December 2021 U-Times by Utimes

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

U-Times December 2021 Volume 32, Issue 2

NEWSMAGAZINE

Festive light shows brighten holidays by Alara Stewart | Co-Editor

The “Twinkling Tunnel” exhibit at the Botanical Garden guides guests through the rest of the light show. PHOTOS BY ALARA STEWART

The clocktower at Anhueser Busch serves as a focal point to the light display.

The iconic Anhueser Busch logo greets visitors at the front of the Brewery Lights tour.

Hundreds of people bundle up and wait in line throughout the holiday season to experience the winter lights of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Anheuser-Busch and many more holiday lights events in St. Louis. As you enter these venues, the lights glow and gleam, giving people a glimpse of the winter wonderland they will soon encounter. Little kids dance and run up and down the line with excitement. Walking through the entrance, the Botanical Gardens begins with a huge Christmas tree that lights up with different colors and patterns. Similarly, Anheuser-Busch greets its guests with a large Christmas tree; however, it illuminates different images including Rudolph, Santa Claus and several other shifting patterns. The events were intricately designed to display a range of colors and interesting shapes, along with using technology to create several short light shows; one of them being a small clip of a dancing Christmas tree and prancing reindeer showcased on the lights of a Christmas tree at Anheuser Busch. “The lights were amazing, you could tell a lot of effort was put into the design and execution,” Mou-

hamed Ly, junior, said. From the clocktower that was framed with classic Christmas lights at Anheuser-Busch to the pathways decorated with colorful arches at the Botanical Gardens, both events welcomed large audiences that were enchanted by the lights, while large groups asked for their pictures to be taken, and children gasped while pointing at the huge tree lit up to its highest branches. “I’ve never been to a holiday light show,” Mecca Champion, junior, said. “It was really beautiful and it felt like I was in a Hallmark movie.” The Botanical Gardens took about an hour and a half to tour while Anheuser Busch took an hour. “It was a really wonderful experience, especially getting to go with my friends,” Champion said. “Drinking hot chocolate, laughing with them, and looking at the lights was a great way to transition into the holidays.” The Garden Glow at the Botanical Garden runs now through Jan. 8, and tickets are $20. The Brewery Lights tour at Anheuser Busch is available now through Dec. 30 and costs $5 for individuals under 21 years old and $10 for those over 21.

The first display at the Botanical Gardens, titled “Fire and Light,” metal shapes float on water in front of the Climatron.

IN THIS ISSUE

2-3

Opinions/News

• Astroworld Tragedy • “Squid Game” • Student Stress

Holidays

4-5

• The Meaning of Christmas • Giving Back

Reviews

• “30” by Adele • “House of Gucci”

6-7

Sports/Features

• Athletic Scholarships • Basketball Tournaments

news

December 2021

Students adjust to new normal Stress impacts attitudes about school, work and social life by Xavier Thomas | Staff Writer

Working a job, getting good grades and maintaining a social life and extracurricular activities have combined to become a growing mental health crisis in teenagers. According to the CDC, “more than one in three high school students had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40 percent increase since 2009.” “My thing is like I’m always really focused on having all A’s and having good grades and that can damage my mental health quite a bit because I usually focus on my grades before my mental health,” Madelaine Province, sophomore, said. “I’m trying to take care of myself more before focusing on school so I would like to be able to step back and relax if possible.” Clearly, the pandemic changed the way people deal with anxiety and created a situation where it became easier to give up on a challenge rather

than face work rather How stressed are you feeling this year? it. This was than going to even harder school as they for some don’t have as teenagers as much expected they were of them at their experiencing job. their first job “With the and had to job, I have a lot Source: Google adjust to new of flexibility, survey of 10% of rules. like if I tell them student body. “I worked I’m not availduring the able, they would pandemic,” respect that and Shawn Coleman, sophomore, said. “I also at my job I have a lot of downstarted working [at the zoo] in March time so I can bring my school work and when we were there, our protothere, too,” Isabelle Braeske, sophocols were very strict, everyone wore more, who works for Midwest Pool a mask, and at one point we needed Management, said. proof of vaccination, but we got rid It is not always evident to teenagof that.” ers that holding down a job and dealIn addition, school puts more ing with school could also provide a stress on teenagers which makes the teaching moment. situation with their mental health even “Working impacted me going to worse. Some teens prefer going to school because it made me take re-

sponsibility over my actions more like I have matured a lot,” Maliq Jackson, junior, who works at McDonalds, said. Oftentimes, students will manage their stress by procrastinating and putting tasks off until the last minute. “Some days it’s just kind of difficult to handle the stress and when teachers give an insane amount of homework it’s kind of annoying,” Province said. Even though having a job can prepare teens for the future, it can still create mental health issues and influence them to rethink their plans. “I think a lot of times if I’m having a really bad day and I don’t really want to do anything, like if I had plans before, I might cancel them because it’s just not going to be helping me in the moment,” Province said. ”Sometimes I’m just trying to stay out of situations that I know will make me upset or negatively affect my mental health if I go through with it.”

U. City provides options for self care

by Dani Waserman | Staff Writer

Walking into the art center, students comfortably sit in a circle of bean bags quietly meditating. Calm music is playing to create a peaceful environment as the staff leads a guided meditation. Meditation, yoga and restorative circles are just a few of the ways that students and staff practice self care at school to help stay focused and engaged throughout the day. Matthew Tuths, Latin and Restorative Justice teacher, uses restorative circles to provide a safe and respectful place for people to feel connected, comforted and understood. “The purpose is to build and maintain our community together,” Tuths said.“Self-care is often things that we can do for ourselves, but part of self care is taking care of others. Part of self-care is having space and time to share things on your mind and how you are feeling with people who genuinely listen and care about what you are saying.”

Restorative circles are not the only be more productive,” Woodward said. way the school provides self care Students also take it into their own opportunities throughout the school hands to provide self care opportuniday. Christine Woodward, school social ties for others throughout the day. worker, brings meditation to students Jakada Christmas, senior and certified during lunch yoga instructor, periods. started a yoga Woodward club to bring believes that a new form of meditation self care that is one of the stresses physibest practices cal movement. we can do for “Yoga proour bodies motes self care and for our in two ways,” anxiety. Christmas said. “A long “It promotes time ago a kid self care as you said ‘mediation are taking the is like taking time to realize Leading a yoga class, Jakada Christmas, senior, gives a nap without that you want directions to participants. “Often, we will do introducfalling asleep’ to do yoga and tions and people will tell a bit about their day before and sometimes we start. I think it is important for people to talk about you are carvwe need that to what they are feeling.” ing out time in reset our brain PHOTO BY CHANCE PINIKSTON your schedule to so that we can care for yourself.

LION YOGA

Thursdays at 3:15 in the library. Mats provided; masks required. 2021-2022 U-Times Staff Philosophy Co-Editor: Alara Stewart Co-Editor: Sasha Albright Staff Writers/Photographers: Beckett Wilke Nasra Artan Marley Gardner Albert Smith Dani Wasserman Xavier Thomas Chance Pinkston Adviser: Mrs. Mary Williams Adviser: Ms. Olivia Steely

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

Second, it focuses on breathing and reflecting on yourself.” In addition to providing students with self care opportunities, Smith has many different techniques that she uses throughout the day to stay focused. “There is a technique called 444 breathing, where you inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds and exhale for four seconds,” Christmas said. “Often, I will just stop and breathe which helps me focus throughout the day.” Woodward emphasizes the urgency of self-care as we return back to inperson learning. “Teenagers today have so much to do with catching up after virtual school, so I think that this year in particular it is so important to practice self care. We need to take those breaks.”

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

Wednesdays during A and B lunches in the Student Art Center.

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 in-

fringement, or unwarranted invasion of privacy.

Policies

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

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

December 2021

opinions

STAFF EDITORIAL

Fan culture reponsible for tragedy As a fan of any artist, it is a great experience to see them live. The ability to further immerse yourself into the music surrounded by other fans provides an atmosphere unlike any other. Concert goers, however, must be on high alert now following the events of Astroworld, a popular music festival held in Houston headlined by multi-platinum artist Travis Scott. With a death count of at least 10 and hundreds of lawsuits filed against Scott and Live Nation (entertainment company), many blame Scott for his encouragement of extreme fans and hectic concert environments. Others blame Live Nation for the lack of security and lack of space at the venue. As most of the blame is placed upon Scott, many tend to overlook those who even made the event possible, the fans. Fan culture for major artists hasn’t just now become dangerous. In 1991 at Riverport Amphitheatre, now known as Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Charles, head singer of Guns ‘n Roses, Axel Rose, took action against an unauthorized photographer and blamed security for not taking care of the situation. The band left the stage and ended their show early, which caused a riot that left 60 people

injured. Rose was charged with four counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of property damage. At the Astroworld concert, Sam Pena, Houston fire chief, was first to respond publicly regarding the crowd’s reaction when Scott began performing. Thousands began to push forward to get closer to the stage. According to CNN, Pena said, “They were unable to escape that situation. The crowd surged towards the stage causing people in the front to be compressed.” The environment became so manic that there was a lack of space and oxygen. Concert goer Alexis Guavin described the scene to CNN. “Once he started, all hell broke loose,” Guavin said. “All of what is to be 50,000 people ran to the front, compressing everyone together with the little air available.” According to The New York Times, a video appears to show attendees dancing on and blocking an ambulance that was trying to get into the crowd. The video also seems to show people getting on top of security vehicles. It does not seem like those fans knew what was going on or why the vehicles were trying to get into the crowd.

While there were some attempts made by the crowd to get people help, there were also accounts of people encouraging the continuation of the show and downplaying attempts to stop the show by telling people to “be quiet” and “calm down.” As people became hospitalized and died, the question lingered about why the show wasn’t stopped. Troy Finner, Houston Police Department Chief, expanded on this idea at a press conference following the events at Astroworld. “You cannot just close when you’ve got 50,000 individuals, okay?” Finner said. “We have to worry about riots when you have a group that’s that young.” It is convenient to place the blame on Scott, but there is much to be said about his fan base. While the majority of the concert goers were there for a performer, Scott couldn’t have possibly known that there were fans dying in the midst of his set. Fans, however, played a key role in the inability to get these people the help they needed. Whether it was blocking health officials or silencing the concerned concert goers, there is reason to question fan culture and how we approach our favorite artists. Hype should further drive your

love of an artist, but not so much to the point where it is irresponsible or dangerous. Partial responsibility has to be put on the fans who couldn’t recognize that their love of Scott’s music and persona shouldn’t surpass their concern of others. The deaths at Astroworld have become controversial due to the lack of a clear target for the public to point their finger at when the truth is that everyone is to blame. As one of the most looked at and influential figures of our generation, Scott should’ve known better than to support unwarranted concert goers. Live Nation should have looked into a more suitable and appropriate venue as Scott’s popularity has only risen since the last Astroworld Festival pre-Covid. Some of the people in that crowd valued their experience over human life and tragedy struck as a result. Crazy concerts are not unheard of whether it’s the aforementioned Guns ‘n Roses concert or fans surging towards the stage to get a better view of the late Michael Jackson, but it is our responsibility to look out for our fellow man and not let our need for a good experience trump our care for one another.

‘Squid Game’ critiques capitalistic society by Marley Gardner | Staff Writer

Since the pandemic began, the shortcomings of our capitalist system have been highlighted. People are working 60-hour weeks and still barely able to make ends meet. Patients are refusing medical treatment at the fear of debt. It’s left more people than before questioning why we do the things we do and who it’s really benefiting. There has always been media critiquing this state of being, like George Orwell’s “1984,” or even more recently the Academy Award winning “Parasite.” In recent weeks, South Korean horror drama “Squid Game” has hit Netflix USA, and it’s following in the footsteps of its formers. The show features 456 contestants, or “players,” who are challenged to a series of games with over 45 billion (about $38 million) promised to whoever can withstand the six games. However, there is a twist— if you lose, you die. A clause in the game allows players to vote to cancel the entire game, sparing the remaining lives, but leaving everyone without any prize money. The entire premise, and moments throughout the series, raise questions about human morality and wealthy inequality, and the ultimate one: is survival a basic human right? Watching “Squid Game” you are bound to question the living conditions of the players. How bad could it really be that so many people are willing to risk their lives at the slight chance of fortune? Obviously it has to be pretty bad, but the conditions aren’t actually

that unfamiliar. In many ways, the U.S. is just as unequal as South Korea, and sometimes more so. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), in the U.S. the top 20% makes 8.4 times as much as the bottom 20%, and in South Korea it is 6.5 times as much. Recently, the income gap has been a large topic of discussion. In the U.S., it is even worse than it was in the 1780s when the French Revolution began and they beheaded King Louis XVI. So if the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer, it has to be for a reason. Right? It’s because wealthy CEOs like Jeff Bezos (formerly of Amazon) and Elon Musk (Tesla) exploit workers, paying them low wages and exposing them to poor working conditions, profiting off of their suffering. While South Korea has its own set of sociopathic billionaires controlling the economy (called chaebols), we saw this appear in a different form in “Squid Game.” The games were funded by wealthy VIPs who watched the game and bet on it, profiting off of immense suffering in the same way as

Bezos and Musk. A major component of the game was the aforementioned clause allowing players to vote to end the game, resulting in them all being spared and sent home; however, without any prize money. this did happen once in the show. In episode two, “Hell,” they voted to cancel the game, but a surprising number of players returned out of pure desperation. In the following seven episodes, the characters witnessed their allies die, sometimes even being the cause of it. Capitalism has created this intense hyper-individualistic mindset that often drives us to make choices that put another person down for our own benefit, because that is the whole point. In order to make change, we have to break free of this mindset and adopt a more collectivist one. In the summer of 2020 we saw the country somehow even more divided than before following the murder of George Floyd. Spreading awareness from the comfort and safety of our homes was not enough to spark any real changes, so people started mutual aid funds to bail prisoners out of jail. They risked their lives protesting in the streets, with many people putting

their own lives and interests on hold to support those who needed it. In those months, we witnessed more getting accomplished than in years prior. The dystopian genre that has become so popular in recent years is becoming our reality. Every day millions of Americans are forced to work low-paying, dangerous jobs to survive amid rising cost of living like in “Squid Game.” Police officers brutalize protestors attempting to make a change like peacekeepers in “The Hunger Games.” The rich are getting increasingly richer, hindering the poor’s ability to survive like in “Snowpiercer.” So what is the alternative? Countless factors like suicide rate, healthcare acess and overall happiness tend to be higher in countries like New Zealend and Denmark that implement aspects of a socialized economy. While it’s not realistic for our country to become a socialized nation overnight, we can put forth an effort to make change in our own lives. If you have the financial resources you can donate to mutual aid funds once a month. You can educate yourself on what’s really happening in our country. You can support small businesses instead of large corporations when you have the opportunity. None of these things will solve the issue, but at the end of the day survival is a basic human right, and we must all examine the role hyper-individualism plays in our own lives in order for any major changes to happen.

The true meaning of Christmas? by Beckett Wilke | Staff Writer and Sasha Albright | Co-Editor

It’s that time of year again, the weather has gotten much colder, the days much shorter, and the overconsumption of useless products in American households is on the increase. For many, the holidays are about celebrating family, connectivity and happiness, but what good is that tree without a gift. It has become a growing trend around the world during holidays: mass purchasing of items that serve no meaning for anyone involved. To many retailers, this is referred to as the “Christmas Creep,” where by commercializing the start of Christmas and its meaning, advertisers can manipulate consumers. The holiday shopping season is frequently referred to as the “golden quarter’’ by retailers, but in recent years, the season has been expanded and even Black Friday has been extended to include the entire month of November. “I went to Lululemon and bought a pair of shorts on the Thursday night before Black Friday, but I still got them on Black Friday sale price,” Michael Simmons, junior, said.

Some people decide to only shop on the days before to avoid the hassle. Others decide that Black Friday is the only day for them. And yet others love to be caught up in the panic and chaos that is Black Friday. “I got up at 3:45 am and went to Walmart at 4:30 am and got in line at 4:45 am,” Mohammed Ly, junior, said. “The line was like 40 people behind us. I got an Apple watch for $109 and a gift for Michaela [Flowers, junior].” After Walmart, Ly and his friends continued on their Black Friday journey. “We went to Best Buy at 5:50 am and then went to Starbucks and waited outside Target until 6:50 am and that’s when a lot of people started to show up,” Ly said. Ly and his friends definitely contributed to the average amount of money spent per person throughout the holiday season. According to Jim Probasco in Investopedia, in 2020 it was $998. Taking that into account with the 6.2% increase in prices in 2021, the average spending will be well beyond $1,000 this holiday season. All of this is on top of travel plans and the reduced or limited wages of

Favorite holiday traditions?

Songs

Scan codes in the Spotify app to listen to the favorite holiday songs, as voted by the U-Times staff.

many. Since 2010 there has been a rising trend of prices by 20% total increase by 2020. “What I would say is set yourself a budget, set yourself a limit of how much you want to spend and stick to it,” Lafayette Gatewood, Personal Finance teacher, said. “It is the easiest way to stay out of debt.” In addition, Joel Waldfogel, economics professor at Yale, wrote in a paper that almost 13 billion dollars total had been wasted on unwanted gifts. This is called a “deadweight-loss,” where an object loses value when it’s purchased for you. For instance, several seniors are participating in a Secret Santa gift exchange and some are struggling to find the right gift. “Christmas is always a really fun time and so is Secret Santa,” Folake Adewale, senior, said. “But when you don’t really know your recipient it can be really hard to shop for them. Sometimes you don’t know what colors they like, let alone what kind of gift they would want. All you can do is just ask around and try not to be suspicious. But no matter what you get, just try to have a good time and a happy Christmas.”

Isaac Armour Dozier, junior “On Christmas we have the kids [in our family] read Bible verses to each other and see if they can memorize them, If they can remember them, they can win an extra Christmas present.”

Kiara Fall, junior “I celebrate Christmas and I do Secret Santa and gift wrapping contests with family and friends.”

Tiyah Jackman, senior “I like doing the 12 Days of Christmas with my mother. For the 12 days leading up to Christmas, we watch a Christmas movie every day. Elf is my favorite, but I also like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Unaccompanied Minors.”

2. 3.

“I Am the Grinch” by Tyler, The Creator (feat. Fletcher Jones)

Students voted in a google survey for their best-loved holiday treats. Below you will find ingredients, but go to the website listed at the bottom of each recipe to view the full directions.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

- 2 1/4 cups Gold Medal

- 3/4 cup packed brown

Cheesecake Filling:

-1 ¼ cups sugar

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1 egg

cream cheese, softened

-2 tablespoons lemon

1/2 cup vegetable shorten-

-5 eggs

- 1/3 cup ice water

sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon vanilla

- 1 cup butter, softened

- 2 cups semisweet choco-

- 3/4 cup granulated sugar

“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” by Tears for Fears

Sweet Potato Pie

Pie Crust

all-purpose flour

“Jingle Bells by Michael Buble (feat. The Puppini Sisters)

Cheesecake

late chips

Source: Betty Crocker

-2 packages (8 oz each)

-2 containers (8 oz each) whipped cream cheese spread, softened

Source: Betty Crocker

https://www.bettycrocker.com

Movies

https://www.bettycrocker.com

-2 teaspoons vanilla

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

juice

ing, chilled

-2 tablespoons Gold

Pie Filling

- 3 large sweet potatoes

Source: Patti LaBelle

- 8 tablespoons butter - 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar - 2 large eggs, beaten - 1/4 cup half and half

- 1/4 teaspoon ground

https://www.today.com/recipes/make-patti-labellessweet-potato-pie-recipe-home-t56966

Students ranked their top holiday movies in a google survey.

Organizations prioritize giving back by Nasra Artan | Staff Writer

Gabby Yudovich, sophomore “I celebrate Hanukkah so each day we light one candle until there’s eight total lit. We usually invite people over as well but with the pandemic I don’t think we are going to this year.”

Recipes

University City is a family, a family that is always willing to be there for each other. The staff and students have been doing all they can this year to help give back. With programs such as A+ and National Honor Society (NHS), the high school encourages students to volunteer in their community. So far the class of 2022 has done a hygiene drive, litter cleanups, donated school supplies and helped with meal delivery. “NHS and Class of 2022 are currently doing a hygiene and can drive until Dec. 3,” Michael Bostic, senior and StuCo vice-president, said. Each class was encouraged to compete for the most donated goods. In addition, the school social workers arecoordinating various programs. “I plan on holding a diaper drive in the spring to help our families at Julia Goldstein,” Christine Woodward, school social worker, said. “Our district helps many families through our holiday appeal programs, which are run by the district

social workers.” Volunteering helps students just as much as it does the community. When students volunteer, they are contributing to creating a stronger community, giving them a sense of purpose and it can also helping with college acceptance. “[Community service hours] shows colleges that you are a holistic person that does more than just homework, but that you also serve your community,” Bostic said. “It is also great to have consistent community service about things you are compassionate about, please do not do service just for hours.” Every year the boys basketball team donates food to St. Patrick’s Center, but this year they wworked with the Demetrious Johnson Foundation. “I always tell my team you can’t take things for granted,” head basketball coach Kelvin Lee said. “Live each day like it’s your last and appreciate what you have. Giving back and serving others is a way of appreciating what you have.” Lee believes the players benefit

from helping others. “[In the past], I’ve taken my team to the Children’s Hospital so they can go see the kids and the situation they are in,” Lee said. “It’s very educational for these boys. They go in there and lift them up. We take things to them to put smiles on their faces.” Man of Valor is another organization active in giving back to the community. Bishop Luther D. Baker, founder of Man of Valor, has been working with young men to give back to their community. In the last five years, Man of Valor has been able to serve 4,200 families through Joy of Giving, which they will pick up again this year but they are also planning on doing Shed. “This will be our first project this school year, which will be Joy Giving that starts next week,” Baker said. “But then there is a program called SHED (Safe Homes for the Elderly and Disabled) and it is a program where senior citizens who have homes that may need leaves raked, some painting done, small household things that need to

be done, or help on the exterior, then I take the men of Man of Valor and we go over there and rake their leaves, maybe paint, do small things.” In the past couple of years, Baker and Man of Valor also go to Pete’s Grocery and Schnucks in University City to help families pay for their groceries and they budget about $250 at each store and they offer families $50. “The pop up stand is amazing, between Pete’s and Scnhucks, people would go ‘are you serious?’ and I say yes,” Baker said. Although Man of Valor was created for young men, soon the high school will reboot the Determined Strong Women (DSW). The program will help young women in building their character and they will also be giving back. “In January of 2022, we are getting ready to start DSW again, and I am really excited about starting the program back up,” Baker said.

Sophomore student council members display some of the items they collected for the food/hygiene drive Nov. 10-Dec.3 sponsored by National Honor Society and Class of 2022 Shown above in front row: Keidyjah Williams StuCo member and Rosemary Shawver, treasurer. In back row: Sienna Yazdi, president; Shawn Coleman, vice president; Xavier Thomas, parliamentarian; Bella Wright, secretary; Oliver Watt-Hoven, sergeant-at-arms. PHOTO BY NASRA ARTAN ILLUSTRATIONS BY BECKETT WILKE

reviews

New Adele album inspires listeners by Alara Stewart | Co-Editor After six long years, Adele, one of the 21st century’s best-selling artists, has finally released by far one of her most vulnerable, heart breaking, yet inspiring albums of her career. “30,” written for her son, Angelo Adkins, is an authentically honest album that captures her experience with divorce, motherhood and love as she lyrically takes us through her past, present and future. Although Adele is 33, the album is titled “30” because it has been in the works since 2018; the beginning of her marriage to Simon Konecki. The painful relationship and divorce that inspired her to produce the album not only displays the heartbreak, but the empowerment and happiness she

gained from it. The creative masterpiece begins with the song, “Strangers By Nature,” that starts with the verse, “I’ll be taking flowers to the cemetery of my heart.” The song reflects on her marriage and mistakes, but ends with the hope that she will learn from her mistakes and begin to focus on herself. Following “Strangers By Nature,” the song “Easy On Me” is introduced, which sparks the mes-

sage to her son and ex-husband to go easy on her for her broken promises and mistakes. As the album progresses, it’s understood that Adele is telling her story because the third song, “My Little Love,” beautifully presents Adele’s relationship with her son, Angelo. The heart-wrenching song features emotional audio recordings between her and Angelo, such as the following: “I feel like you don’t love me/Why do you feel like that?/Do you likelike me?/You know mommy doesn’t like

December 2021

anyone else like I like you right?” The deep soulfulness of the album reminds listeners of the old Adele while she incorporated more upbeat songs such as the pop and jazzy track, “Cry Your Heart Out.” It goes to show that Adele has not lost her touch during these six years, but used her experiences to inspire herself and listeners to reflect, be emotional and be kind to yourself. “30” is not supposed to be taken as a divorcee sulking in her regrets and pain, it’s supposed to be empowering and validate that it’s okay to be unsure and emotional, it’s just what you do with that emotion that really matters. Rating: 5/5 stars

‘House of Gucci’

Gaga and Driver shine in their roles; Leto and Pacino underwhelm

by Marley Gardner | Staff Writer

With a true A-list cast, Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” is easily one of the most anticipated films of the year. It stars Lady Gaga (Patrizia Reggiani), Adam Driver (Maurizio Gucci), Jared Leto (Paolo Gucci) and Al Pacino (Aldo Gucci) in the endlessly dramatic story of the Gucci fashion house. However, the star-filled cast is most of what the film has to offer. The film tells the true story of the attractive and charming social climber Patrizia Reggiani as she chases after Maurizio Gucci, a wealthy fashion-

heir. It follows the infamous couple through their early romance, marriage, and even more turbulent split, which resulted in Reggiani hiring a hit man to kill her late husband, and the endless backstabbing within the Gucci family. Gaga and Driver’s performances were excellent. They crafted a so-awkward-it’s-almost-adorable romance, truly demonstrating their deep off-screen chemistry. However, Gaga was the true star of the film. Although she was a fan-favorite in “American Horror Story” and was even nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress as Ally in “A Star Is Born,” she still remained

Lady Gaga on screen. However, she transformed in “House of Gucci.” Her portrayal of Reggiani was colorful and arrogant, bringing her story to screen without glorifying a murderer. While Gaga and Driver brought the film to life, the rest of the high-profile cast didn’t exactly do the same. Jared Leto’s performance as Paolo Gucci in particular was clearly played up as comedic relief, but his whimsical and halfwitted nature missed the mark. His faux Italian accent alone was straight out of a bad Saturday Night Live sketch. Al Pacino’s character was so-so, but he often came across as more of a

New Jersey mob boss than the chairman of an elite fashion house. With an unnecessarily long two hours and 38 minutes runtime, it’s not unsurprising that “House of Gucci” was a bit dull. “House of Gucci” isn’t completely unworth watching. Gaga and Driver’s performances are sure to earn them nominations for the 2022 Academy Awards, and the story itself is significant culturally. But if you’re looking for the exciting, and maybe a little campy, crime drama it was set up to be, this isn’t the place to find it.

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December 2021

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St. Louis Community College will be offering two Saturday Hours Events to get you ready for the spring semester!

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Get ready for the spring semester! Our team will be on hand to assist you with enrollment processes. Students and potential students will have the opportunity to meet with:

Saturday, Jan. 8

· Recruitment and Outreach

10 a.m.-2 p.m.

· Admissions · Financial Aid · Testing · Campus Life · Cashier’s Office · Academic Advising · Access Office - Disability Support Services

10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 15

All events will be held at the four main campuses: Florissant Valley, Forest Park, Meramec and Wildwood Questions?

athlete committed to a school. dedication and practice matter Michael Bostic, senior, has 100% of the time. There is no committed to the University of option to do anything halfway Health Sciences and Pharmacy because a school has invested (UHSP) for track and field. His in you and your stats to better choice was not only because the profile of the athletic team of the track and field scholarholistically. Time consumption ship, but also academics. is also very different; currently, “They have a lot of conin high school, we run four nections with Wash U. Medical or five days a week during School, and they are great at the track season, whereas in making medical leaders for college, they run almost seven the future,” Bostic said. “I also days a week, sometimes twice want to be a pediatric oncolo- a day. They also run year-round gist so this is a start.” indoor and outdoor seasons.” Bostic has gotten a little Bostic also noted that his taste of what his life will be future UHSP teammates said like next year, as he is already the balance between homerunning with the track and work and sports is different, field team. being that many are pharmacy, “Running in high school nursing and medical majors, is very relaxed and is often which are intensely time-conjust for recreation and fun; suming. however, running on a col“I can handle the rigor lege athletic scholarship is the because I currently take five opposite,” Bostic said. “Diet, AP/DC courses and maintain

For the second year in a row, the boys basketball team won the annual Turkey Tournament at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School in Washington, MO. The team defeated Fort Zumwalt North, 68-49 in the championship game. Jayden Creighton, Carlton Thomas and Larry Abbey were named to the All Tournament Team. “It felt good especially being a freshmen on varsity and still being able to earn an award like that,” Jayden Creighton, freshmen, said. Abbey won the tournament MVP and ended the tournament with 69 points, 17 assists and four rebounds.

Boys team wins Borgia Tourney

Girls take consolation in DeSoto

The girls basketball team played in the 7th Fountain City Classic. While a loss in the first round to Seckman sent them to the consolation bracket, it gave the Lady Lions a second chance at victory. On Dec. 3, the team clinched a semi-final win against Riverview Gardens to send them to the consolation bracket final. In the championship game of the consolation bracket, U. City won 53-36 against De Soto.

by Sasha Albright | Co-Editor

running routinely, but it will take some getting used to,” Bostic said. For Pinkston and Bostic, hard work has paid off in a big way, but many other senior athletes, such as Josh Allen, Tyler Lemen and Isiah Harris are all senior football players hoping for offers. One resounding message from each of them was that the size of the school would matter. “I’d rather play at a small school so I could get playing time,” Lemen said. This sentiment echoed from all three athletes. Allen said that he is keeping his options open, but is really trying to get to Memphis. “I mean, you get out what you put into stuff, if you put a lot of hours in you get that back,” Allen said.

Basketball Tournament Highlights

For most students, sports are not the focus when it comes to college. Many are satisfied with getting into their top choice schools, but some are looking to continue their athletic career in college. To get an offer of an athletic scholarship is a challenge which takes dedication, focus and perseverance. Plus, somebody has to actually notice your strengths. Chance Pinkston, senior, is already committed to William Jewell College for baseball, but he is no stranger to the work it takes to get there. “It was really hard to get my offer; I had to work from last summer to this fall in the gym, on the baseball field and in school,” Pinkston said. “It was a lot of responsibility and time management.” Pinkston is not the only

by Sasha Albright | Co-Editor

Student athletes aim for college scholarships

sports U-Times December 2021 Volume 32, Issue 2

PHOTO BY ALARA STEWART

The tree of lights in the Garden Glow at the Botanical Garden is one of many holiday light installations in the St. Louis area.

WINTER WONDERLAND

NEWSMAGAZINE

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