September 28, 2018 Print Issue

When RHS Speaks, We

Echo

Rolla High School - 900 Bulldog Run - Rolla, Missouri 65401- Volume 70 - Issue 2 September 28, 2018 - www.rhsecho.com @rhsechonews

See artist of the month page 6 Photo courtesy of The Rolla Daily News

Ms. Mullen’s world travels and more

Courtesy of Emily Mullen Emily Mullen, French teacher, is beginning her second year of teaching at Rolla High School. Before she came to teach at Rolla, Mullen was teaching in Lebanon.

Her family lives in Steelville, so teaching at Rolla just made sense for her. Mullen, along with her five pets are very comfortable here.

“I have two dogs, Merle and Milky Way. They are brother and sister Australian Shepherds, and, until recently, I had two cats, but now I have three. Two of the cats are sisters; their names are Sadie and Claire. They are gray Russian Blue cats that I rescued my first year of teaching.

Before school, I went to Table Rock Lake and a little tiny black and white kitten came into our campsite. I brought it home hoping to find a different home for it, but I have not. As of now, she lives with me and her name is tentatively Simone,” Mullen said.

Mullen has been out of the country several times. England, France, Germany, and Italy are some of the countries she has visited. In college, Mullen went on a service trip to Mexico.

“It was a campus organization that I was involved in and I joined just for my resume, but it turned out to be very beneficial to me personally. We did some work painting benches for a public park. There was a family that hosted us. They had a giant inground swimming pool.

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See athlete of the month page 6 Photo Courtesy of Tim Leible

Backpack program aids children in need According to the Oxford Academic, 11 percent of households are affected by food insecurity and an even larger 16 percent of households with children are affected. This pervasive issue has a profound effect on children and their education.

Fortunately, the Rolla community has come together to solve this problem and ensure that every child has access to healthy food at home. Now in its twelfth year, the after school backpack program sends a bag full of food and other necessities home with children from struggling families each Friday. Rodger Bridgeman, a Rolla High School counselor, has witnessed firsthand the benefits of this program.

“I think it’s a very powerful program and I think Mrs. Barnes has done a wonderful job getting it going and started and she has a great passion for it,” Bridgeman said.

As counselor, Bridgeman has seen how detrimental hunger can be on a child’s

education. The school system tries to support families through free and reduced lunch and breakfast programs, but these only provide for students while they are at school.

“We want to make sure that our kiddos across the district have food on the weekends when they’re not at school. It’s for students that need a little bit of assistance over a break or a weekend. It has some nourishment food in there, things that will sustain the kids over the weekend for people that are in need or are low income sometimes,” Bridgeman said.

Each week, almost 450 children in the district are recipients of the backpack program, and 60 of which attend the high school. This means that around 450/total number of students (I’ll add percentage) of students would not have had adequate access to food at home had this program not been put in place.

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Photo courtesy of Faith Barnes

Photo courtesy of Faith Barnes

Band gears up for first competition

Photo courtesy of Rolla Bands The halftime show at football games is always something to look forward to, but there is so much behind the scenes work that goes into it. Seven a.m. rehearsals, competitions, extra practices here and there definitely keep members busy.

This year’s theme for the show is called “Building an Empire”, based around the 1920s. There are lots of jazz scenes happening throughout, and one may even catch a hint of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” as well as influences of Al Capone, Babe Ruth, and Benny Goodman.

The halftime show is not all they put on though. They attend many marching festivals such as the Sullivan Marching Festival, Washington Marching Festival, and the St. Genevieve Marching Festival to perform and compete.

Photo courtesy of Rolla Bands

P. 5

The Social Norm

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Modern stories with monotonous twists on “cell phone addiction” have become so ubiquitous that they are rarely taken seriously. These derivative stories begin with a few objective statistics about the harmful effects of cell phone usage on teens, and after proposing several generic solutions to the problem, go on to conclude that as a result, our generation is socially inept and doomed to failure. It has been done.

There is not a statistic in existence I could include that would do anything more than add to the muddle of already-ignored facts.

Rather than preaching a lesson to a group of teenagers who have heard it all before, I decided to take the alternate stance of: Perhaps we spend too much time on our cell phones, but are we aware of exactly how much? And even more so, what are we doing about it? A dozen

people led me to believe the answer is somewhat definitive: we are doing absolutely nothing about it.

As a generation, we possess countless positive qualities incomparable to those shared by generations before: acceptance, open-mindedness, and independence.

However, a common complaint revolves around the endlessly enabling, yet often problematic, cell phone.

The hypothesis versus reality of students’ daily cell phone usage was rather anticlimactic (one predicted eight when, in actuality, they spent seven, etc.). It seemed that the results were unanimous: “I spend a lot of time on my cell phone.

I know I spend a lot of time on my cell phone. And I do not plan on changing” was the message I received from my participants.

I presumed a lack of awareness could be attributed to the unhealthy amount of time we spend staring at a screen. In my experience, this proved not to be the case. The

questions I was asking began to deviate from the original study.

If we are so aware of our patterns, why is there being little effort put forth to change them? Simply put, it is not recognized as a problem.

Junior Emalee Grooms kindly participated in my experiment, but found the results comical.

“I thought I spent 11 hours on my phone, but I actually spent nine. If anything, I should be spending more time,” Grooms said.

Now that people are more aware, will they change anything?

“No,” “not really,” and a few scoffs were enough to make me realize that awareness was hardly part of the equation. We are perfectly capable of recognizing and acknowledging a problem. Despite the stereotypical laziness and quite blatantly, stupidity, of our generation, I remain of the mindset that as a generation, we are composed of intelligent and capable

Timelessness of Swearing b y

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Profanity is only powerful in the sense that we allow it to hold a particular leverage in communication and social interaction. As a concept entirely constructed by culture, swearing is among the few instances of language that continues to perpetuate itself.

Swearing is appealing in the same way most taboos are. Disregarding the restrictions society places on us can be satisfying in an almost cathartic way.

Studies have shown that people who

Letter from the Editor The recent Chickenpox outbreak in school has me paranoid about getting sick.

I rarely ever get sick but when I have to be nearby hundreds of other kids all day, it can happen. This time of year is especially gross with allergies and Flu season creeping up. Now that I am hyper aware of the germ situation, it is astounding how many people don’t wash their hands. I spend the majority of passing periods running to the bathroom, so I’d say I’m pretty much an expert at washing my hands as fast as possible. Although it can be tempting to skip it completely, especially with those pesky dryers that leave your hands just as wet and waste valuable passing period time.

But I have never given in! It’s too gross to be around people all day, especially if none

swear tend to be happier, healthier, and even more intelligent. According to Huffington Post, swearing can improve both pain tolerance and performance during exercise. Then why are we convinced otherwise? Many of us are told from a young age that cursing is not only inappropriate, but an indication of low intelligence and a limited vocabulary. Although this has proven not to be the case, swearing is still often treated as an inappropriate practice utilized exclusively by the lower class.

I would argue that not all “swear” words are created or used equally. Words and phrases that are derogatory or hateful to-

individuals.

After witnessing the ability to describing our own habits, I came to the conclusion that we are doing nothing wrong. As questionable as the validity of that statement may be, my point is as follows: People, specifically high school students who have proven to be perfectly aware of the distribution of their time, must feel that there is no problem with how it is spent. Otherwise, and if this were not the case, I remain hopeful that we would do something to change it.

In conclusion, if you choose to give in to the stereotype of tech-addicted teen, own it. Decide to make it a conscious decision rather than an arbitrary way of passing time. Don’t be the victim of an all-encompassing screen for nine hours at a time unless you choose to be. In other words, recognize the value of your time, make decisions that reflect your priorities, and purposefully uphold those decisions. Break the social norm.

#*?$&@!

ward a certain group of people should be avoided, not solely because they are “bad” words, but because they are discriminatory and distasteful. By this logic, words used for emphasis, or common swear words, do not contain nearly the same implications. Thus, in my opinion, using common swear words in moderation has far fewer moral consequences than including hateful slurs in one’s vocabulary.

Profanity is profound concept because, unlike most forms of art, media, and other slang, it defies generational barriers. Modern swearing, for the most part, is the same as it was 100 years ago. Aside

from select words that have become more prevalent in recent years, the concept of swearing is timeless. In some ways, cursing is a universal language in the sense that we all understand its implications.

If a time comes where profanity becomes less censored and more positively integrated, it will begin to lose effect. However, it seems safe to say judging by past trends that we as a society are attracted to the inappropriateness of swearing, for no other reason than because it is inappropriate.

ECHO Staff Senior Maia Bond

of them are washing their hands.

In conjunction with the pee hand phenomenon, I’ve also noticed people not covering their mouths when they cough.

Yes, coughing into your hands just places your germs on everything you touch. That is why they teach us in elementary school to cough into your elbow. Even worse, I’ve seen kids just cough into the abyss. Coughing into a crowded stairwell should be a crime against humanity. Why would someone want to wreak havoc on us like this?

I understand we are all busy people, but take a minute to practice some hygiene. I thank you on behalf of everyone who has gotten sick by some careless germ carrier in the hallways.

Adviser: Mary Gillis Editor In Chief: Maia Bond Managing Editor: Kayla Copeland Copy Editor: Jace Swearingen Arts and Entertainment: Nalani Massaro Webmaster: Blaize Klossner Photography: Bailey Allison News: Taylor Miller

Opinion: Courtney Kelley Sports: Brandon Kirchner Feature: Lorren Black Staff Writers: Cameron Cummins, Julia Leventis, Lauren Ulrich, Rosalia Bolyard, Genevieve Huber, Emma Starns, Kate Brand

ECHO is an open forum for student expression. All letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, signature and class or position. Anonymous letters will not be published. ECHO reserves the right to reject any letters. Letters should be sent to ECHO, Rolla High School, 900 Bulldog Run, Rolla, MO 65401.

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

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

2 Opinion

Misc. Adventures took first outing b y

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As the school year picks up speed, clubs are advancing in full force. With academic, to economic and leadership clubs, the Adventure Club expands the diversity by involving all sorts of outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, kayaking, and rock climbing. Teacher, Samantha Kaysinger, elaborates.

“This is the formative year, so there’s a lot of trial and error at first. Our intention is to set up once a month meetings to let students know a particular theme like what would you need to pack for a day hike, or what is a good idea for nutrition or outdoor ethics. Then, a couple weeks after our meeting, we have an outing in which we either go hiking or we go fishing or kayaking or ropes courses,” said Kaysinger.

Adventure Club not only provides a way of exercise, but it can help people connect more with the environment around them.

“We hope to achieve an appreciation for the outdoors. With students, we’ve seen this profound disconnect in recent years.

People would rather be behind a screen or tending to live a more sedentary lifestyle and we’re so fortunate, there are so many places in even our local area in Missouri and in the U.S. that are just open for exploration and activities. I grew up near a river, but it wasn’t until I was in college, that kayaking and ropes courses they became a reality. [We’re] really hoping that in some way this will open up new avenues for students and open up a bigger picture realization that there’s more to do around here than…’there’s nothing to do in Rolla’, and we want to show students that there indeed is,” Kaysinger said.

While the club is mainly structured around the outdoors, the club accommodates student schedules.

“I would say even if you have a moder-

ate level of interest, to just try it. One of the best aspects of this club is that we recognize that people have busy schedules inside and outside of schools, so this is not something meant to be cumbersome... and you don’t have to do every adventure every month. So if you’re not particularly fond of fishing, maybe you don’t want to partake that month, but you still want to be involved in some of the other events. So I would say definitely give it a shot and see what you think. Come prepared to have an open mind and to hopefully learn some things that maybe you haven’t thought of before in regards to outdoor adventures,” Kaysinger said.

Not only is it a great way to learn more about and experience outdoor adventures, but all it requires is a person willing to try it out.

“Another thing about this club, you don’t have to have anything special. You don’t have to have any special equipment other than your dues and t-shirts. I mean just show up and you can do it. That’s the wonderful thing about outdoors is it doesn’t require anything of you, a little bit of common sense and knowledge and preparation, but nothing special. My family, we’re all like hunter, fisher, on the river, outdoors...I kind of grew up that way, but I was more of the athletic and academic type. That was my focus, and I hated worms. I hated bating my hook. I refused to, and my dad got on to me once, and so that was like ‘Nope, I’m done,’ and when I was 16, to impress a boy, I picked up a fishing pole, and it wasn’t even bated, and I was just playing with it and I got a ticket for fishing without a license. And so I still didn’t fish, but when I met my husband, we have a pond and I just picked it up and I love it, I enjoy it and I don’t mind getting dirty,” Kaysinger said.

Furthermore for those interested or have never heard of this club, it is definitely worth a shot.

RTI/C offers career options for students b y

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Going to a four year college is not for everyone. For many graduating seniors, the pressure of planning out the next four years can be overwhelming, maybe even unappealing. Some students also plan on going directly into the workforce and skipping higher education all together. But there is another option; Career Technical Education institutions (CTE), two of which are located here in Rolla, the Rolla Technical Institute and Rolla Technical Center.

“The RTI and RTC are our local CTE schools, and we offer many courses to prepare students for their careers. It’s an institution for students not typically wanting to spend four or more years in school, they really desire faster schooling.” RTI counselor, Janelle Duncan, said.

Most of the classes offered at the RTI and RTC average between one to two years of schooling, and after graduating the student is able to go directly into a career.

But not all stop learning after RTI; many of the RTI’s graduates are college bound

after completing their courses.

“At a public college or university, you’re looking at somewhere around $17,000 tuition versus our average tuition, which is about $7,000 to $12,000. This is because we don’t have any rooming or boarding, and accept A+ financial aid, as opposed to most four year colleges,” Duncan said.

Aside from cost in general, the RTI and RTC provide many other perks for students. Many of their programs offer certification after graduation, eliminating the need for college entirely, and guaranteeing higher salaries than those who choose no higher education.

“As with anything, motivation is key, and it’s only limited to the student. No matter where you end up though- college, or the RTI, or the workforce- you’ll need to be a lifelong learner. Things are changing all the time, and whether you’re a student or employee, you need to learn how to keep up with everything,” Duncan said.

Our local CTE schools are nothing to overlook. Visit your counselor to find out if the RTI or RTC are right for you.

Photo courtesy of rollaecondev.org

3 News

Fall Activities

Celebration of Nations 2018 b y

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Tomorrow, September 29th, downtown Rolla will be transformed into a vivid display of food, dance, music, and international culture. Starting at 11:00 am, the Celebration of Nations will give thousands of people the opportunity to share perspectives and celebrate Rolla’s cultural diversity.

Richie Myers, MS&T’s program director for international affairs, planned this year’s event alongside help other coordinators and support from the community.

“Celebration of Nations is a parade and a festival started in 2010 with an idea, and then a small committee was formed and they came up with the theme ‘One campus, one community, one world.’ So on this day the campus and the community comes together and we celebrate the uniqueness of a lot of different cultures,” Myers said.

The Celebration of Nations has become a highly cherished event for the Rolla area. It `involves the entire community, from international students to lifelong residents. An expected 4,000 people will attend, starting with those marching in the parade.

“The parade has averaged in the last couple of years over 80 countries represented and for a small city our size, like Rolla is, that’s pretty neat that we have that many countries,” Myers said.

The parade will begin on campus and then travel through downtown, ending at the packed full Downtown Bandshell for the rest of the day’s events. There will be live music, endless amounts of foreign cousine, over 50 booths of community groups and international displays, and last but not least is the Celebrate Talent Competition showcasing performances from various cultures all around the globe.

“It really brings a whole lot of people together for the day and then at 4:00 it’s over and time to clean up the mess and

start again for the next year,” Myers said.

Myers’ work with MS&T’s international community has led to benefits extending far beyond the Celebration of Nations.

Missouri University of Science and Technology has an approximate enrollment of 8,884 students, including about 1,036 international students from more than 55 countries. These students enrich the campus and community and bring in new perspectives across cultures.

“They’re so proud of their cultures and they feel very safe in Rolla and so they really like the interaction. They love to have the interaction between community and their country,” Myers said.

International student groups at MS&T participant in numerous community outreach programs including sharing their experiences at schools, veterans homes, and senior citizen homes. These programs aim to aid in relationships across cultural divides. One such program will be taking place right after the Celebration of Nations.

“There’s an International Friends program that we do after the celebration of Nations… community members fill out a really simple form and our international students fill out a form. We put the two together and then we encourage you to go do simple things like go to a movie or go to a sporting event. It can be as simple or as intense as you want it to be… I’ve seen some really really beautiful friendships developed through that program,” Myers said.

Through programs such as these and the work of many dedicated students and community members, the Rolla community has broadened its horizons and has fostered a growing appreciation for cultural diversity.

“It creates acceptance and develops relationships and curiosity. And who doesn’t like travel and who doesn’t like food?”

Myers said.

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As everyone’s favorite season comes around, leaves change colors and fall to the ground. The weather is slowly getting colder as people get into the fall mood. There are many fun activities to be done in the fall time.

Many people go to Pete’s Pumpkin Patch to create memories with friends and family. At Pete’s Pumpkin Patch, you can go on hayrides, get lost in corn mazes, or find your perfect pumpkin to carve.

You can sit in front of the crackling fire and watch corny seasonal Hallmark movies under a cozy blanket.

Photo courtesy of visitrolla.com

4 Feature

Or on a cold night, you can warm up in front of the bonfire with your friends or family and make s’mores. You can make fall treats to give to friends such as Rice Krispie Treats and caramel apples.

Enjoying warm drinks in the fall can help warm you up. Some of these drinks include hot apple cider or pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks.

On Friday night football games, students can show school spirit and cheer for Rolla in the stands.

As trees come alive with fall colors, take a drive down the road and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Be sure to take part in fall festivities before winter comes around!

Tri-Rivers Family Planning continues to offer healthcare despite threats to Title X

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The Tri-Rivers Family Planning building is wedged between the bowling alley and Maid-Rite, and easy to miss without the billboard advocating birth control and family planning. The non-profit healthcare provider specializes in reproductive healthcare such as pregnancy tests, birth control, STD testing, pap smears, etc.

Recently they began offering PREP, Pre Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV, which is a drug taken daily that greatly reduces the risk of getting HIV if someone is exposed to it. They offer noninvasive testing and treatment to people of all ages and genders at affordable prices.

The Director of Operations Lisa Ecsi Davis, a bubbly woman with purple hair,

laughs and waves her hands, describing how they are different than other healthcare providers in the area.

“We are a place that offers medical facts.

You will not get our personal opinion or a directed agenda about what you should or shouldn’t be doing in your current situation. There are places where the information that they are giving you is not necessarily honest and they definitely have an agenda for you,” Davis said.

Davis assures that they are welcoming to everyone, and advertises that they are a safe space. They also are completely confidential, even if a patient is under 18, though they are still mandatory reporters.

“People can come to us for healthcare knowing what happens here stays confidential. We only release information from people’s medical records if we have that person’s written consent. That applies if you are 15 or 37,” Davis said.

Because their care revolves around women’s and reproductive health, they have been referred to by other providers that are not comfortable with giving birth control to teenagers. Davis assures that they give impartial and unbiased treatment every time.

“It is hard enough to come into a place and talk to a complete stranger about your sexual health, especially if there is something wrong and you feel embarrassed.

Then if the person listening to you is not warm, welcoming and accepting, that is awful,” Davis said.

The chances of returning for treatment to a place that was not friendly are slim, even

if someone needs the care. Davis laughs and taps the table, explaining the importance of open minded care.

“We will welcome you here with open arms whether it is your first Chlamydia treatment or your 27th. We are here to care for you, not judge you. Of course we are going to do more education every time but we don’t know what is going on in that person’s life and maybe just getting treated after the fact is the best they can do right now,” Davis said.

Along with their stance on caring for patients, they are a non profit and work to fundraise and also lobby for their beliefs.

“We advocate for our funding and policies that improve access to birth control.

We also advocate for policies that improve medically accurate sex education, which is not required in Missouri. You are not required to have sex education in Missouri in a school, and if you choose to, then it doesn’t have to be medically accurate. It can be abstinence only,” Davis said.

Although they are slightly unconventional, they are still a healthcare provider and offer treatment from nurses and doctors.

“Our medical director is Dr. Felts, he is a family physician here in town. He comes in two or three times a month to do care that our nurse practitioners are not protocolled for. Our nurses work under Dr. Felts with written protocols called collaborative practice agreements,” Davis said.

Most work is done by nurse practitioners and other trained medical assistants, but that does not mean that care costs as much as the professionals working there. Their

fees are based on a sliding scale, so people pay what they can afford if they do not have insurance.

“If someone doesn’t have income, we don’t want that to be a barrier to getting good healthcare,” Davis said.

Because they are a non profit organization and also are able to provide these affordable treatments, Tri-Rivers Family Planning receives federal funding that fuels about 60 percent of what they do.

Recently, however, there have been threats to cut the Title 10 funding that they and places like them, such as Planned Parenthood, receive.

“Our biggest goal in light of the threats to Title 10 is to stay open and serving the people in the community. The situation is very troubling right now with our federal funding. Our mission is to provide the services and education and the support that people need to make informed choices about their reproductive healthcare,” Davis said.

These threats have been a main concern and topic of their fundraising and political efforts currently, but they still offer their services on top of their other priorities.

Davis encourages anyone to contact them with questions.

“If anyone for any reason needs information or services about their sexual health, call us. We are here to help. We have been doing this for over 45 years. This is our wheelhouse, this is what we do so let us be of help,” Davis said.

Nationwide, fewer teens opt for marriage after high school graduation b y

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For many, the perfect wedding began as a cliché childhood fantasy and has since been imagined and reimagined, transformed by personal experience. Lots of young girls dream of one day being traditional 20-something brides in white satin, but nearly equally as common are those who have less conventional ideas.

From a statistical standpoint, the median age of marriage for women has increased from 19 in the 1950s to approximately 26 in 2010. However, that is not to say these statistics are widely accepted. In fact, interpretation of the “numbers”--which are impossible to accurately measure in the first place--adds a layer of complexity in analyzing the disputed trend.

The New York Times has referred to

the concept of teen marriage as a “fading attraction.” On the contrary, the headline of a 2002 CBS article reads “Teenage Marriage on the Rise,” while some sources argue that rates have been on a steady decline with little fluctuation since the 1950s.

Several sociologists conclude the decrease simply reflects statistics that show marriage itself has been on the decline in recent years.

Numbers and studies aside, the topic as a human interest story is almost begging to be written.

2018 Rolla High School graduate, Ashlyn Miller, became Ashlyn Saladino after marrying her husband, Chris Saladino, in July of last year.

“We got engaged in February of our senior year. I knew he was going to propose, but I felt happy and excited for the future when he finally did,” Ashlyn Saladino said.

Nonetheless, there were obstacles that

came along with beginning a lifelong commitment at such a young and vulnerable age.

“Some people were supportive and others not so much. It just depended on the person and how close they were to us,” Ashlyn Saladino said.

Chris and Ashlyn Saladino opted for a medium-sized, classic wedding, including their closest friends and family.

“The wedding itself was at a close friend’s farm house. There were probably about 70 or 80 people there,” Ashlyn Saladino said.

When comparing her childhood fantasies to the way reality measured up, she couldn’t help but grin.

“I always dreamed of being like Cinderella and finding my Prince Charming. I think I did,” Ashlyn Saldino said.

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Saladino

Ms. Mullen’s world travels and more b y

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Emily Mullen, French teacher, is beginning her second year of teaching at Rolla High School. Before she came to teach at Rolla, Mullen was teaching in Lebanon.

Her family lives in Steelville, so teaching at Rolla just made sense for her. Mullen, along with her five pets are very comfortable here.

“I have two dogs, Merle and Milky Way. They are brother and sister Australian Shepherds, and, until recently, I had two cats, but now I have three. Two of the cats are sisters; their names are Sadie and Claire. They are gray Russian Blue cats that I rescued my first year of teaching.

Before school, I went to Table Rock Lake and a little tiny black and white kitten came into our campsite. I brought it home hoping to find a different home for it, but I have not. As of now, she lives with me and her name is tentatively Simone,” Mullen

said.

Mullen has been out of the country several times. England, France, Germany, and Italy are some of the countries she has visited. In college, Mullen went on a service trip to Mexico.

“It was a campus organization that I was involved in and I joined just for my resume, but it turned out to be very beneficial to me personally. We did some work painting benches for a public park.

There was a family that hosted us.

They had a giant inground swimming pool. We got to swim in the pool every night and hang out with each other. We went to a daycamp for kids, but we didn’t interact that much with the kids because we didn’t know Spanish. I wish I would have been able to communicate with them more. We painted a lot of benches, but we painted them

Photo courtesy of Emily Mullen

inside a building. So I’m pretty sure we all lost some brain cells during that process,” Mullen said.

This trip was very inspiring for Mullen.

“The trip was really humbling. If anybody ever goes on a service trip, they know that kind of feeling of how much we have and how little it takes to make someone happy when they truly have nothing. It was the least we could do,” Mullen said.

While Mullen dresses in skirts and blouses most days, her home life is quite different.

“I live on a working cattle ranch on a farm. At school I feel like my persona is very different than the way that I grew up and the way I live my personal life. It is possible to be a whole wide variety of different things. We don’t have to just be in one little box. You can be whatever you want to be. You can even be a French teacher that has cows if you want,” Mullen said.

5 Feature

Artist month Imagine this, the lead actor is up on stage, playing the role he has always wanted.

Along with his fellow cast members, they are belting out the main melody of the musical, as the crowd delivers claps and cheers. As they release the last note of the tune, the crowd stands with uproar and the cast receives a standing ovation, a feeling that they will never ever lose.

This is a feeling that Junior Riley Stevenson knows very well. Stevenson has a love for drama that no one else has, an appreciation that he takes to heart.

“Well, I accidentally signed up for eighth grade drama class, and I thought it was pretty cool. So I just stuck with it,” Stevenson said.

Clearly that love of being on stage grew to be something bigger for Stevenson.

“I think the most fun part about being in plays is all the friends that I make and how you immerse yourself and interact backstage as friends, and as different characters,” said Stevenson.

Stevenson describes the audition process amazing detail.

“You will get a picked out monologue a week before. You have to memorize it and see how you play that character. Normally, you watch the production and see what

A closer look at RHS play auditions

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you would change about it, in your own perspective. Then, you make some tweaks and get your role. You do a bit of background work on who they would be and how you want to play them,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson has his own twist on how he prepares for a role.

“I do a lot of research on what kind of person they would be. For Big Jule I did research on people like Al Capone,and other gangsters. Then, I also put my own twist on them as well,” Stevenson said.

Along with all of the memories that he associates with drama, Stevenson also gave some insight on how to join the program, if anyone is interested.

“Normally, people join by seeing the production and you know their interest gets peaked in the work backstage for a production.They see that it’s not as hard as it seems. They just fall in love with it,” Stevenson said The drama department has lots to offer for the student body. Last memories, amazing friends, and more. Catch an RHS drama department production for a great show!

“The most fun part about being in plays is all the friends I make and how I immerse myself and interact backstage as a friend, and as different characters,” Stevenson said.

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“The Good Doctor” is a new play that the high school is putting on. With upcoming auditions taking place, a lot of people are getting excited for what the drama department has to offer. Behind the scenes, a lot of students are working hard to get the part in the play that they want.

Senior Alorah Jones has been apart of plays since she was in elementary school.

She enjoys acting and working with other classmates to perform for an audience.

Jones currently is putting in time to earn a lead role in the new play. She studies her slides, or script, to prepare for her audition.

“I'm not really sure [what part I want]. I know there are a lot of different characters so I am going to go to my audition this time and do my best with the sides that I've been given,” Jones said.

Drama teacher Mrs. McNeven is very supportive of her actors. She has been the head of the drama department for many years and has grown fond of her students.

“I know Mrs. McNeven will put me where I fit best. I think she does a really good job of putting us where we play to our strengths the best,” Jones said.

To audition for the play, a script, or “sides”, are given out to those who want to audition for a part. Some of the sides are more directed towards a lead role, while others are for smaller parts. For Jones, she enjoys being on stage, so she works hard to get a lead part.

“I enjoy being on stage so I enjoy having those bigger parts. There are a lot of parts that are important, I would be just as satisfied with a smaller role if that's what I got,” Jones said.

Jones reports that a method that works best for her is to use blocking. “[blocking] it's kind of like having cues where on certain words you can remember where you are supposed to be in the script,” Jones said.

She also advises future actors to add tons of emotion to their slide when practicing it.

“You have to practice like you are performing everytime, or else when you audition it will not be the same,” Jones said Just like a sports team or activity, these actors take a ton of time outside of school to rehearse. Not only do they practice together during the week, it is also important to practice by yourself. All this time spent during and after school, plus a ton of time on the weekends can but a ton of stress on the body. Those nerves can build up and really take a toll on the actor or actress.

“I don't really get nervous until I right before I perform. The stressful part is when you start to get the jitters. Then once I'm on stage I'm good to go,” Jones said.

Besides Jones, there are a lot of people that are involved with auditions and the play.

“I mean we're all there to do the same thing. Some people are built better for certain parts than other people are. There's no hostility when it comes to giving somebody a role over another person. Just like with sports teams, you get like certain people who have different skill levels. You have to like understand and look at it from a director's point of view instead of with your own emotions,” Jones said.

A lot of people look at the drama and stereotype the actors, but in reality, they simply are not true.

“A misconception that a lot of people have is that we're all weird. In reality, other people just don't know that we get out of our comfort zone a little bit easier than others,” Jones said.

Jones has some helpful advice she would like to give to anyone willing or wanting to audition.

“Don’t knock it till you try it. I definitely know that there are people in this school that would really like to audition for shows whether they have conflicts or not, but they may be afraid to. They may be worried about what other people will think of them. You may absolutely love it or you may absolutely hate it, but you never know until you do it. Our theater department our drama kids are very welcoming.

We don't judge anybody for anything.

We're a family,” Jones said.

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Golf on the green b y

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Staff Writer When people think of golfing, they probably think of something along the lines of hitting a plastic ball with a metal rod, and screaming, “Par!” or “Bogie!” after it lands. Well, golf is much more than just an exclamation. Considered by The World Atlas as the tenth most popular sport in the world, golf is a competitive game in which one or multiple metal clubs are used to knock a golf ball into a hole. The objective of the game is to have as little hits, or strokes, as possible.

Most people think that this is easy, and that anyone can pick up a club, swing it, and hit the ball into a hole. It is actually much more difficult than it first appears, and the golfers who put their time and effort into gold will say that constant practice is the only way to refine one’s golf skill.

Marliere Toothaker, member of the Rolla High School Golf team, has a lot to say about her high school golf career.

“The season is actually going really good.

We’ve only had one tournament that hasn’t been rained out. That one we played

in we got third out of everywhere, and we shot a three fifty three as a team, which has never happened before, that’s the lowest ever,” Toothaker said.

Despite this obvious success, some people still have misconceptions about the Rolla team.

“A lot of people think that the bus that we use… we shouldn’t be using it. I think that’s funny because we have all this equipment, and they’re like ‘there’s just six people on the team, you guys don’t need a whole bus!’ but it’s packed with stuff, and I think that’s funny because if they saw it, they would think ‘Oh wow, you definitely need this bus!’” Toothaker said.

Golf, just like any other sport, does take commitment to master.

“Our practices for school are from three thirty to five thirty, but to really keep your swing down and play the best you can, you have to go out for at least thirty minutes everyday and hit a bucket.”

While not the most popular sport, golf is still enjoyed by so many people. While many concepts of the sport are still unknown to the general populace, it is still just as fun to watch as and basketball or football game, and just like any activity, you get better the more you practice and play.

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The boys soccer team has had a lot of success over the years. Winning 15 districts championships in 27 years, they have a proven and accomplished program.

Josiah Homan, a junior, is proud to be apart of his team. Homan is not new to the game, just new to the varsity goalkeeper position. Following Drew Blair who was 2nd team all-state for his junior and senior year, as well as all district, all conference, and all region, Homan feels some pressure, but he knows he can count on his team to support him.

“[I feel] a little bit of pressure.

Sometimes It feels like the game is riding on you. Some field players can make mistakes and they can be accounted for.

But when you are in goal, and you made a mistake, it’s a lot more pressure,” Homan said.

Homan played on the junior varsity team last year and learned quite a lot. Blair was able to pass on what he had learned onto Homan, and that gave him a lot of confidence.

“I learned from one of the best goalies that Rolla has ever had. He was an amazing person to look up to for advice and he was a very good mentor, I was lucky to have learned from him,” Homan said.

So far, the boys are 4-1 in the season. Homan is looking forward to this season, playing with his teammates he has known since junior high.

“I look forward to playing with my best friends, they are a great group of kids. Hopefully i can learn from last year,” Homan said.

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Photo courtesy ofTim Leible

Homan has been playing since the 2nd grade, but it wasn’t in his plan to be keeper until he was older.

“I‘ve played soccer almost all my life.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a striker.

But being tall and slow really gave me only one option,” Homan said.

Homan has had a lot of people shape him into being the soccer player he is.

“Coach Hauck helps with me during practice. He stepped in as the intern goalkeeper coach. He does a good job at preparing me for the season,” Homan said.

RHS students excited for NFL season b y

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With fall now upon us, another NFL season is here. Last season was filled with exciting moments and heartbreak, ending with the Philadelphia Eagles beating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII in their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. New teams areon the rise and others are looking to solidify themselves it should be another interesting season.

One of the big factors in the NFL is how a team drafts. This past season the New Orleans Saints had arguably one of the best draft classes in the past decade, leading them to have both Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Senior Jaden Tate is excited for the young stars on his team to have an even bigger season.

“Having the offensive and defensive rookies of the year, there’s no doubt they won’t show out this season. Especially after having a great rookie season,” Tate said.

One of the biggest stars in the NFL is all-time great Tom Brady. For the past 18 years he has dominated the league and has cemented himself as the greatest of all time. However, turning 41 this year, he will sooner or later retire and the Patriots will have to find someone to takeover the reins. Senior Treveon Luster has been an avid Patriotss fan for all of his life, and has some ideas for a future Quarterback.

“At the moment, I’m not that sure. Patri-

ots tend to draft very weird at times. If I had to choose somebody, I have two quarterbacks in mind. The first one would be Ryan Finley from NC State. Very smart on the field and protects the ball. The second would be Jake Fromm from Georgia. I feel like people sleep on him and I’d love his energy in a Patriots uniform,” Luster said.

Towards the end of a star quarterback’s career their time to win a Super Bowl is coming to an end. Teams tend to go “all in” on a season in hopes to win one before the pieces of the team fall apart. Legendary Quarterback Drew Brees is 39 and his time in the league is coming to and end, but Tate believes the Saints can win another ring.

“I believe Drew Brees still has something left in the tank and something to prove, Other teams need to watch out because the Saints are going to dominate this season,” said Tate.

Another aging quarterback is Tom Brady.

As previously mentioned he is past his prime but he has been known to say he wants to play until 45. Luster believes Tom can still be elite even at this age.

“I honestly feel if Tom takes care of himself and the offensive line can protect him, he will continue to play at that elite level. Of course having a 41 year old at Quarterback is never good, but he looks better than he did when he was younger,” Luster said.

Faculty, students look forward to college football season

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With fall now here, comes another year of College football. Last year was quite the thriller ending with two SEC juggernauts in the National Championship game. With powerhouse programs trying to have another year of dominance to up-and-coming teams looking for a solid season this football season should be an interesting one.

Last year’s national championship team, the Alabama Crimson Tide are expected to continue their past decade of success.

However after losing many key pieces of last year’s team to the NFL the Crimson Tide might be in trouble. Senior RJ Alfred believes his team will have another successful season.

“Regardless of losing all their players Alabama will still be dominant overall. Their offense is lethal and defense is a force to be reckoned with. I would have to say their wide receiver corp is by far the most impressive to me though,” A lfred said.

One of the most exciting parts of the college football season is when two rivals play against each other. One of the most heated rivalries in college football is between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes, their rivalry is commonly referred to as “The Game” has been a long standing rivalry starting in 1897. Rolla Junior High teacher Jessica Garrett believes that Michigan will snap Ohio State’s winning streak against them this season.

“Ohio State does have the home-field advantage this year, and anybody who’s ever watched The Game knows, it matters.

However, they are a young offense, and could struggle against a solid Michigan defense. Likewise, if Michigan can’t get their

offensive line to step up, a ‘W’ won’t be in their future any time soon,” Garrett said.

However, one of the more sad parts of college football is when college athletes graduate and/or head into the NFL. This past season, long time Ohio State Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barret graduated and new redshirt sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins is the man at Ohio State. Special Ed Teacher Brian Owens has been a long time Buckeye fan.

“Barrett was awesome to watch the last several years, but he is leaving the Buckeyes in good hands. Haskins has earned the right as the starting QB, I am just hoping that the coaching staff finds way to play Tate to keep the guy at OSU. Haskins being a Redshirt soph has two years left after this season if he follows Barrett’s lead and stays in school. Tate will have to wait and see if he will get a chance to be the starter before his senior year,” Owens said.

There are some moments when a quarterback leaving is a good thing. Last season the Michigan Wolverines quarterback John O’Korn was one of the worst in their conference with many fans wanting him to be benched. However, he is now graduated and young star Shea Patterson is projected to be a stud this season. Science teacher Jessica Garrett is excited to see him play this season.

“John O’Korn’s absence as last year’s backup quarterback will not be missed by the Michigan team or fan base. His completion rate was not great to put it nicely.

However, with Wilton Speight transferring to University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) also with a low completion rate, Shea Patterson is a welcome breath of fresh air to the Michigan offense.

Modern slang is changing language, not destroying it b y

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Copy Editor Slang is often thought of as another example of this generation’s failings, in which we young kids have let down the sanctity of proper speech for words like ‘lit’ and ‘finna’. But I believe that slang, both in person and online is an example of how language evolves, and for us it is often easier and more concise, no matter how ridiculous it sounds.

But thankfully, I am not the only person who feels this way. Dr. Sarah Hercula, an assistant professor at MS&T with a Ph.D. in English studies, feels similarly when it comes to how slang is looked down upon.

Though it is considered less formal, slang does have its uses.

“Slang is particularly words, so we’re not talking about grammar or pronunciation, necessarily, we’re talking about specific words that end up being a part of people’s everyday use,” Hercula said.

Hercula does note a gray area how slang is used today, as it is no longer specific to

spoken language as we use it online too.

“Internet language is fascinating in that it sits at the border between spoken language and written. The idea is that you’re typing, but you’re in a group where you’re just having a conversation. You’re writing, so it’s written language but actually it’s going to resemble, in a lot of ways, spoken language. So it rides that border between spoken and written language. Which makes it fascinating, makes it really perfect in that it’s changing the language rapidly. I think that our conception of slang is probably changing to be not just something that’s spoken but into something that’s used in speech-like context,” Hercula said.

Slang is often created within social groups based on a number of different things, including different interests, geographical area, and age. Californian slang differs from Missourian slang, and different age groups and generations develop their own slang. Social class also often affects our speech. Hercula detailed one famous and telling study based around high school students. “[There were] different status levels that those groups have, where some were looked up to and some were looked down to. The researchers studied the usage of

slang among those different groups. They differed a little bit, and they also differed in the number of terms that the students used, particularly when it comes to what we call ‘taboo’ words - swear words, profanity, those kinds of things- with the lower status groups often using more, and more frequently, and the higher status groups using less. Particularly depending on the gender when people were speaking with one another. The research found that male students tended to use the slang words and the taboo words more than the females,” Hercula said.

Slang is often thought of as a low-class way of speaking, but not many people know that it is often more purposeful than it first appears. For example, functional shifts, or when an existing word takes on a new syntactic function, are used quite a lot now, but many do not recognize that it is considered slang too.

“Instead of saying ‘I’m on Facebook’, ‘I’m Facebooking’. Or instead of saying ‘I’m sending an e-mail’, ‘I’m emailing’. That’s a good example of a term that was once considered slang and kind of used only in these high status groups and now, as the technology has spread, we see that as just a general part of everyday language. So we

can see trends like nouns becoming verbs, that particular conversion, is becoming more and more productive for language. It can show trends and languages changing, it can show a lot about the culture and the identity of groups,” Hercula said.

Slang clearly has a lot more purpose than it appears when fully considered. When it comes down to how and why it is used, it becomes clear that using slang is not a negative thing unless society makes it so.

“It just has to do with the social perceptions in the world around those groups of words. Really, slang is not bad, at all.

Some slang ends up becoming perfectly standard in the language. The word cool, for example, to describe something that’s good or exciting or interesting. That word ‘was once slang the way ‘lit’ is now, really seen as improper usage. But now I could use the word cool’ in a meeting with my boss, and there would be no question about it. Some words do stand the test of time, and what was once considered such a horrible thing to say, then when you use it 50 years later it doesn’t sound like anything. Slang in and of itself is not bad, it’s just about the social perceptions,” Hercula said.

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Climate change affecting Earth, how we can help b y

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Factually, everybody knows that the climate changes. With dinosaurs once walking the Earth to the Ice Age, climate changes are inevitable. Many are aware of the effects that speed up this change, but not much concern is found for preventing some of the downsides that not only affect the climate negatively, but the health and atmosphere of Earth in general. Science teacher, Angie Anderson, describes the chemical and weather change related to pollution.

“Anytime you have a lot of trash built up, as it’s decomposing, it’s giving off methane, and so the more methane it gives off, the more methane gets trapped in the atmosphere and then the hotter it’s going to get. It’s such a doomsday kind of thinking, but if we would do little things like recycle and keep as much trash out of landfills as we could, that’s going to help a lot. We could even somehow harness that methane that’s being given off and burn it for energy. Some places are doing that, but not nearly enough. I think if more people were educated on this topic, then they would definitely be more in favor of doing things like that,” Anderson said.

Pollution can come in many varied forms, but one that can often slip one’s

mind are phones.

“You plug them into a wall. That wall is connected to some power plant somewhere or electric co-op and then that power is typically generated here in Missouri using coal,” Anderson said.

It is mind boggling to think of the amount of pollution that can be caused from things that seem so harmless. However, with the help of research, efforts have been made to address the situation.

“Solar energy is one of the most economically friendly forms of alternative energy.

It’s pretty efficient. The costs have come down a bit in the past 20 years. We have a really good set up here in Rolla, where we have several banks that have solar panels on their drive thru’s, so they’re collecting energy all the time and using it. We have a huge solar farm out by the industrial park.

I think this school building would be a great place to put a lot of solar panels. We haven’t done that yet, I think it is a cost issue, but if it wasn’t an issue we would definitely do it. We would earn our money back because if you have any kind of alternative energy on your home or business, you can connect it to the grid and when you’re not actually using it, you can sell it back to the electric company and it kind of offsets how much you paid for it and how much you actually use it,” Anderson said.

Not only does solar energy help the environment, but according to the United

States Green Building Council, solar energy reduces energy bills, can earn an owner tax credits, and reduce dependence on harmful gases produced from fossil fuels and coal. However, science teacher, Chelsea Millis, believes it will be hard to apply solar energy to one’s everyday life.

“Tesla offers solar panels, and I don’t know how much they are, but their cars are 80,000 dollars. So thinking about that is just wild. It’s expensive, I think it’s kind of hard to implement and they are already doing something that works and is cost efficient. Big companies and corporations aren’t going to switch over easy and they might be the ones putting out the propaganda that climate change isn’t real,” Millis said.

While there are resources to execute alternative energy, as people nowadays, it is easier to stick with the methods of today and procrastinate until it is necessary to take action. Not only are temperatures rising, but as pointed out by The Climate Reality Project, there are more heatwaves, increase of lyme disease, and decrease in air quality. This type of pollution can not be done on its own. Now this example is a bit extreme, but little things always help.

“Please recycle. I recycle normal batteries. I take them to the recycling center, and they actually drain them out and take apart the resources and reuse them elsewhere. I have a container in my room for

insufficiency was associated with poorer mathematics scores, grade repetition, absenteeism, tardiness, visits to a psychologist, anxiety, aggression, psychosocial dysfunction, and difficulty getting along with other children.”

By gaining access to basic needs, disadvantaged students are able to navigate their youth with less worries and are elevated to a more equal playing field amongst their peers. This was the original intention of the program’s founder and executive director, Faith Barnes.

“It’s helped with grades, attendance, and so many other indescribable ways. It’s helped our health. When we have healthy children they grow up to be healthy adults.

they donate what they have excess of,” Barnes said.

The benefits of the program would not have been possible without generous support from the community and assistance from volunteers. Almost 50 volunteers regularly contribute to the production and distribution of the bags and approximately 75 percent of the money raised is donated from local people and businesses.

“We have just so many volunteers who help this program and I couldn’t do it without the volunteers because no one gets paid. The money goes not to someone’s salary, it’s money to buy food for these children,” said Barnes.

Barnes and her fellow volunteers are always receptive to extra help and will gladly welcome new volunteers to the program at anytime.

“We have no age restrictions, so we could have high schoolers come volunteer, and like I said we do hygiene and school supplies. They could do little fundraisers or drives to get products and stuff for programs. We do Wednesdays at 3:45 at Wyman, and then we do Thursdays at 5:30 at 603 Pine Street, so great opportunities for students to actually serve,” Barnes said One high school junior, Laney Drabczyk, has taken this opportunity to serve her community.

“I started going about two years ago because my mom went and she brought me with her. I really like going now because it’s kind of fun and I like to compete against my mom to fill more bags than her. If you volunteer it really helps to make a difference and it doesn’t even take very much time out of your day,” Drabczyk said.

By spending time volunteering, students gain valuable experiences that lead to a new perspective when it comes to those in need. Without these experiences, it easy to become unaware of the struggles of others and find complacency in a place of privilege.

“It’s just being kind… we never know what people are going through, so it’s just being kind and giving people grace and a little bit of mercy because we don’t know what their home life is like,” Barnes said.

dead batteries. So if people have dead batteries or just normal everyday batteries...I don’t want car batteries, I don’t want boat batteries, just normal double A, triple A batteries. Those kind of batteries I will gladly take to the recycling center,” Anderson said.

Although Earth will always be changing in ways that are good and bad, Millis believes climate change will be taken care of.

“We can make it less of a problem to humans because I don’t think Earth cares.

The Earth doesn’t care if we heat the ocean and then that causes more heat to be absorbed because the Earth can change and that’s not going to matter. What does matter is the life on Earth and how that’ll be impacted by all the stuff we’ve caused” Millis said.

Anderson agrees with this statement.

“We as humans have impacted the Earth a lot so far. I think that we can do such great things as a human race. I think that we’re completely capable of helping to slow down this issue, even though this is a natural issue. We won’t have to change our lifestyles or our current thinking just to deal with climate change. So I think if we could do little things like recycle, or change to alternate forms of energy, that’s definitely going to have a big impact,” Anderson said.

Band Backpack program aids children in need prepares to take on first competition b y

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According to the Oxford Academic, 11 percent of households are affected by food insecurity and an even larger 16 percent of households with children are affected. This pervasive issue has a profound effect on children and their education.

Fortunately, the Rolla community has come together to solve this problem and ensure that every child has access to healthy food at home. Now in its twelfth year, the after school backpack program sends a bag full of food and other necessities home with children from struggling families each Friday. Rodger Bridgeman, a Rolla High School counselor, has witnessed firsthand the benefits of this program.

“I think it’s a very powerful program and I think Mrs. Barnes has done a wonderful job getting it going and started and she has a great passion for it,” Bridgeman said.

As counselor, Bridgeman has seen how detrimental hunger can be on a child’s education. The school system tries to support families through free and reduced lunch and breakfast programs, but these only provide for students while they are at school.

“We want to make sure that our kiddos across the district have food on the weekends when they’re not at school.

It’s for students that need a little bit of assistance over a break or a weekend.

It has some nourishment food in there, things that will sustain the kids over the weekend for people that are in need or are low income sometimes,” Bridgeman said.

Each week, almost 450 children in the district are recipients of the backpack program, and 60 of which attend the high school. This means that around 450/total number of students (I’ll add percentage) of students would Photo courtesy of Faith Barnes not have had adequate access to food It’s also a mind-thing, when they’re healthy at home had this program not been put in in their mind they become healthy adults place. in their mind,” Barnes said.

“If your everyday needs are not getting The effects of this program have clearly met it affects your functions, it affects your gone far beyond a full stomach. It has not health, it affects mentally how you are, and it really is very very impactful on your body only improved students academic work, it has also exposed them to the goodwill of and can really affect you in a lot of different ways if you don’t have the nourishment others and has given them a sense of value that exceeds their societal class. you need,” Bridgeman said.

“It has given children hope, so that’s An inadequate access to food is one of always helpful because they grow up to be the leading causes of educational difficuladults who have had hope as a child. Some ties. According to the Oxford Academic, kids are also very giving, they go back and “Among 6 to 12 year old children, food

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Photo courtesy of the Rolla Bands Facebook page The halftime show at football games is always something to look forward to, but there is so much behind the scenes work that goes into it. Seven a.m. rehearsals, competitions, extra practices here and there definitely keep members busy.

This year’s theme for the show is called “Building an Empire”, based around the 1920s. There are lots of jazz scenes happening throughout, and one may even catch a hint of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” as well as influences of Al Capone, Babe Ruth, and Benny Goodman.

The halftime show is not all they put on though. They attend many marching festivals such as the Sullivan Marching Festival, Washington Marching Festival, and the St. Genevieve Marching Festival to perform and compete. They also participate in the St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas parade here in Rolla, and a few scattered contests.

Senior Ashley Barth, trombone section leader, is excited for this season.

“I’m probably the most excited about the bonds I’m going to make with my section until the end of the year. All the trombones are pretty close and we have eight new kids. I can’t wait to see how close we are by the end of the season”, Barth said.

The Rolla High School band is very dedicated, and are always excited to perform. It is agreed that putting the work into it may be rough at times, but the outcome is definitely worth it. Be sure to check out their halftime show along with the Rolla High School Color Guard at all the home football games!