RESTAURANT REVIEW
CHANGING ROLES
An in-depth look at how gender roles have changed over time at Ritenour
A new fast food restaurant has opened within the district
SPOTLIGHT Pages 4-5
OPINION Page 2
HOW TEACHERS MET THEIR SPOUSES SPOTLIGHT Page 6
For Valentines Day, the staff asked some teachers how they met their future spouse
THE PEPPER BOX RITENOUR HIGH SCHOOL
ISSUE 6, VOLUME 96
9100 ST. CHARLES ROCK ROAD, ST. LOUIS, MO 63114
MARCH 2019
Robohounds take the long road to State After it looked like snow had ended the season, the team found an alternate path to State By DANIELA SAENZ Pepper Box Staff After their first qualifier at STLCC Flo Valley was canceled due to inclement weather and the team thought that their season was over, Ritenour’s Robotics team, the Robohounds, recently qualified for state with a victory at the East Conference qualifier. This season had started immediately after last season ended, all the way back in March 2018, when they did not advance past the state championship. “We spent a lot of time planning and training new members, even over the summer. Our qualifying event for this season for the state championship was supposed to take place in early January, but unfortunately, it got snowed out,” Robohound CoCaptain Tai Huynh said. That canceled tournament was when the team’s morale took a big hit. “Almost eight months of work for what seemed like nothing. We were very disappointed, frustrated, and upset, but since our season had seemingly ended, we had to start preparing for the next one. In fact, we had already voted in new captains,” Huynh said. The team was prepared to move on until they got the message that their team was invited to compete in the East Conference Qualifier, which is an extra qualifier they have for teams that do not advance from their normal qualifying event.
Photo by: Martin Trujillo Carrazco Senior Tai Huynh works on the robot for the Ritenour Robohounds at an event at the Magic House. The team is now doing events like this one in preparation for their trip to the State tournament in March.
“And so, we had less than two weeks to prepare our team. We frantically met for a lot of late nights. One day, we even stayed close to midnight just to finish testing the robot,” Huynh said. Huynh has competed for this team ever since his freshman year, and has seen major progress in the levels of preparation amongst the team. “For the first time ever, I walked into a competition confident that not only our team would win some awards, but that we would advance to state. Being on the team for so long, I can see the progress
the team has made to become better,” Huynh said. “I felt eternally grateful to this team when they announced all the awards we won at the East Conference Qualifier and that we had qualified for the Missouri State Championship. It felt like I was solidifying my legacy on the team because now we had qualified for state two years in a row.” Computer science teacher Christina DeMuri is one of the sponsors of the Robohounds. She takes great pride in the accomplishments of her students, especially in the face of potentially having nature take away their shot at a championship.
“I am very excited and happy for the students since I knew they have been working very hard on their robot, outreach opportunities and their notebook along with everything else that goes along with robotics,” DeMuri said. “I do think their hard work has paid off, so I am not surprised that they qualified.” Sophomore Garret Ratcliff said that he had doubts about going to state because there were so many other good teams at the qualifier. This was his first qualifying event as a member of the team. “If we didn’t make it to state I would have been disappointed, but I wouldn’t
have been surprised,” Ratcliff said. “When I found out that we were going to state I was excited and happy for us all. The qualifier was a lot different than I was expecting it to be, I didn’t think that I was going to have fun there but I ended up having a really good time.” Sophomore Damien Cottrell and Ratcliff both think that the team could have done better, but they are both feeling happy by moving along to the state competition. “I am very glad that we were allowed to continue so I See ROBOHOUNDS on p.7
New Husky Health Center opens at Hoech The new endeavor, cosponsored by CareSTL, will help provide health services in the district By: JERSIE COX Pepper Box Staff As the years go by, the demand for health care services has gotten higher, and the Ritenour School District will be providing health services, which they call tbe Husky Health Center, housed at Hoech Middle School. According to Missouri Health, more than 2,900 students who attend the Ritenour School District have a chronic health and/or mental condition. Superintendent Dr. Chris Kilbride noted on the
IN THIS ISSUE
Ritenour website how excited he was to be opening the center. “Opening a school-based health center is one more way we can serve the growing needs of our students,” Kilbride said. Husky Health now provides pediatric and medical care and began to provide behavior care starting on February 11, Husky Health is funded and sponsored by CareSTL; a health and wellness service. Services will be provided to students through the weekdays, and students will be transported if needed NEW CHICK FIL A OPENS PAGE 2
via minivan provided by Ritenour. Students can go according to their schedule during the morning, before school, or during school hours. Students at Husky Health during school hours will not be considered absent, truant or tardy throughout the school day. Although services are not free and require payment through insurance, no student will be rejected health care because of lack of payment on the spot. However, paying for medication is still required since Ritenour does not cover
PAST THE GENDER ROLES BREAKING POINT OVER TIME PAGE 3
PAGES 4-5
any medication costs. Parents or guardians are able to attend the appointments if wanted, yet it is not strictly mandatory. Students are able to go on their own if they feel more comfortable going by themselves. A consent form must be filled and signed by the parent or guardian if that is the situation. If students want to attend Husky Health their parent or guardian must fill out a request and consent form, unless they are of eighteen years or older. Forms can be provided online by going to the
Ritenour School District website or by going to your school’s nurse office and asking for a form. Husky Health will be located on the second floor of Hoech Middle in rooms 200 and 201N. The only requirement for Husky Health is to fill out a request sheet and to be apart of the Ritenour district. CareSTL health officer Angela Clabon expressed her excitement on the Ritenour website. “We are beyond excited to provide much needed on site healthcare services to the students,” Clabon said.
HOW TEACHERS MET THEIR SPOUSES
THE POLAR VORTEX
SWIMMING RECORD BROKEN
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Opinion Visual Editor In Chief: Coralis Bobe
March 2019
PEPPER BOX STAFF
Content Editor In Chief: Martin Trujillo Carrazco
Spotlight Editor: Trystan Bell
Online Editor: Madison Waldrup
Production Editor In Chief: Victoria Taylor
Opinion Editor: Amelia Sloan-Ule Business Manager: Catalina Mundin
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Sports Editor: Caroline Ramos-Herrera Adviser: Ron Steinschriber
Staff Members: Kayla Baker, Jada Baylor, Torin Blevans, Faith Boyd, Pierre Brown, Jersie Cox, Faith Curd, Mackenzie Davis, Morgan Eaves, Emma Finnegan, Samia Fouche, Jordan Fritzsche, Darleen Garcia, Alberto Linares-Cervantes, Amelia Norman, Chloe Pagan, Abigail Richardson, Andrea Rojo, Daniela Saenz, Kimberly Teoli, Quynh Trinh, Caroline Wong Editorial Policy: The Pepper Box is designed and created by members of the newspaper staff of Ritenour High School. The purpose of the newspaper is to provide a forum for the students to focus on issues, give opinions, and share information with the Ritenour High School community. The opinions expressed in this paper do not reflect opinions of our faculty or administration. Letters to the editor are welcome and accepted, but they may not contain profanity, obscenity, or anything inappropriate to school. They may be e-mailed to Ron Steinschriber at steinschriberr@ritenourschools.org, or dropped off in room 240. The staff reserves the right to edit these letters.
Not knowing your future plans is not necessarily bad
Editorial “What are your plans after college?” “What do you want to major in?” “What do you want to do with your life?” These three questions are constantly thrown at seniors. For those who know what they want to do, they can simply answer and move on, but for those of us who cannot seem to decide, we panic. We panic because we
do not want to seem like we do not know what we were doing. The truth is none of us really know what we are doing. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 80% of students in the United States end up changing their major at least once in college. Most people do not know what they want to do with their lives at the age of seventeen or eighteen. Even those who stick to their plan
The word on the
seen as indecisive or unsure of ourselves. A lot of people stress out over this one small decision, when the reality is no one actually knows what they are going to do with their lives. Nothing in life is guaranteed. The perfect plan for life could easily be skewed by one event or incident. Going into college undecided is one of the bravest things a person could do because they are not afraid to admit that they do not know what
“I don’t like Valentine’s Day; it’s a day of lust. It’s like one of the seven deadly Isaac Smith ~ sins.” Freshman
How did you feel about Valentines Day? “It felt more fun since I had a Valentine, so it was different this year. Other than that, it would’ve been Rico Swiney ~ depressing.” Junior
graduate with their intended major could end up getting a job in another field. If most Americans change their majors, why is there such a big stigma behind it? Some of us worry that people will somehow see us as inferior because we do not have a plan, but the problem is people want to believe they are fully in control of their lives. We hate not knowing. When we see others around us choosing and having a plan, we do not want to be
Kierra Slack ~ Senior
“I just think that Valentine’s day is pretty chill. It’s an excuse to be all lovey dovey and give gifts at school.”
Opening issues do not hurt new Chick-fil-A in town
they want. It is a smart move, because it gives them time to explore options before committing to one. Life is unpredictable and uncontrollable. It can often times bring big, unplanned opportunities that lead to learning more about themselves. In order to navigate life, we need to be open minded and realize that none of us are in full control, and that not knowing is okay.
“(Valentines Day) is overrated. It seems like a normal day except for the ones with the Tylor Krieger ~ balloons in Sophomore class.”
“I don’t have an opinion, to me it’s another day.”
Christina Demuri ~ Teacher
Comics
The new branch in Bridgeton opened at the end of January, and although there have been long waiting times, and a few minor issues, it is totally worth it By EMMA FINNEGAN Pepper Box Staff Being open only MondaySaturday does not stop Chickfil-A from being the top fast food chain in America. Could this be because of the service, the food, or the placement? A brand new Chickfil-A opened on January 31, in Bridgeton, Mo. This restaurant is opening almost 40 years after the first Chickfil-A came to St. Louis. Replacing the old Ponderosa, the new restaurant is expected to bring much more business. It is also adding more jobs to the region, with the restaurant adding 220 new jobs since it’s opening last month. Being only minutes away from Ritenour, students are able to go and enjoy a quick meal. Last Saturday was the first weekend it was open without a huge crowd, so I took some friends, and we checked it out. The first thing you notice when you drive up is just
how big it is. According to the staff, this location has the longest drive-thru in the United States. Parking is always the biggest obstacle you face when going to a newer fast-food chain, but the parking lot was much larger than the comparable locations such as Des Peres and Brentwood. If you have ever been inside a Chick-fil-A you know the basic layout of all of them, but walking into Bridgeton location feels like a whole new place. The restaurant is more horizontally laid out, and much larger. Due to the change in layout, the line easily goes out the door with the large lunch crowd. Chick-fil-A prides itself on having top-notch employees. Bridgeton satisfies that precisely. The workers have bright & cheerful attitudes which let you know that they are there to make your experience delightful. The whole point of fast food is that the service is fast.
Comparing the Bridgeton location to Des Peres & Brentwood, you can tell it’s new. The cashiers are getting used to using the computers while the rest of the staff is figuring out how to get food out both in-store and through the drive thru as fast as possible. With this, the 15-minute wait for a meal, then ice cream, may have been long, but with everything being so new, it was understandable. Reading the reviews on websites like Yelp, some state the line was “too long and would rather go to another location,” but would you be perfect at something you just started? My final thoughts about the new Chick Fil A in Bridgeton would be that it is new and growing. Obviously, a new restaurant will take some time to get on their feet. With other competing fast food restaurants, slow service at Chick Fil A should be the least of anyone’s concerns.
Illustration by Abby Richardson
Illustration by Chloe Pagan
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Opinion
March 2019
Pushing me to my limits, at the expense of mental health friend. I, myself, am guilty
The Salty Spitoon of this. I have put my team
By Amelia Sloan-Ule Often times the mental health of students and their peers goes unchecked. Many times, teachers do not even realize the mental turmoil students are pushing themselves through. They often do not see, or even know of the all nighters some students pull for exams, the hours spent crying over a math problem they can’t understand, or the dread of failing a test. They usually do not see how hard we push ourselves, and how far we go until our limit is broken. The meter? Shattered. Teenagers in this day and age often push themselves too far and too hard. Whether it is in work, school, sports, club activities, or even helping a
before my own health when I had a concussion, I stayed up all night finishing a project because it had to be perfect, put my emotions on the back burner to help others, pushed myself way too hard, and suffered the consequences. A prime example of this is when I experienced heat stroke while on the job. Now, if you know me, you know I’m a lifeguard at Jack Rehagen Municipal Pool. This particular day during summer season, we were short staffed and had 15 minute breaks before going
out in the heat for another two hours. Despite staying hydrated and staying in the pool, I was still getting warm. I’m a very heat sensitive person, so I can tell when I’m overheating. However, I did not let that stop me from working. I kept going until I found myself at the slides almost getting an emergency long blow blown on me. The manager and head guard had to come and essentially carry me because my body dropped when they were walking me to the office. It was so bad they had to call the Emergency Medical Service. The moral of that story,;
learn your limits and stick to them. Do not put yourself in harm’s way. Pushing yourself past your limits is extremely detrimental to your health. If you push yourself too much, you often put things like happiness and self care on hold, you are often more irritable, and typically criticize yourself too much. Aside from all of this, if you are putting your physical health on hold, you are putting yourself in danger. People, especially teenagers, need to learn their limits. They need to learn that it is okay to take a
Illustration by Chloe Pagan
break, to need space, and to put themselves first. I see so many people disregard their own well-being and it hurts. It hurts to see people I know, not take care of themselves, it hurts to see them push themselves too far instead of taking a break whether it is for self-love, or just a power nap. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a break. Clear your mind, meditate, talk to a friend, eat, sleep, do any of these and then come back to it. You will feel refreshed, and ready to start again. Once these limits are learned, these unhealthy behaviors will stop, and you life will get less stressful. Now, I’m not saying to do the bare minimum, I am just saying, do not overexert yourself to the point that it is unhealthy. Look out for yourself, because at the end of the day, the people who you hurt yourself for, may not even give you that respect back.
Justice does not seem to be equal for all
Sweet Caroline
By Caroline Ramos-Herrera “Criminals” all around the country are receiving years of jail time for nonviolent crimes when people who commit acts of violence or sexual assault are not receiving much time at all. Recently, Lyle Burgess, 79, was sentenced to 90 days of house arrest for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl, and on top of that he is not required to register himself as a sex offender. It is absolutely absurd that there are people who are going five or more years in prison over getting caught with some marijuana, but there are predators getting warnings and very little
punishment like house arrest for a very sinister crime. Corvain Cooper is going to spend the rest of his life in prison for marijuana charges in California because of the fact it was his third strike and he had a ton of marijuana on him. Marijuana has become legal in the state of California, yet there are people in jail for five or more years. Without a doubt, marijuana is not the best substance in the world, but think to yourself, would you rather have someone who was in prison for marijuana as your neighbor? Or would you rather have someone who is a convicted pedophile as your neighbor? The system is failing. The “criminal justice” system is not even a criminal justice system because it seems as if no justice is actually being served. The system is failing us all. The real criminals who need to be locked away for the rest of their lives are roaming the streets after being given a
slap on the wrist. There is an uneven sentencing process. It is not fair that people’s lives are being ruined over something so minimal. Life in prison? The way I see it as is if a pedophile can get 90 days of house arrest, the person caught with marijuana does not deserve as much time. A pedophile is a monster. You cannot compare the heinous crime of rape to a minor crime of marijuana. The sentencing of these crimes do not seem to add up at all. It just does not make any sense. Criminalizing marijuana use has devastated families across the US, especially in communities of color, and for no good reason. I stand by my opinion over the fact that people of color are more likely to receive a huge drug charge over someone that is white, who might get a slap on the wrist. America needs to set fair laws. You rape; long sentence. You murder; long sentence. You use a drug that
is getting legalized all over the country; short sentence. Mass incarceration is a huge problem itself. Policemen, detectives, along with the rest of the criminal justice system are too distracted by smaller crimes to actually solve murders but find people that seem to look “suspicious”, inspect them and their cars and arrest them for a little bit of marijuana. In Missouri, it is very legal for you to be sentenced to life for marijuana, while it is also
Editorial Cartoons
Illustration by Abby Richardson
very legal for rapists to not get a life sentence for rape. Marijuana is constantly becoming legalized in more and more places and I believe that “criminals” in prison should be pardoned for their crimes. We should start trying to arrest the real bad guys that are ruining lives permanently. This is America. We should start focusing on things that are actually considered a menace to society. There is no criminal “justice” system, if there is no justice.
Illustration by Abby Richardson
Illustration by Chloe Pagan
Spotlight
March 2019
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News in Depth - Gender Roles A continuation of personal looks at social issues at Ritenour, and how students deal with them By FAITH BOYD Pepper Box Staff The expectation of men and women to conform to their assigned gender roles is becoming much less mainstream, and Ritenour High School is a prime example of this shift. Within student’s studies and careers, there used to be established, though not often spoken, rules of where boys and girls belonged. These unspoken rules are changing, with different genders straying from the norms they were raised on and instead choosing whatever they want to pursue. In an attempt to reach all students, the high school offers pathways for students regardless of gender, and incorporates different activities to reach previously underrepresented groups.
Engineering Men used to run the field of engineering, and there were limited opportunities for women. Recently, though, women have begun to lean toward positions and classes that relate to engineering. The vast majority of students in the biomedical classes are female, and staff and students advocating for the integration of women into engineering played a vital role in this change. “Normally everything in engineering was just open for men, and so we wanted to make sure that all of the girls knew about it and were aware of what was out there. A few years back, Ashley Gregory started Girls In Engineering Day to help promote more girls to take engineering classes and since we continued with it, the majority of students in our biomedical classes are now female,” said biomedical teacher Juanita Hartmann. Even though there is an increasing amount of diversity at Ritenour in the engineering classes, there is still a lot of progress to be made in terms of opportunities and careers for women in engineering after they graduate. “I think that the expectation for girls is that they are being “allowed” to be in a male-dominated area. We still are not hired as quickly and it is still very limited in terms of how many girls get hired,” Hartmann said. Along with the staff members who organized Girls In Engineering Day, there are also male students who are fully in support of encouraging their female peers to pursue engineering and spark change in the outside world. “I think programs like Girls In Engineering Day are really beneficial.
Photo courtesy Ritenour School District Senior Neosha Dyson works with a group of students from the high school and middle school during Girls in Engineering Day on February 8. The event is new within the last few years, and celebrates girls who are taking engineering classes, since that group of students has been underrepresented in that field in the past.
They create communities of girls that have the same interests and sometimes the same work ethic. These programs are needed to spread the word and help motivate girls from a young age. It gives them something new to try and may spark a new interest in them,” senior Davis Volpitto said.
Media
Another male-dominated area that is lately more female-led at Ritenour is media convergence. Media Convergence teacher Jane Bannester is passionate about the role of journalism in society, but says that there seemed to be an attempt to steer her away from the field when she was younger. “I remember the first time I wrote a news story that was published in the third grade. At that moment I was in love with the whole experience. It was not until I had my papers ripped by teachers that I began to believe I was a poor writer,” Bannester said. “If given the chance to have experienced a broadcast journalism class in high school I definitely feel my path may have been changed, but I’m grateful I wound up in the position I have, teaching those students who might find their own passion in storytelling.” Bannester said that the opportunities available at Ritenour can reach all students, and she fights every day to make sure any student
who comes into her class is able to become a storyteller. “The number of women in media is not proportionate to males. We have seen a great many iconic male leaders brought down by the “Me Too” movement, but we need to continue to kick down doors. Just because the news rooms are not equal in voice does not mean we should shy away, and I am grateful I wound up in a position where I get to teach those students who might find their own passion in storytelling,” Bannester said. Bannester believes it is important that young girls do not become discouraged by the amount of powerful men in the media or choose not to pursue jobs in this area due to the lack of women in positions they see themselves in. “The easiest route is not always the most fulfilling and anybody with a love for news should continue going forward despite what others may recommend for them. Having faith and passion is the most important thing with your career choices because so many people define themselves based on those factors,” Bannester said. As of right now, Ritenour media classes have a large amount of girls compared to boys, to the extent that male students have even taken notice of it. Sophomore Ryan Klohr is amongst the minority of males in the print journalism classes (newspaper
and yearbook), and he says that it has affected some of his assignments. “I did not photograph Girls in Engineering for yearbook because of the fact that the class is so femaledominated. I got a lot of weird stares when I raised my hand for it,” Klohr said. The rapid increase of women in media classes at Ritenour is a small, but significant step for equalizing careers of this field out in the real world.
Sports In regards to sports, wrestling is not one that is often considered “feminine”. However, in the recent years at Ritenour, girls have gotten into it and they are crushing stereotypes about their abilities. “When it was my first time wrestling, I had a few conflicts where boys really did not want to go as hard on me because I was a girl and they did not want to hurt me,” senior Geraldine Flores said. “But this year, I feel like boys are more open-minded, and they are starting to realize that women can wrestle too. Sometimes I still see guys saying that women can not because they are weak, and that makes me want to prove them wrong. I would like to encourage more women to join wrestling because even though it is male-dominated, girls can definitely do it just as well.” This was the first year that wrestling was recognized by MSHSAA as a state sponsored sport, but there have been a lot of changes over time in terms of balancing sports. In the 1957 Ritenour yearbook, it showed that there were only three sports offered to girls; volleyball, basketball and field hockey. With the addition of wrestling, there are now 10 sports offered to female students, while the number of sports offered to male students has risen as well.
Fashion
Photo courtesy Ritenour School District Junior Brianna Johnson leads a group of female students in a discussion about engineering during the Girls in Engineering Day at Ritenour High School. Johnson has been involved in the engineering program at Ritenour since she was a freshman, and is one of many female students who take advantage of the PLTW classes at the high school.
Traditionally, gender expectations were that women would be enrolled in classes in the field of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). One of the areas within FACS that some male students are beginning to pursue that contradicts traditional gender roles is fashion. An interest in fashion is, historically, not connected with masculinity. However, this is no reason for some male students to shy away from taking these classes. There are plenty of men who are successful in the field, and this is because they pursued their passion Story continues on top of next page
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Spotlight
March 2019
male amongst the whole group. In addition, the yearbook staff was heavily populated by male students, and there were no female administrators at the high school. This trend has changed over time, as two of the five administrators currently working at Ritenour are female. Gender roles in college go further than the majors and jobs chosen by students. They are also present in graduation rates. In 1988, the amount of American women who completed a four year college was 17%, while 24% of men in the U.S. had a college degree (Statista.com). This wide gap has closed over time, however. In 2018, the reported number of female graduates was 35.3% compared to 34.6% of males. In just 30 years, opportunities for women and their educational success increased significantly.
This major feat could be the deciding factor for girls on the fence about college, and serves as a reminder that men and women can both achieve great things. Kampschroeder has noticed some trends between male and female students in terms of choosing colleges, but says that ultimately money is a deciding factor. “I would say that females are more open to considering smaller, private colleges; however, in 2019 the financial aid package typically is always the deciding factor. Meaning students end up choosing a college based on if they can afford it or not,” Kampschroeder said. There is still have a long way to go to break gender stereotypes and reach a point where men and women are regarded as equals, but the staff and students of Ritenour have made a lot of progress over the years to further this cause.
Graph created by Martin Trujillo-Carrazco on metachart.com
regardless of stereotypes. Male students at Ritenour intend to do the same. Senior Garrett Evans is one of those students who has found an interest in the field of fashion, and taken classes at the high school. “I joined the fashion class because I liked clothes. I did not think of it as a girly kind of thing, even though there were a lot more girls than boys. I would say if you are a guy that wants to join, you should just do it, because it really is not a big deal,” senior Garrett Evans said. It can be uncomfortable to stray from feminine and masculine labels and choose classes based on one’s own personal interests, but on the other hand, students like Evans have found that it can also be extremely fulfilling.
College Gender roles play a part in the process of choosing colleges and majors, as well as graduation rates. After high school, there are general patterns related to the college majors and career choices of men and women. “A lot of females tend to be interested in social work, teaching and nursing. I have only had three males interested in nursing in my three decades,” College and Career counselor Julie Kampschroeder said. In fact, in the 1970 Ritenour yearbook, there were clubs such as the future nurses and teachers of America, and there was only 1
Graph created by Martin Trujillo-Carrazco on metachart.com
Geraldine Flores goes to State in first year of women’s wrestling The senior, who has wrestled boys and girls in her career, ends with a trip to State By AMELIA NORMAN Pepper Box Staff Senior wrestler Geraldine Flores is the first female wrestler from Ritenour to go to State. Being the first female wrestler to go to State, this is a breakthrough and a big success for the Ritenour wrestling program. Flores has always worked hard and pushed herself to continue to improve. When Flores started wrestling two years ago, she was only wrestling boys. She said that wrestling mostly varsity boys was a big factor in helping her to get better. “Last year, I was wrestling only guys and they were all on varsity. I saw a few girls wrestling, but they were not in my weight class, so I was stuck wrestling with guys that were a hundred times stronger and so much more confident than I was,” Flores said. Wrestling coach Dean Cochran has seen Flores progress since she started and he believes that she greatly deserves the success that she has seen this year. Cochran saw her determination and her willingness
when she first started and has seen her work hard to get even stronger. “She started out and she was super attentive to everything we taught and her stamina got better and better, and then her confidence came after that to where she expected to win and you can tell that when she wrestles,” Cochran said. Like many athletes, Flores has gotten a lot of encouragement from her family and coaches. They have been there to support her every step of the way and help her to do the best that she can. She says that having such a large group of people supporting her really helped her to keep pushing herself and to keep working hard. “There is no one else that I know that is more supportive of me as a wrestler than my coaches and my family. My coaches would always talk to me everyday saying keep going and it is okay if you lose, as long as you are going out there and experiencing new things and learning new things. That is what helped me keep going,” Flores said. As well as her coach and family, Flores has had support from
Photo courtesy RHS Athletics Senior Geraldine Flores wrestles an opponent at the Girls District Tournament. Flores has wrestled for Ritenour, even before the girls were allowed to have their own tournament this school year.
Photo courtesy RHS Athletics Senior Geraldine Flores is named the winner of a match during the District Tournament. Her success at this tournament helped propel her to an experience wrestling in the State tournament.
teammates. They have all worked with her and are super proud of her. One of her teammates, Taylor Engelmeyer, speaks highly about Flores as a wrestler and as a teammate. “When we are in the wrestling room she’s always working, she’s never stopping or taking a break. She’s always kind and she always brings people’s spirit up,” Engelmeyer said. Flores was shocked as well as excited to find out she made it to state. She was looking forward to meeting more female wrestlers and was excited to represent wrestling as a women’s sport before she arrived at the tournament. “I was not sure what to expect, but I knew I was going to meet new people and I was really excited about it. It was pretty awesome seeing so
many girls going into something that was supposed to be a men’s sport, but it’s finally being recognized as also a women’s sport. Seeing all those girls working hard got me really hyped up,” Flores said. Although she did not win a championship, Flores cherished the opportunity that she had to go to the event, and feels as if she has made a lot of new friends in the process. “State was an experience of a lifetime. It was something that I really did enjoy going to and I am fully honored to be able to have gone. I know for all of my matches I had, I gave it my all and I am satisfied with my results. I gave it everything I had and everything I learned throughout wrestling, I left it there on the mat. It was a good meet, I really had fun and I met a lot of new friends,” Flores said.
Spotlight
March 2019
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March Classroom of the Month - Math literacy skills into their classroom. According to Daniels: “The book is “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon. The Photo by: Martin Trujillo Carrazco book is written from the perspective Freshman Katelyn Rother reads “The of Christopher, a Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night15-year-old boy Time” in math class. with Asperger’s. He discovers his neighbor’s dog has Kevin Daniels’ math been murdered, and he is classes are incorporating
determined to solve the mystery of who killed the dog. Along the way, he also solves some mysteries about his own life. Many were shocked that they would be reading in a Math class, but more and more seem to be enjoying the break from work and have had positive things to say about the story. I want my students to know that reading is a part of life, and there can be much learned from a book, including seeing math being used in someone’s life. There
have been some good laughs at some silly parts in the book, and many have come up with good theories about who they believe killed the dog. Since the narrator has Asperger’s, it has given me the opportunity to have conversations in my classes about how their view of the world is not the only one. We have been able to discuss the way he speaks, the way he logically explains things, and how he reacts emotionally to traumatic events in his life.
There are plenty of math concepts in the book, and we always stop to have a conversation about the math the narrator uses. This week, he explained a type of cake by saying it is long, with square cross sections of alternating colors of pink and yellow. I then pulled up a picture of the cake on Google so they could see what that would look like, which allowed me to show them an application of the term “cross section” from Geometry.”
How did Ritenour teachers meet their spouses?
With the recent celebration of Valentines Day, the Pepper Box staff found some teacher love stories Louise (Haar) and Jason Chapman
Dean and Stacy Cochran
“I met my husband when I was in 6th grade. My best friend had a huge crush on him, and I thought, “Eww.” When I was a sophomore and he was a junior, we had a class together. That is when my huge crush started. Unfortunately, he was friends with one of my brothers, so he couldn’t ask me out. Once my brother and his friends graduated, we started talking. It wasn’t until he graduated and I was a senior that we started dating. This means we’ve been together for 27 years! This was in the days of no cell phones, so his brother would act as a go-between and deliver notes for us.” We have been married for 20 years.”
John and Dena Schimmel
“I met my wife on September 9th , 1989. It was half time at a Southeast Missouri State Football game and the Sundancers (Pom Pom) Squad were performing. My friend’s girlfriend asked me what I thought of the fifth girl from the right. I thought she was beautiful. Kim then set us up for a blind date that evening. I took her to Steak and Shake and then to a dance party. We have been together for almost 30 years. We have been married for 25 years in June 2019. I had just enough money to cover the tip after our meal and was praying that she would not eat much or I would have to wash dishes. I tried for a goodnight kiss and she shut me down and said maybe next date. The funny thing is that the next date was a movie. I made fun of the romantic movie and she got mad and refused a goodnight kiss the second time. I learned to keep my mouth shut about her favorite genre of movie. Now she puts up with my horror movies, and I put up with her Hallmark movies where everyone has perfect hair.”
“I met her at an airport at the end of May and we were married six and a half months later. We went on maybe ten dates. We have been married a little over 12 years and we have never raised our voices, not once. We’ve never yelled. We don’t disrespect each other. I would say that we don’t ever argue.”
Rachael and Seth Tripp
“We met online. We met on plentyoffish.com. We had both done separate times on sites like Match. I don’t think that either of us did time on eharmony, but we met on plentyoffish. We met in person the same day we started talking online. We got engaged after two weeks and married five months later. We’ve been married for five years.”
“So, basically her best friend was going out with my best Jerry and Mary friend. We were driving around and we drove by the house Kay Nolen of his girlfriend a couple of times. One of the last times we
drove by they kind of said hey or gave motion to where we stopped. His girlfriend introduced me to her; she said, ‘This is my very good friend Mary Kay,’ and I said, ‘Well hi, Mary, how are you doing?’ and she said, ‘It’s Mary Kay. Get it right or don’t get it at all.’ They then set us up on a double date for both of us and didn’t tell either one of us. It was kind of a surprise. The first date that we went on I was actually babysitting my younger siblings. The first basic hour we sat watching my siblings. The first date that we went by ourselves, not double dating or in a group, we went to the drive in and had a flat tire at the end of the night and that is the honest truth. You know you always hear that excuse ‘we had a flat tire,’ but we really did have a flat tire. And in my sister’s trunk there was a can of fix-a-flat, but I couldn’t use it because I didn’t use my sister’s things without her permission. It just has always been one of my things, don’t use someone else’s things without their permission. I changed the tire by flashlight, but I put on the lugnuts backwards because it was dark and I couldn’t see what I was doing, I ended up ruining the wheel and had to buy my sister a new wheel for $40. This was 1977, so that was a heck of a lot of money. The movie we watched was “Buster and Billie.” We’ve been married for 41 years, it’ll be 42 in November. We dated for a couple of years because we have known each other for 44 years.”
Questbridge scholarship opens for 2019 The scholarship has been awarded in the last two years to Ritenour students for full scholarships By JORDAN FRITZSCHE Pepper Box Staff Annually, 30,000 potential students who meet the academic qualifications to attend the most prestigious colleges in the nation never apply. Low-income, high achieving talent exists and is often overlooked due to one thing; money. Questbridge is looking to change this by creating programs that facilitate low-income scholars with well earned opportunities at a higher education. Questbridge believes that “many elite colleges and universities, Fortune 500 corporations, and top graduate schools sincerely strive to embrace the country’s most talented, determined, and self-
motivated students. But they often lack the reach to attract appropriate candidates from low-income populations.” The program’s efforts are making their own headlines close to home with two Ritenour students earning these competitive opportunities. Alumni Isaiah Murrell Thomas and current senior Martin Trujillo Carrazco applied for Questbridge scholarships and ended up with full rides. “It is a big deal,” College and Career Counselor Julie Kampschroeder said. “I would suggest it for the student who is willing to go above and beyond because it is an intense process. They find out early that they get in and have everything paid for, and they have extra assistance on campus. If they
need something they have a mentor on campus that they can go to.” 2019 finalist Charlie Row found out about Questbridge when classmate Isaiah Murrell Thomas matched at Notre Dame, and decided to look into the program. “The application was not easy, there was a long series of questions to answer and write. I had to complete three applications in all, I believe, each a few months apart. It was incredibly rewarding when accepted into the next phase, though,” Row said. The typical college match finalists are within the top 5-10% of their class with a 1240 on the SAT and composite 27 on the ACT. These students should also have a high functioning leadership role in their
school, as well as be enrolled in AP courses. “I think what helped me get matched the most was all the demonstrated interest I showed at Wash U; going to their events and having an admissions interview,” Trujillo Carrazco said. After meeting with Kampschroeder and discussing his options for applying to college, she brought up the Questbridge program. Trujillo Carrazco applied in September and was matched with Washington University in St. Louis. “I was in 7th hour, newspaper, and I was hesitant to log in to check the status of my email. When I checked it, I was so shocked. I couldn’t believe that I got matched,” Trujillo Carrazco said. Questbridge is opening
up doors for students like Trujillo Carrazco and Murrell Thomas, showing Ritenour students that it is a program that goes above and beyond what most college freshman have. The Questbridge program is filling the gap between income and higher education one applicant at a time, it provides dedicated students like Trujillo Carrazco and Murrell Thomas with opportunities that may otherwise not be available. Kampschroeder is hopeful that more dedicated Ritenour students will look into the Questbridge program and it’s network of possibilities. “It is changing their lives in ways they do not even know yet because of the many opportunities that will be available to them,” Kampschroeder said.
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News
March 2019
ROBOHOUNDS - Continued from page 1 can do my part to make this robot the best our school has had,” Cottrell said. The RoboHounds won third place for the control award, which means that they celebrate a team that uses sensors and software to increase the robot’s functionality on the field. They won first place for the connect award meaning. second place for the think award, and second place for the inspire award. “I felt really good about
all of the awards that we won; our name was the first name to be called when during the awards ceremony and that made me feel good about our team,” Ratcliff said. “When they called our name for the first place connect award, I was surprised because that award is one of the hardest to receive. How we did at the qualifier was above my expectations because we not only qualified for state with one award, but with two awards.”
Sophomore Damien Cottrell takes the robot from the playing field to the pit area for maintenance during the event at the Magic House. The robotics team is still participating in events like this one to practice for their participation in the State Robotics Tournament which will take place on March 9.
Photo by Martin Trujillo Carrazco
Polar vortex brings extreme temperatures and snowfall to area Temperatures dropped lower than they had in decades and caused problems for the midwest By MORGAN EAVES Pepper Box Staff In late January of 2019, extreme cold temperatures spread across select cities of the Midwest and presented challenges in many communities. Major cities such as Milwaukee, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Chicago reported to reach temperatures of below zero or colder. Chicago experienced extreme cold temperatures, as some days the temperature in the city was announced to be colder than Antarctica, Yukon, and Siberia. Continuous extreme cold has caused death for roughly 21 people within the heart of intense Midwestern cold weather. “The weather has definitely affected the people in Chicago,” junior Nathan Rowald said. “The temperatures are similar to the Arctic and many people may not be prepared.” According to science teacher Richard Rodgers, vortex whirlpools placed in the Northern Hemisphere can explain these major climate shifts.
“When the strength of the jet stream weakens, it tends to meander like an old river causing it to break apart and push further south into our area,” Rodgers said. Rodgers related north regional climate shift to the flow of a jet stream for the detrimental impact our current weather has had. “The second one typically stays to the north, over the arctic, and lives about 30 miles up in our atmosphere,” Rodgers said. “Sometimes this low-pressure system, full of cold Arctic air, strays a little bit too far from home. Part of it can break off and migrate southward, bringing all of that cold air with it.” The current shift in the climate has caused a change in polar thickness. Some people have additional claims for the cause of environmental shifts. “I do not think it is because of us. I think we are adding on to the problem, but it is already happening,” sophomore Brandon Lock said. PLTW teacher Jack Heeter understands that the polar vortex created extreme cold temperatures, but does not
think it is part of any larger problems. “Averages are from people being on one end of the spectrum and people on the other end of that spectrum,” Heeter said. “I do not think necessarily climate change has anything to do with the polar vortex.” In a study done by the Royal Society, high latitudes are continuing to move more rapidly than midlatitudes, causing for uneven distribution of climate. According to the website, all efforts to reducing a carbon footprint matter. From walking more frequently, buying food locally, and changes in diet, all can aid in the process to a cleaner future. “If we continue to produce, consume and power our lives the way we do right now, Photo by: Mackenzie Davis forests, oceans and weather systems will be overwhelmed. Snow fell and almost reached a foot within certain areas of St. Louis. This, in addition to freezing temperatures, caused many We need to find a way to grow school districts to close for the sake of student safety. our economy, but protect our planet,” Rodgers said. with compassion and care level of solution but it will Awareness and education for the planet’s future and require altering our mindset can change the current way preserve the planet for the concerning the relationship the world runs. Learning current and future life forms. we have with Earth,” Rodgers about the environment “Technology and said. can change the way people breakthroughs in renewable approach to daily actions: energy may provide some
New field trip policy alters plans of school classes and clubs All field trips must be approved earlier in the year and be minimally invasive to classroom learning By MACKENZIE DAVIS Pepper Box Staff
administrators at Central Office indicating that all field trips would be analyzed in terms of the benefit to those students on the trip versus the students left behind who experienced class with a guest teacher.
This policy has affected some annual trips, as well as ones that many students look forward to. It has affected This past year, Ritenour a few different programs in School District implemented the school, specifically those a new field trip policy such as marching band and that limited many of the RCO (Ritenour Cardinal schools’ field trips, with Ordinance) who rely on trips as part of their curriculum. Band director Hadley Haux has had to adjust his plans for the year based on the new policy. “I’m not a fan. It has not appeared to be applied consistently and doesn’t seem to take into account the professional judgment of teachers about what is best for their students. There were already policies in place to make sure field trips weren’t abused, so this feels like a solution in search of a problem. Also, as far as I know, the faculty has never been given a written copy of the new policy,” Haux said. The students that are in these programs have almost the same opinions, but a Photo courtesy David Appelbaum different view of what the policy means to them and Senior Lena Thai helps seniors Diana Godoy and RJ Sagum put on how it’s applied to their equipment on an RCO field trip. RCO uses field trips for the bulk of their club, and has had to learn how to create those experiences in situation and what program they’re in. the new system.
“The new policy has its goods and bads, I believe. It helps keep kids in classrooms, which is important because sometimes field trips, to some students, are more about getting out of school than the educational purposes they’re originally for, but it sucks for programs that are actually useful for people that get canceled,” junior RCO member Tyrell Gilwater said. Freshman Caroline Slunaker said she wishes there had been more information communicated to the students about the policy. “I honestly don’t know how I feel about it because the students, that I know of, weren’t very informed, so I feel as though I can’t form an opinion on something I don’t know much about,” Slunaker said. The administrators have a different view on things, though. When the field trip requests from teachers get sent out, they go to Activities Director Jerry Nolen. Nolen agrees with Slunaker about the schools being informed. “I think [the policy] was sprung on everybody, but I think in the long run it’s a
good thing because it helps us, at the beginning of the year, figure out what kind of expenses we need, how many times we need the buses, and it just helps people think about what kind of disruption it would be to not have the teacher in the room,” Nolen said. “I think (all requested field trips) are educational, and I have not once seen a field trip come across that was just for fun,” Nolen said. Principal Jeffrey Marker has a similar line of thinking as Nolen when considering the elements of the new policy. “I think the policy is a good thing. When possible, we should plan to not have kids out of class. There are times when it’s not possible and exceptions are made, but you come to school to get an education. The downside [of the policy] is that there are things that we do, as far as field trips, that you get experiences that you won’t get at any other time in your life. Those kind of things are irreplaceable and absolutely we should encourage kids to go,” Marker said.
Sports
March 2019
Page 8
Jayden Frost breaks 14-year-old swimming record The second year swimmer broke the 100-yard backstroke record with a time of 1:05:75 By KIMBERLY TEOLI The Pepper Box Staff
swim season, and finally managed to accomplish it at the very last meet of the Sophomore Jayden Frost season. created a plan before the “My goal was trying to season even began, and that break it at the first meet, but plan led her to a recordthe last meet works also”, setting performance in her Frost said. final meet of the season. Frost had made it a Frost set out on her goal preseason goal to break of breaking a school record a record in the 100-yard at the very beginning of the backstroke during the season. The record had been standing for 14 years, and was a time of 1:08:31. Frost ended up breaking it by almost 3 full seconds with a time of 1:05:75. Frost’s family had been on the sidelines at every meet, supportive and anxious for her to break it. Frost says that her friends and family’s initial reaction when she touched the wall on the last stroke was of pure joy and enthusiasm for her. “They all cheered because they knew I was trying to break it,” Frost said. Her family and friends’ Photo courtesy Kelly Tyler Frost reactions mirrored Frost’s Sophomore Jayden Frost won own reaction as soon as she four medals at the conference learned her final time. swimming championship, “I was very happy and was including the 100 yard about to cry because I was so backstroke, where she broke a happy,” Frost said. “I slapped 14-year-old record.
the water and yelled really loudly.” Frost saved her best performance for last, with the last meet being the most important one of the season. The last meet is a swim conference involving all of the school’s in Ritenour’s district, which took place on January 22. This year, conferences included swimmers from Affton, Hazelwood East, Hazelwood Central, McCluer South-Berkeley, McCluer, University City, and Ritenour. Each of the schools were competing for first place in the district, and for who will get considered for state. Frost was not only competing against the other swimmers, but she was also competing with herself. Not only did she break the record, but she made state consideration for the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relays as well. Frost’s teammate only had positive things to say about her as a fellow swimmer. “Jayden was really encouraging to all the new swimmers and made transitioning from being a non-swimmer to where I
Photo by Emma Finnegan Sophomore Jayden Frost changes the record board outside the swimming pool with her new time. The board is in the entrance to the pool, where everyone walks by as they enter for a meet.
am now easy,” sophomore Lizbeth Hernandez said, “She worked very hard every day at practice to ensure that she was getting better each day”. Frost said that before the race she was feeling confident, as her performances in events leading up to conferences had been improving. “I knew that I would be able to do it because I was
super close and I dropped time in all my other events and had a new suit on and it made me faster,” Frost said. Frost ended up with four medals, and her name on a plaque hanging in the hallway leading to the pool for all future swimmers to use as motivation, just as she did all season.
Sports and its effect on academics Student athletes speak about the difficulties of keeping up with school during their athletic seasons By JADA BAYLOR The Pepper Box Staff Students who play sports during school can have their academics affected greatly, whether it’s in a positive or negative way. Issues can occur while students are playing sports. Sometimes it can be an issue with their academics, or even their sports. In the near future, students who are struggling and having a hard time balancing both sports and academics can find a happy medium for future references. Playing sports while in school can affect students in many different ways. Cheerleader Carmen Bradley said that all of the time spent
at practice and games can have an effect on school. “It hasn’t made my grades go down, but it is affecting my grades a little because I don’t have a lot of time to study because I always have practice and games to attend to,” Bradley said. For some students it could have a positive effect, but on the other hand it can be a negative effect. “My academics go up and down because I’ll be cool one time, then I’ll just start to lag off. For example, I’ll stop doing my work and it’ll go down. That makes me be motivated to do more of my work, so I can play because if I have bad grades I cant play,” senior DeShaun Gatlin said. Cheerleader Sarah Murrell said that being a student-
athlete requires a tremendous amount of hours at school, and even some time spent doing classwork during vacations. “It is so hard, I have to stay up late and finish homework. I leave this school late everyday. I’m here on the weekends and during the summer, so I really never get to leave Ritenour,” Murrell said. For students who plays sports, issues can occur while in season. Yet, students have to maintain their grade to be able to play on the team. “I like to deal with everything in the moment. During school I deal with school work and within an hour and a half and two hour time frame when I go to play my sport, then I deal with my
sport. After practice, if I still have school work then I deal with my school work,” senior Da’mon Sanders said. Some students have experienced massive grade drops in the middle of a season because they are trying to balance their time. “Sometimes my grades goes down real low, especially when I’m in the middle of my sport season,” Murrell said. There is always room for improvement for everybody. Changes can be made in the future for students so they can have more time to play their sport. One change that has already taken place is a higher grade point average policy for athletes at the high school. Athletes must keep their GPA above a 2.0 to play sports at
Ritenour, which is a higher standard than MSHSAA. “I would definitely make athletes who are struggling get tutored to make sure their grades are good. There are a lot of athletes who are good in sports but can’t make it because their grades are terrible,” junior soccer player Emma Bange said. Athletes must learn to balance their time, stay on top of all of their responsibilities, and learn to deal with adversity as they go through their season. “I don’t think there would be any changes that I would want to make personally. As long as I keep my routine going by staying on task and on topic, I can get my work done and play as much as I want,” Gatlin said.
Inside the Huddle - Preparing for tryouts What are you doing to prepare for Spring sports tryouts? Baseball
Soccer
Track
Golf
Tyler Wooten
Monserrat Delgado-Rico
Andria Brooks
Divine Adelman
“I’ve been practicing every week to better prepare myself for this week’s tryouts and the coming season.”
“I’ve been running the track and meeting up with my friends to play soccer.”
“I ran indoor track so I’m basically still in shape for this season.”
“I’ve been golfing in St. Ann and practicing at the range.”