February 2013 Pirate Press by Pirate Press

PIRATE PRESS PattonvilleTODAY.com

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Winter Guard, pg. 2

Half-Marathon Club, pg. 6

Super Bowl Commercials, pg. 8

Pattonville High School 2497 Creve Coeur Mill Road Maryland Heights MO 63043 l Vol. 77 Issue: 4 February 2013

Passing the time Students are given just 6 minutes to make it from one class to another By Allison Leventhal and Erin Leventhal

students will receive disciplinary actions as they accumulate a high number of tardies each semester assing time has long been a controversy per class. among students at Pattonville. Some After four tardies, students will be assigned an students believe passing time is too short, after school detention. After five tardies, students while others have plenty of time to get to each will receive two after school detentions. And after class during the day. a sixth tardy and beyond, a referral to the student’s Teachers and students spend these 6 minutes administrator will be doing a variety of How do students at Pattonville made for additional things, some of use their passing time? consequences. which are productive Math teacher Chris Talking to friends 57% and some are just Broyles spends passpassing the time. Talking to teachers 3% ing period talking Senior Felemoh with other teachers Restroom 3% Kanneh believes in the math hallway. passing time is too Homework / studying 14% Sometimes he and the short and he feels Texting / talking on the phone 23% teachers in the math rushed when going wing throw a small ball *100 students were surveyed to each class. around during passing With passing time period, hoping to not being 6 minutes, hit students on the head as they walk to their class. Kanneh admits, “I don’t have time to go to my Although 6 minutes may seem like a short locker and I am always tardy.” amount of time to get to class and be productive, it To reduce tardies, Kanneh reasons that passing can be used effectively. time should be extended to 10 minutes. According to science teacher Donna Schmidt, Others, however, are convinced that passing students should get what they need from their period is the right amount of time to get where they locker during passing time. need to be. Schmidt suggests that students ask themselves key Junior Jordan Taylor said, “I think [passing pequestions, such as ‘When do you have time to talk riod] is the right amount of time. I have never been with friends?’ or ‘When should you get to class?’ late to class because of it.” “Have a plan for passing time,” Schmidt said. According to the Pattonville Student Handbook, “And take care of business.” v

According to the Pattonville Student Handbook, being punctual to class is the student’s responsibility. In the break between classes, the student must take care of his/her personal business and be in the next period classroom by the time the tardy bell rings to start the period. Any student who is not in the classroom when the tardy bell rings and does not have a late admission note from a staff member is considered tardy.

Varsity Drill Team places 5th in nation for hip hop

For the fourth year in a row, team places in the Top 10 at the National Dance Championship event By Kayla Wacker

racticing for as long as 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, the dedication Pattonville Varsity Drill Team has put into their dancing has paid off as they left for the UDA National Championship on Thursday, Jan. 31, and returned with a 5th place finish in the hip hop competition. The group arrived in Orlando, Fla., and immediately discovered the competition was going to be far from easy. Over 200 different teams around the nation traveled to the competition and Pattonville competed in two categories: hip hop and pom. “Competition was really tough this year,” said junior Danielle Siegel. “We competed against schools from all over the country, and everyone brought a really good routine this year.” The team’s regular hip hop routine allowed them to move on to the finals in that category and compete into Sunday. However, the group had to make a few changes before the next round. “We looked at our score sheet and some of our critiques and then spent three hours making

changes in the parking lot before our Finals dance on Sunday night,” said head coach Katie Funderburk. After competing on Super Bowl Sunday, the group had once again lived up to high expectations and placed fifth in the nation for hip-hop. “[We] never underestimate ourselves,” said Funderburk. “We were hoping to make the Finals in hip hop again this year but we had no idea we would place as high as we did.” It’s not an unfamiliar place for the Varsity Drill Team. The team has placed in the Top 10 for the fourth straight year and has become quite a powerhouse in the world of competitive dance. “Our choreography and our choreographer keep us consistent,” Funderburk said. “We’ve continued to rise to the occasion, our bar has been raised every year, and we’re trying to keep on track and stay with that.” To qualify for Nationals, the team had to go to a summer camp and place when they performed. They then went to another UDA competition, the Lindbergh competition, and won both the hip hop and pom

Dickinson was a lifelong Pirate Former math teacher dies, took a leave of absence for the 2012-2013 school year

The Varsity Drill Team hosted Fox 2’s Tim Ezell on Monday, Feb. 11, and were featured on the morning’s broadcast. Captains of the team showed Ezell some of their award-winning dance moves and the telecast was aired live. Photo by Jessica Vargas routines. “We always want to show the other teams that we have exactly what it takes to get to the top,” said Anise Glenn. The team has been preparing for the National Championships since starting practice early in the year. While a lot of the hard work is done behind the scenes, Glenn said they have been performing their routines at recent basketball games to prepare for the national stage. “I was nervous, but so excited at the same time,” Glenn said. “It’s pretty scary to think you’re not competing in front of just state, but the whole nation.”

For now, the Drill Team members are excited to celebrate their successes. “It’s just awesome to be able to step out on the floor and represent your school with a group of girls you’ve worked so hard with and really love,” said Siegel. All 16 members of the drill team took the trip. They’ve done many fundraisers to pay their way including car washes, raffles, a 31 sale, and the biggest fundraiser of all, the Nike sale that was held at Pattonville. Although the team got to enjoy the pleasures of Florida, it’s back to work. The team still has to perform in the state competition and the annual Variety Show. v

By Tim Vleisides fter teaching since 1997, Mr. James Scott Dickinson, a math teacher at Pattonville High School for the past 15 years, took an indefinite leave of absence for the 201213 school year due to personal health reasons. On Dec. 12, 2012, Dickinson passed away at the age of 49. In Dickinson’s 15 years of teaching (most recently Consumer Math, Discrete Math, and Algebra 2, along with chaperoning for the Debate team) thousands of students have crossed paths with him on their way to graduation; those who formed good relationships with Dickinson appeared to have nothing but kind

>> See DICKINSON, pg. 2

News News briefs

FEBRUARY 2013 l PIRATE PRESS l

Anjali Fernandes, a senior at Pattonville High School, was named a National Merit Scholarship Finalist after scoring in the top half of one percent in the country on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), test her junior year. The test serves as the screening of program entrants. Only 15,000 students nationwide achieve this status. The winners will be selected based on academic record, test scores, a written recommendation from an administrator and the student’s personal essay.

The Pattonville Theatre Department will perform the Tony Award-winning musical “Guys and Dolls” at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14-16 and at 2 p.m. on Feb. 17. Tickets are $3 for children and students and $5 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the box office starting an hour before the show.

Two seniors signed letters of intent on Feb. 6 to play college-level women’s soccer after they graduate this spring. Erin Collier signed to play soccer on scholarship at Southwestern Illinois College, and Katie Mertz signed to play at Maryville University.

The Pattonville School District has been awarded a $500,000 competitive Innovation High School Grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for a program titled “Pattonville’s Pathway to Success.” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced the award on Feb. 7. Funding for the grant comes via the Community Development Block Grants funds, administered by the Department of Economic Development (DED) as part of a Pathways to Prosperity pilot program. Pathways to Prosperity, initiated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, is focused on helping schools create pathways that combine rigorous academics with strong technical education and lead to success after high school. Missouri is one of six states chosen by Harvard University and Jobs for the Future to participate in the pilot. Pattonville’s program is designed to increase the graduation rate and success of students after graduation by creating career options and encouraging students to enter career paths within the areas of advanced manufacturing, health/medical professions and information technology. A focus is placed on increasing the percentage of low- to medium-income students who enter those high-demand fields.

Winter Guard makes a return to school after disappearing in 2010 The group is given opportunity under new leadership By Mariah Lindsey enerally, Pattonville prides itself on the abundance of athletic programs and the many clubs available to students. For the 2012-2013 school year, a handful of new programs have sparked, one notably being Winter Guard. Around the same basis of Color Guard that takes place in the fall, Winter Guard involves participants performing very rigorous techniques, such as hoisting and twirling rifles, flags, sabers and other equipment incorporated with dance. The duration of the program is from December to April, and there are about four to five competitions. The team received a 47.63 out of 70 in their division at their first competition on Feb. 2 at Eureka High School.

The program makes its return to the high school after being discontinued in 2010. That year, the team won 5th place at the Mid-Continental Color Guard Association (MCCGA). The recent absence of the program was due to the lack of a coach, and afterward, scheduling conflicts with other activities such as the school musical and the lack of gym space, which is available this year because of the accessibility to the upper gym. Approximately 11 Pattonville students are currently in the program which is led by directors Allison Coffey and Melissa Hildebrand. Practice sessions are nightly on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and are sometimes held in the hallway outside of the band room, auditorium or upper gymnasium. v

Concession stand open for volunteers Workers aim at raising money for grants, scholarships

>> DICKINSON, from pg. 1 things to say about the man. “I didn’t have him for a teacher, but whenever I did see him, it was in a recreational environment in between [debate] tournaments,” junior Brian Dufrenne said of his experiences with Dickinson, one of his debate chaperones, who was always eager to share fun facts about Discrete Math. “He was always a kind soul, a very warm person, and was always there when we needed him.” Though Dickinson always had an interest in debate and teaching, being a fourth-generation teacher in his family, he initially took a different post-high school path after graduating from Pattonville in 1981: the U.S. Navy. After exploring the service branches, specifically the Army and the Navy, Dickinson was offered to join a six-year Navy program dealing with nuclear

power. “He spent two and a half years studying chemistry, physics, and math [for the program] before even stepping onto a ship,” Dickinson’s mother, Margaret Dickinson, explained. “[After 19 weeks] of basic training and A-school, he was assigned to the Theodore Roosevelt once he finished.” After completing his six years in the Navy, Dickinson knew he wanted to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a teacher. He started off as a substitute teacher at Holman Middle School and, after earning a Bachelor’s degree from Lindenwood University, eventually worked his way up to a math teacher at Pattonville, the very school from which he graduated in 1981. For his mother and all those who knew James Scott Dickinson well, he will be revered as “a

caring teacher and a caring person.” From the boy who grew up in Bridgeton’s Carrollton neighborhood, attending Carrollton Elementary, Holman Middle, and Pattonville High School over the course of his childhood, to a three-time Pattonville Teacher of the Year nominee and a lover of math, Dickinson has been a Pirate all his life. Much of his life revolved around the Pattonville School District and, according to Pattonville head principal Joe Dobrinic, the students and staff at the high school will continue to hold his memory in the highest esteem for years to come. “For those at [Dickinson’s] visitation, there were many students and staff members paying respect,” Dobrinic said. “I believe that speaks to the volumes of respect he had with his colleagues and students.” v

By Eleanor Gershman t’s halftime at the basketball game, the Varsity Drill Team starts to perform and fans get up to go to the concession stand. Run by PTO volunteers, the money that is made at the concession stand is used for a few different purposes. The money raised is used for things like grants, the Pirate Code program, the all-night senior party, and if there are any requests for money within the district, the PTO will help fund that as well. But one of the biggest uses is for student scholarships. “All seniors are allowed to apply for a scholarship but there are requirements,” PTO volunteer Becky Vik said. “Either their parents or they have to be a PTO member by Dec. 31 of their senior year. It is also looked at whether their parents have worked in the concession

because that is where we get money for the scholarship.” The concession stand is open during all major sports seasons at Pattonville High School. “Football is our biggest fundraiser, and sometimes maybe soccer, but now that we have a swimming pool, we will be open for that, too,” said Alfreda Robinson, one of the PTO volunteers. There are between 350 to 400 people who are in the PTO and many of those members help out at the concession stand. Non-members of the PTO can help out as well. “We have a very nice pool of volunteers. Certainly we encourage all of our members and nonmembers of PTO but anyone is welcome to help out,” said Bonnie Gershman, president of the PTO organization. PTO memberships are $3 for a single membership and $5 for a family membership. v

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03 l PIRATE PRESS l FEBRUARY 2013

With aquatics center open, new policies are put into place

Students, staff, community now have close access to a desired commodity, although some rules, restrictions come with its usage By Sam Madden ince the grand opening of the pool complex on Jan. 4, Pattonville has been using the facilities for athletics and classes. With the ribbon-cutting, the school district opened the first aquatic center built and operated by the Pattonville School District. The building was supported by the passing of Prop K, a $41 million zero-tax increase bond issue, in November 2010. The pool features up to 11 swim lanes and one-, three- and five meter diving areas . Now the high school has an on-site home for the boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving teams and the newly formed water polo team. Water polo is a new sport that is played in the spring season. The team, which will be co-ed, will practice every day after school until 5 p.m.

“Being that this is our first year as a program, we will only have a JV team and it will be co-ed,” said Coach Marcus Christian. Other ways the pool will be used is by some classes taught by the physical education department. “Freshmen will be using the pool for swim classes and basic swim training,” Coach Brent Mueller said. According to department chair of the physical education department, Mrs. Becky Middendorf, it was noted that “this semester, only freshmen and outdoor adventure classes will be using the pool.” Specials instructions for the attire, matching the requirement of dressing out for class, has already been discussed. “The boys will have to wear trunks that cover the lower half and tie at the waist,” Middendorf said. “The girls should wear a one-piece (which is preferred)

but a two-piece is OK if it covers them well enough, like the lifeguards.” Middendorf added that these classes will start using the pool in mid-February. “We are starting off by adding swimming as a unit in freshman PE classes this semester for two weeks, and three weeks next semester,” Middendorf said. “Also, we are looking into adding semester-long classes, such as lifeguarding, beginning swimming, and advanced swimming.” A unique opportunity is being offered to students that want to be part of the new facility. Athletic Director Bob Hebrank said that students who are lifeguards can work at the pool and will get paid and it will be like a job outside of school. Everyone who serves as a lifeguard must have gone through proper training with the Red Cross certification process which includes lifesaving skills, CPR and first aid training, and a swimming test component. The pool complex features a seating area that can hold 400 spectators, has two locker rooms and plenty of space for classes and swim training. v

Above, swimmers jump off the starting blocks at the beginning of a competition. The pool has electronic scoring pads to clock every race. Right, junior Laura Fulton twists her way to a final score of 212 points on Jan. 23 qualifying her for the state meet in 1-meter diving. Photos by Jessica Vargas and Sam Madden.

School weighs options with light bulb replacements With incandescent light bulbs no longer being produced, Pattonville adjusts to fluorescent lighting, but must remain cautious of supply By Joey Schneider

ll around the world, people are constantly looking at ways to preserve energy and save money. In this instance, there aren’t many options for people wanting to kill two birds with one stone. Pattonville currently has a plan of action that masters both concepts. The school uses all fluorescent light bulbs to be both environmentally-friendly and cost-friendly. “The school chose fluorescent light bulbs because fluorescent is more energy efficient than incandescent,” said AV specialist Scott Robinson. “It was probably an architect or contractor recommendation [to use fluorescent] when we were doing bond issue type upgrades.” However, the school will have a higher demand for fluorescent light bulbs in the near future, as incandescent light bulbs are gradually becoming extinct. In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act was passed which will phase-out

The school has been updating its lighting from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent light bulbs because a government act will start to phase-out certain wattages of incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent lights use less energy and is safer to the environment. certain wattages that light bulb ald. “We are replacing all of the companies can make. Some are lighting in the school over the still producing some incandesnext few years.” cent bulbs, but companies are Fitzgerald also noted that no longer creating incandescent the B and D wings have already bulbs larger than 75 watts. been upgraded with fluorescent By 2014, no 40-watt bulbs bulbs this school year, and more or higher will be produced in upgrades will take place soon. America. The main component of all of “The lighting is tremendously the school’s fluorescent bulbs is important to the school,” said mercury, which can be potenassistant principal Jon Fitzgertially dangerous if the bulbs are

not functioning correctly. “Mercury is a key component to the fluorescent bulbs , but its vapors are more dangerous than the metal itself,” said chemistry teacher Kathleen Shearrer. “So if the bulbs were to break, the vapor could do a lot more harm than expected.” For now, the school plans on using the replacements they have in stock if a set of bulbs were to burn out. Since large incandescent bulbs are no longer being manufactured, the school is forced to use fluorescent bulbs from here on out. “If [the school] has replacements on hand, [custodians] would put them in stock,” said Robinson. “[The school] normally keeps a large supply in, so I don’t know of an alternate if [companies] aren’t manufacturing them.” The lighting serves a purpose for the school in many ways. Around the learning circle, the lighting can affect the structure of classes. This was an issue in years past for Fitzgerald who

taught with three sets of burnt out bulbs in his classroom last year. “I was pretty much used to them, but [the lighting] did affect the class structure,” said Fitzgerald. “When it was too dark, students didn’t pay attention, and when it was too bright students were easily distracted.” This factor also heavily affects how the custodians perform their jobs around the school. Not only are they responsible for changing the dead bulbs, but they also have to make sure the lighting is secure and suitable for learning. “We have to make the change and put new bulbs in often, but not usually for the same sets,” said custodian Michael Brockmeyer. “These bulbs are very durable, but when they burn out we have to change them.” Overall, fluorescent bulbs could heavily impact the school in years to come, depending on how the situation is dealt with in the near future. v

MacBook Airs prove to have mixed results With one semester of the iLearn initiative in the books, Pattonville has already noticed trends with the laptops: School overall grade point average dropped .09 points since computers were distributed to every student

A student works with Travis Harder to repair his MacBook Air at the iLearn Help Center. The Help Center was built to be a headquarters for computer technicians to assist students with computer problems they might have. Photo by Maggie Vitale By Maggie Vitale

attonville High School provided every student a MacBook Air at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. The school’s reasoning was to help every student improve their learning in their classes. The overall grade point average, however, when compared to that from 2011-2012, went down .09 points the first semester the computers were used. With so many applications on the computer, students admit being distracted during class. “I absolutely feel like they distract other students more than me,” sophomore Alissa Keller said. Last year, laptop carts were available for teachers to reserve for classroom use and computer labs were available to every department. Compared to the MacBooks used last year, these computers “run so much faster that they can have so many other pages up, like games or chatrooms, and still have everything run super,” Keller said. And that is why Keller said more students are using them improperly than properly. But freshman Morgan Garner has a different view than Keller. “They are highly useful, and aid me in my homework and studying,” Garner said. She said her favorite thing about the laptops is “con-

Alissa Keller works on her MacBook Air to complete a project. Keller said the computers have been a distraction for some students since they can be used for so much more than just school work during class. Photo by Maggie Vitale

stant access to the news.” The average grade point average for the Pattonville student was a 2.64 in the Fall 2012 semester, down .09 from the 2.73 average GPA students had in the Spring 2012 semester. For many teachers, knowledge of how to use a laptop was there, but teaching in a 1-to-1 environment was never part of their training when in college. Teachers began having to keep students on task and keeping the focus on learning instead of just browsing the Internet or using the computer to listen to music. iLearn Help Center For students experiencing difficulties with their laptops, the iLearn Help Center is the place to go. The iLearn Center is open every hour of the day for students who need help with their laptops. The iLearn Help Center has both technicians and student workers working throughout the day to get student computers back in operational order. One of the techs in the iLearn Help Center is Travis Harder. Harder works from the start of the day to closing time making sure to help any student who comes in with a problem. He and the other technicians, along with the student workers, like to call the iLearn Center the iLearn Super

Center. While most problems are software related and easily repaired, Harder has had quite a few odd stories from the time spent in the “operating room.” “Somebody came in and told us he had gotten water on the keyboard, so we opened it up and there was dark fluid and food remains. The next morning he comes back and says that it wasn’t water and his friend threw up on it.” Harder said while some problems are harder to fix than others, some are almost too easy. He said he once told a student that he used magic to turn on the laptop when he just put in the charger. Jordyn WIlson is a student who has used the iLearn Help Center to get her computer back in working order. Wilson was missing some key applications in order to complete her assignments, so her teacher sent her to the iLearn Help Center. Wilson and two different technicians were able to install the applications that she needed. It took Wilson’s entire Pirate Connections class to complete, but she said it was worth it. “I enjoyed how charismatic and down to earth Mr. Harder was,” Wilson said. “He treated me like I was a paying client.” v

Students required to wear IDs second semester

This mandatory change shows importance of school safety, brings back an element of school life that Pattonville last had in 2010 By Bionca Maldonado

As of Jan. 3, all students are required to wear an ID badge and lanyard provided by the school. Students seen without an ID will face disciplinary consequences. This is a move by the administration to ensure school safety. Information regarding the ID rule was given to students by announcements trying to explain the situation in an attempt to make the school-wide transition smooth. Included in those announcements by Principal Dr. Joe Dobrinic was an explanation of the situation that led to this decision. An individual had entered the school in the morning and had roamed the building unnoticed. He explained that it is difficult without ID badges to readily indentify who belongs and who doesn’t in a building of nearly 2,000 people. When Dobrinic became principal there was a lot of question on whether he was going to ID bring the IDs back or not. “There was a lot of pressure but I wanted to try it without IDs first,” stu Pol said Dobrinic. “But now, the IDs aren’t a punishment for students, it’s for the safety of our stui an dents cy : dents and staff. Safety for who should be here should never be compromised.” I N a D ft AV . St er t o sta u The concern of some students isn’t so much why the IDs were enforced, but how they’re h t mi o ge den e fi ff me r t t supposed to remember to wear them every day. or slip. t an I s sho st pe mbe r r t D u Th r “I have a really bad memory and I never had to remember an ID before so it’s hard to ID uan e a and ld be iod o shou c d o f y r d m th ld ID btai . Stu it etu i make it a habit,” Margaret Holm said. “Some people are really forgetful and don’t have ned de slip rn recte e day admi w i wil ll h t d t money to buy a new ID every day, so it’s not fair.” l be ave . Stud nts w does o clas to re with any wr tha ent ill be not s wi por out But the $2 cost for a new ID is a small fee to ensure the people in the building are itte s t t t n f ID c wear char excus h an to those who belong in the building. or g a o e i the nfisc ng a ed $ tard d“I think the cost is reasonable and fair,” said Dobrinic. “It covers all of the cost vio ate noth 2 fo ine lati d an er r ev ss for making them. Plus students were issued an extra ID for free to start.” on s e of f d a re tuden ry Despite the concerns of students and even some staff, org fer t ery ral ’s administration believes that IDs are going to raise . security and help to protect the school as a whole. v

Sports

FEBRUARY 2013 l PIRATE PRESS l

Water polo set to bring excitement

New sport will consist of athletes from both boys’, girls’ swim and dive teams By Phillip Scherer

here may not be anyone more excited for the inaugural season of co-ed water polo to begin than seniors Brandon Van Buren and Zach Lambros. Each has been a dedicated member of the boys’ swim team for four years and have exercised much patience to compete in the new pool. “I was pretty disappointed when it was announced that the new pool wouldn’t be ready for the boys’ swim season this year, definitely,” Van Buren said. Construction delays on the new Pattonville Aquatic Center caused the pool to be completed at the beginning of January, not the beginning of the school year, as was previously announced. Because of this delay, the seniors, along with the rest of the boys, were forced to swim this year at the Bridgeton Community Center, instead of the more

accessible campus location. “I’ve been wanting an opportunity to swim at school for all of high school, and I’m glad that water polo will give me that chance,” Lambros said. The beginning of the water polo season will provide a first opportunity for all of the boys to take advantage of the new aquatic complex, and it appears that many will take advantage of the chance. “We had a lot of guys come to our earlier water polo meeting,” Van Buren said. “We had some swimmers, as well as other athletes from different sports. I’m glad there’s a lot of people excited.” As the excitement builds for the boys to compete in this tough sport, the ladies are also being given an opportunity to compete in the school’s first competitive co-ed sport. “I’m excited to play with some of the girls,” Van Buren said.

“The swimmers on both the guys’ and girls’ teams know each other pretty well and to be able to compete together could be pretty cool,” Van Buren said. The other main point of excitement for these boys is an opportunity to play in front of a large crowd, more than they’re used to experiencing. “Because of how far the Bridgeton pool is from our campus, we never got a large crowd,” Lambros said. “I’m hoping that the new pool will give people a better chance to watch us play water polo than to swim.” These two seniors, along with everyone else joining the team this year will be given an opportunity to take full advantage of Pattonville’s new impressive aquatic center that has been long anticipated. It is an exciting time for swimmers and fans alike, as some normally unheralded athletes can now receive their moment in the spotlight. v

Steroid use brings up lots of debate

Performance-enhancing drugs have provided mostly negative results in past two decades By Brady Bell his year’s Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons. It all starts with the steroid era of the 1990s. The best players in baseball were taking performanceenhancing drugs called steroids. “Even though steroids are bad, baseball was the most enjoyable in the late 90s because you had many pitchers throwing in the triple digits consistently,” said junior Brennan Barnes, who plays baseball on the Pattonville JV team. Major League Baseball has banned the use of steroids and so have the Olympics, NBA, NHL, and NFL. Although the more popular stories of usage come from the MLB with players like Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez. Steroids are taken to make a person faster, stronger, and more athletic. It is for this reason that steroids look appealing to most teen athletes. Marcus Thornton, sophomore

football player, said, “I have never taken steroids because I know it is bad for me and I would get in trouble if I got caught taking them.” In all high schools in the United States, steroids in sports are banned. At Pattonville High School, there is a voluntary drug test that athletes may do, but many athletes don’t take the test. Many athletes don’t take the test because they know they aren’t taking them and don’t want to waste their time. Some people think that it would be better if all athletes were required to take the test. “By having everyone take drug tests it would make every game completely fair. The game would be based on talent alone,” said senior Shane McAtee, a varsity football, tennis and wrestling athlete. “I have never taken the drug test and I don’t know anyone who has volunteered to take it.” There will always be a debate about steroids in sports, particularly in the MLB. From the

A baseball glove holds a medicine bottle representing steroids, a drug that is illegally and indirectly used for cheating. Photo illustration by Brady Bell home run kings to the pitching of Roger Clemens, people will remember the sports during the 90s as the steroids era and the introduction of steroids to the young athletes of the U.S. With all the controversy hitting back from the Steroid Era of the 90s, athletes at Pattonville are advised to stay away from drug and play their games straight. v

Ready, Set, GO! Half-marathon club trains to run a 13.1 mile race

By Jessica Vargas alf-marathon Club, sponsored by Students on the GO!, is a program designed to train high school students to run or walk, or a combination of both, a 13.1mile course. The GO! St. Louis Half Marathon takes place each April, and this is the 2nd year the program is being run at Pattonville. Students embark on a personal journey of self-discovery where they explore and experience the lifelong benefits of comprehensive health and fitness program according to the club’s website. The goal of the program is to target students who could use the benefits of a running or walking program, both to increase fitness and health and also in order to work on goalsetting and structured activity in one’s daily life. “I mainly participated to keep myself motivated to run during the off-season,” said Yareli Urbina, senior at Pattonville. “Last year, my goals were to not walk any part of the race and to get a time under 2 hours and 30 minutes. I achieved both, which was great. This year, my goal is to beat my time from last year.” For this year, GO! St. Louis is partnering up with nine different high schools around the St. Louis area. Those schools are Gateway STEM, Ritenour, Cleveland NJROTC, University City, Roosevelt, Jennings, Metro, Block Yeshiva, and Pattonville. Students and teachers involved in the program earn incentives for attendance that are also a benefit to their running and walking training. These include running shoes, running jacket, and a technical running shirt. “I am most excited about the dedication of the students this year,” said event coordinator Shelley Ewig. “They have been coming to every run and have been pushing themselves so hard. I cannot wait for them to complete the race on April 7.” Ewig ran the race in 2011 and saw many high school students running with shirts on that said Students on the Go!

Senior Brett Montgomery and junior Danny Rodgers lead a group of runners on the corner of Old St. Charles Rock Road. Photo by Jessica Vargas “One of my friends was working at Gateway High School, which is one of the other participating schools, and I asked him a little more about the program. He put me in contact with the head of the program who was eager to add Pattonville as a participating school.” Last year, 17 students and eight teachers completed the half marathon. The number of students has climbed to 47, but the number of teachers has stayed the same. “I did do it last year and during training I was hesitant to continue because I honestly did not like it that much,” senior Maysa Daoud said. “However, I did not quit and come race day I was so happy I stuck with it.” The GO! St. Louis Marathon is going to be held Sunday, April 7 with over 15,000 people participating in the race. Participants train by running the neighborhoods surrounding Pattonville High School. Soon, they will start to do long runs at Forest Park with other participating high school students. “Schools all over St. Louis participate and meet up for the Saturday morning runs,” math teacher Michelle Konopka said. “It’s an exciting experience and really helps motivate students for the half marathon.” It’s not to late to join the halfmarathon and never too early to start training for the race. “I encourage people to push themselves to do the half-marathon,” sophmore Emily Burgess said. “It’s a fun way to keep your tone, make friends, and encourage others and yourself to do the best of your ability.” v

Blues return to St. Louis after NHL lockout ends By Kyleigh Ambrosecchia and Abby Kieffer

NHL Lockout Timeline

Aug. 14 - Players make first proposal Aug. 15 - NHL rejects players’ offer Sept. 16 - Lockout Begins Sept. 19 - NHL cancels preseason scedule through Sept. 30 Oct. 4 - NHL cancels 82 games from Oct. 11-24 Oct. 16 - League makes proposal, offering to split hockey related revenue 50-50, and says it must be accepted by Oct. 25 to preserve full schedule November 23 - NHL cancels games through Dec. 30, raising the total number of games called off to 526 (43 percent of season) Dec. 20 - NHL cancels games through Jan. 14, raising the total to 625 games not played (51 percent of season) Dec. 27 - NHL makes new proposal Jan. 6 - On the 113th day of the lockout, both sides reach agreement on a 10 year deal that either side can terminate after 8 years.

ot only are the Blues excited about getting back on the ice, but students and teachers at Pattonville High School are happy to see hockey back in action. Zach Guenther, a Pattonville hockey player, said, “I’m very excited I get to see my boy Tarasenko play.” Fans were disappointed when the lockout began on Sept. 16. From then on, there where just more and more cancelations. Coach Rich Beckmann said, “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I’m not a real big college basketball fan so it was like, ‘What am I going to watch in the evenings?’ I’m very happy with all the games coming up.”

Chris Stewart (25) goes after a puck in one of the Blues’ open practices before the shortened season started. Photo by Abby Kieffer And it’s not only the guys who are excited about the Blues returning. Kathy Ensor, the only girl on the Pattonville hockey team, is happy too. “I started playing when I was 3-and-a-half and my brother

played before me and it looked really fun, so I just played it. I love playing hockey, being active, shooting and just playing.” Since the start of the season the Blues have played 11 games and have a record of 6-4-1. v

Opinion

07 l PIRATE PRESS l FEBRUARY 2013

Joe’s Show Jaroslav Halak or Brian Elliott? Why not both? By Joey Schneider

n hockey, a strong goaltender is a key component for success. Very few athletes, professional or not, have the reflexes to save more than 90 percent of shots they see, or lead their team out of a shorthanded jam. The St. Louis Blues, however, have two backstops that meet this criteria. For the second hockey season in a row, the Blues have ran into a familiar dilemma with this hockey rule, as the team has two goalies with nearly identical credentials in Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak. The alternating of goalies is an efficient method for the Blues, but it still leaves a few question marks. Elliott is bouncing off a career year and is expected to maintain the effort from last year, while Halak has been injury-prone ever since the moment the Blues acquired him from Montreal. Additionally, in a shortened

year, both goalies will be traveling and practicing harder on a more frequent basis. Although having two equal-caliber goalies could present a few problems, Halak and Elliott will BOTH once again play a huge role for the Blues down the run. Both goalies have experienced competition and limited playing time before coming to St. Louis. Halak, the 27-year-old Slovakian native, was the spotlight of Montreal in the 2009-10 playoffs, but traded after Montreal sold themselves for Carey Price in the future. Brian Elliott, also 27 years old, had mainly been a back-up for the Ottawa Senators and did not have much opportunity before coming to St. Louis. Looking at a few of Halak’s and Elliott’s stats so far, both netminders as individuals have performed since Ken Hitchcock took over as the Blues’ coach early last season. Before suffering a minor injury, Jaro had two shutouts and no losses. His counterpart, Brian

Abby’s Advice

Teen pregnancy brings many challenges By Abby Kieffer

en years ago, my sister, Rachel, was pregnant at age 17. She was a single mother, and didn’t have the best relationship with her family. Rachel dropped out of high school at the time of her pregnancy. She had her baby, Destiney, at age 18. Rachel knew she would have to step up and go back to school to give Destiney a better life than she had. All she wanted was the best for her daughter. Every teen goes through the stages of feeling “in love” and hoping to be with their partner “forever.” According to Margaret Paul, Ph. D., sex means different things to different people. A parent would tell teens that sex is for two people who truly love each

Staff Editorial It is the opinion of the Pirate Press that the IDs hold a variety of purposes for students.

or the first time since 2010, the school is requiring students to have an ID on at all times during the school day. Evidently, the fact of wearing IDs has already became a hassle for some. Because of this, many students tend to overlook the benefits of wearing their IDs. First, remembering an ID for school every day brings responsibility. Although it is a different type of responsibility than completing homework every night, it is still something that students have to remember and be accountable for at all times.

PIRATE PRESS

other and that they should wait until they are married. Deborah Rhode, a Stanford University law professor, said, “There are cultural norms and pressures in this society that make it hard for teens to just say no (to sex), particularly if they lack opportunities to say yes to something else.” Linda Archibald, a teen pregnancy researcher and policy consultan claims that “Pregnancy is sometimes viewed as a means of escape: escape from having to go to school, from the community, or from an unhappy home.” All teens should know the risks or outcomes that could happen from teen pregnancy. One of the main things you need in life is an education. Teen mothers are less likely to complete high school. Only one-third To add on, pretty much all work places and businesses require mandatory use of IDs. In some cases, workers are not allowed to clock in or enter the office without the proper form of identification their company has provided them. While bad habits of forgetfulness may get in the way of students, there are a few other positives that come along. While a green lanyard was provided to all students to wear, the administration is allowing some students to show a personal touch with their IDs. Seniors are allowed to wear lanyards representing their college destination or a branch of military. This helps them get accustomed to showing pride for their future educational location. One underlooked aspect of the IDs would be their convenience.

Elliott, had three wins and a 2.34 GAA as of early February, but his stats changed drastically with more demand and starts. Dating back to the 2011-12 season, Halak and Elliott lead the Blues to 49 wins and claimed the William Jennings trophy for allowing the least amount of goals collectively. The two were accountable for starting all 82 regular season games, allowed only 165 goals to opponents, and had individual shutout streaks that lasted at least three games. While these regular season stats speak for themselves, it is fair to say that the two fell apart once the playoffs came along. Halak was injured by a collision in the second game of the first round, while Elliott wore down after working behind the pipes on an irregular basis. The four game sweep from the Kings in the second round of the 2011-12 playoffs was easily the darkest cloud of the Blues season. But the series could’ve been a whole lot different if Halak was ready to relieve Elliott. Moving on, there are other ways in which having two reliable goalies provides optimism. Since stellar goaltenders are

hard to come by, most hockey teams usually overuse their prized stars in an effort to win the most games. The New York Rangers (Henrik Lundqvist) and the Los Angeles Kings (Jonathan Quick) are prime examples of teams that ride on their coveted backstop to start practically all of their games. More times than not, these type of players are expected to put up monstrous numbers. However, so far in 2013, this has not been the case. Up to this point, both popular goalies have underperformed statistically and physically, which could create some panic when the NHL playoffs start in April. Unfortunately, when the struggles begin to hit home for teams like these two, it is hard to simply slate in the back-up. The second-string goaltender may actually hurt the team if they haven’t had a whole lot of experience prior to then. The Blues, on the other hand, wouldn’t have to worry about this issue much. If either of the Blues’ goalies run into trouble or injury, Coach Hitchcock could easily slate in the other one and still have a high amount of confidence to win games.

of them receive a high school diploma and only 1.5 percent has a college degree by age 30, according to The National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Not only does one’s education get affected but also their money situation. Money doesn’t grow on trees. Having another human being to take care of makes money saving a lot harder. The United States government spends an estimated $7 billion or more a year to provide assistance to teenagers who become parents helping them pay for living expenses like housing and food. It is estimated about 60 percent of pregnant teenagers live in poverty when they become pregnant, and about 80 percent of those who give birth and become mothers will live in poverty and require welfare service at some point. Due to these money situations, if health problems occur when

pregnant, women won’t be able to pay for it and their health could become worse. According to Guttmacher Institute, about 7 percent of pregnant teenagers in the United States receive little or no health care during pregnancy. This may be because they are ashamed and do not want anyone to know about the pregnancy, they do not have the money to pay for the doctor visit, have no method of transportation to clinics, or they are not aware of how important getting parental care is for their health. My sister is now 27 with a 10 year-old kid. She recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree and is going back to college for her masters. It was a lot of hard work to get were she is today. She had to sacrifice missing out on high school events, going out with her friends, working

Now students don’t have to dig through their wallet or purse to find it, since their ID is attached to a lanyard they are wearing. Plus it helps people around Pattonville know who you are at a faster rate. Through all of this though, the school mainly considered the factor of safety when initiating these IDs. With all of the gun shootings happening around the country over the past few months, the school felt the need to beef up security and provide a safer learning environment. The school had a lot to consider when enforcing the rule of IDs, but in the long run, wearing an ID to school every day brings the school together and makes Pattonville a friendly place ensuring the safety of everyone who walks in the front doors. v

PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 2497 CREVE COEUR MILL ROAD MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO 63043 The Pirate Press is the public forum newspaper of Pattonville High School. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists, is part of the school curriculum and recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. Student editors make all decisions regarding content. As the members of the 2012-2013 staff, we dedicate ourselves to the accurate and objective dissemination of information to all readers. The viewpoints of all staff members are to be regarded as being separate from those of our administration, faculty, peers and adviser.

In fact, the Blues have already experienced this in their first road game of the shortened year. In that game against Nashville, Halak gave up 3 goals only halfway through the 2nd period. Jaro was pulled for Elliott, who shutout the Predators the rest of the game to allow the Blues to win in a shootout, 4-3. Overall, this topic seems to be one that starts a lot of controversy and redundancy. Sure, our goalies are going to have to compete and lead the Blues through thick and thin. But the truth of the matter is the Blues need both pieces of this dynamic goalie tandem if we expect the Stanley Cup, hockey’s top prize, to come to St. Louis any time soon. v *Editor’s note: Halak suffered a minor groin injury on Feb. 1, but he’s expected to be back shortly after this issue is released.

a lot so she could support her and her child, and pushing everything behind her while trying to make everything right with the family. Not everyone comes as far as my sister did. She was one of many high school students that had to grow up faster then she needed to, which alludes me to the point that everyone should work to prevent and decrease teen pregnancy. The problem can be stopped with the right type of help. v *Portions of this column were originally used in a paper submitted for a project in Mr. James Frazier’s class.

Follow us on Twitter: @phsTODAY Co-Editors-in-Chief Joey Schneider Jessica Vargas Managing Editor Sierra Peerman Copy Editor Allison Leventhal Multimedia Editor Bionca Maldonado

Staff Writers Kyleigh Ambrosecchia Katherine Bahr Brady Bell Elizabeth Ferguson Eleanor Gershman Taylor Holmstrom Abby Kieffer Erin Leventhal

Mariah Lindsey Samantha Madden Deanna Moyer Phillip Scherer Maggie Vitale Timothy Vleisides Adviser Brian Heyman

Features

FEBRUARY 2013 l PIRATE PRESS l

There’s An App For You: What Is It? By Joey Schneider

Every year, Smartphone companies promise their customers that they will be efficient and up-to-date. Both the Android and iPhone compete with each other by providing new apps from developers that create them for universal enjoyment. Use this flowchart to figure out what app suits you and how it is used.

Start Here

YES

Do you use most of your current apps for gaming purposes?

Do you tend to enjoy more strategic or action-based games?

STRATEGY

Are you naturally more equipped with numbers or words?

ACTION

NUMBERS

WORDS

LEARN

Ruzzle

Snapchat

Pulse

“It’s a word game you play against friends for fun. It’s similar to Scramble with Friends, except it doesn’t have power-ups. You drag letters to make words on a 4-by-4 grid, and it gets my brain going.” - Erica Riggs, 12

“It’s an app where you take pictures and send them at that moment. It shows what you’re doing without using words. It’s an interesting app because I like to see what others are doing constantly.” -Khayla Pruitt, 10

Temple Run 2 Dice with Buddies

“I like the new designs and graphics. It’s different from the first Temple Run game because [as an escaper] you can revive yourself with more gems, run around more hills, and ride in a minecraft car.” -Robert Zimmerman, 11

“It’s just like a digital Yahtzee and you get to play against your friends. It’s fun for whenever I have a little free time and I don’t feel like thinking much.” -Kyle Brunts, 10

During the Break: A Look at the Top Super Bowl Commercials

By Taylor Holmstrom

uper Bowl Sunday marks the day of the NFL pitting the last two remaining playoff teams against each other for the championship. However, the game is not the only thing offered to viewers on what many consider a national holiday. During the

breaks, a plethora of new commercials make their debut on television, from various businesses and brands such as KIA, Doritos, Budweiser, and Hyundai. The following three commercials highlight some of the most memorable ads to air during Super Bowl XLVII. v

“Miracle Stain”

“Clydesdales”

“Babylandia”

Tide’s commercial aims directly toward football fans, as a man’s stain on his football jersey bares a strong resemblance to San Francisco football legend Joe Montana. The man is very excited about the “miracle” - until his wife disposes of the stain with Tide. The commercial is nothing short of memorable, reaching out to true fans of the NFL, and providing some light humor at the end.

Budweiser aired its annual Super Bowl commercial starring a Clydesdale horse, which won USAToday’s ad meter, according to USAToday.com. The commercial depicts the tale of a horse trainer, who gives up his Clydesdale to Budweiser, but then finds him at a parade three years later in a very emotional meeting. Budweiser once again uses a Clydesdale to pull off a successful Super Bowl ad.

KIA’s commercial features a father trying to answer his son’s question of “Where do babies come from?” by telling the boy about a planet called Babylandia, where babies of all kinds are launched in rockets to Earth, needing a 9-month journey to find their parents. Following this is a funny scene where the boy said he heard babies are made when mommies and daddies... Cue the parents turning on “Wheels on the Bus” and singing.

Would you use an app to share your personality with friends or learn something new that isn’t too complex ?

“This app is very easy to use, and it gives you any news you want. You can save articles and [this app] provides an unlimited amount of resources.” -Ryan Stringer, 11

“Mama” is a must see

“M

By Sierra Peerman ama” is the story of two girls, 3-year-old Victoria and 1-year-old Lily who were abandoned in the woods by their father and are found five years later by their uncle. The only thing is that they are not the same. Having forgotten how to live in civilization, they struggle to adapt and it seems that Mama followed them from the cabin to their new home and is now doing everything she can to keep other adults away from the girls. This new Spanish-Canadian horror film keeps you on the edge of your seat. The girls, played by Megan Charpentier and Isabelle Nélisse, keep character the whole time and play their part well. The movie makes the viewer

Survey of the Month: What do you love?

jump throughout the entire thing. There is never a dull moment. Annabel, the uncle’s girlfriend, plays an important part throughout the movie. Although she did not want to be a mother to the girls, she starts to get attached and also works with their doctor to figure out who Mama is. When the uncle goes into a coma, it is up to Annabel to take care of the girls. This is where the movie really picks up and the viewer is able to start piecing together exactly who Mama is and her relationship with the girls. It is definitely a must-see for those who enjoy scary movies. It has the elements of a scary movie along with an extensive story line that gives it a meaning. v

Compiled by Katie Bahr and Deanna Moyer

While some people express love for others, some just express love for things they enjoy Name

What do you love?

Why do you love it?

How long have you loved it?

Courtney Rolen, 12

Marching Band

I love it because it’s awesome. [It’s] a great way of exercise, and it’s fun.

All four years of high school.

Torrey Holland, 12

Drawing

I love drawing because it is how I express myself and it keeps me calm.

Since eighth grade because there was a boring teacher and I would draw in her class all the time.

Chad Lashley, 12

I love swimming

I love it because it makes me forget what’s going on in reality and [it] just relaxes me.

Since I was about 14 years old.

Phuong Luong, 11

I love Ferris wheels

There’s an off-chance you’ll sit next to some pretty cool Two summers ago when I went to an amusepeople, and the [Ferris wheels] are beautiful. ment park in Vietnam; they had a colossal Ferris wheel.

Shaun Patrick, history teacher

My truck

It takes me to most anywhere I need to go.

I have had it since ‘09.