January 26, 2018 Print Issue

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Rolla High School - 900 Bulldog Run Rolla, Missouri 65401- Volume 69 - Issue - 6 January 26, 2018 - www.rhsecho.com

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An interview with the former and current Student Representatives to the Board of Education Where are they now? Catch up with Class of 2017 graduates

Arts Rolla is reaching out to younger audiences

In this issue...

Courtwarming Preview...................................................................6 2017 Wrap-up................................................................................10 Pick of the Pack.............................................................................19 Sixth Man.....................................................................................20 Senior Column..............................................................................27

Letter from the Editor As I begin my last semester of high school, I have been looking back on my experiences at Rolla Public Schools throughout the years. I have been a part of this school system since kindergarten, and it’s crazy for me to think that I have gone from learning my ABC’s to analyzing literature. I have been a part of so many organizations with school, and I’ve learned so much. Rolla Public Schools has provided me with countless opportunities, and I could not be thankful enough.

I have always been the type of person who enjoys going to school, but my teachers throughout the years have definitely strengthened my love for learning. Teachers have a strong impact on students, especially young ones, and I was lucky enough to be taught by so many great people.

As students, I think we often do not appreciate school enough.

I know that homework, studying, and tests can seem tedious, but the truth is, we have it pretty lucky here. As I reminisce about my experiences, I have so many positive memories. I’ve taken amazing classes, joined amazing clubs, and met genuine people. Without Rolla Public Schools, my life would be much different. This is my thank you to all the administration, teachers, staff, and peers that I have had the pleasure of meeting over the years.

2017-2018 Rolla High ECHO Magazine Staff Editor In Chief - Sophia Gesualdi Copy Editor - Adrienne Pyeatt Managing Editor - Lydia Giesey Photo Editor - Bailey Allison Section Editors: Abbee Hilgers (Opinion), Maia Bond (Arts & Entertainment), Kayla Copeland (News), Brandon Kirchner (Sports), Jessa Swearingen (Feature) Staff Writers - Nalani Massaro, Lorren Black, Brett Gonzalez, Tutu Hardwick, Abbee Hilgers, Elizabeth Kaelin, Sam Kimball, Blaize Klossner, Taylor Miller, Josh Pritchett, Isaac Stormes, Nicole Van Horn, Adviser - Mary Gillis ECHO is an open forum for student expression. All letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, signature and class or position. Anonymous letters will not be published.

ECHO reserves the right to reject any letters. Letters should be sent to ECHO, Rolla High School, 900 Bulldog Run, Rolla, MO 65401.

ECHO is a member of Missouri Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and Quill & Scroll Honor Society

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Table of Contents

Paved Parking Lot

Appreciation b y

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Arts & Entertainment Editor Do you remember “The Gravel Parking Lot?” Do you remember showing up to school around 7:50 and having to walk all the way from the top of the hill (or possibly even the OAT theater) to the attendance office?

Many of our youngest students have no idea what this means. For that, they should be thankful. Gone are the days of bad parking spots. Gone are the days of waiting outside in the rain (or snow, or 90 degree heat, or freezing cold) because the nearest door was too far from the driver’s circle. Gone are those dark, desperate days.

Rolla High ECHO would like to recognize what has been given to us. The newly-built addition to the school and the newly-paved addition to the parking lot have been a blessing to us all. Now, every parking spot is close to an entrance. The top of the hill no longer fills students with dread. Students no longer have to go out of their way to avoid getting gravel dust all over their cars, and they no longer have to worry about stray rocks scratching their paint jobs. Everyone who reads this and remembers the horrors of the past should take a moment to appreciate that, one day, not a single RHS student will remember “The Gravel Parking Lot.” But should we truly forget? Should we simply erase this part of our past, leave it in the dust? Will these memories fade alongside the (old) math hallway? Will we simply call it “the parking lot,” or will “The Gravel Parking Lot” be cemented in history? Will this misnomer forever be a quirky tradition of Rolla Sr. High? Only time will tell.

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But should we truly forget? Should we simply erase this part of our past, leave it in the dust? Will these memories fade alongside the (old) math hallway? Will we simply call it “the parking lot,” or will “The Gravel Parking Lot” be cemented in history? Will this misnomer forever be a quirky tradition of Rolla Sr. High? Only time will tell. the hill no longer fills students with dread. Students no longer have to go out of their way to avoid getting gravel dust all over their cars, and they no longer have to worry about stray rocks scratching their paint jobs. Everyone who reads this and remembers the horrors of the past should take a moment to appreciate that, one day, not a single RHS student will remember “The Gravel Parking Lot.” But should we truly forget? Should we simply erase this part of our past, leave it in the dust? Will these memories fade alongside the (old) math hallway? Will we simply call it “the parking lot,” or will “The Gravel Parking Lot” be cemented in history? Will this misnomer forever be a quirky tradition of Rolla Sr. High? Only time will tell.

Staff Editorial 3

Echo Awareness

How education could improve the lives of American teens

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What do teenage pregnancies, STDs, STIs, protection, and contraception have in common? Most of today’s teenagers don’t know nearly enough about them. While sexual education and health is being taught more in schools, only 13 states have laws requiring it to go beyond abstinence-only education. It could be decades before it’s widespread, leaving many in the dark. This is why ECHO has decided to tackle this important issue. This issue, we´ll be explaining protection and the most effective forms, as well as their pros and cons.

In America, we are primarily taught that abstinence, the choice to refrain from sexual intercourse, is the best form of protection. This is factual. It’s safe, effective, free, and the only form of protection with a 100% effectiveness rate. It also means delaying the possibility of any risks that come with intercourse, such as pregnancy and STDs, until one is ready to handle them. But abstinence-only education is also not realistic. Some assert that states that push abstinence-only education have higher rates of teen births and incidents of STDs. While it is controversial to acknowledge that all teens may not take abstinence only advice, in order to protect their health and prevent a teenage pregnancy, other options should, at least, be discussed.

Teens should know that condoms provide only a thin covering that prevents fluids from passing. One must put a lot of confidnece in the thin layer to prevent pregnancy, but they are the only method of birth control that also helps prevent STDs. They´re cheap, portable, and relatively easy to obtain, as no prescription is needed. Used properly, their effectiveness is at a whopping 82%.

Condoms, however, do not protect from all STIs, such as herpes,

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ECHO Awareness

warts and syphilis, which are spread with skin-to-skin contact.

Both partners should be aware that there are protections and each should be responsible for ensuring his or her own health and that of the other.

There are also forms of protection that protect from pregnancy alone, called contraceptives. These include Implanon, IUDs, and pills. The first is a small plastic rod inserted in the female’s upper arm, and over the course of 3 years, it’ll release the hormone progesterone into the bloodstream. It is 99% effective and easily removed, but it does alter the menstrual cycle. The second, the IUD, is a small object put inside the female’s womb and is left there for five to 10 years. It stops egg fertilization and the ovum from attaching to the lining of the womb. They are 99% effective for the entirety of the time it is in the body, and can be removed at any time. The third, and most common, is referred to as “the pill”.

There are two types, just as effective if taken properly at 99%, but they must be taken every day. It works the same as Implanon, and can regulate the menstrual cycle and improve acne. None of these forms protect against STIs or STDs. Protecting yourself against pregnancy, STDs, and STIs is important. Abstinence is the only way to be 100% safe and it is really important to have a healthy experience, mentally and physically.

Nobody should ever make a person feel pressured to do something that they do not want to do. It’s also important for you to know all your options and what will work best for you. This may mean visiting your doctor, and probably having a semi-uncomfortable conversation with your parents.

In the end, the health of both partners is most important.

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Senior pictures have become almost a rite of passage for the exalted final year of high school. While the sentiment behind them is nice and good, Senior photos are much more than a picture session for relatives to “ooh” and “aah” over how tall and old you are.

They’re a snapshot of success, a physical glorification of the work and time that it takes to achieve the status that is Seniority. As Senior year tends to be uncharted territory, things such as Senior pictures can be an anchor to hold onto. Seniors Ryleigh Grommet, Skylar Garcille, and Reid Hoss were asked about tips and their experiences with Senior photos.

“I think they really capture your personality. Your Senior year is about you switching and transitioning in your life, and this is like a last hurrah of your Senior year. I think it’s important to capture you and your Senior year because you’ll be on your own soon,” Hoss said.

The most important thing is, of course, the photographer.

There’s a multitude of professionals in Rolla and the surrounding area. Typically, photographers can be found through mutual friends, social media, or word of mouth.

“I found mine because I used to play baseball with her son, so my mom and her are really good friends. We’ve always said that we would get pictures from her, so I guess it just kind of worked out,” Hoss said.

“I went to a family friend’s wedding in September, and I just saw their engagement photos and fell in love with her work. I asked her if she did Senior pictures, and she did, so we set it up,” Garcille said.

The age-old saying, there are no stupid questions, applies to numerous situations--including Senior pics. Always communicate wants, expectations and ideas, to guarantee the best results.

“Be smart about which outfit you start with, too. Because I started with a dress, and it was really hot the day we did them, and so when we were driving to a different place I put on jeans, and changing into jeans in a car after being sweaty was one of the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Grommet said.

Honestly, just make sure your photographer captures your personality. None of my pictures are serious, because I’m not serious, whatsoever,” Garcille said.

As for locations, don’t be afraid to try something out of the ordinary. In actuality, Rolla and its surrounding area has many choices--some earthy, some urban, some offbeat. It all depends on self-expression and the desired outcome.

“I went to the cemetery for my senior pictures. If you find places that are like, ugly but can be made pretty, or places that no one else goes to, go with that, because they can be made cool,” Garcille said.

“There’s a lot of nice brick buildings in town if you don’t want to go anywhere. We went to S&T, and on their bleachers they have this little staircase that’s really cool, so we took pictures there,” Grommet said.

“For me and my personality, I wanted my pictures to be taken at my house and behind my house. So if you’re looking for a really good place, Little Piney River is right by my house and it’s a really pretty spot,” Hoss said.

Feature 5

Preparation For Upcoming Courtwarming Dance b y

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The New Year brings resolutions, cold weather, and the start of second semester.

While students are still getting back into the swing of things, Courtwarming planning is well under way. The most informal of the three dances is held at the high school and put on by Key Club, whose sponsor, math teacher Christi Green, allows creative control to the club members while figuring schedules and paperwork behind the scenes.

“To prepare for courtwarming, the first thing we have to do is figure out a date.

Since we are trying to correspond with basketball games, we have to look at that schedule and know when home games are,” Green said.

Choosing a date that works with most students’ busy schedules can be nearly impossible, but deciding on an area of a building made of mostly hallways and small rooms that is big enough for a dance can be a whole other challenge. This years date falls on February 10th, the second saturday in February.

“Once we have a date, we start deciding whether it’s going to be upstairs or downstairs. This year we are having it in the cafeteria, and hope we have more room that way. Hopefully it will also be cooler because that has been an issue in the past,” Green said.

Once a time and place is established, Key Club President and senior Visakha Ho describes the following steps in preparation.

“We have to plan what the theme is and what decorations we want to do. Over the years, we’ve done a lot of paintings, but because we are moving the dance to the cafeteria, we might do something different,” Ho said.

With most control in the hands of the members, committees such as the coronation committee and the dance decoration committee are formed. Coronation committee takes care of the coronation process both at the game and at the dance. Unlike Homecoming and Prom, Courtwarming has a prince and princess for each grade, as well as senior king and queen.

“Key Club members nominate people, then students vote online for the candidates, and then the senior candidates will be nominated at the dance, so you have to be at the dance to vote for a king and queen,” Ho said.

Key Clubs extensive planning results in a well put together Courtwarming dance, but not all alumni know it by that name. Green remember when she attended Rolla High in the early nineties and Key Club was putting on the Sweetheart Dance. Green decided to change the name because of the negative connotation that everyone attending had to be a couple. Ho echos that statement when mentioning that anyone can attend with a group of friends and there is no need for girls to ask guys. Awkward situations can be avoided and groups of friends are welcome to the dance.

Although Courtwarming is arguably one of the biggest projects that Key Club takes on, they offer an array of projects throughout the year.

“Key Club is a community service organization, so we do tons of service projects within the community. We do a coat drive and the warming tree, which is where we collect gloves and hats to donate to The Mission. We also do teacher appreciation day, a blood drive, helping with the Alzheimer’s Walk, and collect change for the Russell House,” Green said.

Whatever Key Club is doing, they do it well, and the winter dance would not be the same without their commitment.

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Each year, Rolla High School elects a student representative to the board of education. These hardworking, dependable students serve as a gateway between the students of the entire school district and the Rolla Public Schools Board of Education. Our 2017 school board rep, Ashley Barth, junior, described what exactly this honorable position is like: “My main priority at school board meetings was to give a report on what was happening throughout all of the schools. One thing people don’t realize is that the school board rep doesn’t just represent the high school; they represent the whole district. Besides giving my report, I sat back and listened so I could fill in my peers on what’s happening in the district,” she described.

Barth recently finished her term as school board rep, and after the election when it was time for someone to take her place, sophomore Daniel King was voted in to the position.

“Dr. Pritchett pulled me out of class and told me i was the new rep,” King described his reaction to his new position, “Several people picked up an application but I was the only one who filled it out and turned it in, so I kind of won by default,”.

When asked why the two chose to run for the school board rep, King answered.

“I thought I could help through student council, by being student board rep; there are a lot of ways I can reach out and help people. I knew there were a lot of ways I could make school better.”

Barth herself didn’t fully understand the expectations of the job before she ran for the position.

“I really didn’t know what the mission [of the school board rep] was at first. I heard about it on the announcements, but I didn’t know what it was. I knew the previous school board rep and he told me that it would be a really good idea to do it since one of my main goals in life is to help people. I think that an easy way to do it is to voice your fellow students’ opinions. It was also nice because I didn’t know how the school board worked and it was cool to meet all of the people who make all of the decisions for us. They’re really nice and they care a lot about what students have to say,” Barth said.

Barth was smiling from ear to ear describing some of her favorite parts of being the school board representative.

“The best part was really being able to voice my opinions freely and being able to be looked at like an adult. I knew that everything I said mattered. My favorite event was a board retreat. I got pulled out of class for a couple hours one day and we had breakfast and we talked about valedictorian and graduation, which was a really good experience for me because what I had to say was a lot different than what the board members had to say and it really led into some new discussions. Afterwards Dr. Zalis was really thankful that we had a student’s perspective on it because graduation hasn’t been discussed by the board in years. That was one of my things that I was really able to put input in. Another one of my favorite events was that I got to participate in the ribbon cutting for the new part of the building at the high school. It was really fun! I got to meet a ton of new people like ones from the Chamber of Commerce and CORE, who put in more work than anyone realizes and I got to represent everyone at RHS,” Barth said.

Although Barth is sad to step down as representative, she believes that King will excel in the position.

“I’m hoping to accomplish keeping up with what Ashley has done. She left big shoes to fill. If they do need an opinion or need student help, I hope to be the help that they want and need,” King said.

Thank you to Ashley Barth for her service as school board representative, and congratulations to Daniel King.

DAN KING & ASHLEY BARTH student School Board representatives

Photos courtesy of Ashley Barth

Feature 7

Class Scheduling b y

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Advice From a Counselor

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January is the month of class scheduling, so I asked Head Counselor Sarah Kaelin to give the students some advice on picking their new classes.

“Pay attention to prerequisites. Just because you want to be in a class doesn’t mean that you necessarily make the prerequisites for it, so check that out a lot,” Kaelin said.

For new students, it can be especially hard to decide what classes to take. Between the workload or the classes effect on a person’s GPA, it can be challenging.

“First they should ask the teachers, like if they have questions about a specific class. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the teacher that teaches the class. If you’re in English II and you want to know what Creative Writing is like, you can go talk to Mrs. Hargis or you can talk to your English teacher because they are going to know within their own department a little bit of what to do,” Kaelin said.

Dual credit classes are great to take for students that are preparing for college,

and they are a cheap way to receive college credit.

“If you’re talking about dual credit classes that we offer here at the high school, the important thing is to be making sure that you are keeping track of what university is granting that dual credit for you. When you go to college you’re going to have to request a transcript be sent from the college that granted you the dual credit to the school you’re attending so that you can get credit for that when you get there,” Kaelin said.

The hardest part about picking out classes for the next school year, even if a student is taking hard classes, is that they may not get into the classes that they picked.

“The hardest part is that sometimes the classes you want aren’t offered, or there is a scheduling conflict so we have to we can’t put you in your first choice. I would recommend that they put as many alternatives as they are comfortable putting. The more alternatives you give us the less guesswork

there is and the more options we have for getting you in what you want,” Kaelin said.

A great way to find out about the classes offered at the High School is the enrollment fair. It’s a great time to meet with all the teachers and ask them any questions.

This year it’s on January 31st from 5-7 pm in the main gym.

“It’s also important to come to that enrollment night and really talk to the teachers about what’s going to be expected of you.

[It] kind of gives you a heads up whether or not that class is going to be a good fit for you,” Kaelin said.

For older students, it’s important to meet all of the requirements needed to graduate.

“For some reason, it’s either a fine art or a practical art. For those students who are heavily involved in fine arts, sometimes they forget that they are going to need a practical art credit also. For the students that are heavily involved in practical arts, they forget that they need to take a fine art class as well, so it kind of varies,” Kaelin said.

Junior Pranal Madria is one student at Rolla High who has decided to take a very intensive course load. His schedule includes AP Literature and Composition, AP Government, AP Chemistry, and several classes at Missouri University of Science & Technology. Madria’s passion for learning shows as he balances his classes.

“I’ve been asked before: ‘Why?’, or ‘Why do you do that to yourself?”. The reason I take the challenging courses, specifically the college courses, is simply because I want to learn more about the particular subject while moving at a very fast pace.

Right now, I have the freedom to take any college class that I want as long as I meet the prerequisite. That freedom will be taken away from me when I get to college if I plan on graduating on time. I don’t take these courses to impress colleges or someone in particular,” Madria said.

Since Madria takes so many challenging courses, he often finds himself with an extensive amount of school work.

“The disadvantages of taking a challenging course load are the lack of free time and loss of sleep. I did not get very much sleep in the fall semester. I can remem-

ber one night in particular where I had procrastinated on a homework assignment in Introduction to Programming. We had a week to do the assignment, but I did not start it until two days before the due date.

The night before it was due, I was up till 3:30 AM working on the assignment and then woke back up at 5:00 AM to finish it.

I was absolutely miserable the next day, but that very quickly taught me to start my assignments earlier,” Madria said.

Despite late nights and long study sessions, Madria stays motivated to excel in school.

“I think what motivates me to excel in my classes is my passion to want to know more and my desire to reach the goals that I have set for myself,” Madria said.

Madria knows that his hard work will pay off once he gets to college.

“The real benefits of taking a challenging course load is that I will hopefully have a work ethic that will put me in a position to succeed in college, and I may end up saving money and time because some of the courses may transfer to the college I attend in the future,” Madria said.

There are opportunities for students

to challenge themselves everywhere, so Madria advises anyone interested to seize those opportunities.

“My advice to anyone who is looking to challenge themselves more is to look for opportunities around them or to ask upperclassmen for advice on how to get into more extracurricular activities or college classes at MST or Drury. Do not be afraid to push yourself more and more.

The college classes, in particular, seem intimidating at first, but if you realize that the first few college classes you take will be filled with kids in college taking their first college class as well, it will make it easier on you. These classes are filled with people who were walking the same halls as you the previous year. The biggest piece of advice I would like to give someone that is thinking about taking these college classes is to take it with at least one friend of yours. It really helps to have someone to take the class with because you can study together and get help from each other. It also helps to have someone with you to deal with the nerves of taking your first few college exams,” Madria said.

Advice From Pranal Madria

8 Feature

Class Scheduling: Expectation Versus Reality We asked forty RHS students three questions about their scheduling plans. These graphs compare the expectations that underclassmen have and the classes that seniors have actually taken.

Feature 9

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HIGHLIGHTS OF 2017

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It’s difficult to look back on years like 2017 and see the good accomplished. Between countless shootings, refugee crises, and natural disasters, years like 2017 can leave people feeling defeated as they ring in the New Year. It’s important to look back, see the negatives, and strive for change, but also recognize the important milestones reached. So without further ado, here are some things that happened in 2017 that will hopefully make you think the world isn’t such a bad place after all.

The Women’s March on Washington filled the streets of the nation’s capital with over one million people protesting. In January, the day after the inauguration, women’s rights were the highlight as people everywhere demanded respect in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton.

Peggy Whitson set the record in April for longest time spent in space, making history with a stretch of time lasting 534 days, 2 hours, and 49 minutes in the International Space Station.

In July 2017, Sarah Cummins made the tough decision to call off her wedding a week before it happened, but couldn’t get a refund for all $30,000 it cost. Determined to find a silver lining, she invited a local homeless shelter to enjoy the decorations and food with the blessing of her ex.

For the first time in 99 years, this past August saw an eclipse that reached from one coast to another in the USA. The path of totality stretched from Oregon to South Carolina, and people in Jefferson City, Missouri reported hearing crickets when the moon covered

In the midst of hurricanes like Harvey, pets are often left stranded and helpless.

Southwest Airlines, in a movement they called “Operation Pets Alive!” rescued more than 60 animals from overcrowded shelters, and brought them to the Helen Woodward Animal Center where they were made available for adoption.

Women in Saudi Arabia celebrated a huge victory when they were granted permission to drive in September 2017, to be in effect this coming June.

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Malala Yousafzai, better known as the girl shot in the head while striving for an education, started college in October at the University of Oxford.

This past November, Mattel revealed a hijab-wearing Barbie, modeled on Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first Muslim American to win an Olympic medal.

The fencer hopes the doll will inspire other girls “to embrace what makes them unique.”

Australia became the 25th country to achieve marriage equality for same sex marriage on December 7, 2017. After more than 22 attempts since 2004, legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor for this change.

While 2017 was difficult, and we definitely saw the bad in people, it’s important to recognize that good things were still accomplished, and there’s much more to come.

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What are your 2018 predictions?

As the new year begins, many new possibilities and opportunities arise. We become eager to know what the new year will bring, and try to predict what will happen. We asked some students and staff of RHS their predictions of 2018, and this is what they had to say.

Jessica Crump, junior

“Kim Kardashian’s baby’s name will be West, Wild West. Also women will rule the world.”

Gabi Hartinger, senior “The world is gonna end.”

Payton Pennington, senior

“Golden Corral is going to come to Rolla.”

Stefan Pennington, junior “The man bun will go out of style.”

Kasi Jones, sophomore

“People are going to die from eating tide pods.”

Six different students

“Donald Trump will be impeached.”

Will Bolyard, senior

“The patriots are going to win the Super Bowl, no doubt. I don’t want it to happen, but it’s going to happen.”

Kelly Brown, junior

“Lemonade Mouth is going to make a comeback. They’re going to make a second movie, called Sweet Tea Mouth, and then make a third movie called Half and Half.”

Mrs. Fleming, Psychology teacher

“I Gwen Fleming, predict that I will earn my doctorate, and if I don’t I’ll cry. Also, more natural disasters to come.”

Mrs. Chenault, English teacher

“Betty White and The Queen of England will die.”

Jake Voight, junior

“Someone will lose their arm, specifically their right arm.”

Mrs. Kinder, Math teacher “What about Hover Cars?”

Mr. Rinehart, History teacher

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future, but I believe by 2018 the future will be great. The air will be clean, the water will be clean, even the dirt will be clean. Bowling averages will be way up, and mini golf scores will be way down. We will have more excellent water slides than any other planet that we communicate with. There will be a band named Wild Stallions, you see eventually their music will put an end to war and poverty. It will align the planets and bring them into universal harmony, allowing meaningful contact with all forms of life, from extraterrestrials to common household pets, and it will be excellent for dancing. To sum up, everything is different but the same. Things will be more modern-er than before bigger and yet smaller. I think it’s because of computers -- ROLLA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RULES!”

daly tyler malloch jessica mallery stewart meusch libby adams grant akins breanna alexander chayce savannah beam megan heeler maggie french morgan gabriele klayton garner nathaniel goff lacy hanc alinar garrett helm seth hofheins faith humphrey isaac brown brandon cunningham tyler dillon trevor d y levi crum mackenzie masters alexia bridges amber back aaron burke brandon clingenpeel jacob cun am trevor counts nora dunn olivia edwards victoria freppon brandon frazier audrey flett hunter house kaczmarek haris zahoor ashley wilson alanna taberes dawson satterfield jesse liu celia parsons wesle ngton morgan phenix tyler myers ashanti owusu brafi colton moore jeffery moss wade hawks sam wils onnor lecroix megan lenox lucas marling alyssa pierson quincy powell dalton matthews elizabeth walqiu ryann rigsby taylors atonia bayless jeorge atheron alec falkenhain delaney fields christina woelk on satterfield olivia gonzales elizabeth parkison devin seest rylie veik zachary burns adelaide brow the auer beatrice marti garrett fels savannah eyberg valerie freppon luke gibfried jeremiah guill micheal h colton headrick jorden asberry justin evans olivia brinkley brody briggs angela bucher blake arthur back kaley burgess mckenna disbrow levi crum fletcher collins cassandra carnelison landon kamper ron jordan mohammed jawad lynsey knapp adrien snyder brianna swain aliyah turner thomas veatch b y Sophia Gesualdi and Bailey Allison n waldmann william wallace darby young olivia gonzales elizabeth parkison devin seest rylie veik zach Photography Editor E d i t o r i n C h i ef rns adelaide brow theresa lauer kelly dupes abigail herberger zane peterman fatima elewaeb allyson brittany staroski hannah lenox noah lewis daly tyler malloch jessica mallery stewart meusch libby adrant akins breanna alexander chayce ayars savannah beam megan heeler maggie french morgan gaklayton garner nathaniel goff lacy hance kay halinar garrett helm seth hofheins faith humphrey isaac brandon cunningham tyler dillon trevor deshurley levi crum mackenzie masters alexia bridges amber aaron burke brandon clingenpeel jacob cunningham trevor counts nora dunn olivia edwards victoria on brandon frazier audrey flett hunter house anna kaczmarek haris zahoor ashley wilson alanna tabere on satterfield jesse liu celia parsons wesley pennington morgan phenix tyler myers ashanti owusu brafi moore jeffery moss wade hawks sam wilsdorf connor lecroix megan lenox lucas marling alyssa pieruincy powell dalton matthews elizabeth wallen jia qiu ryann rigsby taylors atonia bayless jeorge athero alkenhain delaney fields christina woelk dawson satterfield olivia gonzales elizabeth parkison devin rylie veik zachary burns adelaide brow theresa lauer beatrice marti garrett fels savannah eyberg valer on luke gibfried jeremiah guill micheal harrah colton headrick jorden asberry justin evans olivia brinkle briggs angela bucher blake arthur anber back kaley burgess mckenna disbrow levi crum fletcher colassandra carnelison landon kamper kameron jordan mohammed jawad lynsey knapp adrien snyder bri swain aliyah turner thomas veatch kirsten waldmann william wallace darby young olivia gonzales eliza arkison devin seest rylie veik zachary burns adelaide brow theresa lauer kelly dupes abigail herberge peterman fatima elewaeb allyson mack brittany staroski hannah lenox noah lewis daly tyler malloch a mallery stewart meusch libby adams grant akins breanna alexander chayce ayars savannah beam n heeler maggie french morgan gabriele klayton garner nathaniel goff lacy hance kay halinar garrett seth hofheins faith humphrey isaac brown brandon cunningham tyler dillon trevor deshurley levi crum enzie masters alexia bridges amber back aaron burke brandon clingenpeel jacob cunningham trevor s nora dunn olivia edwards victoria freppon brandon frazier audrey flett hunter house anna kaczmarek zahoor ashley wilson alanna taberes dawson satterfield jesse liu celia parsons wesley pennington mor henix tyler myers ashanti owusu brafi colton moore jeffery moss wade hawks sam wilsdorf connor lecegan lenox lucas marling alyssa pierson quincy powell dalton matthews elizabeth wallen jia qiu ryann taylors atonia bayless jeorge atheron alec falkenhain delaney fields christina woelk dawson satterfie gonzales elizabeth parkison devin seest rylie veik zachary burns adelaide brow theresa lauer beatrice garrett fels savannah eyberg valerie freppon luke gibfried jeremiah guill micheal harrah colton headri asberry justin evans olivia brinkley brody briggs angela bucher blake arthur anber back kaley burges nna disbrow levi crum fletcher collins cassandra carnelison landon kamper kameron jordan mohamme lynsey knapp adrien snyder brianna swain aliyah turner thomas veatch kirsten waldmann william wal

Life After RHS

Class of 2017

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fter graduating Rolla High, students continue their education in a variety of ways.

Many alumni from the class of 2017 have just completed their first semester of college. After the stress of deciding where to go to school, these students reflect on their high school and college experiences.

“Going into [college] is really hard, and you have to train yourself. You have to be comfortable and trust that things are going to work out. I remember not knowing anything during senior year. That was really hard because I like to control everything and I couldn’t control that. I got a good scholarship academically at Southeast Missouri State University. A lot of people do not know this, but Southeast is the only other accredited journalism school besides Mizzou in this state. It is cheap and they have a good program, so I was like ‘see you there’,” Celia Parsons said.

The state of Missouri has a lot of universities that offer different opportunities for students. Allison Pernicka found that the University of Missouri provided her with the best tools for her future.

“Mizzou has a lot of research opportunities, and that’s what I think I am interested in. So, I figured why go to a smaller university and not have the same opportunities that I would have at Mizzou. I also get half off [tuition] because my dad is a professor at MS&T, so that’s pretty nice,” Pernicka said.

As these students picked their schools, they had to decide on what they wanted to study. While Celia Parsons and Connor Wilson are studying journalism at two separate schools, Pernicka is majoring in biochemistry. These students are just three Rolla High School Alumni who are studying a plethora of subjects across the country. “ Biochemistry is really broad, so there is a lot you can do with it. It sets you up for med school, but what I am wanting to do is go to graduate school and study neuroscience, which is the study of the human brain. Hopefully from there I can get a job working in a lab. I really want to study memory and diseases that cause the brain to degenerate. Eventually, I want to go back to school and get my doctorate,” Pernicka said.

College decisions can be stressful for high school students, but Parsons assures

students that everything will work out in the long run.

“I remember stressing a lot senior year about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to major in. Honestly, the first four years are your undergrad so no one really cares if you go to ECC or to Duke. It’s a degree. Stressing about going to the best school and doing exactly what you want to do is not reality. Knowing what you want to do at seventeen years old is a very rare thing,” Parsons said.

When students do pick a college major, it’s important to know that at most universities, it is easy to change your major within your first year of college.

“When deciding your major, I didn’t realize this, but it is not a big deal to change your major. You are going to start taking

classes and realize that you do not like something as much as you thought you were going to. When deciding, do not base it off of what you think the job you might want is; base it off of what you enjoy learning and what excites you,” Pernicka said.

As the Rolla alumni have transitioned into their new student lives, they have discovered that some of their expectations about college have proven false.

“I always thought that professors would not give you study guides or notes. For the most part, the reality is that they have slideshows with the main points and tell you what to take notes on; they give you study guides, and they remind you when the test dates are. They do not keep you in the dark.

They want you to succeed,” Pernicka said.

Many students look forward to the freedom that they will have in college, yet Parsons has learned that it is important to find a balance between freedom and responsibility.

“You do have a lot of freedom, but there is a fine line for that. You have to find a balance between doing what you want to do and doing what you have to do for your classes. You can not eat pizza and french fries everyday. You have to find good places to eat on and off campus that are good for you. You need to find time to do things that you have to do instead of staying up till 1:00 with your friends, and having a test the next day. That is not being a good college student. Finding a balance is hard, but once you do it is just routine,” Parsons said.

For Wilson, the transition from Rolla High School to Missouri State University has helped him to destress and become more satisfied with his life.

“High school helped me grow as a person and let me work out my values. It was a good time for me to figure out who I want to be as a person. Now that I am in college, I am not stressing about that as much. I’ve been a lot more extroverted than I have been [in the past]. I had like maybe two friends in high school; in college, I already have way more than that, and I am really happy with my life,” Wilson said.

Parsons has also discovered that college is a less judgemental atmosphere than high school.

“In parts of high school, I really cared about what people thought. Now, I really do not care at all. People do not care in college; you can go to your class in pajamas, and no one says anything. It’s not a big deal. You can just be who you are, and that transition has been really nice,” Parsons said.

As these three students navigate their way through college, they desire to learn more about themselves, others, and the communities around them.

“I want to learn how to be a new member of society. College is not the real world; let’s be honest. People make your food and come clean your bathroom. It’s not the real world.

So, learning to actually be an adult and learn how to do things for myself without any help [is a goal of mine],” Parsons said.

In the meantime, the Rolla High School Alumni plan to take advantage of their college experiences, and they encourage current high school students to enjoy their own experiences as well.

“Both high school and college are a learning process. If you make a mistake, it’s probably not going to be the end of the world. You just have to figure out where to go from there. Try your best not to totally stress out about anything,” Parsons said.

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More 2017 Grads Hannah Lenox Rolla High alum Hannah Lenox has been continuing her education at the University of Arkansas. She is majoring in biomedical engineering, and she is also considering minoring in either business or math.

“I chose the University of Arkansas for a few reasons. The most important one was the options they had for my major. I also wanted to get out of Rolla and see something new. The UofA was the closest college to Rolla that had biomedical engineering. After I toured the campus I fell in love. The campus is gorgeous! Even though it takes about 20 minutes to walk to some of my classes I honestly enjoy it because of how pretty it is. I also was looking for other things like Greek life, Air Force ROTC opportunities, and clubs. I was pretty set on joining a sorority when I was looking at colleges, as for ROTC I wanted it to be an option for when I decided what I really wanted to do,” Lenox said.

As she navigates her freshman year, Lenox has adjusted to her life in college.

“Honestly most of my expectations about going to college were wrong. First, the freshman 15 is real and it sneaks up on you. Second, people will usually not remember you or even know your name and a lot of your contacts will say something like “the girl from math class” or “that cute boy in physics lab”. Finally, it is okay to go to class looking like you just woke up because honestly you probably just did,” Lenox said.

Lenox wishes the best for Rolla High students and advises them to have an open mind toward their future.

“My advice for high schoolers is to keep an open mind because things change. Your personality, interests, friends, hobbies, grade expectations, sleep schedule, and even your body! All of it will change! In the end, what you do is your decision. People might try to push you in a certain direction but in the end, it’s your future. Everyone has their own path and their own decisions to make. It is okay if you don’t do what your friends are doing or if you change your mind a million times. I did and now I’m part of the largest sorority in the country and about to join the Air Force ROTC program this coming semester. When you get there, go out, talk to the people you’re sitting next to in class, join a sorority or fraternity, maybe go to a party (if you are into that), but don’t forget about why you are really there. Your first semester will probably be the hardest because of the transition but you will learn so much about yourself through it all. Just get out of your comfort zone a little and have fun,” Lenox said.

Seth Hofheins This past year, Hofheins began attending Saint Louis University to obtain a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in psychology.

“I chose Saint Louis University because of the community it creates among the students, which I quickly saw after visiting my junior year of high school. I also enjoy the relatively small campus and the location of Saint Louis University. I was happy to experience somewhere other than the small town of Rolla after living there the majority of my life,” Hofheins said.

During his first semester, Hofheins discovered that some of his expectations about college were not reality.

“Looking back at my experience first semester, I was expecting to have more free time. After joining all the clubs and organizations that interested me, along with the course load of classes, I did not have all that much free time each day. It is easy to become very busy but this was by no means a negative aspect,” Hofheins said.

Hofheins has enjoyed his college experience so far, and he is appreciative of the opportunities that he has been given.

“My favorite part of college would have to be the opportunities to get involved that come with going to college.

There are dozens of organizations and clubs where you are able to try new things and also do the things that you are passionate about with your friends,” Hofheins said.

Looking back on his high school experience, Hofheins acknowledges things that he would have done differently if given the chance.

“Some simple advice I would give high schoolers that I wish I would have known would be to tour as many schools as you can even if you already have a favorite. Also, compare your required textbook prices with other websites and don’t believe the bookstores when they say they price-match. One more bit of advice would be to load up on snacks in your dorm room and embrace the freshman fifteen,” Hofheins said.

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I want to learn how to be a new member of society. College is not the real world; let’s be honest. People make your food and come clean your bathroom. It’s not the real world. So, learning to actually be an adult and learn how to do things for myself without any help [is a goal of mine].

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-Celia Parsons

Focus 15

Pick of the Pack b y

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Hello! Welcome to Pick of the Pack, ECHO’s monthly column all about the lovable pets waiting down at the Rolla Animal Shelter! The Rolla shelter always has many dogs and cats hoping for someone to come adopt them into a loving home. If you are interested in adopting any of these animals, go to our local shelter located at 1915 Sharpe Rd in Rolla, where the animals are adorable, and you can get them for a good cause.

Name: N/A Gender: Male Age: (Professional guess: 3+ years old) Breed: Pit Bull Terrier Description: If you are looking for a sweet cuddle buddy, this is just the dog for you. With his loving personality, he is a perfect addition to a willing home. This pup awaits visitors at the front of his kennel. He is very cool tempered and patient, there will be no jumping on the fence to get your attention, just affectionate tail wags. If you think this loveable dog is the one for you, head to the shelter to check him out!

Name: N/A Gender: Male Age: Adult (Professional guess: 3+ years old) Breed: American Domestic Medium Hair Description: This cat is a bundle of delight. He was taken in by the Rolla Shelter on November 30, 2017, after animal control found him trapped and injured. After a few vet visits and a surgery, this unnamed tom is all healed up and as affectionate and charming as ever! This kitty is fairly tame, and he loves all kinds of attention, such as getting his chin scratched and belly rubs. He still has his claws and isn’t neutered, but he is caught up on all of his vaccines. Overall, this cat is very sweet and he would make a great addition to any home. If you are interested in adopting him, head over to the Rolla Animal Shelter soon!

Winter at the Rolla Animal Shelter

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As we all know, winter weather is dangerous. With harsh winds and bitter temperatures it chills us all to the bones. While we are snug in our heated homes and schools, there are many homeless animals hiding from the cold in our community. Luckily, we have the Rolla Animal Shelter to keep as many animals as possible fed and warm.

Winter is more severe than all of the other seasons so the shelter has a lot of restrictions during this time. We met with the Director of the Rolla Animal Shelter, John Redshaw, to give us an idea of what the shelter faces in the winter months and what types of donations are most helpful.

“We go through an enormous amount of clay kitty litter… since we had a total of 172 cats in our facility from January 1st to December 31st of 2017. Those cat’s [cages] are cleaned 365 days a year,” Redshaw said. Out of 728 impounded animals in 2017, a total of 201 were adopted, and 179 returned to their owner.

With that many animals, the shelter runs out of supplies quite quickly. “[We need] cat litter, paper towels, newspapers, all kinds of

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cleaning supplies. Cat toys, whenever cats are in here we give them toys. Whenever they are adopted, or no longer here, we throw those toys away.” Redshaw said.

The cold weather massively affects the shelter’s numbers. ”We don't pick up a lot of animals during the winter. We just have less animals basically,” Redshaw explained. “We do the same thing all year long, but as far as our animal intake, it’s pretty low. So the cold weather has a lot of cutbacks.” The below-freezing temperatures of this time of year also restrict the cleanliness of the dog kennels. Animal control and their volunteers are unable to clean the outdoor kennels, because the water could freeze to the concrete and cause the dogs to slip and possibly injure themselves.

The shelter faces great adversity year round, but the heart of winter can be especially challenging. If you are able to donate to the shelter, whether it be your time, money, or supplies, is a great way to help spark change in our community.

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Ellie Rodgers is currently a sophomore at Rolla High School playing her second year on the varsity basketball team. Leading the Bulldogs in PPG (Points Per Game) with 11.4 and second on the team with 2.8 APG (Assists Per Game) and also SPG (Steals Per Game) with 1.5. Although the current basketball squad is young, Rodgers is already a physical and vocal leader for the team.

“As a team we have already improved so much from last season and hopefully we can go further in districts this year,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers has been playing sports for a very long time starting with soccer and more recently picking up basketball.

“I’ve been playing basketball competitively since third grade and I started playing soccer when I was three, traveling to Springfield for the Knights (Rolla’s youth travel team)” Rodgers said.

She admits to taking a liking to basketball over soccer.

“I like basketball more than soccer since I’ve been playing it for a shorter amount of time. It’s a lot more fast paced and also more competitive than soccer.” Rodgers said.

Rodgers mentioned her relations with the coach and how not only the team, but the coach wants to get better as well.

“Coach Floyd really pushes us every practice to do our best and to make sure we are always giving 100%. That helps us during the game and in drills.” Rodgers said.

She has both long-term and short-term goals as a player.

“The goal I have for myself is to score 1,000 points by my senior year I got honorable mention last year for our conference, so maybe this year I can get first or second team all conference.” Rodgers said.

Rodgers loves playing sports because of the team aspect and the togetherness that comes with it.

“My favorite thing about playing sports is having a team that supports you.” Rodgers said.

Being only a sophomore in high school college is still a while away in her future, but she knows she must think ahead. She plans on playing college ball if the opportunity arises.

“I want to if I can find a school that I want to play at.” Rodgers said.

The American Taco Company has generously agreed to award each Athlete and Artist of the Month featured in ECHO a $10 ATC Gift Card.

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Nick Janke is one of Rolla High school’s few four sport letterman and impressively he is highly successful at all four. Nick plays soccer, football, basketball, and runs track.

The sports keep him busy but Nick manages to stay on track academically too.

“I keep my focus on grades first, and then athletics,” Janke said.

Nick loves all the sports he plays but says that soccer is his favorite of all. “... we are just such a close team and we get along really well. That chemistry has allowed us to be pretty good in the last few years and when you are successful and have fun it’s blast,” Janke said.

Although soccer is his favorite, Nick really enjoys all the sports he plays.

“I really enjoy basketball, and I’ve played since I was five so I know what I’m doing and who I’m playing with,” Janke said.

With all his love for sports Nick hopes to continue to play in college.

“I’ve talked to a few colleges but mainly Missouri S&T. College sports would be nice, but I need to find a fit for me athletically and academically,” Janke said.

As Nick enters his last semester at Rolla high, his coaches and past coaches are trying to fill the big hole in which he will leave behind when he is gone.

Alabama VS. Georgia

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On January 8th, 2018 two teams faced off in the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Alabama Crimson Tide came into the game after beating the #1 ranked team in the nation, the Clemson Tigers, with a score of 24 to their 6 points. On the other hand, The Georgia Bulldogs were SEC champions and beat the Oklahoma Sooners, who were ranked #2 in the nation, in a high scoring shootout 54-48. Both teams came in with some of the best defenses in the nation. The Crimson Tide came in with the top-ranked defense only allowing 3,093 yards all season and an average of 11.5 points per game. The Georgia Bulldogs came in with the 6th ranked defense only allowing 3,522 yards all season and an average of 13.2 points allowed per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Georgia Bulldogs had the #10 ranked offense in the nation with a total of 6,529 yards all season and an ending average of 35.4 points per game. Alabama came in with the #17 ranked offense in the nation with consecutive 6,217 yards this season and they averaged 37.1 points per game. Both teams having very strong defenses and being ranked in the top 25 offenses in the nation, the final score of 26-23 does not tell the entire story.

The start of the game was shaky for the Bulldogs, having received the ball first, they proceeded to have a 3 play drive that ended with a Jake Fromm interception picked off by Tony Brown in a great defensive play. Lucky for the Bulldogs, the Crimson Tide were not able to score a touchdown and even missed the field goal that would have given them a 3-0 lead.

The next few drives ended with punts until the start of the 2nd quarter with 14:14 on the clock, when Georgia kicker, Rodrigo Blankenship, kicked a 41-yard field goal to bring the Bulldogs up 3-0. The Bulldogs later converted another field goal with 7:33 on the clock to bring Georgia up 6-0. The next 3 drives all ended with punts until a Georgia 70 yard drive took them all the way to the end zone with a Mecole Hardman 1-yard touchdown run. The Bulldogs were up 13-0 at halftime and dominated in the first half of the game.

Over halftime the Head Coach of the Crimson Tide benched starting Sophomore QB, Jalen Hurts, in favor of the true Freshman, Tua Tagovailoa. Jalen Hurts was 25-2 with the Crimson Tide so far in his career but that didn’t stop Nick Saban from benching him after a very weak start to the game. Jalen Hurts went 3-8 for 21 yards and had 6 rushing attempts for 47 yards and zero touchdowns.

About halfway through the third quarter Tua Tagovailoa led Alabama to their first points in the game. On a 7 play 56 yard drive capped off with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III, Alabama was finally on the board 13-7. The very next drive Jake Fromm threw a dart downfield to Mecole Hardman for an 80-yard touchdown pass to put Georgia up 20-7. The next two drives ended with interceptions on both teams. Tua Tagovailoa tipped pass landed in the hands of Deandre Baker to give Tua his only interception of the night. The very next drive a great play by Raekwon Davis picked off the ball thrown

by Jake Fromm for his 2nd interception of the night. The next drive ended with a 43-yard field goal by Alabama to make the score 10-20. The next 3 drives all ended in punts until Alabama had an 8 play 71-yard drive that ended off with a 30yard field goal with 9:44 left in the 4th quarter. The next Georgia drive ended in a punt and then Alabama had a 66-yard drive that ended with a Tua Tagovailoa pass to Calvin Ridley for a 7-yard touchdown pass. The score was 20-20 with 3:49 left on the clock. The next Georgia drive ended with a punt after only 7 plays. Then on the final drive of the 4th quarter Tua Tagovailoa lead the Alabama offense to a 10 play 48-yard drive to bring them well into field goal range. Alabama called one last timeout with 3 seconds left on the clock to attempt the game-winning field goal. Alabama’s kicker, Andy Pappanastos, lined up to kick the game-winner that would have made the score 23-20 in Alabama’s favor. With 3 seconds left on the clock, Andy Pappanastos’ 30-yard field goal went wide left leaving the score 20-20 and the game went into overtime.

Georgia received the ball first in overtime, it was a 4 play drive that went for -9 yards. Georgia’s kicker Rodrigo Blankenship proceeded to kick a 51-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 23-20 lead. Alabama then had the ball, the very first play was a 16-yard sack that pinned Alabama on Georgia’s 41-yard line. On the very next play, Tua Tagovailoa threw a 41-yard touchdown bomb downfield caught by DeVonta Smith between two defenders to give Alabama the game-winning touchdown that made the score 26-23 in favor of Alabama. Tua Tagovailoa led the Crimson Tide to score 20 points in one half of the game- causing it to tie up and to be finished off in overtime, winning Alabama’s 6th National Championship in the past decade.

18 Sports

NFL Playoff Predictions Defending Super Bowl Champions the New England Patriots finished with the #1 seed in the AFC with a 13-3 record and won the AFC East for the ninth year in a row.

Led by arguably the greatest QB of all time and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady the New England Patriots had the 2nd best offense of the year averaging 28.6 points per game.

Tom Brady led the league in passing yards with a total amount 4,577 passing yards along with 32 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Their leading receiver Rob Gronkowski hauled in a total amount of 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and 8 touchdowns. Running the ball their leading rusher Dion Lewis finished the regular season with 896 yards and 6 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots finished with the 5th best defense in the league with 18.5 points per game and in total had 42 sacks this season. The team is ridiculed for injuries but yet don’t count the Patriots out of being back to back Super Bowl Champions.

The Minnesota Vikings finished the year 13-3 and received the 2nd seed in the NFC playoff and travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. The Viking offense is led by an unlikely hero. After starting quarterback Sam Bradford went down with an injury, 5th-year quarterback Case Keenum took over the role of the starting quarterback. Keenum has been phenomenal all year, throwing for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns. The only concern is Keenum’s lack of playoff experience, as he has only played one playoff game. If the Vikings want to make a 5th Super Bowl appearance, Keenum will need to continue his dominance. On the other side of the ball, the Vikings defense has smothered teams all year, only allowing 15.8 points per game (1st in the league). The Viking defense is led by Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr, and Xavier Rhodes, all of which made the Pro Bowl roster. If Case Keenum doesn’t crack under pressure, and the Viking defense continues to haunt opponent teams, the Minnesota Vikings may win their 1st Super Bowl.

The Vikings will dominate the game, but an Eagles comeback will come up just short.

After a defensive struggle, Tom Brady will lead the Patriots to yet another Super Bowl apperance.

Vikings 20, Eagles 17

Patriots 17, Jaguars 13

The Jacksonville Jaguars finished the season off with a 10-6 record clinching the AFC South title leading them to the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Led by the second best defense in the NFL, the Jaguars only allowed on average 16.8 points per game. Blake Bortles while playing very inconsistently he finished the season off the season with 3,687 yards along with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Rookie Leonard Fournette, however, had a very good season, rushing for over 1,000 yards along with 9 touchdowns the rookie made a splash in the NFL. However, it was the defense that led the Jags to the playoffs, led by superstars such as Calais Campbell and AJ Bouye the Jags came in second with 55 total sacks and had 21 total interceptions.

Calais Campbell himself accounted for 14.5 sacks and AJ Bouye led the team with a total of 6 interceptions. Look for the defense not the offense to shutdown the competition as the Jags look to win a Lombardi Trophy for the first time in team history. b y

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Fly Eagles Fly! That is exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles did this season, posting a 13-3 record and receiving the #1 seed in the NFC. The Eagles silenced the critics by taking down the Atlanta Falcons, who were considered the favorite to win.

The Eagle offense was led by breakout MVP candidate Carson Wentz, but he went down with a torn ACL in week 14. Nick Foles has taken over the role of starting quarterback and has performed above expectations. Foles will need to continue to play at a high level if the Eagles want a chance to win their 1st Super Bowl. The defense has been a huge factor in the Eagles’ success this season. The Eagles have only allowed 18.4 points per game (4th in the league). The most impressive facet of the Eagles’ defense is how they stop the run. They only allow 79.2 rushing yards per game which is the best in the NFL. This defense also averages 2 takeaways a game, ranking 4th in the NFL. If the Philadelphia Eagles want to win their 1st Super Bowl, they will need Nick Foles to continue or even improve his production in the playoffs.

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Rolla Basketball Sixth Man The Rolla High School Basketball program has experienced tons of success in the past three years, including both a conference and district title and has managed to only lose a total of seven home games over that span. A large part of this is thanks to the home atmosphere, which the Sixth Man creates. The Sixth Man makes its presence known. For those who don’t know what the Sixth Man is, it is known to be the Rowdiest Student Section on this side of the Mississippi.

Current Bulldog power forward Aaron “Pablo” Cunningham notices the sixth man every time he steps on the court. He believes that they elevate his game.

“It brings up your confidence because you know you got almost 100 kids behind you and it makes you wanna try harder just because they’re all your friends so you wanna impress them; I love it when they all get loud. It is really awesome” Many of the fans who cheer for “Pablo” and the other players call the student section home, and have been there since the success started. Davis Buhr and Laura McCutchen are just two of the emphatic fans who have made every game day a priority, and we had a chance to sit down and talk with them about it.

“I went to my first game with my buddy Stormes and we saw ole Evan Voight get rowdy with all of his buddies and it looked like fun,” Buhr said Laura also has fond memories of her first time coming to a game.

“My sophomore year we were at Helias and we did all camo. Everyone wore camo so it was head to toe, and that was my favorite memory of being in the Sixth Man.” McCutchen said.

The Sixth man is really a game changer, and even the cheerleaders have noticed the effect the sixth man can have on a game, whether it’s affecting the court or the fans on both teams.

“They are loud! I like them, their energy influences the game a lot. They kinda get the crowd going and make the basketball players feel nice when someone makes a three everyone gets pumped,” Dent said.

The sixth man hopes to continue to have a high voltage, highintensity atmosphere, and continue to help influence the outcome of every game.

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Every year, the past, present, and future members of The Saint Louis Cardinals travel across Missouri to give their fans an opportunity to connect with their favorite players. This year, the get together was hosted in the Rolla High School gymnasium on January 13th. None of this could have been made possible without the Rolla High School Student Council. Visakha Ho, Rolla High School senior and Student Council Vice President, explained how The Cardinal Caravan was able to reach out to the Rolla community.

“All of the donations made went to the Student Council, and it was fun for us to meet the baseball players and the mascot Fred Bird. There were Cardinal’s items for sale and there was a raffle for tons of Cardinal’s gear and tickets.” Ho said.

Still recovering from the Faculty versus Fuzz basketball game that happened the night before, the dedicated members of the RHS Student Council were able to work together to make this event happen for many people.

From decorating the gym to coordinating the constant change in times, the students were determined to make the visit fun for all who attended that night.

“The Cardinal’s Caravan broke down near Joplin, so there was a slight hiccup in scheduling. Although we cut out the press conference, the signing was very fun and a lot of people got to meet the players.” Ho said.

Through all of the chaos and excitement, the members of Student Council and the people that attended are all very grateful for the opportunity.

“All of the donations made during this event went to Student Council and we are very grateful for the Cardinal’s time and effort to come out to the community!” Ho said.

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On the weekend of January 12th, the Rolla Police Department teamed up with the special needs students in Rolla to have their tenth annual Faculty versus Fuzz event. Police officer Tony Lauth partnered with the Rolla High School Student Council to put together the games. Earlier this year, Lauth brainstormed with his fellow VIPS coordinator, Judy Jepson, to host a basketball tournament for the department and the children who are involved.

Officer Lauth further explained why a basketball tournament was the best choice for this year.

“We figured why not try to give back to our community, get our kids involved, and have our special needs students have an event that they can come out to and showcase their earnings and their rewards that they get every year from the springs games. It’s a way to include them in for an event that they can have.” Lauth said.

The public enjoyed watching the comradery that was displayed at the games and the staff here at Echo wanted to know a little more about why the Rolla Police Department started the games in the first place.

“The main goal, however, is inclusion. Including our Special Olympic athletes and our special needs students that we have here in the city of Rolla. This is a way to get them involved in their community and able to give them a start or more confidence when they go into the workforce later on in their lives. We are opening

up opportunities similar to the Special Olympics, that host public speaking events that let the students get out and talk about what they do. This gives them the confidence to go out and be able to accomplish their future interviews,” Lauth said.

As the event was such a success, there has already a been conversation about what is happening next year or how the department plans to turn this into a bigger event. Officer Lauth was happy to inform us of their plans.

“We figured that we would start with the yearly games and then maybe work back into the concept of ten years ago when we used to have 3 on 3 weekend tournaments. What I’d like to see later down the line, is to have the pre-game basketball tournaments for the Special Olympics. The law enforcement partnered up with Special Olympics 50 years ago and most of us officers have become unified partners.It gives you a way to give back and to see that there are great people and great kids and that’s what the purpose is, to make sure our communities are safe and our kids are taken care of.” Lauth said.

As a citizen, observing the games was a truly wholesome experience. With so much hurt and hate in the media, our communities need to be focusing on the people that are attempting to create love and unity.

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Arts & Entertainment Editor Kids pass by the artwork in The Centre, a local gym and meeting place of many youth sports, every day. The organization based in a small office in the antique Holloway House is responsible for the near constant display of local art that so many Rolla residents enjoy.

Reba Fryer has been the Administrative Assistant of Arts Rolla for 12 years, and stumbled upon her job accidentally. Seeing an ad in the paper, she applied not even knowing that the leading art organization existed. She flips her long mousy brown hair over her shoulder in a loose ponytail and recounts Arts Rolla’s many shows.

“It is a nonprofit arts counsel that supports local and regional artists. We host shows at the center and city hall, do a judged art show and photo show a year, two open shows a year and eight artist of the month shows where we feature individual artists,” Fryer said.

Along with their art exhibits, Arts Rolla has hosted art in the park, art walks, a concert and poetry, photography, and writing competitions. Though they host a variety of events, Fryer eagerly expressed that students and young kids are always welcome, especially to the youth and all age competitions in March and April. The need for younger members is not only to grow the organization, but also to keep it alive because the founding members are unfortunately growing older and passing away. Few remain of the artists that first began the council.

“There were 10 local artists that used to get together and paint.

A lot of them had their own gallery space, but they wanted to actually meet and then be able to exhibit their artwork, host shows, and benefit other artists. They got together and created the South Central Missouri Arts Council in 1985,” Fryer said.

They grew into the new decade along with several other arts organizations. Because of this, the council wished to change the name to Arts Rolla to further localize the art they displayed. Arts Rolla continued to grow, accepting offers to display art at The Centre and receiving grants to ensure more shows a year. Still, funding mainly comes from donations from Brewer Science, State Farm Insurance, and Phelps County Bank.

Since its start in the 1980’s, the organization has done well, but Fryer knows that it can do more, and wishes for Arts Rolla to grow. She sees the community it creates first hand, and smiles while rustling through papers remembering a moment “We had an artist that was in the hospital for a while, and everyone sent cards to them. People may not have personally known them, but they knew they were an artist. Someone doodled on a napkin and mailed it to them just because they weren’t feeling well,” Fryer said.

While the great moments of this community are evident, Fryer pauses and looks down. She believes that the biggest struggle they face is not money, it’s their members passing, or simply getting too old to participate. Right now, there is only one high school age member of Arts Rolla, and Fryer offers anyone to attend their receptions on the first friday of each month, and even a spot on their board for a high school student, but that seat stays unfilled for now.

Fryer laughs and her hair bounces as she says how she loves how art touches people, reminds them of something personal, and brings happiness to their lives. She knows how important Arts Rolla is to the small town community and is eager to teach the next generation of local artist to keep this asset alive.

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Mya Burken is a sophomore at Rolla High School who discovered her love for dance after starting classes at age two. Although she has been injured from time to time, Burken continues to have a positive mindset when it comes to dance, and never lets the injuries hold her back for long.

“I started doing pointe four years ago at my old studio, and now I dance in St. Louis at a place called COCA, Center of Creative Arts,” Burken said.

Throughout her dance career Burken has branched out and tried various kinds of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and musical theater.

“My favorite type of dance is ballet, because I get to wear pointe shoes and feel all pretty. The shoes make me taller, and being taller helps,” Burken said.

Svetlana Zakharova is Burken’s biggest inspiration and favorite dancer, because she is known for her incredible ballet with the Bolshoi Ballet.

“As I started getting more comradery with dance, I competed in a few competitions, and I saw a dancer on pointe.

I thought to myself ‘Wow that’s awesome’. That was when I told myself I needed to continue with dance,” Burken said.

As Burken continues to accomplish more in dance she realized why she enjoys it so much.

“I like feeling graceful and just dancing, because just like how some people enjoy heavy physical activity, which I can’t run distance for my life, I have dance which is nice and simple. Dance is hard sometimes, but it gives you a feeling of personal achievement,” Burken said.

Practicing for ballet is a consistent routine for Burken that includes practicing and stretching on her own, biweekly. In addition, she travels to St. Louis on Saturdays to dance at COCA for two and a half hours.

Although Burken doesn’t think she will pursue a career in dance, she is keeping her mind open in case a scholarship is presented to her. Until then she will continue working towards the medical field, while dancing recreationally.

“Anybody can dance and it’s a lot of fun. Everyone has their own thing, ballet isn’t the only kind of dance, it’s just what fits me,” Burken said.

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Michael Cameron Anderson, commonly known as Anderson East, is a American singer and songwriter. Anderson’s music is a fusion of soul, rhythm and blues, gospel, rock & roll, and a little country. East was born in Athens, Alabama in 1988, where he started teaching himself to play the guitar at the age of ten. He focused on writing and performing his own songs, and by 2009 he formed a band called The Deputies, and under his real name Mike Anderson, he released his first album: Closing Credits for a Fire. A year later he changed his stage name to Anderson East, and released his first solo EP: Fire Demos. As word spread of Anderson and his music, he met producer Dave Cobb, who had recently

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launched his own record label “Low Country Sound”, distributed by Elektra Records. Cobb brought Anderson on board, and his first major-label debut album was released in July of 2015, titled Delilah. Delilah peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, with the single Satisfy Me reaching #18 on its AAA chart, for popular adult alternative songs. This month, Anderson released his second major-label album on January 12th, titled Encore. Encore is revisiting Southern soul, blues, rock, and country, bringing sounds that are undeniably classic and fresh.

His first single from the album King For A Day exemplifies what Encore will bring. On King For A Day East sets out his vocals, going from soft to urgent, as the horns and Chris Stapleton’s guitar create a classic Anderson East sound. The rhythms of Southern souls are easily recognized, conveying the overall message of the song that love is always worth it, no matter how long it lasts.

What You Weren’t Taught In School:

Martin Luther King Jr.

We have all most likely heard about Martin Luther King Jr., his historic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, and all that he accomplished for the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Without all of his dedication to our country, we would not be where we are today.

Despite all you were taught about King from grades K-12, there are some shocking facts that you might not have heard.

After he recited ‘I Have A Dream’ at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, the F.B.I. declared that King was the ‘Most Dangerous Negro in America’. His determination to stray away from the status quo of segregation and lack of equality led to peaceful protesting nationwide, but the F.B.I. wasn’t a fan of his actions. It was described as ‘one of the biggest surveillance operations in history’. The U.S. Government wanted society to stick to its racist standards, and they did everything in their power to stop his movement.

James Earl Ray was convicted and tried for assassinating King, who was standing on the balcony of a room at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis in 1968. Ray wasn’t new to being a criminal, since he had previously escaped the Missouri State Penitentiary after being convicted of robbery. Although Ray consistently pleaded his innocence to the assassination of King, the federal court declared that he was guilty and sentenced him to 99 years for the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. All of this is widely available information. What isn’t commonly known is that the jury of the trial declared King’s death an assassination by conspiracy and many of the jurors believed that the U.S. government was involved in the planning and execution of the assassination.

This isn’t the end of the list of obscure facts about MLK and his life. Do some research; you may be surprised at what

Penitentiary after being convicted of robbery. Although Ray consistently pleaded his innocence to the assassination of King, the federal court declared that he was guilty and sentenced him to 99 years for the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. All of this is widely available information. What isn’t commonly known is that the jury of the trial declared King’s death an assassination by conspiracy and many of the jurors believed that the U.S. government was involved in the planning and

known is that the jury of the trial declared King’s death an assassination by conspiracy and many of the jurors believed that the U.S. government was involved in the planning and execution of the assassination.

This isn’t the end of the list of obscure facts about MLK and his life. Do some research; you may be surprised at what you find out.

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The New Year has brought about a time for reviewing our actions to make changes for the better. Many people hope for the world to reflect and fix problems we continue to struggle with. A major focus for a large amount of people is the need for improvements to be made on social media websites. While many platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat, have all done their own improvements throughout the year, there are still some platforms which need revising. The popular website, YouTube, has been under question for quite some time now with numerous problems arising for viewers and producers after events from 2017 caused flags to go up for the platform. YouTube changed guidelines and added more rules and features which make it harder for YouTubers to receive payment for their content. Companies stopped advertising on videos, guidelines caused videos to be demonetized, and content was removed if not approved by YouTube.

Despite the difficulties from these issues, people pressed on and continued to do their best to post on the website. With hopes held high for the New Year, many were excited to see how YouTube might improve their ways and allow for fair and reasonable production.

However, this excitement quickly turned into anger when a famous YouTuber posted a video of a person who took their own life in the Aokigahara forest in Japan, a place known as “the suicide forest”. This YouTuber was disrespectful in many ways by going off the trail when strictly advised not to, zooming in on the body and only blurring out the face, laughing after making a joke about standing next to the deceased, and continuing to place a picture of the body as the thumbnail of the video. This video, along with many others that this YouTuber has posted, goes against the guidelines of the platform, as well as breaking the law in Japan where it is illegal to go off trail and capture a dead body on camera.

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While other creators of smaller channels receive immediate flags on their videos as “non-advertisement friendly” when the content was not checked, this YouTuber’s video was posted and stayed on the website for hours before the YouTuber, not YouTube, decided to take the video down himself. This video was released for anyone to see, not even having an age restriction on it, and continued to make it into number one on the trending list.

However, due to a previous event from 2017, the YouTuber who made the mistake was not the only one affected. Everyone who posted to the website had struggles in keeping their channels flowing and receiving money for their content. The creator who made the mistake, Felix Kjellberg, had their YouTube Red series completely cancelled despite being finished and ready for upload.

For this incident, however, it took two weeks for YouTube to issue any sort of punishment on the creator who posted the suicide forest video. Punishments were placed on this YouTube by taking him off of the recommended advertising list along with his YouTube Red shows being on a temporary hold, rather than cancelling his show, hoping to wait for the anger against him to die down to prevent loss in original income. By this point, however, the person received more money from his disrespectful content that he continued to post after the event and for other questionable videos on his channel. The actions that YouTube has taken for this event have also changed rules to create limits on how you can get paid posting on YouTube, hurting small channels with 2,000 below subscribers, but bigger channels with large amounts of views will not get hurt. Again, YouTube has taken an awful situation and changed the rules that only cause problems to smaller channels instead of the larger one which made the mistake.

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Every month I like to recommend four movies that I enjoyed. Since it’s the beginning of a new year, I thought that I would share some of my favorite movie remakes.

Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, and I was a little scared of how the remake would represent the original. After watching it, however, I loved how it turned out. For those of you who don’t know, this movie follows the story of Belle and how she was kidnapped by a beast. This was a great movie, and a good one to watch with friends.

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Planet of the Apes This movie is about Leo Davidson and his crew aboard the Oberon.

Leo’s crew was hit with a storm and Leo was propelled into the future, and onto a planet where apes rule and humans are the slaves.

Stuck on this foreign planet, Leo and the other humans try to start a rebellion. This is an action filled movie and a great one to watch if you love sci-fi.

Footloose Ren MacCormack just moved to a small town where rock and roll music, along with dancing, has been outlawed. Determined to spread his love of music, Ren and the other teenagers in the town fight for their right to dance.

Although it’s a little cheesy, it’s great to watch if you’re looking for a feel-good movie.

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Wonder Woman All is normal for Diana until a pilot crashes onto the beach of her hidden home, and is told about a great war that is happening in the outside world. Believing that the God of War, Ares, is behind it, Diana sets out to kill him and end the war. This is an action packed movie with a little romance, and it is my favorite remake.

Sam’s Soapbox

We Get it, You Want Us to Leave at 3:30

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Many students see 3:10 as the end of their day. They get to go home to take a nap, hang out with friends, or catch up on homework. For others, the school day does not end until four, five, or even six o’clock.

I am one of those people. It is rare for me to go home before four o’clock. I always have to hear the announcement that comes at 3:30: “Students, can I have your attention please. At this time, you need to leave the building unless you are attending a teacher supervised activity . . .”

The announcement serves little purpose except to disrupt the ‘teacher supervised activities.’ It lasts much longer than necessary, repeating the content, just in different wordings. I fully understand that there were issues after school, but the announcement does nothing to stop those things from happening.

Instead of punishing everyone, punish those who create problems. For a lot of people, school is the best place for them to be. Some people have to wait until four for their parents to pick them up. Sometimes, school is just the best place to do a project, or practice an instrument, or catch up on homework. If people abuse the privilege, then punish those people. By making students leave school, the administration is pushing away students that would usually see school as a safe haven.

If it is necessary to have students leave the school, the time should be pushed back to 4:00, and the announcement should be shortened. As it stands, it disrupts activities for no reason. Punish people for breaking the rules, not for simply staying after school.

What are the issues you’d like to hear about? PM us @rhsechonews on Twitter

Memoirs of a Second Semester Senior

Make the most of it

As a senior, you watch all of the “last times” pass you by. Quicker than you realize, the things that are so familiar to you are coming to an end. It’s your last first day of school. It’s your last home football game in the student section. It’s your last Halloween with your best friends. For most of us, it’s your last semester of school with people you’ve known for most of your life. It can be a bummer, but it puts everything in perspective for me. Realizing how precious these moments are is important because it’s over before you know it.

I missed a lot of opportunities throughout high school. I regret the times I chose to spend the evening in bed while my peers made memories with each other. It’s hard to come to terms with what I’ve missed out on, which is why I urge younger students to go to events with their peers, whether they’re interested or not. It’s not necessarily about the basketball game or the play; in my opinion, it’s about making memories with the people you will miss. Everything is temporary, especially high school.

People don’t care as much as you think they do. Wear whatever you want. I used to take myself so seriously, and if there’s one thing I learned in high school, it’s that you simply can’t take yourself too seriously if you want to live a happy life. It’s okay to laugh at silly mistakes. I probably still trip up the stairs once a week even though I’ve been using them since 2015. I’ve made

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crazy embarrassing typos in the ECHO. I’ve probably made a fool of myself in every way possible during my high school career. It’s just not a big deal.

You don’t need to be the best at everything. You don’t even need to be good at everything. Hold yourself to a high standard when it comes to things you know you’re good at and praise yourself for try other things. Challenge yourself, but don’t beat yourself up. In eighth grade, I got a B in Algebra I. Little did I know that Algebra I is the first grade that factors into your high school GPA. I lost the chance of being valedictorian because I took a risk and challenged myself. For a long time, I was upset about what that meant. I wondered if I should drop the accelerated math track. I decided not to, even though that meant risking my GPA even more. I had faith in myself and I needed to challenge myself no matter the risks. I haven’t gotten a B since eighth grade, but I won’t ever be valedictorian, and that’s okay. It’s good and healthy to let things go that you can’t change. Appreciate what you do accomplish.

Don’t be a bystander in your life. Go out and do things. Experience those precious moments while you still can. This all sounds incredibly cliché, but I wish people had told me as an underclassman. I learned these lessons the hard way, so take my advice. High school is what you make of it.

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Your Guide to:

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Slow down!

Even cars with four wheel drive can skid on icy or snow roads, so beware! Drive 5-10 miles under the speed limit in all areas when the weather is bad. This will allow you to have better control of your car if you happen to slide.

Beware of black ice!

Black ice is a thin, almost transparent sheet of ice on the road that is very hard to spot. Although driving should be avoided if it’s icy, if you must drive and happen to hit black ice, do not hit the brakes and try to keep the steering wheel straight. The biggest thing to remember is to remain calm in that situation.

Know your car!

Learn all of the features your car has to offer before you start to drive, let alone drive in horrible road conditions. Some cars have anti-lock brakes that are a blessing driving on icy roads. Research your car and what features may make driving in inclement weather easier or more difficult.

Be prepared!

Keep everything that may come in handy in bad weather, a wreck, or if your car breaks down. This includes a flashlight, a first aid kit, an ice scraper, a blanket, a tool kit, a tow rope, jumper cables, some extra cash, a change of clothes, duct tape, non perishable snacks, etc.

Don’t taligate!

Tailgating is not a good idea even in perfect road conditions, but it’s extremely dangerous in inclement weather. Since it takes longer to come to a complete stop in terrible road conditions, tailgating can easily lead to wrecks. Keep enough space to fit a car between you and the vehicle you’re behind.

Turn on your headlights!

It is a law in the state of Missouri to have your headlights on in cases of inclement weather. This includes rain, fog, snow, sleet, ice, and more. If you’re unsure of whether to turn your lights on, turn them on.

Don’t drive distracted!

Distracted driving is the dumbest mistake you can make.

Period. Texting, eating, drinking, while driving takes lives everyday. This applies in the worst of road conditions and in clearest of road conditions. Don’t be the one to end someone’s life or your own. That text or Snapchat can wait and so can that handful of french fries.

Accelerate and decelerate slowly!

Always accelerate and decelerate slowy and cautiously in bad weather. If you don’t, you can easily cause your car to slide and skid across lanes and even through lights and stop signs.

Contact Us Follow Us on Social Media @rhsechonews Rolla High School ECHO @rhsechonews

Contact RHS ECHO Magazine Mary Gillis, Advisor mgillis@rolla.k12.mo.us (573)-458-0101 ext. 14302 Room 302