December 2012 Pirate Press by Pirate Press

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100 Neediest Cases, pg. 2

Girls’ Swimming, pg. 5

Pattonville High School 2497 Creve Coeur Mill Road Maryland Heights MO 63043 l Vol. 77 Issue: 3 December 2012

Basketball swishes into new season Boys’ Basketball

Many players experiencing varsity competition for the first time

By Phillip Scherer

oming off a 2011-2012 campaign in which the boy’s varsity basketball team had a record of 12-13, the team lost some very key players to graduation. This means that they will now be relying on younger players that have never had to perform at a level above junior varsity. In order accomplish their goals, the team knows what needs to be done. “My expectations for this year are to never lose a home game and to win the first tournament that will be held at Pattonville,” said senior guard Justin Morrow. The team fell short of this goal, losing to Chaminade 56-39, but finished third in the Pattonville Tournament. Morrow will be one of the key players on this team, along with Jacob Knox, Eddie Longmeyer, and Jake Stroker. All are participating in their second year on varsity. “We need to learn from what happened last season and put in more heart, dedication, and practice than we did a year ago if we hope to end up with a better result,” Morrow said. Also joining the varsity team for the first time this year are Josh Walker and Josh Giancola, who are each hoping to make a large contribution in their first year. “I hope to keep improving as a basketball player and make contributions that will help the varsity team win more than we did a year ago,” Giancola said. “I also hope to help the younger players to keep pushing themselves.”

Wrestling, pg. 6

This team will rely on the leadership of its upperclassmen, as they currently have five underclassmen on the varsity roster, the same number as the seniors. This team believes that they will face some real challenges as they head into the season. Not only will they begin to incorporate their new players, but will also need to keep their returning players in rhythm. This will involve lots of practice time on the court as well as having the returning players pass their experience onto the new players. “We need to blend as a group and get into a rhythm if we want to succeed and have a lot of fun this season,” Giancola said. Later in the season, the team hopes to maintain their home-court advantage, especially as they face key opponents such as McCluer North and Hazelwood Central. “We know that McCluer North will be a tough test for us, especially because they are the two-time state champion,” said junior Tim Vleisides. As the season moves along, this new mix of players will need to keep improving and working hard if they hope to improve on their record from a year ago, something that the players know they are capable of. “We know we have the ability to be great if we live up to our potential, but we need to believe we are great and work as hard as possible to achieve a respect able record,” Vleisides said. v

Girls’ Basketball

Team looks to continue dominance after loss of three Div. I athletes

By Leroy Taylor

“P

erfect practice makes perfect play,” the head coach of the varsity girls basketball team, Craig Gregory, said. The players know the importance of practice and its impact on games. They won last year’s Suburban North Conference title. But the 2012 squad, coming off a 22-4 record last year, graduated three members who are now playing Division I sports. “Last year consisted of a lot of great players,” senior Allison Anth said. “If the teammates influence each other with a lot of positive reinforcements and sportsmanship, the team will be improved and more efficient in winning.” But making up for Mikala McGhee (basketball, Missouri State), Kristen Hanna (basketball, Missouri Southern) and Kailey Utley (soccer, West Virginia) comes as a challenge. “It’s a lot of pressure because everyone is doubting us but we are still going to be good without them,” senior point guard Erin Collier said. “We’re just going to need a new strategy.” That gameplan comes from the time spent in the gym practicing. “We go over all the plays, do some running and we do our drills,” Collier said. “We also work on our passing,

presses and press breaks.” The hard work should pay off in the win column, and that’s the team’s goal. “Winning conference, winning districts and having an overall winning record should be easy for us,” Collier said. As of Dec. 5, the team is 2-3 including a 4-point loss to then-ranked No. 10 Ritenour High School in the Northwest Tournament. Britney Ollison, Nikki Callahan and Jessica Nelson are key players for the Lady Pirates this year because of their talent and ambition on the court. Gregory has high expectations for Callahan, the only returning starter, to carry the team because of her “accurate shooting efforts” and “good sportsmanship.” Gregory’s desire this year is “to be competitive in all games and “win more than the team lose.” And his players would expect nothing else but the best. “If we work hard and everyone is focused,” Collier said, “anything is possible.” Suburban North Conference play tips-off on Jan. 8 at Riverview Gardens. A match-up against currentlyranked No. 5 Parkway North is set for Jan. 15. v

Jump to pg. 6 to see the complete schedules of both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.

Daily life of a custodian

Debbie Forbes finds many pleasures, responsibilities By Erin Leventhal

hile many students are sound asleep at 5:30 in the morning, Debbie Forbes is at Pattonville High School ready for a full day of work. Forbes works at the high school full-time (5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) as a custodian, and part-time with autistic adults. She gets to the high school every morning before the sun rises, and wastes no time to start working. As a part of her daily routine, Forbes shouts, “Hello! Have a great day! Happy Monday!” or “Happy Thursday!” No matter the day Debbie Forbes of the week, she is cheerful and strives to make the students of Pattonville feel the same way. “The highlight of my day is interacting with the students,” she said. Many students cannot deny their day brightens when they see Forbes smiling and cheerfully greeting students in the hallways or cafeteria. Senior Morgan Mars said, “She’s honestly one of the sweetest and most positive people I have ever met. I have never seen her not smiling.” Forbes does all she can to put a smile on students’ faces and show them she cares. Senior Isabella Kelly said, “I love how she always has a smile on her face. I will never forget when she brought cupcakes to lunch for my friend’s birthday.” But the day for Forbes is not just about interacting with students. She has to do some work. At 5:30 a.m., Forbes and the other custodians take down all of the chairs from the tops of tables in the cafeteria and commons, put bags in the trash cans, and make sure the cafeteria floors and surrounding hallways are clean. All of this work is done before 6:45 a.m., which is when students usually begin to arrive to have breakfast before classes begin. Forbes makes her rounds with a

>> See CUSTODIAN, pg. 3

Debate team continues success under direction of new coach

James Frazier takes over position held by Randy Pierce for more than 30 years, team continues to win numerous awards at tournaments By Brady Bell

o far this year, Pattonville’s debate team has been tearing it up at the tournaments they have attended. Just like the past 30 or so years, but this year is different. Pattonville has a new debate coach, James Frazier, who “really knows what he is doing,” Shane McAtee said. This is Frazier’s first year at Pattonville and explained that it has been incredibly busy but many people have helped him out. He is replacing Randy Pierce, the debate teacher at Pattonville High School for 37 years, who was inducted into the National Forensic League Hall of Fame in 2003.

Reed Miles said about the two, “Mr. Frazier is more involved, more like a coach. On the other hand, Mr. Pierce is like a manager and lets us do our own thing.” Frazier has taught the new debaters, or novices, the best he can. He has them research, write and read their cases and even argue against the other debaters in their class. This method is different than other coaches around the nation as some choose to write their debater’s cases for them because novices don’t really know what they are doing. This approach is apparently not needed at Pattonville because when the team went out to the Neosho Tournament, a set of the novice debaters, Sarah Simpkins and Diego Pina, went

undefeated and placed in the Top 10 in pubic forum. Another group went 7-1 at the Grandview Tournament. But to top it all off the Pattonville team won 3rd place overall in sweepstakes at the Oakville Tournament. It isn’t just the novices that are winning though. “The varsity debaters have been doing good too,” Frazier said. McAtee and Isaac Caverly proved that by winning first place in public forum at Oakville. Also, at the Clayton Tournament, Pattonville showed that they are still good under new direction. In policy debate, Brian Dufrenne and Will Chaney got to the quarterfinals. In Lincoln-Douglas, Dustin Da-

Above, Isaac Caverly works with Mr. James Frazier and former debate coach Mr. Randy Pierce. Right, Frazier works independently with senior Dustin Davis. Photos by Brady Bell vis won second and Anjali Fernandes won third. She also went on to win 3rd place in International Extemporaneous Speaking. Caverly took top honors again in U.S. Extemporaneous Speaking.

Brian Dufrenne said, “Frazier wants us to step it up because we are the veterans of the team.” Pattonville hosted the Pattonville Winter Classic Dec. 7-8. It was renamed the Randy Pierce Winter Classic this year. v

News

DECEMBER 2012 l PIRATE PRESS l

PowerSchool is helpful reference for students to check grades, assignments By Joey Schneider

eachers have used Wikis or blogs to post some helpful online information for their students. Before Moodle was heavily used this year, some teachers even felt the need to use other Internet databases. The PowerSchool website was one of the few interactive places where students could search for academic help. The website is basically an online gradebook that teachers can choose to organize specific amounts of data. “[The website] is accessible by students and teachers and lets you know where you are academically,” said PowerSchool administrator Kim Miller. “The data that is in [PowerSchool] is live and not a surprise.” With finals approaching, students and their parents are able to check grades as often as they feel the need. In addition, there is data to show how often the website is used.

“There is a secured website that we can look at to see student and parent usage,” said Miller. “[We noticed] it is heavily used and I think students will find it beneficial to see [the data] in there.” The PowerSchool website has been updated a few times within the past couple of years to include more friendly, accessible tools for students. However, according to Miller, “there is no way they can manipulate [their grades, attendance, and other records], since the website is right in their face.” With these constant updates over the past few years, the PowerSchool website also has many programs that allow teachers to utilize the website like the Moodle. Tammy Hasheider, a geometry teacher, feels that this online grading system is helpful for both students and teachers. “Students can see several things on PowerSchool, such as links, tuto-

rials, and grade descriptions if the teachers chooses to put them in,” said Hasheider. Although Hasheider was one of the two teachers that was a part of the Moodle training last year, she feels that she uses PowerSchool just as frequently as the Moodle for grades, assignments and weblinks. “I try to use it interactively as much as I can because having a realtime presence of a gradebook helps the students understand the importance of their grades,” explained Hasheider. According to Hasheider, the website does a large amount of number crunching and averaging for all assignments the teachers put in. Although this attribute is more beneficial for teachers, students are able to use other navigational resources on the website to keep track of progression with their grades and graduation requirements. “It’s a helpful website because it

shows what you have to do to stay on track,” said junior Jesus Mejia. As students continue to put in effort and finalize their desired grades, many will continue to use the website. The first semester of the 2012-2013 school year will end in December, and the PowerSchool website aims to help students create attainable goals, while warning them of their academic progression. “I will continue to use it often, since it lets me know how I’m doing and shows what classes I need to improve in,” junior Denish Jaswal summarized. v

PowerSchool is now mobile. Access school information from anywhere with this free app available on the App Store.

How often do students visit the website? “At the end of every grading period, but otherwise not a whole lot.” - Nick Bodicky, 12. “Every day because you want to know how your grades are doing and which classes to step it up in.” - Jesus Mejia, 11. “Three times a day because I’m a grade freak.” - Denish Jaswal, 11 “I use it all of the time because I like to keep up with my grades once they’re in.” - Alissa Keller, 10

Students showcased in 100 Neediest Cases art contest By Katherine Bahr

Jordan Paine, 12

Chaz Fox, 11

Aviva Englander, 11

Luke Cwiklowski, 11

Jain Bushra, 11

The Picture

“A man in a hoodie next to a brick building and a man in a hat pushing a shopping cart converge on a street corner.”

“It was of a man, somewhat newly homeless, sitting against a wall in an alleyway; showing an internal struggle between pride and necessity as he is next to his crumpled, half-completed and then omitted “Homeless” sign looking fatigued in his crumpled stature.”

“The picture is of a younger girl sleeping on a park bench. She is wearing a hoodie and a pair of sweat pants.”

“It’s a girl sitting in an isolated room. I liked how I got to portray the difficult situations people go through. It made me realize that we should be thankful for where we are right now because some people have it worse.”

“I tried to get across the message of someone in need, someone helpless.”

The Inspiration

“Well, at first I wanted to free hand it. Then my teacher [Ms. Katheriner] told me to find a model, so I did.”

“I wasn’t sure at first. I was on the way to a friend’s musical and saw a homeless man. Instantly an image popped into my head.”

“Homeless people. I volunteered at a shelter the week before we started, so I guess that’s what inspired me.”

“Seeing all the people suffering all over the world in the news.”

“One day I was driving in downtown St. Louis and at the majority of light poles, this is what I saw.”

The Artist

“I’ve been enrolled in art since sophomore year. I’m in Drawing II now. I love to draw.”

“I started in Art Fundamentals sophomore year. I am in drawing II now.”

“I took Art Fundamentals freshman year. I am in Drawing II now.”

“I have been enrolled in art classes since freshman year.”

“I have been involved with art for two years.”

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03 lPIRATE PRESS l DECEMBER 2012 Teachers reflect on past, first jobs Before getting into education, many teachers had jobs similar to ones held by students

3) How long did you have it? 4) How old were you when you started?

Officer Chris Silliman

1) “I worked at Famous Barr.” 2) ‘’I went in for an interview.” 3) “I worked there for two years while I was in high school.” 4) “I was 16.”

Officer Mike Mooney

1) “I was a bagger at Schnucks.” 2) “I had an uncle who was an executive there, so he helped me get the job.” 3) “I had it for two years, and came back in the summer while I was in college.” 4) “I was 16.” 1) “I worked at Keefe Supply Company in a warehouse operating forklifts.” 2) “I knew someone that worked there and went on an interview and they hired me to work during summers.” 3) “I worked there for two summers.” 4) “I was 18 when I got the job.”

Mr. Kelly Thames

2) How did you get the job?

1) “I was a dishwasher at Cafferettas.” 2) “I really liked their pizza, so I decided to apply there.” 3) “I worked there for a year.” 4) “I was 16.”

Ms. Vi Cobb

1) What was your first job?

1. “I worked at TCBY Yogurt, and I was a vet.” 2. “For TCBY I had an interview, and for the vet, I knew the owner’s daughter.” 3) “I had the job at TCBY for one year, and the job as a vet for 8 years.” 4) “I was 15.”

Ms. Tracie Olson

s students start preparing for graduation, they have to become more responsible. They may start by making sure they keep their room clean, completing more chores around the house, or taking care of other siblings. All of these responsibilities prepare one to getting and keeping their first job. Having a job means having to be responsible for making it on time to work, knowing the schedule for that week, and remembering where work is located. Employees who are late for work, or are messy and don’t clean up after themselves may get fired or written up. Many people earn their first paycheck while also being a high school student, and this is true for many teachers at Pattonville. Six teachers were interviewed about what type of job they had when they were in high school and answered the following questions:

Ms. Susie Richmann

By Sam Madden

1) “I was a waitress at Frank ‘n Helen’s Pizzeria.” 2) “My whole family worked there, so I got to join in.” 3) “I worked there for four years.” 4) “I was 16.”

Entertainment >>CUSTODIAN, from pg. 1 trashcan as students eat their breakfast in the commons and cafeteria, making it easy to throw away trash and keep the cafeteria clean. Once classes begin at 7:23 a.m., Forbes checks the halls and restrooms on the first floor to make sure they are clean for students. She makes a point to greet and hug students, whom she calls her kids, throughout the day. As the day goes on, Forbes and the other custodians make their rounds through the school cleaning windows, changing batteries in clocks, pulling down old club

posters, changing light bulbs and sweeping. The job custodians have is very important to both students and staff at Pattonville, and Forbes recognizes this. “I am so much more than some ordinary person who picks up trash.” Forbes enjoys the work she does at the high school, and she loves putting a smile on the faces of others. Students smile more often than not when they walk past her in the hallway and hear her laugh, see her smile, and hear her say, “It’s a happy day if you’re breathing!” v

Fresh take on Halo series Game continues to develop as new trilogy is released

By Tom Sarsfield

n the first game of the new trilogy, Master Chief and Cortana return to fight alien bad guys and save humanity once again. Halo 4, created by 343i, offers a fresh take on the series. By taking the player through an emotional roller coaster, the newest installment is most definitely a must-buy for any Halo fan. For me, Halo 4 is the best game aesthetically out of the entire series. 343i focuses much more on the scenery of the game than their predecessors Bungie did. Even the minor details, such as moss on a tree, is added to give the player a more realistic feel of how Requiem, the planet the game takes place on, must feel like. The campaign was the hardest for me since Halo: CE. Even on normal, I found myself dying more often than I’d like to admit. The game’s difficulty doesn’t stem from the Covenant, but rather the new Promethean enemies. Generally, there are two types of Prometheans that will give players trouble: Crawlers and Knights. Crawlers are these dog-like creatures with a machine gun attached to their snouts. The second type, Knights, are these huge, bulking, Terminator-like machines. They soak up bullets like a sponge, requiring players to expend most of their ammunition trying to kill them and leaving them vulnerable to other enemies. As for the storyline of the campaign, I was pleasantly surprised with how much it drew upon the various books that Bungie wrote. Without reading many of the books, a player would likely be unable to fully understand the entirety of the story. Not only does this force players to delve into the rich backstory of Halo, it also makes the story that much more enjoyable.

The biggest change to the gameplay mechanics in Halo is the multiplayer. Following suit of Call of Duty, Halo 4 adds customizable classes where you can pick your weapon, perks and armor. While this is an unfavorable development for many old school Halo fans, I think this mixes the game up in a good way. I would say the only thing I dislike about this new system is the camouflage skins users can put on their weapons. It looks cheesy and out of place. The best new development is Flood mode. As the spiritual successor to Infection mode, Flood goes above and beyond Call of Duty by actually making the infected flood infection form. Moreover, unlike the previous Infection modes, the flood forms are actually pretty hard to kill. A problem Infection ran in Halo: Reach was that too many people would just put down the controller and walk away if they got infected. Now, players are given incentive in Flood to be infected by actually playing as powerful zombies capable of killing survivors. Halo 4 is a great addition to the Halo series and sets a wonderful foundation for the new trilogy. With innovative new multiplayer modes like Flood and Dominion, 343i creates a multiplayer experience that remains fresh and fun. However, aspects such as gun camouflage seem like unoriginal copies from the gun customization feature in Call of Duty. v

Red Dawn keeps viewers on the edge of their seat By Sam Madden

n Nov. 21, Red Dawn premiered in theatres, but it is a remake of the same movie that came out in 1984. The film takes place in Washington, and centers around a group of teenagers who come together to fight for their country as they’re attacked by North Korean troops. Jed Eckhert (Chris Hemsworth) and Matt Eckhert (Josh Peck) are brothers who don’t get along very well. Jed is a U.S. Marine and is looked up to by just about everyone in the town, and Matt is a high school football player who is always trying to prove himself to his dad and older brother because he is jealous of how much everyone likes Jed. When Korea attacks, they leave their house and meet up with their dad who tells them to go their cabin that is hidden in the woods. On the way there, fighting against the Korean troops, they pick up a few of Matt’s friends. They stay at the cabin,

and realize some of their family members have been killed, so they come to the decision they must work together and fight for their country. Hemsworth has recently been seen in Thor and The Avengers. He is an Australian actor and has a brother who is also a big-named actor, Liam Hemsworth. Peck is mostly known for playing Josh in Drake and Josh on Nickelodeon where he got his big acting start. The other main characters in this movie were Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, and Connor Cruise. I liked the way most of the characters in the movie were fairly new to acting, and I feel like it gave them a big lead in their future of acting. I never knew that it was a remake from the 80s until after I saw it. So, my plan is to watch the old movie and compare both of them. Overall, the movie had a great plot, and there was a lot of action that kept viewers at the edge of their seat. I would definitely pay to go see it again. v

First semester final review

Here’s a look back at some of Pattonville’s biggest moments of Fall 2012 For more stories, slideshows and videos, check out PattonvilleTODAY.com By Jessica Vargas and Sierra Peerman Homecoming took place the week of Oct. 8-12 with the game and dance on Oct. 13. From the Pep Rallies to Spirit Week, the football game, the Parade, and the dance, Pattonville students showed off their game in all ways. “The whole week before the Homecoming dance was really fun,” said senior Marcus Triplet. “Spirit week I heard was one of the best we have had in years and the dance was pretty cool.”

Varsity

Football Cross Country

The fall play was titled “You Can’t Take It With You.” Performances were run from Oct. 18-20. The Spring musical, “The Music Man,” has held its audtions and will be performed Feb. 14-17.

Varsity Girls’

Softball

Field Hockey

Boys’ Swimming

Girls’ Tennis

Varsity Girls’ Golf

The Wheelchair Basketball Game, sponsored by PALs, was held on Nov. 8 in Pattonville’s main gym. The Pattonville teachers earned their first victory in 17 years by the score of 25-24. “It was cool to watch and see all the teachers get involved, but it was scary when a player would fall,” junior Samantha Milligan said. “The halftime show was pretty amazing with the teachers dancing.”

On Nov. 12 Pattonville High School hosted a Veteran’s Breakfast to honor them for what they had done for our country. The event consisted of a morning breakfast and a ceremony right after in the auditorium. Performances by the band, orchestra and choir were included during the event. “I think it’s really nice to have the veterans from our county come in every year so we can honor them for what they have done,” said junior Brooke Wilson.

HELP WANTED

Varsity Girls’

Volleyball

Varsity Boys’ Soccer

For an application, go to bit.ly/12iRqN9 or pick one up outside the journalism room (B110) Newspaper (Pirate Press) Positions News Writers Feature Writers Sports Writers Music/Movie Critics Photographers Designers/Artists Online/Web Staff Advertising Staff

*Want to attend a convention at Yearbook (ECHO) Positions Mizzou in the spring? Want to be on Writers the sidelines at the next state sports Photographers championship game? Want to work Designers/Artists with top-of-the-line technology? Online/Web Staff Want to be part of one of the best Advertising Staff journalism staffs in the state? Want Business Manager to gain skills in many areas that will help you in college?

Girls’ swim team dives into action with positives and uncertainties

Conference champions for four straight years, team continues to swim at Bridgeton Community Center as on-campus pool is not completed

By Joey Schneider

oming off their fourth consecutive conference-winning season, the girls’ swim team has high expectations for the year. “I expect to have a fun season,” stated assistant coach Kelsey Koenig. “I hope we can send some girls to state and repeat as conference champs for the fifth year in a row.” Even though the stakes are high for this season, the girls’ swimming team has already encountered a few setbacks this year. The team began practices in the second week of November, but not at the pool they expected. The pool at Pattonville, which the team intended on using at the beginning of the season, is currently on pace to open Jan. 4, nearly halfway through the team’s season. “I’m kind of disappointed that I won’t get to use it much this year,” said senior co-captain Leanna Seibert. “I’ve worked really hard over the past three years, and it sucks that we won’t get major access to it as seniors.” The fact that the pool is not yet finished is not only a misfortune for the seniors, but for all other members of the swimming team. Since the pool at the Bridgeton Community Center is relatively small for practices and meets, the

team initially thought they would have to make a few cuts. Originally 52 girls had tried out for the team in the beginning. However, enough girls had left the team by the time cuts were planning to be finalized, allowing the team to carry 37 members. “We had a lot of girls come out this year,” explained diver Laura Fulton, 11. Although the team didn’t need cuts, Fulton explained that swimmers “were going to do time-trial 200s for the cuts” if needed. A recent BSAAC meeting revealed that the school currently invests about $30,000 for the swim team’s season by using the pool off campus. The pool at the community center presents a few other problems for the team beyond its seemingly small size and heavy payments. “We can’t regulate the pool temperature, meaning we have to practice in really warm water,” said Seibert. “Plus, the pool is not as big as the one here will be.” In addition, the team’s only main option of getting to practice is by driving there. Since the school does not fund transportation to their practices, the swimmers are forced to drive or catch a ride to their current indoor practice facility every day they have a practice

or meet. “It’s a hassle to drive over [to the community center], but we try to make the best of it that we can,” said junior swimmer Rachel Murphy. All problems set aside, Murphy believes that the team has been “working hard in practice and setting goals,” which are two important components to success. “We have a lot of girls with really awesome work ethic,” explained Koenig. “If this stays the same, we’d like to improve our times and beat some of the more challenging teams [out of conference].” As the swim team tries to seek their fifth conference title in a row, leaders on the team have found it beneficial to work together and become one unit. “We have more team bonding events this year that will allow us to be supportive, cheerful, and helpful to others on the team,” claimed Seibert. Even though, the team experienced a few problems in the beginning of their season, the group looks forward to overcoming them and attaining their big goals. “We are all very close, motivated to win conference, and hopeful that some of us will go to state.” explained Fulton.v

Currently the girls’ swimming team uses the pool at the Bridgeton Community Center (left) for meets and practices. Next semester, the team will be able to compete in the pool at Pattonville (bottom) which was made available to the school after the passing of Proposition K in 2010. Photos by Joey Schneider

Varsity Drill Team wins top honors at Lindbergh Invitational By Jessica Vargas and Sierra Peerman

arsity Drill Team placed first in Pom and Hip Hop at the Lindbergh Invitational at Lindbergh High School on Sat., Dec. 1. The team also won the High Point Award, the prize for the team with the highest point total of the two routines, with 547 points. Francis Howell finished second with 532 points. “Getting first place in both Pom and Hip Hop was the best feeling in the world for my team and myself, but it The Varsity Drill Team performs their pom routine at the Lindbergh wasn’t easy,” said senior VDT member Toni Martorelli. The team practices for 3 hours a day including warmInvitational on Dec. 1. The team placed first in both the pom ups and working on routines that consists of a lot of hard competition and in the hip hop category. With the highest point work and repetition. total of the two fields combined, VDT was presented with the High “We have been working since October on these rouPoint award, the prize for the team with the highest point total of tines, Monday through Thursday and Saturday mornings,” Martorelli said. “There wasn’t a time we were resting unthe two events. Pattonville finished 15 points higher than second less it was for a drink break.” place finisher Francis Howell. Photo by Jessica Vargas But the drive in this team is unlike any other Coach

HOLIDAY

By Sierra Peerman

W O SEARCH D

For your chance to win a prize pack, successfully complete the Holiday Word Search by Dec. 18 and turn it in to the journalism room in B110. A winner will be chosen by a random drawing of qualified entries. FIND THE FOLLOWING WORDS IN THE PUZZLE: APPLE AUTUMN CANDYCANE CHRISTMAS COSTUMES FOOTBALL GINGERBREAD HALLOWEEN HAYRIDE HOCKEY

LEAVES MITTENS PUMPKIN REINDEER SANTA SCARECROW SLEIGH SNOWFLAKE SNOWMAN TURKEY

I A M A B A U T E D U Q

P Z P C Z Z A T O J M R T

A K F U H S Z C O G N R W G I M W

I H L M R A W L F M N X L L M Y O F S

G G Z P I U O J H G V C M B A Y M Q K N O

R D K S G R X L D Z X B P U L S V F C O X

W D I T S C C E N K Y E W U S T X I I E W B A

L N M E E N Y E K R U T N J H N U Q W Q M K O

M H A Q R L Y O L E D I R Y A H C L A K I A U Q G

K S X A D R C D W X Z G S Y S C F K H V Y N L I S

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T D S I K M W H W A A L G X T C T C D M F S R M H H O

U J Z L Q N N P Z N T E A K G H Y D U N U Q U W R O T

Katie Funderburk has led. “One thing about this group that is unique is they work really hard together and have a strong sense of teamwork,” Funderburk said. “And they have more heart than any team I’ve ever coached.” She determines the amount of heart by the amount of time the girls have put into perfecting their routines. “They are working hard outside of practice and then during practice I’m not struggling to get 110 percent from them,” Funderburk said. The girls have bought into the system and work hard to be successful. “We worked our butts off because we had dedication,” Martorelli said. “Our coach pushed us to our full potential and we didn’t give up on ourselves.” Varsity is now preparing for Nationals in Florida on March 2. “We have no regrets and can’t wait to push even harder for Nationals,” Martorelli said. v

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DECEMBER 2012 l PIRATE PRESS l 06 Sports New faces have key roles on team Pinning it down with Coach Brent Mueller Foreign exchange, female students make roster spots on hockey squad for Pirates By Elizabeth Ferguson

his year may be a little bit different for the Pattonville hockey team. “We looked up to the seniors last year, now it’s up to us to put out a good example,” senior captain Zach Guenther said. Having lost a substantial amount of talented seniors from the past season, it is now the responsibility of the seniors this year to encourage and push the other teammates to work as hard as possible to keep up

with last year’s record. “We won’t win as many games,” Guenther said. “We lost a lot of good players and we have less talent this year, but hard work is still brought to each game and practice so we will still win some.” As of Dec. 9 the Pirates have a 5-2 overall record. The team also has some brand new faces. Sophomore Kathryn Ensor has joined the team this year bringing a whole new type of talent to the

team by being the first, and only, girl on the hockey team. There are also two new students, not only to the team, but to the country. Senior foreign exchange students Jan Kallmann from Switzerland and Ville Niemimaa from Finland joined the team. “The game intensity is faster,” Niemimaa said. “And the rink is a lot smaller.” v

>>SCHEDULES, from pg. 1 Boys’ Varsity Basketball Schedule*

11/26 Chaminade 11/28 Jennings 11/30 Rockwood Summit 12/04 St. Charles 12/10 Trinity Catholic 12/12 Francis Howell

Girls’ Varsity Basketball Schedule* 11/26 Northwest Tournament 12/4 Ladue 12/5 St. Charles 12/11 Kirkwood

12/27 at Chaminade Tournament 1/4 Whitfield 1/8 Riverview Gardens 1/15 Parkway North 1/16 Clayton 1/18 McCluer North 1/21 Fort Zumwalt North Tournament

1/29 Hazelwood Central 2/1 Ritenour 2/5 Francis Howell Central 2/7 Hazelwood East 2/11 Hazelwood West 2/12 Lafayette 2/15 McCluer 2/20 Sullivan

12/13 Wentzville 12/26 at Rockwood Tournament 1/8 Riverview Gardens 1/9 Oakville 1/11 Hazelwood West 1/15 Parkway North 1/16 Lafayette 1/18 McCluer North

1/22 Fort Zumwalt North 1/29 Parkway Central 2/1 Ritenour 2/7 Hazelwood East 2/13 Hazelwood Central 2/14 McCluer 2/19 Lindbergh 2/20 Parkway West

*According to Winter Sports Schedule distributed by Pattonville Athletic Department. Dates subject to change.

PATTONVILLE FIRST TAKE PATTONVILLETODAY.COM Your source for Pirate news

Pattonville First Take is a sports show produced by the sports writers on the Pirate Press.

Varsity wrestling coach takes time out to answer a few questions about the upcoming season By Sam Madden

he wrestling team began its practices the first week of November. This year, they will have 10 meets and participate in five tournaments. The boys’ varsity wrestling team started off the season with their first meet on Nov. 19, and got the victory against St. Charles High School with a final score of 56-6. With the new season coming to a start, Coach Brent Mueller answered a few questions to explain how the team is doing in comparison to the past few seasons at Pattonville. Are you looking forward to the new season?

Why will the team be better than it has been in the past few years?

Are you looking forward to the new season?

How do you think state will go?

Who do you think the secret weapons are?

“Yes, I’m excited. It will be a lot better than last year.”

They’re a lot stronger than they have been the past two years, They’re very solid and they all work hard at practice.”

“I think we’ll be very competitive and we have a solid lineup. Including Eric Thomas, Tommy O’Brien, who went to state last year.”

“Well, it’s pretty far off from now and it’s a long process. That’s something we’ll have to worry about later on.”

‘Samir Alvi, Trevor Beck, Shaquan Whitaker, Devon Brooks, and Kevin Patrick, who all qualified and went to state last year.”

07 l PIRATE PRESS l DECEMBER 2012

Peerman’s View Pattonville should act as one collective party

By Sierra Peerman

he election of 2012 was a long, hard-fought one that many students got involved in. Both the Young Democrats and Young Republicans clubs were founded this school year. Who would win the election was a hot topic among the students leading up to Nov. 6. Once Barack Obama was declared the winner over Mitt Romney however, the arguing and insults started. Twitter was blowing up with people insulting Romney and Obama supporters alike. It was obnoxious. There were threats and harsh words exchanged, some even saying things like, “If you’re a Romney supporter, you should kill yourself” which was a reply that one of my friends got to her tweet about Romney. This kind of behavior is not what the election should bring out in people. Some students were respectful and accepted that their candidate either won or lost, but most made it a point to make sure everyone knew exactly how they felt. There is nothing anyone could have done to change the outcome at that point and yelling at each other was not going to make a difference. People need to learn how to accept a loss or a win. There was enough arguing and discussion prior to the election; it did not need to continue on after it was over. This election was by far one of the closest campaigns and it definitely brought the competitive side out in many people. It showed people need to learn self-control when it comes to things they want to say and should just keep it to themselves instead. v

Staff Editorial

It is the opinion of the Pirate Press that if there is goal in mind for the school, the district should do everything it can to meet it. When the groundbreaking ceremony of the old stadium took place on May, 31 2011, the school set a promise in the pamphlet that all new facilities would be completed by August 2012. Currently, it is December 2012, and the pool has yet to be finished. The boys’ swimming team has already missed out on a chance to use it, and the girls’ season will be nearly halfway done before they get to swim here. Although it is hard to determine the rate of progression with the construction and other factors of a busy school year, some students can’t help to think that they are missing out. After all, most students get the intention that when the school offers something, it must be for the current interest of the student body relating to them at that specific timeframe.

PIRATE PRESS

Opinion

Jessica’s Jabber It’s the most wonderful time of the year - the holiday season By Jessica Vargas

ell, everyone, it’s getting close to the holidays, and I am excited for two of the most exciting events of the year - Christmas and New Year’s. Both are just a few days away. We all look forward to Thanksgiving Day and all of the food that we stuff ourselves with. But knowing that right after Thanksgiving comes Christmas brings me a lot of excitement and joy. It actually brings so much joy to people that all over the town, people already have their Christmas lights and decorations up on their front yard. Some couldn’t even wait until Thanksgiving was over! As I was driving over to my aunt and uncle’s with my family, about three to five houses on the streets of Bridgeton had houses already decorated. I have heard some friends

say their families decorate their house the day after Thanksgiving while others “deck the halls” a week or even just a day before Christmas. Personally I find that really funny. And that’s because my family is one of those who puts everything up a day or two before Christmas. However, I absolutely love Christmas. But my Christmas is a little different than most of the people I know. Every year, as far back as I can remember, I have gone to Mexico for Christmas and New Year’s. I spend my holidays in Guanajuato, Mexico. If you look at a map, it is right in the center of the country. It’s fun to meet up with family that I have not seen in a long time and it is a beautiful place. While there, I have visited a mountain where there are so

Mariah’s Mind

many butterflies. I have also gone to the pyramids that are located there. One year, my family and I even went to go see the mummies. It was unbelievable! Though it doesn’t snow in Mexico, the holidays are no different than how it is here. We put lights up on our house, as does every house in the town. We also put up a Christmas tree and even more Christmas decorations. Christmas is a time to gather around the tree and open presents with the family. In my eyes, Christmas is about coming together as a family. It’s about baking Christmas cookies and goodies, shopping for

Christmas presents, playing in the snow, putting up the tree together and decorating the whole house. And of course don’t forget waking up on Christmas morning (which is probably the only day kids wake up super early). Enjoying the last holiday of the year and then welcoming the new year all in under a week, in my opinion, is overwhelming, but at the same time is SUPER exciting. Thinking about the new year and what it will bring is fun. I will be starting off fresh, making new goals for the year, making resolutions, and, in my case, look forward to graduation. But of course, it is said that we will not have the opportunity to celebrate Christmas or even welcome 2013 because “the world is going to end” on December 21… well, we’ll see about that. v

Freshman year is not as great as your other years in high school, but at least it’s better than being in middle school By Mariah Lindsey

person’s high school years are most commonly referred to as “the best years of their life” in pop culture. Society always portrays high school through the media as a little tough at first, but that there will always be a rewarding, happy ending. They always conveniently seem to miss however, how horrible their freshman year will be. It is pretty much tradition in high schools nationwide that freshmen receive “the butt” of everything. Often referred to as “fresh-meat”, freshmen are usually the target of ridicule from upperclassmen mostly for their presumed immaturity, and sometimes for no reason at all. Being a freshman just last year, Nearly a decade ago, the St. Louis Cardinals organization had made plans and publically announced that the new Busch Stadium would open in 2006. Although this situation is not directly tied to Pattonville, the organization and construction committee understood how important it was to complete the stadium on time. If the stadium hadn’t been completed by the given date, it would’ve been a major setback for the team, and an utter disappointment for the fans. Additionally, the Cardinals would’ve had to make arrangements to play their games somewhere else, which would cause major confusion in St. Louis. In a sense, this is what the swimming teams have experienced this year. Although both teams have access to the pool at the Bridgeton community center, there are so many restrictions and regulations that come with having to pay to ‘permanently lease’ the pool. If all of the facilities had been done by August 2012 as the groundbreaking ceremony pamphlet stated,

I’ll even admit that the presence of my peers was often annoying, and our naive nature just didn’t fit with the overall atmosphere of the school. We still however, always managed to seem clueless to the reasons for our treatment. Many new freshmen and even others who were recently freshmen may ask, “Why are freshmen trated this way?” The answer stems from many things, really. Probably the main factor is the ignorance of freshmen. They simply are not familiar with teh setting of high school, don’t know their place, and are oblivious to the social responsiblity that comes along with it. Sophomores and upperclassmen often expect them to know what they know, and

they naturally fail at it. What also needs to be taken into consideration is, as I mentioned earlier, their usual immaturity. Often they are loud, slowwalking, dity, have some degree to awkwardness, and might be simply irritable to look at, possibly due to people just not liking to see new faces. Nevertheless, their presence is usually unwelcoming. I’m not forgetting that I was just a freshman 7 months ago, nor am I denying that I’m an underclassmen, if that’s any comfort for anyone

offended, but there is a huge difference from being a freshman and not being one. There really is no way to escape this, because it is merely a stage in life that every person who wishes to graduate high school experiences. It is completely normal. My advice for struggling freshmen is to try not to act so cool and learn your place, walk on the right in the hallways and don’t gather in groups by your locker, quiet down, leave the drama at home, and take school seriously and remember you’re also never too cool for Spirit Week. Freshman year will probably be your worst year of high school (unless you have no social life whatsoever), but just remember that middle school was always worse. v

the school could’ve had a lot more events to look forward to during the year. The pool will signal an era of change at Pattonville after it is completed, but the fact that it will open up halfway through the school year takes an element of excitement away from both swimmers and spectators. The school has had a few other problems this year, unrelated to the pool, that have also came as a result of high expectations. The Moodle program is one of the new technological aspects of Pattonville that has had a few flaws. Students were promised that the Moodle would be helpful and easy to access. Depending on how specific teachers and administrators utilize it, the Moodle could be helpful for some students. That is, as long as the website doesn’t crash or become unavailable when the students need it most. The website has needed multiple updates throughout the year in order to adapt to the heavy student usage. Along with the fact that these updates take away time

from student usage of the Moodle, administrators have also made some changes and alterations that are confusing and hard for students to work around. Although the school has encountered a few other problems with fulfilling high standards this year, the student body has started to realize how the seniors handled the situation last year. These problems allow students to learn how to cope with difficulties

and enjoy the experience. If this trend continues, it seems certain that the school will start to listen to student feedback and suggestions Just remember one thing Pattonville: Ideally it would be difficult to envision a school that is perfect for every single student. Even though the school will always encounter various flaws, the faculty will eventually come to a consensus to meet deadlines more frequently to keep a solid reputation.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.

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Vargas Managing Editor Sierra Peerman Copy Editor Allison Leventhal Design Editor Joey Schneider

Photo Editor Bionca Maldonado Staff Writers Kyleigh Ambrosecchia Katherine Bahr Brady Bell Elizabeth Ferguson Taylor Holmstrom

Abby Kieffer Erin Leventhal Samantha Madden Thomas Sarsfield Phillip Scherer Leroy Taylor Timothy Vleisides Adviser - Brian Heyman

Features

French

DECEMBER 2012 l PIRATE PRESS l

Foreign languages gain in popularity With most colleges requiring credit in foreign language, more students enrolling By Allison Leventhal

B Spanish German

onjour! Hallo! ¡Hola! While walking through the halls of Pattonville, especially in the lower H wing, these greetings are commonly heard. While English is definitely the most common language spoken at Pattonville, students are branching out and getting more involved in foreign languages. French, German, and Spanish are the only foreign languages offered at Pattonville, but seem to be popular enough. Students who are actually enrolled in these foreign language classes have their own opinions. Clare Pond, currently in French 4, says the language is “very pretty. It’s romantic.” Jacob Painter, president of German Club and enrolled in German 3, says that the German language is “ausgezeichnet!” (excellent). Geizy Momanyi, president of Spanish National Honor Society

and taking Spanish 4, believes that Spanish is “fun and exciting, but sometimes complicated.” French, German, and Spanish all offer clubs for students to get involved in. Pond and Painter both say that the purpose of their club is to learn more about the culture of their language, furthering what they’ve already learned in class. Contrastingly, Momanyi says the purpose of SNHS is “to help the community in as many ways as possible and have an impact.” As students in these clubs are learning more about their language, they are also taking part in some competition with one another. German Club recently challenged French Club to a friendly game of kickball. Painter commented on the game, saying, “German Club beat French Club because we’re stronger and our team had more energy on the bench.” The final score was 12-4. German Club will be seeking

out another victory against SNHS this upcoming spring. For students who may want to take a foreign language, but don’t know which one, Pond says French is “a really beautiful language. It’s fun, Ms. Chabot is a really awesome teacher, and it’s pretty easy to learn.” Painter believes students should take German over French or Spanish because “it is much easier. I know from experience of taking 3 years of Spanish. And Frau Frerker makes every day of class a fun one.” Momanyi presents her view that “Spanish can help you in the future. There are more opportunities to speak Spanish than German or French.” While French, German, and Spanish have their differences and internal rivalries, they are all fun and interesting, helping students learn about various different cultures around the world. v

Students, teachers have interesting hobbies away from school Whether it’s genealogy, collections or art, students and teachers at Pattonville find a way to keep entertained when not completing classwork By Taylor Holmstrom

hen they are not in school, some of the students and teachers of Pattonville High School are taking part in interesting hobbies, or working on certain interesting collections. For example, English teacher Janet Baldwin enjoys studying her family’s genealogy, by looking at her family’s origins, and looking for any interesting historical events that her

ancestors may have been a part of. “My ancestors were actually part of the Quakers,” Baldwin said. “Four of my family members were on the Mayflower and some of them were part of the Underground Railroad escape.” Sarah Guilfoyle, who also teaches English, said she has an extensive collection of Monopoly merchandise, which she receives from her father each Christmas. “I have a paperweight, blanket,

Christmas ornament, coffee mug, socks, and I have a bunch of different versions of the game,” Guilfoyle said. “I have Star Wars, dogs, and I have this semi-truck that can fold into a game board and has all of the Monopoly pieces inside.” Sophomore Star Huddleston has made her own collection of handmade clay figures she designs based on cartoon characters. “I first got into clay by seeing that my online friends had made

Teacher Vocab Quiz

By Bionca Maldonado

Most students believe that teachers are from a different day and age, well they are. Teachers are always correcting your grammar, but they just don’t undestand that’s how we talk. Well, the tables have turned and now the students are correcting the teachers’ ‘slang’. Fields (feeldz) Neck- v. When someone says something incredibly stupid or idiotic. EX. 1. Man, I’m really excited to see the new Transformers movie! Man, that movie came out like two years ago! Neck! N00b- adj. Refers to people in the video game world, a person new to a game or realm. EX. 1. Man, I was playing Call of Duty last night and this N00b came in and wrecked my whole campaign. DeMoss (Dee•Moss) Swag- adj. Style or class EX. 1. He got swag. Flamed- exp. Being made to look foolish. EX. 1. He got flamed! Chunk!

Making clay figures based off of cartoon characters is a hobby of Star Huddleston. She got into it by seeing other people make them first. Art and background by Star Huddleston

their own clay figures and thought it looked fun and found out about Polymer clay, which is cheap and easy to use.” She puts the clay figures in the oven at 275 degrees after she completes making them. “You just need to keep them in normally about 18 minutes because they’re typically small,” Huddleston said. “I use polymer type clay, and a sculpey clay resin coating after it’s done cooking in the oven.” v

The Fear Factor

By Tim Vleisides

One characteristic that can heavily differ from student-to-student is fear. While being afraid of snakes and spiders is a more common phobia, many familiar faces seen in the hallways every day are haunted by people, objects, or ideas that can be very unique to say the least. Here’s a glimpse into the minds of several Pattonville students and staff and the horrors that may lurk inside at any given moment.

Damian Pruitt, sophomore

Fear of E.T.

(Extra Terrestrial) AP Photo/ Nick Ut)

Keith Scott, senior

Fear of open doors

Katelynn Cody, junior

Fear of Oompa Loompas (Photo by Casey Rodgers/ Invision for WONKA/ AP Images)

McFarland (Mic•far•land) Bazinga- exp. EX 1. Last time it snowed there was ice on the sidewalk and I slipped and fell on my bazinga!

Brendan Schaefer, junior

Fear of Friday the 13th (Paraskevidekatriaphobia)

Lopinot (Lo•peh•no) Swerve- v. To avoid EX. 1. I’m going to swerve that test! Ratchet- adj. Dirty, disgusting, disheveled. EX. 1. That hair makes her look so ratchet!

Hannah Donaldson, senior

Fear of Christopher Walken

Maddy Armbruster, junior

Jordan Taylor, junior

Shaw (Shaw) Bronie- n. Group of guy friends EX. 1. Mom! I can’t do my homework after school today! I have to hang with my bronies! Deuces- exp. See you later EX. 1. I gotta go, deuces! Fitzgerald (Fitz•jer•ald) Chunk- exp. A big piece of something EX. 1. I would like to eat a big chunk of bacon. Throwin’ 4s- v. Putting four fingers up EX. 1. Students throw up fours to recognize their homies. Dobrinic (Dob•reh•nick) Photobomb- adj. When someone takes your picture and your hair is messy and you look bad. EX. 1. Did you see that picture of me that was taken the other day? My hair was greasy and my clothes were wrinkled, it was a total photobomb.

AP Photo/ Evan Agostini, file)

(AP Photo/ Steven Senne)

Fear of blenders (Mechanophobia: fear of machines) Fear of chihuahuas (Cynophobia: fear of dogs)

Justin Smiley teacher

Fear of public toilet seats

Mr. Doug Newton, teacher

Fear of driving next to horse trailers (AP Photo/ Amy Sancetta)