May 20, 2016

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May 20, 2016 • Vol. 47, No. 9

Image's Freshman survival guide

SEE PAGES 6-7 For Class of 2019 Giving Incoming Freshmen Advice Lafayette High School • 17050 Clayton Rd. • Wildwood, MO 63011 • lhsimage.com • @LHSimage

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page two • opinions

May 20, 2016

Music can be beneficial art form, that creates memories, soothes brain while entertaining staff editorial Opinions expressed on the editorial pages do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school administration. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board.

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

Staff • Policies

Editors

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

Staff Members Image:

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

Digital Media:

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

Information

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

Philosophy Statement

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

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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.

As everyone goes through their path in life, there are plenty of memories that will always stick with them.

Maybe it’s a beautiful sunset, a fun vacation, or maybe it’s even something on the sadder end of life, like a passing of a loved one or going through a breakup, everyone has defining memories in their lives that make them who they are.

But, along with those memories, what music may have been playing in the background? Those songs, movies or any art forms that bring back memories, good or bad, tend to stick with us as years go by, always ringing back to those specific times.

In a psychological sense, this whole sense of cooperating a song with a feeling is a pretty standard case of Classical Conditioning.

The song, being the neutral stimulus, is conditioned through whatever emotional moment is happening whilst the song is playing to make our conscious associate that song with the memory.

But beyond the whole psychological reasoning behind music bringing back memories, it’s what makes music such a

gratifying and amazing source of art.

The emotions that music can bring back are astounding, and the feelings music can create is equally as amazing.

The art of mixing songs one after another that create a mood or just enjoyable finds has been around for years, now popularly used in play lists on Spotify or other similar streaming sources.

Play lists are perfect for simply setting a mood and creating some memories. The ever popular “Summer” play list is growing around this time of year, burning some memories in people’s heads as they jam out to that play list and spend some precious memories with some friends.

Music can create any mood that brings back some good memories. That’s one of the greatest glories of music or any form of art really, being able to put on a song and think back to a previous time in our lives.

So whenever we find ourselves listening to some tunes, we should take a look around and really take in what’s happening.

Having memories is important and having some sort of catalyst to bring up memories can be critical to simply remembering things.

Student athletes often face difficulty but life skills are their reward We don’t get good grades. We’re always on a strict diet. We’re full of ourselves. We’re obsessed with our statistics. We’re too competitive. We’re stupid.

These are the stereotypes associated with being a student athlete. The titles we are pinned with by those who don’t understand.

Those who don’t know our story.

The truth is, not all of us are struggling in school. A lot of us are actually pretty intelligent; being an athlete doesn’t define how smart we are and how well we perform in school.

We aren’t all on strict diets. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. We are constantly hungry because of the work we put on the field and in the weight room.

We do worry about what we eat because getting proteins while training is extremely important. If we don’t eat enough protein, training is basically useless. Not all of us are extremely strict about what we put in our bodies, but we do know that drinking a lot of soda and sugary snacks will not make us feel good when we’re performing.

Not all of us are full of ourselves or overly confident. We’re actually pretty hard on ourselves. Not only do we criticize ourselves, but our coaches, parents, teachers, peers and teammates do as well. We have a lot of eyes on us at all times, some watching for our failures and waiting for us to fall. The pressure put on students athletes is mentally and physically draining.

We don’t work out just to look huge. We work out so we can out-throw, out-run and out-compete our opponents. Looking good is simply a benefit.

We may slightly obsess over our statistics and film, but only because it can show us things we can’t see ourselves. If we’re making a mechanical error in how we throw the ball or swing the bat or move our feet, video will show us that. We obsess over the little things because that could be the difference between playing in college and not.

Being a student athlete is emotionally and physically exhausting, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything else. The benefits that come with it continue to reward us for the rest of our lives.

Student athletes learn at a very young age to take criticism and turn it into something great. Our coaches and peers are constantly telling us what we’re doing wrong and how to

That’s What She Said kayley allen opinion editor improve. We don’t get upset about it, instead we strive to turn our weaknesses into our strengths.

Being coachable, even when it doesn’t come to sports, is a very good skill to have. It can help us later in life in our careers and other things we pursue.

Failure is something all athletes are faced with at some point. We learn to take that failure and use it as motivation to get better. Once we learn to do that, we start applying it to other aspects in our lives as well.

Student athletes also learn how to work as a team. It’s cliche, but there really is no “I” in “team”. If one person makes a bad play, the rest of the team suffers.

Even if we don’t like the person, that doesn’t matter when we hit the field. All that matters is encouraging greatness and lifting each other up. Learning to work with the people we are dealt is a good quality that we can use in the future as well.

A lot of people look at student athletes and quickly make assumptions about what they see on the outside. An over confident, uneducated kid who has everything handed to them.

We want people to know that we didn’t do our homework not because we don’t care, but because we were simply too exhausted from the game or practice the night before.

We want people to know that we don’t have a job not because we are spoiled brats, but because our sport takes up the same amount of time that a job does.

We want people to know that yes we are tired and sore most of the time, but we wouldn’t give up our sport for anything else.

Memories are such an important thing to have while growing up, because without them or some sort of stimulus to bring back some memories, some precious times in anyone’s life can simply disappear.

According to surveys done by Behance, the average person listens to around 25 songs per day.

Music, being something that can really rile up your brain, releasing dopamine (the “feel good chemical”) whilst helping the listener feel better and soothed thanks to the tunes he or she is listening to.

Music’s soothing or therapeutic side doesn’t only revolve around listening, writing lyrics, playing guitar and even talking about music can be beneficial.

Especially for playing an instrument, that alone can improve memory, verbal fluency, organizing abilities and cognitive function of the brain.

So simply putting on some jams while on a road trip with some friends, lying around on a rainy day or just walking from class to class can actually help your brain relax while at the same time making memories alongside some of your favorite songs.

May 20, 2016

Take advantage of opportunities that are still available in high school So, in a couple of weeks, I’m going to be out of here, as will 500 some-odd seniors.

After this, we’ll all be going our separate ways, some of us going off to college, others pursuing different careers.

In the senior issue, I wrote a column explaining to my fellow classmates that real life isn’t as terrifying as you’d initially think, and that it’s important to make new memories instead of clinging on to your high school past.

And while that advice holds true for people getting ready to become adults, I hold sort of a different philosophy for the rest of you that are stuck here for another one to three years.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think it’s important to not have all of your treasured memories be exclusively from your teenage years. However, one of the most important you can be doing right now is enjoying the rest of your time at Lafayette.

I know, I know; this type of column is in every end of the year newspaper. But it’s there for a reason. Nobody lies when they write these editorials. If you’re going to be stuck here for a while, wouldn’t it be best to make the most of your time instead of doing nothing?

I’m going to be real here for a second (hence the name of my column). I only sort of followed this advice while I was here, and it was definitely a mistake.

While there were plenty of events during my high school career that I’ll remember fondly, there was also a lot of time that I wasted.

I didn’t go to as many football games as I should have. I didn’t go to as many dances as I should have. I didn’t make as many friend groups/networks that I should have.

But the friends and memories that I did make? Those aren’t going to be forgotten

anytime soon. And that’s a very important part of all of this. Not only will all of those things pass the time while you’re here, but they carry over long after you graduate. Pretty much every adult I know has at least one group of high school friends that they still talk to or meet up with frequently.

The other major piece of advice that I have for you all is to be involved in the school.

Again, you’ve probably heard this from the administrators a solid 3,000 times by now. But it’s some sound advice.

When you get involved in things around the school, not only can you potentially make way more friends, but you also better yourself as a person.

Here’s another mini session of Real Talk with Seth Boester. During the beginning of my freshman year, I didn’t really know anyone here. I went to Wildwood Middle School before this, so most of my friends ended up going to Eureka. So coming to Lafayette was a blank slate for me. I didn’t talk to a lot of people, and I sure as heck didn’t take part in any clubs or sports.

But during my sophomore year, I made the decision to join the Image, and that was one of the best choices I’ve made in my entire life.

The amount of friends I’ve made during my time on staff is huge. Being able to go around the school, talk to people I’ve never spoken to before and learn their incredible stories is something that I’ve loved doing for the past three years now.

And most of all, it made me feel like I was a part of something. I was making this difference in the community. I was telling stories that wouldn’t have been told otherwise.

I think it’s time for me to close this thing

Real Talk seth boester editor in chief out. My main goal writing this was to help underclassmen understand the importance of why you should care about your high school career. It’s not necessarily about the chemistry labs that you take part in or the math tests that you fail, but the life lessons that you learn and the important people you meet.

Please keep this advice in your brain especially you, juniors. You only have one year left. Make the most of it.

So with that, it’s been an honor letting you all read my dumb thoughts every single month on page three. It’s going to be more emotional for me to let this go than it will probably be for you to stop reading these anymore, but I hope that in our time together, I said at least something that will stick with you.

This is Seth Boester, dropping the mic for the final time.

Beach Boys album turns 50, remains summertime staple Pet Sounds, to put it simply, is an album I think everyone should sit down and listen to in whole at some part of their life.

It’s vast use of baroque instrumentation, harmonies and overall progressive musical attitude that Brian Wilson thought up left an impact on music as a whole.

Even on it’s initial release way back in 1966, it really shook the world and even members of the Beatles, really telling them to step their game up (which lead to the creation of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, but deciding which album is better is your choice.)

The album went on to be a major success and to this day is considered a classic among casual music listeners and critics alike.

The album is perfect for the summer weather that seems to be rolling in around now, so be sure to give it a listen sometime when the sun is shining.

Now before you completely put off even the idea of listening to Pet Sounds, you have to understand Pet Sounds isn’t the typical Surfin’ USA or Kokomo sounding Beach Boys album.

The songs all seem to have actual meaning to it beyond “I like that surfin’ girl because she’s so pretty.” It’s a big step into the private, personal, manic and genius mind of Brian Wilson.

The album was entirely written, produced and composed by Wilson (except for Sloop John B, which is a cover) and is considered by many a “solo” album of sorts, though obviously credited to The Beach Boys.

The lyrics on the album typically circle around love and heartache. These themes can be seen in some of the more popular songs on the album like “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” and “God Only Knows.”

On “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” the opener to the album, Wilson sings about two lovers that are denied of truly living out their lives together and showing their passion for each other because

of forces they can’t control.

This denied love continues on as the album progresses, especially on the opener for the second side of the album where the lyrics discuss the heartache of a lover leaving Wilson.

Wilson discusses how he knows if his lover left him the world would go on, but proclaims “the world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me,” pretty dark stuff.

The lyrics are a major component to the album and definitely add to the fact of why Pet Sounds is considered such a classic and a revolutionary album among many.

But beyond the dark and creative lyricism the album has hailing forward throughout its 36 minutes, Wilson’s instrumentation present in all the songs are extremely creative.

The album implements heavy uses of baroque instrumentation like harps, glockenspiels and an accordion as the main instruments in a few tracks.

But, alongside Wilson’s baroque instruments were some more unordinary instruments that span throughout the track list.

Some examples of these “weirder” instruments are an electro-theremin, bongos, dogs, trains, bicycle horns and even coca cola bottles.

Pet Sounds is Wilson’s magnum opus when it comes to instrumentation, but eventually went on to further lengths of weird sounds in music, even calling in Sir Paul McCartney to simply eat some celery in the background of an early working of the song Vega Tables off of the mess of an album “Smiley-Smile” Alongside the odd instrumentation were, in my opinion, some of the most creative uses of drumming in pop music history.

The drumming, written by Wilson and accredited to Hal Blaine, has an incredible and creative use of the toms and snare, especially on the songs “I’m Waiting for The Day” and “Here Today.”

The incredible drumming just pairs so well with the layers of instrumentation as the album goes on it’s simply stunning.

stars & gripes

Stars: - Congratulations, Seniors! You’re finally done with high school. How great does it feel to -- wait, what’s that? They’ve left already? Well in that case, to all underclassmen, have fun being stuck with whole wheat everything in the lunch line and sub-zero temperature classrooms, suckers!

Classic Summer Review: Pet Sounds jack deubner • reporter

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page three • opinions

- After a five year gap from their last project, art rock band Radiohead released their ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool. Our personal favorite track is the one where Thom Yorke just kind of whisper sings into the microphone for like 6 minutes...or was that all of them?

- The newly opened Andy’s Frozen Custard in Ballwin has proven to be a big hit in the area. In other news, Manchester Road has shut down due to a 68 car drive-thru line that has backed up into the street.

- A recent report from Vox magazine claims world hunger is at its lowest rate in 25 years, mainly due to Ethiopia’s recent political stability. This may also be due in part to Golden Corral’s efforts to open a new restaurant on every block in the Nairobi metropolitan area.

- St. Louis was recently ranked the 5th best city for startup businesses, so the newest dog dentist app will be located right in the heart of our beautiful city!

- Azealia Banks recently sent out some hateful tweets towards Zayn Malik, then proceeded to get absolutely slam dunked on by Skai Jackson, a 14 year old Disney Channel actor, we’re sure Walt would be proud.

- Steph Curry once again proved his god-like skills in basketball by being the first person in NBA history to receive the MVP award with unanimous votes.

Kobe who?

Gripes: - In slightly late, yet still important news, musician Prince Rogers Nelson passed away in his Minnesota recording studio last month. I guess now we finally know what it sounds like when doves cry...

- The Cardinals have been in sort of a slump, going 4-6 in their last 10 games at the time of writing this. Great, now we’re going to have to start paying a full dollar for our slushies at On The Run! #FirstWorldBaseballProblems - After an embarrassing defeat in the Republican primary in Indiana, senator Ted Cruz has suspended his presidential campaign, leaving Donald Trump as the sole realistic GOP candidate. Donald Trump now has enough delegates to build a great, great wall around everyone opposing him in his party.

Now there is a very big chance that this album totally won’t be up your alley, and that’s totally fine, maybe you’re a huge hip-hop fan and high pitched singing guys just isn’t for you. But, if you’re a songwriter or play an instrument, I highly suggest you sit down with Pet Sounds sometime.

The album overall is a huge landmark in pop music, and just music as a whole and you should definitely take some notes on it if you’re a musician.

On the 16 of May it was the 50th anniversary of the initial release of the album, and the fact that this album still reigns critical in musical history is truly amazing.

If you’re already a super fan of Pet Sounds, or are really interested in the album, Brian Wilson is currently touring and playing Pet Sounds in whole and is coming to the St. Charles Family Arena on July 21 here in town.

If you’re in town that day definitely grab your parents or some friends and check out that show if you’re available and willing to do so.

- Jackson, MS mayor Tony Yarber is receiving controversy over a tweet he sent out in response to the city’s infrastructure, claiming “I believe we can pray potholes away.” Believe us, Mr. Mayor. If you could pray things away that easily, there would be nobody running for the Republican presidential nomination.

- The new LHS greenhouse is nearly complete. Now the school will finally learn about Principal John Shaughnessy’s unhealthy obsession with petunias.

- The South Korean government recently “declared war” on all video games, saying that “only losers play video games.” Somebody had to say it.

- You’d think there would be a gripe about the Kardashians here. There isn’t. Even we won’t stoop that low to talk about their latest drama.

page four • news image Lack of contractors delays renovations elly levy • reporter One of the final projects to be completed after the successful bond issue in April 2015 is the renovation of the Science Hallway and the addition of science labs in the upper sector of the building.

Though scheduled for this summer. Those plans have changed.

The new construction will create 13 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Labs to take place of the current classrooms.

Science Department Chair Jeff Marx said considering Lafayette has the oldest science facilities in Rockwood and definitely needs the updates.

“The rooms should be larger and there should be plenty of space for lab work,” Marx said.

Since STEM labs are quite large, two of the new labs will be replace four current classrooms outside of the science hallway.

Two classrooms from the World Language Hallway will be turned into one STEM lab, and two classrooms from the Math hallway will be turned into another STEM lab.

However, recent setbacks with the construction have forced the Rockwood to delay the construction until next year, rather than completing the work this summer.

“There were really two main reasons as to why the district chose to delay the construction a year from now,” said Principal John Shaughnessy, “Number one is that the number of bids that contractors put in for that job were not enough that the district felt comfortable with at this time, moving forward.”

The reason that only a few contractors bid for the project is because right now there are a number of school districts around the St. Louis area who have recently passed bond issues and are doing construction in their districts.

This has caused the pool of potential contractors to become much thinner since many are already committed to other projects around the area.

There are only a fixed number of contractors who are permitted to perform construction to the extent needed for this project in the area.

This leads to the second major reason, which is that the district has a concern with the shortage of subcontractors to work on the project.

As a result, the district felt that it was in the best interest of the school to hold off.

Likewise, this will ensure Lafayette gets quality contractors at a good price and with full support moving forward. This means construction will be postponed until next year.

In the matter of when the construction will pick up again, Shaughnessy explained, “I know that in the fall of this upcoming school year, [the district] is going to re-submit bids for these projects with the anticipation that it would begin sometime in mid-spring.”

Therefore, construction would be started in time for the renovations to be done by the start of the 20172018 school year.

That change in plans has created some frustration for teachers as well.

When the original announcement of construction was made, science teachers were instructed to pack up everything in their classrooms by the end of the year.

A special storage area was created on the Upper Shelf to hold all of the equipment and books.

However, with the delay, the teachers were forced to put everything back.

Science teacher Cristina Marasigan explained the annoyance among teachers.

“We spent a lot of time organizing

Friday, May 20:

5th Hour Final (8:16-10:16) (Shortened Classes for Rest of Day)

Monday, May 23: 1st Hour Final (8:16-10:16) • 2nd Hour Final (10:26-12:26) Drawers and cabinets still remain empty in most of the science rooms and labs after teachers had to pack up items and store them on the Shelf in preparation for the construction. Now, they will have to move everything back for the new school year. (photo by Elly Levy)

all of our things so that, in the future when we’re unpacking, it would be easier to put everything in its place. It is kind of annoying, but you just have to do what you have to do.”

As for the storage unit that was temporarily installed on the shelf containing all the materials for the science labs, Shaughnessy said considering the circumstances, they will just leave it installed until the construction resumes next May. Though it may take up some space, it would be more convenient to leave the unit where it is for another year rather than to move it away and put it back when it is needed again.

Shaughnessy said, “The project is scheduled to be done in an eight week time span, and with the lack of contractors putting bids in and the lack of some subcontractors being available in such a short amount of time really put the district in a difficult position. So, the district said we’ll wait a year, and try to rectify some of the situation in the meantime.”

This project will improve efficiency and daily work schedule for both teachers and students.

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Final Exam Schedule

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May 20, 2016

Tuesday, May 24: 3rd Hour Final (8:16-10:16) • 4th Hour Final (10:26-12:26)

Wednesday, May 25: 6th Hour Final (8:16-10:16) • 7th Hour Final (10:26-12:26)

2016-2017 Start of School

Friday, Aug. 8 - Registration & Yearbook Pick-up Renaissance Students: 8-11 a.m.

All Other Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors noon-3 p.m. *Watch for an important packet in the mail this summer!

Tuesday, Aug. 16 - First Day of Classes

Class of 2017 Senior Portraits *Seniors have several opportunities to have photos taken at LHS by Inter-State Studios. They are the OFFICIAL photographer and photos MUST be taken by them for the yearbook photo and school id. There is no sitting fee and you may bring props and/or a few easily changed into outfits ( i.e. add a sweater or tie etc.)

June 6: 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m.

July 19: 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Aug. 15: 3-7 p.m.

Retakes: Sept. 26 starting at 8:30 a.m.

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May 20, 2016

page f ive • news

Three announce retirement

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LHS staff members share memories, plans after final day of school jessica cargill • reporter Richard Esswein has been a Latin teacher at Lafayette for many years.

Although retirement is generally a way to finally have a big break, Esswein believes he will always be on the move even though his teaching career has come to an end.

“I probably will never be fully retired, I think I’m healthy enough to keep going,” Esswein said.

Esswein is confident that he will continue his working career and in some other type of position Richard Esswein inteaching the future.

“I expect to be in some kind of position to keep teaching but it became the time to move on from here, at some point I was going to have to do it and again, it’s nothing against the place at all, I will have very positive memories of the school and especially the kids I taught,” Esswein said.

He said he will always have a soft spot for the kids he has taught. Having the same students each year can really impact teachers and he expects to possibly see some of his previous students after retirement and thinks it is the student’s decision on whether to stay in contact with him after retirement.

“You know, I’ll let that be up to the students as to whether or not they would want to stay in touch,” Esswein said.

After teaching several years, Esswein has gained some memories involving the students that have impacted him through his years of teaching.

“First of all, I’ve been very impressed with the student body here overall. I remember my first year travelling between two different schools and I had a laptop in one arm and all of the books I needed in both places in the other arm and I remember several times as I was coming to the door, one of the students had seen me coming, they didn’t know me or anything but they would open the door for me and that level of thoughtfulness. I found very impressive,” Esswein said.

He enjoys the idea of students wanting to help teachers or any adult even if the students have no clue who the person is.

Esswein says he will miss that factor of being a teacher and the thoughtfulness of his students through the years.

Prescription misuse

Scott Brandon has been teaching history at Lafayette for 30 years and has been coaching the cross country and track teams for most of those years. Even though Brandon loves his job, he is looking forward to getting out of the house and being able to do things he hasn’t gotten to do in his free time.

“What I’m most looking forward to is spending time with my wife and being able to go out and cycle and hike and run and a whole bunch Scott Brandon of things I haven’t been able to do,” Brandon said.

Retirement can also lead people to do extravagant things which gives people a chance to explore the outside world for a longer period of time.

As for Brandon, he is taking full advantage of that opportunity.

“We’ve [he and his wife] got a trip planned out to Colorado and there will probably be some trips to Europe in there, but we’ll figure that out as we go,” Brandon said.

He said teaching has given him an opportunity to relate to kids and have a strong connection with his students. Brandon has been coaching the Lafayette cross country and track team for a number of years, sharing amazing experiences with each of the students.

He said he has many great memories from teaching and coaching, but one thing epecially sticks out.

“The biggest memory that sticks out is last fall when we won the State Championship in cross country that was a really special moment, especially at the very end of the meet when the girls team and the boys team were all standing up on the stage and we closed down the state course so there was nobody left except for Lafayette supporters. That was a really special moment,” Brandon said.

This goes to show how important memories can be to people who really appreciate what they do for their job or even enjoy doing in their life.

Brandon will miss having that connection with his students; inside as well as outside of school.

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Is your name on this bottle?

Only take medication as prescribed to you.

Attention Seniors-Juniors ACT/SAT Tutoring

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

Shallee Lessmeier has been doing tech support and taking care of all the technology at Lafayette for the past 10 years.

After doing what she loves for so long, Lessmeier is looking forward to doing her own thing and hoping to teach more classes of what she loves doing outside of school.

“I hope to teach more classes of yoga and Tai Chi I also do gourd art and hope to spend a lot of time Shallee Lessmeier making fabulous pieces.”

She is looking forward to traveling with her husband and going to her daughter’s wedding this summer.

“My youngest daughter is getting married July second, so I will be busy with that but hope to take a few weeks to get away and spend at my mom’s lake house. My husband travels most weeks so I hope to be able to go with him on a few trips south,” Lessmeier said.

After working at Lafayette for so long, she said, “I will miss the people. LHS staff are so easy to get along with and patient with me!”

Retirement not only comes with saying goodbye, but also having to carry those memories with a person as they continue through their next stage of life. One specific memory stands out to Lessmeier as she remembers some of her past experiences.

“I remember walking into Nancy Smith’s classroom on coffee Friday and everyone started clapping for me. I was so stunned that I asked Nancy whatever I needed to ask her and walked out without even asking what I was being applauded for, but even though I still don’t know what it was all about, it not only made my day but made my week!” Lessmeier said.

Smith said, “We clapped because when she came to LHS she instantly transformed us on the tech support side. SHe is an unbelievabe asset tot he school. I don’t know how she makes everything run so smoothly.”

After having that experience, Lessmeier has been more than happy as being part of the staff at Lafayette.

She is hoping to make other great memories like this experience in the future.

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pages six and seven • cover story

e r e h T 1 n e Be t a h T e n o D

Steps For An Easier

Trying Out for Sports “I am very nervous for tryouts,” Lillie

Franzen said.

Transition

uts,” Rachael Bierschenk

“I’m mostly nervous for track tryo said.

“I guess making it on to teams and Spriggs said.

trying out for sports,” Zoë

Moving up to another grade presents challenges

rts,” Justin Roberts said.

“Yea, I am mostly nervous for spo

Advice “Even if you don’t think you’ll make the team, you should definitely try out because it is worth it. Even if you don’t get into the sport you want to do, there are always more opportunities, and you just have to keep working harder. Just be positive about everything like sports and studies,” Pranav Vasishta said.

Class of 2020 get advice from high school students It is a fact that coming to high school from middle school is a big change. It means bigger hallways, more kids and classes that can impact the rest of a student’s life. Some 8th graders get excited for all of these things and are waiting for their freshman year of high school. Others get nervous and wish they could stay in 8th grade forever.

Some of the most common fears that 8th graders have going into high school are things such as homework, sports tryouts and getting around the from le older kids in the hallways. ft Justin to right: Roberts , Max T However, the incoming freshman have nothing to ownse nd, Par ker Oc kerhau worry about, according to high schools students. sen, Ge off Lad ue, Eth an Kar Being in high school for a year now, the Class of r 2019 are pros at navigating the hallways. Therefore, they are giving these incoming “freshies” from Rockwood Valley Middle School a piece of advice.

May 20, 2016

2

A Bigger School “The lunch shifts. I ha ve heard that it is crazy, ” Kate Billings said.

“I’m afraid of getting aro und. I feel like I am go ing to go to the wrong class,” Emily Pa nasche said.

“I am scared of gettin g lost when I get there, ” Julie Thomson said.

Advice

men Upperclass

“You can ju s teachers a t ask a teacher or an re usually upperclass go freshman don’t really od at helping beca man. They use know their said. way aroun they know that d,” Dayton Feltz

I think it e. They are scary. e older kids ther th t jus y . bl id ba sa ro n “P ze ight,” Maggie Fran might be their he he e,” Emily Panasc nt of people ther ou am e th r fo ed “I’m scar said.

3

1. Ask for help: It’s okay to not know everything.

Ask an older student or a teacher for help, whether it’s about school or other issues.

2. Don’t be afraid of failure: Always try your best in everything you do. If you make mistakes and there’s an occasional low grade don’t beat yourself up over it.

3. Explore: Don’t be afraid to try out new things or do something that you haven’t done before, just try it out.

4. Don’t spread yourself too thin: Don’t take a whole schedule full of AP classes your first year, give yourself time to transition.

5. Listen: When someone gives you advice about what to do in high school, take it. They more than likely know what they are talking about.

Pranav Vasish

ta, 9

Advice

e stories ally nice. All thos en are actually re They sm e. tru las t rc no pe lly up ta he to “T ing mean are be ework em m th t ho e ou Th ab . you hear and welcoming e nic y all it re d an en ery night, have always be get homework ev to it and it isn’t do u Yo . nt re ffe t used load is di at first, but you ge gets overwhelming . id sa ie Day that much,” Jack

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Dayton F

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Freshm

sses being harder,” Ste lla “I am nerv ous for the amount of Bierschen k said. homework ,” Rachael “Joining th e I am from black community clu the city, bu t I’m not n b, I want to do that said. b ervous for it,” Kayonn ecause a Young

Jackie Day,

9

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“Be cool, m a anything e ke friends. You don ’t really ha lse,” Marc os Alvarez ve to worr y about said.

Chang from left to right: , Emily Panasche, Stella iggs, Katherine Bilings Kayonna Young, Zoe Spr

from left to right: Julie Thompson, Orquieda Campbell

kira downing • reporter erin coogan • reporter

lvarez, 9

Marcos A

image

page eight • lifestyle

May 20, 2016

Immigrant parents work to maintain cultural values, customs in American-born children shwetha sundarrajan • reporter

Culture clash. A nightmare for both sides, parents and children.

Imagine this: the latest fashion trend is mini skirts, and the teen is begging her parents to let her wear the outfit. The parents adamantly say no, urging the young teen to wear a skirt that reaches past her knees.

The typical dilemma in an immigrant household is that parents generally have a conservative paradigm associated with their culture, and the children have a wider view of today’s society and are more Americanized.

It’s evident immigrant parents sacrifice a lot to come to a better country to start a new life for themselves and their children.

But, that can lead to come differences of opinion.

Gus Aydi, parent of sophomore Sarah Aydi, is an immigrant from Syria. He talks about the hardships of starting a new life in a new country.

“I left Syria back in the time where there wasn’t many opportunities to become successful. It was in a Communist regime, and it was a hard life and everyone was struggling.

I was searching for something better to do,” Gus said.

Gus works hard to teach his daughters the fundamentals of the Islamic religion.

“I want my children to know about Islam, to learn the basics of Islam, how to respect their parents, how to be close to their siblings, to be close to their relatives, respect life and the people around them,” Gus said.

Sarah said she enjoys the tight knit family relationship that her dad’s family has.

“Well, the Arab culture is completely different from American culture. My dad’s side

of the family is very family oriented. We’re always having family dinners, maybe once or twice a month. And Arabs are known to party hard, so it’s really fun to spend time with family.

I like it,” Sarah said.

Being raised with traditional values in an American society impacts students differently.

Sophomore Shruti Natarajan believes that if you treat people equally with respect, then you’ll receive that same respect.

“Being different didn’t really affect me.

People didn’t treat me differently because I was different, I didn’t treat them differently. It didn’t really have that much of an effect,” Natarajan said.

Diversity shouldn’t affect how students view themselves, especially young students, because they don’t see differences in color.

Natarajan talks about how her first friends were of different races.

“My friends were diverse. My first best friend was African American, so it didn’t make a difference in how I viewed myself,” Natarajan said.

As one from a different culture, living in a country where diversity is appreciated can influence ones outlook on themselves.

For sophomore Uche Ijei, being from Nigeria gives her a sense of identity.

“I’m proud to be from Nigeria, I think it shows where I came from, who I am and it shows me how I fit in a huge scale of everything else,” Ijei said.

Ijei connects with her religion and uses her culture and background to motivate herself everyday.

“I try to represent my culture through morals, you get up and you know that you’re not put on this world to play around, you have a mission,” Ijei said.

Left to Right: Laila Aydi, Desiree Aydi, Gus Aydi, Sarah Aydi take a family photo in Cabo, Mexico (Photo courtesy of Sarah Aydi) It can be difficult to connect to a culture students were not raised in, yet these parents make it a priority to develop understanding.

Although she doesn’t know her native language, Ijei’s parents make sure she and her siblings know their heritage.

“My parents made sure that we knew where we came from, our family, grandfathers and grandmothers. They taught us that at a young age,” Ijei said.

On the other hand, Sarah wishes she could speak Lebanese so she can talk with her grandmother.

“I wish I spoke it. I can speak it a little.

Growing up, my dad didn’t speak [Lebanese] to

me much. I wish I knew Lebanese to speak with my grandma,” Sarah said.

Immigrant parents try to teach their children the values that were important to them whilst growing up.

For many parents, ideals such as respecting elders and achieving good grades. Sarah claims that both of her parents are strict.

“My grandma came from Mexico, but my grandpa and my mom both came from Dallas.

My mom’s parents were very strict and so were my dad’s parents which made both of my parents strict. They raised me with values and morals, which taught me to dress appropriately and be who I am.”

May 20, 2016

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page nine • lifestyles

‘I’m just used to having pain’

Junior battles headaches that have no clear cause or cure suzy blalock • webmaster Some of us struggle with headaches. They can last several hours, even up to days. But, usually with the pop of an Excedrin, it’s gone.

That’s not the case with junior Hannah Eckhard.

“In February of 2015, I got a headache, and it didn’t go away. I’ve had a headache ever since then, 24/7.”

Eckhard went to the doctor when she noticed it wasn’t going away. It’s what it sounds like, a constant pain in the head. The intensity increases and decreases randomly. Some additional symptoms come when it gets too intense, like puking, dizziness and passing out.

What is also challenging is doctors do not know when the headaches will end. Some have given ranges from six months to two years. It’s been almost a year and a half since they began.

The neurologist believes the condition showed itself earlier, however.

“In November of 2014, I was out of school for 2 weeks. I had symptoms of mono but it didn’t test positive. My physician thought I just had a random virus. My neurologist thinks that was the starting of it, then it went away, and then it came back up in February,” Eckhard said.

Though there is no known cause for the headaches, several things make them worse.

“Some scents do, MSG and sodium nitrates, lots of caffeine and really bright lights are some triggers. At school, some classroom lights are worse than others. With food, I have to read ingredients on everything I eat,” Eckhard said.

Eckhard has tried several treatments since its began to find a cause, like biofeedback, an EKG, MRIs and seeing an allergist. Over the past year and a half, she’s seen eight doctors.

She’s also tried many medicines to stop the headaches.

“The medicine I’m on now works better that the past medications, but it doesn’t make it go away. I’ll take Ibuprofen whenever it gets really bad, which helps some but doesn’t make it go away,” Eckhard said.

Since there’s prognosis, there’s no point in Eckhard going to the doctor frequently.

Therefore, she goes every two months to her neurologist and usually once a week to a chiropractor.

“I hate going to the doctor now because I go so often, and I just tell him all the same things,” Eckhard explained.

The pain level in her head determines when she goes to school. Whenever it’s at three or so, she’ll go to school.

But when it’s a six or higher, she stays home. The worst times of eight or nines were when she went to the emergency room and got an IV in February or March of 2015. The pain

level fluctuates throughout the day.

“Sometimes when it’s at a one or a two, I’ll forget about it because I’m just used to having pain,” Eckhard said.

Currently, Eckhard makes it to school usually three days a week. It varies a lot, so some weeks it could be two or less.

However, this is significant process since she used to miss whole weeks at a time.

Her time getting to school also depends on her headaches, but she usually makes it about 9:30 a.m. She has Child Development 2nd Hour, which she sometimes makes, but it’s hard to get up in the morning with the headaches.

After that, she’ll go to Associate Principal Karen Calcaterra’s office to work on online school. She takes Human Anatomy and Personal Finance online currently and just finished U.S. Government.

She likes online school because she can work on one subject all day and get things done at her own pace.

Eckhard also goes to math class and language arts in school. Sometimes she can’t make it through the day when the pain gets so bad. When she can’t make it, a home bound tutor will help her in those subjects.

“The hall monitors know me at the front desk,” she joked. “But really the school’s been great. They’ve been so supportive.”

Due to her extreme number of absences, Eckhard had to drop her AP classes, though she’s still trying to finish AP English Literature from last semester.

“It’s hard to read. She’s giving me short stories though, which is better. It’s the hardest class to sit down, answer the questions, and focus for a long period of time.”

All of the absences has taken a toll on her mentally.

“I have gotten anxiety from it, just from always being behind in school. Most kids want to stay home from school, but I’m excited to go,” Eckhard said.

Even with all of these absences, she is still on track to graduate in 2017. This is mostly due to her perseverance.

Last summer, she worked through June and July until she finished her sophomore classes, which left her with a two week break before school started back up again.

She plans to work through the summer this year but hopes to get done quicker.

These headaches have also made her have to quit or cut back on some sports.

“I can’t play lacrosse anymore because when I run, it makes the headache worse. I played tennis, but I only played one match and only made it out to some practices,” she said.

Jessie Smith, junior, is Eckhard’s close friend and tennis partner. They reconnected in 2015 because of tennis, though they’ve known

each other since pre-school.

“She was my big outlet, and she would tell me everything. We’d be playing tennis and probably wouldn’t even be focusing because we’d be talking about everything else,” Smith said. “So we started talking about our troubles and started talking about her head and everything. I’m hoping and praying she can get out there next year to play together because we could’ve been really good together.”

Even after tennis, Smith has been a big supporter of Eckhard through her hard times, as have many of Eckhard’s friends and family.

“It’s hard to see how much pain she is in. I know she’s tries and she’s really strong about it, but I know it can be so draining,” Smith said. “Ultimately, I just want her to feel okay because I couldn’t even imagine. if I have little pains I’m like, ‘Jessie, think about Hannah. She has pain all the time’.”

Even with an unsure future for the headaches, Eckhard doesn’t plan on giving up.

“I have goals for myself later in life, and I keep my eye on that. I know I’ve gotten much stronger since the beginning. I used to just have breakdowns all the time, and now I might have one every two months just because it’s so overwhelming. It all comes down at you at once, you know? And then I’m fine,” Eckhard said.

Hannah Eckhard, junior, is smiling even though she has spent the last year and a half with a constant headache. Though the first couple months were filled with excrutiating headaches, Eckhard is slowly getting better with less frequent headaches, hanging out with friends more and being able to come to school more than the usual once a week. “I feel like my family and friends are what have helped me stay motivated and keep fighting these headaches. Especially my family, they have been there through it all,” Eckhard said. (photos by Nick Horstmann)

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page ten • sports

The Final Countdown

May 20, 2016

Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid face off in UEFA Champions League final rematch arpan das • sports reporter A total of 32 teams started their year in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League (UCL) with different expectations. Some teams were powerhouses fighting to win it all, while some were just happy to be a part of the prestigious championship.

Now, all of the fighting comes to fruition for two teams from Madrid: Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid. This isn’t the first time the two teams have met in the finals, as they were both in the same position just two years ago.

In the 2013-2014 UCL final, Real Madrid won the game 4-1 after extra time.

However, since then a few things have changed in the last two years. Both teams have had several players leave.

Atlético Madrid has lost two of their best players, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and striker Diego Costa, to English team Chelsea.

Real Madrid has lost longtime goalkeeper Iker Casillas to Portuguese club F.C. Porto and Angel Di Maria to French powerhouse ParisSaint Germain.

Both teams have also added several new players that have since grown to become integral parts of each team. Diego Simeone, Atlético’s manager, has since rebuilt the team to cope with the losses.

To replace Costa they have since bought their current striker, goal scorer, 25 year old Antoine Griezmann, who has seven goals in the UCL thus far and 31 goals (and counting) in all competitions for the team, and their new rotation of goalkeepers Diego Moya and Jan Oblak.

Real Madrid has added midfielder and 2014 World Cup star James Rodriguez and have had a manager change, replacing Carlos Ancelotti with Rafael Benitez. Benitez was then fired

after a disappointing season midway through the season and was replaced with former Real Madrid player Zinedine Zidane.

Atlético Madrid is lead by centre back Diego Godin, midfielder and captain Gabi and striker Griezmann.

Real Madrid is lead by center back and captain Sergio Ramos and attackers Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo have combined for 96 goals in all competitions.

In their group, had to face Benfica, a strong Portuguese team, Galatasaray, a Turkish team, and Astana, a team from Kazakhstan. They only lost points from a loss to Benfica and a draw against Astana. Had an intense two-leg matchup against PSV, a matchup in which no regulation time goals.

The matchup went into extra time, and eventually penalties, where Atlético won 8-7.

They then had a tough test against fellow Spanish team and defending champion Barcelona. They lost their first game 2-1 at the feet of Luis Suarez, who scored both of Barcelona’s goals, but won their second leg 2-0 thanks to two goals from Antoine Griezmann.

Against Bayern Munich, they won the first leg 1-0 and lost the second game 2-1, but still was able to get the crucial away goal to get to the finals. It was Griezmann that scored the ultimately deciding goal against Bayern.

In a group with French powerhouse PSG, Ukrainian team Shakhtar and Swedish team Malmo, Real Madrid only lost points in a draw to PSG. They defeated Roma handily, with a 2-0 win in both legs of the round of 16.

However, Real had their backs against the wall against Wolfsburg. They were down 2-0 in the first leg, but came back to win the second leg 3-0 thanks to a Ronaldo hat trick,

UEFA Champions League ball and trophy sit in a museum. This is the trophy that is annually presented to the Champions League winners by UEFA. (Photo from bigstockphoto.com) and passed through to the semi-finals with a 3-2 aggregate victory. Real won their semi-final match 1-0 on aggregate, defeating Machester City to get to the finals.

Atlético Madrid’s key player, Griezmann, is the team’s leading scorer by far and has the fifth most goals on the UCL. Griezmann’s high goal total is a result of his excellent finishing and long shots. Despite Griezmann being a striker, he is a decent defensive presence as well, which can fluster opponents.

Real Madrid’s key player is Ronaldo. He has the most team goals and assists. He is also the leading scorer in the league with 16 goals.

Ronaldo is an athletic force to be reckoned

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with. His athletic prowess combined with his excellent long shots and skilled dribbling, makes for one of the best players in the world.

The key match ups in the rematch from two years ago remain the same: Atlético’s defense must focus on stopping the combination of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo.

For Real, the team must play as a unit and not let their defense collapse. In addition, Real’s attacking combination, while very good individually, must not let the strong Atlético defense get in the way of their coordination.

Can Atlético can defeat their cross-town rivals or can Real can repeat the success of two years ago and capture their eleventh UCL title?

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page eleven • ads

ENROLL NOW FOR SUMMER & FALL CLASSES

Visit stlcc.edu/somuchmore or call 636-422-2000

Wildwood

Name:

May Lit Link

Complet e t he crossword below 1

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

WORD BANK Elucidate Immutable Ephemeral Garrulous Facilitate Hackneyed Eulogy

Fortuitous Expedient Guile Equanimity Exacerbate Gullible Equivocate

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Flagrant Imminent Extol Formidable Gratuitous Homogeneous

3

7

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10 11

12

13 14

Across: 4. (of something considered wrong or immoral) conspicuously or obviously offensive 5. happening by accident or chance rather than design 6. make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse 9. unchanging over time or unable to be changed

11. uncalled for; lacking good reason; unwarranted 12. sly or cunning intelligence 14. of the same kind; alike 16. about to happen 17. make (something) clear; explain 18. easily persuaded to believe something; credulous 20. use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself

Down: 1. (of a phrase or idea) lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite 2. make (an action or process) easy or easier 3. excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters 7. lasting for a very short time 8. mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation

10. a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died 13. inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable 15. (of an action) convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral 19. praise enthusiastically

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Created with TheTeac hers Co rner.net Cro s s wo rd Maker

the feed suzy blalock • webmaster

brinlee fraizer • reporter

DIY Summer Treats Healthy Froyo Bites Why go spend money on a cup of frozen yogurt when you can make froyo bites?

For some sweet strawberry bites:

• Blend together 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt and 1 cup of fresh strawberries, chopped.

• When smooth, pour into ice cube molds and freeze until solid.

For blueberry, follow directions above, replacing the cup of strawberries with 1 cup of fresh blueberries.

Strawberry-Watermelon Popsicles This simple and sweet recipe is perfect for a hot summer day!

• 2 cups of cubed, fresh watermelon • 1 cup of chopped strawberries (frozen or fresh) • 1 tsp of lime juice • Put the strawberries, watermelon cubes and lime juice into a blender.

• Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

• Pour into popsicle molds.

• Let freeze for 6-8 hours.

Earthy Alternatives There’s nothing like tie-dying clothes in the summer with your friends. It’s a summer staple.

Unfortunately, the dye in the kits are composed of harsh chemicals that can be harmful to the environment and possibly your skin.

Luckily, the Earth is full of plants that provide bright, natural colors. Use these plant-based alternatives to dye your clothes this summer!

• Turmeric — soft orange • Coffee grounds — brown • Berry juices — purples • Canned spinach or matcha powder — green • Beets — red • Saffron — bright orange/ yellow

May 20, 2016 • page twelve

Saving in STL Free summer events offer variety of fun June 3-26: Shakespeare in the Park The play being shown, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is a work most students have either been required to read or will read. So here’s a chance to get a head start on next semester or reflect on what you’ve accomplished. It’s in Forest Park every night (except on Tuesdays) at 8 p.m.

June 24-26: Pridefest Since 1981, this festival has celebrated the LGBT community and issues and commemorated the Stonewall Riots.

Performances will feature national and local acts on two stages. It takes place at Soldier’s Memorial downtown.

June 4 and 5: Strawberry Festival What better way to celebrate the fruit of the summer than to go to a festival celebrating it? The quaint town of Kimmswick, located in Jefferson County, will be decked in strawberry gear from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

July 2-4: Fair St. Louis This classic festival has expanded from a celebration for Independence Day to a weekendlong music event on Art Hill. Performers range from Lee Brice to Flo Rida. Plus, every day ends with a fireworks spectacle!

July 8, 15, 21 and 28: Art Hill Film Series Get on your American spirit with these classic USA-themed movies. July 8 kicks off the festival with Top Gun, followed by Rocky on July 15.

E.T. will be shown on July 21, and Forrest Gump ends the series on July 28.

Free admission, but bring your own snacks and picnic blankets for excellent viewing!

Sandal Showdown

Which summer staple offers the best options for you? Students share opinions.

Chacos

“Chacos are the perfect shoe for everything outdoors. I wear them almost everyday because I’m camping or backpacking. Plus they’re comfy.”

Ryan Kelly • 11

Sanuks

“Between my Sanuks and Chacos, I’d go with my Sanuks since I always get compliments and they go better with nicer outfits.”

Casey Carpenter • 11

Birkenstocks

“My Birkenstocks are like cloud shoes that I always forget to take off because they’re so comfortable and awesome. You can wear them with everything, even socks.”

Amber Spriggs • 11