PN 82—2

Volume LXXXII, Issue II

sluh.org/prepnews

St. Louis University High School | Friday, September 1, 2017

Running of the Bills 2017

Lower enrollment, budget pressure leads to lost positions

BY Matthew CORE STAFF

Quinlan

44.

F

acing a decrease in enrollment, the administration of St. Louis U. High worked with departments of faculty and staff to realign roles and responsibilities in an attempt to rectify the budget. Five and a half positions were cut through realignment and attrition and the elimination of two full-time staff positions. Included in those five and a half positions were former Head of Security Charlie Clark and former technology associate Andrea Nunziante.

A significant decrease in enrollment numbers between this year and last year led to this decision. Last photo | Sulli Wallisch year’s enrollment was approximately 1041 students, while this year’s enrollment is 997 students, a drop of

“It’s about the stewardship of the resources we receive, from parents paying tuition and benefactors supporting the school, and it is about the quality of the program we put in front of people, and that can change based upon different aspects of enrollment, (and) we’re trying to manage a lower tuition increase and be fair in the compensation of the faculty and staff,” said president David Laughlin.

“It is a formula that is about enrollment, quality of program, tuition increases, and compensation.”

The compensation part of this formula deals directly with faculty and staff.

“We have the brilliant minds of our faculty and staff who provide the edu-

continued on page 4

Lanyards come with unexpected problems

BY Jack Schweizer EDITOR IN CHIEF

I

photo | Sulli Wallisch

Freshmen initiated at last Friday’s Running of the Bills.

Extra eyes and ears: Brown named Assistant Dean of Student Life

BY Riley McEnery NEWS EDITOR

S

aint Louis U. High now has an extra set of eyes and ears on student life as history teacher Sterling Brown was named Assistant Dean of Student Life for the 2017-18 school year.

Brown will be spending the year helping Assistant Principal for Student Life Brock Kesterson run the bureaucratic aspect of student life at SLUH. Brown has been involved with the work in Kesterson’s office in previ-

The weekly student newspaper of St. Louis University High School 4970 Oakland Ave. - St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 531-0330 ext. 2241 online at sluh.org/prepnews prepnews@sluh.org

ous years, and has wanted to do more to get involved directly with the school. He also has an interest in student life for his future at SLUH. “Potentially as a future for me, this is something that I’m trying to do,” said

News

New teacher profiles New teachers bring new energy in multiple departments, from the Learning Center to Social Studies to Foreign Language.

Page 2 Features

McGrail meets Zac Brown Senior Jack McGrail meets and plays with inspiration Zac Brown ©2017 St. Louis University High during Brown’s tour stop with his School Prep News. No material may band, The Zac Brown Band, in St. be reprinted without the permission Louis. Page 5. of the editors and moderator.

Brown. “I think this was a good first step to making that transition someday.”

Kesterson has also been looking for some assistance in student affairs in recent years.

“I’ve been trying to get

continued on page 4

News

Summer trips Jr Bills travel across the country, world and visit Colorado, New Jersey, Honduras, and Russia to participate in service projects and explore new areas. Page 6.

News

Eclipse data Science teacher Bill Anderson studies the eclipse further by gathering and producing surprising data on the effects of the eclipse. Page 8.

n the ten days since their introduction, the lanyards students are required to wear around St. Louis U. High have caused a variety of unexpected problems and criticism as students struggle to transition to the new security policy.

The lanyards—implemented as a way to identify students and faculty—have come with numerous complications, distracting some students while annoying others.

“With this did come some unforeseen frustrations,” said Assistant Principal for Student Life Brock Kesterson. “I didn’t anticipate so many guys not having them for so many different reasons.”

After they were distributed, students quickly learned they could snap off the lanyards by yanking on

Sports

Soccer SLUH soccer barrels through missed opportunities, close games to come out on top and stay undefeated in three games this past week. Page 9.

Sports

Swimming SLUH swimming overcomes controversies early, but were unable to escape them at the Marquette meet as they fall short of first place. Page 9.

the strings, a move that has led to a large number of lanyards breaking. With so many requests by students for replacements, Kesterson was forced to order an additional supply of 400 lanyards, which he hopes will last for the rest of the school year.

According to Kesterson, other students have broken their lanyards after mindlessly gnawing at them during class.

Many are simply forgetting to bring their lanyards to school each day, a problem Kesterson plans to handle as he would missing belts. If a student is missing his lanyard but is proactive about getting a replacement, there will be no consequences. But if they are caught trying to get away without wearing a lanyard, Kesterson warns of demerits and jugs.

Besides forgetting their lanyards, students have also

continued on page 4

INDEX 2-4

News

5

Features

6-8

News

9-11

Sports

12

Photo Spread

2

NEWS

Prep News

September 1, 2017

Volume 82, Issue 2

Tippett brings new experience Ferguson subs in for S. Becvar to Learning Center

BY Steven Zak and Johno Jackson

Luke Wilmes and Jacob Sprock BY

STAFF, REPORTER

L

ife as a St. Louis U. High student can be very intense and stressful. The four hour homework load and pressure of extracurriculars leaves many students lost in the dark. Luckily for the Jr. Bills, learning consultant Lissie Tippett is here to extend a hand for the Bills to grasp.

Tippett is starting her first year at SLUH as a new learning consultant, filling the role that Connie McDermott left behind when she retired last spring.

“It gives me the opportunity to work with students who have struggled in the past and we’re here to make sure they start their year strong,” said Tippett. “We also have the opportunity to work with students who may have developed some issues while they’re working. Maybe they’re having trouble completing an assignment or don’t know how to submit an assignment.

Organizational skills and executive functioning skills are also very big issues.”

Tippett earned her bachelor’s degree in Special Education and then started working in Special Education in the Ferguson and Florissant area.

“I worked with ittybitty kindergarteners up to high school seniors on all of their core content areas: math, reading, science, social studies,” said Tippett.

But Tippett’s talents aren’t limited to just aiding students in general tasks.

She’s spent many years teaching a specialized reading program to high school students who are behind in their reading skills. She has also spent time working with students on the autism spectrum.

Tippett stresses that her office is open to every student, not just “those kids” that seem to always be struggling. She wants her presence to be known to every student, no matter what their learning abilities may be.

“I typically like to talk to a student’s parents and teachers about what issues they’re having in school and then talk to the student about their needs and how to move forward. Then, I like to check in and ask the student where they are at (and) what they are good at. Then we take a look at where the student can improve and customize a plan for the student to move forward,” said Tippett.

Tippett has jumped into her new position, already having helped start new programs in the Learning Center. The ASAP Program (After School Academic Program) is designed to get students in the Learning Center and allow them to move through the program quickly and become selfsufficient in their classes.

Another program is the Teacher Tutoring Priority Program, designed to facilitate students connecting with teachers that they work with to meet at least once a week for classes that the students struggle with.

Tippett thinks teenagers are wonderful to work with.

“So far every young man that I’ve met at SLUH has been so welcoming and friendly. Every student is very professional and has great people skills,” said Tippett. “There’s a lot of caring that goes on in this school.”

One of her favorite parts about SLUH is the Jesuit mission. Her husband works at St. Louis University, so she’s familiar with the idea of being men and women for others.

“I really enjoy the sense of purpose that the mission brings to the school. I think it helps all the staff, teachers and students keep a focus on working together and for others,” said Tippett.

“It keeps us selfless and reminds us daily through reflection and prayer to ask ‘what can I do for others?’”

Tippett isn’t hesitating to throw herself into the Jesuit mission. She plans on getting involved with Freshman Service and getting to know each freshman class as they come in, so over time she will know the entire student body.

“I want to have a public presence in the school so everyone knows I am approachable and accessible,” said Tippett.

Tippett is setting the Learning Center up for success and encourages students to come and see her if they have any questions or concerns about their school work or study habits.

Hinders joins Math Department Ben Klevorn and Cole Stranczek BY

STAFF, REPORTER

S

t. Louis U. High recently hired Craig Hinders as the newest member of the math department, taking over the position of retired George Mills.

Hinders, who taught at SLUH as a sub for a part of the 2012-13 school year, is teaching three sections of geometry and one section of Algebra II/ Trig.

A 2002 graduate of SLUH, Hinders earned his bachelor’s degree from Font-

bonne University in 2007 and just finished up his master’s degree at Webster University this summer.

Besides teaching math, he will be helping out with the Circus Club and will be taking over the intramurals program from Patrick Zarrick.

So far, his transition has gone very smoothly. In addition to his love for math, Hinders also values the religious aspect of SLUH. “I love this place. I totally buy into the Men for Others, I know what Jesuit education is all about, and I love it,” said

Hinders poside for photo outside.

photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott

Hinders. “I know the school pretty well, so obviously adjusting to the new material has been the hardest part, but it’s been going pretty well.”

“His transition has been seamless. He’s just kind have stepped right in. He knows the place, he knows the people. He fits right in,” said geometry teacher Frank Corley.

Hinders taught math at Kennedy High School in St. Louis, but the school’s closure forced him to find a job elsewhere. He loved his students there and loves them here at SLUH just as much.

“The kids here are just great. I couldn’t ask for much better,” said Hinders.

His students also have had a very positive experience.

“He’s energetic, lively enough, and keeps kids engaged in the topic,” said sophomore Kyle McEnery.

“He really cares about the students. He spent a whole class just talking about the homework that some students didn’t understand,” said sophomore Patrick Dwyer.

STAFF, REPORTER

W

hile history teacher Sarah Becvar is away this quarter on maternity leave, substitute teacher Sean Ferguson is teaching her two sections of AP American Politics.

Ferguson attended Regis High School in Denver, where he was involved in the rugby and football programs and the Campus Ministry programs, including Kairos.

“I loved my time at Regis.

It was an awesome place,” said Ferguson.

Following his graduation from Regis, Ferguson joined the Jesuits.

“My dad actually passed away my sophomore year of high school,” said Ferguson.

“And I think the witness that the Jesuits provided there as role models in my life, and the community feel that that high school had, totally changed my perspective on what I might want to do following my graduation. They were all really inspiring.”

During his time as a Jesuit novice, Ferguson had the opportunity to travel and live in various places around the world including Belize, Nicaragua, and Kansas City.

After three and a half years as a Jesuit novice, Ferguson left the society.

“I realized that what I needed and what I was look-

Furguson posing for photo outside.

ing for when I was 18 years old was different when I was 23, 24,” said Ferguson. “Shifting gears was a very difficult process but a very important one too.”

Even after leaving the Jesuits, Ferguson still stays in contact with the group, as well as many of the individuals he befriended during his time.

“I still talk to probably three or four Jesuits every week,” said Ferguson. “It’s still my community but I’m not in it anymore.”

Because he is working on his master’s degree in political science, Ferguson is an avid politics junkie who reads a lot and listens to many different political podcasts. Ferguson loves watching football; his favorite team is the Denver Broncos, and he is slightly upset St. Louis no longer has an NFL team. Ferguson also enjoys working out and stays involved in different rugby programs around the city.

At SLUH, Ferguson wants to get involved in many different programs during his time here, including Campus Ministry and retreats. He is also open to being involved in both SLUH PEC and The Young Conservatives Club, as he would bring his political expertise to their meetings.

Ferguson also wants to be involved in Youth in Government even after he leaves at the quarter.

“I’m really excited to bring my expertise in politics to SLUH,” said Ferguson.

photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott

Simon says ‘marhabaan’ to SLUH

BY Paul STAFF

S

Gillam

t. Louis U. High is not just welcoming a new language teacher, but a new language program as well.

George Simon joins the community as SLUH’s new Arabic teacher.

Simon grew up in the St. Louis area and attended Chaminade High School.

Simon had some exposure to Arabic and decided to take his knowledge even further and travel to the Arab world for several years to get his master’s degree in the Arabic language and Islamic culture.

When Simon returned to the United States, he began teaching at St. Louis University and helping Arabic-speaking refugees.

“In St. Louis we have a thriving Arabic population down on South Grand,” said Simon.

For the past few years, Simon has taught a program once a week at SLUH to introduce faculy, staff, and students to the Arabic language and culture.

When the plans for the

Imagine 18 project were opened to the public, Simon contacted SLUH. “I talked to the administration and introduced the idea of bringing an Arabic program to SLUH,” said Simon. “This school is already very elite and very well known, so this could make the school more elite and more well known.”

Last year, five SLUH students took online Arabic classes through National University Virtual High School and met with Simon once a week for tutoring.

Arabic is not widely taught in high schools across Missouri, or the United States for that matter, so Simon is somewhat of a pioneer in this field of teaching.

As of now, there are four students learning Arabic. Two classes of two students each are being taught this semester.

“Mr. Simon brings a lot of energy to the class.

I can be tired but still stay focused and get work done.

It’s amazing that he can do that,” says junior Maxwell

Nieder, a student in one of Simon’s classes.

“From a cultural and professional standpoint, he really offers a lot to us as a school,” said Russian teacher Rob Chura. “He is definitely the right person and has the right background and mentality and approach to move the (Arabic) program forward.”

One of the goals that Simon has for his class is to give back to the community using the language that they learn.

I’m hoping that we get the program to the point to where we can actually do some outreach and really get the language moving in a positive manner while helping individuals who need it,” says Simon.

Another thing that Simon wants to work on this year is teaching SLUH as a whole about the Arabic culture.

“Anybody can see me whenever they want to talk about taking Arabic or anything about the Islamic faith,” says Simon.

OPINION

Semptember 1, 2017

Prep News Volume 82, Issue 2

PN Puzzle

This cartoon does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Prep News or St. Louis U. High.

Across 1. Fatty Triglycerides 5. Not urban or suburban 8. Robbed from the rich 9. Mizzou, Alabama, Ole Miss art | Daniel Klarsch 10. These are never rounded 12. Our Lady of Perpetual ________ 13. Zygote in a mirror 14. Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs 17. A 100% is what kind of score?

19. Largest artery in the body

Interested in Writing for the Prep News?

Stop by the PN office right across from Mr. Powers’ room after school today to grab an article!

If writing is not your thing, no problem! We have staff who are more than willing to help teach you.

If you’re also interested in making artwork, stop by and our Art Director will talk to you!

Prep News 82 Editorial Policy The Volume 82 Prep News opinion section serves the purpose of being the vehicle of the personal opinions of students, faculty, or others. All topics discussed in the section will be related to St. Louis University High School.

Nothing published either as an editorial or as a letter to an editor should be considered the opinion of the school, the administration, or anyone other than its author or authors.

A Prep News editorial is the opinion of all six editors on a particular topic.

A commentary or column is an opinion of one member of the Prep News staff, not of the Prep News itself.

A perspective or notebook, like a commentary, is the opinion of one person, often a Prep News staff member.

Unlike a commentary, such a piece is often intended primarily to convey a personal experience rather than to provide a viewpoint on an issue. Unlike a letter, such pieces are usually developed at the request of, and sometimes under the guidance of, the Prep News editors.

Every member of the SLUH community is welcomed and encouraged to submit a letter to the editors. Every letter received by the editors will be read and given consideration.

All letters must be signed, but the author’s name may be withheld from publication by request and at the discretion of the editors.

The Prep News editors reserve the right to edit any submissions for publication in order to meet grammatical standards, but they will not skew the author’s original intent. Also, the editors reserve the right to withhold from publication any submission if it is deemed vulgar, tasteless, or otherwise inappropriate. Authors should be available for the editors to contact them before publication to address matters of concern.

All authors wishing to have letters published must submit them by 4:00 p.m. the Wednesday before the letter is to be published.

Letters should be emailed to prepnews@sluh.org, and, if possible, a signed copy should be given to a Prep News editors or moderator or mailed to the Prep News courtesy of St. Louis University High School, 4970 Oakland, St. Louis, MO 63110.

21. Tear, split 22. Sluh’s strong suit 24. Your look, for clothes 25. Part of each finger Down 1. Big, massive 2. A bar 3. Qin, Han, Tang 4. Nike logo 5. Interactive weather map 6. Hurricane Harvey had many first-___________

3

7. Loud bugs this time of year 11. New freshman history class 13. British, Roman, and Ottoman are examples 15. Flat land 16. Not defend 18. Pencils can do this 20. The bride walks down this 23. Common freshwater fish disease

Correction Last week’s feature on Summer Reading mistakenly identified Matthew Van Vooren and included Matthew’s picture.

The student interviewed was Alex Van Ness.

The Prep News apologizes for this error.

Prep News 82 Platform As the student-run newspaper of St. Louis University High School, the Prep News is a weekly publication that strives to inform the SLUH community about events and people, with its focus on those pertaining to the school, primarily through the written word.

The Prep News is neither the voice of the administration nor the students. Rather, the newspaper serves to gather and distribute information for the entire school. The Prep News editors and staff members make every effort to be objective in their news coverage and editing.

The members of the editorial staff are co-workers and share equally the duties of writing, copy-editing, layout, and staff management. All of the editors share responsibility and leadership of the paper. The editors are supported by a core staff of regular reporters as well as artists and photographers.

It is the role of the editors to seek out and facilitate the reporting of all significant news at SLUH. While any faculty member or student is welcome to submit suggestions to the editors for potential articles, the Prep News is never obligated to publish any article idea.

Our primary emphasis as editors of the Prep News is upon clear and accurate writing and careful editing. We also attempt to include visual expression—photography, drawing, technical aids, etc.—in every issue and on our website. Despite our desire to make the paper visually appealing, we commit ourselves not to allow form to supersede substance.

The editorial staff will use social media to communicate with the paper’s readership and to update students about SLUH events and highlight the paper’s content. The editors will not allow their goal of speed and accessibility online to weaken their commitment to accuracy and depth.

The Prep News strongly encourages underclassman involvement, and our office on the second floor of the Jesuit Wing, room J220, is always open for involvement, criticism, praise, or suggestions. Contributed student opinions are also welcome under the Prep News Editorial Policy. Without student reaction and feedback, the Prep News could not function.

If the Prep News is inaccurate, we will correct any significant error in the following issue and on our web site as soon as possible.

Furthermore, the editors assume sole responsibility for the text of news and sports articles, features, and editorials. We ask faculty or students who take issue with the manner in which the news was reported or find an error to bring it to the attention of the editors, not the individual reporters.

This is the platform of the editors of Volume 82 of the Prep News.

4

Prep News

NEWS

September 1, 2017

Volume 82, Issue 2

Students create ID trading market; Brown becomes assistant to administration reacts to changes Kesterson; deals with day-to-day tasks and looks to help students (continued from page 1)

been exchanging them.

For the first few days of school, lanyards were being traded between students— and even some teachers— like baseball cards, amusing onlookers when they realized the face on the ID did not match the face of the person wearing the lanyard.

“You gotta make fun at school sometimes,” said senior Sam Lockwood. “I thought it would be fun to trade some lanyards—you know I got a Mike Patritti, a Will Smit—trying to get some rare cards.”

“It’s more of a joke than anything,” said junior Justin Lombard.

In response to the problems, Kesterson highlighted the school’s reasons for implementing the lanyards.

“It helps to know who everybody is in an ideal situation when everybody has their proper IDs on them,” said Kesterson. “And from the security standpoint, it enables us to see who’s in the building, who may need some help.”

Some students, acknowledging the security benefits, still feel the lanyards are a hassle.

“I think that it’s just another thing for students to keep track of on top of everything else, and its effects seem negligible,” said sopho-

more Micah See. “You got to remember where they are all the time and you can’t like switch cards with anybody or something like that,” said senior Gunnar Himich. “I just kind of think it’s a problem that you just deal with, kind of a chore to keep track of.”

Senior Jack Laux thinks the lanyards are a distraction during class, and an impediment to learning abilities.

“I hate these things,” said Laux. “I’m always playing with it. I haven’t broken it yet, but I’ve only worn it two days out of the days we had it.

It’s just annoying and it bothers me.”

Junior Max Nuccio doesn’t think the school will require students to wear lanyards for much longer. According to Nuccio, requiring students to wear lanyards is not the way to improve security.

“I can’t imagine that it will continue, like in a month or so if we’re all still wearing lanyards it would really surprise me,” said Nuccio.

“I just don’t think it’s, you know maybe it’s just because I’m not used to it but it just doesn’t seem like a realistic solution to a problem that maybe could be solved in other ways. That’s my outlook.”

And a few students are indifferent to the lanyards,

and some even like them.

“I mean, I’ll be honest, I don’t really care,” said junior Gabe Lepak. He added: “They’re just kind of there.

It’s just something we have to do now.”

“I think the lanyards are great. I’ve heard in the past that some of the students just kept their ID in their pocket, but if you have it on your neck you know where it is at all times so I think that’s a great option,” said freshman Francesco Galante.

Kesterson is considering allowing students to bring their own lanyards, as long as they have a SLUH logo on them, after a few students complained about the boring, generic style of the black lanyards.

Although Kesterson realizes the school hasn’t fully adjusted yet, he hopes the lanyards will become normalized into life at SLUH. “I feel like we haven’t been really able to get this thing going yet. I think that we’ll get through this initial frustration, and maybe this is just my hope,” said Kesterson. “The culture will kind of change, it’s just one of those things. Guys used to have IDs and demerit cards, now you just have to have your lanyard and ID and that’s just the way it is.”

(continued from page 1)

another person in this office to help deal with all the things that happen,” said Kesterson. “It’s just a busy place.”

The administration decided to promote Brown to his new position because of Brown’s interest in the work and Kesterson’s need for some assistance.

Brown’s role in the office is similar to Kesterson’s, but is still being adjusted for the year.

“The role itself, since it’s new, is still being defined on a daily basis,” said Kesterson.

Brown has been keeping in check with students at the start of this year.

He takes care of absences, checks if students are in class, helps with tardy check, makes sure students have locks and parking permits, and schedules JUGs. He takes care of parent phone calls and sits in on meetings with students and their parents.

“It’s a lot of different things and it’s kind of all over the place, but he’s been doing a really great job so far,” said Kesterson.

Brown hopes that he can make a difference in the community through his

Zarrick and Hannick double up roles to fill vacancy (continued from page 1)

cation for our students, and so we want to steward them well by way of compensation and doing the best with their benefits plans and those things,” said Laughlin.

Another part of this formula, tuition increases, is something that the administration has tried hard over the past couple of years to limit.

“We have our families who sacrifice to pay tuition, and you know in a sense, their tuition is something we are stewarding, to manage a quality program, and so we’re trying to also be aware that we want to be mindful, and we’ve been working on this for quite some time,” said Laughlin. “If you look at the last five years of our tuition increases, they have been substantially lower than for the time, and that’s by design.”

As a result of this process of reducing the workforce and the number of faculty and staff employed

by SLUH, there have been many vacuums created that were in need of being filled.

“There were some major things that we needed to try to reassign and pay attention to, and so those were conversations with

those individuals who have stepped up to help us manage those important aspects of the school,” said Laughlin.

The change created by the departures of Clark and Nunziante were filled mainly by physical education teacher Patrick Zarrick and math teacher Craig Hannick. Zarrick has now taken over as Head of Security, and Hannick has taken the lead on fully implementing Canvas at SLUH. “I was approached by the administration because of my background in law enforcement, and back in the early 2000s I was in charge of the security division then,” said Zarrick. “So I think because of my law enforcement and emergency training and previous experience, they thought that I would be a good one and a good fit for taking over.”

Zarrick is now in charge of supervising and organizing the security guards who are both employed by SLUH directly and through Whelan Security. He is also working with Assistant Principal for Student Life Brock Kesterson on the various emergency drills that are necessary for the school and students to know procedure, as well as

organizing security for the various events that occur at SLUH, including athletic competitions and other events.

Zarrick’s main goal for his team is also to give the best first impression that they can.

“My philosophy with our security team is that we are the first face that a SLUH student or a guest of SLUH sees,” said Zarrick. “So I’ve communicated to my team that we want to be visible and we want to be there and provide our guests and our students the feeling that they are welcome and safe on campus.”

Zarrick is still teaching, dropping from full to parttime, and he is still coaching the racquetball team. He is also still handling the reservations made for SLUH’s facilities.

Hannick is taking over the promotion and implementation of Canvas, as well as helping faculty and staff as they grow accustomed to the new system. Hannick’s first job was to implement the use of Canvas into the classes that took place over the summer. “(Launching Canvas) worked out very well,” said Hannick. “The teachers were responsive, the stu-

dents, mostly freshmen, were very amenable to the system, and actually worked with each other. We had very few concerns, just little kinks here and there that we smoothed out.”

Hannick is also looking for ways to expand Canvas and its functions and how it may be used as a program at SLUH. “We’ve actually had several clubs and organizations create Canvas courses,” said Hannick. “Fr. Hill and I are working on one for curriculum design, which we’ll use for faculty and professional development.”

Hannick’s ultimate goal as Canvas administrator is to expand Canvas and its uses as much as possible.

artwork | Daniel Klarsch

new role.

“It’s just a different way and different opportunity to help students and help the overall experience that students have at the school,” said Brown. “I’m just most excited about being in a role where I can see direct positive impact on the school.”

In the eyes of Kesterson, Brown has made an impact already.

“It’s been much more efficient in the office be-

cause we have another set of eyes and ears and legs,” said Kesterson. “So I really have noticed the difference, and it’s been really helpful for me.”

Brown also hopes for a new perspective on student life.

“I’m extremely excited to get to know the students of the school as a whole and not just through a narrow window,” said Brown.

PN Vault: A look at Hurricane Katrina to understand Harvey

FEATURES

September 1, 2017

Prep News Volume 82, Issue 2

5

McGrail, ’18, meets country artist Zac Brown

BY Jake Hennes NEWS EDITOR

H

ave you ever wondered what it would be like to be on stage with a professional music artist during his or her concert? Senior Jack McGrail had just that opportunity Sunday night during the Zac Brown Band concert.

McGrail originally met Zac Brown—a popular country music singer— before a concert five years ago through a friend and has been a huge fan ever since.

“I had dinner with him, and we talked, and then I went to his concert. It was the reason that I started playing guitar,” said McGrail.

“Ever since then, I’ve played guitar for two hours every single day.”

McGrail was invited to go to Brown’s concert this year with the same friend that he went with five years ago. When they got there, McGrail had dinner and talked with Brown before the concert.

“His personal chef cooked us dinner, and it was delicious. There was a huge buffet to go along with it as well. He sat by my friend and I because he didn’t want to talk to the adults. The adults were asking him dumb questions like, ‘Do you know

McGrail (left) with Zac Brown at his concert on Saturday.

Selena Gomez?’ and I was asking him questions about when he started playing guitar and what his first band was, which he liked to talk about a lot,” said McGrail.

During their conversation, McGrail brought up his first meeting with Brown.

“When I met him again I told him my story about how he inspired me to play

photo | courtesy of Jack McGrail

guitar, which he found really cool,” said McGrail.

After McGrail talked about how he was inspired

by Brown to play guitar, their conservation became more

personal and Brown was really open with McGrail.

“He is a really downto-earth guy. It’s nice to see someone with that much fame be so humble and be able to take the time to talk to a seventeen-year-old from SLUH. He just acted like I was just like him and that I could have a future in that business if I really wanted to, which was awesome.”

After dinner was the concert, which McGrail described as the highlight of his night.

“I got to play with his guitars while I was backstage. Then, he allowed me to go anywhere, including the pit and on stage. He invited me to play on stage with him, and although I was off to the side and was not plugged in, it was still really cool to look out over the crowd and see 30,000 people looking at the stage. It was a dream. Honestly, I peaked at seventeen,” said McGrail.

Although he said that he is a big fan of all of Brown’s songs, McGrail’s favorite part of the concert was a cover Brown performed.

“I really like when he covers songs. My favorite song during the concert was probably when he covered “Enter Sandman” by Metal-

lica.”

After the concert, Brown had a suggestion for McGrail’s summer.

“He wanted me to become a counselor at Camp Southern Ground, which is a camp in Georgia that serves people with disabilities. All of the counselors play music and help the kids with disabilities down there. So now I am seriously considering becoming a counselor there,” said McGrail. “Zac started Camp Southern Ground and built it up from its foundation, so it was really cool that he was recommending me to be a counselor there.”

artwork | Joe Bytnar

Tucker, ’18, hits all the right notes at vocal summer camps

BY James Pollard CORE STAFF

A

s if in response to Rihanna’s 2007 request to “Please Don’t Stop the Music,” senior Darren Tucker spent almost the entire summer studying music with some of the best vocalists and performers in the country.

After two weeks at the nutrition center in Honduras, Tucker flew to Washington, D.C. for the Washington National Opera’s Opera Institute as one of twelve high school applicants selected for the program. There he studied with the likes of Harrison Blackwell and Richard Stillwell, a renowned baritone who has performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

“I even met Renay Fleming, the most famous American operatic soprano of our

artwork | John Burke

time,” said Tucker. and had found about the Institute through his own reEven after attending After one month of tak- Washington National Opera search. these two programs, Tucker’s ing classes in Italian diction, music theory, and acting, the attendees put on an art song recital in which Tucker sang “Sebben Crudele” by Antonio Caldara. The attendees also put on an opera scenes recital at the Kennedy Center in which Tucker performed in a trio from Die Fledermaus and a duet from La Rondine.

Tucker then traveled to the University of Michigan for a week and a half as one of 50 accepted to take part in the Impulse Vocal Arts Institute, where he studied with worldrenowned tenor Stanford Olsen.

“The great thing about this program is we got to work with the actual voice faculty at the University of Michigan,” said Tucker. “So that was really nice to get that introduction into what the life of pursuing a bachelor of music in vocal performance would be like.”

Each of the three studios in which the attendees were split had to choose one representative to sing a solo at the final recital in Stamps Auditorium, and Tucker was chosen to represent Stanford Olsen’s studio.

“There I sang ‘Do Not Go My Love’ by Richard Hageman,” said Tucker. “The audience loved the pieces that we presented, and it was fabulous.”

Tucker found out about photo | courtesy of Susie Shaffer Michigan’s program through Darren Tucker at the Katzen Arts Center at the American Center. his voice teacher at Webster Community Music School

vocal chords had not tired out. Two days after his return from Michigan, rehearsals for the Muny’s production of Newsies began, in which Tucker was a member of the ensemble. The previous two years he had been in the Muny’s teen troupe, consisting of 12 high school girls and 12 high school boys, which performs a musical review before each mainstage Muny show.

His first Muny show was Hair spray and since then he has done Beauty and the Beast, Mama Mia, and Wizard of Oz. “The great thing about the Muny is we rehearse for one week and then we put the show up and do it for a week, so it is not like a regular show where we get to work for two months on it and perfect everything and get all the kinks out,” said Tucker. “We have one week with one tech rehearsal and we put it up.”

Tucker plans to pursue either a degree in music or in musical theatre, and credits SLUH with much of his success.

“None of this would have been possible without the foundation I got here at SLUH in the theatre and vocal programs,” said Tucker. “Working with Joseph Schulte my freshman year we would work on little poems and stuff to do for Poetry Out Loud and the speech team. I owe it all to him and Mrs. Whitaker, Doc Koestner, and Mrs. Akin.”

6

Prep News

NEWS

September 1, 2017

Volume 82, Issue 2

Four students venture to Honduras; first summer trip to Centro San Yves challenges.

“I’ve learned that we as Americans complain too much about stuff that doesn’t matter: WiFi, social media, stuff like that. In Honduras water and electricity aren’t always guaranteed,” said Bunn.

While there, the students play, change diapers, and bottle feed the kids, creating bonds with them while caring for them.

“It’s always a good experience for the guys, whether you’re there for two weeks or nine days or four weeks.

It’s a chance to experience a very different culture. It’s just enough time to get attached to the kids, and the guys always leave with the feeling that they want to come back,” said Alvarado.

“I was definitely changed, I just don’t know how yet,” Bunn said. “I would drop

everything to go back again.

But the sad thing about me returning is that unless it happens within the next year, most of the kids I knew in June will be gone.”

Students returning to the project after they graduate is not unheard of though. Gartner and Elief had already been to the nutrition center in January this year, and returned with the group in June.

As for this year, campus minister Nicholas Ehlman, who coordinates the immersion trips, said, “It’s a little bit up in the air right now. We’re definitely moving forward with the January trip and it looks like with the spring break trip. We’re gonna see how the year plays out if we’re gonna do the summer one again or not.”

photo | courtesy of Jack Bunn

Darren Tucker (’18), Edward Gartner (’17), Jack Bunn (’18), and Jacob Elief (’17) while in Yoro, Honduras this past summer.

BY Joe Lux and Tom Sommers reporters

S

eniors Jack Bunn and Darren Tucker, as well as Edward Gartner, ’17 and Jacob Elief, ’17 spent two weeks in Honduras this summer as part of an immersion program.

The trip, which lasted from June 1 to June 15, is a recent addition to the long

standing Honduras Senior Project program.

In the past, six senior applicants were chosen each year by a committee for the project. During the month of January, when most seniors are doing service at their project site, this group lives with host families in Yoro, Honduras. During the day, the seniors help care for malnourished babies at a nutrition center located in the city.

One of the main problems with the trip has been the lack of space. The host families could only provide housing for six students. This made applications very competitive, and the committee felt like some students were not getting to experience the unique opportunity. So last year, the committee decided to create more trips.

“We really wanted to give the opportunity to more

guys to go to Honduras,” said Spanish teacher and committee member Magdalena Alvarado.

This past year, students were able to apply to two separate trips in addition to the January trip: one for nine days over spring break, and the most recent two-week trip at the beginning of June.

Although the experience photo | courtesy of Jack Bunn is very rewarding and highly Senior Jack Bunn with one of the children at Centro San Yves. coveted, there are also many

In Russia with love: Jr. Bills travel to St. Petersburg

BY Ken Viehland Reporter

L

ed by Russian teacher Robert Chura and later joined by history teacher Anne Marie Lodholz, 13 rising seniors made the trip from St. Louis to St. Petersburg, Russia this summer in order to immerse themselves in the Russian language and culture.

Each member of the group stayed with a host family and attended school at Gymnasia #209, SLUH’s partner school in the city, on weekdays.

However, the trip was filled with much more than just school work. The mix of expanding their skills with the language, experiencing the culture, and having fun exploring a beautiful and historic city helped make the trip an enjoyable one for the group.

Each student spent mornings in St.Petersburg with their host families, who served them a hearty Russian breakfast. They then made their way to school with their host, getting there in different ways.

Many students lived close enough to walk, while others lived so far they had to take the Metro.

After about three hours

of classes the group went out for an excursion in the city. These often lasted about five hours, and they typically used public transportation to get to their destination. From riding on the Metro to hopping on busses, the students saw how important this type of transit is in daily St. Petersburg life. The excursions covered famous streets, rivers, churches, parks, museums, fortresses, and palaces.

Locations the travelers saw together included the bustling street Nevskiy Prospekt, the large Neva river, Peter and Paul Fortress, The Artillery Museum, Kazan Cathedral, Savior on the Blood Cathedral, Peterhof, the Russian World War II Museum, and the Russian Museum.

After these trips, the students would reunite with their hosts, who would often take them to an additional activity or landmark before heading back home to eat a big meal.

Senior Eemil Miller reflected on his stay with a foreign family, saying, “It really was a different way of living than in America, but I liked it. My family was nice and I had a lot of fun staying with them.”

photo | courtesy of Sam Ortmann

Students in Russia with exchange students in front of Saint Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

The students experienced the long days that signify summer in Russia.

They only saw some mild darkness for around three hours each night.

On the last full day in

St. Petersburg the students went to Pushkin, a smaller town outside of St. Petersburg, in order to do service at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. There the students did some work to

help improve the exterior of the building; after class the group toured the summer palace, only a short walk away from the church.

After their time in St. Petersburg, the travelers

took a bullet train to Moscow, where they spent three days sightseeing famous locations like the Kremlin.

After these fun days the students got on a plane back home, ending their two weeks in Russia.

A trip to Russia brought with it an opportunity to better understand different cultures.

“Going to a foreign country gives you a different outlook of the world,” said senior Westin Biermann, “I was able to see beyond the typical Russian stereotypes. The Russians were generous, hospitable, and the city of St. Petersburg was beautiful.”

Matt Rauschenbach also had a positive insight on the trip as a whole.

“My time in Russia taught me to realize the cultural differences between our nations and instead of being afraid of them, embracing them. I think I came away from Russia a better speaker of the Russian language, but also a more aware person of global scenery,” said Rauschenbach.

NEWS

September 1, 2017

Prep News Volume 82, Issue 2

7

Jr. Bills head to New Jersey, take on Urban Challenge Pierce Hastings REPORTER

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ight seniors and two faculty members participated this summer in the Urban Challenge, a service learning retreat based in Camden, N. J. They went to several service sites over the course of the four days in early July.

“We worked with people that are homeless, the elderly, children, people with disabilities, then spent some time every night rehashing our experiences and, to some extent, building community with some students and faculty from three other high schools from the east coast,” said math teacher Tracy Lyons.

Lyons chaperoned the trip, along with recently retired math teacher George Mills. Although he finished teaching in May, the Urban Challenge trip was Mills’ last activity at St. Louis U. High.

Senior Matthew Rauschenbach enjoyed growing closer to Mills on the trip.

“I’ve always known that Mr. Mills was as high a quality of man as they come, but seeing him interact with people with such care and generosity was really a sight to behold,” said Rauschenbach, who went on the trip with seven other seniors.

“The first day I worked at a food bank packaging and helping make boxes. The sec-

photo | courtesy of Ms. Tracy Lyons

Ms. Tracy Lyons, Matthew Stauder, Chip Holmes, James Pollard, Sam Pottinger, Jake Hennes, Emmanuel Parker, Pierce Hastings, Matt Rauschenbach, and Mr. George Mills at the Romero Center this past summer.

ond day, my favorite day actually, I worked in a daycare and an elderly home. The daycare was just awesome. It was helping out with the teachers, and the kids were adorable. They just made it such a fun experience. The third day we were at Generations Plus (an elderly home), which was pretty interesting as well. The last day was a two-parter: the first part

was working at a soup kitchen, talking with the people and serving them, and at night was making the dinners and actually giving it to the homeless,” said senior Chip Holmes.

The Romero Center, a Jesuit ministry that provides faith-based outreach to the community in Camden, hosted the trip. It runs multiple service trips a year, including

weekly Urban Challenge experiences.

Once all four schools had arrived at the Romero Center, students were divided into groups of four, known as “families,” on the trip. Each family would have one student from each school. The families participated in multiple social justice activities over the four days, but the meal challenge

was the most intense, according to senior Sam Pottinger.

Families would have to shop in a local grocery store with a limited budget, and use the food they bought to feed themselves all day.

“We were given $3 each for a family of four, so we would have $12 total. And then we were given a limitation, so our family was dia-

betic. We couldn’t have sugar products, we couldn’t have fruits, or anything else very sugary,” said Pottinger. “My day consisted of bran flakes without milk and peanut butter sandwiches. It was fun and interesting, but I don’t think I could imagine living like that.”

Lyons was particularly touched by one man she met on the trip.

“One person that stuck out to me was a man that I talked to for a while at New Visions (a soup kitchen) who, in physical appearance, looked very different from what you would assume a person that is currently homeless would look like. He looked very put together, he was a former Marine, his clothes looked new, and he talked about these places that he had visited. I saw him again that night at Cathedral Kitchen (another soup kitchen), and it reiterated that this could happen to anyone when the situation falls apart,” said Lyons.

“I would definitely recommend Camden to a different person,” said Holmes. “It was extremely eye-opening to see a whole new world of society that I’ve heard about. It’s surreal when you actually experience it firsthand. I would definitely recommend this service trip.”

Sent. OAC boys tackle various 14ers in Colorado spent the night, and started the next morning with the ascent of Mount Sneffels.

Zarrick stopped for a moment and recalled that Pikes Peak was what was known as a class 1 hike, the easiest level of hiking. Mount Sneffels, however, would prove to be a more difficult challenge, as parts of it were rated 2+, the highest class before needing equipment.

“I knew that as soon as we got to the pass that it was going to get challenging. The last 400 yards were at a 45 percent incline, pretty steep. photo | courtesy of Mr. Zarrick So I gave the guys an op-

OAC members pose at the top of Pike’s Pike after two-day, 12-mile hike.

BY Justin REPORTER

T

Koesterer

he Outdoor Adventure Club took a hike in the Rocky Mountains over the summer. Led by club moderator Patrick Zarrick and assisted by former club officer Sam Perry, ’16, twelve current and former students ventured up mountains and whitewater rafted in Colorado for ten days.

The group left July 8 for the “Colorado Fourteener” trip, camped the night out in Colby, Kan., and finished the remainder of the trip the following day. That same day, they hiked up Garden of the Gods, a National Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs.

A couple of days later, they suited up their backpacks and hiked the first of the “Fourteeners,” famous Pikes Peak.

“It’s dubbed America’s mountain, if you will,” Zarrick noted.

The summit has the greatest elevation gain from bottom to top of any of the “Fourteener” mountains in the state.

Starting in Manitou Springs, which was already part of the way up the mountain, the group hiked up to Barr Camp, about halfway up, where there were rustic buildings the group used as shelter for the night. The next morning, they climbed to the summit, returned to

Barr Camp, and later packed back to Manitou Springs.

From there, they drove to Granite, Col., where they stayed in cabins and whitewater rafted the Arkansas River. They rafted through two famous sections of the river, the “narrows” and the “numbers.”

The following day, they drove to Aspen, Colorado, and visited the Maroon Bells, which had a spectacular view of the mountaintops with sloping hills on the side and a river immediately in front.

They also visited the famous hot springs, and camped out before leaving the next day.

The next destination was Ridgeway. They hiked to Blue Lakes Campgrounds,

tion on whether or not they wanted to summit the peak.”

When the group hit the pass, some decided to stay, while others attempted the peak. What the group had not accounted for was the precipitation and those last 400 yards, explained Zarrick, so they crawled their way up in snow without equipment.

They then went back to the campgrounds, and headed out the next day.

After dinner at Beau Jo’s pizza, the group hit Idaho Springs, which set them up for their last summit, Mount Evans. After Mount Evans,

the group headed back to St. Louis to cap off the trip.

“Amazing trip,” said senior Buck Chevalier. “Really out of my comfort zone and something I don’t do a lot, but it was really fun. As for Mr. Zarrick, I can’t say enough nice things about the guy. He really made me feel good about hiking. He’s the ultimate club moderator.”

Through three mountain peaks, over 15,000 feet of elevation, hot springs, 55 pounds of pizza eaten, and hail five times, the Outdoor Adventure Club finally called it a trip.

photo | courtesy of Mr. Zarrick

Taking off for 3-day hiking trip at the base of Mt. Sneffles. (From left to right): Hayden Steingruby, Brendan Charles, Tommy Rogan, Sam Perry (’16), Buck Chevalier, Kurt Schumacher, Mark Kimes, Andrew Schwartz, Christian Boxdorfer (’17), Andrew Voras, Jordan Comerio, Jack Bailey (’17) , and Nathan Todisman.

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Prep News

NEWS

September 1, 2017

Volume 81, Issue 6

Anderson collects and graphs data on Great American Eclipse

BY Sam Ortmann CORE STAFF

W

hile many faculty and students relaxed with friends and family last Monday, Aug. 21 for the Great American Eclipse, science teacher Bill Anderson spent the day collecting copious amounts of data and making numerous graphs. He did not want to let such a once in a lifetime event like the eclipse go undocumented when he had access to the perfect scientific equipment.

Anderson took data for UVA and UVB light, radiation, relative humidity, pressure, temperature, and windspeed.

“This was a one and only opportunity so it was too good a chance to pass up and we had equipment that we use for other things in science that was perfect for it,” said Anderson. “So it just seemed like a logical way to get all kinds of data that would be useful to a lot of people around the school.”

While he found all of graphs interesting, he was most intrigued by the one containing the data for relative humidity.

“The temperature change bottoms out and the rela-

graph | courtesy of Bill Anderson

tive humidity peaks and that poses a really good question in class,” said Anderson. “The class would have to draw on what they know about temperature and moisture in the air. I feel like it’s a perfect classrom kind of question for

the both chemisty and environmental science classes.”

While he has not seriously used any of the graphs in class yet, he plans on covering them later with the students in all of his classes.

“We’ve talked about it in

Luebbert, ‘00, commences college counseling Career Speaker Series

BY Nathan P. Wild II and Kevin Sembrot FEATURES EDITOR, REPORTER

S

teve Luebbert, ’00, visited SLUH to kick off the Career Speaker Series this past Wednesday, talking about his field in the arts and media departments in Hollywood.

The main goal of the Lunch and Learn program, started by the College Counseling Department, hopes to give students insight into career path interests that they can use for deciding what to study in college. Each last Wednesday of the month— except for December, January, and March—a SLUH alum will come and speak about his career field during lunch.

The Speaker Series is one of the major initiatives of the Go Forth Campaign, which is a part of the Imagine 2018 project. The campaign funded the additional staff that now have the time to add aditional events like the Lunch & Learn.

“We asked the question, ‘how can we utilize our many alumni that want to give back to the high school?’ and this is one of the things that came out of that,” said college counselor Dave Mouldon.

“The guest speakers are very successful people that want to give back to SLUH students,” said college counselor Elaine Todorov. “We have people in very key leadership roles throughout the world and want to see SLUH high students that are succeeding.”

Luebbert talked about his job writing reality TV

show ideas and pitching them to film companies. Luebbert is currently the VP of Development at Coolfire Studios in St. Louis and was on the team that helped to launch “Modern Family.” Coolfire Studios has also produced “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” and many other projects.

Roughly 25 students attended each lunch, totalling 50 in all.

Another main topic of his talk was the importance of internships and the possibilities that they can offer.

“They don’t give more opportunities to the guy who sucks at getting coffee,” said Luebbert. “You have to find ways to make dumb tasks meaningful in an internship.”

He focused on the importance of doing your best at an unpaid internship that has the possibility of landing a dream job.

Luebbert reflected on his period of growth that led to his career path. Although he learned his values from his parents, it was at SLUH— through the teachers and the community—that he learned to externalize those values.

He learned how to control his temper, how to network, and how to read and deconstruct sentences, values he has been able to grow and expand on in his career field in the media. He credits his work ethic and “not being a jerk” for his ascension through the ranks working in Hollywood. He also thanked the network of SLUH for landing his current job at Coolfire Studios.

He also shared the story about having to photocopy a 700-page book Reese Witherspoon was reading in the background while working on a movie. He also read the book and offered constructive feedback at the following production meeting.

Luebbert joked that students could always remember the year he graduated, 2000, because it’s one of the only years that there is no water polo banner; and he was the captain that year.

Those who attended were mostly interested in the field of media and film, finding the topic helpful to their possible future careers.

“I enjoyed it and everything. He was very informative about what he did. It was cool seeing who they worked with because they worked with Microsoft and other big companies like that. They have also helped produce some shows on Discovery Network that I recognize,” said senior Sam Eilerman.

“He gave a lot of helpful advice on getting into the industry in film. I want to go to college and major in film, and he touched a little bit on how it’s not as crazy as people make it out to be. He didn’t get super lucky or anything or meet a famous director somewhere who happened to like his screenplay. He said it’s been pretty normal.”

class some just because it was topical and you kind of have to do it right away,” said Anderson. “But it will come back later. In the Environmental STEM class we’ve just begun a unit on weather and climate change so some of that will

show up there. In the AP Environmental class the climate and weather tends to come up later in the year and we’ll hit it again.”

Like the rest of SLUH, Anderson was amazed at not only the data he took but also

with the actual event itself.

“I think that the actual totality itself and in particularly that last little bit where you get the diamond ring effect when it just starts to come back out was really cool,” said Anderson.

Environmental STEM launches weather balloon

photo | Kathy Chott

LIFTOFF: On Tuesday, Mr. Anderson’s Environmental STEM classes launched a weather balloon into the atmosphere. The balloon carried sensors to detect temperature, pressure, relative humidity, UVA, UVB, irradiation (the power of the electromagnetic radiation from the sun), percent oxygen in the air, altitude, wind speed and direction. It also had three cameras, taking pictures every five seconds. This year it came down in a field of dense brush, which required Anderson to crawl several hundred feet on his hands and knees to get to the payload. Alumnus Tom McTigue played a crucial role in the experiment, as he’s had his HAM radio license since his sophomore year at SLUH and could use his radios to track down the balloon.

Volume LXXXII, Issue 2

September 1, 2017

Ladue lulls Jr. Bills; mistakes prove costly

SLUH stomps the pitch; going 2-0-1 Stephen Ocampo and Jack Callahan CORE STAFF, REPORTER

T

Senior Jared Scott (5) against Ladue last Friday.

Nick Prainito and Nathan Langhauser

REPORTER, SPORTS EDITOR

A

loud student section, the home opener, and a late comeback attempt were not enough for the St. Louis U. High football team as they lost 24-14 to Ladue-Horton Watkins High School, marking their first loss of the season. Turnovers and penalties, both on offense and defense, proved deadly for the squad.

It was the annual Running of the Bills game, in which the freshman class runs into the football stadium—through the Oakland Avenue entrance—all painted blue.

After receiving the opening kickoff, Ladue marched into scoring position early. As soon as the freshmen ran into the stadium, the Rams struck with a field goal for a 3-0 lead with 8:50 left in the first quarter.

SLUH’s first drive stalled out, and after the punt, Ladue had good field position to start their drive.

A flurry of missed tackles allowed Ladue to grind the ball down to the SLUH goal line. A chop block personal foul on Ladue pushed them back to the SLUH 24.

However, Ladue passed to a gap in coverage and scored, putting them up 10-0.

photo | Dominik Skroska

“When the defense had their down moments, Ladue made big plays. We just have to come out harder and better than last week,” said senior center Ben Massenberg.

With the rush offense being smothered again and a quarterback sack on the following drive, the Jr. Bills went without a first down again, giving the ball back to the Rams.

On the closing play of the first quarter, Ladue scored a touchdown on a passing play, with the receiver breaking tackles yet again to find the end zone. The first quarter closed 17-0, Ladue.

The SLUH fan section was

quiet, but not for long.

“The slow start set us behind and it was hard to come back from that,” said senior quarterback Austin Hannah.

The beginning of the second quarter, after an animated talk from head coach Mike Jones, sparked the beginning of a small comeback for the Jr. Bills. To start off, a couple of rushes by seniors Jared Scott and Daniel Terry gained a first down. Then, a personal foul set the squad back 15 yards. The offense continued to march, though, as a 27-yard pass from Hannah to junior wideout Nick Lang was good for a first

continued on page 10

he St. Louis U. High varsity soccer team remained undefeated, improving to 4-0-1 this past week.

SLUH started the week last Saturday with a 6-5 victory over Jefferson City in PKs, followed by a close 2-1 victory over Parkway South on Monday and a hard-fought 2-2 tie versus Gibault on Tuesday.

The Jr. Bills came out with high energy and great defense from the back line against Jeff City while getting multiple shots on goal, including a close free kick from Peter Kickham late in the second half that Jeff City’s keeper barely saved. However, Jeff City fought back and tired the Jr. Bills out enough to keep them scoreless throughout regulation, forcing overtime.

“We had opportunities,” said senior Buck Chevalier.

“We were knocking on the door, but we became less dominant as the game went on.”

Overtime remained a stalemate as both teams fought hard to score the golden goal, but both defenses laid all they had out on the table, sending the game into sudden death penalty kicks.

Senior Kurt Schumacher was first up for the Jr. Bills, sending a hard kick right past the goalie. But just like in regulation , Jeff City matched the intensity, and both teams exchanged penalty kicks until

the sixth shooter.

SLUH’s sixth shooter was senior Stephen LaVigne, who rocketed a shot into the bottom left corner of the net.

Jeff City’s shooter could not respond to LaVigne’s goal, sending one over the net and giving the Jr. Bills a 6-5 win.

“They were a good team, and I think we may have underestimated them a little,” said senior Billy Hughes.

“Our chances were there, but we just couldn’t capitalize.”

Two days later, SLUH traveled to Parkway South and took down the Patriots, 2-1.

Just like the game before, the Jr. Bills came out hot, getting five shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, but all were saved by the Patriots’ goalie.

However, with three minutes left in the first half, senior Will Rudder finished right in front of the net off a slick pass from senior Ray Goedeker, giving SLUH a 1-0 lead heading into half time.

After the break, the Jr. Bills mirrored their intensity from the first half, starting off with two good chances.

Then, with 34 minutes left on the clock, SLUH struck again when senior Pietro Nicastro took an easy goal off a cross from Rudder.

“We just kept going to the goal, and we kept pressing them,” said Nicastro. “And we found the back of the net twice.”

The Patriots did not give up, though, as less than five

continued on page 11

Swimmers quickly qualify; controversies impact outcome of first meet John Burke and Joe Feder REPORTERS

T

he St. Louis U. High Swim and Dive team has shown in its early meets just how dominant it can be this year. The team’s debut meets came Saturday, with the top varsity swimmers at the Marquette Relays, and the rest of the team at the Ladue Invitational.

The Marquette Relays was an interesting meet, to say the least, featuring both excellent swims and bizarre controversies.

The controversies began before the meet even started with the team swimsuit, which features the letters “AMDG” written diagonally across the back. At the time the suits were made, this was in accordance with MSHSAA’s rules regarding what could or could not be on a team suit. However, a recent change states that only the school logo, school name, or school nickname can be displayed on the swimming suits. One official at the meet believed that the “AMDG” on the suit did not

Junior Garrett Baldes swimming freestyle.

fall into one of these categories, so an attempt was made to disqualify SLUH from the meet.

To counter this, SLUH swimmers changed into different suits from previous swim seasons and began the

meet. MSHSAA is currently investigating whether or not SLUH will be able to keep the letters on the suit.

SLUH had many fantastic races during the meet.

SLUH qualified a 200 Freestyle team of senior John

photo | Joe Hillmeyer

Burke and juniors Daniel Fink, Jack Bodnar, and Will Slatin for state and a 400 Freestyle Relay of Burke, Slatin, Fink, and junior Joe Feder.

SLUH also had individual qualifications for sopho-

more Josh Brown in the 100 Butterfly, Feder in the 200 Freestyle, and senior Barclay Dale in the 200 IM and the 100 backstroke.

The final round of controversies came in the last two races of the meet. SLUH was winning the meet going into the second-to-last race, the 3 x 100 Breastroke relay, when an unexpected disqualification of Burke in that very race led to Cape Central gaining points on SLUH. With victory still in sight, SLUH just needed a third place finish in the final race, the 200 Medley Relay, to win the race. However, SLUH experienced another unexpected disqualification when the same official who noticed the “AMDG” on the suits disqualified senior Joe Jellinek and therefore the entire relay team. Disappointed in what appeared to be two clean races, SLUH walked away with a third place trophy and more motivation to improve.

“It was upsetting,” said head coach Lindsey Ehret. “I

think we handled it as best we could.”

Slatin was awarded Swimmer of the Meet for his contributions in the 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays, and for his state consideration time of 51.99 in the 100 Freestyle.

At Ladue, the trend of strong swims continued with big time drops for senior captain Jack Laux, sophomore Sean Santoni, and freshman Eli Butters.

“We had a lot of good leadership,” said assistant coach Mary Reagan. “We did a great job cheering, and there was a lot of team support. It was overall a really good meet.”

The swim team competed in its first dual meet on Wednesday, earning a win over MCC rival CBC by the blowout score of 125-60.

The meet featured an unprecedented six state qualifications, with individual qualifications from Dale (100 Breaststroke, 50 Freestyle); Feder (200 IM, 100 Butterfly); the 200 Medley Relay consisting of Dale,

continued on page 10

10

SPORTS

Prep News

September 1, 2017

Volume 82, Issue 2

Turnovers plague SLUH offense (continued from page 9)

down. Another pass from Hannah and then a Scott run got the Jr. Bills in Rams’ territory, and then Scott sparked the SLUH crowd back into full life with a 27-yard rushing touchdown. The extra point was hit and SLUH now trailed 17-7.

Next, the Jr. Bills’ defense successfully held the Rams to a four-and-out after the kickoff with 6:24 left in the half. Pounding the ball inside on four separate rushes eventually led to yet another Scott touchdown, this time from 29 yards out, making it 17-14 with 4:05 to go in the half.

A dropped pass down the field on the subsequent drive caused Ladue to stall out again, punting back to SLUH, but an impressive

punt, giving the SLUH offense a great opportunity with the ball on the Ladue 37. Unable to capitalize, they punted the ball right back to the Rams. Another golden opportunity followed, with the Rams punting from their own goal line. But this time, a couple of incomplete passes failed to advance the Jr. Bills into Ladue territory.

“If we had one more offensive drive after the second score, we could’ve scored again because of our tempo and intensity, but after the half, we didn’t come out as strong as we wanted to,” said Massenberg.

Hannah converted a huge third down pass to senior Anthony Freeman to keep SLUH’s first drive of the fourth quarter alive after be-

Divers raise scores against CBC

ing.

On the ensuing posession, the quarterback option play proved effective, and the Jr. Bills marched into the Ladue red zone. But facing fourth down on the 9-yard line, SLUH’s field goal attempt was unsuccessful and Ladue took over with 3:53 left.

Playing to run the clock out and preserve their lead, Ladue began to run the ball every play, forcing Jones to use his timeouts. SLUH finally forced fourth down with 22.5 seconds left, but it was too late. On the last play of the game, Ladue picked off Hannah again on a tipped desperation pass, dropping the Jr. Bills to 1-1 on the season.

“We went into last week’s

artwork | Kyle McEnery

(continued from page 9)

Senior Austin Hannah attempting a pass last Friday night.

punt pushed the Jr. Bills back to their own 20-yard line to start their drive with 2:02 left.

The Jr. Bills, looking for deep plays, were unable to move to ball downfield and were forced to punt.

A huge sack on third down by senior Kam Bowdry halted the Ladue drive and forced yet another punt from the Rams, who had been struggling to move the ball in the second quarter.

The first half ended on a big run by Hannah, but he was tackled before he was able to do any more damage on the scoreboard.

Going into the half, the Jr. Bills had five penalties.

After the break, both squads traded four-and-outs before Terry blocked Ladue’s

ing pushed deep into their own territory. But the next play, a huge run by Scott, was negated by a holding penalty.

SLUH then fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Rams on the SLUH 14-yard line with 9:46 left.

“We had too many mistakes,” said senior AJ Hardin.

Taking advantage of the great field position, Ladue ran a fake screen pass to the right, then threw it back to the left for an easy score that increased the Ladue lead to 24-14 with 8:53 to go.

On the following SLUH drive, a tipped pass was intercepted by Ladue and run back to the SLUH 33 with 7:57 to go. The Jr. Bills bounced back though, with an interception

by Hardin with 7:38 remain-

photo | Dominik Skroska

game coming off a big win the week before, thinking we were going to do the same thing,” said Hannah.

The Jr. Bills’ defense played well, forcing two turnovers as well as three fumbles. Although they allowed 17 points in the first quarter, they would only allow one more touchdown in the game.

“So now that we had that loss, it woke us up, so we are coming in this week prepared mentally and physically, and with a better mindset for the game this week,” said Hannah.

Tonight SLUH plays their second home game, against the Chaminade Red Devils, at 7:30.

Jellinek, Bodnar, and senior Nick Mattingly; and, most notably, from Fink in the 500 Freestyle. Fink was named Swimmer of the Meet for his strong race, his first individual qualification.

“It’s nice to have it done,” said Fink. “I was kind of worried that I was going to get close but never achieve it.”

“I’m really proud of him,” said Ehret. “He really swam well.”

Notable swims also came from senior Jacob Fields in the 100 Butterfly, Jellinek in the 100 Breaststroke, Mattingly in the 100

Backstroke, Slatin in the 100 Freestyle, and Burke in the 200 Freestyle. Fields, Jellinek, and Mattingly all came within a half second of a state qualifying time.

Also notable were the divers, the unsung heroes of the team.

“We’ve had great improvements since Marquette (Relays),” said diving coach Brendan Lebrun. “The greatest improvement was from (junior) Justin (Surber) going from just under 100 points at Marquette to 123 points against CBC.” The team is also looking towards sophomores Gabe and Max Manalang, who are trying to achieve a state

qualifying point cut. They ranked second and third, respectively, in the CBC meet, falling short to a very good CBC diver.

Overall, the team is looking good so far. The next meet isn’t until Friday, Sept. 8, against De Smet, giving the team a chance to recharge and remotivate after the first three meets.

“We’re trying to be like megalodons, rising out of the deep depths of Forest Park Community College pool to swallow the competition and secure these wins,” said Mattingly.

Cross Country Weekend Preview This coming Saturday, Sept. 2, the St. Louis U. High varsity cross country team will have its first meet of the season.

The runners will be participating in the Granite City Invitational, hosted by Granite City High School. There will be a total of 32 teams participating in the meet.

“Most of the schools are from Illinois and we won’t race most of them the rest of the season,” said head coach Joe Porter. “Edwardsville and O’Fallon both look really strong, as does Chatham Glenwood out of Springfield. It’s hard to tell though since this is everyone’s first race of the year.”

The course is predicted to be a relatively fast course for the runners, though there are quite a few turns on the course, and the runners are not allowed to wear racing spikes, because part of the course goes through areas of concrete.

“I think that as long as the team executes the plan we have a really

Junior Joe Feder qualified for State in five different events: the 400 Freestyle relay, 200 Freestyle, 200 Individual Medley, 100 Butterfly, and 200 Medley Relay last week in meets at Marquette and against CBC. art | Ian Shocklee

good chance at winning the meet, and if that doesn’t go as planned I don’t see us coming in anything worse than third or even second,” said junior Patrick Hetlage. “The competition is good and the course is fast, so we’re going try to wake up the sleeping giant that SLUH cross country is with a win.” photo | Mrs. Kathy Chott

-compiled by Matthew Quinlan

SPORTS

September 1, 2017

Prep News Volume 82, Issue 2

Soccer frustrated with tie at Gibault, looks to improve against MCC (continued from page 9)

minutes later, Parkway South capitalized off a defensive breakdown from the Bills to make the score 2-1.

As time was winding down in the second half, both teams fought hard, and the Patriots almost tied the game with 14 minutes left, but goalkeeper Alec Meissner made a full extension save to allow the Jr. Bills to hold on for the 2-1 victory over Parkway South.

For their third game in four days, the soccer team headed to yet another away game, this one against Gibault, that ended in a 2-2 tie.

The Jr. Bills once again came out aggressively, firing multiple shots on goal, but did not score until midway through the first half when junior Alex Lehmann got a pass off to Goedecker, who shot one past the goalie.

Right before the first half ended, though, the Jr. Bills fouled a Gibault player, giving them a chance to tie the game up with a free kick. The kick deflected off the wall of Jr. Bill players and snuck past Meissner, tying the game 1-1 before heading into the halftime break.

“Stuff like that in soccer happens a lot and it was just unlucky,” said Nicastro.

In the second half, Gibault scored first, with 25 minutes left on the clock. The Jr. Bills responded with a goal of their own less than 30 seconds later, but the goal got called back because of a hand ball.

“I don’t agree with the call because the referee was behind the play and there were people in front of her, so I don’t think she could see,” said Nicastro.

“She called it really late,” said Chevalier, “which doesn’t help when we all think it’s not a handball, so that angers ev-

eryone.”

However, less than four minutes later, the Jr. Bills scored once again as Rudder headed one in off a deflected shot, tying the game 2-2.

As time passed, both teams upped their play, desperately trying to win the game. With just two minutes left, the Jr. Bills had their chance when Kickham sent a cross to Lehmann, who shot it just wide.

In overtime, both teams came out with more of the same, looking evenly matched, but with 3:18 left on the clock, the Jr. Bills almost ended the game when senior Jack Nikodem launched a shot that barely hit off the post off a cross from Rudder. “(Nikodem) went full send on that one,” said Chevalier. “I can’t believe that didn’t go in. He did everything right.”

“Niko really put in the work, and he got to the ball,” said Nicastro. “It was unfortunate though, just unlucky I guess.”

As overtime ended, instead of going into penalty kicks, the Gibault coach opted to mark the game as a tie, making the Jr. Bills 4-0-1 for the season.

“It’s okay. It’s not the end of the world,” said Nicastro about the tie. “I think we just need to keep moving forward from here.”

Coming off the tie, though, the Jr. Bills were not proud of their play.

“I do not think we played well. We were really sloppy, but it was a little hard to play because it was grass and the ball moved really slow,” said Nicastro.

“People aren’t pressuring as hard,” said Chevalier. “People’s skills start to decrease as the game goes on, and I feel like if we moved people

Prep News Credits

around more and subbed a little bit, I think it would be a huge help.”

With upcoming games against MCC rivals, the team looks to improve their play from this past week.

“We need to just start cashing and finishing our chances,” said Chevalier.

“We’re creating chances, we’re just not finishing on them.”

“I feel good about that record,” said Hughes. “But I feel like we still have a lot to prove and that we haven’t played to our full potential.”

The Jr. Bills’ next game is today at 4:30 at SLUH against Glendale High School, Springfield.

Volume 82, Issue 2

11

“What’d you give your teacher this week?”

Editor in Chief Jack “Apple” Schweizer News Editors Jake “TI-84 Calculator” Hennes Riley “Snake” McEnery

Staff Artists John “A+” Burke Jackson “Apple Pencil” DuCharme Staff Photographer Joe “Hugs” Hillmeyer

Sports Editors Nathan “A Stern Talking To” Langhauser Reporters Ben “Money” Datillo Tommy “Rogaine” Rogan Ali “Bone-crunching Tackle” Hamed Features Editor Jacob “Spock Figurine” Sprock Nathan P. “Kite minus the Runner” Justin “Coaster” Koesterer Wild II Ken “Hockey Input” Viehland Pierce “Sass” Hastings Core Staff Kevin “Undivided Attention” Sembrot Matthew “Rugby Ball” Quinlan Peter “A Ride Home @MrCurdt” Curdt Stephen “Zo2s” Ocampo Matthew “Ladder” Coplen James “Totality” Pollard Joe “FedEx Package” Feder Sam “Headache” Ortmann Nick “Praying Mantises” Prainito Danny “The Wizard of Oz” Favazza Staff Jake “Dinner” Trunko Luke “Grief ” Wilmes Contributing Artists Steven “Cubs Jersey” Zak Paul “Respect” Gillam Ian “Static” Shocklee Ben “4 Leaf Clover” Klevorn Daniel “Rubber Band” Klarsch Art Director Moderator Joe “Black Box Cutter” Bytnar Mr. Steve “I Am the Teacher” Missey

Photo of the Week

Seniors A.J. Hardin (2) and Jared Scott (5) with David Jackson’s number 18 jersey before last Friday’s game against Ladue.

photo | Dominik Skroska

UNDERCLASSMEN BRIEFS Saturday 8/26

Monday 8/28

B Soccer vs Jefferson City

Tuesday 8/29

JV Football vs Ladue

B Soccer vs Gibault

SLUH

2

SLUH

0

SLUH

3

Jefferson City

0

Ladue

17

Gibault

0

C Soccer vs Jefferson City

Key Quote: “It was a tough loss but overall it

Next Game: Sept. 2 vs Helias, Jefferson City @

was a lack of effort and will to win.”

SLUH

SLUH

4

-Cameron Owens, Junior

Jefferson City

0

Next Game: Sept. 11 vs De Smet @ SLUH

Monday 8/28

Tuesday 8/29

JV Soccer vs Parkway South

Wednesday 8/30 C Soccer vs Priory

C Soccer vs Vianney

SLUH 2

SLUH

2

SLUH

4

Parkway South

2

Vianney

1

Priory 1 Key Stat: Harrison Beardsley and Michael

Key Stat: Juniors Michael Drabelle and Zack

Hiblovic combined for both goals.

Bievenue both scored.

Next Game: Sept. 6 vs Chaminade @ Chami-

Next Game: Sept. 5 vs Rockwood Summit @

nade

Rockwood Summit.

-Compiled by Andrew Nester, Leo Wagner, Nathan Langhauser, and Alfie Arun

12

STET

Prep News

September 1, 2017

Volume 81, Issue 20

Friday, September 1

Around the Hallways Safety procedure practices During Activity Period on Monday, safety drills were practiced in case of an intruder. A drill for a tornado was followed after. During Thursday’s Activity Period, students funneled out the classrooms onto the football field in order to practice the procedure in case of a fire. Students then lined up around the entrance of the school to take a photo of the student body for the bicentennial.

Freshman Pastoral Team The Freshman had their first pastoral team meeting this Thursday. They ate lunch

and introduced each other to the group. 17 freshman attended the meeting. The main goal of the meeting was to get to know each other and plan to get to work next week.

Parents Ignatius Meeting On Thursday this week SLUH held the first of four AMDG meetings.

These meetings offer parents the chance to learn more about Ignatian Spirituality through prayer and guest speakers.

The event began at 5:30 with mass in the chapel celebrated

by Fr. Robert Poirier, S.J. and was followed by a light dinner in the currigan room. The

feature speaker of the evening was Fr. Chris Collins, S.J. the Assistant to the President for Mission and Identity at Saint Louis University. About fifty people attended the event.

Romeo and Juliet Play Auditions The Dauphin Players had auditions for Romeo and Juliet last week, with callbacks on Monday. Actors seeking roles read excerpts from the famous Shakespeare play and participated in a series of theatre exercises. Casting was emailed out Monday night, and rehearsals started Thursday with a read-through.

Medical Careers Club Meeting The Medical Careers club met on Wednesday during Activity Period to talk about everyone’s summer experiences, whether they were shadowing a doctor, participating in a medical camp at assorted colleges, interning at a hospital, or doing research in a lab. The club also discussed goals for the year, such as taking field trips to hospitals and research labs, and running blood drives.

—Complied by Nathan Wild, Luke Wilmes, Matthew Wilmes, and Paul Gillam

Fun Friday: Mass of the Holy Spirit, Freshman Fun Day, Running of the Bills

Regular Schedule

AP Senior Class Mass Snack—Chicken Rings Lunch Special—Brunch Vegetarian—Garden Burger 4:30PM V Soccer vs. Springfield Glendale 7:30PM V Football vs. Chaminade

Saturday, September 2

No Classes

C/JV/V Cross Country Invitational @ Granite City 10:30am B Soccer @ Helias Jeff. City 2:00PM V Soccer vs. Xavier (Louisville)

Monday, September 4 9:00am

No classes

B Soccer @ Chaminade

Tuesday, September 5

Regular Schedule

AP Senior Class Meeting Sophomore Liturgical Choir Rehearsal Snack—Mini Taco’s Lunch Special—Chinese Vegetarian—Olive Oil Pasta Columbia University Furman University University of Kentucky University of Central Missouri 4:00PM C Football vs. Chaminade 4:15PM JV Soccer @ Rockwood Summit 5:00PM V Soccer @ CBC 5:30PM B Soccer vs. De Smet

Wednesday, September 6 Late Start Schedule Lunch Special—Spicy Chicken Vegetarian—Black Bean Burger Worcester Polytechnic Institute 4:00PM C Soccer @ Chaminade

Thursday, September 7 photo | Sulli Wallisch

photo | Kathy Chott

Regular Schedule AP Activities Fair Boston College Boston University Snack—Bosco Stick Lunch Special—Domino Pizza Vegetarian—Sweet Potatoes Williams College Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 4:00PM JV Soccer vs. CBCHS 4:30PM C Soccer @ Edwardsville 5:15PM B Soccer @ De Smet 6:30PM Financial Aid 101 7:00PM V Soccer @ CBC

Friday, September 8

Regular Schedule Sophomore Class Mass Code D—President’s Ambassadors Westminster College Snack—Mozzarella Stick Lunch Special—Philly Cheesesteak Vegetarian—Mashed Potatoes 4:00PM Swimming vs. De Smet 7:00PM V Football @ De Smet AP

calendar | Liam John

photo | Louis Barnes

SLUH Tweet of the Week: Mr. David Laughlin @Sluhpresident “I spy with my little eye, .........the U. High!

From the weather balloon @SLUHScience @sluhjrbills AMDG!”

photo | Kathy Chott

Top left: The Rev. Ian Gibbons, S.J., blesses the altar at the Mass of the Holy Spirit Top right: Freshmen cheer on the football team at the Running of the Bills Top Middle: Senior Eucharistic ministers get initiated for the year Bottom Middle: Freshmen brawl out in the rockpaper-scissors tournament on Freshman Fun ay Bottom Right: Freshmen show the U for SLUH at the Running of the Bills

SLUH photographed by the weather balloon. photo | Sulli Wallisch