The Marquette Messenger - Issue 2

2351 clarkson rd. chesterfield, mo 63017

issue II

marquettemessenger.com

oct. 2016

THE MESSENGER MARQUETTE HIGH SCHOOL

election history pg 8-9

PHOTOGRAPH BY ELLIE TOLER

PHOTOGRAPH BY TAYLOR STYER

INTRODUCTIONS

INSIDE TODAY

ROLL CALL

15

10

claire albert

14

HPA sock drive pledge

delmar hall

2

12

Editor in Chief Associate Editor Copy Editor News Editor Community Editor Features Editor Arts & Leisure Editor Sports Editor Opinions Editor Advertising Manager Advertising Designer Business Manager Illustrator Cartoonist Online Editor Assistant Online Editor Photo Editor Photo Editor Social Media Editor Staff Adviser Lead Photographer Staff Reporter Staff Reporter

Ellie Toler Athena Zeng Brittany Freeman Greg Svirnovskiy Tali Gorodetsky Cari Shearer Austin Woods Maddie Eveland Ryan Berger Jenica Bunderson Aleanah Arraya Kyle Reamer Delaney Neely Michael Robinson Alia Arif Neelansh Bute Mahika Mushuni Kenzie Winstead Bauti Bruniard Emily Jorgensen Taylor Styer Lucy Alexander Mark Goldenberg

OUR POLICY The Messenger Editorial 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, the newspa-

per or the administration. The Messenger takes responses for any issue.

Send these in at marquettemessenger.com.

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 deems appropriate including advertisements and letters to the editor.

CONTACT US 2351 Clarkson Rd Chesterfield, MO 63017 (636) 891-6000 @yourMHSnews @mustangreport marquettemessenger.com

OPINIONS

VOTE

editorialBOARD Reflecting on this year’s election

A

BUSINESSMAN TURNED REALITY SHOW host and a career politician walk onto a stage…

This may sound like the start to a corny joke, but the reality is it’s actually the state of our election. As the presidential candidates for each major party continue to debate and speak in public, more and more about the current state of our election is revealed.

First, the country seems polarized by the election.

Ardent supporters flock to their chosen candidate and stick to them like a fly in honey.

Second, it’s a nasty campaign from both parties.

Each candidate and their associated super PACs continually throw insults at one another, both true and untrue. The attacks seemingly don’t ever stop, and true policy discussions are left on the back burner.

Third, and most importantly, this election is hard to watch. As first time voters, we’re sick of it. We

want to hear policy discussions. We want to know each candidate, and we want all the bickering and petty arguments to end. Quite honestly, it’s rude, uncouth and childish. It’s ridiculous.

To sum it up in one word, this election is frustrating. Ever since the primaries, it’s been frustrating.

Frankly, it’s a disgrace to the American people. We deserve better than this, but we won’t get it. The only way we can expect a change is to catalyze the change.

It’s up to the American voting population, and the future voting population, to step up and demand change from the candidates. Require them to discuss policy rather than sticking to ad hominem arguments.

Request the change from the candidates, and you’ll see it.

After all, they do want your vote.

Make them earn that vote, and let your voice be heard. We’ve waited 18 years to fulfill our civic duty,

and we’re disappointed that this is our first election.

One candidate is accused of being a xenophobic racist while the other is accused of being a consistent liar.

Stuck in the middle lies you and us. All of America.

We’re forced to watch the candidates for the highest office in the land duke it out like two kids in a schoolyard fight. It makes us feel shame for our country.

However, by this point in the election, we know for whom we plan to vote based on our own morals and principles. Many others don’t know for whom they wish to cast their vote, and more and more people are choosing to vote third party (sadly, a not viable option in our lovely two party system) or to not vote altogether.

These aren’t necessarily the best choices, but many voters would argue that these aren’t the best candidates and that this isn’t the best election. As of right now, we can’t say we disagree.

3

OPINIONS

Missouri passes new conceal and carry gun law Enhancing freedoms of law-abiding citizens

Regulate gun ownership, not needlessly grant it

BY MADDIE EVELAND | SPORTS EDITOR

BY ALEANAH ARRAYA | PAGE DESIGNER

ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE debates in recent history occurred right here at home and resulted in the passage of a bill that allows Missouri citizens to carry weapons openly.

On Sept. 14, the Missouri Legislature overrode Governor Nixon’s veto on the proposal to lower restrictions on the concealed and carry law. Effective Jan. 1, 2017, it will be legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

There is clear evidence that proves enacting gun control laws will not prevent criminals from obtaining guns and committing crimes. According to a report by Pew Research, between 1982 and 2012,of the 62 mass shootings in the United States, 49 shooters used guns that were illegally obtained.

The real problem with gun control laws is that it has only effected law abiding citizens, instead of criminals who are the main targets of these laws.

According to a Bureau of Justice Statistics report, 37.4 percent of state prison inmates who possessed a firearm when they committed the crime obtained the gun from a family member or friend.

Most importantly, this law allows the use of deadly force against trespassers on one’s own private property. It is at this point where those against this is-

sue argue that it is targeting a certain group or race of people.

Yes, this law allows the use of deadly force, but only if it is “reasonably believed shooting is necessary to protect himself, or herself, or her unborn child, or another against death, serious physical injury or any forcible felony,” according to Senate Bill 656. It is simply enhancing our right to protect ourselves, which is a basic right among all law-abiding citizens.

Every American citizen is subjected to the same freedoms provided by this law and will not be restricted based on race or gender. In other words, a white person will receive the same consequences if this law is taken advantage of as would an African American, so I am confused as to where this favors one race over another. It is simply directed at those violating others’ basic human rights and safety or engaging in unlawful activity, also known as criminals.

ON SEPT. 14, 2016, MISSOURI Legislature passed a bill enabling any law-abiding adult to bear a firearm in their possession. The bill passed with an overwhelming amount of votes, 144 to 36 in the House and 24 to 8 in the Senate.

This bill allows individuals to possess a firearm without utilizing previous prerequisites such as attending a training class, having a background check or possessing a permit.

This bill allows any individual to be automatically authorized to carry the firearm concealed.

This bill abolishes the requirement that in any public situation a person must retreat before operating a lethal weapon in order to protect themselves from an attacker.

Despite several facts that support an already high level of severe threat to residents in Missouri, this bill was passed.

These threats indicate that necessary precautions are not being put into place to ensure the safety of our citizens.

The passing of the bill permits additional firearms to be easily in possession by more residents. This increase in weapons will create higher counts of firearm injuries and inevitably result in higher death rates.

In 2010, Missouri had the fourth highest rate of homicides and the fifth highest rate of aggravated assaults. Missouri is known to have 50 percent more deaths due to firearms than United States combat deaths in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.

Not only are adults being murdered by guns, but children have also been a target of gun violence.

Missouri has the sixth highest rate of gun deaths among children between the ages of 1-18.

Based off of these overwhelming statistics, the laws for firearms should require a person to have a gun for one year before they are eligible to have the gun concealed and background checks should be scheduled every year after they receive their permit to ensure that innocent individuals are not in the crossfire of gun violence.

MUSTANGS SPEAK How do you feel about the new Pledge of Allegiance law?

“Personally, I liked saying it once a week.

Everyday is exhausting. I have to run up to math everyday and I’m out of breath. I want to sit down but I just have to stand back up again.”

Adrienne Dulle, sophomore

4

“I don’t really say it anymore, but I do stand there with my hand on my heart.”

Nick Feldmann, freshman

“I don’t really participate because I am 100 percent appreciative of rights and privileges and I find it hard to say it willingly. I don’t want to say something I don’t believe in.”

Isaiah Hughston, junior

“The novelty of the change reminds us of the past and helps us think about the future.

I hope it doesn’t become routine.”

“I feel like I’m in elementary school. I like America but not that much. But I stand and say it on Mondays, like we used to.”

Ed Bolton, teacher

Nika Levtchin, senior

NEWS

Silently Speaking

Students protest racial injustice

BY CARI SHEARER | FEATURES EDITOR

A

CROSS VARIOUS CLASSrooms and hallways last week, students raised their voices by silencing themselves. From Monday to Friday, 8:16 a.m to 3:05 p.m., students silently protested with duct tape over their mouths.

The purpose of the protest was to recognize the Black Lives Matter movement. Each day, students wrote names and phrases that pertained to the movement across the tape.

Petiri Munyikwa, junior, organized the protest as a part of the Youth Leadership Council for the Missouri GayStraight Alliance. He took the idea for a silent protest and made it his own.

“I don’t think people realize that, especially in a school like this, that the black friends that they have could be killed at any time,” Munyikwa said.

“That’s something that’s always on my mind and is always on the mind of other black students.”

The protest gradually gained more attention as the week went on. On Friday, Munyikwa handed out pieces of tape with #BLACKLIVESMATTER written on them for students to wear throughout the day.

While the protest did attract more students, protesters faced mixed reactions from other students.

“You can’t get angry because it is a silent protest so all the hurt comes off when you take off the tape,” Munyikwa said.

Allison Otto, senior, is not opposed to the protest but doesn’t completely agree with the Black Lives Matter movement.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CARI SHEARER

“I’m having a hard time trying to understand how they can say that black lives matter and how all other minorities’ lives matter when that’s the same point of ‘all lives matter’,” Otto said.

Despite uncertainty about the nature of the silent protest, Otto acknowledges that all students face some degree of discrimination inside and outside of school walls.

“I feel like no matter what, people have their preconceived notions of

everyone,” Otto said.

Principal Dr. Greg Mathison said the school allows participation in protests, given that those actions do not disrupt the school day or classroom environment.

“We have to balance with students’ Freedom of Speech and the school environment. That’s always a very fine line when making decisions,” Dr. Mathison said.

Dr. Mathison said this isn’t the

I pledge allegiance, daily WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR THIS LAW COME FROM? “Actually, I had a group of AP students, four of them from Northwest High School, that came to us and- the law before Aug. 28 was it only had to be recited once a week- and they felt it was something that should be done daily instead of once a week. So, they presented the idea to us, we agreed with them, and figured it was a simple bill to start working on and kind of get my feet wet as a new legislator.”

WHAT DOES THE PLEDGE MEAN TO YOU?

Rep. Shane Roden discusses his Pledge of Alliegence policy with students at a Rockwood Summit press conference. Photograph

by Ryan Berger

“It’s something that unites us as a whole. It allows for each individual person to become united with a common goal, to be part of something bigger than just themselves.”

first time he’s seen students engage in protest, and his job is to guarantee students can exercise their rights in a respectful manner.

Munyikwa said he hopes to continue the same silent protest in the future.

“Fundamentally, in our society, we see people of color who are silenced,” Munyikwa said. “I don’t think people understand the frustration it is to be silenced all the time.”

A conversation with Rep. Shane Roden HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO PEOPLE WHO POROTEST THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE OR DON’T STAND FOR IT? “I’ve got some veterans I’d like for them to meet.

Plain and simple. Some Gold Star mothers who’ve lost their kids for their right to be able to do that. It’s very disheartening to see people that again are part of the divide instead of the uniting part.”

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR THE BILL TO BE PASSED? “Two years. Actually, it started out as a bill last year, it ended up dying like a lot of legislation, it died going over to the Senate side. This year we were able to refile it again. It was heard in committee and kind of stayed in committee until we could find the right senate bill towards the end of session that we could add it on to.”

5

NEWS

Li helps pass St. Louis County Tobacco 21 law

BY CARI SHEARER | FEATURES EDITOR

they can’t stop,” Dr. Page said.

Dr. Page said he hopes the bill will WITH THE HELP OF MICHELLE LI, have a positive impact on younger junior, a new bill, Tobacco 21, has been generations, as they won’t have an easy passed for St. Louis County. access to harmful tobacco products.

“It’s incredible getting to witness “Addiction is not a fair fight when the whole process of a bill getting young adults are involved,” Dr. Page passed,” Li said. said.

The bill changes the required age Dr. Page worked closely with other to purchase tobacco products from 18 councilmen and women to pass the bill, to 21. along with two high The first city to pass school students, the bill was Needham, including Li. "ADDICTION IS NOT Mass. and no other city “This bill would passed the law for five not have passed A FAIR FIGHT WHEN years. In that five years, and become law YOUNG ADULTS ARE youth smoking reduced by without the leaderINVOLVED" 50 percent in Needham. ship and advocacy DR. SAM PAGE Councilman Sam Page of young adults like CITY COUNCILMAN sponsored the bill and also Michelle Li,” Dr. worked to pass a PrescripPage said. tion Drug Monitoring ProLi, the founder gram for St. Louis County of SADD and an in the past. active member of As a medical doctor, Dr. Page said the Rockwood Drug Free Coalition, behis interest in the bill came partially came involved with T21 after working from his experience with patients who with Tobacco Free Missouri Youth. smoke.

Former councilwoman Ginny “I know many people who smoke Chadwick sponsored the bill in Columand they have told me again and again bia and Kansas City. She was also the they wish they had never started, but coalition member who introduced Li to

6

tobacco smoking is the preventable cause of death

#1

16% of high school students have used e-cigs INFOGRAPHIC BY CARI SHEARER SOURCE: CDC AND AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

the bill.

One of the most significant results of the bill, according to Chadwick, is the elimination of social circles in which tobacco products can be distributed to youth. Since 18 year olds still have friends of all ages in high school, 14 year olds have access to tobacco products through older friends. However, 21 year olds are far less likely to supply high school freshmen with such products.

“Once the age of purchase is in

the high school, everyone in the high school has access,” Chadwick said.

Chadwick said the opposition to the bill stems from the argument over civil liberties.

However, the bill does not aim to take away the right of purchase. Rather, it aims to protect youth from developing addiction.

“It’s the most addictive product on Earth.” Chadwick said. It’s also the only substance that, when used as directed, kills.”

POLITICS

6%

MHS Votes The Messenger polled 200 students at lunch on Oct. 6 and 7

Other (Johnson;

Other Stein)(Johnson; Stein)

46%

48%

Trump Trump

Hillary Clinton

MUSTANGS SPEAK Who would do you think should win the 2016 election?

“I am Second honestly does not know who we support. I am personally trying to discern who fits best for our country.”

Mattie Walker, junior I am Second

“As a club, we don’t affiliate with a candidate because we look to encourage free thought among our members.”

Ethan Aaranson, senior Jewish Student Union

“We haven’t really talked about it but a number of people in the club support Hillary over Trump.”

Zoya Abbassi, senior Muslim Students Association

“I think Donald Trump is disrespectful to everyone that’s not a white male and I do not trust him. I am not a huge Hillary fan but I would rather have Hillary than Trump.”

Sydney Munden, senior African American Studies Club

“We definitely support Hillary Clinton.

After taking a deep look into her policies, we feel that she has a very good recent record of supporting the LGBT community.”

Emma Resek, junior Gay Straight Allliance

JOB OPPORTUNITIES NOW HIRING FOR SUMMER 2017!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

(314) PRO-POOL www.swimpropool.com

7

POLITICS

57.5 percent of eligible citizens voted in 2012 SOURCE: BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER

political questions: answered WHY IS AMERICAN VOTER TURNOUT SO LOW?

BY ATHENA ZENG | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

T

HE UNITED STATES WAS BUILT ON THE PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY and freedom. Yet, for a country as proud of its democracy and as developed as it is, it’s voter turnout during presidential elections ranks on the low end of developed countries.

In “A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective,” a text that compares the governments of 31 nations, the United States was ranked 29 out of 31 for voter turnout, which averages at 57 percent in the United States.

Eric Black, writer for the MinnPost, wrote a series of articles that delved into the topic of voter turnout. One focused on several ways that the circumstances behind voting barred or discouraged groups of people from voting.

One reason is difficulty of registration. In other countries where registration is automatic, voter turnout tends to be higher. In the U.S., it’s the citizen’s responsibility to get registered, making the voting process a more complicated two-step process.

Another reason is the inconvenient practice of having elections on a Tuesday.

No other democracies do this, and it is not specified in the Constitution. It was a tradition most likely started to accommodate the work schedules of farmers, but it is impractical in modern times as it is in the middle of a work week.

Black also said even the option of making voting optional lowers voter turnout in the US. In countries such as Australia, where voting is compulsory and citizens are fined $20 if they do not provide a valid reason for not voting, voter turnout is much higher, reaching about 78 percent.

Assistant Professor of the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago Dr. Anthony Fowler conducted several studies on voter turnout as a part of his doctoral dissertation at Harvard. He decided to study voter turnout because it was an issue he saw with no easy solution, making it worthy of further investi-

8

gation.

Fowler attributes the reasoning behind the people who don’t vote to a perceived unlikelihood that their vote will be pivotal in a presidential race.

“Voter turnout and political participation in general is a really interesting collective action problem,” Dr. Fowler said. “Imagine we’re in a large group of people with similar political interests. We’d all be better off if we could commit to turning out, but it’s not rational for any one of us to do so because the chances that an individual vote is pivotal in a large election are essentially zero.”

Because of this reasoning, he doesn’t judge those who don’t vote as the act of voting would be irrational unless the individual drove utility from the act of voting itself, Dr. Fowler said.

However the act of voting is still important, especially if those who vote are unrepresentative of the rest of the population, producing election results and public policy that differ significantly from the preferences of the public, Dr. Fowler said.

In his studies, conducted by gathering large amounts of historical data and then using statistical programs to analyze them, he researched ways to increase voter turnout in presidential elections.

One study suggested that compulsory voting is a worthy idea to implement in order to promote voter turnout.

“Compulsory voting is not a crazy idea,” Dr. Fowler said. “It works in other countries, and financial incentives are the way that we typically solve collective action problems.”

The other method is to have more concurrent, rather than off-cycle, elections.

Dr. Fowler said turnout in a mayoral race, congressional race or school board election is a lot higher when those elections coincide with presidential elections.

As far as getting out the vote in the younger demographic, Dr. Fowler said it was really difficult. As a group of people who are a mobile population, it’s harder for them to register, stay on the rolls and know their polling place, Dr. Fowler said.

POLITICS

WHY ARE DEMOCRATS BLUE AND REPUBLICANS RED?

WHERE DID THE PARTY SYMBOLS COME FROM?

BY ELLIE TOLER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

BY TALI GORODETSKY | COMMUNITY EDITOR

I

T’S 1972. BELL-BOTTOMS ARE AT THE HEIGHT OF FASHION. RICHARD Nixon is in office, and Rod Stewart is in his prime. CBS airs the first televised color election map, using blue for the states that Republican Richard Nixon won and red for the states that Democrat George McGovern won.

But wait, this means that solidly Republican states, such as Texas and Mississippi, were colored blue that year.

During the 1970s and 1980s, news outlets used a number of color combinations for election night coverage. In 1976, ABC used blue for Democrats and yellow for Republicans. For NBC that year, it was red for Democrats and blue for Republicans.

So, how did blue come to mean Democrat and red come to mean Republican?

The terms red state and blue state emerged as commonly-known political concepts during the close election of 2000 between President George W. Bush and Al Gore. By then, the three major news networks—NBC, CBS and ABC—had all been using red for Republicans and blue for Democrats for several election cycles.

“It was an easier way of referring to Bush and Gore states in the weeks after the 2000 election,” Philip Bump, reporter for The Washington Post, said. “A way of identifying two political worldviews in a very fragmented country.”

In 2000, David Lettermen even joked that George W. Bush should serve as president for the red states, with Al Gore as president for the blue states.

As to why these two specific colors are used, Bump said he guesses it boils down to two things: readability of graphics and legacy of left- and right-wing politics. Red and blue can be easily distinguished from each other on an election map, and they have both been associated with conservative and liberal politics for some time.

However, in Europe people tend to correlate red with left-wing politics as it’s typically associated with extreme socialism, Scott Szevery, social studies teacher, said. Blue is identified with more conservative ideals when it comes to the upper-crust and bluebloods.

“It’s funny that in America we’ve done it in our own unique way, as we always do,” Szevery said. “I don’t really know that Americans care at all about European traditions. We’ve always kind of made it up as we’ve gone along, and this is just another case of that.”

Anna Mae, freshman, said the specific colors associated with each party can impact the way people think about Democrats and Republicans.

She said people tend to associate red with danger, passion or anger, whereas blue is seen as more cool and passive.

“Personally, I think a purple party would be really cool,” Mae said.

T

HE DAY IS JAN. 14, 1870 AND HARPER’S WEEKLY PUBLISHES THE iconic cartoon “A Live Jackass Kicking a Dead Lion.” Thomas Nast, the cartoonist, displays the Democratic party as a jackass, or donkey, as a way to disparage the Democrats.

Four years later, Nast strikes again with the use of an elephant to symbolize the Republican Party in the cartoon “The Third-Term Panic.” Nast was fiercely loyal Republican and used the strong and steady elephant as a symbol for the Republican Party.

But how did those animals end up becoming the symbol for the parties?

For the Democratic party, the infamous donkey was never officially accepted by the party itself; however, Nast’s cartoons popularity and his continued use of the donkey set in stone the tie of Democrats to jackasses. Republicans, though, embraced the elephant and adopted it as their official symbol.

Republicans were quick to use the elephant due to its symbolic use in the phrase “seeing the elephant” as an expression used by soldiers to mean experiencing combat during the Civil War. Doing so would represent the party’s nationalism and dedication to fight what they believe in, as they had done in the Civil War. Elephants have this reputation of being smart, of forming relationships and of showing their emotions about certain actions, whereas donkeys tend to be seen as more stubborn and not as effective, Amy Doyle, history teacher, said.

In the end, the popularity boils down to one man: Thomas Nast. Nast was considered a master of political cartoons and the father of the modern medium.

Nast was the creator of the animal symbols, but also the man who popularized the image of the modern “Santa Claus.”

“His messages were very poignant in terms of criticizing political machines or Tammany Hall and other political institutions like slavery and equal rights for African Americans,” Doyle said.

In a time when much of the United States’ population was illiterate, political cartoons were also the main way to share a message and convey a point to people who couldn’t read.

Rather than needing to read a paragraph of writing, a political cartoon can convey the same message without requiring any reading. It’s almost simpler and can be as equally as complex without text, Devin Haas, junior, said.

“At this point, I doubt that many people know the full history behind the origin of these symbols and I don’t think that a party symbol can change the way that anybody votes,” Haas said.

9

COMMUNITY

Harry Potter Alliance to host sock drive

BY ELLIE TOLER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

S

TUDENTS CAN EXPECT-O patronum an upcoming sock drive presented by the Harry Potter Alliance club.

After discovering that socks are one of the most requested items at homeless shelters, club president Amy Stimmel, junior, planned a sock drive to take place in November near Thanksgiving Break. The drive will honor Dobby, an enslaved house-elf from the Harry Potter series who was freed through the gift of a sock.

Stimmel said the socks will go to Covenant House, a nonprofit charity serving homeless youth. Members of the Harry Potter Alliance will set out bins for people to donate new socks.

At the beginning of this year, Stimmel formed a chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to encouraging activism through the power of story and fandoms, in order to fulfill both her love for Harry Potter and her desire for community service.

“The whole world can be analyzed through literature and these fandoms,” Stimmel said. “It’s kind of a cool thing, what can we do or how they apply. It gets kids thinking in a different way.”

Amy Stimmel, junior, brainstorms dates for the Harry Potter Alliance’s upcoming sock drive at the Oct. 4 meeting. The drive will occur before Thanksgiving Break. Photograph by Ellie Toler Members named their chapter Fandoms for Freedom to help encourage students in all fandoms, not just Harry Potter, to join the club. They meet every Tuesday after school in Room 358.

You

could be on the cover of the yearbook!

ONE lucky student will get to be on the cover of the 2017 yearbook and get a free book.

Tell us a story about you.

Tell us something interesting that you have done or have participated in.

What would you have done differently?

How has it made you a better person?

Pick up an application from Rm 226 and fill it out. You must submit a one-paragraph answer to the prompt.

New Deadline! Applications due October 27.

10

Club sponsor Ray Holmes, language arts teacher, said the club aims to host other literary activities that encourage story lovers to celebrate their passion.

Holmes said fandoms themselves

appeal to many people because longform stories, television series and movies allow them to know and understand characters. It’s a way people can build their own understanding of the world around them in a fun and exciting way.

“It’s almost like they’re an extra set of friends that you can talk about, think about and engage with in some way,” he said.

Fandoms can be a powerful tool used to initiate positive change in the world by introducing people to different types of stories, Holmes said.

“People are always looking for stories to escape, and when you can escape with characters you can relate to, you can apply their challenges and struggles to your life, and that’s something to engage with and something that’s appealing,” Holmes said.

Korinne Snipes, freshman, said she joined the Harry Potter Alliance because she thought it sounded fun, and she wanted to connect with other fans.

She hopes the club hosts a cosplay day.

She would also like to hold a bake sale with treats from the wizarding world.

“A good fan is someone who helps others in fandom crises like a character death or someone turns out to be a good or bad,” she said.

FEATURES

Business Management designs shirts for sale

BY DELANEY NEELY | STAFF REPORTER IT PAYS TO TAKE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, LITERALLY. Fourth, fifth and sixth hours have developed company names and t-shirts they think will sell.

Laurie Philipp, business management teacher, said the classes’ products will be distributed at the end of November. Sales for the shirts have already started.

Usually, the students take home a profit for their sales, but this year’s classes had something more benevolent in mind. According to their advertisement, a portion of each sale will go to benefit someone other than themselves. Each class will be donating a minimum of 10 percent of their profits to the family of Matthew Klein, PE teacher, whose daughter has been diagnosed with cancer.

Yushin Kim, senior, instructs community members on robot mechanics at the Maker Expo in Murmuration on Sep. 25 at the Cortex. The Cyber Ducks featured robots that will be used in this year’s First Tech challenge competition.

Photograph printed with permission by Yujin Kim

Liberty Long Sleeves || 6th hour PRODUCT: Long sleeved patriotic shirts.

Cyber Ducks reach out to community at Murmuration

COLORS OFFERED: Revolutionary red, Washington white and Bravery blue.

PRICE: $20

BY ATHENA ZENG | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

W

HILE MUSIC GREATS TYCHO, Yacht and Dan Deacon took the stage at St. Louis’ first annual Murmuration festival the weekend of Sep. 23 through Sep. 25, the Cyber Ducks took the streets.

Murmuration is a festival unique for its integration of art, science, technology and “thought” with music. Innovators, scientists, artists and entrepreneurs were invited to share their work with the public through a variety of expositions in the Cortex Innovation Community of the Central West End. One of these expositions was the Maker Expo: a “celebration of the DIY” that allows organizations and creators to showcase to the public what they’ve learned. The St. Louis Student Robotics Association (SLSRA) applied and received a booth within this free to the public event.

The Cyber Ducks is one of the teams within the SLSRA that volunteered at the booth. Though the team is not an MHS affiliated team, all four members attend MHS. Yujin Kim, senior, is a member of the Cyber Ducks. She volunteered at the booth, working with attendees to to build robots with Legos and Tetrix Prime; drive robots already made, such as a robot powered partly by hydrogen; and view the game components of this year's FIRST Tech Challenge: Velocity Vortex.

“It involves a lot of projectile motion,”

Kim said. “There is a lot of scoring of small particles into various goals of different heights and sizes.”

Kim, who was the communications director last year, said participating in community outreach events is a critical part of the activity.

“Participating in a pioneering event of this scale is something we haven’t done before,” Kim said. “It's going to give us more experience with outreach, which is a big aspect of robotics, basically the other side of robotics that isn't technical.”

Dr. Robin Lady, Cyber Ducks sponsor, said they heard of the Murmuration Maker’s Expo through the Tech Shop St. Louis, which the SLSRA is a member of.

“The purpose of this booth was to introduce the festival attendees to robotics, first, and the Maker Movement, community outreach that is utilized to spread awareness of robotics,” Lady said.

The Cyber Ducks team was invited by Fox 2 News prior to the festival to speak about their booth on a morning broadcast.

They did a short demonstration of all their different robots to get people interested in Murmuration so they could show up that day Evan Blanke, junior, said.

“It was pretty cool to know that a large news organization was aware of what we were doing and actually cared to show other people,” Blanke said.

SporTees || 4th hour PRODUCT: STL baseball and hockey shirts offered with short and long sleeves.

COLORS OFFERED: Royal blue, heather gray, black and white.

PRICE: $15-20

STL Crew Necks || 5th hour PRODUCT: Crew necks printed with St Louis on front.

COLORS OFFERED: TBA PRICE: $15

11

ADVERTISEMENT

12

ARTS&LEISURE

Delmar Hall opens in The Loop

Check online for more pictures of LANY

Opening date: Sept. 30 Venue Capacity: 350 to 750 people “You’re going to have smaller bands, not as big scale, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be good,” Mckenna Campo, senior, said.

Paul Klein, lead singer for LANY, opens their set at Delmar Hall on Oct. 5.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TAYLOR STYER

COOKIE SCIENCE Students experiment with recipes T

BY ELLIE TOLER | EDITOR IN CHIEF

Megan Shaw, senior, makes a batch of chocolate chip cookies. “I’m not the best cook, but I’ve always really liked making chocolate chip cookies,” she said. Photograph by Ellie Toler

RISTON ELKIN, FRESHMAN, ONCE OPENED his oven door only to be met with a face full of smoke. Small flames had grown from the tops of his chocolate chip cookies. He had placed too many balls of dough together in a row, and his parents had promptly grounded him for two months.

“More is not always better,” Elkin said.

However, his enthusiasm for baking was not deterred. He still bakes once or twice a month, mostly because he feels he has nothing better to do at home.

For other bakers who have struggled with concocting the perfect chocolate chip cookie, Tessa Arias, cookbook author and chef, has a solution.

Arias spent a few days in the kitchen baking hundreds of chocolate chip cookies for her four-part online guide on her blog, Handle the Heat. She discovered that different ingredients, tools, methods and baking temperatures impact the final product.

“It was completely inspired by my own frustrations with lackluster cookies and inconsistent results in the kitchen,” Arias said. “I’d make the same recipe weeks apart, and get two totally different results. So I went to work testing out tiny tweaks on the same recipe to see what results they yielded. I wanted to see the science of baking at work so I could actually understand it.”

When she began to see the different reactions and patterns of her tests, she felt inspired to publish her findings to help others improve their own baking.

She said one of the most common mistakes people make when baking chocolate chip cookies is using butter that is too warm. With warm butter, the dough

spreads very quickly in the oven, and so the cookies end up being very thin.

People pack too much flour into their measuring cups, thus resulting in dense, tough or dry cookies.

Arias said she recommends people fluff their flour in its container before spooning it into the measuring cup, or they can invest in a measuring scale.

For more cakey cookies, use baking powder rather than baking soda. For thicker and chewier cookies, try substituting at least half of the all-purpose flour for bread flour. For crispier cookies, amp up the baking heat to 375 degrees.

She said cooking allows more personal freedom that isn’t as possible with baking. People should strive to follow the recipe as closely as they can and avoid making changes until they have mastered the recipe.

“Becoming a better baker requires just a small mindset shift,” Arias said. “It’s so important to understand that baking truly is a science, and it’s all about precision and accuracy.”

Leslie Tiemeyer, foods teacher, said students in Foods I complete a similar experiment, where they test how different types of fats and sugars affect the chewiness, crispiness and spread of the cookie.

For Tiemeyer, the perfect cookie is made with butter and brown sugar. Butters lends itself to a rich flavor, and the brown sugar creates a chewy cookie due to its molasses content.

“The very best cookie is one that is not over mixed and has just been removed from the oven, maybe a minute or two before the timer goes off, so that it is soft, warm and the most delectable cookie imaginable,” she said.

13

SOURCE: CNN ARTS&LEISURE

Netflix users watched 42.5 BILLION HOURS of shows and movies in 2015 SOURCE: CNN

PHOTOGRAPH BY TAYLOR STYER

Students Engage in Binge Watching JENICA BUNDERSON AD MANAGER TAYLOR STYER LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER WE ALL KNOW THE ROUTINE: WE GET HOME, crash onto the couch and turn on Netflix.

Anna Wentling, senior, said she watches Netflix, “Too much.” Wentling estimates she watches about seven hours of Netflix during the school week and more during the weekends.

Evan Miller, freshman, said he watches about three hours of Netflix on a daily basis.

Wentling and Miller are not alone in their binge watching habits. According to CNN, teens spend an average of 9 hours a day on some form of media, including phones, computers and television.

Brenna Catherine Davis, student at Virginia Commonwealth University, spent a semester researching binge-watching and its implications. She said as of now, there is no universal definition of “binge watch-

2

14

ing.”

According to PRNewswire, 73 percent of surveyed Netflix watchers said they define binge watching as watching between two and six episodes of the same program in one sitting.

Davis said Netflix has contributed to the binge-watching phenomenon.

“Netflix composes their content in a way that keeps you watching,” Davis said. “They release these shows seasons at a time, giving viewers the chance to watch the whole season in one go, which is unlike scheduled programming that gives viewers one episode per week.”

Ashley Hobbs, psychology and sociology teacher, said binge-watching can be problematic on both a personal and societal level. Just like other binge behaviors, binge-watching can be unhealthy.

“Any binge behavior is a behavior where you become obsessed with an activity such as binge eating,” she said. “Binge watching is the same thing.”

What are the implications?

Delayed gratification is the ability to wait for a reward or positive experience. For example, someone exercises delayed gratification when they wait for a weekly show. But with Netflix, people no longer have to wait because an entire series is available to them at the push of a button. Hobbs said this could change the mindset of the growing generation.

“The younger generation is having a difficult time waiting,” she said. “They want instant gratification.”

Because Netflix is a relatively new way of watching television, it seems that we will have to wait to see the possible long term implications of the streaming platform. Until then, Davis said Netflix will only contribute to the amount of time teenagers spend in front of a screen.

“It used to be only a select group of people, the couch potatoes, would spend more than an hour or two watching television,” she said. “Now, collectively we are spending more and more time watching TV and binge behaviors appear more frequently.”

SPORTS

TOP KNOTCH

Albert to row in college

Claire Albert, senior, rows at Creve Coeur Lake during her crew practice on Oct 5. Albert has been approached by Harvard and Stanford with the possibility of her joining their rowing teams. Photographs by Athena Zeng

BY AUSTIN WOODS | A&L EDITOR

C

LAIRE ALBERT, SENIOR, HAS BEEN APproached by Harvard and Stanford, for her exceptional abilities as a rower and varsity girls co-captain at the St. Louis Rowing Club, as well as her grades and test scores.

“I had never thought I would be going to either of those schools, nor that I could complete the work necessary,” Albert said. “I don’t have any type of spectacular back story. But rowing is something that can be used to help students.”

Albert said she’s very excited about these opportunities, but is still torn between the two schools.

“Stanford and Harvard are both some of the best academic institutions in the world,” she said. “I really just want to definitively figure out where I’m going, and it’s been a pretty stressful process.”

Albert is making sure she gets a scope for each school before she makes a choice. Albert has been on an official paid visit to Harvard, where she stayed three nights. She’s also been to Stanford to get a feel for their team.

There are numerous deciding factors for Albert, one of the most important being the nature of the local rowing programs.

“They both have great programs,” she said. “Stanford won the big national competition last year, but Harvard came in third. But Harvard has a really great culture and the biggest regatta in the world on the Charles River. There’s a great rowing culture in Boston, whereas Stanford doesn’t have as much of that.”

Albert said she first started rowing during her sophomore year, and was inspired by her father, who rowed in college.

“I got started more for personal interest,” she said.

“As I got faster, I thought there might be an opportunity to row in college.”

Albert said her mental strength from rowing will aid her in social science, which she plans on going into.

Her rowing peers and superiors aren’t surprised about these schools reaching out to Albert, including Tim Franck, the varsity girls’ coach.

“She’s always had a terrific work ethic and a positive attitude,” Franck said. “I’m not surprised these schools are interested in her.”

Franck has coached Albert since she first began rowing, and he moved her up from the novice team to varsity within a year.

Franck said he usually sees about two to three rowers per year recruited by Ivy League schools, and that to be recruited, a rower must acquire a certain skill set.

“Successful rowers need to be really hard workers,” he said. “It’s an endurance sport. As far as athletic ability, you need some degree of coordination and strength, but mostly a lot of determination.”

Lily Brown, senior at Clayton High School and fellow co-captain, agreed with the notion that Albert’s opportunities are well-deserved.

“She works really hard and deserves everything coming her way,” Brown said. “She’s the hardest working girl I know, and she has really good work ethic at rowing and outside of rowing.”

Brown said she knows that, despite Albert’s ambivalence toward which school to attend, she’ll succeed on any path she takes.

“Anywhere she goes, I know she’ll be great,” she said. “She gets along with everyone and can fit in anywhere. She’ll be great at school, and at rowing.”

Prescription misuse

is drug abuse.

Is your name on this bottle?

Only take medication as prescribed to you.

15

SPORTS

Record-breaking athletes reflect on success

BY MADDIE EVELAND | SPORTS EDITOR

KELSEY LENOX || softball PHOTOGRAPH BY MADDIE EVELAND

BY TALI GORODETSKY | COMMUNITY EDITOR LILLIE KNESEL, JUNIOR, IS NO STRANGER to softball. With a mom as a coach and her three siblings all playing either baseball or softball, Knesel has never not been around the sport.

Knesel is now the new record holder of most bases stolen in MHS history with 54 bases stolen.

“I was really confused because I didn’t even know I was close to it,” Knesel said, “I stole and everybody went crazy in the stands and I was just really confused.”

Although Knesel set a new record, she said that her stance in the game isn’t affected and won’t change.

“I’m just going to keep stealing bases and playing softball,” Knesel said.

After high school, Knesel plans on pursuing softball in college with her top college choices being the University of Dayton, Maryville University, and a few others. She’s currently being scouted and has received one offer so far.

Adam Starling, assistant varsity coach, is not surprised by Knesel breaking the record.

Her speed and baserunning ability is what allows her to get a really good jump off of the bases and steal so many, Starling said.

While he is proud, Starling expects her to steal a lot more the rest of this season and even more next year.

“It’s always exciting to see somebody who has put in a lot of time and effort and has worked really hard to have success,” Starling said.

JAKE VENEGONI || diving PHOTOGRAPH BY TAYLOR STYER

16

HITTING TWO HOME RUNS IN A SINGLE game earned varsity catcher, Kelsey Lenox, junior, her tenth home run of the season and her second broken record at MHS. Lenox holds both the current single season home run record and the single season RBI record with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs. “I had no idea I was even close to breaking any type of record, so when it was announced during our game against Webster Groves, I was so surprised because I didn’t expect it at all,” Lenox said.

Even though breaking these records was a huge achievement for Lenox, her only goal for the future focuses on getting to State along with her teammates.

“Winning games and broken records are not why I love softball,” Lenox said. “I love

BY DELANEY NEELY | ILLUSTRATOR PRACTICE REALLY PAID OFF FOR JAKE Venegoni, junior, when he broke a school record for dive, a record that has not been broken for seven years.

The record is called the six dive dual meet record, and it’ s used for meets against another school.

Jake set the new record at 289.7. The previous record was 284.4, set by Mitch Harris in 2009.

Three divers from each school dive six different dives each. These dives get judged and that score gets multiplied by how hard their dives are.

“I was more than excited,” Venegoni said.

“I felt accomplished and it was a moment I will never forget.”

He isn’t done yet. He plans to keep preparing even harder for State on Nov 5. He said he wants to refine his dives.

Of course these talents won’t stop after

softball because it has taught me how to take on challenges and so many other life lessons.”

Softball coach Amy Doyle, social studies teacher, said Lenox’s work ethic, along with her attitude has been paramount to her success this season. She takes accountability for her actions, and she makes conscience efforts to improve upon her mistakes.

She has taken initiative as a leader both on and off the field, Doyle said. She facilitates communication between players and coaches, and she really advocates for her teammates.

“Between the lines, she is a fierce competitor, but her ability to make us all laugh is second to none,” Doyle said. “She makes us crack up at least once a day. Her alter ego, Helga, makes an appearance every once in awhile and she brings down the house.”

LILLIE KNESEL || softball PHOTOGRAPH BY TALI GORODETSKY

high school.

“There are several colleges I’m looking at, but I’m really looking into Mizzou and Bakersfield. A couple of college coaches have reached out to me already,” Venegoni said.

Lisa Roth, the varsity swim and dive coach, is very proud of Venegoni.

“With each dive that meet it became very apparent that he was going to achieve his goal of breaking it,” Roth said. “Our entire team was so happy for him.”

Roth has coached him all of high school, and said he is a remarkable athlete.

“He is focused and hard-working but also is an amazing team player,” Roth said.

Check online for a Q&A with Venegoni on his diving season