18-19 Marquette Messenger: Issue 8 by Marquette Messenger

the

MESSENGER

n. VIII

VOLUME XXVI, ISSUE VIII | MO 63017 | MARQUETTEMESSENGER.COM | MAY 2019

see pg. 8-9

“Our goal in Rockwood is to have a teaching staff that is reflective of the student population.” DR. TERRY HARRIS RSD DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SERVICES

see pg 8-9

INSIDE

ROLL CALL Editor in Chief Online Editor in Chief Associate Editor Production Editor Copy Editor News Editor Features Editor Arts&Entertainment Editor Sports Editor Opinions Editor Assistant Online Editor Page Designer Social Media Editor Photo Editor Business Manager Illustrator Assistant Sports Editor Staff Reporters

Kavya Jain Jen Bosche Kailin Zhang Jackson Estwanick Marta Mieze Sarah Harris Mansi Mamidi Jessica Li Jeff Swift Will Roach Rene Moore Sabrina Lacy Waha Siddiqui Tanner Rojewski Abigail Nebot Jilian Bunderson Connor Del Carmen Sam Hall Michael Schmitz Kayla Schweitzer Alyssa Shellabarger Austin Richard Addie Watson Shrija Maganti Caroline Cudney Staff Adviser Emily Jorgensen

Metro West fire fighters rescue Austin Cochran during a Prom crash reenactment.

Jalen White, senior, is one of many student athletes who balances sports, clubs and studying.

Nic Leblanc, junior, shares his successes in working for a teen magazine as a photojournalist.

Chris Kenny, soccer head coach, reflects on winning the Jimmy Dunn Coach of the Year award,

Kenny

Online courses become available for students to enroll in next year due to a new law.

online 4 classes

Nic Leblanc

Brothers get drafted into the Canadian Hockey League.

ONLINE Visit our website to view more stories and MHSNews: marquettemessenger.com

Rachel Yue, junior, works with students at the Missouri Scholars Academy.

Varsity girls lacrosse won against MICDS 14-13 for the first time in history.

As summer approaches, the Messenger reviews Dairy Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new summer blizzards.

hockey

blizzards

OUR POLICY The Messenger is published eight times a year by students enrolled in the Newspaper 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, the newspaper or the administration. The Messenger

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issue VIII

NEWS

3 BY THE NUMBERS Breakdown of AP class enrollment by race. Comparison between MHS, Rockwood and Missouri.

MHS Hispanic 3%

Other 2.6%

.8%

k5 ac Bl Asian 19.9%

White 68.7%

Photo Illustration by Sarah Harris

Higher-level classes lack diversity sabrina LACY•waha SIDDIQUI TWO YEARS AGO, OPE SANGOSENI, SENIOR, groups who’ve been more involved in those types of noticed that people didn’t want to be her partner classes. during AP Physics 1 labs. “I would say that it’s grown tremendously over “Just in AP classes, the environment for black the years that I’ve been teaching here at MHS, but it’s Americans is just a little bit more hostile,” Sangoseni different kinds of diversity,” Szevery said. “I’ve seen a said. “I think they expect me to do a bit worse lot more students of Asian ancestry in honors classes because I don’t really ‘belong’ there.” than we used to have, but on the other hand, I haven’t Sangoseni said people’s attitudes toward her in AP seen a lot of African American students, so it’s a little classes could have to do with a lack of racial diversity bit unbalanced in terms of the kinds of diversity we in AP courses. have in AP classes.” “I think a lot of it could be attributed Szevery said the social studies to the stereotype, especially for black department has been making a push to “We will need to women, as lazy and hard to work identify African-American freshmen with,” she said. “I think a lot of educate staff members on who have the potential to be in people find black students kind of higher level classes. the inequities that exist within intimidating. If we go through the He said having diversity lunch room we see how divided it our system and make sure all adults in classrooms helps students is. That same culture exists in AP become aware of the different understand their role in ensuring problems that plague society. classes.” Sangoseni said AP classes think one of the problems equity and access for all students.” with“Ianyone are supposed to prepare you for trying to learn is college rigor, and the effect of getting outside of your ingrained having a disproportionate number perspective,” Szevery said. “I Brittany Hogan of black people in AP classes is think having those perspectives in Coordinator of educational the same classroom allows students significant. “I think college counselors could to recognize and be aware of the equity and diversity multiplicity do a bit better with counseling people of of different experiences color and the change starts there,” Sangoseni that we have in this country in particular said. because we do aspire equality but have great In response to concerns from students such inequality. So being able to see the struggles and as Sangoseni’s, RSD is working on a plan to have hurdles and the advantages that some groups have conversations with students and families about over others from the perspective of different kinds enrolling in higher-level classes. of people in the same room, it really opens people’s Brittany Hogan, coordinator of educational equity eyes.” and diversity, said they also will be working with Dawn Michel, college counselor, agreed that teachers to identify students who are qualified for pushing minorities to take AP classes and to apply to higher-level courses. selective colleges is important. “We will also be working with teachers to identify “College admissions is an intricate process and supports students may need as they take on more our jobs are to encourage students to challenge challenging coursework,” Hogan said. “We will need themselves,” Michel said. “We have a lot of great to consistently monitor student progress, identify classes that can help students reach their potential where students and teachers need support and keep academically. However, they should do it within our eye on enrollment. We will also need to educate reason.” staff members on the inequities that exist within our Michel said there are a variety of factors that system and make sure all adults understand their role affect a student’s academic life and thus their college in ensuring equity and access for all students.” life, which includes the home life. A foundation Hogan said students need to see themselves in the needs to be built from very early on to ensure success curriculum in order to become interested in the class. within all students. Scott Szevery, social studies teacher, said that “I think that, as a society, we need to make sure while there has been some growth in the amount of everyone gets an opportunity to excel and reach their diversity in AP and honors classes, it is only some potential,” Michel said.

Information from MHS registrar’s office

Rockwood Hispanic 2.8%

Other 2.1%

Black 2.7%

As ia

10 .3%

White 82.1%

Information from 2015 Rockwood survey by U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights

Missouri Hispanic 4%

Other 2%

ac k

Asia n

11.

4.4%

White 78.1%

Information from U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Infographic by Sarah Harris

NEWS

may 2019

District offers 39 free online courses alyssa SHELLABARGER FIVE CHAPTER QUIZZES, A MIDTERM, SIX more quizzes, two essays and a final exam. This was the breakdown for junior Sarena Yeung’s U.S. Government class. However, there were no set test days or reminders for these exams. This is because Yeung chose to take U.S. Government online instead of in a traditional classroom setting. “I didn’t have enough room in my schedule for government because there were other things I wanted to do,” Yeung said. “Four years is a lot, but when you only have seven classes per year, you don’t actually have much time to do things you really want to do.” A new law will go into effect on July 1 that will allow more students like Yeung to take advantage of online courses. The law, Senate Bill 603, requires public school districts in Missouri to provide the option of free online courses to students. Dr. Shelley Willot, executive director of learning and support services, said when the law was passed, they were already looking for ways to give students in RSD different learning options. “While many looked at the new law as a burden, we looked at it as a new opportunity to move our plans to develop online coursework in RSD a little more quickly,” Dr. Willott said. In order to offer online classes, a vendor of online classes had to be chosen for the district. Dr. Willott said they selected Springfield Launch, which created online courses based on the Missouri Learning Standards. Springfield Launch offers a variety of classes online including lab-based classes, where labs are either conducted online or with at-home lab kits, and PE classes, where activity is tracked through provided fitness tracking devices. In the past families paid fees for online classes, the cost of which varied depending on the course. To be in compliance with the law, online courses must be offered to RSD students for free. It costs the district approximately $255 per semester to offer these courses. Dr. Willott said there are a variety of reasons a student may choose to enroll in an online class, including for credit recovery, the ability to work at one’s own pace or, like Yeung, to open up their

Jacob Neiner, junior, works on his Chromebook in the Library Monday, May 13. Free online courses will be offered to students next year. Photograph by Austin Richard

schedule. Yeung, who heard of the option to take online classes through her counselor, said she enjoyed taking U.S. Government online. “I liked being able to coordinate my own schedule and having it go at my speed,” Yeung said. Yeung said online classes have a teacher, but students don’t communicate with them often. To be successful in the online U.S. Government course, Yeung said she treated it like any other class, reading the textbook and watching videos like Crash Course in preparation for quizzes. “Online classes are a good alternative option if you don’t have room in your schedule for a class you are required to take, but it could be a challenge if you’re trying to balance it with multiple other things in your life outside of school,” Yeung said. “I would say use it as a reserve, keep it in the back of your mind that, if I need to get this done, it’s there.” Paula Ake, counselor, acts as the MHS liaison for the new policy for online classes. “Students have a lot of different learning styles,

and I can see how [online learning] could benefit students who like to work independently or who suffer from some anxieties within a full classroom,” Ake said. Ake said there are many students currently taking online classes, and she anticipates that number growing as more students realize it is an option, particularly when it comes to credit recovery.

A complete list of courses offered is available at http://www.rsdmo.org/ online/Pages/Online-Course-Listing. aspx Check out marquettemessenger.com for a MHSNews video about online classes

Students carry around trash for a week sarah HARRIS FOR A WHOLE WEEK, KATHRYN ANDREWS, junior, carried around her old banana peels, used plastic bags, candy wrappers and recyclable plastics. Andrews was participating in an extra credit project for Kevin Koch, AP Environmental Science (APES) teacher. From April 10 to April 17, Koch presented his students with the extra credit project that for a week they carry all the trash they produced. At the end of the week, they weighed their trash. Koch said many APES teachers across the country also use this project to bring awareness to trash produced. He said about 25 percent of his students participated in the project. Koch said. “I really want the students to see how much waste they create in just one week.” After a week of carrying around her trash, Andrew’s bag weighed three-fourths of a pound. ¨I learned how much waste I actually make in a week,” Andrews said. “It was eye opening.¨ Andrews said this lesson helped her distinguish

between good waste (biodegradable waste) and bad waste and in all, she found the project very beneficial. “I was a little iffy about the project in the beginning, but I think everyone should do it eventually,” Andrews said. Kathleen Hatch, Ph. D student at Mizzou, plans to major in environmental science and said the project was a good idea. She said a lot of people do not understand the extent of environmental problems. “A lot of scientist don’t like to make predictions, but if we continue to do nothing, it’ll be Generation X paying for these problems,” Hatch said. Hatch said people can take many measures to help lessen their environmental impact. She said it’s important to know your daily schedule and to look for important things to reduce. For example, she drives more than 140 miles a day. To compensate for her driving, she bought the most fuel efficient car she could afford. “I think it’s important to raise awareness for the environment and always work to reduce your environmental impact,” Hatch said.

In 2013, Americans generated about 254 million tons of trash a year Statistic from the Environmental Protection Agency. Photograph by Caroline Cudney

OPINIONS

issue VIII

SPEAK OUT

For the 2019-2020 school year, Rockwood schools will be starting two days earlier, making the first week of school a full week, so we asked:

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SCHOOL STARTING WITH A FULL WEEK? “I wish we would have three days to start off the school year, but I’m okay with five. If anything, it’s good because instead of just having one day and then the weekend you have time to get used to JACKSON GRAHAM, school.”

freshman

Missouri legislator Jeff Knight, R-Lebanon, wants to pass a bill that will move back Missouri school start times, which would support local tourist attractions such as Six Flags in Eureka. Photograph by Emily Jorgensen

editorialBOARD Tourism vs. Education WHILE STUDENTS ARE GETTING READY for the beginning of summer, Missouri legislator Jeff Knight, R-Lebanon, is more concerned about the end of it. On April 30, the Missouri Senate voted on and passed Bill HB 161, also known as the Calendar Bill, which proposes that public schools not be allowed to start the school year any earlier than two weeks before Labor day. Rep. Knight wants to pass the bill to have a presumably larger teen workforce for businesses that either only operate over the summer or gain most of their revenue during the summer. Some of the increased profits will be taxed and given to local schools. In July of 2018, 35.2 percent of the civilian labor force were ages 16-19, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In August of the same year, businesses only experienced an insignificant 1.8 percent dip, and by October, their teen work force clocked in higher than the July percent at 35.6, meaning Knight’s bill does not have a real base to stand on. The start date given by the bill would mean Rockwood schools would need to start a week later than usual, which would reduce our ability to learn. If we stay in school for the standard 174 days, then schools would be forced to continue into June, which would defeat the point of the bill, considering it is attempting to minimize how much time students spend in classrooms. A later start date would also result in an increase in summer learning loss, the effect of students not retaining information learned

the past school year. Teachers are already forced to spend a significant amount of their instructional time getting students back into the groove of school and reviewing past lessons at the start of the year. Increasing time out of school would cause teachers to waste more of their time recovering lost information, defeating the purpose of going to school to learn new content. Students who depend on free or reduced school meals because their families have trouble affording food may need to continue depending on rickety food relief programs. According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 342,886 students in the state, 238 of whom attend MHS, were eligible during the 2018-2019 school year for the Free and Reduced meal program. Parents of small children would have to find daycare to occupy their kids while at work with daycare prices averaging at $211 a week. The Calendar Bill is attempting to support business while seemingly acting in the interest of students. In actuality, it jeopardizes our education on a false premise. Because the Calendar Bill has passed through the Missouri House of Representatives and the Senate, only the governor, Mike Parson, can veto it. Call him and let him know what his constituents want. As it stands, the Calendar Bill will go into effect beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. Education should be valued far more than a couple tourism dollars.

VISHWASRI ALETI,

sophomore

ABBY VAN DEVEN,

junior

JASMINE PHUNG,

senior

“I don’t like it because it’s important for us to have a gradual shift back into school, and by having an immediate five-day week of school, it immediately raises our stress levels. It won’t help us get back in the school mood.” “I feel like it’s going to be a really long week. I feel like having the separation of the first couple of days gave us the chance to get used to school, get used to the new schedule, get used to teachers, where you’re going and whatnot.” “I feel bad for all the kids who have to come back to MHS. I know for sure that the AP classes are going to start right ahead and you’re probably going to have a test by the end of the week, so it’s going to be a lot.” “I think the first week will set the tone for the rest of the school year, the expectation of being at school everyday. Maybe easing back in now only takes one day and the rest of it is work.”

LIZ PEASE,

language arts teacher

OPINIONS

may 2019

Track qualifications need improvements will ROACH

“Human composting” is unorthodox, but smart USUALLY BEFORE SOMEONE passes away, they choose between a burial or cremation. But those who wish to remain eco-friendly, even after their time, are out of luck because the former releases chemicals into the ground while the latter emits a good 540 pounds of carbon dioxide per body. However, Washington residents may have another choice in the near future: recomposition. Washington Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, is sponsoring a bill that would add recomposition to currently legal options for disposing of human remains. If passed, Washington will be the first state to allow it. Recomposition itself is the process of placing a body in a container, speeding up the natural rate of decomposition and returning the nutrientAlkaline hydrolysis, loaded soil to families. a chemical process With a low of breaking down cost of $5,500, compared human remains, to funerals costing more is another ecothan $7,000, friendly alternative it’s a great and cheap method to burial and is of burial. currently allowed in Cremations may only 16 states. cost about $1,000, but as stated earlier, they release an excessive amount of carbon dioxide per person. My only fear is people will initially be too weirded out to allow something like “human composting” in their state. To take it to an extreme scale, people used to, for religious reasons, believe the sun revolved around the Earth. When Galileo Galilei observed Venus experiencing phases like our moon, he determined the converse was true. Despite his evidence, people held onto tradition and denied his findings. The quintessential point is, regardless of era or country, people will reject ideas that are unfamiliar or strange to them. Given that climate change is going to send our planet on a little downward spiral in the near future, we should do everything we can to reduce our ecological footprint, even if it includes something as unorthodox as composting our loved ones.

connor DEL CARMEN LAST YEAR, THE BOYS 4x800 meter relay team ran a time of 7:57.11, which was the fifth best time of the year up to that point; however, they did not qualify for the State meet. This leaves a question for the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA): how can you classify a State meet as such if the best athletes are not competing there? Following last year’s debacle, MSHSAA came under fire from coaches, athletes and fans for their lack of reform on the qualification system. Under the current system in Missouri, all high school track teams are divided into five classes based on enrollment and participation numbers. In Class 5 (the class MHS is in), teams are divided into eight districts and the top four finishers in that District advance to Sectionals. The top four at Sectionals then advance to State. Athletes in highly competitive districts or sectionals can be robbed of an appearance at State. There have been years when a District or Sectional meet has had more competition in an event than at State. In playoff brackets for other sports, MSHSAA never has two number one teams face each other in the first

Vicky Penney, junior, and Alexis Kleekamp, senior, run in the 4x800 race at Lafayette High School on May 3. Photograph by Jeff Swift

round, so it doesn’t make sense that a district in track may have six State caliber runners yet only four qualify. As part of a weak attempt to have fewer qualification conflicts, MSHSAA decided to drastically realign which districts’ teams were in prior to the start of the 2019 track season. This resulted in some teams having to drive three hours to their respective District meets, which is ironic considering districts are supposed to be based on geographic locations of schools. What MSHSAA did only created more logistical issues for teams, and put a bandaid on a bullet wound. I propose MSHSAA allow the two fastest non-qualifying finishers to

advance at Districts and Sectionals. I am confident this system will work because it ensures the best talent competes at the last meet of the season. MSHSAA should consider these changes because Missouri is 1 of 10 states who has a State qualification system not involving a time standard. Traditionally, athletes who are robbed of a spot at State are the individuals and teams who finish in fifth or sixth place only a second or two away from the last State qualifier. Too many athletes have been robbed of the honor of participating at State, and it has only resulted in a weaker meet that’s supposed to represent the best of track.

Thoughts and prayers are not enough; we need to enact gun regulations sarah HARRIS

had killed 12 people at a movie theatre in Aurora, Co. The same theatre my TWENTY YEARS AGO, AMERICANS friend and his older brother had tickets watched in horror as Dylan Klebold to that night. and Eric Harris shot 13 students at ColThe feeling only intensified when umbine High School in Littleton, Co. I was 11 and Karl Pierson killed a stuTwelve years ago, Seung Hui Cho dent at Arapahoe High School, a school shot 32 students at Virginia Tech. only 10 minutes from my middle Americans sent their thoughts and school. prayers, but nothing more. As we crouched under our desks for Seven years ago, Americans wept hours, I remember trying to think of a for the 20 first graders and 6 Six years later, I’m still After solution. staff members killed by Adam thinking. Lanza at Sandy Hook EleGun control has no easy Sandy Hook, we mentary School. answer. I The Founding FaAfter Sandy Hook, we said never again. And thers were right to include said never again. the Second Amendment. I then, we let 2,044 think we need to regulate And then, we let 2,044 shootings happen. shootings happen. it.When the Founding The most recent shooting occurred May 7 when Kendrick Fathers first created the Second Castillo was killed after he heroicalAmendment, they intended it for the ly jumped in front of a gun to save his organized militias, not regular citizens. classmates. They could never imagine the advanceAs a former Coloradian, this shootments we have made to our weaponry ing hit a new level of terror for me. such as the uzi that can fire 600 rounds All shootings are terrible, but there’s in just one minute. When writing the a sense of reality behind the shooting Second Amendment, they could never when your childhood best friend knew have envisioned kids being stuffed Castillo. Or when you have friends who in cabinets to avoid a school shooter. attend the same school. After reading They could never have envisioned the countless articles, I got an uneasy monthly drills based solely around the feeling in my stomach. protection of students and teachers. It was the same feeling I got when I They could never have envisioned safe was 10 and learned that James Holmes zones like schools becoming places of

danger. For too long, Americans have sat in silence. While this silence has been filled with hope for change, hope is not enough. If we want change, we must work for it. While America has stayed silent for years, New Zealand hasn’t. On March 15, 50 Muslim worshipers in the city of Christchurch were fatally shot in terrorist attacks on two mosques. Less than a month later, New Zealand passed a law banning most semiautomatic weapons. The ban on most semiautomatic weapons is a step in the right direction. Regulating semiautomatic weapons will help reduce shootings. However, ending shootings is more than gun control. After these mass shootings, a majority of the shooters commit suicide. These shooters feel isolated from the world. They feel they have no one to confide in. Their feelings of loneliness can result in these mass shootings. By no means is this an easy problem to solve. Gun regulations and attention towards mental health will help, but we do have many strides to take. We have the power to change our laws. By regulating guns and bringing awareness to mental health, we have the power to make school shootings nightmares of the past. We have the power to create a better future.

issue VIII

FEATURES

NIC LEBLANC Student works as reporter for teen magazine Following alyssa SHELLABARGER

Pharrell performs at the Gov Ball in New York City (Jun 4, 2018)

Taylor Swift tours in St. Louis (Sep 19, 2018)

Shawn Mendes performs at the Gov Ball in New York City (April 21, 2018) Photographs by Nic Leblanc

HALSEY, PHARRELL, TAYLOR Swift. These are just some of the celebrities Nic Leblanc, junior, has photographed and interviewed in his time as a photojournalist. “I’ve always been interested in how you can tell a story with photography. You always hear the saying ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and that really inspired me,” Leblanc said. “Basically I want to tell a story, and with that, I came into journalism.” Leblanc started gaining journalistic experience through a newsblog he created when he was about 14 years old called “You Need to Know News.” A little more than a year ago, Affinity Magazine, the largest by-teens-forteens magazine in the world reached out to Leblanc and invited him to join as a staff writer. At the time, Leblanc was mostly focused on writing rather than photography. “I’ve always loved photography, but I never thought I was that good, so originally I stayed to the writing aspect of it,” Leblanc said. Leblanc said the first place he did photography professionally was through Affinity Magazine at the Governors Ball Music Festival (Gov Ball), in New York, where he had the opportunity to photograph music acts such as Shawn Mendes and Billie Eilish. Leblanc has interviewed celebrities including Zac Efron and Awkwafina for his work for Affinity Magazine and, in addition to the Gov Ball, has been able to do interviews at Sundance Film Festival and Coachella. “What I find interesting is that there’s a big hoopla about the whole celebrity culture,” Leblanc said. “It feels really weird for me - people having this huge reaction to it - because by getting to talk to these people and getting to work with them, they’re normal, and it feels weird seeing other people putting them on a pedestal when you’re basically just colleagues with them.” Leblanc said he has grown through his time at Affinity Magazine and now acts as Entertainment Lead, where he is able to manage a team of writers and assign interviews. One member of his team, Irène Schrader, is an Affinity Magazine staff

writer. Schrader and Leblanc have worked together for about a year. “It is very easy to work with Nic because he is easy to reach out to and gets back to me quickly,” Schrader said. Schrader said Leblanc is able to cover news and also provide commentary on events happening in the entertainment industry, and it is this commentary that makes his work unique and interesting to read. “It feels really good to be the Entertainment Lead, but it’s a lot of stress and pressure given that the entertainment business is such a huge thing and there’s so much drama always going on,” Leblanc said. “It’s a really bizarre experience, at times overwhelming, but through time you learn how to navigate it.” Outside of his concert photography for the magazine, Leblanc takes photographs focusing on nature and vacations. He said his favorite place he has photographed was Greece. “I like it in comparison to the high stress environment of the entertainment world,” Leblanc said. “[In the entertainment world], you basically have, if you’re lucky, five minutes to get in, get a shot, get an interview and you’re done.” Leblanc said he enjoys the process of his laid-back non-professional work more. Much of his non-professional work was featured at the AP Art Show last March. Melissa Wilson, AP Art Studio teacher, said part of what sets Leblanc apart from other photographers is his eye for composition. “He really captures the energy in the concerts that he’s photographing, which is something that many photographers don’t do as nice of a job at,” Wilson said. Wilson said she has seen Leblanc grow as a photographer this year because of his willingness to try new and different techniques. Looking into the future, Leblanc said although photography will be a helpful skill to have, his goal is to produce documentaries. Leblanc said he initially got into journalism because of documentaries and would love to get back into documentary journalism. “I love the human element and the human story in general, and I just want to tell stories that are maybe underrepresented in the media and bring them to light,” Leblanc said.

IN-DEPTH

8 IN CONVERSATION WITH

AMY DOYLE

SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER

may 2019

RSD acknowledges nee As seen on pg. 1

RSD REVISES POLICY PROMOTING SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY INCLUSIVITY

WHAT TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT DID mansi MAMIDI YOU GROW UP IN? “My parents are very loving, familyoriented people, but they’re also very Catholic.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE GAY? “I realized when I was in college. My parents grieved what they thought their daughter was going to be. After a year, I sat down with my mom and said, ‘If I could change it, I would, but I can’t.’ And she realized this is the daughter she’s always known. So they were able to come around and have been my biggest supporters since.”

HOW DID THAT FEAR SHAPE YOUR ACTIONS? “The first day of softball tryouts, I didn’t wear my wedding ring because I was afraid of the questions that people would ask. I was scared to do something as simple as driving [my wife] Stacey’s car to work. I never talked about anything personal, because you can hide being gay.”

WHAT CHANGED FOR YOU? “Last year’s GSA president told me, ‘You know Ms. Doyle, it’s really hard when you tell kids all the time that we’re stronger for our differences, but when we don’t see anyone in our lives that look like us, we think there’s something wrong with us.’ I realized our kids are hurting and it’s so important for kids to see people going through the same thing they are and having come out on the other side.”

WHAT OBSTACLES DID YOU FACE? “Telling my parents was the hardest thing since we were all navigating something we really had no experience with. I had never been exposed to anything regarding homosexuality, I didn’t know any adults who were out, and so that lack of experience and knowledge is, in a lot of ways, what leads me to want to talk about this in the first place.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE REVISION? “I think the addition of sexual orientation and gender identity to our non-discrimination statement is really important for teachers and it’s really important for our student body. To me it represents progress and I think it’s going to be a really good thing going forward.”

RSD’S NON-DISCRIMINATION Dr. Knost said the added language policy has been revised to include exwas simply a form of the superinplicit verbiage regarding sexual orientendent’s review of policy, to ensure tation and gender identity in regards to that language, in this case regarding teachers, as agreed upon at the April 11 protection and non-discrimination, is Board of Education (BOE) meeting. consistent throughout entire contracts, The policy now reads, “The Rockagreements and policies. Therefore, wood School District prohibits and will Dr. Knost said it wasn’t unorthodox for not tolerate discrimination against or him to be the one to bring up the reviharassment of any student, employee sions to the BOE and that he brought or applicant for employment, or in its up many other small policy changes at programs and activities, because of the April 11 BOE meeting. race, color, national origin, religion, “Since we already had the language, sex, sexual orientation, perceived to some degree, on other policies, it sexual orientation, gender identity, age, just made sense to include it everygenetic information, marital status, where and make it consistent,” Dr. disability, handicapping conditions, or Knost said. “It just brought what felt any other factor that is not a proper like a needed sense of comfort to emlegal basis for an employment decision, ployees who felt they might face any and it provides equal access to the Boy potential discrimination.” Scouts and other designated youth groups.” Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost brought the potential for revision of Emily Thompson, French teacher, the policy to the BOE at a previous said, as a second year teacher, the remeeting per discussions with the MHS vision of the policy was a good change chapter of the for her, but said Rockwood it was a victory “The Rockwood School District National Edufor teachers cation Associwho had been prohibits and will not tolerate ation (RNEA), teaching for discrimination against or harassment much longer. a teacher’s union. “I only had of any student, employee or applicant The RNEA to endure about for employment, or in its programs has been trying a year and a half and activities, because of race, to get protecof not telling tions added my students,” color, national origin, religion, sex, since 2012, but said. sexual orientation, perceived sexual Thompson found it easiest “It’s important orientation, gender identity, age, to have Dr. for teachers to Knost bring the genetic information, marital status...” have the option idea to the BOE of having that because it’s a conversation RSD’S NON-DISCRIMINATION bargaining year with students for contracts. and for students POLICY REVISION “Initially, to know that some teachers they can identicame to me and fy with teachers expressed that they were uncomfortaround them, similar to how we need able because the non-discrimination more teachers of color in the building.” policy didn’t outright say that different Thompson said the policy revision sexual orientations and gender idenis a big deal to her just because stutities were protected,” Dr. Knost said. dents, especially in high school, need to “I talked to our lawyers, and they said, see role models who look like them and legally, the language was fine and evreflect who they are. eryone was protected, but since some “For me, it’s less of ‘I want everyemployees were uncomfortable with one to know,’ and more that I want the language, I agreed to bring it to the students who need to know that there Board.” are LGBTQ+ teachers around them so He said he felt he owed it to any they know they have someone to go staff members who felt uncomfortable to,” Thompson said. “That’s something because changing the language was a I always wanted when I was their age.” small thing he could do to ensure evThompson said she’s happy it eryone feels safe and protected. passed because she could better sup-

IMPACT

port her students, but also because she felt she could be herself in class. “You always hear [female] teachers talking about, ‘oh, my husband did this’ or ‘my husband and I did that,’ and even small things like that always had to be a mystery for certain teachers,” Thompson said. “There are teachers that have been here for some 10, 20 years who had to be silent about their lives when their colleagues didn’t have to, but now they don’t have to stay silent if they don’t want to.” Thompson said the policy revision has a large impact. “It really shows students who aren’t in the same circumstance that this affects a larger group of people than they assumed, and that we’re normal people too,” Thompson said. “It shows students who are in this circumstance that we can be successful and lead happy, normal lives.” Thompson said she hopes to see a larger diversity in LGBTQ+ members of staff. “For students struggling with sexuality, they now know they have people to look up to,” Thompson said. “But for transgender students, students of other gender identities, they still might not, so I still worry about students struggling with gender identity.” Sam Faruq, freshman, said he’s happy the revision passed, but was surprised to find that those explicit protections didn’t already exist. “There are a few teachers I know that are gay, and I think it’s good they can’t get fired for that anymore,” Faruq said. “It’s good that they can be open about it and not have it affect them as much. But I thought that it was already a thing and that they were already fully protected.” Faruq, as a transgender student, said the passage allows for more awareness within the school community. “It could affect how treatment of gay or trans kids by other kids is dealt with,” Faruq said. “Maybe there will be more consequences for saying or doing something mean because there’s a greater protection for everyone.” Faruq said it is good the policy was revised in 2019 because the perception of the LGBTQ+ community. “In the past few years, the community has been reaching a peak, beginning with legal marriage in 2015,” Faruq said. “It’s just been getting better since then in terms of rights and protections.”

Featured on front: Tim Healy, junior_, and sophomores Aliyah Edwards and Pranav Nagila. Photograph by Jackson Estwanick

IN-DEPTH

issue VIII

ed for staff inclusivity RSD RECOGNIZES LACK OF RACIAL, ETHNIC DIVERSITY IN TEACHING STAFF kavya JAIN AT MHS THERE ARE 86 WHITE female teachers, 58 white male teachers and 2 Hispanic female teachers. While the student population is expected to be 56 percent students of color by 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Education, the majority of elementary and secondary school educators is still overwhelmingly white. Shirley Li, former teacher currently pursuing licensure in school counseling at Harvard Graduate school of Education, said representation within educators is important for marginalized youth because it can provide a feeling of safety. A lot of marginalized students’ identities are intertwined, so if they don’t see an adult in the building look like them and act like they belong, it can be challenging for those students to navigate the space and it can lead to isolation. Li said not having a diverse staff can implicitly send a harmful message. “It says a lot to a student and they interpret their environment as saying people like them don’t belong in schools, which isn’t true,” Li said. Li said leadership positions in education such as principals are currently primarily filled by Caucasian individuals while people of color can be seen in secondary positions such as lunch monitors and hall monitors. “A lot of educators and teachers are so burnt and overworked and the school systems are so under resourced that it’s really difficult to focus on culture and race in schools or to reflect on racial or any marginalized biases,” Li said. “It’s challenging to take a pause and talk about these issues.” Yet, Li said when these issues are addressed, it can empower students. Li said young people are perceptive and students of color start making observations about the world and their race about the age of 2 or 3. When they begin going to school, seeing only white authoritative figures can make them believe they can’t be a leader themselves because they don’t look like one. Hannah Chun, sophomore, started attending RSD in fourth grade and said most of her teachers have been Caucasian, but she doesn’t mind. However Chun said having a teacher of color would give more students a way to relate to their educators. “We are all so different, so if there’s more diversity, there’s a greater chance you will find someone to connect to,” Chun said. Dr. Katie Reboulet, assistant superintendent of human resources, said staff diversity is important because it prepares students for a multicultural world. “As our school district becomes more diverse, we want our staff, and I don’t just mean teaching staff, I mean

bus drivers, cooks, secretaries and administrators, to become more diverse too,” Dr. Reboulet said.

RSD

ly in charge of the decision, communicates with the assistant principal and department chair who are responsible for putting a group of staff members together to interview candidates. Because of this, Dr. Harris said that while the district has been interviewing more individuals from diverse backgrounds, many due to the Diversity Job Fair, it is not guaranteed these diverse candidates will ultimately be hired. “We have to create awareness in the community to get applicants, which I feel like we are doing, and we have to create awareness within the school community to actually land positions,” Dr. Harris said. Dr. Harris said it is positive that the applicant pool has expanded. “The good thing is that we are getting people in the pipeline,” Dr. Harris said. “We know that there are people of color and people of diverse backgrounds that want to work at RSD. We know that 100 percent.” Dr. Harris said hiring diverse candidates is necessary for students of color and white students alike. “We can’t think we need to hire

Dr. Terry Harris, director of student services, said the district’s goal is to have a teaching staff reflective of the student population. “If the student population of color is 20 percent at MHS, then the teaching staff should be 20 percent,” Dr. Harris said. Dr. Harris said diversity includes visual diversity, such as race, as well as non visual diversity such as diversity of religion, sexual orientation and thought. To create such a staff, RSD utilizes multiple different strategies. One is known as Welcome Home, a program that encourages students in the district to pursue education and come back to work at RSD. Other strategies include partnering with local colleges and universities and advertising on diverse radio channels. Dr. Harris said it is important that everyone feels comfortable in their own skin when they enter the workplace and doesn’t worry for their safety. “If I am a black person or a person of color, I need to know that I can be that and allow for my cultural background to exist and not be judged based on it,” Dr. Harris said. “I shouldn’t feel like I have to constantly look over my shoulders because of my difDR. TERRY ferences.”

MHS TEACHERS BY RACE & GENDER

“If the student population of color is 20 percent at MHS, then the teaching staff should be 20 percent.”

HIRING PRACTICES

HISPANIC FEMALES 1.37% WHITE FEMALES 58.9%

HARRIS RSD DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SERVICES

Dr. Harris said the district must examine the current hiring practices. “You can get a diverse group of people at the table to interview for a job, but if the people around the table doing the interviewing are not cognizant of their own implicit biases, you’re going to reproduce what you already have,” Dr. Harris said. Dr. Harris said such biases must be combated through increased cultural sensitivity. He said it is necessary to open staff members’ eyes to the problem through a combination of professional development, convincing data and conversations with students. Dr. Harris said in RSD teacher hiring is strictly a building decision. Applicants use a district-wide system to directly apply for positions at specific schools. The principal, who is ultimate-

more Indian teachers so they can teach the Indian girl because the reality of the situation is 90 to 95 percent of teachers are white,” Dr. Harris said. “We know that white teachers can teach Indian girls. What white students need to know is that Indian teachers can teach white students.” Dr. Harris said representation matters on both ends, and if white students are only being taught by white teachers that perpetuates myths and racial stereotypes. “If we are truly an institution of learning then we are going to put kids in spaces where they can learn from people who don’t look like them, think like them, were born where they were born, believe what they believe, yet they can still engage in a conversation of higher transformation of knowledge,” Dr. Harris said. Dr. Steve Hankins, associate principal, said the administration recognizes that MHS staff diversity must be improved. Dr. Hankins said the school is currently in the hiring process for new staff members for next year.

WHITE MALES 39.7%

MHS STUDENTS BY RACE 3.58% 13.82% HISPANIC ASIAN 0.22% OTHER 2.62% 9.77% MIXED BLACK

70% WHITE

Information from MHS registrar’s office Infographic by Kavya Jain

FEATURES

may 2019

Teachers use graphic GRAPHIC CLASSICS: novels to teach classics sarah HARRIS WHEN SHELLY JUSTIN, LANGUAGE ARTS teacher, began teaching “To Kill a Mockingbird,” she brought her book and graphic novel with her to class. “‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is my favorite novel to teach but I don’t think it was meant for freshmen,” Justin said. “It’s a dense book and there are some hard chapters. I had them skim the hard chapters and then use the graphic novel to teach them in more depth.” This was Justin’s first year using the graphic version and she said it had a positive impact. She plans to continue using the graphic novel and hopes to get a class set next year. “It looks more like a comic book and is less intimidating,” Justin said. “For visual learners, it makes the story more interesting.” While Justin enjoyed using the graphic novel version, she said it is crucial to still teach the book. “I don’t think you should bypass the novels because there’s nothing like the actual novel,” Justin said. “But I think for young readers who struggle with the text that this a great option.” Emma Collins, freshman, is in Justin’s class and used the graphic version of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Collins said she has read the book twice but enjoyed using the graphic novel because she is a visual

“[The Odyssey] is pretty antiquated, and the graphic novel helps the kids engage with it more.” Jordan Shelton, language arts teacher

Homer’s “The Odyssey”

learner. “Being able to see the story visually helped me understand the story better,” Collins said. Jordan Shelton, language arts teacher, teaches the graphic novel version of “The Odyssey” in class. “It lets the kids learn from the story in a different way,” Shelton said. “It’s different from me throwing it at them and saying, ‘Read this’ or listening to an audio version.” Shelton said original forms of classic novels are often difficult for anyone to understand, so the graphic novels allow for the same information to be taught with students retaining what they’re learning. “It sticks to the story, and has the same elements of the hero’s journey,” Shelton said. “But it helps us get through it faster and the understanding is there.” Lee Mitchell, librarian, said students should be reading the classics. However, she also said she understands the classics can be hard at times. She said graphic novels could be beneficial to students who struggle with reading and, in the long run, can motivate them to read more. “With the graphic novels, they are still reading and they are still reading the story so I think it’s great,” Mitchell said.

Popular classics turned into graphic novels:

William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”

William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”

issue VIII

FEATURES

ASTROLOGY TREND REACHES SOCIAL MEDIA Students share their fascination with astrology and how it has shaped social media.

RAMADAN During Ramadan, a holiday lasting 30 days, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. After sunset, they break the fast with a large meal. Students discuss what their favorite food to break the fast with is.

DATES

sam HALL IZABEL COCKRUM, SOPHOMORE, HAS BEEN interested in astrology since she was in middle school and has since seen an increase in the popularity of astrology on social media. “I feel with social media it’s become so much more popularized, especially with the rise in Instagram niche meme society,” Cockrum said. Cockrum said social media was a contributing factor to her interest in astrology, a study of the stars and planets’ orbital paths and their effects on humans. “I got into it was because all the astrology Instagram accounts are informative and funny,” Cockrum said. Co-Star, an astrology app that has been downloaded more than 3 million times since its release in 2017, gives users daily personal horoscopes and has aided astrology in becoming more mainstream, according to Business Insider. “Co-Star is definitely good,” Cockrum said. “It was one of the astrology apps I started on and it shows you all of you planets, all of your houses and your strengths for the day.” Ashley Hobbs, psychology teacher, said this trend might be due to more young adults having an increased interest in their futures. “There are a lot of people who like to prepare for their futures,” Hobbs said. “We are definitely seeing that a lot in younger people too. Knowing what is to come can make people feel at ease. With astrology giving you predictions of what to expect, it allows us to plan for and prepare for those things.” Hobbs said astrology operates under what is known as the Barnum effect, or the offering of

Ayesha Kazmi, sophomore “I like the dates that we break our fast with because it is the same thing that our prophet used to break his fast with; he would just eat dates and water. Being able to eat the dates reminds me of him, and of what Ramadan is.”

SHAWARMA information that is applicable to anyone. “They give you information that could be applied to anyone,” Hobbs said. “Just how it would apply is what is a little bit different.” Melissa Adams, senior, said if she had to believe in something “concrete,” it would be her horoscopes on Co-Star. She said they are “scary accurate” everytime. “Especially with the moon and its effect on waves,” Adams said. “Our body is 95 percent water, how could that not affect us?” Although she trusts the validity of her horoscopes, she knows to take it all with a grain of salt. “I’m not going give all my belief to the stars. I’m not going to go on Co-Star and [say] ‘Oh, I’m going to have a bad day’ and prepare for that,” Adams said. “If something happens, it happens.”

FUN FACTS • A third of Americans believe in astrology. • The Zodiac was originally a natural agricultural calendar that dated the sowing of crops, harvesting, etc. by the rising and setting of the stars • 75 percent of astrology readers are women Illustrations by Jilian Bunderson

According to the Telegraph

Adam Fathy, junior “Here, I’ll eat anything. When I’m back in Egypt, probably shawarma because when I used to live there, I grew up eating it.”

EGGS

Zara Tola, sophomore “During Ramadan, I like to eat things high in protein like eggs because it’s very satiating, and when you’re fasting for long periods of time, like 15 hours, it’s good to eat healthy and to eat stuff that’s going to be good for your body.”

IHOP

Zoe Malik, sophomore “Sometimes, over the summer, I go to IHOP with some of my friends in the morning, and have pancakes, and eggs, and hashbrowns and everything, it’s a lot of fun. We go around three in the morning, it’s a good time.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

may 2019

Summer Flavors Review kavya JAIN • marta MIEZE Dairy Queen has introduced six new and returning seasonal Blizzard flavors to their summer menu. They also added flights, a three mini combo in case you can’t decide on one flavor. While the flavors will be offered through the summer, the flights are only available until the end of May.

OREO COOKIE JAR

BROWNIE DOUGH

This is perfect for the chocolate lovers. It’s not too sweet and the brownie adds a nice chew to it. This is like the chocolate cake of blizzards, you can’t go wrong. This is a surprising and tasteful rendition of everyone’s traditional favorite cookie dough flavor, with a rich but not obnoxious chocolate layering.

CAKE E S E E H C SUMMER BERRY

{

This was way too sweet and did not have any hint of the graham cracker expected from s’mores. If you actually like s’mores that much just grab a couple of friends, make a safe fire and roast some marshmallows.

THE TRIPLE TROUBLE

THE TERRIFIC TRIO

The texture of the cheesecake adds a nice bite to the light berry flavor. Even if you don’t like fruit, the berries add a nice summery freshness that complements the richness of the cheese. The cheesecake wasn’t too sweet and the berries provided a more guilt free ice cream option.

S’MORES ALL CARAMEL CANNONB

We wished this was more cotton candy like only because then we wouldn’t have to deal with the flavor for so long. In all seriousness though, this one was scarring because chewing the frozen synthetic-tasting cotton candy was a new and unwanted experience. The sudden and exaggerated sweetness of the cotton candy was just unbearable, even in a miniature flight cup. It felt like eating straight Splenda, not even sugar because sugar has some sort positive connotation.

top

}

While it may seem like just any cookies and cream ice cream you can find in the grocery store ice cream isle, the addition of chocolate chip cookie dough and fudge provides a fun twist to a lovable classic.

If you really love salted caramel and just want to numb your tongue and make it feel like you dipped it in some salt then this flavor is definitely for you! There is just nothing extraordinary about this but at the same time, this flavor is not ordinary either because it was so overpoweringly salted.

COTTON CANDY

STL SUMMER EVENTS

SUMMER TREATS

caroline CUDNEY • jessica LI

May 25 - June 2 2577 W Meyer Rd

8130 Big Bend Blvd

With summer around the corner, here are our top four summer things to do.

Ballwin Days

Photographs by Marta Mieze and Caroline Cudney

Renaissance Festival

ACTIVITIES

Serendipity

Camp at Babler State Park

June 6-9 Vlasis Park

15501 Manchester Rd

Andy’s

Ride roller coasters at Six Flags

Fair St. Louis

Bahama Bucks

Watch a show at The Muny

Ted Drewes

See a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium

July 4-6 The Arch

Pride Fest

June 29-30 Soldiers Memorial Park

8130 Big Bend Blvd

6726 Chippewa St

issue VIII