Liberty Ledger - Issue 4 - May 2, 2018

Vol 5 Issue 4

Liberty Ledger MAY 2, 2018

the Futuere of

of Learning When one rises, so does the other.

Occupational outlook trends have always shaped how education will be received by the students of tomorrow, but has the future of careers taken over the future of education?

Content

4 News

Celebrating Young Talent A glimpse into LHS winners at the second annual district film festival.

LIBERTY LEDGER Volume 5 Issue 4

Editors-in-Chief Olivia Holler* Chasteanne Salvosa*

6 News

The Insight into Vaping Peer pressure creates a big influence on students driving them towards vaping.

8 In-Depth

Future of Careers How the future of careers impact the future of education for students.

10 Seniors

2018 Seniors Celebrate all the moments shared with seniors this year at Liberty.

17 Features

Prom A night of fun and creating memories with friends.

18 Feature

Not So Bummer Summer A great insight on how to make the most out of your time this summer.

20

Features

A Mention They Will Never Forget Students from Liberty are honored for C-SPAN documentary contest.

22 Opinion

Me Too Reporter Melana Quarles gives her take on sexual assault problems facing society today.

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Content l lhstoday.org design by: k. harper

Online Editor Sarah Martin* Reporters Alyssa Bailey, Maddie Baker, McKenzie Bartels, Emma Bobbitt, Max Fensterman, KaMera Harper, Jessica Gibson, Alisha Grant, Emma Hankins, Gwendolyn Major, Gibson Mitchell, Melana Quarles *Each editor also serves as a reporter

Intentions

The Liberty Ledger is a publication that releases 4 issues (one per quarter) throughout the year, distributing 1,000 free copies to the student body, faculty and administration of Liberty High School as well as the surrounding Wentzville and Lake St. Louis communities.

24 Opinion

Diversity Diversity is something that we all need to have in our community.

26 Sports

Dance Team Competes at Nationals in Florida The Liberty Belles earned their first trophy in jazz.

28 Entertainment Horoscopes Dive into the realms of horoscopes. Fact or wack?

LHS Today: Twitter: LHSToday.org @LHSJourn

The Ledger magazine is a part of the district’s curriculum and is designed to provide a practical journalistic experience for written expression on a variety of topics. It is a student-led publication class that reports on stories relatable to the school community. Students write, take photos and design the publication and the adviser will supervise the student journalists.

The opinions expressed in this magazine may not be those of Liberty, nor the Wentzville R-IV School District, faculty, staff or administration.

The main editorial, when included, expresses the opinion of the Liberty editorial staff.

Reacting

Letters to all editors can be submitted in room 239, emailed or mailed to Liberty. All letters must be signed. Limit letters you wish to be published to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space requirements and libelous material to the discretion of the editors. If you have a news story idea or comment, please contact us in room 239.

Credentials

The Liberty Ledger is a member of the Sponsors of Student Publications of Greater St. Louis.

Advertising

To further facilitate the space available for student writing, advertising will not be offered in the Liberty Ledger.

Upcoming Events MAY

8: Choir Concert 9: Nurse’s Appreciation Day 11: Band Concert 11,14,15: Seniors Finals 15: Seniors Last Day 16: Honors Night at 7 p.m.

18: EOC BBQ & Kona Ice FREE at all lunches 23: Final (2nd Hour) 24 & 25: Early Release Finals 29: Teacher 1/2 Day Checkout 30: Graduation practice at 1-3 pm.

JUNE

3: Graduation at St. Charles Family Arena at 10 a.m.

FINAL EXAMS

Senior Final Exam Schedule 5/11: 4th, 6th and 2nd hour Finals 5/14: 8th, 5th and 7th hour Finals 5/15: 1st, 2nd and 4th hour Finals Final Exam Schedule 5/23: 2nd hour Final 5/24: 1st, 4th and 5th hour Finals 5/25: 6th, 7th and 8th hour Finals

‘The Most Amazing’ Musical Freshmen shine in roles as the March sisters in Little Women

by Alisha Grant Reporter

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“I think my favorite part of any musical is just spending time with so many other amazing people and different types of people too because it’s not just performers, it’s the deck crew and people doing lights,” Yoder said.

Though the cast of the show gets a lot of praise, a lot of work goes on backstage. The stage left stage manager was senior Ellie McCrary during the show and the stage right stage manager was senior Juhaina Aarda. The third stage manager, senior Sara Merz, was working up in the soundbooth during the show. They all worked to make sure the show went smoothly.

“It doesn’t feel like there was much of a division between the grade levels,” Merz said. “We were all just friends and we were like one big family.”

A joke from the show was the title of a song from the second act, “The Most Amazing Thing”.

“It was the most amazing pun in the musical,” Huffman said.

CAST

iberty’s theater program put on its first musical, Little Women, on March 15, 16 and 17. The cast and crew had been working on the show for over two months and their greatest expectations were realized opening night. “[My favorite part of rehearsals was] honestly just seeing the progression from Day 1 to opening night,” senior Austyn Kloth said. Kloth was a member of the chorus and played the knight in the second act.

Senior Julia Wolz was the lead of the musical as Jo March, the second oldest March sister who wanted to be a writer.

“My favorite part of being Jo was being able to play a character I kinda look up to in a way. She did things differently than I would have normally and I really admired that,” Wolz said The students that played the three other March sisters, Meg, Beth and Amy, and the student that played the mother, Marmee, were all played by freshmen: Emily Grant (Meg), Michelle Yoder (Beth), Brooke Huffman (Amy) and Lola Cadice (Marmee).

photos by a. grant

Cat Frank Evan Mantz Nate Confer Julia Deters Evan Mantz Zach Pinkham Drew Goodman Joey Powers Mykenzie Waller Briana Dietrich Emily Stabile Jack Barrett Caileb Cronin Abby Klausen Abby Reed

Alyssa Fay Austyn Kloth Kaitlyn Sander Alliesa Howard Adelle Coughran Alison Flitter Alyssa Place Ashley Russell Shaina Feinstein Marisa Pukala-Whitaker Ashlynn Thompson Nash Gilbo Zach Sample-Goettling Braden McMakin

Irem Inan Annette Oliphant Alicia Detterman Andrea Detterman Alyssa Place Lizzie Kayser Emily McPherron Isa DeNunzio Nicole Thompson Maddie Haynes Ivanna Marin Lilia Taylor Talia Giustiniano Brandon Hennis Kennedy Hennessy

Director Mrs. Willis

Student Directors Alisha Grant Abby Falgout

Stage Managers Ellie McCrary Sara Merz Juhaina Aarda

CREW

photo by a. grant The leads of the musical freshman Brooke Huffman, freshman Michelle Yoder, senior Julia Wolz, and freshman Emily Grant yell, “Forever!” in their song “Our Finest Dreams”. This was Yoder’s and Huffman’s first time prticipating in a high school production.

Julia Wolz Michelle Yoder Brooke Huffman Emily Grant Lola Cadice Cameron Jones Wesley Nichols Cole Allen Abby Hankins Paxton Linnemeyer Hannah McCrary Marlee Doniff Ben Gagliano Christian Tebeau

Music and Technical Supervisors Ms. Kennedy Mr. Labrot Mr. Eversole Mr. Cheatham

News l lhstoday.org design by: a. bailey

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Switching it Up WSD plans to opt out of national lunch program

By McKenzie Bartels Reporter

photo provided by Child Nutrition Services

Liberty’s New Menu

WSD has created amazing new menus for breakfast and lunch. When you access the WSD website or app, there are photos of the food, and even nutritional information. This is helpful for school nurses and students that have to closely monitor their diet. You are also able to provide detailed feedback about what the cafeteria is serving.

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News l lhstoday.org design by: m. bartels

The Wentzville Board of Education has voted to opt out of the National School lunch program.

According to Susan Raster, Director of Child Nutrition for the WSD, despite the district’s continued enrollment growth, fewer students are purchasing school lunches and a significant amount of food is going to waste.

Not only is food going to waste, but the department is losing tons of money, a total of $83,000 last year.

“We feel the decline in students purchasing lunch is directly related to the increase in restrictions on what we serve,” Raster said.

Numerous changes are being taken including caps on calories, saturated and trans fat, and requirements to offer smaller servings and a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as sodium restrictions.

“We are excited to opt out of the national lunch program, but we also don’t know what to expect,” said Debbie Boswell, cafeteria worker at Liberty.

Opting out of the national school lunch program will give students more appealing options, which will hopefully increase the number of students buying lunch and decrease the amount of food that goes to waste.

Wentzville is excited about the options that they now will be able to serve while still providing healthy, appetizing meals.

Serving 500

Earle is one of the 15 Liberty cafeteria workers

By McKenzie Bartels Reporter Cammie Earle has worked in school cafeterias for 20-30 years.

This is her first year at Liberty, after moving from St. Patrick’s and West County Day School.

She says she absolutely loves the environment that she works in here.

Her day begins along with the school day, around 7 a.m.

“There is a lot of prep work that has to take place before the actual first lunch shift begins. There are also a lot of allergies here, so we have to make sure that we are following the recipes and school guidelines so that no one gets sick,” Earle said.

People don’t realize the amount of time and effort it takes to feed about 500 students on a daily basis.

It takes hours to prepare all the food, and then when lunch takes place, they have to ensure that every child is getting enough to eat, constantly switching out trays. photo by m. bartels

After lunch ends, usually around noon, Ms. Earle has to help clean up too. This also takes hours to do, but fortunately there are other people that wash the dishes so she doesn’t have to worry about that.

While the job can be stressful, it is also really rewarding at the end of the day. She gets to see hundreds of kids in the cafeteria and enjoy food, that she helps for hours to make.

“I really enjoy working with Cammie. I think everyone does.

She’s good at what she does,” said Debbie Boswell.

Ms. Earle is just one of the 15 workers that work in Liberty’s cafeteria and they all deserve credit for the day to day work that they do for the students.

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Celebrating Young Talent

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said. “Our students are just so talented, and I think the coolest thing from my perspective is when they share their videos with us, we get to see all of the things they do outside of just what’s happening in the classroom, what they care about, what they’re passionate about, what they love and what they’re good at.”

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Not many students have the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of an audience. The annual Wentzville Film Festival gives students across the district the chance to experience creative freedom through filmmaking.

Twenty-two talented Liberty students were informed that their films had won this year’s Film Festival. The awards night was held on March 19, at 7 p.m. at the Liberty High School Performing Arts Center.

The participation from Liberty students, while not greater than last year, was more genuine.

“It’s almost equal to last year,” librarian Mrs. Oliva said. “We had 50 videos I think submitted last year and we had 40 submitted this year. But last year we had a teacher who did it for a class project and made everyone submit one. So this is almost more authentic.”

Sarah Downs was able to experience filmmaking for the first time through her solo film “Trapped.”

“This was my first time filmmaking,” Downs said. “I was really surprised when I found out that I was a finalist. I didn’t really have words on how to describe on how I felt. I was just really shocked but happy and excited at the same time.”

Liberty students had the opportunity to vote for their favorite films while visiting the library with their English classes.

“When English classes came to the library, one of their opportunities was to view all of the submitted films and then help decide who should win the GoPro camera,” Mrs. Oliva said.

The winner of the student vote was the film “Tunnelvision.”

Senior Julia Wolz was randomly chosen from the group and received the

GoPro camera as a reward.

Several students were involved in multiple films, including junior Cat Frank.

“I really love that both films (that I’m involved in) moved on,” Frank said.

“I’m proud to produce something that people genuinely enjoyed watching. I was surprised, but proud of all the work my groups did.”

Like many others who participated, this was Frank’s first time with filmmaking.

“I’ve never filmed/edited anything like this before, so it was a real shock to see that both of the films progressed,” Frank said. “I couldn’t have done any of it without my group members, especially with the seven minute documentary, that took days to film and edit.”

The library has played an important role during the filmmaking, by providing resources and assistance for students.

“It’s the second year in a row and we’ve had so many awesome videos submitted,” Mrs. Oliva

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by Sarah Martin Online Editor

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Seven films created by Liberty students won in the annual film festival

photo by d. smith

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News l lhstoday.org design by: s. martin

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The Cost of Vaping The insight on Liberty’s vaping concerns

by Olivia Holler & Chasteanne Salvosa Co-Editors-in-Chief

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lthough many consider marijuana to be the drug of choice by teens across the nation, smokeless tobacco and vaping is on the rise to become the most popular illegally obtained and used drug.

According to drugabuse.gov, 17 percent of U.S. 12th graders reported using e cig in the past 30 days.

Electronic cigarettes give out an odorless aerosol often containing nicotine or synthetic marijuana powered by batteries.

In the Wentzville School District, since it may contain nicotine, a controlled substance, possession and/or use of an electronic cigarette falls under section 17 of the Student Misconduct and Disciplinary Consequences handbook, and punishment usually results in suspension.

At Liberty, it’s typically a 2-day suspension and a parent notification. The school is a smoke-free facility.

“It’s not only just a problem here at Liberty but in the nation,” assistant principal Mr. Pryor said. “Kids don’t think it’s not a health risk - they think it’s better off than cigarettes, it’s also easier to hide.

We are just trying to keep everyone safe because it can be addicting and it’s dangerous.”

In addition to consequences at school, the legal repercussions may cost students a criminal order in where they may have to appear in court and pay a fine of up to $25 for a first offense.

“As a person under the age of 18, you can receive a criminal summons for being in possession of a tobacco products,” Liberty resource officer Mr. Young said. “That would include; smokeless tobacco, cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, anything that contains a tobacco product.”

For many students, the reason behind underage vape use is simply peer pressure as friends above all, influence teenagers.

An anonymous source said they were introduced to vaping through their friends and thought it looked “cool”. However, they had already begun smoking cigarettes before vaping and thought that vaping would be a healthy alternative to cigarettes.

Aside from the penalties one could possible receive both legally and from the school, students still continue to vape under the false impression that vaping has fewer health risks than smoking cigarettes. But despite the common misconceptions about vaping being less harmful compared to smoking, there are many health risks attached to all forms of underage smoking, including vaping.

“Popcorn lung is a side effect of vaping, as is the possibility of nicotine addiction. Nobody is immune to any of the side effects, no matter what age you are,” school nurse Ms. Thomason said.

You can also possibly get lung disease or lung cancer. Some of the side effects are mouth and throat burns. Electronic cigarettes have not been around long enough for the bad health effects to be revealed through research.

It depends on what’s in the electronic cigarette will differ in health risks and side effects.

According to drugabuse.gov, 66 percent said they believe there is just flavoring in their e-cig. The study went on to state that 13.2 percent of teens said nicotine is in their e-cig, 5.8 percent of teens think marijuana is in it, 13.7 percent don’t know what is in it and 1.3 percent said other.

“It’s a danger of not knowing what you are going to get,” school nurse Ms. Cunningham said. The amount of nicotine can vary depending on what brand you get.

Despite the popularity of vaping, the combination of the health and legal risks do not make the drug worth it.

Mouth or throat burns

Lung disease or lung cancer

Side Effects and Consequences of Vaping:

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Popcorn Lungs $25 fine in and appear in court for a first offense

News l lhstoday.org design by: o. holler & c. salvosa

2 day suspension from school

by Gwendolyn Major Reporter

In 2017, more than 116,000 people will suffer from Adderall addiction, according to addictioncenter.com. Adderall, Adderall XR and Mydayis are prescription narcotics containing chemicals like sodium chloride. Adderall and other generic amphetamines are used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), attention deficit disorder (ADD), and narcolepsy.

While there are benefits to the drug, misuse of Adderall does have the ability to negatively impact one’s behavior, causing bad behavior at school, and at home. Adderall is also an appetite suppressant and causes unhealthy weight loss. Many teenagers struggling with body confidence abuse Adderall and use it as a weight loss pill.

Addiction can cause separation between families and cause financial strain. Not only can it cause a divide between families, but it can also be a detriment to a teenagers schooling. Because of the stress caused by school, impressionable teenagers feel the need to turn to medications like Adderall.

“I feel like prescription medicine is given for anything and everything. Today’s society is kind of like, ‘If you don’t have a prescription, or if you have something wrong, you expect a prescription,’” nurse Bridget Thomason said.

The struggle to keep up with the addiction is very difficult because physical appearance is not affected when abusing the substance. An individual struggling with a meth addiction is obvious based on appearance, but an individual abusing Adderall behaves like a hyper-focused functional human.

The problem isn’t diagnosing the addiction however, the problem is knowing when to stop. Come down crashes are unpredictable and sporadic, the user may not know when it’s going to happen, and this is incredibly dangerous. What makes Adderall and other amphetamines like it so intriguing is the idea of having immense amounts of energy. Someone abusing Adderall can stay awake with an intense focus for days on end, but eventually the individual will “crash”.

“Crashing” is when the body tries to overpower the drugs. The user may find themselves falling asleep mid-conversation or having minor memory loss. Those who reach the crash point may find themselves falling asleep for extended amounts of time, 12-24 hours or more, the crash point is the body’s way of replenishing chemicals like dopamine in the body, and other natural chemicals needed for the body to function.

“Amphetamines like Adderall are designed to help individuals struggling with ADHD/ADD feel more in control of the things going on around them. Some individuals feel that controlling their ADHD is impossible without the help of drugs, but they don’t know the cost that comes with it,” nurse Melissa Smith of the Mercy Clinic said.

TAKE ONE CAPSULE BY MOUTH ONCE DAILY

AMPHETAMINES HAVE A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE. ADMINISTRATION OF AMPHETAMINES FOR PROLONGED PERIODS OF TIME MAY LEAD TO DRUG DEPENDANCE AND MUST BE PAID TO THE POSSIBILITY IF SUBJECTS OBTAINING AMPHETAMINES FOR NON-THERAPEUTIC USE OR DISTRIBUTION TO OTHERS AND THE DRUGS SHOULD BE PRESCRIBED OR DISPENSED SPARINGLY -FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA)

RX The Age of Adderall

25 MG CAPSULE News l lhstoday.org design by: g. major

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The Future of Careers A look at the guiding force of the American education system on career choice

Students are constantly told to look into a growing field in a

by Alisha Grant Reporter world that is constantly evolvs a freshman coming in to high school, you are told to try your best to be the best. ing. The following are some of College is competitive. The workforce is competitive. You need to be competitive in the professions that have the high school to be prepared for the future. And this need to succeed goes past just receiving all A’s because some A’s are worth more than others. highest inclining or declining As you go throughout your high school career, you gain access to more weighted classes. rates.

These classes may have the same letter grades as regular classes, but the GPA you can earn Eco-Friendly jobs are becomin them goes from a 4.0 to a 5.0. As a freshman, you can take the first level of the three ing all the rage as Solar Phodifferent branches of Project Lead the Way (PLTW): Introduction to Engineering Detovoltaic Installers are growing sign, Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS) and Computer Science Principles. You can also take AP European History, but AP classes are seen as an overload for your by 105% with a $39,240 medifirst year of high school so the class hasn’t in past years been very populated. an wage for As a sophomore, the horizons broaden slightly. You can take the first or (if installers. you’ve already taken the first) second level of the PLTW classes and you can take AP Investing in medical school United States History. If you are ahead on the math track and took Algebra II as a freshman, then you will most likely take Pre-Calculus as a sophomore. You can also will be a great idea in the take AP Art History to get your fine art credit. years to come as Physician As a junior, there are only a couple weighted classes that aren’t accessible to you.

Assistants are looking at Namely the AP language classes, AP Research, the fourth level of the PLTW classes a 37% growth and a (only the biomedical and engineering paths go past the second level), Advanced whopping median Marketing II, AP Literature & Composition and Independent Science research (ISR). wage of $101,480.

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Hope you don’t plan on becoming a Respiratory Therapy Technician as the occupation is currently facing a -56.3% decline, but enjoys a median wage of $49,780.

As technology skills become a necessity in a constant evolving world, there is no longer a need for Word Processors and Typists, who are on a -33.1% decline and earn a median wage of $38,740, which is under the national family average.

In Depth l lhstoday.org design by: a. grant & c. salvosa

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photo by c. salvosa Senior Savannah Rackovan is one of three Liberty seniors in the medical Ignite! program. “My favorite part about being in Ignite! is being able to interact with professionals. Most importantly, professionals that are helping mold what it is that I want to do,” Rackovan said.

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For more information on weighted courses go to https://www.wentzville.k12. mo.us/Page/7540 As I went throughout my high school career, I personally felt that the education system was geared towards science classes. Many colleges ask for your class rank when you apply. They also ask for you GPA. Taking weighted classes boosts your class rank and your GPA. Most of the classes you can take to get ahead are science classes. It seems, at least to me, that there are more opportunities to expand your skills in scientific or mathematical fields than in any other due to programs like PLTW and the Ignite! program.

One student who participates in the medical Ignite! program is senior Savannah Rackovan. This was the first year Liberty students had the ability to participate in the program to grow their horizons.

“There are so many facets of healthcare and in being in a hospital every single day and realizing all of the routes I could take, it opened my mind to all the things I could be as opposed to the one thing I thought I was always going to be,” Rackovan said.

There are career paths at our school that never become weighted like industrial tech, theater, physical education and student leadership. I feel like having these courses not weighted kind of discourages people from taking them. It actually brings down your GPA to take a class that you can only get a 4.0 in when you are trying to move up the class rank with weighted courses.

It’s programs like PLTW and the Ignite! program as well as the accolades that colleges look for when you apply to them that are going to influence many students into picking a career path in a math or science related field. We have much more exposure to PLTW classes since you can take them starting as a freshman. HOSA is also one of the most widely participated in clubs in the whole school and it is recommended that members be in a PLTW class.

I know that as a student who is interested in a career path outside of a science or math field, I have noticed the inclination for people to want to have a career in those fields and for people to ask you if you are going into a career in one of those fields. Society seems to be geared towards science and math and that could prove to be beneficial for the expanse of medical and technological knowledge.

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The Future of Education

Credit While You Can. . .

Want to get ahead? Here A glimpse into the public school’s influence on are a few ways to earn students’ futures credit before college.

UMSL Dual Credit Program

by Chasteanne Salvosa Co-Editor-in-Chief

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ith the ebb and flow of certain career fields constantly changing, the future of education changes along with it. As a student who has always resided in the public education system, I have always felt pushed or pressured to consider certain career fields over others and discouraged if I expressed any interest in the declining fields. During my years in elementary and middle school, I recall many STEM nights and mandatory science fairs, but as a child who enjoyed reading and writing over equations and hypotheses, I found seldom opportunities to explore careers in the subjects I enjoyed.

I, along with many other students, am sure have been told that interests in How much you’ll save: The program costs activities such as writing, performing and painting were merely hobbies and $350 for five credit hours. The cost of an aver- couldn’t possibly lead to a prosperous future. Those who have always been age credit hour at UMSL is $342.50. interested in the more promising subjects have always been reassured in the How do you enroll: Enrollment takes place fact that they will have a steady future if they continue to work hard in their on UMSL’s webpage for advanced credit in the studies. The others, however, those who enjoyed and were passionate about beginning of the school year. their “hobbies”, our dreams were often dampened by the possibility of a bleak future.

Early College Program According to student teacher Mr. Andrew Milhous, who pursued a What is it? A new program to the district, degree in History and Theatre at Truman, the key to good education restudents have the opportunity to begin or even sides in the student’s freedom to study whatever they are passionate about. a complete an associate’s degree while “I really believe that getting students involved in studying in what completing high school. they want to study and what they’re passionate about, can really unlock a student’s potential,” Milhous said. “Getting them to engage in subject Who is eligble for this program? Juniors and matter that they’re actually interested in, so they can further pursue those seniors with a 3.0 average GPA. Student must passions.” also score a 22 or higher on the math portion I have found that those who truly are passionate about what many of the ACT to qualify for the program’s college people consider to be hobbies, stay true to their growth in that activity and algebra class. stick to it despite what others may say.

How much you’ll save: Students must pay For Milhous, besides the odd joke of being a teacher doesn’t pay well, he tuition and fees, however receives a discounted said that many of the people in his life have been supportive of his decision to rate of $70 per credit hour. pursue his passion.

“When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to direct a summer How do you enroll: An application to St. drama camp, and theatre and history are both my passions and I realized that, Charles Community College as well as appliin directing the summer camp, I really enjoyed working with the students who are cation for dual credit must be submitted and part of it. And thinking back to some of the amazing teachers I had, that kind of approved by the school. made me realize that was the path I wanted to go down,” Milhous said.

But still, no matter how great the passion students have for their “hobbies”, Summer School they must have a strong few to encourage and support them. It has become What is it? An advancement program that increasingly difficult in recent years for students in these subjects to prosper as dismakes graduation requirement credits availtrict funding has declined for arts programs, while they have increased for athletics able to obtain in a few weeks over the summer. and science and math related areas. But yet, it is not without reason that these changes have occurred. According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs within the Who is eligible for this program? All stuSTEM field are expected to grow a stunning 13 percent between 2016 and 2026, dents are welcome to attend summer school. while medical occupations are expecting an 18 percent growth during that same This program is perfect for those who’d like to time. get their graduation requirements out of the Though both fields are experiencing a massive growth, school funding should way to make room in their schedules for other rather follow the trends that students are following. This will allow for encourageclasses. ment for all students regardless of the field they wish to pursue, rather than being How much you’ll save: This program is com- forced into a field in which they do not wish to work hard. pletely free.

I can speak personally as a student who has been tried and forced into a certain field that I always seem to find my way back to the one thing that I truly How do you enroll: An application must be love; writing. By encouraging each student to grow and prosper into the subjects submitted to the guidance office. they are willing to pursue will ensure a more happier future. photo by c. salvosa What is it? Earn college credit by earning a C average or higher in your classes here at Liberty.

Who is eligible for this program? The UMSL Dual Credit program is available to French III and IV classes, as well as Anatomy and Physiology.

For more information go to https://www.wentzville.k12.mo.us/

Mr. Milhous is a student teacher and is currently pursuing a master’s in education. “Thinking back to some of the amazing teachers I had, that kind of made me realize that was the path I wanted to go down,” Milhous said.

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Class of...

2018 Dear Class of 2018,

From a kindergartener

to a senior .

Sharing the Moments

You did it.

by Kamera Harper Reporter

Alyssa Fay

Where Will You Go? Mizzou:

Makayla Braile Sam Clynes Nate Confer Johnathan Gruebbeling Claire Hughey Andy Jorris Danielle Kunz Austyn Kloth Patrick Stege Seth Tate Madi May Ellie McCrary Emma Roettger Morgan Metcalf Nicole Thompson Claudia Weaver

Truman State University: Max Fensterman Kelsey Fletcher Emma Ingle Maya Schnable Austin McClanahan Tommy Bindbeutel Abby Hankins

“One time around 2010 I was at Gulf Shores, Alabama on the beach with my family and I’m swimming in the water. Then when I came out of the water I see this cute Baywatch lifeguard and he walked up to me. He told me that there were jellyfish stings all over my body.”

Emily Giljum

“When I was little I broke my wrist from jumping over a sprinkler because someone threw a exercise ball at me. I walked around with a broken wrist for two days because no ones believed me until they saw I actually could not move my wrist.”

Bailey Cheatham Cheyenne Doss Abby Falgout Yamilka Jimenez Emma Lough Grace Merritt Hannah Noles Emma Rudolph Cari Schaeffer

“I was going to the DMV office to get my license and she (the driving examiner) tells me to turn my lights are on and check my blinkers. Then she makes me honk my horn and there were people walking by that looked at me. So I’m like, ‘What she told me to’ and they laughed.”

Kristopher Wilson

“One time I fell down the stairs. I don’t even know what happened that day. I think my foot just like twisted and it went downhill from there. I tried to catch myself but I couldn’t. It’s like the time I fell is when my GPA fell.”

Maddie Baker Chelsea Carballo Wesley Hines Hannah Kerr Mackenzi Sifuentes

St. Charles Community College: Jana Bowman Emily Giljum Jacob Johnson Jordan Wilson Sarah Martin Lauren Stumpf Zac Roellig

Seniors l lhstoday.org design by: m. baker

P G K

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Maryville University:

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Missouri S&T:

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Ryan Mason Lucas Mitchell Jack Nyemetz Jon Leimbach Casey Kemerer Collin York

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Jana Bowman

Seniors share their transformations from the beginning of high school to their senior year

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W

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Juhaina Aarda

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Lindenwood University:

Michael Rybak

THEN &

Missouri State University:

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‘14 - ‘15

‘17 - ‘18

‘14 -

Southeast Missouri State: Ethan Stone Lauren Jones

Webster University: Peyton Eikel Grant Long Kaitlyn Theriot

Missouri Baptist University: Ben Leach Emily Retzer

University of Central Missouri: Noah Willison Julia Wolz

St. Louis University: Lexi Kayser

University of Missouri- St. Louis: Skylar Pinz

Washington University in St. Louis: Daryn Adler

Avila University: Brandon Wortman

Missouri State Tech: Lucas Sproull

Drury University: Gabby Nettles

St. Louis College of Pharmacy: Andrea Detterman

Westminster University: Michael Rybak

College of the Ozarks: Gibson Mitchell

OUT OF STATE:

University of Kansas: Lily Broz Christian Berry Addison Haynes Addison Haddock Melissa Eschbacher Sam Linville Bennett Outman Amy Carnahan

Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville: Amy Do Sara Merz

Central Methodist University: Claire Roberts

McKendree University: Madeline Larouere

Colorado State University: Kennedy Hennessy

Mississippi State University: Abby Avery

University of Tennesse: Jacob Clark

Utah State University: Alisha Grant

University of North Georgia: Wyatt Cleveland

Navy:

Morgan Page

Army:

and your outward eye to look, to savor, to remember.

Breathe in.

You will never have to take another high school math class, English class, science, social studies, Spanish, or PE class. You will never will have a class with the girl who said that or the guy who said this... those people and their words matter. For better or for worse, each experience forges your character; you are forever intertwined with your classmates and your teachers because of necessity, because of luck, and because of consequence.

Breathe out.

Cap and gown, pomp and circumstance, hugs and tears. You will form one last line as you wait for your turn to walk across the stage. Your name is called. Your friends, your teachers, and your family will cheer.

Remember to pause.

Remember to look.

Remember to breathe.

It has been one of the greatest privileges and blessings of my life to be your teacher. Thank you for sharing so much of your beautiful, amazing, wonderful selves with me. I treasured every moment with each of you!

Love, - T-O (Mrs. Tarrant-Oliphant)

A Letter from the Teachers Dear Seniors, I imagine it’s hard to believe that your time in high school is drawing to a close. Time really flies! Remember that time is the one resource we share equally, so please use your time to find happiness. Happiness means you have to find yourself, be yourself, and work hard on yourself. What else does happiness mean to you? You need to answer that question, too!

As for thoughts on the past? We will never forget you here at Liberty.

Once an Eagle, always an Eagle! But look forward to your future, and build upon the things you learned here. Keep the lessons with you--good and bad-to help shape a brighter future for yourselves. I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed your time at Liberty, and got the most out of your experience.

So much success in life can be attributed to perseverance. Never give up!

Try new things! If you are going to have regrets, I say regret the things you tried, not the things that you didn’t try. Everything you want in this world is on the other side of fear. When you overcome fear and find the courage to step outside of your comfort zone, you might just find that everything you ever wanted was out there waiting for you to find it.

Finally, my wish is that you never lose hope. It’s the best of things in this world.

I hope you find your joy in the world,

- Mr. Barker

McKenna Baker

14 - ‘15

Dear Seniors, The first thing I need to tell you to do is close your eyes and breathe. Not the usual involuntary breath that becomes us as human beings, but the deliberate breath that begs the quiet that breeds calm, the focus that breeds purpose, and the vision that breeds heart.

Breathe in.

See yourself as a freshman...all arms and legs, energy and confusion; maybe you were a little ridiculous; maybe you were a little eager; likely, you were a lot naive. But hope was there ready for you to grab with gusto or throw away with abandon as you bravely conquered classes, friendships, and firsts...

Breathe out.

Your first dance, your first kiss, your first “finsta,” the firsts are lined up behind you like a crowd of fresh-faced first graders, eager and waiting in line for the slide, so excited for the thrill, they don’t take the time to enjoy the view as they climb up the ladder. Now is the time to use your inward

Wyatt Cleveland

Nate Confer ‘17 - ‘18

‘14 - ‘15

‘17 - ‘18

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Liberty seniors were asked two questions and this is what they had to say: What are you most excited about for the next chapter of your life after graduation?

What is a little message that you can say to the underclassmen before they graduate?

by Katie Hill Reporter

Next Chapters

“I am looking forward to starting college and meeting new people.” - Michael Rybak “I am excited to be independent.” - Grace Berry “I now get to think about wrestling for Missouri Baptist. It’s so exciting to think about.” - Ben Leach “I am super ready for college. I am attending Mizzou when I graduate.” - Patrick Stege “I am looking forward to job searching and making money to get an apartment.” - Austin Leavitt “I can’t wait to be out of high school and play baseball for St. Louis Community College.” - Zack Hurwitz

Advice

“Get involved in school. High school flies by faster than you think.” - Maria Biondo “Don’t take the four years you have for granted.” - Andy Jorris “Most definitely get involved in the school and go to as many games as you can because they don’t last forever.” - Samantha Clynes “Take advantage of the FNL (Friday Night Lights) and please have school spirit. It’s a once in a lifetime experience for high school.” - Lauren Jones “A message I would give to underclassmen is to relax and not take everything so seriously. The next four years will fly by, so take it all in and make as many positive memories as you can.” - Lexi Kayser

THEN &

NOW

Claire Roberts

Seniors share their transformations from the beginning of high school to their senior year l lhstoday.org 14 Seniors design by: m. baker

‘14 - ‘15

‘17 - ‘18

‘14 - ‘1

By the Numbers Longest Names Twins

Alysan and Arianna Amann Ashley and Bailey Cheatham Andrea and Alicia Detterman Sarah and Dana Eplett Casey and Seth Kemerer Austin and Heather McClanahan Eric and Austin Mussmann Johnny and David Poteet

Shortest Name Tallest

Shortest

Kale Catchings 6’7” Brianna Hill 4’11”

Triplets

Lauren, Jake and Kaitlyn Helland

14 - ‘15

Andrew Fay

Peyton Eikel ‘17 - ‘18

‘14 - ‘15

‘17 - ‘18

Seniors l lhstoday.org design by: m. baker

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Maddie Baker, we’re going to miss your wonderful eye for design and ability to liven up the room in its most stressful moments. Your participation in the publications program these past three years has contributed such great content for the entire school to enjoy. Alisha Grant, your sweet personality and hard work ethic will be missed. We admire your tenacity as you worked as both an editor for the Talon and a reporter for the Ledger. Max Fensterman, we might not miss your commentary, but we will definitely miss your ability to sniff out a story and investigate it to the ends of the earth. You also not only contributed to the Ledger, but to the Talon as well as the only student who enrolled in what is now the magazine program in 2015. Gibson Mitchell, you certainly left your hand-print on this publications program and we cannot wait and see what the future holds for you. Your witty humor never failed to make us laugh even in our most toughest days. KaMera Harper, we are so glad you were a part of our publications family, if even it was just for a single year.

Your impeccable taste in fashion made the room brighten everyday when

A Final Farewell

you walked in. Sarah Martin, you excelled as part of that 2015-16 journalism class and since then, you have never failed to stun us with your growth.

We’d also like to thank you for your dedication in launching the LHStoday.org website and making it the number one choice in school news it is today. All of the seniors’ legacies will join the others who set the foundation for LHS publications and be encapsulated in the Liberty Ledger forever.

Dear Seniors, It’s easy to look back on these past four years and want to cry at all the memories we’ve shared. Whether you have spent one, two, three or all four years in publications, we have all come together to create four amazing magazines this year and we certainly couldn’t have done any of it without all of your help.

Which is why we’d like to thank you. Thank you for helping to create a foundation and legacy for other publications students to follow. Your hard work, your dedication, your tenacity have inspired and touched us all. You have shown us through all your hard work, all the ups and downs, that the future certainly holds something bright for each and every one of you. And we are all proud of whatever will come next for you, but always remember you will always have loving support from your LHS publications family.

Liberty Ledger Magazine Staff (2017-18)

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Features l lhstoday.org design by: c. salvosa

A Starry Night

photos by b. morris

Liberty celebrates unforgettable 2018 prom

by Alyssa Bailey Reporter

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t was another successful year for Liberty’s 2018 prom with their memorable theme; Starry Night. With all of the preparations that needed to be done and all of the scouting for various locations of where the prom should be, Liberty settled on the Foundry Art Centre for the April 21 event. The class officers wanted to find a location that would be different but also stunning that would ultimately reflect the Liberty students’ liveliness of this momentous occasion.

“We just felt like the Foundry was the best place because it’s super elegant and clean, so we could afford to put lots of different things there and it’s like a really nice location to be in downtown St. Charles,” junior Marlee Doniff said.

Liberty’s third prom was packed with lots of dancing, laughter and overall, many memories that will live on from that night, especially when Liberty’s King and Queen were announced. Excitement filled the room when king, Max Harrington, and queen, Abby Hankins, were announced, which overjoyed the crowd. They were congratulated by many and danced under the bright lights with smiles all around.

From then on, the night continued with high spirits and everyone’s best dance moves, along with many photos captured with close friends.

The class officers, sponsors and everyone that attended the prom couldn’t have been happier with the result and the amazing memories they have made from that night. Liberty’s prom was not only triumphant but it was also a reflection of the crazy year that some will remember as their best year.

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2017-18 Stories of the Year

We at the Liberty Ledger have chosen some of our favorite stories of the year from our website. From the many published stories to choose from, these are the ones that stand out to reflect back on the 2017-18 school year.

The Day the Sun Disappeared

For the first time in 38 years, people all around the United States had the chance to witness an eclipse first hand. On Aug. 21, students at Liberty were provided the chance to go outside to experience the eclipse. During totality, the sky was not pitch black, but looked more like dusk. This was an educational experience for many of the students since Liberty have not had an

photo by LHS Staff

eclipse in their lifetime.

“I think it’s really neat, and it’s a once in a lifetime event. It’s hard to grasp how cool it will be because none of us have seen one,” Mrs. Tarrant-Oliphant said.

A Night of Talent

Liberty’s first talent show was hosted by Key Club on Jan. 19 in the auditorium as their main fundraiser to give back to a member of the Liberty community. Mr. Peggs’ son, Drew Peggs, was born six weeks early so he had to be taken to the NICU/Special Care Nursery. Key Club raised money to help the family and all other proceeds exceeding their goal went to the Peggs’ photo by e. mason family as well. The talent show winner was junior Christian Tebeau. He performed a color guard routine.

“I feel like the start of a legacy, the start of a great history of excellence and talent and love and the fostering of a great family, not only for Key Club, but for everyone that is included in this talent show,” Tebeau said.

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A Homecoming to Remember On Oct. 13, LHS kicked off

photo by o. holler

A Night in Paradise on a high note with the annual Belles and Bros dance at the pep assembly and a truly memorable, lip sync battle between some of Liberty’s favorite teachers. It was Mr. Barnes’ signature song, You’re Welcome, originally performed by Dwayne Johnson in Disney’s Moana, that brought the house down after Mr. Barker’s rendition of The Little Mermaid’s Part of Your World, followed by Mr. Hendricks’ cover of Queen’s classic, Bohemian Rhapsody and Mrs. Tarrant-Oliphant’s energetic Twist and Shout.

StuCo Sponsors School Turkey Drive

Student Council conducted a turkey drive during lunch the week of Nov. 6-10. Students and staff could donate during their lunch shift.

“We are trying to buy as many turkeys as possible for needy families,” StuCo sponsor Ms. Holmes said. Students can donate to a specific teacher, either Mr. Webster, Mr. Cole, Ms. Pizzo, Mr. Barnes or Mr. Hendricks.

Mr. Webster, the teacher who raised the most money at the end of the week, wore a turkey costume for an entire school day.

Mr. Cole, the teacher with the least amount of money wore a chicken suit. photo by c. salvosa

Not So Bummer Summer

The time you’ve been waiting all year for is here; school is out and you can’t wait for all of your summer plans. But do you actually go through with them, or even have them in the first place?

It’s common for teenagers to fall into a routine during the summer. They become accustomed to waking up early for school; so when summer begins they find themselves sleeping more than usual.

“Well, I feel like you have to go into (summer) with knowing everyday is different,” junior Dominic Reyes said. “There’s a lot of free-rein over when you go to bed. And it’s like ‘Oh man, I stayed up till 4 a.m.’ and you just sleep the rest of the day, and it kind of ruins the next day.”

The key is to stay in a routine of waking up at a decent time.

This will help keep you motivated as well as provide more time for activities.

Summer is a time to relax, and enjoy a break from school, which means that not every day needs to be productive.

“I think setting goals or creating a bucket list of all the things you want to do during the summer is always a good start,” senior Rachel McDonnell said.

“Knowing ideas of how you want to spend your day or different activities to do. But there’s nothing wrong with sleeping in and watching Netflix some days.”

A major way to keep the summer interesting is to get a summer job.

McDonnell has worked as a coach for Gymquarters Gymnastics for a year and a half.

“Having a job during the summer helps keep me busy and it’s a fun job that’s

by Sarah Martin Online Editor

always keeps me entertained. It also gives me extra money so I can go out and do things during the summer,” McDonnell said.

Because summer seems to pass quickly, many students wish that they would have done mores.

Sophomore Ashley Russell said she would hang out with friends and go outside.

During the summer, there are endless things to do, especially with a driver’s license. One very common activity is swimming.

There are many places to go to swim including: Progress Park, a gym facility or even a friend’s house. The most common, however, is a community pool.

“I swim a lot at my community pool… I usually go to the pool about 4 to 5 times a week in the summer,” Russell said.

In many cases, the school year approaches more quickly than expected. However, in others, the summer seems to be much longer due to boredom. “(Summer) feels like a long time for me actually, I guess I just get really bored,” Reyes said.

But what about for teachers?

Do they experience the same things as students during the summer?

Spanish teacher, Mr. Hendricks keeps his summer interesting with a job at Whole Foods.

“It’s nice because I started there as I was in school getting certified,” Mr. Hendricks said.

“But they let me stay on and work twice a month during the school year and then during the summer.

I really love it there and I consider the money I make there to be ‘fun money’ and use it for traveling.”

Some teachers take a total break from school, without any planning, just like students.

“Summer is a time, at least for me, to completely decompress from the intense marathon that is the school year,” Mr. Hendricks said. “Teaching is emotionally draining and you have to recharge your batteries, so to speak.”

Into the Caribbean

by Sarah Martin Online

While they haven’t made future plans yet, it’s safe to say Editor that Jamaica won’t be their last One of the best ways to trip out of the country. For keep the summer interesting instance, Pupillo’s family plans is to step out of your comfort to make a trip to Florida this zone, or even the country. In summer. the summer of 2017, freshman “My family and I prefer Grace Pupillo and her family to go out of the country, so stepped out of country, and I have never really traveled into Jamaica in the Caribbean. around the U.S..,” Pupillo “I went with both of my said.

“I have an autistic brothparents, we just decided to er who can’t stay in the car go out of the country, we had for a long time so that makes passports,” Pupillo said. “We’d it hard to travel with him. been planning it for four or My other brother is getting five months.”

Pupillo’s first trip outside married in Florida this year so my family is all going down to of the country wasn’t as celebrate that.” expected.

While Jamaica was a new “I was really just excited destination, it wasn’t her famto go to the beach, I wasn’t ily’s first trip.

“I have actually really thinking about everybeen out of the country on thing else, but when we got two occasions.

I have been to there it surprised me. We saw Playa del Carmen in Mexico the island and went on tours around four years ago.” of places.”

As this was Pupillo’s first Pupillo saw a different time outside of the country, side of Jamaica as they even it was a unique experience for spent some time outside of the her. resort.

“I really got to look “It was nerve racking bearound and see how people in cause we didn’t really know the Mexico lived and it was a pretpeople that well so we didn’t ty eye opening experience,” really know what was going to Pupillo said.

“So many people happen,” Pupillo said. “But, live in poverty and it was really they were really nice people.” sad to see.”

Pupillo enjoyed her time in the Caribbean and believes it was the best part of her summer. She would like to revisit Jamaica, although she has more places on her bucket list. “(My ideal summer would be) to travel and get out there; experience new things. I want to go to Bora Bora, that is my dream vacation.”

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An Assignment They’ll Never Forget Liberty students receive honorable mention and prize money in the C-SPAN documentary competition

by Max Fensterman Reporter

Zainub Ahmed, Dominic Reyes and Cole Chastain won an honorable mention in the C-SPAN competition, winning $250.

E

very year, the television network C-SPAN holds a competition for students to make a documentary about current events and submit it for judging with the possibility of winning many different cash prizes.

This year, Liberty made its debut among the exclusive list of winners.

Juniors Dominic Reyes and Zainub Ahmed and sophomore Cole Chastain, submitted their documentary “Gun Violence the Second Amendment” to the competition, hoping for no more than to satisfy the rubric for their first semester U.S. Government class final, which was to make a documentary and submit it to the competition. They ended up taking honorable mention in the competition, and $250 cash prize.

“We weren’t super worried about winning the competition, because the project served as our first semester final. All we could hope for was a good grade,” Reyes said.

Even their teacher, Mrs. Holmes, was stunned to hear the news.

“In the morning, we got an email, and l lhstoday.org 20 Features design by: j. gibson

kind of thought at first it might be a joke. But we went into government class and showed Mrs. Holmes, and she was super excited,” Ahmed said.

The trio made sure to pick a topic for their documentary that would satisfy this year’s theme for the competition, which was “The Constitution and You.” They decided on the Second Amendment, and in particular the topic of gun ownership.

“We thought it would be interesting to research and we knew that gun ownership is a hot topic,” said Reyes.

One requirement of the competition was that the documentary had to address both sides of the issue. Chastain, Reyes and Ahmed were able to use some existing connections to find people to interview on both sides. Chastain’s grandpa knows the owner of Ultimate Defense, a gun range that he frequents. He was able to get the filmmakers someone to interview: Paul Bastean, a police officer and the head firearms instructor at the range.

For the group’s anti-gun opinion, they were able to interview Shani Buggs, a doctoral

photo by LHS Publications

student at Johns Hopkins University and expert on gun laws.

“I emailed some professionals, Ms. Buggs was one of the only ones that emailed back and she was very helpful and willing to be apart of the video,” Ahmed said.

In addition to their video interviews, the trio made sure to include lots of real news clips and infographics.

Due to the competition submission deadline being much after their due date for the government final, they decided to make some tweaks to the documentary in order to give themselves the best possible chance.

“We spent an extra month after we turned the video to Ms. Holmes, just to give us a little better shot at winning than the other groups who might’ve submitted theirs right away despite the competition deadline being later than the due date of the final,” Chastain said.

It could’ve been their great interviewing skills, or just another example of a little effort going a long way when editing, but either way the team earned the win.

Man of the Year

Custodian Mr. Boswell is named as Liberty’s Support Staff of the Year

by Alyssa Bailey Reporter

T

here are many factors that go into making a school operate and it’s important that the staff members get the recognition they deserve from all of the outstanding jobs that they do day and night, and how kind they are with getting to know the students and teachers everyday.

The staff is hard-working, passionate and very humble people who have various duties to make Liberty a well-oiled machine.

One of these dedicated staff members is Mr. Boswell, a day custodian, who has worked at Liberty for four years now. He was selected by the staff as the school’s “Support Staff Member of the Year” on the morning of March 21 in front of the faculty.

“It’s just great to be recognized for the things I did for the teachers and everybody that help keep the school going,” Boswell said.

Boswell has worked at Liberty for four years now. He’s had previous jobs in the past such as working at Rural King and Walmart, but now helps give Liberty a virtuous appearance makes everyone overjoyed at his remarkable work.

“At Liberty, I like getting to meet the teachers, the students and getting to know them,” Boswell said.

Boswell is not only great at what he does for a living, but he treats everyone with respect and sincerity, no matter if he’s talking with a student, a teacher or a former custodian. As a custodian, it has taught

him to be more outgoing and attentive to the teachers and other staff members’ needs. He takes care of the teachers and does everything he can to get them what they need day in and day out.

When Ms. Reininger made the announcement that Mr. Boswell was named “Support Staff Member of the Year”, he was immediately congratulated and thanked for his ardent work by principal Mr. Nelson, the teachers nearby, his fellow colleagues, and best of all, his mom.

Ms. Boswell, who’s also worked at Liberty for six years now as the cafeteria manager, was overjoyed and very proud of her son’s accomplishment. She instantly gave her son a big hug and congratulated him for all of his work efforts.

“I was very proud because he works hard,” Ms. Boswell said. “He’s very passionate about his job here at Liberty. He always wipes the tables off in the cafeteria and helps me out in the kitchen too.”

Both of the Boswells had no idea that Mr. Boswell would win the award, which made the surprise that much better.

While there’s a lot of work that always needs to be done at Liberty to accommodate the students and staff, it’s important to have people like Mr. Boswell because he’s not only devoted and modest about the amount of work that he does, but he’s also a great representative and role model that Liberty’s reputation stands for.

Mr. Boswell was selected by the staff as the school’s “Support Staff Member of the Year” on the morning of March 21.

photo by LHS Publications

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#MeToo 1 in 10 teens and young adults admit to forcing someone into some form of sexual activity.

by Emma Hankins Reporter

Beginning in October of 2017, the hashtag #MeToo began to trend on social media. The origin of the movement was sparked by a tweet by actress Alyssa Milano. She wrote: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) the amount of girls who are sexually assaulted by a person that they know is 93 percent of all sexual assault cases, leaving only 7 percent of the assaults by strangers. The #MeToo campaign was created to make awareness of sexual assault in the workplace. However, it has magnified the occurrences of sexual assault that actually happens.

Any kind of sexual advancement made that is unwanted or makes the victim feel uncomfortable is assault. Rape is a term that is scary to anyone: male, female, young or old. According to RAINN, about 17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape.

Only 30% of sexual assault cases are reported to the authorities. statistics by RAINN

The other 70% of cases are left in the dark.

Then there is the type of assault that is downplayed but happens to so many people. Sexual coercion is the wearing down of the victim to get the sexual advances that is wanted by the other person. No matter how many times “no” is said, some people won’t listen until they get the “yes” that they want. This is often done by a person that the victim knows well and feels obligated to oblige to the manipulation of the other person.

Many times, the victims of sexual assault, rape and sexual coercion feel like they can’t speak up about what happens to them because they fear how what they say will affect the other person. Being a registered sex offender is no joking matter. It’s a label that rightfully stays with a person forever.

A victim of any type of sexual assault should not worry about what will happen to the other person because what the person did to them has no justification of any sorts and the victim should get the closure he or she deserves.

by Melana Quarles Reporter Growing up female, there is always a fear in the back of my mind: getting sexually assaulted. There are countless stories of this in the media, but it happens on a much larger, more common scale. Odds are one in every six of the girls in your class have been sexually assaulted.

Rape is put in the box of only extreme cases, of the girls crying and screaming and well you know the rest. But what about the less talked about cases? What about your boyfriends, or friends, the situations that often go without punishment or even recognition?

Many teen girls have experienced inappropriate situations. Boys ask and you say no, hesitate, push them away, basically show that you aren’t into it. In most cases, here’s what happens next; they try and convince you to change your mind by using a countless number of different reasons why you should. They compliment you, say please and a million other manipulative things. Why is the auto response to hesitation, trying to convince them otherwise? And why isn’t this talked about?

If the people committing sexual assaults were shamed as much as women for a million different reasons, we would have fewer people getting away with this.

Ages 12-34 are the highest risk years for sexual assault.

Allow me to introduce you to a new term - sexual coercion. Many people are guilty of it, or have been a victim of it. Sexual coercion is unwanted sexual activity that happens when you are pressured, tricked, threatened, or forced in a non-physical way.

There are a lot of things that don’t matter when it comes to sexual assault. It doesn’t matter what you were wearing, if the other person is your boyfriend or girlfriend, or if you “got yourself into that situation”.

People aren’t stupid, they can tell when you don’t want something; they can read body language; it’s a natural human quality.

Another common response to sexual abuse is blaming the victim.

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Opinion l lhstoday.org design by: m. quarles & e. hankins

“They got themselves into that situation”, or “Why didn’t they just walk away” are among the poisonous phrases that are used.

Instead of blaming the girl for not fighting against it, why don’t we realize there shouldn’t be anything for her to fight against?

One of the only rights we are given upon birth is our own bodies, and one in six women have that taken away.

One of the most harmful things that’s done is normalizing. Convincing is the norm. I hear and see girls being sexualized daily by talking about girls outfits and their lives.

Look up this topic and you will find millions of articles, but why are we kept in the dark at just how wrong the behavior we encounter everyday is, until it’s too late.

We Need Control

Every life is important and no one should be scared to send their kids to school

by Emma Hankins Reporter The deaths of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is a catastrophic tragedy.

Students across the country participated in a National School Walkout on March 14 to raise awareness about school safety and gun violence. I was one of the small group of students at Liberty who participated. At first, only a few people including myself were outside. As students started flooding outside from the cafeteria, the noise grew. My friend took initiative and told the protesters that this wasn’t a social hour and that this was serious.

I did not go outside to ban guns.

Banning guns is not only unrealistic but seems impossible. Banning guns is not going to solve anything, however, guns should be harder to obtain.

It should be a long process, and it photo by a. fay Liberty students came together during the national walkout to have 17 minutes of silence for the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting. should be a challenge.

I am tired of checking my nightclubs, or schools full of learning kids. phone and seeing a “school shootI am tired of people trying to defend their Second Amendment ing” notification. The victims in school shootings never got to say rights.

This is a document that couldn’t foresee the future and see all they love their parents one last time, they will never get to finish high the mass shootings going on in modern day America. No person who school, and they will never get to grow old because some deranged isn’t active in the military should be allowed to have a AR-15, which person decided they wanted to go to a school and kill innocent kids. can fire up to 800 rounds a minute. The precious Second AmendWhy are we letting this happen? Why are people taking lost lives and ment was not written to support semi-automatic rifles. turning it into a political debate? None of the victims’ families care Face it.

Technology has been evolving at an alarming rate. The about your political party. They care about getting justice for the next laws and restrictions must change just as fast. No matter the arguperson who decides to shoot up a school. ment you want to make, people are dying and something has to be Every life is important, and no one should be scared to send his done about it.

This is why I was outside. This is why I want to make or her kids to school. School should be a safe place and should be a a change. place of learning. Any school could be the next target.

This isn’t about politics. This isn’t about who is right or who is wrong. This is about lives. This is about the students who have to sit next to empty seats at their graduation.

The first school shooting I ever heard about was in my seventh grade year and not a single student tried to bring politics into it.

Everyone cared about the lives, not the debate.

I was not standing outside during the walkout to tell people that they’re wrong. I’m not hand in hand with students to tell you that Trump is bad. I am not silent for 17 minutes to prove people wrong.

I am outside to try and make a change in any way I can.

I was not outside to tell you that you can’t have a gun. No one is saying that you shouldn’t be allowed to have hunting weapons, or even guns that can keep your family safe in the event that it’s needed.

Crimes do happen. However, people with mental issues, criminal photo by b. huffman records and ill intentions should not be able to get a hold of a gun LHS students unite for the victims of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. that’s capable of murdering concert venues full of people, packed Opinion l lhstoday.org design by: m. quarles & e. hankins

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DIVERSITY; (noun) a variety of differences

by Ianne Salvosa Reporter

Liberty High School 2017-18 Gender Diversity

Females 51%

Males 49%

What have we gotten ourselves into?

Gender. Religion. Politics. Race. All the non-dinner table topics are brought up in diversity. Bringing it up can be uncomfortable and can catch people off guard. But those reasons is exactly why it should be brought up.The ways in which you are diverse are the ways in which you are unique. The color of your skin, the holidays you celebrate, even your own last name represent your diversity. But why does something as simple as the pigmentation in your skin cause worldwide debate? Why do Christmas trees and dreidels cause such a divide between societies that creates century old issues? We have dug ourselves into a hole that is very difficult to get out of but the reason we’re in the hole is the very reason we need to get out; we’re different.

Gender Diversity

We all have learned that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. Ever since we were children these colors defined us, told us what toys to play with, how to do our hair and how to dress. But the expectations stretch further into education. Typically, men are expected to go into more arduous professions such as engineering or science. Women are expected to become assistants or just stay at home. But how you make your living shouldn’t be determined by your gender. If professions weren’t clouded by things such as gender, imagine the advances that could have been made in society if we started to recognize the value that each gender brings to the game.

Religious Diversity

Over the past few years, there has been quite an argument over what is more appropriate to say in December; “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”. The reason being for such a debate is none other than religious diversity. Religious diversity is a commonly known issue, dating back to when the first humans walked the Earth. Frankly, the world will never be agree on which religion has the most accurate beliefs but we must learn to tolerate other religions. It would be extremely detrimental for any nation to have to go through another mass suffering such as the Holocaust. Religion also relates very closely to someone’s culture. The intolerance of someone’s culture can also demean their identity, causing them to lose their persona.

Political Diversity

A petty thing such as politics can push the closest of friends into a deep debate. Especially in today’s political climate, any political belief you have will immediately be opposed by another person. Like in religious diversity, it is impossible to get everyone to agree on political views. But how can the far left ever get along with the far right? Truth is, as much as they should get along, they can’t. So how can politics change for the better? Diversity within itself. According to the Washington Post, in 2015, 80 percent of the House of Congress consisted of white males. Now, that being said, there is nothing wrong with whites or males, but the Congress makes decisions that impact the lives of many people. The citizens that are impacted include women and people of color. Why should people who are not women or people of color make laws for those who are? If they have no experience facing the certain problems that minorities do then they cannot possibly know how to deal with it. Most of the people in Congress are not affected by the wage gap or racial hate crimes so they have some bias when it comes to dealing with those issues at hand. We cannot have viable minorities remain unrepresented in the government.

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Opinion l lhstoday.org design by: i. salvosa

Racial Diversity

An issue such as racial diversity pops up time after time again which is why it cannot go ignored. It’s perplexing how society refuses to accept another for the simple presence of melanin in the skin. A mere fact of biology has led to a distrust between races, bullying and murders. There is so much importance to be found in realizing the number of things to be learned from one another. In addition, it is important to also have racial diversity in the media. In movies, television shows and the news, it is difficult to find minorities on the big screen. Seeing public figures of color is like having your identity represented and appreciated.

Liberty High School 2017-18 Student Diversity American Indian/ Alaskan Native 0.4% Asian 2.6% African American 6.1% Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islanders 0.1%

Hispanic 5.1% White 83.9% Multiracial 1.8% Statistics by Wentzville School District

4%

A Bridge Between Two Identities

A glimpse into my life about my heritage

by Alyssa Bailey Reporter

photo by m.baker

L

ife experiences develop everyone in their own unique way that molds people to who they are or who they want to become in life. My experiences, from when I was younger, have ultimately made me the person that I am today and given me the goals I want to accomplish in life. However, the road to get there was a difficult one that constantly twisted and turned for me.

For as long as I can remember, I was always looked at differently based on my appearance and ethnicity. It wasn’t always a bad look that I was given from others. It was mostly out of curiosity actually, but sometimes, I wasn’t given the nicest looks from people I didn’t even know or knew anything about me.

It’s not the best feeling in the world, but those events in my life and those particular people I met helped me later on to realize why that’s not a priority for me to care anymore.

My mom and dad come from, not only different ethnicities, but very different regions and backgrounds. My dad, who is from St. Louis, joined the Navy at age 19 and later on, was stationed overseas to Japan where he met my mom when he was only 23 years old.

My mom, 23 years old as well, was immediately in love with my dad, who felt exactly the same about her, and from there, they got married.

They were and still are very happy together, but my mom was giving up a lot from this.

She left her country and a place she loved very

dearly in order to come to the United States.

It was a difficult transition from leaving her family, friends, and her entire life behind to make way for a new life that awaited her, which included having to learn fluent English, but she made it work.

Every time I hear this story, it amazes me how someone could leave all that behind to start fresh and make something of themselves, and push through it because no matter how much time has passed, you never forget where you came from.

Her story inspires me very much seeing how strong she is and it’s helped me to overcome certain comments about assumptions on how Asians act, what our eyes look like, and racist phrases/stereotypes that are constantly thrown at me, as well as people I know or close to.

People are told from a young age “to just be yourself, and everything will work out” or “be yourself; everyone else is already taken” and I always loved hearing that and how true that was, but when you’re looked down on or looked at differently, you don’t really know how to be yourself.

No one tells you how to be yourself or teaches you that because that’s up to you and the decisions you make. You can’t control how other people act regardless if they aren’t the most pleasant person in the world but we’re taught that that’s just life.

Adapting to that life lesson was something I had to learn at a very young age, but I’m glad I went through all of that because if I hadn’t,

I wouldn’t be where I am in life now or know who I was today.

As I began to grow up, I learned that I shouldn’t let one comment about me or my appearance affect what I hope for myself.

Now, when I hear certain comments about my ethnicity, it’s not such a big deal to me anymore because I realized that I shouldn’t take myself so seriously and other people’s opinions because it’s not my top priority at the end of the day or what I care about most.

My parents and my brothers were a big role in teaching me this because I was so fixated on what others thought of me that I over thought everything and little by little, it began to get to me. My family and its history is something that I should be proud of because I love hearing how my parents met and how everything fell into place for them.

These racist comments and stereotypes aren’t going to impact me in a negative way as I thought they would. In fact, they make me stronger than I anticipated and that’s something that I carry with me throughout life. Regardless of the obstacles that I have to face and overcome about my heritage and life, in general, I came to the realization that I’m proud to be half Japanese and half white but it doesn’t define me as a person or what I represent in this world.

Like many others, I make my own choices and the future that lies ahead waiting for me, and that’s the sincerity I had to discover along the way and recognize despite what I’m told about “who” I am or “how” I should see myself.

Opinion l lhstoday.org design by: o. holler

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Practice Makes Perfect

Varsity dance team competes at nationals for the second time

by Mckenzie Bartels Reporter

For the second year in a row, the Liberty Belles were able to compete at a national level, traveling to Orlando, Florida in March.

The Belles competed in medium varsity pom and jazz category where they placed 15th out of 26 teams overall, earning their first trophy in the jazz finals this year.

After doing so well at nationals last year, it was no surprise when the dance team did as well as they did.

This year they moved up a division, meaning that the competition was a lot more challenging.

“The competition was fierce so everyone was just really happy to make it to finals,” senior Samantha Clynes said.

Throughout the year, the team practiced four days a week, for about two and half hours each day. However, when it got closer to nationals, they practiced for up to three hours.

Every day at practice the team conditions in various ways. They build endurance by running up and down the stairs and then continue running their dances over and over again. The team kept up with running practice while in Florida.

They went to Universal Studios, Hard Rock Cafe and during down-

time they were able to relax and go swimming.

Even though the team had a lot of fun doing these different things, at the end of the day, they went to compete.

They performed two different dances; jazz and pom. After the first round of performances, they were not guaranteed to perform again.

Luckily, they were able to get a high enough score to advance to finals in the jazz category.

“I was really happy when I heard the results because after working so hard all year it actually showed,” sophomore Delaney Engelhardt said.

It’s a big deal to advance to finals when competing on the national level, especially with Liberty’s team still being so new.

Coach Amanda Miller hopes to continue to develop the dance program in the years to come.

“Even though the team is only 5 years old, I have witnessed tremendous growth,” coach Miller said. “Competing at the national level is a new challenge for our program and forces us to strive to reach a new level of competition, which we will continue to work at.”

All of the Belles hard work and extra efforts definitely paid off at the biggest competition of the year, NDA Nationals.

Sports Throughout the Year

‘17 ‘18 26

Sports l lhstoday.org design by: m. baker

K

Signings

Sports

Update

Kale Catchings

Harvard University - Basketball Division I

Cameron Steinhoff Missouri Baptist - Wrestling NAIA Division

Ben Leach

Missouri Baptist - Wrestling NAIA Division

Ryan Bermudez

Benedictine University - Football Division III

Trey Neal

Auburn University - Football Division I

Mackenzi Sifuentes Lindenwood University - Volleyball Division II

Peyton Eikel

Webster University - Volleyball Division III

Owen Forck

Maple Woods C.C. - Baseball NJCAA

7

Track & Field

Wesley Hines came in fourth in the 100 and second in the 200. Juli Pritchett placed fourth in the 100 at the Festus Meet and broke her own school record.

Kayleigh Trokey set school record in the pole vault.

Girls Soccer Katie Fulhorst has scored 3 goals and Claire Roberts with 2 goals, both being game-winning goals.

Fulhorst and Roberts received players of the game in the Parkway Showcase.

Amy Carnahan has 3 shutouts as a goalkeeper. The team won three of its first four matches.

Boys Golf

Defeated Fort Zumwalt North to improve to 2-0 in conference. Varsity won 10-1 with low scores from Hyatt Hines, Kyle Becker, and Sam Scognamiglo, Ian Herling and Sha’Kir Martin-Watson.

Hyatt Hines 1 over par 36 and Andy Jorris with a 38 in defeating Zumwalt South.

Boys Tennis

Raised $300 for the Karen Weindinger Foundation. Evan Sacks is undefeated and was a state qualifier last year. Three wins against St. Charles, Fort Zumwalt East and Troy. The top four players on the team are juniors Evan Sacks, Josh Roberts, Dominc Reyes and Rishi Kondapaneni.

Baseball

Back-to-back wins against Fort Zumwalt North by scores of 8-5 and 7-6. Andrew Fay leads with a .392 batting average, 19 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Luke Paulus hitting .340 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. Chase Hoeber with 32 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.

8 Kale Catchings, Cameron Steinhoff, Ben Leach, Trey Neal, Ryan Bermudez, Peyton Eikel, Mackenzi Sifuentes. Not pictured: Owen Forck

Sports l lhstoday.org design by: m. baker

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Capricorn

December 22-January 19

Virgo

Dive into the realms of

August 23-September 22

Horoscopes Taurus

Little to your knowledge, you have put up a gigantic wall! It is safe

April 20-May 20

It is in your best interest to discontinue living in the past. Stop

and cozy behind the wall, but it is in your best interest to knock it

dwelling on things that you cannot change and start taking action

down. Your loved ones may feel like you have lost interest or you

on present things that you actually can change. Use the past as a

just don’t care about them anymore. Reach out to your friends

learning guide to not repeat the same mistakes but don’t waste any

and family, they are the only ones who truly have your back.

more time sulking over the past.

It is Taurus season which means it’s time for you to thrive! Lately you may have noticed

Aquarius

Libra

things that once were a complication start to unravel their true purpose in your life. All

January 20-February 18

of the hardships that last year may have brought have been resolving and you have been observant of such events. Continue to take note of these lessons and use them to help you continue to grow and transform into the person you are meant to be.

September 23-October 22

Gemini

May 21-June 20 Stop looking for a compatible partner, and start investing in self

You are starting to feel pressure to make so many decisions and

care and learning more about yourself. You may feel dependent

have your entire future planned and laid out in front of you. Get

on others, but there is good in alone time. In order to find a

this mentality out of your head. The universe gives you what you

partner that will benefit you. You must know yourself first. Going from relationship to relationship will only result in hurt.

can handle at the perfect timing. Everything will fall into place in Recently you may have found yourself more isolated from your friends and loved

time. Nothing has to be set in stone. Pure nirvana awaits you.

ones. Contrary to what you may think, it is likely you are the one that is the root of your loneliness. Make the people that care about you a priority in your life, Gemini.

Pisces

Scorpio

Show more appreciation towards the ones that leap out of their way for you.

FEBRUARY 19-MARCH 20

Cancer

October 23-November 21

June 21-July 22

You may have been blaming many of your problems on other

It’s time for some spring cleaning, Scorpio! Not only does that

sources in your life. The root of dissatisfaction comes from within.

include cleaning up your home, but you are in need a cleanse

Be the change you wish to see, you can create happiness. Life isn’t all horrible. Take time to appreciate those in your life, this will be vital to heading into the right direction.

You have been putting in 100% of all your effort the past couple of months. You are yet to see all of the pleasant results that await you. That is, if you keep up with your work.

Loss of motivation could be crucial right now and that is the last thing you need right now. Keep your head up and BE PATIENT.

Aries

Leo

March 21-April 19

July 23-August 22

You have been moving non-stop lately working your tail off to accomplish goals you have had for awhile. It is important to know that there is good in taking time for yourself to rejuvenate and refresh yourself. Not knowing when it is time to take a break can result in overworking yourself.

of your life! It’s no secret that Scorpios can get themselves in some pretty sticky situations, but you always prevail in the end.

“Clean up” all your messes in your life before they become too overwhelming.

Sagittarius

November 23-December 21

Now is the time to break free from any boundaries that have been It is time to take a step back Leo. You may find a lot of value in materialistic things such as money, clothes, jewelry, etc. but that must change. Money and objects are not everything. Now is a great time to slow down and start to appreciate things before you lose something you can’t write a check to fix.

pulling you back in your life. Granted, these boundaries have helped you develop into the person you are today, but there is good in change. Change is required to continue growing! Break out of routine and start becoming the person you are destined to become.

Horoscopes: FACT OR WACK?

“I think they’re a fact. When I checked mine it was right.”

- Gavin Galaway (9)

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“I think horoscopes are wack - at least mine is. It always tells me I’m organized and I definitely am not.”

- Molly Becker (11)

Entertainment l lhstoday.org design by: e. bobbitt

“I’ve never read a horoscope about me that was wrong. It is no coincidence that me and Elle Woods are both Geminis.”

- Morgan Metcalf (12)

“Horoscopes are definitely a fact! My horoscopes are usually right on.”

- Nicole Ostrovskiy (11)