar tracks are played.

Pandora also has the option to like or bookmark tracks, artists and genres.

3. Shazam Unlike the other must-have music apps, Shazam isn’t for streaming music. Instead, it recognizes tunes. Users can record a portion of a song, movie or television show and Shazam will identify the title or any other information about it. From there, Shazam can connect to iTunes, Google play or other stores for apps.

4. Soundcloud For music listeners who enjoy a spin on their music, Soundcloud is the perfect fit. Soundcloud has a broad collection of original songs, and from there, an especially extensive selection of remixes and revamped songs. If listeners want to hear something new in something old, Soundcloud is a good go-to.

95%

5. iHeart Radio

1%

*100 students surveyed.

Do you watch more live or recorded television (such as the options above) Recorded

Live

iHeart Radio is an app that lets users have access to any radio station their heart desires. They can choose a station locally or nationally. Also, app users have the opportunity to like or dislike tracks.

Candles... they

4%

JUSTMAKE

SCENTS

During the frigid winter season, nothing warms up a gloomy day quite like the relaxing scent of a candle catered for the chilly weather.

27% Note:

1

= 10 students

*100 students surveyed.

73%

$12.45

Yankee Candle Candy Cane Lane

$16

Anthropologie Espresso

$11.25

Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple

$8.25 Woodwick Spruce Reserve