Southpaw: The Local Issue by SouthSide Media

SOUTHPAW

THE LOCAL ISSUE

Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Road Columbia, Mo. 65203 Volume 11, Issue 4 May 2021

he past three issues of Southpaw this year (the Virtual, Health & Science and Narrative Issues) have all dealt with huge issues happening in our world. The seemingly instant shift in schools and workplaces across the world, from casual conversation to stilted video conferencing, for example, or the medical advances being made to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. It is this very phenomenon that has inspired many of the Southpaw staff’s stories. As we reflect upon more than a year, and the whole of the senior class’s school year, of living in a pandemic, it’s quite easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s easy for graduating seniors to complain about our stolen last year of high school or the fact that our school dances and graduation ceremony haven’t been the traditional experience classes before us have had. It’s easy to feel very small in this huge world while more important things are going on, but this last edition of Southpaw of the 2020-2021 school year, the Local Issue, is a reminder that things happening in tiny Columbia are still worth reading about. I’m more than pleased to be ending my run as editor-in-chief of this magazine on such a great issue.

“It’s easy to feel very small in this huge world while more important things are going on, but this last edition of Southpaw of the 20202021 school year, the Local Issue, is a reminder that things happening in tiny Columbia are still worth reading about.”

ear reader, This issue of Southpaw concludes our 2020-2021 cycle. Throughout this year, we hoped to magnify the small impacts of the large topics that pose a precedent in our society. We wrote some pretty big stories. Stories big enough to earn us a Best of Show award from the National Scholastic Press Association. This cycle, however, magnifies issues that are not only unique to RBHS, but unique to the Columbia community.

ISAAC YONTZ, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SARAH DING, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

AMIRA MCKEE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THERASIA BRAUTIGAM, ADVISOR

PHOTO BY SOPHIA EATON / LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR BY ISAAC YONTZ & SARAH DING 2 2 COVER

CONTENTS

STAFF

4 COOPER’S LANDING 6 LOCAL FACES 10 TEENS BEHIND THE SCREEN ECO EFFORTS 12 SELF-MADE 14 21 BRUIN BEAR

Southpaw interviews members of local band Flyover Country about their experience performing.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Sarah Ding, Amira McKee, Isaac Yontz

DESIGN Sarah Ding

Newly elected community figures share their stories.

ART Lorelei Dohm, Devin Hall, Rachel Stevens

RBHS students produce film, “Dead Air.”

PHOTOGRAPHY Parker Boone, Sophia Eaton, Desmond Kisida, Ana Manzano

New club promotes communal sustainability through outdoor conservation-related projects.

SECTION EDITORS

Three RBHS students create small businesses.

COMMENTARY Nora Crutcher-McGowan

FEATURE Shruti Gautam SPORTS Ana Manzano EDITORIAL Amira McKee NEWS Anjali Noel Ramesh A&E Isaac Yontz

Bruin Bear bids farewell to Southpaw seniors.

WRITING Nora Crutcher-McGowan, Sarah Ding, Shruti Gautam, Amira McKee, Anjali Noel Ramesh, Emma Stefanutti, Isaac Yontz.

BUSINESS William Yoo

ADVISER Therasia Brautigam

The Southpaw staff on

THEIR FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA

LORELEI DOHM, ARTIST

ANJALI NOEL RAMESH, WRITER

“My favorite place is downtown because I really like all of the shops and the green spaces like Peace Park.”

“Shelter Gardens is my favorite place in Columbia because in the spring there are always really pretty flowers.”

DEVIN HALL, ARTIST

“My favorite place in Columbia is Stewart Road during the fall because it always smells really good, and it’s pretty because the trees are all different colors.”

Southpaw is a newsmagazine created by the Journalism Newspaper and Honors Seminar classes. Southpaw’s purpose is to go in-depth on a specific theme. This issue focuses on the local events, classes, clubs, initiatives and businesses that make RBHS and Columbia unique. Southpaw accepts letters to the editor from its readers regarding any possible issues of concern in the publication. If you have a letter to send, email it to contact@bearingnews. org. Limit entries to 400 words. Southpaw reserves the right to reject material based on standards set by the staff. Advertising is $50 for a quarter page, $100 for a half page, $150 for a full page and $200 for a full back page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS ART BY DEVIN HALL / STAFF PHOTOS BY SOPHIA EATON

COOPER'S LANDING

HOSTS LOCAL PERFORMERS C ooper’s Landing is a popular campground, dining and music venue along the Katy Trail and the Missouri River. As COVID-19 restrictions loosen and businesses begin to reopen, Cooper’s Landing is once again hosting live music on its outdoor stage, featuring local and regional musicians.

4 STORY BY EMMA STEFANUTTI / PHOTOS BY ANA MANZANO

One of Cooper’s Landing’s newest acts is Flyover Country, a Missourian band that blends together roots, country, soul and jazz music. Bearing News staff had the opportunity to interview founding member Steve Watts and guitar player Soren Larsen to discuss their experience performing at Cooper’s Landing April 30.

Q&A with Flyover Country Q: How did the band form? Steve Watts: Well, the drummer and I have played together for 25 years in a couple of bands. We got Soren [Larsen] in the band 12 years ago, about 2008. We already had some guys, and then we got Soren in the band. Then we added Doug [Whitworth], the bass player. We’ve had some revolving bass players and keyboard players, we got Doug about a year and a half ago. It’s been kind of an evolving thing over the years. Q: How did you become involved with Cooper’s Landing? Flyover Country lead singer Steve Watts performs an original song on stage at CooWatts: Actually, this is the first time we’ve played here per's Landing Friday, April 30, 2021. Steve writes all of the band’s songs. in like 15 years. Doug, our bass player, does a lot of Larsen: Steve has written all of our original tunes, and a lot of our bookings. Richard King got ahold of him, or he got ahold of Richard, and found out they were having music with the them are about life down by the river. And playing right down by end of the pandemic. So this was one of the opening weekends the river, I think it inspired us, especially when we got a little tired. and he [Richard] stuck us in a spot. I think we’ll be back. We are a little rusty. Q: How do you think the scenery here inspires you? Q: Where does Flyover Country usually play? Soren Larsen: We usually play at Rose Music Hall, but with the Soren: It inspired me a lot because when I was a kid, I grew up pandemic we’ve been obviously not playing live. We’ve also been on the Tennessee River. My grandmother had a cabin on the river. playing at Pierpont, General Store [and] Catfish Corner. We’re The trees are different here, but the river is very similar. I could playing the Dive Bar. And then we’re playing a concert for Shelter smell the river while onstage. Just knowing that you’re in the place which the music is appropriate for, is a big part for us. I love playInsurance, I think; we’re trying to find a date for that. ing here. And I’m a geography professor, so place is a big deal for Q: How are you liking Cooper’s Landing so far? me. Watts: I love it. It’s spectacular. Watts: The river is such a big part of the culture of the state, and that culture kind of seeps into things. It feels very authentic. And they’ve really improved [Cooper’s Landing] since Richard King bought it. You know, he sold The Blue Note and bought this place. He built the stage and kind of upgraded to it. He’s done a nice job. Q: Where do you see the band in the future? Do you have any goals like recording music or do you want to keep playing more casually? Watts: We have a CD out, actually. It was about a year and a half ago. I mean, we don’t have stars in our eyes about going to [Los Angeles], but I think what we’d like to do is raise the profile of the band and just play regionally. Bigger venues, put out another CD, maybe another album. Larsen: My goal is actually to write some songs, which I have no track record in. But it would be fun to collaborate on a second album. We had a blast doing the first one. Q: Where can people access your music? Are you available on any streaming services? Watts: Well, our CD’s called “Too Thick to Drink, Too Thin to Plow.” It’s on Amazon and on iTunes. So if they look up “Flyover Guitarist Soren Larsen performs on stage at Cooper's Landing Friday, Country,” they should be able to find it. April 30, 2021. Larsen has been with the band since 2008. Q: To conclude, is there anything else you would like to add? Larsen: We’re just a bunch of amateurs who like to play.

LOCAL

FACES

Newly elected community figures share their stories Brian Yearwood uture superintendent of Columbia

knowledge, I was best served to help create those places for scholars, those educational spaces,” Yearwood said. “So, I was put Public Schools (CPS) Brian Year- in charge of the $280 million dollar service wood said he “left home with a projects in the Texas school district.” racquet and a dream, as one could He said the position of superintendent say,” to pursue potential education-related was similar to his old job in that he would career opportunities in the United States. continue “to lead a team of highly qualiYearwood grew up in Trinidad and Tobago, fied individuals and professionals that a country in the Caribbean before coming supervise their own particular areas.” To to the U.S. for college on a tennis schol- prepare for the move to Columbia, Yeararship. wood reached out to a magnitude of peo“My brother and I played tennis al- ple in the school district to communicate most every day. We didn’t have an athletic and get to know the community better. [class] period in high school, and we didn’t Despite the challenges presented by the really have the facilities,” Yearwood said. COVID-19 pandemic, he said he was able “We would go to the nearby hotel tennis to video conference with people and also courts and whenever the guests came, we meet them in person. Yearwood said this would have to come off. We played every- move was similar to the transition from day, and we became champions, and I was Trinidad and Tobago to Texas, and he has invited to play at the little Wimbledon.” experience joining a new community. Yearwood played college tennis at Tex“In the past week I’ve met with every as Tech University, his first time entering director, every coordinator, some of our the U.S. cabinet members and then several of our wWhile in college, he said he had the high school principals,” he said. “It has chance to work with and teach some special been very, very rewarding because that’s needs children, which piqued his interest in how I’ve been able to sense the passion; pursuing an edthat’s how I’ve ucation-related been able to sense occupation. the great things Before CPS That’s the kind of innovation that I would happening here in offered him the like to see fostered in our schools. Not the [CPS] school role of superinjust learning by looking from the books district.” tendent, Yearbut really looking at how can we make our One of Yearwood was the world better?” wood’s plans as chief of operasuperintendent is - Brian Yearwood, tions officer at to continue to imfuture CPS superintendent the school disprove the educatrict in Manor, tional environment Texas. Although for all students, he was originally the assistant superinten- regardless of racial background or special dent for the district, he switched to the op- needs. He said he wants all CPS students to erations department to lead and complete a be as prepared as possible for postsecondseries of projects to improve school build- ary education and beyond. ings and resources. His plans begin with elementary school, “It was decided that with my academic where he said he wants to encourage stu-

STORY BY ANJALI NOEL RAMESH / ART BY LORELEI DOHM

dents to think more innovatively rather than just learning enough to pass an upcoming exam. It’s when students begin middle school and apply the ideas they’ve learned in elementary school, Yearwood said, that integrating a focus on innovation is necessary. “A case that I just found out about, some students [through a program at Hickman High School] worked with NASA recently to develop [a zero-gravity plant lab],” Yearwood said. “That’s the kind of innovation that I would like to see fostered in our schools. Not just learning by looking from the books but really looking at how can we make our world better? How can we make our society better? What can we do with our learning to make the world better?” He said he noticed this trend of pushing for innovative learning more in Columbia compared to Manor, as well as a heightened level of compassion for CPS students in general by faculty and administration. “Columbia is a very friendly people. They always are smiling, they always are saying hello, and it’s very helpful,” Yearwood said. “To me, it was like coming home, that’s what it felt like.”

Andrea Waner ewly appointed Columbia City

these positions, such as the one she currently serves. During her time as a City Council Council member Andrea Waner member, Waner said she wants to see the knew even from a young age city government become more serious she was interested in govern- about how their policies affect people of ment leadership and local politics. color and the long term health of these “In my fifth grade yearbook they ask, you communities. She and Katherine Sasser, know, what do you want to be when you who was elected to the CPS Board of Edgrow up, and I said I wanted to play for the ucation in the same election, hold similar WNBA which is kind of a joke because priorities in pushing the city government I am a klutz,” Waner said. “And then I to better address and fix systemic ineqsaid if I couldn’t play for the WNBA I uity. wanted to be president, so you know “Because without health, we really even [at] nine, don’t have anything,” ten, eleven I Waner said. “So I wanted to be would like to at least involved in a be known as the perIn my fifth grade yearbook they ask, way that helps son who is continually you know, what do you want to be people.” asked those questions when you grow up, and I said I wantWaner said of how we make sure ed to play for the WNBA which is her mom inthat equity and health kind of a joke because I am a klutz. stilled in her are at the forefront of And then I said if I couldn’t play for the belief that all the decisions that the WNBA I wanted to be president, one must use we’re making.” so you know even [at] nine, ten, their resourcIn her position, eleven I wanted to be involved in a es to help Waner also wants to way that helps people.” people as best improve the lives of they can. Columbia citizens w H e r working on an is- Andrea Waner, mother’s valsue she specialized City Council member ues led her in while earning her to this posigraduate degree in tion, but even public affairs and when she saw the results while driving public policy. home with her husband and kid on elec“Sort of a pipe dream type thing that tion night, she was surprised. I’d like to see is I would like to see the “It’s kind of half and half, like yes I city offer paid family leave for their emexpected to be here but I also didn’t at ployees,” Waner said. “I spent my gradthe same time,” Waner said. “I wanted uate degree studying and researching to run for city council because as a mom the importance of paid family leave for I wanted to create a community that my families and for business and the econchild felt loved and supported in, and I omy. So I would like to use, you know, really wanted to work towards providing what I spent so many years in school a more equitable future for all the kids, working toward.” not just my own.” When asked about how she would Prior to being elected, Waner served work directly with Columbia’s youth, as chair of Columbia’s Human Rights Waner said she wanted to see more inCommission for three years. volvement from young people in the She has a five-year old son who will community. begin school at Columbia Public Schools When she was on the Human Rights (CPS) in the fall, and also enjoys volun- Commission, she worked with the Youth teering in her community. Her passion Advisory Council frequently, a sector of for community service has led her to the city government composed of high

school students who advise on issues and policies related to young people. Waner said she would like to see this group be more present at City Council meetings and other commissions. She expressed her passion for supporting young people and the impact they can have in local communities. Waner has a younger sister who she has been able to have impactful conversations with about the capabilities of local governments, she said. “We were talking about [how] the Human Rights Commission worked to be the first municipality in the state to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youth in Columbia,” Waner said. “I would like to see more youth in our community get involved and more young adults in our community being engaged. I mean they’re the future and they’re, you know, the next voting block in our community, we should be engaging their concerns just as much as anybody else’s.” Aside from her formal duties, she also enjoys immersing herself in her community through several outlets outside of volunteering. “I like baking pies, that’s something that’s relatively stress relieving for me,” Waner said. “And then, when there’s not a pandemic going on I play roller derby here in Columbia and there’s several strong women in our community who play. That has been my chosen family for quite some time.”

STORY BY NORA CRUTCHER-MCGOWAN / ART BY LORELEI DOHM 7

Katherine Sasser F

ormer RBHS studies teacher and ca- what got me to run for school board, was reer-long educator Katherine Sasser first to push the conversation forward in joined Jeanne Snodgrass to be sworn the election. And then now that I've been in as the newest Columbia Public Schools elected to actually try to impact change (CPS) school board members in early April. to the status quo, to support all students Sasser said her career as a teacher led better.” her to this position and allowed her to beOutside of her new position, Sasser is come more interested specifically in educa- currently the board president of YAAL tional justice. Rock, a local nonprofit formerly known "I taught at Rock Bridge from 2011 until as CoMo Girls Rock! that is “dedicat2016," Sasser said. "And I actually started ed to empowering self-identified girls, at other schools, but I was at Rock Bridge women and gender expansive and/or at the end of my [teaching] career, and I trans youth and adults through creative taught in the studies department, so I actu- expression, musical exploration and soally taught both social studies and english cial agency,” according to the organizaover my five years there. I am certified in tion’s website. both." She also loves traveling and has three More recently, Sasser has worked with kids, all enrolled in CPS, who she spends rural schools in Missouri and Kansas to time with, and is involved in her commuaddress educational justice, the process of nity. providing an equal number of teachers, re“I love all the local things, all the local sources and advanced instruction to all stu- music, Catfish Katie's at Cooper's Landdents. She has also traveled internationally ing vibes,” Sasser said. “[That’s where] for her job. you can usually find me when the world is “I worked for the University of Missou- open." ri College of Sasser Education in split up her two outreach goals for We need to listen to students when they tell us units where I her posiwhat they need, we need to provide ways to emworked with tion into power our students and say yes to our students internationtwo phases whenever possible and sometimes that might al schools — promean taking risks or doing things differently or, you and rural cess and know, not prioritizing logistics.” schools,” outcome. Sasser said. B o t h - Katherine Sasser, “I worked phases, CPS Board of Education member for Mizzou she said, Academy and would tohelped run gether aim a program to “infuse for Brazilian equity” middle schools, and I now work for eM- in the school district. The process means INTS National Center where I manage a considering every decision, in the district federal grant that supports rural schools in and classroom, through what she called an Kansas and Missouri.” “equity lens.” She said the school board position would “And so I guess the outcomes of that, allow her to work more locally in education then, would be seeing the opportunity gap to better promote equity and prioritize the closed in our school district, looking at and voices of marginalized groups. making sure our teacher population is rep“I just felt like a school board position resentative of our student population and has an opportunity to talk through and dis- we're supporting teachers of color and othcuss, and provide opportunities to consider er marginalized groups,” Sasser said. “... how we approach justice in our districts, that we're really a school district that works through policy and through the voices that for all families.” we center in our decision making and things Sasser talked about involvement with like that,” Sasser said. “So, that's kind of Columbia’s youth; she said she believes

8 STORY BY NORA CRUTCHER-MCGOWAN / ART BY LORELEI DOHM

it’s her job to build relationships and seek out youth groups who are willing to participate politically. “We need to listen to students when they tell us what they need, we need to provide ways to empower our students and say yes to our students whenever possible and sometimes that might mean taking risks or doing things differently or, you know, not prioritizing logistics,” Sasser said. “Logistics are challenging, but I think that what I have heard [people] say to me as a teacher, what I've heard in the data that has come out is sometimes the hardest thing getting in the way are the adults saying no to whatever is possible.” One challenge particularly related to youth that Sasser wants to use her tools to work on is mental health, especially in regard to uncertainty in the last year. "There's a mental health crisis among students, high levels of anxiety and depression," Sasser said. "We often hear kids talking about it in the halls, often don't know where to go, what to do with it." Overall, Sasser emphasized the importance of using her platform for younger people, which is critical to her job. As she grows in her current position, she is eager to address concerns as well as discovering options and opportunities to help this group of people. "So I think that, you know, candidly, building relationships with students, building a plan based on hearing those needs," Sasser said. “Hearing from students and learning about what it is that I have the opportunity to create access to as a school board member and finding as much there to provide more opportunities is hopefully what I can do.”

Jeanne Snodgrass E ven before she became a Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education member, Jeanne Snodgrass involved herself in educational issues. She worked at a nonprofit dance company in Albuquerque, New Mexico which partnered with Title I schools on Indigenous reservation land and a juvenile detention facility. She also was a math and English substitute teacher when she lived in Northeast Missouri. Now, Snodgrass is the executive director for Mizzou Hillel, the University of Missouri — Columbia’s Jewish campus center. In the eight years she’s lived in Columbia, Snodgrass talked on and off about running for the Board with friends, but it was never the right time. She is about to finish earning her second Master’s degree and said she feels now is the right moment to be more engaged with the community after spending a couple years furthering her own post-secondary education. Snodgrass has kids in elementary, middle and high school, and said this has been an inspiration in serving the CPS district. “I think that those years that I've been here in Columbia have really given me a chance to have a better sense of the schools and the community to meet more people,” Snodgrass said. “So, I'm not sure that I would have been quite as prepared to do it in a way that would have been really as effective and helpful for the community prior to this year.” Snodgrass filed to campaign in January

and joined the Board in early April after “I have experience in education, but I placing second in the race and taking home don't have experience necessarily in edu6,193 votes from Columbians. A couple of cational administration in the same way. friends stepped up to help her — one be- There's a reason that we hire professionals came her treasurer and another served as an to do that,” Snodgrass said. “I want to be unofficial campaign manager. able to support Dr. Yearwood as he really Although just lasting a couple months, tries to improve things, as he tries to create Snodgrass said she was not prepared for some equity and resources and opportunihow intense the campaign would be. ties for students, as he tries to look at the “I think the things about running a cam- systems and the things we have in place; paign are, it's a vehicle — like it's kind of we all want to be working together to build a means to the end in the sense that if you things and make things better for students.” have a vision and you have things that you Snodgrass also said she feels confiwant to dent Dr. be able to Yearwood help affect will work I have experience in education, but I don't have expechange, diligently rience necessarily in educational administration in the you realto solicsame way. There's a reason that we hire professionals ly need to it student to do that. I want to be able to support Dr. Yearwood let peofeedback as he really tries to improve things, as he tries to create ple know on what some equity and resources and opportunities for stuabout it,” the district dents, as he tries to look at the systems and the things Snodgrass is doing to we have in place; we all want to be working together to s a i d . improve build things and make things better for students.” “And so fairness and that was well-being - Jeanne Snodgrass, sort of in schools, CPS Board of Education member how we which she viewed will take the camnote of as paign … I well. really haven't had to do a campaign in the She said administration can tend to talk same way for anything. That was definitely about student issues and affairs with teachan experience, and a really good experi- ers and legal guardians, and although they ence overall, but I wasn't quite as prepared often have a sense of what they think will for how time consuming it would be, and be beneficial for students, “that’s not alall the different moving pieces of it.” ways the actual reality of what students are Although the hard work of the cam- experiencing.” paign is now over, Snodgrass said now In addition, she said the district must is not so much of a “rest period” as it is work to hear student voices from different a “catch-up period” for ongoing discus- groups — although the city’s Youth Advisions and improvements. She said most sory Council, student government and othBoard discussions as of late have been er organizations have a platform to speak, focused on COVID-19-related problems they only represent a portion of CPS’s stuand issues, but there are still other mat- dent body. ters to address. “Students are obviously the ones that Snodgrass said she is “really excited are most directly affected, and so I do think to support Dr. Yearwood” after he takes [input is] important and I think that's someon his role as CPS superintendent. “Eq- thing that we have to figure out,” Snodgrass uity,” one of the highlighted words on said. “I'm not sure that I have a ready-made Snodgrass’s campaign signs, is some- solution for what the best way is to get that thing she hopes to work on with him. She student input, but I do think that it's realsaid she knows Dr. Yearwood is passion- ly important, and that it’s something that I ate about creating equity from his inter- want to try to prioritize. I can tell you that views, and she wants opportunities to my high schooler and almost-high schooler support him in this area. will let me know if they feel like it's not.”

STORY BY SARAH DING / ART BY LORELEI DOHM 9

Filmmaking Club Teens behind the screen

very Monday and Friday, the RBHS Filmmaking Club meets to work on their production, “Dead Air.” Students are able to shoot in the Columbia Area Career Center’s broadcasting room, with cameras and equipment at their disposal. Senior Ellie Carver-Horner and junior Luke Stagg started the club last year with Advanced Placement (AP) World History teacher Gregory Irwin as their sponsor, and since, it has grown in both size and mission. Senior Charlotte Tolly has also been in the club since the beginning and saw these changes herself. “I joined film club all the way last year when film club was originally just watching movies and talking about them in a group,” Tolly said. “We decided... [that] we should make one of our own.” “Dead Air,” a short film, follows student broadcasters who are in the center of a murder mystery. Tolly plays the main character, Eida, through whose perspective the audience watches the plot unfold. Instead of holding auditions, the club assessed each member’s strengths and decided who would be the best for each role. “We are such a tight-knit club that we all talked about [what] we would be the most comfortable with,” Tolly said. “So, some people are more comfortable being camera crew or audio editing... I’m comfortable in front of a camera [, and I said] I can do this.” Freshman Sarah Knowles was also placed in front of the camera but as an extra instead. After seeing an Instagram post about the Filmmaking Club, Knowles joined the group, bringing a friend along with her. “It’s been really good to meet new people and make new friendships,” Knowles said. “[I’ve] always been interested in film. I had a camcorder; me and my brother would make funny videos when we were kids.” Though Knowles joined the club later in the year, it still offered a socializing experience for a freshman in a year with not many opportunities to interact outside of

classes. She wants to continue participating in the club and recommends others to join as well. “I hope to help in the film club next year, just [because of] the aspect of meeting new people... And I love doing photography and working with cameras,” Knowles said. “I want to do more behind the scenes stuff.” The club allows students to meet people they didn’t already know. Tolly also

tancing we could have, since [there] would be limited people without masks next to each other for a majority of the film.” Junior Joan Kwon, both the Director of Photography and a writer for “Dead Air,” said the attention to production limits and the environment made the movie what it is. Kwon has written screenplays before, winning an award from the Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation for a Korean short she made. She said this is the first time she has written a screenplay with the intent of I always had a concrete idea of what my stories were shooting it. going to look like, but when it came to physically “I don’t think I will shoot shooting the film, there are a lot of pratical limitatons my old screenplays, because that you don’t really think of because they don’t afI wrote them for fun without fect the story as much. It really made us, Luke [Stagg] ever actually thinking of makand I, to think more creatively, espeically when we are ing it,” Kwon said. “Most [of] such a small club with a smaller budget.” them are ideas I had in middle school that I just wrote to practice writing. They’re - Joan Kwon, also big feature length film idea screenplays, so actually sophomore shooting one would be impossible.” The screenplay for “Dead Air” was more of a collabosaid there are people in the club that she rative process than Kwon is used to, with wouldn’t have been friends with otherwise, the club coming up with the story togethsuch as underclassmen like Knowles. er. Kwon also wrote the first and third act “I, for the first time in a long time, don’t while Stagg wrote the second act. have any AP classes or anything crazy like “Shooting this movie has changed my that,” Tolly said. “I am getting to enjoy be- perspective in writing screenplays because ing in a social setting especially after being of how limited we were in the production,” at home for a year and making really great Kwon said. “I always had a concrete idea friends.” of what my stories were going to look like, Carver-Horner helps run the club along- but when it came to physically shooting the side Stagg, who directs the short. Yet, film, there are a lot of practical limitations Stagg said from the beginning of produc- that you don’t really think of because they tion, “Dead Air” has been a group effort. don’t affect the story as much. It really Stagg held a meeting dedicated to the cre- made us, Luke [Stagg] and I, to think more ation of the story, where Tolly suggested creatively especially when we are such a having a murder mystery and senior Kellen small club with a smaller budget.” Sapp brought up the idea of having a mocKwon said she has a different style of kumentary. writing compared to Stagg, which was dif“Charlotte [Tolly] and Kellen [Sapp] really ficult in the beginning when they both had developed the bulk of it, being the ones to different ideas for scenes. She said she suggest it should be a murder mystery set focuses more on characters, in consomewhat digitally,” Stagg said. “We did trast to Stagg, who aimed for a that to maximize the amount of social dis more story-driven style. In

10 STORY BY SHRUTI GAUTAM / PHOTOS BY ANA MANZANO & SOPHIA EATON

the end, they worked off what the others in the club recommended and were able to finish the screenplay together. “Joan [Kwon] and I pretty much came up with character arcs and gave the story themes and purposes, while basic character details such as names, sexualities and roles were decided by the group,” Stagg said. “When you watch the movie, you’ll see ‘written by Luke Stagg and Joan Kwon’ but then ‘story by Charlotte Tolly, Kellen Sapp, Joan Kwon and Luke Stagg’… Joan and I gave life to the bones the rest of the club created, essentially.” Stagg said he and Carver-Horner split up the traditional directing roles between themselves, as she worked predominantly with actors, and he focused more on the technical side. There were days when they had to pick up for each other, but Stagg said he felt the final product encapsulated both of their visions. “We definitely want to show people the movie. We hope to have it finished by the end of May; I’m confident it’ll be released then,” Stagg said. “We have had talks about having one screening of the film at Ragtag [Cinema], because that is an option available to us, and then sending it out via YouTube... for everyone else to see.”

ECO EFFORTS Club promotes communal sustainability

nspired by their mutual interest in helping reduce environmental issues, seniors Sarah Mosteller and Mya Thomas created the RBHS Conservation Club in early October 2020. Mosteller, president of the club, had the initial idea to create an organization dedicated to environment-related volunteer projects, and Thomas quickly became involved in implementing the projects, taking on the role of vice president. To advertise the club, they started an Instagram page, @rb.conservation, to explain reasons to join and advertise potential future projects. Since Columbia Public Schools (CPS) implemented all-virtual learning during the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year, most of Mosteller and Thomas’s recruitment process happened through social media. To organize events, they contacted CPS science coordinator Mike Szydlowski, and often collaborated with his team. “We have worked on a lot of nature play areas, which is where we build playground equipment at elementary schools out of recycled and waste materials, and we

helped build chicken coops with Mike Szydlowski as well at middle schools,” Thomas said. “I think the nature play area is my favorite because, you know, I remembered thinking, 'Oh, this is so fun' in elementary school and now we’re actually building the playground equipment.” Junior Evelyn Wilbur and sophomore Brooke Novinger both found the Conservation Club through its Instagram page. Wilbur said her favorite event was also constructing the nature play areas, and she also enjoyed one of the group’s multiple nature hikes. Although she will not be applying for a leadership position because of her already busy schedule, she said she will continue to help plan activities and meet regularly. “I’ve always been protective and passionate of the environment but the club has made me realize we can all be doing more to help our ecosystem,” Wilbur said. “It’s also taught me the importance of different wildlife too.” Novinger was especially interested

12 STORY BY ANJALI NOEL RAMESH / PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARAH MOSTELLER

in joining the club because her dad works for the Missouri Department of Conservation. His influence helped further her knowledge of the environment and made her want to be more involved in nature-related activities. “I've grown up hearing about field work he has done and projects related to endangered species,” Novinger said. “My favorite events [with the club] have been going to the High Ridge Trail at Gans Creek in the evening to watch the woodcock mating flight performances. It was really cool and not something I knew anything about.” Novinger said she was surprised to learn there were numerous ways to improve local environmental health through Conservation Club, all while being a high school student. She added, “even later in life this is true, without even having a profession [in environmental science].” Novinger is looking to fill one of the roles Mosteller and Thomas will leave behind after graduating. “I am

applying for leadership because conservation is something I believe should not only be supported, but prioritized,” she said. “We should not lose sight [of] nature in this modern era of distractions.” Club sponsor Andrew Kinslow pursued a career in ecology through teaching. Kinslow teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science and Biology Honors at RBHS and decided to support the club mainly because of his background experience. When the pandemic first ensued, he started his own environmental themed Instagram page, @bioteachk, so he said sponsoring a similar club felt natural. Kinslow had both Mosteller and Thomas in his AP Environmental Science class, part of the reason he decided to endorse their club. easier and “[Mosteller and Thomas] have been in- have less concern terested in sustainability themes for a long from the community and the partime. During the AP Environmental class, ents about safety.” we had a sustainability project for the fiThomas said the club still requires Concerning nal,” Kinslow said. “They did theirs on masks even while working outdoors, and the future of the club, what it would take to bring solar Thomas said members, panels to the school and change like Novinger, who were conover our electricity system to a sidering applying for leadership solar generation system. They did “We have worked on a lot of nature play areas, which positions were given time to presuch a good job on it that it just is where we build playground equipment at elemenpare a speech or presentation adcontinued to build and months tary schools out of recycled and waste materials, and vocating their reason to run and later, they presented to our RBHS we helped build chicken coops with Mike Sydlowski as proposals for potential activities administration and then a few well at middle schools. I think the nature play area is in the coming year. Then, at the weeks after that, they presented my favorite because, you know, I remembered thinking, final meeting the club members to the district facilities group and 'Oh, this is so fun' in elementary school and now we’re would elect the next president the larger administration about actually building the playground equipment.” and vice president. the possibilities of adapting solar Part of Novinger’s platform - Mya Thomas, power-based systems throughout is turning the club into a MisVice President of Conservation Club CPS.” souri stream team. Becoming Although Mosteller and Thoma stream team would allow the as will be graduating this year club to do more stream-related and won’t continue the project, volunteer work throughout the Kinslow said the fact they presented the the group continues to practice social dis- city, such as monitoring water quality, litter innovative idea of solar power created po- tancing at events. Their partnership with control, planting trees on stream sides and tential for change. Szydlowski ensures all of the CPS guide- stenciling storm drains, according to mostHe joined the Conservation Club on lines are met while volunteering outdoors. reamteam.org. several of their events, including the na- She added that Conservation Club differs She said she would also implement ture play areas, trash pickups and nature from the Rock Bridge Reaches Out branch, more community trash pickups throughout hikes, and assisted in making sure their Environmental Coalition, because the for- the school year, rather than once or twice meetings and outdoor projects obliged with mer is more active, particularly this year. per semester. COVID-19 guidelines. Since Mosteller and Thomas started “I recommend this club because it is a “The nice thing about an environmen- their organization during the pandemic, unique opportunity to impact your city for tally-based club is that it is outdoors and they were forced to come up with imme- the better and promote the preservation of it makes the masking easier to deal with,” diate solutions to the difficulty of plan- nature,” Novinger said. “Consciousness Kinslow said. “As more and more people ning in-person meetings, otherwise risking about how our actions impact the world is get vaccinated and they open up vaccina- a lack of participation, since they were a something you will learn after doing litter tions for younger groups, it’ll make things brand new club. cleanups.”

14 STORY BY SARAH DING / PHOTOS BY DESMOND KISIDA

SELF-MADE STAMPED IMPRESSIONS: JULIE BAGUIO IG: @jules.baguio

fter the Columbia Public Schools (CPS) district shut down last spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, sophomore Julie Baguio no longer had any homework or sports competitions to worry about. These obligations previously kept her busy and took up her time, time she could now use to make art. During quarantine she experimented with drawing, painting, sewing and eventually jewelry making. “Around this time, I was first introduced to the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter’ while scrolling through Instagram and TikTok,” Baguio said. “Everywhere I went, I was confronted with videos of police violence and protests, tap after tap. After seeing all this injustice I was eager to donate in support of the movement. I started brainstorming fundraising ideas, combining my rekindled passion for art with activism.” Baguio took inspiration from Etsy shops that were also selling nonprofit products in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. One particular product caught her eye, a silver cuff bracelet with the slogan stamped into it. She thought to herself if one of her friends were to sell it and donate the profit, she would absolutely buy one. Baguio spent the next couple days binging YouTube tutorials on stamped jewelry and researching supplies. On her birthday in July, she made a trip to the craft store to purchase them. “All the tools and supplies like pliers, a ring mandrel, steel block, metal stamps, [metal] blanks as well as tools I dug up in my garage like hammers and sanding drills were a pretty steep i n -

vestment which I could only afford with some Christmas money I had saved over the years,” Baguio said. “I think of myself as a very frugal person ⁠— I take hours in dressing rooms to end up buying nothing and rarely spend money on food, but I saw a lot of potential with jewelry-making as a fun hobby and fundraising idea.” Baguio said she thought the project would be easy at first, only to result in crooked letters and uneven spacing during her attempts at stamping, much different from what she saw on Etsy. Originally, she wanted to start selling her jewelry in July, but in combination with supplies being out of stock frequently, the intimidating shipping process and ultimately her lack of self confidence, Baguio put the project on hold. She messaged other small business owners for advice, and they were eager to help, sending back detailed responses and words of encouragement, which motivated her to follow through with her idea during winter break. She also decided to sell rings along with the bracelets. After a bit of research, Baguio settled on donating profits to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense Fund (NAACPLDF), a nonprofit human and civil rights organization which fights for racial justice. “Immediately after New Year’s, I started 2021 off with an Instagram post advertising the jewelry,” Baguio said. “With the help of reposts, it circulated around Instagram, mainly to other CPS highschoolers. A lot of cool people ordered, some being close friends, siblings or parents of acquaintances and a handful of high school and college students I didn’t even know, which surprised me. Perhaps in preparation of failure, I expected only a few close friends to order, but the local community was pretty supportive.” To maximize profits, Baguio avoided extra costs wherever she could by using resources already available to her. She collected orders via Google Forms instead of shopping platforms that charge sellers, and decided against shipping orders out in the mail. Despite mailing within her zip code, shipping cost $4 per order, which Baguio

thought would steer away potential customers. With this information, she decided to only sell locally so she could drop off orders by car or at school. She said she had to get creative in some instances since she doesn’t have her driver’s permit yet ⁠— sometimes she’d bike, or try to find common extracurriculars where she could meet others at. Baguio said she initially wanted to keep her project quiet in case she never went through with selling, but she quickly learned having a strong support system was, in fact, a source of motivation. After opening up to her friends and parents, she felt more ready and comfortable to take her business to the public. Baguio also said she didn’t realize how overwhelming it would be to juggle school, sports, clubs and her business while “maintaining sanity at the same time.” Especially since she has to arrange rides for in-person delivery, Baguio always stays busy when it comes to her jewelry. She’s learned how to better balance her schedule since the beginning, and is now hoping to expand the business. In the near future, Baguio said she hopes to sell rings, bracelets and perhaps other pieces on Etsy and expand nationwide. She said she wants to keep a quality over quantity attitude to mindfully direct more funds to a few places rather than small amounts to many. She would initially continue selling products to benefit the NAACPLDF, but hopes to later address issues like gender or Asian discrimination, or donate to places of personal importance, such as the church in the Phillipines her parents got married in, which got destroyed in an earthquake. She said a handful of people outside of Columbia have expressed interest in buying from her, so she has “high hopes for more success.” “It’s easy to have this mentality that starting a business is extremely complicated, and while it may take a lot of effort with periods of self-doubt, the resources are available for everyone,” Baguio said. “Apply your passions into your community whether it be art, music or anything really, and see what impact you can make.”

ASSORTED ARTISTRY: SARAH MOSTELLER

IG: @mva.portraitss, @mva.wildlifephotography / Etsy: sarahthecreator

enior Sarah Mosteller’s fascination with wildlife photography started as a hobby, but quickly grew into a serious business. “My brother, he has autism and a lot of people with autism focus on a specific thing or have a specific passion that they just know a lot about,” Mosteller said. “And for him, when he was really little, we went to Walmart, and we bought ‘The Big Book of Birds.’ And that is what literally started it all ⁠— just a trip to Walmart and a book.” Mosteller’s brother started identifying birds by name in their backyard, and soon, the whole family did too. This grew into trips taken specifically to identify birds, to the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, for instance. In fact, Mosteller, her brother and her sister were all homeschooled for one year; and bird-watching made up most of their science education. Mosteller’s passion for wildlife grew into another pastime, photography, when in fifth grade she started taking pictures of turtles and frogs in her backyard. She still avidly captures photos of birds and other animals and posts them on her Instagram account, @mva.wildlifephotography. She later started photographing human subjects, like her cousins, and realized her family would pay her to do so. “I realized that I kind of liked taking pictures of people more because you take these pictures, and they're going to last forever, like these people are going to see these pictures for the rest of their lives and show them to their grandchildren,” Mosteller said. “It's just a really cool, like, mile marker in time, and I thought that was super fun to do. So, I started doing more

photoshoots for people.” Mosteller has since taken portraits of dozens of people, documented on her photography Instagram account, @mva. portraitss. Most of her clientele are high school students, making her popular during senior picture season. Besides photography, Mosteller has made money in other endeavors including art, and most recently, earrings. This past year, her grandfather passed away from COVID-19, which meant her family had to go through everything in his house, including belongings from her grandmother, who passed away about 10 years ago. “It was very emotional,” Mosteller said. “But we found a lot of old jewelry that my grandma used to have when we went through her stuff. And all the elastic was rotted, so all of the beads were just loose in [bags]. I don't like to be wasteful, and I don't like to throw things away. So I saw them; I was like, ‘Hey, I can turn these into earrings and kind of give them a whole new life.’” People soon started messaging Mosteller to sell the repurposed jewelry, and she sold them through Instagram, although she has relocated her shop to Etsy since. She still mainly uses her grandmother’s beads, but has started to buy some charms to fit certain trends her customers are interested in. Her art, however, was a hobby that just happened to turn into a business. While taking a visit to the zoo, Mosteller took a picture of a tiger and two other animals. Afterward, she wanted to try drawing them out, and her mother posted the drawings on Facebook. They received messages from people wanting to purchase the art ⁠— one

STORY BY SARAH DING / PHOTOS BY SOPHIA EATON / PHOTO BY DESMOND KISIDA

woman wanted to buy the tiger drawing for $200. “I just didn't think anything that I did was worth that much,” Mosteller said. “So, it was really cool to me to see people actually interested in something I'm interested about, and made me feel like, ‘Hey, I can actually pursue this.’” Mosteller mainly advertises her art on Facebook because she said most high schoolers don’t have the budget for it. On the other hand, she keeps her photography business on Instagram, as that service is geared toward younger people. Mosteller, however, is working on taking her business a step further ⁠— she recently finished creating a website and will be able to publish it after filing for an LLC and tax ID number. Once that’s done, she’s planning to advertise her photography and art on the same platform, under the company name Mosteller Visual Arts. “I've asked for a lot of advice from artists and photographers that I admire on how to make yourself profitable, and how to sustain yourself if you want to follow your passion,” Mosteller said. “A lot of them said that you should just find a focus, like find what you're going to specialize in, and I hated that. I hated that advice. Because I love learning and trying new things, like I thrive off of learning new things and I wouldn't want to limit myself to just a few things. So I think it'll be cool to have a place where I can have all of my creativity just go at it.” Although creativity has played a huge role in Mosteller’s life and given her opportunities to earn money, she doesn’t plan to pursue it as a career. In college, she wants to study conservation biology. After

all, wildlife photography is what got her interested in her creative endeavors. “I mean, in the long run, I could see myself opening up like a studio where I could sell my art and photography and all that, and I think that would be great,” Mosteller said. “But I don't know if I would want to do that immediately. I would want to travel around a little more before I settle down and do something like that.” Because Mosteller has so many businesses to manage ⁠— and three different Instagram accounts apart from her personal one ⁠— she sometimes feels overwhelmed with all the work. It’s difficult for her to stay active on all accounts at the same time while also dealing with school and running the RBHS Conservation Club. “Nothing is consistent when you’re doing a creative job,” she said. When the weather is warmer or during senior photo season, for instance, Mosteller experiences an influx of photoshoot requests. She’ll schedule about five photoshoots every weekend and have to find time to edit them on weekdays. Mosteller’s time-consuming hobbies might take on a different look when she gets to college. “I'd like to keep up with my photography, mostly, because that's something I feel like I can do easily while I'm in college, and it'll help like pay for college too,” Mosteller said. “As for art, I think I would continue that, but I probably won't be able to produce as much as I'd like to, because college is going to be pretty insanely busy. And earrings ⁠— honestly, I would love to keep doing that, but I don't know if I'm making enough profits to keep up with it. Like I said, I hate being wasteful.” Mosteller said she’s producing a lot of earrings right now, but not enough of them are selling for her to consider it to be sustainable. She might try to phase them out and introduce other products she enjoys, such as painted album covers or room decorations. Like she said, she’s happiest when she’s branching out and challenging herself creatively. “I like doing a bunch of random little crafts, and since I I love learning new things, I mean, what if one day I get a pottery wheel and decide to do that?” Mosteller said. “I don't really have anything planned yet, but I feel like it's possible that I could always introduce a new creative endeavor.”

18 STORY BY SARAH DING / PHOTOS BY SOPHIA EATON / PHOTO BY DESMOND KISIDA

Q&A with a small business owner: Paige Farmer, junior IG: @paiges_gems / Depop: @heyyyitspaige / Etsy: PaigesgemsUS

Q: What is your business called? Paige Farmer: On my Instagram it's Paige’s Gems, so I feel like if I further my business through Etsy and like other platforms, I'd probably call it Paige's Gems. Q: What kinds of products do you sell? Farmer: I sell rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings. I buy chain and I buy beads, and I wrap beads and add them to the chain, and make rings and stuff. Q: What kinds of tasks do you have to do to manage your business? Farmer: I manage my business by keeping organized. I have an area in my room where I keep all my supplies, such as jewelry-making components and shipping materials. I typically buy my crystals from Etsy or metaphysical shops, and everything else from Michael’s. Q: Have you always been a creative person? Farmer: I have a lot of hobbies, creative wise. I always have to have certain hobbies that keep me busy, and I can't just be sitting still. So yeah, it was definitely just like a good hobby for me to have… I really like it so it's not much of a burden for me, it's like my main hobby.

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Bruin Bear bids farewell to seniors

COMIC BY DEVIN HALL