November 2012 Pirate Press by Pirate Press

PIRATE PRESS PattonvilleTODAY.com

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An alarming curiosity

Homecoming Weekend, pgs. 4-5

Fright Fest at Six Flags, pg. 7

Democrat, Republican Clubs, pg. 8

Pattonville High School 2497 Creve Coeur Mill Road Maryland Heights MO 63043 l Vol. 77 Issue: 2 November 2012

Pirates get their “Game On”

School must conduct 10 safety drills in first semester By Joey Schneider igh schools around Missouri are required to conduct multiple safety drills in order to get the students and faculty familiar with specific emergency procedures. This is because multiple staff members find student safety as a critical aspect of the school experience, which needs to be controlled for a peaceful school environment. “We need trust within safety [from faculty and students] so that students can learn and teachers can teach effectively,” said Assistant Principal Gene Grimshaw. The school conducts four specific drills throughout the year. These include intruder alerts, and drills for earthquakes, tornados, and fires “We have a prescribed action step for all of these drills for teachers and administrators to follow,” explained Grimshaw. “[Drills] are a necessary part of every high school for the safety.” Fire alarms are the most common drills that take place. Two are required to be done in the first two weeks of the year, along with five additional drills throughot the first semester, and a total of 10 by the end of the school year. In addition, Pattonville is required to follow procedures for intruder alerts, tornado drills and earthquake drills twice each year. This adds on six more drills, including three in one semester, that account for the state-required 16 by the end of the year. “I think [drills] are necessary so that we can get use to leaving the building without thinking too hard and knowing what to do,” said English teacher Kenneth Lopinot. Each individual drill involves different instructions and com-

>> See ALARMS, page 2

Quarterback Lamar Wilkes hands the ball off to running back Robert Barnes in the Homecoming game on Oct. 13. The playbook, with a balance of rushing and passing calls, led the Pirates to their first victory of the season. Photo by Brady Bell

By Tim Vleisides and Brady Bell

Senior Josh Walker leads the football team onto the field in his final Homecoming game. After pumping the athletes up, the Pirates ran through the banner held by the cheerleaders. The team won its first game in the new stadium, 22-14. Photo by Brady Bell

Quarterback Lamar Wilkes had nine completions for 171 total yards and one touchdown, including a seasonlong 92-yard pass to junior Robert Zimmerman. Photo by Brady Bell

bit of Homecoming magic seemed to be present Saturday afternoon in Pattonville Stadium. The forecasted rain managed to hold off, students, teachers, and alumni alike were all present, and the Pirate Boys gained their first win of the season. The significance of the Homecoming game for players like senior wide receiver Justin Morrow did not diminish, despite the Pirates’ 0-7 record leading into the day. “It was our last home game at the new stadium in front of all our friends so we had to have a good game in front of the crowd,” Morrow said. “I also wanted to look back when I graduate knowing that we at least won our Homecoming game.” Sophomore wide receiver/quarterback Jake Stroker was just as optimistic, saying the game would be “the beginning of new things” after the 22-14 victory over Hazelwood West. Yet the Pirates knew that victory would not come without teamwork. Before the game, junior Lamar Wilkes talked about his intangible responsibilities as quarterback, saying, “I have to lead my team, pick them up when they’re down, and cheer them on no matter what the outcome.” Wilkes went into the game with 41 completions for 552 yards and 3 touchdowns. Yet along with this togetherness comes execution according to Coach Steve Smith. Smith mentioned how “staying on top of the gameplan in practices” helped lead to a victory on gameday. He also touted his team’s resilience, claiming that they “try to focus in practice. The attitude of the kids is that they’re still fighting; one

thing we won’t do is quit.” As gameday arrived, Smith’s team warmed up on the field as usual. To an ordinary fan, nothing may have appeared differently in the way the players stretched, went through position-specific drills, and discussed last-minute arrangements with their coaches. However, according to offensive lineman Shane McAtee, the team felt more excitement before this game than any other. “[The locker room was] amped. Everyone was yelling and jumping and pushing each other around,” McAtee noted. “We were ready to go.” This same eagerness followed the team as they propelled onto the field through a tunnel of pompoms, cheerleaders, and the enormous paper banner filled with balloons. That morning, the Pirates’ attitude reflected that of a team with everything to gain from a Homecoming win; as acknowledged by Smith. “A win would be huge. It’d boost the morale of the kids, help them have a more enjoyable Homecoming, set the tone to possibly do interesting things toward the end of the season and a possible run in district play.” By the end of the day, the Pirates would earn their first varsity win of the 2012 season. As the players’ cheers rang loudly from the locker room, many fans were equally as excited. “I’m very excited for [the team],” Taylor Jackson said. “It’s great that all their work ethic finally paid off.” v Editor’s note: DeSmet defeated Pattonville 41-0 on Oct. 26 in the first round of the Class 6, District 2 playoffs ending the 2012 season.

Students show pride by dressing up during spirit week Pirates represent their classes by participating in daily contests, seniors have highest percentage of students involved and win the annual title By Jessica Vargas

attonville’s Spirit Week was held Oct. 8-12. Throughout the whole week, the number of students participating in each grade was tallied up to determine which class had the most spirit. Each day, members of Student Council would announce the winner. In the end, seniors won the title followed by the juniors, sophomores and freshmen. The class competition started on Monday, Oct. 8 with Neon Day. Everyone wanting to participate wore bright pink,

yellow, orange, green, and blue to school. “Neon Day was really cool because everyone was wearing bright, highlighter, neon colors,” said junior Casey Prosise. “I think those bright colors are really fun and my favorite is neon pink, which I was wearing that day.” On the following day, Tuesday, Oct. 9, many Pattonville Pirates showed what a true Pirate looked like. On Dress Like A Pirate Day, students came to school wearing eye patches and pirate hats.

Some decided to actually wear a full pirate costume. “I think Pirate Day was a great idea,” said nurse Heidi Lanham. “It really showed school spirit because, I mean, we are the Pirates.” Elderly Day was on Wednesday, Oct. 10, and students such as seniors Morgan Mars, Erik Solorio, Nikki Spencer, Maysa Daoud, and science teacher and STUCO adviser Megan Hernke dyed their hair gray or wore wigs. “I think Elderly Day was one of the harder days of the week,

but I would say it was one of the more fun days too because people dressed up really quirky and weird,” said junior Nathan Samples. It was a blast from the past on Thursday, Oct. 11, as students tried their best to match the dress in class designated decades. Bringing back the poodle skirts and leather jackets, the freshmen traveled back in time to the 1950s. The sophomores went back to the 1960s, also known as the hippie years. The juniors brought back the disco

years of the 1970s wearing big afros and bell-bottom pants. Seniors were decked out with styles from the 1980s with a lot of girls teasing their hair really big, wearing bright leggings and bold eye shadow while guys popped their collars. “For Decades Day, I dressed up as Sally Ride, an astronaut from the 80s,” said Hernke. “The astronaut suit was actually an original. Seeing the students dress up in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s was really funny. It was awesome how accurate the

>> See SPIRIT WEEK, page 5

Feature

NOVEMBER 2012 l PIRATE PRESS l

>>ALARMS, from pg.1 mands. Most of these drills are scheduled and cut into specific class periods. However, Grimshaw suggests that all drills are urgent and involve good communication between the staff and students. One unexpected drill occurred on Sept. 12. The school had received a phone call that a bomb was present. Students walked toward the football field expecting that it was nothing but a mandatory fire drill. As a large amount of time had elapsed, some students became slightly more concerned and began to listen directly to the commands of the principals.

“On the day of the bomb threat, students and staff were very cooperative and we were able to do [our part] safely in under an hour because of that,” Grimshaw said. “We had a trusting student body and staff that assured us everybody was safe.” While students regrouped with their 3rd hour teachers, police were searching the building to make sure that all students and staff were away from the possible danger of the scene. “Even though there have been a lot of drills this year, they help out with knowing what to do in the case of an emergency,” said junior Kyle McFarling. v

The New Fire Alarm System

On top of an increase in frequency of drills, the alarm system has appeared to sound louder and more agitating to students than in the past. While construction and changes were happening to the school over summer, the fire alarms were replaced with a higher pitched decibel sound. “There were three different settings of horns and sirens that we could choose from,” Grimshaw said. “The one [chosen] has been set to the lowest possible decibel system so that the school could pass state requirements.” Students have mixed opinions on how they feel about the new alarm system and what they sound like.

What does it sound like? “An annoying alarm clock,” said Doan Trieu (12) “It sounds like a cicada or loud bird,” said Kyle McFarling (11) “Like a normal fire truck,” said Amber Hall (10)

However, all three interviewed students think that the loud alarm sound motivates people to exit the building faster. v

GSA makes effort to stop bullying Students sign a GSA pledge at lunch; show anti-bullying by wearing purple By Bionca Maldonado erb: Bullying may be defined as the activity of repeated, aggressive behavior intended to hurt another person, physically or mentally. Bullying is characterized by an individual behaving in a certain way to gain power over another person. “Bullying hurts self-esteem. It’s degrading and it gets people nowhere. It really shows your true colors,” said Katherine Bahr, a member of S.P.E.A.K. and vice president of GSA. “To

me, bullies are people who look for others’ insecurities and uses it to their advantage.” Ally Week was Oct. 15-19 and GSA was excited to spread the word. “All I want is for people to come together and support each other,” said Shawn Houston, secretary of GSA. “I want everyone to be open-minded and not judgmental because someone is gay, or bi, or even straight.” S.P.E.A.K. showed their support by wearing purple on Friday. People across the nation were encouraged to wear

purple on Oct. 19 to take a stand against bullying. GLAAD’s Spirit Day is an annual event in October when millions of Americans wear purple to speak out against bullying and to show their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. GSA had students sign an anti-bullying pledge during all lunch sessions. “If you signed the pledge, it means you are a proud supporter of the LGBT community and we need all the support we can get,” said Houston. v

Dodgeball tournament set to take place despite uncertainties of enough teams The tournament raises money for Prom, provides competition for students on the teams By Taylor Holmstrom

eams consisting of five boys, five girls, and one teacher will be competing in Pattonville High School’s annual dodgeball tournament on Nov. 5, and sponsored by the junior class and put together by teachers Heather Lopez-Johnston and Christine Edwards. The tournament is designed to raise $110 per team, which will be collected and used for the junior and senior prom.

Lopez-Johnston explained that if there is another tournament later in the year, the profits collected will go to a charity or organization decided by the students at that time. At the time of publication, not all teams have been confirmed, but Lopez-Johnston expects around 20 teams to participate this year. The due date for order forms was originally Oct. 12, but was pushed back after almost no

order forms were turned in. With a cancellation threat being issued if there was not enough interest, teams were actually finalized. The tournament has already attracted some participants from last year, such as senior Sean Glankler, who said his favorite parts of the tournament are “hitting people, dodging stuff, and watching the big people hide in the back and do nothing.” v

Second part to Twilight: Breaking Dawn to be released Nov. 16 Popular book series written by Stephenie Meyer comes to an end on the big screen in November By Sierra Peerman

cheduled to premiere on Nov. 16, tickets for Breaking Dawn Part 2 are on sale for advanced purchase. And if you missed the first four movies, Wehrenberg Theatres offers guests the chance to watch the Twilight Breaking Dawn Marathon featuring all the Twilight films (with a running time of 376 minutes) leading up to and including the midnight premiere of Breaking Dawn. After the premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part

1 on Nov. 18 of last year, avid Twilight fans have been anxiously awaiting the release of the last and final movie of the series. The Twilight series started with a character named Bella who falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. There are four books, with the last one being split into two movies. New Moon focused more on Jacob and Bella’s relationship after Edward left her only to return after Bella saves him from killing himself. Eclipse, the third story in the

series, builds Bella and Edward’s relationship more in spite of Jacob being mad that Bella plans on becoming a vampire. In Breaking Dawn Part 1, the Cullens have to focus on keeping Bella alive and Renesmee is born. All of this has led up to the last and final part being told. The second part of Breaking Dawn focuses more on Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). It continues with the Cullens gathering all the vampire clans to protect Renesmee. The Volturi are wrongly ac-

cusing her of being a dangerous vampire who is too young to control. The Cullens therefore ask their friends to witness her growth and prove to the Volturi that she is part human. Kristen Stewart returns to her role as Bella Cullen and Robert Pattinson stars as Edward Cullen. It also features Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black and Dakota Fanning as Jane. The movie is rated PG-13 for violence and some disturbing images. v

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03 lPIRATE PRESS l NOVEMBER 2012

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Students participate heavily in Spirit Week By Erin Leventhal “S.E.N.I.O-R-S we are the best, go seniors! Go seniors!” At the end of spirit week, the senior class came out on top with a total of 170 points. Maysa Dauod, senior, said, “The fact that everyone was so involved really made me feel as if the senior class was one group rather than a bunch of strangers. The atmosphere was fun and friendly.” Throughout the week, the classes took part in competitions including spirit days, tug-of-war, float building and more. Erik Solorio, STUCO president, said that to prepare for spirit week, “[STUCO] had a lot of meetings and decided the spirit days as a group. The officers and execu-

tives worked well together to make the best spirit week.” Each class came together for friendly competition and bragging rights. Darleen Bequette, STUCO representative, said it took a lot of work to get people involved and spirited. Bequette said, “STUCO members sent out group texts, posted on the STUCO Facebook page, hung posters in the hallways, and made announcements during school.” For underclassman Jazmine Webber, spirit week inspired her to be more involved next year. Webber said, “I found it exciting to see so many people involved in spirit week, and I definitely want to be more involved next year.” v

Spirit Week Results First place – Seniors (170 points) Second place – Juniors (155 points) Third place – Sophomores (110 points) Fourth place – Freshman (65 points)

Freshmen - Class of 2016 Sophomores - Class of 2015

Freshman float: Clue

Sophomore float: Game of Life

“The freshman homecoming float to me was really nice. A lot of effort and hard work was put into making it.” – Freshman Nathalie Solorio

“It was a lot of fun to do because everyone got along and it was fun working on it.” -Sophomore Zoe Blaesing

Juniors - Class of 2014

Seniors - Class of 2013

Junior float: Monopoly

Senior float: Candyland

“Though our float turned out different than we planned, a lot of people showed up to help with it which was awesome.” – Junior Rachel Murphy, Class President

“It was awesome to see the float come together after hours of hard work. The senior class really went all out.” – Senior Blake Anderson

Parade is a game-winner for spectators Students build floats for specific board game, while others walk and threw out candy By Taylor Holmstrom n a cloudy Saturday morning, Pattonville High School held its annual Homecoming parade down Creve Coeur Mill Road. The parade, which centered around the theme of “Game On” acted as a conclusion to the school spirit

week competition, and served as a way to kick off the events on Oct. 13, which included the Homecoming football game and dance. As police cars cleared traffic, the parade began with the Teacher and Support Staff Member of the Year serving as grand marshalls.

Following them were various performing groups such as the band and color guard. Each Pattonville graduating class also appeared in the parade with floats based off of board games such as the Game of Life and Monopoly. “The students enjoyed working together,” Heather Lopez-

Johnston, one of the overseers of the float designing, said. Clubs such as Caring for Others, Student Quest, and PALs also appeared in the parade, along with floats from other Pattonville schools, including Remington Traditional, Rose Acres Elementary, Bridgeway

Elementary, and Briarcrest Elementary. A car designed to look like a pirate ship and a firetruck, both full of Pattonville students, brought up the rear as the floats, with students who threw candy toward spectators, moved into the parking lot as the parade came to an end. v

Saturday’s Homecoming

5. 1. Marching band members hold their fist in the air as the football team kicks the Homecoming game off at Pattonville Stadium. 2. Senior Taylor Jackson drops her flowers as she reacts to her name being announced as Homecoming Queen during halftime. 3. On the sidelines, the football team looks onto the field during the second half of the game. 4. Senior Sean Glankler works up a sweat as he dances the night away at the Homecoming dance on Saturday night. Photo By Erin Hubbartt. 5. Students line up on the floor to dance to the “Cupid Shuffle” during Homecoming. Photo by Abby Kieffer. 6. At Homecoming, students dance the night away to popular songs with friends. Photo by Erin Hubbartt.

>>SPIRIT WEEK, from pg. 1 outfits were. They probably stole some clothes from their parents, but they put a lot of thought into it.” The last day of spirit week, Friday, Oct. 12 was Class Color day to compliment the class competitions during the pep rally in the main gym. Freshmen showed their pride of being the Class of 2016 by wearing yellow, the sophomores wore blue,

onday

juniors were dressed in red, and the Class of 2013 went all out with the color green. The seniors wore green from head to toe. Senior girls Allison Anth, Rachael Newberry, Erin Collier, Hannah Williams, Taylor McGhee, Melanie Lywiski and Sammie Bauer made their own senior headbands made with a bandana and silver rhinestones. Some “dyed” their hair

uesday

green, wore long green socks, wore green bead necklaces, and even painted their faces green and white. “I thought Class Color day was the best spirit day because it helped contribute to the atmosphere of the Homecoming assembly,” said senior president Isaac Caverly. “It really showed the pride and spirit that our student body entails.” v

ednesday

hursday

For more pictures from Homecoming week, visit PattonvilleTODAY.com and search Photo Slideshow. Also available: Video from Friday’s Pep Rally and the Homecoming Parade.

riday

06 Cheering for yourself to win

Sports

NOVEMBER 2012 l PIRATE PRESS l

Varsity squad finishes in 7th place at Missouri State Championships By Erin Collier he varsity cheerleading team traveled to Columbia, Mo., to perform in the state competition on Oct. 21. They competed in the 5A Large Division and finished in 7th place. The state champion was Liberty High School. “We didn’t do as well as we could have done,” varsity cheerleader Emily

Bartram said. “Overall, the performance was good, but I just feel like a lot of us were nervous.” For some V-Rahs, it was their first appearance at the state competition. Last year, the cheerleading team was unable to compete because of injuries. Sophomore Zoe Blaesing said there was added pressure to perform. “It felt like we were doing a different routine out

there,” Blaesing said. “It was a bigger stage and we weren’t used to performing like that.” Blaesing said she had learned a lot for the future at the competition. “We just need to be a lot more confident and make sure we know what we are doing,” Blaesing said. “In the future, we will just work a lot harder in order to be prepared.” v

defense to another whole level, especially with the defensive rushing game.” Smith said. While the defense has vastly improved since last year, the offense will need to be just as effective. “Sam Bradford will have to throw the ball and find ways to get the offense going as the franchise quarterback,” Smith said. The team has two running backs in Steven Jackson and Darryl Richardson to accompany the young core of wide receivers. “Even though Amendola

The Rams adjusted on both sides of the ball with a new set of athletes as 27 players who were on the team in 2011 are no longer playing in the NFL. The Blues are currently involved in a lock-out and the Cardinals were knocked from the playoffs, leaving the Rams as the only St. Louis professional sports team playing right now. It may take time for Rams spirit to increase, but “People are actually excited to say they have tickets on a Sunday to a game at the Dome,” Balzer said. v

• Daily Lunch Specials Rams aim for more success than in recent years • Happy Hour Specials By Joey Schneider defensive leaders have is hurt, the receivers are stepped up their game to maturing more, and Branrofessional football • Big Event/Birthday/All Celebrations hasn’t been a prime get the big wins. don Gibson is teaching the “Chris Long and Courtrookies how to play,” junior topic of discussion • Big Game Specials land Finnegan take the Zack Balzer said. in St. Louis since Marshall

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Faulk retired in 2004. However, the Rams are looking forward to changing that as they strive to reach big goals under the management of new coach Jeff Fisher. Although the Rams have not finished a season above .500 since 2006, the team is 3-5 as of Oct. 28. “Coach Jeff Fischer has been key to their success,” senior Josh Smith said. “He brought the AFC-style defense to the Rams and has taught them how to be physical.” Smith believes the

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07 lPIRATE PRESS l NOVEMBER 2012 Ferg’s Katie’s Korner Focus Talk with your hands Seniors have earned their senior privileges

By Elizabeth Ferguson s all of you should know, the school parking lot is allowed to be used only by the juniors and seniors. Last year, and the first few weeks of this year, due to construction and overflow parking, the school sent some students to park in Grace Church parking lot. At the beginning of this year, the principals made the school parking lot available to seniors only. As the construction cleared up, they slowly issued juniors school parking lot stickers to allow them to park at the school. Personally, I think only the seniors should be allowed to use the parking lot because we should have seniority. I understand the seniors are already given a lot, but it is our final year to enjoy high school. Of course the underclassmen whine and complain about the things they cannot do or have, but seniors should have certain privileges that the rest of the classes do not have. It may not seem fair to them at the time, but just like all the privileges that we have had to wait for, the underclassmen will get when they are seniors just like us. v

Staff Editorial It is the opinion of the Pirate Press that Cardinals fans around the school shouldn’t be too upset about this year’s postseason results.

hile the Cardinals are rich in tradition and postseason memories, their 2012 postseason run ended suddenly and abruptly after blowing a 3-1 NLCS lead against the Giants. But who is there to blame? Every player on the roster could be blamed for the team’s failure to reach the World Series. People could brainstorm a million of ideas and complaints about both the Cardinals pitchers and hitters, but in the end, this criticism won’t likely help out the team. One fact that few fans take into consideration is that without the addition of the second Wild Card spot this season, the Cardinals would not have qualified for the playoffs. When compared to last year, the Cardinals made a similar run this postseason, but with many new faces on the club. Tony

PIRATE PRESS

By Katherine Bahr n many high schools, foreign language classes are offered with options like French, German and Spanish. But I believe that American Sign Language (ASL) should be offered as a foreign language in high schools. Just as any language it takes hard work and practice. ASL is used by the hearing, hard of hearing, and of course deaf people in the United States. In most languages, pronunciation is key; stressing the wrong thing can vastly change the sentence.

When signing, you have to be careful of what you are trying to say because the slightest change in movement can change the phrase “Nice to meet you” to “Nice to eat you.” Roughly 2 million people nationwide use ASL and it is important to learn in order to communicate with all people. In attempt to persuade the school district to add ASL as a class, I provide three of the 11 standards that the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language use to consider a foreign language appropriate for a school classroom:

Allison’s Angle

Opinion Standard 1.1: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions; Standard 1.2: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics; and Standard 1.3: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

These standards definitely align with Pattonville’s expectations to be considered a foreign language. Currently, Pattonville High School offers an ASL Club after school. This club meets on Tuesdays from 6:45-7:15 a.m. and has about 15 active members. I hope this club will grow in membership which will encourage administrators to make it an available class during the school day. v

Fright Fest provides a unique experience, promotes Halloween Spirit Back Lot Terror Tour that could only be seen during Fright Fest. Each of these attractions had a haunting background story, and when people walked through they were meant to experience the entire story in real life. Of course, one could have received quite a shock just by walking through the park. Zombies, vampires, and witches could have been around any corner, waiting to jump out of nowhere and scare someone half to death. And if that wasn’t a high enough scare factor for someone, there were also men and women with chainsaws following people around.

By Allison Leventhal

etween the scares and the rides, Fright Fest at Six Flags was the place to be for anyone looking to be in the Halloween

spirit. Beginning the weekend of Sept. 28 and ending the weekend of Oct. 26, Six Flags was open to give people one last scare before closing for the season. All rides were running normally, the only difference being it was nighttime instead of daytime. Riding a roller coaster through the pitch black night was sure to be scarier than being guided by the light of day. Six Flags also had a few attractions such as Insanity Alley, the Slaughter House, and the

LaRussa is no longer bringing his managerial expertise to the club, while former icon Albert Pujols left the Cards for money in the offseason. In addition, veteran leaders Chris Carpenter and Lance Berkman encountered injuries that kept them out of play for the bulk of the season. With all of the excuses the Cards could’ve used in their favor to underperform, they were able to put most of those issues behind and finish above .500 in Mike Matheny’s first full season as a manager. Finishing with more than 81 wins may seem like a simple task for a reigning World Series champion, but with a new outlook of coaches and players it was far from easy. The Cardinals have also experimented with something that hasn’t been done a whole lot in the past. The team has relied on home-grown talent to fill in big roles. In fact, 17 of the 25 players on the postseason roster were original Cardinals draft picks, who worked up to the big leagues. Yadier Molina and Jason Motte highlight some of the big names that came up through the Cards minor league system. With departures and injuries of Redbirds from 2011’s team, many young players have had to find roles on the team. Matt

Although not every area of the park was filled with zombies and people with chainsaws, it was recommended that children under the age of 12 not attend Fright Fest. The rides, decorations, and all attractions at Fright Fest this year made for a great way to spend a weekend before Halloween. Next year’s events are sure to be just as frightful. v

Cartoon by Eric Bateman

Carpenter became an effective utilityman and pinch-hitter, while Mitchell Boggs found a role as the 8th inning man. The Cards had the whole trading deadline to consider swapping some of their homegrown talent for experienced players. While they did acquire veteran pitcher Edward Mujica, the team stayed put at the deadline because Matheny and GM John Mozeliak found confidence and trust within the young core.

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.

The team has relied heavily on young talent to win games along with veteran leaders. After all of the epic comebacks and moments that led to a playoff berth, it is fair to say that rookies such as Trevor Rosenthal and Pete Kozma made contributions that were just as important as veterans like Matt Holliday, Carlos Beltran and Kyle Lohse. The season can be categorized in a few ways. Some may think that injuries and quick manaEditor-in-Chief Jessica Vargas Managing Editor Sierra Peerman Copy Editor Allison Leventhal Design Editor Joey Schneider

gerial decisions set the team back. Others simply believe that inconsistency in the all-around mechanics lead to the team’s NLCS collapse. The Cardinals put everything they could in the tank with the resources they had, and came up just short. Sure, the Cards may not be playing in the World Series, but at least be appreciative that the Cardinals put in the commitment they did to be a postseason threat in 2012. v

Photo Editor Elizabeth Ferguson Staff Writers Kyleigh Ambrosecchia Katherine Bahr Brady Bell Taylor Holmstrom Abby Kieffer

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

08 NOVEMBER 2012 l PIRATE PRESS l

News

vs.

(information from BarackObama.com)

By Tom Sarsfield

very four years, the electorate of the United States is given the ability to choose the politician that will lead their country. On the Tuesday following the first Monday of November, the eligible voting populace of the United States go to their local polling places to cast their vote for the President and Vice President. As the day wears on, the total votes are counted, but this victory of winning over the masses does not guarantee a candidate the Oval Office. The President-to-be, also called the President-Elect, isn’t formally announced until after the Electoral Col(AP Photo/David Goldman/Eric Gay) lege convenes and votes on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December. The Electoral College was -Withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014 the result of disagreements between early American lead-Healthcare should be reformed on the ers. One side of early leaders wanted the President to be federal level directly picked by the people themselves, however, the oth-Taxes on rich should increase er side wanted the President to be decided by a select few -Decrease military spending by .5% and who have the people’s interest in mind. troop levels by 100,000 The Electoral College was created as a compromise to -America should invest in green energies the two sides. Each state has a number -Conduct War on Terror by targeting terror- of electors that is equal to its number of U.S. Senators plus ist leaders the number of its U.S. representatives. -Cut corporate taxes from 35% to 28% Missouri has 10 electoral votes and there are 538 electoral votes in the country. A

Barack Obama (D)

The Search for the Right President

Mitt Romney (R) -Withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014 if USA is ready -20% Across-the-Board Income Tax Cut -Healthcare should be reformed on the state level -Increase military spending by $2 trillion over next decade -Taxes on rich should not increase -Repeal Obamacare -Balanced budget amendment (information from MittRomney.com)

candidate needs 270 in order to be declared the victor. Most of the time, the votes are based on who receives the most votes in that state, but there is no law keeping electors giving their votes to a specific political party. The electors of each state meet in their state capitals to cast their votes and these votes are officially read on Jan. 6 with the winner sworn into office at noon on Jan. 20 at noon. There have been only four elections in American history where a candidate has won the popular vote, but ended up losing the presidency. The first was in 1824 when Andrew Jackson actually won the popular vote and the majority of the Electoral vote, but he didn’t have the minimum 131 electoral votes needed at the time to secure office. So, it actually ended up going to the House of Representatives, where John Quincy Adams was picked to be President. In 1876, Rutherford Hayes won the election by one vote in the Electoral College but lost the popular vote by 250,000 ballots. In 1888, Benjamin Harrison won the electoral vote, but lost the popular vote by nearly 100,000 votes. In more recent history, George W. Bush won over Al Gore in the 2000 election narrowly with five electoral votes. However, Gore won the popular vote by about 540,000 votes. v

How does a President get elected to office?

Politics at Pattonville

planning a big party on Election Day.” The Young Republicans are also planning big things, according to all involved. “We are planning on having a variety of guest speakers talk to the club as well as scheduling more events as we get closer to Election Day,” said Anderson. The Young Republicans want everyone to know that they are welcome to join, even if they are actually Democrats. “We will actually have Democratic guest speakers come in throughout the year. We just want people to understand our policies. The main thing we want people to know is that we just want to explain ourselves, rather than bashing the other party.” Regardless of political affiliation, both clubs are excited to educate students about the political parties and want everyone to become involved. “We want everyone to form their own opinion and become excited to be involved in the political process,” said Daoud. v

State Representative Patrick Brennan talks to the Young Republicans Club. Bottom: Projected through a mirror, Adam Kaminsky (center) addresses the members of the Young Democrats Club. Photos by Phillip Scherer.

and are able to form our own opinions rather than forcing our views on our members,” said Young Democrats officer Anjali Fernandes. Anderson of the Young Republicans does, however, have one issue with the organization of the Young Democrats, the $3 dues that they require for membership. “We want everyone to be able to come and not feel like they are being forced into paying money,” said Anderson, whose club does not require dues. “What if someone does not have those dues just laying around?” The Young Democrats have a different view on this issue. “Our dues are used to pay for T–shirts, food, and to make our club an official chapter of the Young Democrats of America,” said Fernandes. As the elections begin to get closer, both clubs intend to do more things to further the cause of their clubs. Maysa Daoud of the Young Democrats said, “We have had debate-watching parties and are

Democrat and Republican Clubs

By Phillip Scherer

A s the election season heats up, the Young Democrats and Young Republicans clubs have organized themselves to further their understanding of the political parties as well as educate students to further their cause. Young Republicans public relations officer Blake Anderson said, “We help students understand what Republicans stand for. We are an open group and we have debates, learning Republican policies.” Through their leaders, Isaac Caverly (Republicans) and Adam Kaminsky (Democrats), the clubs closely follow the campaigns of both parties, both at the local and national levels. “So far, we have helped the McCaskill campaign by canvassing, and we have had Mary Nichols come in to speak to the club,” said Kaminsky. These special events have allowed the Young Democrats to further their own understanding. “We learn about the policies