22-23 Marquette Messenger: Issue II

on pg. 16.

Students, staff discuss safety at school. See full story on pgs. 8-9

ROLL CALL

Aarushi Bute Akhila Swarna

Anika Talyan Rue Siddiqui Prashu Sidella Pranav Sriraman

Annabelle Miller Anvi Talyan Parker Brandt Tiona Merritte Shyam Punnachalil Jacob Robinson

Liza Cooper Emma Tyulyayev

Aubrey Lacavich

Brie Inman Elliott Jorgensen Annie Alcorn Aiden Burkhardt

Elle Devous Willem Hummel Claire Lowder

Elizabeth Neier Emily Jorgensen

04 CUSTODIAN SHORTAGE Custodians feel the impact of being short staffed after multiple years of shortages

06 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY Students create projects to describe the chemistry within normal objects

10 SPECIAL FX MAKEUP

In preparation for Halloween, Ginny Pisoni, senior, shares special FX makeup tips

13 OPINION: SEPARATE ART FROM ARTIST? Messenger staff discuss whether to continue to listen to artists based on their behavior

16 MOUNTAIN BIKES Interest in mountain biking continues to rise in St. Louis, RSD and MHS

Photographs by Liza Cooper, Shyam Punnachalil, Jacob Robinson, Anika Talyan, Anvi Talyan

Front page photograph by Ginny Pisoni

POLICY

The Messenger is published eight times a year by students enrolled in the News Production class at Marquette High School, Chesterfield, MO, 63017. The publication office is located in Room 226, (636) 891-6000 ext. 26228

Opinions of Messenger columnists or the Editorial Board are not representative of the opinions of the entire Messenger staff or the administration. The Messenger takes

responses for any issue. Send these in at mhsmessenger@rsdmo.org.

The Messenger reserves the right to edit submitted material and to refuse to print material because of space limitations, repetitive subject matter, libelous content or any other reason the editor in chief and adviser deem appropriate, including advertisements and letters to the editor.

Ballwin Elementary gets training bikes for younger students. See full story

Marquette hosted the first boys soccer alumni game on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

by | brie inman

Cross Country Places First in Meet

by | anika talyan and emma tyulyayev

RSD partners with Hazel Health

Telehealth program connects students to therapists from around Missouri

ahkila SWARNA

As an advocate for supporting student’s needs, Dr. Terry Harris, executive director of student services, operates with a driving philosophy: all students are capable of learning.

“Every single program I create operates through that lens,” Dr. Harris said.

But the challenge with student learning, Dr. Harris said, comes with outside forces that impact performance, like anxiety, depression or a stressful home life. These factors create challenges for stu dents, which is when poor attendance and low grades might occur.

He noticed a need for mental and emotional health support, specifically during 2020, and found that the counselors and social workers were stretched thin.

“We couldn’t just simply sit back and say ‘well, I don’t know what to do.’ We needed to plan for the kids,” Dr. Harris said.

From there, RSD’s partnership with Hazel Health began.

Hazel Health is a telehealth program that serves as an extension to school counselors and social work

Fast Fact

In the last 30 days, a total of 43 RSD students accessed the Hazel Health service.

ers by providing students with access to thousands of counselors across the country at no cost to the student. The program allows students to see a Hazel Health counselor for up to six weeks, also allowing a spot to free up the counselor’s caseload.

If a counselor or social worker identifies a con cern, they refer the student to Hazel Health services with parental consent. Parents can also request Hazel Health therapy sessions for students.

Students are then allowed to schedule and connect with a Missou ri-licensed therapist. Therapy sessions take place on the Hazel Health app installed on designat ed RSD electronics.

Jaime Bayes, Board president, said the Board views the telehealth service as a trailblazer and as a resource that supplements and assists parents, families and students.

“It’s not going to be something that everybody needs or wants to seek out, but it is certainly going to be there for those that do,” Bayes said.

Dr. Todd Minichiello, director of non-traditional learning, said RSD is excelling in academics and test scores, but he has noticed that students have been struggling with mental health. Dr. Minichiello said the room for improvement lies in addressing mental health concerns and student health, which takes pri ority over academics.

“Healthy kids will be academically stronger,” Dr. Minichiello said. ‘We just need to do everything we can to keep kids safe and healthy. And the academics will take care of themselves.”

Hazel Health has been a home run for the stu dents. Telehealth fits this generation of student’s

How students access Hazel Health services

1Contact the counselor. Students can go to the counselor and ask for help setting up the program. RSD coun selors or parents can also request a student to enroll in it.

Create a plan and get parental consent. Students and their coun selor will decide on up to a 6 week plan of sessions with a Missouri-li censed therapist through the ser vice.

Use a RSD device to access Hazel Health and meet with a therapist. Sessions are scheduled and held through the platform.

norms, Dr. Minichiello said, even though the idea of speaking with someone online rather than in-person may seem daunting for previous generations. RSD is trying to meet kids where they are, so students are much more comfortable.

“We just want a different choice for students,” Dr. Minichiello said. “We still have counselors and other resources in the mix. This is just one additional layer of support for kids.”

Chick-Fil-A Leadership Academy donates books to preschools

annabelle MILLER

When Josh Meyr, senior, attended his first meeting for the Chick-fil-A Lead ership Academy, he experienced one major disappointment.

“We haven’t gotten free food yet, not a single lick of food,” Meyr said. Despite the lack of chicken, Meyr said he enjoyed their first meeting, and he is looking forward to helping the community.

The Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy is a nationwide program that allows students to com plete three community service projects throughout the year. For the first project, titled the Million Book Giveaway, the MHS branch will deliver packages of children’s books to preschools and elementary schools in the area.

Chick-fil-A provided all the children’s books, and the students packaged them. Each package has five books and a handwritten note from the student who put the package together. Students will deliver the bundles to preschools and elementary schools in the area later this month to continue to focus on developing their leadership

skills.

Major Terri Zuber, AFJROTC instructor, sponsors the MHS branch of the Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy.

This is the first year the program has been offered.

“This is my passion,” Zuber said. “I love leadership, and I love getting the opportunity to help students find it in themselves.”

This program is focused on impact through action, Zuber said, and edu cates the students on the process of creating a community service project.

“All of you are leaders, you just maybe haven’t figured out where your leadership shows up,” Zuber said.

Markeese Hunt, senior, received an email to be part of the Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy over the summer.

“I was really flattered that I was

picked,” Hunt said.

Only 16 students were selected for the program and each member can only be part of the program for a year. Staff members submitted nomi nations of students they believe show leadership and character, and the final members were selected from those nominations.

“I want to see how far my leader ship will go,” Markeese said. “Leader ship can be used in anything, so it’s helpful to have.”

Owen Alexander, junior, was also accepted into the program this year, and he is looking forward to future service projects.

“I’m really excited about the leader ship skills we’re going to build and get ting to work with the other members of the Academy,” Alexander said.

Alexander said his favorite part so far has been packaging the books be cause it is necessary to encourage kids to read.

“Many kids now are falling back on technology, so reading is an important habit to create,” Alexander said.

Additional reporting by Val Inch and Kishanti Woods.

“It’s not going to be something that everybody needs or wants to seek out, but it is certainly going to be there for those that do.”

Jaime Bayes, Board president

Rhianna Li, junior, and Lucy Mercurio, sopho more, from the Chick-fil-A Leadership Acad emy write notes to include in their preschool book packages. Photograph by Major Terri Zuber

2

3

Custodial shortage doubles workload

liza COOPER

When the bell rings to dismiss the cafeteria, Ani Simhadri, junior, tries to always pick up his trash because he knows it will make the custodians’ job easier.

“They are all kind of like my mom,” Simhadri said. “They take care of everything and help me understand that I need to clean up after myself.”

Libby Bauer, senior, said the school always feels clean because of the out standing work of the custodial staff.

“The custodians make everything work more smoothly,” she said. “If we didn’t have them, the school would be a mess.”

One of Bauer’s favorite custodians is Monique Johnson.

“Monique always has a smile on her face and waves to people. She goes out of her way to be nice to everyone,” Bauer said.

Johnson said she prides herself in being a social butterfly. She loves to check up on students and make sure they’re doing okay.

“I love talking to you all,” Johnson said. “I love supporting and encourag ing kids to know how smart they are, to know their value.”

Recently, though, there has been a shortage of custodians. Each custodian at MHS cleans 57,809 square feet per

eight-hour shift, which is almost double the amount they are supposed to cover. This is a result of short staffing — only 135 out of the 201 custodial positions at RSD are currently filled.

Freshman Principal Kyle Devine is dedicated to informing students and staff about this shortage because the amount of custodians employed and the amount of jobs they have to do is disproportional.

“A single individual can’t just con tinue to add on the jobs of somebody else,” he said.

Devine said students and staff should try their best to help the cus todial staff by picking up after them selves. It would be especially helpful if students and staff picked up in the bleachers after Friday night football games, as they are some of the biggest messes the custodians have to deal with, he said.

“It just adds time to the adults who are trying to do their job and having to do more and more,” Devine said.

Devine said RSD is constantly post ing job offerings for custodial employ ees, along with discussing other meas ures to open the job to more people.

“There is some conversation about lowering the age of who could be a custodian, how many hours they can work and types of jobs that they can do,” Devine said.

How Students Can Help

Aiman Al-Samaraiy, custodian, empties trash from second-floor classrooms. Due to the custodial shortage, tasks such as emptying the trash take priority over cleaning white boards. Photograph by Anvi Talyan

Layla Shockley, sophomore, throws away her trash during her second-shift lunch period.

Photograph by Anvi Talyan

Carl Taraporavela, sophomore, stacks chairs at the end of his lunch period. Photograph by Anvi Talyan

Stack chairs during 4th hour lunch. 2 3

Monique Johnson, custodian, cleans classrooms in the history wing. Johnson is wellknown with students as she often engages in conversation during lunch and before school

Photograph by Anvi Talyan

Learn how to join the Messenger staff! 1. 2.

Jeff Wissman, custodian, cleans up the Commons during fifth hour following lunch. Photograph by Sam Stremlau

Hurricane Ian affects local community

willem HUMMEL

Cate Sanazaro. speech teacher, lived and taught preschool on Sanibel Island for eight years, and it's where her children grew up.

She said she enjoyed the beaches, shelling, fishing and other outdoor activities unique to the island.

“The island revolves a lot around the wildlife. It's a sanctuary,” Sanazaro said.

Hurricane Ian and the damage done to Florida has had a widespread impact on the MHS community, as many students and teachers have either lived in areas affected, gone on vacation near Sanibel Island and Fort Myers, or have family that are in a dire situation.

Sanazaro said the island is unique in how it was such a small community where, at the time she lived there, the population was only 4,000 people, and many more were tourists.

“The people who actually lived there had their own unique sense of community that was more like a rural town,” Sanazaro said.

She still has friends who live on the island.

Sanazaro said many of the people living on the island work in Fort Myers and have to cross the causeway that once connected to the main land. The causeway collapsed in multiple locations during the hurricane.

Sanazaro stayed in a hotel for several days during Hur ricane Andrew in 1992. The evacuation process was rather hectic and unorga nized, she said.

Hurricane Andrew was a level two hurricane, whereas Ian was twice that when it reached Sanibel.

“We came back to a palm tree that fell across the driveway and a few missing shingles,” Sanazaro said.

“I can't imagine what a lot of people are coming back to, and finding their life literally washed away.”

Kenyon Alexander, Class of 1996, is a truck driver for a company closely connected with the Red Cross. He delivers goods to areas in need and has made two trips to areas affected by Hurricane Ian so far.

“The first load down I took blankets, the next load was cleaning supplies, and my co-workers also took down cleaning supplies and blankets,” Alexander said.

Alexander said he has seen pow er outages, downed trees, downed power lines and flooding.

A lot of families were headed north as they left due to flooding, Alexander said.

“It almost looked like everyone was on vacation because they had a lot of things packed in their cars

and vehicles,” Alexander said.

Families enjoy the beaches in Fort Myers prior to Hurricane Ian. The hurricane caused damage throughout Southwest Florida, including areas like Fort Myers.

Alexander said he has also driven through fire to deliver supplies in California.

“Going down to Florida made me appreciate the fact that we don't have to deal with this type of weather back home in St. Louis,” Alexander said. “I thank God for what he has blessed me with, where we are in life, and where I live in St. Louis.”

Jack Cason, junior, has been on vacation to Fort Myers beach twice, and has aunts, uncles and cousins who live in the area.

“The hotel I stayed at was completely underwater and everything I saw seemed destroyed. It looks like a completely different place,” Cason said. “It's really sad because I have family that lives in the Fort Myers area, about an hour away and I know someone who lives in the Tampa Fort Myers area. A lot of their homes were lost.”

Photograph by Mindy WalstraHummel

Business classes sell products for charities

elle DEVOUS

After scrolling through fashion catalogs and inspiration from current trends, Siddharth Santosh, senior, developed the idea for his company’s shirts.

Santosh is enrolled in the second hour Business Management and Entre preneurship class. Each class period creates a brand and products to sell. The second hour class has decided to donate $1 for every sale to No Kid Hungry.

“Taking this class was a last-minute decision for me,” Santosh said. “I want ed to try to create a brand with differ ent classes and advertise products.”

Students are divided into four dif ferent groups: production, marketing, human resources and finance.

Each of the four groups have differ ent responsibilities they must complete to achieve success.

“I’m currently in the process of de signing a limited-edition shirt,” Santosh said.

Currently, the company offers a t-shirt in black and cream colors and hoodies in baby blue, white and gray.

The company’s designs can be found online alongside the other two

companies.

Fifth hour created a company titled 988. They hope to spread awareness of available help. The company offers a t-shirt in black, cream, light blue and a limited edition pink. They also offer a hoodie in black, pink and light blue.

In the sixth hour class, one group offers a yellow hoodie, while the other offers a black crew neck and a tan t-shirt.

Tyson Campbell, business edu cation teacher, oversees and helps to guide all three classes.

Campbell said they go through the design process, decide on a vendor and order their product. This class will end sales midway through November, with their final order then placed, he said.

“They are currently in the sales portion of the company,” Campbell said.

Jack Holubowski, senior, helped with the decision making.

“We chose this charity because we want to leave as big of an impact as possible,” Holubowski said. “For every dollar we donate, 10 meals will be donated.”

Organic chemistry students pursue passion projects

anika TALYAN

Emily Bowdern, art teacher, walks to the ceramics room ready to be taught how to create a mug on the ceramics wheel. She is competing in “The Great MHS Mug Off” and is learning how to throw clay early in order to get a leg up in the competition.

“It was really fun, I loved it,” Bowdern said.

“I’m excited, I think it will be re ally fun,” Bowdern said.

Natalie Cox, senior, created the competition for her organic chemistry project for official name of the class.

“I wanted to do something kind of out of the box,” Cox said.

For the nineweek project, stu dents are able to use any medium they want in order to show the chemical properties of an item.

Cox is creating a video competi tion between six teachers as they go through the entire process of creating a mug before finally being judged by the art teachers. In order to incorpo rate chemistry, Cox is going to explain

the chemistry behind each stage of the ceramic process in between segments.

“I think it’s gonna be really fun to make,” Cox said.

Ed Bolton, science teacher, created the project during Virtual Learning. Bolton said he noticed students were disconnected from the material and he wanted to find a way to get his students excited.

Bolton has done the project every year since and said it has helped students’ understanding of chemistry.

“I think anytime you take a class, it always seems so dis jointed,” Bolton said. “This builds that ‘why I do care’.”

Bolton said students usually use videos as their medi um, and that he likes seeing the creativity students have.

“There are things that I would never have thought to do,” Bolton said. “Their creativity is absolutely amazing.”

Currently, the students are starting to create their projects after doing ex tensive research and planning.

When Anna Hill-Jones, junior, heard about the project, she jumped at the

chance to complete it with 3D fila ment. She uses 3D printers in robot ics and she said that has sparked her curiosity for it.

“I thought it was a perfect way to learn more about the actual mecha nisms of 3D printers at the same time as learning about the chemical nature of the possibilities,” Hill-Jones said.

Hill-Jones is combining a board game with 3D printing by 3D printing game pieces inspired by chemistry.

She will present the board game to the class in the form of a video advertise ment.

The creative aspect of the project is what Hill-Jones is most worried about, she said, but she is also excited to move forward.

“It gives us a chance to take what we’ve learned and kind of apply it to something more creative,” Hill-Jones said.

Gabby Pagel, senior, calculates how much profit her company has made during her second hour Business Management and Entrepreneurship class.

Nick Ancel, senior, hangs up his company’s ad on the second floor bulletin board. The Business Management and Entrepreneurship classes are donating the profits from their sales to local charities. Photographs by Sam Stremlau

Scan to access the MHS JA Businesses website to order merchandise

Anna Hill-Jones, junior, works on her organic chemistry project after school. Being interested in engineering, she decided to 3D print her project: a chemistry-themed board game. Photograph by Anika Talyan

Anna Hill-Jones, junior, looks at filament options for her chem project. Hill-Jones will use PLA, a type of plastic, to 3D print game pieces. Photograph by Anika Talyan

LGBT History Month

October celebrates LGBT leaders, icons

parker BRANDT

Key moments in LGBT History

1919: First explicitly gay film released 1924: First gay rights organization established 1950: Mattachine society established to protect gay rights 1969: Stonewall Riots after unprovoked police raids of gay bar 1979: National march on Washington for gay rights 2015: Gay marriage rights are officially recognized and protected

When junior Aubrey Conaway post ed an innocent rainbow makeup look on TikTok, she knew her identity in the LGBT community would soon be revealed.

This brought up many emotions for Conaway: some negative, some positive and some feelings of wishing there was more acceptance for the LGBT commu nity.

“[LGBT History month] helps peo ple learn about others in their commu nity,” Conaway said.

LGBT History Month, which takes place during October, aims to achieve that goal by bringing awareness to the community and acknowledging the achievements of LGBT social and polit ical leaders.

Each day during the month, the Equality Forum, a national and interna tional LGBT civil rights organization, honors one historical icon by sharing their stories and honoring their accom plishments.

Emily Thompson, French teacher, identifies as bisexual and has been out since college. For her, LGBT History Month provides an opportunity to edu cate her students about the community by decorating a bulletin board and discussing influential figures.

“The representation itself is what’s important to me,” Thompson said.

“And, that any student can see some one who is the same gender identity as them as a role model.”

Language arts teacher Lauren Wil liams, sponsor of the Gay Straight Alli ance (GSA), has worked with her club and STUCO in the past to campaign for anit-bullying. This year, they worked on daily slides on the monitors in the Commons that highlight LGBT leaders.

In GSA, they work on bringing awareness to the community and rep resentation for all students.

“We have a lot more discussions about intersectionality and margin alized groups within the LGBTQA+ community,” Williams said. “We have in our group norms that we honor all identities.”

For Raymond Holmes, librarian, LGBT history month allows him to edu cate and connect people to the com munity by setting up an “LGBT History Month” display in the Library window.

“Our whole goal is really just to bring attention and awareness to the many different types of stories that the LGBT community has brought to Mar quette and to the world,” Holmes said.

The display features a St. Lou is-themed pride flag and a dozen novels by LGBT authors. The books contain stories of pride and experiences of LGBT community members.

“Some of our books are meant to just inform people about what it’s like to be a LGBT person and of their experiences,” Holmes said. “There are a lot of students who, if they’re straight or an ally, read these stories and will realize what they have in common with someone they thought they were very different from.”

Associate Principal Dr. Tracey Wackerle said staff and adminis trators have done their best to ac commodate all communities and to build a safe, accepting environment for everyone.

“We’re seeing a lot more oppor tunities for students to learn more about each other,” Dr. Wackerle said. “In general, I hope that Marquette High School is an open, welcoming space for

all students.”

The Board of Education also has made changes to district policy in the past few years to ensure safe and accommodating conditions for all students and staff, regardless of their differences or identities.

According to Policy 2130, which went into affect in 2019, “The district prohibits any and all forms of unlawful harassment and discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national or igin, ethnicity, disability, sexual orien tation, or perceived sexual orientation, or gender identity.”

While this policy’s intentions are clear, when approached by the Messen ger for interviews, some staff members declined to comment due to the cur rent environment in the community.

Dr. Wackerle said the goal of RSD is to create a safe and accepting environ ment for all.

“We’re hoping that more and more things are integrated into the school community to learn about diversity in general, and that includes everybody,” Dr. Wackerle said.

For the month of October, the Library is featuring an LGBT History Month display meant to raise awareness of the different stories the LGBT community has brought to MHS and the rest of the world. Photograph by Elliott Jorgensen

Illustration by Emma Tyulyayev

Safety First

Lieutenant for the Metro West Fire Department District, Matt Coppin, shares safety tips

Safety in School

RSD resumes safety trainings

aarushi BUTE • akhila SWARNA

First responders use this phone feature to access emergency medical information

The setup for Medical ID is located in settings, and after set up, it can be found in the Emergency Phone Call Page. Pictures only show the setup for iPhones.

1. Medical ID * 2. Distraction is key

Objects like balled up paper can be thrown to distract and disorient the intruder

3. Know your exits

If there is an emergency, most people exit the building where they entered from. Know where alternate exits are in order to get out safely and efficiently

After the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in 2012, Corey Zavorka, police officer, began to visit schools in St. Louis and noted a need for training the school administrations. Zavorka said he realized school staff needed the same guidance as police of ficers in responding to emergency situations such as school shootings.

“One school shooting is obviously too many,” Za vorka said. “These incidents are occurring at unfortu nately staggering rates. We’re past the point that any of us can be reactive to it.”

To respond to the community’s need of intruder training and to be proactive, Zavorka co-founded Tier One Tactical Solutions, a company dedicated to addressing school safety concerns with prepared emergency protocols and training. RSD faculty and staff participated in the Tier One Tactical Solutions 4-E training on Monday, Oct. 3.

Zavorka said preparation for emergency response is imperative, just as it is for fire, earthquake and other drills.

“If you don’t have a safe environment to learn, then everything else including learning is not going to happen,” Zavorka said.

As part of the company’s training program, Zavor ka teaches schools the 4-E’s: educate, evade, escape and engage. He said the 4-E’s are options to approach intruder safety and are applicable to situations in an emergency.

“It would be stressful and scary, and every other word that we could think of regarding these emo tions,” Zavorka said. “But, we still have to do these things in order to stay safe. That’s where the 4-E’s were developed from.”

Erin Sullenger, history teacher, said she always has meaningful con versations with her students about emergency situations and the impor tance of preparedness.

For example, she prioritizes dis cussing the drills with all class periods rather than during the designated school wide time to explain emergen cy procedures to students. Sullenger said the conversations are more effec tive with students in her own classes, rather than in AC Lab.

Sullenger also said she believes in empowering her students to under stand the layout of the school and to gain a spacial awareness about their location in the building.

“If we don’t know where the foot ball field is or where the parking lot is or where the rally points are, we are already in danger,” Sullenger said.

She also encourages students to consider differ ent situations like if an emergency occurs when the teacher is not in the classroom or if they are in the hallways.

“I think it is important to educate students and empower them that they do have the ability to think on their own,” Sullenger said.

In regards to the 4-E training, Sullenger said Tier One Tactical Solutions explained various ways of securing a door without a lock with different safety devices. Sullenger said she hopes the district would purchase the devices mentioned such as a PVC pipe that prevents the door from opening.

“This could happen here,” Sullenger said. “There is no reason why we have any special protection that this could not happen here.”

In addition to drills and exercises for safety from emergencies, RSD has implemented new layers of protection for students and staff.

Tyrone Dennis, district safety officer, said the im plementation of SchoolPass is an important addition to RSD’s arsenal of precautionary measures. School Pass is a new visitor management system that when individuals sign in, checks their credentials with the national sex offender database.

“Safety has always been a priority of the district,” Dennis said.

Dennis said RSD has multiple layers of safety and security for all students and staff. The layers of secu rity include student resource officers (SROs), checkin systems and even safety barriers at front doors for anti-ramming protection.

“A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes every day that as a student or staff, everyone is privy to certain information, and it’s for a reason,” Dennis said.

Kehrsgrove Dr

Steven Aspinall, school resource officer, checks to see if the door is propped open. One of Aspinall’s daily jobs is to make sure that no doors in the school are propped open, and there are signs on the doors to stop people from propping them open. “There’s a lot of bad people out there, and we don’t want those people to come in here,” Aspinall said. Photograph by Shyam Punnachalil Photographs

Matt Knocki, SchoolPass. system Tyrone Stremlau

Rally Points

If you are able to escape if an intruder enters the building, go to one of these rally points

Fire alarm sparks change

When a sudden fire alarm blared through the speak ers on Wednesday, Oct. 5, senior Richie Tienter’s classmates rushed to surround him in a huddle to get him through the fire exit safely.

“I was helped by not only people I sat with, but other people who made sure I knew where I was go ing,” Tienter said. “And I’m very grateful for that.”

Tienter, who is blind, said he didn’t have much trouble exiting the building because of his classmates’ guidance and because his German 4 classroom is located in the G-Wing, which has a fire escape a few feet away.

The biggest challenge for Tienter was getting over the shock of the initial alarm and then staying with his classmates, but other than those exceptions, he said he can navigate fire drills well.

Tienter said he has never had a bad experience with a drill as there have always been students or staff willing to help him, but in general, he hopes to have more promotion of knowledge in regard to how people can help those with disabilities during drills.

“I usually discourage grabbing the hands or other body parts of blind people, but in this case, I think it would be warranted because you’re trying to keep that person safe,” Tienter said.

Clarkson Rd Kehrs Mill Rd Clarkson Mill Cr

by Shyam Punnachalil

hangs in the main stairwell of the second floor. The sled can be found in each stariwell and is used to help students with

Freshman Principal Kyle Devine, is in charge of safety and security in the building and said the un scheduled evacuation made necessary changes to the procedures apparent.

Locating students and staff during the evacua tion process is now something Devine and the safety committee made up of administrators, teachers and students are working toward, he said. For example, Devine said staff members in planning periods and students traveling the hallways need to be accounted for. Because of this, communicating to students the importance of traveling to the closest bathrooms is needed.

“I have my own children and I would also like to

hope that their school is also doing everything that they can within their power to take care of the kids,” Devine said.

Since holding a safety committee meeting, Devine said he hopes that these identified problems and changes will be implemented as soon as possible, especially before the next evacuation.

“We’re pushing for safety because obviously events that occur across the nation heighten the alert and need for it,” Devine said. “As an educator our goal is also to get [students] out of here safely.”

Zeenia Taraporevala, senior, said while there was some chaos, the evacuation went pretty smoothly as RSD normally practices drills like these.

“Every single door was held for me and nobody was pushing anyone or running up or down the stairs,” Taraporevala said. “It proved that even in situ ations like these we can be organized and safe.”

The med sled

special needs, like wheelchairs, get down the stairs during a fire drill. Photograph by Sam Stremlau

aarushi BUTE • akhila SWARNA

Knocki, freshman, signs in at the front desk with SchoolPass. SchoolPass is a new visitor management system that checks an individuals’ backgrounds Tyrone Dennis, safety officer, said. Photograph by Sam Stremlau

Richie Tienter, senior, works in his German 4 class with his classmate Cece Kreh, senior. Tienter is blind and was with his German 4 class when the fire alarm went off on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Tienter did not have trouble evacuating due to his class’ proximity to a fire escape and his classmates’ help. “The biggest thing is getting over the shock of the initial alarm, after which I can usually navigate fire drills well,” Tienter said. Photograph by Sam Stremlau

Halloween makeup sparks creative freedom

tiona MERRITTE • elizabeth NEIER

For Ginny Pisoni, junior, Show Choir was her introduction to the makeup world.

“I did regular makeup, the kind of makeup I do for show choir now,”P isoni said. “But, that’s where my hatred for regular makeup started.”

Pisoni didn’t like the feeling of makeup on her skin but she found enjoyment in doing creative looks with special effects makeup.

“I really like art,” Pisoni said. “Being able to cre ate whatever I want is really cool to me. I like to have creative liberty.”

Yet Pisoni said it tends to be difficult to think of new ideas.

“I take my inspira tion from all over the place and usually look up the idea of what I am going to use as inspiration then make it into my own idea,'' Pisoni said. “I am self taught, but definitely used YouTube and Instagram to get me started.”

With each look Pisoni has gotten better at the hobby, giving her the freedom to do any look she’d like with a little help from the internet which helps her create looks such as a skele ton or a chopped off finger with a click of a button.

Gabriella Powitzky, senior, is also inspired by Instagram. In the sixth grade she was a vampire for Halloween and used special effects makeup to make her neck look as if it were bitten by a vampire.

From a young age, Powitzky cheered with older girls that did their makeup, so she began to do the same. Special effects became a hobby she picked up in her free time.

With access to the internet, she has been able to complete numerous looks including her take on the Queen of Hearts with cards on her forehead.

But now Powitzky doesn’t create with special effects as much.

“I still do makeup with my friends,” Powitzky said. “So like just random stuff like helping them out with their makeup, even if it's a fairy or something like that.”

Abbey Gradle, art teacher, goes all out when it comes to fun makeup. At a re cent cheer event, she dressed up as a glam Wicked Witch of the West.

“It takes time, energy and effort to do something this costumey and to do it right,” Gradle said. “But in general,I think makeup is a good outlet and I love the artistry of creating the sense of depth and illusion that comes with face makeup.”

As an art teacher, she loves finding new ways to express herself and have fun with makeup.

“When you do any type of make up you are applying basic drawing techniques for creating shadows and highlights to basic forms,” Gradle said. “With people being three dimensional forms, we are just using a live model instead of people on paper.”

Ginny Pisoni's Must Haves for sPecial

effects

Ginny Pisoni started off with white face paint applied with a sponge to make a white base to start the look. Afterward, with some blue face paint and a brush, she began to draw the eyebrows and then drew them in with the same paint.

Then, with the eyeshadow palette, Pisoni added a light green eyeshadow to the sides of the eye and a yellow eyeshadow in the middle. Next, she used a purple eyeshadow to make a border around the face and for eyeliner.

With a brush and a watercolor palette, she made lines above and below the eyes and with the same color, over lined the lips. She also used red eyeshadow as blush on the nose and cheeks.

She used the same red eyeshadow to fill in the lips and used white paint as mascara.

Photographs by Shyam Punnachalil Information by Ginny Pisoni

MakeuP Alcohol-Based Paint from Amazon

Revolution Palette from Ulta Beauty

Scar Wax and Fake Blood from Amazon

Photographs by Shyam Punnachalil and Jacob Robinson Illustrations byParker Brandt

“When you do any type of makeup you are applying basic drawing techniques for creating shadows and highlights to basic forms.”

Abbey Gradle Art teacher

Pumpkin spice triggers nostalgia

tiona MERRITTE

As Scott Szevery, social studies teacher, talked with his class, he brought up the pumpkin spice pumpkin he found at the grocery store that he could not wait to cut into.

“I bake pies, and I love making pumpkin pie,” Szevery said. “I don’t know that I’m a pumpkin spice fanatic the way some people are, but I do enjoy the flavor.”

He’s not alone. Americans spent more than $236 million last year on the flavor, according to the market research firm Nielsen IQ.

Seasonal trends tend to not stick around for years on end, but pumpkin spice has been a trending fall flavor for the past 20 years. This is due to two possible reasons: Starbucks and science.

Noses have a way of “sniffing out nostalgia,” Szevery said.

“They have done studies on the way that certain aromas can trigger feelings of nostalgia, making people long for something in the past,” he said. “Fall, in particular, is full of distinct smells.

I think pumpkin spice just adds to that.”

People usually

associate pumpkin spice with fall holidays, like Thanksgiving, giving them a sense of familiarity and comfort.

Another reason for the popularity of pumpkin spice may be its limited fall release in the popular coffee chain, Starbucks.

Nia Williams, senior, is a barista in a Starbucks and is used to making pumpkin spice drinks during this time of year. On an average shift she makes about 10 pumpkin spice drinks.

“Because the pumpkin spice latte is only available for a few months out of the year, I think that adds to the appeal,” Williams said. “People miss it every year and it gets them in the mood for fall.”

Maggie McGinn, sophomore, has never tried a pumpkin spice latte and was happy to try it for the first time to see if it was worth it’s popularity.

“I’m so excited, I’ve never tried one before. The anticipation is killing me,” said McGinn while in line to order a pumpkin spice latte with a pumpkin loaf.

It never crossed her mind to order the drink in past years because she usually doesn’t like coffee, but after a few sips, McGinn began to understand the appeal.

“It tastes like the season of fall,” McGinn said.

While waiting to try a pumpkin spice latte for the first time, Maggie McGinn spotted a sign saying, “Say hello to Pumpkin Spice,” perfect for the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte. Photograph by Tiona Merritte

Pumpkin Spice hit American shelves in 1934 when McCormick, the world’s largest spice manufacturer, brought it over from Europe.

SPEAK OUT

HOW OLD IS TOO OLD TO GO TRICK-OR-TREATING?

OMAR ELBESHBESHY, freshman

“You’re never too old. It’s free candy. There should be nothing against free candy, I want free candy anytime of the day. I want people to know you should go trickor-treating at any time.”

ANAGHA MANDADI, sophomore

“No one’s too old to go trick-or-treating. But you actually have to get up and go.”

Take SEL survey seriously

“Probably freshman year. You’re in high school. You can go buy candy.”

CHARLIE INGRAM, junior

“I don’t think you’re ever too old to go trick-or-treating. You should be able to dress up and be whatever you want. Have fun with it.”

Year after year, students sit down during a designat ed period to take arguably one of the most important multiple choice tests of the year: the Social-Emotion al Learning (SEL) survey.

This test is not a measure of academic ability like any normal test; it is an evaluation of students’ men tal and emotional health as a district.

Yet, even as a generation that prides ourselves on being champions for mental health and change making, we disregard this critical survey. Most of us consider the SEL as a waste of time, filling out random bubbles until we reach the much-anticipated “submit” button.

This SEL assessment is set to be given Friday, Oct. 21, with the intention of gathering a pulse on the stu dent body, Glenn Hancock, RSD director of research evaluation and assessment, said.

social support and climate.

The desire to click the “submit” button as fast as possible has unintended consequences. It can disrupt the accuracy of the data in these six domains, there by setting back improvements to the educational environment at MHS.

In fact, Hancock said it is difficult to distinguish between inaccurate and accurate responses in a survey about social and emotional health because all responses are equally valid.

Students will always de sire action for mental health resources and complain when not given adequate resources to address their needs.

But, how can we blame others without doing our part? How can we blame the district without taking action our selves?

ANNELISE BLANKE, senior

“I would say 18. You have to register for the draft, you can buy lottery tickets. But, if an 18 year old came to my house, I wouldn’t deny them candy, of course. You could be doing way worse things.”

“We really value the student voice and student thought and want to make the school experience better for students,” Hancock said. “We understand that there can be limited ways that you are able to express your thoughts and feelings or perceptions.”

Once the student body provides responses, the data is organized into six domains or categories: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making,

We encourage students to take this opportunity as a means of creating change. This is your chance of voicing your feelings and showcasing your true health as a student. If you can take the time to answer the questions authentically and honestly, our administration has the ability to improve our schools now and in the future.

Live up to our title as a mental health focused generation. Taking this simple multiple choice assessment sincerely has a bigger impact than you know.

Interested in voicing your opinion?

LESLIE TIEMEYER, FACS teacher

Submit a Letter to the Editor through the website linked in the QR code or email mhsnews@gmail.com

Illustration by Emma Tyulyayev

Quizlet Plus curtails studying

Alternatives to Quizlet

Is it possible to separate art from the artist?

Earlier this month, singer Rex Orange County, whose real name is Alexander O’Connor, was accused of assaulting a woman on six separate occasions. Fans are questioning whether to continue to listen to O’Connor’s music.

Through listening to his songs, are fans supporting O’Connor and consequently enabling his actions?

Picture this: you are cramming for a test the night before. You are stuck on a question, so you look to Google for answers, which then redirects you to a Quizlet, which has all the help you need.

“Yay! Quizlet always has what I need,” you think to yourself, which would be true in previous years, but not anymore.

To your horror, you see a big lock covering the contents of the Quizlet, saying users need to upgrade to Quizlet Plus in order to view the answers.

In December of 2018, Quizlet came out with its premium content, which featured expert-curated study guides and materials. But, all of the important study features, such as Learn mode and other games remained free for users.

Earlier this year, Quizlet revamped its features for the paid version, which now limits a lot of the fea tures that were once free to users. Reviewing flash cards and playing the Match game are the only tools users can use without cost.

If you want to view other users’ Quizlets, most of them are locked. You also cannot use the advanced features that were once available. These were cru cial for students, as the technology would help them study what they needed to based on the data that the website collected.

As of 2018, there were 50 million monthly users of Quizlet across the world, according to Forbes. So as a result of a rise in popularity, many features were improved while others were limited to paid members only.

Quizlet is a business and this is a great marketing strategy on their part. However, it is now difficult for many students to find good resources to help them out with school.

Quizlet helped students learn the material they needed to know in many different ways, whether that was by the flashcards and revising features or view ing other people’s Quizlets to get different perspec tives.

On the website, Quizlet has released a statement stating that Quizlet is a small team of people and that the number of students and teachers using it has been exponentially growing. Therefore, they’ve made these changes to better reinvest in building great products that can help millions of students around the world.

While this change may have its benefits, Quizlet will most likely also lose a lot of users due to the new terms, and more students will face difficulties in finding new study methods.

This is a program that is based on flashcard learning. It is said to be more efficient than traditional study methods because it goes about memory-based learning in a different way. The only downside is Anki is a computer program that you have to download. If you are looking for a program that is solely focused on flashcards, this would be effective.

YESliza COOPER

There is a feature in Canvas called StudyMate. If you go to the “Resource” tab in Canvas, you can make a study group that allows you to add facts and questions of your choosing. This would be a great feature to use if you need to organize your information and study it easily.

Separating art from the artist may not be an easy feat, but it is possible. Usually, when I listen to a song or view a piece of art, it’s for my own enjoyment. I want to hear a certain rhythm to pump me up or help me focus. I want to see pretty colors on a canvas. One thing I’m not doing, however, is thinking about every life detail of the artist who put the media out into the world. Rex Orange County’s actions were despicable and there is no excuse to ha rass another human being. But, I believe fans of the singer can still enjoy and consume Rex’s art because his music is a separate entity from himself. I’m not listening to his songs because I want to support him. I’m listening to his songs because they sound good to me. Personally, I think separating art from the artist is the easiest way not to be let down. Humans err, and some make decisions that are morally wrong. Focusing solely on the art, which is something that will never change or disappoint, is the best mind-set a consumer can have.

Midterm is also a program that you would have to download. Its primary function is interactive note taking. If you are someone who is big on note taking I would recommend this program. I like the fact that it lets you enter questions so you can use the active recall feature which is shown to be very effective when studying.

NOtiona MERRITTE

StudyStack provides you with flashcards and other study games. The website is free and you can make your own study sets or use the ones the website provided. Though, this does not seem like the best option: the site setup does seem to be a little outdated and not as advanced as Quizlet.

It is not possible to separate art from an artist. Sure, artists are people and everyone makes mistakes, but the real issue lies with if the person you’re listening to is a good person or not. Like in the case of R. Kelly, if a musician’s songs are about being in love with an under aged girl, is it really possible to feel okay listening to their music? For many artists, they are their art. Their experiences and emotions influence what they make. I personally don’t feel comfortable listening to music from artists who have done things like Rex Orange County has.

prashu SIDELLA

The allegations came to light just eightmonths after Rex Orange County released his latest album, Who Cares?

Minor league retiree coaches softball

anvi TALYAN

As the phone crackled to life and a voice informed Sam Basta, Class of 2004, of his position on the Boston Ori oles in the Minor League, he realized his childhood dreams had finally come true.

“It was a moment I could never forget,” Basta said.

Having a grandfather who played in the Minor League for the Yankees and a father with a passion for baseball as well, Basta grew up surrounded by the sport.

Like many other kids with a childhood love for a sport, Basta had dreamed about playing professionally when he grew up. He ended up playing with the Boston Orioles for five years before retiring and settling back in Missouri.

“It was something that definitely gave me a lot of lessons in life and was an experience I wouldn’t trade for any thing,” Basta said.

Basta had been on the MHS varsi

ty team his freshman through senior years, and also attended some MHS games after retiring from the Minors.

Seeing his old team play made Basta realize he wanted to get back into the baseball world, in the form of coaching.

Since he had played for MHS, Basta reached out to Coach John Meyer about the possibility of serving as a volunteer coach for the varsity baseball team.

“I couldn’t say yes soon enough,” Meyer said.

Though it had been Meyer’s first year coaching Basta, he said he had quickly noticed the drive and passion that Basta carried for the sport.

Meyer said he had been extremely proud when he received news that Bas ta had been chosen for the Minors.

Now having Basta work alongside him, Meyer said he appreciates the amount of effort he puts into the pro gram, especially being a volunteer.

“He invests so much time into the

kids and pours himself into them,” Meyer said.

After learning that Meyer was be coming the head varsity coach of soft ball this year, Basta decided to take on a new challenge and become a volunteer coach for the varsity softball team.

“It was kind of a natural transition,” Basta said. “The games are similar in a lot of ways, but there’s definitely some differences.”

Basta said many of the girls on the team have a high level of knowledge and expertise of the sport, and that the most important thing he is able to contribute is creating good chemistry in the team.

He plans to continue his new coach ing role for as long as Meyer allows and has enjoyed the experience.

“I love seeing the success of all MHS programs, but especially the ones I’m involved in,” Basta said. “If I can help in any way with my knowledge and coaching, I love to give back and help by doing that.”

Lauren Bickel, senior, Bickel plays as an outfielder and pitcher, two positions Basta had specialized in during his time in high school. Having had that experi ence, Basta implemented outfield drills that Bickel said has helped their team improve, while also working in other ways to help the team overall.

“It’s good to have a different per spective,” Bickel said. “We have differ ent perspectives from all three coaches so it’s good to have a combo of all three and what they have to say.

Cards’ green team keeps stadium clean

willem HUMMEL

Roni Rozenblit, senior, sat in the stands at Game 2 of the National League Wild Card series between the Cardinals and the Phillies on Saturday, Oct. 8.

“Every inning and half inning we go down the rows and collect cans and sometimes we will take plastic,” Rozen blit said.

Rozenblit is one of a few students involved in the “4 a Greener Game” (the Green Team) program that ended for the year when the Cardinals lost 2-0 to the Phillies.

The members involved in the 4 a Greener Game program sit in the lower section of the stadium and collect recy cling between innings and at the end of the game, Rozenblit said.

“There is a lot of bad waste that causes pollution and different prob lems for species and our environment,” Rozenblit said. “If everyone does their part, then we can make a difference, and I’m just doing my part.”

The program lasts for about five hours as the volunteers get there an hour before the game starts and stay half an hour after the game ends.

Rozenblit said one of his fondest memories about the program is when he was able to watch the final game of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.

“Sometimes you can hear the play

ers talking when you are leaning up near the dugout,” Rozenblit said.

Brett Silverman, senior, has been volunteering for The Green Team for more than 10 years. He said volunteers have a choice of any home games they would like to volunteer at and can use hours gained at the games for both NHS and Key Club service hours.

“Honestly, I just love watching base ball, and it makes me feel good about myself, just volunteering and being good to the environment and helping the Earth,” Silverman said. “It feels like I am doing a good deed for others while I am getting to watch the game.”

Silverman said volunteers get access to the employee usher area where they can get half off concessions, and vol unteers can take breaks whenever they need, especially if it’s a hot day or they need some water.

Gary Silverman, parent of Brett Silverman, said he learned about the program from a Cub Scouting program Brett was involved in.

“It combined doing good for the environment along with a love for the game of baseball,” Gary said.

Silverman said it promotes recycling by example.

“We’re collecting what we can going up and down the isles in post-game, and we are also hopefully teaching the fans not to throw their plastic and

aluminum in the trash cans but rather in the recycling bins,” Gary said.

Danielle Amann-Stewart, manager of Guest Services at Busch Stadium, said the program has diverted more than 7,847 tons of weight from the sta dium trash disposal and local landfills.

“We’re really promoting sustainabil ity,” Amann-Stewart said.

Brett Silverman, senior, collects recycling at Busch Stadium through the “4 a Greener Game” program. Brett and Pranav Sriraman, senior, have partici pated in the program since elementary school. Silverman’s dad, Gary Silverman, said the program has two advantages. “Not only are you helping the environment by preventing these cans and bottles from go ing to the landfill, but you are not collecting when the game is being played,” Gary said. Photographs by Karen

Amann-Stewart said the program has additional benefits as well.

“Just seeing different businesses and schools bring people down to the stadium allows the community to come together and help with sustainability,” she said.

Silverman

Sam Basta, volunteer coach, oversees the batting drills at the batting cages Monday, Oct. 18, during softball practice. Basta played for the Boston Orioles in the Minor Leagues and is an MHS alumni who now volunteers as a coach for the varsity softball team. Photograph by Pranav Sriraman

“If I can help in any way with my knowledge and coaching, I love to give back and help by doing that.”

Sam Basta, Volunteer coach

Program gifts bikes

jacob ROBINSON

Repeatedly falling and getting back up, Jordan Shelton, Language Arts teacher, learned how to ride a bike before she was 10. But she wouldn’t stop trying because she thought everyone should at least try to learn.

“Making sure every kid has a bike and a way to get outside and be active is a right of passage for childhood,” Shelton said.

Living On Two Wheels, founded by Chris and René Creed, is a state non-profit organization ded icated to encouraging children to learn how to bike by giving bikes to elementary schools.

“Most of us remember riding bikes as a kid only to return home when the sun sets,” Sarah Tochtrop, program director, said. “Kids today are not experiencing this foundational piece in grow ing up.”

Tochtrop wants to help change that and direct kids away from their screens, something she said they don’t do enough of that would help build family bonds.

“Bringing bicycle riding awareness, education and opportunity closer to home and accessible to all people will help change the world,” Tochtrop said.

Ballwin Elementary is the 19th school in the state to receive bikes from the program. It costs $6,000 for the program to be put into the schools, but they can get more fundraising for more equip ment. Each school gets 24 Strider balance bikes and one teacher bike. The schools are also given 25 pedal conversion kits for these bikes for when these students learn how to balance.

Michael Lacavich, Ballwin Elementary P.E. teacher, said he plans to start using the bikes with his students inside in a more confined area before going outside with them more in the springtime.

“I wish this was an opportunity years ago,” La cavich said, “Because it works on the whole body and allows the kids to learn balance first. Then add

the pedals.”

Funding for the program comes from charity events like a charity golf tournament for “More Butts on Bikes” and from the Amazon Smiles Pro gram, which allows any Amazon Prime member to pick a non-profit organization to receive a percent age of their purchases.

Additional reporting by Ash Hollingsworth, Au brey Lacavich and Riley Merrifield.

Biking Boost

Biking club begins at MHS

On a Saturday morning, Landon Buscher, sopho more, and his dad secured their mountain bikes to their car and headed to Bluff View trail to enjoy the thrill of jumping off ramps and riding downhill at a fast pace.

“Riding on that trail was a blast,” Buscher said. “I was absolutely hooked from there.”

Following his move to St. Louis from Nebraska in the summer of 2020, Buscher gained interest in mountain biking after going on many St. Louis trails and seeing the large social media presence of the mountain biking community in the area.

“I knew almost nothing about the sport in Nebraska,” Buscher said. “Back there, good trails weren’t in a commutable distance from where I lived.”

Buscher soon decided to join the competitive trail-riding scene by participating in the Rockwood Composite Vipers team, which is a part of the Na tional Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), a non-profit organization that promotes youth moun tain biking programs in the U.S.

“I’ve learned so much over the past six months and have advanced significantly as a rider,” Buscher said. “Mountain biking has been and still is a great workout, and I’ve enjoyed just simply riding.”

Buscher then decided to start the Marquette Mountain Biking Club.

Nathan Frankenberger, sponsor, started biking during the pandemic and said the club is a great way for students to get active.

“A lot of teachers and parents like me don’t like the fact that kids are always on their phones, so this club is a great way to get kids involved and pick up a new sport,” Frankenberger said.

Tanner Jesperson, senior, signed up for the club after trying to start it last year.

“After seeing that there’s finally a club for moun tain biking, I was extremely excited and immediate ly signed up,” Jesperson said.

Frankenberger said the club is purely a casual activity for all people to join.

“For us, the club is designed to be a place for ex perienced people to continue and find a way to ride on trails and for new people to learn how to also join in on that fun and educate them about moun tain biking,” Frankenberger said.

Giavanna Garza, kindergartner, practices riding a bike at Ballwin Elementary after the school received bikes from Living On Two Wheels. “Only if I can go fast, I can ride a bike without training wheels,” Garza said.

Photograph by Michael Lacavich

Landon Buscher, sophomore, takes a turn on a trail at Castlewood State Park as he starts off his ride with the Rockwood Composite Vipers team. Buscher helped found the MHS Mountain Biking Club and bikes for the Rock wood Composite Vipers.

Photograph by Jacob Robinson

shyam PUNNACHALIL