NEW OPTIONS RHS has seen a change in technology and pathways over time.
SPOTLIGHT, Page 4-5
RHS TRAVELERS
SPORTS CAPSULES
Some Ritenour students travel out of the country during their breaks.
SPOTLIGHT Page 6
Check out how the winter sports are doing this season.
SPORTS, Page 8
THE PEPPER BOX RITENOUR HIGH SCHOOL
ISSUE 5, VOLUME 44
9100 ST. CHARLES ROCK ROAD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63114
FEBRUARY 2018
The Rock Road rebuild
New businesses have been popping up on St. Charles Rock Road, turning a strip of closed down buildings into a thriving area of stores and restaurants By MADISON WALDRUP The Pepper Box Staff Since 1815, the St. Charles Rock Road, formerly known as Route 180, has had industrial additions coming and going, and starting in 2015 the Rock Road has been under a significant renovation and rebuild. There has been an abundance of new businesses making a home on the Rock Road, from fast food chains like Raising Cane’s, all the way to relocating grocery stores like the new Aldi. “I feel that all of the new business opening is great. I do not have to go out of my way to go places anymore they are just down the street,” sophomore Sarah Murrell said. The Northwest Plaza on the Rock Road has gone under major construction recently. It started as formally being the Crossing at Northwest Plaza. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, it was
one of the top 30 largest malls in the United States at its peak, but it ultimately became a closed, abandoned building that people paid no attention to. The city of St. Ann decided to invest $100 million into a new modernization. The city has torn down more than half of the old mall, building in its place big name stores to draw in more customers. “I feel that they are helping the community to make money and filling empty spaces, but we need more variety of things that are not already here. For example, we do not need three furniture stores,” junior Desja Beach said. Big corporations like Starbucks and Panda Express have already been drawing in business, along with other companies; Bob’s Discount Furniture, Menards, Quick Trip, Popeyes, SherwinWilliams, Cricket, Sprint, Outlet Furniture, Pure Sleep Mattress Store, Ruler Foods, Art Van Furniture, a Missouri Job Center, and remodeling the office tower.
There are other stores along the St. Charles Rock Road that have been added as well, other than Northwest Plaza. One includes TKO Grill, a restaurant that opened on the Rock Road in 2016, known for their smoked turkey ribs. The establishment is located adjacent to the TKO Salon and directly across from Taco Bell. The St. Louis County Library Rock Road branch has been recently renovated. A St. Louis Bread Company, also known as Panera, has moved out of the Plaza at DePaul, consisting of Kohl’s and Rue 21, and into their own larger, separate building. “It is really nice ever since we got into our newest building, which is the one with the new drive through. It gives us a lot more business and a lot more people are coming in, including people who have never been to Panera before. It’s a really good opportunity for us to put more businesses out there,” junior Camia Clay, a Panera employee, said.
Madison Waldrup The store Here Today has opened for business in the area where the Northwest Plaza used to be. The whole area is being rehabbed with new stores and restaurants.
Raw water enters the marketplace A new form of drinking water, untreated water obtained from natural sources, is trending in the US By TRYSTAN BELL The Pepper Box Staff Raw water is a trend currently sweeping across the United States, although there is a split about whether it is a good or bad trend. Raw water, also known as natural water, is water that Ron Steinschriber has been left untreated and is packaged where it is found. Sophomore Ayele Kouevi fills up her water bottle from the Rivers, lakes, ponds, and even school fountain. Some consumers are trying raw water, rain collection barrels are all which is not filtered like the school water. sources of where raw water can come from. This new craze is generally directed towards people who are against chemicals used to treat water. Chemicals such as algaecides, corrosion inhibitors, disinfectants, neutralizing agents, pH conditioners, and scale inhibitors, are all used in the process of cleaning water and Check out keeping it safe to consume. information Junior Abigail Dismuke from this believes the trend is issue, as well humorous, but mainly as additional dangerous. “Tap water actually has content from filtering and isn’t full of the Pepper Box harmful bacteria. This is a and KRHS on trend because it aligns with ritenourlive.org buzzwords like ‘organic’ and ‘non-GMO,’ so people trust it. I don’t think all chemicals are as harmful as people make them out to be. Chemicals are not our enemy, they help keep us safe,” Dismuke said. Raw water has been
INDEX
NEWS..............Front Page
OPINION................Page 2 NEWS.....................Page 3 SPOTLIGHT...........Page 4 SPOTLIGHT...........Page 5 SPOTLIGHT...........Page 6
SPORTS..................Page 7
SPORTS...................Page 8
approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which simply means that the bare minimum of safety requirements of the public have been met. Bottled water factories must have the source water inspected and sampled, analyzed, and found to be of safe and sanitary quality. Raw water met these standards and has since been sold in townships across the nation. While the FDA might have approved raw water, health teacher Matthew Elder has concerns. “I think that the raw water trend can be very dangerous because of the naturally harmful things in the earth that can harm us, like arsenic and harmful bacteria and parasites. I believe that people need something to latch onto to claim as their own and drinking raw water gives them that behavior that is “unique” or “fringe. “Simply filtering the water naturally can take out many of these harmful things in the water so there is no benefit to me to drink it unfiltered. I would not drink raw water,” Elder said. “I think that it is a good thing that we as a people question the validity of the water supply and what is being put in the water, but drinking water raw I don’t believe is the answer. I think that we need to continue
to question what is in the water and research levels of chemicals that are in city water or tap water.” Without clean drinking water, 844 million people are subjected to disease and parasites every year, and now with raw water trending, it is likely more people will have the chance to catch these diseases. Water borne illnesses are easy to contract just by ingesting unclean water, and raw water is no different. 6.5 billion people used at least a basic drinking water service, which includes most or all of the United States population. Sophomore Veronica Chineth believes that the practice of drinking raw water is unhealthy and safe. “Raw water still has bacteria and it hasn’t been through the process of being cleaned. I think that it is such a big trend because people think that it is much cleaner when in reality it is not. You should either drink spring water or tap water, it’s better than having it come from the river or pond,” Chineth said. Grayson understands how raw water came to be sold and become popular, but still has some concerns about ever trying it.
SEE RAW WATER - 3
Opinion
Page 2 February 2018 Opinion Editor: Jordyn Barber: Barberj801@ritenourschools.org
Staff Editorial
PEPPER BOX STAFF
Adviser: Ron Steinschriber Content Editor In Chief: Jenna Hutson Production Editor In Chief: Bailey Stock News Editor: Martin Trujillo Opinion Editor: Jordyn Barber Online Editor: Shelby Langhorst Sports Editor: Coralis Bobe Spotlight Editor: Victoria Taylor Staff Members: Trystan Bell, Allison Both, Faith Boyd, Pierre Brown, Makari Burress, Hannah Cornish, Jersie Cox, Faith Curd, Marquis Gladden, Grace Humphres, Lila Irby, Catalina Mundin, Tabitha Peebles, Caroline RamosHerrera, Andrea Sanchez, Dori Sloan, Madison Waldrup Editorial Policy: The Pepper Box is designed and created by members of the newspaper staff of Ritenour High School. The purpose of the newspaper is to provide a forum for the students to focus on issues, give opinions, and share information with the Ritenour High School community. The opinions expressed in this paper do not reflect opinions of our faculty or administration. Letters to the editor are welcome and accepted, but they may not contain profanity, obscenity, or anything inappropriate to school. They may be e-mailed to Ron Steinschriber at steinschriberr@ritenourschools.org, or dropped off in room 240. The staff reserves the right to edit these letters.
The word on the
Welcome to 2018, where the social media posts consist of literally nothing but an abundance of short lived New Years resolution posts. For the first few weeks of January, we all get to witness people showing off their new and improved selves before the motivation slowly slips from their fingertips. Whether it is diet and health related, or it is in regards to personality, these promises to ourselves usually do not last. The problem lies in the fact that we set ourselves up for failure when we make these goals to change in such a short amount of time. We dedicate all this motivation
~Mary Swan Junior
“My goals for 2018 are to pass all my classes, re-design my room, and save all my money.” ~Jessica Murrillo Freshman
“My goal for 2018 is to live life with more positivity and appreciate the little things in life.” ~Aleksandra Van Hoy Sophomore
“To get into my dream college and start the long road to success.” ~Jourdan Shonibare Senior
Time should not dictate the amount of effort we put forward, it should be a constant process to change in order to better ourselves. Not all resolutions can be bad. People who make resolutions can see positive results if they keep up with it and make it a new lifestyle choice, rather than just a month or two detour. So while most of our staff believe that we should use all the time we have during the year to be motivated to change, sometimes a New Years resolution can work out for the better for some individuals.
Seniors starting to get that sinking feeling The Barber Shop
What are your goals for 2018? “I plan on continuing to work hard in school, get straight A’s, make this money, and prepare for a good senior year.”
and energy that we have throughout the year to try and change something in the span of a month. We hardly have any room to breathe when we put so much pressure on ourselves. When someone makes a resolution and goes slightly off track, it derails their whole process. It is very easy to be discouraged from persevering with their goal. The Pepper Box staff members have experienced resolution failures and believe that we should expend the same amount of motivation year round to make changes to ourselves instead of trying to make rapid changes.
By Jordyn Barber We have arrived ladies and gentleman, at that awkward time of year where as seniors, everything is finally sinking in. The end is nearer than we ever thought it could be and it’s all coming to a close right before our eyes. As I have come back from break, it has hit me that I don’t have much time left in high school. It may seem dramatic but I am not sure what is up next for me. Yes, I plan to go to college, but what’s after that? We all are making our
choices for life after school and now that the hustle and bustle of first semester is over, the time to truly think about everything that has come. Some people may think that this is only the beginning, but others are more than excited to leave. We all have our path, and while it may be hard to choose where to go from here, we should know that our decisions are not a complete representation of who we are. Going to college isn’t the only way to be successful, and immediately going to work doesn’t make you unintelligent. Personally, I am having mixed emotions. I am not sure whether to be excited about leaving or cling to this current status of security, no matter how minimal. High school is supposed to prepare us for the “real world” but I don’t feel this way. I feel unprepared and I wonder how these book smarts
will get me through the days when the pythagorean theorem isn’t enough. How will I continue to overcome the challenges before me? Though I am not entirely sure, I do realize that I cannot beat myself up for things that have not even occurred. I stress over what life will look like in the future and worry what will come, but I know that I will get through this period in my life. As young adults, we have to realize that we can always go back and change our ways because ultimately, we are the people in charge of our actions. The definitions that other people make for the paths that we pave for ourselves are not what define us. What defines us as individuals is how we achieve success through our own efforts, no matter what stereotypes are placed upon us.
The importance of boundaries The Yellow Brick Road
By Dorothy Sloan Boundaries. Everyone has them, and at some point everyone crosses them whether it is intentional or not. It seems as if this has always been a prevalent issue in our society. Let’s start with the definition of boundary, “a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line.” Usually boundaries are put in place so people feel safe and others don’t make them uncomfortable. Usually these boundaries are crossed. Some prime examples of these are seen in celebrities like Melanie Martinez, Harvey Weinstein and Woody Allen. All of these celebrities have crossed some form of boundary. Most of these have been sexual boundaries that have been crossed by the aforementioned celebrities. Melanie Martinez crossed
the boundary that “no means no” when she went against a friend of hers wishes and forced herself on them. Many women came forward against Harvey Weinstein, stating that he also sexually harassed them. This is a barrier that shouldn’t even have to be spoken, you don’t just touch someone because you want to. The last of our list is director and actor Woody Allen. His adoptive daughter claims that he took advantage of her when she was young. Boundaries are crossed in relationships. I know many men and women have fallen victim to this or are guilty of this. Whether it is when space isn’t given after a break up, a person doesn’t understand what consent is, or when someone cannot treat the other person right. Examples of poor boundaries and just overall unhealthy relationships are when you rely solely on your own partner for happiness, not listening to what your partner is and isn’t okay with, and being unable to let go. With stalking on the rise as well, it is important to remember that it’s okay to be a fan of someone, but not okay to figure out where they live or currently are and try to meet them nor is it okay
to kill someone because of jealousy and obsession. More than just one boundary is crossed when you begin to stalk someone. Many celebrities have had stalkers. The man who killed Christina Grimmie was obsessed with her and stalking her before killing her and himself out of jealousy. Sandra Bullock had someone break into her house, claiming he was in love with her. This case influenced the stalking law to become a felony rather than just a misdemeanor. Some of these could potentially be chalked up to miscommunication, but sometimes that’s just an excuse. Most people are aware of what they are doing when they do it. It seems that the largest reason boundaries are crossed is for selfish reasons. Most of the time when a boundary is crossed it is for personal gain, for someone to get what they want. That needs to change, people need to be more considerate of their own actions and the effects they will have. They shouldn’t cross a boundary and then hope and pray that no one will find out. After all, good fences make good neighbors.
News
Page 3 February 2018 News Editor: Martin Trujillo: trujillocarrazco164@ritenourschools.org
RAW WATER
harmful chemicals and other unknown substances that are being put into our tap, as well as bottled water. The only way for us to avoid such chemicals is to get the water directly from main water sources such as streams, oceans, ponds etc. However most of the time
Continued from the front page
“I think that it is kind of disgusting even though it is a very natural way to get water. I would not drink that over tap water because raw
water is not treated with any positive chemical treatment,” Grayson said. “I think it is such a big deal because it is a great way to avoid the
there are harmful bacteria that can take its toll on our bodies over amount of time, so we’re not safe either way.” Elder believes in safe ways of water and filtering, and does not think that raw water is the future of water consumption in the United
States. “I think that the most important thing we can do as citizens of these cities with tap water is to educate ourselves on what quality water is and how we can provide clean quality water for ourselves,” Elder said.
Climate change debate has become a major political issue LILA IRBY The Pepper Box Staff Climate, and particularly climate change, has become a hot-button topic in national news circles. Recently, a video of a polar bear staggering on the melted lands of the Arctic, scouring for food, then withering away, became viral. In addition, a slew of extreme weather exploded over the US, dubbed a “bomb cyclone” by meteorologists. In the Northern Hemisphere, NPR reports jet streams are accountable for weather fluctuations with violent tendencies. News proliferates daily at a rapid rate about the capricious tendencies of the Earth’s temperatures. When one searches “climate change,” a myriad of evidence, articles, and info-graphics floods the screen. On January 9, articles were written about the Sahara, the third largest desert in the world, located in Africa, being dusted with about a foot of snow. CNN reported the environmental anomaly as the third time in 40 years. NASA’s “Global Climate Change” page displays the Earth’s vitals, it’s temperature cited as rising 1.7 degrees since 1880. As the world is hastily reminded of the urgency of climate change, many are weary of the current political reinforcement, or rather absence, of environmental awareness. Before the 2016 elections, in 2012, President Trump tweeted, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing noncompetitive.” Currently, 73% of those who live in St. Louis believe climate change, while the current Administration has Y effects ASED Bthe been quick CHdeny IF PURto 0 3 R E B M PTE of globalSEenvironmental change. On December 18, Trump discarded climate change from the list of national
threats, according to National Geographic. He has also been poised to reform national monuments since October. More recently, on January 10, Trump wiped climate change websites clean. This has been construed as “censorship,” with administration mincing words like “climate change,” replacing them with “sustainability,” and claims of “making America safe through energy independence.” Rick Rodgers, Astronomy and Geology teacher at RHS spoke out about the subject. “I believe there are several things that contribute to our climate change. Part of it is natural. We fall victim to something called the Milankovitch cycle, which is an orbital deviation as far as our planet is considered. However, there have been noted changes as far as atmospheric gases are concerned, and I think that that helps accelerate some of the natural changes that are in the process of occurring,” Rodgers said. Rodgers is concerned by what he sees as the current administration’s lack of urgency in response to climate change. “Considering that now we are seeing liquid rain in the arctic, I think that should be a wake up call as far as what we’re doing, and I think it is negligent that the United States does not participate with the rest of the world in upholding some of the things that are designed to help us create a better place for ourselves,” Rodgers said. Many suggest altering the way people consume utilities at home in aiding the environment. Websites list the most environmentally responsible food, and some forms of transportation have been dubbed “ecofriendly.” Rodgers advice for perpetuating a healthy environment is simple; speak up. “[We should do] everything we can. I think that young people in particular are the focal point
in the mouthpiece of the future. It’s going to have to be the young voices that speak up and say ‘Hey, we need to pay attention,’” Rodgers said. Senior Cheyenne Nichols echoed the same sentiment as Rodgers. “They’re very dismissive of the issue,” Nichols said. “But really, the Earth is something that we all share, and I think that it should be of higher value.” Samantha Bueltmann, a biology and zoology teacher at RHS also shared her take. “Climate change is a naturally occurring part of our world, but it is being greatly accelerated by human activities. Climate change at any pace can cause drastic changes in the environment as some species will not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive the new conditions of their surroundings. When this change is sped up, many more species don’t stand a chance,” Bueltmann said. “There has been a great increase in the release of greenhouse gases over many years that has climbed exponentially. Traditionally this is carbon in some form, whether as carbon dioxide and monoxide from excessive numbers of humans breathing and burning fossils fuels, or methane from too many cattle to feed all of those humans.” Considering the fact that, often, climate change
can be attributed to human intervention, Bueltmann, like Rodgers, offered wisdom for environmentally conscious students, or those hoping to become more eco-friendly. “Learn and educate! Follow reliable sources in the news, whether it be online, on television, on social media, or whatever your preferred method is. Always check for multiple sources validating these facts, and then share them. Be active in your community and take advantage of opportunities like voting when you are old enough. Even when you are too young to vote, you can still speak out and write to or call your representatives when you are concerned about a new oil pipeline being opened up in a previously preserved location, or tell your parents your thoughts about a proposed change of operations by the Electric Company,” Bueltmann said. Outside of education, Bueltmann also noted that there were some specific things that people could do to help save the environment. “We can also all practice carpooling or riding the bus or Metrolink instead of taking individual cars to places, or walking or riding bicycles. Ultimately, just be aware of the environment around you and your impact on it. If you start noticing changes in the health of that environment,
question why it is happening and how it can be helped,” Bueltmann advised. Bueltmann also related climate change to the animal world, and the beings that thrive in such. “Climate change has impacted the animal world in many ways, not always for the worst, but it usually does not look so hot for most organisms. Some species have organisms that are still able to adapt to a new bacteria for instance, that has come about new due to changes in humidity and temperature. More often, though, you find new deadly bacteria and fungal infections wiping out amphibians and bats all over, including in Missouri,” Bueltmann said. “This past month has found us here in St. Louis leaving school in 61 degree weather while there was a winter storm warning in effect. At the same time, frozen iguanas are falling dead from the trees in Florida while boiled bats are falling dead from the trees in Australia. And of course, magnificent polar bears that St. Louisans are delighted to have back in our zoo are dying slow deaths of starvation in the wild. Anyone who denies climate change in these circumstances or does not care about it is beyond my understanding,” Bueltmann said.
Capture Your Memories in this Year's Ritenour High School
Yearbook!
Photo courtesy: tonynetone flickr.com (through creative commons) There was a dusting of snow on the Sahara Desert in 2018. Photos of this bombarded social media sites in connection with climate change posts.
Capture Your Memories in this Year's
Capture Your Memories in this Year's
Ritenour High School Ritenour High School
Yearbook!
Yearbook!
ASED BY IF PURCH 30
ER SEPTEMB
ASED BY IF PURCH 0
EMBER 3
SEPT Add Photos & Memories to Your 2 Free Custom Pages Add photos from your computer, Facebook & Flickr.
To Purchase & Customize Your Yearbook*:
Add memories & photos from throughout the year. Share them with your classmates to include in their personal pages.
1 Go to www.TreeRing.com/validate
Send and receive Bling and signatures. A great way to share expressions of friendship!
*Must be a parent or student 13 years or older.
2 Enter our school’s passcode:
1015015111581261 Regular Price:
$50.00 Patent Pending © 2017 TreeRing Corporation
Add Photos & Memories to Your 2 Free Custom Pages Add photos from your computer, Facebook & Flickr.
To Purchase & Customize Your Yearbook*: *Must be a parent or student 13 years or older.
Spotlight
Page 4 February 2018 Spotlight Editor: Victoria Taylor: Taylorv512@ritenourschools.org
The evolution of Over the years, Ritenour High School has tried to continually evolve and grow to the world around it. With the inclusion of new technology along with more traditional teaching methods, the school is continuing its path to prepare students for the real world By ALLY BOTH The Pepper Box Staff Over the years, many things have changed when concerning Ritenour High School. Some of the things that students currently receive and may take for granted are Promethean boards, projectors, free lunch, a Ritenour radio station, and a few Mac labs. Students who graduated as few as three years ago would also be amazed at the fact that every Ritenour student carries
around a Chromebook and that classes are now catered around that technology. Activities Director Jerry Nolen has seen a big evolution occur in the building over his time here. “The Chromebooks allow our students to use the technology that will be available to some of them when they enlist, enroll in school, or get a job. Theoretically, it cuts down on the paper use at the high school as well,” Nolen said. According to Nolen, the Chromebooks allow the students every opportunity
1867: Ritenour School District is founded by the joining of Buck school and a temporary school for African American children and is hosted in a one room log cabin.
they may need to successfully enter the world after high school. Assistant Principal Bilal Ewing, one of the main planners and implementers of the Chromebook plan, said that the Chromebooks were the next step to improving the district’s overall ratings. “We’ve been wanting to upgrade our technology and when we got our full accreditation, they (the accreditation team) said that we need to upgrade our technology and they made it a required action and we needed to do it within the next to years, so working with
the district office we were able to come up with a plan,” Ewing said. Increased technology could have meant a lot of things, but the team decided that it meant getting technology into the hands of every student, all the time, rather than just getting more laptop carts. “The focus of the program was to increase access and efficiency and we call it the two Es because we tie access directly to equity. We believe that students should have access to all of the learning they can take advantage of;
1894: Ritenour purchases its first school bell and slate board. Say goodbye to black paint coated wood!
we didn’t want students to not be able to have a higher learning because of financial issues, disabilities, etc. Our goal in the beginning was for every student to have their own Chromebook,” Ewing said. We have our Chromebooks thanks to all of the teachers, volunteers, and district workers that helped implement them. They call this the Ritenour Tech Evolution and they plan to keep evolving.
Ritenour begins providing transportation to students to and from school
1910
1870
1890
1930
1887: One room log cabin is ditched for a new brick four room schoolhouse
1919: An interest in school athletics begins and Ritenour hires their first coach
Ron Steinschriber Left: Students work on their Chromebooks during class. The Chromebooks were introduced to the Ritenour students in August of 2016. Above: The buses line up outside of school at the end of a school day. Ritenour purchased its own buses in August of 2017. Both of these initiatives were put into place to help the students of the Ritenour School District.
Jenna Hutson
Spotlight
Page 5 February 2018 Spotlight Editor: Victoria Taylor: Taylorv512@ritenourschools.org
Ritenour Education
English teacher Christina Melly leads a lesson on her Promethan board. These interactive white boards were introduced into the district in 2002.
Late 1970s: Ritenour begins the installation of whiteboards in classrooms
2016: Ritenour initiates the 1:1 Chromebook program which gave 2012: Ritenour has each high school student grand opening for brand new auditorium their own device for school use for music and drama students
1990
1970
1958: Ritenour implements Head Start and Title 1
Jenna Hutson
2015
2020
2010
2002: Promethean boards make their way into the classrooms of the Ritenour School District
2014: Riten our implements plans to serve all students free breakfa st
2017: Ritenour purchases its own buses to transport its students.
New help desk certification Students working at the help desk are getting real world experience, and earning certifications which could get them into the job market as soon as they graduate By SHELBY LANGHORST Online Editor At the beginning the new 2017-2018 school year, director of instructional technology Timothy Burkard and technology teacher Christina DeMuri implemented a new curriculum for the Ritenour high school help desk students. The help desk is a mostly student-led center used to help repair and answer questions about student Chromebooks. Senior Alejandro Gonzalez has been working at the help desk this year and is happy that he can do something that will help him in the future. “We can get an actual job in IT, so that means we don’t have to go and take another class,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said that much of the work is dealing with
cracked screens or keyboard issues, but that sometimes they get some more interesting cases. “The most difficult problems we have had were one that was dropped in the washing machine, and another one that had sugar water. The washing machine one just couldn’t be fixed,” Gonzalez said The new curriculum introduced is composed of three computer TIA approved certifications, PC Pro, Security Pro, and Network Pro. PC Pro requires two semesters in order to complete and focuses on physical computer repair. Whereas Security Pro and Network Pro are only one semester courses and focus on IT diagnostics. These certifications are considered high quality and industry recognized credentials. “Students are able to
leave ready to be employed,” Burkard said. “All are interactive, and have flexible passing.” Each of these programs are student led and interactive with self based online simulations. While working the help desk, students split their time between computer repair and the curriculum. According to Gonzalez, there are rotations where some of the help desk staff will be working on curriculum, and some on repairs during set periods of time. Although progress has been made and students have begun working towards the certifications, Burkard is optimistic about getting these programs fully operational in the near future. Ron Steinschriber “We hope to have all Senior Alejandro Gonzalez works on a Chromebook during programs fully adopted by his time at the help desk. Gonzalez is excited to earn next school year,” Burkard certifications which could get him a job right out of high said. school.
Spotlight
Page 6 February 2018 Spotlight Editor: Victoria Taylor: Taylorv512@ritenourschools.org
The start of something new 19 seniors chose to begin their college career early and enroll into community college
By BAILEY SCOTT Production Editor-In-Chief While second semester started normally for many students, other students chose to take a different path in their educational career. Instead of staying for the last semester of the school year at Ritenour, 19 seniors decided to end their high school career at the end of first semester. Rather than staying in high school, they enrolled into college early for their second semester of the 2017-2018 school year. In this dual/early enrollment program, these 19 students are already combining to take 125 college credits at the Saint Louis Community CollegeFlorissant Valley (STLCC). Julie Kampschroeder, the College and Career counselor, was the one who informed the seniors about this opportunity. “This semester, seniors were notified about the new program when they came in for their college appointment with me,” Kampschroeder said. As the students were given the information about the dual/early enrollment program, they learned about the criteria that was required in order to participate. “From now on, starting next semester, students will be chosen from the Ritenour Scholars Academy. The criteria for this newly forming group includes a 3.0 cumulative unweighted GPA, no ISS/OSS and high attendance rate. Students have
already been notified about advantage of practicing good doing the homework because Walker said. whether they have met the habits early on, while gaining they realize without doing After being in a college criteria to join RSA. Students college credit, in hopes that the homework, they cannot class for the first time, Walker for Dual Enrollment will they graduate from a 4-year contribute in class,” Noonan made specific observations then come from this group.” college within the four years said. of the similarities and Kampschroeder said. following high school,” Senior Brianne Walker differences from a high There are currently 50 Noonan said. chose to get a head start in school class. students signed up for RSA Although Noonan works her college career by being a “The people around me next year, and if each of them in a high school, she can part of the early enrollment are much more mature and took 6 credits per semester, easily identify the differences program. She is looking quiet. Of course there are that could be another 600 as well as the benefits on the forward to witnessing what a outliers, but the classrooms college credits earned by learning process that students college setting feels like and are in general very peaceful Ritenour students. can experience by enrolling hopes that her experience compared to the average high Along with early into college. in this program will provide school class,” Walker said. Kampschroeder, College and “There is just something an easier transition for her Walker, as well as some of Career counselor Cabrina about the maturation that when she continues on to a the other participants, chose Noonan is also working with happens between high school university in the fall. to be in the program for only the early college students. and college where a person “I wanted to get the college dual enrollment. Instead of “We believe that by takes greater interest in what experience before actually graduating early, she still allowing our students to have he/she is learning, and he/ going to a university. I have takes some classes at Ritenour access to college classes on a she realizes that learning is often heard of stories where as well as taking some college college campus during their happening all around them students who are new to level courses at STLCC. senior year, they will save and everyday. Students learn college are so overwhelmed Walker believes that money and learn first hand to collaborate better with by the new format that they staying in high school only how autonomous college others, and rather than doing crash and burn quickly, so part time leads to an easier really is,” Noonan said. homework because it is due hopefully with this it can be transition into college rather Noonan believes that when the very next day, they end up like a test run for a four year,” than diving right in. some seniors decide to enroll into college early, they are learning a better frame of mind and that they will have an easier transition when they start at a different college or university in the fall. “While in high school, students have various supports encouraging them in their classes, including parents, teachers, counselors, coaches, etc. Once someone moves on to college, it quickly becomes evident that success is completely contingent upon how much time and effort a person puts into a class. There are rarely late work and/or redo policies, and certainly not professors constantly reminding you to turn things in. Through the early college program Photo Courtesy: Shane Hopper our students will have the The early enrolled seniors at St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley attending an informational meeting regarding the new program.
No place like home for the holidays During the holiday season, many Ritenour students go visit their families outside of the United States By VICTORIA TAYLOR Spotlight Editor
During winter break, Ritenour students finally had the chance to relax and celebrate the holidays with their families. Some may have celebrated at home, while others left and travel for the festivities. For many students at Ritenour, that meant leaving the country to visit family and friends The minority enrollment for Ritenour High School stands at 62%, while the state’s average is only at 27%, making Ritenour more of a diverse school than most. Therefore, there is a higher percentage chance that at least a few students leave the country whenever they can, in order to visit the place they are from or where some of their family stays. Visiting other countries means being exposed to a totally different kind of environment, whether the person is used to it or not. Senior Dariana Rodriguez traveled to Mexico, more specifically to her birth place in Acambaro, Guanajuato, and was very excited about the tip to her birth place over the break. “I feel exceedingly content when I visit my birth country. It’s almost an indescribable feeling. It’s like pure euphoria since I get to relax and spend time in my country with those I love. There are still moments of sadness since I see some poverty. What breaks my heart the most is seeing young children asking for
money or helping their parents work,” Rodriguez said. While she enjoys time in her birthplace, there are definitely aspects of her life in the United States that she misses when she goes back to Mexico. “The Internet connection is subpar where I live, so I don’t really use my phone there, which is a benefit since I’m so attached to it in the U.S.” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez celebrates Christmas, New Years, and Three Kings day while in Mexico with her family. “My family gets together to enjoy the food that was made earlier, which was tamales and pozole. On New Years, we also get together to eat and once it’s midnight, we hug each and every family member, eat twelve grapes for good luck, and shoot fireworks. Three Kings day is when kids receive their gifts.” Rodriguez said. Junior Marco Perdomo traveled to Ciudad Hidalgo, Michoacan, Mexico last Christmas to visit for the holidays. In fact, this visit was the second time he visited in the last six or seven years. “Practically half of my family is in Mexico, and the other half is here in the United States. I feel relaxed and amazed of the country that my family grew up in. I go and visit the
monarch butterflies that travel from Canada to Mexico during this time, the hot springs in Ciudad Hidalgo, and my grandma and grandpa’s grave,” Perdomo said. Traveling out of the country is rare for many students, however to a few students, it may occur as often as every year. Junior Clarissa Gaona talked about the activities she participated in when she visited Michoacan, Mexico over winter break. “I spend time with family, eat amazing food, enjoy the weather, help my grandparents out with their store, and participate in religious events/traditions,” Gaona said. “Whenever I travel there, I feel happy, relaxed, and excited.”
Photo Courtesy: Clarissa Gaona
Photo Courtesy: Clarissa Gaona Junior Clarissa Gaona traveled to Michoacan, Mexico during inter Break. On the left is a photo of the streets, lined with streamers on the overhead wires. Above is a photo of a small market in town with fresh fruit and flowers. Gaona is one of many Ritenour students who travels out of the country on breaks.
Sports The injury bug hits winter athletes Page 7 February 2018
Sports Editor: Coralis Bobe bobec863@ritenourschools.org
There have been multiple players who have lost parts or whole season’s worth of games due to injuries suffered both on and off the court
By GRACE HUMPHRES The Pepper Box Staff
When athletes sign up to play a sport, they understand that there is the potential for injury. Injuries can occur in a variety of ways for students at Ritenour, but this year has seen many athletes at Ritenour get injured in a way that has cost them as much as an entire season for recovery. Injuries could happen outside of school, in school, during practice, during a game and much more. Senior Rosalind Johnston has an injury that has left her not able to play basketball in the winter or run track in the fall. At the beginning of fall sport tryouts she had an injury that changed her life forever. A couple weeks before she went into tryouts Johnston’s left knee popped out of place. Thinking it was nothing more than a sprain, she put some ice on it and let her knee heal on its own. On the third day of tryouts, Johnston’s knee popped out of place again, and she went and got a new brace for her knee. After feeling less pain and swelling, she continued bo play, but in the fourth game of the season, it happened again. When Johnston revisited Ritenour athletic trainer Taylor Jordan, she told her that she should see a doctor to find out what was wrong because the issue was not going away. A week went by after her doctors visit and her MRI results came back and they were not what she had expected. The MRI showed that she had torn her ACL, lateral and medial meniscus. She had to have surgery as
soon as possible. “It’s hard because when you’re in a sport and you have an injury, you’re sitting on the bench during the game and you see all these things that your teammates are doing, and you want to help them, but all you can do it sit back and watch,” Johnston said. Johnston is not the only one in our school that has had an injury during their season. Sophomore Christina Doherty, had an ear infection and she could not swim and compete in any meets for almost a week and a half. “It sucked because I wanted to swim. It was really painful, and for that whole week water couldn’t touch or go near my ear,” Doherty said. Doherty’s injury was just something that took a week and a half, compared to Johnston’s injuries which will have her rehabbing for almost a whole year. Doherty said that since her injury was not as visible as some others, it was hard for her teammates to see her out of action. “Some of my teammates suggested just putting in an earplug and swimming, but that wasn’t really an option” Doherty said. “Sometimes it felt like people thought I was lying, but I really wasn’t,” Doherty Freshman Ashley Morales is also not allowed to practice and compete due to an injury as well. In eighth grade Ashley broke her ankle playing softball. She had two surgeries, one to put screws in her ankle and then another to take the screws back out. Courtesy of RHS Athletics After Morales got the screws taken out the doctors informed her that Senior Rosalind Johnson stands and watches the pre-game warmups on her she would not be able to swim this crutches. Johnston has had to watch all of the games this season after it year because if she did then her ankle was discovered that she had torn her ACL, lateral and medial meniscus. The would get infected. injury will keep her out of action for the rest of her senior season.
Staying fit during break
NAME: Brandon Lock GRADE: Freshman SPORT: Wrestling Q: How did you stay fit over break? A: We had practice almost every single day, from what I remember we only had three or four days off over the whole break. Q: How did you handle being out of routine? A: Since we practiced so often, I didn’t really get out of routine.
Q: What foods/drinks did you have to stay in shape? A: Water, and for the holidays I had turkey and all that. Q: What was there a difference in training during break in comparison to training during school? A: No, we had practice like normal.
How did you stay in shape for your season during Winter Break?
Michelle Johnson Cheerleading
Jon Bishop Boys Basketball
Nature Frost Girls Basketball
Guadalupe Rico Girls Swimming
Aliyah Harwood Rhythmettes
I did workouts like push ups situps and wall sits
I had basketball practice and workouts over break and eating right
I went to basketball practice almost every day.
We had swim practice most of the break.
I had dance practice
Sports
Page 8 February 2018 Spotts Editor: Coralis Bobe bobec863@ritenourschools.org
2018 Ritenour Winter Sports Capsules BOYS BASKETBALL Coach Mike Nelke Current record: 10-11 Outstanding players: “We’ve had several players step up for us this year: senior Kobe Smith is leading us in scoring. Seniors Barrion Clemons and Jonathan Bishop have given us great play at the guard position. Demeetrie Beach and Darrell Bolden have also given us great production this year”. Newcomers: Jordan Holmes and Da’mon Sanders Thoughts/Goals: “We are ready to go in the second half of the season. We played a great schedule that will prepare us for our last 12 games and our district. After a couple of tough losses, we have played some really good basketball to get us on the right track. Hopefully we can make some noise in our district this year.” - Coach Nelke Junior Jordan Holmes takes a jump shot against Rockwood Summit. Holmes is averaging 3 points a game during the season. RHS Athletics
GIRLS SWIM Coach Andrea Rivera Current record: Our record does not reflect our effort. Outstanding players: We had a lot of returning swimmers who help in setting tone and demonstrating expectations. Newcomers: Amiya Clark and Jayden Frost came to the team with a competitive swim background and knowledge of swim which is always helpful to any sport. Thoughts/Goals: “Every year, every season, our goal is always improvement for athletes, camaraderie amongst swimmers, and of course, a state qualification.” - Coach Rivera RHS Athletics Freshman Emma Finnegan swims the backstroke against McCluer SouthBerkeley
GIRLS BASKETBALL Coach Ron Steinschriber Current record: 10-8 Outstanding players: Alexis Ramey has had a great start. She is averaging 13 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. Michaela Reed, Nature Frost, and A’myia Hayden are all averaging about 8 points a game, and on any given night any of these 4 could be our leading scorer. Newcomers: Ashlee Frazier has averaged about 8 points a game as a freshman on varsity. RHS Athletics Senior Alexis Ramey drives past a defender from Rockwood Summit. Ramey leads the team in scoring this season.
Thoughts/Goals: “We had a great start to the year and then got derailed by some injuries over winter break. We have gotten through most of them, and added some more depth, and hope that can carry us through districts.” - Coach Steinschriber
WRESTLING Coach Dean Cochran Current record: 5-3 Outstanding players: Austin Cornell, Bobby Immekus, Natanael Mendez, Mamadou Diouf, Ryan Howerton, RJ Sagum, Brandon Lock, Luke Vogel Newcomers: Bobby Immekus, Brandon Lock, Luke Vogel Thoughts/Goals: “Building a team for next year, recruiting after qualifying 4 for state this year.” - Coach Cochran
Heather Brown Sophomore Bobby Immekus wrestles in a tournament during the 2017-2018 season.