House Vote

The trail of impeachment Voters’ guide to 2020 election Source: nytimes.com

Donald Trump, R • 73 years old • Current president of the United States • Conservative candidate • Passed ‘First Step Act’ reforming the prison system • First president to be impeached in their first term

Joe Biden, D • 77 years old • Former Vice President • Moderate candidate • Led efforts to pass the Violent Crime Control Act and the Violence Against Women Act • Recently came under fire for alleged inappropriate interactions with women

Bernie Sanders, D • 78 years old • Vermont Senator and 2016 nominee runner-up • Progressive candidate • Endorsed Green New Deal • Wants universal healthcare, higher taxes on the wealthy, and tuition-free college

Elizabeth Warren, D • 70 years old • Massachusetts Senator • Progressive candidate • Endorsed Green New Deal • Strongly favors a wealth tax • Wants to bring “big, structural change” to the country

Andrew Yang, D • 45 years old • Former tech entrepreneur with no prior political experience • Has proposed ‘Universal Basic Income’ which would send every American, 18 years or older, a monthly $1,000 paycheck

Amy Klobuchar, D • 58 years old • Minnesota Senator • Moderate candidate • Received national attention for her harsh questioning of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanagah • Opposes a ban on fracking

Pete Buttigieg, D • 37 years old • Former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana • Moderate candidate • Afghanistan war veteran and Harvard graduate • Proposed medicare for all who want it • Would be first openly gay president of the U.S.

Tom Steyer, D • 62 years old • Billionaire, businessman and philanthropist with no prior political experience • Has said that climate change is his top priority • Created ‘Need to Impeach,’ a movement to impeach Trump

Mike Bloomberg, D • 77 years old • Former New York City Mayor • Ran his mayor campaign as a Republican • Started news and media company ‘Bloomberg’ in 1981 • Received criticism for stop and frisk policies he instated as mayor of New York City

House vote recieves more than 50% for Impeachment

House vote recieves less than 50% for Impeachment

6a. Acquittal

If the House does not vote to impeach by a majority margin, then the charges are dropped and the President is not impeached.

Tulsi Gabbard, D • 38 years old • U.S. Representative from Hawaii • Backed Bernie Sanders in 2016 Democratic Primary • Her foreign policy, including a visit with Syrian President Bashar Assad, puts her outside many in the Democratic mainstream

Deval Patrick, D • 63 years old • Former Massachusetts Governor • Second black governor in U.S. history • Moderate candidate • Opposes medicare for all, but would expand coverage as president • Consulted former President Obama before launching his campaign

Michael Bennet, D • 55 years old • Colorado Senator • Moderate candidate • Pro-choice, supports an assualt weapon bans and tighter regulations on oil and gas drilling • Earned national attention after arguing with Ted Cruz on senate floor during 2018-2019 government shutdown

6b. Impeachment

If the House votes to impeach by a majority margin, then the president is impeached. This does not mean he is removed from office, only that he has been convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors.

38% Bernie Sanders Undecided 23.9% STUDENT POLL: Who would you vote for?

16.9%

8.5%

2.8% 4.2% 4.2%

1.4%

Pete Buttigieg Elizabeth Warren Joe Biden Mike Bloomberg Andrew Yang Donald Trump

Your thoughts: 2020 Election

“It’s time for a female president.” - Lydia Thoroughman

“I like Warren because she pushes for progressive policies while also remaining grounded in reality.” - Nathan Hill

“Bernie Sanders is trying to make college free or less expensive than it already is.” - Kamille Buck

“I don’t really agree with most of Donald Trump’s policies. And I think Joe Biden is not perfect but he would be a better offer.” - Mouhamed Ly

Show me the MEMES

House of Representatives Senate

7. Delivery

The prosecuting party selects members from the House to serve as the prosecutors in the Senate trial. The president selects his defense team. The House delivers the Articles to the Senate, which serves as the jury.

8. Senate Trial

The prosecution and defense teams present their opening arguments, followed by a questioning period and possible witness testimony. The Senate decides whether or not to allow public questioning of witnesses.

9. Senate Vote

Post closing arguments, the Senate deliberates and votes. A two-thirds majority (67 members) is needed to remove the president from office on the grounds of one or more of the Articles. No president has ever been removed by the Senate.

Senate vote recieves 2/3 majority for impeachment Senate vote recieves less than 2/3 majority for impeachment

10a. Acquittal

If the Senate vote yields a less-than two-thirds majority in favor of removal, the President is acquitted and stays in office.

By Charya Young Staff Writer

Finals season is an anxious and highly stressful time for students and this year was no exception. During finals week in December, most all St. Louis schools, including U. City, had snow days on Monday and Tuesday, which created havoc with the finals schedule. Finals were scheduled Wednesday through Friday, leaving students and teachers no time to prepare. As a result, Superintendent Sharonica HardinBartley made a decision to conduct finals as planned, but not count them against the student if it negatively impacted their semester grade.

“It would have been helpful to expand the school day, I think it would have helped us be more prepared.” said Ryanne Harris, senior, about the half day schedule on Thursday and Friday. “We would have had time to go over things that were on the test. I did not remember a lot of things on my tests, which was kind of frustrating, but I passed.”

However, opinion was split on what should have happened in place of the original schedule during finals week. While some students thought that the days off disrupted their test environments, others voiced the opinion that the days off were really helpful and relieved some stress.

“I personally liked the two days off; I think they were really helpful because I got to get a little extra studying in,” Lashell McCoy, freshman, said. “I also liked that we got longer passing periods because it gave me plenty of time to get to class and prepare.”

Alametta Hinton, sophomore, agreed, saying her week was also stress free.

“I was kind of worried about one of my AP finals, but I didn’t really feel pressure for the majority of the week,” said Hinton.

Various students had many questions/misunderstandings about how the days missed would affect the grade for their classes. Hardin-Bartley explained the reasoning behind the two days missed prior to finals and attempted to clear up any concerns that students may have had regarding grading.

“The decision to modify the final exam requirement was based on extenuating weather circumstances,” Hardin-Bartley said. “The two inclement weather days could have posed a challenge for students and may have impacted how they performed on the assessments. Finals should count for no more than 20% of individual student grades. The final exam for the semester should not have negatively impacted any student’s overall grade. I feel that this decision was best for our students.”

In fact, many school districts in the St. Louis metro area made the same decision. Toi Drummer, social studies teacher, thought the message was lost in translation for some families and she provided some advice for tests to come. “I think students and their parents were the ones who were most misinformed about how finals were to be graded,” Drummer said. “I was disappointed with how some students did on their tests and I think those students who didn’t take the two days off to study should use it as a learning example for future tests.”

Student survey shows preference for perks to improve school day

By Tarren Harris Staff Writer

Open campus. Later start time. A free period during the school day. The list goes on and on, and students have voiced their concern over the lack of perks offered at U. City.

In a recent Google survey, students responded with several ideas, and a later start time was their number one concern.

“I think that it will allow students to be better rested and therefore better students, furthering their education and making them work harder instead of trying to comprehend new topics while exhausted or even just trying to stay awake,” Emma Scharff, sophomore, said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that middle and high schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later to give students the opportunity to get the amount of sleep they need. Nasia Metcalf, junior, couldn’t agree more. She thinks students should get to school at 8:15 and start at 8:30.

“From personal experience, when I was starting school at that time, I was more productive, but getting up earlier I have lost my motivation,” Metcalf said. Students also value having a free period built into their schedule.

“I ranked free period number one because I feel it would be the most beneficial,” Lucy Rhoades, sophomore, said. “A free period could serve as a time to study, do homework, and catch up on work students have missed.”

A free period would also allow for their various school organizations to have time to meet during the day.

“If we had a free period, that would give StuCo enough time to come together and have meetings because we hardly ever have meetings together,” Victoria Cushshon, junior class president, said.

Since students often find a way to get food from outside the school, an open campus or a bi-weekly lunch option from an outside vendor would make sense. Also, students would like to be able to buy snacks that they enjoy eating sold in the vending machines.

“Open campus ranked number one for me,” Kaila Jackson, senior, said. “It would improve the school’s environment by giving us more freedom and so we could keep our minds clear.”

The open campus would also provide a way for students to buy lunch outside

of school, although better offerings in the vending machines could be a way to avoid the cafeteria food. It can also be helpful for clubs to raise money and there could be different things sold in the machine.

“If we had a vending machine, it would help raise money not only to the school but [also]to the students of the Student Council,” Cushshon said.

An open courtyard for lunch could be awarded as an incentive for good attendance, one student suggested. It also provides students with an opportunity to get some fresh air. “I ranked courtyard lunches as number one because I think it is important to give students an option to be outside for lunch,” Isabel Blumenhorst, senior, said.

Trayvon Robinson Nicole Kellogg

With a 9-7 record, the boys basketball team has impressed STLToday, who ranked them tenth amongst small schools in the St. Louis area. Larry Abbey, sophomore point guard, ranks third in the metro area for assists, and Jalen Hampton, junior center, ranks in the top 40 for points, averaging almost 17 points per game (ppg). Hampton is also averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. PHOTO BY RASHAD WARREN

Continuing a trend, the girls swim team combined with Brentwood High School this year. The two schools combined due to size, and now compete together as one team, just as the field hockey team did this fall. PHOTO BY JOHN RULAND

Despite a 5-11 record, the Lady Lions have found positives in team scoring leader Aailiyah Brown, junior (10.5 PPG), Nyla Brooks, freshmen (9.5 PPG), and D’khia Green, junior (8.1 PPG). Additionally, Nyjah Hudson, senior, ranks in the top 40 in the metro area in blocks per game. PHOTO BY KHLOE’ FOX

Dariaun Pointer Nyjah Hudson and D’khia Green

In their first year with new uniforms, the boys wrestling team has earned notable wins over Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Normandy, and Gateway Science Academy. Additionally, the team took home two separate W’s against Parkway North. PHOTO BY MIA ROBINSON

COMMENTARY

St. Louis mourns death of NBA great Kobe Bryant with vigil

By Eliot Fuller C0-Editor

When I first saw the Instagram post about the downtown vigil on Jan. 27 for Kobe Bryant, I was skeptical of its legitimacy and didn’t expect a large turnout, considering the fact that St. Louis has no direct connection to the NBA and the temperature was in the low 30s.

However, when I arrived at Kiener Plaza, about 100 people were there, most with candles in their hands and clad with Lakers gear. The tone was somber—but powerful.

Community members took turns speaking in front of a large arrangement of lit candles that read “Kobe,” accompanied by photos and balloons. Some speakers laughed, some cried, others sang or shared stories and thoughts, but every speaker had one thing in common—they were all inspired. It was at that moment that I truly realized the way in which Kobe has touched everyone’s lives. He was bigger than basketball. He was beloved by an entire city, and more than that, an entire country.

He was the guy we all grew up watching as we sat on our living room floors, mouths gaped in awe of his greatness. We yelled his name every time we sunk a basket in the gym, or even tossed a ball of paper into the trash can. Some of us hated him, some of us loved him, but we all respected him. We respected his determination, and the way he played the game. We respected his “Mamba Mentality.” We respected his advocacy for women’s basketball, and his devotion to his family. He was an amazing father, who did nothing but love, support and push his daughters. And for that, the world loved him. This became clear on that cold January night as I saw hundreds of people from every walk of life playing their respects to Kobe Bryant. There were people of every color and every age, including dads with their little boys and girls perched on their shoulders, kids who would not get to grow up in a world with Kobe. Brothers, sisters and cousins gathered, arms around each other. A young boy held a basketball in one hand, his father’s hand in the other. Mothers of all ages craned their necks to get a better view. Friends stood in somber silence, reflecting on their Kobe-filled childhood. Tears rolled down some people’s faces, illuminated by their candles. Everyone held their loved ones close. As the world mourns together, we are all one, united by our love for Kobe and who he was both on and off the court.

After a firework show, the vigil ended at 8:24 pm, representing the two jersey numbers Kobe held during his career. Kobe might not be alive, but that night made it evident that his legacy lives on. It will forever.

Fans gather to honor Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant after a deadly plane crash on Jan. 26. PHOTO BY ELIOT FULLER

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NEWSMAGAZINE U-TIMES U. City High School 7401 Balson Ave University City, MO 63130 U-Times February 2020Volume 31, Issue 3

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Students in the Drone Club took aerial photos of traffic circle in front of the school in addition to all the district school buidlings. See page 3 for story. PHOTO BY EMMETT FELD AND CHARLIE WHITEHEAD

February 2020 features LOVE IS IN THE AIR What are you doing this Valentines Day?

Dariaun Pointer , junior, and Zoe White , freshman, are approaching their first Valentine’s day together. “I’m going to take her out to eat to the Cheesecake Factory,” Pointer said. “Then [we will] go to the movies and I am going to take her shopping.”

Jaiden Smith , junior, is looking forward to spending the night with her boyfriend Jacob Cherry , senior. “[Jacob] and I are planning to go to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then to a random movie,” Smith said. “We want to wear matching black outfits, however I informed him that if

Juniors Nevaeh Daniels and D’Khia Green have plans not only for Valentine’s Day, but for the day after. “We’re having a sleepover and the next day we’re supposed to be going ice skating, even though we have little knowledge of ice skating,” Daniels said. “Lastly, to end the night, we’re going to Olive Garden for dinner.”

Sophomores Jacardion French and Myecia Hill are approaching their second Valentine’s Day together. “Gifts, to us, isn’t what Valentine’s Day is about,” Hill said. “It’s about spending time together and loving each other.”

Juniors Brandon Ming and Kellis Petty have been together since middle school, and they’re looking forward to another Valentine’s Day together. “Brandon has a basketball game that day, so the next day we are going to get some food and go ice skating,” Petty said.

Valentine’s Day is a favorite holiday of junior Sanaa Brooks . “I feel like it’s a time where you should show love to everyone,” Brooks said. “I am spending Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend, we are going out to eat and to the movies to see a scary movie. We both like the Waffle House so we might go there to eat.”

Despite being new to U. City, Parker Overlin , freshman, was quick to click with Gayle Stevenson , freshman. “We’re going out to eat at Salt + Smoke,” said Stevenson. “I’ve been wanting barbecue.” Overlin sees it differently, saying jokingly that “the real reason we’re going there is because it’s expensive and she wants me to spend more money.”

Despite being a third-wheel, Daniel Smith , sophomore, is still enthusiastic about his Valentine’s Day plans. “I’m going to see Sonic at the Galleria with my homeboy and his girlfriend,” Smith said. “It feels good to be single but I want to be in a relationship.”