Issue 8 17-18

the

MESSENGER

Volume xxv, issue viii | MO 63017 | MARQUETTEMESSENGER.COM | may 2018

HERITAGE 8-9

Students detail how their diverse cultures have shaped their lives and identities

TABLE OF CONTENTS YOUTUBE

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finals

THE PEOPLE Editor in Chief Online Editor in Chief Associate Editor Production Editor Copy Editor News Editors Opinions Editor Features Editor Arts&Leisure Editor Sports Editor Online Sports Editor Assistant Online Editor Advertising Manager Business Manager Staff Reporters

Staff Adviser

authors

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lacrosse

Greg Svirnovskiy Neelansh Bute Austin Woods Abhijit Srirangam Mahika Mushuni Marta Mieze Kailin Zhang Alex McAteer Kavya Jain Kenzie Winstead Delaney Neely Jeff Swift Jen Bosche Sabrina Lacy Grihith Varaday Jackson Estwanick Ethan Hill Mansi Mamidi Sarah Harris Jessica Li Will Roach Emily Jorgensen

CONSTRUCTION

16 7

5 12

The Final Exam Committee at RSD is fundamentally rethinking the way finals are administered, starting with more flexibility in exam format.

ramadan

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Three young adult authors face sexual harrasment allegations that may affect the literary value of their works.

With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan beginning on May 15, Lana Megdad, sophomore, has had to adjust how and when she studies for final exams.

Sophia Lombardi, junior, runs to receive a ball during a lacrosse game. The women’s lacrosse team is currently ranked second in the state.

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 takes responses for any issue. Send these in at www. 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.

Top 5 Most Viewed Stories on marquettemessenger.com

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Views: 1,245

In-Depth: History of MHS kailin ZHANG and marta MIEZE The MHS community celebrated its 25th anniversary by looking back on traditions and memories from its first years.

2

Views: 1,072

Net neutrality matters today and forever alex MCATEER A snap response to the FCC board ending net neutrality, spearheaded

by FCC chairman Ajit Pai.

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Views: 1,008

15 4

Views: 996

RSD temporarily shuts down Google services for students

Baryons robotics team to visit hospital after State qualification

kailin ZHANG

will ROACH

The RSD technology department shut down all access to Google at Ellisville and Chesterfield area schools due to staff members having received inappropriate emails.

The Baryons, fresh off a State qualification tournament victory, visited Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur to deliver gifts for patients.

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Views: 937

Taking a Look under the Hood jackson ESTWANICK Hawk Hood, sophomore, shows off the repairs he made to his mother’s Crown Victoria. He spent $2,300 on repairs, financed by his job at McDonald’s.

Infographic by Neelansh Bute

OPINIONS

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MUSTANGS SPEAK How should MHS change for next year?

“I think dress-coding is still a problem, and I think it’s not as bad as it used to be, but I still get called out every once and a while, and I really don’t think that’s fair.”

Morgan Simmons junior “You shouldn’t have classes on the opposite sides of the school right next to each other. I’m able to do it but I know a lot of people wouldn’t be able to do it because they don’t have the mental or Harrison Seeling, physical strength.”

Cartoon by Delaney Neely

editorialBOARD

sophomore

Revising Finals

THE NEWS THAT DISTRICT OFFICIALS AND teachers are meeting to discuss the RSD final exam policy comes as welcome information for students.

We recognize that the current enforced rules are in major need of updates, and believe that, as students, we are in the important spot of providing information and viewpoints for teachers to consider.

The need for students to meet a certain standard to demonstrate mastery of a course makes complete sense. If a student is to exempt a final, they should only be able to do so by hitting a mark. That mark in this case would be the requirement of having earned an A in a class to exempt.

What doesn’t make sense is why students should have to choose only one class they have earned an A in to exempt. Why are only second semester seniors permitted to exempt all finals for classes they have an A in? It seems a bit arbitrary to have the current rules in place.

If the district deems that a 90 percent in a course is a moniker for mastery, then this should apply not to only one course and not only for seniors. Mastery is mastery; a student’s age should have no effect on whether or not we deem them worthy of exemption.

If they wish for students to be rewarded for “mastering” the material, they should reward them for doing well in all of their courses, not just one.

Furthermore, allowing students to potentially exempt all of their finals gives them even more incentive to work hard in their classes. With the knowledge that they could potentially take no finals, students would be more motivated than ever to get an A. Now onto weights. The current practice by the

district, that all finals are weighted as 20 percent of a student’s composite grade, appears to be entirely arbitrary. To us, this seems to again run counter to the idea that finals are intended to prepare students for college, as finals at that level often compose much more or less of a student’s grade. This is especially notable when considering the prevalence of classes in which the only two grades are a midterm and a final.

We propose that finals should be weighted in accordance to decisions made by the various departments of each school. Teachers from the Language Arts department may decide their final should count for less than that of the math department. This allows teachers to tailor their finals towards how they believe their subjects should be taught, giving them more autonomy in their classes and allowing them to better prepare students.

Finally, the question of whether we should have finals at all. Again, we offer that this decision should be left up to the departments. If some classes, such as art or music classes, decide cumulative finals are not the correct way to assess student ability, they shouldn’t be forced to push exams on their students.

Some argue that finals have utility for one main reason: to measure one’s mastery over a topic. What we currently see in district finals is that they accomplish none of those things, because college classes seldom offer finals at a weight of 20 percent, and some choose not to give finals at all.

High school should have a finals policy more like college. This would better prepare students for a higher education.

It’s time to push forth a policy that respects students and their knowledge levels, and actually prepares for progress.

Ivy Flowers, sophomore

“I think if the school has issues with students being tardy, we should probably get more hall monitors to make sure that students are in class on time and to make sure that students are behaving well in the hallways too.”

“I think that, since we are changing the schedules, I think we should find a way to have smaller, classes [so that students] can have a closer relationship with their teachers.”

Ashish Dhanalakota, freshman

Emily Thompson, french teacher

“I know this is unrealistic, but if there is a way for teachers to not have to share rooms, it would be great. I have spent a long time being forced to share a room, and having my own would save me a lot of time.”

OPINIONS

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CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

the act of adopting elements of an outside, often minority culture, including knowledge, practices and symbols, without understanding or respecting the original culture and context

Recognizing cultural appropriation is destructive kavya JAIN

alex MCATEER THE CONCEPT OF CULTURAL appropriation is best boiled down to a “less powerful” culture having its ideas taken and used by other “more powerful cultures.”

Just recently a girl wearing a Chinese dress to her prom was berated on Twitter by user Jeremy Lam. His tweet states “My culture is NOT your goddamn prom dress.”

This caught on and received 41,742 retweets and 178,568 likes.

This is the stupidest example of cultural appropriation of all time. A girl found a dress she liked and wore it to prom.

Much like most acts of so called cultural appropriation, there is no malice.

The idea that a majority culture cannot borrow aspects of other cultures is ridiculous. Cultural diffusion is an unstoppable aspect of the human existence. Blending and borrowing should be encouraged. It’s culture that brings us closer as humans.

What isn’t bringing anyone closer is the purposeful division of people based upon their “culture.” It’s ironic that people who claim to be culturally sensitive choose to further divide people instead of promoting the sharing of culture.

I completely understand the instinct to try and maintain the state of culture. However, the burden of maintaining that culture doesn’t fall on anyone who doesn’t choose that responsibility. The idea that everyone has to use aspects of culture in a way that the original culture intends is controlling and frankly freedom suppressing.

At the end of the day, if your culture matters so much to you that you can’t

stand to see other people alter it, then don’t change it yourself. After all you are the only person you can directly control. No one else can make your culture less sacred to you.

The masses of so called social activists are very quick to jump on to anyone who has worn anything vaguely from a minority culture. This idea lends itself so easily to bandwagon activism. If a Chinese man calls out a girl for cultural appropriation, everyone else without question or hesitation will jump on immediately without a full understanding of an issue.

The most egregious part is that people who are so ready to call someone out for appropriating their culture have no idea where their own culture came from. Every culture today is a culmination of thousands of years of past culture behind them, mixing and blending to form what they are so unwilling to share today.

Cultural appropriation forsakes this process in favor of attempting to keep their culture pure and free of outside influence.

I urge everyone to be aware of their influences, but don’t ever feel like you’re stealing something by being interested in someone else’s culture.

Cultural appropriation is divisive. It intentionally creates tangible lines of which certain people are expected to not cross.

By not crossing these lines, their freedom is limited. Everyone has the right to be offended by anything, but that doesn’t make it any less ridiculous that people claim ownership over something they themselves never created.

Cultural appropriation should be recognized

MY PARENTS, WHO IMMIGRATED TO America in 1997, are flattered by cultural appropriation. A lot of first generation Americans, myself included, are appalled by it.

Like many immigrants in the 90s, my parents never expected to be accepted in America, so they mistake appropriation with appreciation. However, first generation Americans know we deserve to be treated equally even though we grow up in a country that marks us as “exotic” instead.

That’s why it’s upsetting when out of the blue someone decides our identity something we have struggled for so long to accept in a society demanding assimilation - is a trendy fashion accessory. Why are they allowed to wear a bindi and be labeled an icon of cultural acceptance, but if I wear one I am immediately labeled as fresh off the boat? They decide to be infatuated by something we have spent our whole lives trying to love.

This is cultural appropriation: a privileged group receiving praise for borrowing aspects of a culture that a marginalized group is stigmatized and penalized for.

On a larger scale, this year in the Milan Fashion Week Show. Gucci faced cultural appropriation claims after white models walked down the runway in turbans, hijabs and bindis: articles of faith for South Asian religions. When a model wears a hijab it’s fashion, but when a Muslim woman does she is labeled a terrorist and becomes a target for hate crimes. To profit off of the culturally and religiously significant aspects of a historically, and currently oppressed group of people, is not only problematic but

horrifying.

Some argue cultural appropriation is simply a natural effect of globalization.

However, that is cultural exchange, not appropriation. Cultural exchange is a mutual trade between two cultures attempting to learn from each other; whereas, cultural appropriation is the exploitation of a minority population. Appropriation stems from the power imbalance developed during European colonialism and the systematic oppression of certain populations. Even today, we are living in a post-colonial world where European culture is seen as the norm and others are seen as primitive.

Justifying appropriation with the claim that America is a “melting pot” is naive.

If anything, we are a pot of boiling water where parts deemed bacteria by the white supremacy are killed. We aren’t one monogamous culture and we shouldn’t fool ourselves by trying to be. Rather than eliminating cultural differences, we should be celebrating them.

When anyone, regardless of race, uses parts of a marginalized culture, they rarely ever have malicious intent, but their genuine appreciation can be better expressed through respect and understanding. There is a difference between attending an Indian friend’s wedding in traditional clothing and buying bindis and henna tattoos for festival season. Immersing yourself in a culture to learn more is different than picking parts of it for a fad or fashion. It is critical we understand that there is a difference between appreciation and appropriation. One breaks apart power dynamics while the other reinforces them.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Walk in or out?

To the editor of the article of the Marquette newspaper article, “Students are encouraged to “Walk in, Not Out,” this article is accurate, but some details have been forgotten. There are quiet students throughout Marquette High School, and nobody around them knows what they are going through.

Maybe, they could be planning the nation’s next biggest school shooting, or planning on harming others, or themselves. I think that every student, whether you know them or not, just

check in on them. Give them a shoulder to cry on. Let them speak their feelings. You never know, you could become great friends with them and make them happier than ever. You may even have prevented that same student from causing physical and mental harm to their fellow students. I think that every student should just put some effort into getting to know someone that they have never met and try to bond with them. In my opinion, students here do not realize that mental illness is a thing, and they just make a joke of it, especially after one of the nation’s

worst school shootings in Parkland, Fla. It is important that everyone is heard whether they have a mental illness or not. I am not for nor against the gun violence walk out, but I do not think they should make a big deal of it. I think they should just increase security in populated places and events. We need higher police presence, hopefully one that won’t run away like the one in Parkland did.

Sincerely, Kevin Grimes, junior

WANT TO SEE YOUR LETTERS ON THE MESSENGER? Send your letters to kjain083@rsdmo.org for a chance to have them published online.

NEWS

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[Left] Abbie Belknap, senior, works on her final project on Tuesday, May 15 for Architectural Drafting building a model of a house. [Right] Austin Walter, senior, and Ahmad Salman, junior, solve the case of the kidnapped monkey on Monday, May 14 for their Biochemistry final. Photographs by Marta Mieze and Kailin Zhang

Final policy changes to give teachers more freedom grihith VARADAY AFTER MONTHS OF DISCUSSING POTENTIAL policy revisions, the RSD Final Exam Committee recommended changes to the format of exams while agreeing on creating a common blueprint.

RSD’s current final exam policy doesn’t provide clarity as to what type of final teachers must administer; it only states that teachers must give an exam.

“We determined as a whole that our next steps would be to develop common, summative assessment blueprints for each course,” Dr. Shelley Willott, executive director of support and learning services, said.

In essence, this would allow for teachers to create finals they think would be the best for their content area, be it multiple-choice tests, written responses, projects, etc. This would also enable teachers to assign final exams to students beforehand that would include an additional performance component to be completed in class on the day of the final.

Dr. Willott said the new policy will better define guidelines for final exams and allow for greater creativity and flexibility for teachers and even students.

“As teachers build these blueprints, we will outline what standards need to be assessed while also

outlining how we will assess them,” Dr. Willott said.

Still up in the air is the decision on final exam weight, which Dr. Willott said, needs further discussion with the committee regarding the purpose of giving final exams before deciding on a new system.

Areeb Shah, senior, said this large percentage adds unnecessary stress for high school students. Shah favors a 10 percent weight for finals, a weight has been implemented in the Parkway School District.

“I understand college finals are heavily weighted, but you cannot compare college finals to high school finals,” Shah said. “Twenty percent weight is absolutely ridiculous.”

The committee has many other concerns to address, including potential changes to the exemption policy and the duration of exams.

Scott Szevery, social studies teacher, is on the committee. He said the current exemption system is unfair and places too much pressure on students.

“Students have to choose one final to exempt and the process is so random because they start worrying about losing their A in the days before the final,” Szevery said. “I’d like to see a system that is more student-friendly and uniform.”

Szevery said the committee discussed giving indi-

vidual Professional Learning Committee’s, groups of teachers managing a particular course, more flexibility to do what is best; the biggest realization among these was final exams rarely move semester grades.

“We talked about establishing a more gradual GPA system so that a B+ is worth more than a B on your transcript,” Szevery said. “That way, you could even move up from that B+ to an A- on the final.”

However, Szevery said he was uncertain about the current finals weight percentage.

“We want finals to be meaningful,” Szevery said.

“In the future, I could see them becoming not as high stakes but still enough to make a difference.”

Sophomore Principal Rick Regina, also on the committee, said he sees both sides of the argument.

“Student’s final exam scores are reflective of their knowledge throughout the year,” Regina said.

Regina said he supports an adjustment to the GPA scale to resemble one similar to many colleges.

“The difference between a 99 percent and a 90 percent in terms of a letter grade is nothing, but the difference between a 90 and a 89 is a whole letter grade,” Regina said. “If we can do something about the scale, it would be a more accurate measurement of what students know and can do.”

RSD adds early dismissal days to next year’s calendar marta MIEZE GO HOME EARLY AND COME BACK FOR SPORTS practice. Go home and have more time for friends and homework.

Those are some of the options the new Early Dismissal days will offer. Next year’s calendar includes not only 12 Late Start days but also 4 Early Dismissal days.

Although the dismissal time is still being finalized, it will be between 12:15 p.m. - 12:30 p.m, Sept.

11, Oct. 9, Jan. 18 and Feb. 15.

Assistant Superintendent of Supervision of Schools Dr. Lisa Counts said the new calendar will allow teachers to gain more training - especially focusing on changing the learning style to better fit the new blocked schedule.

“There is really not a place in the high school yearly calendar for teachers to get ongoing professional learning,” Dr. Counts said.

She said the new PLC days will help teachers adapt to each student having a Chromebook, incorporate more technology-based lessons and blend multiple subjects in one curriculum.

Dr. Counts said the decision was proposed by the Professional Development Committee, which is made up of teachers and administrators.

High schools had Early Dismissal days five years ago, Dr. Counts said. However, after Late Start days were added every other week, the district removed

Early Dismissal days from the calendar.

The new Early Dismissal days will give more time for teachers to gain training but it will also require more organization from students, Dr. Counts said.

January, 2019 The days vary Friday for each high school depending 8:16 school on middle and el12:35 half day! :) ementary schools, 1:20 haircut she said, which makes it easier to 3:00 hang w/ bff coordinate trans4:15 basketball portation.

“It is importpractice @ MHS ant to help teachers continue to master the craft of teaching,” Dr. Counts said.

Mariela Vera-Briggs, sophomore, said she prefers early dismissal rather than late start because waking up later throws her off her routine.

“For Early Dismissal days, you have a chance to relax and hang out with friends,” Vera-Briggs said.

While the new Early Dismissal days will benefit

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the staff, for many students who are heavily involved in extracurricular activities and athletics, Early Dismissal could serve more as an obstacle, Vera-Briggs said, because some students don’t have the January, 2019 means to come back Saturday to school.

10:40 brunch “I know some kids who live in the city 2:00 movies who will have to sit 5:30 babysitting around,” Vera-Briggs said. “But I feel like early dismissal for January, 2019 some people will benSunday efit them.”

Abbey Gradle, free! art teacher, said she misses Early Dismissal days from five years ago so she is excited to have them again.

Illustration by Marta Mieze “I feel like we get more accomplished with our department,” Gradle said.

During Late Start days, Gradle said the teachers only get an hour and a half for PLC learning.

“You get to meet more frequently with those Late Start days but then it’s like once we get started then we have to stop,” Gradle said.

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NEWS

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Students to see new changes next year sabrina LACY • kailin ZHANG

teachers Sophomore Principal Rick Regina said Anna Schuth, junior, earned gold in vocals for the State music competition. Abby Grace, sophomore, on flute and Dylan Potthoff, junior, on trumpet also won gold.

Janvi Huria, freshman, and Varun Devra j, junior, took fifth in the Science Olympiad State competition for Microbe Mission.

Countdowns

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days until Summer Break

teachers retiring include Scott Cleer, social studies teacher; Marion Dennis, FACS teacher; Kevin Juergens, P.E. teacher; Vicki Kemp, Gifted Ed; Carol Mayer, secretary; Mary Parish, Gifted Ed; Cori Reed, SSD; Steven Selle, Tech Ed; and Patricia Strauss, math teacher.

1

schedules Principal Dr. Greg Mathison said

all students will be on the ABCAA schedule, with three days of standard classes and two days of blocked to allow almost 90 percent of students to get the seven courses that they requested. School will start at 8:28 a.m. and end at 3:32 p.m.

commons Senior Principal Carl Hudson said 2

4

3

hats Principal Dr. Greg Mathison

said students can wear hats and scarves, but administrators haven’t decided if hoods will be allowed yet. Teachers have the ability to have a no hat, no hood policy in their own classrooms.

the steps in the Commons will be filled with gravel, concrete and new floor tile because there have been too many people slipping and falling on the steps. The project will start on May 26 and conclude by the end of July.

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chromebooks Freshman Principal Tracey

Waeckerle said all students will have Chromebooks. Sophomores will have Chromebooks they received this year and incoming freshmen will have new Chromebooks. Juniors and seniors will get Chromebooks from carts in classrooms.

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FEATURES

ZANEB BAJWA’S JUNIOR

TYPICAL SCHEDULE DURING RAMADAN Lana Megdad, sophomore, reads the Quran at the Daar Ul-Islam Mosque. “[Ramadan to me] is a month of meeting and eating iftar all toegther as a huge family, always praying and loving one another,” Megdad said. Photograph by Marta Mieze.

Ramadan coincides with finals marta MIEZE AMIRAH YOSSEF, SENIOR, STARTED fasting during Ramadan when she was in third grade. Although her parents never forced it on her, she was eager to participate in such an important part of her religion and be more like her older sisters.

At first, she did not fast for the entire month, but just for half of a day or a day. However, soon she started fasting for the whole 30 days.

“Every year it is life changing,” Yossef said. “It really teaches me not to take things for granted, not just food but everything I’m given.”

This year Muslim students will be taking finals during Ramadan, which starts on May 15.

Yossef said she is glad she is a senior this year because she can exempt most of her finals, making it a lot easier to fast as well as to test. However, looking back at other years, she remembers how tough it is.

“It is stressful and it’s hard,” Yossef said. “You need to eat for your brain to work.”

The hardest part of having finals during Ramadan, Yossef said, is having to wake up early, about 4 a.m., and then wake up again only two hours later to go to school and take finals.

“You are either tired, hungry or thirsty, and you can’t do anything about it,” Yossef said.

Imam Dr. Sheikh Ali Bagegni works at the Northwest Islamic Center and said that Ramadan is all about feeling closer to God and spending more time praying individually and also as a

community. Fasting includes no food, drink or intimate relations from dawn to dusk.

“If you look at it from a religious aspect, you don’t think about food, you don’t think about water,” Dr. Bagegni said. “We look at it as an act of worship.”

Even though there are a few exceptions to fasting, including the sick, pregnant, those traveling and mothers who are breastfeeding, Dr. Bagegni said those who are unable to fast during Ramadan have to fast at another time to make up for it. While finals are a stressful time, Dr. Bagegni said it is not reason enough for students to break their fast.

“I don’t think it will affect the results of the exams,” Imam Dr. Bagegni said.

He also said many people choose to fast even outside of Ramadan. Dr. Bagegni said fasting is much like exercising: while it strains and tires you, it also makes you stronger.

Ramadan not only benefits individuals who fast but also the whole society, Dr. Bagegni said.

“During the month of Ramadan, people give more,” Dr. Bagegni said.

“They give to charities, the needy and to the poor.”

Dr. Bagegni hosts a dinner every night during Ramadan making it easier for students who are busy studying for exams. He also said he has seen many non-Muslims try fasting for a day or a few.

Professor Kathleen Gorman teaches Psychology at the University of Rhode Island said younger children are much

more affected by fasting while older teens and adults will not be affected as much due to their ability to adapt quicker.

She said Ramadan is not as much about the lack of food than a change in a routine or a schedule, lowering the effects it may have on students taking tests.

“If students are going to school without having eaten for a long period of time, like sundown the night before, then that would likely influence certain cognitive skill sets, [such as] alertness, reaction time, memory,” Professor Gorman said.

However, she said she was not aware of any studies specifically done to prove her ideas.

If students would have to go to school for an entire month while fasting, Professor Gorman said, the effects would be far more serious.

“I think that students themselves would report greater distraction, sleepiness and poorer attention than when they are satiated,” Professor Gorman said.

Professor Gorman said a big part of the effects of fasting is its connection to religion.

“I believe that an individual’s choice and understanding and belief system can greatly influence the potential effects,” Professor Gorman said. “Those who are committed to fasting for religious or spiritual reasons would experience fewer negative outcomes than individuals who are not eating due to lack of food, opportunity or resources.”

4:30 AM Fa jir prayers Go back to sleep

6:30 AM Wake up Eat breakfast

7 AM Get ready Go to school

AFTER SCHOOL Make up Dhuhr prayers

5 PM Asr prayers Homework

8 PM Maghrib prayers Break fast

9 PM Isha’a prayers Watch Netflix

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IN-DEPTH

MHS ranks highest in RSD hi

The population of minority students increases from 27.95% to 28.8 BILINGUAL STUDENTS kailin ZHANG HOLA. CIAO. NI HAO. More than one in five people living in America speaks a language other than English at home according to the Census Bureau.

One of these students is Leeza Kabbendjian, senior, who learned to speak both fluent English and Armenian while growing up.

“I feel like people are always interested in my diversity,” Kabbendjian said. “Part of showing your diversity is through language.”

In general, Kabbendjian said language is a way to stay connect on the global scale. If she were to visit Armenia or countries around Armenia, she would be able to communicate with the citizens there and better understand her own culture.

“I’m immersed in it because it’s basically part of my culture so my mom and dad have always had this strong conviction for me to learn the language,” Kabbendjian said. “I feel like having a language other than English helps me to stay more connected with my culture.”

While Kabbendjian said Armenian is not necessarily used or recognized in the MHS community, she said students are open to different cultures and backgrounds.

Mónica Bremer, Spanish teacher, grew up in Panama, where she spoke Spanish as her first language.

In school, she began learning English at a young age through mandatory classes. Bremer learned to speak French in high school, which she further developed after moving to France for a couple of years.

“It was fun to be able to speak a little bit with my friends. It is a very fun language to learn,” Bremer said. “People are so friendly over there so you can try to speak to them.”

Not only did Bremer learn language through school, but she also taught herself Italian, which she said was easy to grasp because it is very similar to Spanish. Living in India for four years, Bremer also learned to speak basic Hindi as well.

Bremer said language allows her to better understand different cultures through the focus of vocabulary on ideas important to different groups of people, which allows for individuals to be more accepting towards others.

“When you are able to communicate with people in their own language, you are not only able to say the words, but you are also able to start comprehending the way those people see the world because language emphasizes the way a culture perceives their reality,” Bremer said. “I think it is another door you open in your own understanding of life.”

Bremer said the lack of language education in the youth has caused students to fall behind in their knowledge of language. Students in middle school and high school are learning topics covered in elementary schools.

“If a society itself is not supporting the learning of multiple languages, the importance and relevance of learning a second language at a younger age is lost,” Bremer said.

Jenna Lee, freshman, began to consistently use the English language after coming to the United States in 2011 from South Korea in second grade. Lee said the language was fairly easy to learn because she was able to practice with her sisters and she took an ESOL

class.

“The first day of school was terrifying,” Lee said.

“I didn’t even know the ABC’s so I couldn’t really communicate.”

Although the culture was different, Lee said it was easy to adjust with the aid of language. She said the knowledge of both English and Korean has allowed her to be a part of different worlds.

Dominque Large, senior, came to the United States in seventh grade. Large attended a bilingual school in Mexico, allowing her to learn both Spanish and English, as well as a little bit of Portuguese, French and Italian.

Because Large speaks Spanish at home, she had to go through a slow process of translating a sentence in her head and coming up with an answer, as well as understanding different accents.

“The longer I live here, the faster it gets,” Large said. “I have less of an accent now.”

Large said she can connect with other bilingual students who don’t celebrate certain holidays or other traditions.

Knowing multiple languages has made it easier for her to continue to learn new languages because she is already used the process. Her knowledge of Latin roots through languages also has benefited her in other subjects.

“It helped me so much in Human Anatomy because some of the words just sound like the Spanish word,” Large said. “It develops your brain in a way that other things don’t so you’re more of a fast thinker.”

“ Students (in order from left to right) Shalini Yagnik, sophomore, Lionel Mwaura, senior, Alex Madaras, sophomore, Rebecca Zhao, senior, Amirah Yossef, senior, Tiffany Yoon, junior

Marquette is a nice en I especially enjoy how ognize diversity throug they hang up in the ha different clubs and act have for diverse LIONEL MWAURA SENIOR

IN-DEPTH

9

igh schools for diversity

82% of students EMBRACING CULTURE kavya JAIN • kailin ZHANG

@ASIANGIRLSUNITED #PRAISINTHEASIAN @BrownBadandBoujee @TheIndianFeminist.

These handles and hashtags meant to empower Asians have been trending on Instagram and Twitter.

Megha Sanjay, junior, said embracing one’s culture has become a trend on social media among South Asian youth because of the shame or hesitation they may feel expressing their heritage in person.

“We often hide our culture at school or prefer to discuss other topics with people,” Sanjay said. “On social media, however, we try and compensate.”

Sanjay said this reluctance stems from the judgment of peers, often other South Asians. While it’s normal for high schoolers to want to fit in, Sanjay said it’s taken to an extreme when students avoid discussing their heritage because they don’t want to be labeled as a “fob” or “too Indian.”

This fall during Navratri, an Indian festival, Sanjay wore an Indian outfit to school after praying that morning. She said the only people who took issue with it were other Indian students who said it was weird.

“I just feel like we shut out our own culture a little when we are in public,” Sanjay said.

Sanjay said a lot of students connect to their culture by partaking in cultural events and the arts but aren’t vocal about it at school. While she wishes they were more open in public, Sanjay appreciates cultural empowerment through social media.

“I think that it is nice to see them accepting their culture on a larger platform because it means that

nvironment. w they recgh the flags alls and the tivities they e kids.

they are in touch with their background,” Sanjay said.

“But I also do feel like we rely too much on technology to get our point across.”

Joshua Hyde, sociology teacher, said the ease of access of social media helps students to be able to express and share their culture. He said students may hold back from expressing their culture in real life from the desire to fit in and avoid stereotypes.

“For other students, they may want to embrace their culture and expose their other classmates - it may just be a difference in personality,” Hyde said.

“Some are proud and want everyone to know it, while others maybe be more passive with how they demonstrate their culture.”

Hyde said the divisiveness that comes out of politics can contribute to the trend of cultural empowerment because now that students are so connected, they are more capable of being informed and aware on a level that past generations lacked. Hyde said this allows students to not only express themselves but challenge misconceptions and stereotypes.

“When we talk the most about race or ethnicity, it usually comes down to a black or white issue,” Hyde said. “And so if you are Asian, you’re always kind of in this background, so when is your time to express the fact that you are still part of the melting pot and American culture and you bring your own heritage with you?”

Melissa Adams, junior, is half Korean and half American. Adams said social media empowers people to embrace their own traditions.

“For me, I’ve seen it a lot on Twitter and Instagram as a way to display confidence in posting selfies that show beauty embracing more than just Eurocentric facial features,” Adams said.

HOW WE STACK UP:

Percentages of Caucasian students at RSD high schools

73.4%

100

of MHS students are Caucasian, the lowest percentage of all RSD high schools

80

”

60 40

MHS

LHS

EHS

RSHS

20 0

Adams said in the past year especially, a lot of people are more open to speaking about their differences.

“Before, nobody really wanted to talk about it because it could be very hurtful to some people,” Adams said. “But now it gives people the power to stand up with lots of people in color dealing with politics.”

When Adams was little, she didn’t like being Asian - but now that she’s grown, she absolutely loves it and loves to immerse herself in culture.

“It’s so diverse and there so many differences,” Adams said. “You don’t want to be the same person as everyone else and there’s just so much to love about yourself.”

Adams said she notices many people who are confident with expression of their culture online, while more timid in person.

Adams hopes to encourage minorities to stand together at MHS. In her campaign for Senior Class Historian, Adams campaigned with the phrase “For the Culture.”

“At school, some people don’t say anything about it in person but they speak, are defensive and stand up online,” Adams said. “But once that is challenged at school they won’t say anything and pretend to be like everybody else and show that they still have that basic Eurocentric embodiment.”

77.1% at Lafayette 83.3% at Rockwood Summit 85.8% at Eureka

10

FEATURES

LET’S EAT!

Students share the significance of their heritage and its flavors kenzie WINSTEAD • sarah HARRIS

For more than 130 years, immigrants have come to the United States bringing along with them the rich cultures of far off places many Americans have only seen on television.

Cathryn Rosa, junior, has a life immersed in Italian culture. Both of her parents immigrated from southern Italy when they were in their early twenties.

Their household is full of the culture and often home to Italian meals.

“It’s just like regular food to me,” Rosa said. “I eat it so often that it just blends in with my everyday diet.”

Her grandparents, who also now live in the U.S., are regular guests at family dinners. Her mother spends hours in the kitchen preparing meals for her children to further their understanding of the culture she grew up in. Rigatoni carbonara, a pasta covered in an egg based sauce traditionally topped with pancetta or chicken, is Rosa’s favorite dish prepared by her mother.

“Sunday dinners are usually three courses.“ Rosa said “We sit around for hours listening to my grandparents stories”.

Elena McCormick, junior, is no stranger to a culturally diverse household. All the way from Venezuela, her mother’s parents visit every year.

While McCormick herself has not visited Venezuela in five years, she often indulges in authentic food such as tostinas, tequenos and rich chocolate desserts.

“I’ve grown up eating this food and when I eat it I am reminded of that culture that is a part of me,” McCormick said.

“My favorite dish is arepas.”

Apreas are a combination of maize dough and cooked flour cooked into patties. They are stacked and stuffed with meat, cheese, vegetables and beans. These breads are popular among both Venezuelan and Colombian street vendors.

“I ate most my meals at home [when visiting Venezuela], but when we did go out it was mostly street carts filled with smaller portions,” McCormick said.

Poorva Sheth, senior, prefers to eat more traditional American dishes when she is at home.

“My parents always eat Indian food but I can make my own salads and chicken,” Sheth said.

Sheth’s father emigrated from India when he was 18 years old to study in the U.S.. Her grandmother now visits the U.S. on a visa and is staying in Ohio.

“Because both of my parents are professionals, we don’t get the chance to eat family meals,” Sheth said. “Though their meals last about 20 to 30 minutes.”

Joseph Lee, freshman, has parents who are from South Korea. About once to twice a month, him and his parents eat traditional South Korean dishes.

Lee said that a good meal to eat in the summer is Naeogmyeos, a refreshing mango dish.

Although he doesn’t eat it a lot, Lee enjoys traditional South Korean food.

“Typically my parents and I make it but sometimes we will go to a restaurant is we are feeling tired or lazy,” Lee said.

Rita Roussin, FACS teacher, enjoys teaching her kids about foods around the world including European, Asian, African, South America and American dishes.

The favorite dish tends to be either stir fry from different parts of Asia and and stuffed shells with cheese from Europe.

Roussin said that teaching her students about these dishes helps them become more culturally aware.

“I think it shows the importance of family and how they are actually eating at home,” Roussin said. “It also shows the landscape and the agriculture of the different regions.”

FEATURES

11

Seniors weigh finances on way to college nicole GOODMAN FOR ALEXANDRA CASAZZA, senior, the choice was obvious. Washington University in St. Louis has all the programs she wants, the school is close to home and she feels like she can really connect with the campus.

Come application time, she applied early decision - acceptance binding.

Now, this fall, she will be attending as part of her plan to become a lawyer and, eventually, a judge.

Casazza is going to her dream school, but she said she’s still concerned. She didn’t meet WashU’s financial need qualifications, so she won’t be receiving any money from the school.

Instead, she’s taking out loans to help her pay for eight years of schooling.

The expected tuition is $52,000 a year, according to the WashU Financial Services website.

“That’s the biggest drawback to it,” she said. “I think I’ll be really prepared when I get out, but I’m still going to have to get a job and figure out exactly what I’m going to do.”

Casazza is only one of many students worried about paying for college.

Nationwide, the cost of postsecondary schools has risen 28 percent since the 2008, according to Young Invincibles, an organization that advocates for

Photo illustration by Kavya Jain

young adults.

In Missouri, 57 percent of the Class of 2016 graduated with debt, averaging $27,532 each, according to the Institute for College Access & Success.

Despite these statistics, too few high school students take cost into consideration when deciding where to go for college, Dawn Michel, college counselor, said. Oftentimes, students choose a school based on reputation alone.

“Many families only want to apply to schools that have this reputable name, but a family has to look at that and say ‘What do I want to have potentially in debt? Is that much worth it?’

Personally, I’m going to say no,” Michel said.

The best thing a student can do is choose a school within their price range, she said. Picking a college should be a financially solid decision for the family.

Unlike Casazza, Kyle Daugherty, senior, considered cost as a major factor when deciding where to attend in the fall. In the end, he decided on the St. Louis Community College in Wildwood, expected tuition: $2,700 a year, according to their Tuition & Fees website.

“I think it’s a better way to go with

costs,” he said. “Overall it’s just cheaper. I can pay for it.”

However, Professor Emeritus Daniel Lang of the University of Toronto cautions against only considering cost when looking at schools or putting it too high on the list of factors to consider. Students who put cost ahead of other more important factors, such as majors and programs available, risk not graduating, incurring more debt, or being unprepared for their career of choice, he said.

“Cost itself is not a factor,” he said. “Rate of return is the factor that counts. The ratio of future earning to cost.”

When looking at the cost of college, a student must factor in both investment and return factors, Lang said. Investment factors include fees, non-repayable grants, the percent of undergraduates receiving aid, and the net cost of the degree. Return factors include the rate of graduation and the average annual earnings over thirty years.

“It is entirely possible that a less expensive school can be the better investment of a student’s time, effort, and money,” he said. “Being the worst student at the most highly regarded school erases the value of reputation and becomes a liability.”

FEATURES

12

YA authors face sexual harassment allegations mansi MAMIDI BOOKS ARE NO STRANGER TO censorship and challenges. Over the years, themes like sex, drugs, LGBTQ+ content, religious affiliation and other points of contention have been the cause for challenging books across the country.

However, as previously beloved icons toppled at the peak of the #metoo movement, a similar trend is occurring in the world of literature. One of the rising reasons for challenging books now: the authors themselves.

Sherman Alexie, author of the acclaimed novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian;” Jay Asher, author of the recently book-turnedNetflix-drama “Thirteen Reasons Why;” and James Dashner, author of the popular dystopian YA series “The Maze Runner” have all been accused of sexual harassment, and each of their publishers have dropped them.

Katie Curran, sophomore, said Asher’s actions seem hypocritical in light of the reasons his books had integrity in the first place. “‘Thirteen Reasons Why’ is really famous not just for suicide awareness, but also about raising awareness for rape,” Curran said. “The fact that [Asher] is being accused of sexual harassment seems like he’s going against the own message of his book.”

Curran said these novels weren’t really separate from its creators; because of these authors’ alleged actions, she felt as though they couldn’t really maintain literary integrity.

“Writing is a really personal thing,” Curran said. “If these books were writ-

ten by a bunch of different people, and ly cause those who once championed one of them was accused, I could see him as an advocate to neglect affiliamyself still supporting that book.” tion; The Institute of American IndiCurran said she believed the actions an Arts renamed its Sherman Alexie of the Native American community Scholarship as the MFA Alumni Scholthat condemned Alexie were right. arship. The blog Native Americans in “I wouldn’t want someone accused Children’s Literature has erased any of that to be such a strong, well-known trace of Alexie from their website. And advocate,” Curran said. “And I wouldn’t the American Indian Library Associawant them to be such a prominent tion rescinded the award they gave him figure in the community.” for “The Absolutely True Diary of a Curran said that, because each of Part Time Indian.” these authors cater mainly to the high “Evidence of how much of a strugschool audience, they have a larger gle seeing a former role model accused responsibility of such actions is for Native Michael Shapiro, professor Americans right now is of psychology at Cornell the number of African University, said whether Americans writing “SOME CAN SEPARATE about how much the these authors and their works will continue to images of THE ARTIST AND THE WORK positive have literary integrity is, The Cosby Show OF ART, SOME CANNOT.” at the very least, complimeant to them cated. growing up,” Shapiro “Artists being acsaid. “They talk of MICHAEL SHAPIRO cused of various crimes how difficult it is to CORNELL UNIVERSITY is nothing new,” Shapiro see someone they saw said. “The real issue comes as a hero convicted of with how big of an impact the a crime that disgusts and author made with their work prior horrifies them.” to the accusations coming out and Lee Mitchell, librarian, said she too whether that still stands.” felt horrified and disappointed when Shapiro said that, as with any scanlearning of these authors’ actions, but dal, fans of the authors won’t react the still feels like their works hold their same and reactions will be complicatown within the literary world. ed.

“Each of these books have had “Some can separate the artist and impacts in a lot of ways,” Mitchell said. the work of art, some cannot,” Shap“Certainly, Sherman Alexie with his iro said. “Some fans will continue to culture and the way in which he predefend a favored artist no matter how sented it, and how the others really just strong the evidence, others will not.” wrote books that were very appealing In terms of Alexie specifically, Shaand entertaining and real for students.” piro said the waves he made for Native In regards to only Alexie, Mitchell American representation will ultimate- said that “The Absolutely True Diary

of a Part Time Indian” was gripping in the way in which he spoke to minority students and their experiences, but the allegations could damage his advocacy.

“He was a voice for Native Americans,” Mitchell said. “I think he, and the two others, have a responsibility to be ethical, morally upright and be alright for young adult audiences, which is something they probably weren’t thinking about at the time.”

Mitchell also said that because Asher’s book was considered a real and raw book for teenagers as it dealt with themes of suicide and rape, it could still be a point of reality for students.

“I can speak personally to a couple of situations where I know that [Asher’s] book made some students think, and propelled them to go get help,” Mitchell said. “When they were considering suicide, they turned to his book. So, I don’t really think you can take away those kinds of impacts on students.”

However, Mitchell said she is torn over whether art can be truly independent of its author, of whether these books could really be their own entity without the men who made them.

“I think it could be separate, but it’s also very hard to separate an art from the person who made it,” Mitchell said.

“I hope these novels can maintain their literary integrity, but I’m not sure they will. And the reason I’m not sure is because Dashner, Asher and Alexie have all been dropped by their publishers, and Asher and Dashner had new books coming out. So, we’ll just have to wait and see how that affects the work they do.”

JAMES DASHNER

JAY ASHER SHERMAN ALEXIE

ARTS & LEISURE

13

COMING SOON

Summer in STL

kenzie WINSTEAD

What is your favorite activity during STL summers?

to STL

Gateway Arch Museum

delaney NEELY

The Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MO 63102 Forest Park is the favored destination for Vicky Penney, sophomore. Penney said the park is pretty and there are plenty of places to run. “Sometimes, I go on runs with my friends,” Penney said.

Ajit Perla, junior, likes to go to Six Flags over the summer with his friends. He said it’s a great time to meet and catch up with the friends he made in middle school. Perla said his favorite ride there is Mr. Freeze.

Ed Bolton, Chemistry teacher, said he enjoys hiking with his mother. Each week, his mom picks a new destination.

Bolton said the places are usually 30-45 minutes away from Ballwin, and there are so many amazing places to go. One of his favorites is Don Robinson State Park.

Set to open July 3, this new addition to the Gateway Arch will feature six exhibits all revolving around the pioneering spirits of America.

Hello Juice & Smoothie 1000 S Newstead Ave St. Louis, MO 63139 Hello Juice & Smoothie has yet to release their opening day but their website states it will open in the summer of 2018. The menu will include juices, smoothie bowls and power shots.

Flora Borealis 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63110

Ziplining is what Rebecca Zhao, senior, looks forward to in the summers. She said she likes to make the most out of her days and step out of her comfort zone. “It’s refreshing to be zipping past trees in such hot weather,” Zhao said.

Hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden, this event is set to begin June 29 at dusk. Visitors will be treated to a multimedia presentation. Lights and moving images stretch for a mile down the paths of the garden.

Summer Art Camps for all ages and abilities

Register online at

www.ArtUnleashed.org Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition

13379 Olive Blvd.

Chesterfield, MO 63017 13379 Olive Boulevard | Chesterfield, MO | 63017 | 314-628-1024 314-628-1024