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Rolla High School - 900 Bulldog Run - Rolla, Missouri 65401- Volume 67 - Issue - 6 May 13, 2016 - www.rhsecho.com
Senior Focus
RHS Class of 2016 in Summary pgs. 8-18
Exchange Students Share Experiences
It’s Been Real: Retiring Faculty
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pg. 7
So Close, But So Far: Summer Fun
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In this issue... A Shutout Student Feature......................................................................3 Mr. RHS Recap........................................................................................6 Tribute to Retiring Faculty......................................................................7 Class of 2016 Tribute..............................................................................14 Ideas for Summer Fun...........................................................................16 A Focus on Long-term Subs..................................................................20 RHS By the Numbers.............................................................................22
Letter from the editor
I will walk out of Rolla High School for the last time as a student pretty soon; senioritis has gone from an annoying cliche term to a characteristic inseparable from the self. Things are falling apart as we move into the future, knowing diddly squat what it will be like. It’s k though, I’ve been planning on graduating from public school for some time now. I’m kind of at ease about it, but kind of sentimental; after graduation, I may very well never see any of you again barring the odd Walmart encounter. Luckily, you all have this magazine to remind you of your good times in the year of 2016 and what it all meant and how it all felt. Kind of, but not really, that’s more Growler’s thing, but we did try to give a summary of the 2016 senior class with the focus of the big g-word. As we move on, finding out that almost everything and everyone we know are soon to be obsolete memories, we can at least come together and read about some of these dank senior focus spreads. Like I said, we’ve been meaning to graduate for quite some time. Juniors: College applications suckkkkkk. Wouldn’t recommend. Don’t even think about graduating until you’re graduating. Sophomores: From what I’ve seen, a decent amount of you will go to prison and or live the rest of your lives with stupid hair. Try to avoid such things. Your youth is the energy of life. Yeah. It’s been fun guys.
ECHO Magazine Staff
Editor In Chief - John Giesey, Managing Editor - Chloe Myers, Copy Editor - Elise Mazzeo, Webmaster - Amanda Steineman Staff Writers - Brynn Proffitt, Trustin Dinsdale, Celia Parsons, Emily Roberts, Maria Pommerenke, Connor Wilson, Sadhika Jagannathan, Adrienne Pyeatt, Faith Koenig, Caroline Adams, Ashanti Owusu-Brafi, 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.
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Visit www.rhsechonews for more news and features from RHS
Shutout After Shutout
Photos curtesy of Claudia Burns and Ozark Sports Zone
RHS girl’s varsity soccer goalie breaks the school’s shutout record with flying colors b y
On April 19, 2016, Katie Hudson, the Lady Bulldogs girls soccer goalie, broke the Rolla High School’s shutout game record. Currently, Hudson has 56 shutouts, knocking the previous record of 48.5 out of the water. With at least tweleve years of soccer experience, Husdon explains how she chose to become a goalie. “I didn't choose to become a goalie but I was really chubby and apparently I fell down a lot so Coach Hank said ‘you look like a goalie’ so I just started playing it,” Hudson said. Being a starting varsity goalie all four years of high school is a lot of responsibility and becoming a better goalie for her team was a big deal to Hudson. “It's been great being able to start all four years, that was a goal of mine going into freshman year. My sophomore year I started going to the St. Louis Goalkeeping Academy and it's made a world of difference for my game,” Hudson said. After her final high school soccer season, Hudson has big plans for college involving soccer. “ I'm going to play for Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, Illinois for 2 years and then I'll transfer to a 4 year school,” Hudson said.
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Breaking the Rolla High School girl’s soccer shutout record was not only a great success in her high school career, but in her teammates’ as well. “Breaking this record felt great, partly because I felt some pressure to break it but mostly because it was broken as a team. Every year I've played we've had an amazing group of girls and they've earned it just as much as I have,” Hudson said. Having such a great childhood and high school experience with soccer, Hudson shares some advice she has for underclassmen or future high school soccer players. “ I think the most important thing I could say is that the work you put in in the offseason is what matters most if you want to be successful. It's what will separate you from the rest of the crowd,” Hudson said. Since she’s been playing soccer at the mere age of six, Hudson has had many favorite moments throughout her life playing the sport that she loves. “I have a lot of great experiences as a goalie but what's made it the best is getting to play with my best friends for all these years,” Hudson said.
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Having the opportunity to travel to different countries while being in high school is an incredible experience and lucky for us, this opportunity is offered right here at Rolla High School. The Rotary Youth Exchange program provides high school students with the opportunity to be a foreign exchange student for one school year. Here, at Rolla High School, we have three foreign exchange students; Anton Ganster, from Germany, Na Huang, from China, and Minami Matsushita, from Japan, are all current students at the Rolla High School. Along with students coming to Rolla for foreign exchange, we also have one student, Tyler Myers, who is currently in Germany for his foreign exchange experience. Getting granted this awesome opportunity is no easy task. It involves a lot of paperwork and time to get approved for the program. Matsushita shares why she chose to become a foriegn exchange student. “I was so interested in foreign countries and cultures and I wanted to begin to speak english,” Matsushita said. These four exchange students have been living away from home for about ten months now and express their favorite
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part of living in a new country. “I would say my favorite part so far has been to ability to freely go anywhere at any time. For example, I feel completely comfortable walking around in Munich at 11:30 p.m. whereas if I were to do that in St. Louis, I'm not sure if I would feel that comfortable. I also enjoy how laid back everything is here. If we feel like it, my German friends and I can easily catch a train and be in Salzburg, Austria in an hour and a half,” Myers said. Huang, from China shares her liking of the climate change from her hometown in China to Rolla, Missouri. “I like the weather and it's very quite unlike the big cities,” Huang said. Along with all the upsides to living halfway across the world, there are also some downsides. “There is public transportation everywhere in Germany, not in the US. It was hard to get used to that because usually I don't have to ask people for rides. Since I am here I am so dependent on other people because I don't have a license and I can't drive,” Ganster said.
A location shift also comes with a shift in academics and how classes are set up from their hometown school to Rolla High School. “In most Japanese public schools, we can't choose classes. It’s so fun that Rolla has unique classes like fashion design,” Matsushita said. Soon the school year will be over and it will be time for these students to head back home, so they express what they will miss most from their temporary hometown. “My host family and all my close friends. They're all very important to me and it's going to be hard to leave them,” Ganster said. Having an incredible experience himself, Myers gives some advice for students interested in the foreign exchange program in future. “I believe exchange can be a life changing experience. It changes a person so much, but it's so worth it. It's not for everyone, but if you think it's for you I would definitely encourage you to look deeper into it,” Myers said.
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Mr. RHS
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year the teamwork was On Friday, April 22nd, absolutely amazing. the Mr. RHS pageantook This is my third year place in the Rolla Middle of doing Mr. RHS. The School auditorium. Nine guys were amazing extroverted guys perand listened so well. formed a series of acts in The talents were so hopes of being crowned. entertaining, especially Although these boys were Fletcher’s sandwichthe stars onstage, Rolla making,” Terra Eyrtel, High School Student senior member of Council put in a tremenStudent Council said. dous amount of work “I was extremely imbehind the scenes. pressed with all of the “Mr. RHS was a really contestants. Though cool learning experience. it was a laid back, I learned a lot about orgoofy show, they took ganization and commuit pretty seriously and nication. It was so much Pictured: Sam Wilsdorf, Kameron Wood, Garrett Cummins, Fletcher learned all of the steps fun working with all of Collins, Chris Cates, Noah Daly-Lewis, Alex Pettijohn. Trustin Dins- to their dance in sync the guys. Their unique They definitely got out of personalities made it super dale, and Owen Pennington their comfort zones with fun. They were hilarious. their talents. They were Although it was a really very fun to work with and I had a ton of fun being a cowgirl tough job, and a lot of work, I’m really glad I got the opporfor the night!” Briana Isakson, a senior member of Student tunity to work with the StuCo members, Mr. Bridgeman, Council, said. and the guys,” senior member of Student Council, Becca The teamwork it took to pull off this event during a busy Roark, the chair of this event, said. time in the school year was impressive by any standard. This year’s theme was the Wild West. The theme is de“The biggest thing is getting the Student Council memtermined by a vote among Student Council members and bers to encourage participation. The classes or sponsors determines the decorations, costumes, music, and all other also aid in the encouragement. The pageant has been going aspects of the event. on long before I came to this school. It takes a lot of team“I did decorations. I would say it was a somewhat stresswork and effort. I’m always excited to see what happens ful job. I tried to involve as many people as I could. This with this event,” Roger Bridgeman, Rolla High counselor year we brought more real decorations than we normally and coordinator of Student Council, said. do. We actually used real bales of hay. Usually getting In the end, it was Sam Wilsdorf who took the crown. everyone to peacefully work together is a struggle, but this
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RHS Retires Those Who INSPIRE
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There are a few people leaving Rolla High School this year. Special Education teacher Kathie Wolfert, Science teachers Steven Day and Dwight Warnke, and Guidance Office Secretary Vicki Crain are retiring at the end of school this year. Wolfert has been teaching for a total of 34 years. “I have taught elementary in Illinois. I was an assistant principal at North Ridge Middle school in Illinois. I was a teacher and examiner at United Samaritans’ Medical Center in Illinois. For Rolla Public Schools, [I] taught at RMS for 3 and RHS for the other 18 as a special educator and co taught Algebra with Mrs. Kinder. I have taught for Drury University for 23 years and prior to that I taught at Danville Area Community College for 10 years,” Wolfert said. Wolfert plans to get married and travel with her husband after retiring. She wants to then spend time with her grandchildren and go on a mission trip to Haiti. Day however, does not have any firm plans after retirement. He does have a job in mind though. “I look forward to finding another job/career that is rewarding as teaching has been. I have a possible job lined up, working to take water and environmental samples at a Superfund site on the shores of Lake Superior. Being out on a boat every day, doing science, has a lot of appeal for me!” Day said. This is Day’s 29th year teaching. He taught at Sedalia Smith-Cotton High School for fourteen years. He has taught a variety of science subjects, including General Science, Principles of Technology, ChemCom (Chemistry in the Community), Chemistry, and Physics. He believes that it is important for everyone to know science. “I believe in the importance of everyone knowing about science and the processes of science. (Science for Everyone). I enjoy the students and the wonder that they can bring to the classroom. I always enjoyed a class that asked a lot of questions.I enjoy the fun and semi-chaos that exists in Chemistry and Physics labs, as well as the discovery that occurs. I enjoyed being a coach for Science Olympiad, getting to work with some of the brightest students in the state. I have always enjoyed the hands-on portion of science, many times wishing that I could simply do that all the time. Doing demonstrations in Chemistry and Physics has always been a very
fun part of my job, almost like getting paid to play,” Day said. Like Day, Warnke also has taught a variety of science subjects. This is his 31st year teaching. “My first year of teaching was at Sweet Springs, MO; next 15 years at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, MO, and my last 15 years here at Rolla High School. I have also served as an adjunct instructor at Drury Univ., S&T, Univ. of Central Missouri, and State Fair Community College. In all my years of teaching, I have taught General Science, Principles of Technology, ChemCom (Chemistry in the Community), Earth Science I, Earth Science II, Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Physics, and Conceptual Physics,” Warnke said. Unlike Wolfert, Day, and Warnke, Crain’s first job was at a bank, and then she came as a secretary to the Rolla Public Schools system. “My first job was with a local bank, Rolla State Bank, as a teller while I was a senior at Rolla High School. I would go straight to work right after school and work until 6:00 pm and on Saturdays. After I graduated from high school, I went to work full time at the bank, eventually becoming a Personal Banking Officer. I spent many years in banking, working at United Savings & Loan as a loan processor and later at Ft Wood Credit Union as a loan officer. I am licensed as a Missouri Real Estate Agent and IRS Tax Preparer. I was a stay at home mother to our 2 sons until our youngest son began school. I was hired as Dr. Giger’s secretary at the middle school in January 1987, and then 2 years later transferred to the high school. While at the high school, I have worked with Mrs. Turner in the attendance office as a secretary for 3 assistant principals, Mr. Hopgood, Mrs. Bramel and Mrs. Brainard. I have worked in the Counseling Center as a secretary for Mrs. Grisham, and most recently, for Mr. Luna,” Crain said. Wolfert, Day, Warnke, and Crain have all enjoyed their time at Rolla High School. “I have enjoyed the time that I have spent at RHS. The students, faculty, and administration have made this a good “home” over the years. I can truly say that RHS is one of the top schools in the state. Our students are some of the best anywhere,” Day said.
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Senio
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Forward from the editors: Congratulations class of 2016! We have been incredibly blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of people. As we get closer to graduation, there seems to be a roller coaster of emotions. Some classmates talk about how the reality is really starting to hit them, making them sentimental and a little sad. However, others are ready to “get the hell outta here.” Whatever seniors may be feeling, we must stop to realize how special our class really is. While it is true we have faced some tragedy and troubles, it is also trut that it has made us stronger and wiser. We have had our fair share of triumphs as well. From sports and band victories, to academic accomplishments, we have definitely made our mark. Another special part of the class of 2016, as well as a defining characteristic, is acceptance. For example, students from our class are always the first to volunteer to help others who may need a little extra help, or just need a friend. These small acts of service and kindness show the true character of this class. With all this being said, there is no doubt that our class will do great things for our community, country, and ultimately the world with our special talents and accepting attitude.
~Chloe Myers, Managing Editor 2016
The Rolla High School graduating class of 2016 is unlike any other in the sense that it is graduating in 2016 and none of us have graduated before. In a broader sense we’re not extremely unique in our overall makeup; out of 273 kids, we have our neo-Nazis, kids who are smarter than you, kids who are not as smart as you, our beloved, our buffoons, students who’ve challenged our beliefs and, in some cases, opened our eyes, an avowed future presidential candidate, intermittents, terminally ill, and pretty much everything in between. Despite the number of children in the history of this school, there will only ever be one Class of 2016. It is made of all of us and formed and shaped by all of our actions. Some of us may go on to make mother proud, others may go to prison, but we can all say we were a part of this class and contributed to the overall dynamic. Simply put: that fact that we were a part of it means we made it what it was. ~John Giesey, Editor-In-Chief 2016 My hope for our graduating class to look back at our four years here and remember the good times we have had, and not the homework, stress, and tears that have been shed over test scores. In the end, no number can define us; our ACT, GPA, and class rank will all be forgotten after college applications. I always believed that to be the best, I had to achieve the highest scores on tests, but in reality the things people will remember is our kindness and love towards each other. I hope that we can all remember these years as some of the best, spent with amazing friends. I hope you are all successful in your future endeavors. ~Amanda Steineman, Webmaster 2016
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Best High School Memories After thirteen years of school and four years of high school, The Class of 2016 has over a decade worth of memories together. We asked them what some of their best memories of the Class of 2016 and their time in Rolla were. Ben Shelton: Going 5 and 3 JV football season sophomore year Wil Crutcher: Competing at the state track meet my junior year Jakin Ellison: When I caught Hannah Hall from falling in the air Aideen McEnaney: Variety Show, being part of a team, and going to games with friends Katie Hawkins: Drawing Powls (Penguin-Owls) with Mack Campbell Shelbi French: Taking Dr. Peterson’s class Aspen Moentmann: Hanging out with my friends Liana Harrison: Marching with 200 students Courtney Spencer: Ozark Tournament junior year for softball Trustin Dinsdale: The warm embrace of my bed every night; my happiest hello and my hardest goodbye
Joanna Callier: Running with my best friends/teammates Courtney Hairfield: Cantrell’s classes Brett Hoffman: Winning a district championship in baseball Brynn Proffitt: Scoring the game-winning goal in overtime at the dis trict championship junior year. Chloe Myers: Homecoming night and watching Kyle play those fall Friday nights Erin Wilson: Blowing a kiss to sullivan’s pep club during the champi onship game at the St. James tournament Emma Laney: Winning districts junior year Meredith Sowers: Singing in the Cathedral Basilica with Sandquist and the Chamber choir my sophomore year Kameron Wood: Attending Rotary Youth Leadership Academy and StuCo Amanda Steineman: Playing tennis with my awesome teammates Josh Leon: Beating Waynesville in our senior year homecoming game
Joshua Rogers: Graduating high school
Caroline Victor: Winning our junior year districts soccer game
Becca Roark: The sweet release of the 3:10 bell
Kevin Gao: Being able to find a parking spot
Cambria Ryckman: Watching Rick and Morty
Sam Remillard: The Great 8
Emily Roberts: Making our senior shirts with some of my best friends and roadtripping and going to games with them
Zach Brown: Basketball
Sophia Holmes: going to state in track with my 4x400 and 4x800 team junior year Willis Pierce: Friday Night Lights Sadhika Jagannathan: Dissecting a cat in Anatomy and Physiology sophomore year
Nathan Nordwald: I got my name called for being a medalist at the Rolla meet. It was where I sent my latest PR. This race was memorable because Nate Potrafka and I ran a similar race and encouraged each other and pushed ourselves to the limit to beat the other teams. After that tough race it was great to receive first place for boys varsity Keegan Chrisco: Playing the sport I love with the guys I grew up with. Football is a family and will always be not only my favorite memory, but also the best times I ever had in high school.
What would the senior class of 2016 put in a time capsule?
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Sabrina Morris: Basketball Senior Night Karl Fahrenholtz: That pork at senior lunch was pretty awesome Hannah Blakely: Having fun at homecoming decorations with Student Council Lindsey Moore: Going to London over Christmas break for winning All-American with Hannah Hall and Gabrielle Whitesides Hannah Delp: Playing volleyball and running track with some of my best friends Katie Hudson: Playing soccer with my best friends John Giesey: Getting 3 retweets on my gravel parking lot tweet. It was, “It’s wrong for the school to discourage drug use, but tell us to use the gravel parking lot.” Hannah Pritchett: Beating the juniors in powderpuff Lefatshe Lefatshe: Asking Caroline to prom after Mr. RHS Briana Isakson: Punching the cheez-its Kyle Morris: Chloe Myers Emily Thomas: Walking out the doors Thomas McCash: Meeting Hannah (thanks Meredith) Katherine Frisbee: My best high school memory is all the bus rides home from tennis matches. We would listen to music and laugh the whole time. Claudia Kim: Food Fridays, ugh bless up Lilly Germeroth: War Eagle Marching Classic, it made me really proud to be drum mjor and to be in band . I got to spend some great times and make great memories with my friends. Also, #webeatWillard Hannah Hall: Cheering at all the games Claudia Kim: Getting accepted into college Cambria Ryckman: Listening to Mrs. McCarthy’s speech about drugs and donuts
Elementary school crushes Jakin Ellison....................Sophia Johnson Aideen McEnaney............Josh Leon Katie Hawkins..................Heath Ledger Hannah Pritchett.............Ben Burris Shelbi French...................Logan Short Aspen Muentmann..........Carter Daniels Courtney Spencer............Kyle Morris Trustin Dinsdale..............Gabrielle Whitesides Mason Green....................Mrs. Rice Joshua Rogers..................Victorie Moskalyuk Becca Roark.....................Uncle Jessie Cambria Ryckman...........Finn the Human Emily Roberts..................Jakob Ommen Sophia Holmes.................Kaleb Chambers Willis Pierce.....................Yessie Guzman Joanna Callier..................Keegan Chrisco Elliotte Bourne.................Josh Leon Brynn Proffitt...................Ben Mills Chloe Myers.....................Ben Burris Erin Wilson......................Wyatt Kinder Sierra LeClaire.................Logan Short Briana Isakson.................Kyle Morris Emma Laney....................Logan Short Meredith Sowers..............Aaron Froelich Kameron Wood................Hannah Pritchett Isabelle Vankirk...............Legand Clift Sabrina Morris.................Zach Brown Megan Harshbarger.........Dillon Beam Skylar Turner...................Lefatshe Lefatshe Alex Sapaugh....................Kaleb Chambers Evan Voight......................Gabrielle Whitesides Josh Leon.........................Katherine Frisbee Caroline Victor.................Lee Clancy Amanda Steineman.........Ben Mills Lindsey Moore.................Brett Hoffman Thomas McCash...............Anna Corey
Class of
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sets out to take on the world
Students Who are Going Out of State
Harding University: Rebecca Light Alexxa Mace
Olivet Nazarene University: Southern Willis Pierce Illinois University: Spencer Gordon Anton Ganster
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New York Fashion Institute of Technology: Vasilisa Shamina
Lincoln Christian University Hannah Pritchett
UC Berkeley: Kevin Gao
Belmont University: Elise Mazzeo
Oklahoma University: Taylor Waterman
University of Arkansas: Evan Voight Adam Dent
S&T: Lilly Germeroth Daniel Kohensky Mack Campbell William Crutcher Kameron Wood Wayne Porowski Tristan Chan-Smith Cambria Ryckman Benjamin Harwin Carter Daniels Raine Northern Karl Fahrenholtz Lee Clancy James Werner Nathan Cunningham Kristen Copeland Jared Schuman Michael Khayat Erin Wilson Christina McEachern Aaron Read Robert Christensen Anwaar Ibrahim Madison Hogan
Central Methodist University: Ryan Nakanishi
MSU: Lindsey Moore Dalton Hayes Kathryn Hawkins Alex Alatorre Briana Isakson Kyle Morris Jakin Ellison Blake Davis Hailey Parks Chloe Myers Terra Eyrtel Hannah Hall Wyatt Kinder Emily Marti Aaron Davis Isabelle VanKirk Zak Phillips Jonathan Wohlt Missouri StateWest Plains Eliotte Bourne
UMKC: Sadhika Jagannathan Claudia Kim
Mizzou: Alex Sapaugh Sabrina Morris Briann Sutton Amanda Steineman Caroline Victor Trustin Dinsdale Emily Roberts Sean Young Lefatshe Lefatshe
UMSL: Sophia Holmes Winston Basham Autumn Parker
Navy: Cody Santogrossi Army: Joey Fleck Hailey Gromowski For more, see featured students page 15
Rolla Technical Center: Kylie Moon Meredith Thompson Courtney Hairfield
SLU: Thomas Hardwick Ben Burris
Hannibal Legrange: Andie Sapaugh
Evangel: Courtney Spencer Rebecca Roark Skylar Turner Jonas Taylor Brandon Tegart
UCM: Tyler Dodd Sadie Green Andrew Maddux
MSSU: Logan Short Nathan Glensky
Rockhurst: Brynn Proffitt Aideen McEnaney College of the Ozarks: Beau Cartwright Ben Shelton Westminster: Keegan Chrisco
Drury University: Briana DeLancy Air Force: Alex Pratz Nathan Nordwald
Truman State: John Giesey Jasmine Jacques Tandra Logiudice
Waynesville Culinary School: Lindsey Shelton
Work: Brian Saladino Blake Jones Ashlea Queen Elizabeth Shipley Renee Hollon Mason Nickason
Columbia College: Christian Robertson Emma Laney Sierra LeClaire Wesley Reed
Kansas City College: Chuck Whitson Not Specified; Courtney Sweigard Sam Remillard Brett Hoffman Olutope Lajubutu Samuel Marshall
East Central: Udanhti Walker Sam Turner Shelbi French Zach Benson Samantha Swaim Nina McCabe Gabrielle Whitesides Katherine Frisbee Liana Harrison Teri Tate Emily Thompson Joseph Statler Evan Madonna Megan Harshbarger Alyssa Summers Hannah Champ
Hickey College: Nikki Shaw Liz Keeney Ariel Cliburn
St. Louis College of Pharmacy: Joanna Callier Hannah Delp Mason Green
OTC Springfield: Tess Feeler
Lewis and Clark College: Katie Hudson
Rolla Technical Institute: Samuel Quigley Jacob Steiner Aspen Moentmann Noah Stubbs
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Handing off history
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Many seniors like to give ‘one last hurrah’ and do one final act that their class will be remembered by, whether it be a senior prank, or even the simple act of giving back to the school come graduation day. “I think it started out as something funny, but over the years, it became a more organized and thoughtful process,” former principal Roger Berkbuegler said. Berkbuegler mentioned that he received a variety of things such as marbles, coins, bottle caps, and in his final year, 2008, he received cookies – he liked to stand in the hallway between classes and hand out cookies as the students passed. “A lot of times the meaning comes just with what’s being given based on what went on during that school year or with that class,” current principal Jim Pritchett said. So last year students walked across the stage and gave me an Uno card because Mrs. Carin [Allen], who played a lot of Uno with her students to learn Latin. They did that as a memorial to her,” Pritchett said. That wasn’t the first time students of RHS decided to give back in a sincere and meaningful way, either. “One year, it was after the Joplin tornado, we sent money to a school that had been hit by the tornado. I got a letter back from their principal saying that was the best thing they had received, and they didn’t really need the money per say, because insurance was covering the school, but it was just the thought of our students thinking of them really touched that principal and the school. They were really touched by that,” Pritchett said. Whether students hand back a gag gift such as marbles or gum wrappers to get a few laughs, or pay respects to something tragic, the tradition of giving back to the school at graduation is one that always help to make graduating even better. “Anytime students are giving something to others,That’s always good and memorable,” Pritchett said.
Giesey, Jenny Bai, Wyatt Kinder, Josh Leon, Hannah Hall, Emily Roberts
Starting at top left: Ben Burris, Chuck Winston, Joanna Callier, Chloe Myers, Lafatshe Lefatshe, Briana Isakson, Daniyel Saeed, Kyle Morris, Claudia Kim, Meredith Sowers, John
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Military bound students share what they’ve learned in the process
Christopher Cates Joshua Rogers I’ve always wanted to go into the military. My grandfather was a three star general in the Russian army. My other grandfather was a sergeant in the USMC. They told me of their experiences and I decided I wanted to go to serve my country. As they did for their countries. Yes it may seem stereotypical but it doesn’t hurt that it has a lot of benefits.
Don’t wait [until the] last second for military information or concepts. Be fit mentally and physically. Different branches have different opportunities. [I am going into] the United States Army. Hopefully once I leave high school I go to the army. Then I’ll go to college at S&T or Hickey. I have military advisory this year. I also was in The Civil Air Patrol freshman year and sophomore year. It helped me learn the basis of military, drilling, ranks, and typical protocol. It was very helpful and I’f recommend it to anyone who wants to be in the military. No matter the branch.
Alisa Conroy I won’t be able to afford an education on my own and I want to travel the world. The military will pay me for my college education and send me all over the place, so it really was the best option for me. Marine Corps. I chose it because they have the best military band and I plan to work toward becoming a band member. My bootcamp is in North Carolina. I won’t know the location of my schooling until I finish bootcamp. Taking the ASVAB was about the only thing that prepared me. Entering the pool and enlisting didn’t really [have] anything to do with highschool.
Get good grades, get a good score on the ASVAB, take a sport (like track), eat right, stay out of trouble, research what jobs you might be interested in before enlisting, and plan your classes according to the job you pick.
I will be going into the Marine Corps after completing college at Missouri Southern State. I was adopted in Romania and came to the United States. As I grew up in the States, I really fell in love with my country. I was in the Boy Scout program, receiving my Eagle Scouts. When 9/11 happened I was
You need to find out what you want out of the military. When you go to a recruiter you be polite, assertive and direct, and say this is what I want. What are my options? And the recruiter tells you and you go back and research. The best thing you can do is talk to people you know. about five years old, and when I grew up [I] started researching it and learning about it at school. It really gave me incentive to be part of an organization that protects and tries not only for our country alone, but different countries around the world, to protect against heinous organizations. Knowing people can really get you far in life. You need to know people. Recruiters are good to process you. But really, it really depends on which way you wanna go.
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Jobs and Internships While jobs and internships might not be the first things you think of when you hear ‘summer activities’, they can be some of the most important things will spend your summer on. Sleeping in, binge-watching TV shows, and hanging out with your friends all summer might seem like an attractive idea, but what connections and advancements can you really make? Jobs and internships provide an opportunity to not only make money that you can save and spend, they also provide connections that could be helpful for college or other organizations. Internships can be used for volunteer hours in organizations such as National Honors Society and Show-Me Scholars; they teach you new social and technical skills; and they can give you great connections in the business or with the people you work with that can help you later on in life, and more than you think. Getting a job seems to be something that people think will take away what they have left of a social life in the summer, but depending on what type of job you get- full or part time- you can still enjoy a summer with friends while earning money for college, to spend, or just to save. Just like with internships, you can gain connections and new skills, but unlike many internships, you’ll be earning money. Many local businesses are interested in hiring local teenagers including fast food restaurants, retail, gas stations, and more.
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Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. - John Lubbock
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Free Things to Do
Camps
Most high schoolers that are looking forward to the end of the school year most likely know their big plans for the summer like family trips, camps, and the occasional week of binge-watching TV shows that you fell behind on during the school year. However, there are a lot of days left over in their vacation where they have nothing planned and are a bit strapped for cash, and there aren’t as many options for them. Some free options are to: • Take a walk around your neighborhood • Visit local parks • Ride your bike • Explore some places around town that you’ve never been to before • Visit the library, read a book, educate yourself (something most students try to ignore all summer) • Check out the community calendar. The calendar shows all scheduled events taking place in town including f airs and free events at: www.rollacity.org • Invite some friends over and socialize • Go window shopping in places around town And if you want to spend some money but can’t get a job try having a yard sale. Look around your house for anything you and your family don’t need and sell them. It’s a quick way to get cash as long as you advertise it well. Once you have cash you have more activities that you can do such as: • Going to the pool • Going skating • Going to caves, rivers, or springs • Thrifting • Going to the movies
A great way to stay busy in the summer months is to sign up for camps. There are a vast array of camps throughout Rolla and the surrounding towns. There are sports camps, theatre camps, a capella camps, and music camps. These camps can last from one week to even a month. Local university Missouri S&T offers multiple camps over the summer to those willing to sign up. These camps include: Building Leaders for Tomorrow, CyberMiner Camp, EcoGirl, Explosives Camp, Formula SAE Electric Car Camp, Nuclear Engineering Camp, Space- The Final Frontier, Summer Research Academy, and multiple sports camps. One camp that is not as known in Rolla is the Cub Creek Science Camp and Animal Camp. The Cub Creek Science Camp offers a program for those who enjoy nature, crafts, adventure, and science. As well as animals, the camp offers other activities, including: Archery, Cooking, Crafts, Crime Science, Survival Skills, and Zip-lines. The camp offers encounters with over 300 animals from 100 different species. The combination of a science and animal camp as well as adventure and traditional summer camp activities has created an environment where campers will learn more and enjoy their time there. A new addition to the the Missouri Science Camp is the marine biology camp Animal Camp Jamaica, where teens travel to Jamaica for 13 days to explore Caribbean reefs and tropical islands. The camp incorporates marine biology, volunteer work, and cultural appreciation during their stay. The campers are offered the opportunity to become scuba certified as they can scuba dive in the Caribbean. The mornings are spent snorkeling through the reefs, and then the exploration of the islands in the afternoon. Every evening brings a special and unique adventure from climbing a 500-foot waterfall to tubing down the Rio Bueno River. The nights are spent at Seven Palms Villa, which is an 8000 square foot villa with a two-acre yard that includes fruit trees, a private swimming pool, a courtyard, and an atrium.
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Humans of Rolla High School: b y
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Koulthoum Boubacar “My dad is a diplomat from Niger, in Africa, in case you don’t know where that is. That’s okay, I’m not too familiar with it either; I’ve only lived there for five years of my life, and even then I lived in the capital city. In Niger, French is the primary language, and I speak it, but I also speak their languages of Hausa, and I can understand Zarma a bit; there's a lot of languages there. My dad’s job has him in a place for five years at a time, and when I was born, we lived in Kuwait. We stayed there until I was five, and while there I started learning French and Arabic. I kind of dropped Arabic; I wasn’t really very good at it, but I’ve stuck with French and gone to Niger and spoken it. We went to Niger after Kuwait and I was there until I was ten, and I attended an all-girl French private school. Then my family moved to the U.S and we lived in D.C and the Maryland area during that time. After that, we moved here. Part of the reason I’m here is because I wanted to graduate from an English speaking school, although I still speak French and am in French IV here, I feel English is much more useful, and I want to go to English-speaking colleges, mostly in Canada, no offense to American colleges; some of them are nice. So yeah, I’ve been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things. One of my favorite personal stories was when we were still new in America, and I was in a store when a woman said ‘hi’ to me, but I didn’t know what to say back. So I went out to my dad and asked him what do I say when someone says ‘hi’? So he told me to just say ‘hi’ back. So I went back in, told the woman ‘hi’ and left. My favorite experience here was probably Courtwarming. I also saw cows for the first time ever after moving here, and that was kind of weird but cool. When I grow up, I’d like to become a diplomat. I feel like I know what it means and I’m used to traveling and I like traveling, moreover, I already know all these languages, so I feel like it would be so much fun.”
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Substitute teachers step up to the board b y
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We have all experienced a substitute teacher at some point in the year. Whether a teacher was gone for one or two days sick or had to care for a child with a cold. Sometimes it is a breath of fresh air to have a new faces during the long school months. Or maybe you are hoping you don’t have to take that math test today. Either way, subs are fun to have around in the school. However what happens when a substitute stays at school for a longer period of time? The substitute has to quickly figure out how to because the teacher that they need to replace. So the most recent long term subs explained what it was like for them. Dirk Frisbee is a recent long term substitute for Mrs. Chesult. Although he has been only subbing for six months he can already notice the difference in long term substituting. “It’s interesting. Short term subbing is when you have a teacher out for one day because of a cold or sickness, or they have to pick up a kid who has a cold or is sick. So you step in just on that day or maybe two days. Like lots of times I sub for coaches who have to leave early so they have to fill you in really quickly before you start teaching. Actually my favorite class to sub for is math, because their is only one right answer. And in English it can go all across the board. So there have been students who want to fight and argue the answer and be like ‘no, no, no, it’s this!’ And i’m like well okay, I understand but lets try and think about it this way. Numbers, however they can’t argue with,” Frisbee said Long term subbing is different for each sub. Whether they like it or don’t like it it. However Mrs.
Shoemaker’s long term sub, Mr. Rapier, loves long term subbing. “With long term subbing you really get to know the class.” Mr. Rapier said. “For example a few years back I subbed for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders and with that, the teacher was gone and gave me the bare materials like, ask these questions, and assign these pages, and that was it. So I had to effectually create the lessons. With this current subjob, it’s really more of a short one, because she’s only going to be gone for about three weeks. And with art there is really no lesson. They already have all their assignments and projects,” Rapier said. So what is the best part of substituting? “The honeymoon period in the short term subbing, which is the majority of what I’ve done, has been where you step into the class, and the kids want to test you alittle bit and see what you’re like and then you develop this report. And that tells you a lot about the class and about their participation. It gets to be a lot of fun because they sometimes act out or sometimes step up their behaviour,” Frisbee said. When you have been substituting for as long as Mr. Rapier long term is really rewarding. “The best part is getting to do something different everyday. It’s getting to work with such a wide variety of students. And in many cases since I’ve done it so long, it’s getting to see kids from fifth grade, all the way to their senior year. Its very interesting to see what steps they want to take, and where they want to go with their lives and it can be very rewarding. Especially to be there at graduation and I have had a few student come to me and tell me that i was the reason they walked across that stage, and that is so rewarding,” Rapier said.
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Artists of b y
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Art is a visual way to express one’s desires and opinions. This day and age, art can be expressed in endless ways ranging from art created with social media by fashion design to reciting a poem on stage. Even though art is a very common activity it can be very time consuming and a lot of hard work, Wesley Pennington and Vasilisa Shamina have put that work in to create something very beautiful. Vasilisa is a Rolla High School senior and is active on a social media app called Depop. She is a creative director for a boutique. “I am a creative director for a boutique for an online store. I go vintage shopping, I thrift a lot of my clothes. I then find pieces that I like and really want to share with people. I post pictures of the clothing and sell them,” Shamina said. While going thrift shopping one could stumble upon a cute shirt but find it has a large hole in the sleeve. Vasilisa doesn’t seem to have a problem with that. “I wouldn’t buy a shirt with it being run down. I go for things that I know will sell well because I do really love fashion and I feel like I am knowledgeable about trends and stuff like that. I have a really good eye for what will sell well. I also wear things that are thrifted all the time so I use that to my advantage by working and making money that way. I 100% make profit. I quit my job because I was making so much more money doing something I loved,” Shamina said. The responsibility for selling the clothes on Depop, can be time consuming since it is your job but that isn’t the case for Vasilisa. “I spend a few hours a week buying then I shoot them. I have someone take photos of me wearing the clothing, then I edit and post the photos. I then interact with my customers, so in total I spend about four hours a week working. I have an entire inventory, and on the app you can find the prices and sizes for the clothing. The way I interact with customers is through messenger I then get notifications when someone messages me,” Shamina said. When we were kids we dreamed of going to that one college we always thought about. Luckily, plans for Vasilisa’s career in business and design is endless. “I am going to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology next year in New York. I hope to do something with business, maybe start my own company. I wouldn’t want to own my own store or work in retail I would rather be in the business side of it. So I would love to own a company or to be a buyer of some kind. I love the fashion industry, so to be in it will be amazing. As for Pennington, he is also a junior at Rolla High School. He is active in Rolla’s drama program and is the National Thespian Society with Mrs. McNeven. “I feel like drama is a way for me to step into someone else’s shoes,
to act differently than I would in my normal everyday life,” Pennington said. Pennington started becoming active in drama a year ago when he moved to Rolla. “I try out for plays every opportunity possible at the high school but maybe one day at Ozark Actors Theatre here in Rolla,” Pennington said. Even though Pennington started becoming active in drama last year he has already been in four plays the past two years. “I have been in four plays, but I was also active in 24 hour theatre last year and the night of theatre showcase tomorrow. I was in Alice In Wonderland, Check Please, You Can’t Take It With You, and Bye Bye Birdie,” Pennington said. Interests in certain things can inspire someone at any time. For Pennington it sparked when he was put into the Performance Drama class. “My interests started last year, first semester I was in Performance Drama. And one of my good friends, Emily Martie, suggested that I try out for the play. So I was like ‘okay I will try it’ thinking I wouldn’t like it. Then I just all of a sudden fell in love with it,” Pennington said. Pennington will be sadly graduating this year and his plans for the future are still undecided,but he knows he wants to continue to be in drama. “I would like to major in theatre, I don’t have college in mind but I hope to be able to act in movies or TV shows. All I know for sure is that theatre will be in my life because it makes me happy,” Pennington said.
Artist: Vasilisa Shamina Grade: Senior Artist: Creative Director
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Artist: Westley Pennington Grade: junior Artist: Actor
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For Emma Laney, soccer has been her first love since the day she can remember. “I started playing soccer when I was four-years-old. I started because my older brother played and I always wanted to be like him,” Laney said. Luckily, Laney has kept that love for it throughout the years. “I love spending time with my teammates. I’ve grown up with these girls my whole life so they’re like my second family,” Laney said. But growing up playing the sport, Laney has come to understand the difficulties that come with it. “I would say soccer is both mentally and physically straining because Emma Laney you’re literally throwing your body Grade: 12 into all of these different tackles, but then at the same time you always Sport: Soccer have to be in the right frame of mind or you’re not going to be successful,” Laney said. Laney knows first hand how physically challenging soccer is, but her drive to keep improving has helped her overcome these obstacles. “The hardest thing for me to deal with as an athlete are injuries. Every year I’ve been playing for the high school team, I’ve had some type of serious injury and it’s been hard to deal with and get better from,” Laney said. But clearly Laney’s passion for the game has kept her going and given her the strength to get better and create lasting memories with her teammates. “Winning districts last year is probably my favorite memory so far. You could tell how badly we wanted it throughout the whole game. And whenever we won, we spent about ten minutes just hugging and screaming. And then to see Glendale’s faces after we scored was just the cherry on top,” Laney said. As an athlete, Laney understands and faces the struggle of improvement and hard work with an open mind. “I’ve always wished that I could be taller because it would help with heading. But something I know that I can work on getting better at is my speed,” Laney said. In the end, Laney’s struggles seem worth the pain at the expense of a district championship title. Fortunately Laney’s life long journey with soccer will not be ending this year. “Next year I will be attending Columbia College where I will play soccer and major in biology,” Laney said. Who do you look up to? Who inspires you? “I look up to two of my coaches I’ve had throughout my soccer career. My St. Louis coach, Coach Westbrook because he’s an eighty year old man who still gets out and makes us work hard to the point where we want to get better. And I also look up to Coach Howard because he’s a great coach who has really taught me a lot about the game,” Laney said. What advice could you give to future players? “Rolla soccer is always a family so work hard for your teammates and your coach because nothing feels better than winning games with your
As a child, Khayat came to love the sport after attending many summer camps where he learned to develop his skill. “I didn’t start getting serious until freshman year when I joined the team. I chose to start playing because it’s a sport that I enjoy,” Khayat said. And because of his late start to tennis, Khayat struggles with a skill that can only be developed over time. “If I could improve something, I would want to improve my technique. Since I’ve only been playing three years, my technique isn’t the best. You can’t just come into tennis and expect to be good. It’s the type of sport that you have to work at and put your time Michael Khayat and effort into,” Khayat said. But ever since Khayat joined, he has Grade: 12 come to realize how the exhausting Sport: Tennis hours are worth it. “What I love most is the comradery amongst my other teammates. It’s really fun because it’s just a bunch of guys coming together on the court with the same love of the sport,” Khayat said. Even though his teammates help to calm his nerves off the court, everything changes once the game begins. “The hardest thing I’ve had to deal with is my mental game. mental game is everything because a game can go from between twenty minutes to an hour. And you need to be in the game and be concentrated the entire time,” Khayat said. And what Khayat struggles with most, help to keep him focused and in the right frame of mind. “I believe that tennis is definitely a more straining sport mentally. Of course there is the endurance and agility involved, but it’s finesse and it’s a mental game,” Khayat said. But even with his struggles, Khayat still finds ways to persevere and be successful. “Last year was a rough year for us in tennis. So, coming back from a painful season last year to going on a winning streak this year has been really nice,” Khayat said. Although Khayat will not be continuing his tennis career next year, he still has a bright future ahead of him. “Next year I plan on attending Missouri S&T and studying ceramic engineering,” Khayat said. Who do you look up to? Who inspires you? “I definitely look up to my coach. Coach Kennedy puts so much effort into working with me and trying to make e better. You can tell how much faith he has in his players and that just inspires us to do that much better,” Khayat said. What advice can you give to future players? “If it’s really hard at first, just remember that we all started somewhere where we basically couldn’t hit a ball. So, just stick with it and have fun,” Khayat said. What other activities/clubs are you in? Rolla High School Drumline, Band, and National Honor Society.
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BY THE NUMB3RS b y
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Girl’s Soccer went undefeated
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Rolla student athletes participated in Special Olympics received
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The Girl’s 4x4 Track team placed at Conference
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Matt Drallmeier shot a
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