September Issue - 2018-2019

TEACHER SPEAKER

SOCIAL JUSTICE TRIP

ELA Teacher Sharnez Givens spoke at a conference over the summer

The Game Changers took a Civil Rights tour of the South over the summer

NEWS, Page 3

SPOTLIGHT Page 6

FALL SPORTS CAPSULES

Check out information on all the Fall athletic teams

SPORTS, Page 8

THE PEPPER BOX RITENOUR HIGH SCHOOL

ISSUE 1, VOLUME 96

9100 ST. CHARLES ROCK ROAD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63114

SEPTEMBER 2018

Marching Band performs at Mizzou The Marching Band and Color Guard performed with the Mizzou band on Sept. 8

By TRYSTAN BELL Spotlight Editor

Ritenour High School’s marching band and color guard attended Marching Mizzou Band Day on September 8, 2018, and participated in the festivities there. It has been over 110 years that the event has been happening at the University of Missouri, and it is a tradition among the high school.

For some of Ritenour’s marching band members, this was their last year participating, including senior Hannah Grimes who said she had a good time overall.

“A good part about this year was it being a lot closer.

The whole band felt a lot closer this year, and I feel we had a better time overall. We got to take pictures, laugh a lot, and got closer to people I had not been as close to before,” Grimes said.

Grimes said that the event helps bring her to a higher level with her performance, even though she is not planning to continue marching band after high school.

“It is the closest thing to college marching band I will ever get to. I’m not doing marching band in college,” Grimes said. “The program definitely exposes me to a higher level of musicians.

They give you tips and advice, and guide you if you have questions about being a musician in college and I was able to talk to some of them about a music major. It’s nice to be able to surround yourself with people who care about music as much as I do.”

Incoming freshmen also got to experience this trip, including color guard member Caroline Slunaker.

“Marching Mizzou Day went really well. The routine was super easy, and the Mizzou color guard girls were super nice,” Slunaker said. “I also got to spend the day with all my friends.”

Slunaker said that the actual routine on the field turned out to be flawless thanks to all of the practice that the band and color guard had put in leading up to the event.

“Half-time was amazing.

When we practiced, it was a bit choppy and weird, but once we got on the field we

just all flowed together. It was awesome to get to work with everyone. I am definitely going to go next year because this year was super fun and I can’t wait to meet new girls and see the new routine and the new songs we get to perform,” Slunaker said.

Band Day at the University of Missouri campus is a long standing tradition, and many high schools across America come to practice and perform with the “Big ‘M’ of the Midwest” Mizzou band. Junior Brenden Stock participated in this long standing tradition with Mizzou’s marching band, “Overall I felt that this year’s Mizzou Day was really fun and exciting, and I felt that I was able to truly experience the college marching band experience.

This past year, in my opinion, was by far the most rewarding the most fun,” Stock said. “I most definitely plan on going next year, this past year was truly something and I’m really excited to experience it again. Next year will be very bittersweet with it being my last year, however, I plan on making it the best one yet.”

Photo By : Trystan Bell Above: The Color Guard waits to get onto the field to perform at halftime of the Mizzou game on September 8.

The Color Guard and Marching Band performed with other high school bands from Missouri, as well as the Mizzou Marching band.

Photo By : Trystan Bell

Left: Ritenour Marching Band students practice with students from around Missouri in preparation of performing at halftime of the Mizzou game. The wet conditions forced many Ritenour band members to wear parkas as they practiced in the lot next to the field before the game.

Jeff Marker makes his mark as principal

INDEX

By FAITH BOYD The Pepper Box Staff

NEWS.....................Front Page OPINION................Page 2 NEWS.....................Page 3 SPOTLIGHT............Page 4 SPOTLIGHT............Page 5 SPOTLIGHT............Page 6 SPORTS..................Page 7 SPORTS..................Page 8

Jeffrey Marker was named the new principal at Ritenour High School earlier this year, and since the beginning of the semester, he has worked on implementing new policies.

Check out Even though the semester information started in August, Marker was from this planning new ideas for the issue, as well school long before that. He as additional incorporates certain methods content from into his planning process that the Pepper Box other staff members have and KRHS on taken note of.

“Mr. Marker leads by ritenourlive.org example. Anything he expects of his students and his staff he also does himself. He values the voices of the students and staff of Ritenour High School and actively seeks out to hear from everyone,” Dropout Prevention specialist.

Tavonda Palmer said.

Marker had been an

administrator in Maryland, but after a move to St. Louis in 2016, he ended up as a science teacher at Ritenour.

He forged many positive relationships with the staff and students, and even though he has been gone for a year, many of the staff and students already knew the type of person they were getting as their principal.

“He’s organized with a big picture view, and always thinking about everyone.

We have some great working systems in this school, he will probably keep them and build on them. I’m excited that Mr. Marker has come back. I think he is a good addition to our staff here,” Bonner said.

Marker left for the Northwest R-I School district in the St. Louis area at the end of the 2016-2017 school year to work as Director of Administrative Services.

Since he has returned in his new role as principal, he has already implemented many new policies.

One of the new school rules that Marker has enacted involves student IDs. Students do not have to wear it, but they must have it on them to get lunch at school.

Otherwise, students have to wait in a longer, no-ID line.

Faculty members have noticed the positive impact this policy in particular has had on students’ prioritization of wearing their IDs. “The new ID policy and making sure you have it for lunch has made students much more responsible for having their ID,” Palmer said.

Another new policy that Marker has implemented is the rule that students are allowed to wear head

SEE MARKER - 3

Opinion

September 2018

Staff Editorial

PEPPER BOX STAFF Adviser: Ron Steinschriber Content Editor In Chief: Martin Trujillo Castillo Production Editor In Chief: Victoria Taylor Visual Editor In Chief: Coralis Bobe Opinion Editor: Dori Sloan-Ule Online Editor: Madison Waldrup Sports Editor: Caroline Ramos-Herrera Spotlight Editor: Trystan Bell Business Manager: Catalina Mundin Staff Members: Jada Baylor, Faith Boyd, Pierre Brown, Makari Buress, Jersie Cox, Faith Curd, Mackenzie Davis, Morgan Eaves, Alberto Linares, Amelia Norman, Chloe Pagan, Abigail Richardson, Andrea Rojo, Daniela Saenz, Quynh Trinh, Caroline Wong Editorial Policy: The Pepper Box is designed and created by members of the newspaper staff of Ritenour High School. The purpose of the newspaper is to provide a forum for the students to focus on issues, give opinions, and share information with the Ritenour High School community. The opinions expressed in this paper do not reflect opinions of our faculty or administration.

Letters to the editor are welcome and accepted, but they may not contain profanity, obscenity, or anything inappropriate to school. They may be e-mailed to Ron Steinschriber at steinschriberr@ritenourschools.org, or dropped off in room 240. The staff reserves the right to edit these letters.

The word on the How has the transition been with school starting again?

Ben Weissler ~ Freshman

“Since it was a fast transition from middle school to high school it wasn’t bad getting back into the rhythm, but since it is my first year of high school I struggled for about a week.”

“It was really hard because I was always tired. I got used to staying up late at night during summer break.”

Seniors across Ritenour’s campus have begun to show signs of “senioritis,” a made up epidemic that promotes laziness and procrastination.

As graduation approaches, slowly but surely, seniors begin to realize how close they are to their freedom.

This realization makes them feel as though they do not need to try as hard and they often find themselves losing motivation in school. Instead of applying themselves more, they brush it off and blame it on senioritis.

Two years ago, we witnessed some of our senior editors fall to this “disease”.

They started showing signs of this illusion during first semester. It started with the

Ayele Kouevi ~ Junior

“Well, not that bad since I already was used to waking up early for marching band. It was just another day, only with more people. As a senior it’s all the same.

We are already used to Geraldine Flores coming in to class and ~ Senior we already know the protocol.”

little things, like neglecting to edit stories, and it only got worse from there. They started turning in their own stories late and did not bother to get the pictures needed for stories. By second semester, all the senior editors sat in the back of the room gossiping instead of getting any actual work done. Most of the editing and newspaper work was completed by a staff who was still learning how to do the work, as well as our newspaper advisor.

We believe senioritis is not real. It is a social construct and an excuse used by seniors to justify their negative change in behavior and attitude towards school. It is a problem that can greatly

affect a student’s future. They can be so close to the end and wind up losing everything because they slacked off at the last minute. Once we finish this year, all this work that needs to be done is not over.

After high school, seniors will either be going to college, straight to the work force, or into the military. This habit of slacking off will lead to a lack of productivity and failure.

The best way to not fall prey to senioritis’ mental trap is to be aware of changes in behavior. If you find yourself lacking ambition, keep in mind what your future holds and what is at stake when you choose to watch a movie instead of doing that essay that is due tomorrow.

Male victims need help too The Salty Spitoon

By Dori Sloan-Ule By the time many of you are reading this, you may have already experienced this.

Domestic Violence is very prevalent in many relationships today, whether it’s our own or someone else’s.

Domestic violence is widely unacceptable when it is a man who is abusing a woman.

However, it often seems like when it is a woman abuser it is more acceptable.

We have seen many examples of this in society, with some of the most prevalent being in schools.

Typically it starts with yelling, and then we see pushing,

and after that hitting. Many students do nothing about this and teachers follow suit.

This is a problem because many men do not feel as if reporting this would be taken seriously. Seeing it on a high school campus furthers the stigma that domestic violence can’t happen to men.

Another example is controlling their significant other. ‘You cannot have any female friends,’ and ‘You cannot talk to her’ are commonly employed and heard. There is also the trope of taking your significant other’s phone and going through it. This is also a form of controlling.

We see this and many other examples all the time, but do nothing to prevent it.

The women get away with this while the men are persecuted.

Why is that? Why do we treat the women abusers differently, and why wasn’t something done to prevent it?

The answer is simple, it’s been so normalized in society that we don’t deem it as wrong. We don’t see the

issues in these actions when they come from women, and therefore they get away with it. Women get away with it because we let them. We have to break this conscious cycle in order for male victims to get the justice they deserve.

However, some may argue that because it is so normalized, it is not a big deal. I heavily disagree with this sentiment because men face the same emotional damages that women face as well. They experience the same emotions, and the same after effects that female abuse victims face. However, men often don’t report it due to a fear of being ridiculed because of a societal norm of hyper masculinity.

I feel that our community needs to work towards breaking this stigma and acknowledging male abuse victims. Small incidents can evolve into domestic cases, and male abuse victims should be treated with the same ferocity as female victims.

Restructuring hurts returners Sweet Caroline

Joshua Scruggs~ Sophomore

“Trying to get back into the rhythm of school messed with my sleep schedule.”

Page 2

Opinion Editor: Dori Sloan-Ule sloanuled585@ritenourschools.org

By Caroline Ramos-Herrera In the new 2018-2019 school year, Ritenour High School decided to appoint new counselors by alphabetical order in order to benefit themselves.

When we all stepped foot in Ritenour High School we were appointed certain counselors and we were told that they were going to be

with us from the first day of freshman year until the day we graduate. It is not fair that we spent years building a relationship with our counselor just for us to be told that our old counselor is not going to be our counselor anymore.

For me personally, it takes me an eternity to actually open up to someone and talk to them about how I am really feeling. But I did. I grew a bond with my counselor and now I am nervous to even try to build a new relationship with my new counselor. A lot of students have mentioned this and have mentioned how uncomfortable it is for them.

I believe the new system of sorting counselor’s is selfish for the students. It happened because they were looking for

a shortcut. They did not care about the relationships that we built with our counselors but they did care about making things easier. Our students’ well beings were put last. The excuse was that it was easier because if you had a sibling, you could go to the same counselor. I have a younger sibling and honestly, my sibling did not seem to care that we were assigned to the same counselor.

Regardless of who my counselor is and regardless of who my sibling’s counselor is, we would still build the same trust and comfortability with them. You can not force people to open up to people just because their sibling can open up to them too. It is a mental process, not a team effort.

A note from the editors Last year this newspaper rebranded, but unfortunately there was an area of rebranding that we neglected.

The Pepper Box has been operating since September of 1923, but the volume numbers have not reflected the rich history of the newspaper. At various points during history, the newspaper has changed formats, sometimes with a different name, and with those changes, the volume numbers started over on one occasion.

In 1998, the Pepper Box was discontinued in favor of television news only, and a newsletter called Husky Headlines was printed in its place. Ritenour students eventually learned the need to continue the print newspaper, and when the Pepper Box came back, it’s volume started over with number 1. This staff continued that tradition, but after redesigning last year, we wanted to truly reflect the history of the Pepper Box, and celebrate that a

newspaper at Ritenour has been in existence for 95 years before now.

The staff of the Pepper Box would like reflect the historical significance of our newspaper, and accurately portray the amount of time that the newspaper has been published.

It is in this spirit that this year’s newspapers will be listed as volume 96. We are sorry for any confusion this may cause to our readers.

Page 3

September 2018

News Editor: Martin Trujillo trujillocarrazco164@ritenourschools.org, Victoria Taylor taylorv512@ritenourschools.org

News

MARKER - Cont’d from Front Page coverings, such as hats or head wraps.

“The one exception to the new rule is hoods. We’ve done this because there have been times over the past couple of years where there have been negative interactions with police and community members and things have gone badly because people had hoods up,” Marker said.

The general response from the student body to this new rule was a positive one, and it seems to be something that they had been advocating for.

“The new hat policy was

a long time coming. It really allows students to have more fun with how they dress and show off their individuality,” sophomore Emma Gaither said.

The methods Marker implements into his work and his ideas have earned him recognition not only from staff members, but from students as well.

“Mr. Marker thinks in a very innovative way and has given the students more freedom. I like that he really tries his best to get to know everyone here,” senior Hope

Houston said.

Aside from the policies that Marker has already implemented, he also has future plans and ideas for improvements that can be made at Ritenour High School.

“We should always strive to do better. There’s so many things that we do well here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve. If you aren’t trying to move ahead, you’re falling behind, because others are progressing. So I always want us to keep moving forward,” Marker said.

Photo by: Caroline Wong Principal Jeffrey Marker leads the Homecoming Assembly on September 21. Marker is in his first year as principal.

Students use mini computer to help in class Students are using hand held computers, Raspberry Pis, to learn basic Linux commands

By ABBY RICHARDSON The Pepper Box Staff Cyber security teacher Christina Demuri has recently introduced a new handheld program to her classroom: the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a tiny version of a classic computer.

The large computer towers, that can cost up to $300, have proved to the teacher and students of cyber security to be inefficient in comparison to the $30, mini computer.

The students were given the Raspberry Pis through a grant from Maryville University, and funding from the Monsanto fund.

The computer uses the operating system “Raspbian”, and essentially functions like a hard drive.

The Raspberry Pi was developed by the Raspberry Pi foundation, a charity foundation that wanted to revive youth’s interest in computer science. The Raspberry Pi achieves simplifying computer science by making coding easier.

This increases the interest for coding, and therefore, the

interest in computer science.

“It’s an easy way to start coding. We can do different types of code that we would not be able to do on a regular computer,” Junior Mehakjit Dayal said.

The system has a small grid of lights that, through the computer program “Python”, can be programmed to flash different colors, react to temperature, flash a certain name, and just about every type of customization imaginable.

The Raspberry Pi is not only a classroom tool, but can also be used for larger scale programming. ”You can use them for bigger things too,” Demuri says. “They use them in NASA.” NASA uses the Raspberry Pi to run flight and operating systems. They also use the device for 3D printing, developing technology, and prototyping.

Certain models of the Raspberry Pi are also able to connect to wireless Internet.

Simply connecting the device to the router makes it wireless.

Not only are certain

Photo by: Andrea Rojo Students in Christina Demuri’s class use a Raspberry Pi to help with programming. The raspberry pis were given to Ritenour through a grant that is administered by Maryville University and the funding is through Monsanto fund. The Raspberry Pi is the small rectangular device at the bottom of the photo. models able to connect to and colors, and even aid Overall, The Raspberry Pi Internet, but certain models Nasa, it is mostly used as a has proved to the staff and are also able to connect to normal computer. students of RHS, specifically a laptop, and sync the data “It will come with 4 USB the Cyber Security class, to previously held on the laptop. ports, HDMI port, it has be more efficient and capable The device carries an SD Ethernet cables, it has an of doing more than a regular card, meaning it can hold just audio jack, and it has a power computer tower. about as much data as a smart port, where you plug in the “It’s quicker to use a phone can. battery,” senior Stephanii Raspberry Pi,” Demuri said.

Although the Raspberry Stanley said. “Normally “All you need to do is switch Pi can help students begin we would plug in a mouse, something out, and you can coding, flash different names keyboard and a monitor.” do just about anything.”

English teacher presents at a state conference ELA teacher Sharnez Givens gave a presentation about using the Emmett Till story to teach narrative writing at a Black History Conference hosted by the University of Missouri Carter Center

By JERSIE COX The Pepper Box Staff

for Carter G. Woodson, one of the first scholars to study African-American history.

Givens’ main motive for speaking at the conference is for teachers to infuse more black history lessons in their classes.

Till was a 14 year old boy. In August 1955 he was beaten, mutilated and shot by two men, (Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam), after being accused of flirting with Roy’s wife, Carolyn Bryant.

Till’s body was sunk and found in the Tallahatchie River in Money, Miss. Till’s

story made national news, as a picture of his body was published in Jet magazine, and the trial of Bryant and Over the summer, English Milam was widely publicized. teacher Sharnez Givens spoke The name of Givens’ at a black history conference presentation was “Using about teaching the story of Narrative Writing to Tell Emmett Till in her classroom the Story of Emmett Till,” to inspire narrative writing. and it was presented as a The Teaching Black way to infuse black history History Conference was held into middle school and high by the University of Missouri school English classes. She Carter Center for K-12 Black said that she taught the history research, Teaching story and received fantastic and Curriculum. It was held narrative writings from her on July 27 at West Middle students as a result.

School in Columbia, Mo. A counterclaim that some The Carter Center is named might have of teaching about Emmett Till’s story outside of a history classroom is that it will leave people uncomfortable with the graphic imagery and inherent racism involved in the act.

“Everything is not going to be comfortable, the more uncomfortable you are the more you grow as a person,” Givens said.

Out of 12 students interviewed for this story, only three students knew about Emmett Till’s story.

Givens was shocked to hear Photo Courtesy Sharnez Givens about those results.

ELA teacher Sharnez Givens speaks to a group at the “The fact that 9 people out Teaching Black History Conference over the summer. Givens of twelve do not know who spoke about teaching the story of Emmett Till in her English Till is proves that there is lack classroom at Ritenour High School.

Photo Courtesy: Sharnez Givens Givens presented about using the story of Emmett Till to teach narrative writing in her classes. of black history being taught,” Givens said. “Any type of culture besides European is not taught enough in schools, especially in literature. If it is, it is simplified,” Givens said.

World History teacher David Bishline says that while the statement made by Givens might be partially true, there are reasons that so little time is spent on different events, including the story of Emmett Till.

“It is not necessarily fair to say there’s too much European culture being taught, other cultures should be taught as well, but there is such little time,” Bishline said.

Bishline says that he spends two class periods teaching the story of Emmett

TIll, but he said that there is such short time on the lesson plans to go fully into depth on a lot of things that have happened in history.

“I will play a movie and teach about him (Till) in class and there are students who just don’t care, It’s all about priorities. Students choose what they want to care about, and it is frustrating,” Bishline said.

With the presentation taking place over the summer, Givens hopes that she can inspire other teachers across the state and country to follow in her footsteps and find ways to teach about cultural history outside of the social studies classroom.

Spotlight

September 2018

Page 4

Spotlight Editor: Trystan Bell bellt525@ritenourschools.org

Ritenour welcomes 6 new staff members

AMY METZ ELL

KATE O’KEEFE COLLEGE OFFICE

KIM MOHR SPANISH

Fun fact: I began going to concerts when I was 4 years old and I’ve been to over 40.

Fun fact: I am one of the biggest 2Pac fans you will ever meet.

Fun fact: Barack Obama follows me on Twitter.

Prior experience: I taught 4th grade at Buder Elementary for 7 years. Then I taught ELL at Marion Elementary for the last 2 years. Now I’m here at RHS!

Prior experience: Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction at St. John Vianney High School (2015-2018); Spanish Teacher at St. Charles High School (2009-2015)

Best RHS Experience this first month: Getting to know my new students while also getting to see a lot of my former 4th graders.

Best RHS Experience this first month: I’ve been very impressed by, and thankful for so many students who have been gracious and helpful as I figure out the Ritenour way.

Prior experience: Before working at RHS I was a preschool teacher at a Montessori school, I worked for Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis, and through college I did service learning at Jefferson Middle School in Columbia.

DR. LINDSAY SCHULTE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL Fun fact: I love to travel and lived in London, England for a portion of college.

Prior experience: For the past six years, I have been an assistant principal at Ritenour Middle School. Before coming to Ritenour Middle, I taught high school English at Normandy High School and coached volleyball.

Best RHS experience this first month: The best experience I have had is reconnecting with students that I worked with in middle school.

It is exciting to hear what students have been doing for the past few years and what plans they have for their future.

CHRIS PERKOWSKI SOCIAL STUDIES Fun fact: I don’t like snorkeling or close proximity to fish .

Prior experience: Taught in the city prior to RHS Best RHS experience this first month: My classes are fantastic! I love that we all have chromebooks! The resources available here are allowing me to pursue new and creative interests as a teacher as well as styles of instruction I have always wanted to explore.

Best RHS Experience this first month: The best RHS experience I’ve had my first month has been starting to meet the awesome seniors and getting to hear what their future plans are.

Also finding my way around the school so I’m not constantly lost has been pretty cool too!

KEATON STRONG CRISIS INTERVENTION Fun fact: I enjoy traveling and have been to every state in the U.S. except for three.

Prior experience: I investigated cases of human trafficking and missing and exploited children.

I was also a trauma response counselor and mentor to several programs.

Best RHS experience this first month: The first day of school was my best experience as I didn’t know any of the students, but they welcomed me with open arms and the school spirit was wonderful. Oh, and then Lindsey Webster said “Don’t forget to self care Mr. Strong.” She was so serious with a face of a mother to me. Great moments.

Classroom of the month - The Hybrid DEPARTMENT: English Language Arts, Social Studies, and Career and Technical Education

Left: Students from LeeAnne Vest’s Composition I class sit in the library during one of their nonclassroom days. Students can work on their individual writing pieces at their own pace on these days, rather than having a lesson plan designed by Vest.

CLASSES: Creative Writing, College Prep, Comp I, Comp II, AP Literature/1818, Personal Finance, Work-Based Learning, Psychology WHAT MAKES THESE CLASSES UNIQUE: Students in these classes attend class in a teacher’s classroom two days of the week, and then have three days where they can work individually in the library, or even have the opportunity to leave campus for educational opportunities.

Senior Brenda Sanchez Composition 1

Photo by: Ron Steinschriber Right: Students listen to Mrs. Vest lecture in the Composition I classroom. Students spend some of their days in the classroom with set lesson plans, and then have other days where they get individual work time and the opportunity to conference with Vest on their writings.

Q: What is it like being in a hybrid class?

outside of class.

It has allowed me to test the waters and see if online A: Being in a classes are the hybrid class is right choice for enjoyable as it has me once I head a more flexible off to college. class format with class discussion Q: How is a and separate hybrid class time to work different than on assignments other classes?

A: A hybrid class is different from a regular class because while they do require classes face to face, the amount of time in the classroom is significantly less than traditional classes, allowing students to

Photo by: Ron Steinschriber

balance work, a social life, and extra curricular activities.

Q: How do you feel about being in a hybrid class?

A: I feel that a hybrid class is beneficial as it restructures

and replaces traditional class hours with a more engaging course that requires students to be more self-directed to online activities and assignments, while making sure to stay on task.

Page 5

Spotlight

September 2018

Spotlight Editor: Trystan Bell bellt525@ritenourschools.org

School year begins with new policies Changes have been enacted in school policies dealing with hats, IDs and earbuds in classrooms

By MARTIN TRUJILLOCARRAZCO Content Editor In Chief Starting in the 2018-2019 school year, Ritenour High School has implemented new policies designed to give students more freedom.

New Ritenour principal Jeffrey Marker introduced these new changes when he started working at Ritenour High School.

Hats are now allowed to be worn inside the building - hoods on hoodies are still not allowed to be worn. This policy updates the Ritenour Board of Education’s Policy JFC-R. School IDs do not need to be worn and visible. However, an ID must be produced

when prompted by a teacher or administrator. IDs must still be used when purchasing a lunch or using the library to check out materials.

Headphones and earbuds are no longer banned.

Instead, headphone policies in the classroom are up to the teacher’s discretion.

Senior Charlie Row takes advantage of the new hat rule and is excited the old rule was finally amended. Row believes that hats never posed a threat.

“I wear a hat pretty much every day now. I like the policy. I never understood the reason we could not wear hat. Hats do not really hide identities, so they would not pose a threat,” Row said.

English teacher and Speech and Debate coach Christina Melly appreciates the leniency

that the new hat and ID policy gives her students.

“I think that the new ID and hat policies have made people feel more relaxed.

Nobody feels picked on or feel like someone is trying to pick a fight with them in the morning,” Melly said Senior Marco UrbinaPerdomo finds that the leniency in the new ID policy shows trust in students, but recognizes a concern with not having to wear an ID. “No longer needing to wear an ID shows that the school can trust their students, and it gives the students one less thing to worry about. Now, my only concern is that it is kind of annoying to have to pull your ID out of your book bag just to get into the lunch line, but

at least it pushes students it have their ID on at all times,” Urbina-Perdomo said.

Many students at Ritenour High School claim that music helps them relax, and in turn be more productive.

Sophomore Ariana Anderson and junior Coby Nathaniel acknowledge the benefits of allowing students to use headphones at school.

“Headphones are nice because for a lot of students, silence is not the best option for them. Music helps students focus while working independently,” Anderson said.

Nathaniel echoed Anderson’s statement, and says that having the option to listen while working makes for a better work environment.

Hats and Earbuds

“I always listen to music.

It helps me work more efficiently,” Nathaniel said.

Project Lead the Way teacher John Heeter is not a fan of headphone in his classroom, but he believes that this gives students more responsibility while being independent.

“I do not like headphones in my classroom, but I do not ban them. If you get your work done or you do not, or if you are not paying attention because you have your headphones in, it is not my problem. You’re a high schooler now. If you choose to use your headphones and fail, then you will fail,” Heeter said.

IDs

Photo by: Coralis Bobe

Sophomore Taitum Curd walks down the hallway with her ID hanging out of a lanyard in her pocket. The new policy allows students to just be carrying their ID with them, but does not require them to actually have it visible as they walk through the halls. If students do not have their IDs with them, they may experience delays in getting lunch by having to go to a separate line and walking through the ID process with the cafeteria workers.

Seniors Miriam Hernandez and Charlie Row work in class with earbuds in. Items like knit caps are also now Photo by: Coralis Bobe appropriate to wear during the school day.

Assistant Principals and Counselors switch students Assistant Principals and Counselors have switched from grade level positions to those determined by alphabetical order in order to streamline their case loads and spread out work load

By MADISON WALDRUP Online Editor With the stress of a new school year starting up, changes were made to improve the quality of effectiveness within the school system.

“We used to use the last name system. We have only been going by grade level for the past 4 years. Before then, we were always by last name. I would not say there was anything specific that happened last year to influence this change, but it was more so about what process allows the Counselors and Assistant Principals to be the most effective,” Counselor Lindsey Webster said.

Another one of those changes were having assistance principals assigned Photo by: Alberto Linares to students organized by their Dr. Matthew Schuler, Bethany Buescher, Christopher Isaacs, Patricia Closson and Dina Durnin all stand together at the last name instead of grade Homecoming Assembly. These administrators and counselors were announced by their new alpha groupings to students. levels, just like the counselors.

Students with last names Dr. Schuler believes that levels allows assistant with having large caseloads, to help each grade level and A through D now have while this may seem like principals and counselors to the new system allows they might not be able to assistant principal Patricia an insignificant change, it spread out the workload with team to better triage when help them all equally,” junior Closson and counselor allows each principal and different levels of attention responding to student needs,” Aleksandra Van Hoy said.

Dina Durnin. The assistant counselor to streamline their needed to students, which Webster said.

Although students principal for students whose responsibilities. makes work a little lighter While the counselors and might feel that the new last name start E through “I am not sure it on assistant principals, assistant principals seem to organizational system was a LES is Christopher Isaacs necessarily improves the counselors, and parents. be on board with the changes, bad idea, others might argue and their counselor is way things get done, but it “The new system allows not all the students agree with that it is a good idea.

Bethany Buescher. The LET does divide up grade-levels for families to only work with the new system, despite the “I was a little skeptical through ROD portion of the among assistant principals one AP, Counselor, and OP stated benefits. about all the changes at first, alphabet has Dr. Matthew which spreads out some team, so they do not have to “I do not think it was a but the new principal system Schuler as the assistant tasks. A positive would be connect with multiple teams better idea. If one principal seems really cool and so do principal and counselor not working solely with ninth if they have multiple children wanted to talk to a group of the new counselors. This new Shauna Cunningham. grade students, which is more at the high school. The new 11th graders it would make change allowed people to get Finally, students with the discipline heavy, or 12th system forces the teams to be more sense for them all to to know new staff members last name of ROW through grade students, which is all aware of what is happening at have the same counselor that they would not have Z have assistant principal about credits and graduation” each grade level, which helps and principal. If everything had the chance to in other Dr. Lindsay Schulte and Dr. Schuler said. you be more effective in your is based off of last names circumstances,” senior Justin counselor Lindsey Webster.

Dividing up the grade work with students. Also, each principal is required Saunders said.

Spotlight

September 2018

Page 6

Spotlight Editor: Trystan Bell bellt525@ritenourschools.org

English teacher publishes book of poetry Creative Writing teacher Collette Love Hilliard published a book of blackout poetry over the summer, based on her own life changing experiences

By QUYNH TRINH The Pepper Box Staff Over the summer of 2018, Colette Love Hillard published her debut book, “A Wonderful Catastrophe,” a book of erasure poems.

Erasure is a form of poetry or art created by blacking out words from already existing text. Through illustrations and meticulously crafted poems, Love takes readers on her personal and emotional journey of trying to become a mother.

“I began writing blackout poetry while recovering from major surgery for endometriosis,” Love Hilliard

said. “I also discovered I couldn’t have children without the help of modern medicine.”

Due to her diagnosis, Love Hilliard turned to poetry as a coping mechanism.

“I wanted to try to understand my own feelings by searching for the words on a page. It was sort of an exercise in uncovering emotions that I couldn’t fully articulate,” Love Hilliard said.

She decided she wanted to publish a book when people began encouraging her to do so on Instagram, where she shared her blackout poetry. People contacted her asking to buy her poems

and publishers messaged her asking her to submit her poems to their literary magazines. This gave her confidence and motivation to share her work with an even larger audience.

Publishing a book includes many steps. It involves filling out a proposal and sending a manuscript to publishers. Then, it must be peer reviewed, edited, and revised before being published online, printed, and delivered.

“I actually submitted my manuscript to several publishers and received countless rejections before ultimately publishing with Wood & Water Press,” Love Hilliard said. “They were also the first publisher to contact me about submitting to their literary magazine at the start of this journey, so it felt like I’d come full circle working with them.”

ELA teacher Angela Huber, one of Love’s coworkers, was given the opportunity to preview the book during the Summer of 2017.

“To put it simply, I cried,” Huber said. “While I had seen many of the poems as she created them, the book transformed the poems into a

Photo by: Coralis Bobe Sophomore Kayla Baker reads Collette Love Hilliard’s blackout poetry book, “A Wonderful Catastrophe.” heartbreaking—yet hopeful— narrative.”

Not only has the book been read by Love’s peers, it has also been read by her students.

“I thought it was beautifully composed! I was so glad that she made her book and she told her story in such a beautiful way, and for her to be my teacher, I was extremely proud!” 2018 graduate J’von Halbert said.

Through “A Wonderful Catastrophe,” Love was able

to share a part of herself with the people around her. She gave people insight on the hardships she has faced and how she overcame them.

“This story is one of the most difficult and defining experiences of my life. It’s important to me because so many people struggle with infertility, and this book offers hope in the wake of catastrophe. I hope everyone who reads it finds peace,” Love Hilliard said.

Students explore civil rights sights over the summer A group of students from Ritenour’s social justice club, Game Changers, went on a three state tour

By VICTORIA TAYLOR Production Editor In Chief Game Changers, the social justice club, held a field trip dedicated to learning about important moments in American history during the previous summer.

After traveling to Alabama, Tennessee, and multiple cities in Mississippi, Ritenour students brought back stories and life lessons to share with others and apply to their everyday routine.

“There were so many lessons learned, but my number one was learning that growth is crucial and essential. It affected me

because I was going through a tough time and I was constantly reminded that it gets better, more about self development, loving humanity and bettered my mindset,” junior Alanna Lam said. “Game Changers has affected my school life by allowing me to be more involved in school and learning about the real world and having peers that want to make change like I do.”

This club has worked together to educate each other and make an impact in their community.

“Game Changers is a social justice club that works on creating unity within the school, advocating for educational equity, and also

Photo courtesy Ron Steinschriber The Game Changers ended their trip at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. The motel was the site of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and today a Civil Rights Museum has been built around the motel.

educating others on social justice and what it means,” club co-president senior Hope Houston said.

Houston has been a member of the club for three years, and said the trip was an exceptional example of a group of students and adults who wanted to learn together.

“Everyone was in such awe and you get that vibe when you’re on the trip. No one was being disrespectful and side talking, we all listened because we were hearing relevant advice and stories from people who were very much involved in the movement but we have never heard about,” Houston said.

The four-day, three-night trip was organized and sponsored by the Building Life Foundations Nonviolence Center located in O’Fallon, Missouri. They are dedicated to “research, education, and training in the principles, philosophy, and methodology of Kingian Nonviolence.”

The itinerary they provided for Game Changers includes a variety of events and locations such as touring the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, the Mt Zion United Methodist Church, and many more places that hold stories of what occurred in the past.

“It’s probably one of the most inspiring trips you can go on and I think everyone that went felt that.

We listened, watched, and learned with rapt attention.

But at the same time, a lot of negative emotions can grow.

Anger, frustration, and so on.

You hear so many powerful, while simultaneously heartwrenching stories,” senior Kierra Slack said. ”One life lesson that really stuck with me was a quote from a man.

Photo courtesy Ron Steinschriber Junior Caroline Ramos-Herrera listens to Reverand Calvin Collins and Senator David Jordan of Greenwood, Miss. The two spoke to the group as part of the Civil Rights tour before the tour headed 8 miles north to Money, Miss., the site of Emmett Till’s murder.

We knew him as Pastor Collins, he said ‘You decide if you’re going through something or if you’re stuck in it. You, you alone, get to make that decision.’”

Lam agreed with Lam that some of the most memorable moments of the four day trip were getting to hear from speakers who had personally experienced struggle in their fight for social justice and civil rights.

“I don’t have a most memorable moment because the entire trip was life changing, but if I had to pick something that sticks with me for a lifetime is all the conversations we had with the people we met whether it was tour guides, hotel staff, preachers, governors and just people who went through terrible things to get where they are today,” Lam said.

“Every one we met served

a different purpose in our journey, and made the trip a big learning experience in various ways.”

Although the trip is an intense experience into the world of social justice, just being a member of the club can be life changing for students. Houston says that joining the club has given her a better perspective on the world, in addition to helping to shape her future.

“Honestly, without this club I probably wouldn’t have found my passion and even figured out what I was going to do in the future. I have met so many wonderful and passionate people through this club that have all taught me something to develop into the leader I am today and also they have taught me things about social justice, love, forgiveness, and activism,” Houston said.

Page 7

Sports

September 2018

Sports Editor: Caroline Ramos Herrera ramosherrerac605@ritenourschools.org

Ritenour adopts new athletics GPA rules

Ritenour will enforce a 2.0 GPA to remain eligible, which is a higher expectation than MSHSAA

By MAKARI BURESS The Pepper Box Staff Ritenour High School has implemented a new academic requirement that goes above and beyond the state expectations in order to try to push athletes to higher levels.

According to MSHSAA (Missouri State High School Activities Association) students must pass six classes in order to stay eligible.

However, Ritenour has implemented a new program which will force students to

keep a minimum of 2.0 GPA average each semester to maintain their eligibility in sports.

Athletic Director Drew Lohnes says that talented high school students with higher GPAs, good citizenship and good attendance have a higher probability of getting recruited with scholarships in college.

“This new policy gives our students who want to pursue college a better chance of earning scholarships that will pay for their undergraduate degrees,” Lohnes said. “It also provides them a stronger

academic foundation that prepares them for the grit required in college courses.”

Coaches at Ritenour must check in on their athletes at a minimum monthly basis to see if they are maintaining a 2.0 GPA. If the students are not meeting that standard, they must attend study hall sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-4. The athletes must miss practice time, and potentially game time to make sure their grades are within the guidelines.

“I think it’s a good program to hold student

Photo by: Ron Steinschriber Freshman football coach Jake Kim leads his team in a study hall after school. The football players must abide by the new rules and keep a 2.0 GPA to remain eligible.

athletes to their academics because we want our athletes to be set up for success after high school, and academics are a major part of that.

Whether we want our athletes to pass NCAA Clearinghouse, or to be a good candidate for employment, academics is key,” Cross Country assistant coach Molly Dahlquist said.

The athletes have started working within the new rules set up by the district and some of the athletes have a positive response to the rule changes.

“It’s good because it will encourage sport players to do better,” sophomore Andre Davis said.

In a press release, the district stated that one of the reasons for this change is to make sure that student athletes can earn athletic scholarships, which do have grade requirements.

“By increasing academic supports and raising eligibility requirements, Ritenour is positioning RHS students for greater academic, athletic and extracurricular opportunities upon graduation. District administrators, teachers, coaches and the Board of Education want our students to know that the district will provide the academic supports needed so they can also excel in their

extracurricular endeavors.

This new policy gives RHS students a better chance of earning scholarships that will pay for their undergraduate degrees.”

With this new rule in place, sophomore football player Tyler Duerbeck thinks that the athletes can do even better than the minimum standards and raise their game in the classroom as well.

“Athletes can keep their grades up, but I think it should be raised up to a 2.5,” Duerbeck said.

Lohnes believes that this policy will help Ritenour students, and remind them that they are not just athletes, but student athletes.

“The Ritenour Board of Education recognizes the priority that “student” comes first for our student athletes and students in MSHSAAsanctioned activities,” Lohnes said. “By increasing academic supports and raising eligibility requirements, we are positioning our students for greater opportunities upon graduation. We want our students to know that we will provide the academic supports needed so they can also excel in their athletics and activities.”

Inside the Huddle - New teammates NAME: Marco UrbinaPerdomo GRADE: Senior SPORT: Cross Country

Q: How has the new season started, particularly running with new teammates?

need to put in if they want to call themselves cross country runners.”

A: “It is always great to meet new coming players that want to show their potential.”

Q: What has stood out to you the most so far about your new teammates?

Q: What do you like most about your new teammates?

A: “I admire how dedicated they are because they remind me of me when i first started cross country, which I was really nervous.”

A: “That they want to be a part of this team no matter how much work they will

How has it been to adjust to new teammates this season?

Ava Biesterfeld Volleyball

Brian Bautista Soccer

Mia Key Softball

Corey Brooks Football

“At the beginning of the season it was more of a struggle. We had a lot of miscommunication problems. However, as we have gotten further into the season we’ve progressed more as a team and I don’t see us stopping here. We will continue to improve from here on!”

“It can be frustrating since some of my teammates are new to varsity and don’t really know some of the drills or the phrases.

I can’t blame them, they are new, so sooner or later they will get the hang of it. I have faith in my team that we will start to build our communication up as we play on.

I think for the most part it has been pretty good with the new girls.

It’s obviously a huge adjustment for the new players, but I think they have adjusted very well.

Our season for sure is better than it was last year, as we have already broken our record from the previous years.

For me being a captain and being a person on the team that everybody looks up to, me and a couple of the other captains try to get everybody on the same page. It’s hard just because everyone’s focus is on a different level, but now we’re into the season and everyone’s coming together.

Sports

September 2018

Page 8

Sports Editor: Caroline Ramos Herrera ramosherrerac605@ritenourschools.org

2018 - 2019 Fall Sports Capsules • • • •

Football

• • • • •

Coach: Hoyt Gregory Last Year Record: 7-4 Current Record: 3-2 Captain(s): De’metrius Jackson, Perry Rainey, Tiyler Grayson, Corey Brooks • • Key Returners: Corey Brooks, De’metrius Jackson, Jack Zgiet, • Tiyler Grayson, Craig Thomas, Dylan Licare • Key Newcomers: Kevin Tyler, Chris Blunt, Corey Hunn, Perry Rainey Photo by Ron Steinschriber: • Expectations: To get better Sophomore Mallory Waller pitches in each week and to “own up” to a game against Pattonville. mistakes.

• • • • • • Photo by Coralis Bobe: • The football team lines up against their opponent. The team is looking to improve upon their 7-4 record from last season.

• • • •

•

•

Girls’ Golf

Coach: Jack Heeter Last Year Record: 0-7 Current Record: 1-1 Captain(s): Kili Garcia Key Returners: Kili Garcia, Allie Inman Key Newcomers: Chloe Pagan, Anna Wilson Expectations: I see a lot of potential in our newcomers and expect to see a lot of improvement from the two returners. We have already 100% more wins vs last year.

• • •

Softball

Coach: Tom Anderson Last Year Record: 2-14 Current Record: 5-8 Captain(s): Mia Key, Mallory Waller Key Returners: Mia Key, Mallory Waller, Roxann Rivera Key Newcomers: Taylor Engelmeyer, Chastity York, Kailey Covert Expectations: We are still a young team and we only have one senior, but with the new conference we hope to compete in every game and come away with more

• •

•

Photo by: Martin Trujillo Junior Aleksandra Van Hoy serves in • a match this season. Van Hoy plays libero for the volleyball team.

victories this year.

Girls’ Tennis

Coach: Beth Seibold Last Year Record: 3-10 Captain(s): Adriana Martinez Key Returners: Adriana Martinez, Mikayla Brisby, Veronica Booker, Kenya Gomez, Maria Castillo Vega, Nyola Saddler Key Newcomers: Angie Castillo Barahona, Tyra Smith, Makayla Towns, Jessica N’sougan, Anyia Woods Expectations: Being in a new conference I expect that we will be much more competitive than we have been in the past due to the fact that we are playing teams at or around the same level. I look forward to a great season.

• • • • •

•

•

Boys’ Swimming

Coach: Jennifer Wakefield Last Year Record: Current Record: 2-2 Captain(s): N/A Key Returners: All of my swimmers that did not graduate, returned and they are all key members of the team!

Key Newcomers: Royal Todisman, Harold Clark Capps, Ryleigh Myers, Christian Lett, Joseph Talamante-Resendiz Expectations: To try their hardest every day.

• • • • •

• •

Girls’ Volleyball

Coach: Ellen Kim Last Year Record: 15-14-1 Current Record: 5-8-1 Captain(s): Ava Biesterfeld, Coralis Bobe, Makayla Hollyfield Key Returners: Coralis Bobe, Makayla Hollyfield, Natasha Taylor, MeKayla Stephens, Ava Biesterfeld, Aleksandra Van Hoy Key Newcomers: DaCayla Robertson, S’mya Matthews, Elena Martin Expectations: To be in the top third of our conference, to have a winning record, to be in the winners bracket of our tournaments we play in

• • • • • • •

Cross Country

Coach: Michael Aitken Results so far: The team has impressed early in the season with many individual medal finishes lead by one of the St. Louis area’s top freshman, Ben Weissler. Ben lead the team with 4 straight medal finishes (3 top 10’s), followed by team captain, Mike Schutzius (1 top 10). The women’s team has been lead by Jazmine Brevik who has 2 top 10 finishes of her own.

Captain (s): Mike Schutzius/ Jazmine Brevik Key Returners: Mike Schutzius, Jazmine Brevik, Isaiah Fowler, Hudson Delacruz Key Newcomers: Ben Weissler, Kendrick Canup, Sajith Gonzalez, Dublin Collins, Cheyenne Simmons Expectations: The team now begins preparation for the Suburban Conference meet on October 6th and 2 weeks later the District meet at Parkway Central.

They have worked hard all year and I expect nothing different as we approach the championship meets.

I fully expect to see continued improvement and some fast times to end the season on a high note!

Boys’ Soccer

Coach: Mike Murray Last Year Record: 11-10-1 Current Record: 4-8 Captain(s): Dakota Wagster, Edwin Lopez Key Returners: Dakota Wagster, Edwin Lopez, Efrain Alcaraz, Kevin Dominguez Key Newcomers: Expectations: To improve every game and to make the district championship game in late October.

Volleyball team donates to national charity The Ritenour girls volleyball program participated in the Sports Bra project to help collect bras for athletes from underserved communities and other countries

By FAITH CURD The Pepper Box Staff Whether it’s worn for comfort or modesty, the sports bra is a crucial piece of equipment that provides women and girls the freedom to engage in sports, and in areas where such resources are scarce and women’s opportunities to participate are already limited, not having a sports bra becomes a barrier in athletic activities.

An organization called the “Sports Bra Project” is working to change that.

In the U.S., buying a sports bra is easy and simple.

Though the prices and quality vary, the point is that they’re accessible. However, other countries aren’t so lucky, and it turns out that either manufactured goods are too expensive or not available near them.

Volleyball Coach Ellen Kim decided to chip in to the project this year with the help of her program.

The volleyball team and she worked hard to advertise the project and help get as many sports bras donated as possible. At their opening

home game, the Blackout Game, the school allowed for people to bring in sports bras as admission for them and a friend. In total, the volleyball program received an amount of 382 sports bras for the project.

The sports bras collected will be sent to New York, where the Sports Bra Project Photo courtesy: Ellen Kim is located, and The RHS Volleyball program shows off all of the bras they had collected for the Sports Bra Project. The then distributed game against Hazelwood West was the culmination of the collection campaign for the team. to three different equal access to supplies like Biesterfeld said.

“Some players and families locations. The first location is sports bras and aren’t as lucky Kim was the ringleader also chipped in to help pay in Chituka Village Project in as we are here in the US,” Kim behind the project after for shipping the sports bras Malawi, the second location said. hearing about it in the to New York where the Sports is in Cameroon with the Junior Ava Biesterfeld was offseason.

Bra Project is located,” Kim Cielenou World Children happy to participate in the “I was inspired to do this said Inc., and the last is in Kenya project since she knew what it project because when I heard Kim is always on the and Uganda with Coaches would mean to other women about it I thought it would be lookout for a worthwhile Across Continents. around the world. an easy community service project to engage her “The Sports Bra Project is “To me, the project really project for my team and could volleyball players with the a way to have a meaningful shows me that someone is make a large impact easily,” world both inside and outside impact on the lives of women noticing a problem, and that Kimd said. of Ritenour. around the world by allowing it’s something that normally The volleyball team “(I’m) not sure if we will them the opportunity to play goes unnoticed. Female sports contributed in helping collect do this drive again, I’ll have sports. By playing sports in third world countries 382 sports bras. Some were to wait again until next year they’re more likely to stay in are normally not seen as donated from the opposing to see if the team wants to, or school and achieve a greater important, and this project is team on the night of the if there is something else that education. Plus, not all encouraging girls to be more Blackout Game, Hazelwood comes up between now and people around the world have involved, and I love that,” West. then,” Kim said.