The Globe, October 2023, Issue 1, Vol 96

globe.

How they See Us pg 25 The class of 2024 will be the first class in 52 years to face the college admissions process without affirmative action

Volume 96, Issue 1 Clayton High School. Clayton, Mo. October 2023.

CONTENTS

Senior Max Vuong dribbles the ball in a game agaist Ladue on Sept. 9. The Greyhounds emerged victorious 3-1.

news

News & Notes The Heat is On

Photo by Leo Taghert

8 10

feature

Missouri Sunshine Laws 14 Goodbye to China Town 16 New Teacher Profiles 18

cover 25 opinion

Anti-Trans Legislation

38

sports

From Sand Pits to Horned Frogs 40

review

The Color of Law 41 Music at the Intersection 42

pro/con 44 staff ed

46

crossword 47

October 2023 Volume 96, Issue 1

STAFF Editors-in-Chief JiaLi Deck Kipp Vitsky Chief Digital Editor Sidra Major Managing Editor-in-Chief Alex Cohen Managing Editors Charlie Meyers Ivy Slen Copy Editors Micah Lotsoff Sophia Lu Feature Section Editors Lavanya Mani Rachel Chung News Section Editor Caleb Park Opinion Section Editor Zoe Daniels-Sankey Review Section Editor Sam Braidwood Sports Section Editor Alyssa Blanke Podcast Editor Elias Kilbridge Puzzle Master Sam McDonough Page Editors Anaïs Oge Analee Miller Anna McAndrew Bethany Lai Charlie Balestra Madeline Jeans Mira Stahlheber Riley Kerley Riley Zimmerman Sam Sun Yehia Said

Reporters Abby Rosenfeld Adam Watson Alison Booth April Kim Aylah Hopper Caitlin Kuhlmann Chloe Lin Dwight Erdmann Elisa Falsafi Ezri Perrin Fletcher Anderson Kennedy Anderson Norah Gross Poppy Orchard Robert Gabel Sanjana Chanda Sritha Rathikindi Tessa Palermo Photographers Ashley Ngo Caitlin Gwydir Camille Matlock Camryn Markenson Davy Nhek-Morrissey Doria Guy-Bey Elliott Becker Eva Delannoy Eva Krauss Henry Gipson I’Ron Bell Isaiah Reed Jamie Griffin Lauren Young Leo Taghert Lucy Melander Madeline Littleton Owen Wohl Rachel Van-Rhein Regan Sparks Riley Zimmerman Sage Bernstein Stella Whitney Taylor Flotken Tierney Sweeney Tyler He Wendy Stephens

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From the Editor Photo by AnMei Deck

W

ars have been waged all through history over the same pressing issue: how things have always been and how things ought to be.

This conflict has made its way into our staff ’s beloved room 43.

With a new advisor, The Globe is changing. We have to. These changes are stressful, to say the least. It’s so much easier to collapse into the comfort of “that’s just how it’s done around here,” but this publication has, time and time again encouraged change in the lives of others, I suppose it’s time to pay our dues.

Halfway through last year, our adviser pursued new opportunities and our publication began to fend for itself.

Without the guidance of an adult, students had to take the wheel of a ship they didn’t know how to sail. We were forced to lead well above our stations and function by the true definition of “student-run.” This was a difficult experience — a cold plunge into adulthood — which we would soon be entering, but despite this lack of structure, we continued to be the light.

This staff couldn’t be stopped. I watched my peers rise to the occasion and continue

to write. Even when deadlines were pushed to the limit and conflicts arose, they wrote.

They wrote stories that made people smile and laugh. They wrote stories that allowed people to think and consider perspectives different from their own. Perhaps there were no awards, no national recognition, but they were making a difference.

Whether it was encouraging people to try a new restaurant or investigating their racial biases, the power of journalism shone brighter than ever before.

Witnessing the hard work and dedication of my peers, despite difficult circumstances, left me inspired. I began to realize the immense importance of journalism as an act, to the readers but also to the writers themselves. Giving students an outlet to express their opinions in a world where the voices of young people are often silenced is incredibly valuable.

For me, getting to write for The Globe has been an experience I didn’t know I needed. When I first joined my sophomore year, I never intended to be more than a reporter. However, by being in a space where the goal of writing shifted from getting the approval of my English teacher

to making a difference in my community, I felt excited to write articles every month.

Beyond writing, I have found joy in designing spreads for the magazine. I love creating the perfect pairing of visual elements to aid the purpose of a story.

Knowing that my hard work is being showcased to a listening audience has meant so much to me these past two years.

When I found out I would have the privilege to lead this staff, I was elated. I still am. Even with every road block, every difficult conversation, every change made, I have never been prouder to call myself an Editor-in-Chief.

As changes ensue this year I thank you, dear reader, for opening up this magazine.

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures and admiring the designs. I hope you read something inspiring, or funny, or fascinating. Despite all the changes, The Globe is back and will be here for you once a month in its full glossy print glory.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITOR’S LETTER 5

Senior Sunrise Alison Booth | REPORTER Caitlin Kuhlmnan | REPORTER Photo by T’Shon Young

MASTHEAD 6

T

he weather was muggy. The sky was obscured by fog, yet the senior class of Clayton High School still searched for the sunrise. Gathering two hours before bells rang to start the last first day on the football field, students reunited with friends they had not seen all summer and others.

For many, being a senior is bittersweet. While it represents the culmination of hard work, it also means saying goodbye to familiarity.

“I am excited and nervous about leaving school. I am sad about parting

ways with my friends,” Bora Saner said.

Senior Madeline Hellwig explained how she has not come to terms with the realities of senior year.

“I am starting to feel a little sentimental, but to be quite honest, I don’t think it has fully sunk in that everything is going to change so much within the next few months. It doesn’t feel real,” Hellwig said.

Others are ready for their final year at CHS. “I’m excited for the second semester of senior year; it seems like it’ll be more relaxing, and I’ll be able to enjoy the

end of my time at school with my fellow seniors,” Ayla Lutzeler said.

Hannah Zaidman can not wait for other traditions seniors participate in.

“I’m really excited to be at the front of football games, senior prom and graduation,” Zaidman said.

Even though the sunrise was not visible, students continued the tradition to ring in the school year. At the end of their high school careers, the students will gather again to watch the sun set on this era of their lives.

MASTHEAD 7

News & Notes Caleb Park | NEWS SECTION EDITOR

Auto Workers Continue to Strike at “Big Three” Plants, Including at Wentzville, Mo. On Sept. 13, thousands of workers for GM, Ford and Stellantis (formerly known as Chrysler), otherwise known as the “Big Three,” went on strike under the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. Production at the Wentzville, MM plant, along with other major plants across the country in a move meant to advocate for raises in pay and benefits.

In an unprecedented move, the UAW abandoned the strategy of bargaining with one of the three automakers as a model for

further negotiations, and instead reached escalation by targeting all three companies.

U.S. Reps. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.C., visited UAW Local 2250 in Wentzville to show their support, as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump made announcements to visit striking workers in Michigan. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-MO, despite previously-held apprehension towards unions, has also pledged support.

UAW Local 174 workers walk the picket line at GM Willow Run Redistribution Center, prior to the visit of President Joe Biden. Sept. 26, 2023, Belleville, Michigan. (Clarence Tabb Jr./The Detroit News/TNS)

US NEWS SCHOOL BOOK BANS: "Looking for Alaska" by John Greeen was the third most frequently banned book in U.S. schools. (Pen America/TNS)

Missouri #3 in School Book Bans A new report published by the free speech advocacy group PEN America finds that Missouri has the third-highest number of school book bans behind Texas and Florida.

Nationwide, school book bans have risen by 33% during the last school year, or 3,362 cases of book bans in comparison to the 2021-2022 school year’s number of 2,532. PEN America classifies every book ban case to be a case where access to a particular book is restricted, which includes temporary removal over a dispute.

The number of permanent book removals has risen from 333 to 1,263 cases. Topics of the books range from physical abuse, including sexual assault, to LGBTQ+ identity. A third of all book bans include themes of racism and race.

City of Clayton Begins New Trash Disposal Service & Contract From Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2026, the Republic Services waste disposal company will follow up on its contract with the City of Clayton to provide waste hauling services to all residencies. The rate for the first year of service will amount to $53.19 a month, which would increase by each

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year afterwards by 4.5%. As a result of the city government’s decision earlier this year to end free waste disposal services, only certain qualifying properties, primarily low-income earners in the city, can obtain free services by paying directly to Republic Services on behalf of the property owner.

Shaw Park. Photo by Debra Klevens

Destruction in Libya from Storm Daniel’s Damage As a result of Storm Daniel, which brought heavy rain across regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, eastern Libya suffered a deadly flood on Sept. 11 that was further escalated by the collapse of two dams near the city of Derna.

The fractured nature of Libyan politics ever since a civil war broke out in the country in 2011, which later subsided in a permanent ceasefire in 2020, makes improvements to infrastructure difficult.

As much as 1/3 of Derna’s homes were damaged, according to the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

About 4,000 deaths have been recorded by the World Health Organization as a result of the flooding, but OCHA says that around 9,000 people are missing. Thousands more have been displaced by the flooding.

WORLD NEWS LIBYA This image grab from an AFPTV footage taken on Sept.13, 2023, shows an aerial view of the damage caused by floods after the Mediterranean storm "Daniel" hit Libya's eastern city of Derna. A global aid effort for Libya gathered pace on September 14 after a tsunami-sized flash flood killed at least 4,000 people, with thousands more missing, a death toll the UN blamed in part on the legacy of years of war and chaos. (Aline Manoukian/AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

Recent Republican Primary Polling Shows Trump Ahead, DeSantis Falling

Former U.S. President Donald Trump Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the California GOP convention on Sept. 29, 2023, in Anaheim, California.

In stark contrast to the ongoing Democratic primary, with President Joe Biden polling at 63.7% in contrast to candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 14.4% according to data released by FiveThirtyEight, the Republican primary is far more competitive with multiple candidates running.

Currently, Trump is ahead according to the same poll despite recent news of his indictments in Georgia over his denial of the 2020 general election results. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has fallen steadily over the past few months, losing his competitive edge against Trump.

Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s appearance at the Republican primary debates on Aug. 23, although headline-grabbing, hasn’t made a significant improvement in his polling.

(David McNew/Getty Images/TNS)

NEWS 9

The Heat is On How climate change and rising temperatures have become the new norm Charlie Meyers | MANAGING EDITOR

T

his July has been the hottest recorded month on Earth in 174 years. With July 6 coming in at a record-high global temperature of 64.04 degrees Fahrenheit, many communities faced the detrimental effects that this heat wave caused.

“The reality is, climate change is real and is happening,” Dr. Beth Martin, Washington University professor in Environmental Studies and Former Interim Director of the school’s Climate Change Program, said.

Martin noted that this climate change in particular is a multi-sectoral, multiscalar problem seen in St. Louis.

While temperatures in St. Louis typically reach 100 °F around late July and early August, the higher humidity levels this summer made the heat feel more intense. Even then, this summer was considered especially dry for Missouri’s ecosystem.

Having a mixture of grassland and woodland areas means periods of high temperatures are not abnormal, but this recent heat wave certainly took its toll on the environment. When examining this issue globally, many factors come into play for how this problem was created and how to solve it.

“Humans are the species with the greatest amount of geological impact, which means we reshape the world,” Ava Hughes, Clayton High School AP Environmental Science, Chemistry and Plant Science teacher said.

Hughes noted how that power could be both helpful and harmful. Depending on how humans shape the world, their power can lead to harmful consequences.

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In the meantime, the shift in the extremity of climate change and its role in politics and social settings has been prominent worldwide.

What does climate change look like in the local and national sectors?

To understand how to combat climate change and adapt new habits to support environmental sustainability, first, the problems themselves must be addressed.

“It’s hard to pinpoint any particular weather event towards climate change. As the climate changes, we’re going to see an increase in temperatures over time, and we know that,” Martin said.

While a single human-induced problem cannot be attributed to the rising temperatures and natural disasters, the accumulation of various habits that businesses, corporations and everyday consumers partake in could be partly responsible.

Much of the land in the US is rich with nature and native wildlife, and has recently been turned into agricultural pastures and farms. This decreases the ability of nature to absorb carbon dioxide, as fewer plants are available and plants are being produced for the livestock.

The result of this is an increase in greenhouse gasses entering the

atmosphere. Methane, in particular, has serious consequences.

This is a practice that is seen a lot in the Midwest.

In Missouri, a prominent problem is the lack of precipitation. Hughes described how her family is from northern Missouri, where agricultural areas are common.

She noted how many residents in Missouri saw a 20% decrease in their output of hay, a crop that requires rain in order to grow. This phenomenon occurred due to a reduced precipitation during the hay’s growth period, thereby leading to a deficiency in the required nutrients.

“Whenever you have a lot of dry heat like that, it makes it easier for fires to spread, so people were worried about how tall the crops were gonna get,” Hughes said.

However, there were also financial troubles to be considered.

“They were worried about whether they were going to be able to produce a lot of things,” Hughes said.

In the Midwest, especially, the weather will become a lot more dramatic. There will be more storms, natural disasters and flooding, which communities must adjust to.

“We might not see it as much as others,

“

The reality is, climate change is real and is happening.”

-Dr. Beth Martin, Washington University professor

“

Humans are the species with the greatest amount of geological impact, which means we reshape the world.” -Ava Hughes, CHS science teacher

mostly because we’re in the middle. We kind of get everybody’s leftover weather,” Hughes said.

Hughes asserts that temperature fluctuations will not be confined solely to summers; rather, winters too will witness intensified harshness.

“The precipitation seems to vary from the past because we used to get at least one actual snowstorm or we would have quite a bit of snow, but it’s been moving more and more into the sleet direction,” Hughes said. “It’s either not getting cold enough, or we’re not quite getting the right mixture.”

Seasons will change, and in the Midwest, Missouri and St. Louis will get the “leftovers” of it all.

While the future of climate change can make prosperity and hope an illusory topic, many local and personal changes can be made to improve our future.

Hughes took note of the little things.

How can this be solved personally, locally and nationally?

From carpooling to looking at eating habits and shifting one’s perspective away from the status quo, small adaptations and changes make a bigger difference than expected. “[Personal sustainability changes are] something that you do the best that you possibly can,” Hughes said. “You’re trying to balance not only ecosystem benefits but sustainability. It’s also our economic and social benefits. Once all three of those connect, we can be balanced.”

Hughes has observed a societal shift in mindset towards resource utilization with the question, “How frequently can I maximize the utility of this item?”

Being conscious of sustainable shopping is one big step in the right direction.

“We need to be more conscious of what we choose to buy because that will shape the entire market,” Hughes said.“Especially in societies like ours in the U.S. where it’s viewed as your picture-perfect world.”

Martin believes people can have an impact wherever they are, in whatever they do.

“You don’t have to change your passion.

You don’t have to change what you’re good at. You don’t have to change what your career path might be to still make positive impacts in the environment and climate space,” Martin said.

However, Martin acknowledges the inherent limitation that a single individual

Ronald Mendiola walks barefoot through the mud after checking on his house on Horizon Road on Aug. 22, 2023, in Cathedral City, Calif. More frequent climate-driven disasters have changed the math for insurers in the state.

Photo by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

NEWS 11

cannot undertake the entirety of the task.

“We need to give ourselves a break,” Martin said. “I can’t drive an electric car, have solar panels on my house, protest every weekend, recycle everything I use and never take any trash out. I mean, you just can’t do everything.”

Locally, an array of proactive measures is at the city of Clayton’s disposal to firmly establish long-term sustainability.

With its exceptional walkability, Clayton’s stands out when compared to other neighborhoods in St. Louis. The ease of accessing amenities without the need for a car is a distinctive feature. However, to further promote sustainable transportation and continue on this path, the city could take a significant step forward by expanding the network of bike lanes and creating more easily accessible bike areas beyond the boundaries of Forsyth.

“There are some things that are out of the hands of your local politicians, and may need to be state-level policy changes,” Martin said. “Sometimes it may need to be national level.”

Within Missouri, there are ongoing efforts to steer the state in a more environmentally friendly direction. Despite its current limited utilization of clean energy, Missouri has made strides and ranks 18th in the nation for wind power generation.

This progress is evident in the proliferation of new wind turbines in Northern Missouri. However, there remains significant untapped potential for further advancements in clean energy initiatives.

“The problem is since we have so many birds, we can only run [the wind turbines] during the day where the birds can physically see them,” Hughes said.

“They also take a lot of materials to make.

They take tons of copper, which means if we don’t have it currently, we have to mine it. To meet the demands of everybody, we would need to have tons of wind turbines, but we don’t have enough copper to meet that need.”

While wind turbines provide benefits, the mining used to garner the copper needed to make the turbines can create more harm than good. Mining practices are not always very well regulated. Hughes noted the irony that the situation creates.

“Just lithium, for all of those rechargeable cars, travels the globe before it’s put into a battery. [This} kind of defeats the purpose, through all of the green energy and fossil fuels it took to get there,” Hughes said.

National change is where the biggest differences can be made.

“We need people to recognize that and support national policies that will both reduce our emissions and increase our adaptive capacity,” Martin said.

However, Martin finds it increasingly difficult to envision this reality in today’s politically polarized nation.

“To have meaningful conversation and solutions, you need different perspectives, and I don’t think we’re able to do that right now,” Martin said. “We need to be able to have a conversation about this, and

we need to hear conservative and liberal ideas and viewpoints on the ways in which we can reduce emissions, and we’re not hearing that. I feel like it’s a huge gap in our national conversation.”

According to the United Nations Development Programme younger voices are going to be critical to creating meaningful solutions. “[Gen-Z is] inheriting the challenges that the rest of us created, so we hear different, parallel frustrations and a sense of where action needs to be taken,” Martin said.

The most important national change that individuals can contribute towards is voting.

“Everybody can vote, and everybody should vote,” Martin said.

As climate change continues to impact society, one must note that change will come, and it is up to individuals, local communities, businesses and the government to ensure that the necessary adjustments can be made with as little harm as possible. It is up to the youth to ensure that change is upheld in the long run.

“Vote for people who set policies that align with what you think should be done,” Martin said, “Everybody can.”

Graph depicting a summary of the ICPP Synthesis report for policy makers Photo by ICPP

NEWS 12

ORDER A YEARBOOK TODAY CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL GO TO YEARBOOKORDERCENTER.COM ENTER CODE: 25661

IT'S PROOF OF EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR.

Student Press Freedom Ivy Slen | MANAGING EDITOR

S

tudent journalists nationwide have various laws and regulations surrounding what can and can not be published in their schools paper. At Clayton High School, there is no prior review rule, meaning the administration does not look over the paper before it is published. This rule, in particular, is one of many that students face in school districts. As a result of increased censorship from the school district, students are working to mitigate the ruling of Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier, limit it’s effects in Missouri and ultimately make this decision obsolete to exercise their First Amendment rights as student journalists.

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The New Voices Act is a movement across the country run through the Student Press Law Center to lobby for regulation that protects students’ free speech rights. Mitch Eden, retired adviser of the Kirkwood Call and current New Voices organizer in Missouri, has worked with students for eight years, hoping to bring about change.

“So far, we are zero for eight. We have representatives on the ground in Jefferson City. It did progress and was brought to the Senate floor three years ago, and in true Missouri political fashion, a senator said well, we should have a Rush Limbaugh Day in Missouri,” Eden said.

The eight-year effort has undoubtedly raised awareness in the Missouri Senate, but tangible progress has yet to be made as the bill raises controversy within the chambers.

“This bill has been met with backlash from most politicians because they do not want to trust high school journalism students, and do not want to believe in

them and support their rights. They want administrators to control content and be in charge because they think adults know what’s best for kids,” Eden said.

Censorship within schools is a byproduct of administrator’s prior review policies. With regulations in place that limit students, a lot of the time, they do not have or the ability to cover subject matter that is important to them because it could paint the state or the administration negatively.

“Administrators just use Hazelwood as an excuse to do what they want to do, and a lot of programs give up. Or even worse, kids say we could never do that at school.

That’s self-censorship, and I think that’s the worst kind,” Eden said.

This type of censorship often results in polarization, which restricts nuanced views and ideas from being brought to the public’s attention. Polarization is seen not just in student journalism but in national news outlets as well. As publications grow further partisan, polarization can only increase.

“People should be on the side where we want to be able to cover topics that are meaningful, and topics that matter.

So we can educate and spur positive discussion. We shouldn’t eliminate ideas and storytelling just because we don’t agree with it. In fact, we need to do the

opposite. We need to protect the minority opinion so that everyone feels like their voice is being heard. That’s the essence of journalism, throwing out any topic that’s being discussed in a truthful, ethical, clear manner and then letting the public put their take on it,” Eden said.

Various resources are available to aid journalists in pushing a story, one being the submission of a Sunshine Request. A Sunshine Request is a form submitted to the state requiring them to send public records or meeting transcripts by the Open Records Act. There are two options once a Sunshine Request is submitted to the state.

“They can provide the records being sought in a timely fashion [three business days]. The other option, if they’re not

going to provide the records, is they have to provide the reason. They have to point to a specific exemption in the law that they believe gives them the right to withhold the record,” Mike Hiestand, attorney at the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) said.

A common instance where journalists cannot obtain information from the state is investigatory records from the police.

While most of the time, it makes sense for police to withhold this information if the investigation is open.

[A problem arises when] “police just pull that exemption out, even when the investigation is closed or there is no risk of impeding the investigation by releasing the information,” Hiestand said.

Although by law (if there is not an

exemption), Missouri is required to respond to a request in three business days, a lot of the time, they do not. Not only does this hinder a reporter’s investigation, but it is also illegal. The SPLC works with students who run into issues with the state or their administration regarding sunshine requests and nearly every other journalistic-related legal question, all pro bono.

Many free resources are available to student journalists who encounter complications with a school district administration or the state. With more resouces widespread students can continue producing meaningful and topical content.

“

We shouldn’t eliminate ideas and storytelling just because we don’t agree with it.

In fact, we need to do the opposite.”

-Mitch Eden

Art by Ivy Slen

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再见 to Chinatown Bethany Lai | PAGE EDITOR Yehia Said | PAGE EDITOR

T

he thunderous roar of the crowd.

The ardent warmth of the sun.

The nutty aroma of roasted peanuts on your tongue. The sight of the red Cardinals, beaming as they take the field—who would know you are standing above a history of displacement?

The legacy of Chinatown in St. Louis began with the arrival of just 250 Californian immigrants who established residence in Hop Alley, between Walnut and Market, after constructing part of the transcontinental railroad. Immediately, this community became the hub for the Chinese population in St. Louis. However, Hop Alley remained small due to the federal Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which curtailed Chinese immigration.

Over time, many restaurants settled in Chinatown. Becoming an entry point into the Chinese community for businesses, it became home to numerous family-owned laundries and supermarkets.

Hop Alley was simultaneously a cultural center. Those residing in the area preserved traditional art forms and language education.

Yet, Hop Alley had its share of stigma, even deriving its name from the racist stereotype that its residents were “hopped” on opium.

“While the city’s residents patronized their businesses, they did not welcome the Chinese themselves, regarding them as ‘peculiar’ creatures. Hop Alley was

FEATURE 16

seen as an exotic place where criminal activities such as opium manufacturing, smuggling, smoking, tong fighting, and murder existed,” Huping Ling, a professor at Truman State University and author of multiple books on Chinatowns across the country, said.

In the early 1960s, city planners decided to demolish Hop Alley.

“The Chinese community reacted to the downtown renewal with deep sorrow and a reluctance to move, but no organized resistance,” Ling said. “In early February 1963, Chinatown residents greeted each other ‘Gung Hay Fot Choy,’ but wondered if they were going to have a ‘happy and prosperous New Year.’”

By 1966, before a land clearance project

Eight Street in Hop Alley, 1910

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“

While the city’s residents readily patronized their businesses, they did not welcome the Chinese themselves.”

-Huping Ling, Truman State University Professor

to build Busch Stadium commenced, only 30 senior Chinese citizens in the laundry business resided in Hop Alley—only to scatter as their employers moved to new locations.

Olive Boulevard, since the 1990s, serves as the new unofficial Chinatown in St. Louis. Yet, although the Chinese population in St. Louis has steadily

grown in recent decades, the unofficial Chinatown in Olive Boulevard struggles to maintain its legacy.

Chinatown faces problems of gentrification. In a Public Participation Appendix-C survey, participants described Olive Boulevard as “disjointed,” “cluttered” and with a “lack of police visibility.” The “historic character” and image of the

The Milwaukee Brewers’ Blake Perkins, middle, rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas, right, in the third inning at Busch Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in St. Louis Photo by Joe Puetz/Getty Images/TNS

boulevard were elements participants viewed as more “bad” than “good.”

In 2022, a new Costco retailer was built on Olive. Many restaurants were forced out by city officials, adding to the gradual demise of the new Chinatown, which faces a fate similar to that of Hop Alley. Many historic establishments struggle to survive with larger businesses and competing shopping centers entering the area.

A high crime rate and few community efforts contribute to the undesirability of living and working in Chinatown.

The region lacks quality education and financial resources, yet it remains an essential element of St. Louis’ Chinese American food and cultural scene.

“Getting boba tea in Chinatown connects me to my Chinese heritage. One of my fondest memories is taking my first grade teacher to eat authentic Chinese food there,” junior Jaylyn Lin said. “I am constantly surrounded by an American society. Visiting Chinatown and meeting new people who suffer from the same halfand-half heritage conflict allows me to feel more in place.”

Chinatown continues to undergo an evolution, in physical and sociocultural space. However, the underlying nexus in Chinatown remains the same: a community of Chinese Americans in which their identity and shared experiences can flourish, even as its neighborhood appears to succumb to gentrification.

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Freshman Faculty Alex Cohen | MANAGING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sanjana Chanda | REPORTER

Photo by Sage Bernstein

Drew Spiegel “

What I love about working in high school is not just working with kids in my office or seeing them in the classroom, but seeing what they enjoy outside of the building and giving myself opportunities to see them shine,” Clayton High School Assistant Principal Drew Spiegel said.

Spiegel’s goal is to attend as many swim meets, soccer games, plays and speech & debate spirit events as possible.

He enjoys watching students grow throughout high school and interacting with the student body. Spiegel spent seven years as a science teacher at Fort Zumwalt West High School before becoming an assistant principal there.

“I loved being in the classroom, but I only worked with 100 kids. In this building, that’s only ⅛ of the student population,” Spiegel said.

Spiegel also views working at CHS as

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a homecoming of sorts, after being a student-teacher under CHS science teacher Craig Sucher in 2009.

“At the time, I realized how special Clayton was, in how student-centered and caring for the whole of the individual that the district is,” Spiegel said. “The fact that Clayton is here to serve all students pushed me to come into a familiar community.”

In his previous positions, Spiegel volunteered as a baseball coach and worked as a swim and dive coach for both boys and girls at Fort Zumwalt West. Under his leadership, the boys’ swim and dive team nearly doubled in size.

“Swimming gives students the opportunity to grow in a way that they have never grown before, growing their confidence and getting to know them and their families,” Spiegel said.

As both a father and an educator, Spiegel is excited to work with families to find ways for their children to succeed in school. He appreciates the depth and breadth of classes and extracurricular activities to engage different types of students.

“Over the summer, I was walking with my son through the building, and we walked by the robotics room. We stopped

and stood there for 10 minutes to observe what the students had built. It was very impressive to him and to me,” Spiegel said.

During his “freshman year” at CHS, Spiegel plans to integrate himself into the school community and support students and staff through his presence.

“My goal is to be as open and visible as possible,” Spiegel said. “Students can see me at these events and feel supported longterm with what they are doing.”

Quick Facts Favorite dessert: Vanilla Cookie Cake Family: Wife, Kids; Finn, 9, JoJo, 7 Hobbies: Spending time with family, being outside andtraveling Pet peeve: Dishonesty

Jocelyn Schuh J

ust a few weeks into the year and Special Education teacher Jocelyn Schuh already loves her new job.

“Everyone is so welcoming and friendly,” she said.

After spending 12 years co-teaching English and Study Skills classes at Lindbergh High School, Schuh was ready for a change.

“I love the independence and freedom that Clayton gives the students and teachers,” Schuh said. “There are great systems here that help kids succeed, not just academically but post-secondary too.”

Prior to becoming a special education teacher, Schuh taught elementary school in a city charter school.

“I did not fit in with those people, so I ended up quitting that and reassessing,” Schuh said.

While back in school, Schuh worked as a paraprofessional with the Special

School District and fell in love with special education.

“My brain doesn’t naturally think in a linear direction, so I have a knack for the kids in Special Education,” Schuh said.

Outside of the classroom, Schuh is super active and loves to be outdoors. She and her husband own a cabin in southern Missouri and love to hike and float on the river with their dog, Chip. They also visit the Caribbean each summer.

“I would spend every minute by the pool tanning, if I could,” Schuh said.

She also loves true crime podcasts, fun pranks and “any orphan fantasy book.”

Her favorites include Harry Potter and the Hunger Games.

For her first at CHS, Schuh is eager to connect with her new school community. “[Clayton] has a real community vibe,” Schuh said.

Quick Facts Favorite dessert: Pineapple Upside Down Cake Family: Husband, Dog; Chip Hobbies: Reading, Laying on the Beach and Dancing Pet peeve: People without Self-Confidence

Photo by Debra Klevens

“

My brain doesn’t naturally think in a linear direction, so I have a knack for the kids in Special Education”

-Jocelyn Schuh

FEATURE 19

Photo by Alex Cohen

Students!

If you want to have input on the new Wellness Center, please email Jennifer McKeown at Jennifermckeown@claytonschools.net. social work, not just helping and supporting people but all of the systems, families and communities” McKeown said.

After earning a Masters’ degree in Social Work from Washington University, she worked as an in-home therapist for Youth in Need, a local non-profit. Finally, she settled in as a school-based social worker.

“It was intense, working with little ones and having little ones, during Covid, it was crazy but also I loved it,” McKeown said.

The opportunity to return to her home school, and to start a new Wellness Center was enticing.

“I have a passion for mental health and connecting students to mental health support. It’s so cool that I could do that at a school that made me who I was. It seems like a pretty exciting opportunity,” she said.

The new Wellness Center, which will eventually be housed in the old bookstore, across from the art classrooms, is still in development. McKeown will spend first semester gathering input from students, staff, administrators and the student support team, which includes social workers, nurses and guidance counselors.

“I’m working with the staff to see what the gaps and needs are, but I want it to be a collective, school vision. My task right now is to understand what is already going well and add to that,” McKeown said.

Jennifer McKeown A s the director of the newly developed wellness center, Jennifer McKeown is excited to return home. McKeown grew up in Clayton schools, attending Meramec Elementary, Wydown Middle School and eventually graduating from Clayton High School.

“Clayton is my home, it feels like family,” McKeown said.

Clayton is a family affair for McKeown who spent several years coaching JV tennis along with her mother, Susie Luten, ending her tenure to raise her two children, Charlie and Jackson.

After graduating from CHS, McKeown attended Tufts University and studied Psychology.

“I was always interested in helping, therapy and supporting. I fell in love with

20 FEATURE

Wellness centers are in development nationwide through Swell Schools Well, a non-profit organization helping teens thrive in school settings. McKeown has frequent training with the organization and meets with other wellness coordinators to exchange ideas.

McKeown is excited to be in a new role, one that she hopes will alleviate pressure on the counselors, social workers and nurses.

“My role is to coordinate care and support students. [So students] that have the highest [level of] need, are getting help and support, so the counselors and social workers can meet with kids one-on-one,” McKeown said.

She also wants to collaborate with existing school and community resources, including All-In Coalition and PreventED. “I want students to be able to access support, community agencies for mental health support, that’s my vision,” McKeown said.

The new Wellness Center is set to open in January.

Quick Facts Favorite dessert: Ice Cream Family: Husband; Pete Kids; Jackson, 7, Charlie, 4, Hobbies: Tennis, Walks, Being Outside Pet peeve: Broken Promises

Lauren Stoelting

A

fter a childhood living in four cities, CHS and WMS social worker Lauren Stoelting has become a creature of habit. She eats at the same Mexican restaurant weekly with her wife, Suzanne, and two sons Westley and Roman.

Stoelting is the child of two journalists, and spent her childhood exploring cultures and cities within the U.S., giving her a wide perspective on schooling and life.

“I really love this aspect of my childhood, it gave me a beautiful blend of experiences. I also think being “the new kid” helped develop my ability to be flexible, courageous and adapt well, even when I was nervous,” Stoelting said.

As part of this year’s new faculty, Stoelting is integrating herself into the Clayton community, with plans to meet as many students as possible. She is thrilled to work with her favorite age groups, middle and high school, along with a strong team of support staff, including counselors and nurses. She hopes to not only break down barriers between students and their success at school, but also change student perceptions of social workers.

“The term ‘social worker’ tends to have a negative connotation, and we are only called on when it’s a ‘crisis situation.’ But we are also here to offer daily social-emotional support and check-ins for students and families,” Stoelting said.

Stoelting’s focus on helping individual students succeed continues her passion for equity, which began as an undergraduate at Fontbonne University. After graduating from Webster Groves High School, Stoelting studied Sociology and American Culture, encountering the fundamental idea that not all schools provide students with equal opportunities. She was inspired by Jonothan Kozol’s novel, “Savage Inequalities.”

“The idea that some students from the jump were at a disadvantage really angered me. After reading that [book], I wanted to dedicate my life to ensuring that all students have access to a quality education, removing any barriers keeping them from it,” Stoelting said.

With this passion, Stoelting worked in Memphis City Schools through Teach For America before becoming a school-based social worker through the Special School District of St. Louis County. “[After Teach for America], I knew I wanted to continue to work in the school setting but have a different impact on students and families, so I chose to be a school social worker and never looked back,” Stoelting said.

Stoelting finds her colleagues to be welcoming and supportive.

“The students I have met have been kind, insightful, mature and down to earth,” Stoelting said.

Quick Facts Favorite dessert: Creme Brulee Family: Wife; Suzanne, Kids; Westley 5, Roman 2 Hobbies: Baking, Cooking, Reading Pet peeve: Littering

Photo by Alex Cohen

FEATURE 21

“

It was very rewarding to make a difference not only academically but also socially.”

-Sara Cule

N

Quick Facts Favorite dessert: Drumstick ice cream Family: My mom, dad and little sister.

I recently got married so now my husband and his family have become family.

Hobbies: Spending time with friends and family, cooking, being out Pet peeve: Dishonesty Photo by Alex Cohen

22 FEATURE

Sara Cule

ew Special Education teacher Sara Cule cannot wait to learn the ins and outs of Clayton High School.

“I’m excited to learn more about the community,” Cule said.

Cule is excited to work in a collaborative Special School District (SSD) team environment.

“Working with a SSD team that I feel like I can count on and I can reach out to if I need support [is great],” Cule said.

“There’s a lot that comes with teaching, but the main aspects that I enjoy [are] working with others, learning from each other and being a part of a team that you can grow [with].”

While looking for a new job, Cule prioritized finding a place where teamwork

was emphasized.

“The last three years, I found challenging working with a team that I felt I couldn’t collaborate with,” Cule said.

Coming to the United States as a child who did not speak English, Cule admires the teachers who spent time helping her after school and enrolling in specialized programming, which helped her make progress.

“It made a lot of a difference to have those teachers that I felt like I could rely on, and I hope I can be that for my students,” Cule said.

In high school, she realized she wanted to be a part of the special education program after immersing herself in her school’s program and helping set up dances for students with Autism or ADHD who had difficulties with loud sounds.

“It was very rewarding to make a difference not only academically but also socially,” Cule said.

Cule cannot wait to start her journey with her students and watch them grow.

“The most rewarding part of it is when you see [students] progress,” Cule said.

Michael M Crowell

ichael Crowell is eager to share his many passions with his students.

“As a teacher, I have the summers off, so I try a new hobby every year,” Crowell said.

Past favorites include home improvement and beekeeping.

“

Photo by Alex Cohen

I started teaching and I didn’t like it at first, but as I’ve grown over time, as a professional, I’ve learned to enjoy it and make it what will be enjoyable for students,”

-Michael Crowell

Born in Utah, Crowell grew up in Kansas City, as the youngest of six kids, including a twin sister.

“Growing up, everything came super easy to me. The first thing that I experienced in my life that was challenging was learning Spanish,” Crowell said.

Crowell studied Spanish in college before trying to start a Latin American tour company and eventually becoming a teacher.

“I started teaching and I didn’t like it at first, but as I’ve grown over time, as a professional. I’ve learned to enjoy it and make it what will be enjoyable for students,” Crowell said.

Crowell believes that direct instruction, teachers talking at students, is what causes them to struggle with Spanish and become bored. He tries to use technology to engage his students in a variety of activities.

“The majority of my class is talking and getting the kids interacting with each other and playing games, trying to get them to be intrigued and curious,” Crowell said.

After teaching a variety of ages and levels of Spanish, this is Crowell’s first foray into teaching middle school. He teaches three seventh and eighth grade classes at Wydown Middle School.

“Eighth grade is similar to what I’ve taught because I used to mostly teach freshmen, but the seventh graders are a different ball of wax. I’ve never encountered such energy, they’re super excited but they are also loco and all over the place,” Crowell said.

Teaching at both WMS and CHS has allowed Crowell to interact with various students, teachers and administrators, but has made learning names a bit difficult, with two sets of faculty and administrators to keep track of.

FEATURE 23

“I like that there’s different people. I don’t like that there’s double the emails,” said Crowell.

In addition to his work inside the classroom, Crowell is passionate about enhancing the introduction of foreign language to students at an earlier level.

Crowell helped Kirkwood, his former school district, develop their new curriculum and is eager to be involved with this process at Clayton. So far, he has abetted in the selection of “Descubre,” a Spanish textbook for middle and high school students now used within the Kirkwood and Clayton districts. Clayton is moving away from “Descubre,” searching for a curriculum that will encourage teachers to spend more classroom time teaching in the target language: Spanish.

“A textbook is just a tool in our toolbelt.

But whether or not I have to teach in Spanish all the time, how do you enforce that?”

Crowell said.

Crowell is excited for a career at CHS and WMS, teaching in the methods most enjoys, only en Español.

“I’m a person who likes to allow choice in the classroom. Clayton is a place that likes that. So it worked out well for me,” Crowell said.

Debra Klevens

Quick Facts Favorite dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies Family: Partner; Haley, Six Siblings Hobbies: home improvement, beekeeping, organizing Pet peeve: People not trying their best

Podcast Alert!

The Journalism Teacher Debra Klevens came to CHS after 24 years at Parkway West High School teaching two National Award winning Publications, the Pawesehi Yearbook and the PWestPathfinder.com Online Student Newspaper.

Visit chsglobe.com to listen to her interview with Copy Editor Micah Lotsoff and Podcast Editor Elias Kilbridge.

FEATURE 24

JiaLi Deck | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sidra Major | CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR Sophia Lu | COPY EDITOR

How See Us Eva Delannoy, junior (left) Aylah Hopper, senior (right) Photo by AnMei Deck.

Intro O

ne looming question underlies every decision Clayton High School students make: Where are you going to college?

While it is certainly known that plenty of people find success without attending a four-year university the fall after they turn their tassel, 92.5% of Clayton students end up pursuing higher education. In this school, it is hard for students to imagine a future that does not involve going to college.

Throughout high school, students are encouraged to make a multitude of choices that will help them get into college.

Holding leadership positions, taking rigorous courses and getting good grades are all factors that students can control to increase their chance of admittance into the country’s most prestigious institutions.

But what about the aspects of their profile that students can’t control?

Colleges have been known to consider many elements beyond grades and test scores. It is no coincidence that schools often highlight how they have students from all 50 states. However, many have begun to wonder if it is fair to consider a student’s circumstances and environment rather than just their merit and achievements. The most prominent factor that people object to is race.

On June 29, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that using race in college admissions is unconstitutional. The effects of this ruling will be instantaneous, and the graduating class of 2024 will be the first class in 58 years to face the college admission process without affirmative action.

With the question of college being of the utmost importance for students, it is imperative to investigate the implications of this decision on colleges, students and the future of diversity in higher education.

92.5%

of Clayton students pursue higher education

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history T

he origins of race-based affirmative action trace back to President Kennedy, who stated in Executive Order 10925 that federal contractors were required to “take affirmative action” to ensure that “employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color or national origin.”

This order marks the first time the words “affirmative action” were used in an official government document. However, Kennedy emphasized equal opportunity without the specific actions necessary to make that happen. With the words “without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin,” he also emphasized race-blindness rather than consciousness.

Later, President Johnson’s hopes of making a “Great Society” propelled him to push for equality. Along with signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Order 10925 was merged with an official policy by Johnson.

After the landmark Brown v. Board case, his administration enforced and implemented desegregation within public schooling.

Affirmative action has never been unanimously supported. In Bakke v.

University of California, a white applicant was denied admission to the medical

school of UC Davis. Bakke argued that he was a victim of reverse discrimination because the school’s affirmative action program set aside a specific number of seats for minority students. In the end, the Supreme Court ruled that while the use of racial quotas was unconstitutional, race could be used as a factor among many in the admissions process.

The same argument was made in Gratz v. Bollinger and SFFA v. Harvard, where the University of Michigan and Harvard’s affirmative action policies were put into question for discrimination against white students. Again, the courts ruled in favor of keeping the policy.

Understanding the origins and the legal battles affirmative action has faced is crucial for a more comprehensive and nuanced discussion. As we continue to grapple with issues of race and equality, it is imperative to engage in a dialogue that acknowledges both the progress made and the challenges that persist. By doing so, we can work towards a society that embodies the principles of fairness, justice and equal opportunity for all.

“Affirmative action, to me, means taking active steps in order to address the grievances of generations and generations of oppressed peoples in the United states.

-Josh Meyers, CHS history teacher

Sam McDonough, senior Photo by AnMei Deck.

COVER 27

The Case T

he plaintiff in a series of cases filed against Harvard, the University of North Carolina (UNC) and the University of Texas is an organization called Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA). The SSFA website says they are “a nonprofit membership group of more than 20,000 students, parents and others who believe that racial classifications and preferences in college admissions are unfair, unnecessary, and unconstitutional.”

In their complaints, SSFA argues that affirmative action violates the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment, which states all people should have equal protection under the law, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs that receive Federal funding.

The organization provides Shaw v Reno, a landmark Supreme Court case that outlawed state redistricting based on race, to demonstrate the court’s belief that “racial classifications are highly disfavored.” They argue that dividing people by racial groups should only be used when absolutely necessary, but college admission is not one such instance.

The complaint explains, “Other elite universities have shown increased utilization of non-race-based criteria, such as socioeconomic preferences, can promote diversity about as well as racial preferences.”

They even say that schools like UNC know this to be true but continue using race when it is unnecessary. They write, “UNC-Chapel Hill conducted its own study to determine whether granting automatic admission to North Carolina students in the top 10% of their high school class would work about as well

28 COVER

as racial preferences in achieving diversity.

The study showed that a percentage plan would work better than racial preferences in achieving diversity in that such a plan would boost minority enrollment.”

The effectiveness and knowledge of other options to increase diversity show that there is no reason to uphold affirmative action.

SSFA also writes that using race is not “merely a ‘plus factor’ in admissions decisions. Rather, [...] it is so large that race becomes the ‘defining feature’ of [a student’s] application.

The direct result, they argue, is “disparate treatment of highachieving Asian-American and white applicants and underrepresented minority applicants with inferior academic credentials.”

The gap in test scores between Asian and white applicants admitted to elite colleges is striking. The average SAT disparity between Stanford’s Black and white admittees was as high as 171

April Kim, junior Photo by AnMei Deck.

points in 1992, according to data compiled by the Consortium on Financing Higher Education. Additionally, The Harvard Crimson reported that the test scores of Black, LatinX and Native American admits have been much lower than their white and Asian peers from 1995-2013.

Advocates against affirmative action also point out problems in the mindset of “increasing diversity.” David Sacks and Peter Thiel, co-authors of “The Diversity Myth: “Multiculturalism” and the Politics of Intolerance at Stanford” explain that increasing diversity should be based on unusual characteristics, not race. They write, “The underlying assumption– that only minorities can add certain ideas or perspectives– is offensive not merely because it is untrue but also because it implies that all minorities think a certain way.”

Instead of focusing on a student’s race, colleges should consider whether or not a

student’s experiences will bring diversity to campus. Being a person of color does not necessarily mean someone has a “diverse perspective,” conversely, being of a majority race does not mean that their perspective is less unique. The assumption that all people of color share the same worldview is harmful and results in the homogenization of racial groups.

Getting rid of affirmative action may also benefit students of color whose successes are often dismissed due to their race. Sacks and Theil explain, “It is often not possible to tell whether a given student genuinely deserved admission to Stanford, or whether he is there by virtue of fitting into some sort of diversity matrix.”

As a result of this confusion, many people label students of color as undeserving of their spots at elite schools.

If race was removed from admission decisions, this accusation would lose its foundation and prevent students of

color from facing additional racism on campuses.

In fact, many Black students choose to avoid these “diversity matrixes” and the accusations that come with them altogether. Historically Black Colleges and Universities enroll 10% of all African American students and produce almost 20% of all African American graduates, according to the United Negro College Fund. Mike Sankey, CHS science teacher, is one such example.

“I wanted to go somewhere where I felt I would be measured for just me being me. No quota, just my merit and what I’ve done so far,” he said.

The fall of affirmative action is a celebration to many. They see it as the end of an unfair practice that limits the successes of well-deserving students and is a step towards true racial equality.

However, not everyone agrees.

“Race is not merely a ‘plus factor’ in admissions decisions. Rather, [...] it is so large that race becomes the ‘defining feature’ of [a student’s] application.”

-Students for Fair Admisssions in a complaint against UNC

COVER 29

“I think that a lot of Asian people have been told that if we get rid of affirmative action we’re gonna get so many more spots that we deserve, when in reality it’s not going to be like that at all.”

-Sanjana Chanda, senior

800

775

750

725

700

675

* Data collected from Harvard archives and complied by the Harvard Crimson

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the reaction T

hirty-two amicus curiae briefs were filed in support of Harvard and UNC from other colleges, Common App, the ACLU, The American Bar Association, the NCAA, military generals, and a plethora of other organizations and individuals, all with the same message to the court: do not get rid affirmative action in college admissions.

Although not perfect, the use of affirmative action has been very successful in increasing diversity on campuses.

According to 2022 data from the National Center for Education Statistics, diversity in college enrollment has been steadily increasing.

Even among the least diverse institutions, fouryear private colleges, 33% of students are people of color, a percentage close to national demographics. After consistently gaining diversity, many fear

this decision will halt, or even reverse, this progress.

“Unless colleges figure out a way to maintain the level of diversity in their programs, I think a likely outcome is going to be the homogenization of college campuses,” Josh Meyers, CHS history teacher, said.

Appearing time and time again, conversations about affirmative action is the concept of a “zero-sum game.” With this model, helping one minority group in the college admissions process must harm another because a finite number of spots are available. However, there are problems with this thought process because it removes the context of racism in the United States.

“If we want to talk about college admissions, we’re gonna have to talk about the history of the US as well. This game does not start at zero. This game was not an even playing field in the first place. There are groups that are negative when others are at zero,” senior Sanjana Chanda said Sankey agrees that removing affirmative action is premature when issues of racism have not been resolved.

“Unless colleges figure out a way to maintain the level of diversity in their programs, I think a likely outcome is going to be the homogenization of college campuses.”

Aylah Hopper, senior Photo by AnMei Deck.

-Josh Meyers, CHS history teacher

COVER 31

“There’s been four hundred years of slavery, oppression, and Jim Crow.

Affirmative action hasn’t been around for four hundred years. [...] It took 400 years to cause the problem; you can’t fix it in 50,” he said.

This point was certainly not lost on some justices of the court. The most recently appointed justice, Katanji Brown Jackson, wrote of the lack of nuance in the court’s decision. “With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat,” she wrote, “but deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”

Carolyn Blair, one of CHS’ college counselors, said she believes many people arguing against affirmative action have been

32 COVER

misinformed about what affirmative action truly means. “It’s like if you have a handicapped parking spot. People think, ‘If you got rid of that handicapped parking spot, I would definitely have that parking spot.’ But would you?” she said.

Chanda agrees that affirmative action’s role in admission has been overexaggerated. She said, “I think that a lot of Asian people have been told that if we get rid of affirmative action, we’re gonna get so many more spots that we deserve when, in reality, it’s not going to be like that at all,” These assumptions about affirmative action are rooted in prejudice against people of color.

“The argument for affirmative action boils down to the idea that Black and LatinX people don’t deserve academic spots, and Asian and white people do because they’re inherently smarter,” said senior Medha Naryan, “That’s just racist.”

Also coming to light are issues relating to other aspects of the college admission process which are unfair to students.

Legacy admissions, in particular, are under scrutiny.

Thirty six percent of Harvard’s class of 2022 are legacy, an unsettlingly large percentage many find unfair.

“If we, as

minorities, can not have affirmative action policies to help make things equal, then legacy kids should not have that advantage either,” senior Aylah Hopper said.

Historically, the only people able to attend college were white and wealthy. A study in the National Bureau of Economic Research found 70% of legacy applicants to Harvard were white compared to about 40% of all applicants. These legacy applicants are 45% more likely to get into highly selective colleges such as Harvard.

Giving the descendants of this class higher admission rates further perpetuates skewed demographics.

In addition to legacies, wealth’s role in admissions is unsettlingly large. Data from The New York Times reveals how wealth acts as its own qualification for admission to elite colleges. Among students with identical test scores, having parents with income in the 99th percentile more than doubles admission rates.

Sankey also emphasizes the role money plays in college.

“Clayton is the perfect place to show you what privilege affords you. You have Black kids going to Clayton who are going to do a lot better than Black kids who are going to other schools in St. Louis. We say it’s race; I think it’s more wealth that does a lot,” he said.

The lack of outrage about these unfair aspects of admission suggests that ending affirmative action is about more than simply “fairness.” In order to argue that college admissions should be purely meritocratic, these other factors must be questioned.

At the end of the day, colleges still wish to increase diversity to improve the education they provide and satisfy prospective students’ wishes.

“Research shows that the learning in universities and in general is more robust with diverse opinions and perspectives,” Blair said.

Mahika Vanukuru, junior Photo by AnMei Deck.

During a pivotal time in a young adult’s life, it is extremely valuable to learn about cultures and opinions other than their own. This is not possible if schools are racially homogenous. Not only does research support the need for diversity, but students greatly prioritize diversity when choosing their schools.

Junior Mahika Vanukuru said, “In this day and age, people really do look for diversity. They need us.”

Hopper also explained how she values diversity when looking at colleges.

“I would like to be around people that look like me,” she said.

Additionally, in a BestColleges survey of over 1,000 prospective and current undergraduate and graduate students, over half said racial diversity improves schools’ social experience and learning environment. This was true regardless of a political party or race.

It is agreed that diversity is needed on campuses; the question lies in how to achieve it.

With affirmative action out of the picture, schools are doing everything in their power to ensure they maintain diversity.

*Data compled from at least three dozen top colleges by The New York Times

“I think Clayton is the perfect place to show you what privilege affords you. You have Black kids going to Clayton who are going to do a lot better than Black kids who are going to other schools in St Louis.

We say it’s race, I think it’s more wealth that does a lot.”

-Mike Sankey, CHS science teacher

COVER 33

A Racial Conflict W

ithin the debate about affirmative action, Asian students have become poster children for the fight, so much so that on the opening page of the SFFA website, there is a photo of a humble Asian boy relaxing on a couch. The classic narrative being spread is of the high-achieving Asian-American being rejected from Ivy League schools. At the same time, an undeserving Black or LatinX student gets their spot solely because of affirmative action. With this narrative being so prevalent in conversations, affirmative action acts as a wedge between racial groups.

In a discussion with the CHS Asian Student Association, students discussed how this wedge affects the Asian community.

“Republicans are using Asian voices for this kind of front,” senior Sanjana Chanda said. “They say, ‘We want to celebrate Asian people and Asian culture,’ but it isn’t actually for Asian people at all. It’s for

34 COVER

white people” A similar statement is echoed among several of Chanda’s peers.

“When we are being used as this pawn by the conservative narrative, it drives a wedge between the Asian community and the Black and LatinX communities, which is disheartening,” Narayan said. “It is so important to have community with other people of color and to support each other on important issues.”

Setting Asian students apart from other people of color reduces solidarity across racial lines. By isolating minorities, it prevents the recognition that the challenges faced by different groups are interconnected The tension between these two groups is far from new. The conflict between the Black and Asian communities can be traced back to the formation of the model minority myth.

The model minority myth took root in the Japanese internment camps of WWII. In fear of getting taken away to a camp, Asian immigrants had to succeed to fit

in among white society, propelling them into becoming the “model minority.”

Due to such circumstances, Asian Americans became the prime example of minorities achieving success despite their circumstances.

The idea of the model minority continues to be prevalent, especially in education. In a way, these stereotypes give Asians privileges not awarded to their Black peers.

“Technically, we do benefit from racism, to a certain extent. We are still victims in a lot of ways, but in terms of driving, for example, we’re not going to be pulled over and forced to step out of the car,” senior Sam McDonough said.

Statistically, a study in the New York Times “found numerous examples of Asian American students who were anointed as promising by their teachers, even despite weak grades and test scores.”

These positive associations of Asians are used directly against Black and LatinX students. In the same study, it was found that “the presence of a single Asian student in a class amplifies teachers’ negative assessments of Black and Hispanic students vis-à-vis white students.”

Asian success is weaponized against other people of color as evidence of their failures rather than recognizing a broken system.

This dangerous narrative that has been propagated by white people puts the Asian community against Black and Latinx groups even though their histories are directly intertwined.

Prior to the mid-1900s, immigration from non-European countries was highly regulated.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited Chinese people from immigrating to the US for ten years. The Immigration Act of 1917 implemented English literacy tests that largely favored those of North-

Left: Seniors Chloe Lin and Medha Narayan listen closely in a discussion with the Asian Student Association.

Right: Senior Sanjana Chanda shares her opinion on affirmative action with the Asian Student Association.

Photos by AnMei Deck.

Western European descent. Several other acts were implemented until America was set on track to become a near-homogenous country.

The Civil Rights Movement was a major step in reforming the immigration system. With the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, opening up and changing the racial demographics of immigration. For the first time, the cap on non-Europeans was increased. This is much in part thanks to Black people, who pushed for equality and opened the barriers for all people of color.

Yet, this equality cannot be achieved in a society whose morals are based on white supremacy. Rhetoric that focuses on Asian vs. Black tension ignores the root cause of the problem: a society that values whiteness above all else. Because of the model minority myth and their success in integration, Asians are put closer in proximity to white people.

Due to these circumstances, stories of Black-Asian solidarity have been largely forgotten. During WWII, there were stories of Black Americans sending gift packages or high school yearbooks to their detained Japanese friends. After the murder of Vincent Chin, NAACP and Civil Rights leaders took it upon themselves to bring attention to his case.

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, Asian Americans joined the BLM protests, vowing to deconstruct anti-black rhetoric within their communities. These moments of solidarity can be found everywhere.

It is impossible to separate the history of any minority group. Trying to do so fails to consider the history of America and how Black people have pushed for equity for all racial groups. It is imperative that the Asian community fights for, and not against, fellow communities of color.

“We are being used as this pawn by the conservative narrative, which is disheartening.

It’s so important to have community with other people of color and to support each other on important issues.”

-Medha Narayan, senior

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Next steps T

he Supreme Court’s reversal of affirmative action is anything but ironclad. In reality, admissions officers will become more strategic in their methods. Yes, race in college admissions has been outlawed, but not explicitly. Universities began transitioning to a more holistic approach when reviewing application pools well before 2023. Although colleges can no longer admit students based solely on race, they can continue to identify areas of demonstrated hardship and admit based on that. “[N]othing in this opinion prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected [their] life, be it through discrimination, inspiration or otherwise,” the court stated in the majority opinion.

Thus, if race or ethnic identity is defined in a personal statement but, more importantly, elaborated on and tied to areas of hardship and growth, an admissions officer can legally use that information when considering an applicant. This means essays and personal statements matter more now than ever before. Colleges care about who you are, what struggles you’ve encountered and what you’ll contribute to their community.

“Schools are going to be looking at students’ stories. Colleges want to know, what’s your road traveled?” Blair said.

UNC has begun to create more opportunities for students to express themselves through a lens of hardship, even beyond undergraduate programs.

“We are adding a new prompt [to] our

“Now, it’s more relevant for students to actually disclose things in their essays so colleges are able to have some knowledge about their experiences. [...]

Colleges want to know, what’s your road traveled?”

-Carolyn Blair, CHS college counselor

36 COVER

statement of purpose: resiliency,” Jeff Steinbach, Director of Admissions for the Biological Science Graduate Program at the University of North Carolina, said. “We want the student to be able to explain a time that they had to overcome some kind of obstacle in their career or their life and connect it to how they learned from that experience and how they think they could use that here. And that’s just more information that will be important.”

Demonstrating hardship levels the playing field. If two applicants did not experience equal levels of opportunity and access to resources, it would be unjust to judge them the same. Affirmative action made this mentality exponentially easier to instill; however, that does not mean hope is lost. Universities will have to continue putting in their best effort in offering applicants a space to explain themselves, their circumstances and their identity from a measured and comparable scale: race or not.

“We do want a very diverse admissions pool, which is one of the pillars in the strategic plan within the university, within our program, and really as a bigger issue,” Steinbach said.

If universities can’t directly measure the racial diversity of their application pool, they are going to ensure that they further diversify in other ways.

One approach that institutions take is outreach through conferences. The Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), for example, functions very much like a college fair.

Graduate programs send officers to preach

their institution with the hope of gathering a more diverse applicant pool. With the transition to race-blind, opportunities like ABRCMS will become more advantageous as programs can directly target potential underrepresented students.

In addition, many institutions are expected to seek greater geographic diversity.

“While current degrees of ethnic, socioeconomic and ideological residential segregation as well as rural/urban differences give us reason to believe that an emphasis on geographic diversity should increase all three kinds of diversity on selective college and university campuses,” Richard Kahlenberg, a Harvard professor, said.

Talent is everywhere. Seeking students from varying zip codes, while acknowledging the available resources at each, allows colleges a better shot at securing a diverse application pool.

Just as they have in the past, these multi-billion dollar institutions are going to evolve by finding loopholes. They will perfect systems that allow them to maintain diversity, but more importantly—to them—climb the ladder of overemphasized college ranking lists.

Although there are more barriers to increasing diversity, hope is not lost. Passionate people at universities nationwide are dedicated to ensuring that this ruling does not regress the valuable progress our country has made in combating racism.

Students, educators and administrators will continue to strive towards more diverse campuses regardless of the court’s decision.

At the end of the day, admissions officers are just humans looking to admit other humans. Although the pressure to get into a “good” school is daunting, it’s important to remember just how much of the process is not up to the students.

The best thing to do is control what you can; do what you love, share your story and face the future with eagerness and enthusiasm.

Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower located on The University of North Carolina’s campus at Chapel Hill.

Photo by Alaylah Walters

COVER 37

Missouri’s New Anti-Trans Laws Ezri Perrin | REPORTER

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he Missouri Senate recently passed two new laws, despite opposition from the American Civil Liberties Union, that affect transgender children. Laws like these are, unfortunately, no longer surprising. You may be wondering what these new laws are, what they mean for students at Clayton High School, or what you can do to help transgender Missourians affected by these laws. Here is a breakdown of the two new laws (SB49 and SB39): what they are, what they mean for Clayton High School, what happened to the court case challenging them, and what you can do.

SB49 and SB39 are Missouri laws that recently went into effect. SB49, or the SAFE (Save Adolescents From Experimentation) Act, sponsored by Senator Mike Moon, bans healthcare providers from performing gender-affirming surgery, administering hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or administering puberty blockers for medical transition to anyone under 18.

Exempt from this restriction are intersex

“

We lost this battle, but there’s going to be more to come.

-Chelsea Freels, senior

United States Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., Photo designed by FreePik, by @TravelScape.

38 OPINION

children and perisex minors who had already begun receiving treatment before Aug. 28.

The contradiction in the former exception lies in the fact that intersex children usually cannot or do not consent to surgeries and/or HRT meant to “normalize” them, often because said surgeries are performed on them as infants. Yet, these procedures are explicitly allowed in an act with the words “Save Adolescents” in its title. The irony of this appears to be lost on the Missouri Senate.

Furthermore, SB49 bans incarcerated people from accessing gender-affirming surgery, and prevents Medicare and Medicaid from covering any transition-related healthcare costs.

Violating this law would result in the revocation of one’s medical license and possible legal action. SB39, in a similar vein, bans the students of all Missouri schools from playing on sports teams that do not align with the sex listed on their birth certificate, except in the cases of girls wanting to play sports in a school that only has boys’ teams. Any school found violating this law will have all state funding revoked, similar to Secretary Ashcroft’s proposed Rule 15 CSR 30-200.015.

Senator Holly Rehder sponsored SB39. Both SB39 and SB49 will expire on August 28th, 2027.

“SB49 is a bill that criminalizes gender-affirming healthcare in the form of most medications and surgeries [for] youth, [. . .] prisoners, and

people on Medicaid and Medicare. SB39 bans transgender people from playing in sports teams that align with their gender instead of their biological sex,” senior and transgender woman Chelsea Freels said.

In July 2023, the Missouri American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a preliminary injunction on behalf of several families of transgender children, arguing that SB49 was unconstitutional according to the Missouri constitution. They argued that SB49 enforced discrimination based on sex due to its restriction on which medications and surgeries could be administered to certain Missouri citizens based on which sex they were assigned at birth. For example, under this law, a cisgender teenage boy with gynecomastia could undergo a double mastectomy, but a transgender teenage boy would be barred from the same procedure.

The week before SB49 took effect, a hearing was held for the ACLU’s injunction. The judge ruled against the ACLU, halting their case and allowing the law to take effect. Freels, upon hearing the news of the hearing, was not surprised. “It was bound to happen– there’s been a lot of precedents for challenges like ours getting overturned. [I’m] disappointed, of course, but it was not necessarily a surprise,” she said.

SB49 and 39 target Missouri’s youth specifically, meaning that they are uniquely relevant to the student body of CHS. SB49 is relevant only to those students under 18, but SB39 affects everyone across grade lines. “[SB49] means that trans students under 18 will be unable to get gender-affirming care if they are not on it already, and

if they’re already on it, it’s fine because it’s going to get grandfathered in. SB39 means that anybody who wants to play sports on a team that aligns with their gender, if their gender is different from their biological sex, then they are going to not be able to do that unless Clayton defies the state and [forfeits] its state funding,” Freels said.

These two new laws are only the newest in a tsunami of anti-queer laws passed nationwide. Eighty-three laws have been passed in the past eight months of 2023 alone, compared to 26 passed throughout 2022. Missouri’s politicians are simply joining the wave of reactionary backlash, possibly in pursuit of publicity or votes, possibly out of genuine belief. SB39 uses the same rhetoric used for years of “men invading women’s spaces” and “men transitioning to gain advantages in women’s sports” with the same characteristic lack of evidence or examples.

SB49 speaks in the same euphemisms of “protecting children” that have been used for over a century to hinder the progress of marginalized peoples; anti-suffragists argued that women with political power would not properly care for their children, homophobes argued and still argue that gay couples are a danger to adopted children, and racists in the Jim Crow era argued that segregation in schools was necessary to protect white schoolchildren.

There is nothing new about SB39 and 49 in terms of political rhetoric.

The majority of CHS’ student body are minors and thus unable to vote, the primary method by which Americans interact with the political system. Without this ability, how can the students of CHS support and fight for their transgender

peers in the wake of these laws?

“It’s really just showing up for the queer community when we ask for it. Next year, there’s going to be bills that are going to be heard in Jefferson City. You can go to the capitol, you can testify in person, [and] sometimes there’s a virtual option where you can submit your testimony forms. (. . .) Remember that the more marginalized identities people have, the more they’ll need help,” Freels said.

According to Columbia psychologist Dr. David Tager, these laws will have terrible effects on many teenage Missourians’ mental and physical health.

Says Tager: “I see trans folk who are older; they’ve been going through the process of transitioning, and some of them transitioned at age 16. And if they didn’t have that, I don’t know if I’d still be seeing them [alive] now.”

Those in power are overwhelmingly in favor of using transgender children as a political scapegoat. In the current climate, the efforts to legalize discrimination against transgender people will almost certainly continue to escalate. Despite all of this, however, Freels expresses optimism for the future of the queer community in Missouri.

“It doesn’t mean too much for the queer community. I mean, sure, we lost this battle, but there’s going to be more to come. (. . .) It’s going to be fine. And for trans people who are like me earlier this year– for reference, I’m a white trans woman– who view this as the end of the world, that is coming from a white-centric perspective.

Other communities have it worse, and those communities have survived. We will survive, too.”

OPINION 39

From Sand Courts to Horned Frogs Junior Hannah Taylor commits to TCU for beach volleyball Charlie Balestra | SPORTS SECTION EDITOR

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Junior Hannah Taylor jumping in the air to spike the ball while playing sand volleyball Taylor ended up placing third in this tournament with over 100 teams.

Photo by Dan Duran

40 SPORTS

n the halls, tales of legendary athletes who’ve ascended to greatness at the college level and beyond are admired by all of Clayton High School. But today, we introduce you to a new name, Hannah Taylor, a junior whose journey is starting to unfold in real-time.

Just as Taylor became eligible, the recruiting call came, and it was not just any call – it was the call from Texas Christian University (TCU), a powerhouse in college sports and the program she had been aspiring to go to for years. This opportunity will allow her to play beach volleyball at the highest collegiate level.

While Taylor’s passion for volleyball began as early as fifth grade, COVID stopped her indoor club practices and games, so she pivoted and started playing beach volleyball. Luckily, Taylor found she enjoyed beach volleyball and was better at it, so she stuck with it.

Taylor works to find opportunities to train; however she admitted that it’s hard to find opportunities because CHS does not offer a sand volleyball team, so she worked with a personal trainer for a year and played high school volleyball last season. Additionally, she participates in sand volleyball tournaments almost every weekend.

According to MSHSAA rules, athletes cannot play beach and sand volleyball simultaneously, so Taylor is not playing for the school.

“I’ve had to make some sacrifices, which kind of sucks, but for the overall goal of improving, it’s way better,” Taylor said.

Taylor has attended programs and camps with TCU for years and loves the coaches, their campus and the program.

When TCU’s program called her on June 15, the first day she was eligible to commit to a university, she said she was immediately sure of her response.

While many athletes would wait to hear offers from other schools, Taylor expressed complete confidence in TCU after all of her positive experiences there. She will join a very strong program that finished as the second overall team in the country last year and made it to the semifinals in the NCAA playoffs.

She will now keep training throughout her junior and senior years before joining one of the nation’s top three beach volleyball teams.

“In the future, I hope they keep going to the NCAA tournament. It’s one of my biggest dreams to win a championship while there,” Taylor said.

In recent years, the NCAA beach volleyball tournaments have expanded from eight playoff teams to 16. She believes it is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country and will only get bigger from here.

Taylor is not entering this experience alone; as she has a close friend who has also committed to TCU and already knows several of the coaches and teammates.

“It’s comfortable and nice to know someone going into a big college environment,” Taylor said.

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated Zoe Daniels-Sankey | OPINION SECTION EDITOR

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in a white neighborhood, or the presence uthor Richard Rothstein reads of African Americans in or near such from his book, “By a show of neighborhoods, would cause the value of hands, the crowd vowed its the white-owned properties to decline.” uncompromising rejection of As awful as that sounds, it is one of integration. The police were unable or unmany honest and brutal narrations from willing to prevent the model homes from Rothstein found within the novel.This being vandalized.”

“The Color of Law: A Forgotten History aspect of the novel is its greatest attribute; he does not sugar coat. Everything written of How Our Government Segregated is the raw, untold truth that is not being America,” by Richard Rothstein, explains how segregation within America should be taught in schools or has now been banned by state and federal laws from being taught considered de jure rather than de facto. De within schools. jure refers to something permanent with The history within this book almost legal recognition, whereas de facto refers brings tears to my to temporary and eyes. The unknown factual recogni“A purchase of an regarding the different tion. These two African American in a ways the government terms are often has tried to enforce used when narwhite neighborhood, or segregation withrating the abuse the presence of African in American cities. of power under Americans in or near such However, those efforts the semblance of have not been deemed neighborhoods, would state and federal “unconstitutional.” Or, authority. cause the value of the as Rothstein points out Throughout white-owned properties to frequently, policies get the book, Rothmade so that somedecline.” stein argues that any American city - Richard Rothstein thing that could have been considered uncurrently segreconstitutional quickly gated along racial Senior Zoe Daniels-Sankey reads “The gets evaded. lines is a byproduct of intentional action Nevertheless, I would recommend this Color of Law: A Forgotten History of Our taken by the government, and it is the book to anyone trying to gain a better un- Government Segregated America” for AP government’s constitutional obligation to and Composition derstanding of segregation within America Language rectify the damage done. Acknowledging Photo by Debra Klevens. and a new perspective on the realness of Rothstein’s purpose and reading the rest of segregation in its entirety. the book helped me understand why.

Overall, it was a very interesting read.

His words shed an extremely bright light Information Provided Accessibility to Reader on many issues regarding segregation in America that I was completely oblivious to.

One of those issues is covenant housing in Content Layout St. Louis, and certain housing issues within Clayton. Author Rothstein reads from his book “A purchase of an African American

REVIEW 41

Music at the Intersection

Rachel Chung | FEATURE SECTION EDITOR

Crowds at the Washington Ave stage.

The Fearless Flyers, Herbie Hancock, Smino, Thundercat, Snarky Puppy.

Photos by Rachel Chung

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his past Sept. 9-10, more than 50 musicians performed at Music at the Intersection.Brought together by the Kranzberg Arts Council, in partnership with the River Arts Council and the Steward Family Foundation, the festival celebrated a range of music originating from the Mississippi River sister cities in its third year. An estimated 12,000 attendees traveled to the Grand Center Arts District to enjoy the music and festivities.

Artists included St. Louis natives like Smino, Angela Winbush and Keyon Harrold, as well as headliners Herbie Hancock, Taj Mahal, Thundercat, Snarky Puppy, Tank and the Bangas, the Fearless Flyers and Masego. For the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, artists like Grandmaster Flash, Arrested Development and Phony Ppl also performed.

Several connections tied Clayton to Music at the Intersection as well. April Fulstone, seventh grade literacy teacher at Wydown Middle School, DJ’ed at the festival as DJ Agile One, and Zac Srenco, a current senior at Clayton High School, is the grandson of Nancy and Ken Kranzberg, founders of the Kranzberg Arts Council.

The festival was successful and brought another year of jazz, funk, rap, hip-hop and soul to the St. Louis area.

REVIEW 42

Top to bottom, left to right: Masego, Tank, Andy Frasco & the U.N., DJ Agile One, Clayton teacher Ben Murphy, Ken & Nancy Kranzberg driven by senior Zac Srenco, junior Derek Crisp & senior Parker McGill, senior Penn Pillot

REVIEW 43

Should I stand for the pledge?

PRO

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pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” From this sentence, remove the flag. Remove the United States of America. Remove God. What is left? “I pledge allegiance to the republic, for liberty and justice for all.”

Although the truncated version above is much less poetic than the original, the words defining this shortened pledge — republic, liberty, justice — are why a small minority at Clayton still choose to stand for it. At face value, the Pledge of Allegiance is often viewed as a commitment of subordination to the United States of America and every decision it has

44 PRO

Kipp Vitsky | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ever made. However, rather than a pledge of fidelity to a singular country under a singular flag under a singular evangelical God, many view it as a commitment to ideals and values.

“The Pledge of Allegiance is about pledging to make America the best place it can be, not to say that every choice America has ever made is right. It’s a commitment to the common good,” Physics teacher said.

During his 23 years teaching at Clayton High School, the culture around saying the Pledge of Allegiance has changed fundamentally.

“I come from a family of military, police, fire, nurses, doctors, teachers — people who are here to serve the common good,” Laux said. “[Throughout] my upbringing I was taught that it was important to respect our country. That’s not saying I agree with all of America’s actions, but we all have to be involved in pushing things in the right direction.”

When seeking out the opinions of students who stand for the Pledge, this sentiment of participating to show respect for servicemen and women — people dedicated to preserving liberty and justice for all — was widely echoed.

“It only takes like 15 seconds,” freshman Kate Kubat said. “The people who fight for us have done a lot, and I think the 15 seconds of recognition is worth it.”

Before volunteering to write this piece, I had little to no opinion on standing for the Pledge. After Colin Kaepernick started kneeling for the National Anthem on live television during my sixth-grade year, the number of Clayton students who stood for the Pledge decreased exponentially. By the beginning of my 10th

grade, almost nobody was left standing.

Admittedly, my decision, along with that of many other Clayton students, to stand or sit during the Pledge, has rarely been dictated by anything other than a general sense of apathy. We were taught to stand; now people don’t. Why turn this seemingly innocuous turn of events into an ideological struggle? However, according to those who stand for the Pledge, apathy is far worse than sitting thoughtfully and respectfully.

“I tell kids there are many appropriate ways to participate in the Pledge. If they want to stand and only say the parts they’re comfortable with, that’s cool. If they want to stand and not say it at all, that’s fine; it’s still being respectful of what’s happening,” Laux said. “People could even choose to sit and not participate. What I’ve encouraged kids to do, if they’re going to conscientiously object, is to consider why they’re not [participating] and consider what changes could they make in their community that would make things better in the United States so that they would be proud to stand up for the Pledge.”

Regardless of one’s personal choice to participate or not participate, Laux believes there is a certain level of respect that should be maintained during the Pledge.

“What I was taught growing up is that if you go to another religious service — if you go to a church, you go to a mosque, you go to temple — you’re supposed to participate appropriately and respectfully,” Laux said. “You say what prayers you maybe know. When there are things that you’re not comfortable with, you just respectfully listen. And while the pledge is not prayer, it may command a similar level of civility; I think there’s a balance between being respectful during the Pledge and participating in the Pledge.”

Aylah Hopper | REPORTER

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ince I was five, most of my peers and I were taught to stand in front of the American flag every morning, right hand on heart, reciting the same pledge daily. This was an easy act to do because we had yet to develop our own opinions. After attending high school and hearing the pledge announced daily over the intercom, I noticed most students do not participate in this “tradition.” In my four years at Clayton, I have seen one student rise for the pledge, and he transferred schools after his sophomore year.

As a public school in Missouri, all schools are legally required to conduct a reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

As of Aug. 8, 2016, schools in Missouri that accept public money must recite the Pledge of Allegiance in at least one scheduled class period; students

Left: Junior John Panzer stands for the pledge Right: Students raise their hands in protest.

Photos by Aylah Hopper

are not required to recite it. As a young woman who has formed her own opinions on not only our country but the people who make up the country, I have come to the decision that standing for the pledge is something that I refuse to do until the actions of this country reflect the words recited in the pledge.

The original Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892; it was created to be recited by anyone from any country. In 1923, The United States recreated the pledge: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The words “with God” were not yet included until 1954.

Given the social state of our country in the 1920s, implementing this change to Bellamy’s pledge was inappropriate for its period. Individuals treated with the opposite of “liberty and justice” were

CON expected to recite this pledge with pride for a country built off of morals and systems against Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Mexican Americans and many more minorities.

In the 1920s, the horrific Rosewood massacre took place; this racially motivated massacre led to the death of numerous Black people and the destruction of a Black American town in Levy County, Fla. Also taking place in the 1920s, the notorious hate crime organization, The Ku Klux Klan, was brought back to life; they targeted minorities including but not limited to African Americans, Catholics and Jewish people.

Although our country has made improvements since the 1920s, work still needs to be done to make the words of the United States Pledge of Allegiance truthful.

Considering the progress we have made thus far regarding equality, I believe there will be a day when the words of the pledge will be fulfilled with pride, and everyone will be accepted with liberty and justice for all.

CON 45

What’s With the Wi-Fi?

Lavanya Mani | FEATURE SECTION EDITOR Caleb Park | NEWS SECTION EDITOR Analee Miller and Yehia Said | PAGE EDITOR Photo by Lavanya Mani

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f a high school is like a living organism, the internet serves as its nervous system. With the rise of Google Classroom, PowerSchools and the transition of the PSAT and SAT to digital formats, access to stable Wi-Fi is essential.

While a majority of students use school-issued Chromebooks to access these applications, a growing number use personal devices such as MacBooks.

Until this year, all students used the same Wi-Fi, regardless of the device.

However, due to a district insurance policy, a new network was created exclusively for personal devices. While Chromebook-using students can still use the Student WiFi, those using their personal devices must log onto the Courtesy Wi-Fi.

“

I shouldn’t be penalized for wanting to use a computer that works like a computer should.”

-Jynx Falk, junior

46 STAFF ED

The new network limits students to connecting on one device at a time. This is not a problem for Chromebook users, who can connect their computer to the student Wi-Fi and phone to the courtesy network.

Those who need the courtesy network for their computers must use data on their phones for connectivity.

Jeff Puls, the Chief Technology Officer for the School District of Clayton, helped drive the change in the Wi-Fi. He explained that personal devices do not have standardized security, the District created two Wi-Fi “ecosystems” so school-issued Chromebooks would be protected.

“The goal is always to keep information flowing like it should while keeping people safe, and those two things often are in competition,” Puls said. “[The District] would prefer to steer people towards is to say, ‘use your district device, that’s why it’s here. And, as a courtesy, if you would like to use a personal device, then we’re going to do the very best we can to try to make those two experiences as similar as possible.”

Administrators sent out an email encouraging students to use their District-provided Chromebooks at the start of the year. However, there are better solutions, considering that school computers are slow, heavy and inconvenient.

“It’s dumb that I’m expected to use a slow computer for my work when I have a nice, fast one that’s easier to use and transport if I want to be able to use decent

Wi-Fi,” senior Parker McGill said.

Students worry that the technology that they are provided does not meet their needs.

“If they’re going to be stingy about WiFi quality, they should make the Chromebooks usable,” junior Jynx Falk said. “I shouldn’t be penalized for wanting to use a computer that works like a computer should.”

The security concerns of personal computers on school networks are real.

But when the consensus on school-issued Chromebooks is that they are barely functional, can students be blamed for bringing in a device that helps them complete their work more efficiently?

In the year 2023, classrooms are more digital than ever. That means is essential not just to have technology but to have technology that works. The District must make it a higher priority for technology to be present and functional.

The Wi-Fi dilemma is just a symptom of a more pressing issue. When so much of our education relies on technology, we cannot settle for computers that barely work. And if we’re trying to encourage students to use their school computers, we should be improving those devices, not making personal computers unusable.

Students need school-issued devices that work or the right to bring their own without consequence. But in today’s technologically driven world, “neither” is no longer an option.

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