September 2019 Print Issue

When RHS Speaks, We

ECHO

Rolla High School - 900 Bulldog Run - Rolla, Missouri 65401- Volume 71 - Issue 2 September 27, 2019 - www.rhsecho.com @rhsechonews

Westside Marketplace coud be hurting local businesses

10th annual Celebration of Nations tomorrow Tomorrow, the town of Rolla will come together to celebrate the diversity in this town with the Celebration of Nations. It started ten years ago, and has remained a tradition ever since. This year, on the 28th of September, thousands of people of nearly every nationality will gather to share and explore each other’s cultures through family-friendly activities and delicious food.

This event is guided by the principles of acceptance and education of different cultures, which is exemplified by the Celebration of Nations theme, with the hope that the same principles will be applied after the event.

“One Campus. One Community. One World.

I think that’s a really good way to look at how we should approach our lives,” Richie Myers, chairperson to the Celebration of Nations, said.

It is also an opportunity that many student groups use to try to dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding their culture and ways of life. They aim to educate people about how their way of life is often very different from what is portrayed in the media.

“We want them to know that Iranian people are peaceful people that are kind, that are hospitable and actually the things going on in the media are more political things rather than being involved with people of both countries,” Alireza Pourhassan, president of the Iranian Student Association, said.

The day will start at 11:00 a.m. with a parade that starts at Missouri S&T and goes to the festival, located near the Rolla Band Shell in which many countries and cultures are represented. “[Last year,] it was interesting to see all the different clothes and continued on page 7

Drum Majors Morgan Korich, Rachel Phelps, and Stephanie Kim look out on the field before the band’s halftime performance. Photo by Rhyse Holder

Band places in finals at first competition Eden Potter signals the beginning of the Rolla High School marching band’s show, “The Ascent,” with her opening notes. A hush falls over the crowd as a smooth melody emerges from the lone trumpet player on the field. Her notes are a sign of the beginning of the performance as heads perk up to see the football field transformed into the base of a mountain. The band is preparing to begin their journey climbing a mountain for their performance at the first competition of their 2019 season.

The band placed second in their division for the preliminary competition Saturday and eighth

overall in finals. Potter shares the considerable amount of preparation that into the band’s first competition of the season at the Screamin’ Eagles marching band festival in Sullivan on September 28th. “Behind the scenes, we put in a lot of work. We had band camp for two weeks this summer and the minimum amount of hours we put in each day was six,” Potter said.

Now, they demonstrate their dedication by practicing every morning at 7 a.m. before school.

This year’s show, however, is worth the work according to Potter.

“My favorite part about continued on page 8

With the recent openings of popular stores like Menards and T.J. Maxx, there have been more “Now Hiring” signs in town. A possible explanation is as follows. Because of the higher wages and better business at the Westside Marketplace, many good fast-food employees quit their jobs to work at stores like Menards or T.J. Maxx. This creates a loss of employees at fast food restaurants, which is why they are looking for more employees. Jeremy Haberman, the business education teacher here at RHS, can offer further insight to this matter.

“By the basics of supply and demand, when you lower the supply, the demand goes up - that being labor as the supply. A lot of those jobs [at the Westside Marketplace] are in that ten to twelve dollar per hour range, which I would imagine hurts employers that hires unskilled labor, which is basically all restaurants,” says Haberman.

It is not the fact that businesses are unable to find employees, but that they are unable to find competent employees. Don Luna is a math teacher here at RHS, but during the summer, he runs a snow cone business and runs a firework tent. He knows what it’s like to find employees.

“The new stores are still looking for workers too. I think it’s a lack of motivation to work. I try to get students to help me, in the summertime, work at the firework tent and things like that. It’s so hard to find people to do it, because they don’t want to work,” Luna says, “The ones who will want to work will want to be paid for their time and go to those continued on page 6

Artist of the Month

Athletes of the Month

Liz Philips plays the piccolo with the Rolla marching band. Read more about her love for music in the story on page 6. Photo courtesy of Liz Philips

Junior Lane Mabe enters the field as central defender for the Rolla High School varsity soccer team. Read more about Mabe on page 5. Photo

by Rhyse Holder

Learn what sparked Sophomore Asia Ellingsworth’s passion for tennis on page 7. Phtoto courtesy of Asia Ellingsworth

DEA database reveals Phelps County among worst in nation for opioids For the first time, the Drug Enforcement Agency’s database tracking prescription opioid pills across the nation has been made public, revealing Phelps County to be among the worst in the nation for pain pill distribution per capita.

The database unveiled by the Washington Post tracked purchases and shipments of each individual pill of oxycodone and hydrocodone in the United States from 2006 to 2012. These records provide an unprecedented look into the prescription pain pills that fueled an opioid epidemic resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths during the seven years it tracked*. For Phelps County, this data sheds light on a dark matter.

Of the 76 billion pills distributed across the United States, 26,062,525 made their way to Phelps County- enough for 84.4 pills per person

per year. Phelps County’s proportion of pills is not only higher than each surrounding county, but ties as the 101st highest out of 3,242 counties in the country with the 5th highest volume of pills in Missouri.

Rolla Chief of Police Sean Fagan has seen the effects of opioids in Phelps County first hand.

The DEA revelations are only a glimpse into local law enforcement’s fight against opioids.

“We are trying our best to battle with it, but it’s a battle. It’s an uphill battle,” Fagan said.

Chief Fagan and his officers encounter the opioid crisis at its most deadly. Legal prescription opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone are often stepping stones to the highly addictive, illegal narcotic heroin. This is where law enforcement are most able to intervene

within the opioid crisis, but not easily.

“Up until about three years ago we were having a tremendous problem with opiods and the way we found out about it was because of all the overdoses we were having,” Fagan said. “A lot of people were dying.”

The Phelps County Police Department has managed to assuage these deaths after each officer began carrying Narcan, a drug capable of treating an overdose, three years ago. Chief Fagan shares that while this measure has decreased opioid related deaths in Phelps County, opioids are still pervasive and harmful to the community.

“I honestly don’t know why it’s so bad here. I came from St. Louis County and this is ten times worse than where I came from and I can’t tell you why,” Fagan said. continued on page 5

Proportions of opoids per county in Missouri as reported by The Washington Post

Letter from the Editor

Dear students of RHS,

I’d like to apologize in advance for the overly personal journal of Lauren’s first-world problems that this monthly letter is becoming. Last month, I shared with you all the lackluster state of my senior year and how to cope with the unfulfilled promises of youth. This month, I will be taking another rather depressing note in sharing with you the story of one of my favorite, now deceased, furry companions.

My family rescued our dog, Otis, from a shelter when he was still no more than a pint-sized puppy. Back then, he was endearingly named “Oreo” after his cookies and cream coloring. We soon realized we had to change his name after his puppy-like cuteness grew into a friendship deserving of more than a corporate logo, and his white fur became perpetually brown as he had a special love for mud. As a nine-year-old whose only cinematic knowledge came from Wonder Pets! and Air Bud, I insisted on naming him after what was surely the greatest film produced by mankind, The Adventures of Milo and Otis. My childhood love for the movie following the adventures of a tabby cat named Milo and a little, grey pug named Otis was fulfilled with my new friend.

But just as in every stereotypical dog movie, the main character ages and slowly grows apart from their childhood best friend, leaving them sad-eyed in the doghouse to watch as their owner frolics off to their human friends and forgets about the puppy they once loved. Only in the movies, the owner realizes their mistake and the film ends with long, sappy monologues of dog and owner, together once more. My dog died before I had the chance.

I betrayed my salt-and-pepper-haired friend as I slowly spent less and less time outside with him and more and more time inside napping with my cats. I should have realized my mistake

as one by one, all of my pets started leaving me.

First, my beloved, wise old tabby cat ran away.

Then, my fellow introverted, socially awkward cat, Oscar, died. Finally, my heart broke as my endearingly dumb, fat cat Pete had to be euthanized in my arms. Full of sorrow from the departure of my feline friends, I should have realized that I had a fluffy, still slightly smelly, dog to love right outside my door. Instead, I clung on to my cat-person title and adopted a new best friend named Maxwell. While I love my cat Max tremendously, I now feel as if I abandoned one friend for another.

As the drama-filled saga of my pets settles, I am now left with a somber sense of understanding. No one pet, no one species for that matter, should be valued over another. The ambiguous dichotomy of how this conclusion applies to wildlife and livestock would take up an entire other page, so instead, I’ll attempt to apply these morals to people. Just as with pets, we often try to put the people in our lives into boxes of varying degrees of worth. Close family can sit on the couch. Boyfriends and girlfriends get the esteemed statues of sleeping on the bed.

Acquaintances can be left in the doghouse- as long as they are fed and watered, who cares? I have made this mistake with both my pets and my friends and I do not intend to take any for granted again. It is impossible to know which pet or person in your life is in need of love, or which will be taken from you unexpectedly.

Instead of ranking and categorizing the worth of each pet and each friend, I will now try to value them all equally. After all, if unconditional love is defined to be limitless, why not give it inclusively?

Love, Lauren Ulrich

Follow @rhsechonews on Twitter and Instagram. For more news and sports go to www.rhsecho.com

ECHO Staff

Editor In Chief: Lauren Ulrich Managing Editor: Genevieve Huber Webmaster: Erin Pfiefer News: Elena Bai Opinion: Emma Starns Sports: Quinn Guffey Feature: Julia Leventis

Staff Writers: Mable Dougaard, JJ Giesey, Sudatta Hor, Michael “Mandy” James, Hannah Le, Kyle McCutcheon, Helen Weiss Adviser: Dr. 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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ECHO is a member of Missouri Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and Quill & Scroll Honor Society

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Staff Writer Size has always been a desired trait by humans; perhaps one of the earliest cases of gigantism or legends of giant humans comes from the biblical story of Goliath fighting David, the future king of Israel. The former caused fear in each of the Israeli soldiers and David’s brothers and even being the sole morale of the Philistine army, whom retreat after his death.

Size is also seen as a way to demonize someone or something, such as the Greek myths of cyclops--one-eyed towering shepherds in Homer’s Odyssey. Or in the Sumerian Legend that had the first hero and villain dynamic in The Epic of Gilgamesh, between the historic Sumerian king and Humbaba.

Being large however is complicated in the real world as the square cube law is a mathematical principle that applies to everything in the world.

All you need to know for it is that as surface area increases, the volume doesn’t just double with it but instead grows exponentially. This is important to understand for later.

The largest recorded human was Robert Wadlow who reached an impressive height of 8 feet and 4 inches and got this height from the result of a tumor in his pituitary gland which made his brain never stop giving the command to his body to grow. Wadlow had to have the help of leg braces in childhood and a cane in adulthood., Tthis is because of the square cube law on organisms, a body plan for an animal only works for that animal at that size, for humans our height limit while maintaining functionality is somewhere greater than 6 feet, anything more than that and our body starts to stress out. This is why abnormally large humans have a lot of health problems and die very young since their body is increased, but their organs remain the same size and have to work extra hard to sustain the body that should not shouldn’t be that large.

Note that certain large animals had more capa-

bility to be bigger than others. , Lland mam mals did get very large but their size is nothing compared to the dynasty that dinosaurs had, this is due to the porous bones dinosaurs had, and for dinosaurs like sauropods and theropods have a complex air sac system in their body, making them far lighter than their size makes them look.

Similarly, the pterosaurs also have lightweight bones and bodies which is what allowed some of them to be huge and maintain flight.

Increasing the animal in size usually needs sacrifices to be made, as increasing the size increases the weight, so an increase to the strength of an animal’s way of locomotion, however this also increases the weight and forms a sort of conundrum where the perfect balance of weight and strength of the animal’s capability to stand up and overcome the weight of gravity. The organs also need to dramatically grow. , Aan elephant’s heart can be up to 26 to nearly 40 pounds, or other internal adaptations need to be made. The rete mirabile is a complex network of veins and arteries in the neck that evens out the blood for when it bends down it’s head, some people know this as bloodrush which can be disorienting and dizzying on people from the rapid blood flow change, but for a large animal this ordeal could be a dangerous or even fatal with the amount of blood they have.

Some animals also grow big on accident with the Island rule, which states that typically smaller animals from the mainland get bigger, and the reverse of large animals getting smaller on them. Famous examples of island gigantism like the many tortoise species from the Galapagos islands, but there are many other unheard examples that are also interesting. Nuralagus was an extinct rabbit species that reached up to size of a dog, it lost traits that it’s relatives had with rather small ears, the inability to jump, and being quite slow, most likely because of no threats. The Moa was a gigantic flightless bird on the islands of New Zealand, reaching up to heights of 12 feet easily, however they were preyed upon by Haast’s eagles, with a wingspan of 9 feet, weighing up to 20 pounds, and talons that could wrap around a human skull, these eagles were straight out Lord of the Rings, which is funny considering the films for the Lord of the Rings were filmed in New Zealand. These eagles were boldly attacking animals nearly 15 times their own weight and were the apex predators of New Zealand, however humans had traveled to the islands and had quickly wiped out the Moa population to extinction, leaving the bird of prey without its main food source.

Limited time between classes puts mental, physical stress on students

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Staff Writer Some teachers are relatively lenient on the time given to students during the passing period.

They understand that we do not have enough time between classes. However, there are teachers who think that the students are given more than enough time and start class before the bell rings, but there are very few advantages with a five minute passing period. If you have close classes, you do not have to rush to get from one to another. Another advantage of the short passing period is getting used to being in a rush and getting things done on a deadline, like most jobs entail. Although there are advantages, the

cons severely outweigh the pros.: Iif I have to use the restroom, only one of my teachers lets me and she is at the end of the day.

Teachers are not consistent with the tardies that are given or not given. Tardies need to be given to every student or not given to any after a certain point. Say that you are in the classroom and you are about to sit, but the bell rings. Some teachers will give you a tardy but the student across the room doesn’t get one or vise versa. Other times, students could be out in the hallway and the bell rings, but they are not tardy.

Teachers need to be consistent so the students know what they can or cannot do.

Passing periods need to be longer.; Wwhen students need to go from the first floor to the third, but also need to use the restroom, there is not enough time. Students should also have time to socialize during the passing period and take their time getting to the class. Some students must access their lockers during passing periods, so some have to rush with the five minutes that are given to them. Some teachers also keep students after the bell and start class before the bell. In conclusion, it would greatly benefit the student’s well- being for administrators to increase time between classes and it would be in the student’s best interest for teachers to be more consistent with tardies.

Students choose poorly at lunch

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Staff Writer In front of me in the lunch line, a girl was buying a single bag of Doritos. The lunch lady denied her credit, when the only thing she had in her hand was one bag of Doritos. She exclaimed she had a dollar left on her account but was still unable to buy the single bag of chips.

Our school and others around the country have secondary meals if a student does not have enough money, but it is commonly a PB&J or some sort of mystery meat sandwich, which is

not enough to get a growing mind through the day. Students have begun bringing their lunches instead of eating the district-provided lunch.

And why is this? Because why pay for something you will not eat or does not taste great?

Most school lunches are expensive for what you get. Personally, for lunch, I only eat the main course and sometimes fruit. I know other students do the same, or just get two main courses. So why are we paying for things we do not need? For example, the other day I got in trouble for not having vegetables on my tray. I went back into the scramble area and grabbed green beans. Yet, I did not eat them, but I had to pay for them. Granted, with the school lunch laws made by Michelle Obama, the school does not have many choices in what they can serve, but they should be more considerate of the student decisions in what they do eat. For the most part, I eat and enjoy most of the school’s lunches, but I think there needs to be more food choices. When talking to my dad he told me his school used to have cheese fries and pizza as an everyday thing. I think our school should invest in more products so students can get a quality meal and be full for the rest of the day.

English department makes Banned Book recommendations

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Elena Bai News Editor

Malorie Blackman once said that “Reading is an exercise in empathy-- an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” A book can introduce people to the perspectives of those that they would likely never meet and

to understand life in a place they might never otherwise set foot in. Thus, it is important to expose ourselves to all types of literature from a wide variety of places. This week, the English department has been celebrating a combination of Banned Books Week and Read Around the World. In the hopes of keeping this spirit alive, ECHO asked some of our English department to provide some banned book recommendations for student reading beyond this week.

“Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebeoffered a cultural vantage point that I wasn’t privy to before and it was actually a struggle for me to read ... Because it was so new and so fresh and so enlightening culturally, but even though it was a struggle, it still opened a window in my mind to a world that wasn’t what I could see . It was so vastly different from my own experience and because the author showed me a world that was so unlike my own, but that enchanted me a little bit,” Bonnie Hall said. “[Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak]

was my favorite as a child because I love the rebelliousness of Max and I always thought it would be really fun to go live on an island with monsters. So, I always kind of found that interesting, but then I also saw from Max’s experience how lonely it was to leave family… it made me appreciate my family more rather than want to leave my family, ” Star Hargis said.

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep: “I’m not much of a non-fiction reader, but this book pulled me in, helped me create a new TBR list, and gifted me with an understanding of the life of a writer.

My favorite quote: ‘Lee’s writing voice catches like a briar, it doesn’t tear its subjects, but sticks to them,’” Jessie Kirkbride said.

Becoming by Michelle Obama: “It probably meant more to me because I listened to the audio. Michelle Obama reading her own story felt… authentic. It made me feel a camaraderie with her as a working mother, as a woman being judged for her physical appearance instead of

by what she can intellectually contribute—and remain mature and stoic in the face of ridiculous circumstances. [Michelle’s story] helped me realize I could do that, too. Sometimes no response says more than anything you could have ever done or said. It’s an important lesson. Not one I practice well.” Jessie Kirkbride said.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom: “[Corrie Ten Boom] is a German and she was in the holocaust. And her family had protected Jews and so they were taken in and she was in a concentration camp with her sister- watched her sister die, watched the poor treatment- and she lived through it. Even later in life, she ran into the officers the terrible people that treated her and her sister so badly, and she writes about how important it is to forgive.That makes you think about the ability to forgive and not hold grudges against people and not treat people horribly different because they’re different from you.” Trina Fitch said.

If students wander down the English hallway of Rolla High School, they most likely will hear the frustrated mutterings of freshman as they complain about completing their AR goals. The question schools face now is critical: what’s the point of reading in high school? With the constant struggle of balancing sports, classes, and social connections, it seems to be difficult to encourage teens to read on their own time.

“No matter what industry a student chooses to go into, reading and writing will be a key component,” Mrs. Kirkbride, the high school librarian, said.

“Well, even if you are not a big reader of books, you need to be able to read well to do just about anything,.” stated Mrs. Fitch, a freshman English teacher.

It is not just the English department that believes reading skills are important. There are

several advocates for reading across the different teaching subjects. Every subject has a particular need for specific reading strategies, such as summarizing and questioning the text.

“It’s a wonderful way to learn. It’s a wonderful way to explore things you may not get the chance to experience for real on your own,” Mr. Rhinehart, who instructs Social Studies, said.

If literacy is the foundation of our learning, how is reading reenforced and evaluated?

One resource the school district utilizes is the Accelerated Reading program, which starts in elementary and extends to freshman year of highschool. Students are required to read a certain amount of novels to achieve a predetermined goal to test that students are reading and comprehending material.

“I know kids hate AR, but with AR, I can allow you to read anything,” stated Mrs. Fitch, who

uses AR regularly in her own freshman classes.

Despite the negative student opinions surrounding the program, educational instructors argue that AR is one of the main components that motivates students to maintain a decent reading level. Without AR, there would be little to no pressure or drive to read for enjoyment, instead of strictly reading educational materials.

“Like with the freshmen, they have to read for the AR program to get some points. That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” stated Rhinehart, who has several freshman classes.

Literacy has significant value no matter your age, personal goals, or career path. Reading allows us to access new information, or perhaps new worlds to immerse ourselves in. Education and literacy go hand in hand, and without one, the other can not reach its full potential.

Reading sparks imagination, creates path for success

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Together we can beat Suicide, second leading cause of teen death Make suicide prevention a priority all year

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1-800-273-8255 (TALK) is widely known as the suicide prevention hotline, but most people do not remember the number in time of need. The FCC suggests “988” as the new, easy-to-remember number.

The help service will function the same, but with easier, faster results. Chairman Ajit Pai made an announcement that the number will most likely be shortened in the near future. The FCC also released a report on telecommunications elaborating on the fact it needs to be treated as an emergency number but different than the obvious 9-1-1.

“There is a suicide epidemic in this country, and it is disproportionately affecting at-risk populations, including our veterans and LGBTQ+ youth,” Pai told the technology news source Engadget. “Crisis call centers have been shown to save lives.”

End the Stigma, proactively seek prevention According to the most recent recorded data, the U.S. has one of the highest suicide rates in the world next to mid-Asia. About 329 million took their lives in the past year, roughly 4.36% percent of our population, According to the American Foundation for sucide prevention.

In a situation where every second counts it could be difficult to remember or even find the suicide lifeline. In 2018, Congress passed the “National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act” which requires the FCC to conduct a study on the viability of creating a 3-digit hotline. The results show most Americans are all for a quicker conclusion.

Most people had no idea this was even taking effect, so it is important to get the information out soon. People around the world need help, and most are scared to reach out to a loved one or friend for the fear of being judged.

Here at Rolla High School, there is a crisis program, but most students are not even aware that such a thing exists.

When talking to the school based therapist/ Counselor Mrs. Chambers, she explained the fact that we have our own hotline at the school, and it is available to students at all times. When students come into her office and talk about suicide, or thoughts of self-harm, she asks them 3 simple questions.

“I ask do they ever wish they weren’t alive?

And if yes, do they have a plan? Or has there ever been an attempt?” Chambers explains, “If

there’s a yes to any of these questions we fill out also believes it will connect people in Rolla, and what is called a Columbia, and that’s just more in the United States much faster. in depth, asking more questions to see where “If someone is really down, they are not likely they’re at with the thoughts, and even if someto search for a card or google a long number.” one has the thoughts that doesn’t mean they Chambers adds. If you ever need someone to necessarily have to be hospitalized. If we get to turn to, Chambers’s door is always open. She is the point where the thoughts are pretty intrusive located in the teacher workroom by the counbut were not all the way to the point of having selor’s office and students can contact her at a plan, or the means to do it, we develop what is (573)-263-4683 or achambers@compasshn.org called ‘The Safety Plan.’ Basically this is, how do you know when you get to a time in need, who can you contact? How would you get there?.

They just commit to safety. .If it’s not to the point where I need to call 911, this is the person I can trust.”

Chambers has a lot of clients she sees on a daily basis, sometimes even more than once a day.

She strongly believes the national number being shorter, students will use it way more.

“Even with our school crisis number now, I don’t have it memorized. I always have to dig a card out and give it to them, and I mean I give it out all the time, so with it being three numbers would be abPrinted with permission from American Society of Suicide Prevention solutely amazing.” She

The above graphics are printed with permission from American Society of Suicide Prevention

Homework can be valueable, but is there a point at which it’s too much?

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Managing Editor Between sports, social events, and extracurriculars, modern high school students seem to have a lot on their plates. On top of their chosen activities and hobbies, homework can add a layer of stress and anxiety that may not otherwise exist in the same quantity.

In a recent poll on Instagram (from @

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rhsechonews), students were asked whether or not they believe homework adds a significant amount of stress to their daily life. 89% of participants answered “yes.”

It is unclear, however, whether students would simply rather spend time doing other things or if they truly are overloaded with worksheets and textbooks.

On average, a typical high schooler’s day is composed of seven, fifty-minute periods.

Each subject varies in curriculum and therefore, class expectation differs greatly. 50 minutes is a relatively short period of time (especially to accomplish long-term projects), so it would be reasonable to assume that some work--for the sake of time--must be completed outside of school.

Assume that if a student spends only fifteen minutes per night on homework for each of

their seven classes, they are already spending upwards of an hour and a half doing homework.

Granted, not every teacher assigns homework and many classes use class time to complete assignments and projects. On the contrary, a subject like math requires more of an individual effort. More often than not, this is assumed to be completed outside of class.

According to the poll, 87% of participants report having more homework in math than any other subject.

Mr. Smith, a math teacher at Rolla High School, explains his policy on the subject.

“I like to try to assign a reasonable amount of work. I believe we need to practice every day; the analogy I use is just like a sport. You need to practice every day to get good,” said Smith.

While Smith has high expectations for his

70% of students report spending more than an hour on homework each night.

students, particularly those enrolled in an honors course, he chooses what is realistic.

“I like to have time in [my class] to at least get started. If you do have to take it home, I’m not expecting you to spend hours on it,” Smith said.

Still, 70% of students report spending more than an hour on homework each night.

Whatever the case may be, homework is certainly a significant part of high school. It encourages and exemplifies positive skills and behaviors such as prioritizing, note-taking, and good study habits.

However, it is important for teachers to keep in mind their students’ work loads. Their class is not the only class a student is enrolled in.

It is unclear whether the poll reflects an opinion shared by most high school students or a flaw in public education.

“I do think there is a such thing as too much homework for students. It depends on the class.

Some people go faster than others. At the same time, I’m not thinking 2 or 3 hours hours sitting there doing homework is necessary,” said Smith.

Opioid crisis propelled by prescription pain pills

By Lauren Ulri

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Editor In Chief continued from page 1

Chief Fagan is not alone in encountering the opioid crisis plaguing Phelps County. The 26,062,525 pills shipped into Phelps County between 2006 and 2012 wove their way through hospitals and pharmacies, patients and physicians, before reaching the hands

of potential addicts. capacity of one entity to combat such a wideDr. Nathan Ratchford, Chief Medical Officer spread issue. of Phelps Health and practicing OBGYN physi“The last thing that a health care system wants cian, sees opioids at the opposite end of the is to do something dangerous,” Ratchford said. spectrum as Chief Fagan- newborn babies.* “It’s unfortunate that we have this societal issue “I don’t deliver babies any more, but I can tell right now, but we don’t have the mechanism you 15 years ago it was almost unheard of seeing or the technology developed to the point to a pregnant woman who was help take care of it. That’s taking chronic narcotics frustrating.” when she got pregnant,” However telling, new data Ratchford said. “I bet if we cannot stop the opioid crisis were to go over to labor in Phelps County. Ratchford and delivery right now and shares only a critical eye can look at the women who just begin to find the solutions had babies over there, I bet needed to combat the fixedly pills per person one or two of them has had complex nature of the opiper year in Phelps oid epidemic. “Sometimes some narcotic dependencey history.” we have to ask difficult and County As CMO, Ratchford uncomfortable questions to participates in administrative fix these things,” Ratchford efforts within Phelps Health said. to combat the opioid crisis. While Ratchford shares numerous preventative measures enforced in recent years, he also acknowledges the limited

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ECHO plans to ask these questions in an investigative series into the causes, effects, and potential solutions to opioids in our community. ECHO will attempt to continue reading beyond the numbers of the opioid crisis in Phelps County with a feature article in the upcoming issue of the October magazine.

Students, staff encounter personal paradoxes

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Feature Editor Around the world, traditions, politics, and societal customs vary. Where the American culture is known to have differing ethnicities coexisting with each other, places such as China, Ireland, and Greece tend to have a geographic of a specific ethnicity. The environmental differences that can come with these worldly dissimilarities - such as governmental, home, and school customs - are what can affect an individual’s understanding of reality and the distinction between right and wrong. As elaborated by soci-

ology teacher Samantha Kaysinger, paradoxes - a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true: Merriam-Webster - are easy to fall under among separate lifestyles.

“We are immersed in our own cultural realities and tend to think of reality as being a very specific way, only to later realize things don’t always work the way we think. We are consumers of everything—goods, ideas, information - and are also quick to believe paradoxes because often they make sense based on our own experiences or understanding of the world around us. Also, it can be confusing and frustratingly timeconsuming to delve more deeply into ideas that challenge or perplex us,” Kaysinger said.

Amid the broad spectrum of paradoxes people can fall under, one ironic paradox is called the abilene paradox. According to this paradox, a person makes decisions based not on what they actually want to do, but on what they think that others would like to do, resulting in everybody deciding to do something that nobody actually wants to do. This paradox can be seen in real life when a person makes a decision based on what they think their parents or friends approve of, only to find out that their relations only liked it because they thought that person liked that

decision.

Another paradox, which Kaysinger finds easy to commit is the idea of “becoming who you are.”

“People, myself included, strive to seek their “purpose”, but in pursuing who we are we must ultimately change from the way we are currently.

Also the idea of seeking happiness is paradoxical because the more we try to “seek” it, the unhappier we become. Happiness ensues from detaching from outcomes and living in the present,” Kaysinger said.

While in many respects learning about paradoxes can be both enlightening and broadening to a person’s perspective, the challenges they bring to one’s understanding and their place in their world features the importance and insight of how people behave relative to the environment they grow up in.

“Once we see or learn something we cannot really unsee or unlearn, we are impacted by knowledge. Our attitudes and dispositions may not really change but we may shift a bit and find ourselves more careful with our opinions or even questioning assumptions,” Kaysinger said.

Psychology teacher Amanda Englke believes paradoxes gives an interesting perception on human behavior.

“Human behavior is incredibly complex. Even though we can assess someone’s personality & understand what tends to motivate them, there are so many factors that impact our thinking, feeling, & actions that people might find themselves behaving paradoxically in various situations. I think it’s probably just evidence for the fact that we are complicated beings & we have a better chance of understanding someone’s average tendencies or overall patterns of behavior than predicting their exact choice in a moment,” Engelke said.

What’s your personal paradox? Take our Twitter survey @rhsecho.com

Westside Marketplace pulls jobs from local fast food restaurants

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Staff Writer continued from page 1 higher paying jobs.”

There are other factors other than being unmotivated that makes a bad employee.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of potential job applicants who are unable to work because they are not drug free.

“I have a lot of friends that work at Lowe’s.

They are basically looking at the same pool of people - they are looking to hire the same people that Menards are looking to hire. They tell me that they have a very hard time of people passing a drug. My friend [from Lowe’s] tells me that if I get ten applicants, I will be lucky if three

pass a drug test,” says Haberman.

Aside from the incompetent workers, there are many hardworking, straight employees. With the plans for minimum wages and the addition of many large corporate businesses in Rolla, those good employees who work at fast food restaurants may counter-intuitively get the short end of the stick. Currently, Missouri is on a plan for the minimum wage to raise to twelve dollars per hour by the end of 2023, but that does not necessarily mean that everybody gets a raise when that happens.

“I think the biggest impact is everybody hearing about the raise of minimum wage. So everybody is trying to stay on board trying to pay the twelve dollar minimum wage. All the big corporations can do that. Locally, it’s very difficult to afford the twelve dollar amount,” says Luna. “I think what causes businesses to lose good employees was that when everyone went to ten bucks an hour, because of the marketplace, everyone that had been there long term didn’t get a raise. That makes all the good workers upset.”

So the committed workers are undervalued and employers are having trouble finding more committed workers. This may cause good employees to quit their jobs for a better one, which leads to more pressure for the business owner.

This pressure may cause business to go out of business. Luna agrees with this hypothesis.

“To be able to pay for the employees, you have to increase prices. If you increase prices, then

that keeps people from coming and buying from you. You’re not going to be able to bring home as much money because you have to pay out in wages. It’s the stress on the business owner that makes you want to just quit,” says Luna.

On the other hand, Haberman claims that no busi- photo by Lauren Ulrich ness will close due to a lack of workers. In fact, he claims that these are signs of good growth economically.

“If I’m looking for a job, what do I want to see? A million ‘Now Hiring’ signs. In every way, that indicates strong economic growth. That’s a good thing. The more of that you see, the more likely that wages are going to rise,” Haberman says, “None of these businesses are closing because the phone is not ringing, or nobody’s

coming in to buy their product. No business sits around thinking, ‘ Boy, I just got too many customers!’ If you have a staffing problem, you just need to manage better.”

5 Feature

District improves, expands pre-k program

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Staff Writer The pre-kindergarten program, or the PUPS Program, is now a part of all of the elementary schools in the district. The Pups program started three years ago when all the grades had to be shifted up in the schools. Laura Brown, Early Childhood Director, shares the benefits of early childhood education. Each preschooler is improving by starting earlier and learning social skills. A large number of the preschoolers in the past have started school without knowing how to use public restrooms, use a water fountain, or socialize with others their own age. Most of the preschoolers did not use words, and instead used only their hands and actions to get their point across to their peers.

Laura Brown is the Early Childhood Director-

for Rolla Public Schools and oversees all of the preschool programs; one including the “Parents as Teachers” program. The Parents as Teachers program is where parent educators do home visits to teach children who are prenatal to five years old.

“Pre-K in Rolla Public Schools are available for students who turn four by July 31. It’s an opportunity for them to have one year of preschool prior to going into kindergarten. So our preschool is half day; they either go in the morning session or afternoon session based on student preference, teacher preference, or the preference of the parents,” Brown said.

The preschoolers can go during different times and participate in various activities. The children are also provided an opportunity with closing circle and opening circle called family time.

“They’re all together with the teacher and they either do a greeting or a song or whole group reading. They also have the opportunity for centers, so that’s when they build and play and learn, that’s when their social time happens,” Brown said. “They also have an opportunity to go outside and build that gross motor time, so if it’s raining outside, we provide them with a big open space, usually the gym, and they get to run around and play and build those big muscle skills.”

The children need to use their abilities in order to interact with one another. When talking with the kindergarten teachers and principals, Brown believes there are visible improvements in her preschoolers.

Artist of the Month

“Talking with the kindergarten teachers and principals at all three elementry schools, I think they would tell you that their kids are very used to the structure of the school day, they are very familiar with the environment they know the expectation as far as arriving to school being safe sitting on the rug drinking out of a water fountain, using public restrooms, all of those skills that we were having to teach in kindergarten can now happen in the preschool setting,” Brown said.

While there are lots of enhancements with this program, there are some downsides with all of the students that now want to join the Pups program.

“Our preschool is a very controlled setting, so we don’t have enough space for all of the kids within our district to attend. One of the areas that would look like a negative is we have kids that have to be on a waiting list for a spot to open in order to be in our preschool. I think not being able to serve every interested preschooler is a concern of mine,” Brown said.

There is a place for every child for K-12, but preschoolers do not have that space to come into schools.

“Creating space is a little tricky. The financial aspect of that when you open a classroom you have to hire a teacher, but we are always looking at ways to expand to serve all of our preschool kids,” Brown said.

Students share kindness, acceptance in new RHS clubs With clubs now under full-swing for the school year, ECHO took a deeper look at two recently formed clubs with a positive mission.

A Kind Act

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Staff Writer Last year, two sophomores in Emily Mullen’s advisory class decided to bring back A Kind Act (AKA) club, whose purpose is to give back to the community. They previously gave flowers to social workers, gave cupcakes to cafeteria workers, put sticky notes up on lockers, and set up teacher appreciation week along with Mrs. Mullen and Mrs. Fitch, the co-sponsors. “[They] had the idea after talking about social work in their child development class and how that process works and they learned about how large their caseloads are. Often they don’t have the resources or the time to do their job necessarily how they want to. The girls were talking to each other and decided that those were people in our community that they just wanted to show appreciation to and that’s where the idea came from. So they asked me last year if I would be their sponsor if they started a new club and we did a tiny bit of paperwork for the school to become an official club,” Mullen said.

AKA meets on the first Thursday of every month in Mrs. Mullen’s room after school to check in and schedule events for the rest of the year. When outside work needs to be done, members are notified on the AKA Google Classroom, which can be joined with the code Iy0g734.

“I’m really excited because last year the club didn’t start until after the beginning of the school year so we were kind of behind the curve promoting ourselves, and even though there weren’t that many people at our meeting, there was way more than were interested last year. The idea that it’s already growing and that people have ideas that we wouldn’t have thought of on our own otherwise is really exciting. I’m looking forward to figuring out if there are regular things that we can do now that we’re a little more established,” Mullen said.

This year AKA wants to do something for nursing homes, sanitation and hospital workers, and elementary school students. They want to walk animals from the animal shelter and give valentines to veterans. They are funded by concessions and occasional fundraisers.

“My personal goal is to support the students who are leading the club. I can see that they are developing their skills and growing in a leadership role, but also just in the idea that we belong to the same community so we should take care of each other,” Mullen said.

She plans to keep being their sponsor for as long as there are students who will keep AKA going and want to do even the smallest act of kindness. However, she believes that the club being student led is important and that it makes a bigger impact for other students to see other students leading positively.

“For me that’s really exciting to see them as a new generation of people that are already stepping into those roles that we really need. And also I think it’s just important for everybody to think about being kinder in general. If there is something that we can do for someone else that would cost us almost nothing except a little bit of time, then we should do that, especially for people who serve our communities like social workers, nurses, and teachers, people that we say we appreciate, but we often don’t show that we do,” Mullen said.

Unity Club

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Editor In Chief Each year, the hallways of Rolla High School slowly become plastered with event flyers and a multitude of club posters. Passersby can glimpse a pop of color standing out from the sea on black and white paper. “Unity Club,” the poster, printed on a pride flag background, says with “be the change you wish to see” written across the top in bold print.

The poster’s source, Unity Club, is a recent addition to the high school. The group’s wideranging purpose is to celebrate diversity and provide an accepting, inclusive environment for students. Its members focus on discussing and combating social issues, says President Lexi Lugo. These topics range from LGBT and women’s rights to the environment and mental health.

The club has a simple goal in mind. “We just want a safe space for people to come talk about their ideas,” Lugo said. “I thought that it would make the school, and overall Rolla, a better place.”

The high school had a Gay Straight Alliance club five years ago, but after seeing that there was no longer a similar organization, Lugo founded Unity Club second semester last year.

Before Unity, Lugo shares that she struggled to find an outlet to share her perspective as a young, LGBT student. She hopes that Unity will provide this outlet to its members, as well as spread acceptance to the broader school and community.

“Being as diverse as we are, we need to be more accepting,” Lugo said. “Not talking about

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Opinion Editor Senior Liz Phillips finds inspiration and joy in musical outlets and playing the piccolo in the marching band.

“Music makes me feel like I have a purpose.

Everyone has their thing like sports or academics, and my thing is music,” Phillips said.

In addition to the various instruments Phillips enjoys playing, she also loves to sing for the same reasons. It creates a purpose and opens up a whole world of people that she has met through her music -- opportunities she never would have experienced otherwise.

“My advice would be to never settle. Practice not because you need to, but because you are excited for the future. Find what makes you happy and extend in that area. There are so many genres and instruments, and don’t just stop at one, learn all of them that you want,” Philips said.

She is grateful for the opportunity to lead worship every Sunday at her church.

“This has provided an easy paying job as well as an opportunity to stand before a crowd, which helps with speeches and presentation. If you stand and sing to one hundred people once a week it eliminates the nerves most people get,” Philips said She is grateful for the opportunity to lead worship every Sunday at her church.

“This has provided an easy paying job as well as an opportunity to stand before a crowd, which helps with speeches and presentation. If you stand and sing to one hundred people once a week it eliminates the nerves most people get,” Philips said.

it or ignoring it doesn’t fix anything, so I thought even just a small high school club could get something going.”

Now, the club has a growing group of members and is in the process of making plans for the school year. Each month, they will have a different theme for meetings, such as Black History Month in February and Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Although its members are optimistic for the club’s growth this year, Lugo admits that there have been challenges to get to this point.

“When the club started, it was hard because I’ve never run a club before. I was 15 years old and I was trying to start something new and there was so much pushback,” Lugo said.

The pushback Lugo is referencing came from some of the club’s initial posters being torn down. Unity Club’s sponsor, history teacher Aaron Loker, says that they received support from school administration in handling the incident. Loker shares that Unity has received an altogether positive response, but still acknowledges the challenges he sees students face.

“I thought there were specific groups of students that saw themselves as not being represented in the school, and when Lexi Lugo came to talk to me about it, I thought it would be a really good place for those underrepresented students to have a place to be,” Loker said.

Loker ads that the struggles of underrepresented students are not isolated to Rolla High School, but he does think a group like Unity is especially beneficial for students in the area.

“I think it’s important for a town like Rolla that is fairly small and for the students who grow up in a little bit of an echo chamber,” Loker said.

In addition to helping students, Loker believes Unity can help illuminate issues facing young people to adults in the community. “I think that while adults may not necessarily understand what’s happening to the newer generations, it’s important to be accepting,” Loker said.

Lugo echoes a similar perspective. “We’re not trying to be problematic. We’re not trying to stir the pot in a bad way,” Lugo said. “We just want these topics to be talked about. It doesn’t seem that they are being talked about without this club.”

Food, culture in Student Council dowtown Rolla tomorrow preparations underway

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Elena Bai News Editor

customs and to see all these people, all these colors together peaceful manner celebrating something,” Pourhassan said.

After the parade, a wide variety of vendors and activities will open up so that people can further learn about and experience other cultures. One of the most popular things at Celebration of Nations is the variety of food offered by the foreign student groups.

“It’s some of the most authentic you can get besides going to the actual country to get it. It’s made by real-life international people,” Eleanor Chapman, coordinator of Sponsored Student continued from page 1

Affairs and advisor to the Saudi Students Association, said.

Besides food, there are many different activities designed to give people a unique experience that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to have or to educate people on different cultures. Many student associations aim to display their culture in their booths.

“We want to show the people like the authenticity of the Saudi culture. So we’re planning on buying some of the symbols of our cultures,” Mansour Alsalbokh, vice president of the Saudi Students Association, said.

At around 1:00 p.m. at the Band Shell, the talent show Celebrate Talent will begin. This is an opportunity for people of all cultures to show off their talents.

“Their costumes are different and they just bring this really beautiful picture of their culture,” Chapman said.

At around 3:15, the awards for Celebrate Talent will be announced and at 4:00, the event will reach its official end.

“They should come and they should feel free to ask their questions about the culture of any country, about the situation of any country, about anything that they have in mind so it can open their eyes more about different cultures,” Pourhassan said. “Especially high school students, it’s a very good opportunity for them to come and learn about all the different nations.”

Head injuries cause concern for athletes, coaches

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Staff Writer Concussions, a common but serious sports injury, is when the head is hit with such force that the brain moves rapidly and abnormally inside the head. Concussions are considered “mild” in terms of brain injury severity, but it does not make it them any less serious and damaging.

The effects of brain injuries typically do not show up immediately. If severe and the blows are persistent enough, it could lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a neurodegenerative disease caused by many brain injuries stacking up over time, such as concussions.

It could cause behavior and mood problems,

trouble with concentration, and can result in dementia or even death.

“A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury—or TBI—caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or by a hit to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Concussions are a common injury in all sports. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center states that 2/10 of high school athletes in contact sports will gain a concussion.

Physical therapist and the Rolla High School’s athletic trainer, Casey Robinson, explains how the topic of concussions has evolved. “[Concussions] are becoming more talked about now. They are not as taboo as they used to be... to where I think I’m seeing more now, since people aren’t afraid to admit they have one,” Robinson said.

Medical science is improving and proper training and sport regulations are being put in place to reduce injury as much as possible, such as adopting safer training methods and improved equipment, like impact sensors in helmets. Concussions heal with time and rest and patients often recover at different paces.

Some concussions heal recover in a few days or a week, while others take up to a month.

for homecoming

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Staff Writer Every year, student council tries to make Homecoming as enjoyable as possible. This year on October 12th, Homecoming will be held to new heights. Student Council President Dan King explains what has been brewing behind the scenes of this huge event.

“Every year we try to ‘up’ ourselves more than we have last year. So, with the theme we have, we can really play into the decorations. We can play

into how exactly we want - we’re trying to make it big this year. Not physically, but we’re trying to sell more tickets, make the theme bigger, better decorations, and more involvement from the council. Just different things like that,” says King.

There are many factors that will be better for homecoming this year. In particular, the student council has chosen a unique theme.

“The theme this year is kind of a 1920’s theme.

The reason why we picked that is, in a sense, we’re going back into the twenties. It’s kind of our concept theme, since we’re going into the twenties: the class of 2020.We have a lot of plans for it,” says King.

Homecoming is not just going to be a throwback theme. Student council is also thinking about adding other relevant topics that can tie in.

“An idea that has been tossed around is for the cafeteria to be a speakeasy and tossing the Great Gatsby in. If you have ever seen the movie, there is this scene where [Gatsby] is looking out his porch at the Hudson Bay. Our decorations committee this year is very excited about the idea itself.”

Athletes share their faith in the Fellowship of Christian Althetes

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Staff Writer If students walk down the halls of Rolla High School, they will see walls covered with colorful flyers, each advertising a different club or event.

One of the lesser known clubs is FCA, which takes place every Wednesday morning at 7:30 A.M in the Bulldog Room.

“FCA stands for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and it’s a student led organization that focuses on bringing Christ into the school setting, so that kids meet and learn more about the Christain religion, especially in how it applies to

athletics and how they can live a Christian life with Christian morals,” said Kate Mallery, who is a senior member of the club.

Many of us may wonder what the purpose is of bringing religion into the school environment, and it’s actual impact on athletics. Others may question the legality of the club, since schools are supposed to be religiously neutral, and veer away from religious topics.

“I think for the group as a whole, we think it is important to bring love and kindness into our sports teams, and to focus on including and appreciating everyone, since that is the way of Christ,” said Mallery.

FCA does not have an advisor that is employed at the high school, such as a teacher or coach.

The club is instead run by Ben Harris and Chris Simmons, who are involved in the ministry at Greentree Christian Church. FCA itself is a nationally run organization that expands its outreach to youth across the United States. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes focuses on bringing religion, school, and athletics together to form positive mindsets and beliefs surrounding the Christian faith.

Athletes of the Month

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Opinion Editor

Asia Ellingsworth Asia Ellingsworth, a sophomore on the Rolla High Tennis Team, has been playing with Rolla since her freshman year. Ellingsw orth explains how her friend first got her into tennis, influ-

encing her interest in the sport. She was first introduced to tennis with a wiffle racket and her own backyard.

“I started out on my neighbors wiffle ball racket playing tennis with a wiffle ball racket, it was so funny. We’d bring it to the courts and just play,” says Ellingsworth.

As for now, her and her team are working very hard this season. Starting off on the courts against Jefferson City, their first few matches were a little rocky, but they picked up their rackets at Richland for an amazing turn out of 8-1. Ellingsworth and her team landing in Parkview, again with a score of 8-1. Her last game, turning out the most success, with a final score of 9-0.

Since the beginning of the season in August, Ellingsworth’s playing and technique has developed and improved.

“My playing is much better, my style has developed, and I have gotten gotten really good at net, like slamming the balls down to your opponent,” says Ellingsworth.

Lane Mabe

Junior Lane Mabe, central defender for the Rolla High School varsity soccer team, has been playing from a very young age.

“I just played [soccer] all the time when I was younger. I started when I was three or four, and grew up with it from there,” said Mabe.

Having played for 13 years, Mabe acknowledges his role as an older member on the team, taking the time to mentor the younger boys on the team.

“I really like helping out all the younger guys, and being a role model to them. I just get to help them understand the game more,” said Mabe.

An important part of a successful season, according to Mabe, is having a relationship with your teammates. Being an older member on the field, Mabe has seen many versions of his players.

Today, the boys varsity team seem to be particu-

larly close-knit and supportive of each other.

“This year especially, I think we’ve all grown way closer, we’ve done a lot of stuff outside school, and even over the summer, to build our relationships with one another. The better relationship you have with someone outside of the sport, the better you’ll play with them,” explains Mabe.

As for the new season beginning, Mabe has a lot of hope and confidence in himself and his teammates.

“I think we have a lot of potential to go far this year. Definitely I think we will be district champions again. An Ozark Conference Championship is also very possible,” said Mabe.

7 News/Sports

Rolla boys soccer kicks off new season

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Staff Writer As the Rolla High School boys’ soccer team “kicks” off their 2019 season, Jack Gesualdi, a varsity player this year, believes that the team is going to have a successful season.

Last season, the boys’ soccer team won districts 6-0 against Union and had an overall successful season. The Rolla soccer team has maintained a good reputation among many teams in the surrounding areas. It is an elite program that strives to succeed every year. Gesualdi gave his insight into what it is like to be on the soccer team.

Photo by Abdu Ibraham

“It’s pretty cool overall. It’s fun winning with your friends and being able to play good teams and perform well,” Gesualdi said.

Gesualdi has been playing soccer ever since he was a kid with the Rolla Knights youth soccer league. The Rolla Knights is a key component to why the soccer team has a consistently positive program year after year. The Rolla Knights program has dedicated coaches that volunteer their time to the league. The Knights also take their different ages of teams to places like St. Louis and Springfield to play more difficult teams in order to develop skills over time.

Many of the players currently on the soccer team and players that have already graduated have been playing soccer for a very long time against opponents who have forced their skills to develop overtime, along with strenuous practice. Soccer can also be played in virtually every season. There is soccer during the spring, summer, fall, and even an indoor winter league.

This is one component as to why the soccer team is successful consistently. Soccer also has incredible leadership, such as senior captain Gabe Stanislawski. Stanislawski is known for giving good advice and being a good leader. All of these components add up to a successful program that is Rolla Soccer.

Rolla band competes at season’s first competition

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Editor In Chief band is succeeding, but succeeding as a team because of all the hard work that we put in. You know that you can’t do it by yourself and you’re only as strong as your weakest link. When we can execute that kind of performance, you just know it’s because of everybody’s efforts and not just yours.”

The Rolla High School band is coming off of an undefeated season last year with their show “Building an Empire.” With expectations high, the band hopes to continue to impress this season with an entirely different style of performance. Potter explains how previous years’ shows had a clear plot, yet “The Ascent” is left open to interpretation.

“I enjoy the show theme. I think it’s a cool concept. I’m a little concerned on how people perceived the story. I’m not sure if they’re able to understand it, but I think that our visuals and our music help tell the story,” Potter said.

Potter also thinks the show’s technical and musical difficulty sets it apart from past shows.

Although Potter enjoys its complexity, the show’s difficulty poses a challenge to Rolla’s large number of underclassmen in this year’s band.

“We have a very complex drill this season.

Photo by Rhyse Holder

It’s the most complex one I’ve ever marched,” Potter said. “I’m a little concerned for the music just because our band is so young this year, but overall I’m really excited for this year and I think it’s going to come together well.”

Although the band did not place as high as they are accustomed, Potter says she remains optimistic for the season and sees potential in the show. She explains how previous success can affect members’ attitudes towards the current season.

“Whenever you come off of an almost perfect season, some kids are going to get comfortable and others have never experienced a loss,” Potter said. “That can affect how much work they put in, but this season I think that we will be able to do just as well.”

Potter looks forward to continuing to improve their show and competing at the band’s next competition on October 5th in Washington. She shares that despite a perceived loss, the band’s characteristic work ethic holds true.

“I want people to know that our band is extremely successful and we work very hard and we’re really grateful that we have great band boosters and a great district that supports us,” Potter said. “We just want them to remember how much work it takes to perform at that kind of level and that we are not a band to be looked

photo by Laney Drabczyk

Faces of Bulldog Pride Night Senior Annie Lonning takes flight at center field during the Bulldog cheerleader’s half-time performance last Friday night. The cheerleading team performed a new dance at half-time full of stunts and manuevers, and also lead the crowd through cheers supporting the football team.

The student section put their school spirit on full display at Bulldog Pride Night. Members of the senior class pictured kept up the theme night tradition with a western-style of flannels, cowboy hats, and cowboy boots. Photo ny Abdu Ibraham

Photo by Rhyse Holder

After much anticipation, the Bulldogs break free through the tunnel and onto the field. They are met with enthused cheers and applause along with the band’s playing of the Fight Song.

After an exciting entry, the Bulldogs go on to win 35-14 against Hillcrest.

To high-up for the evening’s football game and festivities, Student Counsil hosted a pep assembly 7th hour. Students participated in class cheers and competitions while the band and cheerleaders entertained the crowd. Photo by Abdu Ibraham

Photo by Abdu Ibraham