Staff Editorial
One way to deal with life is to think of it as an adventure, to not make the hills into mountains and to let the puddles be puddles. The journey is long, but it is all in how individuals make it. It is hard to carry on, but it is worth it when the finish line is just ahead. Being between a rock and a hard place is not the end of the world. The end happens when you hit the ground and you stay there. Explore what is above and ahead, but do not worry about the mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone experiences a slip, slide, or fall. If the ladder seems too tall or the thought of quitting comes to mind, reconsider. Nothing is wrong with taking a breather and coming back later, but remember to eventually come back later. “We are not abandoned cars stalled out and sitting empty on a highway, and if in some way we are, don’t worry, we only got out to walk and get gas,” was a line written in a poem by Shane Koyczan. Koyczan experienced bullying, depression, and other mental strains, but now he has published several poems and three books. When life gets hard do not quit. In times of dismay and adversity the people we remember in history books and stories have names that live on because they did not quit. Kanya Sesser was born with no legs and now she is considered one of the women who is changing the preconceptions about the way to become a model. Her motto is “No legs, no limits.” Anything is possible with the right attitude and dedication. The underdog who got the girl at the end of the story took a breather and came back to win the girl. People preach about hard work over and over, but if it did not work why would they bother mentioning it?
PEPPER BOX STAFF Advisor: Ron Steinschriber Content Manager: Sean Baker Design Editor: Morgan Diamond News Editor: Allison Baker Opinion Editor: Sidney Lee Online Editor: Carcea Carr Sports Editor: Ryan Tiefenbruch Spotlight Editor: Leia Boyd Staff Members: Shaquan Brown, Cheynne Harris, Will Qualls, Bri’Asia Mays, Royalty Knight, Sarah Barbeau, Makayla Smith, Alicia Watson
Editorial Policy: The Pepper Box is designed and created by memebers 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 innappropriate to school. They may be e-mailed to Ron Steinschriber at steinschriberr@ritenour.k12.mo.us, or dropped off in room 240. The staff reserves the right to edit these letters.
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Judging People by their Zip Codes Saint Louis people are stereotyped by the areas in which they live
The King’s Speech By: Shaquan Brown Within the confines of Saint Louis there are 90 municipalities that many view as being split into their own separate kingdoms. This general notion causes a stark rift between the people who occupy these municipalities; they believe others to be identified merely by their geographic setting within Saint Louis, rather than their own individual aspects. That thinking implies that a person’s geographic setting is not advantageous to their opportunities and life in accordance to their residency in the Saint Louis area. The advantages that I speak of go hand in hand with the prominence of privilege in particular points of interest in our region. Those who are privileged and those who are faced with poverty are separated into distinct social castes depending on where their families happen to take occupancy in Saint Louis. If you were to live in Brentwood or Wildwood for example,
the general opinion outside of those areas is that your financial situation would be worry free. While in contrast, if you were to live in one of many North County neighborhoods that are often lumped together, your situation would be viewed in a less than positive light than that of the aforementioned municipalities. You would be viewed as living close to or in an impoverished area with no account for sensibility or socially acceptable mannerisms. With the events that took place in Ferguson in 2014, involving the riots over the shooting and perceived desecration of Michael Brown and the subsequent riots that followed the trial in November of that year, the municipality of Ferguson is viewed as a real life tale of two cities. This is the case for several cities within the Saint Louis area, such as University City that has a split in terms of socio-economic conditions within its limits; this is evident in the variety of housing and residence throughout the municipality. It is possible to get a perception of both wealth and poverty by simply taking a stroll through the different avenues and boulevards, and the drastic differences can be obvious by something as simple as taking a turn down the street, or walking a few blocks. The perception of Ferguson has become the general reflection of what others outside of our region view as the majority of the Saint Louis populace. To view Saint Louis as a whole as an assortment of degenerates and radicals because of violent reactions last November would be putting to shame all of the efforts of
those within the community who have triggered progress within our city. Outsiders are not the only ones who view particular municipalities with disdain, however. Those who reside in higher class systems within Saint Louis, in municipalities that do not have a significant rate of crime or poverty within them, view the incidents and the inciters of Ferguson as akin to hooligans and instigators of animosity and violence. This split in opinion over incidents like Ferguson is merely one example of the separation of culture and ideology within Saint Louis. Depending on the economic and social condition of a family or an individual household, they will inevitably end up in a neighborhood that reflects said socio/economic status; this will lead to a collective of likeminded individuals with similar backgrounds. This will cause the aforementioned collectives to lack a truly rounded perspective, as they will never be able to walk in the same footsteps as their contemporaries. It is my belief that if you cannot understand people’s living conditions and how they irrefutably affect their social perspective, then you cannot comprehend the reasoning behind their motives. The social segregation within Saint Louis prevents us from gaining a truly united Saint Louis culture. There will undoubtedly always be a split between the social classes within Saint Louis and for that very reason people will always remain in the municipalities that provide them with their acquainted social pariahs.
Opinion
Fresh new country sound hits the billboards
Maddie and Tae released their second album, “Start Here,” and it mixes upbeat and melancholy tunes
The cover art for the Maddie and Tae album. Photo courtesy gomoxie.org
By: Sidney Lee Opinion Editor Maddie and Tae are a country duo who have recently released their second album, and although they have a hit with “Fly,” much of the album is filled with slow-paced and sad songs. Their hit single “Fly” is a very steady paced song with a catchy beat in background. The song is talking about not giving up even when it seems to be the best idea. In particular, they use the chorus: “So keep on climbin’ though the ground might shake/Just keep on reaching though the limb might break/ We’ve come this far don’t you be scared now/Cause you can learn to fly on the way down.” The lyrics are saying to keep on going even when it gets hard, and that you have to keep reaching for whatever you want, even if you fall a few times. Other lyrics in the song that stood out were: “The road’s been long and lonely/And you feel like givin’ up/There’s more to this than just the breath you’re breathin.’” They are saying even though people go through
Opinion
some hard times and they want to quit, there is more to life than just where they are at that moment. There is more to do with life and people can change where you are. In the song “Girls In A Country Song” they explain how many country songs and music videos basically make women out to be just an object. In the beginning of the song the line: “And it’s gettin’ kinda cold in these painted on cut-off jeans/I hate the way this bikini top chaffs.” In this line they are explaining how in music videos the girls have to wear barely anything, and how women are not looked at as people, but objects. They continue to point out things that are disrespectful to women in other country songs. In the line “How in the world did it go so wrong/ Like all we’re good for is lookin’ good for you and your friends on the weekend nothin more/We used to get a little respect.” They are saying women are no longer respected or treated like ladies. The song itself is a very upbeat and fast paced song. It kept my attention, and it was not hard to listen to and keep up with everything that they were saying in the song. As the album continued, the rest of the songs became slower and more dramatic. They seemed to drag their words out longer than they needed, and the song’s beat and melodies seemed to last longer than a normal song. In the song “Downside Of Growing up” it hit a more emotional turn in the album. The song is about the cons of growing up, and the changes people make with the struggles they face in life. In the line
“But it’s how I’m gonna learn a lot about life, a lot about love/On the downside of growing up.” The lyrics talk about when people finally grow up and leave the house they have been used to all thir life. They believe that people will see more of the negatives in life when they do not have their parents right there to help them. The song does not say anything about the positives in life, which could be a downfall. Other than that, it is a very good song. Overall, the album was good, but some of the songs can put the listener in a depressed state. It is something that people can listen to every now and again, but it probably will not be on any number one playlists.
A collection of promotional photos for Maddie and Tae. Photo courtesy gomoxie.org
Fall play is preparing to hit the stage
The fall production,“Moon Over Buffalo” is a comedy that will be presented November 12 through 14
By: Sean Baker Content Editor-In-Chief The play for the fall semester of the 2015-2016 school year is “Moon Over Buffalo” by Ken Ludwig, and it
will be showing November 12th, 13th, and 14th at 7pm, with free admission. “Moon Over Buffalo” is focused on the lead actors George and Charlotte Hay, who were stars in the 1950’s. They are about to break up
when they get word that they may have one last shot at fame. Film director Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee, and if he likes what he sees, he may cast them in his new film. But for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong. Junior Ransome Drexler is the lead male and senior Dana Rue is the lead female in the play. Other actors and actresses include Emma Norman, Jackson Pearia, Taylor Miller, J’von Halbert, Cheynne Harris and Austin Kaiser. The play will be a comedy hoping to bring joy to people. “I hope people are happy, it is a situational comedy. The audience will know many things that the actors don’t,” director Gregory Jones said. “Moon Over Buffalo” is a play with a small cast of eight. This will be the first time Jones will be doing a production with a smaller cast. I wanted something with a smaller cast, just so I could really work with them on the acting aspect of the play, when there is a larger cast it is more about placing people in the right places and less about the acting,” Jones said. Not only does Jones believe that the cast being smaller will make the play better but many of the actors do too. “Now that we have a smaller cast, it is easier to focus on the smaller details of acting and it will turn out a lot better,” Drexler said.
Spotlight
Turning lemons into lemonade Ritenour staff and students learn to deal with and overcome adversity struggled with things that occur on a daily basis, like grades and lesson planning. These struggles demoralized him, to the point that he was feeling unsure about what his future would hold in teaching. “I remember not going to sleep at night and waking up really miserable, Junior Katie Ware celebrates with junior Samantha Schafer after and I took my anger winning a point in a JV match against Webster Groves. Ware about it out on my had to work hard in the offseason to overcome a hip injury and students,” Melendez be able to play competitive sports again. Photo courtesy: RHS said. Athletics Instead of turning away from the profession, Melendez used some By: Makayla Smith strategies to help improve his teaching Staff Reporter skills, as well as get better organized. He took the next summer and planned There’s an old saying, “when all of his lessons, and also sought out life gives gives you lemons you make the advice of another teacher in the lemonade.” Throughout high school school. and the rest of people’s lives they “I dug deep, and I began are constantly going to be handed to think that there has to be a way symbolic lemons and it is up to them around this. I found the best teacher to make their own lemonade. in the school and learned from her,” Social Studies teacher Isaiah Melendez has had a point in life where Melendez said. “She said you just have he had to deal with a turning point and to make it through your first year. I began to take what I learned inside the make the best of it. school and got practical with what I “My first year of teaching, it could do.” was a very difficult year, there were so Dealing with adversity comes many new things I had to learn how to in many forms, and a student at do,” Melendez said. “You go to school Ritenour has dealt with adversity in a for four years to learn how to be a teacher, but there is so much they don’t different way than Melendez. Senior Vire Edorh moved to St. Louis from teach you.” Western Africa when she was in eighth Melendez said that he grade.
Spotlight
“I didn’t like it here at first, I thought I was going to die in the cold,” Edorh said. She had the choice of making the best of it or being sad and missing home. She ultimately chose the former. “Now that I’m here I fit in by just being myself. This is a learning opportunity for me,” Edorh said. Another part of turning lemons into lemonade is taking different approaches to solve a problem. In junior Katie Ware’s situation, she had to keep a positive, supportive attitude after suffering torn cartilage in her hip last year. She injured herself in the middle of basketball season last year, and it kept her out for the remainder of the season. She had the options of sitting around and being bitter or continuing to support her team. “I made the best of my injury by continuing my participation in practices and games. Even though I was sitting on the bench I was still there for my team,” Ware said. Ware is not fully ready for basketball yet, but successfully worked her way back to playing as a floater between Varsity and JV on the volleyball team. Melendez, Edorh and Ware all learned that they had to adapt and change in order to come out on the positive side of their situations. “That first year helped to prepare me for a future challenge. Every challenge I encountered in my life prepared me for a greater challenge I was going to face in my future. What it took was time and sacrifice, as all things do when you are faced with adversity,” Melendez said.
Seeking extra help for college The College Counselor Series hosts a group of students who come in on their days off to get ahead in the college process
The students who are members of Club 22. Photo courtesy: InterState Studios
By- Alicia Watson Staff Reporter Counselor Julie Kampschroeder has brought a new addition to Ritenour this year; the College Counseling Series. Students who have been accepted into the program meet in the auditorium on professional development days to learn about college. College preparation has been a focus of Ritenour recently, and the school has even promoted high ACT scores from students with Club 22, for students who scored a 22 or higher. With the college counseling serves Kampschroeder hopes to educate and prepare students for secondary education. “We have a large amount of first generation and low socioeconomic students here and typically students in that category need a lot of background information on what
colleges are looking for in a candidate,” Kampschroeder said. “Since we don’t have a schedule conducive to having large group meetings during the school day, days off were their only chance.” This learning experience is unique to all students who attend. Depending on their level of knowledge on the topic or their grade level, numerous students go into the program seeking distinct information that is targeted for their own situation. “I think you can not help but learn quite a bit of information. Each student will probably latch onto the information that they needed to hear,” Kampschroeder said. The group of students who devote their days free of school to these sessions are all hoping to leave this program with a better understanding of what college is all about. “I am looking forward to finding out ways that I can make college cheaper and a better time for
me,” sophomore Zabdy Gonzalez said. Some students are also seeking preparation for college as early as their freshman year. “I am hoping to get more knowledge for college so that when the time comes I have everything done and I am not rushing or overwhelmed,” freshman Hope Houston said. Juniors and seniors in this program are also expected to attend a zero hour ACT Prep course four weeks prior to the test. These zero hours, which are free of charge, carry a $1,500 value per student. In these zero hours they will learn different strategies that will help them during the test and for preparation purposes beforehand. “I feel like the zero hours will better help me prepare for the ACT this year,” senior Diamond Elliott said. “Last year I was unaware of the test dates and everything associated with it until the last minute.” Though this program has a number of positive attributes, the adjustment for students have proven to be a challenge. Struggles for these students come from things such as committed family duties, the change in schedule, and unreliable transportation. “The thing that I worry about is having to get up early when there is no school,” Gonzalez said. Despite these potential difficulties, Kampschroeder sees good things to come in this program and hopes to see an even greater outcome. “I would love to see it expand so that every student on our campus that chooses to be college bound would be able to take advantage of the program,” Kampschroeder said.
Spotlight
Buder teacher nominated for Missouri teacher of the year Michael Dragoni was a finalist for the award, and his teaching is still remembered by Ritenour students today elementary classroom setting. “Mr. Dragoni made art fun; he made me want to do more projects. He was an overall good teacher,” Lopez said. Lewis enjoyed the personal interactions he had with Dragoni when he was in elementary Michael Dragoni teaches a group of students at Buder Elemen- school. tary school. Photo by: Sean Baker “He was different than other By: Sarah Barbaeu teachers, he was more fun. Even Staff Reporter though it was a long time ago, he was intrigued in what we were doing. He Michael Dragoni, the art never sat around and said, ‘do this or teacher at Buder Elementary was color this,’” Lewis said. recently nominated for Missouri’s title Both former Buder of Teacher of the Year. Elementary students stated that they Dragoni was elected and learned a lot from Dragoni’s new presented the honor of Ritenour’s teaching techniques and wished they Diamond Circle Teacher of the Year had more time with him, but they were last year, which led him to the much larger opportunity this year. According both in fifth grade at the time. Dragoni did numerous things to Dragoni, his achievements were to qualify for this nomination; he said accomplished by the help from his one major attribute he feels helped him coworkers around him. get the nomination was to teach across “I am surrounded by teachers many different subjects. who inspire me on a daily basis, who “I think that I do some quietly give of themselves and strive interesting things combining other to help each of their students learn,” subjects into my art room. We study Dragoni said. art, but we also incorporate social Dragoni joined the Buder studies, language arts, science, math, team in 2009, creating a huge impact robotics, and engineering,” Dragoni on many students’ lives, especially the said. ones who were just getting ready to While Dragoni feels move onto junior high. Juniors Isaiah incorporating different school subjects Lewis and Cindy Lopez were deeply into his own subject is the major influenced by Dragoni’s works in the
News
reason for his nomination, Lopez and Lewis know there is much more. Lewis is upset that he did not experience all the new things that Dragoni has added to his teaching. “He was very involved; he always helped students when they needed help. I remember that Mr. Dragoni rewarded us with little knickknacks from a treasure chest box when we did well,” Lopez notified. Lewis was excited about all the new things he brought to the district. “I saw a video of him, with lots of new stuff he was doing (after I left Buder). I wish we could’ve done that stuff, but I know it was his first year. He brought a new thing to Ritenour, well to Buder with doing the murals with each grade,” Lewis said. Dragoni and his career at Buder have changed many outlooks on art and school in general. He has influenced many other teachers, including his coworkers. The words of wisdom he’s given to many adults and children have brought him to be who he is today. Although he didn’t ultimately win Teacher of the Year in Missouri, his nomination was well received by the district. One quote from Jackie Robinson that Dragoni appreciates and lives by, creates his personality and point of view as a teacher. “Jackie Robinson once said ‘Life is not important for the impact it has on other lives.’ I can think of no calling that has the opportunity to impact lives like that of the teacher,” Dragoni said.
Ritenour student goes to national conference in Washington D.C. Senior Desiree Chrun attended the National Coalition on School Diversity Conference as a speaker Spiller was happy to that Chrun got to attend because he believes she is such a strong leader in the Social Justice Club. She was also one of the initial leaders for the Summit on Race that formed as a response to the Ferguson unrest. “This will Senior Desiree Chrun (seated at the far left of the table) was a pregive her wisdom senter at the National Coalition on School Diversity Conference in Washington D.C. in September. Chrun presented on the Gateway- beyond her 2Change initiative that she was a part of last year. Photo courtesy: years,” Spiller Desiree Chrun said. Spiller believes that Will Qualls by Chrun going this year it opens a Staff Writer future opportunity for more Ritenour students to attend. Senior Desiree Chrun was Chrun also gained experience selected to go to Washington D.C. that led to her selection to attend this for the National Coalition on School conference as an intern at Washington Diversity Conference as both a University in the Social Systems presenter and participant. Design Lab. This took place at the She was nominated by Brown School of Social Work, and as Principal Gary Spiller to go, and was an intern, Chrun worked with Systems chosen because she was in Leadership Thinking to solve problems. As an and Social Justice Club. intern, they planned a Race Summit Chrun left for Washington using Systems Thinking, and also D.C. on Thursday, September 24 at facilitated a group and taught them 9 a.m. and returned that Saturday at how to use Systems Thinking in their 8 p.m. While there, she attended the daily lives. conference and worked with students Only six students from from the Race Summit. the St. Louis area got to go to D.C.
to represent the Gateway2Change movement. This was the movement that formed the Race Summits last year in St. Louis. “It was the trip of a lifetime, and it was an amazing experience,” Chrun said. At the conference, Chrun heard many guest speakers, including Nikole Hannah Jones, a New York Times journalist who writes about school integration, and wrote an article about Ferguson. After listening to other people speak, she and the other five St. Louis students did their own presentation with the help of Drew Schwartz, Director of Learning and Career Development at EdPlus and Megan Odenthal of the Washington University Design Lab. The group presented in front of 200 people about their work with the Gateway2Change “I wasn’t nervous, but I was excited to share thoughts and ideas with such important people who could really make a difference,” Chrun said When she was not working, Chrun went sightseeing to the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Monument, National Mall, and The White House, but she couldn’t take a tour inside. Among the things that Chrun talked about at the presentation were their personal stories about living in diverse communities and the programs that were created last year, like the sibling school initiative that had students swap schools for a day. “I was confident in myself. I know I was good for the job and I was picked for a reason,” Chrun said.
News
The chutes and ladders of a school year at Ritenour
Throughout the school year, Ritenour students and faculty experience a series of ups and downs, and must navigate through them
By- Leia Boyd Spotlight Editor
Freshmen come to high school
Students attended Freshman Transition Day in early August to help prepare for the school year.; Photo by: Sean Baker
The jump from middle school to high school can seem stressful, but everything is not as bad as it seems. Freshman Hope Houston’s expectation of high school has been similar to her reality. “I already expected the hallways to be crowded and to be taking classes with upper classmen,” Houston said. “I did, however, get lost a few times so my advice for future freshmen is don’t be afraid to ask people where classes are or how
to get somewhere, they are usually pretty helpful.” High school was not at all as bad as freshman Adam Pendino imagined. “I expected to get lost. I got lost trying to go to math but overall it wasn’t too bad,” Pendino said. “My advice for future freshman is not to get into drama, and the friends you have in middle school won’t be the same as the friends you will have in high school.”
Attendance fluctuations
Students participate in a classroom discussion. Photo by: Leia Boyd
Ritenour students tend to see dips in attendance at certain times, but the faculty does their best to boost attendance rates. “Kids often lose an interest in school towards the end of the school year, and sometimes if other schools get out earlier than us, students can get impatient and stop coming as well,” freshman secretary Missy Raitz said. Ritenour has come up with ideas to boost attendance such as attendance letters, phone calls to parents if students are not at school, and consequences for tardiness. Assistant principal Christopher Isaacs mentioned a new plan for helping student’s attendance “Now every week for an hour the assistant principals, counselors, secretaries, teachers, and even the social workers are invited to come in and take a look at student attendance and what ways we can sit down and talk about the importance of the 90% attendance rate,” Isaacs said. “We also are trying to help kids who are close to the 90% get there.”
The importance of sports and activities
The football team lines up to prepare for a play. Photo by: Sean Baker
Dealing with finals and stress
Clubs, activities, and sports can be a very important aspect of school, especially if you ask Athletic Director Drew Lohnes “Being in sports in high school can teach you lots of good life lessons. It teaches you responsibility, dedication, accountability. There are a lot of things that when you’re participating on a team will benefit you in having a job later on in life,” Lohnes said. “I think sports help student’s learning because that accountability gives you another set of adults that are making sure that you are doing what you need to be doing, and pushing you to do your best.” Clubs are also a great
experience in high school. Activities director Jerry Nolen thinks there are three positive outcomes of being involved. “Studies have shown that the grade point averages of people who are involved in at least one club are half a point higher than people who aren’t involved in clubs. The attendance for somebody involved in sports, clubs, or activities can be 5-10% higher than one who is not. Students also gain extra friends and meet more people being involved in activities, clubs or sports,” Nolen said. Getting involved in activities and clubs can make high school more enjoyable and create friendships that can last a lifetime.
Junior Kayla Dobin enters her grades in RogerHub, to help her prioritize studying for finals. Photo by: Sean Baker
When finals roll around in December and May, so does stress. For some people, finals do not faze them, but for others it brings a lot of stress. Junior Kayla Dobin thinks she finally has it all figured out, after a lot of crying and napping. “I type my current grades into a website called Roger hub final grade calculator, and it tells me the score I need on my final to get the grade I want in the class, so I can prioritize and really hit hard on the subjects I need my finals to be perfect in,” Dobin said. “It helps me to teach other people the material. If I can feel the pressure of having to teach someone else the material it really soaks in with me. So I’ll sit down with my 5-year-old
niece and she’ll be a pre-calculus pro by the end of the night.” When Dobin wants to relieve stress she rewards herself after studying for three hours or so by going and getting her nails done, or ordering guacamole at Chipotle if she is feeling like a big spender. Dobin also has advice for students who are not sure how to deal
with the stress of finals week. “My advice would be to not waste your time studying subjects you’re already good at just because you like it. Make new friends... By that I mean quizlet and spark notes. Embrace your stress because that means you’re working hard. No worthy success comes without stress,” Dobin said.
Seniors start to make college decisions
Ritenour hosted a College and Career Expo for students on October 14.
For a senior in high school, college decisions are extremely important. It can be a fun experience, and it really gives students the freedom to decide what they are doing with their lives and what they look for in school. Senior Elvis Phung already knows what he wants in a college. “I am looking for a strong academic program and diversity because there will be a lot of different cultures and events and interesting people,” Phung said. “I am already looking at colleges such as Missouri S&T, Vanderbilt
When a student hears about the term ACT, it might trigger some worry. For the first time last school year, Ritenour took part in a free ACT offered to juniors. The same ACT will be offered to juniors again this school year in April. Junior Ransome Drexler has been preparing for this one test all throughout his educational career. “This test basically tests me over everything I’ve learned since the beginning of school and I’m going to definitely review some old math concept and stuff I’m foggy on. My ideal score would be a 34. Now that seems very difficult, especially since a perfect score is a 36, but I aim to achieve it by focusing on what I have been preparing for all my life and that is this test,” Drexler said. Some juniors are not as financially stable as others and offering a test that determines their future for free has been helpful to them. Most seniors, like Shelby Wesche, have already taken the ACT, or are planning to take it again to achieve their ideal score. Wesche attempted her first ACT by doing a little reviewing in a practice book. “When I was preparing to take it a second time I worked through an ACT workbook and I drilled myself with practice test. My
University, Stanford, & Georgia Tech. I am still undecided about what major I want, but I am planning to work in the engineering or technology field.” Another senior starting her college planning is Deidra Evans, but she has a distinct advantage because she has been already been accepted to Southeast Missouri State (SEMO). “I have earned an individual scholarship for being involved in so many leadership activities, and with that have been accepted into SEMO,” Evans said.
Students start taking the ACT second score went up 3 full points. I am still shooting for a 31, and I am studying for that now and I will take my ACT again in October,” Wesche said. Wesche advises people taking the ACT to not freak out, remember that the math is simple, and focus on timing.
Junior Rance Drexler studies math for the ACT, Photo taken by Leia Boyd.
Prom signals the end of the school year While prom can be hectic to plan, it can be something a student looks forward to from the start of high school. At Ritenour, the junior class is in charge of planning and organizing prom. Junior class president Grecia Ramirez believes that one thing is vital to a good prom. “I think the music is something kids enjoy most about prom. Most kids like to dance,”
Ramirez said. Junior Vice president Samantha Schafer says that they have big plans for prom this year. To go along with the music at prom, Schafer says that they are looking into new DJ’s. “Prom is a good experience and I have heard of people who didn’t go to their prom and they really regretted it, and wish they Students dancing at last year’s prom. would’ve gone,” Schafer said.
Seniors reach graduation
Ritenour’s class of 2015 sitting down at graduation. Photo by: Sean Baker.
While not technically a slide, graduation does symbol the end of the school year, and a whole new set of chutes and ladders for the new alumni. Graduation is anticipated from the beginning of high school. It is all students dream of and look forward to in their high school years. Principal Gary Spiller also anticipates graduation from the beginning of each school year. “Graduation is why we are here, it is what we are all about, it’s an amazing celebration of all the hard work, the successes, the tears, the bumps in the road, and everything else in-between,” Spiller said. “I love it, it’s why we do what we do, to help students get across the stage.” At graduation, moms, dads, aunts, uncles, friends, and everybody else are there to support their loved ones and celebrate the hard work and dedication it took to get there.
Photo by: Morgan Diamond.
Ritenour Renovates Huskies Rock House and Athletic Fields Ritenour made upgrades to many of the outdoor athletic facilities over the summer Written by: Ryan Tiefenbruch Sports Editor-in-chief
up for the baseball and softball field. “I would put our softball and baseball field up against any field around,” Athletic Director Drew Lohnes said. The district also made natural turf renovations to fields at the North Athletic Soccer Complex, the outfield areas of the baseball and softball field where the football team practices, as well as on Moore Field in the stadium. “The football practice area, the grass we have out there the Bermuda grass, provides for a really good
playing surface and even on wet days it recovers really well,” Lohnes said The cost of all field renovations totaled about $56,000. “I think we have right now the best natural surface soccer field in the whole St. Louis area,” Lohnes said. Players from all sports and community members in the district are raving about the improvements made to the athletic fields. “I like that our school is investing more time into athletics and their facilities,” senior Ivan Markley
Students may have noticed some renovations being done to some of the athletic fields over the summer, and some brand new fields at the start of the school year. The Ritenour High School Football Huskies started off the 2015 season with a refurbished Rock House Athletic Facility. The updates, which were completed in early June, include a renovated locker room, team meeting space and restroom. The $131,000 renovation project is the first interior upgrade Senior Corey Carlile passes the ball upfield on the new natural surface soccer field at the since 1999. Some of the updates included North Athletic Soccer Complex. Photo by Sean Baker. plumbing, ventilation, painting, structural upgrades and audio visual improvements, which were needed due to the age and condition of the building. “The logos we have around the locker room makes us feel at home and give us motivation for games,” junior Tyler Ball said. The athletes now will have a much better space for changing, having meetings and storing their uniform equipment. The infield area of Engert baseball field was regraded with material called turface, plus a new irrigation system to improve drainage; Bluegrass sod was also added along the periphery. “I’m more than happy we got a new field and draining system because it helps with the display and rainouts,” Sarah Goers said. A new scoreboard was also put
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The football team upgrades with athletes from other sports Junior Taylor Robertson and senior Gibran Torres use their soccer skills to help the football team on its kicking attempts
it is very important,” Gregory said. Confidence filled Robertson while she successfully kicked 2 for 3 at Ritenour’s Homecoming Game. “I wasn’t worried or nervous, I was just anxious from all of the adrenaline,” Robertson said. Although she is the only female on the team, Robertson has experienced a sense of comfort within the guys. The football team Junior Taylor Robertson lines up to kick an extra point after a touchdown in the Homecoming game against Rockwood manages to make Summit. Photo by: Sean Baker both Robertson and Torres feel like family. “I think it’s By- Bri’Asia Mays pretty cool, they joke around with me Staff Writer like an everyday thing,” Robertson said. Ritenour’s varsity football Before making the football team has added new dimension this team both players never felt hesitant year by recruiting kickers from other to join. In fact, they were very sure sports. Junior Taylor Robertson and of themselves. Being a leader of the senior Gibron Torres have both begun varsity soccer team seemed to benefit to make a mark of the team. Torres a lot. Varsity Head Football Coach “I am the captain of the Gregory discussed how Robertson soccer team, so I am used to pressure. is starting to enhance the team. On I suppose that’s where I got the September 19th, Robertson stepped confidence,” Torres said. foot on the field for her first game. Moving forward in the season “Taylor is currently 5-7 on PAT (points after touchdowns). Before Gregory expects a lot of improvement from his kickers, especially Robertson. that we were 2-7 on PAT- We lost the “Hopefully she will continue to first game of the season by 1 point, so improve her timing and her distance. It
would be nice to be able to kick a field goal or two,” Gregory said. Although, Robertson wowed Gregory her first time kicking for him, he was concerned about how she would deal with pressure of the sport. “In practice Taylor was 10 for 10 the first time she tried. I expected her to do her job and make the kicks,” Gregory said. “I did wonder how she would handle the pressure of people running at her.” Being a female on a football team is an unusual occurrence with a ton of pressure, but certainly not impossible. September 12, 2015 marked a day in history when Kent State’s female kicker April Goss made an extra point for the football team. There had not been an event such as this since 2003 with former New Mexico kicker, Kate Hnida. As the only female Robertson does experience restrictions. During half-time and after the game, Robertson is not allowed to enter the locker room, so she receives a solo talk from the coaches. Considering Robertson and Torres are passionate about other sports the coaches have been patient and considerate about their practices. “Soccer is my first sport so I go there first, and if I have time I’ll come kick a few footballs. The coaches work with me since they know my passion for soccer,” Torres said. The football team has used other school teams to add to its roster of players and by doing so the team hopes to grow for the better.
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