October 2020

WHEN RHS SPEAKS WE

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ACTIVITY TO ATTEND

Leadership will host Powderpuff on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the RHS football eld.

RHS teenagers pay it forward by donating blood during crisis

See POWDERPUFF, page 3

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NUMBERS TO NOTE

$1 trillion worth of

food is wasted annually around the globe.

See TRASH TALK, page 6

3 trails traversing 5

ecosystems at local Audobon Nature Center.

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See HIKING, page 5

STUDENTS TO SEE

2020 Homecoming Court re ects on this year’s nominations.

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See COURT, page 5

ADVICE TO APPLY

Dear ECHO addresses two more anonymous questions from students.

See DEAR ECHO, page 7

Follow us on social media @rhsecho or visit our website at rhsecho.com.

Leadership students operating blood drive sign-in table . Photo by Quinn Guffey.

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olla High School’s leadership class, in conjunction with the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, hosted a schoolwide blood drive Monday. Last week at lunch, students were asked to sign up for a timeslot during the day to give blood. Organizers agreed the drive came at a much-needed time, with many donation opportunities postponed or canceled entirely due to the pandemic.

RHS teacher and leadership adviser Jamie Cantrell noted reduced participation compared to years past.

“Just because of hybrid scheduling, we don’t have nearly the amount of students that we hoped to,” said Cantrell. “It’s a weird time of year and I think a lot of kids just missed getting their names on the signups or hearing about it altogether.”

According to Cantrell, there were about 30 donors on Monday compared to their usual 60.

“It’s definitely been really hard getting people to sign up-- a lot more than years in the past,” said Ramona Giddens, leadership student and chair of the blood drive.

“I think with the split days especially it’s been hard to set things up and make it clear to students among all the other hundreds of announcements.”

Those who did show up, however, were greeted by much smaller crowds and more individual attention.

“Mrs. Cantrell told us that there was a huge need and it was really important this year,” explained Giddens. “A lot of blood drives have been put on kind of a standby, because people are hesitant to touch other people and just because it’s something so sensitive like blood. But we were still able to pull something like this off and it’s really great to help the community.”

Ayo Ilesamni, co-chair of this year’s blood drive, speculated on the importance of giving blood.

“I think it’s always a very good thing to give blood,” said Ilesamni. “Like someone else already mentioned, people still need blood just because COVID is in the spotlight right now.”

Collection supervisor Melissa Shakelford stresses the importance of contributing, even though it might not be in the form of blood.

“We have a lot of people that are going into the hospital with various things-- surgeries, emergencies haven’t stopped because of COVID,” said Shakelford. “There are lots of things people need right now. mIf you have been positive for COVID-19, come donate convalescent plasma. We use it for patients in the case that they are bad enough to need that transfusion.”

The Community Blood Center of the Ozarks supplies 40 counties around Springfield, including Phelps Heath Regional Medical Center.

“It is really assuring to donors that their blood helps people locally,” said Glen Montgomery, mobile unit operator for Community Blood Center of the Ozarks.

“Knowing their blood stays local makes some people want to donate.”

For reference, Glen explained that a hospital needs about 200 pints of blood to operate for the day. They were able to collect about 20 pints from student volunteers Monday.

“Thank you for giving blood today,” said Montgomery to a passing blood donor, “you might well have easily saved a life today-- maybe even two.”

A “Holly” of Hope: Miss Holly visits

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ith the chaos of this school year, RHS has no shortage of reasons to account for a downshift in mood. Most notably is the absence of beloved school receptionist Holly Jernigan. Miss Holly, as she is lovingly called by students, is currently taking a break from RHS due to health risks.

“I’ve been staying with my grandmother,” said Holly.

The leave, however, has brought minimal boredom for Miss Holly who has kept herself busy with hobbies.

“I’ve been coloring,” said Holly, “I have a cat book that I like coloring out of.”

Also bringing new excitement are the yellow jackets tormenting her in her back-

yard.

“We had a hummingbird feeder and the yellowjackets were swarming around the hummingbird feeder!” said Holly.

Holly’s focus, however, has not been on her own interests.

“I just want everyone to know if they need anything, they can call me,” said Holly. “I just want everyone to be safe, and happy, and healthy.”

Miss Holly’s dedication to the school shines through in her uplifting presence. ”She is such a happy, delightful person, to not only the staff, but the students as well.” said Dr. Stephanie Grisham, school administrator, ”I have felt that presence taken away from us because she’s not here.”

Holly’s role at the school is anything but

Photo by Mallory Moats.

See HOLLY, page 5

LEtter from the editor RHS ECHO

L

ately, seemingly every article lead is a reference to COVID, if not as the story itself then certainly as background information. Adjectives like “unprecedented” and “uncertain” are casually tossed around in a poor attempt at comfort. The school district is no exception; it’s easy to empathize with administration right now, because for as lost as we might feel by new plans and resolutions, they’re the ones in charge of making them.

My point is that there is no information to be given that hasn’t been--and if there is, I am most certainly not in a position to administer it.

That being said, there are few concrete assertions I am confident in right now with the exception of two: The vague notions of uncertainty and unpredictability floating around in the air are not a comfort but a burden. I think it’s especially important to validate feeling that way right now. BuzzFeed might suggest starting an indoor herb garden, learning Japanese, or otherwise catapulting yourself into commitment. It seems to be a sincere sentiment at the very least. I know that many feel genuinely comforted by structure, normality and routine.

But to me, a false sense of routine quickly becomes artificial in practice. Taking up intense hobbies and “passion projects” might be productive in the moment, but it’s also an avoidance strategy and is--like most avoidance strategies-- plainly unsustainable. While it might occasionally strike my fancy (and has) to pour my energy into learning electric guitar, for instance, I’ve

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found value in stepping away, assigning myself 48 hours to really consider my level of dedication, and then revisiting the idea later on.

It’s okay (and even preferable) to let yourself really feel what you’re feeling. In other words, it’s okay to take a few hours or even a day to wallow, mourn, grieve or otherwise feel sorry for yourself. Seniors, it’s okay to mourn the loss of your senior homecoming, for example. Allowing a period of self-pitying doesn’t mean you think you have it worse than somebody else. It’s sad, and that’s good enough reason to experience it as such. After all, this situation is dreadful enough without trying to turn it

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into the suffering Olympics. It’s easy to fall into the trap of ranking suffering on a hierarchy. And it is important to be cognizant of the possibly more dire circumstances around you. But just because coronavirus is not inside your body at this moment, or you’re fortunate enough not to have underlying health conditions, or any other number of the “bright sides” you could count for yourself, you still have the right to experience this situation as your own.

Your experience becomes the reality, and everyone is entitled to that.

I’ll conclude by noting that lately I haven’t been working on my college essays or playing electric guitar. In fact--for the sake of full transparency-- I hardly pulled the newspaper together. I’ve watched some films, occasionally prepared a meal when inspiration struck. Most of all though, I’ve allowed myself to be absorbed in the things that genuinely feel unchanged. I’ve been sitting by a lot of ponds, picking flowers and exploring new music. Practices that for me require no modification or alteration and are thus less likely to resonate as an artificial distraction. Instead of outright denying what has changed (which is in my opinion both socially irresponsible and selfish), it is more rewarding to recenter on what hasn’t.

In doing so, I’ve found my center again.

The moment you stop trying to force the label of “normal” on a set of circumstances that-- let’s face it-- are entirely abnormal, is the moment you’ve given yourself an opportunity to feel truly normal again.

COMIC

Oh! I hope I m not poisonous!

Oh ?

W hy !?

Because I just bit my tongue!

October ECHO Staff Photo by Belle Staley. Pictured: Meghan Williams (left) and Mallory Moats (right).

Crossword

Across: 1. Full bright moon that occurs closest to the start of autumn; its light helps farmers harvest crops deep into the night 4. The spookiest night of the year 5. The first name of an RHS student whose birthday falls on Halloween 7. A blood hungry monster 9. A woman who has magical powers 12. A carved pumpkin that is lit with a candle 14. A wandering spirit that can sometimes be seen by living creatures 15. A human that turns into a wolf when there is a full moon 16. ______ the Friendly Ghost Down: 2. Trick or treat, _____ __ ____, give me something good to eat 3. The spookiest month of the year 6. An animal that symbols a bad omen when it crosses in front of you 8. The ______ Family 10. clothes and accesories for pretend 11. If you don’t, I don’t care, I’ll pull down you _________ 13. A word that means sinister or ghostly in a way that causes fear and unease

NEWS

OCT. 24, 2020

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RHS ECHO

Drama drive-in proves persisting power in local arts

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n Friday and Saturday evening, the Rolla High School parking lot was aglow with car headlights, a projector screen, and the faces of eager local theatre supporters. The Rolla High School Theatre Department brought the community together in a drive-in format for a modified performance in lieu of their fall play.

Kelli McNeven, drama director at RHS, estimates 15 cars were in attendance on Friday night and 20 on Saturday.

“Overall I was really happy with the event,” said McNeven. “It doesn’t look like that many cars at first, but by the time I actually crunched the numbers of how many individuals were in each car and how

many live-streams came from home, our attendance was about average compared to what we normally have for a fall play.”

Stage manager Chloe Blakley agreed the production ran smoothly and came as a suitable alternative for their normal fall performance.

“The drive-in was definitely a different experience than a normal production where a lot of the value comes from performing in front of a seated audience and getting those reactions,” said Blakley. “It was good to branch out and try something new. Everything went relatively smoothly and I think everyone had a good time.”

The performance was titled “10 Ways to Survive Life in Quarantine” and fittingly highlighted the struggles of quarantine and isolation.

The production was not without its technical difficulties, but attendees were more moved by the rare triumph of a community coming together at this time in the interest of the local arts.

“At first I was a little concerned because when I looked at the screen, it was hard to see what was going on and there were a few audio issues,” said avid drama supporter

Drama drive-in. Photo by Mandy James.

Curbside at Public Library

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ith the recent temporary closure of the Regal Forum theatre, there is not much left to do in Rolla. With no theatre to visit, the next best thing is to read a book, and lucky for Rolla citizens Rolla Public Library on Pine Street still has books, CDs, magazines, and more available for pick up. Due to a recent rise of COVID-19 number, Rolla Public Library has made the responsible decision to close their doors and hold a curbside pick up service in order to keep their staff safe.

Rebecca Buckley, the new director of Rolla Public Library, has had an emergency plan set up with the library’s board for many months now.

“A few months ago, maybe four months ago, the library board and I set up some parameters on what we would do for closure, you know, like what we would look at. So we didn't want to just close when we felt like it or closed with some emotion or something like that we wanted to close by numbers,” Buckley said.

Many of the regulars at the library are older, so when Buckley and the board saw Pulaski County’s library’s system, they thought that it would work better for them.

“We have kind of followed the lead a little bit of the Pulaski County Library. Pulaski County chose 50 new cases in a week or higher, it kind of went along with it because it would end up being a minimum of 14 new cases for a seven-day rolling average. And it just seems simpler to go with a number and to look only at the numbers here at the local health department, rather than what they were reporting on a national level,” Buckley said.

The library has been actively using this system for five weeks now.

“Unfortunately, we've been there for about five weeks now-over 50. But every month when the board meets, we revisit it, and we might tweak it, you know, as needed,” Buckley said.

But don’t be troubled about not being able to check out that book you’ve been meaning to read for months; nearly everything is available for pick up as long as you have a library card.

“Pretty much everything that we are offering at the library is still being offered,” Buckley said. “There's just a handful of reference materials that aren't but everything else is.”

“The curbside pickups been very popu-

lar,” Buckley said. “We've been doing book bundles, DVD bundles, doing suggestions for people, and then they can place orders on their online account, you know, they put holds on items, and will automatically pull those and they just pull right on up and give us a call and we bring it out to them. We have been issuing cards for people, too, if they don't have one. It’s the same two-week checkout for pretty much everything. Except DVDs and magazines are a one week checkout.”

The library has not only a large selection of paper copies, but also eBooks.

“A lot of people are using our eBooks because the consortium we're part of just added like $74,000 worth of ebooks and so there's a pretty good selection,” Buckley said.

Rolla Public Library’s other resources are also still available.

“We're allowing computer appointments to be made,” Buckley said. “So if someone needs to use a computer, they can, they can schedule it and we can let them in for anything like faxes or copies, we'll bring them down to people. I just found out that we got money for a grant. And we're getting hot spots and tablets and Chromebooks. So we're going to start checking out to people too. That's going to start hopefully November 1st.”

Unfortunately, like the theatre, the library is unsure of when it will be opening its doors again.

“As soon as it gets below 50 we're opening back up,” said Buckley. “And I'm really hoping that it'll be soon. But if the board changes their mind or something, then I'll put that announcement out too.

But as of right now since things are going so smoothly, and we're not really getting complaints or anything. We're probably going to continue on as we have been just really hoping that numbers go down very soon.”

Rolla Public Library is doing their part to keep their staff and the citizens of Rolla safe.

“We're kind of alone; sometimes I feel like we're like the lone ones in the town doing that,” Buckley said. “But I think that it has been working for us. We haven't really had any complaints, thankfully. And a big chunk of our library staff have underlying conditions and things that would put them more vulnerable to the virus. And so I'm thinking of their safety too. I think it’s keeping our staff safe. It’s trying to keep the community safe.”

Mandy James. “Those Drama drive-in. Photo submitted by Kelli McNeven. were to be expected, and what could the school really do? It’s McNeven reports highly positive feednot like they could perform a play.” back from the weekend’s spectators. The McNeven’s creative solution to a long drive-in could potentially lay the groundseries of roadblocks has impressed even work for other experimental solutions those not directly involved with the drama to pandemic-induced challenges for the program. drama department.

“I thought it was really nice that the “We had really great reception overall,” drama kids had something to show off,” said McNeven. “I had people who emailed said James. “It seems like everybody is me afterward telling me how much they held back in their school activities right had enjoyed it. The biggest ‘pro’ was just now, but it was nice to see something that being able to offer a new format for people was followed through with. It was a really to be exposed to.” inspiring idea.”

Outside of the library. Photo by Mallory Moats.

Upcoming Events

Powderpuff

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his year, like every year, the RHS leadership program is putting together their annual Powderpuff football game.

The leadership team, with the rest of the school, is extremely excited to have the privilege to put on this event in light of this horrible global pandemic. The game will take place November, 7 from 5:00 to 7:00 at the Rolla High School football field.

Exclusive to junior and senior girls, this event has always been a way for the students to share their school pride. Junior and senior boys could sign up to cheer on their girls on the field. Admission for the event will be three to four dollars.

For those in the stands, t-shirts are also available for purchase. Those funds, along with participation fees, will also be shared between the leadership program and their pick of foundations.

As well as shedding some light during recent times, the student game is a great way to reach out to the local community.

Each year the leadership team is tasked with choosing their preferable local charity or organization to provide a share of the funds to. The past few years they have chosen organizations like the local Russell House, cancer foundations, and The Mission. With this year being so chaotic, the foundation is yet to be decided.

Smash tournament

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n November 14, RHS Leadership will host several video game challenges at RHS in the upper commons and gymnasium. Featured games will include Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart, and Call of Duty. The entry fee for the event is $5 a ticket; winners of each game’s tournament will play for a prize.

Senior Deuce Ditton is the main organizer of the event. He, along with the leadership sponsors, encourage all gamers to participate. If you plan to come to the event, they implore you to bring your console(s), game(s), and controller(s), as supplies are limited.

The rulesets for the games are standard and fair and set up to run quickly; Smash Bros will run 3 stocks, no items, neutral stages only. Mario Kart will run 150cc, and Call of Duty is yet-to-be-determined.

The rulesets for the other games will also be fair and balanced. The tournament will proceed as single-elimination.

Once again, the fee is $5 and the event organizers ask you to bring consoles, games, and controllers for the games if you come to the event, your help will be greatly appreciated.

FEATURES RHS ECHO

OCT. 24, 2020

Fated for RHS: New philosophy club established

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n Thursday afternoons, you can find students logging into their Google Classroom, but they aren’t working on homework. They’re attending one of the newest clubs at Rolla High School: Philosophy Club. With no philosophy classes offered at the high school, students were looking for a way to engage with the subject which consists of studying the complex ideas of life. Elena Bai, a co-founder of the club, began to gain interest in the subject area of philosophy during her sophomore year.

“What got me interested in philosophy was during the end of my sophomore year, I went to a program called Missouri Scholars Academy where I took a philosophy course, and that experience was just very interesting,” said Bai. “We learned from Plato's Republic, and we went through and read that a lot. And, I just found it very interesting.”

After having the chance to learn about philosophy, Bai asked her friend about starting a club dedicated to learning more about the field.

“Kathleen Beetner and I had planned on trying to get a philosophy club going since Kathleen had come back from Missouri Scholars Academy because she had heard about this thing called ethics bowl, and she really wanted to try it at Rolla High School,” said Bai. “But, we couldn't find a sponsor until we went to Mr. Loker last year. We talked the idea through with him, and he was fine with it.”

Mr. Loker was more than fine with it. He felt that the students asking him to sponsor the club was fate.

“Well, I really like philosophy, and I try to teach it as much in my classes as I can.” said Loker. “And, I actually was thinking about trying to make a philosophy class and try to submit it to get it, hopefully, accepted, but I thought it would be very difficult to get enough people to want to join that class. And then just like fate, which

is kind of a philosophical thing, Elena Bai and Kathleen Beetner came in and asked if I would like to start a philosophy club, and it was perfect. So Philosophy Club is this thing I've been interested in doing before, and then, just out of the blue, they came in and asked, so I jumped on it.”

One of the main things Philosophy Club does is prepare for ethics bowl competitions.

“Ethics Bowl is this event where you essentially get a topic that is relevant in today's age,” said Bai. “Some of this year's topics for regionals are factory farming and the ethics surrounding using Tik Tok, an app associated with the Chinese government.”

The purpose of Ethics Bowl is not to win a debate; It is to create meaningful discourse among the participants.

“In Ethics Bowl, there are two teams which are judged by a panel of three judges, and they'll give you a score for essentially how well your team can argue and bring up new perspectives,” said Bai.

“Though backing up your argument is important, Ethics Bowl is mostly a matter of how you can further the discussion based on ethical principles and reasoning.”

Learning about ethical principles and philosophy offers many benefits to students.

“Philosophy is a very important thing when you’re looking at all aspects of life,” said Bai. “Maybe, you don’t know what you want to do in the future, or you have questions about how you want to live your life.

Ethics and philosophy play a large role in that, and it’s also just a matter of learning that you are always able to grow, rather than sticking with the same set of ethics and morals throughout your entire life.”

Any students interested in joining can talk to Mr. Loker or Elena Bai and get details on how to join their online meetings.

Loker is excited to see any fellow philosophers.

“Join,” said Loker. “It will be fun.”

may not test positive right now, but she is still going through the aftermath of a lot of the symptoms, and the long lasting side effects. She still has a hard time breathing, a lot more than she used to before the virus, and a lot of what it caused is that she is still very weak. The doctors said she has about three months of antibodies left in her, but especially with her weak immune system, that can go out very fast,” said Wright.

However, it is important to start the precautions to prevent this, before it is too late. This can include, frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer, social distancing, the uneducated use of disinfectant, and the most important in all, wearing a mask or face covering.

“All of this is why I really do feel like masks should be enforced. You never know if you have it, or if you’re spreading it, and you might be in the range of “I won’t get hurt by the virus,” but it isn’t that you will get hurt from it, but bring it home to people who will; people with bad immune systems, or who won’t do well with it, and then spread it to others who could be greatly affected. What some people don’t realize is that, within that two week span where you do not have symptoms, you pass a lot of people. You see and interact with a lot of people in that time. That is how it spreads so quickly, through the fact that it is an airborne disease. It is through coughing or talking and basic things that we do not really think about. It sends it into the air, which the mask catches, and that is the main reason why we should

wear one,” said Wright.

“This has definitely helped me realize just how dangerous this can be. I will admit personally at the beginning of this, I did not take it very seriously. If I did not have this experience, I would probably be a lot like the people out there who do not take it seriously. Rolla is one of the places where it has not been hit hard with it. I realize now, after seeing what happened with my mom, that it is something that is serious. It is not something where one can say, ‘Oh, it is just like the flu’. My mom caught the flu this year, and she went through it fine. But, she did not go through this fine. It made me realize that prior views on this stuff is very loosely built because I didn’t have the information I do now,” said Wright.

Another precaution the school has taken into consideration is the amount of people that students come in contact with. They have recently put in place the new hybrid schedule, placing students in a maroon or gray group, only coming two days of the week, and having three days virtual.

Wright also gives insight on this, in contrast with the increasing COVID-19 cases.

“I personally feel that the schools reopening should have not been so quick, and that there probably should have been more steps taken to it. However, I know there are people like me out there who have trouble doing online school. With this being said, it is a big factor in learning, and not a lot of people think about that. It is very troublesome for some people to do online work, and I am within that group

of people that truly can not do online schooling, because I simply cannot focus on that stuff. I think that the administration is doing the best they can, with what they have at their disposal. I think, though, that it is something everyone needs to work towards, not just the administration.

They can say to wear your masks, but what I see a lot is when people round the corner, where there are not any teachers around, is that they pull down their mask. It is not something that they want to do, but something that the administration wants them to do. When they do not worry about the administration, they just don’t worry about the regulations. I understand their viewpoint on it, because admittedly these things can get uncomfortable, but it is something that I have personally realized is that it’s a step in the right direction. It helps keep everyone healthy. My point here is that these masks do not just help us stay in school. I know there are some people who do not really care about that, but it is more about thinking about the people around you. The people at home that you love and care about, and realize they might be heavily impacted by it too because you might be healthy, but not everyone is.

Everyone knows at least one person who will be heavily impacted by this, and I just hope that people can learn from this. With all being said, the precautions taken towards this pandemic are quite simple.‘Just please wear your masks, it’s more important than you think.”

Wright opens up about early COVID-19 experience

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s the school year progresses, the current COVID-19 pandemic increases. Measures to prevent the spread of the virus have been heavily regulated. Rolla High School senior, Alexander Wright’s life has been turned upside down by the pandemic.

His mother was recently impacted greatly after contracting the virus, and Wright realized just how scary this really is.

“I luckily never caught the virus, but my mother did. Which was a very scary time, because she is in the group [of people] of having a high chance of passing away from it. She has a problem with her lungs, caused by blood clots from about five years ago. When she caught it she had a very hard time breathing, and was almost hospitalized, though she luckily never needed it. It was very scary because something a lot of people don’t show you is what it is like watching someone going through this, especially someone who was hit extremely hard with it,” said Wright.

Of course, it’s easy to worry about the initial contraction of it, but what is having it really like?

“She was sleeping sixteen hours a day, and only really waking up to use the bathroom and to make food. Sleeping is one of the best things you can do to fight the disease, but it was a process for her to get in and out of bed everyday. It was really hard to watch that. She had it for fifty days, I would say about thirty of these she was struggling to get through it, and the rest of that she was still weak from it. She

Human-sized predatory sh patrolling America’s waterways

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ishing is one of the largest pastimes and activities that Americans enjoy. In 2017, the Outdoor Industry Association had reported that 48 million Americans around the country had engaged in recreational fishing in that year alone. The most popular sport fish in America is the black bass, which includes the largemouth and smallmouth bass species, with their mean attitude and equally as mean food drive.

The biggest American freshwater sport fish is the Alligator Gar, a large predatory fish that is native to the southern parts of the midwest and the southeastern parts of America, originally appearing . Mature fish commonly clock in at a huge six feet in length and weight of one hundred pounds though they can reach much bigger sizes, the largest one found and caught being eight feet and one hundred forty eight pounds. They have

a long, torpedo-like body that is covered in strong diamond-shaped scales, a thick skull and a double set of teeth to catch prey. Most interestingly, the fish has a specialized swim bladder that supports its gills, allowing it to breathe in air and live in bodies of water where most other fish would suffocate. Alligator Gar are ambush predators by hunting prey that comes too close in fast bursts of speed, and they feed primarily on bait fish and invertebrates while also scavenging (depending on food

availability). While Alligator Gar have made a fair comeback, they are nowhere near their previous historic ranges. Alligator Gar, among many other species of predatory fish, have been given the label of “waste fish” or a nuisance species because they prey on fish and have the potential to harm or even kill humans. However, Alligator Gar are solidly not capable of killing humans; the fish is very selective in its prey of smaller fish or small animals it can catch on the surface of the water.

While it may give a nasty bite and certainly may hurt you when pulling one in, it will not go out of its way to attack humans.

They will often let go of much larger prey since they tend to try to swallow prey whole. They’re also vital to underwater ecosystems, as predators keep prey populations in check from the prey populations to explode and devastate the native plant populations.

Fish often aren’t subject to size constraints that animals on land face. Often growing to enormous sizes, not just Alligator Gar. Catch and release of large gar will increase their overall net trend to be much bigger and has worked well for other predatory fish, such as the Wels Catfish in Europe, being able to grow to massive sizes thanks to strict catch and release policies. Which might make the eight footer Alligator Gar caught in 2011 seem to be more normal and not a once in a lifetime find.

See ALLIGATOR GAR , page 5

OCT. 24, 2020

FEATURES RHS ECHO

“Take a hike”...literally!

“A Holly of Hope” (cont.)

From ”A HOLLY OF HOPE,”page 1

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Audobon Nature Center in Rolla. Photo by Mallory Moats.

all has arrived in the Midwest. The leaves are turning to hues of red and yellow, and the temperatures are cooling off making it the perfect time to take a hike and admire the beauty of nature while also escaping from the stress of life.

“It is so important for people to take a break and get outside,” said Samantha Kaysinger, a sponsor for the Bulldog Miscellaneous Adventure Club. “It doesn’t have to be an elaborately planned outing; it’s just vital to our overall health to experience nature and take a break from our to-do lists.”

Luckily, Rolla has some great places to take a walk outdoors. The Audubon Trails Nature Center is inside the city limits of Rolla and offers 3 short trails which traverse five distinct ecosystems. About 2 miles outside of Rolla, Bray Conservation Area contains a nice loop that can be easily modified to make the hike longer or shorter depending on the participant’s preference. Lane Springs is a close destination to Rolla known for its swimming areas, but as the weather cools down visitors can hike one of the two mile long trails in the recreation area.

If you’re looking for a place with spectacular views of the fall colors, Jessie Kirkbride, another sponsor for the Bulldog Miscellaneous Adventure Club, knows a great spot that the club visits during the autumn months.

“This is the time of the year that we usually take a trip to Ha Ha Tonka,” said Kirkbride. “The changing leaves makes for great scenery!”

Ha Ha Tonka State Park is just over an

hour drive from Rolla. Along with great views from higher up, the park also includes castle ruins and a natural bridge.

Kaysinger also has some hikes farther away from Rolla that she recommends.

“Some fall favorites that would be reasonable day trips are Johnson Shut-Ins (check out Hughes Mtn. Devil’s Honeycomb trail on the way!) and Klondike Park (near Augusta) or Echo Bluff State Park.” said Kaysinger. “Closer options include Deer Run Trail at Onondaga State Park, Meramec Springs (which has a new trail), as well as Meramec State Park (my favorite is the Bluff View Trail).”

Taking a trek in the wilderness can be daunting for beginner hikers, but Kirkbride has some advice for those going on their first hike.

“Pick a trail that is well marked and not too long,” said Kirkbride, “Do some research about the level of difficulty for the trail as well as the length. I always use Alltrails (app or website) because it will rate the level of difficulty, suggest the trail’s appropriateness for certain visitors (good for kids or not, etc.), and other hikers frequently comment on the conditions of the trails and how long it took to complete it.

It also helps with directions to trailheads and you can download trail maps to use in case you are out of service range.”

Before setting down this newspaper and heading out into the great outdoors, Kaysinger has one last piece of advice.

“I would add, choose an area that has several trail options so you can extend your day if you like,” said Kaysinger. “Also, wear layers and take a snack as well as take plenty of water, extra socks, and a bag to pick up any trash you may have or others may have left.”

small.

“She’s our greeter,” explained Grisham.

“She’s a receptionist, in which she helps take people to different places. But, the main thing we see from her is her being welcoming to students, welcoming to parents, and welcoming to staff. We should definitely see energy rise if she were to come back.”

The much awaited return of Miss Holly is experienced on both sides.

“I hope to be back here soon,” said Holly, “I love and miss everybody.”

“With the current state of the health climate, however, it seems this return will have to wait,” said Grisham. “I know it’s been hard on her, because she wants to be here so bad, but with her health it’s one of

those things that’s not the best choice for her right now.”

Nevertheless, Miss Holly is grateful to those who have helped her through this troubling time.

“I would like to thank Dr. Amy Herman, and I also want to thank my mom and dad, my grandmother, and my siblings,” said Holly. “And I want to thank Dr. Pritchett and Stephanie Grishim for all their wonderful support.”

While Miss Holly might thank the school, it can be seen the school is evermore thankful to Miss Holly for her lovely work and uplifting presence.

“She was here yesterday and it was just wonderful to see her again.” said Grisham.

Please cut out the mini cat coloring page above, color it, and bring it to Mrs. Hall in the ECHO room (room 302).

ECHO will be compiling submissions and giving them to Miss Holly as a surprise when she returns to RHS.

What’s the status, homecoming court?

T

he cancelation of the Homecoming dance this year has had an effect on all RHS students.

Most significantly impacted, however, are those on the 2020 Homecoming Court. In comparison to recent years, the experience of being nominated for the court has drastically changed or even diminished in importance.

“We might as well have not been nominated because we haven’t done anything,” said Jack Gesualdi, nominee for this year’s homecoming king.

Others, such as Rebekka Ross, an RHS senior up for 2020 Homecoming queen, spoke on the disappointment attached to the lack of a senior dance.

“Not having a Homecoming dance this year is really sad because it’s something

we’ve always looked forward to,”said Ross.

Seniors Lorynn Pearson and Zachary Pendleton lament on previous years’ court experiences.

“Homecoming last year was so fun,” said Pendleton.

Pearson focuses more on the separation created due to regulations.

“I think it’s been different on the homecoming court this year because we can’t be right next to each other, we have to stand six feet apart while taking pictures and we have these masks on. In all the years before they didn’t have masks,” said Pearson.

Gesualdi goes further with his opinion on the significance changes in regulation have had on the experience.

“There shouldn’t really be homecoming kings and queens if we don’t have a dance,” said Gesualdi.

Although candidates reflect on

From left to right: Zachary Pendleton, Lorynn Pearson, Patrick Blair, Madison Brown, Matthew Ballard, Katelyn Campbell, Ian Wallace, Rebekka Ross, Jack Gesualdi, Olivia Olusanya.

Patrick Blair and Madison Brown pictured with alligator gar. Photo submitted. their experience being affected, a remnant of the traditional excitement is linked to nomination for the court remains.

“Just kind of unexpected,” said Iain Wallace, RHS senior also in the running for 2020 homecoming king.

“I didn’t expect anybody to actually vote for me, but I guess they did, so I was happy” “We got to dress up and take pictures before school, so that was nice,” says Gesualdi.

Through the trials brought by a lack of dance and recognition the candidates have been able to maintain a lighthearted atti-

tude. “It’s not that different. We just don’t get as much attention,”says Pearson. The same lightheartedness held by Wallace, who says, “I would like to thank my fans.” in reference to his nomination. Put holistically by Gesualdi, “It’s a great group of candidates, I like to say we’re all friends. I know we’re all grateful to be nominated, it means a lot the school thinks this highly of us,” or put more simply in a statement by Ross “Being on the homecoming court this year is just different.”

Note: the candidates were half an Alligator Gar apart when above photo was taken.

6

STUDENT LIFE RHS ECHO

OCT. 24, 2020

More than trash talk: Food waste at RHS G

lobally, one trillion dollars of food is wasted annually. According to nonprofit organization Feeding America, in the United states 30 to 40 percent of food supply is wasted every year. 41 million Americans -13 million children and 28 million adultsgo hungry every year. The facts are undeniable, the only question that resonates is whether hunger is caused by the lack of food or by the excess.

According to the prominent newsletter and website Education Dive, collectively, schools in the U.S. contribute an annual 530,000 tons of unwanted food to the landfill, and lose 9.7 million dollars worth of food a day. Schools are constantly trying to innovate new ways to fight child hunger and enforce healthy food habits. Programs requiring students to take certain food items can have negative consequences.

In a study conducted by University of Vermont, researchers took pictures of the plate after all of the required food portions were placed on the tray and then before it was thrown away. The research found that while trays containing fruits and vegetables surged up 12 percent, 56 extra cups of fruits and vegetables were being thrown away everyday. In other words, the extra weight of apples and carrots tossed hopelessly onto the tray in order to achieve a balance are regularly redistributed into the brimming cans of the cafeteria. These food loops of distribution and waste have created a large scale problem, despite the positive incentive.

Before September 14, Rolla Public Schools participated in a lunch program offered by USDA that allowed an average student to pay three dollars for their meal.

The reduced meal plan required less than fifty cents for a tray, and the free meal plan allowed a student to take what they needed without any cost. The lunch required the presence of three out of the five food groups in order to maintain a healthy balance of nutrition. The new lunch program at Rolla Public Schools offered by USDA

in an effort to combat the erratic nature of COVID-19 closures gives all willing pupils a predetermined meal free of cost, no matter the financial situation. The new program demands the pupil to take the entire five-group meal-whether or not it was anticipated to be eaten. The risk of excess waste is a battle everyday in the RHS cafeteria.

“When I cook for 300 kids there is a chance I might only feed 200 kids,” said High School cafeteria supervisor Jody Skaggs. “A lot of it depends on quarantine, regular absences, COVID, or the children do not like what is being served that day.

And that has a huge impact on numbers.”

Each of the five food groups on the tray have a different likelihood of being thrown out. According to a Harvard Public Health study, fruit has 40 percent chance of being thrown away, and vegetables 60 percent.

The volatility of the lunch situation shows that while an increase of healthy foods transforms into excess waste, losing cer-

Photo by Belle Staley tain nutrition principles creates a larger chance of undernourishment. The risk of a lack of a balanced meal is more apparent now than ever with the looming pandemic.

“I think it’s going to be a few months before we start to realize just how many families are hurting because family members have lost their jobs,” said Rolla high school teacher Lisa McCarthy. “And there’s not enough money to keep the same amount of food in the house that they had. Maybe they have some food but not enough to to feed the entire family in the way that they would like to be feeding their family.”

COVID-19 has put many hard-working households into a sea of unease. The new lunch program has allowed students in changing situations to find peace in their own dietary circumstance.

“I like the free lunches for all,” said McCarthy when asked if she prefers the new program. “I think that there are some kids whose pride won’t let them go to that

share cart and get food. Whereas with free lunches for all, everybody gets it and there’s no stigma about needing the food or being on free and reduced lunch.”

The new program has been extended to be used for the rest year in order to create a stable eating situation for any who need it in these uncertain times.

“I think this has all come out of some of the Coronavirus crisis money,” said Rolla High School’s principal Jim Prichett “I think that this is just a temporary thing to kind of help some people that may not normally need help.”

Since the COVID-19 program will be used for the rest of the year, children who do not find themselves eating all the food on the plate should try to be waste-conscious. The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc onto many families, business, and ways of life. If circumstances allow, being aware of the amount of food taken vs. wasted helps the world today and tomorrow. The severity of food waste, that can be easily ignored in pretense of more pressing matters, should not be discarded as an issue for the future. The new program at RHS is able to successfully feed nearly 480 -in the community and the cafeteria- however if measures are not taken to circumvent waste, then Rolla High School is just temporarily fixing an increasing issue.

Certain programs all across America have been implemented in order to be waste-conscious while still feeding everyone. Food-recovering programs- developments which entail giving certain leftovers back to the community- is one popular example that schools all across the U.S. partake in. Using food waste as a way to make natural fertilizer is another economic, nature-friendly alternative to hucking apples into a trash can fifteen feet away while mimicking a famed basketball player. Excess waste cannot be blamed on any individual or institution, rather it is simply an untimely side effect of societal norms.

Photo Gallery

First week of hybrid scheduling. Photo gallery by Mallory Moats.

OCT. 24, 2020

Opinion RHS ECHO

Drive for consumerism fuels pandemic

A

mericans are patriotic.

We love our liberty to do what we like and our freedoms to defend those liberties including choosing to follow guidelines, wear masks, or even change our livelihood in any way. Some may look at these guidelines as something to ignore and say, “Masks don’t do anything,” or “I’m not at risk,” and continue to go shopping, eat out, and live about our daily lives as consumers. We know we’ve

been spending the same amount/more due to the fact that the 467 billionaires in our country have gained $731 billion since the Federal Reserve took actions to prop up the stock market in March, so obviously our economy is doing better, right? No. Opposed to the belief of money trickling down from the higher classes to the lower classes, our unemployment rate has risen from 3.8% in February to 13.3% currently.

Sadly, our country leads the world in COVID-19 deaths with more 215,000 people. As we watch the horrors of this virus continue to ravage our country, and our people compared to the Europeans, whose death toll is about the same as ours even with a population twice our size, we have to ask ourselves, how can we stop the spread and prevent the loss of more American lives? A good start would be to

start wearing masks consistently, according to the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, 33,000 deaths could have been avoided by October 1st if 95% of people wore masks in public. Whether you are going shopping, working, or just going out, a mask should be brought.

I believe we as Americans are obsessed with our wants to go out, continue working, and enjoy life. These things are great and it’s a part of our culture that some countries may not understand, but there is no excuse for not following guidelines to one of the worst pandemics in our lifetimes. Although wearing masks can be annoying, easy to forget, and sometimes might seem unnecessary, we must remember that we are doing it for everyones’ health and safety.

New movie “Tenet” is worth the watch

W

ith theaters starting to reopen after a long shut down, film fanatics around the nation were intrigued as to what would return to the cinemas.

Well-renowned director Christopher Nolan brought a lot of excitement to fans. This excitement stems from the number of iconic films Nolan has directed such as The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and Inception.

Tenet is about the future attacking the past, which makes minimal sense as a plain statement. Somehow, however, the future goes back in time, while their body moves backwards because of the shift in

time. When they walk, they walk backwards. Everything is inverted. Even their breathing and driving. This adds up to be quite the confusing plot. Understanding the plot helps if you imagine it is just people from the future attacking people in the past.

Even though the theme of the movie tends to be complex, the editing and overall mood of the film keeps the audience attentive. With a CIA operative being the protagonist, the movie is filled with action-packed sequences. “Tenet” is one of those films that all falls together at the end in a reality-shaking way. It is for those with a keen eye for complex plot. It is unfortunate that it will not get the viewing that it deserves because of theatres at minimum capacity and then the local theater in Rolla shutting down completely.

Overall, I highly recommend viewing “Tenet” when it is available again. It has a high rating across many critics and I give it my recommendation. If you are

looking to have your brain taken for a wild ride, “Tenet” is a good pick.

Dear Echo

Dear Stressed Student, We hear you.

Lots of people are feeling similar to you at this moment. Everything is so unprecedented right now. It’s completely acceptable and healthy to be stressed or upset. As for dealing with this stress and sadness, I have a few tips.

Don’t let school work consume your life. Your home has been overtaken by school three days of the week now and I’m sure it doesn’t feel as safe and relaxing as it used to. Try setting out hours of the day for school work and hours of the day to rest.

Do things outside of the house. Going on a walk in the sun with a friend is an easy way to brighten your day. Being cooped up all day is only going to make you sadder. If you’re quarantined, walk with a family member and be sure to stay a safe distance from anyone you run into on the sidewalk.

Make sure you’re getting enough rest. It’s easy to let your sleep schedule get messed up when you have no real routine for the majority of the week, but the right amount of sleep is crucial to feeling good. You should be sleeping around eight to ten hours every night, so be sure to put your phone down at a reasonable time.

Things are hard for everyone right now. You don’t have to feel alone in this. Don’t hesitate to reach out to friends and family and talk about being stressed. I’m sure you can bond over feeling overwhelmed. It’s better to be sad together than by yourself.

. . . can you hear me?

Dear student with a clock, We hear you.

The first step to being productive while writing is eliminating distractions. Find a quiet spot to work before you begin writing. If you have a deadline or due date make your family aware, so they won’t bother you. Turning your phone on do not disturb can also help. A stream of notifications is going to do anything but keep you on track.

Playing light music while you write might stop yourself from zoning out while working. There’s lots of great playlists on Spotify and AppleMusic.

Make sure you have a snack or something to drink near you. If you’re hungry or thirsty you’ll be thinking about that instead of writing. This will also stop you won’t be getting up as frequently, thus speeding up your writing process.

Know when you work best. If you’re a morning person, write then. If you’re a night owl wait until it’s dark out.

The main piece of advice that can be offered is simply to just sit down and do it. If you’re waiting for a perfect moment, you’re never going to find it. When it comes down to it you just have to make yourself focus.

Need advice?

ECHO has your back. Submit your anonymous message using the QR code to the left. We’ll answer your question in the next paper.

7

“FOMO” Q

uarantine. I’ve heard this word an increasing amount of times this year.

Each time it gets more irritating. I’ve even been quarantined-- twice.

Yeah, you read that right. Both times it was ridiculously boring. I’ve just about self-diagnosed myself with a severe case of FOMO: the fear of missing out.

On top of being imprisoned in my house, my cellmates were my entire family. If you’ve ever had to spend that much time with your family, I sincerely apologize.

They’re like a virus that won’t leave your body, or well in this case it was my bedroom. It only got worse from there, though. I’m always sending Snapchats to my friends, but while in quarantine I felt like I was seeing their BitMoji pop up less and less. When they would finally Snap me back it was with pictures of them together. That’s where the stinging feeling of FOMO started. It only grew larger from there, infecting my life more. Tennis season was just taking off when I was quarantined. As a player on our girls tennis team, I was very upset that I was missing out. I had missed only one practice since June, so being unable to attend matches made my FOMO skyrocket.

When I was finally able to return to class I was probably more excited than I should have been. My first day back, Tuesday September 22, I was bouncing out of my seat in all my classes. My usually boredom ceased to exist. Unfortunately, the universe was nowhere near done messing with me yet. All of my best friends were quarantined and unbenounced to me, I had been exposed to the virus again that same day. By Friday morning we got the call that I had been quarantined again.

Things were ever so slightly better my second round of quarantine. For starters, my family had not been in contact with the virus, so it was only me at home.

Thank God. I do not think I could’ve survived family night everyday of the week again. My friends also weren’t hanging out without me, which was a plus. I only missed two in-person school days thanks to the hybrid switch. This was fantastic for me because I still was not caught up from my last time missing school. Nevertheless, the familiar twinge of FOMO still resided deep in my bones. The feeling crept up everytime I watched my parents leave the house and my sister come and go as she pleases.

With a lot of time on my hands being stuck at home you could expect that I completed a lot of homework or picked up a new hobby. Unfortunately, it was pretty much the opposite. I procrastinated doing the majority of my homework and basically binged all of it in the last three days of my quarantine, which involved a few all nighters. That was not one of my better ideas, especially so because coffee makes me queasy.

As much as I hated being home away from friends and with my family, there is a nanoscopic part of me that misses it a tiny amount. I’m not a morning person in the slightest, so I do miss sleeping in everyday. I also long for the free time I had.

Ever since being back I’ve had a mountain of assignments, tests, and quizzes to make up that I couldn’t do from home. I mean this thing has got to be at least the size of Everest. When people tell you that junior year is the worst, they are not kidding.

Now that I’ve returned to school I can feel my FOMO fading again. I’m still incredibly behind on assignments, but catching up quickly with all the extra time hybrid allows me. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll never have to be isolated again.

Have an opinion you’d like to share? Email your letter to the editor at rollahsecho@gmail.

OCT. 24, 2020

RHS ECHO

CHILLS & THRILLS

The Cultural Backgrounds of Halloween

Jack-o-lanterns, candy corn, witches, ghosts, costumes, haunted houses are some of the many trappings associated with American Halloween culture. But beans, ghosts, wine, and goddesses are all associated with spooky Roman culture.

According to Elizabeth Oster, Magistra Oster, the Latin teacher here at RHS, there are two different holidays that are somewhat similar to Halloween in Roman culture.

“The Romans did not have Halloween,” Oster said, “One celebration was Parentalia. This was a day that celebrated the parents who had died. It was in February between the 13th and the 21st. They would lay wine out for the dead because they believe that the dead could wake up and drink. If the dead were in a tomb, there would be a little hole in the tomb where they could pour wine. All of this was to prevent the dead from getting hungry and getting up and wandering out of their graves.”

The other holiday was called Lemuria.

“This was a holiday that was celebrated in May,” Oster said, “It was to rid the house of ghosts. The Romans believed that ghosts could potentially have come into the home throughout the year. There is the tradition of putting a coin on the dead person’s mouth or eyes, if that hadn’t been done, that person might be restless and walking on the other side of the river Styx, so he needed some kind of peace.

At midnight, the head of the household would get up and walk around the house barefoot. He would throw black beans over his shoulder or spit them out of his mouth.

He was essentially sending a ghost back to where they belong with every bean. He was also keeping his people that were alive in his home safe. Everyone in the house would then crash bronze pots, ordering the ghosts to leave.”

The Romans were very superstitious.

“If they saw something happening on the left side, that was unlucky,” Oster said, “So the word for left in Latin is sinister. So if you saw anything on the left side, it was

a ‘sinister’ happening. That’s “You always why our word sinister today bring candies means creepy or potentially and flowbad. The Romans believe ers and you strongly that anything that always take off happens on the left is bad. If your shoes,” they saw something on their Lueck said, “If left or somebody stepped you don’t do down your left foot, there were those things, potential problems.” those are Tammy Lueck, or Frau bad omens.

Lueck, is the German teacher.

If you go to Halloween wasn’t really celesomebody’s brated in German culture. home and you “November 1st is actually a bring them very sacred holiday,” Lueck flowers you said, “In most of Germany it always bring Photo submitted by Ms. Oster. them either is called Allerheiligen. All Saints Day, in the Roman-Catholic parts five or seven of Germany, is a federal holiday. It’s a flowers., Any other number is considered very serious holiday because that’s the day bad luck. You don’t bring mums. Some where they pray to the saints who have other superstitions that Germans have are passed before. Halloween was never really about wishing somebody a happy birthday a thing in Germany. After World War Two, early. If you wish them a happy birthday the American influence grew in Germaearly, that’s assuming that God is going ny because the United States occupied to give them the ability to be here on their Germany for a while and it still has a large birthday, so nobody should make those military presence in Germany.” assumptions that somebody is going to be There is also a holiday called Fasching here to celebrate their birthday.” that is similar to Halloween.

Emily Mullen is the French teacher. The “Fasching is the celebration that kicks off French also believe that mums are bad Lent,” Lueck said, “Germans already had a luck. holiday where they dressed up in costumes “Giving someone a mum would be the and they ate lots of stuff in preparation for biggest thing on Halloween,” Mullen said, Lent because they would have to fast for “Halloween is All Hallows Eve, related to 40 days. In the early 90’s, they had to canAll Saints Day. It’s considered really bad to cel Fasching because of the first Gulf War, give someone a mum because it’s like the and Germany was involved in supporting flower that you place on graves.” the United States when Iraq invaded Halloween isn’t really celebrated in Kuwait. Things calmed down by October, France. The important holiday is on and the idea [of having Halloween] came November 1st and is called Toussaint, All around. Since then it has just continued Saints Day. It is a religious based holiday to grow and it started to become really and is treated more like Memorial Day. popular in the late 90’s. West German cap“The closest would probably be in comitalism started to kick in and companies munities, especially in the south of France. started to realize that they can make a lot There’s a really large Carnival celebration, of money off of Halloween. In February, which is related to Mardi Gras, which Fasching is still the time of year to dress would usually have a lot of costumes up and do those kinds of things.” and things like that in the parade,” said In Germany, here are some traditions Mullen. that you must do before entering someone’s house, or it is considered bad luck.

The RHS Decrepit Staircase

As many know, there is a fairly blank, unknown, sketchy staircase lurking in Rolla High. Rumors have spread around the school, but most? Unspoken.

The staircase is located near the gyms, with the lights usually off.

Many have said they see silhouettes wander up the staircase, and when students follow them, they disappear. The roof tiles are full of holes, water damage, and most noted: scratch marks...as if someone, or something were trying to escape.

“I saw a figure walking up the dark stairwell, I thought it was my friend. So of course I chased after it. I said my buddy’s name a few times, but he never turned around. At first I was confused. Why would my friend walk up here? He has no reason to go this way. Why didn’t he

Photo by Mandy James.

respond to his name? Was he mad at me?

Did I upset him?” one student reported.

The student was distraught, and worried for his fellow classmate.

“I got to the top of the stairs and realized my ‘friend’ was nowhere to be found.

I called his name out once more, but no response. I looked down to the practice gym doors. The doors were locked and the lights were off. I decided to walk towards my right, I was met with the creepy omen of the steel band doors. The room was also pitch black. I called for my friend once again, yet there was nothing. ‘Maybe I’m just seeing things,’ I thought to myself.”

The student stated.

As the student was going back down the stairs, he reported feeling the air turn cold, and the lights started flickering.

“I stood there before going down, wondering if my senses lied to me. I mean this couldn’t be real? I turned and looked back behind me at the steel door leading to the alley way. It was late after a football game, so it was also pitch black. I then let my eyes wander to the ceiling, where there we’re scrape marks, leading into one singular hole. The marks looked like they could have been made with human hands, ten marks total. The lights continued to flicker on and off, but not like a strobe light or like in a movie - like a total weird way. Some would go dimmer, and some would just cut out. The cold swept into my stomach before I finally decided it was my time to run. I got to the bottom of the stairs where my friend was waiting on the bench for me. He saw I was scared, and looked at me shocked. I smiled nervously as he said ‘It happened to you too?’”

The Coolest Underworld

The Legend of Goat-Man’s Grave If you’ve lived in Rolla long enough, you’ve probably heard the legend of Goat-Man’s Grave. If you don’t know, Goat-Man is a half-goat, half-man that you can “supposedly” only see at night and only once because you won’t live to see him again.

He resides over the Pine Hill Cemetery, in between Rolla and St.James, also known as Spooky Hollow. Some people have reported cars driving at you and then disappearing into thin air.

One night, my friends and I were searching for our own spooky adventure, so we piled up in their car and headed out.

We had the perfect setting for a haunted happening. It was around midnight, very cold, rainy and the blood moon was high in the sky. The drive to Goat-Man’s Grave was interesting, with the road full of sharp turns, hills, and abandoned houses. The mood in the car was silly, with a dose of anxiety. We were hoping to see something...but were we ready for the encounter with Goat-Man? Driving down what seemed like an endless road, we came to a split. Left? Or right? We weighed our options and took a panic-stricken right and came upon an abandoned house with lights in the fields surrounding it.

We all thought “that’s kind of weird,” but we kept driving down the ominous road.

This road was like no other road going to Goat-Man’s grave; trees lined the roadside, looming over the top and casting shadows on the road - shadows that we didn’t like, shadows that made every tree trunk look like someone was standing there watching us, waiting to strike.

All of the sudden a car came speeding down the road straight at us with no sign of stopping. In a panicked haze, we lurched the car to the side of the road out of the car’s path. After it flew by us, I turned around to see nothing...not even a taillight.

The Most Disgusting Underworld

Choose Sora for your Spooky reading this Halloween!

Photo by Mandy James.

Soraapp.com School Code: ROLLAHIGHMO