Staff Editorial Throughout our lives, especially as teenagers, we are constantly told how important it is that we set and conquer our goals. Our elders have drilled into our heads that the key to success is effective goal setting, and they encourage us to take steps to attain our desires. While this might seem like a relentless spiel that has been practiced and perfected by all of the adults in our lives, they are absolutely right. Securing our hopes and overcoming obstacles is of dire importance in our years as teenagers, and doing these things will sculpt both our characters and all of our futures. During school, many students find it hard to set and reach meaningful ambitions in their lives outside of their grades, GPAs, or other short term, school related objectives. However, our achievements do not have to be this condensed or limited. School will end, and what will be left for us after graduation are unlimited possibilities and countless decisions to make. In the meantime, conquering goals is very important for us as students. Whether we are taking steps to reach a preparatory state before we are on our own, or becoming independent ahead of time, some of our best accomplishments can be made right now. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that people who set and reach their ambitions are more likely to be motivated to continue to obtain more, bigger aspirations. This means that the sooner we get into the habit of meeting our goals, the more likely we are to keep up our achievements. Conquering goals tends to increase people’s overall pride, pleasure, and self-confidence. The satisfaction that comes with fulfilling our objectives is undeniable. The Incredible Benefits of Setting and Achieving Your Goals says that people who set their goals effectively and meet those goals sometimes have less stress and anxiety in life, have better concentration and performance skills, and tend to be happier. Life is a lot more fulfilling when we are progressing and accomplishing important desires. Not only does conquering obstacles change our attitudes, but the journey to get to that level of accomplishment improves our discipline and willpower in the long run. The feeling of achieving our goals in this way usually feels more satisfying than the reward itself. Strength and prosperity come hand in hand with conquering the challenges that often protrude into our lives. As teenagers, we are especially prone to face these significant hardships, and more likely to give up on our aspirations. This is why we must be the most determined to overcome obstacles and reach our goals. Conquering goals is the key to our success, the key to our growth and the key to life. Be willing and motivated, and keep reaching new expectations for yourselves and you will be much better prepared for your future.
PEPPER BOX STAFF Adviser: Ron Steinschriber Production Editor In Chief: Leia Boyd Content Editor In Chief: Sarah Barbeau Design Editor In Chief: Sidney Lee Buisness Manager: Morgan Diamond News Editor: Alicia Watson Opinion Editor: Royalty Knight Online Editor: Bri’asia Mays Sports Editor:Jenna Hutson Spotlight Editor: Makayla Smith Staff Members: William Qualls, Kourtney Pliner, Martin Trujillo, Vanessa Delgado, Jordan Barber, Ashley Wright, Bailey Stock, Shelby Langhorst, Deidre Dinkins, Victoria Taylor, Tabitha Peebles
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.
Photo illustration on the cover includes silhouette profiles of sophomore Tai Huynh, junior E’myzra McGruder and senior Ammy Mendoza. Photos by: Sidney Lee Back Cover by: Shelby Langhorst Created on: easel.ly
The problem with labels
Columnist Royalty Knight discusses the problems with labeling racial groups
The Royal Treatment By: Royalty Knight
I am not African American. Just because my family came from different places than other families, does not make me any less American than anyone else. Why do I need a prefix? According to people in my generation, white people do not have a prefix. However, every other racial group seems to have something added to the word “American” to describe them. I would also like to point out the fact that labeling someone “African American’ is more racist than people think. In an attempt to be more “politically correct,” white leaders kept changing the name of black people from completely offensive names, to seemingly less offensive. Many black
leaders, such as Jesse Jackson, even urged others to start using the term because he said that it gave ‘cultural integrity,’ but I respectfully disagree with that idea. They can say ‘racism is dead,’ but I am not African American. I am not from Africa, my mom is not from Africa, and my grandmother four generations up is not African. I guess it would be right if you are referring to the argument that all black people come from Africa. If that is the case, then guess what? Christians and a lot of other religions believe that all people come from Africa. It is believed that the Garden of Eden is somewhere in Africa. If the first men and women were created in Africa, then that means that everyone should be labeled an African, right? Aside from that, how can I be from an entire continent? If I were to ask someone from Iceland where they are from, they would not tell me that they were a North American American. Or, if I asked someone from Brazil where they were from, they would not respond by calling themselves a South American American. However, people in this country use Africa as such a general term that people forget that Africa is
a continent, not a country. A lot of black people believe it too, that simply because they have brown skin that they are from Africa and forget about those who originally immigrated from Jamaica, Haiti, or the Caribbean islands. While talking about this, someone said to me “Haiti used to be a part of Africa.” Very good young historian, but using that logic, everyone who lives in Texas, Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, and Colorado are all Mexican because they were once a part of Mexico. Do not get me wrong, I do not like being called black. I know my colors and black is not a shade that is truly obtainable. The definition of the word black includes the absence of light, and it is also known as the root of all evil. Think about it, black magic is evil and white magic is good and pure. Someone asked me, “well then, what should we call you? What are you then, if we can’t call you African American or black? You can call me by my name. Why does anything else matter? Why would my ethnicity matter to anyone else? I am a human. What do you call me? Royalty.
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Opinion
Ritenour helps grant a wish Ritenour teachers help raise money for Make A Wish student, Makayla, by running for Staff King and Queen
Staff Homecoming King Alexander Terrance celebrates his award at the Homecoming Assembly held on October 7 next to the Make a Wish child, Makayla. Terrance and math teacher Danielle Swallow won the titles of staff king and queen, and raised the most money for Makayla to go on a Disney Cruise. Photo by Makayla Smith
By: Martin Trujillo Carrazco Staff Reporter Math teacher Danielle Swallow and Social Studies teacher Alexander Terrance won the titles of Staff Homecoming King and Queen after raising the most money for a Make A Wish student, Makayla. 9 year-old Makayla was born with Sickle Cell Anemia, a condition in which there is a limited amount of healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen. Due to her condition, she has had to suffer through several extended hospital stays, bone marrow surgery, and a recent brain surgery. “Makayla is a beautiful little girl who has been through a lot. She is a fighter, even though she has gone through so much in her life already, she always strives to do her best,” Makayla’s mother said on www. mo.wish.org. Through the efforts of all the teachers who ran for the staff
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Homecoming crown, the school helped raise over $1,800. This money will all go towards Makayla’s wish, which is to go on a trip on Disney’s cruise line. Junior Leadership student E’mysha McGruder explained that Makayla was chosen as the Make A Wish student for Ritenour because she was close to the Ritenour community. “We [leadership] emailed a Make A Wish employee, and he sent us a list of kids close to Ritenour. The class then decided on which kid was the best fit to help,” McGruder said. 29 teachers raised money in hopes of winning 2016 Staff Homecoming King and Queen: Swallow, Terrance, Dr Riina Hirsch, Christina Melly, Collette Love, Sharnez Givens, Juanita Hartman, Ericka Harris, Alyssa Deuser, Janet Knese, Ellen Kim, Rachael Tripp, Jennifer Montgomery, Tracy Weber, Nina Ballman, Ron Steinschriber, Richard Bell, Jerry Nolen, John Heeter, John
Schimmel, Bilal Ewing, William Slater, Jeremy Housewright, Michael Floyd, Richard Rodgers, Zachary Buxman, Jared Holtmeyer, Gregory Jones, and George Lee. The teachers ran for various reasons, from the ability to call themselves King or Queen to personal reasons. Schimmel, an engineering teacher, stated that he has been touched by the Make A Wish foundation in the past. “I had a friend who benefited from Make A Wish many years ago. My ex-girlfriend had a baby sister, Emily, who was born with a brain tumor. She was given six months to live. She traveled from Chicago to St Louis Children’s Hospital to receive chemoradiation, and she is still alive today. Make A Wish took her to Disney World,” Schimmel said. When Schimmel was asked about methods to encourage kids to donate, he said he offers incentives, such as food and perhaps extra credit. Givens, an English teacher, attempted to reach out to students’ emotions to encourage them to donate. “I mention it to every class. I explain the cause, and the purpose of the donations,” Givens said. Swallow has won the title of Staff Homecoming Queen for three consecutive years. Like Givens, she really tries to show the students the purpose of donating, and aims to emphasize where their money will be going when she speaks with her classes about donating. “I encourage my students to donate and explain to them the purpose of donating to charity and helping out a child who is in need,” Swallow said.
Tobacco age limit increases Saint Louis County joins with Tobacco21 to make 21 the age limit for buying tobacco products
A “no smoking” sign hangs outside the fence to Moore Field at Ritenour High School. Not only is smoking not allowed on school grounds, but with a new law going into effect, no high school-aged students will be able to purchase any tobacco products. Photo by Sidney Lee
By: Shelby Langhorst Staff Reporter In November of 2015, Kansas City became one of the most populated cities in Missouri to change the legal age to buy tobacco and tobacco products from 18, to 21. Early this September, St. Louis County Council voted with a majority for a similar policy. The change in the tobacco policy will be enforced started December 1, 2016. The tobacco 21 policy will include any form of tobacco and tobacco products including cigarettes, cigars, and electronic cigarettes (vaping products). According to Tobacco21. org, the state of Missouri “currently has an above average rate of high school smoking and adult smoking.” The smoking epidemic claimed by
physicians across America can be lowered by the Tobacco 21 policy. Art teacher Kristi Ponder has recently quit smoking, but still uses vaping products. She does not think the new law will change much in the behavior of younger smokers. However, she does believe the new law is necessary because she understands the health risks of smoking. “I’m a firm believer that if you treat people like adults, and let them make their own decisions, they will sometimes make bad decisions. But that’s the only way they will learn, rather than just telling them no,” Ponder said. While Ponder believes that young adults will act appropriately if given the chance, she questions how effective this law will actually be. “The question is how much more difficult is it going to be? Even if
they raise the age, people younger than 18 are already getting them (today). What is raising the age going to do?” Ponder said. Smoking exists amongst Ritenour students, even though the entire population of the school is not over 18. “It does affect me personally, since I just turned 18 and in December they’re changing it, I’m kind of bummed,” an anonymous senior said. Ponder says that this ruling further highlights some hypocrisy about age limits for certain products in this country. “I never liked when I was younger, how when I was 18 I was able to go and die and fight for my country, but I wasn’t allowed to drink a glass of red wine I prepared for my family,” Ponder said. It has been stated by many physicians that the health effects are long-lasting. Media teacher Jeremy Housewright explained how the effects of smoking can cause immense damage. “As a former smoker who started in high school, I think (this law) is a good idea. Teenagers and kids in high school don’t know the dangers it really causes. It is definitely something that can cause irreparable damages to not just your lungs, or your skin. Kids don’t think of that sort of thing. It’s very addictive,” Housewright said. Reducing these damages is a goal of the Tobacco 21 policy. The nicotine addiction can be devastating. “Quitting was one of hardest things I ever did. I’m glad I did, but I also realized that I caused damage to my lungs,” Housewright said.
News
Fighting for their rights
The Feminist Club has joined the campus in an effort to improve the lives of females century and continues to prosper today. Over the years, the feminist movement has made many advancements in their goal of obtaining equality amongst men and women, including gaining voting rights. The feminist movement is not only exclusive to the United States, but is also prevalent in foreign countries. “I feel like all ‘isms’ are just struggles for equality in general, and this one just happens to be for women. It is not really Senior Zaire Davis stomps out issues of inequality and violence much different than any towards women with her work in the Feminist Club. Photo by of the other struggles Sidney Lee for equality in society,” By: Alicia Watson Monzyk said. “Women News Editor are notoriously an oppressed group, not just in our country but around the A new addition to Ritenour’s world. Not just now, but at all points in array of clubs has been the Feminist history. I think that sometimes people Club, and English teacher Melissa think that it has gone away, and that it Monzyk is the sponsor. is not as bad as it used to be, but that The club focuses on activism does not mean that it does not exist.“ and participates in volunteering and Though women are the main doing fundraisers. They also have a source in fighting for their rights, monthly discussion group to raise there are also men that identify as awareness, and they welcome anyone pro feminist. According to a poll who is interested in talking about administered by the Washington Post, issues that women face. 23% of 488 men identified as feminists “If there is only women and 10% identify as strong feminists. fighting for women we are never going “I definitely feel like people to make any progress,” Monzyk said. other than women can support the ”We have to get the rest of society feminist movement, but we have to on board with the cause in order to picky because there are people who are make a positive social change. It takes not supporting it for the right reasons,” everyone.” senior Zaire Davis said. “They need The advocacy for women’s to recognize their privilege and use it rights dates to help people who do not have those back to privileges.” the 19th Amongst the 1,610 that
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participated in the Washington Post poll, 50% of the men and 30% of the women did not identify as a feminist, nor did they identify as being against feminism. “I do not identify myself as an anti feminist, I consider myself an egalitarian,” junior Caelin Blevans said. “Feminists will tell you that feminism means rights for men and women, the contention I have with that is that I do not see men or women in the feminist movement fighting for men’s rights.” Active participation in the feminist movement have made certain developments in the equality amongst men and women, such as the Equal Pay Act and the Violence Against Women Act. There has been progress for women since the 1800s, but there is still progress to be made. “Women have been oppressed since the beginning of time and I feel like that is never going to change, there is always going to be a man in power who is going to feel like he is better than a woman,” Davis said. Monzyk is just happy to get the club off the ground and add to the list of other Ritenour clubs trying to make a difference. “We have the Social Justice club which is awesome, they do great things and are super powerful. We have other organizations that highlight different aspects of social and cultural life, but we do not have anything that is particularly focused on the struggles that girls face,” Monzyk said. “It would be nice to say that we can pick a point in the future where everything is equal, but it is not in our nature to treat everyone equally. I think we are always going to need movements to support and promote justices in different areas of society.”
Ritenour goes back to Rome Leadership came up with the theme for Homecoming after finding a phrase from ancient Rome By: Makayla Smith Spotlight Editor The Leadership students were looking for something powerful when coming up with ideas for the Homecoming theme, and their search took them to ancient Rome. Leadership teacher Tavonda Palmer and her students came up with the theme “Veni Vidi Vici” for the Homecoming dance, which means “I came, I saw, I conquered.” The overall theme of the school year is decades, and the group wanted to be able to find something interesting within that broad base. “We all wanted themes that
related to decades in the past and that’s how we came up with Veni Vidi Vici” sophomore Jason Bock said. “Veni Vidi Vici was the best one because it sounded creative and like something that hasn’t been done before.” The other options that the Leadership students had thought about using were things like Great Gatsby and masquerade. Senior Taylor Robertson said she stumbled upon the phrase while doing some research and thought that it would give the dance a sense of mystique. “Everyone was thinking of slogans for homecoming and they were okay, but they weren’t really
collaborating with the theme, so I looked up Roman slogans and “Veni Vidi Vici” was the first one to pop up,” Robertson said. “It went with the theme because it was in Italian and left some kind of mystery to people attending the dance for what’s up ahead.” The theme came to life at the Homecoming Dance, as decorations filled the room and students could be transported back to ancient Rome. “For me, I would want some kind of mystery to the dance because who wants to go somewhere where they already can envision what the place is going to look like,” Robertson said.
Spotlight
The conquering heroes Ritenour students and staff conquer challenges every day, and it helps them build character By: Jordyn Barber Staff Reporter The idea of conquering something has long challenged humans to go above and beyond their perceived capabilities. The infamous Helen Keller was known for being deaf, blind, and mute. However, she learned to read and write despite her disabilities. Jesse Owens was a four time gold
Spotlight
medalist in the Olympics, but faced discrimination consistently and did not let the color of his skin decide his success. Malala Yousafzai put threats of Taliban to the ultimate test for her education and though she was shot in the head, she continued to become a global advocate for rights. All of these people refused to let their identity be defined by their situation. Anyone can change the norm and rise up against their
circumstances, as has been the case with some Ritenour staff members. “Joining the Marines scared me to death, but getting out of my comfort zone was one of the best decisions of my life,” social studies teacher Alexander Terrance said about his experience of dropping out of college in 2001. Terrance also described how being in the Marines taught him enough mental toughness to re-enroll in 2003. Terrance feels conquering is essential to living a successful life. He finds conquering things easiest when breaking bigger goals into smaller ones so that I have smaller milestones to celebrate. Drama teacher Gregory Jones trained and ran for a marathon. He poses a question to his students often. “If you don’t set goals and attempt to reach them, how will you ever know what you are capable of?” Students also face hardships, such as Nick Williams who lost his mother last school year. “But you tell yourself that life isn’t over and you live your life with the values she has put in you,” Williams said. This is his reason Williams continues to carry on; living for his mother. Other students, such as Savanna Bedichek, dealt with sexual assault at a young age. Her reason to conquer is not becoming her situation, but becoming the person that she wants to be. “It really shapes who you are, but knowing that it doesn’t really define you as a person is a start at moving forward,” Bedichek said.
Senior Katie Ware
Junior Eric Cook
Sophomore Tionne Seymour
“I used my faith to cope with my unfortunate circumstances after being in a car accident.”
“I lost my grandpa at a young age and I am still coping with it. I watch videos of us and now I treat my family better because I never know when they will leave me.”
“It was hard (finding out about a heart issue) because I really wanted to play volleyball. I knew I had to get cleared first, so I just had to patiently wait.”
Junior Savanna Bedichek
Junior Danielle Davis
Freshman Nathan Whinery
“Being sexually assaulted at a young age really shapes who you are, but knowing that it doesn’t define you as a person is a start at moving forward.”
“I have conquered accepting myself without having hair. I am beautiful inside and out.”
Junior Nick Williams
“I have conquered my fear of “I have conquered heart my grandma Donna dying. I surgery. I have a pacemaker.” have coped by spending time in the hospital with her.”
Freshman Ava Biesterfeld “Losing my mom was the hardest thing I ever had to go through in my life. But you tell yourself that life isn’t over and you live life with the values she has put in you.”
Junior Jodie Wagster
“I got a stress fracture in my back doing gymnastics and was forced to quit. It was hard because gymnastics was my life, but now I moved forward by playing volleyball, basketball, tennis and track. Gymnastics gave me a lot of opportunities to try new things and I’m glad I did it.
Spotlight
Meet the Homecoming Court Freshmen Pierre Brown
I ran for Homecoming Court because other people wanted me to do it.
Leah Lee
I always thought that once I got to high school I would want to run for Homecoming Court. Even if I didn’t win, it would be a fun experience.
Juniors Spotlight
Brianna Johnson
I ran for Homecoming Court because I wanted to follow in my sister’s footsteps.
Joshua Quinn
I wanted to run for Homecoming Court because I’ve seen it in high school movies, so I thought that it would be cool.
Sophomores Jason Bock
I ran last year and it was a fun experience. Also my cousin did it for 4 years, so I wanted to do it.
RJ Sagum
I ran for Homecoming Court because I wanted to be really involved in my school.
Why did you run for Homecoming Court? Bria Dunn I ran for Homecoming Court because a lot of people told me I should run.
Adreona McCraw
Last year I didn’t run and it looked fun, so I ran this year.
Caroline West
I thought it would be a good opportunity and great experience. I also thought it might be something I can do to bring out a leadership opportunity.
Jose Gaona
I ran for Homecoming Court because it seemed like a fun opportunity to get myself out there and experience a new horizon.
Phoenix Gaston
I ran for Homecoming Court because my friends told me to.
Juniors - continued
People told me to run for Homecoming Court so I did. They told me I was popular.
Toni Akins
Cydnei Anderson
I didn’t run my whole high school years, so since it’s my senior year, I figured why not run and have something to be remembered by.
This is my senior year and it is something out of my comfort zone that I think will be inspirational to other people.
Rebekah Jimenez
It is my senior year and I said why not. I want to do it with my boyfriend. HOMECOMING QUEEN
E’myzra McGruder
Brandon Martin
I want to get more involved in the school and get a solo dance at the dance.
Seniors Courtland
Kamaya Poston
I ran because I wanted to be involved more in my school.
Carl Garmon
Rashad Hughes
I feel that I am a wellrespected individual and I like to represent my class as someone who actually cares for the people around me. HOMECOMING KING
This is my last year and I’m trying to make most of every opportunity I have. It is a fun experience and I just want to do it.
I ran for homecoming court because I thought, it is my senior year, so why not?
Austin Kaiser
Isabelle Siharaj
Andrea Wanta
Makayla Williams
My friend Isabelle wanted me to run with her for her senior year. Now that I’m actually on Homecoming Court, it feels good.
It’s always been a big dream of mine, and my mom always wanted me to do it, so I did it for her.
Barnes
I’ve always wanted to It was my dream in run, but it was my senior middle school to win year so I figured I had homecoming queen. enough friends that get on court and possibly win, so I just ran for fun.
Junior takes summer journey Junior Emma Norman spent six weeks in Israel on a spiritual and cultural trip By: Jenna Hutson Sports Editor Junior Emma Norman traveled 6,500 miles over the summer in order to experience new cultures and do volunteer work in a place that has spiritual and historical significance to her. Over the summer, Norman, took a mission trip to Israel. She was there for six weeks, from June 5 through August 20. While she was there she was basically living as a local. She was in Jerusalem for four of the six weeks, and then spent a week each in both Galilee and Haifa. “In general, Jerusalem was my favorite part because it was so diverse,” Norman said, “When I was there I got to experience both the big city and the old country.” While Norman was in Israel, she was completely immersed into their everyday life. “I loved being able to experience their culture,” said Norman. Emma’s faith was her biggest inspiration for the trip. “I have always had a fascination with Israel since I was 12 because it is where Jesus is supposed to come back to and where everything in the Bible takes place,” Norman said. The once in a lifetime chance was made possible by some of Norman’s family friends. “My friend’s’ family is planning on moving to Israel and they were going to visit, so they asked me to come with them,” Norman said. Although Norman was with
family friends, she said it was still a very scary thing to leave the country for six weeks without her family. However, Norman says that she had a lot of support along the way. “My parents were definitely the biggest support, and I also had a lot of support from my church youth group at Destiny Church,” Norman said. While the trip may have been surprising to some of her peers, her teachers were not shocked. Drama teacher Gregory Jones says that he was not surprised at all that Norman decided to go on the trip. Jones speaks very highly of Norman. “She is an honest, hardworking, and kind girl, so it does not surprise me at all that she went on the trip. I know that it is something she is very passionate about,” Jones said. To raise money, Norman took to social media and began selling shirts for the cause. “I knew that she would do whatever she needed to do to raise enough money,” Jones said. Once she came home from her trip, she was fast to share her experience. Sophomore Ellie Gaither has been a friend of Norman’s since they were 3 years old, and says that she could not stop talking about the culture. “She told me that she’s never been exposed to so many different cultures,” Gaither said. Not only did Norman pick up on some new cultures, she also picked up on a new language. “A lot of the Israeli children learn English in school, but I did
Junior Emma Norman and her friend, Elizabeth Sorries, pose in front of an abandoned military camp at Golan Heights in Israel. Photo courtesy of Emma Norman
already know a tiny bit of basic Hebrew and I picked up on a lot of new words and phrases while I was there,” Norman said. When the trip was over Norman could not help but be sad. It was a difficult adjustment to come back home. “The culture is so different in America than in Israel, and the culture in Israel became my norm, so coming back was hard,” Norman said. “I love Israel so much. I can’t wait to go back.”
Spotlight
Teams thrive under the radar The tennis and golf teams do not let low numbers prevent them from competing and having fun
Junior Benita Zossoungbo returns a volley, while doubles partner senior Amanda Crawford stays ready for a return. Photo courtesy or Ritenour Athletics
By: Tabitha Peebles Staff Reporter Multiple teams at Ritenour turn heads in overall interest, including football, basketball, and even volleyball. However, athletes who are a part of teams like tennis and golf have dealt with underestimation from their peers. These athletes have not let their circumstances define them in limiting their abilities. The girls golf and tennis team have persevered this season, even though their numbers are low. Some Ritenour students believe that the numbers for these teams are low because professional athletes in these sports are not as popular amongst teenagers. The teams do not get promoted as much as other sports. ¨The sport is just not an interest I have. I believe that if the
sport had better commentary, it would turn heads just like the other sports,” junior Hannah Cornish said. Junior Dariana Rodriguez believes it is not the fault of the athletes that their sports are not as mainstream as others. “Maybe if the school promoted and advertised the team’s strengths and benefits, students would be more intrigued to join,” Rodriguez said. Junior Emma Stiebel participates with the golf team. She was interested in the sport because saw the potential to help her future when she tried out. ¨I had a true interest in the sport to begin with, but scholarships that colleges could potentially give out for the sport really sparked an interest in golf for me too,¨ Stiebel said. “I don’t think people realize the benefits that come with playing a sport like this.”
Junior tennis player Makaylah Johnson is proud of the girls tennis team’s abilities and relationships, even though they do not have a large team. “Despite the low numbers on the team, we still work together as one to accomplish all that we have. It feels like a team and a friendship. It’s really just a sport that’s fun to do and i don’t think people understand that,¨ Johnson said. She also adds that the team was able to conquer U-City and McCluer at their first and second tennis match this school year by working hard and beating the odds. The coaches of these teams believe there are some stereotypes that prevent students from considering joining these teams. “Not many kids join. They weren’t accustomed to these sports growing up. Golf is typically viewed as a “rich man’s sport” because of the country club stereotype,” Heeter said. However, Heeter believes that the athletes who have shown up are great athletes to work with. “It’s easier to manage these low numbers and still pull together a great group of hard working kids,” Heeter said. Tennis coach Beth Seibold also believes she gets athletes from outside of the mainstream sports, and that allows her to coach differently than other coaches. “There are some difficulties that may prevent people from joining this team, but upon welcoming anyone, there are ways around these borders that allow the team to vanquish all of their current oppositions,” Siebold said.
Sports
Young talent on display
Several freshmen have found their ways onto varsity roster in fall sports this year
By: Ashley Wright Staff Reporter Finding a freshman on varsity can be rare, but there are freshmen who have been impacting the fall sports at Ritenour this season. Sometimes freshmen can be seen as underclassmen who have very little skills and need lots of improvement. The stigma of freshmen being unskilled has been proven to be wrong before at Ritenour High. In previous years at Ritenour, there have been a significant amount of freshmen participating in sports on the varsity level across multiple sports. Being on varsity as a freshman can have many positive aspects regarding higher competition, but the athletes must overcome nerves and confidence issues amongst older teammates. Many freshmen athletes on fall teams use the varsity experience to help them get used to the competition during their next four years in high school. Being a young player on a varsity team can be intimidating. Often times freshmen are assumed not to have the same skill level as an upperclassman. Playing with and against other experienced players can also be a challenge; however, that challenge could be good preparation for high school varsity sports. At 5’8”, Makayla Hollyfield blends in with the rest of the varsity volleyball players, but she is one of two freshman volleyball players who made the varsity team this year. Hollyfield has been playing
Sports
volleyball since she was in second grade. In fifth grade, Hollyfield started playing club volleyball, which has a year-round schedule. Their tryouts start immediately in November after the end of the high school season. The club season ends with the school year in June. Hollyfield has played for the club team Quick for the past four seasons, and she believes that the experience she has gained by playing other year-round players of varying ages has helped her transition to the high school game. “I thought I was capable, but I was also nervous because there are people who are better than me,” Hollyfield said. Hollyfield is not the only freshman on a varsity team. Softball players Mia Key, Roxanne Rivera, and Chloe Pagan also made the varsity team in their first year at the high school. Being on the varsity team is a big transition from club sports, where Pagan’s teammates and opponents are all the same age as her. “It is a bit harder than my normal level of softball, but I feel like I am progressing as a player,” Pagan said. Despite the initial intimidation of the upperclassmen, there is a certain amount of pride involved with freshmen saying that they made the varsity team. “My goal is to help out my team and do the best we can,” Key said. Part of the difficulty of being a freshman on a varsity team is finding out what role to play. Senior Morgan Coffey made the varsity volleyball team when she was a freshman as well, and looking back now in her senior year, Coffey felt that she was treated
Freshman Makayla Hollyfield serves against Clayton. She is one of two freshmen who have played on varsity volleyball this season. Photo by Sidney Lee
better than she expected as a freshman on varsity. However she did mention that since she was one of the youngest on the team she felt that she did not have “much of a voice.” Now a captain of the varsity team, she feels that she has “more of a voice.” Coffey said that Hollyfield has been a welcome addition to the volleyball team this year. “She is really good and she doesn’t start any drama as a freshman,” Coffey said. “She does not play like a freshman and she is good with all of the girls.”
RB Garmon’s been on a roll Senior Carl Garmon has improved tremendously since his junior year and college coaches are taking notice
By: Bailey Stock Staff Reporter
“He is a threat.” Junior quarterback E’myzra McGruder believes that these four words describe his teammate Carl Garmon’s overall game. As a running back, Garmon has managed to score 28 touchdowns so far this season and has been ranked as one of the top-five scoring leaders on STL Today since the beginning of the season. “The only thing on my mind is getting to the end-zone and putting points on the board for my team,” Garmon said. Success is on his mind and he has experienced success every game this season. He has proven this by running an average of 166 yards per game. Specifically, these yards have consisted of touchdowns runs of up to 86 yards. Garmon has scoring on his mind over everything else. Friday nights have become the time and place for him to go put his goals into actions. This year alone, Garmon has scored more than nine times more touchdowns than he did last year. Additionally, he only rushed for a total of 313 yards during his junior season, but through nine games this season, he has already rushed a total of 1498 yards. “He has gotten better,” Head Coach Hoyt Gregory said. Part of Garmon’s rise this season has been due to his health. “My injuries have really motivated me to become better,”
Senior Carl Garmon takes the ball against Northwest. Garmon has been amongst area leaders in scoring and rushing yards this season. Photo courtesy of Brendon Klohr
Garmon said. “It is my senior year, I have to go all out.” Recently, Garmon was recognized for his outstanding statistics by STLToday. In addition, he was also named, “Athlete of the Week” on Ritenour Live. These recognitions are not only extreme honors for him, but they bring the name “Carl Garmon” into the eyes of potential coaches he could be working with by this time next year. “Carl has a few different schools from Division 1 all the way down to junior colleges. It all just depends on his grades and his ACT score,” Gregory said. Having said that, Garmon is truly experiencing the life of a studentathlete. The pressure of working hard on and off the field is going to
determine his entire future from now on. Even though Garmon has become a highly ranked player in the state, he still has his mind set on something else; winning. “The publicity is good and all, but that is not my main focus. I am worried about getting to the next game one by one,” Garmon said. Garmon is not only focused on his current season. He is preparing himself day by day for the seasons he hopes that are yet to come. “I want to go to college for football and hopefully I can make it somewhere else from there,” Garmon said.
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