The Rock — March 2016

INDEPTHS Sailing into adulthood: students, alumni battle growing pains pages B3-B6

EDITORIALS Modern day slavery thrives between the lines page A7

FEATURES Stereotypes of schizophrenia page B1 @rbhsbearingnews Bearing News Bearing News

Rock Bridge High School • 4303 S. Providence Rd. • Columbia MO, 65203 • Vol. 43, Issue 5 • March 3, 2016 • www.bearingnews.org

New bill addresses favoritism cam fuller

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photo by Cassi Viox

Testing out: Sophomore Payton McCallister takes a test in Spanish 3, testing her mastery of the class’s content. Beginning this year, students enrolled in summer school can take a similar test in order to gain the credit they missed during the school year.

Test knowledge

Investigating American education rochita ghosh

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ummer vacation: a time for relaxation and recovery from the previous school year, long anticipated by students.

It provides freedom to choose what a person wants to do with their time, and for some, they

choose to enroll in summer school, taking credit advancement or recovery courses.

Students enrolled in the latter have the opportunity to leave partway through the class, starting this summer school year.

This is a result of changes in the Missouri Department of Education and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines, which states that stu-

dents no longer have to spend a minimum of 30 hours in class, according to an email sent to teachers.

Instead, the district formulated other methods for students to demonstrate proficiency in a subject, summer school coordinator Bonnie Conley said.

“There will be [a pre-test] to show understanding of content,”

Conley said. “Additionally, in English, social studies and Science the portfolio requirement will show they completed specific projects/assignments.”

If students successfully complete both of these components, they will earn their desired credit and will not need to continue the summer school course.

Continued on A5

t’s no secret that children and parents pick favorites, but does the same happen in the classroom? A new Missouri bill hopes to stop student favoritism for teachers.

Missouri house representative Bonnaye Mims released her draft for the bill Jan. 24, after it was passed last year.

The bill states that school districts would be “required to adopt policies on student favoritism and stop teachers from making decisions based upon personal preference for a student.”

The bill addresses multiple scenarios in which a student could potentially be given a better education than another because of favoritism, and how the school or school district should handle that situation if it were to occur in any given classroom.

According to the bill’s first draft, the main purpose is to make sure that the school board creates systems that allows students to come to an adult at the school and express their concerns in relation to any possible favoritism they may have seen or experienced.

The adult then must talk with the principal and the teacher involved to create a plan that better accommodates the student.

Mims, the creator of the bill, hopes to help students who feel that they have been disadvantaged by their teachers only because they aren’t as close as another student.

“It comes down to wanting to push for a better education across the board, not just for one student,” Mims said. “I created this to support those kids that are in these situations.”

Though the bill may seem like a huge hurdle for teachers and administrators to go through to help students, RBHS teacher Katherine Sasser sees it as an opportunity to better student-teacher relationships.

Continued on A2

Phones on roads

Bill bans texting and driving alice yu

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or the average person, the time lapse between each blink amounts to five seconds.

Those five seconds also represent the minimal amount of time a driver’s eyes are off the road when texting and driving.

While Senator David Pearce is sponsoring a bill that would ban texting and driving for drivers of all ages, he hasn’t always kept his eyes on the road.

“One time I was texting and driving, and my son who was about 21 at the time just told me while I was doing it, ‘Dad, you’re going to die,’” Pearce said. “He just matter-of-factly said, ‘If you keep up this behavior, you’re going to die,’ and I think that was pretty sobering.”

The truth in his son’s statement became one of two reasons why Pearce decided to sponsor this new bill. Previously, former senator Ryan McKenna spearheaded an effort to ban texting and driving for all ages, but when he left the Senate, Pearce decided McKenna’s idea was a good one to follow. Currently, texting and driving is only considered a moving violation if the driver is under 21. Pearce’s bill, SB 569, would omit the 21 and younger proviso and make texting while driving a moving violation for all ages.

“Right now, that puts a pretty tough decision on law enforcement to decide, is that person 19

UPCOMING EVENTS

News • • • • • • • • A1

infographic by Neil Cathro

Bill to attack sexting

jenna liu

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ix months ago, Gov. Jay Nixon signed House Bill 501, a piece of legislation that required public schools to add information about sexting and online predators to their sex education curriculum. The bill threw sex education classes across Missouri into uncharted waters.

Health Education instructor Wendy Sheehan said she has not made any significant changes to her lessons, which already addressed such issues.

“At RBHS, [sexting] is brought up when

talking about healthy and unhealthy relationship traits, as well as sexual harassment,” Sheehan said. “We use a handout called Terminology Regarding Abuse — What Do These Terms Mean? This handout requires students to use a website called Love Is Respect. Digital abuse is a part of this handout.”

Sheehan explained that although sex education teachers usually addressed sexting during middle school, she had previously incorporated a unit on online sexual behavior into her curriculum. Furthermore, she plans to address the issue with more depth this semester.

Continued on A5

MARCH

Within the next two months, RBHS students, performers and athletes will participate in their respective activities.

INDEX

or is she 23?” Pearce said. “Now, if no one can text, that makes it a much easier call for law enforcement.”

On any given time during the day, approximately 660,000 drivers use cell phones or other electronic devices while driving, according to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Text messaging while driving makes a crash up to 23 times more likely, according to textinganddrivingsafety.com. Dialing increases the chance of crash by 2.8 times and reaching for a device puts drivers 1.4 times more at risk for a crash. Though research supports the danger of distracted driving, some drivers are concerned with the bill’s infringement on personal freedoms.

“I’ll be honest. We’re facing an uphill battle.

I think the biggest argument against it is personal freedom, that, ‘I should be able to do what I want in my own car, and no one should be able to tell me what to do,’” Pearce said. “I don’t agree with that because I think the behaviors you have inside your car not only affect you, but everyone in the car, and everyone you meet on the highway. You definitely are affecting others.”

Senior Logan Stichter made what he likes to call a “not-as-wise” decision when he texted and drove on an empty road. While no harm came to him or others, he still refrains from texting when his car is in motion.

Continued on A5

Girls soccer kicks off the season with the Jamboree at Battle.

Editorials • • • • • • A6

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Baseball begins its season at Hickman with the Jamboree.

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Features • • • • • • B1

Band performs the first of three concerts hosted by the PAC on Mar. 14. Choir performs on Mar. 15, while Orchestra plays on Mar. 16,

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RBHS celebrates world cultures in Global Village.w

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Baseball hosts its home opener on Mar. 26 at 11 a.m.

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In-Depths • • • • • • B3 Sports • • • • • C1 Commentary • • • • • C3 A&E • • • • • • C5

A2 news

therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

Bill thwarts teacher bias Continued from A1 It might be somewhat tough to handle, but for classes where there is a student teacher ratio of 1-to-21, any possible chance to better understand students is extremely important.

“No matter what, I would want to know about how my students feel about me and my teaching,” Sasser said. “A student needs to let someone else know to allow that to happen, then I’m willing to talk through it with them and help them to learn.”

For senior Clayton Warder, one of Sasser’s former students, student favoritism is a very common problem that can be ignored rather than a serious one that requires punishment.

“I don’t really see the need for something like this to be in place, especially if it could hurt teachers,” Warder said.

“I feel like a system like this could easily be misused if not written out and done properly by the school.”

Mims is willing to take that risk, however, to fix what she feels like is an all too persistent problem within the public school system in Missouri.

In order to prepare for the upcoming hearing of the bill, Mims received and analyzed testimonies from both students and teachers on the subject of favoritism.

For her proposal, however, it will still come down to what the state legislature believes is best for schools across the state of Missouri.

“The proposal is set to be heard again next month, so I expect increased attention to the subject,” Mims said. “At the least I would like students and teachers talking about issues like this.”

infographic by Neil Cathro

Possible patriotism?

Potential decree requires daily pledges elad gov-ari

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ith recent amendments to Shane Roden’s proposed bill, the Missouri representative feels strongly his bill will pass later this year. The bill, proposed in the fall, mandates all schools to recite the pledge of allegiance daily. In prior years, the pledge was mired in controversy for its content.

The bill is currently pushing through voting processes while receiving amendments and adjustments to details in the past couple of weeks.

“The bill was presented by some local high school students who were in a government class and felt this was an important enough issue to contact us and try to get it changed,” Roden said. “Currently the law only requires time for the pledge to be said once a week and their school only does the minimum.”

Claiming the pledge will help internalize patriotism in kids, Roden thinks it would greatly benefit students to connect with these ideals by reciting the pledge more often.

However, freshman Sienna Juhlin thinks the entire act of reciting the pledge is, in itself, useless and time wasting.

“I think [the bill] isn’t okay. [The pledge] wastes class time, and it’s just boring.

You’d have to stand there and say it every single day,” Juhlin said. “I think the original idea behind the whole thing started off as this symbolic activ-

photo by Caylea Ray

A Bill of Allegiance: Rex Beltz’s Astronomy class recites the pledge of allegiance. A new bill, if passed, would require the pledge to be recited every day. ity that joined the school as a community, but I don’t think it does that at all anymore and is just wasting our time.”

Despite complaints of this nature reaching Roden quite often, the representative is confident that the bill will pass by the end of this year.

“The bill has been voted out of the first committee this week, [and] it will be heard in the select committee next week and then put on the house calendar for perfection and printing where it will be discussed, amended, etc.,” Roden said. “It will then receive a voice vote and be placed on the calendar for a third reading where the

bill is voted on the final time and then sent to the Senate to go through the same process.

I am confident this bill will be passed without any problems this year.”

A strong supporter for reciting the pledge, media center specialist Dennis Murphy said reciting the pledge daily would be a reminder to students of their country’s history and the importance to support it.

“I think this bill is a wonderful idea and that we all need to love our country,” Murphy said. “By reciting the pledge, it brings awareness to the students that they are Americans, and in general, I strongly be-

lieve in what the pledge is about. By reciting it, I think that it helps internalize the message and allows students to connect with their country more closely.”

Supporters of this bill, such as Murphy and Roden, agree with the messages behind the pledge and are hoping that by saying it, students can better appreciate their country.

“It lays the foundation for understanding what this country is founded on,” Roden said.

As we get older, the pledge takes on different meanings for each individual but still the original purpose is to unite us as one.”

news

3.3.16 • www.bearingnews.org • therock

Test of time

art by Joy Park

Policy changes summer’s credit recovery procedure Continued from A1 “What the pre-test does, is that it lets the instructor create an individual plan for each student,” Reznicek said. “It lets you just plug in the holes that [a person] missed in certain courses. When you’re trying to recover credit, the pre-test is great because it saves you from wasting time. It saves you from having to take tests and do work that you’ve already demonstrated mastery for.”

As for the portfolio, it will be an amalgamation of student work that comes from the previous school year and from summer school work, Conley said. The district will hire a lead teacher from each core department to help design the specifics.

“District Curriculum Coordinators will be working with lead teachers and department chairs to outline expectations for the portfolio,” Conley said. “This will be based on projects and assignments required during the school year. If a student has some of this work from the school

year, they can bring pieces to add to complete the portfolio requirements. Some students may have partial work and summer school will give them a chance to complete the task.”

Reznicek looks forward to the portfolio, wondering what it will entail, and hopes that it will prove useful to the district administrators.

“I’m interested to see what that looks like logistically, but as an idea I think it’s great,” Reznicek said. “I think it would be nice for the people above us to have some things they could see that show, ‘Yes, this money is worth it. Yes, this program is effective.’”

The summer school policy change also involves an increase of students in each room.

Reznicek wonders how the district will handle it.

“One of the changes is that you could potentially have two kids in the same classroom recovering two different credits,” Reznicek said.

“You could have a biology kid sitting right next to a physics kid.”

infographic by Joy Park; source: Summer School Coordinator Bonnie Conley

Reznicek worries that with the increase of the number of students and their cultural diversity, the single teacher in the room may not be able to handle all the concerns that could follow.

A teacher may not know all the material associated with one subject and its subcategories, and may not be able to help a student because of this, Reznicek said. It is for this reason and more that sophomore Britton Stamps feels apprehensive toward the new summer school plan.

“I think it can be a good thing, but it depends on how comprehensive the test is,” Stamps said. “Students that failed a course need to be

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s an RBHS student, senior Faramola Shonekan has tapped into many of the opportunities offered by the school to provide college credit.

RBHS offers a myriad of opportunities to achieve college credit, including dual credit, dual enrollment, College Level Examination Programs (CLEP) exams and Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests, with the latter being the most popular, guidance counselor Rachel Reed said. During her time at RBHS, Shonekan has taken dual credit and AP classes, for many reasons.

“I wanted to be challenged intellectually, and I get college credit for it and that makes college cheaper which is something that’s very nice for my family,” Shonekan said.

Shonekan is one of the many students who take AP classes at RBHS, but the class does not guarantee college credit, while dual enrollment and dual credit do, pending success in the class.

“If [students] score high enough on the AP test, they can get the credit, but [the scores] that colleges accept are different,” Reed explained. “Some colleges accept a three [out of five]. Some colleges only accept a four or higher. Some colleges won’t accept the credit even if you take the test and get a five.”

As much than 68 percent of high school students pursue a

collegiate education after high school according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

RBHS students opt to enroll in AP classes or a similar method of credit to prepare for the collegiate academic atmosphere.

While AP courses do not guarantee college credit, Gifted Education instructor Gwen Struchtemeyer does recommend students take the classes if they want to challenge themselves.

“I think it stretches you a little bit, even if you just take one,” Struchtemeyer said.

“They don’t have to pay for it [and] the worst that could happen is it doesn’t work out and they move to a regular class or an honors class.”

While AP courses do not guarantee college credit, both dual enrollment and dual credit are methods to garner the credit.

“For dual credit, like our college algebra class, [students] take the class here at RBHS but get the college credit as long as they score a certain grade in the class and have met the college’s requirements,” Reed said.

“There’s also dual enrollment where you are taking a college class and earning high school credit, so you are actually going to that college’s campus and taking the class through the college.”

Dual enrollment, however, is not a popular method for attaining college credit because of the logistical issues and particularly challenging curriculum. Students who take dual

taught the content and if they are given an easy way out, they won’t learn anything.”

Reznicek and Conley assure that this method will allow students to show their understanding of whatever subject they are studying. Despite possible opposition from enrolled students, the tests would be both efficient and generally effective.

“Overall, I think it’s much more positive.

I think it will be more work for the summer school kids, so I think that the kids will push back,” Reznicek said. “I think for the teachers and administrators, it’s nothing but a good thing. It’s nothing but a good thing to have evidence that yes, learning is taking place.”

infographic by Joy Park; source: mentalfloss.com, Missouri Department of Higher Education

Courses award college credits ji-ho lee

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Online classes adapt to changing times grace vance

S art by Joy Park; source: Rachel Reed

enrollment classes, most commonly those who travel to the University of Missouri - Columbia campus and take Calculus 3, must find transportation and align an AUT or free period with the college’s schedule.

Another prong of the trident of college credit is the CLEP exam, a little-known method for students to attain the sought after credit.

“Students can take CLEP exams in a variety of different areas, like psychology, foreign languages, lots of core classes,” Reed said. “You can earn credit that way, which is obviously cheaper than taking the class on college campus,” Reed said.

While these classes may be more challenging, both Reed and Struchtemeyer suggest them for economic purposes.

Shonekan, however, cites a different motivation for taking the classes.

“It trains you for college. It helps you prepare for college instead of just taking the regular classes,” Shonekan said.

“You’re actually in a competitive class and it helps you get into the swing of what college is like; it gives you a little intro.”

ince Columbia Public Schools first offered online courses to high schoolers nine years ago, the district has made a number of internal improvements, Online Program Coordinator David Bones said.

One of the several changes, which Bones said came through school administrator and student feedback, was changing the company that high school courses are based off of.

The school district previously used Aventa but switched to using the Apex Learning system this year.

“That’s a minor change,” Bones said, “but really, it’s just minor tweaks along the way to what we can offer CPS students.”

With the format of online classes evolving, English teacher Jennifer Black Cone is one of nine instructors at RBHS who has educated students on the two different learning platforms of online and in class courses.

Cone, who teaches Creative Writing and Debate as well as online AP Literature, English 3 and English 12, said the varying class operations was a balancing act.

“Being a veteran teacher, I have long since mastered the art of balancing work.

My teaching career was mostly comprised of having multiple preparations, so that was

all I really knew,” Cone said. “Currently, my schedule works very well with having varied types of courses. It is actually more interesting than teaching the same thing all day.”

She, however, said the computer screen that separates the teacher and student is what makes online classes difficult for students without an inner drive.

“I spend most of the time trying to motivate reluctant learners to complete the course,” Cone said. “Students in the online courses must be readers, writers and selfmotivated.”

First-time online student senior Andrew Zynda said he understands the importance of productivity, something he experienced in the online Digital Media class.

When he fell behind in class work last semester, he said it was because of his busy schedule, but once “everything died down” he was able to catch up.

Although he enjoys the flexibility that comes with taking a class without a designated period, he remains skeptical about Read more at the lack of teacher Bearing News presence.

art by Joy Park; source: Babson Survey Research Group

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A5

Pledge fights r-word use F nicole schroeder

or as long as she can remember, senior Jacie Parker treated the word “retarded,” or the r-word, as any other curse word, avoiding its use whenever possible and asking others to do the same whenever hearing it.

“One of my friends in particular says it a lot,” Parker said. “He might be talking about last night’s game and will call somebody that because they couldn’t complete a pass or [if they break] some kind of rule, he will call it that. I’ll call him on it, though, and explain why it’s offensive.”

Her dislike of the word stems from her childhood when she was taught to avoid the word because of its history in being used to refer to those with disabilities. As a youngster, she simply saw it as another curse word, but she now understands why it can so easily offend people.

“My mom is a speech pathologist, so since she worked with a lot of disabled kids, she knew from the inside how much words could hurt and made sure we knew that,” Parker said.

“I think that lesson just transferred over from my childhood.”

It’s this lesson about the word’s negative connotation that Woodhaven, a community living center for adults with disabilities, hopes to teach students with the Retire the R-Word campaign. Yesterday, representatives from Woodhaven encouraged RBHS students and faculty to sign a pledge against the use of the r-word to help kick off Disability Awareness Month and as part of the national Spread the Word to End the Word campaign hosted by organizations including Special Olympics and Best Buddies.

While the campaign’s goal is to stop the use of the r-word, Woodhaven Marketing Manager Liz Sensintaffar said the campaign also hopes to teach the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.

“Although we are rallying around the elimination of the r-word, it is only a small piece of what this campaign is really about. Our goal is to educate students on the importance of treating all people with respect and recognizing that

their language choices can often color their perception of others,” Sensintaffar said. “Right now, our hope is that students will be willing to take the pledge to end the use of the r-word and think more about what it is they are trying to express when they would typically use that word.”

Parker finds the prospects of such a campaign exciting, and thinks many students could benefit from such a lesson.

“I think somewhere along the way, the world has forgotten its original definition. People have become desensitized to its meaning and think it means the same as ‘stupid’ or ‘dumb,’” Parker said. “I hope students understand how much words can hurt, the r-word specifically. You never know what people are going through or what cards they’ve been dealt in life. The word is rude, insensitive and hurtful and it should

Eyes on the road Continued from A1 “It seems incredibly irresponsible to text while driving,” Stichter said. “If you text while driving, it’s distracting for anybody any age and so it’s probably not best to restrict that based on age limits because that doesn’t necessarily dictate how responsible you are.”

While Stitcher and senior Paulina Morales both text while stopped at a red light, research shows that even after drivers put down their phone, drivers still aren’t fully engaged cognitively. This distraction latency lasts an average of 27 seconds, meaning 27 seconds of distracted driving even after removing the distraction, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

“I don’t think people should do it, but at the same time, I know it’s hard for somebody to put their phone down,” Morales said. “Normally, at a stop light, I grab my phone, but when I’m driving, I try to put it down, but it’s just a bad habit.”

With Pearce’s new bill, only texting while driving would be a moving violation, leaving drivers still free to calling and drive.

“I think you have to start somewhere. Last year when I filed the bill, it was a little bit more encompassing, and I found more opposition to it,” Pearce said. “We basically said you couldn’t make phone calls. It had to be all hands-free, it couldn’t be hand-held, but we got some opposition. So this year, it’s just no texting and driving.”

Along with Pearce’s senate bill, another senate bill sponsored by Jill Schupp as well as two other house bills (HB 1377 and HB 1423) that would result in a texting and driving ban for all drivers. Another house bill sponsored by Cloria Brown, HB 1542, would only permit hands-free texting, and HB 1544, also sponsored by Brown, would outlaw any use of a handheld communications device while driving.

“To me, the more interest you

tion that was previously lacking.

“It’s important to educate young people with the information they need to protect themselves from online risks,” Montecillo said.

Sheehan said sexting is a practice with repercussions that many students fail to grasp, with students even engaging in inappropriate digital behavior on school grounds.

“Students don’t take it seriously, don’t think it would happen to them, don’t think they will get caught or could be damaged by it, don’t see it as a big deal or a big problem, “ Sheehan said. “I know in another class, a student was asked to not have her phone out because the teacher saw the student taking pictures of herself in what could be perceived in an inappropriate manner.”

Though none of the sexting and digital predator information presented in Sheehan’s class surprised Hancock, he still said the unit’s inclusion in the curriculum was important for students as a whole.

“You already kind of know that, ‘Yeah, I can’t do this,’ or ‘I should

use, not to mention that it’s already widespread, so many think that it’s acceptable,” Kolenikov said. “I hope that students will realize that using the r-word is offensive and hurtful to others.

I think that pledging to stop using it could be effective.”

Students don’t have to participate in the campaign to stop the word’s usage, however, Sensintaffar said ending the use of the r-word is as simple as knowing how the language they use may be perceived.

“To stop using the r-word, be mindful of when you use it and think about why you used it,” Sensintaffar said. “Were you trying to say something was stupid or dumb or that you or someone else had made a mistake? Think about all of the other more accurate words you could have used to express how you were feeling instead.“

P.E. considers swimming class nicole schroeder

F photo by Tyson Jamieson

Ten and two: According to the Missouri Department of insurance, young drivers can be fined $200 and have two points added to their license for texting and driving. have, the more bills are out there, the better off it is,” Pearce said.

“What we might end up doing is combining two or three bills together and I don’t care. I don’t care if it’s going to be my bill or somebody else’s. The important thing is to prevent texting and driving.”

Bill adds sexting unit Continued from A1 Sheehan said although many sex education teachers address sexting during middle school, she had previously incorporated a unit on online sexual behavior into her curriculum and even plans to address the issue with more depth this semester.

“This semester, we plan to hit [sexting] a little harder,” Sheehan said. “[We will] especially [include] reminders about the damage that can occur. There is also a handout I plan to share as an informational piece.”

Freshman Dylan Hancock, who took Sheehan’s health class last semester, said they spent about a week and a half going over the dangers of engaging strangers on the internet.

“We talked about when you’re texting and things like that, sometimes things can go a little too far and you can start to talk about things that might not be appropriate,” Hancock said. “Really you should try to stay away from that type of stuff.”

Rep. Genise Montecillo, sponsor of the bill that led to the law, said the bill added an element to sex educa-

infographic by Stephanie Kang; source: Interactive Health The Shiver Report

stop being used.”

Another student who tries to avoid the use of the r-word whenever possible, junior Timofey Kolenikov, said he thinks the campaign has an important message behind it, particularly in its emphasis on the derogatory implication with the word’s usage.

“Using the r-word is degrading. Not only is it offensive, but it is exclusive to those with mental disabilities and those who care for those with mental disabilities,” Kolenikov said. “Using the r-word perpetuates the already negative stereotypes about these people.”

Similar to Parker, Kolenikov said he thinks the word has become so commonplace simply because of a lack of understanding and hopes the campaign will help curb its frequency.

“I don’t know why exactly it’s become popular, but I figure it’s because it’s so easy to

know not to do that,’” Hancock said. “Most people should know that information but some people don’t get the concept that [digital sexual activity] can ruin or scar them for life.”

As a former teacher, Montecillo is fully aware of how often teenagers send messages they quickly regret. She said her teaching experience was a large influence on her eventual sponsorship of the bill.

“I witnessed students caught up in online situations that they were not equipped to handle,” Montecillo said.

Given that HB 501 marks the first legislation in over a decade that advances sexual education in Missouri, Montecillo believes that statewide sexual health curriculum as a whole needs significant improvements.

“I believe we need comprehensive sex education,” Montecillo said. “ [Students] should know how to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies and STDs.”

or many students, the promise of warmer weather around the corner brings thoughts of shorts, sandals and swimming pools.

According to a 2008 study by the University of Memphis, however, nearly 54 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 18 cannot swim past the shallow end of the pool.

Yet if a newly-proposed house bill is passed by the Missouri House of Representatives, those statistics might change for students in the state. House Bill 1236 would allow physical education classes to begin including swimming and water safety curriculum in their instruction. Such a proposal, Athletic Director David Egan said, seems like it would be beneficial for many students, particularly in earlier grades. Egan, however, believes if the bill is enacted, certain schools might face difficulties with providing such curriculum to students, for varying reasons.

“I don’t disagree with it in theory at all because certainly water safety, learning how to swim, is probably an important skill to have. I think where the issue will come in and what will be troublesome is access to a pool,” Egan said. “I mean that’s not to say that there probably couldn’t be some type of dry land instruction that probably could be provided and implemented, but really, if you’re going to give the best possible teaching and experiences, you’d want the kids to get in the pool and learn.”

Egan isn’t the only one who believes that issues could arise for schools who include the curriculum if the bill is adopted. Sophomore Bettie Logan, a member of the girls swimming team, said she believes the proposed curriculum wouldn’t be helpful to students, as many would learn at a pace different from the rest of the class.

“I don’t think it would be realistic to have [the swimming curriculum] because they would need to learn how to swim at their own pace instead of feeling pressured or forced,” Logan said. “I don’t think they should be

graded on how they swim but if it were to happen, they should be graded on their effort.”

Though there is some opposition to the proposal, some students believe the new curriculum could be helpful for those who do not receive thorough education on water safety. Senior Kate Byars said, if the school is able to support such a proposal financially, the bill could provide an interesting addition to PE classes.

“I think swimming is fun and a great way to exercise basically your whole body, so I think swimming curriculum for children is fine,” Byars said. “I don’t think it’s a necessary part of a child’s education, but if the school has a pool and the necessary funding, sure, it’s a good idea.”

Even though she supports the proposal, Byars said she embraces changes to PE curriculum that start with more universally valuable skills, like healthy eating habits. “[If they change the PE curriculum], they might consider focusing more on teaching kids to eat healthier foods,” Byars said. “What you put into your body is just as important as exercising, and a lot of kids are pretty clueless about what vegetables even are.”

Egan agrees and said that although the idea of creating curriculum to help with swimming and water safety would be beneficial for many students, he believes the schools in Missouri should focus on bettering students’ education in general, rather than just through the addition of specific lessons.

“I just think, in general, there could be more of an appreciation for a lot of the elective-type courses: your physical education courses, your performing arts courses, art, music, those kinds of things. Recently the trend has been towards [needing] more emphasis on the four core classes,” Egan said. “One of the consequences of that is the amount of physical education that kids receive in the elementary level has been reduced ... so I couldn’t pinpoint anything specific other than just simply to say a lot of those elective-type courses need to be valued.”

A6 editorials

therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

art by Julia Koldovskiy

Prerequisites limit student ability

I

t’s no secret that the average RBHS tually sparks their interest.

There may be an option, however, student has opportunities galore, from the multitude of extracur- that RBHS simply isn’t exploring; an option that could riculars to the allow students to easily accessible Should students bypass this system Columbia Area be able to test into of prerequisites and Career Center high-level classes requirements. courses and AP In January the classes. with prerequisites? district announced Unfortunately, The Rock staff voted: an update concernwith all the posing testing out in sibilities, there regard to summer is never enough school. The new time in the day structure will make to get involved it possible for stuwith everything.

The variety of classes can be over- dents to take a single test on the first whelming and oftentimes, students day in order to sidestep the course enmust choose a prerequisite or required tirely and change a failing grade into course instead of a curriculum that ac- a passing one.

Yes 25

No 2

This new option will allow students to demonstrate proficiency efficiently, saving time and resources.

Although it may seem like an “easy way out,” RBHS faculty will no doubt design a sufficient examination.

The issue of saving time shouldn’t be restricted to summer school. Each student faces the dilemma of both completing the required credits while also pursuing other programs that relate to the field they want to go into.

A way to remedy this is to extend the courtesy of testing out to all non-advanced placement classes.

Teachers and parents could argue that a test can’t make up for the experience a semester or a year-long class offers; however, it doesn’t make sense for students go through a curriculum

they already know. High school simply isn’t meant for coercing students through unnecessary courses; it’s about learning. It’s much like the argument for homework; it is necessary for some students in some instances, but for others, homework is irrelevant.

If students are willing to work hard to test out of a class, it’s not likely that they are slackers.

Some courses — such as art, foreign languages and computer programming — demand prerequisites that can take years to complete. It would be extremely useful to some students if the courses could be bypassed in order to advance to the class that fits the student’s skill level. Those who are able to show ability beyond their peers should be allowed access

Lack of media objectivity causes divide cam fuller

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ournalists have always fought for readership and attention, leading to the coverage of outlandish, controversial stories. On rare occasions, such as the one featured in the Oscar Best Picture winner “Spotlight”, journalism is both unbiased and well-reported. More consistently, however, news outlets are unable to consistently produce unbiased, unslanted work.

The two news networks that are most commonly accused of being excessively biased to a point of inaccuracy are Fox News, charged with being overly-conservative, and MSNBC, which often reports with a liberal slant.

Both outlets cover events and discuss topics that pertain to their particular readership.

Oftentimes, in their coverage, the reporters and anchors of the networks do not tell the whole story, or use inaccurate statistics to prove a slanted point.

Most recently, the death of Antonin Scalia has thrust political fundamentalists of both parties and ideologies into a whirlwind of debate and discussion. Fox News used historical events, taken severely out of context, to defend their stance that President Obama should wait to appoint the ninth justice, while MSNBC exaggerated the constitutional role of the chief executive. In order to garner credibility, the two networks called “professional sources” who simply added to the conservative or liberal bias.

Furthermore, particularly with an influx of mass shootings around the country, Fox News has more commonly written articles with headlines similar to “Increase in Gun Sales to Muslim Americans - What Does This Mean

For Gun Owners?” and content that rely on radical, flawed and inaccurate ideas and statistics in order to make the story more appealing to its followership.

In the case of Trayvon Martin, the 17-yearold African-American teen who was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, MSNBC producers adjusted sound bites to appeal to their followership. When playing a clip of the 911 conversation between Zimmerman and police, the broadcast aired an edited version that was purposefully changed to give the false impression that Zimmerman’s confrontation was racially motivated. MSNBC unabashedly lied to its viewership in order to portray a message

that would benefit their network and create an inaccurate image of the situation.

Today’s media has become frustratingly biased and inaccurate. While networks, writers and reporters are attempting to gain followership, they must also recognize their role in society: people who inform others with factual, unprejudiced truth. Instead of complaining about bad reporting, we, as the consumers, can make an impact. We can be heard by writing, tweeting and emailing our news providers with messages desiring ethical, factual information. Now is your chance to help fix the media and make your news provider an honest source for news and learning again.

How To Detect Bias In News Media http://fair.org/take-action-now/mediaactivism-kit/how-to-detect-bias-innews-media/

infographic by Shelby Yount; source: Manitoba Education

The Rock Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Rd., Columbia, Mo. 65203 Vol. 43, Issue 5 March 3, 2016 Population: 1884 Students, 170 Faculty Circulation: 1,500 Contact Information: Phone: 573-214-3141 Contact us at bearingnews.org Advertising: $50 - -1/4 Page

$100 - - 1/2 Page $150 - - Full Page $200 - - Backpage The Journalism Newspaper and Honors Seminar classes produce The Rock, Bearing News and Southpaw.

The paper’s purpose is to accurately inform, educate and enlighten readers in an open forum.

The Rock is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Colum-

bia Scholastic Press Association, Missouri Interscholastic Press Association and Quill & Scroll.

Adviser: Robin Stover Editors-in-Chief: Abby Kempf, Jenna Liu, Alice Yu Production Manager: Alice Yu Art Editor: Stephanie Kang Design Editor: Neil Cathro Business Manager: Abby Kempf

Photo Editor: Devesh Kumar News Editor: Ji-Ho Lee Features Editor: Grace Vance Editorials Editor: Jenna Liu Commentary Editor: Ashley Tanner In-Depths Editor: Abby Kempf A&E Editor: Katherine Sarafianos Sports Editor: John Flanegin

Staff Writers: Grace Dorsey, Ronel Ghidey, Rochita Ghosh, Elad Gov-Ari, Skyler Froese, Cameron Fuller, Faaris Khan, Joy Park, Nicole Schroeder, Nikol Slatinska, Caylea Ray Artists: Erin Barchet, Neil Cathro, Megan Goyette, Ana Ramirez, Shelby Yount Photographers: Tyson Jamieson, Caylea Ray, Jae Rhee, Cassidy Viox Videographer: Cameron Fuller

to something that challenges them.

With the current system, students have to jump through hoops just to get into a class that actually matches their abilities.

The solution to this problem lies in amending the course structure, even if it’s just with the small addition of allowing interested students to submit portfolios for any classes that have a prerequisite. Although some students have managed to get past the system on an individual level by going to specific teachers and presenting their case, a new policy that makes this opportunity available to all is necessary.

Faculty must consider this option and put this issue on the list of changes that make RBHS the cutting edge school we know it to be.

Rappers should not hide behind lyrics ji-ho lee

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usic is a form of expression, but too many times, that expression goes too far and travels into a derogatory, offensive and disrespectful area. Although this new age of music may be popular and idolized, it isn’t right.

When artists step on stage, their songs and speeches are often laced with profanity and highlighted by disrespectful words and phrases. The lyrics of these songs span across all genres, including rap, country and hip-hop, but are most notably seen in rap.

Artists like 2 Live Crew and Eazy-E, who have penned songs with titles and lyrics too explicit to print, and individual songs like “I Don’t F*** With You” by Young Dro and “Dance” by Big Sean, lead the pack of rappers and songs using rampant profanities, degrading racial and homophobic slurs and the severe objectification of women.

In a collection of the 145 most popular albums from 1985-2013, more than 28,745 cuss words were used, over 8,300 sexually explicit words were used, and over 10,000 racially inspired slurs were used. Overall, each of the 145 albums contained, on average, more than 217 words that are considered profane or explicit.

Rappers who perform songs are celebrated and adored at concerts. But if a speaker — like a political leader, educator or well-known figure — were to step onto a similar stage and say those exact words, that person would be unbelievably criticized, and rightfully so.

As a society, we criticize speakers who use excessive profanities and offensive expressions and phrases. We should not allow musical artists to do that very thing or guard them from the criticisms that they deserve, simply because they are rappers.

Music is a medium enjoyed and shared by many. To say that every song containing explicit language should not be listened to is absurd. But there are some songs that truly do not deserve to be listened to. Take some time to go through your playlist and think about the words being sung or rapped, and the message that those lyrics produce. If you find, or hear something that is particularly inappropriate, do yourself a favor and delete the song.

editorials

3.3.16 • www.bearingnews.org • therock

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Collegiate athletics continue atrocious tradition ji-ho lee

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photo by Devesh Kumar

ne of the country’s greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln, spearheaded acts that abolished the inhumane practice of slavery. Despite the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, however, not all slavery has dissipated. In fact, one form of slavery still thrives on its popularity and is celebrated by millions.

The first game of college football was Nov. 6, 1869. The rules, technology and atmosphere of the sport were obviously far different.

The largest difference between the two times, however, is the system in which the games are played. The current nature of college football was first explained by a young journalist named Walter Byers.

Byers created a formula, founded in the prospect of television money, that promised competitive games and talented players.

The system was foolproof: to keep

money, teams had to win games.

Not only did Byers promote a greedy attitude among athletic directors at schools, but he also created a monster, taking advantage of amateur athletes and using them to produce profit, nearly creating a modern form of slavery.

The similarities are striking. From the top down, plantation owners hired overseers, who ensured productivity and efficiency, and finally, the slaves themselves. The athletic directors, representing plantation owners, hire coaches and assistant coaches, and recruit players, who receive very little to no legal benefits from their playing.

The idea of college football representing slavery is unpopular, but not unnoticed. Florida cornerback, Jalen Tabor, and ESPN commentators, Bomani Jones and Dan Le Batard, both made the connection. Furthermore, Byers himself, the man that made the system, deemed his invention a form of “neo-plantation.”

If you don’t believe the commen-

tators or the creator, believe the numbers. The combined revenue of every college football team expands to billions of dollars, while the television markets involved with the sport pay similar dividends. The coaches and athletic directors receive the money, while those who are asked to pursue an education while competing at the one of the highest levels of competition receive nothing.

College football is an integral part of today’s culture, garnering a welldeserved amount of popularity because of the talented athletes and the contagious atmosphere. Avid college football fans deeply invest in their teams during those 15 weeks of the season. The point is not that college football is a negative institution, or that it should be changed. But before you offer full-fledged support for a specific organization, regardless of what it may be, make sure that you do not blindly support a group. Instead, investigate the history and purposes of the organization, and then make a decision.

Blogger psychiatry misleads the ill skyler froese

T

he aphorism “mind over matter” has been suffering abuse, for your mind can’t be allowed always to be in control.

A person’s entire life cannot be controlled by mental health. This is tough advice to take, but it comes from someone who has been medicated for seven years for anxiety.

Sites, like Tumblr, advocate for those who suffer from mental disorders to surrender themselves to a life of apathy with shaky forms of self help.

Mental health is an important issue and should be handled with care, so one can’t help but wonder; why

are so many people trusting unsourced blog posts on the internet? One can only attribute this to some kind of trend that must stop.

The first offence of the internet’s preaching is the abuse of the mental health day. It is fine that once in a blue moon you stay home on a bad day.

However, the reality of the occasional off day can’t be stretched to “miss class and your responsibilities whenever you don’t feel up to them.”

Avoiding responsibilities doesn’t make them go away.

While one may think that they are giving themselves more time to prepare they are just setting themselves up to fail.

If someone keeps skipping

their tests, they still have to take it. It only means that they are going into the test with the material that they learned being less fresh on their mind.

The attitude of going home the second you feel bad will only hurt your future. Mental health is important, but in the professional setting it can not be allowed to halt work.

The culture of being automatically excused from life by mental illness, is setting its followers up to fail. While the idea of staying home is appealing, it just isn’t an option in the real world. It may feel good in the moment, but the disappointment from teachers from a bad quiz or from teammates for missing practice is

simply not worth it.

The second offence is the reliance on expensive, shortterm self care methods. Often things like bubble baths, hot drinks and even scented oils are promoted to soothe someone. These are expensive and unproductive. Things as simple as deep breathing or writing down what you’re worried about has worked.

The internet is a great tool for communication, so it can be assumed that there will be discourse in mental health, but this discourse has been less than productive. Internet self-help culture can not replace professional help, and those in need of care should accept that.

art by Neil Cathro

Individual celebrations undermine team wins abby kempf

F

irst and second grade Pee Wee Hoops players explode into screams and high-fives whenever they defeat their tiny opponents.

The RBHS girls’ swimming and diving team jumped up from the bleachers and screamed, even knocking a few people off of the shaking stands, when they were announced as back-to-back state champions.

National Football League players have an assortment of different victory moves, ranging from the elegant spike to the flashy ickey shuffle.

How much is too much, though?

National sports leagues all carry different regulations limiting the amount of celebration performed after winning a match, sinking a three-pointer or scoring a touchdown.

The NFL restricts taunting and celebration, even fining or suspending players for particularly atrocious or ostentatious violations. As an attempt to curb celebration, the NFL instituted an automatic 15 yard penalty against any player who uses a prop to celebrate, such as a glove, towel or goal post, in 2006. In 2009, The National Collegiate Athletics Association approved a new zero tolerance policy for excessive celebration to cut back on game times and to avoid embarrassment.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide-receiver Antonio Brown Charlie Sheen, celebrities and other household names was memorably fined Dec. of 2015 for a spiderman- preach an elaborate lifestyle that focuses solely on on-the-goal-post move following his impressive the individual and their own glory. It is impossible to touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts. As he turn on the television or get on any social media site gripped the post in a giant hug, the NFL gripped pa- without seeing some celebrity’s newest outrageous perwork detailing a $11,576 fine. Starting in Oct. of tweet or see a headline about something offensive said by a well-know name.

2015, Carolina Panthers quarNo matter how trendy, terback Cam Newton brought dabbing or jumping on a the national dance craze, “dabIt is time to honor the goal post doesn’t celebrate bing,” to the stadium. His dab celebrations last almost as long, age-old saying “Don’t the whole team and all the if not longer, than his actual be a ball hog,” and hours of practice put in and intricate workings of touchdown runs. put the emphasis the each player throughout the These players have taken the back on the team as game. It simply highlights team away and have put all of a whole, not just one the single player, the last link the emphasis on themselves.

Sure, Newton is a terrific playin a much longer chain to star player. er, but without linebacker Luke produce the points. It’s time to honor the age-old saying Kuechly, wide receiver Steve “Don’t be a ball hog,” and Smith, Jr., tight end Greg Olsen and center Ryan Kalil, Newton wouldn’t have made put the emphasis back on the team as a whole.

Let’s take it back to Pee Wee Hoops and high-five it to theSuper Bowl.

Western society and its focus on the individual each other when we win. Let’s jump up and down have created a generation of people who love be- with our team, celebrating the times and triumphs ing the center of attention and who will say or do of every swimmer after we’re all named champions. anything to get it. From self-proclaimed god, rapper Next time you sink the winning shot, hug your teamKanye West, to self-absorbed hopeful presidential mate and thank them for coming through with the candidate Donald Trump, to tiger-blood-filled actor vital assist.

Terrell Owens art by Stephanie Kang

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therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

features therock 3.3.16

Shattering warped stereotypes

surrounding those with schizophrenia grace dorsey

S

chizophrenics, whom people often portray as psychotic, violent and suicidal individuals with highly unstable lives, are no strangers to society’s ever growing narrative. The symptoms, which include a disconnect to reality via auditory and visual hallucinations, are the perfect features to twist into something disturbing and frightful, an array of traits fit for only the darkest of characters to depict.

These stories, however, often only show the grimy and gloomy side of the coin all the while purposefully forgetting the truth of living with schizophrenia.

Recently, researchers at Harvard medical school discovered a genetic link to schizophrenia. The massive study included 28,799 schizophrenics and 35,986 controls.

The gene related to schizophrenia is called C4 and is responsible for synaptic pruning (a process where unnecessary neurons and synaptic pathways are eliminated). Excess pruning, which is seen in those who suffer from schizophrenia, causes degradation of the brain, according to medscape.com.

Dr. John Lauriello, the medical director of the University of Missouri Psychiatric Center, said the results of the study don’t come as a surprise to those who follow the field and are just an elegant confirmation of what specialists have been saying for years.

Still, Dr. Lauriello believes any research toward both treating schizophrenia and finding more about the genetics related to the disease are beneficial.

“There are a lot of areas [of research] we need to work on at the same time. Better understanding the genetics and other basic science underlying the illness will eventually help us treat or even prevent the illness,” Dr. Lauriello said. “We also have to keep researching better medications and psychosocial treatments for the illness.”

C u r rently most treatment for schizophrenia consists of therapy and antipsychotic drugs, AP Psychology teacher Rachel Proffit said.

Patients are usually diag-

nosed through a series of interviews with both the patient themself and their family, she added. Although many confuse schizophrenia with dissociative disorder, in reality the two illnesses are completely different, with schizophrenia having a biological basis rather than a cognitive one. Above all, Proffit wants students to know that schizophrenia isn’t understood as clearly as it could be.

“It is a much more common disorder than people think. About one in 100 people will suffer from it. It is important that students understand that, like all disorders, it exists on a spectrum and most patients are not dangerous,” Proffit said. “They also need to know the warning signs, so they can seek help for themselves or a friend if needed.”

Junior Jarrah Crites shares Proffit’s sentiment, as she wants people suffering with schizophrenia to know they aren’t alone.

Crites herself first started experiencing auditory hallucinations when she was five years old, but got a clinical diagnosis well after the first symptoms when she was around 15. She said it was hard to tell her family because she felt completely ridiculous.

“I know there are other people who have [schizophrenia], but I felt kind of scared to say anything to anybody about it because in public people [will] call you crazy and they will make fun of you for having it,” Crites said. “I finally told [my parents] because it came to the point where I was inflicting self harm because I thought that it was the right thing to do. [When] I told my parents about it, they suggested that I [get] help, so I went to a psychiatrist and he basically diagnosed me with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.”

Crites inherited schizophrenia from her mother but has been affected far more than just having the disorder itself. Although Crites no longer lives with her mom, growing up with mental illness has left a lasting impact.

“Because [my mom] had bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder and so much other stuff, she was taking a lot of medicine and the medicine would always make her really tired.

With her being bipolar and depressed all the time, she would sleep three to four days in a row, just in the bed. I wouldn’t even see her,” Crites said. “Some days she would be up, cleaning the house, cooking a whole bunch of food, buying us stuff, doing

whatever. Other times because she was bipolar, she’d get really angry and her and my dad would fight all the time, so it was crazy growing up.”

Medication for schizophrenics is focused around blocking dopamine, a neurotransmitter, and reducing the effect of it on the brain, said Dr. Lauriello. By taking antipsychotic drugs, patients in general are able to think better, however, as with all medications, there are some negative cognitive and physical side effects.

“There really isn’t any psychiatric medications that do not have side effects and the intensity of these side effects can impact whether people will take them. In terms of antipsychotics we have a long list of potential side effects, including stiffness, weight gain and hormonal changes,” Dr. Lauriello said. “The work of the psychiatrist is to help pick medications that work best for each individual with the fewest side effects.”

Even though schizophrenia is widespread and generally treatable, there still continues to be some misconceptions about the disorder, often amplified by the media through horror movies. Common stereotypes include violent tendencies and an inability to be reintegrated into any community. In fact, a

study conducted on the matter found that of the majority of schizophrenic main characters in 41 movies released from 1999 to 2010 displayed violent behaviour to either themselves or others.

“The way schizophrenia is portrayed in the media is almost always as a dangerous and/or completely debilitating disorder,” Proffit said. “In some cases, both of these things are true, but for the most part, it is a treatable disorder. If given proper access to medical and psychological care, patients can lead healthy and happy lives, even with the disorder.”

Dr. Lauriello agrees with Proffit and said the misconceptions about schizophrenics aren’t true. He believes schizophrenics have far more in common with the rest of the world than not, something he believes is important to remember as treatment continues to be developed.

“I have seen a steady improvement in our understanding and treatment of schizophrenia in the last 25 years,” Dr. Lauriello said.

“I am optimistic that in the next decades we will continue to better understand, treat and possibly prevent this very serious illness.”

photo illu

stration b y Grace Va

nce and

Jae Rhee

infographic by Stephanie Kang

B2 features

therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

Foreign exchange makes lasting impact

photo illustration by Devesh Kumar

New sights, cultural experiences from worldly adventures open students’ eyes grace vance

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rom the time she was young, Hickman High School junior Isabel Dyke possessed a sense of global curiosity. As a small, blonde and intellectual girl, she found delight in meeting new people, hearing foreign languages and listening to the latest French pop hits.

Throughout elementary and middle school, she went through what she calls “language phases,” where she was too young to commit to learning a single language and switched constantly. Even her tenth grade birthday party invitations reflected this passion — Japanese phrases she had learned were sprawled across it.

Despite never growing up in diverse cities and her family being “completely white,” she said cultural interest has been consistent throughout her life.

“When I was little, my favorite toy to play with was a plastic globe that had a game feature where it would name a country, and I had to press that country with this little pen that was attached. The goal was to get as many as possible in a minute,” Dyke said. “I spent hours doing this when I was about preschool [and] kindergarten age. Then I got older, and my love

of geography morphed into a love of foreign cultures and eventually into a love of languages.”

Now, as a foreign exchange student, Dyke has left Columbia for the quaint city of Bourges, France, which she describes as a “classic French valley town.” For her, becoming a global student was a natural next step.

“I wanted to be a foreign exchange student because I have always been interested in foreign cultures, and particularly foreign languages,” Dyke said. “I love to travel and meet new people, try new food and see new sights from all around the world.

Being an exchange student is one of the only ways a high schooler can do this, so I thought it would be a good start for me.”

Dyke has a long history of studying language. After four years of French class she can now speak French fluently. In her sophomore year of high school, she started taking Chinese and considers it her next strongest language. She is also studying Korean — this language, along with French and Chinese, she learned primarily from self-instruction. Despite her academic preparation, Dyke still found herself surprised by the subtleties of French culture.

“My main preconceived expectation before coming to France was that

it wouldn’t be that different from the “Some people did show some interest United States. However, the amount in Korean culture, especially about of subtle differences here really sur- K-Pop, but unfortunately not many prised me in the beginning. French people knew about South Korea at people say things that no one would all. [Everything] they talked about dare say in the United States, and [was] related to North Korea.”

Even though he was immersed other subjects that I talked about in Americomfortably in the can culture United States are during the off limits here,” Dyke said. “Group I got older, and my two years conversation etilove of geography he lived in the United quette is completemorphed into a States, Kim ly different, even love of foreign cul- still had faat school. I find that my classmates tures and eventu- miliar sentiare amazingly poally into a love of ments of Korea around lite and inclusive languages. with each other isabel dyke him.

“There compared to what junior were a few I was used to in K o r e a n the United States, while strangers outside of school, un- friends who were raised in America less you’re meeting them at a soirée but could still speak Korean fluently, [evening party] are surprisingly cold and there were also people at the Korean church who gave me a lot of and standoffish.”

Hyunjoong Kim also faced cul- help,” Kim said. “I did participate in ture shock when he traveled from his a school event called Global Village home country of South Korea to the where I could introduce Korean food, celebrities, clothes and so on.”

United States on foreign exchange.

Rotary youth exchange specialist “In Korea, we strictly have courtesy to people who are even one year Carissa Coons said their program is older than yourself but in America it targeted to high schoolers and is open seemed pretty normal to challenge to students aged 15 to 19. She said anyone, regardless of age,” Kim said. foreign exchange trips can last any-

where between a few days to a year.

“Exchanges can be either short term, ranging from several days to several weeks, or long term, spanning an entire academic year,” Coons said. “Applicants are selected by a sponsoring Rotary club on the basis of a written application and a personal interview. Qualified applicants are above average students who demonstrate community involvement and possess the potential to be an excellent cultural ambassador.”

Dyke, who is on her exchange through Rotary, said the most difficult part about being on foreign exchange so far is how adaptable she has to be when it comes to changing host families. In the 10 months she has been in France, she has lived with a total of three families.

“One family I spend the vacations with and another, whom I’m with right now, I’m only spending two weeks [with] because my second host mom broke her elbow skiing and can’t drive me to school,” Dyke said.

“So I’m constantly adRead more at justing.”

Bearing news

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Navigating rough waters The process of growing up begins so innocently. One day a student sits at her desk, working on addition homework, wishing she was instead working on times tables with her third grade buddy.

In fifth grade she can hardly wait to be a middle schooler, choosing her own classes and exploring possible future careers. When eighth grade wraps up, she is excited to attend the hallowed halls of high school with the older kids. There, she will have time free of teacher supervision and the ability to drive herself to school and all her activities. Then she sits in calculus class, solving integrals and wondering why she ever wanted to grow up.

This tale is not new. It’s a rendition of the story, but for many RBHS students and alumni, their journey is different from the traditional tale.

From emancipation, family death and religious traditions, students have struggled with much bigger battles than the typical scholar trying to keep up their grades and figure out what they are going to do with their lives.

Instead, these pupils grapple with living on their own, residing in a different country than their parents, running their households and taking on the Torah. Because of these challenges, these learners have set sail into adulthood, perhaps prematurely, but ready to steer.

art by Erin Barchet

B4 indepths

therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

Taking the leap al abby kempf

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o to school. Smile vacantly at friends.

Laugh hollowly at dumb jokes. Fail the test she didn’t have time to study for.

Go home. Lug an oxygen tank upstairs and help her mother replace her old, empty canister for the new life-sustaining one. Fix dinner for her family, which usually means popping something barely resembling food in the microwave, and serve it to her mom and brother.

Her dad, however, needs help changing his feeding tube that supplies him with nutrient dense paste while he is unable to eat.

Then sit in the bathroom as her mother showers, just to make sure she has help if she falls or suffers a respiratory attack. Get her parents in bed. Make sure they are OK for the night.

Finally, lay down in her own bed with the inability to sleep, most of the time crying silently until sleep finally takes her over.

Repeat.

This was the daily schedule of now senior Jodie Bappe throughout her freshman year. While her mom had suffered from a life-threatening lung disease — interstitial pulmonary pneumonitis — since before she was even born, her father had been diagnosed with oral cancer. With one brother extremely depressed and her other brothers not at home to help, the responsibility of the household fell squarely on her tiny 15-year-old shoulders.

“I spent most of my time at night just kind of taking care of the two of them, not just physically but emotionally because most of the times both of them were sick so both of them were not very motivated,” Bappe said. “I remember one night that I really wish that I didn’t remember. Literally the entire family was crying except for me because my dad had said something along the lines of, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I want to die. I am too sick. I thought that I could make it and I am not going to,’ in front of us.”

While most 15-year-olds fight with parents about curfew or grades, Bappe spent most of her time combatting her father’s depression and her mother’s deteriorating health. Not only did she have to worry

about the mental condition of everyone in her household while allowing her own to worsen, she had to manage finances, her grades and meals — heavy stuff for a freshman.

“My mom was really stressed about finances because we had no money coming in and her disability was not valid yet because it takes forever to do,” Bappe said. “We had basically just been digging a big hole of debt for years and she was worried.”

In seventh grade, Bappe had been part of the Duke TIP talent scout when many EEE students took either the SAT or ACT early. She chose the SAT with her sights set on Stanford University, back in her home state of California.

As a perfect 4.0 GPA 13-year-old with deep interests in veterinary science, this seemed plausible. But that all changed when the sickness of her parents began to consume her life.

“I was in ninth grade at this point, so grades mattered.

I was trying to focus on keeping my grades up and making sure that I maintained the straight As that I was so used to,” Bappe said. “But that went out the window. I just didn’t

have time at home. That’s not what I was spending my time doing.”

Instead of filling out her physics worksheet or reading Fahrenheit 451, Bappe spent her days acting as the leader of her household, the only seam that had not completely torn in two.

“I had to try to keep my family from falling apart, which they were doing quite often. When my dad got sick, that was really hard because before he was like the rock of the family and he kept everything stable,” Bappe said. “So, to see him really down on himself and just giving up like that was really hard because at that point I wanted to give up, too. I didn’t think I was capable of continuing on at that point because both of my parents were dying and I was 15.”

Dr. Richard Weissbourd, the faculty director of the Human Development and Psychology Program at Harvard University, said that battling situations like Bappe’s where a young child is lacking a parent in some sort of capacity can have many different effects on the child.

“In terms of having a parent who’s not there, it depends a lot on why they aren’t there, too. It affects kids differently if they aren’t there because their parents are going through a difficult divorce or a death or because a parent has become extremely depressed or withdrawn and is unavailable emotionally,” Dr. Weissbourd said. “The meaning that a child makes of that [absence] and how they understand it [matters]. Whether it creates a conflict in their relationship with the parent, whether the child understands the situation in a way that is manageable and meaningful and that doesn’t cause the child to blame her or himself [is important].

One of the things that happens to young kids, especially, is that if something goes wrong with their parents, they think it’s their fault.

That can be very damaging.”

Bappe knows of this damage firsthand. Her life began slowly crumbling as her parents’ conditions worsened.

She suffered mental trauma.

Her depression grew and her relationships hollowed.

“I lost interest in everything because taking care of my parents was the only thing that I knew how to do; what I had dedicated my life to. I felt like I was being unfair to [my friends] because I was never really around and when I was around, I wasn’t mentally there. I was tired all the time. I couldn’t pay attention in class. I couldn’t do anything,” she said.

“At this point my depression was

infographic by Abby Kempf; information source: AceStudy.org

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ndependence. It is visible in the child who stands up to the school bully. It is apparent in the teenagers who drive to the store on their own for the first time.

It is obvious in the college freshman who is learning to live without his/her parents.

With it brings a feeling of freedom, yet often times it comes with inapt change. An unwillingness to adjust can bring about havoc or happiness. For RBHS parent Aaro Froese, it was both.

“I was having constant disagreements with my parents. I was unwilling to listen to [them and] this caused a lot of disagreements,” Froese said. “After one too many arguments, I decided to leave.”

At 17 years old, he was on his own. As he began to delve into his options as an emancipated adolescent, he was subject to a web of laws. According to an article from The Office of the Childrens Commissioner, starting at age 16, adolescents can legally leave home without their parents’ consent. Until the age of 17, however, child, youth and family services can send the child home if they deem them at risk.

While he picked up shifts delivering pizza and bagging groceries, the rest of his high school junior class was at the height of it all.

For them, ACT scores, college credits and extracurriculars filled pages in their planners, for these would determine the next chapter of their lives.

In his sudden freedom, Froese turned to one of his older brother’s friends who was living in an apartment. Throughout the next year and a half, he went from renting a room to living with college students. All the while, he worked long hours.

“My senior year I was living with a couple of college guys. They were rarely around because they were pledging a fraternity,” Froese said. “I wasn’t around much, either, [because] I needed to work a lot more to pay for living costs like [paying] my share of utilities and food. I got to missing home cooked meals.”

For senior Paulina Morales, independence also came at a young age. But this change came from necessity rather than choice. Since migrating from Mexico to the United States in fifth grade, she subsequently moved between the two countries twice because it was “too dangerous.” This proved to be a form of stress and disunity in her life.

“[One time,] there was a shooti in front of my aunt’s house. My c I] were playing outside, and we shots,” Morales. “We all ran to th continued playing. We knew wha Even though Morales has been ed States consistently for the pas her family is completely separate doesn’t live with her, and her m in Mexico because of problems w renewal. She is now living with old brother and sister-in-law.

“My brother [and I] are in ch house; keeping it clean and feed ter-in-law’s kids,” Morales sai have more free time without an us what we have to do, but we a [that] sometimes. It’s hard being [my mom] but we FaceTime w can. I tell her everything that’s go While Morales finds it difficult out her parents, 2015 alumna Rena feels liberated by it. After grad traveled to Iowa City, Iowa to st neurodiagnostic technology. For m students, housing options include to live in dorm rooms or a fraterni Williams lives in an apartment by

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“My college doesn’t have dorms, so offcampus living is the only option,” Williams said. “I live in an apartment complex, though, rather than living in apartments downtown.

My mother and I thought it’d be safer for me to live in a student housing complex with security.”

Although she lives on her own, she does not yet feel independent. Her parents still pay her apartment’s rent and provide money for groceries and other day-to-day necessities.

“My experience in my apartment is definitely symbolic of adulthood, even if I don’t necessarily feel like a full-on adult right now,” Williams said. “I’ve really had to form good habits when it comes to school, eating and sleep. I don’t have my mom around to make sure I go to school or eat my vegetables; It’s all up to me now.”

For Morales, the silver lining of life without her mother came in the form of Columbia itself. The city stood as a source of refuge and common ground in her family’s constantly evolving environment.

“I consider Columbia my hometown because I was basically raised here,” Morales said. “We moved a lot, not only to Mexico, but to other places, and we all managed to

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She s a i d c a r ing for her older brother, among many other things that occurred when her mother died, launched her into adulthood.

“When I was 12, I felt like [an adult]. I hated other 12-year -olds because I was so much more mature than them because I had to be. It definitely felt like I got along better with older people because at that age I had experienced things that those older people had experienced; nothing that people my age had,” Bappe said. “If I didn’t have to feel adulthood before, when my mom died was when I had to. Seeing my brother crumple down to the floor, making a noise that I don’t ever want to hear him make again, I realized that I was the only girl in the family and I had to become the nurturer and it has become that way.”

The death of a parent comes at no small cost. Dr. Weissbourd said, depending on the child and their circumstances, a parental death can destroy the psychological well-being of a child.

“It is traumatic in any case, but it does depend on the relationship a kid has with their parents too, whether it was a close one or a conflicted one, whether there is a surviving parent or other surviving adults who can help a child weather the experience and get through the experience intact,” Dr. Weissbourd said. “The circumstances of the death matter. It really makes a difference if it is suicide or if it is a disease and whether the child has time to grieve with the parent as opposed to sudden death. For some kids, it can be very helpful to talk to their parents about dying and say goodbye. The time can help, but it can also be extraordinarily painful.”

These psychological problems are not the only possible effects that this rapid maturation process can have on someone, Dr. Schafer said.

“Some people claim that feeling older can lead people to withdraw, to decrease their physical and social activity and to suffer the cognitive and physical problems that come from this type of withdrawal,” Dr. Schafer said.

Bappe treasures the time she spent with her mom “laughing until she had to turn her oxygen up.” But she also had to endure countless moments of panic as her family prepared for her mother to die. Once, her mother was placed on a ventilator and in a medically-induced coma at the Mayo Clinic, where doctors told Bappe and her family that it was very likely Nikki, her mom, wouldn’t wake up.

While she did wake up, this wrenching event was one of many that left the Bappe family emotionally stressed, traumatized and drained.

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new enough that I wasn’t on any medication, wasn’t seeing a counselor, wasn’t doing anything about that. I was pretty suicidal most of the time. Literally the only thing that was keeping me around was the thought that if I killed myself, my parents would definitely die. They would just give up entirely, as if they hadn’t already. I couldn’t do that to my brother. He would be the only one left in the house.”

So instead of succumbing to the sadness, Bappe became the rock of her family on the outside and kept the tears to herself.

“There were a lot of times where I felt like I had no choice but to be strong for everyone, even though inside I was completely falling apart and not able to be strong for myself at all. I would go in my room and cry myself to sleep, thinking about killing myself,” Bappe said. “I would just completely beat myself up after I was done making sure that my parents were in bed happy, knowing that I was OK with taking care of them.”

This kind of closed communication and stress is often associated with the children of cancer and other long term illness patients, according to the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles Simms/Mann Center for Integrative Oncology.

An article on their website written by Dr. Anne Coscarelli, a member of the Wallis Annenberg Director’s Initiative in Psychosocial Oncology, points to a study that shows children of cancer patients self-reported significantly higher levels of emotional distress and anxiety than their parents reported the children had.

“The other issue is some kids have caretaking responsibilities at a young age,” Dr. Weissbourd said. “There can be great things about having caretaking responsibilities in terms of becoming other-focused and responsible and developing a reflex to help other people out and learning how to do that effectively, but it also can deprive kids of childhood if it is too much. They might not be able to be playful and curious and relaxed.”

Additionally, another study Dr. Coscarelli cited showed the children of cancer patients lose interest in age-appropriate activities and peers and spend more time worrying about their parent’s illness, just as Dr. Weissbourd suggested. Bappe knows this to be true, especially after her mother died on Jan. 14, halfway through her freshman year.

Dr. Markus Schafer, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto, said that tragic events such as this cause a person to instantly mature.

“A wide number of events can influence people’s age identity. In research I’ve done, I’ve found that stressful life events such as illness or financial difficulties in one’s family tend to make people feel older. Events that happen early in life — such as losing a parent prematurely — also seem to have an impact on age identity, essentially ‘speeding up’ the subjective process of aging and making people feel older than they actually are,” Dr. Schafer said. “Research consistently shows that health problems tend to make people feel older. Some research on adolescents shows that kids growing up in poor neighborhoods tend to feel ‘old for their age’ as well, probably because they are confronted with a lot of challenges that take away from their sense of childhood.”

Bappe felt her age identity skyrocket when her mother died. She said she essentially had to take on the role of mother for the rest of her family, especially for her older brother, Andre Bappe, who is 23 years old. He lived outof-state at the time and would regularly call their mother and talk through his issues and tell her about his triumphs.

After their mother’s death, Andre began calling Bappe, asking for her advice.

and see the line in the sand dividing your life now from what it used to be.’ I didn’t find that quote until later, but that was really how I felt,” Bappe said. “Childhood ended at 11 and adulthood was just right around the corner, whereas I really shouldn’t have had to start thinking about that for another six years.”

When others told Bappe that she was ‘just a kid’ and that she didn’t have to carry the weight of her family, her frustration with her situation only grew because she knew this wasn’t true.

“I used to get so mad because everyone tells you, ‘It’s not your job.’ I would come to school all the time and feel so guilty, like I don’t have the strength to be the caretaker for my entire family,” Bappe said. “People told me, ‘Their happiness is not your problem. You need to worry about you and take care of you.’ I would just want to punch them and be like ‘You don’t understand. I do.’”

But despite all the pain, all the years of silent suffering, Bappe said she would do it all again because at the end of it all, her family is worth every sleepless night, every unfinished assignment and every tear.

“Every book that you read that is dealing with death will tell you that the only thing you can do is take care of yourself. I don’t know if I am a rare case or if those books are just b------t, which is what I expect, but that’s not true. All you can do is take care of your family,” Bappe said. “If you spend all the time taking care of yourself, and everybody else falls apart around you, how are you going to feel when you’re the only one standing up and everybody else has fallen down? You have to distribute it, but I didn’t have enough to distribute to myself. I just had to get everybody else taken care of.”

Battling responsibility without parental guidance come back to Columbia.”

The unstable housing foundation that served as a liability for Morales also impacted Froese.

According to a study conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, adolescents aged 15 to 17 who left home were more likely to engage in high risk health behaviors like cigarette smoking, alcohol usage, an unhealthy diet and underage sexual activity.

To add to these daunting prospects, a study including 345 emancipated adolescents aged 17 to 18 years old found that 14 percent experienced homelessness and 39 percent were unstably housed.

Despite the odds stacked against him, Fro-

ese said he did not engage in riskier behavior in his two years away and lived in a sound apartment. As he progressed in his education, he even found some financial benefits to living on his own.

“I took the ACT late my senior year.

I had no aspirations to go to college, but I did really well on the ACT and had a couple of schools offer me scholarships. I decided to go to Mizzou because my roommates already went there,” Froese said. “Having lived on my own for almost two years, I was very qualified for financial aid. I wouldn’t have been able to afford to go to school without [it.]”

In his senior year of college, he decided to go on a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico as part of a language study program. After having minimal relations with his parents for two years, the prospect of being away for another year

sparked his decision to recompense.

“It was right before I moved to Guadalajara, Mexico [that] I decided to make amends with my parents. When I got back from my semester abroad, I would go and visit with my parents regularly,” Froese said. “I became good friends with my mom and dad. There was a mutual respect which had previously been absent.”

Now, as a 47-year-old man, he said he feels a certain regret toward his past actions.

“As I look back to this point of my life, it is with some shame. I was a smart-a---d teenage kid that wasn’t willing or able to listen to advice given to me by those that loved me,” Froese said. “I turned my back on my parents and lived in anger. [It was] not a good place to be.”

In hindsight, Froese said he can see his parents as people now, rather than dictators of the household. He said this shift in mindset came from his emancipation and time maturing.

“The title ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ come with a lot of unrealistic Disney fueled expectations,” Froese said. “Once I was able to let go of those expectations I was able to get to know my parents as people doing what most people do — [getting] by the best that they can.”

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or 18 years, people are dependent on their parents for virtually everything — food, clothes, shelter, companionship, safety, love. No matter how deep a parent’s love is for the child, there comes a time when parents must send their offspring off into the real world.

This inevitable stage in life raises one particular questions for parents: to what extent should they be involved in their child’s life?

RBHS alumna Erika Herting expects her parents’ involvement to diminish after she graduates from the Missouri State University with a nursing degree. Currently, Herting’s parents and grandparents are splitting the tuition cost for both her and her twin brother Bob, who attends Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.

After college, Herting imagines that her parents will support her until she gets a job.

From studying for semester exams to attending International Ball, Herting anticipates that her college experiences will feed into a smoother transition to adulthood and life in the working world.

“I’m slowly becoming less nervous of becoming independent because college is preparing me for the real world along with

the responsibilities that come with it,” Herting said. “I’ve already learned so much from my classes and from living on campus.”

Separated by 168 miles, Herting does not want her parents to become latent during her transition to adulthood.

She hopes they will continue to support her through their wisdom and patient advisement; however, there is a margin as to how far Herting wants her parents involved.

“I’m afraid of being dependent on my parents longer than I’d like to be because I want to have a chance at being successful in life and I want to get a job on my own,” Herting said. “I think accomplishing something like that would be an amazing feeling — being able to accredit my success to my own hard work.”

RBHS student support counselor Melissa Coil traces another common concern among her students to doubt and apprehension.

“Usually for most, [their main concern] is that they’ve made the right choice in where to go,” Coil said. “Most schooling choices up to this point have been totally dictated for a student. So to make a choice and be one that could move you really far from your parents, take you to a bigger or smaller town — or really any change — can be overwhelming for a lot of kids.”

As a student support counselor, Coil helps students transition to life after high school by guiding them through the first step of independency: the college and job search.

“Most colleges do a really good job on tours of talking about independence such as how to do laundry, where to study, the types of transportation, etcetera,” Coil said. “But in a lot of ways, until students are living away from home, they won’t really know what it’s like. It’s something a lot of students have to

experience in order to really understand.”

Senior Ali Shahmoradi agrees with Coil, saying he will never know what independence feels like until the time comes.

“As of right now, I’m more uncertain how I feel,” Shahmoradi said. “I don’t really know right now, but I know that it’s gonna be an experience. When it’s time to be independent, I’d be more ready than I am because of the college experiences I will have gained. I know that much.”

Shahmoradi attended the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC) last fall and majored in information technology. By getting a student job, Shahmoradi hopes to help pay off his tuition fees in conjunction with his parents’ contributions.

Unlike Herting, Shahmoradi decided he will continue living with his parents throughout college, as their house is located near the UMC campus.

“I want my parents to support me financially a couple of years after I graduate college and get a well-paying job,” Shahmoradi said. “If anything, I’d start out small.

I’d probably want to invest myself to become a Geek Squad member at Best Buy.” One aspect of adulthood that appeals to Shahmoradi is the influx in freedom and leniency.

No longer would he have to share bathrooms with his younger brother or suffer from his father’s poor decision in data services.

“Pros [of independency] is that you control your life a bit more than you can at your parents’ house,” Shahmoradi said. “You can choose the various items you put in your house and the rules you set for your house including the providers you want to choose such as luxuries like TV and internet. The downside to all of these are — of course — the bills you have to pay.”

After first semester of freshmen year, Herting knows the rudimentary ropes of college, although still slippery and ragged. She

says the primary difference between life at home and life at college is the amount of freedom and responsibility one has.

“Life at home with family and life at college are completely different. At home you have less freedom, fewer responsibilities and it’s easier to manage time,” Herting said. “In college you have lots of freedom but more responsibilities. You make new experiences and friends every day, but it’s more difficult balancing both academics and a social life.

You also definitely miss family and friends.”

Although Herting misses her family’s constant company, she’s grateful that her parents aren’t the overcontrolling, overprotecting and over-perfecting type — a parenting method commonly referred to as “helicopter parenting.”

“I don’t think helicopter parenting is helpful in any way,” Herting said. “It makes the child and parents more stressed out. It’s OK for parents to look at grades every once in awhile to make sure their child is being successful or needs help in school, but not to the point when they are ‘hovering.’”

Coil says parent involvement after high school depends on the student and parent relationship as each are very different.

“Every student’s level of independence will vary, and, therefore, so will their parents’ level of involvement,” Coil said. “It’s important for students to spread their wings, but watching their children grow up is still something parents want to experience too.”

Coil says for one to take full advantage of the opportunities that college has to offer, one should actively involve themselves in everything they can, such as participating in study groups, hanging out with friends and experiencing the town, socializing and expanding one’s network. Life-altering experiences don’t have to occur instantaneously once at college, she said.

“I wasn’t good about getting out and about in the town until later in college,” Coil said. “Take your time. Get out of your comfort zone. Meet new people. You don’t have to experience everything within the first few moments of college.”

Religious ceremonies transition students into adulthood skyler froese

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ex, substances and poor choices are often the accessories of early adulthood. According to the National Health Institute, 36.4 percent of teenagers dive into activities such as smoking marijuana to show their maturity, but believe it or not, there are still young men and women who view the end of their childhood as a chance to instead strengthen their relationship with God. Religion has a long, illustrious history of coming-of-age ceremonies. In these events, young men and women are brought out of their youth and into adulthood by the force of a divine power. Ceremonies such as bar and bat mitzvahs and confirmations give children the opportunity to grow in the eyes of their congregation. During the months leading up, they educate themselves in their faith and often perform charitable acts.

These type of rites are present in numerous religions and even in specific cultures. These can be as ancient as the Apache tribe’s sun rise ceremony, where a young woman’s skin is painted and she reenacts the Apache creation myth.

They can also be as modern as interfaith coming-of-age traditions that focus on personal growth.

Some ceremonies are not even particularly religious in nature, such as a Latina girl’s quinceanera when she turns fifteen or a Seijin-no-Hi to celebrate a Japanese person’s twentieth birthday. Traditions like these span the globe, but you can also find students at RBHS taking part in them.

Junior Julianna Vogt is Catholic and was confirmed this past December. Catholics consider

confirmation as one of the seven sacraments, which are events celebrated throughout a Catholic’s life to reaffirm and celebrate some sign of religious growth. While the ceremony does not make an adult per se, Vogt said that confirmation is to solidify a young person’s growth in a different capacity.

“We are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and are strengthened in our faith,” she said.

The process of confirmation was a year-long journey for Vogt and her fellow confirmands. Her path included weekly classes, writing a letter to the Bishop and other labors of love to create a more concrete faith in the teenagers. One of these was an emphasis on community service hours. Vogt fulfilled this through missionary work and volunteering care for an eight-year-old boy with special needs as he was attending camp.

“I had to put his needs before mine, which is easy for a few days, but when I was tired he still needed me. The experience showed me how helping others is really hard sometimes,” Vogt said. “At the end of the camp, he was in a canoe with me and at first he was terrified, but then he started to like it. He had so much fun putting his hands in the water and enjoying the river.”

The experience profoundly impacted Vogt. At that moment she was happier than she had ever been in her life because she could help him enjoy his life like everyone else, she said.

This lesson has helped guide her plan for the rest of her life. She believes that the responsibilty she learned from caring for the camper prepared her for the challenges she will soon face in college. The passion she found through community service inspired her to pursue a ca-

reer in occupational therapy, and confirmation holistically inspired her faith.

“There was a lot of information about the Catholic Church that I learned in the classes that has helped me grow stronger in my faith,” Vogt said, “As my faith gets stronger, I become more and more confident in my maturity which is nice because I will be leaving for college in a year or so.”

This pull to adulthood is present in every young person’s life, regardless of the creed they follow.

Junior Zane Durante is Jewish, and at the age of 13 he celebrated his bar mitzvah. In this ceremony a young Jewish man stands in front of his congregation and recites passages from the Torah.

Similar to a confirmation, a bar mitzvah is preceded with charitable service. Durante’s mother, Kelly Durante, said a bar mitzvah marks when a person must start to choose “mitzvoth,” or good deeds. This is also the age they are expected to become more observant of their faith. A Jewish adult is also counted in a ‘minyan,’ which is the minimum amount of people required to be present in during certain ceremonies.

“At the entrance into adulthood, a Jew becomes obligated to follow the commandments. Bar Mitzvah literally means ‘son of the commandment’ and Bat Mitzvah means ‘daughter of the commandment,’” Kelly Durante said. “A Jewish adult is expected to follow specific rules of moral conduct and has the right and responsibility to lead some aspects of religious practice.”

Durante’s “mitzvoth” started in the six months leading up to his bar mitzvah, consisting of projects at the food bank and food pantry.

Like Vogt, Durante found his faith

deepened by this commitment.

He is the first person in his family in the past 50 years to have a bar mitzvah, and he was able to celebrate this with around 100 other people.

This return to tradition deeply touched Kelly Durante, as she felt it honored her parents, grandparents, and it even honored her. She also considers it a bat mitzvah of sorts for her and her mother, both of

whom were never able to celebrate their own coming of age. Sharing this occasion and its meaning with her son meant more than just him getting older for Kelly Durante.

“It means that he has chosen to honor the traditions of our religion and of our ancestors,” Kelly Durante said. “It’s not an easy task to learn that much Hebrew, let alone to sing it in front of a crowd. It makes me very proud of him.”

infographic by Abby Kempf; source: globalcitizen.org

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Questioning racial bias Racial equality is not as black and white as perceived joy park

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hite privilege shapes the very world one lives in — the way people navigate, interact and communicate with one another.

According to an article by Teaching Tolerance, white privilege is not something that white people necessarily create on purpose. Instead, the research stated it is a “right, advantage or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others.”

World-renowned educator, author and speaker Tim Wise, who is scheduled to speak at the University of Missouri–Columbia (UMC) Tuesday, March 8, argues that this societal privilege provides white people with certain “perks” that people of other colors do not, and cannot, experience.

Wise wrote on his FAQ website page that white people have privileges by design of the societal situations like the criminal justice system and employment.

He asserts this belief in saying, “The concept [of white privilege] is rooted in the common sense observation that there can be no down without an up, so that ... people of color are the targets. [They] have more opportunity because those persons of color are receiving less.”

Similar to Wise, senior Gabbi Schust sees the effects of white privilege, particularly in school. She deems white privilege as existent in society for several reasons, such as racial profiling and racial discrimination against minorities in schools and workplaces.

As an older sister to an adopted African American sister, Schust knows what it’s like on either end of the long, divided spectrum.

“Walking the halls at RBHS, I notice that I never get questioned where I’m going or told to get to class by faculty and teachers, but my minority classmates are often told those things,” Schust said.

“I’ve also experienced it in the fact that I’m generally treated better and maybe even trusted more based on

my [white] skin tone, which is completely ridiculous.”

MAC scholars coordinator Joe Collier refuses to believe his students are victims of white privilege.

Also holding the position as RBHS’s home school communicator, Collier says that his job primarily revolves around finding and providing resources for students of all backgrounds. “[My role] is to make sure that all minorities in MAC Scholars know what’s out there in the schools,” Collier said. “I make sure that they have the abilities to go visit colleges [and] the ability to make sure they know what they want to do by the time they leave RBHS. I make sure they have a plan for post-high school.”

For junior Alli Foster, too many people are not properly educated on the implications of white privilege for her to fully believe in its truth.

Caucasian herself, Foster believes white privilege is more than a right implicated by race alone.

“The word white privilege implies that the only way people are prejudiced is when it comes to race, which is certainly not true,” Foster said. “There is also sexism, religious persecution and many other

types of prejudice. White privilege seems to ignore all other factors but race.”

Foster believes people colloquially use the term white privilege when speaking of certain institutions and communities. Because of this, Foster asserts the conspicuous prejudice in America to have formed on an individual level.

“I don’t believe American institutions enforce racism, sexism or religious persecution, and saying they do does non-prejudiced individuals a huge disservice,” Foster said. “It is possible for someone to be favored because they are white. I don’t think that our society is oriented to do that, but some individuals just are.”

But at the end of the day, humans breathe the same air and hearts beat the same blood.

“I really feel that a person can make his own weight,” Collier said. “You can have the same privileges that everybody else has. I won’t allow my students to feel like the reason why they’re being held down is because of this privilege that other students get. I want them to believe that they can make their own weight and that they have the resources to do it.”

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ho knew slaves could be so pretty” “Did your slave owner take this??”

“I bet you are very grateful they let you take a day off from the plantation” “#abrahamlovesme” Hate speech or Instagram comments? Sometimes it’s a trick to tell.

One night, as junior Sam Lopez scrolled through her Instagram feed, these are the very comments she saw on freshman Brittany Hayes’ photo. She decided she couldn’t just ignore these words, so she reached out to her friend, freshman Piper Page to help her choose what action to take to fight against these racist comments.

“When I first saw it, I thought, ‘This is a joke,’ because no one would actually just say that,” Page said. “So when I went further and actually went to the page, because originally I just saw screenshots, they kept coming. I thought, ‘OK, now I am starting to see that this is an inside joke.’ So then I sent it to [sophomore] Andrea [Baker] and it just became big.”

Together, the three decided to speak out against this joke gone wrong. Lopez messaged one of the girls who commented ‘#abrahamlovesme’ along with other hashtags such as #oreo, #mixedlovewins and #civilwarover.

“I was basically trying to get by] McIntosh [in] 1989.”

Baker, a Caucasian student, it through their heads that posting something like that just isn’t OK, agrees with Dr. Cummings, sayeven if it is an inside joke,” Lo- ing a large amount of white peopez said. “It’s not something you ple who deny privilege don’t have the capacity to empathize because should post out to the public.”

But as students have a ten- they themselves have never been dency to brush off chastisements oppressed.

“People think that if it’s not from peers, the girl said Hayes was OK with the joke and the affecting them personally that it doesn’t exist,” Baker said. “If words weren’t a big deal.

“If they don’t have a conse- people who are being oppressed quence, how are they supposed to tell you that they’re being opknow that they are in the wrong? pressed, if you’re not being opBecause obviously they didn’t pressed you can’t be like, ‘No, listen to us,” Baker said. “They you can’t find that offensive.’ aren’t going to listen to kids, so That’s not how it works.”

There are a plethora of negathey have to hear it from an adult.”

What enables white students to tive implications of this denial, feel like it is acceptable to make Dr. Cummings said.

“The consequences of denying public comments disparaging to white priviothers belege will only cause of lead to growtheir race, ing racial injoking or When I first saw it, equality,” Dr otherwise?

I thought, ‘This is a Cummings Privijoke,’ because no said. “Today lege, speone would actually Republicans cifically of say that. and Demothe white piper page crats alike persuasion, freshman have proDr. Jason claimed the Cummings claims. As an assistant professor War on Drugs, including mandaof sociology and African Ameri- tory minimums and three strikes can studies at the University of laws, a massive failure that led to South Carolina, he uses a work- the swelling of American prisons ing definition of white privilege largely at the expense of black in his classroom to get all students and brown communities of color.”

He pointed to many statistics to the same understanding on this pervasive cultural form of oppres- such as the 40 million extra arrests for drug related offenses sion.

“When I discuss white privi- since 1971 and the fact that blacks lege in my courses, I offer the are ten times more likely to be infollowing definition: benefits and/ carcerated for drug crimes. Ador advantages to being white in ditionally, Dr. Cummings cites a largely white dominated soci- other issues as contributing facety,” Dr. Cummings said. “The tors to the era of white privilege difficulty many people have with following slavery and so-called white privilege is that [whites] freedom for blacks.

“As legal scholar Michelle Algenerally view racism/discrimination through the lens of ‘indi- exander, [author of] The New Jim vidual acts of meanness,’ [as said Crow, highlights: there are more

blacks under correctional control, in prison, probation or parole, today than were enslaved in the U.S. colonies in 1850. White privilege allows one to ignore this reality,” Dr. Cummings said. “I use the analogy in class of a car that needs an alignment. If a car has an alignment issue, denying that there is an issue or [refusing] to fix the problem will only give room for the problem to worsen on its own if ignored.

You have to take the car to a mechanic, jack it up to see what the problems are and do what’s necessary to get the car in working order.”

A lack of knowledge can photo il be blamed as a part of the “car’s lustration by C assi Vio x and un-alignment,” following Dr. Neil Cat h ro Cummings analogy, Lopez said.

She believes education can help break down these barriers.

“I think they should teach us both sides of the story,” Lopez said. “Just try to incorporate everyone so that people ... don’t have just this one mindset and be so close-mind- Read more on ed.”

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infographic by Neil Cathro; information source: civilrights.org

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therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

sports therock 3.3.15

Making the cut

Freshmen reveal their preparations for tryouts

Coaches weigh in on what they’re looking for in a player john flanegin

F

rom racing hearts to churning stomachs, tryouts are often some of the most trying times in an athlete’s career. Months of preparation consisting of conditioning, strength training and practicing condense into a three day period ultimately deciding the makeup of each team’s roster. Freshmen fight for their first shot on a high school squad while seniors methodically make their way through the 72 hour period, hoping to hear their name called after the third and final practice.

But what is it like to be on the other side of the equation, making cuts and evaluating players?

For many of RBHS’ coaches, the three-day allotment for tryouts is the most important part of the young season as it gives them the opportunity to field the best groups of athletes possible. Start with a good foundation of talent and you’re already well on your way to a possible district or state championship. For baseball coach Justin Towe, the ability to master the fundamentals plays a large part when picking his final 45 players throughout the freshman, junior varsity and varsity levels.

“Number one at this level, they have to have an understanding of the game, and they have to have the basic skills down. In other words the time has kind of passed for us to teach someone how to play catch or throw the baseball so those basic fundamentals of the game have to be pretty solid,” Towe said. “...Once I spot those fundamentals it can kind of get them off of point A and bring them over to point B.” Unlike Towe, track and field coach Patrick Sasser often finds himself teaching athletes of all ages the basics of events such as pole vault and long jump.

Track and field sits at a complete and total opposite end of the spectrum than the likes of baseball, tennis, lacrosse, and soccer as it is a no cut sport in addition to RBHS’ most populous sport not only during the spring season but during the course of the year. Sasser revels in the opportunity to get to work with so many different competitors, each at their own level in their athletic career.

“I love the fact that track has no cuts because you get to work with a variety of kids at all ability levels.

To a certain extent track can be less about winning and more about personal bests for kids who wouldn’t necessarily get to achieve in other sports,” Sasser said. “Also it takes time and proper periodization to develop speed so in many instances a kid might be JV but if they follow the proper training regiment then they might have a really nice speed peak at the end of the season and make a play for a varsity spot.”

While a mastery of fundamentals can bolster an athlete’s standing during tryouts an equally important focus comes in the form of mental strength. Can a

player bounce back from a tough loss? Can they stay focused when the game is on the line? Will they crack under pressure?

“Confidence is critical, but resiliene is just as important,” girls’ and boys’ tennis coach Ben Loeb said.

“You are going to run across obstacles during the competition. It’s how an athlete handles it that will determine a lot.”

Towe shares Loeb’s sentiments and believes in baseball, a sport where a player misses more than they hit, the ability to rebound after a bad at bat or inning on the mound is essential when judging an individual.

“We look at the kids and see how do they react when something goes wrong,” Towe said, “because it will go wrong and that’s true with any sport but if a kid is going to pout or mope and it’s going to affect him, then that’s probably not someone you can really rely on in the seventh inning.”

This mental toughness paired with the will to work and get better day in and day out is a vital piece to the puzzle for RBHS coaches. The popular phrase, “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard,” especially resonates with Sasser, who believes that athletes can either hinder or buoy their performance based on work ethic.

“It’s difficult to overcome talent but hard work is certainly a good start; however, all the talent in the world won’t get you very far unless you have a positive and willing attitude,” Sasser said. “We have many times seen kids come and go with incredible talent who’ve never made a difference on our team because they weren’t willing to work at it. Over the years we’ve also had a number of kids over achieve in track and field because they were simply willing to work hard…”

One of the final things coaches look at when finalizing their squads at the conclusion of the three days of judgement is age or lack thereof for Loeb.

“Age is virtually a non-issue in the sport of tennis. There are so many outstanding, young players on the pro tour and in college and high school tennis,” Loeb said. “The factor I’m more concerned about is experience. How much successful experience has the player had in challenging tournaments? That tells me a lot.”

Towe also values experience but sees age as a more black and white issue than Loeb, believing it to play a crucial role is building a team for the future.

“My thing for a long time has been that I’m always looking for younger guys because I have younger guys longer,” Towe said. “I love my seniors to death, and they know that but they also know that if I find a younger guy who is as good as or better than them I’m going to play that younger guy. Just because you’re a senior doesn’t mean you’re going to play, all of that is earned.”

Abby Green Soccer I’ve gone to pre-season every day which has really helped me get back on a good playing schedule. In addition to that, whenever I hang out with friends we always go to the Katy trail and work on our skills. photo by Cassi Viox

Kam Farid Tennis I’ve been training for the past five years and I’ve gone to tournaments every other weekend. I’m really excited to play, I think our team will be really good. We’ll also be going to Chattanooga so it’ll be interesting to see how we do. photo by Ty Jamieson

feature photo by Ty Jamieson

Off-season work, early morning practices and time in the gym will be vital to senior’s success in coming months

Molly Klein

Taten Lyngstad

Soccer

Baseball

To prepare for season, we’ve had preseason three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday. If it was too cold out, we did circuits or some running. When it was nice outside, we’d play as much as we could photo by Cassi Viox

For baseball we’ve had our competition lifting, and the pitchers come in the morning to work out.

We’ve been conditioning in the morning about twice a week. Since January we’ve been hitting in the mornings at 8 and lifting. photo by Cassi Viox

Track prepares to hit ground running jenna liu

W

ith the track and field team’s first meet fewer than two weeks away, athletes are preparing to see what kind of success months of training will bring. At last year’s state competition, RBHS brought back a score of achievements, including a first place finish for junior Ojurere Shonekan in the long jump and fourth place medals for the girls 4x800 meter dash.

For senior Lexi Heim, who briefly held the school record in the pole vault before junior Jordan Banker broke it in May 2015, this season is full of new opportunities.

“My personal goal this season it to get 12’6 in pole vault and to do my best to be a great leader for other pole vaulters,” Heim said.

“My team goal would be to cheer and encourage others on in their workouts and events in competition.”

Heim said her current training mostly involves conditioning in order to ensure that she

and the other pole vaulters are in peak condition for the rest of the season.

“When we start the season in shape, we have that much longer to spend on improving on our event rather than working on endurance,” Heim said.

Neal Blackburn, the head coach for the Bruins, said most runners on the team are selfmotivated to train.

“Right now with preseason we have a very intrinsically motivating preseason; we understand what it’s like for high school kids involved in so many different things. We try to keep the pre-seasons really loose and relaxed,” Blackburn said. “The distance runners do a fantastic job of pairing up and doing their runs together.”

The team’s close-knit bond remains strong because of the efforts of senior leaders such as Quinn Miller, who hopes to use his experience to help the younger runners adjust to the change of pace track brings, in comparison to cross country running.

“My personal goal is just to benefit the team as much as I can and lead the other guys because I think that this will really be a big group effort,” Miller said “Any guys who have transitioned from [cross country] to track, especially because we’re all distance guys, really have a big effect on any of the distance events.”

After coming short of qualifying to sectionals in the one-mile run last year, Miller has set his sights on making it out of the district competition and potentially even running at state.

For Blackburn, the team’s strong performance last season proves that the Bruins are a significant contender in their district.

“The team did very well last year, and I felt like we were extremely competitive; our district had a lot of kids make the state meet and it was the first time we were in the really challenging Kansas City district,” Blackburn said. “Our goal is just to field a little more of a complete team and to dominate in a couple of different areas.”

photo by Devesh Kumar

Fresh off the block: Junior Ojurere Shonekan took home a first place medal last year in the long jump and has been a vital part of RBHS’ track team. Shonekan and the team begin their season at the Columbia Kick-Off at Hickman March 18.

C2 sports

therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

Districts Boys move on to finals ji-ho lee

L

ast year, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) inserted the boys basketball team into what many considered to be the most challenging district in the state of Missouri. The competition was ungracious to the newcomers, as the Bruins fell to the talented Blue Springs South Jaguars in the district championship game.

The Bruins seek to avoid a repeat of last year in 2016 as they head through districts this week. RBHS has gathered a surplus of talent by way of transfers and freshmen. This talent, combined with the leadership and consistent play of upperclass role players, including senior forwards Carson England and Karson Ringdahl and junior guard Justin Hajicek, created a recipe for success in the regular season.

With the introduction of freshman forward Isiaih Mosley and guards Ben Cooper and Dajuan Harris, as well Jefferson City transfer junior forward Eysan Wiley, the Bruins sprinted out of the gates, winning their first three games. Despite going 3-5 for their next eight games, RBHS finished strong, winning 13 of their last 14. The Bruins enter the district tournament as the top seed, boasting a 19-6 record.

The result of an impressive regular season was a well deserved first-round bye for the Bruins. RBHS watched fourth-seed SmithCotton, hosts of the district tournament, defeat Hickman in overtime, 69-66, setting up a matchup between RBHS and Smith-Cotton.

Much of the first quarter was highly competitive, but a late run propelled RBHS to a 2216 advantage. In the second quarter, the Bruins expanded the lead to a 46-27 advantage. It was two freshmen, Cooper and Mosley, who, along with star senior forward Tre Williams, sparked the offense, netting 33 of the team’s 46 points in the first half.

“We played as a team and stuck to the gameplan,” junior forward Jack Widhalm said.

“That helped us get the outcome we wanted.”

The gameplan was a combination of intensity and execution on both sides of the ball.

“In the first half, we came out with a lot of intensity on the defensive end,” England said.

“That intensity carried over to our offense which helped our transition and efficiency.”

Two runs by Smith-Cotton in the second half, however, cut into the Bruin lead. The first, a 6-0 spurt to start the third quarter, decreased the advantage to 46-33. The second, a 9-0 run to start the final quarter, dropped the lead to 59-52. Nevertheless, the Bruins would find their footing again offensively.

“That was a key moment in the game,” Widhalm said. “We responded with a string of

buckets after the lead got cut to seven.”

Two JV call ups, sophomore forward Drew Boswell and freshman guard Jamonta Black, sparked the team with a block and a threepointer, respectively. The Bruins finished the game on a 22-5 run, defeating Smith-Cotton 81-57. With the victory, the team advances to the district championship game against secondseeded Blue Springs South (14-11) who defeated Blue Springs, 77-52.

“Moving on, we want to win a district title,” Ringdahl said. “We want to take it one step at a time.”

Turnovers lead to loss ji-ho lee

O

ver the past four years, RBHS girls basketball has established a hegemonic rule over the state of Missouri, claiming the state title in each of those seasons. But the graduation of superstars, such as Sophie Cunningham and Cierra Porter, has left the team in an unfamiliar situation: an 1115 record, ranked 85th in Missouri and not the

favorite to win the state title.

The road to Mizzou Arena, however, first passes through Sedalia, as the Smith-Cotton Tigers host the district tournament. The Lady Bruins have put on clinics against opponents at the district level, but are not favored to win even this tournament in 2016, as they entered the tournament as the third seed.

While some critics could predict a decline in success because of the loss of talented players, few could foretell a regular season as painfully uncharacteristic as this one. Characterized by inconsistency and streakiness, a three-game skid and a six-game losing streak epitomized the season.

The Lady Bruins tipped-off against the second-seed Blue Springs South Jaguars (16-9) on Tuesday night. Despite sophomore guard Payton McCallister’s 13-point first half, RBHS trailed 29-16 at the intermission.

“We didn’t come out with the mindset we needed and dug ourselves into the hole,” junior forward Madison Treece said about the slow start.

Treece, as well as senior guard Bri Ellis, described the Blue Springs South press as being particularly detrimental.

“We just turned the ball over too many times,” Ellis said. “I think as a team we need-

ed to take care of the ball and defend better.”

In the third quarter, the Bruin offense improved, but the Blue Springs South offense improved as well. With eight minutes remaining, RBHS trailed 51-37. The 14-point deficit was too much to overcome, as the Lady Bruins lost to the Jaguars, 62-46.

“In the end, it was just too little too late,” Treece said. “This isn’t the ending we wanted for our season, but it will fuel our fire to get better for next year and fix our mistakes so we can get our desired outcome next year … Our future looks bright.”

For most of the team, the disappointing loss symbolized the end of a season, but for a trio of seniors, the game was the end of a career.

“We all wish our season didn’t have to end,” McCallister said. “We didn’t [want] to send our seniors off like this.”

Despite the disappointment, the lasting memories will be ones of celebration, not sadness.

“I will remember what a great program RBHS has become and the life lessons and friends it has made for me,” Ellis said. “Of course, I’ll remember winning state three times and being with amazing coaches and players.” feature photo by Abby Kempf

Bruins LAX rebuilds cam fuller

W

ith baseball season revving up and tennis matches on the way, another RBHS sport is also gaining momentum going into the new season.

Lacrosse, which is a club program under Bruin athletics, began practice last week with new head coach Thomas Scully. After the loss of three coaches and the graduation of 16 players, the culture of the entire team has changed. The team is predominantly made up of underclassmen who have never played varsity lacrosse before, but after a grueling and finely tuned preseason, Scully is ready to move his players onto the next step of rebuilding RBHS Lacrosse.

“We are completely remaking this program, but it’s all for the better,” Scully said. “[RBHS] has always been a good team, but the work in the past

has only gotten them to back-to-back losses in the first round of the playoffs.

That ends now.”

With help from previous RBHS players and new coaches, Scully is pushing every player to help them achieve their goal of a state playoff win. Even for senior Hunter Wadman, the increased work ethic now required of every player comes as a sign of hope rather than a burden.

“We’ve never had a coach put us through preseason workouts like that before,” Wadman said. “I think it kind of shocked us all, but it was immediately apparent once we started real practices that it had paid off and the workouts had gotten us in the best shape we’ve ever been.”

Wadman, who recently committed to play lacrosse at Missouri Baptist University, has a new, crucial role as a senior and a leader on the defense.

After losing two starting defensemen

from the previous year, it’s more important now than ever that the slew of underclassmen have the ability to step up early in the season.

“Our seniors have really been helping us to learn and get better,” sophomore Griffin Strong said. “This season we just want to be able to work together to become the best we can be no matter what it takes.”

The current senior class may be small compared to the previous season with only six graduating, but Scully has made it very apparent how important their role will be in the coming season. Not only is it time for them to push their play on the field, but to ensure that incoming generations of RBHS lacrosse players have a solid program. The seniors must begin to build a legacy for Bruins Lacrosse.

“I don’t want us to be a team that goes into the playoffs every year and loses in the first round,” Wadman said.

photo by Tyson Jamieson

Strength: Sophomore defenseman Griffin Strong pushes an attackman out of the defensive third. Under a new head coach, the Bruins have prepared for their pre-season jamboree March 5.

“We need to bring our level of play up so that we can make this team a much higher seed and actually go deep into the playoffs.”

Boys’ lacrosse will begin their season March 5 at the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association preseason jamboree, where they will play a handful of teams. One such team will be Priory, the only regular season undefeated team in Missouri Division Two that

beat RBHS in the playoffs last year.

“I don’t want us to focus too hard on anything that’s not directly ahead of us,” Scully said. “It really just comes down to who we play next. If we’re playing Priory next, then we’ll give everything we have to beat them.

Same goes for any other team we play this year.”

Editor’s note: Writer is a member of the RBHS varsity lacrosse team.

sports

3.3.16 • www.bearingnews.org • therock

C3

Strike a pose: Freshmen Katharine Mehle and Avery Snider, senior Ally Hill and freshman Anna Kate Sundvold (front row) along with the rest of the Bruin Girls rally the boys’ basketball team in their game against Battle High School Feb. 23. photo by Natalie Soderman

Bruin Girls compete in national competition abby kempf

W

ith sunny Orlando as their backdrop, the Bruin Girls competed in the National Dance Alliance National Championship for high schoolers Feb. 2628 at Hard Rock Live. The girls received ninth for poms, fifth for mix and brought home hardware for a third place finish in jazz.

“We did our best and left our scores in the hands of the judges. No matter how the results turned out, no matter good or bad, it’s an amazing feeling getting to perform with people I love and who have pushed me to try my hardest,” freshman Bruin Girl Anna Kate Sundvold said. “I know we came in wanting first, just like every other team, but I remember before awards the seniors saying, ‘Whatever happens doesn’t matter because we did the best we could and that’s all that matters.’ Honestly, I’m so proud of how much this team has improved and grown closer to each other over the year.”

Sophomore Bruin Girl Gracie Head shares Sundvold’s sentiments, saying that the months of practice and preparation were the fun part, and the competition was just a chance to show off their hard work.

“We have been looking forward to this for the past nine months and have been working for those nine months. Also, we practice breathing together and just trying to get in the right mindset,” Head said.

“We really make sure we hear the music the same and know the counts perfectly.”

While the competition wasn’t everything to the girls, they were still excited to see how they would do. Senior Bruin Girl Bria Trent said the week brought the team together.

“Growing closer with all of my team [was my favorite part.] We were already close, but being with them for a week and going through this process has really made our friendships so much stronger,” Trent said. “We had our best performances this weekend.”

She said she had nerves before the momentous performance, but being with her team soothed her butterflies and got her in the right frame of mind to give it her all.

“I was nervous,” Trent said. “We all just talk to each other and encourage each other so that helps to know you have your team behind you.”

But the week wasn’t all focused on the competition. It was also a great week for the girls to bond at Universal Studios and

at their performance at Disney World. Trent said freshman Katharine Mehle’s stuffed animal was hidden in the microwave as a practical joke. Head said the girls also learned to love their silly green wigs.

“We had to wear green wigs for our pom dance this year,” Head said. “We all thought it was not the best idea, and then at nationals we finally realized that the green wigs actually were a great fit.”

The weekend of fun was also the senior members’ final chance to perform with their team and revel in their last three years of dancing for RBHS. “It’s been such a huge part of my life,” Trent said. “I’m not ready for it to be over.”

The underclassmen are also still holding onto their final moments with their senior friends, who were the same girls that showed them what it meant to be a Bruin Girl and helped them begin their high school years.

“I am very sad to see the seniors leave.

They have brought love, courage, honesty and nothing but positivity to the team,” Sundvold said. “It’s always hard saying goodbye to people, especially when you get to become so close to them over the years, but I know they will do great things and will touch many other people’s lives just

like they have touched mine.”

But it isn’t all bad news. Sundvold is excited to start fresh with new dance routines and a new group of girls with some experience under her belt.

“I’m excited for all the upcoming new team members I will be dancing with,” Sundvold said. “I’m glad that I have gotten to go to nationals with the team we had this year because in the next couple of years I will be more experienced and will know more about what nationals is about.”

Sundvold said she is glad that she is a part of the Bruin Girls and has learned so many valuable lessons from dancing with the team at nationals and at all their other competitions and performances.

“I’ve learned that you need to soak up every moment in life because it all pays off in the end. I’ve learned that teamwork and love can get you through hard moments,” Sundvold said. “One thing I learned at nationals is to step out of my comfort zone and make friends with other teams and people on [my] own team who I haven’t talked to much the past year. I made a ton of friends from other dance teams that I can now keep in touch with over the next couple of years and hopefully go to college with some of them.”

1. photo by Natalie Soderman

3.

photo by Cassi Viox

3. Breaking a sweat: Senior Morgan Davidson and freshman Anna Kate Sundvold (front row) encourage the Bruin’s football team to defeat BHS Sept. 4.

2.

photo by Chloe Jost

4. Perfect poms: Seniors Morgan Davidson and Allie Dockins along with freshman Anna Kate Sundvold (front row) motivate the boys varsity basketball team while playing against HHS Feb. 26.

1. Strutting their stuff: Seniors Megan Sherman and Ally Hill preform during halftime of the boys varsity basketball game against BHS Feb. 23.

2. Shake it off: Freshman Anna Kate Sundvold and seniors Bria Trent, Morgan Davidson and Allie Dockins (front row) execute their routine during a boys varsity basketball game against Helias High School Feb. 26.

4.

photo by Natalie Soderman

indepths & entertainment C4 arts B4

therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

True experiences, no fa Before you Q...

Check True/False’s Box Office at the Imago Gallery (next to Strange Donuts) first to see if tickets are available because they’re a bit cheaper than if you buy them at the Q. If tickets are available, they’ll be sold at the Box Office up until 15 minutes prior to the screening. Q-ing movies is only an option for movies that are marked on the True/False website as NRT (No Reserved Tickets). After that, any available seats are sold through the Q system.

Q-ing is how late buyers to True/False get tickets to their choice documentaries and it’s not hard at all.

The True/False Box Office

Pick up passes or buy tickets and True/False merchandise here. If you have any questions about the festival, this is the place to go.

The Missouri Theater

This classic venue and downtown landmark is a must-know destination.

Jesse Auditorium

Harold’s Doughnuts 114 S 9th St, Suite 102 THURS-SUN

The beautiful auditorium shows many of the movies at the festival.

6am-2pm

arts & entertainment indepths C5 B5

3.3.16 • www.bearingnews.org • therock

alse expectations The Blue Note

The traditional concert venue doubles as a venue during the festival.

Main Squeeze 28 S 9th St THURS-SAT SUN

8am-8pm 8am-5pm

Coffee Zone 11 N 9th St THURS-SAT 6:30am-9pm 8am-9pm SUN

Kaldi’s Coffee 29 S 9th St #1

Key

THURS-SAT 6am-10pm SUN 7am-10pm

Coffee Places Venues Quick Bites

The truth about True/False I really love eating at either Pizza Tree or Sake. Pizza Tree is a good local place with a really nice environment and cool art on the walls. Sake is honestly more for groups with different palates. They have good sushi, and it’s very classy, but they also make a mean burger. lindsey morrison senior

Ragtag Cinema

photo by Kat Sarafianos

I would recommend going to some of the iconic places like Shakespeare’s because you can only get that type of food in Columbia. I love them because they have a homey feel for me because I’ve grown up eating there.

They were somewhere special to go.

Ragtag transforms into a two-theater venue for the festival.

Uprise Bakery 10 Hitt St

THURS FRI-SAT SUN

6:30am-8pm 6:30am-9pm Closed

abby blitz junior

photo by Kat Sarafianos

I want go to True/False this year because I love the idea of it so much. My favorite restaurant downtown is Bangkok Gardens and their bubble tea is amazing. [Chim’s] offers delicious traditional Thai food, very kind employees, and the environment is clean.

How to Q 1. Look for a Queen: If unsure of where to go, look for the flamboyantly dressed Queens; Queens are True/False volunteers who dress in crazy outfits and head the Q lines to help direct people. Queens also hand out Q numbers that you’ll need if you want a chance to get a ticket.

megan polniak junior

photo by Kat Sarafianos

During [True/False] — but during year round — I love getting coffee at Coffee Zone on 9th Street just north of Broadway. I like Coffee Zone for their amazing coffee and their friendly staff. They have drinks for any weather and time of day, and it’s nicely lit inside.

2. Get there early: The tickets sold at the Q are reserved tickets for about 10 percent of the theater. Depending on how big the venue is and how many people show up, they might sell out quickly. We recommend arriving at least an hour early; Q lines can go on for blocks at certain films. Remember: they can only give one Q number per person so don’t think you can save some for friends. Once you have your “Q” number in hand, you can leave the venue to do whatever you want instead of waiting in the line. Just remember to get back to the venue on time.

3. Get back on time: 15 minutes prior to the start of the film, the Venue Captain will begin to release available seats. For example, if there are only 16 seats reserved, 1 through 16 in the Q will get in. If you’re late and miss your Q number being called, you’ll have to go to the back of the line.

roman wolfe sophomore

photo by Cassi Viox

4. Have money: Even though you won’t have to pay for passes, you still need to pay for the tickets. If you buy tickets at the Box Office, they’re $10, but if you buy them at the Q, they’re $12.

I would recommend going to the Campfire Stories if you can because you get to hear stories from directors about the filming of a lot of the documentaries. That was probably the highlight of the entire weekend. We also had these really good s’mores and cool music.

5. Dress warmly: The past couple years at True/False have been pretty cold and if you Q at night, it’s especially chilly. It’s possible you might be standing there for over an hour for a Q number.

What’s the difference between a pass and a ticket?

A pass offers free access to several films of your choice and to other exclusive events like concerts and meeting the directors. A ticket must be bought before the given film either at the box office or at the venue using the Q system. Tickets are only good for that one-time movie viewing and offer no other perks, so we recommend you look into buying a pass.

addison horsey senior

photo by Kat Sarafianos art by Megan Goyette

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therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16

commentaries

3.3.16 • www.bearingnews.org • therock

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Music is more than notes on a page ronel ghidey

I

t was 2012, and I was roaming the halls of then Jefferson Junior High School before class as I passed the first stairwell and headed toward Mrs. Steinhoff’s Geometry class. As I walked past my brother’s homeroom, I heard the lyrics, “I know that we sin, but I do believe we try” streaming out of his iPod. Mesmerized by the baritone voice emerging from a background of base and electric guitars, I searched for an hour on the internet when I got home to discover the song was “We All Try” off of mixtape Nostalgia, Ultra by upand-coming artist, Frank Ocean. After days of continuous Ocean streaming, I became a die-hard fan.

Ocean had been in the music industry for years as a shadow writer, making smash hits for artists such as Beyonce and Justin Bieber. Granted, the songs he’s written for others such as ‘I Miss You’ and ‘Bigger’ are good, but they don’t compare to the ones he’s written for himself.

The music he’s written for himself made me fall in love with him as an artist because of his lyrical talent and how volatile his topics are. His lyrics go from speaking about love to racism

to self improvement.

In early July of 2012, Ocean came out with his first studio album, Channel Orange, which received critical acclaim and earned him a Grammy. His album encompassed his fearlessness and heartbreak and everything else that I like about him. It was during this time, as well, that Frank Ocean released information about his sexuality and came out to the world.

That was when I realized that it wasn’t just his music I fell in love with. I loved the fearlessness he displayed. It’s not common for a male singer to come out, let alone days before his first studio album was to be released.

Some called it daring, others called it a marketing ploy. After listening to the entire album, I think it was Ocean trying to prepare us for an album that we couldn’t have seen coming.

Channel Orange is the kind of album that demands your attention and goes at its own pace. Its genre is R&B/Hip Hop but that oversimplifies the album completely. He talks about unrequited love in “Bad Religion,” struggles of substance abuse in “Crack Rock” and self respect in “Pyramids.”

“You don’t know how little you matter until you’re all alone,” he sings

as the bass hums heavily and a classic keyboard playing in the background, unexpectedly leading to a kick drum beat with a heavy bass that elevates the emotion of the song, highlighting Ocean’s range beautifully.

Besides its beautiful structure and great vocals, “Crack Rock” talks about the descent of a drug addict from bad to worse, and oddly enough, makes the first three parts in second person and the last in first. With his ability to use small differences to make changes in the song and its meaning, he’s able to

convey so much, leaving the audience with questions; allowing them to interpret his music in more ways than one.

Fast forward four years. I’m as much of a fan as I was then. Last July Ocean was supposed to come out with his much anticipated second studio album. He’s been teasing us with it since December 2014, causing not only distress to me but to all ‘Swim Good’ fans. It’s not just because of the constant lies he’s told us for years that upset me, but because of how he stopped making influential music that

art by Erin Barchet

can affect people’s lives, mine being no exception.

Since I began to listen to his music, my views on the world have expanded little by little. From coming out to looking for a date, he’s shown me how complicated even some of the simplest things can be. Ocean is more influential in my life than other R&B artists because his music is more than just about his struggles in love, but also addresses social issues in our society today that align with my own views.

When I was listening to his music, it was refreshing to hear someone in the R&B industry talk about some of these issues in such a liberal fashion.

Other than his views on social issues, his music is important to me in more ways. It’s allowed me to see and feel the intimate experiences of artists and how those events affected them, allowing me to understand what they went through or are going through.

It’s not uncommon for artists to go through their own struggles and their ability to convey those experiences to an audience isn’t just awe inspiring but is appreciated.

Artists such as Ocean have shown me things through their music that I’m too young to have experienced myself and for that I am eternally grateful.

Seeing the world in another light kat sarafianos

I

My night with Maria john flanegin

I

t was three and a half years ago on a cold snowy night when I first heard Maria’s voice. There was something about it I just couldn’t place. The hairs on my neck stood up, and my body went into an almost trance-like state. I closed my eyes, and my muscles began to relax.

Her accented voice moved closer; I began to get tingles. Her lips moved from my right ear to my left, and I struggled to keep my eyes open. I began to enter the best slumber of my life, all thanks to Maria’s sweet inflections.

OK, OK, I’ll stop before you start to think Maria is some sort of “lady of the night” or even worse, my girlfriend. While my time with Maria had been incredible and unlike any other, it had all occurred in the form of a 17 minute video released by a YouTube user named “Gentle Whispering” who by this time you know better as Maria. And while I didn’t know it then, this video would be my introduction to one of the most important parts of my daily routine: ASMR. ASMR, also known as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, is a euphoric experience that can be categorized as maybe one of the greatest feelings in the entirety of

the world. I take that back; probably the universe. ASMR is often felt when one hears a certain tone or type of sound, eliciting “a euphoric experience characterized by a static-like tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine, precipitating relaxation” according to the wonderful website that is Wikipedia.

Sounds unnatural, right? I know.

When I came across my first ASMR video it was by complete and total accident. I was in the ninth grade and had become increasingly sick of not being able to fall asleep until around the midnight. So I opened the YouTube app and like any other 14-year-old at the time searched for videos entitled “relaxing sounds of whales.” To answer your question, yes, I did think it would work.

While the sounds more or less just gave me nightmares, they did do one thing right. They lead me to Maria. There she stood, glancing at me from the related videos column, blonde hair, blue eyes and all, I couldn’t resist.

Since our fateful meeting I have relied on Maria and hundreds upon hundreds of different “ASMRtists” for both relaxation and sleep coming from multiple different forms of ASMR including role plays, eating

sounds, personal attention and soft spoken whispering.

I imagine this is where you start to get to the “Wow, John is weird” phase like many other people whom I’ve told about my ASMR addiction. You know what? There is some validity to your point. I’ll admit that watching a woman pretend to be a travel agent or caress a camera so someone, goodness knows how far away, can experience the phenomenon that is ASMR, is in practice, incredibly kooky and even just downright bizarre. However, that’s exactly what makes the ASMR community so incredible to be a part of.

For example, my mother used to need sleeping pills or the occasional glass of wine before she could have a restful night of sleep (sorry, Mom, I realize this makes you look like some kind of desperate housewife.)

When I suggested she try ASMR, she scoffed. One week later before heading to bed she revealed to me that ASMR was a “miracle.” My work had been done.

The sensei of slumber, the director of dreams and the skipper of siestas, ASMR has turned me from an insomniac into a sleeping machine.

So, yes, while ASMR may be some cult-like phenomenon in your mind, maybe you, like me, can find your Maria.

art by Ana Ramirez

try my best not to make a fool out of myself, but sometimes I manage to do so despite my hardest efforts. This summer I attended the Harvard Secondary School program. It had a seven-week intensive schedule where high school and undergraduate students could take two semester Harvard courses taught by Harvard professors and receive college credit.

While I was there, I went to a dorm party with several of my classmates and found myself in a very awkward situation.

A good friend I met through the program, Maya, was from Palestine. We met at the party and started talking, and soon a group of all our classmates formed. Since the group was so big, we all agreed to go around and say our names and where we were from.

When it got to Maya, I noticed she said she was from Jordan. Not thinking it was a big deal, I asked her whether she meant Palestine or not. She looked uncomfortable and was about to lean in and whisper something, but before she could, another classmate of ours, Jacob, said, “Don’t you mean the West Bank?”

I didn’t understand what was going on, so I replied, “No, I meant to say she’s from Palestine.” I thought everyone had just misspoken or misheard, but it didn’t really click until Jacob, my Israeli classmate, said “No, I mean the West Bank. Palestine isn’t a country.”

Never before have I wanted to smack myself so much than at that moment. It never even occurred to me that I would meet someone at the camp who had polar opposite views. Obviously I knew enough about world politics to know these views and ideas existed, but to meet someone my age, who was just a normal teenager to me, say my friend’s nationality was not only incorrect but nonexistent was eye-opening.

Whenever I hear or learn about problems in the global political climate, it has never really occurred to me to think about the actual people living there. When I think of the Israel and Palestine conflict, I always picture borders and maps, not the people who are living through that conflict.

After the party I felt so bad for Maya and so ashamed of myself. I had created a very awkward situation for her that I didn’t even think was a possibility, and I, someone who prides myself on being “open minded and considerate of other cultures,” had just completely failed to realize the real life and social effects of a more than 50-year-conflict.

As I spent my time at Harvard, my interaction with international students helped me become much more aware.

The student ratio was about half international students and half domestic students. It was the first time I had ever been around so many people who were all from different countries, let alone live with them.

Out of my six suitemates, two were from China studying abroad in New York and one was Turkish going to a boarding school in France.

Another was Vietnamese and taking a gap year in Ventura, California.

The two classes I took, “Intro to International Law” and a “Summer Seminar in Human Rights,” varied in not only nationalities, but ages. While many were International students, the major difference came in that half were undergraduate students. One of my classmates and frequent study partner, Penelope, was a 21-year-old Belgian criminal law student who was there to finish up some elective credits.

The different world perspectives of each student I met helped me put the conflicts I was learning about in my classes into perspective.

When I learned about corrupt governments in my human rights seminar, I wasn’t thinking of pictures from a textbook but of my Turkish roommate who had been gassed by Turkish police at a protest against government corruption. When we learned about the involvement of governments in LGBTQ rights, I wasn’t thinking of an obscure article on CNN about pride parades, but my Brazilian classmate who had been pelted by eggs, raw meat and anything his very conservative neighbors could find when he kissed his boyfriend in public.

Now I don’t mean to say that with this broadening world view I think of smaller human rights issues in the United States or anywhere else as less important; rather, this experience has taught me to think of the people living through these conflicts as people, not Read more at Bearing News just as nameless faces.

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therock • www.bearingnews.org • 3.3.16