Prep Volume 76, Issue 19
“If nothing else, value the truth”
News sluh.org/prepnews
St. Louis University High School | Friday, February 3, 2012 photo | Sam Beckmann
Commons: six days to go
Faster lunch lines ahead New equipment will move in the weekend after students learn about it BY Sam Fentress REPORTER
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s the jigsaw puzzle of the new Si Commons is being pieced together, a major component of the new cafeteria will soon be ready for regular use: lunch. Equipped with new kitchen equipment, the new lunch line is designed to be faster and more efficient. Before lunch can be served for the first time on Monday Feb. 13, all of the smaller equipment,
such as pots, pans, serving trays, and the bulk of the current food supply, must be moved to the new space in the Commons. Director of Food Service Kathy Hylla said that the moving is set to take place on Friday and Saturday of next week, the weekend before the Commons opens for lunch. The Commons itself, however, will be open for recreational use next Thursday, after its dedication takes place Wednesday night. The Commons will feature lots of new equipment, in addition to all the items that are being relocated. Brand new serving continued on page 7
A look at the man in charge Planning is key for BSI Constructors project superintendent BY John Webb CORE STAFF
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ommons Project Superintendent Gib Phillips’s office is in an unusual place: under the library in a room that will soon become storage for Food Service. From there, he works to make sure that every aspect of the SI Commons’ renovation is done the proper way and in a timely manner. Phillips grew up in St. Charles
and has worked in construction for 42 years. He’s worked for BSI for the last 11 years, including coordinating the construction of the Danis Field House. Most of the project planning is done long before demolition ever occurs. Once Phillips had the blueprints for what the Commons was going to look like, he sat down and figured out the best way to put the puzzle together. For example, a tile floor can’t be lain until the concrete is poured. A wall can’t be painted until the drywall is put on. Eventually Phillips came up with what basically continued on page 4
More inside, page 4
Ignatius moves around back
photo | Mr. Matt Sciuto
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 ©2012 St. Louis University High School Prep News. No material may be reprinted without the permission of the editors and moderator.
Instructional Council takes next steps in academic integrity BY Adam Thorp CORE STAFF
Senior Evan Chipley shares his reflection on Senior Project to a room full of underclassmen and faculty on Tuesday.
Seniors reflect on project
See page three for Nathan Rubbelke’s reflection on his time at Valley Park Early Childhood. More reflections will follow over the next few weeks.
Sophomores receive bumper stickers with their GPA photo | Ben Banet
BY Stephen STAFF
Lumetta
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or the few sophomores who own their own cars and have a grade point average of 3.2 or higher, they have a new item to add to the exterior of their car: a bumper sticker. Last week, almost three out of every four sophomores were given bumper stickers during homeroom. Each sticker had the individual’s grade point average, or GPA, printed on it. The stickers were given out to sophomores who had made Second Honors, which is a GPA of 3.2 or higher. “Well, you see all these stickers on cars now for marathons and half-marathons. So I’m looking at them and saying ‘13.1, 26.2, 4.0, 3.8,’” said sophomore class moderator Frank Corley. “It seemed kind of natural to me to play off that popularity of the stickers into a GPA. So it just came to me one day.” The stickers were only given to sophomores, but Corley said
that it would be a good idea to make it a school-wide program. According to Corley, the sophomore class had a little extra room in its budget, so with a deal from the company who made the stickers, the expense was not a concern. However, the way that the stickers would be perceived by the students was a concern. “It’s a fine line you walk. On the one hand, I knew there were some kids who would be selfconscious about getting a high GPA, and there were going to be some kids who made fun of a kid with a high GPA. And there were going to be kids who felt like it was not humble to kind of put your GPA out there for everybody to see,” said Corley. “My feeling was, honor roll should be something a guy is proud of, and just because you’re proud of your own accomplishment doesn’t mean you’re pushing someone else down. So I wanted to balance the humility with the congratulations. But I think making honor roll is something that we ought to celebrate, so it’s okay.” “There are certain times when we recognize those things,” said Principal John Moran regarding grades and GPAs. “Graduation may be the biggest (time), but when you’re a SLUH student, you’re a SLUH student.” Most sophomores interviewed agreed that the reactions to the stickers were rather small or nonexistent. “There wasn’t much (of a) reaction. People just looked at it for a second and put it away,” said sophomore Gabe Newsham. continued on page 4
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Chessbills finish on high note The SLUH chess team rebounds from Mehlville loss, plays to potential in win over Alton. Page 4 Senior Project Reflection Senior Nathan Rubbelke finds parallels in his time at Valley Park Early Childhood Center and his own childhood. Page 4
Jr. Bills hockey looks determined SLUH hockey is coming off one of its best seasons in years and has a great chance at State. Pages 4-5 Behind enemy blue lines SLUH senior Zach Everson took an interesting route to the Mid States playoffs. He will face his classmates tonight. Pages 4-5
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ajor changes in St. Louis U. High’s policy on academic integrity are being planned for next year, thanks to an allday meeting of the Instructional Council last Thursday. The group, consisting of administrators and department heads, met as part of a several month long process that looked into academic integrity. The Council split into four groups: one to look at the student handbook, one to focus on school curriculum, one to discuss the faculty handbook and professional development, and one to consider student involvement. “Conversations that led toward action is the way I would describe the day,” said Principal John Moran. The group working on the student handbook began to edit the handbook, and expects to do more in the future. “There was actually concrete work on rewriting the student handbook,” said Moran. “Not with any sweeping changes that students should be anxious or will be surprised about, but just for clarity’s sake. Looking at the data that we had in regards to what were issues at the school, updating some of the language, taking out some pieces that were a little outdated—that is well underway, and I think people will see changes in the handbook this coming summer when it is printed.” One concern about the handbook rules as written was that some of them were out of date. For instance, the handbook offers no specifics for cell phone cheating on tests, because until this year students were not supposed to carry cell phones during school. That group also looked at changing the consequences mandated by the handbook. “The policy was written in a very—what I’ll call—prescriptive way,” said Moran. “There were several paragraphs in there saying, 'If you are caught, this is what will happen to you.’ The more we talked about that and looked at continued on page 4
Abeln sits down for chat Junior heavyweight Alec Abeln discusses football and wrestling, and serves up bid to try out for volleyball this year. Pages 4-5 Student teacher joins history department Brian Larsen will teach two sections of Global History II. Pages 4-5