The Rock December 2014

THE

ROCK

photo by Sury Rawat

Boys’ basketball blows out Liberty North 52-23.

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Rock Bridge High School • 4303 S. Providence Rd. • Columbia Mo, 65203 • Vol. 42, Issue 3 • December 11, 2014

CACC class showcase exhibits learned skills L uke C hval

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photo by Devesh Kumar

Adding protection: The CPS School Board delivers and finalizes the decision to allow two security directors to carry guns in schools, Monday Dec. 8. Earlier the board had voted 5-2 in favor of the proposition, which was first year CPS Superintendent Peter Stiepleman also supported.

Guns at school?

School board approves measure to allow district security directors to carry J enna L iu

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n Monday, the Columbia School Board voted 5-2 to pass a policy that would allow two Columbia Public Schools (CPS) security personnel to carry guns in schools.

This measure was proposed in June 2013, but fell in a 4-3 vote.

Since then, the text of the proposal underwent significant reworking to increase the specificity of the language. In November, the board revisited the policy and sent it through to a final vote scheduled for December.

CPS Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman, who took on the job just this year after previous Superintendent Chris Belcher retired, said revisions to the proposal have assuaged any concerns he might have.

“I think the language has been strengthened,” Stiepleman said.

“Two years ago when the measure fell, the language was a little vague. It would say ‘should’ attend training, ‘should’ receive additional counseling on mental health and drugs. So, no I don’t have reservations about it at all.”

Board member Darin Preis was one of the only two individuals to challenge the policy in the preliminary November vote. In an email interview, Preis said his concerns were not about the measure itself, but about the troubling precedent it set.

“The policy isn’t really my

problem. It’s about as well thought cause we recognize that schools out as it can be,” Preis said. “My have changed, then we should concern is that this is a first step make sure that those two individudown a slippery slope. Allowing als are appropriately prepared to guns in the school makes us more do their jobs.”

Stiepleman highlighted an incalloused about solutions to viocident that occurred involving a lence.”

Preis and the other dissenting gun threat at RBHS in October as vote, James Whitt, had not dis- an example of the possible danger cussed their positions prior to the the director and assistant director November board meeting, but he of security are routinely placed in.

“There was a scare, where we said they seemed to be on the same heard that a kid was going to bring page.

“He and I seem to agree that a gun to school,” Stiepleman said. there are better ways to address “And if you were to be in the poviolence than to introduce another sition where I was, I was able to lethal weapon into the mix,” Preis see that our safety and security directors were said. the ones guardBesides the We should make ing the doors. four resource ofsure that those So why would ficers at the high two individuals are put them in a schools who are appropriately prepared position where already armed, to do their jobs. they’re guardthe policy will Peter Stiepleman ing the doors give two addiCPS Superintendent and not have tional employto ability to adees of CPS the ability to carry a gun, Director of equately secure the building if it Security John White and Assistant needed to be secured.”

Director of Security Ken Gregory.

On the issue of a potentially In contrast to Preis, Stiepleman harmful precedent, sophomore reiterated his belief that arming Sam Speake said as long as qualiWhite and Gregory is a necessary fied individuals are given the reprecaution. sponsibility and take proper pre“My feeling is that how is it cautions, he is not worried. that we put someone in a posi“If the [director and assistant tion to be the director of safety director] are hired in a way that and security or the assistant direc- will make sure they’re suitable for tor whose primary job is to keep the job and they can only use the teachers and students safe and not [guns] for good reasons to proarm them with the appropriate tect the students, I think it’s fine,” tools,” Stiepleman said. “If we’re Speake said. going to have those positions bePreis said his main concern with

Students to audition for school play next Tuesday in the PAC

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fter only a few months at RBHS, new drama teacher Holly Maness has already directed one play, Curtains, and is already preparing for her second.

This year’s winter play, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, is written by the multi-talented producer Steve Martin.

Although it’s not the traditional fare typically consumed on the high school stage, Maness thinks that she can make it work.

ISSUE

Debate team nabs win, looks up to older leaders H arsh S ingh

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mong 21 teams, the Bruin debate team placed first at the Mexico Annual War of the Words. While there, juniors Shray Kumar and Matthew Vincent placed first in their divisions, Dec. 6. Vincent said the feeling of getting first place was unexpected.

“I think the reason for my surprised feeling was our last round opponents were really good,” Vincent said. “The debate itself was really close, and, instead of feeling proud for winning, I was reminded why I liked debate so much.”

With fellow debaters placing first, junior Zoya Khan said it has a good influence on the team, as the two lead the younger members by example.

“The team as a whole is more enthusiastic about speech and debate after Shray’s and Matthew’s performance,” Khan said.

“Matthew and Shray put a lot of work into writing their cases and helping out the novices, and I think their success bolsters the confidence of the team.

Population growth spurs construction of new elementary school

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the proposal was that it took focus away from what he believes is a more important goal of improving schools by alternate means.

“Threatening violence to prevent violence seems disingenuous,” Preis said. “I prefer to focus my attention on proactive strategies to make schools better, not reactive ideas that aren’t likely to make much difference.”

After the final vote to approve the policy, Preis stuck to what he had said before, maintaining that he doesn’t believe the policy will improve the situation of school violence.

“I just don’t think it is going to matter,” Preis said. “Frankly, I think it sends the wrong message that guns are a solution to some problems.”

Stiepleman was happy with the policy’s passage, saying that while he is firmly against teachers carrying guns in schools, the job White and Gregory undertake means different requirements. Though he can understand others concerns, he said the current situation of school violence today necessitates a measure like this.

“I wish the times were different,” Stiepleman said. “I wish we lived in a society where we didn’t even have to have these conversations, but the reality is that we do, and when we hire a director of safety and security–––when we hire an assistant director of safety and security, it’s because we have some concerns. We want to make sure kids are safe.”

urly boys strolled down the hall in full firefighter regalia, rolling down a stretcher with a fake body as they wandered through the clamor.

Biomedical sciences students offered microscopes showing blood cells to wideeyed junior high kids, and rows of silvercolored structures lined the tables of the home classroom of the RBHS robotics team.

Students enrolled in classes at the Columbia Area Career Center got a chance to show their hard work and favorite classes.

“I get a lot of hands-on experience,” senior Electronics and Robotics II student Clarissa Curry said. “I’m not just sitting and taking notes. I plan on being an electrical engineering, so it translates well into my career path.”

Senior Nathaniel Acton, a student in Lab Technology, performed a gel electrophoresis lab, showing the middle schoolers one possible experiment the class performs.

“The best part of the expo was trying to get people interested in the subject. In my case, it was the science and lab classes,” Acton said. “We focused mostly on informing people on what we were demonstrating and how it pertained to our classes.”

CACC teacher Mrs. Christine Roberson teaches both Biomedical Sciences and Lab Foundations. Roberson persuaded her current students to come and help with the Expo to encourage the incoming round of students.

“The showcase is to make sure that people make informed choices about the classes that they take,” Roberson said. “I want students who come into the door to know what the class is about and that’s what they want.”

D erek W ang

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n May 2016, Columbia Public Schools will open a new elementary school. Located in southwest Columbia, CPS will have to adjust the boundaries of its six other elementary schools in order to fit the school into Columbia.

CPS Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman said every year, the district adds about 200 new elementary school students each year, resulting in the need

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for a new elementary school almost every year.

“We’re running out of space,” Stiepleman said. “The development in the southwest and northeast of town is significant. We have a committee working on changing the boundaries right now.”

Columbia Board of Education President Christine King said the committee consists of 23 members from all across CPS. The committee will continue to work on the boundaries

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through January.

King said most of the already established elementary schools currently have many trailers, and the district hopes to be able to remove most, if not all, of the trailers. However, the amount of expansion in Columbia makes this a challenge.

“We have had tremendous growth in the southwest, and we know through forecasting and data, this trend will continue,” King said. “We also know now through research and expe-

rience, elementary schools operate best at no more than about 650 students. At [Mill Creek] and Paxton, we have over 850 and close to 800, respectively.”

Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Ben Tilley, the president of the committee on the new elementary school, said adding the new elementary school will allow CPS to remove many trailers from other schools.

Story continued on page A2

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art by Claire Simon

CPS implements winter weather late start schedule L uke C hval

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n the coming winter, starting on Dec. 21, RBHS will have yet another schedule variation.

To decrease the number of inclement weather days used by the district, CPS will begin using a late start schedule for minor weather issues to give the city time to clear the roads or the temperature to rise, as last year the snow day count reached the double digits.

“Sometimes school is cancelled due to slick roads from an overnight refreeze,” Assistant Principal of Operations Brian Gaub said. “But the late start can be used if the roads are forecast to thaw after the sun comes out and we don’t miss a full day.”

Now, if there is a small amount of snow or ice, or frigid temperatures that will rise later in the day, the district will run on a late start schedule, with all CPS schools starting two hours later and concluding at the normal time.

“Inclement weather days are state law. School districts are required to build six days into the school calendar,” CPS Community Relations Director Michelle Baumstark said.

“The legislation also determines how days are made up if school districts exceed 10 days. State law also outlines the number of instructional days that are required for schools.”

Early morning temperatures are often much colder than in the afternoon, especially if the sun has not risen yet. One of the reasons for

cancelling school with an extreme low temperature or wind chill is that young children often have to wait outside for long periods of time for buses, which can cause health concerns among parents.

“I think it’s appropriate and necessary to protect the smaller children,” sophomore Stephanie Zhang said.

Because the school day for RBHS would start at 10:55 a.m. in such a situation and still end at 4:05 p.m., classes would be much shorter, and lunch would be very early in the school day, with no Bruin Block classes meeting, even if the late start day was on a Wednesday or Thursday.

“It would be nice to have a shorter school day,” Zhang said. “But it would be confusing to have yet another schedule and have to cut down on class time.”

The shorter days would not be considered an inclement weather day meaning extra days would not be added to the end of the year. Baumstark believes the daily routines would not be disrupted by the change, although she does realize every method has a potential downside.

“Busing will still be provided, just two hours later. Dismissal times are the same,” Baumstark said. “Families that chose to drive children to school will need to be aware of the new procedure. There are positives and negatives to any inclement weather situation.”

How the schedule would affect extracurricular activities and athletics

remains unknown. After school clubs and athletic competitions would not be impeded because the weather would be acceptable by 10:55 a.m., however activities before school may be postponed or cancelled because of the early morning weather.

“Activities and athletics will still have to be decided case by case,” Gaub said. “Lots of variables with

winter travel [and] road conditions can vary within only a few miles of distance.”

Another concern parents will have to take into consideration is how their children get to school, should they depend on a parent ride in the morning. A late start would cause parents to either have to take off work to care for and transport their child to school,

or change their plans in some way.

“We have notified families and businesses in the community about the new option for handling inclement weather days,” Baumstark said, “so that families and businesses can begin making plans for how to best handle each situation that may occur. Decisions will be made based on what is safe for all students.”

infographic by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi

TUDENT S VOICES

Do you support the decision of the late start schedule?

I do because there aren’t any days taken off towards the end of the year, but I do believe that kids would want to have no school rather than just a half day. There is no point in having school for half a day.

Tyra Byars Sophomore

photo by Devesh Kumar

photo by Devesh Kumar The Rock surveyed 180 students

infographic by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi

I don’t agree. If they provide buses I think it is a great idea so we get more break in the summer, but people can’t drive to school without buses if their parents are at work.

Kaitlyn Farmer Sophomore

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Teaching life lessons: Math teacher Travis Martin instructs his Bruin Block of juniors. This class of juniors was the first to take Bruin Block.

Bruin Block under constant construction

R enata W illiams

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n its infancy, Bruin Block, which began last year as a daily program, is in the process of morphing once again. The Bruin Block’s committee, headed up by Melissa Coil, is working on next year’s changes in order to further improve the class.

“Right now we are working toward taking feedback and looking at how that feedback can help us make BB better,” Coil said. “We will be speaking with the executive council and the faculty, continuing to help us make it better.”

The whole staff has been involved in this process, with meetings geared toward hearing teachers’ opinions.

“We have a committee that is made up of teachers and have also had several shared plannings where we talk about Bruin Block with the teachers,” Coil said.

When, then freshmen and sophomores, were introduced to RBHS last year, Bruin Block was introduced as a way for essential curriculum to be taught without taking time out of other classes to teach it.

“Now we can really take the time to work through the materials, make sure students have the support they need and make sure we are reaching all students,”

Coil said.

Math teacher Michelle Ebberts has been an advisor of her Bruin Block, now juniors, for two years.

“Since Bruin Block is only two days a week this year, it causes us all to be more intentional with the time given,” Ebberts said. “Our curriculum is now more focused on what are the essentials of each topic we discuss.”

Junior Abe Drury has also been in Bruin Block both years and said although the class is only twice a week now, the curriculum is quite repetitive. He believes it

is meant to be beneficial to students, though the results aren’t as such.

“I think that Bruin Block is supposed to be a time to prepare students for the world after high school, but in practice [it] is a half an hour of frustration for students [and] many teachers,” Drury said.

Contrary to Drury, sophomore Stephanie Tarr believed Bruin Block’s changes so far have been refreshing. Tarr said there is a lack of actual activities, compared to last year, and she prefers the relaxed environment where

infographic by Maddy Mueller

she is able to gravitate toward her friends.

“However, some people aren’t too fond of the people in their Bruin Block, making it less pleasant for some students in different Bruin Blocks,” Tarr said.

Ebberts, though adamant about the importance of Bruin Block, sees room for change in the upcoming school year to specifically benefit seniors.

“I know for me, what I would like to see for next year is continued time built in to get to conference with my students, especially since they will be seniors and having a lot of big decisions to make,” Ebberts said.

Looking at next year, Tarr believed Bruin Block could also undergo some changes.

“I hope the Bruin Block instructors reward the academically-focused and well-behaved students by allowing them to leave the room to go study in the media center [or] elsewhere,” Tarr said.

Coil and the committee will continue to work towards a better Bruin Block throughout the 201415 year.

“Right now we are focused on getting the senior year written and working toward making the curriculum to the best of what we need to address and also what students want to see,” Coil said.

Population growth in Columbia prompts construction of new elementary school Story continued from A1 Also, the new school will provide a reduction in the number of students at every other elementary school in the district, so that each is closer to the ideal number; the faculty will be decided on, next year, in the fall.

“The principal is usually

the first person hired for a new school,” Tilley said. “The process for deciding the principal for the school usually begins by gathering information from the new families about characteristics that they would like to see in the principals. After the information is gathered, the school district typically posts the position and

applications are gathered. A committee interviews the principal candidates and makes a recommendation to the Superintendent of Schools.”

Furthermore, Tilley said the committee is also in the process of deciding on the school’s name.

King said that at the next board meeting the Board of Education

photo by Madelyn Stewart

Building a foundation: The site of the elementary school to open in 2016 is filled with construction.

will also discuss viable options for it. The Board will take suggestions from the community and take those suggestions into account.

“We have a committee of community members and other officials that seek input from the community,” Tilley said. “The Superintendent of Schools will work with the Board of Education to help determine the process for selecting the name for the school. Typically a committee is formed and recommendations for the name is gathered. The recommended names are then presented to the Board of Education for approval.”

Senior Delaney Tevis said when she was in elementary school, she had classes in trailers for a few years. She said that she understands that sometimes trailers are necessary for reducing the number of students in each class, citing her own experiences from elementary school. However, Tevis said that at times, being in a trailer resulted in less attentiveness in her peers.

“I was in a trailer classroom during third and fifth grade,” Tevis said, “and with 25 kids it does become really crowded, especially when it gets hot and stuffy. Especially with kids, they get incredibly rambunctious when cooped up in a trailer so I definitely liked being in the classroom better.”

Senate Intelligence Committee releases CIA torture report B rett S tover

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ast Tuesday, Dec. 9, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released its long-awaited report detailing the “enhanced interrogation” tactics — commonly known as torture — the Central Intelligence Agency used during the War on Terror. President Obama signed Executive Order 13491 in Jan. 2009, preventing the military from indefinitely detaining and excessively torturing prisoners.

One key aspect of the 525 page report, some of which remains redacted, was that the measures were both cruel and ineffective.

“CIA officers regularly called into question whether the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques were effective,” according to the report, “assessing that the use of the techniques failed to elicit detainee cooperation or produce accurate intelligence.”

The report also throws into question the CIA’s assertion that the enhanced interrogation techniques lead to finding Osama bin Laden through his courier, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti.

According to the New York Times, the report explains how al Quaeda operative Hassan Ghul revealed many secrets to the CIA before the agents began to torture him. Despite his openness during interrogation, the CIA operatives went on to use its “enhanced” techniques anyway.

Dec. 9

Key Excerpts from the Report screenshots of the Senate Report, emphasis added

1. 26+ Wrongfully Held

2. CIA Personnel Objected

3. Detainees Forced to Stand on Broken Feet

4. 183 Detainees Waterboarded

5. Kept Awake for 180+ Hours screenshots by Brett Stover information sources cnn.com, nytimes.com, vox.com

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Eight weeks of culture and education Kahveci spends time in Turkey, advances medical prowess D erek Wang

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Infographic by Claire Simon Infographic source by Huffington Post

Blowing up the volume: Blowing out your ears E mily U nterschutz

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ne thing has managed to invade schools, businesses and even homes: earbuds. After their introduction in 2001 by Apple, earbuds managed to almost completely replace headphones because of portability.

For a while, clunky headphones became almost obsolete; the convenience may have led to a problem.

According to beltone.com, hearing damage caused by earbuds is happening more and more often. Their study shows 20 percent of American teens already suffer from hearing loss.

Earbuds are unhealthy after a certain point, which is typically two or three hours of continuous use, according to the National Library of Medicine. Symptoms of excessive earbud use is a muffling or ringing sound.

“There is a particular pattern of hearing loss that is associated with exposure to loud sound, whether that exposure has been to high intensity — loud — music or other sound or noise sources,” University of Missouri-Columbia audiologist Barbara McLay said. “There is plenty of evidence that listening to loud music, whether through personal earbud use or at live music venues, contributes to hearing loss in many people.”

Junior Brandon Tobin said he’s not too worried about having hearing problems.

“It’s just earbuds,” Tobin said. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Tobin said he uses earbuds every day, typically for listening to music, watching videos or talking to people. Regarding his headphone usage, Tobin says they’re very

helpful for listening to things without bothering others, but not good with portability.

The difference between headphones and earbuds is that earbuds do not block outside noise. Depending on the quality of earbuds, they only blur outside noises. This can cause earbud listeners to turn their music up to compete with other noises, McLay said.

Senior Madeline Inslee said she doesn’t think she’s ever used headphones. However, she uses earbuds every day for most of the day.

“At school I usually have it at a fairly quiet volume so I can hear teachers and stuff,” Inslee said. “[At home, it’s] whatever the max volume is.”

Inslee added that she’s not afraid of going deaf because of the earbuds themselves, but rather because of her volume.

Centerpointaudio.com, an audio design company, recommends earbud users keep their volume at below 85 decibels — which is at about half volume on an electronic device — and to refrain from using earbuds for long periods of time. They say it’s also not only the volume that matters, but the length of use.

“The longer one listens to loud music or any other sound, the greater the potential for long-term damage,” McLay said. “Two things to watch out for that can serve as signs that a current exposure has been too great … are a temporary change in hearing and tinnitus— [a ringing in the ears].”

Despite Inslee and Tobin’s confidence in their ears, McLay warns against excessive earbud use.

“In all cases, the symptoms should be taken seriously,” McLay said. “The damage could be intense.”

ith a quick snip, the doctor severs the umbilical cord and quickly wraps the slightly blue infant in many layers.

Shortly before, the doctor had sliced through the abdomen of the baby’s mother, making a clean incision in order to extract the treasure inside.

This process, called a cesarean section, or csection, is usually only used if there are complications with a normal birth, such as if the child has its head facing up instead of down.

Senior Alp Kahveci had the opportunity to see this firsthand, along with many other medical procedures, during his eight week stay in Turkey with the program Teach and Travel.

“It was pretty cool to connect a lot of my [Honors] Anatomy [and Physiology] knowledge.” Kahveci said. “My favorite part would have to be the relationship building. While there, I met many people of different cultures that have helped me with important steps in the college application process, while also giving me advice for general life. This all happened through a program called FEBA — Federation of Balkan Americans.”

FEBA is a non-profit organization that strives to promote and preserve the rich and diverse Balkan cultures among the youth. FEBA hosts a variety of programs such as the Balkan Film Festival, Balkan Food and Culture Festival as well as sponsored trips to the countries of the Balkans.

Mustafa Derahovic, the Midwest Coordinator for FEBA, founded the program in order to help youth of Balkan descent in America to remember their culture, Dr. Aras Konjhodzic, FEBA’s president, said.

“FEBA was founded by a group of Balkan American individuals with the goal and mission to promote Balkan cultures, unity and economic

and political cooperation,” Derahovic said. “In an effort to strengthen the cultural and educational ties between the people of the United States and the Balkans, the Federation of Balkan American Associations organizes a broad spectrum of educational activities such as our Annual Balkan Leader’s Summit, lectures and seminars, leadership workshops, internships abroad for our college students, after-school programs, learning centers, language courses, SAT courses and informational programs.”

Kahveci said his time interning at the Sifa University Hospital in Izmir, Turkey, has reaffirmed his desire to become a pediatric pulmonologist.

As a pediatric pulmonologist, one works with children from birth to 21 years old, primarily diagnosing and treating Alp Kahveci breathing and lung dissenior eases. Kahveci said that the hands-on medical experience was very beneficial to his education, showing him how different kinds of doctors do their jobs.

“I gained a lot of exposure to the medical field, especially with regards to how hospitals function in foreign countries,” Kahveci said. “The surgeries that I observed firsthand were a great learning opportunity because most of the time, in the U.S., you can only sit in on a surgery during medical school. I observed multiple surgeries firsthand in the operation room. I also shadowed a pediatrician and I observed a physical therapist. At some points, I participated in the muscle stretches and movements with the patients.”

Not only did Kahveci learn from Turkish doctors, but also gave something back to the community he had become so fond of. Kahveci participated in teaching Turkish students English for three weeks at Selcuk Anafen Derhanesi, a local school in Izmir.

“Last year, FEBA took approximately 1500 students from all over the U.S.,” Kahveci said.

“From Columbia there were around 10 of us. I heard about the program from my friend, [senior] Ahmed Krgo [who] goes to Hickman. I plan on applying again. I hope to be able to meet up with those friends again this upcoming summer.”

Derahovic said the opportunities that Kahveci experienced are the main reason FEBA exists.

FEBA encourages all kinds of different people, usually of Balkan descent, to apply for one of the many programs that FEBA offers, such as Teach and Travel or FEBA Gap Year, to give students a chance to establish lasting connections.

“FEBA offers very diverse internship opportunities and international learning experiences,” Derahovic said. “Only two percent of USA students have the opportunity to go abroad. It is the lowest in the developed world; in the globalized world it is a serious handicap. Through these programs, FEBA is trying to open the doors of the world to USA students, especially Balkans.”

While there, I met many people of different cultures that have helped me with important steps in the college application process while also giving me advice for general life.

photo by Sury Rawat

Learning from the best: Kahveci worked alongside some of the best doctors in Turkey, extending his vast anatomical and physiological knowledge during his eight week stay.

Books lose by volumes next to gadgets J ohn F lanegin

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tep into just about any room at school and there will be at least three or four iPhones sitting on desks, buzzing and catching the eyes of those who placed them there. Novels and textbooks seem to hide within backpacks and are on the path to extinction for many

students, with the ever-popular Media Center often harboring clusters of texters, while untouched books litter the shelves.

Isaac Lage is in his second year at RBHS and has yet to check out one of the bevy of books in the Media Center for fun.

“Even though I like reading, I feel like I don’t have enough time to read a book for fun,” Lage said. “[I don’t have time] because of my amount of homework and having wrestling practice right after school.”

Lage’s lack of reading seems to reflect upon much of the nation, with only 45 percent of 17 year olds admitting that they read by choice once or twice a year, according to Common Sense Media and time.com. A new Pew Internet Project report reveals 93 percent of teenagers ages 12-17 use the internet regularly, whether it be to check up on social media, play games or help complete school work. In 2013 Pew also discovered 78 percent of teens, age 1217, have cell phones with nearly half of them being smart phones.

Junior Clayton Warder is in the minority without a phone. Because of this, Warder has always dealt with limits on technology and believes it has forced him to be a better student.

“My parents make me put my technology away at certain times,” Warder said. “This includes whenever they say and at nine every night. They also keep our Wi-Fi on a switch so they can turn it off when they want.”

With one in four teenagers using cell phones as his or her sole internet source, it’s clear technology has not only taken over as a student’s go-to textbook, but is also trying to eradicate both the hardcover and paperback book as

e-readers such as the Kindle and iPad take over the market. Luckily, both teenagers and adults alike who enjoy the feeling of a well worn book between their palms have fought back against the attacks.

“Since I’ve gotten an iPod and an iPad I’ve read less, but this could also be attributed to the increase in school work,” Warder said. “However, I still read and make time for it because I still love it. I’d say I read about an hour or hour and a half a day.”

Gretchen Cleppe, an advanced placement U.S. history teacher, has been quick to allow technology to enter her classroom and requires her students to have a digital copy of the class textbook on the district ordered iPads.

“I think technology has a great potential to help us to tap into and take things further as well as make things relevant,” Cleppe said.

“Especially [with] history, sometimes we struggle to make things relevant. I think there’s great potential in that, but at the same time, we need to collaborate and learn how to put down the device and talk to one another.”

Many AP students believe the introduction of iPads helps by offering quick access to information in class and a valuable resource while doing homework and studying, believing it helps rather than hurts their classroom experience.

Warder views technology as a beneficial aid to learning and said it has become an integral part of his daily routine, but believes his iPad can often have its flaws. He noted that technology often becomes a hindrance when in classes that do not strictly enforce limits on its use.

“I would say that it helps in certain classes like history and foreign language for its quick Google searches and translations,” Warder said. “Everywhere else, it just pro-

vides a distraction.”

Lage sees flaws not just with technology in class, but also within the whole of the school, believing crowds of students meeting and using their phones in the Media Center during their AUTs or advisories can make it hard to concentrate on homework and projects, leaving it with little purpose for those wishing to find silence.

“I view [the Media Center] as more or less a “Social Center” because it’s always pretty loud in there.”

L a g e said. “[It] makes it difficult to do homework that isn’t computer based.”

photo by Madelyn Stewart

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www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

FEATURES

Rock Bridge High School • 4303 S. Providence Rd. • Columbia Mo, 65203 • Vol. 42, Issue 3• December 11, 2014

On the origin of an educational divide B rett S tover

A

fter moving as a teenager from a liberal high school to a more conservative school at the Lake of the Ozarks, now-biology teacher April Sulze’s education was understandably changed. In particular, she would not end up learning about evolution until college.

“My biology teacher actually got fired for teaching evolution,” Sulze said. “I mean, that’s not in the paper why he got fired, but that was really why they pushed him out was because he was teaching evolution [and] parents did not want it to be taught in class.”

Evolution, now an integral part of the public school education, has always been a tense topic, especially concerning its place in schools.

With the publishing of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, the general view of science began to change from a literal interpretation of the Bible to the more modern concept of evolution. While evolution began to be taught in classrooms, Christian fundamentalists pushed back, prompting a number of states, including Tennessee, to pass laws outlawing that curriculum.

In 1927 t e a c h e r John Scopes taught evolution in violation of the law and was brought

up and convicted on criminal charges. He appealed the ruling, and the case went in front of the Tennessee Supreme Court, which overturned the ruling on a technicality.

However, the court ruled that preventing the teaching of evolution in schools doesn’t violate the First Amendment, saying in its written decision that “so far as we know there is no religious establishment or organized body that has its creed or confession of faith any article denying or affirming such a theory.”

In the second half of the 20th century, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled multiple times in favor of evolution, including in the cases Edwards v. Aguillard and Epperson v. Arkansas. Epperson stated that forbidding the teaching of evolution is against the First Amendment, and Edwards ruled that requiring Creationism to be taught is also unconstitutional.

“The First Amendment does not permit the state to require that teaching and learning must be tailored to the principles or prohibitions of any religious sect or dogma...” the Court wrote in Edwards, “The state has no legitimate interest in protecting any or all religions from views distasteful to them.”

Recently, acceptance of evolution has grown even higher. According to a 2013 Pew Research poll, 60 percent of Americans believe humans have evolved over time. Despite the growth in acceptance, some, like junior Jill Geyer, believe solely teaching evolution in science classes isn’t telling the full story.

“I just think it’s a very onesided part of the argument.

They don’t show two sides.

It’s very controversial in the scientific world. You have interviews between Bill Nye and

Ken Ham; obviously, it’s a big deal. They only teach one side like it’s a fact,” Geyer said. “Last year I asked why they don’t teach intelligent design — which is basically like there’s an intelligent being behind the creation of the world — and they’re like, ‘Well, it’s not rooted in science.’”

The justification behind keeping creationism out of science curriculum has been that creationism is a religious view and doesn’t have a scientific basis. Senior Clarissa Curry agrees with that line of thinking, saying creationism has no place in a science classroom.

“I would say that there’s more evidence for evolution than there is against it, and there’s more evidence against creationism — creation in the typical biblical sense — than there is against evolution as well,” Curry said. “I think evolution should be the primary thing taught in science classes. If they wanted to teach the belief of creationism in social science class or a history class that would be more appropriate.”

Geyer’s opinion conflicts with that view, though. She thinks creationism is rooted in scientific study.

“There’s the cosmological argument where [scientists] have found … that [the universe] is constantly expanding, so at one

point it was very very small and finite. It had a cause, and anything that has a cause has a beginning if that makes sense...” Geyer said.

“That cause has to be eternal because there has to be something that always exists to start something.”

Sulze, who teaches evolution in her biology classes, thinks while creationism could be taught in religion classes it shouldn’t be a part of any science curriculum.

She also said that the parents and students she deals with don’t frequently have issues with her teaching evolution.

“It’s not very often [that parents complain about it]. At the very beginning of my teaching career I had a parent tell me when I began teaching evolution that their student would not come to school,” Sulze said. “I agreed and told them that ‘That’s fine, but your child is still responsible for all of this information.’ What I didn’t tell them is that biology doesn’t make sense at all without understanding evolution and that I’m really teaching evolution all year long without ever saying the word.”

In the past few years, Sulze says the way evolution is taught in biology has changed. Starting

Poll by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi

last year, she presented the information through an antibacterial lab that allowed students to draw their own conclusions based on evidence.

“The kids grew bacteria and from that they recognized that, ‘Oh ... the genes within this population are being selected for and they’re surviving and thriving and they’re getting passed on,’” Sulze said. “So they, without me ever saying evolution, realize that there’s a change in gene frequency in a population over time due to these environmental changes. So, they came up with that on their own and at the end I said, ‘O.K., that’s evolution.’ They’re like, ‘What? That’s all it is? What’s all the hubbub about?’”

While microevolution is relatively easy to teach in a classroom setting, Sulze admits helping students understand macroevolution can be difficult, but that the evidence is clear in the fossil record.

Geyer, though, says understanding the concept isn’t the problem. She said though her beliefs are in the minority, she thinks Columbia Public Schools should teach creationism in tandem with evolution.

“I think they definitely need to add intelligent design,” Geyer said. “Obviously, that’s kind of associated with religion — Christianity and whatnot — because there’s a way to teach it without being like, ‘This God, this religion is right.’ You can be like, ‘This is another alternative thing that other people believe.’”

Art by Ellie Stitzer; photos by Sury Rawat

A tale of two schools J enna L iu

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of public education, it was the age of private education.

T

here comes a time when every child starts school, and with it comes some big decisions.

Kim Getzoff, the mother of junior Emily Getzoff, struggled with this choice right before Emily entered kindergarten.

The Getzoff family lived in Little Rock, Arkansas at the time and Kim Getzoff said the location played a part in her and her husband’s eventual decision to send Emily to private school.

“Little Rock has a large number of private schools that competed with the public schools,” Kim Getzoff said. “There was a perception that the K-8 public schools weren’t as academically challenging for the students and a lot of the parents we knew already had children in a private school.”

After spending six years at a Little Rock private school, Emily Getzoff and her family moved to Columbia, where Emily immediately enrolled in Columbia Independent School (CIS).

She attended CIS from sixth through ninth grade before switching to RBHS her sophomore year, and said that while RBHS offers more options in terms of course variety, the CIS environment fostered more personal and mentor-like relationships with teachers.

“I think there’s more quantity of education at public schools, like dif-

ferent classes to take, but I think at private school you get more attention and more one-on-one focus,” Emily Getzoff said. “In that way, it’s a lot better.”

The argument that private school teachers have the ability to give their students more attention is one that junior McKenna Neville vehemently agrees with. Neville also said this translates into a better education program.

“Teachers in private school just seem to like their jobs way more,” Neville said. “They challenge you more as a child and then you’re more organized because of that.”

While Neville, who attended Christian Chapel Academy for seven years, was firm in her belief that private schools offer a better academic education, a 2007 study titled Are Private High Schools Better Academically Than Public High Schools conducted by the Center on Education Policy yielded slightly different results.

The study primarily found that when a family environment was controlled, private school students did not score significantly better than public school students on achievement tests in core subject areas and were not more likely to attend college.

Kim Getzoff agreed that a student’s family background is often the main determinant of his or her success and said the advantages of her children’s private school education stemmed more from a competitive, culture fostered by the parents of students.

“Our private school focused on academics and was fairly expensive, so parents tended to be highly educated professionals and business people who expected their children to excel,” Kim Getzoff said. “Be-

cause the parents tended to be motivated to ensure their children excelled academically, they tended to be involved with volunteering in the classroom and the school.”

In addition to the potential academic benefits of private education, Neville also prefers the environment and culture of private schools, which she said provide fewer opportunities for bullying.

“I feel like private school has more friendly people because everyone there has kind of an understanding and you’re less likely to be made fun of for what you’re wearing because everybody’s wearing the same ugly uniform,” Neville said. “In public school, people are more cliquey, and they’re kind of jerks.”

In contrast Emily Getzoff said her experience in public school has provided her with many more chances to meet new people and grow socially.

“There are more clubs and generally more people,” Emily Getzoff said. “At least in my private school, it was a really small one, so I grew up with the same 20 people in my grade for five years. We got really close, but some of us really hated each other.”

Taking into account this social aspect of school systems, as well as their inherent academic qualities, Kim Getzoff said she believes public education is still better as a whole.

However, she also said parents weighing between public and private school do consider a myriad of other factors.

“Public education strives to educate every child regardless of socioeconomic status, class, race, religion, etc. I believe a democracy needs a well-educated populace,” Kim Getzoff said. “That being said, it varies on a case-by-case basis. We tend to want what’s best for our children,

feature photo by Sury Rawat

Short skirts and uniforms: Freshman Hannah Potter poses in her old private school uniform with freshman Donia Shawn. Potter formerly attended Columbia Independent School for nine years. and if I am in a school district with a great public school then that is where my child will go. If my local public school has a poor academic situation or discipline problems and I can afford a great private school then I will send my child to that school.”

Having spend her academic career in both private and public schools, Emily Getzoff has had the best of

both worlds.

She said she had great experiences in both environments, and if given a choice, would not be able to decide between them due to their varying natures.

“They’re so different on a social level and an academic level,” Getzoff said. “You can’t really compare them.”

B2 FEATURES

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

Game On G raham R atermann

I

t’s 5:15 Thursday morning, just a hair above freezing with a sickly drizzle and cold, wind-whipped arctic air. While most RBHS students are tucked beneath blankets and comforters fast asleep, senior Adam Lafferty rolls out of bed in search of a trophy buck.

He puts on layer after layer of warm clothes, donning camouflage from head to toe with just a brush of orange for safety. Pulling on sturdy boots, he heads for the door eager to start the hunt.

“I get up, drink some coffee usually an hour and a half before sunrise

[and] sometimes get a breakfast if I’m hungry,” Lafferty said. “Then I will go to my stand, get in there as quiet as possible, and then sit there and hunt.”

Thirty minutes before sunrise, Lafferty parks his car, puts on his insulated gloves, sprays himself with scent block and heads into the woods in complete darkness,. He slowly picks his way around brambles and downed trees as he creeps deeper into the brush.

Arriving at his stand, he climbs the ladder ascending into the darkness and waits for the first peeping rays of the sun.

At first light the hunt is on; every

DEER DATA

•Since 1992 Missouri hunters have donated more than 3.1 million pounds of venison (deer meat) to the needy through Share the Harvest.

•The white-tailed deer is Missouri’s most popular game species and one of the most prolific, with an estimated population of more than 1 million free-ranging deer statewide. Missouri has nearly 520,000 deer hunters.

•Activities related to deer hunting and watching annually contribute $1 billion in economic activity to state and local economies and support more than 12,000 Missouri jobs. Source: Missouri Department of Conservation

photo by Graham Ratermann

Bow hunting provides outdoor sport, fresh entertainment in winter months

rustle of leaves or snap of a twig underfoot is a buck walking into range.

The damp morning isn’t ideal, as the moisture soaks the previously dry leaves, concealing and muffling the foot falls of deer in the area.

It isn’t freezing, but the weather is brisk with temperatures hovering at 34 degrees and Lafferty’s breath condenses in a thin cloud in front of his face.

It’s been an hour and Lafferty’s hands are a tad stiff as cold begins to penetrate his layers of clothing. He tries moving them to fight the dull throb of the cold. So far there have been limited signs of deer activity, but Lafferty isn’t discouraged.

In the past from this stand there have been multiple smaller bucks that have walked into range, but he has let them pass uncontested seeking a bigger target. These hopes are spurred by the fact that on the farm next door the land owner took a monster buck.

So far Lafferty hasn’t seen anything. Hoping to change his luck, he tries a doe snort-wheeze call, a noise that mimics a doe in distress either scared or being pursued by bucks, to try to bring bucks in.

This call is sort of a toss-up Hail Mary because if there are no deer in

the area it has a chance of attracting some but if there are deer it could scare them away.

Lafferty’s confidence in his stand placement is not as high as it once was. During the rut, his stand was placed well after thorough scouting.

“We all go out... we’ll walk around the area and find trails and rubs and scrapes and figure out where the deer are moving and find out where there food is where they bed,” Lafferty said. “[You want to] find a spot where you can see a lot of the trails where the deer are moving, usually in between their bedding areas and where they get their food. That’s kinda where they’ll move from, they’ll bed go through the woods, go get their food and go back to their bedding areas. So somewhere right in between that is where you want to go.”

Post-rut the deers in the area have changed their behavior and patterns with new trails running farther from his stand and going through a thicket of cedar.

In the distance at Eagle Bluffs, shotgun blasts begin coming in more frequent bursts indicating better fortunes for those in the blinds. On the pond behind Lafferty’s stand a lone teal duck cruises down and lands on the glass surface, seeking refuge

from the slaughter at the duck ponds.

The morning hunt is beginning to wind down, until from the stand of cedar trees, 150 yards off a stick snaps and there is a hasty rustle in the leaves piercing the air. This perks Lafferty’s attention as he peers into the woods. After closer inspections he concludes it was a pesky squirrel making a racket.

It’s now time to go if Lafferty hopes to make it to school on time.

He climbs down from his high perch, but instead of going directly back to his car he walks a perimeter around his stand looking for signs of deer activity. The mineral block he had set up a few days ago had been flipped over and in the stand of cedars there is evidence of fresh rubs.

The burden of time grows larger, and Lafferty hurries to school. It’s now 8:50 and Lafferty is energetic, still feeling the rush from the morning excursion.

Morning bowhunting to some may seem too early or silly, but for Lafferty the motivation is simple.

“I like being able to go outdoors every morning,” Lafferty said. “The adrenaline of the hunt, being able to go outdoors whenever I want, wherever I want and be able to see the Earth wake up in the morning.”

Culinary Arts students don’t have to have food handler licenses E mily U nterschutz

W

hen thinking of the people who prepare, package and deliver food, people like to think that those who serve them make it a top priority to keep themselves and their surroundings clean. However, many people have heard horror stories from friends who work at popular fast food restaurants, getting a second-hand education about the gross actuality that exists in the food industry.

Junior Vaughn O’Gorman says he refuses to eat any fast food because of these stories.

“My friends that work at [fast food restaurants] say that the food’s nasty,” he said.

“You’re paying, like, a dollar for some freakin’ nasty… Plankton’s Chum Bucket.”

In order to keep these rumors from becoming realities, every person who directly handles food that is sold in the city of Columbia must have a food handler’s card which doesn’t expire until three years later. Even high school students with their first job at a local McDonald’s have to go through the $15 course, but what do the Columbia Area Career Center Culinary Arts students have to go through?

“We don’t do a food handler’s license through the city,” CACC Chef Brook Harlan said. “I think honestly what we have the kids go through is harder than the food handler’s license.”

The rigorous testing process requires that all Culinary Arts I students receive an 85 percent or higher on a sanitation test in order to even step into the kitchen.

Culinary Arts II, however, is where the students take on a real challenge.

“We have [the students] take a different test, which is the sanitation protocol, kitchen equipment… and they have to get a 90 percent or higher on that one to get into the class,” Harlan said. “They can’t get in the class and actually start doing any kind of knife cuts until they’ve gotten 90 percent or higher on that test, so we’re a little strict with the Culinary II students.”

Senior Bailey Lawson takes both Culinary

photo by Sury Rawat

Cooking up a storm: Culinary Arts I students prepare a meal that will be put up for sale to the school’s students in the main commons. inspected two times a year to ensure that the around most of the nation to prepare and disArts II and Baking Independent Study.

“Considering we sell to the public, every students and teachers are safely handling the tribute meals. To obtain this card, applicants have to know the ins and outs of preparing and person that will be in the kitchen, working on food they prepare for class.

Culinary Arts II students go through the spe- serving food safely. that food, needs to know proper sanitation and Harlan said that taking this class in high technique,” Lawson said. “[It’s] definitely nec- cific types of food-borne illnesses, the cause of them, and how to prevent them when cooking. school can be beneficial for students who are essary.”

After passing all high level qualifications, This is everything students need to know in serious about their career in preparing food. the future chefs go through an entire unit about order to obtain the National Manager’s food- The students can save up to $1,200 in classes when they go to a secondary education culinary safe serving. This expands on the process of handling card.

“They actually administer [the card] at [the] school because they will have already gotten distributing food safely, which covers more content than the same one hour Columbia food Career Center through the professional and the proper cards at the Career Center. communication program,” Harlan said. “That Lawson said the courses she’s taking will handler’s license class mentioned above.

This isn’t to say that the Columbia/Boone card is good for five years, whereas the [Colum- help with her life after high school. “[I plan to] study hospitalityp management County Department of Public Health and Hu- bia] food handler’s is only good for three years. man Services isn’t involved with the culinary If [the students] take the National one, they can with an emphasis in food and beverage,” she said. “At Mizzou!” take that to any state in the United States.” arts classes.

“You can save and don’t even have to take All states around the US accept the ServKala Tomka, an employee of the department, said that although the local card isn’t re- Safe National card. This means that once the that class [in some colleges that require very quired for culinary arts students, they still get card is obtained by Culinary Arts students at the similar courses],” Harlan said. “We’re very inspected. She said that the culinary classes are Columbia Area Career Center, they are certified lucky.”

IN-DEPTHS B3

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

Turning away

from truth

W

hen people face dangerous situations, their bodies react with a natural release of stress hormones. The heart begins to race, breathing quickens and a rush of adrenaline encourages them to pick between a fight or flight response.

The tough choices that come with everyday life can elicit the same psychological responses. When someone struggles to succeed in their field, when women continue to face double standards and when crimes against humanity threaten a city, it is hard to fight for what is right. Often, it is easier to simply follow the crowd and turn away from the truth.

Art by Maddie Mueller

B4 IN-DEPTHS

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

Cooperation, not competition, leads to E mily Franke

F

ellows mentor David Graham believes success is subjective, but far too often students associate success with grades. Students could also be successful at church, school, band, choir or athletics, Graham said.

“So what does success mean? It means what you want it to mean in areas you deem worthy of your passion,” Graham said. “I think we’ve been fooled into thinking that there’s one defining measure of success.We need to rethink that as individuals.”

For senior Jett Ballou-Crawford, success means being happy. Ballou-Crawford said there are no strict definitions of success because it depends on an individual’s interests. While BallouCrawford does not know what she wants to do career-wise, she has always known she wants to go to college.

“Where I’m headed...I’ll have a major in some sort of science field but I might change it, like maybe I’ll start in biochemistry and decide I want to go into biomedical engineering. I’m hoping to kind of find it out in college,” Ballou-Crawford

said. “My mom keeps saying, ‘I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, and I’m 54,’ because she’s been an accountant and a vet, a stayat-home mom [and] now she’s a nurse, so it’s O.K. to change things as you go.”

Along with being happy and defining success for oneself, Ballou-Crawford said the steps one must take to become successful are specific to an individual’s objectives. To reach her goal of going to college, Ballou-Crawford said she worked to keep her grades up, volunteered and took a leadership role with RBRO. “I’ve tried to get all the things colleges look for,” Ballou-Crawford said, explaining that she sees her preparation for future success as a stepby-step process. “I’m being successful right now because that’s what I want to do in the future to have future success.”

Ballou-Crawford said RBHS can be supportive of students who know what they want in the future. However, she said, when students need help, the help is not just readily available. Rather, students must grab onto it.

“Even if you are a straight-A student, nobody in guidance is like, ‘How are you doing today, do you need help applying for this?’ If you need

help, you go to them. You have to track down people who can help you and they won’t always be the most forthcoming,” Ballou-Crawford said.

“I’m just imagining [that for] people who are less forceful and less determined to get to a certain place, it’s going to be difficult for them.”

In addition to seeking help from guidance, students can look to each other for support. Graham said in an ideal world, students should work together and help each other do as well as possible.

Furthermore, he said it is a huge mistake for students to define their success by their grades and standardized test scores, and it is also a mistake for students to compare themselves to other students to determine their own success.

“Perfect for me would be that it would be a complete team effort, that students pushed each other to do well not at the expense of someone else but for the benefit of someone else and so it wasn’t a zero sum game,” Graham said. “And kids came into it with an understanding of ...

‘Here’s where I came into this class, here’s what I’m leaving this class with, was I successful?’”

While Ballou-Crawford said students must seek help, in her experience RBHS is a place that supports all students and gives equal opportunity

to be successful. Since RBHS doesn’t rank students, it does not affect her 4.0 GPA if someone else has a 4.0, she said. Students don’t have to destroy each other to get where they want to go.

“We’re all friends, and we can all be successful. I visited [Washington University] and they’re specifically like, ‘We like people who are going to work together. We don’t want those type of people who knock others down or try and destroy them to get ahead,’” Ballou-Crawford said. “It’s definitely something you see in college, so I think you’re getting prepared for that at Rock Bridge.”

For sophomore Aline Nene, support and help from others has been an essential component of her education in the United States. For nearly 15 years Nene lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo and dreamed of going to school so she could eventually become a doctor, but with fluctuating wars she and her brothers could not attend school regularly. Now though, Nene has access to an education and the ability to realize her definition of success, which is to spend her life helping others.

Nene said learning English is important to her future success because she wants to stay in America and go to college after she graduates.

Subconcious subordination

J enna L iu

L

ast year, freshman Sonya Hu’s class split into groups for project work. Her fellow group members did not take the assignment seriously and did not seem to want to work, so Hu divided up parts of the project in order to try to finish on time.

Just as Hu thought her group was making some progress, she heard another group member call her a “bossy b****” behind her back. When the agreement of the other members pierced her ears, a suffocating feeling of frustration and injustice rose up.

Why were they acting like this? Hadn’t she just seen a boy also take charge in a similar manner while his group members thanked him for his help? Why was she being called that name?

Just one year later, Hu said she finally understands.

“With the status quo in society, it’s typically seen that guys are superior and have the right to be assertive and tell people what to do, while girls don’t,” Hu said. “But that’s not right, and it’s why whenever they see a girl acting in a similar manner they’re like, ‘That’s not allowed.’”

Hu said her behavior was not controlling at all, and she was merely trying to help out. She believes if she had been male, the other members, who were all boys, would have responded to her with a more accepting manner.

“They called me bossy and believed that I was trying to take control of what was going on,” Hu said. “But without a leader they would have been in complete chaos.”

Michelle Gerchen, RBHS civics and sociology teacher, said the perception that assertive women are controlling is representative of the sexism that some believe no longer exists in America.

“Today people think there’s no more sexism because women can be CEOs; they can build themselves up,” Gerchen said. “When really there’s a lot of stereotypes that are still there, like there’s still a stigma that if you want to be a successful business women you can’t have a family.”

These stereotypes have also pervaded Gerchen’s own life, even infiltrating her professional one as a teacher. She said in particular that she has noticed differences in how people react to female versus male teachers.

“If I ever say that I’m a teacher, they go, ‘Aww, you’re such a cute teacher; you wear teacher clothes. It makes sense,’” Gerchen said. “If a guy were to say, ‘I’m a teacher’ they would say ‘Oh, I would never have known that.’”

What Gerchen describes is a form of sexism based on a social theory called “microaggression theory.” According to Columbia University, professor Derald Sue in the research paper Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life, microaggressions are “...brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative racial slights and insults…” This

term was first limited to describing racial injustice, but has been broadened to gender microaggressions as well.

Junior Kelley Tackett said expectations for women that adhere to archaic views on gender are a particularly virulent form of microaggressions, or “covert sexism.” She believes society still looks down on women who defy assumptions of how a woman should act.

“There’s a status quo of women staying low, and when they try to break out from that, they’re not expected to, so it’s really hard to find the role models,” Tackett said. “People who try and break out from the status quo are shamed for attempting to be different and veering away from traditional moral values and the traditional home life.”

This aversion to leaving the “good ol’ days” is something Gerchen has witnessed in her time teaching history and sociology. She said her students will occasionally say things that demonstrate internalized gender stereotypes about the roles of men and women in society.

“For example, if I was talking to my students about money they would mention their dad, and if I talked about laundry they would mention their mom,” Gerchen said.

“Historically, men were seen as the money maker, going to the bank, and women were known as managing the household, cooking [and] taking care of children. So when they say these things it sounds like we’re still back in the 1950s.”

Tackett said this kind of subtle sexism, if not addressed, is dangerous to the future state of gender equality. She believes until the status quo changes in such a way, a woman who achieves power and prominence is no longer considered differently from her male counterparts, society cannot declare that sexism is over.

“There’s just all sorts of instances in society where we women act in a similar way to men and we’re degraded and ashamed for it,” Tackett said. “There needs to stop being a double standard for actions that women have compared to men, so when a woman takes on a position of power, it no longer has the effect that she’s a woman; it’s just another person doing their job and living their life.”

Still, others, such as junior Reagan Soumokil, say sexism and microaggressions specifically do not play a

major role in their lives. Soumokil said she has not encountered anything that would embody microaggression and does not think they constitute a major harm to society.

“I honestly don’t think they’re that big of a deal in my everyday life,” Soumokil said. “I don’t think it occurs that often.”

Soumokil further said while she knows sexism has not disappeared, she believes gender equality has progressed to a point where there is no longer a need for increased focus on the issue.

“I’m

g l a d that we’ve come so far with [sexism], I think in America we’re pretty equal,” Soumokil said. “I don’t want to say that it’s completely gone, but it isn’t really a problem any more.”

In contrast, Gerchen said she thinks it is not right to say that sexism is not a significant issue in society anymore, and believes that those who hold such beliefs should try to increase their awareness of the gender prejudice that may surround them.

“Until men and women are completely equal in all aspects of life, there will be sexism, and right now there are still stereotypes and stigmas and generalizations,” Gerchen said. “If someone says that sexism isn’t here anymore, they’re not really looking, and I think those are the people that need to start looking.”

Still not equal

info source Claudia

Throughout history, women have received o their male counterparts earn

Wom Women 60% Women 50% Women 30% From 18201850

From 18901930

1980s

2

IN-DEPTHS B5

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

Eventually, she said, she wants to learn a lot of languages so she can communicate with people from different countries. For right now, however, she wants to focus on improving her English so she can take more science classes.

“I think my English improved because of lacrosse girls because the way we usually talk, and then when we travel and we usually talk, and when we are eating we talk, and we talk; we talk,” Nene said. “I take a lot of classes [now] because, I think, my English improved a lot. Last year I was taking not very much classes but now I take a lot of classes.”

In the time she has been in America, Nene has not forgotten the friends, neighbors and countrymen she left behind. Sometimes she thinks about her life here and knows others don’t have access to the education that she does, or don’t have shoes or clothes that she has.

“I think I didn’t do [anything] so that they could come here in America to learn,” Nene said.

“I know a lot of people who were my friends, they died, or [stayed there], but I’m still alive. I think that’s why I really need to help. I don’t care if it’s my country or where but I just need to help children who are suffering.”

flow

Social media fails to expose mass crimes occurring against Rohingya Muslims H umera L odhi

T

only a fraction of what working the same job

2000s

the

Burmese genocide lacks attention, continues

Art by Maddy Mueller infographic by Abby Kempf a Gordon , Institute for Women’s Policy Research

men 75%

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o success

Women 78%

2013

hey traveled on foot, sleeping where they could find shelter. Some fell sick, others died and many were caught before they could escape. The voyage from Burma to Thailand is no easy task; it is a long and dangerous journey. Despite the risks that await, many choose to take this path; they see no other option.

Sophomore Bwet Paw was just six months old when she made this journey with her mother and siblings.

Despite leaving as an infant, the time spent in Burma forever shaped the life of Paw and her family.

Their crime: being a part of an ethnic Kachin minority.

Their punishment: seizure of land, death and rape, to name a few, as well as execution by the Burmese government and military with extreme brutality and no hesitation.

“The Burmese army was trying to attack us. They tried to take our land,” Paw said. “It’s a really bad story. If my grandpa didn’t come back to take us, we maybe would have died there, but luckily my grandpa took us to Thailand.”

Like Paw, many of her neighbors and friends fled Burma before going to Finland, Australia and America as refugees. Others, including members of Paw’s extended family, did not make it out and still remain in Burma.

While the life she lives as a refugee is not easy, Paw said, the life that awaited her and her family if they had stayed in Burma would have been far worse. “[The Burmese army] tried to get us to be a part of them, but we don’t like the way they tricked us; they took our land,” Paw said. “And at a young age, boys have to be soldiers. If you don’t, [the army] can kill you. For girls, if [the army] wants anything, you have to do it. If you don’t, they will rape you or sometimes kill you.”

From 1962 until 2010, a military junta ruled Burma and held absolute power over all affairs of the nation.

Four years ago, a series of democratic reforms took place and the people of the nation, as well as international leaders, began to see hope of a fair, free and democratic election in Burma’s future.

Denied citizenship, the Rohingya However, as of now, the military still holds most of the power in the are not allowed to vote, marry or have country. This power and influence is children without government permisused, among other things, to persecute sion. In addition, they are not allowed to travel, which makes it difficult to the Kachin people.

“Sometimes, the soldiers try to take escape to Thailand or Indonesia — our people,” Paw said. “When our two countries that offer asylum to the people die, we bury them ... When [the Rohingya people. According to the army] found out we buried our people report, the Rohingya are being forced ... they take out our dead and tie them into camps and killed by the government and military. to a tree.”

This oppression and suffering is Her story, however unfortunate, is not unique. The largest ethnic group nothing new. The UN Refugee Agenin Burma is the Burmese people, and cy states the Rohingya Muslims have the majority of Burmese practice the been facing human rights abuses since Buddhist religion. Kachin and other the military forcibly took power in minorities such as the Karen, Shan, 1962. However, in recent years the Rakhine, Mon, Rohingya and Chin, violence escalated and the persecution all face persecution and violence from of the Rohingya people began to be the government, military and Bud- declared a genocide by many. In 2005 dhist extremists for differences in eth- The UN placed Burma on its Genocide Watch list. nicity and religion.

Two years ago, religious tensions From among these groups, the Rohingya Muslim, comprised of around in Burma reached a breaking point, one million people, face the most English Language Learning teacher severe persecution. Recently, the Hu- Lillia Ben-Ayed said, and Buddhist man Rights Watch released a report extremists began killing Rohingya detailing the suffering of the Rohing- Muslims.

“One of the reasons was religious ya. In addition to violence at the hands differences.

So of Buddhist exmany Rohingya tremists, the The plight of the Roreport states hingya Muslims has Muslims were the Burmese definitely not received killed because government is enough attention by the they were the facilitating the media and society, if minority [in Burma],” Ben-Ayed ethnic cleansany at all. said. “There were ing of the RoFariha Rashid massive killings. hingya people senior I saw the pictures from Burma. online and it was Two sumhorrible, absomers ago, senior Fariha Rashid designed and sold lutely horrible.”

Some feel the genocide is still not shirts in an attempt to spread awareness of the plight of Burma’s eth- being given enough global attention. nic minorities. Purchased mostly by As she began researching on Rohingfriends, family and members of the ya, Rashid was shocked to find how Columbia Muslim community, Rashid little news coverage there was of this sent all proceeds from the shirts to the situation. In addition, as she talked to Helping Hands Burmese Relief Fund. people, Rashid said, most people had “I decided to make [the shirts] be- no knowledge of the violence against cause it was about an issue I really had the Burmese ethnic minorities.

“There are hundreds of thousands not heard anything about and I was shocked when I found out what was of Rohingya Muslims who have fled happening to the Rohingya Muslims,” to Bangladesh but Bangladesh is overRashid said. “ I just couldn’t compre- populated and was turning them away hend how this entire genocide was go- by sealing off their borders. Banglaing on, and no one seemed to care. I desh sees Rohingya as a burden. The just felt like I had to do something be- [Burmese] government does not supcause it didn’t seem like anyone else port the Rohingya at all and has helped in killing them,” Rashid said. “The was.”

plight of the Rohingya Muslims has definitely not received enough attention by the media and society, if any at all. This is a situation which is so unfair and has been handled wrongly for so long that it is a shame that it has not received more global attention.”

A few weeks ago, US President Barack Obama visited Burma and called for equal rights for all. Some people want more from the United States and the government. They want President Obama to support the people of Rohingya and condemn the Burmese government. However, this issue, Ben-Ayed said, stretches far beyond the American government and the Obama administration.

“It’s not just America’s responsibility to help Rohingya, but other countries in a position of power should try to help. Every person, every individual, can do something,” Ben-Ayed said.

“I just feel like the whole world was watching and no one cared.”

Although, many find it difficult to aid people living so far away. Despite this, both Ben-Ayed and Rashid agree there are still ways to help the Rohingya. Donating money, contacting elected representatives and spreading awareness through social media, Rashid said, are always to help Burma’s ethnic minorities.

“I cannot stress enough how important spreading awareness is. Simply tweeting or reblogging posts about what’s going on and urging others to do so will give this situation the attention it deserves,” Rashid said. “We’ve seen how powerful social media can be with #BringBackOurGirls and Ferguson, and we can do the same thing for the Rohingya. “ As of today, there are still many international politicians who have not spoken out against the violence towards the Rohingya people. Recently, Aung San Suu Kyi, a well known Burmese activist for democracy, received criticism for her silence on the issue of “ethnic cleansing” in Burma. Some, like Rashid, see her silence as allowing the violence to continue and wish for Kyi to openly condemn the treatment of the Rohingya people.

“They [Rohingya people] may not have a voice in their country, but we do,” Rashid said. “And we should use it.”

B6 HEALTH & WELLNESS

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

a m r A leg, an a nd your sani ty for an ‘A’ get a certain score that I A bby K empf can’t, or don’t, feel necessarily that I can ost people, at one time or live up to or achieve.”

Despite the commonality of test anxianother, have felt their heart ety, it still has extremely detrimental efrate skyrocket and their chest fects on its host, Dr. Schachtmann said. tighten as they become nervous before performing a dubious task. The negative impacts on health include Whether it is because of an important job immune system suppression in some casinterview or a performance in a play, peo- es.

“Anxiety causes cortisol, a certain horple are naturally inclined to feel uneasy as mone, among other things, to be released, they await results from an unclear fate. and cortisol and other stress hormones Nervousness is normal. Anxiety, howwork as a ‘fight or flight’ substance that ever, is not. While people can be diaghelps us handle danger if we have to renosed with general anxiety, a more prevalent problem in high school is test, or spond to danger in the next 60 seconds,” Dr. Schachtmann said. “The longer term performance, anxieffects of cortisol are ety. With a slew of bad for us.” exams weighing Not only does test heavily on teenanxiety affect health, it agers’ minds, test can also cripple a stuanxiety highly afdent’s performance on fects 16-20 percent the test, Dr. Schachtof students and mann said. Most people moderately affects work best in a calm enanother 18 pervironment that enables cent, according to them to feel safe and Sarah Bai, the American Test relaxed, but if students sophomore Anxieties Associahave to deal with anxition. ety when testing, they “There is a state called ‘generalized anxiety’ and this is are not able to feel secure and, therefore, usually anxiety that does not have a clear cannot remember all of the information environmental cause — meaning that the crammed in their brain.

“If the anxiety keeps a student from person is usually not anxious about one studying, then obviously this is bad. If thing in particular,” University of Misanxiety while taking the exam is distractsouri-Columbia psychology professor Dr. ing them while they are trying to read and Todd Schachtmann said. “That type of answer questions, this is clearly not good anxiety is different from anxiety that has a very specific cause, such as taking tests.” [either],” Schachtmann said. “Anxiety can Sophomore Sarah Bai suffers from test cause heart rate to increase, blood supply anxiety. As a high achieving student, Bai may be shunted away from the digesholds herself to an incredibly high stan- tive tract, respiration changes, palms get sweaty… these physiological responses dard that can be difficult to uphold.

“I feel really nervous because I am are probably not very good for test perforpressured to do better because of my mance. It is true that performance in most parents or my friends or just any com- cases need[s] a certain level of alertness petition,” Bai said. “I am expected to to do well and, therefore, too little alert-

M

I am expected to get a certain score that I can’t, or don’t feel, necessarily that I can live up to or achieve.

ness or too much alertness can hurt performance.”

Math teacher Kevin Taylor notices how the influence of test anxiety in each student dictates their performance on the test. He said students who spend a lot of time preparing have a better outcome.

“Some people thrive under stress.

Some people cave in or succumb to the stress,” Taylor said. “If you have test anxiety because you realize that you aren’t prepared, this is different than being anxious because of other reasons.”

Bai also sees the effect of her test anxiety on her results, but each case is different. Sometimes her anxiety helps her to be just alert enough, but many times, the scale leans too heavily one way or another and her performance is impaired.

“When it makes me do worse it’s because I doubt myself and I think that I don’t know the answers when I probably studied and I do,” Bai said. “When I do better, it’s because I drill into my head that ‘I know this,’ and I have to be confident.”

Taylor notices test anxiety among his high-achieving students when big tests are approaching, especially in his honors precalculus course because of the difficult nature of the course.

“The ones that are really, really focused on getting the perfect scores and grades I think have some [test] anxiety,” Taylor said.

Dr. Schachtmann agrees; the more tests that are occurring, the more students end up sick, further proving the connection between anxiety and health.

“Students have more visits to the student health service for infections when they have exams coming up,” Dr. Schachtmann said. “This does not mean that everyone that is anxious will have bad health effects; some people are affected more than others, no doubt.”

However, having test anxiety does not mean a student will automatically do bad on all of their tests. There are many effecinfographic information: www.adaa.org

tive ways for a student to deal with this stress and overcome the nerves. “ Ta k i n g deep breaths is very helpful to calm oneself down. It can relax the heart rate, which is a big part of anxiety. One can [also] avoid anxiety in the first place. A big way to do that is to pace oneself in terms of studying [and] not cramming,” Dr. Schactmann said. “Students that study a little bit all along, instead of cramming, rarely say, ‘I am so stressed because of my exams coming up.’ Usually it is the procrastinator that is so stressed. ” Ultimately, Bai overcomes her stress by putting her fears in perspective instead of putting the impending test on an impractical platform.

“I just remind myself that no matter what happens, I will be O.K.,” Bai said. “I won’t fail or bomb the test, so I know that. I just have to constantly remind myself that everything will be fine.” art by Claire Simon

art by Claire Simon

infographic information: psychologytoday.com

art by Claire Simon

Switching out sleep cycles wrecks health A lice Yu

A

t the age of six, children may not know how to complete algebraic equations or explain why gravity is different for each planet, but they’ll already be on their third sleeping schedule.

After birth, infants have a polyphasic sleep schedule. They sleep multiple times throughout the day for a total of 18 to 20 hours, Dr. Munish Goyal, assistant professor in the neurology department at the University of Missouri-Columbia Hospital, said.

This changes by kindergarten, when children have a biphasic sleep schedule. Rather than multiple “naps,” most children will only take a short nap in the afternoon with the majority of their sleep taking place at night. By the time children enter elementary school, they will already be fully adapted to a monophasic sleep schedule, with all of their sleeping hours allotted to nighttime. Some adults have decided to revert to these periodic cycles of sleep, portioning their work throughout 24 hours.

“I think that’d be really weird,” senior Althea Felton said. “I just think

30 minutes [for sleep] isn’t enough.

People have told me that you fall into a deeper sleep later on in your sleep and you wouldn’t really ever get to that point in 30 minutes.”

There are a total of five major sleep cycles available for practice according to pyschologytoday.com: the monophasic, where sleep takes place in one block of time, or the uberman, everyman, dymaxion, and biphasic, where sleep happens in increments ranging from 20 minutes to four hours.

“Scientifically, these cycles are not recommended by the sleep physicians. By doing these different patterns of sleep — the everyman, dymaxion [and] uberman sleep — the total amount of sleep will range from two to four hours of sleep which is much less than the required sleep by an adult and it will be like sleep deprivation,” Dr. Goyal said. “Adhering to polyphasic patterns of sleep with short periods of sleep, a person may get [rapid eye movement] sleep deprivation, as the REM sleep comes in cycles of 90-120 minutes. REM sleep is one of the most restorative and refreshing sleep and deepest form of

sleep, so that’s why it’s important to have monophasic sleep.”

The importance of REM sleep lies in the hormone secretion that takes place during the REM stage of sleep.

Dr. Goyal said during the early childhood years, children experience more N3 and REM sleep which is when hormone secretion takes place, explaining why so much emphasis is put on sleep during the growing period in a human’s lifespan.

Sleep deprivation can result in early morning headaches, poor concentration, poor immunity and can also serve as a risk factor for Alzheimer’s and increase cancer growth.

“You always learn eight hours of sleep is important, but it’s not always an option to get eight hours of sleep each night just because we get out of school so late; we have so much

Sleep N1 N2 cycle stages

homework, we have practices after school,” junior Grant Sykuta said.

“I’ve been educated, but it’s not always been able to go to use.”

The opportunities present in high school often tug at the attention and time of students. With a multitude of athletics, musical groups and extracurricular clubs to balance, students still need to pay heed to their sleep needs.

“I think that it’s really wonderful to have a stop time, so I’m always going to stop working at 10:30, and I’m going to go to bed,” EEE teacher Kathryn Fishman-Weaver said.

“Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t meet that goal every day, but the days that you do, celebrate, like, ‘Yeah, I’m taking care of myself.’”

Students aren’t the only ones having a hard time catching a good

light sleep, brain wave includes slow activity rolling eye decreases movements

N3 extremely slow brain waves

REM limbs are temporarily paralyzed

infographic information: wisconsinsleep.org

REPEAT begin the cycle again art by Alice Yu

night’s sleep though.

According to sleepfoundation. org, 43 percent of Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 report rarely or never getting a good night’s sleep on weeknights and seven percent of Americans in the same age group say they get less than six hours of sleep on weeknights.

At RBHS, almost 80 percent of students are subject to sleep deprivation, with 14 percent of students sleeping less than five hours each night, 29 percent of students sleeping only five to six hours and 37 percent of students sleeping seven to eight hours.

“As a health specialist, we always recommend taking care of your health, so we recommend that a person should sleep whatever sleep requirements a particular person has,” Dr. Goyal said. “We should not sacrifice our sleep for our work. It may done once in a while, but not on a regular basis. But working for 18, 20 hours every day or sleeping for only four to six or five hours every night, that’s not a good schedule. Your sleep should not be sacrificed for work or business — or whatever you call it.”

B8 ADS

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

SPORTS

ALSO INSIDE Wrestling prepares for Missouri Duals

Rock Bridge High School • 4303 S. Providence Rd. • Columbia Mo, 65203 • Vol. 42, Issue 3 • December 11, 2014

1.

photo by Sury Rawat

3.

photo by Sury Rawat

4.

photo by Sury Rawat

2.

Balling out: 1: Sophomore Justin Hajicek drives to the basket while being guarded by a Liberty North High School defender. 2. Senior Josh Broadus soars through the air on his way to the basket in a game against Southwest High School. The Bruins clobbered SWHS 78-35.

3: Hajicek goes up strong for a basket. 4: Coach Scanlon gathers his team around him during a timeout.

Nice and Easy photo by Renata Williams

Basketball kicks off season with pair of blowout victories

Graham Ratermann

I

n last weekend’s Norm Stewart Classic the RBHS basketball team (2-0) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

The Bruins opened the game against Liberty North High School (0-2) with an impressive 11-0 run behind a strong defensive effort that led to easy buckets at their end of the floor.

“We got a lot of pressure on their guards,” senior guard Ryan Kreklow said, “and sped them up and were able to get some turnovers out of them.”

The Bruins would wrap up the first quarter

comfortably ahead 16-1, holding the Eagles to a mere free throw and no successful field goals.

The opening quarter set the tone for the final three as the Bruins extended their lead to 20 by halftime with a score of 27-7.

“We got confident and we started playing harder,” senior forward Eric Kuse said, “and then the other team crumbled a little bit, got a little scared which just led us to more easy baskets.”

After the third quarter the rout was in full swing as RBHS held a commanding 48-15 lead.

The fourth quarter began with a running clock and stayed that way until the end, as the

Bruins put the game on cruise control with every player who dressed out entering the game for a final score of 52-23.

Kreklow lead the Bruins in scoring, netting 20 points behind a barrage of threes, senior Josh Broadus added another 10 and from the bench junior Tre Williams added eight.

“We had a lot of good looks, everybody rebounded, we got everybody in the game so we were able to play hard and mix well,” Kuse said. “We’re still getting used to our new people and Ryan was able to hit a lot of shots as well.”

After two relatively easy wins against Southwest High School and LNHS the Bruins

prepare for a road test against Class Five opponent Holt High School.

Defense will be a key component of the Bruins’ game plan, as the team is looking for points in transition and points off turnovers as the offense gradually improves.

“We just have to keep playing our good, hard defense until we get the hang of each other on offense,” junior forward Karson Ringdahl said.

With two blowout wins already under the Bruins’ belts, the team is off to a good start and ready to take on the regular season.

“Obviously we expect to compete hard and do our best to win games,” Ringdahl said.

Closer

Look Boys Basketball The RBHS basketball team defeated Southwest High School last Friday and on Sunday defeated Liberty North High School in the Norm Stewart Classic. The Bruins next play today at Holt High School in Wentzville.

photo by Sury Rawat

Girls Basketball

The girls basketball team is ranked tenth nationally

by MaxPreps and handily defeated a solid Kirkwood team that had won 25 games last year in the Norm Stewart Classic.

photo by Devesh Kumar

Wrestling

Last weekend wrestling traveled to Parkway South High School to compete in the Patriot Classic. The Bruins rallied to claim fifth place. This weekend they compete in the Missouri Duals hosted by Helias High School.

photo by Abby Blitz

C2 ADS

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

SPORTS C3

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

photo by Maribeth Eiken

Zeroed In: Junior Josiah Kline attempts a tilt during a match against Centralia last year. Kline has been on a mission since arriving to RBHS a year ago, and has been determined to make a statement in the high school wrestling world. After winning a state championship at 113 pounds in 2014, Kline aspires to repeat and dominate matches just as he did against Centralia. Kline hopes to repeat on his success from last year by continuing to work hard everyday during practices and improve on his mistakes so he can be at his best during every meet.

Wrestling with more than just his opponent ing hard.”

When Kline’s father Joe, a former wrestler osiah Kline has been grappling with more himself, noticed his son developing tics and than just some of the best wrestlers in the odd behaviors at a young age, he knew right state and country during his nine year ca- away it was Tourette’s. These tics and constant reer and road to a 2014 state champion- movements had made it hard for the Klines to ship. The RBHS junior has also been wrestling do routine errands and travel about without reone of America’s most prominent syndromes, ceiving blank stares and giggles.

“I was actually always being made fun of at Tourette’s.

Kline, who began wrestling at age 7 comes the store,” the younger Kline said, “and almost from a long line of achieved grapplers from anywhere I ever wanted to go.”

While it is not known exPennsylvania with a longactly how many people have standing history of wrestling I started because I the syndrome, a Center for excellence, including Penn always wanted to Disease Control and PrevenState, who have repeated at compete for myself and tion (CDC) study has found National Champions for four train just for me. that 1 in every 360 children straight years. six through 17 years in the “My entire family for US have been reported to the most part has wrestled,” Josiah Kline have Tourette’s according to Kline said, “so it’s almost junior parent reports. like it’s in my blood.”

Undeterred by the synDespite his background Kline didn’t feel pressured to begin his own drome Kline continued to wrestle, partaking in career, and instead sought to escape from the daily workouts and staying on a healthy diet, traditional team sports, and gain recognition for and with time got better and watched his Tourette’s follow suit. his personal endeavors. “[Wrestling] has helped me out with my To“I started because I always wanted to compete for myself and train just for me,” Kline urette’s by taking away a lot of my energy so said, “without letting other people, such as my I’m not so hyper,” Kline said. “It allows for me team, hold me back because they weren’t work- to stay calm and basically doesn’t let my tics

John Flanegin

J

activate so easily.”

Winning became second nature with the help of his father as well as constant practice and Kline quickly began to master his craft, landing vicious double legs, head inside singles, a variety of cradles, and just about any move in the book, even creating his own maneuver called the “Klindle”. The 16 year old has developed his body into a well oiled machine and has collected over 100 medals and 50 trophies while on his pilgrimage to hopefully become a Division I wrestler.

With the wins came experience, which he translated into a way of teaching others. Junior David Feng is in his second year of wrestling and says he has really picked Kline’s brain for added information and tactics.

“Since I started last year he’s been really helpful with teaching me a lot of new things,” Feng said, “and with him being so much more experienced than me he’s given me a lot of tips to pick up on and follow.”

Despite helping others and continuing to win and earning both the glitz and glam, leaving the sport never left Kline’s mind, with the work often becoming a struggle and leaving a physical and emotional toll on him.

“Like [famous wrestler] Dan Gable says, ‘Once you have wrestled, everything in life is easy.’ This sport is so tough,” Kline said, “and if

you ask any wrestler, even the best of the best, they will tell you they have wanted to quit at times.”

While Kline started his high school career earning fifth at State while at crosstown rival Hickman High School he made a quick transition to RBHS after a transfer coming in his sophomore year, in which he became the Missouri Class 4 State Champion for the Bruins at the 113 weight class., helping the Bruins to a school best second place finish. Kline now holds a spot as a captain for the team led by Coach Travis Craig.

“Josiah has definitely come in and worked hard every day, and that’s really the kind of leader we need,” Craig said, “someone who is going to come in and do the work that they need to do, and show people what its like to wrestle well on the mat.”

Kline’s line of goals stretch far beyond just this season, with the list of accomplishments he one days hopes to achieve growing by the day.

“I’m hoping to wrestle for a D1 college and redshirt freshman year and train as hard as I can, and hopefully be a four-time NCAA champ.” Kline said, “After that I’m hoping to be able to wrestle for a chance to compete in the Olympics in 2024, and I’m also considering becoming a coach one day, but the plans right now are in God’s hands.”

RBHS places fifth at tourney Three Bruins claim individual crowns Derek Wang

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ast season the Bruins wrestling team graduated four seniors. Those four seniors had combined for 10 state medals, six state finals appearances, and two individual state titles.

Last weekend, in the Parkway South Patriot Classic, a dual style tournament with teams divided into two pools and then the best wrestlers from each side wrestle for individual titles, the Bruins had their first chance to see how they would fare as a team without those four seniors who had previously been the hallmark of the program. Propelled by individual titles from sophomore Brock Davis at 106 pounds, junior Josiah Kline at 120 pounds and senior Graham Ratermann at 170 pounds, the Bruins surged late to slide into fifth place in the team standings.

“With the amount of seniors we lost last year I’d say that’s where we need to set our goal for now,” Davis said. “And we can work our way up from there as we develop in the practice room.”

Davis opened the tournament finals

with a 9-1 major decision over Francis Howell’s Tyler Kreith after running through his pool matches. Davis said that practicing with better wrestlers and with his coaches helped him prepare for this tournament.

“I wrestled best on my feet and listened to my coaches when they saw something I could improve on,” Davis said. “I could really use some work on getting mentally prepared, but so could a lot of us.”

Kline defeated three other people, using the techniques that he practiced with his teammates. At 126 pounds Kline, a returning state champion, performed at par and won a 14-5 major decision in the finals and he defeated Jackson’s Jake Byrd, a state qualifier last year, 4-2 in pool play. “[I did well] sticking with my gameplay and trying to mentally break my opponent,” Kline said. “[I] stay on the offense, control every position and keep the match moving.”

Ratermann recorded his fourth fall in the finals at 170 pounds against Lindbergh High School junior Sam Schuster. For the other Bruin wrestlers things were a little

tougher as the less experienced wrestlers got their first taste of varsity competition.

“A lot of us have been mentally psyching ourselves out when we see the person or team that we have to wrestle,” Davis said. “And that’s something that we all need to work on. We’ll take the mistakes we made this weekend and work on it in the practice room.”

The Bruins’ next test comes this weekend in Jefferson City at the annual Missouri Duals hosted by the Helias Crusaders. The Missouri Duals are similar to the Patriot Classic as teams are divided into two pool but instead of an individual championship there is a team championship with the best teams from each pool wrestling each other for first place and the the second best wrestling for third and so on. Traditionally the Bruins have --been in the same pool as host Helias and district foe Waynesville.

“There will be some tougher teams there so I doubt that we will do better than this weekend as a team,” Davis said. “But if we keep working hard anything is possible.”

art by Maddy Mueller

C4 Op/Ed

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

Late start policy beneficial Is the late start option good for CPS students?

The Rock staff voted YES - 9 ABSTAINED - 2 NO - 5

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or an entire straight week last winter, school was cancelled. On that Monday, CPS decided to cancel schools because of the frigid cold of the first couple hours of the working day. After that, a major snowstorm blew in, covering most streets well into Thursday morning. Schools were cancelled on Friday because of the cold morning, but after just a couple hours, conditions were safe for driving.

There was no need to waste two snow days just because of the few cold hours in the morning. In anticipation of the same event, CPS implemented a delayed start schedule this school year, which would start schools two hours later than usual to allow time for the weather to heat up.

This is a wonderful new addition to CPS winter weather policy. Children who have to wait for buses every day will be able to avoid the extreme cold on forayed start days and still get to school and learn.

Only time will tell how CPS will use this option, but as it stands now, it is an amazing idea that will benefit all who attend the school system in Columbia.

According to EducationNow.org, each additional inch of snow that fell in the winter of 2008 reduced the percentage of third, fifth, and eighth graders who passed their math tests by about a half of a percentage point because of snow days.

These days should not be used when the roads are a hazard, but if they are, CPS said it will be up to the parents to decide whether to bring their kids to school on delayed days or not.

This new policy is a good change. Rather than adding another snow day and exceeding the seven built in days, making schools go into the summer, this policy will allow schools to continue on days when only the first couple hours are unbearable for kids, especially bus riders.

Many districts in Missouri are following the trend by implementing late start days. As students in the next district begin to jump on the bandwagon, we are proud to be a pioneer in this new effort to save class time. art by Maddy Mueller

Advocating for academic activities at RBHS J enna L iu

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upport for RBHS is evident across Columbia. Parents sit on cold bleachers Friday nights at weekly football games and overfill the PAC for show choir performances.

While these activities enjoy a lot of success and bring pride to the school community, there are many other extracurricular activities that have also accomplished much but don’t seem to enjoy the same level of emotional or financial support.

Behind the bright lights on the field and stage stand a group of individuals whose goal is simple: support, however and whenever it can. This is a booster, an organization that exists to raise money and coordinate events for a specific activity. Booster clubs at RBHS support many different activities, ranging from football to show choir, and typically consist of parents and community members who have ties to either the activity or its participants.

This association of volunteers works to fundraise and provide emotional encouragement.

Without their fierce commitment and voracious cheerleading, there would be no driving force for the school to recognize the activity’s wide support, and by extension, care about its success.

Furthermore, the absence of boosters’ fundraising efforts can have serious financial implications, which is a terrifying reality that many

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other activities at RBHS face to a degree.

Last year, the speech and debate team went into debt because of the cost of bus rides and hotel rooms for tournaments which totalled in the thousands. Model United Nations requires each participant to pay $1,000 because all the flights and registration fees have to be covered with no district funding.

Bake sales can only go so far. In fact, they’re not even permitted on campus anymore, so what other options do these clubs have?

The best possible solution is to create a booster that encompasses all academic activities. The word “academic” is used loosely, as athletics and fine arts are certainly educational pursuits.

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However, activities like Model UN or Quiz Bowl just don’t categorically fit with already existing boosters for all encompassing boosters like the Bruin Athletic Booster Club or the Bruin Band Boosters.

This booster can act not only as an advocate but can also as a fundraiser to relieve kids from the worry of how they will pay for doing something they love.

There are already parents and teachers that enthusiastically support these students; now it is time to actually consolidate this support into an organized group.

There is already support for an academic booster at RBHS. A recent poll conducted

by The Rock found that out of 176 students, 140 believe infographic by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi that academics

Should RBHS academics have booster clubs?

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should have a booster, while 35 said no and one was unsure. This shows that now is a prime-time for students who belong to academic activities at RBHS that are chronically underfunded and undervalued to take actions to change that.

Students can speak with fellow classmates and teachers about forming an academic booster, or contact parents and community members who may be interested in taking leadership positions in a potential booster. All this can begin to build the foundation of what may be a great enterprise.

Some might ask if grouping many diverse activities under the broad banner of an “academic booster” is disingenuous, but the answer is that there are many ways to still maintain the individuality of each activity while still putting it with others for increased support.

For example, small groups advocating for each club could form under the booster’s umbrella. Nonetheless, it would still be an improvement over the current situation that many financially starved activities face today.

No student at Rock Bridge should have to abandon an activity because he or she cannot afford to participate. No activity at Rock Bridge should receive any less recognition or respect than another. Boosters will not only help these clubs in terms of financial and emotional support, but they will also give them the perception that the community, that Rock Bridge, actually cares.

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OP/ED C5

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

Race should not limit success Experience with white privilege proves frustrating, life changing A bdul -R ahman A bdul - kafi

W

hile visiting my father in a federal prison camp in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, about a month ago, my mother, brother and I had an unfortunate experience that will stick with me for years.

There is a rule everyone who visits federal prisons knows. No one may enter from 9-11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visitors may arrive either from 8-9 a.m. or from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but not during those restricted hours.

We reached the prison at 8:50 a.m. We entered, but because of a problem with the computer system, my mom, brother and I were specifically not allowed to visit with my dad. Finally, when the problem was fixed at around 9:50 a.m., after waiting an entire hour, we hoped the guard would allow my father to come visit us even though it was during the restricted hours.

However, even though the error was the prison system’s and not ours, the guard did not let us enter until 11 a.m.

While we were waiting, at 10:30 a.m a woman wearing a hijab walked in with her two-and-a-half year-old son to visit her husband.

Immediately, the guard stood up and told her she would have to wait until 11 a.m. to visit. Since it was cold outside, the woman asked if she could sit in the empty visitor’s hall with her son for the 30 minutes before she could visit the person she had come to see.

The guard refused, so the two walked out to wait until the appropriate time.

Ten minutes later, three white adults walked in to

visit an inmate; the time was still before 11 a.m. They came to the desk, and the guard told them they had to wait. They asked the guard if they could wait inside until 11 a.m., the same question the Muslim lady had asked the desk just 10 minutes prior, and the guard said yes.

The guard forced that poor woman and her child to wait outside in their car in the cold while allowing these three people to wait inside in the heated building. Both had the same question, yet they received opposite answers.

What happened was disgusting. I immediately elbowed my brother and whispered to him the scene that had just unfolded. Knowing I could have easily been in the place of that woman made me feel like a second or even third class citizen.

I am no less human than anyone else, and I am not more human than anyone else just because of their social class, skin color or ethnicity.

Those who claim white privilege does not exist or used to exist and is no more, are oblivious to the reality. One in every 15 African American men are imprisoned compared to one in every 106 white men.

I believe when a person talks about white privilege, it is not meant to offend white people. White privilege exists, though most of the time it occurs subconsciously. According to Mother Jones, New York University neuroscientist David Amodio conducted a study in which he showed pictures of white and black people and, subconsciously, people reacted differently to the black people compared to the whites. The fact is that if most people in this country, and in other developed nations, see an African American guy

walking down a street and a white guy walking down a street, they would probably be more intimidated by the black guy, even if they are dressed the same.

According to the Huffington Post, although African Americans make up only 14 percent of drug users, they are 37 percent more likely to be arrested for drug distribution or use.

People like Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, who refuse to believe white privilege exists, are too arrogant and ignorant to see past their point of view.

O’Reilly always mentions the story of how his father got a home near New York only because his father was a veteran.

What he fails to acknowledge is African American veterans from the same war were not offered the opportunity to purchase a home there because they were black.

Even today, according to ProPublica, there is discrimination when people wish to buy houses. Banks deny four million African Americans and Latinos the chance to buy houses each year.

We need to learn that people are still people, no matter what race, religion, ethnicity or class they are.

White, black, brown, Muslim, Christian, Jew, poor, rich, Asian, African, Hispanic or Arab; everyone should be offered the same opportunities, whether that is being allowed to sit in a heated hall while waiting to visit your close family or friend, or given the same treatment from the police, because no one chose to be born the way they are. It is not just or fair in any way to treat one type of person different than another just because of the way they look. People are people.

art by Maddy Mueller

Respect absent from senior class R enata Williams

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he overwhelming last year of high school comes with a lot of essential information.

In trying to help, RBHS holds senior class meetings to share such information about gearing up for graduation.

In a recent meeting about caps and gowns and other graduation materials, my incredibly disrespectful peers left me dumbfounded.

Initially, all I could focus on was the incessant talking and laughing while people who were only there to help us seniors tried to share essential knowledge.

Besides the continuous chatter, when I looked around, a majority of the crowd had their eyes stuck on their phones, as if one text message or tweet couldn’t wait until after the 30 minute meeting. At one point, David Bones, activities director, had to stop his speech to ask

the oldest students in the school if they could stop talking, pay attention and be respectful.

When packets were handed out, the Jostens representative specifically asked everyone not to open them, but what does half the crowd do? Rustle around and pull out all the papers — exactly what Jostens was trying to avoid.

I found myself more worried about the shameful actions of my fellow classmates than the actual importance of the meeting. I would’ve thought that at 17 and 18 years old, we could stay focused for a mere 30 minutes.

I haven’t seen this kind of behavior, honestly, since junior high school.

Admittedly, it is easy to fall into this trap of inattentiveness. Everything in our generation comes to us instantly and there’s so much to do that it’s easy to get bored and move on to the next thing. It’s especially

I found myself more worried about the shameful actions of my fellow classmates than the actual importance of the meeting.

photo by Madelyn Stewart

Heads turned: Students use their phones and talk to each other during a senior class meeting instead of paying attention to David Bones, RBHS activities director.

easy when it’s all at the touch of a finger on our phones.

But being attached to a phone doesn’t excuse the rudeness of my senior class.

Seniors are supposed to be the leaders of the school. Every other grade should look up to us for how to act, and teachers and administrators, or any adult who comes to RBHS, shouldn’t have to worry about the seniors acting up because we know better than that; we’ve matured past those actions.

Although it may not be registering with us now, these are the last moments of our K-12 careers and these are our last impressions that we’re making.

Yes, it becomes a habit to never look up, or never stop talking, but being respectful should have been, and should always be, the first thing on everyone’s mind. Our senior year is already slipping away, and I don’t want to graduate having been seen as rude.

In the next senior meeting, on Jan. 15, I want to see the respect and courtesy that I have faith we all can give. Put down the phones, quit the talking and listen. First semester is finished and it’s time to grow up.

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www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

OP/ED C7

www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014

Truth drives faith in religion and science E mily F ranke

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enesis tells us God created the Earth from practically nothing in seven days, then created man in His image.

Meanwhile, the Big Bang Theory suggests the Earth wasn’t created in just seven days from God’s will, and anthropological evidence shows man evolved from primates over thousands of years.

It seems there are only two options: either you’re a Christian or you’re an evolutionist.

My childhood encouraged my acceptance of scientific truths right alongside the scripture I learned at Sunday school. However, living in a world that defines Christianity as such a singular, finite belief system, I often find it difficult to believe that my faith is true.

Often in the past three years, in my studies or science classes, my overtly Christian classmates have criticized teachers for their lessons on religion, denied historical events and even argued against evolution. While my peers stand up for their faith, for what they believe to be true, I have sat silent. I believe in evolution.

Historical facts, proven by experts, are just that –– facts. Watching my friends stand up for Christianity in such a way that contradicts my beliefs causes me to doubt whether I am truly a Christian or not.

However, there are two problems with my doubts.

First, the term “Christian” is too broadly applied. Christianity is like an umbrella for those who believe Jesus was the Messiah, but under the nylon canopy sits a diverse collection of religious groups, each with its own smattering of denominations. While 78.4 percent of American adults are Christians, Pew Research reports 10 separate sub categories, with 23.9 percent of Americans reported as Catholics and 51.3 percent divided between 25 denominations of Protestantism.

Historically, denominations grew from power struggles and reform movements in

art by Maddy Mueller

Europe, according to religioustolerance.org.

Each denomination has its own doctrine, it’s own set of beliefs. Declaring that all Christians share every single belief, then, is highly improbable. Just because I don’t fit in with all the other Christians at my school doesn’t mean I’m not faithful.

Second, while a strict interpretation of biblical scripture leads to a belief system that is strongly antithetical to scientific findings, it is possible for a religion to function in such a way as to accept science even when it is contrary to the Bible. The Catholic Church teaches that the truth is the truth, and God’s word and

science can exist simultaneously.

Last year I took a step toward adulthood in my church and became confirmed. In the Catholic Church, confirmation is like the adult form of baptism. When you’re baptized, your parents are bringing you into the church and saying they will raise you as a Catholic. When you’re confirmed, you are bringing yourself into the church. My decision was easy because I have always been Catholic and will always be Catholic, but several times I faced a wall of doubt.

In Youcat, a popular youth catechism forwarded by Pope Benedict XVI that follows a

simple question and answer format, several questions address the role of truth in Catholicism. One particular question reads, “There is no insoluble contradiction between faith and science because there cannot be two kinds of truth.”

In the weeks after I first read this question, I felt relief and comfort in my faith. Next year I plan to study music and science, hopefully to become a neurologist. To be the best scientist, I must believe scientific truths to be unerring and absolute, and the Catholic Church’s doctrine of truth does not demand me to choose between my faith in God and my faith in science.

Excess homework stops students from learning A bby K empf

I

nflation is an inevitable part of all economic systems. Although, inflation seems purely negative, decreasing the buying power of a single dollar, there are some benefits that come from inflation. It encourages consumers to invest in things that do not cost money but help to keep the economy going. Just the right amount of inflation can even help prevent recessions from occurring.

Inflation, however, is not just present on the economic scene but also in school buildings all across America. The time I have spent on homework has dramatically increased in the past few years as I transitioned from junior high school to high school.

As an AP student with a completely full schedule, I feel the mounting pressure.

It is certainly normal to be assigned more homework in your freshman year than in third grade, but a person can only sanely handle so much.

Since my childhood, I have always been the kind of student who puts a lot of energy into school and I never had to stay up much past 11 p.m. to do so until my sophomore year began.

All of a sudden my backpack weighed 60 pounds and the amount of homework I was given skyrocketed. And it wasn’t like my classes became significantly harder than the classes I had taken my freshman year. My teachers just began assigning copious amounts of homework. It was the worst kind, too — busy work.

Every single student knows what I am talking about when I say “busy work”.

Whether it be a worksheet with the same redundant questions listed 20 times or a reading that does not connect with the class; it is utterly frustrating.

I went from getting seven to eight hours of sleep every night to struggling to get more than three hours. My friends and I would talk on the phone while working on projects at 3 a.m. just to keep each other awake. I nodded off every day in school at least once per class. I was tired all the time and had to start setting ten alarms in the morning to make sure I actually woke up.

What I learned in my sophomore year was not actual content or new information but instead how to scramble to complete the countless stacks of papers.

There have been several instances where a friend asks me for help in a class that I

took last year as a sophomore, and I cannot help them because I have no recollection of any content learned from that year.

I have always loved learning for the sake of learning, but when the amount of homework became so intense, I didn’t have time to learn. I only had time to mindlessly fill out a worksheet so my grade wouldn’t be docked.

Unfortunately, this year has not been much different. However, one thing has changed. I stopped doing homework so late into the night that I only had time to get a 45-minute nap before the next day of school. I finally realized my health is much more important than turning in a worksheet that does not even prove my mastery of the concept.

Also, I have refocused my goals. Yes, I am still a crazy, grade-obsessed, overachiever, but I have tried to step outside of myself and my compulsive inclinations and have honed in on the actual learning part of school that I used to love so much as a child.

Now I have opened my eyes to the world of biology and all the intricate and infinitely small blocks of life that work together to make the human body function. I have learned trigonometric identities, which will absolutely never help me in my life but are actually really fascinating.

I am finally discovering that the thing I was lacking so badly before when I was solely focused on completing all my homework is completely new information. I can truly say I have learned new concepts this year and strenghthened my mind in all of my classes, which I’m not sure I could really say about my sophomore year.

Schools need to curb extreme homework inflation if they want students to thrive. One thing I learned this year in AP Biology is that if a molecule is trying to bind with an enzyme that will change it to its desired shape, it cannot do so if some type of inhibitor is blocking the entrance to the enzyme.

Homework is my inhibitor when it should be just the opposite. It should be my enzyme, helping me to understand and learn new things. Without enzymes, the body and the mind cannot accomplish the tasks necessary to maintain life.

I’m not saying homework needs to disappear, it is an integral and vital part of school. I am just saying it should have a point and have a limit, just like the functions I learned about in my math class.

Every single student knows what I am talking about when I say ‘busy work.’

art by Maddy Mueller

Avoiding risks leads to missed opportunity J enna L iu

T

hroughout my life, I have constantly heard the mantra “be careful.” As a little girl on the monkey bars, my mother would scream “Be careful!” when my tiny, sweaty palms reached up to grab the cold metal.

When school began, I was told to be careful about the people I surrounded myself with, with instructions to seek out the “smart” people.

Now that college is only a couple years away, these cautionary words have never been more frequent. In my household, my parents want me to go into a field that will provide me with a stable career, such as that of a doctor, a doctor, or a doctor.

However, when I was little, I wanted nothing more than to be a writer. I had loved books since childhood and writing novels seemed like the dream job.

My parents have always been very practical with me, so I was quickly informed that writers could not make a living and that I should expect to find a side job at McDonald’s if I was set on following this career path.

Even though writing and reading remains my favorite thing to do, this warning struck me so many times that I can no longer

think of it as a viable option.

This might also be a result of my own natural maturing and pragmatism, but I have nevertheless given up on the idea of becoming a writer, in no small part due to the attitude of my parents.

Still, there are times when I wonder about what I am giving up. Even though I know that there is only one J.K Rowling out of millions, the allure of being a globally renowned novelist has not lost its shine.

There are many other young adults in my position across America; we are told to follow our dreams and be creative — yet are warned against being rash and shortsighted.

When people are bombarded with messages like this daily, the easiest route, and the one that most follow, seems to lead straight into a 4x4 cubicle.

Being careful has transformed into simply not taking risks. I am not saying this is not a good thing. Not taking risks often leads to stable jobs with good salaries and a productive future, which is ultimately what I want.

For each individual, being careful is beneficial, but for society as a whole it is destructive. If everyone were to heed the words of my mother and shy away from anything that might derail them

from finding a high-paying and stable job, innovation would disappear.

What if Facebook or Microsoft did not materialize simply because their founders stuck to the straight and narrow path?

Pioneers are born from spontaneity and fearlessness. We need the Zuckerbergs and Gates to take chances, not only for their sake but for ours as well.

This lack of risk taking is a cultural issue that has pervaded American schools and homes; every time someone gets too close to the edge of a cliff, we reach out and snatch them back without letting them take a chance and fall or fly.

Taking risks can lead to failure, but failure is an inevitable aspect of life. It’s better to fail with the opportunity of greatness rather than fail while being safe.

Holding back and being too scared to take a chance leads to a stagnant society. I’m not saying that we should jump off the cliff, but maybe we should encourage more people to peek over the edge, just to see what riches the unknown holds.

There’s a careful balance we need to strike between prudence and audacity. Without one, we fail to be safe, and without the other, we fail to be great.

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www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • December 11, 2014