Pepper Box 2019-2020 Issue 5 - February

Flawless Beyonce

SELF LOVE AND CARE

SPORTS GOING VIRAL

TOP TRENDS OF 2019

The importance of self love and care, along with tips and a playlist

Ranking the top social media trends of last year.

SPOTLIGHT Pg. 4-5

A&E Page 7

A buzzer beater by Jakobi Flynn is the latest RHS basketball clip to go viral

SPORTS Page 8

THE PEPPER BOX RITENOUR HIGH SCHOOL

ISSUE 5, VOLUME 97

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

FEBRUARY 2020

Kayla Baker becomes the first student on the Board of Education The junior was elected as a student representative and will attend and participate in board meetings VERONICA SUSOVICA Pepper Box Staff Kayla Baker is the first student representative of the Board of Education in the history of the Ritenour District.

In this context, a student representative is someone who is concerned for the student body and educated on issues that students have to face. This representative is someone who has a voice at the district board to speak on behalf of the students at Ritenour.

Currently, Ritenour has one junior student representative (Kayla Baker) and one open spot for a sophomore student representative.

“The student representative position is important to me because I feel like students need a voice. Our system is flawed — like most systems, but it was to the point that I was not performing [to the best of my abilities],” Baker said.

“My first two years of high school, I felt incredibly alone.

I was skipping classes, had dropping grades and a bad attitude. I stopped caring because I felt like no one else cared about how students like me were feeling. My main goal as student representative is to make sure no one else ever feels like that. We care.”

Baker became a student representative by applying for the position, and was

chosen between nine other applicants. Prior to that, an email was sent out to all juniors and sophomores enrolled at Ritenour about applying for the position of student representative.

“We have problems at Ritenour, problems that administrators cannot see. They do not see the bullying, the heart-wrenching statistics. We cannot expect them to. However, incorporating a student representative is the first and biggest step to changing that. Bringing a student perspective can completely shine light on those issues that they can’t see firsthand.

If we want any major changes to prevent the pain students have gone through in the past, we need someone on the inside who can make proper suggestions on behalf of the student body,” Baker said Ritenour School District Superintendent Dr. Chris Kilbride knew that some other districts had started this process and sought out the introduction of this position.

“I am not sure why a student representative has not been pursued in the past and I am not sure why all school districts do not have a student representative on their governance team. I am aware of area districts that have or have recently added the role. Those districts include: University City, Webster Groves and Washington, MO school districts.”

Baker will attend all Board of Education meetings and has the opportunity to have a voice in all items that are related to the governance of the district. The student representative is on equal standing as a member of the Board, even though they are not a voting member, nor are they an attendee at the closed sessions of the Board of Education.

Baker holds a unique position, in that she is still a Ritenour student, but is dual enrolled at St. Louis Community College. She takes a full load of courses at the community college, but still comes to the high school to study, and performed in “The Wizard of Oz” in the spring.

“There is some debate on whether or not I deserved the position seeing as I do not attend classes at Ritenour, but I think it is incredibly important to note that we are working to better the educational system and Ritenour as a whole, [including dual enrollment],” Baker said.

The Board of Education will be adding two student representatives to the board of education. They are looking for a second student representative, which is an opportunity for current 10th grade students. Dr. Kilbride will be visiting RHS to speak to the 10th grade class to encourage them to take up the opportunity. The student

Photo courtesy: Ritenour School District Junior Kayla Baker signs a document at a Board meeting.

Baker was nominated as the student representative and will be attending all Board of Education meetings to provide the student perspective on any prospective proposal.

representatives will serve two year terms. There will be an opportunity available to 10th grade students at RHS each year, and the board will be selecting one new student representative each year for a two year term.

“There is always an opportunity to increase the level of student voice

in important decisions that impact the district and the community. The action is not in response to a sudden need, but rather in response to the belief of the Board and myself that students must be at the table when decisions are being made that impact them,” Kilbride said.

After passage of state law, Ritenour updates 2020-2021 calendar School will begin later in the summer, ten minutes will be added to the day and finals will take place in January next year due to the updated calendar KAITLYN BROOMFIELD Pepper Box Staff This upcoming school year will be different from this past one due to bill HB 604 being signed into law by Governor Mike Parson back in July.

School cannot start until 14 days before the first Monday of September, making the first day of school fall on August 24 next school year.

To make up for the lost time while still ensuring the year does not drag further into June, each school day will have ten minutes added.

This addition will make up for four of the days that need to be recovered.

“Because of the mandate,

IN THIS ISSUE

starting on August 24, we asked all students, parents, community, teachers, [and all stakeholders] what was important to them, and everyone, by a long shot, said ending the school year as close to May 31 as possible.

We adjusted everything we could.” calendar committee member Richard Bell said.

A reason for this law is to attract tourism, since it will give people an extra week to spend on break.

Representative Jeff Knight brought up that the Branson area used to have a lot of traffic during the first three weeks of August 20 years ago and since then they have lost money due to earlier school start dates.

“We appreciate the time

and feedback from our calendar committee and the more than 1,100 parents and staff members who completed the survey,” Ritenour assistant superintendent for human resources and leadership development Dr. Kenneth Roumpos said. “Our highest priority was to maintain a focus on student learning by balancing instructional time for students, professional learning needs of staff, and family and community priorities. Based on the feedback provided to us, we are excited to have a calendar that fulfills our students’ academic needs and the expectations of our families and staff.”

With the upcoming push back on the start of the school

CTE AND FOOTBALL

DEALING WITH THE ACT

SELF LOVE AND SELF CARE

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year, the date for finals is also being pushed back to January instead of December.

The push back of finals for first semester to January has brought with it varied feelings among students.

“First semester finals in January is not smart to me,” junior Rhema Briggs said.

“This is because if we have a break before the actual final, how is it certain that we will perform as well on the tests?”

Junior Howard Slaven also has concerns, but is excited about the change in summer dates.

“Well I am really excited to have a longer break, but I am also concerned about our finals scores being negatively impacted due to the fact that finals will now be taken after

break. Overall, I believe that we need to experience this change to see how it really comes to be,” Slaven said.

One concern with the changes to first semester finals are if students will study.

“The amount of people that actually study over break is not many at all, and all we want to do on our break is to relax, and not study.” sophomore Lanz Dungo said.

“We would have to refresh our minds unwillingly, to be able to perform well on our finals. Having finals before break also allows all the information we learned to still be circulating in our minds.”

BLACK HISTORY 2019 TRENDS YEAR SPORTS GOING MONTH IN REVIEW VIRAL PAGE 6

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Opinion

February 2020

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PEPPER BOX STAFF Visual EIC: Abigail Richardson Content EIC: Caroline Ramos-Herrera Production EIC: Catalina Mundin Spotlight Editor: Amelia Norman

Opinion Editor: Chloe Pagan Sports Editor: Alberto Linares-Cervantes News Editor: Daniela Saenz Online Editor: Caroline Wong Business Manager: Quynh Trinh Photography Editor: Mackenzie Davis Special Editions Editor: Andrea Rojo Social Media Manager: Faith Boyd A&E EIT: Jordan Fritzsche A&E EIT: Darleen Garcia Adviser: Ron Steinschriber Staff Members: Kayla Baker, Maxine Bee, Kristyn Bills, Torin Blevans, Kaitlyn Broomfield, Chris Campos, Jersie Cox, Isabella Crawford-Greer, Edward Dueker, Austyn Elliott, Michelle Everett, Samia Fouche, Tyrell Gilwater, Brianna Graham, Lizbeth Hernandez, Nikya Hourd, Samantha Lewis, Miranda Martin, Elena Martin, Jessica Murillo, Kayley Norman, Kaylyn Riggs, Cam’ron Spratt, Veronica Susovica, Toni Taylor, Kennedi Terri, Peter Tran, Samantha Wagner, Heaven Watson 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.

Practicing self love is important around Valentine’s Day

Editorial Many people only see the picture perfect ideas that go along with Valentine’s Day; having a significant other, bouquets of roses, huge stuffed animals, expensive gifts, and more.

However, no one ever acknowledges those who are not fortunate enough to

share this holiday with others.

Self love and self care during times like this is more than just bubble baths and face masks, but actually learning to love yourself and being okay with doing it alone.

When the phrase “self love/ self care” is brought up, most people’s minds think of taking a Saturday off and doing a face mask. If this is your form of self care and the way you decide to treat yourself to a

day of healing, then by all means, do it. But it needs to be acknowledged that self care is loving yourself on days you feel like you cannot. It is appreciating everything you have done, accomplished, and more.

Self care is learning to not beat yourself up in times that you feel like you have failed or that you are not good enough.

Everyone comes across moments where they feel like

all the odds are against them, and that nothing is going right. It takes a lot out of a person to not get discouraged by these thoughts; caring for yourself when going through times when everyone around an individual is happy and in love shows mental and emotional resilience.

If someone is fortunate enough to share this time of year with a significant other, this does not mean that they

can not love themselves or experience days of doubt.

They are just in the position to live their life and share it with someone else.

The idea that a person absolutely needs a significant other on Valentine’s Day to feel loved or happy is a stigma that should not exist.

Learning to love yourself first is extremely important and necessary when taking care of one’s own mental health.

Aaron Hernandez doc highlights CTE and football A new documentary shows the importance of talking about CTE and athletes Sweet Caroline

Caroline RamosHerrera Scrolling through all of my social media outlets, all I see trending is “Aaron Hernandez.” Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots tight end, was convicted of the first degree murder of Odin Lloyd and ultimately ended up taking his own life on April 19th 2017.

The biggest debate over the Aaron Hernandez case is what drove Hernandez to kill. What was going through Hernandez’s mind? What

was not? Many believe that Hernandez’s sexuality and self hatred is what drove him to commit murder. Others believe that his severe brain damage and diagnosis of CTE is what really drove him to kill.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a degenerative brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of consistent brain trauma. This disease progresses and affects people who have endured head trauma, such as football players.

Aaron Hernandez had the worst CTE condition found in anyone his age, and he was only 27 years old.

In the beginning, CTE does not show many symptoms, but over time, memory

starts to become worse and worse, then it leads to a very severe case of dementia. The issue with CTE is that an athlete will never know that they have CTE because it is only diagnosable after the person is already dead. There is no way to know whether someone is suffering from this disease because CTE changes the way a person thinks, feels, acts, and moves.

Though Aaron

Hernandez’s condition does not excuse his actions, I believe there needs to be big changes in the NFL. Even though Hernandez’s story is a trending topic, he is not the only person who has suffered from CTE who has acted this way.

According to Everyday Health, in 2006, Andre Waters, former defensive back for the Philadelphia Eagles, took his own life in his Tampa home at the age of 44.

Junior Seau, former linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, took his own life in 2012.

He was 43 years old.

Though we may never know or understand what was going on in Aaron Hernandez’s head when he did what he did, we know that there is a death and suicide pattern that Illustration by Kayley Norman is shown in football

players suffering from CTE. The NFL has gone through drastic lengths to prove that CTE is not an “actual thing.” Even though in all 111 brains studied, only one of them did not have CTE. Also, due to the fact that CTE is only diagnosable after death, nobody knows how many people in the NFL are currently being affected by CTE and how many deaths have yet to come because of this disease.

“I don’t think it’s been proven that the game of football causes CTE. We don’t really know that. Are their chances for concussions? Of course. There are collisions.

But the game is safer than it’s ever been,” said Larry Fedora, University of North Carolina’s head football coach.

Comics Sinister Seals

Illustration by Kayla Baker

Illustration by Kayley Norman

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Opinion

February 2020

ACT is not the only thing that measures college readiness The ACT should not be weighted as much into college admission as other factors CLOpinions

Chloe Pagan The American College Testing program was founded in 1959. At the time it was the only national, standardized testing method, and it was created due to the need for greater enrollment in universities. The question is; is the ACT effective?

Most high school students who have lived through this test could tell you that it is predominantly a test of memory, rather than

intelligence. Students must memorize multiple aspects from the four subjects the ACT covers: math, science, reading, and english. This is difficult, of course, for the majority of students.

Having to cram multiple years of information into the mind for one single test is stressful. It forces many students to become apprehensive, which only adds to the already existing stress of their everyday lives.

Although studying for the ACT is confusing and stressful, there are helpful resources available. Soon after its creation, the program began offering practice courses in order to give students the opportunity to see just what they were up against. Many advanced

placement classes also opt to spend time on ACT preparation.

While these helpful devices are available, they do not change the difficulty of the test. Test takers are still forced to memorize materials that may or may not be on the ACT. Honestly, the ACT is overkill. It is hard to believe that one single test is capable of defining your whole high school career. Forcing kids to spend weeks memorizing information for one test that is supposed to define one’s intelligence as a whole is ridiculous. This test of memory is highly susceptible to making kids who struggle with focusing during elongated tasks feel bad about themselves and their work ethic.

I ask you to stick with me when I say that the ACT is the least efficient way of testing students on their work ethic and intelligence. While it is absolutely important for students to know how to deal with numbers, words, graphs, and other devices featured in the ACT, the test lacks basic life skills.

An employee will never be asked to file paperwork from memory. Even when you sit down to file taxes you must have certain forms present in order to do so, it is not a test.

Not many things in life come in the form of a test, so it is illogical to train students in test form.

Lack of life skills seems to be a highly disregarded pattern in the education system. Students are trained

with numbers, letters, and how well they are able to memorize. It is unethical that students are not taught how to properly manage their money, file taxes, be safe in social situations, feed themselves, handle their emotions, and so many other extremely common daily life habits. Instead, students are trained in math, reading and science. They are forced to learn things they may never use once out of school, which is tedious to most pupils.

The ACT is basically high school crammed into a test booklet. It is fashioned to be a test on how efficient a students work ethic and education is, which in certain aspects, is accurate, but it is truly a test on who has the best memory.

Attack on Iranian general brings conflict to light President Trump’s attack on General Soleimani adds to 40 year tension between US and Iran Always Right

Torin Blevans With tensions rising between the US and Iran, it all came to the spotlight when President Trump ordered the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

The killing of Soleimani initiated Iran shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane, shooting missiles at US bases, and the US implementing higher economic sanctions on Iranian imports.

Tension with Iran started in 1979 when Iran revoluted against the western government and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took control over Iran. He reestablished Iran into a Religious State and was named life-long political and religious leader of Iran.

Ayatollah Khomeini banned Western culture, denied equal rights for women and became the biggest state supporter of terrorism. After Ayatollah

Khomeini became the leader of Iran, Soleimani joined the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was listed as the second most powerful person in Iran behind Ayatollah Khomeini. As the commander of the Quds Force, the Iranian special operations forces, he has supported terrorist groups such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Shia militias in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanastan.

In 2018, the US State Department said that “Iran directly supported certain Iraqi Shia militias ... which reportedly was complicit in summary executions and other human rights abuses of civilians in Iraq.”

Trump ordered the death of Soleimani for a multitude of reasons. The main one was that Soleimani was planning to attack a US Embassy.

Embassies are not bases for the military, they are civilian workers that work for the US State Department, not the Department of Defense.

Iran cannot claim that they were attacking a military target since a US Embassy is civilian.

Soleimani was a terrorist.

Iran is a terroristic country.

Trump was doing an action that the terrorists would

understand, essentially he was “speaking” in their own language. Iran has increased its violence against the western world more and more ever since the Iranian Revolution in 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini came back into power and brought the country back into its original state.

The US State Department said, “Since 1979, Iran has made it a policy of state to actively direct, facilitate, and carry out terrorist activity globally,” Iran is a threat to everyone in the western world. Iran has set out terroristic activities in five of the seven continents and is not stopping there.

Iran is a threat to the US’ cybersecurity, safety from missile attacks, and international maritime security.

As of 2018, Iran has 1,000 ballistic missile systems. They have continued to test more missile systems even after the implementation of JCPOA (commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal). The JCPOA and the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231 made Iran dismantle most of its nuclear weapons project, allow

government inspectors come into the country to confirm, and put restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile systems. Ever since the US withdrew from the JCPOA, Iran has broken most of its commitments from the JCPOA and UNSCR 2231. This means nobody is keeping Iran in check and nobody outside of Iran’s tight ally circle knows what is going on with their ballistic missile systems or their nuclear weapons program.

Since 2011 Iran has started a Distributed denial-ofservice (DDoS) campaign. A DDoS is “a malicious attempt to disrupt normal traffic of a targeted server. They are trying to target US bank websites and the International Global Financial System.

They succeeded a while back and collectively cost many American citizens millions of dollars. In 2013, one of the Iranian nationals involved in the DDoS campaign attacked a dam control center that was located outside of New York City. United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Sigal Mandelker said “Iran is engaged in an ongoing campaign of malicious cyber activity against the United States and our allies. The

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)outsourced cyber intrusions to the Mabna Institute, a hacker network that infiltrated hundreds of universities to steal sensitive data.” The Mabna Institute is a group of nine state-sponsored cyber thieves working for Iran.

International tensions move at a really quick pace.

Nothing happens slowly over a long period of time, it is all happening quickly.

The US needs to decide if we are going to instill a better JCPOA, go to war with Iran and its allies, or let them continue what they are doing. In the long run, I think we need to create a better JCPOA with Iran that includes international, non-biased oversight over the government, military, ballistic missile systems, nuclear weapons, and their control and financial support of terrorist cells. Doing this will ensure international cyber security, maritime security, and give nations a sense of relief knowing a country run by terrorists don’t have access to nuclear weapons.

Political Cartoons

Illustration by Kayley Norman

Illustration by Miranda Martin

Spotlight

February 2020

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The importance of self love and care

Staff and students reflect on the value of practicing self love and self care on a consistent basis in order to survive the difficult times over the course of a school year KRISTYN BILLS Pepper Box Staff ”You should love yourself before you love somebody else.”

People may have heard this quote at least once in their life, whether it be from social media, a counselor, or a motivational speaker - and it all holds the same meaning in each context. Loving oneself is a fundamental part in taking care of one’s own mental health and emotional wellness. This can be maintained through self-care: the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own wellbeing and happiness.

There are many benefits to implementing selflove into one’s life because of its importance in how people viewthemselves.

Counselor Dina Durnin is the leader of Morning Mindfulness, a group that gets together weekly to work on self-care and self love. Durnin has her own take on what self-love really is.

“It means to have respect and dignity for yourself. And whenever you look in the mirror you have positive thoughts about yourself,” Durnin said.

Having positive thoughts, showing oneself compassion, and putting oneself first are all examples of great self-love. When people think of themselves with love it can positively impact many aspects of their life. It improves stress and anxiety, motivation, and relationships with others. However, many people lack self-love when there are so many positives to it.

It is popularly argued that it is much easier said and done. It can take months and years to grow to be accepting of oneself when most are not sure what exactly they are supposed to be. As an example, teenagers commonly struggle with their self-image and identity during adolescence.

Student Maria Castillo-Vega expressed how she felt on the topic of self-love.

“I know that self-love is important, but I do not practice it very much - even though I should,” Castillo-Vega said.

Many others probably feel the same as she does, knowing the importance of self-love without taking time out of their day to exercise it. Castillo-Vega did admit that there was one way that she tries to express self-love, and she says she does this by doing what makes her happy; baking.

“Recently I have been trying to accept myself, so when I criticize myself I try to forgive myself for things that are not my fault and let go of the past,” Castillo-Vega said.

Factors such as a particularly difficult childhood, an unstable environment, and mental health issues can make it hard for many to grasp how it feels to love themselves. Whatever the reason may be, anyone and everyone is deserving of living a life where they can fearlessly love themselves regardless of the circumstances.

In order to sustain self-love, self-care is another concept that is fundamental to emotional wellness.

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Durnin explains what it means to have self-caring habits.

“Taking moments out of your day to self-care so that you can continue to love and accept yourself is really important, and [is] part of that self-care piece is practicing mindfulness,” Durnin said.

Self care does not just imply expensive skin products and long baths, it can be just eating a favorite food or watching an episode of a favorite show. Doing anything that brings happiness is what the “recharging” effect of self-care is.

“Taking time out, whenever you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed out, making sure you have self-care techniques to recharge is important,”

Photo by: Mackenzie Davis Junior Maria Castillo-Vega said that she does not practice self love as much as she hopes, but is going to make a concerted effort to practice more of this in the future. She says that she has been trying to let go of things that bothered her in the past and forgive herself for things that are not her fault.

Love Who Needs Trippie Redd

R eth esp a F ect ra nk lin

Durnin said.

Not only is the self-care important, but is a great way of coping through hard times that can waiver self-confidence, then self-love.

Moreso, self-love is not only trying to be happy.

It means accepting and validating one’s own feelings, still having positive thoughts after a bad day, and allowing imperfection to exist.

Castillo-Vega understands that she does not practice enough self-care and self-love, but is thinking of ways to help herself in the future.

“I will be nicer to myself by allowing myself to fail and not feel bad. I will be accepting of the way I am,” Castillo-Vega said.

SELF LOVE PLAYLIST

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uA o Y Way rs e h tt Ma o Jus n Bru

Beautifu l Christina Aguilera od o G lin’ Fee Simone a Nin

Drag Me Down One Dir ection

All I

e trid S y er d M l i ak W Bre thew t Ma

Stronger Brittney Spears

Rise Up Andra D ay

Worth It Fifth Harmony

Do I DJ K s Win hale d

Way s i n Th aga r o B yG Lad

Powe r Little Mix

Confident Demi Lovato

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Spotlight

February 2020

D

rink at least eight 8-ounce cups of water per day

With the body being made of at least 60% water, it is important to drink an adequate amount of water every day. It helps with balancing body temperature, transporting nutrients, and boosting metabolism.

T

ry to sleep 7-8 hours per day

Without enough sleep, the body will have a hard time regulating information and making decisions. In fact, sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.

E

at three meals a day/Eat fruits and vegetables

It is essential to eat a decent amount of healthy food each day. People who eat fruits and vegetables are able to digest more vitamins and minerals than they would with junk food.

SELF LOVE AND SELF CARE TIPS T

D

ry to exercise 30 minutes to an hour a day

rink Tea

You already know the “tea sis,” so you might as well drink it. Tea contains antioxidants, it can boost exercise endurance, and can reduce the risk of heart attacks.

A consistent exercise ritual is essential in feeling fit and healthy. On top of that, it helps regulate blood sugar levels and boost metabolism.

C

reate a bullet journal/ planner

T

ake a hot bath or a quick nap when needed

Although everyone goes to bed at some point at night, not everyone always gets a good night’s sleep. A quick nap helps boost the mood and reboots alertness. Bathing, on the other hand, can help clear the mind of stress and create a feeling of ease.

Center illustrations by Abby Richardson

With creating a bullet journal or planner, scheduling can happen for weeks or months at a time. Creating a calendar with important dates and times will make sure that nothing gets overlooked. Some other things that could be put into a planner could include self managing strategies.

T

ry to prepare for school the next day

Preparing for school the night before would allow for more sleep in the morning or can help the organization process before school the next morning. Some things that could be done are picking out an outfit or preparing breakfast..

P

ut on deodorant/take showers

It is always important to take a shower and put on deodorant everyday. Being able to smell fresh and clean upon leaving the house can be a positive bonus, even during a bad morning. On top of deodorant, there could be other things that could serve as fragrance enhancers, such as perfume or cologne.

M

editate

It is always great to have time to clear the mind and body of any stress. Some benefits of meditation are that it reduces anxiety, stress and lengthens the attention span.

G

et all homework done before it is due

Students who get their homework done efficiently and correctly before it is due are able to spend time focusing on classes they are struggling with, or play games on their computer or phone.

W

ash your face before you go to bed/Do a face mask 1-2 times a week

The skin on the face can be very sensitive compared to the rest of the body. Depending on skin type, different face masks would help. Some face masks that are very popular and effective are charcoal peel offs and gel masks.

Tips and ilustrations by Miranda Martin

Spotlight

February 2020

Black History Month planning The Game Changers plan a wide variety of events to celebrate Black History Month on campus TONI TAYLOR Pepper Box Staff Black History Month has arrived and the Game Changers club is having an event to celebrate and shine a light on it.

The Game Changers are a group of people who strive to inspire others, and they have planned a series of events that will take place during the month of February to help commemorate Black History Month.

“Game Changers are a group of students who are motivated to influence change in and out of our community,” junior Kamaryn Kirk said.

The Game Changers are completely student run; there are teachers that oversee what the students are doing, but besides that, the students really run everything and decide what they will be doing, and how to influence and inspire their peers.

One event that the group is planning is a civil rights human museum of the past and present. In all, there will be three different events students can experience.

With this event, students can actually walk through the museum and put themselves into the shoes of others.

Aside from the human museum, there are some other activities planned as well. Game Changers are doing various features on black history to further highlight the legacy of many African- Americans that changed history.

“My committee is doing a daily feature on events, people, and a musical tribute, both past and present. We are hoping to show the

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Every fourth year

2020 brings a leap year and an unusual birthday celebration SAMANTHA WAGNER Pepper Box Staff

A leap year provides an extra day in February that happens every four years, and this year happens to be one of them.

Leap years keep the modern-day calendar in alignment with the earth’s rotation. One rotation around the sun takes about a year, 365.242189 days to be exact.

This means that every four years an extra day is added to make up for the extra day that racks up. This ensures that there will not be any lost days over time.

Roman general Julius Caesar was the first to introduce the idea of a leap year. He also came up with the simple rule that any year Photo courtesy: Lizbeth Hernandez divisible by four would be The Game Changers are including a celebration of African and a leap year. That one rule African-American clothing again this year. This photo from last resulted in too many leap year shows models Caleb Williams, Kaila Anderson, Kasurla years, so they later added that Hougbedji, Lizbeth Hernandez and Neosha Dyson. any year that could be divided by 100 is not a leap year, but recognition that many people starting in the 1970s and any that can be divided by 400 deserve,” committee member ending in the 2000s,” Kirk will be a leap year.

Lizbeth Hernandez said. said.

“I think leap days are To celebrate, one thing This is not the only fine, it just throws me off that the Game Changers time the Game Changers sometimes. I think we should are going to do is to have a have done something so just leave them,” sophomore projector showing where you momentous.

Salaya Chowdhury said. “I can actually walk through and “Each year we decide as a will probably just treat it as a experience what went on at group on what we will do for normal day, possibly just chill. the time.

Black History Month. They I mean, it is just an extra day.”

In all the game changers have all been very similar In most places, the leap will be making a special though. Last year we made year is just a random extra event for students to come buttons and it was the first day, but some cultures make and enjoy. This will be full of year that we did the fashion whole traditions based around cultural symbolism, cultural show,” Kirk said. the day. significance and memories.

Finally, the Game One Irish tradition that So much so that anyone could Changers are also hosting a takes place on leap day allows enjoy the museum. showing of the movie “Selma,” women to initiate dances and In addition to the museum, and will hold a question and propose marriage. If the man the group has planned some answer session afterwards. refused either, he is expected other activities.

The movie screening is to buy the woman a silk gown “We will be holding a scheduled for an early release or a fur coat. fashion show that showcases day, February 27 from 1:40 In more recent years, African American fashion 4:15 pm. many European countries

participate in the same tradition, but instead of buying the woman a gown or coat they would buy the lady 12 pairs of gloves. They do this so the women can wear them in order to hide the fact that they do not have an engagement ring on their finger.

In many cultures, the leap year is considered unlucky.

Many advise to not get married this year or make any other huge life decisions.

They also believe it is unlucky to be born during a leap year and especially on the leap day.

There is also usually a higher amount of divorces during leap years than any other years.

Texas and New Mexico cities hold four day long festivals celebrating the day, as well as any birthdays that fall on the day.

Around 4 million people are born on Feb. 29 all around the world. They have the respective nicknames ‘leaplings’ and ‘leapers’. There is even a club for all the leap year babies in the world; ‘The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies’.

One of those leapers is sophomore Joanie Heathman.

She was born on February 29, 2004, but due to the leap day phenomenon, she will not be celebrating her 16th birthday this year, but instead a birthday of a much smaller number.

“I will be ‘4 years old’ when my 16th birthday comes, which will be this year,” Heathman said. “I normally celebrate on the 28th for my birthday (when it is not a leap year).”

Aquaponics taking hold in science classroom Students in Eco-Environmental Science class are setting up an aquaponics system

to be. Whether it is small or large impacts the time it will KAITLYN BROOMFIELD take to prepare and set up a Pepper Box Staff functional system.

In early October the Eco“It takes a great deal of Environmental Science class time and planning to get a began their journey into system up and going. The aquaponics. basics are to have a system Aquaponics is a system with a large basin/tub, a place of aquaculture where plants where you will put the plants, receive nutrients from the a pump to get water from the waste of fish or other aquatic fish tank to the plants, and a life, such as crayfish. This return mechanism,” Burnside allows for the system to be said. almost fully self-sustaining.

EES decided to set “An aquaponic system up the system through a is very sustainable and can combination of what would actually be as large or as small be beneficial to both the as you can manage. The plants and fish, while at the only input is the fish food, same time being the most otherwise, the system mainly effective at keeping the system takes care of itself as long as clean and efficient. you are monitoring the pH “The system uses a levels and nitrate levels in the nutrient film technique. water,” Eco-Environmental In this system, the water Science (EES) teacher Julia is flowing in a thin layer Burnside said. through a pipe system that The setup for an the roots can access for aquaponics system depends nutrients. The plants are on how large of a scale started in an aquaponic set someone wants the system up with net pots filled with clay pellets. These net pots are then transferred to the aquaponic system where the fish excrement will then feed the plants,” Burnside said.

“The clay pellets Photo by: Mackenzie Davis are specialized in A hydroponics system (shown above) is that they decrease already in place in Julia Burnside’s science the ability of room, and now her students are adding an pathogens or aquaponics system to show science in action.

insects to infiltrate, yet still allow for uptake of moisture and nutrients. There is a swirl filter attached that allows for excrement to go into a bucket to release solid material.”

Within Burnside’s class, their setup will be using Koi fish. This decision was made after an issue with the boiler last December left the school without heat for a few hours. Their resilience to temperature change made them much more desirable to the class rather than their other choice of Tilapia.

“We are using Koi fish due to its hardiness to pH levels and the changes in temperature. Most fish, goldfish for example, will die after a drastic change in temperature. Fortunately, this is not the case for koi fish.

The other reason for choosing these fish is for economic purposes. These fish can be sold for approximately fifteen dollars each. We can easily earn a profit from them,” junior Andrea Gonzolez said.

Koi are not only known to be more resilient to changing temperatures but they are also good for keeping an Aquaponics system clean.

“We were taking a look at what would be the most bacteria consuming fish and Koi are known to be good bottom feeders, they are constantly needing a source of food,” senior Kane Niedbalski said. “The fish themselves are

actually helping to give the lettuce nutrients because they are constantly feeding on the bacteria and the waste, they are kinda like a purifier.”

Since last October, students in EES class have been learning about aquaponics and setting up their own class aquaponics system.

“Students are learning what it takes to set up a system, timing to put together the system, the role each part of the set up plays in making the system work, the nutrients needed to get the system in “balance”, how to condition the water, what kinds of fish are best, what kinds of plants are easiest to grow in the system, and etc,” Burnside said.

Both the fish side and plant side to the system differ in their setups, but they come together to form a working system that benefits both sides.

“We are growing seedlings under the light and once they are mature and can be supported we will transfer the plants into the system. The fish will supply nutrients to the plants. It is set up this way to help ensure all the water flows smoothly and the plants are getting well-fed,” junior Ariana Anderson said. “We are doing this to discover how plants and fish can fit together. This is helping us learn how plants can grow in

different environments.”

The way someone makes an aquaponics system is not set in stone, there are many different choices in making a system that benefits it in different ways.

“For the plants, the set up is different. You have multiple choices to choose from, you can either put the plants in foam or any other thing, but for our plants, we put them in net pots, with clay balls there is no soil needed for the plants,” senior Gabriela Rodriguez-Rivera said.

“First, obviously, you have to choose what kind of plant you want, but we chose romaine lettuce and spinach, and we had to paint the containers black and put aluminum foil around the sides to prevent it from getting algae. Having light is what creates algae and it is a disbenefit for the plants because it will act as a competitor and the plants could die.”

While the system has not been fully completed as of yet, it will be fully functional soon. Since EES is only a semester though those who continue on to botany will be taking care of the system in the future.

“I like it, I want to integrate it into my own home, it is an innovative thing, I think it is cool that people are growing their own produce and doing it indoors,” Niedbalski said.

Page 7

A&E

February 2020

Flash over substance in Star Wars The latest installment of the famed movie franchise falls flat and leaves promises unfulfilled ABBY RICHARDSON Visual Editor-In-Chief What makes a movie good? Is it the plot, the characters, how visuals are used in order to guide the story along its path? These were all things I took into consideration when I went to see The Rise of Skywalker.

Star Wars has been a large part of my life, for as long as I can remember. I loved the original movies growing up; but why? Why were these movies good? Any of the previously mentioned traits can blend together and create the perfect movie if used correctly. The problem is that it has become popular for film creators to take these aspects and cram them in wherever they can. The result is a movie that is fun to see in theaters, but leaves you with an empty feeling after the fact.

The Rise of Skywalker is not the first Disney movie to do this, but it is one of the most extreme examples. The movie attempts to hold the aspects of a good movie, the visuals are pleasing to the eye, and there are plenty of symbols that guide the story along, but these are not the only things that should go into a movie.

The plot is rushed and inconsistent with the other Star Wars movies.

The characters are tossed aside and the movie gives a lackluster attempt at representing a community they previously promised to represent. It may be fun to see in the theater, but beyond the adrenaline, the movie is altogether, a letdown.

The story follows Rey (Daisy Ridley), a warrior apprentice, and her friends Poe (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega), and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), in their adventure bringing down the oppressive imperial First Order and its leader, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). This movie serves as the final step in their journey, and is supposed to be the movie that sets the sequel trilogy of Star Wars apart from the previous two Star Wars trilogies. Despite this, many of the characters in the

previous trilogies reappeared.

The main conflict of this movie was internal. Rey is the main character, and she has to fight the conflicting sides of her when she discovers that she is the granddaughter of an ancient evil. Rey fights not only the First Order, but herself, and the fate that she believes her parentage sets out for her. It is a battle where she has to look past her bloodline and realize what family truly means to her.

In the same way, the antagonist is also dealing with his own conflict, and trying to decide if he wants to turn to the good side or not. The story ends with Kylo Ren and Rey teaming up to defeat the evil, Kylo Ren giving up his life for Rey, and Rey accepting that family is more than bloodline, as she is able to return to her friends, and find a family in them.

On page, and even in theaters, this movie might seem great. This is how Disney makes money. The movie is packed full of amazing visuals and intense music, so that the trailers draw people in. This movie specifically excels in color and sound, and the use of symbols to help the viewer understand the story better. One of the largest symbols used throughout the entire trilogy is the color and visual effect of the lightsabers, which are the weapons used by the “Jedi”.

For example, Kylo Ren battles with a conflict of his own, and as a result of his confusion, becomes emotionally unstable and irrational. This is represented by his lightsaber, which, unlike the other sabers, is jolty, sporadic and dangerous. In this movie, as Kylo Ren realizes he wants to be good, and join forces with Rey, he discards his unstable lightsaber, and later ends up using a saber that is calm and stable.

The use of colors is something that is also very appealing to viewers, and makes the movie very easy to enjoy in theaters. The color palettes are specific to each character and there are sleek designs for all of the scenes that make it easy for viewers

to keep their attention on the screen. The colors and symbols in this movie make it one that is very easy to pay attention to and understand the plot, but they do not help cover the flaws of the movie.

One of the biggest flaws of this movie is the plot’s inconsistency with the other Star Wars movies. The main character of this movie did not seem to face the conflict that she does in the other movies. There was a brief mention in the previous movies of this character feeling drawn towards evil, but it was never truly fleshed out until this movie. This leads the fans of the series to assume that it was a last minute decision.

Similarly, the main antagonist of this movie was only introduced in this movie.

It makes it seem like this was not something planned throughout the series, and the conflict with the antagonist seems rushed. Throughout the previous two films, the antagonist is Kylo Ren. In this film, the threat of Kylo Ren seems almost nonexistent, which is extremely inconsistent when one takes the other movies into consideration. There are also many things that are added into the movie that seem unnecessary, or like they only serve to add more time into the movie. For example, in order to find the location of the main enemy, the protagonists have to sacrifice the memory of one of the consistent characters of the Star Wars series, C3PO. There is a tender and emotional moment where long time watchers reflect on all that the character may remember, but in the end, it proves to not matter, as the character’s memory is restored. It prompts the question as to why this was added in the movie. Altogether, the plot seems to be all over the place, and it does not match the plot of the other movies.

Similar to the plot, the characters in this movie seem to be all over the place.

The first movie in the Star Wars sequel trilogy sets up a plot for each character, but

in this movie, it seems that only two character’s stories actually matter. Despite the setup for a plot for each character, Rey and Kylo Ren take the spotlight, and all of the sidekick characters are pushed to the side or used as comic relief. Even the characters from the previous Star Wars trilogies are pushed aside. General Leia, from the original series is killed off in the middle of the movie, and her death does not even seem to have much of an affect on the main story. Finn, Poe, and Rose are all characters that were given interesting plotlines early on, and despite this fact, they too are pushed to the side, and treated like they do not matter to the story. A specific example would be Finn. Finn is a complex character that aided Rey in her journey in the first film. There are hints of Finn having powers, and there are even multiple romance set ups for Finn throughout the trilogy. Despite this, Finn is pushed aside, and every plot setup is ignored. This then makes the original setups seem meaningless, and fans are left wondering what could have been. The only characters who seem to have consistent and meaningful attention are Rey and Kylo Ren, and many fans are left with disappointment at the abandonment of their favorite character’s storyline.

Finally, this movie tries appealing to all fans, with a lackluster representation, to create a facade of forward thinking. The first movie in the trilogy promised a lot for fans that were looking for representation. Specifically, the movie developers excited fans with the idea that there would be LGBT+ representation in the trilogy.

Two of the main characters in the films, Finn and Poe, were excellent openings for LGBT+ characters, and a homosexual relationship.

The chemistry between

the characters was built up throughout the trilogy, and many fans looked forward to accurate representation, where two main characters could be gay, and treated the same as the straight characters. Unfortunately, like the characters’ stories, this thought was pushed aside, and the “representation” that the movie actually gave was a two second kiss between two female extras that were in the background of the final scene.

If the promise for LGBT characters had not been so amplified, this might not have been such an issue. However, the fact that any sort of important representation was thrown aside for two unnamed characters, is disappointing for LGBT+ fans, who have been searching for representation from Disney for years. The fact that Finn and Poe’s relationship was built up, and the promise was made to include LGBT+ characters, poses the question: did Disney purposefully overexaggerate to draw business from LGBT+ viewers? Whether this was the intention or not, the LGBT “representation” the film gave was a disappointment, and the film could have done a lot for the LGBT community by creating a relationship between two main characters, rather than playing it safe and claiming a minor kiss as “representation.”

Overall, this movie may be great to look at in theaters, and the colors might aid the viewer along, but the inconsistency in plot, the abandonment of almost every character, and the lack of representation for the LGBT community despite promise turn what could have been a great movie, into one that is simply disappointing, and unfit for the ending of a trilogy.

What’s trending? - 2019 best and worst memes and trends 2019 brought a wealth of internet videos, memes and arguments, and these are some of the notables JORDAN FRITZSCHE Pepper Box Staff

Tiktok

- People do not download Tiktok because they want to, they do it out of curiosity and then get stuck. Tiktok really blew up in 2019, and it is not hard to see why (RIP vine). While I do enjoy a good Tiktok, I do not quite understand Tiktok stars such as Charli D’Amelio, and the whole Hype House.

Tiktok still manages to keep my attention away from my actual responsibilities, and ignorance is bliss. 9/10

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia

Autotune Cats -

Autotune Cats make me feel better during the sad times.

Those musically talented cats have stopped a flow of a great many tears. Are there words that describe getting a cat to meow in a mic? Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, and completely never been done before. 10/10

World record egg - I

thought this one was stupid.

Sure, I liked the post and support the downfall of Kylie Jenner, however, this egg did not need to blow up as much as it did. The egg started a strange domino effect in which several other posts like it popped up, and just became more annoying than anything. 2/10

remotely funny about Area 51. It became more of a stupid trend by being taken too literally. Did you actually think people were going to raid Area 51? 6/10

Bottle cap challenge -

OK BOOMER - 2019 was

the year of finally putting old people in their place, and Ok Boomer got the job done. It’s passive aggressive enough to get on a 60-something-yearold’s nerves. The Boomer generation has been widely outspoken on social media, and finally 2019 gave us a phrase to fight fire with more fire. Just like the Boomers, the joke has started to get a little old and has lost some of its sparkle. 7/10

Photo courtesy: Public Domain

Area 51 - Some of the tweets were kind of entertaining, and who really knows what the government is hiding from us in Area 51?

Once the media got a hold of it, they killed anything

my heart, how could you not love Baby Yoda? The counterargument for baby Scooby Doo can be made, however, we all know who is right and wrong. 8/10

Photo courtesy: Anthony Quintano via Flickr

Sure, being able to kick a cap off a bottle is cool, but is it really trend worthy? All I see is a bunch of wannabe Karate Kids who lack the style that Ralph Macchio and Jaden Smith have. It is hard to kick a bottle cap off of a bottle, but it is just like many other challenges that come and go. Challenges are just not exciting anymore. 5/10

Baby Yoda - I would lay down my life for Baby Yoda, no questions asked.

Baby Yoda defined the Mandalorian, it turned it into a tale of what essentially is a story of a working single mother. Baby Yoda warms

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia

Sports

February 2020

Page 8

Buzzer beater shows off viral effect of high school sports Senior Jakobi Flynn’s last second shot to beat Francis Howell North has gotten over 20,000 views QUYNH TRINH Business Manager

person I set the screen for.

So I was basically open at the time, as it shows in the video.

With less than a second I clapped my hands three left during the boys varsity times, he threw the ball at me, basketball game against I shot it, and made it,” Flynn Francis Howell North, senior said.

Jakobi Flynn heaved the ball His final shot, a three point to beat the buzzer and ended field goal, pushed Ritenour up scoring the game-winning to the lead and won the game point.

52-49. However, Ritenour’s “There were 0.6 seconds luck has not always been on left. Coach [Nelke] had called this side of the court. the time out and when we Almost seven years ago were in the huddle, coach told in 2013, the girls’ varsity me that I would be taking the basketball team played last shot,” Flynn said. against Riverview Gardens It was a close game—the when a player from Riverview two teams were tied 49-49. also shot a game-winning “We go set the play up. The buzzer beater. referee gives him the ball. He History teacher and former smacks it. We run the play. I girls varsity basketball Coach set the screen for my man and Joseph Scheidler revealed that instead of his man staying he was confident Ritenour with me, he went with the was going to win.

“It was looking as though the game was going to go into overtime. The other team had the ball, and we pretty much figured that we would beat them in overtime. We definitely had the better team and we had been playing well up until that point,” Scheidler said.

He described what he saw the moment before the game ended.

“With maybe one second left, or even less than a second left, we had a perfectly defended sideline out-ofbounds play. The ball goes into the corner, and the girl [from Riverview] is facing Photo courtesy RHS Athletics the crowd with her back to the basket. She threw [the Senior Jakobi Flynn competes ball] behind her head as the in a game against Vianney. buzzer went off, and from an Flynn’s buzzer beater against impossible angle, it banked in Francis Howell North went viral, for the win,” Scheidler said. which is not uncommon for He expressed the Ritenour basketball teams.

embarrassment he felt after the game.

“It was embarrassing because we should have beaten them in the first place, and to lose that way was crushing,” Scheidler said. “Every now and then, I will look at it and say to myself, ‘My God, that was impossible.’”

It became one of the top plays on ESPN SportsCenter that week and has garnered over 48 thousand views on YouTube.

Flynn, on the other hand, was posted on the Instagram page Threathoops, which has a following of over 22 thousand people. He revealed that he has received a lot of attention from this.

“A lot of people started hitting me in my DM afterward,” Flynn said. “They were like, ‘Good shot!’ and a whole bunch of other stuff.

People were asking me when the next game was and telling me to keep doing what I am doing.”

This is not unusual for the average athlete. In this digital age, everything is being recorded and put online, especially in sports.

It is common to scroll down Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and see a highlight from a game or people attending a sporting event.

Technology and social media have become so integrated into sports, athletes are under great public scrutiny and know that every move they make is being filmed.

Boys basketball Coach Michael Nelke talked about how social media has directly

affected him and his players.

“It has obviously focused more on social media because it is present. Everything is filmed. You cannot get away with anything,” Nelke said.

Nelke recalled a game against Chaminade in 2016 where current Boston Celtics’ forward Jayson Tatum, then a senior, dunked on Ritenour alumni Demeetrie Beach, then a sophomore.

“It was a district game so it was a very important game.

Lots of energy. You could feel the electricity in the building,” Nelke said.

The ball was given to Tatum after a player from Ritenour’s team scored a corner 3. Tatum dribbled the ball down the court and leaped to make the dunk, knocking over Beach in the process.

In this instance, social media did not work in Nelke or Beach’s favor.

“Everybody talks about the dunk, but I do not care about the dunk. I know [it went viral], but as a coach, I do not look at that. It was a charge. That is the exciting part for me. They called a charge on it. So it was a great play by Tatum, but an even better play by Demeetrie. He made a great basketball play, but unfortunately, nobody remembers it for that except for me and probably Coach Lee,” Nelke said.

Due to this, athletes become more focused on their public image, which is a negative result in Scheidler’s opinion.

“Players are, often times, creating their own highlight videos, and it promotes more

individual play or selfishness or this look-at-me culture,” Scheidler said.

He described that things were different in his time.

“We just played because we liked it and had fun and enjoyed competing. It was not so much about the individual,” Scheidler said.

“I think, today, kids are seeking likes and approval, and we did the same, but we did it through our play. We didn’t necessarily promote ourselves. But if this technology was available, I am sure I would have taken part.”

Flynn shared a similar opinion and spoke about how the publicity he gets on social media affects his teamwork.

“When people give me motivational speeches and words and stuff, I take that into account, but sometimes people try to soup my head up by telling me to score 20, 30 points. When I go to the next game, I try to do that and it does not really play to my advantage because we are supposed to play as a team,” Flynn said.

The pressure he gets from social media was something Flynn had to work on to get used to, and he hopes he does not gain attention for the same reason Beach did. “[If I get dunked on] I am deleting all social media.

[My] number is getting changed and everybody is losing my number because they are not hitting me up after that,” Flynn said. “Just know, I will never be jumping in with someone ever in my life.”

Inside the Huddle - Team bonding Question: What do you love about your team?

Senior Coby Nathaniel Boys Basketball

Sophomore Isaac Smith Wrestling

Junior Emma Finnegan Girls Swimming

Junior Brooke Madison Girls Basketball

“I love how my team and I have chemistry on the court.”

“I like how we push each other during practice.”

“I love how we have so much sportmanship and a lot of schools recoginize us for it.”

“I love how my team can make each other laugh.”

Former hockey player turns to the culinary arts After competing for both Whitfield and Clayton, Brandon Berri has moved away from competitive hockey and started to find his passion in the kitchen CHRIS CAMPOS Pepper Box Staff Ritenour offers an abundance of athletic teams to keep the student body busy during the academic school year, however, hockey is not included among these.

Junior Brandon Berri had played hockey nearly his entire life, ranging from leagues, clubs, and recreational purposes. As a freshman, Brandon was ready to become a part of a high school hockey team. As the year progressed, he soon learned that Ritenour had no hockey to offer.

“There were the simple parts to joining a team, such as keeping a certain GPA and obviously my skill levels. The only difficult thing would be needing to have connections

with outside sources to get in the loop. Most of these connections were my club friends’ parents who knew coaches at Whitfield and Clayon High,” Berri said.

Eventually through connections, Berri was able to get a hold of coaches from Whitfield to play for their school team. With this incredible news came a long list of requirements from the school.

As continuous goals and assists passed, Berri began to explore a new general area of interest residing in the culinary arts. In order to pursue his dreams of becoming a chef, Berri had to leave some things behind, hockey being among these.

“When I stopped playing hockey, I really found out that

I enjoy cooking. I had a lot of free time and used it to cook.

I did not really get it from anyone in the family, we did not really cook much growing up,” Berri said.

North Technical High School offers a variety of hands-on classes to prepare students for future studies in a specific field and the workforce after high school.

An option at the high school is a culinary arts pathway.

Berri is one of the top students in the class, and is geting praise from family and teachers..

Crystal Berri, Brandon’s younger sister, explained that since the end of his hockey days he has spent a lot of his free time in the kitchen at home.

“His food is amazing.

He is always cooking up a feast for the whole family.

The culinary teacher at Tech constantly calls our mom to compliment how he is definitely towards the top of the class, ” Crystal Berri said.

Brandon plans to continue with his culinary studies and become a head chef at a restaurant. In order to build up his resume, Brandon works at a restaurant as a part-time job. At the restaurant, Brandon is currently a line cook and helps prepare the dishes.

Although being on the top in all of his hockey teams, Brandon left behind his favorite sport, to pursue his love with food. This decision will potentially spark an opportunity for him in the culinary world.

Photo courtesy RHS Athletics Seniro Brandon Berri traded in ice skates and pads for an apron and kitchen utensils.