March 24, 2016

image

March 24, 2016 • Vol. 47, No. 6

How Do You Picture Yourself?

At the start of each year, students and staff members are photographed and that headshot becomes their official portrait for the year. But, that photo rarely captures how they really see themselves. See pages 10-11 for a closer look.

Pictured above from left to right: Catherine Schricht, Tom Crockett, Jayda Griffin, Ryan Kelly, Brooke Kessler, Sammy Lawson, Eli Chor, Olivia Jaeger, Nitara Margana, Ryan Zaharias, Lynsi Brasken, Charlotte Komrosky-Licata, Emma Grant, Clayton Mathison, Traci Bolton, Erik Murer, DeSean Reese, Jimmy Kirtley, Kathryn Kamrud, Laura Stewart, Ra’Necia Porter, Steve Fuller, Emily Blackstone, Alex Petti, Andrea Morgan, David Holmes, Alexa Culver, Bridges McElmurry, John Curran and Tracy Gladden. (photos by of Elly Levy and Nick Horstmann)

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

image

page two • opinions

March 24, 2016

Heroin epidemic more prevalent than it may appear staff editorial Opinions expressed on the editorial pages do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school administration. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board.

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

Staff • Policies

Editors

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

Staff Members Image:

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

Digital Media:

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

Information

The Image is published nine times a year by the News Production class. Subscriptions are $30. Free issues are distributed on campus. The 2014-2015 Image received an AllAmerican rating with five marks of distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association. The 2014-2015 website received a rating of First Class with three marks of distinction. The 2014-2015 Image was awarded the George H. Gallup Award from Quill and Scroll.

Philosophy Statement

The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. Operating as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decision making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper.

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.

We’re invincible. Nothing can hurt us.

These are the best days of our lives. Our youth is fleeting. We are never going to look or feel better than how we do right now.

So why not try heroin?

It starts out innocent. We get our wisdom teeth pulled, or another surgery performed. Painkillers are prescribed by our doctor to manage the pain. It’s harmless, it’s legal. Then the pills run out, but the addiction has only begun.

Heroin is an opiate, a highly addictive drug. It has the tendency to mimic the same effects that prescription painkillers have. It’s also often times a lot cheaper and easier to get.

The beginning is great. With every injection comes an intense “rush”, a warm sensation coursing throughout our body. We get the unexplainable high that we’re looking for, that we’re all chasing.

We’re invincible, remember? Nothing can hurt us. So why not see the world in this new light with this incredible feeling inside of us?

What most addicts fail to realize when they try heroin for the first time is that it eventually brings them down, one way or another, every single time.

Once the high slows down, so does the body. It’s literally fighting to stay alive, fighting to breathe. The long term

effects are even worse. They range anywhere from bad teeth, to memory loss, to depression, weakening the immune system and death.

The addict isn’t the only person who’s affected by this. Friends and family around them have to watch their loved one battle this addiction.

It’s the most helpless feeling in the world to watch someone you care about completely destroy their body, and not able to do anything about it.

The heroin epidemic is a real thing, and it’s happening all around us. It’s happening in our community, in our neighborhoods, it’s even happening at Lafayette.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Heroin use more than doubled among young adults ages 18 to 25 in the past decade.

Every health class we’ve ever taken, has warned us about the dangers of heroin and that “heroin kills.”

With these drastically increasing numbers, the message obviously isn’t being made clear enough.

Yes, they made the topic into a jingle and aired it during the Super Bowl last year, and yes, this year Lafayette was even put in the spotlight during the heroin add.

However, what people aren’t taking

note of is the serious message behind these advertisements.

The issue is much closer than it appears. It’s happening right under our noses.

According to Suburban Junky, the St. Louis region is a “hot spot” for heroinassociated death in Missouri.

In fact, in 2007, 90 percent of total statewide heroin related deaths were reported from the St. Louis metropolitan area.

If we all know that heroin can kill us, why are these numbers constantly increasing?

The issue isn’t going to be solved over night. We have to learn how to spot unusual behavior before it escalates.

Even something small, such as if someone is constantly wearing long sleeves, or their sleep patterns are different than usual. Both are signs of heroin abuse.

It’s going to take a lot of work and educating the public about the dangers and signs of heroin abuse.

It’s also not going to be solely arresting, treating, legislating or educating, but all of these put together that will help towards solving this issue.

Because we all should be working toward the same goal—to end the heroin epidemic.

It’s okay to not have an exhausting, upbeat social life all of the time I consider myself and my personality mostly introverted. A lot of times, I enjoy my own company more than the company of others.

I enjoy being alone, doing absolutely nothing. My mind needs that alone time to recharge and relax.

In this fast-paced, busy life that I’m living, I need time to pause, otherwise I’d be chopping everyone’s heads off.

However, whenever I politely decline someone’s invitation to hang out with them, I feel pretty guilty.

I feel that because I have no other plans, I owe it to them to go do whatever it is they’re inviting me to do.

I shouldn’t feel like that though, because my decision of not always being out and doing things shouldn’t always have to be justified. It’s my life.

Adults are always telling me, “This is the best time of your life! Enjoy it!” And I can’t help but think “I really hope you’re wrong.”

They’ll talk to us about their days in high school and college, telling stories of all the trouble they got in and all of the fun they had.

And then they’ll express how they’d give anything to relive those moments.

Yes, high school is fun, but it also sucks in a lot of ways. People are mean, school is stressful, we argue with our parents and sometimes don’t see eye to eye with our teachers.

It’s unfortunate that every decision we make right now is going to affect our adult lives.

High school is fun, but they aren’t the best years of our lives.

One day, we’ll be able to get up and walk out of a room whenever we want without having to ask for anyone’s permission.

People around us will actually take us seriously and listen to what we have to say.

We can make all of our own decisions, and make them all for ourselves.

We can change and create our own paths, and create our own source of happiness.

We’ll have so much more freedom than we do right now.

With that comes greater responsibility, but we have a lot of responsibilities right now as young adults as well.

It’s easy to get caught up in the rapid current of our youth.

We constantly feel like we should be living life to fullest. But it’s perfectly fine to

Social Media Fail The first week of March brought attention from all over the country to the Wildwood area.

The McKenzie Post, a website that claims to post “local news around the country” released an article with news that Justin Bieber was buying a house in Wildwood.

The “article” claimed that the 22-yearold singer-songwriter had an interview with People Magazine and US Weekly.

In said interview, Bieber allegedly claimed “I want a farm, I want cows, I want chickens!”

As the rumor spread quickly across the country, The McKenzie Post proved itself to be an unreliable source.

This incident adds to the endless proof

that we shouldn’t believe every single thing on the internet if we want to survive in today’s society.

Eventually the news made its way to the Mayor of Wildwood Tim Woerther.

The day after the article was released, Woerther held a press release regarding the rumor.

“This perhaps could be a place where he would do some growing up? Well or he’s maturing and he’s deciding it looks better out here in Wildwood versus Los Angeles,” Woerther said.

It is a little disappointing that we won’t ever get to see Bieber shredding the slopes at Hidden Valley, or driving his $1.2 million car collection on Highway 109.

But I guess we should never say never.

That’s What She Said kayley allen opinion editor be lazy every once in awhile and to want some “me time”.

We shouldn’t worry about constantly trying to max out our schedules with a million activities just because we’re “young and capable.”

We have all of the time in the world to have fun and live our lives. The fun doesn’t end after these four years, or even after college.

Our youth is fun and should be enjoyed, but taking time to stop and smell the roses is necessary.

March 24, 2016

Lack of wealth, lower TV audience may lead to the downfall of MLB Growing up in St. Louis, one of the key aspects of my life has always been baseball.

Nothing defines my city more than the St. Louis Cardinals. Whether you’re a fan of other sports or not, it’s safe to say that most people in the city follow the team in some capacity.

It’s because of this huge amount of support that the team has reached financial success. They’re always in the top five for average game attendance every year, and they’re currently worth $1.4 billion, making them the sixth most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball.

Yet despite all of the positive energy and flashy numbers I just flew at you, this is all relative to the rest of the league, and when looking at the MLB’s numbers as a whole, including TV viewership, player brand deals and more, one thing is apparent: baseball is dying.

“But how can that be possible? You just proclaimed that the Cardinals are swimming in cash right now.”

That I did, person in my head. But again, it’s all relative information. While the Cardinals are currently making bank, guess who’s not? At least half of all other MLB teams.

Currently, the poorest team in the league are the Tampa Bay Rays, valued at just above $625 million. When compared to the NFL, the 32nd place Buffalo Bills are valued at about $1.4 billion.

Yes, you heard that right. The Bills, the poorest team in football, are worth as much as the Cardinals, one of baseball’s most well-off clubs.

And that lack of wealth isn’t exclusive to the Rays. You’d have to go all the way

up to #15 on the list before finding a team who’s even worth a billion dollars (Baltimore Orioles.)

The scariest part about all of this for the MLB is that most of this wealth is from large television contracts signed between teams and regional sports networks.

Several years ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed a $9 billion, 25 year television deal with Time Warner Cable. Half of the team’s $2.4 billion value can be traced back to the fact that they are in the Los Angeles TV market.

While these deals are beneficial to the handful of teams playing in these large markets, I don’t think FOX Sports wants to shell out billions to a team that plays in St. Petersburg, FL. And somehow, even though these deals keep popping up from time to time, the actual viewership of games is dropping as well.

I’m not even going to compare average TV viewership between a baseball and football game, because the difference would be hilarious, yet understandable. There are 162 games in an MLB season versus 16 in the NFL; of course ratings are going to be higher for football.

But when comparing World Series viewership to the Super Bowl, it gets crazy.

The most watched game in MLB history was game seven of the 1986 Fall Classic, with about 55-60 million unique viewers.

In comparison, in the last 25 years, the lowest viewership of a single Super Bowl has been about 74 million viewers.

I understand that football has overtaken baseball as America’s most popular sports, but this is getting ridiculous.

Real Talk seth boester editor in chief So while I just threw all these facts at you, the most basic statement I can make is this: the MLB is not in a horrible position as a whole, but they could be doing better.

I didn’t even mention the fact that the league uses revenue sharing, so even small market teams like the Rays and Athletics can stay afloat with the money made by the big hitters like the Dodgers and Yankees.

I may sound like an armchair financial advisor here, but the main course of action the MLB needs to take is to try and score big contracts with major networks like NBC. The league is currently locked in a contract that gives all postseason broadcasting rights to FOX until 2020, but after then, it’s fair game.

If the NFL gets big contracts with CBS and other major networks, why shouldn’t baseball? It popularized sports as a whole in this country; it deserves the attention it once had.

I don’t think Leo deserved it: My problem with this year’s Oscars garrett mcbay • asst webmaster The Academy Awards have come and past, and it finally happened. After years of snubs, Leonardo DiCaprio went home with an Oscar.

The feeling of DiCaprio being cheated has been the center of multiple videos, petitions, talk show segments and internet memes, but I have come to find myself not being comfortable with DiCaprio winning the Oscar.

In my opinion, I feel like his award was won more on the circumstances of the movie than his actual acting.

Now let me get this out front. I don’t think The Revenant or Leonardo DiCaprio are bad.

They’re both actually pretty good.

The film is great, and the conditions the movie was filmed in were extremely difficult.

But that final bit is where my skepticism comes into play.

This movie was hard to make, and DiCaprio sacrificed much to make his performance appear as authentic.

It was filmed in the mountains of Alberta, Canada, where conditions made members of the crew claim it was “a living hell.”

Temperatures were constantly below zero degrees, and DiCaprio was forced to walk through the wilderness either close to naked, wet or in some way hindered.

As well, DiCaprio, an avid vegetarian, broke his streak by chomping down on a real buffalo liver in a scene to build realness.

He made many sacrifices in an attempt to capture the authenticity of the role, yet to me, there lies the problem.

Yes, he sacrificed, but being an actor willing to sacrifice for a role and being a great actor are not the same thing.

This is not to say being willing to sacrifice and being a good actor are mutually exclusive; every good actor makes sacrifices to better their roles.

With The Revenant, however, it feels more like the hype around the movie and

image

page three • opinions

DiCaprio’s role was focused more around the dedication that went into it instead of the actual acting and the overall film itself.

In almost every review, a large focus of the piece was to comment on how dedicated DiCaprio and the crew must have been for their sacrifice, that this show of dedication was sure to win the Oscar.

Friends came out of the theatre in awe that a movie like The Revenant even got made in the modern age. My own sister commented that she thought DiCaprio deserved it just for how hard he worked.

But sacrifice alone does not build an entire performance. Sacrifice can better it, but the sacrifice is not the whole performance itself.

It feels like the opinion of DiCaprio’s performance was around the want to give the man an award over his previous losses, and appreciation for his sacrifices, rather than his actual acting.

DiCaprio’s performance in The Revenant was fantastic, it feels on par with the work of the other nominees.

But personally, aside from his sacrifices he didn’t do much to appear better than the rest.

It all boils down to the question, “what is good acting?”

In my opinion, a good actor is someone who can convey the emotion of a situation so well that you believe them solely on their performance, regardless of the situation around them.

A good actor is a person who, though a situation may be bleak, can prove through his performance alone that they are currently experiencing is absolute dread.

Or, can make a plain moment seem extraordinary and amazing, like it is the best moment in that person’s life, only from how we perceive the actor.

This doesn’t necessarily have to be an extravagant expression of emotion, it can be as small as a smile or an authentic expression of pain.

A good actor should be able to consistently make a person feel, on top of the emotions presented to them by the film.

However, DiCaprio really doesn’t do that.

Yes, the film does a great job creating sympathy for the characters, but DiCaprio’s acting isn’t really what creates these feelings.

The pieces of the film made me feel for DiCaprio’s character, they build a base that a good actor could have jumped off of to further build the feeling, but DiCaprio, through his acting, didn’t engender much emotion in me for his cause.

I didn’t feel bad for him because of his screaming as he broke his hand, I felt bad because his character got hurt. I didn’t feel the gratitude DiCaprio tried to convey as he ate the liver.

The film already builds emotion, but DiCaprio doesn’t capitalize on the moment and make me feel invested.

My emotions were tied to the character because of everything around him, not because of the character himself.

Honestly, I can’t really make the claim DiCaprio shouldn’t have gotten the award.

Taste is subjective.

His performance was just as great as his competitors, and I’m just a guy who watches a lot of movies; my opinion really doesn’t matter.

But as a fan of movies, I can at least say this: I truly hope that making extreme sacrifices to get attention doesn’t become the industry standard.

The film industry is famous for moving towards what is successful, and I think it could shift again towards films made under self imposed challenge to look better.

I don’t want the idea of a great actor change, replaced with the idea that great sacrifice is what it takes to be good. In the end, I’m glad that DiCaprio finally got his Oscar, but I really hope forcing yourself through challenges to prove dedication and get attention doesn’t become the norm.

stars & gripes

Stars: - The Brazil Open in Sao Paulo earlier this month used rehabbed shelter dogs as ball boys for each match.

This was arguably the greatest documented game of fetch in history.

- Spotlight won best picture at the 88th Academy Awards, beating out seven other finalists. However, we at the Image, though we love a good movie about journalilsts, firmly believe the Academy was flawed in their choice, refusing to give a nomination to quite possibly the greatest film of the decade, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2.

- Samsung has released the Galaxy S7 Edge, the newest edition to their lineup of smartphones. Plenty of features have been added to this iteration, including water resistance, improved battery life, a lockpick, a fake ID generator, a butterfly knife...wait, is this thing legal?

- The popular Netflix series House of Cards premiered its fourth season earlier this month. At this point, Kevin Spacey could narrate a toothpaste commercial and it would win at least five Golden Globes.

- Easter is right around the corner, and it will bring about a horde of egg-shaped candy. And, that Cadbury creme egg commercial that runs on TV every year may be older than Jesus himself.

- This Saturday is National Spinach Day, so go out and celebrate by eating some delicious and nutritious spinach!...or don’t. I can’t tell you what to do. I’m a paragraph, not your mother.

- We hope that large group of seniors had a fun time in Cancun for this year’s Spring Break. Luckily, all of those embarrassing videos that were taken are probably off of your Snapchat Stories by now.

- Spring Training is almost over, and the start of the next MLB season is just around the corner. This is also the time of the year when casual Cardinals fans ask themselves, “Are we in the World Series yet?”

- Congrats to Teacher of the Year Marietta Koziatek.

We hope she celebrated her victory with lots of word problems and proofs.

Gripes: - After 18 years of playing in the NFL, star quarterback Peyton Manning announced he will retire. Fear not, football fans, as sources close to Manning have reported that his forehead will still remain on the Broncos roster.

- Shortly after former First Lady Nancy Reagan’s death, there was an online campaign aiming to get rapper Fetty Wap to perform at her funeral. The plan backfired anyway, as Fetty mistakenly showed up to 1738 Pennsylvania Avenue.

- Fujifilm has announced they will stop production of their FP-100C instant color film, used in Polaroid cameras. In other news, the Portland Hipster Stock Exchange has crashed exponentially.

- Tennis player Maria Sharapova recently failed a drug test at the Australian Open, causing her to lose her sponsorships with Nike and TAG Heuer, even though the drug in question was heart medication. The real crime here is that ear-piercing screaming she does every match.

- Donald Trump continues to lead in the Republican presidential race, winning primaries in states like Michigan, Louisiana and Tennessee. Canada’s immigration rates are now expected to increase by 6,000%. Good thing they don’t have a giant wall!

- What’s the deal with those parents that drop their kids off at random parts of the school, like in the middle of traffic at the main entrance? Would you rather have your kid to be two minutes late for math class or be run over by a car?

image

page four • entertainment

New arts festival to challenge LouFest ben rachell• entertainment editor A half decade ago back in 2010, a film director by the name of Brian Cohen developed an idea to bring a musical festival to the St. Louis area.

Rather than turning a blind eye to the “lagging” city, Cohen looked around at cities such as Chicago (Lollapalooza), Austin (Austin City Limits) and Burning Man (Nevada) and saw that there was a potential market here in St. Louis.

He understood that he could upstart and provide a profitable event while simultaneously creating an enjoyable show for the people of this community.

When planning the event, they decided to charge around a hundred dollars for a multi-day pass and an even smaller fee for a single day pass.

In turn, we got a relatively cheaper alternative to some of these larger music festivals listed above that can charge up to several hundred dollars a pop.

The developers, Listen Live Entertainment, took Cohen up on his offer and decided to locate and place the festival in an area of our city that has past experience in holding arts festivals.

That location: Forest Park, right outside of downtown St. Louis.

Forest Park was the ideal location for the jamboree due to its reputation for being a great area to hold events. Initially purchased in the 1870s, the bucolic park was selected to host the 1904s “Louisiana Purchase Exposition”, also known as the world’s fair.

As well as hosting that worldwide spectrum, that same year the park was chosen to hold several events from the Summer Olympics.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see that the beloved territory took a hiatus from its traditional zoo traffic, auto shows and balloon races, to attempt to hold a musical festival.

In the two-day festival’s first year back in

March 24, 2016

Listen To This!

Highest Recommended Albums of 2016 1. The Life of Pablo, Kanye West

2010, promotion for the event wasn’t nearly as intense causing the turnout to stagger a bit.

But as the festival picked up more steam and booked more and more popular guests such as The Flaming Lips, The Killers, Alabama Shakes, Icona Pop and OutKast, it’s allowed the city has been able to demonstrate that they can put up the attendance numbers to allow a music festival to continue.

In 2014, when the incredibly popular Arctic Monkeys played on Saturday and the rarely seen together duo of OutKast headlined the following day on Sunday, an estimated 36,000 people turned out for the show.

This spike in attendance has propelled the event into mainstream media, with coverage of the events and performances coming from all different publications locally and nationally.

There were a handful of Lafayette students who attended the event.

Senior Rebecca Sosa said, “There’s a lot to like about LouFest. There were all types of people there, a mix of many young and many old. If I had the choice, I would definitely go again. I just wish it was in the summer so it wasn’t so cold.”

Due to the popularity of the event, it’s no surprise to see Cohen continue to contest the limits of the city, as he’ll attempt to install his next series of festival, titled Murmuration.

This new event will see a combination of the arts.

Speakers specializing in innovative thought and technology will attend, live music from touring bands and performers will perform and an art competition is scheduled to take place.

The planned festival will happen the days right before Loufest begins, lasting for several days. Instead of being held in Forest Park, the event will happen at the Cortex Innovation District.

It appears that although the festival’s musical acts and official dates will be released later this summer; this event is more geared to technological breakthroughs than music.

On Cortex’s website, it states: “Founded in 2002, Cortex is the Midwest’s premier innovation hub of bioscience and technology research, development and commercialization, serving as the anchor of St. Louis’ growing ecosystem for innovative startup programs and established companies.”

Tickets are to be available this spring and a list of speakers and performing musicians and notable innovators is to be released around the same time.

Although there hasn’t been much information regarding the festival released yet, more information is supposed to be released in the next couple of months.

2. Blackstar, David Bowie

3. Emotional Mugger, Ty Segall

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis release new record Disorganized Macklemore struggles for validity outside of mainstream success jack deubner• reporter Macklemore has feelings, he’s a person, he’s a superstar and he’s not afraid to show it.

That’s basically all the emotion shown on his and Ryan Lewis’s new album, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made.

The duo rose to popularity in 2012 with their album The Heist and the extremely popular song Thrift Shop.

The Heist had some promising attitude in it, even being popular enough to win a Grammy.

Macklemore & Lewis knew that people liked that album and chose to ride along the same road and make a very similar sound on This Unruly Mess I’ve Made hoping for it to gain some popularity and praise.

That’s not a horrible strategy, it’s probably the smartest one for anyone in the pop-rap game, but This Unruly Mess I’ve Made is, ironically, a mess of an album.

The album begins with the track Light

Tunnels, where Macklemore talks about his Grammy experience over some glistening strings and synth and how he really wasn’t ready for it.

Like everyone else, Mack expected Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city to win over his album for Best Rap Record of 2012.

He realizes how much fame has been brought to his attention through the award and radio play, but wishes to remain himself despite all of the fame.

From the tone set in Light Tunnels, the album seemed like it was going to have some sort of message to it. I mean, there’s a song called White Privilege II on it, this sounds pretty serious right?

Wrong. The hit single Downtown slaps you right across the face with mopeds and a Village People-esque groove. I have no clue what this song is about; the words are there, but beyond mopeds the song really means nothing.

Once again, the production is great and provides for a rewarding chorus and feeling over all.

As a pop song, it’s fun. Downtown would fit really well at a school dance or while driving in the summer with the windows down, but for me, listening and analyzing the song indoors, didn’t ring too many bells.

Once again on the song Brad Pitt’s Cousin, Macklemore throws away any emotion you could’ve thought was happening on the album.

The instrumentation is annoying, the lyrics are atrocious (there’s a “deez nuts” joke thrown in there, seriously?) with Macklemore having this extremely bloated attitude. “Made an Instagram for my cat and my cat doesn’t even rap and got more followers than you,” good for you Macklemore. The song is impressively horrible.

The song Buckshot follows the same principles too, just to a lesser extent. Overall boring song, acts as filler to the album (seriously, this album does not need to have 13 songs.)

Then, all of a sudden, Macklemore calls in Ed Sheeran to bring back the emotional side of his ego. Growing Up discusses Macklemore’s childhood, and that’s about it really.

If someone told me that this was solely an Sheeran song on his new album, it wouldn’t surprise me. It sounds dangerously close to his song Thinking Out Loud, but, that was probably the point.

The emotion keeps flooding in with the song Kevin, but this time, in an actual meaningful way. The song actually packs a punch with a message about the current status of the medicinal industry.

Leon Bridges in the chorus screams out “Doctor please give me a dose of the American Dream,” asking doctors to think about their patients before costing them an obscene amount for a drug they need. Out of all the “emotional” songs on this album, this one sticks out the most by far.

You can hear the raw emotion in his voice, if he kept the vocal inflections used in this song throughout all of the record, I’d think it’d all seem more from the heart.

But, then, guess what? The wacky Mack is back! He’s got Jordan’s and he’s worked hard to post them on Instagram!

Need to Know jumps right back to Macklemore being full of himself, bloating once again about how he only thinks about himself and his work.

Chance the Rapper has a verse on the song, notwithstanding in the least bit to his recent verse and it seems like he knows it.

Dance Off, Let’s Eat, Bolo Tie and The Train all kind of fall under the same problem that the rest of the album has.

The beat is fine, the lyrics are quirky, self indulgent and sometimes a bit dramatic, but overall not too impressive.

Macklemore and Lewis could’ve done much more and have the song progress into something cool and worthwhile, but it ends up just repeating the same beat over and over

again which makes the songs rather boring.

The album ends off with a pretty great bang actually, with the politically charged White Privilege II. The song is pretty topical, discussing police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The track is backed with a powerful symphony of vocals and strings creating a pretty impactful feeling.

News samples are riddled throughout the song making the entire song even more impactful, using real life scenarios.

Nearing the end of the song Macklemore talks about how this mother came up to him talking about how her son loves him, showing how he can make an impact on people and so can everyone else.

The song motivates people to make a difference in their lives for those around them, saying how “we” (white people) take a lot from black culture but still don’t show up for black lives. This is another scenario where Macklemore’s emotion actually comes out.

You can tell he’s being serious with the lyrics he’s spitting out and again, I wish I could say this about all the rest of the album that try to have some meaning to it.

Overall, the album is forgettable. It has some fun pop songs and meaningful messages on it, but there are just too many bad or boring songs on the album to make it anything worth coming back and relistening to.

The duo definitely can make an album with real meaning, power and still have some fun at the same time, but in This Unruly Mess I’ve Made it really lets all that potential go to waste, it’s like they weren’t trying very hard.

The album could’ve been much better if a little more creativity and inspiration came into play, but in the long run it’ll just be forgotten or outshined by another album to come out this year.

Macklemore and Lewis will definitely be back eventually, but hopefully next time they’ll bring just a bit more of creativity and effort.

March 24, 2016

image

page f ive • news

Who’s behind the teacher’s desk?

Subs perform special role in day-to-day operations brinlee frazier • reporter

Retired Lafayette physical education teacher and coach Jean Chard reviews the classroom itinerary for the day. Chard had been teaching since 1977 when he retired in 2008. He has since returned to Rockwood as a substitute teacher. (photo by Brinlee Frazier)

“We do whatever it takes to ensure all students realize their potential.”

That quote appears on the front cover of the Rockwood Substitute Teacher Handbook.

Students have all experienced the sensation of walking into a classroom and seeing a substitute teacher in the room. Whether that sensation is one of happiness or fear, that is up to the individual.

However, what can often be overlooked in these situations is the substitute.

Even though they spontaneously appear, substitute teachers are not spontaneously hired.

Those wishing to be hired must go through a lengthy process.

Candidates must have a clean criminal and child abuse record. They must also have 60 hours of college credits, professional references, a substitute teaching certificate from the state of Missouri and a college transcript to support preparation for teaching as a substitute.

Each Rockwood sub also goes through an extensive training process.

Their primary objective, according to the handbook, is to “provide for the continuity of the instructional program as planned by the regular classroom teacher. It is our hope

that an effective learning climate will be maintained as well as good supervision.

Lafayette has its fair share of familiar substitutes in the building.

Some are regulars who have been subbing for years and many are actually retired Lafayette teachers like Jean Chard.

Chard began his teaching career in 1977 at the Parkway School District, transferring to LHS in 1980.

He retired after 31 years of public school education and coaching in 2008.

When asked about why he became a substitute, Chard said, “I just want to keep in touch. It’s fun to keep in touch with colleagues who I’ve worked with across the years.”

In addition to maintaining communication with other teachers, Chard enjoys keeping up with the students at the school.

His son, Michael, graduated in 2014.

Chard said he finds no challenges in being a substitute teacher. In fact, he highly enjoys the job.

“This group of students is bright.

They’ve got current goals in life and future goals in life. There’s nothing but quality students in this building,” Chard added.

Chard’s favorite part about being a substitute teacher is experiencing different classrooms.

“What I enjoy about subbing is, as

a physical education teacher, getting into the journalism department, or the FACS classrooms and seeing what those and other students are doing.

I have high respect for [the] math teachers, just seeing what they’re teaching.”

Ultimately, he came back to substitute at LHS because he greatly enjoyed the school, including the students, staff, building and learning environment.

Rockwood substitutes get paid $93.40 for a full day (days 1-10).

The more days they work consecutively, the more they get paid, adding up to $148.41 (31+ days).

They are paid bi-weekly (every two weeks).

They may or may not be reimbursed for they money they pay for gas, depending on whether or not they sub for a travelling teacher.

The Image reached out to the Human Resources Department to find out how many substitutes were used in the district each day, but they were unable to provide the data by deadline.

In the end, despite the job requirements, the degrees, the pay, the travel and the background experience, the main target and goal for the substitutes is to provide a safe and structured place of learning, even though the regular teacher is absent.

image

page six • news

March 24, 2016

Science area will undergo major renovation suzy blalock • webmaster

When walking through the Science Hallway, you might have noticed it looking a little bit desolate, lacking the huge table that sits in the center and several of the cabinets.

This is because over the summer, Lafayette will be under construction again with the science area and upstairs Flex classrooms being remodeled.

The current science hallway that links the world language and the math areas will be gutted, along with the classrooms in the central area of the current upstairs Flex Area.

The Science Hallway classrooms will be enlarged and turned into Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) labs with more modern equipment and fixtures.

“These classrooms will be bigger. They’ll have new plumbing and gas fixtures. Because they’re bigger, students will have more room to do certain types of experiments that they haven’t been able to before,” Science Department Chair Jeff Marx said.

Science teacher Roger Fischer talked about how the upgrades would help his chemistry classes.

“We will have a larger area to do lab work so we won’t have students on top of each other like some classes do now. Some rooms will be able to rearrange to do different labs,” Fischer said.

The science area has not been upgraded since the building’s opening in 1989.

The only changes have been the addition of the central Flex classrooms in 2000-2001 that increased the number science classrooms and the occasional new technology.

“Everything will be state of the art, STEM, science equipment with space, technology, everything that you need. All new furniture, cabinets, the whole works,” Principal John Shaughnessy said.

Additionally, two classrooms from each of the neighboring hallways (Rooms 247 and 248 in the math hallway and Rooms 230 and 232 in the world language hall) will also be turned from classrooms into labs.

Also, a new hallway and bridge will be added directly across from Room 239, where Rooms 240 and 241 currently exist. This will connect the science hall to the upstairs Flex area.

“They plan to open up that area more to make it feel more like a department,” Shaughnessy said.

A big change occurring will be going from 16 classrooms to 13 STEM labs.

This means the 16 teachers in the Science Department will have to share rooms, meaning a teacher may not always be in the same room.

Even though this is cutting back classrooms, with all the additional space, Shaughnessy believes it is, “really growing the Science Department a little bit bigger than it is right now.”

Fischer, who has been at Lafayette since 1974, has shared a classroom recently.

He said, “[Sharing] can take a while getting used to it if one hasn’t done it in a while. You need to have good planning and communication among the teachers to make it easy. After a few weeks, it will seem normal.”

This change may be different to students, as no teacher will have a “set” room.

“For the last couple years, students can pretty much associate a room number with a certain teacher. That won’t be the case next year,” Marx explained.

Sharing classrooms was fairly common in years before but hasn’t been used as much recently.

Next year, science teachers will be moving at least once during the school day.

“It’ll be different, but I don’t think you’ll run into too many teachers who haven’t had to do something like this over the course of their careers. Moving in and out of classrooms is a fairly common phenomenon. It just hasn’t happened here lately, but it used to all the time,” Marx said.

This project is being funded by the Prop 4 Bond Issue that passed in the Rockwood School District on April 7, 2015.

This project is costing around $3.5 million, according to Shaughnessy, out of the total bond, which was $68.95 million. Lafayette received about $10 million.

Lafayette isn’t the only high school receiving a face lift for its science department.

Rockwood Summit High School is also undergoing construction on its science area that is costing relatively the same amount.

Eureka and Marquette will receive similar renovations the following school year.

Since the construction is starting in early May, teachers have already begun moving some equipment out of the hallway into a shed on the Shelf.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Marx. “We have to get all of our stuff down there by the beginning of May because the day school ends, they’ll start tearing all of [the hallway] up. Even now it looks a lot different around here because we’ve had to consolidate everything because there is no room that will be untouched.”

This means during the month of May, activities with science equipment will be reduced. Teachers can go grab the equipment out of the shed when needed for activities, but big items have mostly been moved into the area.

Construction is expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.

New equipment is also a part of the Prop 4 funding, though it will not be an immediate change.

“Over the next several years, new courses are adopting new curricula, and that means that new items will come in, everything from textbooks to lab equipment,” Marx said.

A B C D

E Blueprint Reading Guide

A. The existing upstairs Flex Hallway. The outside classrooms will not be part of the renovations. B. These inner classrooms in the upstairs Flex Hallway are going to be turned into basic science labs with updated fixtures and furniture. C. What is currently Rooms 230 and 232 in the World Language Hallway will be turned into a physics lab. The same is happening with Rooms 247 and 248 in the Math Hallway.

D. This is a new bridge/hallway being built. The hallway will split the current classrooms 240 and 238. This will continue into a bridge that goes above Rooms 137 and Room 137A. E. These rooms will be turned into chemistry and biology labs. New labs will have more space than before to perform more experiments.

West St. Louis’ Favorite Sustainable Cafe & Music Venue Looking for a fun part-time job this spring and summer that works around your schedule?

Join our team as a swim instructor in our SwimAmerica program!

• Flexible hours • Located at Crestview Middle School • All training provided • Must be 15 years or older

(Design provided by John Shaughnessy)

Where earth and community unite.

Apply online at www.rsdmo.org today or call 636-891-6644 for more information.

NORA

nails and spa

15537 Manchester Rd Ballwin, MO 63011 (636) 549-4054 www.noranailsandspa.com

Business Hours:

Mon-Sat: 9:30am-7:30pm Sunday: 10:00am-5:30pm

JOB OPPORTUNITIES NOW HIRING FOR SUMMER 2016!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Where learning and fun meet!

thewolfstl.com 15480 Clayton Road Ballwin

(314) PRO-POOL www.swimpropool.com

March 24, 2016

image

page seven • ads

STILL HIRING! SUMMER POSITIONS REMAIN WHATS IN IT FOR ME? • • • •

Start Immediately Extra Cash Premium Pay for Cashiers Flexible Scheduling

WHERE CAN I WORK? • • • • •

Games and Retail Food Service Park Services Rides Lifeguards

CALL HUMAN RESOURCES: 636.938.5300

Apply Today at SixFlagsJobs.com

image

page eight • news

March 24, 2016

Mathematics classrooms evolve as, technology, learning styles, standards change john levine • reporter

Math teacher Stefanie Hruby instructs her class using a SMART Board. SMART Boards have significantly altered the way math is taught, allowing teachers to use things like reusable graphs in their lessons. (photo by John Levine)

Ellisville Nails JK Nails Discounts For Students!

Full Set: $20 Fill: $17 Mani+Pedi: $32 Pedi: $20 Mani: $13 Mani gel: $20 Ellisville Nails: 636-386-6245 JK Nails: 636-527-4144

Math is black and white. Through logical reasoning, a problem can be turned into a single, indisputable, and unchanging answer.

Math teachers, however, do not enjoy the luxury of certainty.

Lisa Lingle is the Secondary Mathematics Facilitator for Rockwood and has been an educator for 28 years. She taught at Eureka high school from 1993-2011.

According to Lingle, the entry level classes for freshmen in 1993 were General Math, PreAlgebra, and Algebra I. From there, students then progressed through Geometry, Algebra 2, Functions, Precalculus and Calculus. Students on an advanced track would begin with Honors Geometry or Honors Algebra II. As Missouri adopted the Show-Me Standards in 1996, General Math and PreAlgebra were eliminated in high schools and replaced with Two-Year Algebra Lingle said.

Missouri adopted the Common Core State Standards as our Missouri Learning Standards (MLS) in 2010, resulting in the adoption of Algebra I as the entry level math course.

“Now our entry level course is Algebra 1 and provide some students support through an additional course (Building Algebra Mastery) which has proved to be very successful,” Lingle said.

Math classes offered in Rockwood are constantly changing to keep up with the rapidly changing needs of the students.

“This month the State Board of Education is expected to approve the newly revised (MLS) standards. These revisions will only require minor tweaks in our curriculum,” Lingle said.

Math teacher Paul Krull has been teaching at Lafayette since 1989, and has seen the evolution of teaching methods firsthand.

“Kids just progress a lot faster now,” Krull said.

Krull said a significant driving factor of change in the way math is taught is the increasing importance of standardized “high stakes” testing like the ACT, SAT and EOC’s.

Advancing quickly in math classes has become imperative in order to master the math skills required on these tests as early as possible to leave more opportunities to take the tests and further improve scores.

Students are also moving through the curriculum much faster and advanced classes like Precalculus, Calculus and AP Statistics are becoming commonplace, Krull said.

“There’s a lot more kids in the AP classes— that’s the big thing,” Krull said.

The rise of educational technology in the internet age has changed education in all subjects, but particularly math.

Krull said graphing calculators, SMART Boards and the internet have allowed teachers to do things that previously weren’t possible, like incorporating accurate, reusable graphs into their lessons.

The way math is taught is constantly changing to suit the needs of a constantly changing student body, school system, and world.

“There is a greater emphasis on students developing understanding of concepts rather than just following a process to get an answer.

There should be more discussions taking place in math class as students justify and communicate their reasoning,” Lingle said.

Newspaper/Yearbook Important Info For

CLASS OF 2016 Senior Edition Ads:

Watch your mail for forms. Ads are due April 15.

Senior Edition Questionnaire/ Class Superlative Voting:

Forms available after Spring Break/due April 1.

Yearbook Sales

$70 Legend Sales end March 30. Price then goes up to $75. Check in Room 137A to see if you purchased a book!

All forms available at lhsimage.com

March 24, 2016

page nine • photo

Turn Down for What?

image

3

Students show off talents, earn recognition at Annual Academic Pep Assembly The APA took on the theme Lancer Music Awards, and combined live performances and skits with a long list of student recognition on March 8. breanna hunt • reporter Photos by Nick Horstmann

1. The crowd erupts along with a confetti gun as math teacher Marietta Koziatek is presented as the 20152016 Teacher of the Year. She was joined on stage by her family and the students who nominated her for the recognition.

2. Senior Drew Cusumano played the role of emcee for the APA. His job was to introduce all of the special performances throughout the nearly two-hour assembly. At one point, he headed to the VIP seats to take a selfie with Rockwood Superintendent Eric Knost.

1

2

4

5

8 6

7

3. Senior Karl Aston takes the stage with the other members of the Tuesday Night Rock Band who performed Turn Down for What with the drum line.

Other performances included Jazz Band, Vox Solus, Winter Guard, varsity cheer and Escadrille.

4. So many seniors achieved Bright Flight, National Merit or Academic Leader status, that they had to be divided into four groups and recognized throughout the assembly. Bright Flight students had to score of 30 or higher on the ACT and National Merit students scored in the top three percent or higher on the PSAT. 5. Senior Dylan Quisenberry channels his inner Justin Beiber for a performance of several songs including Sorry and What Do You Mean?

6. To kick off the APA, sophomore Olivia Montgomery, backed by other student performers, perform a medley of Beyonce hits for the crowd.

7. Drama teacher Natasha Fischer leads the staff band “Fischer and the Lures,” in a performance of Mercy featuring social studies teachers Scott Brandon, John Deken, Steve Klawiter, Activities Director Steve Berry, math teacher Paul Krull and music teacher Jason Long.

A big group of staff members joined in as back up singers for the performance.

8. Science Department Chair Jeff Marx presents the 2015-2016 Bausch and Lomb Science Award to junior Sravya Ainapurapu.

image

pages ten and eleven • cover story

How Do You

Picture

Alex Wier, 12 I am friendly.

“Being friendly is something that not only has helped me out, but it helps build relationships with other people. If I lend a hand to someone then they return the favor, its not that hard honestly. I try to help my friends out as much as possible because it’s just the nice thing to do.”

Yourself? anna james • news editor

A

erin coogan • reporter

new school year starts. You go to registration and wait in line to get your official portrait taken. This photo will represent you for that school year. It’s what teachers see in Infinite Campus while taking attendance and it’s what your friends will look back on 10 years from now when they flip through the pages of the Legend as they reminisce about their high school years.

Yet, that photo does not represent who you really are as a person. It does not tell the story of your life, hobbies, religion or personality.

Forming your own opinion about yourself in high school can be difficult for some students and having your own identity while knowing your meaning can sometimes be a struggle.

A one-time incident can form the way you view yourself forever, whether it be negative or positive.

Who you are is a combination of your passions, beliefs and personal experiences.

These Lafayette students have an opinion about who they really are. They know how those opinions were formed and how that opinion has impacted their lives.

You are more than a school picture. What is really important is how you picture yourself.

We asked these students how they pictured themselves.

This is what they had to say.

(Photos by Seth Boester, Nick Horstmann and Elly Levy)

Drew Cusumano, 12 I am a Thespian.

“Thespian means drama or theater. And theater pretty much makes my whole life work. If I am not doing anything I am doing theater, or I’m in the theater. Even in my free time. I enjoy being a part of it at school because it gives me something to do productively and socially.”

Sarah Frederick, 11 I am a violinist.

“I started playing piano when I was about 4 years old. My brother was already playing violin by the time I was 10 and we were going to a camp for kids involved in music and that is where I fell in love with the violin.

Now when I perform anywhere it opens up opportunities for me to meet new people who appreciate it as much as I do. I don’t know if it’s something I’d do for a career but I definitely want to continue to play and influence my kids to do it as well.”

Megan Dill, 11 I am loud.

“One time I was at a basketball tournament and I was talking smack on the other team.

You know, trying to pump them up! I was yelling among all of the chaos and all of a sudden the court went silent and I was still yelling. It was just so embarrassing but it matches my personality and who I am. I am a really open person and I think my loud voice just matches that.”

Sarah Larson, 11

I am a child of the most high King.

“Five years ago my life completely changed. I was at a weekend retreat with my youth group listening to a sermon. As the pastor was talking, I became broken over my sin. I sat there in awe that the creator of the universe loved me despite my sin and died for me I knew right then that I had to repent and no longer live for myself, but I would live for Jesus!”

March 24, 2016

Nina Clark, 10 I am clumsy.

“I was on a Skype call with all the people in my AP Euro class to study, and I went to plug my phone in, but I fell out of my chair.

Coffee spilled all over my desk, and I hit my head on my head on my desk. I ended up getting a huge cut down my back because I scraped it on my cabinet. That was pretty embarrassing.”

Lily Cooper, 10

Ava Mitchell, 9

“At 8 years old, my brother Jack died of a rare heart condition. I didn’t and still don’t fully understand what was happening to me and my family, but during that time I felt like I had to be happy not just for myself, but for my parents as well. I think everyone in my family felt that way, and for a time we put on a smile for the world even when we felt like breaking. It didn’t strike me until recently just how brave that was, but it shaped who I am and taught me to be empathetic, sensitive and humble, things that I try to live by and have proved useful over and over in my life.”

“I’ve played volleyball for a long time, and my team went to nationals in 2014.

We went to a qualifier in Baltimore, there were about 100 teams there, and we ended up winning to get the bid. When we won, everyone on my team started crying because we were so happy. At Nationals, we placed third overall. Volleyball has had a positive impact on my life; without it, I wouldn’t have as many friends. I would be really bored, and I wouldn’t know what to do with my life.”

I am brave.

I am a volleyball player.

Jen Pearce, 9

Mason Kolb, 10

I am respectful.

I am caring.

“If I see someone wearing a colorful outfit that people make fun of, I don’t say anything bad about it. I don’t want people to feel bad. I want that person to feel better about themselves. Everybody deserves that.”

“One time I saw a kid being bullied, and I couldn’t just stand there and watch. I don’t like provoking people because I like to stay chill, but I couldn’t just not do nothing. So I stepped in and helped the kid. I try to be nice to everybody, and seeing a person being mean to someone else just sparked something in me. I couldn’t just watch.”

Zachary McMillen, 10

Daniel Cornell, 10

“My dad was diagnosed with cancer when I was in 6th grade and he was given six months to live, but by faith of God he lived.

My family and I had to persevere through tough times but in the end it all worked out.”

“Last year, in July, I was talking to a friend. He was the first person I ever came out to. He talked me into feeling more comfortable with me being gay. My sister and I contemplated it, and I ended up posting a picture on Instagram about it.

Two hours later, I went downstairs to talk to my dad. I knocked on his door and told him I needed to talk to him about something. I got straight to the point and told him I was gay. He was perfectly fine with it. I ran back upstairs, completely out of breath. After that, I sat up with my sister until late just talking about it.”

I persevere.

I am gay.

image

page twelve • lifestyles

Childhood: Ruined

March 24, 2016

TV shows, movies contain strange facts that smack of conspiracy theories jessica collins • lifestyle editor

A conspiracy theory is a speculated belief suggesting a certain group or organization has plotted to cause or cover up an event. Individuals create these statements or stories through a list of facts they bring together insisting that the said information has something to do with an incident that had previously occurred. People are resilient, and the capacity for people of the Internet to churn out conspiracy theories are endless.

Max and Ruby Max and Ruby is an animated series that targets children around the preschoolage. The children’s show is based on of a book, centered around siblings and was created to show the universal nature of relationships, specifically between a brother and a sister.

Since the show has been off air, various individuals on social media sites have suggested that the show’s purpose and story line were something in quite a different direction. People have come to two different conclusions about the show.

The first theory is Max and Ruby’s parents passed away in a car accident. There is no parental presence in the 56 episodes.

Ruby has taken over as the mother figure—she cleans, cooks, organizes Max’s birthday parties, and even puts her brother to bed. The only parental figure that’s in any way related to Max and Ruby is their grandmother, who shows up every few episodes to save the day.

The accident is supposed to account for Max being mute. It goes on to say the reason he is constantly playing with trucks and ambulances is because of the incident.

The other theory is that Max is actually Ruby’s son.

“I used to watch Max and Ruby all the time as a child. I never even thought about the fact that Max could be Ruby’s son,” senior Laura Stewart said.

Given all of the responsibility she has, she could be older than she really looks on the show. Ruby is portrayed as Max’s older sister, but she is given the mother role.

The reason people are considering this theory to be true is because during that time period, there was wind-up toys and no computers.

Most of Max’s toys are robots, aliens or astronauts, toys popular in the 50s and the 60s. The time period Max and Ruby are in is rumored not to be modern time.

“It’s insane because after looking into more of these crazy theories, it makes me believe that these accusations could be true,” Stewart said.

People suspect that because premarital sex is frowned upon, as well as being a single mother. To protect Ruby’s honor and the family’s reputation, Ruby’s mother started posing as Max and Ruby’s grandmother to protect her reputation.

“These theories about Max and Ruby really make me question if other writers of other kids shows and movies put in crazy back stories,” Stewart said.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is about the rise of Charlie Bucket from poor child to the inheritor of the candy company.

But, before Charlie rose to the top, Willy Wonka put him and a group of kids into a serious competition.

The fiends of the internet have come to the conclusion that the so called “competition” Willy put the kids through was actually a mini Hunger Games.

And by Hunger Games, they mean various death traps set up in the chocolate factory.

“I feel like there has always been something off about the old version of the movie. It has always been a favorite of mine, but something always struck me strange,” senior Ellie Alicea said.

The kids that got the golden tickets, and eventually made it to the chocolate factory, are the kind of kids that no parent actually would like to have.

All of them are spoiled and have the worst manners. Trolls on the internet say that was the reason Wonka wanted to get rid of each of them.

Each room on his tour happens to be tailored specifically towards the interests of the children. Even Charlie isn’t spared, as he finds himself a few inches shorter in a massive ceiling fan.

The biggest give away to Wonka’s big plan is that each time there is a vehicle in the film, there are always just enough seats available.

Even after various “accidents” had occurred, the seating was perfect.

“It could have been a production mistake, but the movie was so well made that the mistake couldn’t have been overlooked,” Alicea said.

People believe Willy Wonka was not an actual genius or someone really clever. People have come to the conclusion that he is actually a madman who murders children for fun.

The Berenstain Bears Berenstain Bears books and television series feature a family of grizzly bears who usually learn a moral or safety lesson in each episode or story.

The first book was published in 1962, and the authors have since celebrated the series’ 50th anniversary in 2012.

After many years since its first production, fans of the novels have taken an interest in the way the title is spelled.

Though a startling number of people remember the name as Berenstein, it’s in fact spelled Berenstain, just like the authors Stan and Jan Berenstain. It seems nearly impossible that so many people are just wrong about the title.

In 2012, a blogger offered up an explanation for the spelling error. He went on to say that some people in the world crossed over from a parallel universe.

“I vividly remember one of my favorite books from the Berenstain Bears collection was spelled with an E. With everything online and with the physical book spelling it with an ‘A’, I knew it couldn’t be correct,” senior Charlotte Thissen said.

The trolls of the internet explain the rumored theory by offering facts saying that some individuals have undergone a π/2 phase change in all four dimensions.

Those who remember the name as “Berenstain” are native to this “A” universe, while those who are sure it’s “Berenstein” traveled over from the “E” universe. The phenomenon is best described through the “Mandala Effect.”

“That is the only way to explain the theory. Everyone I have asked and all of the internet sources I have seen are completely freaked out and remember the ‘E’,” Thissen said.

The “Mandala Effect” is when a large group of people misremember a small detail. This is common, but could this be the excuse for the mix-up?

Student-Directed Shakespeare Scenes and The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Abridged

April 7th and 8th at 7:00 p.m.

Student directed scenes will premiere on Thursday, April 7th and the play “Shakespeare: Abridged”, directed by Mrs. Fischer, opens on Friday, April 8th

March 24, 2016

page thirteen • lifestyles

image

Comics and Cartoons Anime, manga capture attention of students as art form jessie cargill • reporter shwetha sundarrajan • reporter

Many people are familiar with manga and anime throughout the world, but not as many individuals know that manga has been turned into anime.

Anime is the televised version of manga, whereas manga is a form of graphic novel.

Manga comes before the anime as a series.

Anime companies usually take the storyline of the manga series and create an animated show based off the plot.

Although anime has been changed into many different cultures through the years, it still sticks to its original origin, which is Japanese.

“Anime is mainly Japanese. But, it could also be Korean. There are a few of them that are American, they all have a similar style,” sophomore Alice Yerby said.

Various people get inspired by the designs in mangas and animes and decide to draw them with their individual twist.

Students like sophomores Alex Boychenko, Mary Lochman, freshman Kelly Maeda and Yerby are some of the students that are inspired to draw these characters with their own flair.

Maeda draws Dave Strider and John Egbert from the popular web comic, Homestuck. She enjoys drawing them in different poses and angles; it depends on the mood she’s in.

“If I’m distracted, drawing calms me down and takes my mind off things,” Maeda said.

Boychecko became interested in anime from her sister, Amy. At first, she was confused the difference between the two, but now she has grown familiar with the differences.

Alex is now a huge fan of various series

such as Black Butler.

“My sister also draws anime characters.

Once, she had a book and I had to ask if it was manga or not. She told me it was manga but several other times I would have to ask her what the difference was,” Boychecko said.

Japanese mangas and animes are usually translated into English when they gain popularity, typically by graphic novel companies such as Funimation, Viz Media and Avex.

“The companies that broadcast anime are Japanese stations; they are similar to Cartoon Network or Disney Channel like we have in the US,” Sophomore Mary Lochman said.

Hetalia, Naruto and Black Butler are some of the well known animes at Lafayette.

For the students and staff of LHS, these animes were their entrance into the underground world of anime.

The LHS library provides students and teachers with a section dedicated to manga.

The graphic novels are checked out daily. Some students check out the books four or five times a day according to the librarians.

Although many people may enjoy both, individuals have their preference when it comes to anime and manga.

“For me, I would rather watch anime because you get to see the characters. You get to hear their voices rather than just look at the pages and imagine exactly how everything is playing out,” Lochman said.

Lafayette also has an Anime Club, which meets Wednesdays from 3:15-4:15 p.m.

“Every week they choose what they want to watch and we watch a couple episodes so they get a taste of different genres of that anime,” club sponsor Jennifer Pautz said.

!

y da

ct

d

Fin

the

e er f

To s s Dre

P

la ville

2

1

3

1. An artistic rendition of an anime character by Amy Boychecko. Artists put their own spin on the characters they see on TV, usually altering their facial expressions.

2. Drawing of Kabuto Yakushi from the anime Naruto by Mary Lochman.

Kabuto is a protagonist turned villain.

3. Pokémon characters drawn by Amy Boychecko.

The name Pokémon is an abbreviated Japanese title for “Pocket Monsters.”

We NEVER sell the same dress to the same school, twice!

15848 Fountain Plaza Drive | Ellisville, MO 63005 www.ShopLaVille.com | @ShopLaVille | (636) 220 - 1222

image

page fourteen • lifestyles

Wristbands on the Rise

March 24, 2016

Bands worn by students go beyond fashion accessory, possess deeper meanings sabrina ross • reporter Wristbands first became popular in 2004, when cyclist Lance Armstrong created yellow wristbands that had “Livestrong” written on them.

Livestrong is a cancer organization that helps patients cope and pay for their treatments.

Armstrong created the bracelets to help raise awareness for cancer.

The bracelets became popular and soon everyone was wearing one, even celebrities and politicians.

Celebrities like Bruce Springsteen, Lindsay Lohan and even politician John Kerry were seen sporting the yellow bracelet.

Since then, the trend of bracelets grew for promoting fundraisers, charities and even sporting life mottoes.

Today, wristbands have been seen around the school on the wrists of many Lafayette students.

While some of the bands may look the same, many of them have different meanings and stories behind them.

Hanna Naeger has a collection of bands representing the concerts that she has been to.

“I think they are kind of like a treasure,” Naeger said.

Naeger makes it a priority to buy a wristband at every concert she attends.

“I have some from Fall Out Boy,

Warp Tour, Sublime and Nirvana even though I’ve never seen them,” Naeger said.

Naeger also owns bands that hold a deeper meaning them.

“I have one bracelet that says ‘To write love on her arms’, which is a wristband created for suicide prevention,” Naeger said.

Naeger said when she wears the bands, she feels like she’s representing the principles that she stands for.

With suicide being close to her heart, she feels that the bands remind her of her accomplishments.

Junior Landon Zechman also collects wristbands. He began collecting wristbands in middle school and feels that they’re a great way for him to express himself.

“They all have a sentimental meaning to them, especially the ones about gay pride because I’m gay. To me, they mean that I am free to show who I am,” Zechman said.

Zechman enjoys wearing the bands because it’s easy to look down and always see it on a wrist.

Another student also jumped on the bracelet bandwagon, but instead of just buying the bands she decided to make them herself.

Taylor Hensley, junior, decided to create a batch of wristbands for her friend Noah Cook.

Her wristbands were made to memorialize Cook when he passed away on Oct. 30, 2014.

“Noah was one of my best friends. I thought that it would be good to keep his legend going and so that his name was never forgotten,” Hensley said.

On the bands were written “NC 82,” the 82 standing for Cook’s football number.

“I was so close to him,” Hensley said, “I just wanted his name to be remembered.”

The wristbands sold for $1 and the profits were donated to Cook’s family.

Bands are popular for memorializing friends.

Students have also made bracelets for other students who have passed away including Avery Cantor and Andrew Keithley.

Wristbands are a fad that comes and goes.

Zechman said the popularity of the wristbands depend on the people wearing them.

“It depends on who you are. Not everyone has to think that they’re cool, it’s all about how you feel in them,” Zechman said.

Whether it was the fun memories of a concert, figuring out who you are and finally accepting it, or the lasting memories of a lost friend, each band has a meaning to it, which is why it still seems to be popular today.

No matter the look, the size, or the color every band holds a story.

So when a person wears bands, what story are they telling the world?

Freshman Lauren Cooley, sophomore Emily Arciszewski, junior Landon Zechman and senior Hanna Naeger show off their collection of wristbands. The bands showed names of concerts, meaningful quotes and lost loved ones.

Livestrong was founded by Lance Armstrong in 2004. The bracelets were first made to support cancer patients by helping them cope and pay for their treatments.

Now, many organizations spread awareness for their cause using bands.

Wildwood Nail & Spa 2438 Taylor Road Wildwood, MO 63040 (636) 405-1190

Monday-Friday: 9:30 am-8:00 pm Saturday: 9:00 am-7:00 pm Sunday: 11:00 am-5:00 pm

15% Discount on any service, for high school students

March 24, 2016

image

page fifteen • lifestyles

Tell us how you really feel

Symbols allow people to share even more than they can with just words Nick Horstmann • ad manager Staff Favs Kira Downing • reporter

“Ambiguous, superficial and cute, they’re perfectly suited to a generation that sends Hallmark e-cards ironically,” News Republic reporter Alice Robb said in her review of emojis.

Emojis were developed to be used in Japanese short message service (SMS), but have since blown up into icons that are used on every social media platform by people of all

ages all over the world.

They are the newest way to express how you feel via text message. There is an emoji for everything, from different foods to various moods.

“Friend groups fall into the habit of using certain emoticons, just as they develop their own slang,” Robb said.

The more comfortable a person is with someone, the more likely they are to add an emoji to the end of a text, drop a few emojis under their latest Instagram post or add some

emojis to their contact name.

The use of emojis has jumped from only being used in Japan, where they were originally created, to now being a world-wide sensation.

Emojis are most commonly used by female teenagers and female adolescents.

According to Computers in Human Behavior’s longitudinal study of emoticon use in text messaging from smart phones, “Females also yielded a higher concentration of emoticons relative to words compared to males.”

What’s your emoji IQ? Take our quiz to see 1) What is the name of the book written 100% in emoji?

A) Emoji Star B) Life of an emoji C) Emoji Dick D) Emoji Emoji

7) What is the definition of an emoji?

A) standardized icons with a meaning B) little picture C) cool picture D) meaningless symbol

12) What county is responsible for creating emojis?

The straight face is a representation of an expressionless face. It is reporter Jessie Carghill’s all time favorite emoji.

The sushi emoji is reporter Shwetha Sundarrajan’s favorite, she uses it whenever she is craving sushi.

A) Russia B) Japan C) United States D) Australia

Reporter Dominic Scaglione’s favorite emoji is the Japanese Goblin.

8) What is the most used emoji?

2) What celebrity has an emoji tattoo?

A) Miley Cyrus B) Kim Kardashian C) Rihanna D) Justin Bieber

3) What food emoji does not yet exist?

A) Cookie B) Taco C) Donut D) Salad

A) tears of joy B) face with stuck out tongue, winking C) face throwing a kiss D) full moon face

9) Which restaurant allows you to text a picture of an emoji for a pizza?

A) Pizza Hut B) Dominos C) Imos D) Little Caesars

4) Who created emojis?

A) Kanye West B) Albert Einstein C) Lady Gaga D) Shigetaka Kurita

10) When did Apple diversify emojis?

A) April 2015 B) July 2015 C) January 2016 D) December 2015

5) When is World Emoji Day? A) January 18 B) April 30 C) March 7 D) July 17

6) What is another name for emoji?

11) What does the heart eye emoji mean?

A) to hate something B) to love something C) for something to be funny D) to be annoyed

A) Character B) Symbol C) Emoticon D) Display

13) Why were emojis created?

A) to limit space on phone screens B) just because they are cool C) developers were bored and decided to make them D they were created by accident

14) What was the name of the Japanese software that emojis were first applied to?

A) Emo B) IOS C) i-Mode D) AutoUpdate

15) What product were emojis first used on?

A) iPhone B) Android C) Pager D) Samsung

16) Who suggested a new emoji, empowering girls?

A) Michelle Obama B) Oprah Winfrey C) Khloe Kardashian D) Taylor Swift

The grimacing face is editor Seth Boester’s favorite.

“I use it all the time, like if I say something then I’m like whoa!”

Things You Didn’t Know About Emojis: • the dancing girl emoji doesn’t actually have a face or facial features • the fries emoji has another emoji on the container of it • the emoji that resembles praying hands is actually the Japanese gesture of an apology

Answers: 1.c 2.a 3.d 4.d 5.d 6.c 7.a 8.d 9.b 10.a 11.b 12.b 13.a 14.c 15.c 16.a

Attention Seniors-Juniors ACT/SAT Tutoring

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

Ballwin’s Premiere Sunless Destination

Offering Custom Airbrush Spray Tans & Versa Spa Spray Tans

*PROM SPECIALS: 1 month Regular bed 19.99 • 1 month all access (any bed) 49.99 • NEW LAMPS IN ALL BEDS • VersaSpa: $14.99 • Custom Airbrush: $24.99

636.207.8038 • 15505 Manchester Road Offers Expire 5/31/2016

Student Pricing Specials on UV Beds Available *High School Student ID required

image

page sixteen • ads

March Lit Link

March 24, 2016

Name:

Complet e t he crossword below 1

Sponsored by Renaissance Turn in completed crossword to the stage for a prize!

2 3 4 5 6 7

8

9

10 11

12

Word Bank Transient Trenchant Trepidation Truculent Truncate Tumult

Ubiquitous Universal Unscrupulous Unsurp Vacillating Vacuous Vapid Vehement

13

Veneration Veracious Vindicate Vociferous Whet Wistful

14 15

16 17

18

Cre ate d with The Te ache rs Corne r.ne t Cros s word Make r

$5 OFF $2 OFF STUDY SKILLS

M AT H

S AT / AC T P R E P

WRITING

READING

HOMEWORK HELP

Five Star Nails

FULL SET SPA PEDI Regularly $25

Regularly $22

$23 MANICURE

GEL POLISH OR SHELLAC

Mark N. AGE 15

$30 SPECIAL

(1+x)(3+2x) = 3+5x+2x2 Sylvan helped me figure it out!

Professional Nail Care Salon

15444 Manchester Rd MANICURE & PEDICURE Ellisville • 636-527-9599 Next to Shop ‘n Save

Don’t Let Homework Get You Frazzled Sylvan Can Help!

Let our expert tutors give you a hand. Sylvan offers just-as-needed “homework help” services to guide you through tough homework assignments or prepare for a test.

Homework help is ideal for students who need personal tutoring on specific homework assignments, but not necessarily all the time.

Our homework tutors combine personal instruction with independent learning to ensure you not only understand homework concepts, but also learn how to apply those skills a deeper level of learning. To turn frustration into high fives, our tutors share instant feedback and recognition for every skill learned. Homework time becomes a lot less “electric” ... and a lot more fun.

Don’t waste another minute, call today!

Chesterfield

636.537.8118

chesterfield@sylvantutors.net

Ballwin

636.394.3104 ballwin@sylvantutors.net

SYLVANLEARNING.COM

2 FREE HOURS of Homework Support

Mention this ad to receive two free hours of Sylvan Homework Support. Offer valid only at Chesterfield and Ballwin offices and can not be combined with other offers.

Ballwin 15305 Manchester Rd. 636-394-1400

Not valid with other offers and gift certificates. Expires 4/15/16.

Ballwin, MO 63011 www.richtersflorist.com

10% Student Discount Open 7 Days A Week Let Richter’s Provide “That Special Touch” With A Beautiful Corsage, Nosegay or Boutonniere

March 24, 2016

page seventeen • sports

image

Winter sports teams bring home hardware Team chemistry leads to season success tyler burnett • sports reporter With a second place finish at State, two first place finishes in individual events and even a broken Missouri high school record, the girls swimming and diving team had a stellar season.

Two first place finishes came in the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay.

Katie Haefner, Cate Behl, Katherine Lucken and Delaney Thomas participated in the 200 and raced in the order, while Franceska Petrosino, Behl, Kendall Hansen and Thomas participated in the 400 and raced in that order.

In the 200, the Lady Lancers finished with a time of 1:37.78 and beat out Park Hill South by about half a second. In the 400, Lafayette finished with a time of 3:28.66 and put their names in the record books as they broke the previous Missouri high school girls record.

“The team was awesome at State. They

swam and dove really well at the end,” Head Coach Todd Gabel said. “It was a special team this year the girls really got along and were very focused on the season and what they wanted to accomplish.”

The team has seven seniors including Jessica Collins, Ashley Flynn, Hansen, Lucken, Kasey Pratt, Emma Riordan and Anneliese Wilmsen.

“We had many talented swimmers including a lot of underclassmen that pushed us into the post-season with hopes of placing high at State,” Lucken said. “Overall, every swimmer did an amazing job at the meets, which made the season successful and fun.”

There are plenty of swimmers to fill the shoes of the graduates.

“We have several freshman and sophomores that are really good and will hope to see other school records to fall over the next few years,” Gabel said.

Lafayette competes in a meet against Lindbergh. This was only the second meet of the season and the Lady Lancers dominated the contest, beating the Flyers 135-51. (photo courtesy of Inter-State Studios)

Wrestling team takes sixth place at State tyler burnett • sports reporter

Senior Jack Fogarty has his hand raised by a referee in the District tournament. Fogarty won four out of the five matches that he participated in and took home third place in his weight class. (photo by Liz Mckenna)

The wrestling season was definitely one to remember. Lafayette had five medalists at the State Tournament which took place at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia.

They finished sixth overall with 82 points, their highest since 1994.

“We were extremely proud of our kids and they hard work they have put in this season,” Head Coach Jonathan Sumner said. “They wrestled hard all season and left everything on the mat, which is all we can ask for as coaches.”

Medalists included Chase Behrndt, Tim Bogar, Brendan McKenna, Austin Stofer and Alex Wier.

Behrndt and Bogar came in third place in their weight classes while McKenna finished fourth.

Wier and Stofer finished fifth and sixth,

respectively.

“The pursuit of the success you seek is as important as accomplishing the task, and these kids have done that and we couldn't be more proud of them,” Sumner said.

With nine senior graduating this year, Bogar, Behrndt, Al Brown, Jordan Carson, Jack Fogarty, McKenna, Noah Robinson, Wier and Michael Wozniak, the team will lose some key components, but a handful of wrestlers who went to State will return next year.

“We have six returning State qualifiers including Jayden Carson, Jaylen Carson, Cameron Wegener, Anthony Michaels, Caleb Covert and a State medalist in Austin Stofer.

We are excited to see them work hard this offseason and pursue their goals next season,” Sumner said.

If the team can come together like they have over the past few years, then Lafayette will be a force to be reckoned with.

Future looks bright for girls basketball tyler burnett • sports reporter Despite hardships throughout the season, the girls basketball team still had a respectable year. The team collected 10 regular season wins and lost 14. They also beat Marquette in the first game of the District tournament, 48-36, which gave them a spot in the semi-final round against top seed Washington.

Lafayette had a rough game and weren’t able to pull out a victory, ending the season at 11-15 overall.

“I was impressed by the willingness of the girls to compete in every contest from beginning to end and continue to try to improve their individual and team skills,” Head Coach David Witter said.

The team’s seniors, Tayler Dent, Maria Johnson, Jenny Kohl and Shelby Robbe, led multiple offensive and defensive categories including total points per game, total rebounds

and steals.

“They filled important leadership roles throughout the past two years and will be missed,” Witter said.

Another aspect that kept the Lady Lancers going throughout their season was the friendships they created with the players and coaches.

“The most memorable part of this season was probably just bonding with the team and all the bus rides and team dinners we all had together,” Robbe said. “This team had such a wide range of ages from freshman all the way to seniors, but we all got along so well and are so close on and off the court.”

The team hasn’t has a whole lot of success in the recent years, but the future is looking bright for the team.

“We had extensive success at the freshman and junior varsity levels and return a solid core of players with varsity experience,” Witter said.

Senior Jenny Kohl drives to the hoop in a game against Lindbergh. She scored 20 points and had five steals in the game which helped Lafayette beat the Flyers 66-41. (photo by Margaret McDaniel)

Lancers win third straight District title tyler burnett • sports reporter

Lafayette’s Adam Flinn, junior, drives past Parkway Central’s DeAndre Campbell. Flinn scored 9 points in the District title game in which the Lancers beat the Colts 68-54. (photo by Amanda Lee)

It was another fantastic year for the Lancer boys basketball team. They captured their third straight District title when they beat the Parkway Central Colts 68-54.

On top of that, they had a 20-win season for the third consecutive year.

“I’m just so proud of these guys, winning Conference and winning Districts. It isn’t easy.

Sometimes I think we get spoiled and think it’s easy, it ain’t easy. So three in a row for both Conference and Districts is pretty special,” Head Coach Scott Allen said.

After Districts, the Lancers headed out to St. Charles West High School to play CBC in the first round of the State tournament.

The Lancers came out strong and were

only down by two points at the end of the first quarter 16-14, but after the first quarter, Lafayette wasn’t able to outscore CBC in any of the remaining quarters. The Lancers lost the game 66-51.

Lafayette’s seniors scored a combined 25 points in the game. Luke Finley led the way with 15 points of his own.

Despite losing five seniors, Conner Fastenau Finley, Jared Hinton, Nathan Hinton and Will Stonecipher, the team will have seven returning players with varsity experience.

With a strong group of players returning next year, Lafayette will look to capture another District title and push farther into the State tournament.

Be sure to keep an eye on the team next year as they hope to continue the trend.

image

page eighteen • sports

March 24, 2016

Cardinals hang dangerously on cliff’s edge joshua waitsman • sports editor The St. Louis Cardinals open their season on April 11 with a three game series versus the Milwaukee Brewers, following a 100 win season, there seems to be a great deal of optimism for this season.

I, however, am concerned that the Cardinals are an organization that is one slip from total catastrophe.

The season is not yet underway, and already the Cardinals will be missing some of last season’s key players. Pitcher John Lackey, who had a 2.77 earned run average last season, has departed for the Chicago Cubs.

The Cardinals did sign pitcher Mike Leake, who I think is a better pitcher than Lackey anyway, to a four year deal. Even after the signing there is still a hole left in the Cardinals pitching rotation because pitcher Lance Lynn, who had a 3.03 earned run average last season will miss this entire season due to Tommy John’s surgery.

This hole could be filled by pitcher Jaime Garcia who is a talented lefty, but has not managed to play a full season since 2011.

Pitching is not the only worry for the Cardinals; in fact if they can avoid injuries they will have one of the best rotations in all of baseball.

What the Cardinals really have to worry about is their offensive production. Last season the Cardinals ranked 24 out of 30 teams in total runs scored. This is just two years removed from 2013 when the cardinals ranked three out of 30 in terms of total runs scored.

It certainly does not help that two of the Cardinals’ top run producers, outfielder Jason Heyward who departed to the Cubs in free agency, and Jhonny Peralta who will miss the first two months of the season due to a thumb injury, will not be there to produce runs again.

Heyward and Peralta combined for 161 runs batted in during the 2015 season, which accounted for 25 percent of the Cardinals runs scored.

Age and injury history are two more factors you need to take into account when looking

Old Busch Stadium was demolished in 2005 because it was outdated. This represents how the current Cardinals team could be headed for demolition because of its old age. (photo provided by the St. Louis Cardinals) forward to the upcoming season. Both catcher Yadier Molina and outfielder Matt Holliday are entering the twilights of their careers.

Recently Molina has also been dealing with a slew of injuries that have limited his time on the field. As I mentioned before, Garcia is another player with an injury history; he only has three seasons with 20 or more starts in his entire career.

Injuries have also been a problem with first basemen Matt Adams when following his rookie season many had even dubbed him the next Albert Pujols, but unfortunately he has also struggled with injury on a regular basis. If Adams could stay healthy for a whole season, I firmly believe he could hit 30 homers.

I don’t want you to think that the Cardinals have no chance this upcoming season because they do. The potential is certainly there, but that is all it is, potential.

Could outfielder Randal Grichuk hit 30 homers and have an above .300 batting average, he could, but I think 20 homers and a .275 batting average is much more likely.

Could Second Basemen Kolten Wong steal 30 bases and hit above .290, he could too, but again I believe he will probably steal around 20 bases and hit for a .260 batting average.

For me the biggest issue is that the Cardinals seem to have no interest in signing big free agent even though they clearly have the money to do so.

For some reason we always seem to be content with our in house farm system. Don’t get me wrong their farm system is one of the best, but lately it just has not been enough for our offense.

On top of this the Cardinals are the sixth most valuable team in baseball, but only spend the eleventh most. If the Cardinals Spent as much as the team that spends the sixth most then they would spend 40 million more a year.

40 more million dollars is equivalent to two top tier free agents.

When it comes down to it the Cardinals have in recent years been one of the safest teams in baseball, and was a good strategy too, but since then every time they have lost a player they have usually been able to find a suitable replacement, but this year the holes on the roster have not all been filled and it is because they are such a cautious team.

If the Cardinals are going to stay on top then they have to be willing to take risks, sure some might backfire, but that’s better than doing nothing at all.

Just look at the Cubs in recent years they have been one of the most aggressive teams in free agency, and now the look like they’re ready to challenge the Cardinals or Pirates for the division lead.

This is what the Cardinals need. Stop sitting back and trying to ride on the backs of aging players, and take a risk. Sign that free agent whose only productive season was his last, be willing to trade one of your top prospects to grab the last piece for the World Series, make that late season superstar for superstar trade that propels you into the playoffs.

Shake things up. Change the batting order.

Put Carpenter at third and let Holliday hit in his more natural fourth position. Stop trying to be different by utilizing unusual leadoff hitters and put someone with some speed in that spot, maybe Kolten Wong could hit leadoff because he definitely has the speed to.

Stop scraping by when you could be jumping forward to what you really can achieve.

Stop settling for mediocrity when you could set up one of the best dynasties of all time.

Grand Opening

Tropical Sun Tanning Salon

•Great Tan At A Great Price!

•No Contract Or Membership Fees

Student Tans Only $8

1 Month Unlimited Tanning

-Any BedOnly $43.99 with this coupon

Baxter Center 14825 Clayton Rd. (near 24-Hour Fitness) Chesterfield 63017 (636) 220-3456 Open 7 Days A Week!

Not Valid With Any Other Offer. Expires 5/231/16

“Do Something With Your Hair” * * * *

Latest Styles & Trends Colors/Highlights Up Do’s Yeah, we have stuff for you guys, too...

15% off

15% off Services

173 Long Road Next to Wildhorse Grill Chesterfield, MO 63005 (636) 536-HAIR (4247)

Prom Headquarters: Chesterfield

Ladue

Maryland Heights

O’Fallon Sunset Hills

March 24, 2016

page nineteen • sports

image

Superfan history contains several traditions Traditions, events bind Lancers together as organization grows in number each school year arpan das • sports reporter When thinking of a Superfan what is the first thing to come to mind?

Is it the loud and proud section of our school? Is it someone who shows up to every game? Is it someone who attends and stays at the games through thick and thin? What are some things that all Superfans do?

By definition, the Superfans are a group of student-organized fans who employ tradition, create themes and show their support for many of the school’s varsity teams, primarily football and basketball.

Superfans have an interesting history. The group was created over 10 years ago and have a continually growing part of the school and school spirit.

The Superfans are currently sponsored by Activities Director Steve Berry, but Berry said he overlooks it more than sponsors it, as the Superfan organization is primarily run by its student leaders.

However, in previous years, the Superfans were much smaller and much less interactive compared to what it is now.

Berry said, “Their presence has increased in terms of the amount of groups that they’ve done, the amount of events that they attend as well as the size.”

In 201,1 Kyle Glennon, a former Lafayette student who currently attends Arkansas State University, stepped in and became an active leader, helping Berry jump-start the freshman tailgate and the Superfan social media accounts.

Currently, the Superfans are mainly run by seniors Jared Hinton, Morgan Kantouth, Jenny Kohl, Nick Lavanchy, Jessie Simmons, Will Stonecipher and Alex Wier. These are the current group of students that follow Glennon’s path and organize the events, run the social media and energize the crowd.

The Superfan twitter (@lhs_ Superfans) is one of the ways they get out information to the fans on when the next big game is, and the theme of that game.

These themes are flexible because of the ability to communicate with all the other Superfans through Twitter. Recently for the boys basketball District championship, they tweeted a change saying, “Due to the

circumstances that it is a District Championship game, the theme for Friday is not PJ’s, but instead black and gold night!”

These themes are usually conceived in many different ways.

Many times it is just a collaboration between the different Superfan leaders, but there have been other methods as well.

Lavanchy said, “A way we like to come up with the theme is to tweet Twitter polls and to have students vote on what theme they want to do.”

As Lavanchy recalls, the most memorable theme night was the “Red-Out,” or better known as, “Andy Night,” the basketball game against Eureka dedicated to Andy Keithley after he was killed in a car accident.

The Superfan Twitter has well over 650 followers despite this being the new account created just over a year ago.

The Superfans however, aren’t Superfans without their traditions.

One of the traditions that has been around since the inception of Superfans is the throwing of powder up into the air at the start of home football games, mainly for fun.

Many of the chants, such as, “You can’t do that,” whenever the opposing team is penalized, simply go with game flow, but one of the traditions is the rollercoaster.

The rollercoaster is where the fans imitate being on a rollercoaster by moving their bodies and waving their hands. This is usually during halftime to keep the fans engaged.

Wier said, “a lot of the chants that we do are sometimes to irritate the other team.”

One of the newer traditions added just this year is kicking a mock extra point every time Jake Reynolds, the Lancer kicker, kicked an extra point.

A Nerf football would be kicked into the crowd of Superfans, with two people as the uprights and a holder.

The traditions generally only change from sport to sport based on the game’s rules or whether it is an indoor or outdoor sport.

However, the tradition that stays through each sport is when the fans give an especially big burst of energy directly after the first score of the second half.

The Superfans now wait for next season, when football starts again, and the traditions are passed down to the next graduating class.

Chemistry/Physics Tutor Available Retired Teacher

High School Level/Advanced Classes

636-532-4648

doloresfvermont@gmail.com

(Above) The Superfans follow a classic tradition at a varsity football game by throwing baby powder up in the air to begin the game. The game was penciled in as a home game despite being played at Eureka against the Wildcats. This was because at the time, Lafayette’s grass field was being replaced with turf. Although it wasn’t technically at home, Superfans still showed up in big numbers for this “home opener.” (photo by Amanda Lee) (Right) Superfans sponsored a red-out theme, to honor sophomore basketball player Andy Keithley who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in early December. Lafayette defeated Eureka 5236 in that Jan. 22, 2016 home game. (photo

by Nick Horstmann)

the feed

March 24, 2016 • page twenty

kaitlyn wylie • feed editor

A Day in STL for Under $20 $20

Make the most of your last $10 or $20 with these ideas

Zombie Escape Room at Can You Escape?

In this interactive game, teams of 12 work together to find a way to escape. For one hour, the team will have to discover different clues while the zombie closes in on them. Using Groupon, this adventure will cost only $20 person, normally $28.

$5 Part of the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Butterfly House offers a place to relax, take a walk, and socialize with friends while taking in the garden and butterflies. Admission is $6 for this attraction.

$15 While many native St. Louisans know that the Zoo is free and nationally ranked, others don’t know about this small piece of wildlife right in our backyard. However there is still a $15 cost for parking, and the available food. I mean, who can say no to a frozen lemonade on a hot day?

$10 The Science Center is great for a rainy day, and has a lot of interactive attractions that are free for the public. Come with kids or without and let your child-like imagination run free. The only hidden cost lies in the $10 parking. If you have a few extra bucks, the OMNIMAX Theatre gives viewers a different way to watch movies.

Times and prices differ for every movie and are available on their website.

The St. Louis Art Museum is free every day of the week; however, some exhibits cost extra. To avoid those extra costs go on Friday when they are free. The Art Museum has many events running through the summer.

One such event is their showing of movies. The movies are outdoors and free. They are featuring Clueless, Back to the Future, Jaws, and The Sound of Music this July.

FREE

Laumeier Sculpture Park is perfect for those days when you just have to get outside. Open from 8 a.m. until 30 minutes past sunset every day, there are a variety of trails that walk you through the sculptures. This is free and open yearround to the public.

How Embarrassing!

Students reveal those cringe-worthy times in their lives

“I was really embarrassed when I broke my “The most embarrassing thing that has ever leg falling into the pool at swim practice.” happened to me was having my shoe fly Grey Huffines, 12 across the Auditorium and land in some guy’s “My most embarrassing lap during my cheer routine.” moment was falling down Ashley Queen, 9 the same set of stairs three times in the same day, on my “Running laps in PE, the teacher said to first day of high school.” watch out for poles. I looked back to see Lynsi Brasken, 11 if anyone ran into one, and consequently smacked into one myself.”

Sabrina Wright, 11