November 2022 U-Times by Utimes

U-TIMES U. City High School 7401 Balson Ave University City, MO 63130

U-Times November 2022 Volume 33, Issue 1

NEWSMAGAZINE

U. City High School takes home 2nd and 3rd place in Homecoming parade by Shayonna Burgess | Staff Writer

Early on Saturday, Oct. 15, U. City lined up in the chilly weather to showcase the Candylandthemed floats. There were 15 floats this year and participation was high, according to Christopher Blumenhrst, parade coordinator. This was his 30th Homecoming parade he has organized. The parade was a return to the homecoming parade prior to Covid with many floats and participants,” Blumenhorst said. “Everyone had a fantastic time and the Candyland theme was a great success.” This year, the high school took home two awards in the float competition. Field hockey tied for 2nd with Jackson Park Elementary School, and the class of 2025 took home 3rd. Pershing Elementary School took first place. Isabella Wright, junior, walked with the field hockey float. “I enjoyed seeing the happy faces of children who got candy, even parents that got candy, and I liked being cheered on by the observers,” Wright said. “Last year we did have a professional float builder. But this year it was just all of the team doing it ourselves, so it was like an amazing team bonding experience to have.” Field hockey runs in the family. “My sister was on the field hockey team when I was younger and so I helped walk with them when I was in elementary school,” Wright said. “I’ve been walking in the float for the past couple

of years.” As per tradition, ROTC led the parade. The Golden Girls dance team wasn’t far behind. Aliyah Smith, senior, walked with the Golden Girls. Their outfits also matched the theme. “Since it was the Candyland theme, they had a lot of lollipops going around,” Smith said. “We had barrettes in our hair. They had little candies to make it more special.” Smith didn’t have a chance to participate in the parade last year. “This year was something new,” Smith said. “All of the team members had to really communicate with each other during it, and we all worked together. Of course our coaches helped us a lot with getting ready to see what we were going to wear.” Alando Braziel, junior, marched with the marching band. The marching band has to memorize the notes and the dances before the parade. “I felt great about the parade this year because it was a different vibe from last year,” Braziel said. “We didn’t have to wear our facemasks when we were playing anymore, and it was back to normal.” With so many people coming out to celebrate U. City, the energy was contagious. “I love watching everybody that was from the sideline coming out from their houses just cheering everybody on,” Smith said.

Leading the field hockey float, Zofia Reed, senior, smiles with teammates Madelaine Province and Natayvia Turks, juniors. The float won second place in the annual contest. “It was kind of annoying smiling that long, but it was worth it,” Reed said. PHOTOS BY NASRA ARTAN

Candace Sneed, freshman, walks in formation with fellow Golden Girls, Samya Hayes and Ciara Roddy, seniors. “I was very tired,” Sneed said. “I almost passed out, and I was very excited. This is my first parade; my first time with the dance team.”

Candace Weeden, senior, rides the Class of 2023 float with fellow seniors, her fourth time riding a float. “It was really energetic, electric even,” Weeden said. “I’ll always remember when we almost fell off the truck because someone ran in front of it. I did fall but it was all good since me and the rest of the people on the float laughed it off.”

Josh Grove, freshman, walked the streets of U. City playing his saxophone for over an hour and a half with Declan O’Leary, junior, and Phillip Trotter, freshman. The band performed songs like “Get Ready”, “Big Ballin” and “Velvet Rope.” “Marching through U. City was tiring, but it’s still pretty fun,” Grove said.

IN THIS ISSUE

Features/News

2-3

• New classes offered • Nov. 8 election

Homecoming • Pep rally

4-5

• Homecoming dance

Reviews

6-7

• Don’t Worry Darling

• Midnights by Taylor Swift

Sports

• Fall Sports wrap up

features Careers are shifting. People are working from home and implementing more technology in their nine-to-five jobs. The two new classes being offered at U.City, Game Design and Social Media and Marketing, are essential to developing new skills for careers in the 21st century and give students an opportunity to jumpstart into their future career fields. Mike Daly is now teaching Intro to Game Design in room L215 and Joelle McIntosh is teaching Social Media and Marketing in room 324. Social media, the internet and technology is becoming even more ingrained into our lives every day. Job opportunities in those fields are abundant, and skilled people are needed to fill those spots that are in high demand. Our generation can be the one to take on those roles. “Overall employment in media and communication occupations is projected to grow 6 percent from 2021 to 2031, about as fast as the average for all occupations; this increase is expected to result in about 68,600 new jobs over the decade,” the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said. With this new growth it’s important to take advantage of these resources U.City is providing for students. There are many students that have a special skill and want to make money off of it. By taking a Market-

STAFF EDITORIAL

November 2022

ing class, you can learn how to grow career skill courses are imperative to to your full potential and how to run a everyone’s future. They teach skills professional and successful business. that most college majors and careers “I think students that take this will require some skill, whether that course should be interested, or have be problem solving, graphic design, some interest, in business,” McIntosh social media management, analytics said. “They should be creative thinkers, and more. have a willingness to be pushed and “Do you like playing games?” stretched a bit in terms of just thinkDaly said. “Take this class. Do you like ing.” solving In addiproblems? tion to the Take this marketing class. Do and soyou think cial media you are management creative side of jobs and want to in technoloshow off? gy, computer Take this science itself class. Do Michael Daly and Joshua Henderson, sophomore, code a game has skyrockyou want using the game maker. eted over to remake PHOTO BY XAVIER THOMAS the years. classic Accordgames? ing to the U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisTake this class. Do you want to make tics, “Overall employment in computer new games? Take this class. Do you and information technology occupawant to tell a story (in a game)? Take tions is projected to grow 15 percent this class.” from 2021 to 2031, much faster than If you’re worried about fitting these the average for all occupations; this classes into your schedule, Game Deincrease is expected to result in about sign with Mr. Daly is a semester class, 682,800 new jobs over the decade.” making the class more accessible to For some, college isn’t the right more students. Marketing with Ms. fit or it isn’t an option due to a lack Mcintosh is a year long class, which of resources; however, these life and comes with the challenge of fitting it

into our schedules. “I am interested in exploring how it could possibly be a semester class,” McIntosh said. “I think that would allow more students to have an opportunity to take the class, and that’s important.” In contrast Game Design and Coding are offered as semester classes making them more accessible and allowing students to take advantage of both classes. “I think this class will be a great class to help introduce computer science to some students that might not want to take a full year class like Computer Science Discoveries, Computer Science Principles, or LaunchCode,” Daly said. “I think this course will help feed kids into those classes. Those classes can lead kids almost directly into the job market.” In order to adequately prepare for the future students have begun and will need to begin enforcing more career preparatory courses as college prices rise and the technology industry grows. If you are interested in taking either of these classes, talk to your student counselor to see how it can fit into your schedule. Both Ms. McIntosh and Mr. Daly are passionate about the subjects they are teaching and want to help students explore their interests and flourish. You may even find your calling; the possibilities are endless.

Early College program proves beneficial for students by Madelaine Province | Staff Writer

Of the many opportunities U. City High School has to offer, one of the most impressive is the Early College Program. This program allows students to take Dual Credit classes through St. Louis Community College (STLCC) their junior year, and then actually attend classes at STLCC while they’re still seniors in high school. Those seniors will then graduate high school already having earned an associate’s degree. Many students have opted for this program. “It has caused me to take a lot more initiative with everything, both responsibility-wise and academically,” Michaela Flowers, senior, said. “It’s definitely prepared me [for college] because even if the credits I’m working on now don’t transfer, being in the classroom taking those college-level courses is like getting a crash course in the prerequisites that I would have to take anyways.” One of the reasons this program is so beneficial is because it’s appealing to a variety of students for many reasons. “I felt like early college was the best option to benefit my future because I really want to be a travel nurse,” Isabelle Braeske, junior, said. “Most nursing programs only take two years, and it only takes two years to graduate from college with an Associate’s degree, so it would work out perfectly.” With the increasing expense of college, it can be 2022-2023 U-Times Staff Philosophy Editor: Alara Stewart Web Editor: Xavier Thomas Staff Writers/Photographers: Nasra Artan Shayonna Burgess Nikia Clark Mekhai Gover Madelaine Province Erin Standish Ariyanna Wilkes Kamarra Williams Adviser: Ms. Olivia Steely

helpful to already have some of the credits done and be able to have some knowledge about what a college environment is like. “College is getting really expensive and I wanted to get the prerequisites out of the way,” Bella Wright, junior, said. “I also thought it would be a pretty good experience getting college credits and having college experience prior to actually having to pay for it.” Despite all the program’s advantages, it’s not of interest to everyone. Some people still prefer a more traditional high school atmosphere. “I was scared of the workload at the community college, and I also really wanted to keep my high school experience and my college experience separate,” Lucy Rhoades, senior, said. “I wanted to take all four years at U. City and stay in the building to really enjoy my high school times while I had them since they were going to come to an end. I do think it’s a really good opportunity though, and I love that U. City offers it.” While many are happy about how their experience with the program has been so far, some students have mixed feelings about having all their classes on the STLCC campus. “I’m nervous that I’m going to be sad about not being in the building my senior year, because I was also not in the building my freshman year due to co-

The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of the issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. While establishing U-Times as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decisionmaking as they take on the respon

sibility for content and production of the newspaper. Inasmuch as the student staff encourages constructive criticism of any part of the newspaper, authority for content rests in the hands of the student members of the newspaper staff. Students will not publish material considered to be legally unprotected speech, or libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process, copyright infringement, or unwarranted invasion of privacy.

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vid. But I feel like I’ll be ready by the end of this year to not be here,” Braeske said. “I can always come back for the activities like the dances and sports, so it’ll be fine.” Others had a different opinion. “Ultimately I’m happy about my choice,” Rhoades said. “I feel like I’m already really stressed out with the workload of high school and I see how hard the early college people are working so that would be a lot for me.” Even for students who will choose to pursue a school somewhere out of state where the credits won’t transfer, the program is a great learning experience and a beneficial asset to have just in case. “It’s very helpful as a backup,” Flowers said. “If I ever did stay in-state and not transfer, I could go to a local 4-year university and my credits would transfer. And I could save money.” Kimberly Merrill, the head of the counseling department and dual credit/early college counselor, implores students to reap the benefits of this program. “I encourage students to participate in early college; however, if that’s not the program for them, they should take advantage of the dual credit courses we have at U. City,” Merrill said. “Both are great opportunities that can have a positive impact on students’ lives after they graduate.”

Opinions expressed on the editorial page do not reflect the viewpoints of the school administration. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board. Signed editorials, columns, editorial cartoons, and reviews reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the U-Times Editorial Board. The U-Times reserves the right to reject, edit, or shorten letters. Submit letters to Ms. Olivia Steely in Room L306, or to any UTimes staff member, or to osteely@ ucityschools.org.

We are located in Room L 306 at University City High School, 7401 Balson Ave., University City, MO 63130. Our email address is osteely@ucityschools.org. Follow us on Instagram (@utimespublication) and subscribe to our YouTube channel (@U-Times Publication)

news

November 2022

Nov. 8 election pivotal in Missouri’s future

by Alara Stewart | Editor

333.1 million people live in the United States according to the Census Bureau, but only 154.6 million people voted in the 2020 presidential election; just a little over half of the population. As the general election on Nov. 8 approaches, students emphasize the importance of voting not only on a national level but on a local level. “Voting is often misunderstood and is very important, especially in these midterm and more local elections, because it is these elections that really help to enact the immediate change in your communities that you want to see,” Michael Simmons, senior, said. In this year’s general election, every registered voter will have the opportunity to vote for the Missouri U.S. Senator, State Representative, Member of the Board of Education, Missouri Supreme Court Judges, etc. Several amendments on the ballot include voting to hold a convention to revise/amend the Constitution and voting to remove prohibitions from any marijuana related conduct for adults over the age of 21. With this amendment, they’re proposing to allow people incarcerated for marijuana related charges to petition for release and have their records expunged. “Vote for State Representatives, Senators, etc, because voting is more important than people think,” Tori Wilson, junior, said. “It’s about who has power and control in the country. If we get power into the wrong hands then it can be misused.” For some there is an even deeper significance and history to voting. “I think as an African American I almost have a duty to vote in honor of all of the people, my family members, my ancestors,”

Simmons said. “As a community we did not have that right and we were barred from being able to participate in the foundation of this country; democracy. So now that I feel that I do have that right it is important and I not only owe it to myself but to people before me, the people that bled, the people that died, literally for me to be able to have this right. To prevent the government from making decisions without input from citizens, Wilson and Simmons believe that voter turnout must increase. According to Global Citizen, U.S. citizens do not vote because they cannot. This derives from the lack of transportation, the limits of mobilization with age, financial reasons, prisoners not given the right to vote and that senators and representatives purposely restrict voting in some states. U. City closes school on election day. “Voting, if it’s not already, should be a national holiday,” Simmons said. “I think that a lot of the voter restriction laws, especially the ones happening in Georgia, need to be eliminated. More communities need access to resources to understand the importance and what’s on the ballot. And just those grassroot efforts such as, loading up vans and taking people to the polls, making sure that your communities are registered to vote, spreading information about what’s on the ballot.” In addition around 15% of registered voters did not vote in the 2016 election because they believed that their vote did not matter in terms of making change. “A lot of teenagers that I hang out with that are 18 are not registered to vote, and most of them think that their voice or vote doesn’t matter,” Wilson said. “To me every vote matters.”

Scan QR code to find your nearest polling place and view what candidates and issues will be on your ballot.

POLLING PLACES

• FLYNN PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 7220 Waterman Ave • WASHINGTON UNIV FIELD HOUSE 330 Big Bend • BRITTANY WOODS SCHOOL 8125 Groby Rd • CENTER OF CREATIVE ARTS 6880 Washington Ave • JACKSON PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 7400 Balson Ave • JULIA GOLDSTEIN EARLY CHILDHOOD 737 Kingsland Ave • PERSHING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 6761 Bartmer Ave • HEMAN PARK COMMUNITY CENTER 975 Pennsylvania Ave - List courtesy of St. Louis County Election Board -

Student population spikes in recent years by Ariyanna Wilkes | Staff Writer

Despite the stigma surrounding U. City’s education system, the school has shifted its focus on implementing more programs like dual credit courses, the EMT program and more. The impact is being seen as the population has grown from 671 students in 2021-2022 to 749 students this school year. “We offer over 50 credit hours of dual credit so you can leave U. City high school with enough credits, [and] walk into a college with an amazing opportunity,” Kimberly Austin, associate principal, said. “We do have great programs here. Word is out that we have all of these amazing things here at U. City.” Along with introducing more innovative programs, U. City also improved the school’s environment by choosing the best teachers and administrators. “We are very strategic in who we hire as teachers, we are very specific and [want to] have our student body feel [more comfortable] and relate to teachers [and] staff,” Robyn Murry, registration specialist, said. There has been a teacher shortage recently but the district has continued finding and hiring qualified teachers while training existing staff members to instruct in other subject areas. “I believe that Dr. Peoples and the

entire admin team have all been working really hard and diligently to just bring structure to the building,” Murry said. In recent years, the number of students who reside in U. City but move to other districts often balances out with the number of kids who move in to the district. “Not all 8th graders come to U. City high school as freshmen, so we lose a population of students,” Austin said. But we get that same number plus some back with students who are new to the community.” However, with the increase this year, the effort that they have put in hasn’t gone unnoticed by the community. In fact, many parents have acknowledged it and decided to bring their children back to the district. “A percentage of students who went to private school during their freshman and sophomore year, came back for their junior year due to the innovative classes such as dual credit [and various] electives,” April Lawrenece, counselor, said. Austin gives multiple reasons why this may have occurred. [I] think with the economy, with covid, people losing jobs or a change in income and lifestyle, families had to make decisions,” Austin said. “Can’t afford to pay for this private school or Catholic school. We live in the commu-

nity so we’ll send our students to the school.” However, not only do the residents of University City attend the school but students in other districts do as well. U. City welcomes any new families who wish to enroll their children. “We are a school district that is a boarding district of several other school districts [such as] Saint Louis public, Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Ritenour, Normandy, [and] Clayton,” Austin said. The school has been successful in bringing in new students, which has had a good impact on the school as seen by the present U. City students. “I feel content with the number of kids here,” Clementine Huck, freshman, said. “I think it’s helpful to have not too little and not too great of a number because you’re able to make a lot of friends. But it’s not an overwhelming number of people to the point where you feel like you’ll just blend in.” Although some students have differing views on the growth, none of them are negative; rather, they are comical, having a laugh about the individual grades that have seen a rise in enrollment numbers. “The more people, the better,” Arvell Sherman, junior, said, “It’s just a lot of lil kids, ain’t really no upperclassmen like that.”

For the counselors, the increase has been noticeable but not too disruptive. “Class size isn’t a problem, but still manageable,” Lawrence said. “Scheduling isn’t really too much of issue because course requests help with figuring out student schedules. Samantha Myer, ELA teacher, gives her take on the increase of students. “In the beginning, it can be chaotic because you have students who are just moving in as the weeks go through,” Myer said. “But it’s started to level out so it’s not as chaotic as people would assume having these large classes.” She must, however, overcome several challenges as a result of the sudden increase. “But as an English teacher, it can be harder because that’s a lot more essays and written work that I have to constantly grade and so that’s a significant workload that I have to do that can sometimes be stressful,” Myer said. Even with all the sudden changes to U. City, staff and teachers have expressed positivity. “Even though it can feel stressful having larger class sizes, it’s really good to have more students coming into U City,” Myer said.

Nothing Sweeter Than U.City Over 100 students attend dance despite cold weather by Kai Gover | Staff Writer

After defeating Clayton in the game that afternoon, over a hundred students and staff members embraced another Homecoming Dance the evening of Oct. 15. Students arrived at the Balson doors and made their way to the Lion’s Den where they would take up the sweet adventure and thrill of Candyland. Students were welcomed by friends and staff as they spent time dancing, socializing and enjoying their night. Many arrived in their best fashion and dressed to impress despite the cold temperatures. “I enjoyed having Homecoming outside in the Lion’s Den,” Joseph Robinson, sophomore, said. “Everyone was able to fit and enjoy themselves. The 360 camera was also a great addition to the dance and so were the heaters because it was a little chilly outside. The heaters gave students a chance to embrace the heat and still have fun.” The Class of 2024 hosted students and decorated the space with overhead LED lights, chalk on the walls of the Natatorium, confetti and stencils around the dance floor. Even the DJ’s table had decorations of its own. “The students and I worked hard to get everything ready and decorated for the dance,” Marian Reed, librarian, said. “We were so focused on getting the environment ready for students to come and enjoy themselves we even had to do

last minute runs to stores just for decorations. But overall the dance was unique, and I think the students enjoyed it.” Since Homecoming was moved outside a few years ago, weather has always been a concern as many students feared that it would hold them back from enjoying themselves at the dance. However that was not the case with the help of heaters. “The weather wasn’t that bad, and the heaters were a nice addition,” Zoe White, senior class president, said. “It made the Lion’s den a lot more comfortable and warm for students to enjoy themselves. I think students liked it because even though it was a little chilly, students were standing around the heaters and still enjoying themselves.” Many attendees felt the dance helped build a strong bond between students and staff members, as chaperones voluntarily signed up to help. “Overall this year’s dance experience was great,” Sarah Smelser, art teacher, said. “I volunteer every year, but I missed last year. I enjoyed it from the lights and decorations to the 360 camera, which I thought was great at the dance because it gave the students a cool thing to participate in and enjoy with their friends. To come back to this year’s dance was great.” PHOTOS BY FELICITY JORDAN-THOMAS

Nyla Brooks, Jameerah Parsons, seniors, and Mariyah Shaw, junior, take a moment to rest after dancing and taking photos. “It was interesting because the theme was different,” Brooks, senior, said. “We haven’t had decorations like these before.”

After being crowned Homecoming queen, Makayla Larkin, senior, has the biggest smile on her face. “When they called my name during the pep rally, I was excited,” Larkin said. “Once I received the crown, I felt the same [excitment].”

Senior and junior StuCo team up for pep rally by Kamarra Williams | Staff Writer

Students slowly start to pile into the stadiums with their black and gold the day of the pep rally. The school mascot jumps around, hyping up the crowd and encouraging the students to cheer. This year, students were not restricted to sitting with their class but could go wherever they wanted in the stadium. The marching band plays in the background adding to the energy of the rally before it has even begun. “Our pep rallies get better and better every year,” Danielle Morris, the student council sponsor, said. “We did some of the same activities, but students wanted to participate in them and enjoyed them.” There were several games planned for the pep rally including tug of war, dance battles, and musical chairs. Danae Carey, junior, knew she was going to end people’s careers when participating in the game of musical chairs.

“The chair placement wasn’t the best,” Carey said. “But overall it was alright, I had fun.” Hosting the rally were co-hosts Tori Wilson, junior, and Aliyah Goodman, senior. They amped up the students in the stadiums and ran all the game events. “It was stressful to get everyone to listen, it was fun, but real stressful” Tori said. “My favorite part was announcing the Homecoming winners.” Another major part of the event was the debut of the lion mascot after many years. The lion mascot’s identity is anonymous. “Getting to see the excitement of alumni, younger kids, and even our students was really rewarding,” the lion said. “I loved taking pictures with all the kids and alumni. It’s always so much fun seeing the community that is so strong and prevalent in U. City and it was nice getting to kind of observe that.”

Due to his skill set, Caleb Nisbett, junior, was able to win the race at the pep rally. “I run track,” Nisbett said. “I am a 2017 national champion for Race Walk. I’ve done the 200, 400, [and] 800. I have over 60 medals, about 40 gold.”

The crowd is cheering and clapping while Ariah Sneed, senior, Latandy Simon and Laila Dixon, sophomores, finish a formation for their dance “Snake.” “I feel like that was our best performance that we’ve had all year,” Dixon said. “This time we had a lot of participation and dedication.” PHOTOS BY ALARA STEWART

Jared Porter and Deanna Anderson, sophomores, are celebrating after their cheerleading performance. “I liked that I got hyped up by everybody,” Porter said. “I felt the energy.”

Jared Porter, sophomore, Samya Hayes and Gia Ward, seniors, dance to the song “Wobble.” Hayes and Ward felt this year was a celebration of previous school years “It’s my last Homecoming so might as well just have fun,” Hayes, senior, said.

Aliyah Goodman, senior, smiles in the middle of dancing. The theme gave her a lot of nostalgia. “We did the same theme when I was in elementary school,” Goodman said. “Now I’m a senior, and I got to experience the same theme again.”

Elena Kellogg, Lucy Rhoades, seniors, and Madelaine Province, junior, stop dancing for a moment to pose together. “Everybody there was excited and looked their best and was feeling good,” Rhoades said. “Everyone was super hyped.”

Football team defeats Clayton 21-0 by Nasra Artan & Garner Province | Staff Writers

1. Running back Arvell Sherman and defensive back Joseph West, seniors, moss the ball from Clayton Oct. 15 during the Homecoming game. “I tipped it to Joe, and he caught the ball,” Sherman said. “I felt like a team player. It is an excitement I can’t explain. I’ve been feeling this way about football since I was a child; it’s my first love. Every play feels like my last.” 2. Quarterback Kai Gover, senior, runs with the ball next to running back Christian Carter, senior. “You get an adrenaline rush after you score,” Gover said. “You get so excited you want to do it again.” Gover ended the game with a passing touchdown to De’Mario Batteast, senior, and rushed 40 yards. Gover is also team captain. The game stayed 0-0 the first half of the game. Gover, Batteast, and Carter all scored touchdowns the second half of the game. “We came out the first half kinda slow, but the second half came and we turnt it up,” Carter said. “We just got the energy. Everybody came and supported.” 3. Defensive end Isaac Armour Dozier, senior, celebrates the win. Armour Dozier had 10 tackles and helped to defend against Clayton scoring. “This was one of the best games I had this season,” Armour Dozier said. “I was proud to represent that black and gold and get the stats that I did. We see Clayton as a friendly rivalry because we know a good chunk of their players, We can basically go out, have fun, play the sport we love, and compete.” 4. Tight end Don Washington and wide receiver De’Mario Batteast, seniors, hype each other up during the game. “The touchdown and my team helped motivate me,” Batteast said. Derrick Colquitt, head coach, gave the team a pep talk during halftime. “It was a battle of two halves, and the coaches and I made some adjustments at halftime to get the guys woken up finally,” Colquitt said. “Execution wasn’t really the best. We executed way better in the second half.” PHOTOS BY XAVIER THOMAS AND KIYA KING

reviews

November 2022

Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t live up to hype by Xavier Thomas | Web Editor

The “Don’t Worry Darling” drama surrounding the movie was more interesting than the actual movie. “Don’t Worry Darling,” directed by Olivia Wilde, stars Florence Pugh as the main character Alice. The movie starts with the audience being introduced to Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) partying with their friends. The environment shows that the movie takes place in the 50s from the vintage cars, clothes and hairstyles. Alice and Jack are love interests who are wealthy and don’t have many cares in the world right now. Their friends are the same as they also seem pretty wealthy and carefree as Peg (Kate Berlant) drinks alcohol while pregnant without any interference from others. The scene then cuts to Alice and Jack doing their morning routine. Jack works during the day while Alice stays home. When

Jack is leaving to drive off to work, all of the other men in the neighborhood also leave to go to work at the same time as him. They all leave their driveways and go to work in unison. At this moment unsettling feelings began to creep in as we learn that the film takes place in a dystopia. When Alice is cooking for her and Jack’s friend Frank (Chris Pine) at their party. She wants to use eggs but all of the eggs are empty. She cracks them and nothing comes out of them as if the eggs were just a prop. The scene then cuts to the party where we are introduced to Frank. He seems to be

loved by everyone and in charge of what goes on in the neighborhood. The movie goes back to Alice wanting to get some fresh air as she leaves her house for a bit. She sees a plane crash near a prohibited area. She goes to it but instead of seeing the plane she sees a glass house. She touches the house which gives her a glimpse of reality. Even after this revelation, the movie was genuinely dull. Instead of building anticipation, the entire movie (until the last 20 minutes where everyone is exposed) felt like

filler. The movie would have also starred Shia LaBeouf as the male lead, but the media was told he was fired. In actuality, LaBeouf quit the film and was begged to come back by Wilde. LeBeouf still decided not to come back, which led her to give the role to her boyfriend Harry Styles. Since Styles is not known for his acting skills and is romantically involved with Wilde, some people believed he didn’t deserve the role. The movie’s controversy surrounding it, from Harry Styles allegedly spitting on Chris Pine to people speculating that the cast did not like each other, overshadowed and distracted views from the actual plot and performance. Overall, the movie was underwhelming. While there were some enjoyable moments, it was a slow burn that only fizzled. Rating: 3/5

Taylor Swift’s Midnights has something for everyone by Madelaine Province | Staff Writer

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. On Oct. 21, Taylor Swift released her tenth album, Midnights. After releasing Folklore and Evermore within five months of each other back in 2020, Swift had mainly been focused on re-recording her previous albums. These included Fearless, which was originally released in 2008 and re-released in April of 2021, and Red, which was originally released in 2012 and re-released in November of 2021. With all the releases of her older albums, no one thought there was a new one coming in the near future, but at the VMAs on Aug. 28, she announced the release date for Midnights. Fans went wild. Swift described the album as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [her] life.” It seems to return to the mainstream pop sound she left behind in 2019 with Lover but still maintains the feeling of a new album rather than just repeating her “old” sound. The concept of the “scattered nights throughout [her] life” is intriguing, because while many albums are written over a consecutive period of time, this one comes from many different times in her life. Due to this concept, the album can feel inconsistent if you listen to the songs individually. There seems to be a lot of different sounds all packed into this one album, ranging from moody

synths to upbeat songs bound to be radio hits, but somehow Swift manages to still make it feel cohesive even with so many different things going on. Just as there are different sounds on the album, Swift explores different subjects as well. From the pressure of being in the spotlight to a reflection on past romances and declarations of raw, painful love, there’s something in the album for everyone to resonate with. The album itself is creative genius, but that comes as no surprise to anyone who’s a fan of Swift. Often called one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, Swift truly lives up to the title with all of her albums, Midnights included. From lyrics like “Industry disruptors and soul deconstructors / And smooth talking hucksters out glad-handing each other” (“Sweet Nothing”) to “From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes / I gave my blood sweat and tears for this / I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss / The jokes weren’t funny I took the money” (“You’re On Your Own, Kid”), Swift examines the feeling of being constantly observed and criticized while living in the spotlight the past 16 years, as well as the struggles of being in an industry that can be very unforgiving. It’s no secret that she has faced many rumors in period of fame. The allegations of her being a “serial dater”

since she was just 18 have followed her to the age of 32, with people finding a way to criticize her six year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn. While she’s spent a lot of time trying to debunk these claims, she had a different approach in Midnights. With “unbothered” songs like “Karma” and “Vigilante Shit,” she calls out her critics and remarks that she’s doing just fine regardless of the hate, seemingly relating back to the idea of her “revenge era” that was born with Reputation. Many of Swift’s “fans” who jumped on the bandwagon after the release of Folklore and Evermore have expressed their disappointment with how this album didn’t live up to their “alternative rock/indie folk pop” standards. Comments like these are laughable, because anyone who knows Swift knows that up until the release of those sister albums she was known for her country-pop turned mainstream pop sound, and she was quite successful because of it. It’s completely valid for people to crave the soulful feeling brought forth from her 2020 releases, but it’s just unreasonable to criticize her for going back to her pop sound when that’s what she’s been known for for years. Rating: 5/5

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November 2022

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Elena Kellogg Field hockey finished 8-10. U. City and Rosati Kain now make United Field Hockey. Elena Kellogg, senior, led with 11 goals and 8 assists. After a hard fought district game vs Westminster (9th ranked team in St LouisMetro area), United Field Hockey took the 0-1 loss.

Destini Henry Softball ended the season 7-15. Staci Stevenson, senior, led the team with a batting average of .657 and an on-base + slugging percentage (OPS) of 1.768, as well as runs batted with 14. Aniah Corely, sophomore, ended with a batting average of .463 and an OPS of 1.146 and 13 runs batted in. PHOTO BY SHAWN COLEMAN

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Aaron Amaya The season ended 11-8-1. The team’s goalie and co-captain, Larryn Porter, senior, has a 7-0-1 record in goal and scored two goals. Forward Aaron Amaya, junior, led with 13 goals, as well as five assists. Co-captain Theo Sharp, senior, has 10 goals along with 6 assists. PHOTO BY ANNALISE FORSTER

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November 2022

Stefani Hudson U. City’s varsity volleyball team finished with 7-17-1. Morgan Wibben, freshman, led the team in serving percent with 90.11%. Varsity captain, Alara Stewart, senior, leads the team in average points a game with 2.14. PHOTO BY OLIVER WATT HOVEN

PHOTO BY OLIVER WATT HOVEN

Isabelle Braeske The season ended 8-3. They were conference champions and placed 2nd and 3rd place in the invitational tournament. They advanced to the 2nd district game.

The varsity football ends the season with a close 4-5. Quarterback and captain Mekhai Gover, senior, has 1,235 passing yards with a 50% completion rate and 12 touchdown passes. He also has 46 rushing attempts and 242 rushing yards, along with three rushing touchdowns. De’Mario Batteast, senior, is leading the team in receiving with 32 receptions and 454 yards along with 6 receiving touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Tyler Lemen, junior, is leading the team with 50 tackles. PHOTO BY XAVIER THOMAS

Julien Trobaugh and Elias Klein Julien Trobaugh, senior, ran a 16:41.00 on Oct. 15, which is currently the 38th best time in the St Louis region. Also, on Oct. 15, Elias Klein ran a 17:00:00, which is his best time of the season.

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Although he isn’t on the student The tree of in the council, helights helped planGarden the pep rally. Glow at the Botanical Garden is one “I knew I was going to win,” Willis ofsaid. many holiday installations “I was just light waiting for theminto the Louis area. callSt.my name, honestly.”

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SUGAR RUSH WINTER Tyrece Willis, senior, celebrates after getting crowned Homecoming king. WONDERLAND

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