The Rock March 2014

The Rock

CACC named to top 100 hospitality list

IS CPS WATCHING YOU?

Manal Salim

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or the fourth year running, Sullivan University named the Columbia Area Career Center to the Top 100 Hospitality list, which is an award recognizing outstanding programs throughout the country.

Exceptional staff and facilities, Skills USA participation, community involvement as well as a site visit all go into the decision-making process, according to sullivan.edu.

The Hospitality 100 list is comprised of high schools and tech centers that excel in the areas of Culinary Arts, Baking & Pastry Arts and Hospitality Management.

Those named to list are often winners from FCCLA, Pro Start and Skills USA competitions. The committee from Sullivan University also conducts research to establish schools with strong hospitality enrollment and influence in their community by visiting these schools, according to the university’s website.

Meeting all of this criteria, the committee selected the CACC to receive the honor of nomination to the prestigious list for yet another year.

Culinary Arts instructor Brook Harlan believes the CACC’s participation in competitions assisted in their recent selection.

“One of the qualifications is how we place nationally through student organizations such as Skills USA, and winning titles for both culinary and baking last year, I know that kept us going on,” Harlan said. “It’s a great recognition just to show that we are work-

ing hard and that we have great students coming out of our program.”

And the students coming out of the Culinary Arts program aren’t exactly few in numbers.

Harlan said that there are 175 students cooking with the CACC, and many plan to go on to culinary school or work in kitchens upon completion of the culinary program.

To prepare these students for real-life culinary experiences, Harlan said instructors teach students more than the basics, but also how to operate a complete restaurant kitchen.

“We focus definitely on tasting food, but we want them to know how to function and work in a kitchen,” Harlan said.

“The students’ duties include cleaning, recycling, compost, laundry, in addition to learning cooking and baking skills.”

In order to be named to Sullivan University’s Top 100 list, schools must display exceptional hospitality that sets the school’s program apart from other organizations, said Candice Childress, who is the director of accreditation of the American Culinary Federation. Childress, an alumna of Sullivan University, believes the school holds ideals of quality in selecting schools to its hospitality list.

“I think quality is what Sullivan really stands for.

Sullivan University has a really high sense of quality and a high sense of care,” Childress said.

“When I think of Sullivan, I think of pride, respect, cleanliness.”

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photo illustration by Renata Poet

School surveillance: Columbia Public Schools contracts Internet monitoring company Meltwater to search the Internet for keywords. The district’s reasoning behind this is to help prevent harmful cyberbullying. Read in-depth coverage on page B3.

Steipleman named new superintendent, will replace Belcher Ross Parks

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fter considering 18 applicants, the district has finally chosen the replacement of the current superintendent, Dr. Chris Belcher.

Columbia Public Schools named Dr. Peter Stiepleman as superintendent effective July 1 in an announcement March 14.

“In the end, we chose Dr. Stiepleman for many reasons,” Board of Education President Christine King said. “But his knowledge of the district, reputation with our community and partners and his understanding of what we really need to work on as a district edged Dr. Stiepleman for the position.”

However, Stiepleman says he realizes before he can assume the role

for which he is chosen, finding a replacement for himself is first on the list of priorities.

“We’re looking to replace my position as assistant superintendent,” Stiepleman said. “Dr. Belcher and I have already begun having transition meetings.”

Expectations that the transition will happen smoothly seemed to be shared.

“We are confident the transition will go smoothly. Dr. Belcher is still around and assured the Board of Education that whoever we chose, he would help make it seamless,” King said. “With Dr. Stiepleman already part of his cabinet, this should all go very well.”

Though Stiepleman admits he is excited for the position, he also realizes the challenges that Belcher,

his predecessor, has faced, and he knows the title of superintendent comes with some new stresses.

“When Dr. Belcher came to Columbia, we had just presided over a significant reduction in force,” Stiepleman said. “We were planning to build a new high school, which was also going to require entirely new boundaries.”

Still, even with such large tasks facing the district in the past, “the community responded by showing how important the schools are to them by passing a bond and a levy in the same year,” Stiepleman said, who holds faith in the district’s and community’s ability to cope with change. “We were able to restore class sizes and improve our facilities.

We are being given an incredible opportunity—to focus on achieve-

ment, enrichment and access.”

However, even with such faith, Stiepleman appears ready to make assessments within the district and soon begin to tailor it more to his own vision.

“I plan to make appointments with every part of the organization.

I need to really listen to what they see as sacred as well as what areas they identify as an opportunity for improvement,” Stiepleman said, though he admits that he plans to take the advice of those currently in office, learning and drawing from both his own and their years of experience.

“I plan to seek counsel from my predecessors,” Stiepleman said.

“They have a wealth of knowledge and insights, and I’ll be grateful for their time.”

Columbia womens lacrosse team pushes for district recognition Brayden Parker

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photo by Maribeth Eiken

Down the field: Junior Emily Franke (6) cradles the ball as she runs during a girls lacrosse game last Saturday, March 15. Read more about Columbia womens lacrosse in Sports on page C2.

ollowing a year of planning and meeting with representatives from the U.S. Lacrosse Board and the Missouri Lacrosse League, Columbia Womens lacrosse coach Angel Renick, who teaches math at RBHS, has made the next step toward introducing her sport as a school sponsored activity here.

After meeting with Columbia Public Schools superintendent Dr. Chris Belcher and CPS athletic director Bruce Whitesides, Renick will present her case before the Board of Education April 14.

“This had been a year in planning and discussion before even approaching the school district,” Renick said in an email interview.

“They helped me prepare the logistical side of getting school teams in place while I worked on recruitment of girls, families and coaches, just getting a buildup of interest. Finally, myself and one of the representatives from MSLA, Bob Panke, emailed and sent documents and videos until we were granted a meeting with Dr. Belcher where I presented petitions and more supporting documents for lacrosse as a school program ... and what more [materials] I needed to bring in front of

the school board to present the cause to them for a vote.”

Although Renick has yet to meet with the school board in order to begin the inclusion of girls lacrosse, already a MSHSAA sanctioned sport, as a district sponsored event the process at RBHS has already begun. Renick has worked to recruit future high school students to play lacrosse and to gather student signatures to show support.

“Getting girls to sign up to try it in the spring is easy,” Renick said. “My girls have over 100 signatures of potential players for Spring 2015. If even a third of those come out, I can field two full teams.”

Renick has enlisted help from current players on the city’s club team of which she is currently head coach. RBHS sophomore Meredith Reehl said while the work has been time-consuming, it was well worth the effort. “[I had to] explain to my coach why lacrosse should be a school sport,” Reehl said, “and she took all our reasons to the athletic director. I also had to help get signatures for a petition to show that girls are interested in the sport … I did all I can do to help because I want to be able to play lacrosse for Rock Bridge, not just a club.”

Even with the work Renick and her play-

ers have done in the past months, the final say comes from the CPS Board of Education.

Should the board decide to include it as an official event in the district’s athletic program, girls lacrosse would be introduced at all three district high schools.

Belcher says the district is still a ways out from that point in the process.

“At this point, we have only had a conversation,” Belcher said. “Making this a school sport requires action by the board of education. This includes discussions about budgetary impact and other associated issues. The Board of Education has not even had a public conversation or report on this yet.”

Regardless of the process that is unfolding, Renick is excited for the possibilities of girls lacrosse becoming a regulated school sport. She is more than willing to take on the continual challenges that accompany the task of introducing a new sport.

“It will be a dream come true. I have wanted this to happen since I was in school,” Renick said. “Lacrosse players put in just as many hours of practice as any other sport, play just as many games while paying for all their own travel, equipment and officials. It is about time that these girls get some support and recognition for their hard work.”

FEATURES

SPORTS

Students volunteer as part-time fire fighters

Three-peat: No. 5 nationally, the Lady Bruins look to win their third straight state title

It took a devastating car accident, the mess of the collision and the public safety officers’ respondence to trigger senior Riley Johnson to finally realize his dream of wanting to be a fire fighter. B1

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News • • • • • • • • • A1 H&W • • • • • • • • • A4 Community • • • • A7 Features • • • • • • B1 In-Depths • • • • • B3

photo by Maribeth Eiken

Family. To state it simply, the girls basketball team can be summed up in that one lucid word. Mothered by head coach Jill Nagel, this group might just be the most successful that the town has seen. C1

Editorials • • • • • B6 Commentary • • B8 Sports • • • • • • • • C1 A&E • • • • • • • • • • C6 Backpage • • • • • C8

BEARING NEWS For more constant, enlightening coverage of Rock Bridge High School news, sports and other content, visit BearingNews.org

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News

Debate team participates in MSHSAA districts

Five students will attend state competition at Mizzou on April 26 Abby Kempf

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ifteen speech and debate students piled onto a bus early in the morning Saturday, March 15, and traveled to the Missouri State High School Activities Association speech and debate districts, a destination they’ve looked forward to all year.

All of the students’ efforts culminated in one moment as they prepared to debate and perform at

districts, which decided their fate in the upcoming state competition at the University of Missouri-Columbia, April 26.

State qualifiers were sophomores Wendy Zhang and Zoya Khan in policy debate, senior Sara Ashbaugh in extemporaneous domestics, freshman Alli Foster in storytelling and senior Maaz Muhammad in extemp internationals.

But their jubilee was not assured at the beginning of the day. Students walked into the competi-

photo by Abby Kempf

Ready for action: Maaz Muhammad and other members of the RBHS debate team relax before entering competition at the district competition last Saturday, March 15.

tion with stomachs full of nerves and excitement. pared to endure the gut-wrenching pieces that “I’m excited for this opportunity to perform dramatic interpretation promised. The pieces usua piece I’ve been working on for a long time with ally consisted of tears, screaming and suicide. But Mrs. Coffield,” sophomore Neil Cathro said before Cathro’s piece was a little different. the contest. “I’m passionate about this piece and “My piece is subtler. It’s sad, but it’s not so over hope I do well.” the top and in your face,” Cathro said. “Judges eiCathro’s piece was from the novel The Perks of ther really like that or really don’t.”

Being a Wallflower, for the dramatic interpretation catAfter Cathro finished what he said was his best egory. While some competitors like Cathro were at performance that day, the verdict was in. These their first districts, other students were returning for judges did not pick up on his nuisances. a second or third year. Seniors Whitney Cravens and Cathro received fourth place, keeping him from Ashbaugh, who recently traveling to state. Foster, qualified for the National I can’t believe I won. I however, pulled it off and Forensic League National first place. She honestly didn’t expect received Competition, competed in has won first in her signait. I had a great time ture storytelling category at public forum debate.

“I’m excited for my at all the competitions every competition she has last MSHSAA competithis year, except this year, and I’m real- attended tion,” Cravens said. “But one. ly glad that I still have it’s nerve wracking too be“I can’t believe I won. I one more to go. cause we want to do better honestly didn’t expect it. I than we’ve ever done behad a great time at all the Alli Foster fore at MSHSAA.” competitions this year, and junior Debate teacher JenI’m really glad that I still nifer Cone, though, was have one more to go,” Fosconfident in her students’ success because of their ter said. “I’ve learned so much and made so many strength in numbers. new friends. I’m honored that I was chosen to rep“We were the only school at districts that every resent my school doing something I thoroughly ensingle possible category was filled,” Cone said. “Ev- joy.” erything that you could bring, we brought.”

Some made it and some did not, but districts Cone was correct. Khan and Zhang were se- weren’t everything for the debate team. RBHS had lected as policy debate finalists. In individual events, a season that saw them take home countless first Cathro, Foster and Ashbaugh in oratory and extemp place trophies. They also won sweepstakes multiple domestics, Muhammad in extemp internationals, times. Besides the tangible medals and ribbons, and freshman Max Schafer in radio speaking, all ad- students gained priceless life skills throughout the vanced to finals. competitive season.

Finals decided who would qualify for state. Only “I think I’ve become a much better speaker, the top two or three students, depending on the and competing in champ public forum a lot has renumber of entries in the category, would pass on to ally improved my debating skills this year,” Cravens the state level. said. “We’ve debated a lot of really talented teams, As Cathro walked into his finals room he pre- and I think I’ve improved as a debater as a result.”

Two seniors qualify for NFL’s National Debate Tournament Harsh Singh

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hen 2012 RBHS alumni Syed Ejaz and Rick Flinn participated in the National Debate Tournament two years ago, it was a rare achievement in the school’s history.

However, this year, seniors Sara Ashbaugh and Whitney Cravens followed Ejaz’s and Flinn’s footsteps for a chance to represent the Bruins on the podium at the nationals tournament.

Cravens and Ashbaugh were selected after placing third at the National Forensic Debate District Tournament. Four of 50 teams qualified, and the two seniors debated for eight rounds to be in the top four.

Ashbaugh said they thought they were dreaming after their names were announced to compete at the national level.

“I am so excited to be representing Rock Bridge.

I think my partner and I are one of only six teams to ever qualify from Rock Bridge,” Ashbaugh said. “All of the hard work has definitely paid off.”

Cravens said qualifying for nationals not only gives Ashbaugh and her a sense of pride, but it also gives the younger debaters motivation and belief to do the same thing.

“Sara and I are also captains, and we hope all of our first year debaters look to our example and want to do the same thing their senior year,” Cravens said.

“I think we have shown that hard work pays off that if you work at it enough, you can excel at the sport of debate. We certainly had a disadvantage coming in from a not very developed debate program.”

Whitney Smith, assistant coach of the debate team and a University of Missouri-Columbia law student, said seeing Cravens and Ashbaugh work so diligently to compete in the nationals was inspiring for everyone on the team. She also said in their preparation, the coaches will be working on fine tuning all of their debate skills and making sure that they get in as many practice rounds as possible.

“Words cannot even begin to describe how incredibly proud I am of Whitney and Sara. In my year and a half as their coach, I have watched them continue to grow and excel,” Smith said. “From a coaching standpoint, it is inspiring to see your students work so hard to achieve their goals. I am so blessed

photo by Alice Yu

Deep in thought: Gifted education teacher Jake Giessman and RBHS principal Jennifer Mast watch a presentation during the “What if...?” Conference Monday, March 17.

“What if...?” Conference poses hard questions, opens minds Alice Yu

photo courtesy of Maaz Muhammad

Celebration: Seniors Whitney Cravens and Sara Ashbaugh hold their awards after learning of their qualification for the National Forensic League’s National Debate Tournament. to have been part of this experience.”

While it is easy to get carried away by qualifying for such a prestigious tournament, Cravens said it is necessary for Ashbaugh and her to remain focused on the challenge coming ahead.

Ashbaugh and Cravens will try to get in as much practice as possible before the event, which will occur near the end of the year.

“The topic doesn’t come out till May 1, so we will start then,” Cravens said. “We will just do what we always do, and we know other debaters from Jeff City that have qualified, so we will probably do practice debates with them leading up to it, and utilize our team resources, too.”

After reaching a goal they established during their sophomore year, Ashbaugh said it is important for them not to get carried away by just reaching nationals. Their new goal is to perform better than Ejaz and Flinn did in the 2012 national tournament.

“Qualifying for nationals has been my and Whitney’s goal for three years,” Ashbaugh said. “ I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up my debate career.”

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hile “is” and “if ” are, grammatically speaking, 50 percent the same, the thoughts they lead to are like ice and fire. “If ” leads onto a road of undetermined opportunities and possibilities, while “is” leads into a box of definitive knowledge.

As students climb up the grade levels, the natural curiosity that sparks “what if ?” questions tend to transform into trite “what is” questions.

In an effort to revive the power of creativity and “outside the box” thinking, forty teachers, parents, and students attended a conference devoted to “What if…?” questions Monday.

“Students are used to trying to ingest facts and regurgitate them to earn points,” RBHS gifted education teacher Jake Giessman said. “This encourages students to think about transforming what they know into what they can do.”

With three main presentations, students brought forth ideas of a world with humans as chimeras, schools with an increased focus on the fine arts and societies with overprotected children.

“It’s given me some ideas of how I can incorporate some of this in my own class,” science teacher Kory Kaufman said.

“I’m looking forward to finding a stronger connection between science class and art classes.”

By attempting to initiate the train of thought that leads to unconventional thinking, “What if…?” Conferences have the aim of providing better preparation to face the future.

“So a lot of times, we think of things in terms of the next year, the next 10 years,” What if…? conference cofounder Andrew McHugh said, “but what’s going to happen 10,000 years from now and lets talk about some of those problems now.”

By shedding light on the importance of the demands

of the rapid future, the What if…? Conference aims to create a supply unlimited, anomalous solutions.

“It’s opened up a lot of people’s minds to accept new ideas,” freshman Sam Speake said, “and look at things from different perspectives.”

With break-out sessions in between each presentation, the audience was able to interact with the ideas from the presentations, spurring the introduction of new “what if…?” questions and analyzing the effects of a single “what if…?” question on society and the world.

“I think they help bring out new discoveries for people and a lot of these new discoveries could either solve problems that they already have or solutions for things that they were searching for,” What if…?

Conference cofounder Matt Murray said, “but...even more importantly, they can uncover problems they didn’t even realize they had, and solve for them.”

SAT overhaul will affect freshman class in 2016 Luke Chval

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he Scholastic Assessment Test, commonly known as the SAT, will undergo a major overhaul of its entire structure planned for the spring semester of 2016.

The SAT will face several major changes crucial to students’ scores including making the essay, the lack of a penalty for incorrect guesses, relevant vocabulary, more fact based documents, the maximum score change from 2,400 to 1,600 and fewer topics on math.

The test has faced many critiques of its questions and layout. The March edition of the New York Times Magazine states how scores on the SAT are susceptible to test preparation access so that more wealthy students have an advantage in the test, and College Board President David Coleman is determined

to mend it in the new versions and structure of the SAT. Media Center Specialist Gwen Struchtemeyer, who tutors and prepares RBHS students for the ACT and SAT, said a test that needs extensive preparation isn’t unfair for students at RBHS because there are many free resources in the school for these tests.

“Well, the vocabulary that has traditionally been required, that definitely plays into families with higher socioeconomic status, where their parents have probably been to college and have books in their homes, and can pay for prep classes,” Struchtemeyer said. “But here that shouldn’t be a factor because students hopefully know that I am available, and I work with students from all different backgrounds, with kids who are getting a 12 and want a 20, and some who got a 26 and want scholarships.”

Struchtemeyer stresses that the SAT isn’t an IQ test and that preparing for it is the most prudent option for a student wishing to attend college. On the other side of the spectrum, she also says some students take it too seriously which she says defines their personality.

“The most important thing for them to remember is that it isn’t an IQ test.

I’m always amazed by students that say, ‘Well, I took it the first time just to see what I would get’,” Struchtemeyer said.

“With the athletes that I work with, I ask them if they go to practice and study their next opponents, which they do so why wouldn’t they do the same thing with the SAT?” Senior Najeebah Hussain, who scored a 2,360 on the SAT, believes that the SAT is fair to all classes of students because she used some of the free resources such as textbooks, which can

be found at RBHS, to attain such a high score, and that any student can do so by reading books and asking teachers for help.

“Some people say that ‘Oh, I could’ve done better on the SAT if I studied’, but that’s the point of the test,” Hussain said. “Colleges want to see who studies and retains the information and who is good at taking tests. Having said that, in regards to economic status I don’t know if that’s often the case because personally I just self-studied and looked at books, which anyone can do.”

The current freshman class will have a choice of taking the new version in the spring of their junior year and beyond or the old version in the fall of their junior year. Freshman John Swift says he is in favor of the changes and plans on taking the new version.

“I really like the no penalty for wrong

answers,” Swift said. “That was one thing about the SAT I really disliked. I don’t have any complaints about the new changes. I would choose the new test because of the no penalty for wrong answers and the better vocabulary selection.”

The SAT’s change of more memorization skills to applications of knowledge makes it more similar to the ACT, which is a test specifically designed to find a student’s potential ability, and less of what they have prepared for the test.

“The SAT is definitely more memorization and preparation because in many private schools in the East Coast specifically, you can take a semester class completely on scoring well on the SAT,” Struchtemeyer said. “But I think now that it is moving to be more like the ACT, which is more applicational and skills-based.”

News

Brief news in

International

Global conflict escalates as Russian troops enter Crimea Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi

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aris lies 4,462 miles away. Rome, a bit further, is 5,141 miles from here. A mere 200 miles beyond sits Kiev, the capital of Ukraine and it has dominated the headlines of all major media outlets for the past two weeks.

Although many Missourians couldn’t differentiate between Ukraine and Georgia two weeks ago, for the past month, Ukrainian-born junior Julia Pushechnikova struggled to keep up with the news, which makes her feel heart-wrenched.

“I think that the conflict has brought out the very nature of Ukraine, and our people,” Pushechnikova said. “It is a shame that one man screwed things up so much for these two countries, for he has created a hostility which ought not be there.”

This “one man” is Vladimir Putin, and he has been the president of Russia since May 2012. Jumping in and out of the presidency for 10 years now, Putin took advantage of the ability to become Prime Minister when he was not the president. From 1999

On March 16, Crimean citizens voted to either and into the near future, Putin has been the biggest split from Ukraine and join Russia or revert back to power in Russia.

“The ultimate name of the game for people [who the 1992 Crimean constitution, which lets Crimea lead important countries] is power,” University of stay with Ukraine with the ability to join Russia at Missouri-Columbia political science professor, Dr. any time. The biggest minority, along with several Paul Wallace said. “The name of the game for Putin others, boycotted the vote, saying that it is not legal. is power, not ideology. The Soviet system is dead. The result was that 96.77 percent voted to join Russia because of that massive boycott.

The power element is really strong.”

Before 1991, Ukraine was a part of Russia in “The EU has been developing effective relationa state, or as Russians called it a Federated Soviet ships with the Ukraine. [Ukraine] was about to join Republic. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the EU [whereby] the EU would provide certain asUkraine was declared an independent country be- sistance,” Dr. Wallace said. “But the problem with [the president] was that he cause on basis of the country beginning to relinquish was so corrupt and the EU [Russia labeled] their nuclear weapons. This is very conscious of having democratic safeguards process came to a close in the overthrow against corruption.”

1996. of the Ukrainian Russia offered YanuIt should not be surprisgovernment last ing that Russia would wish kovych, the ex-president of month as done by Ukraine, $15 billion to join to invade Crimea, a terriRussia rather than the EU, tory of Ukraine, because fascists” and he then quickly scrapped Ukraine itself used to be the Dr. Paul Wallace the deal with the EU and acheartland of the Russian political science professor empire. Before the Mongols cepted Putin’s instead. This invaded Russia, Kiev, the was the start of the mascurrent capital of Ukraine, sive month-long protests was the home of the ruler of Russia and the center in Ukraine and, eventually, the Russian invasion of Crimea. of the empire.

When Khrushchev ruled the Soviet Union, he “The Russians look upon the Nazis as those who transferred most of the minorities from Crimea to killed so many of their relatives and they call them Central Asia in order to give space for Russians to fascists, so anybody who is against Russia can be lasettle in Crimea and live. This move is the reason beled a fascist,” Dr. Wallace said. “They [labeled] the why Crimea leans toward Russia today rather than overthrow of the Ukrainian government last month toward Europe. The spark of protests in Ukraine as done by fascists.”

Along with political problems, Russia and against Ukrainian President Yanukovych sped up the inevitable Russian invasion of Crimea, with Russia Ukraine, and potentially the rest of Europe could defending itself by claiming they are defending the have a major economic problem with this situation.

Two days after Putin sent his troops into Crimea, the Russian-speaking people in Crimea.

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stock market in Russia lost 15 percent of its total value, according to the Baltic Times.

“Ukraine gets its power primarily from Russia, and so does Europe [who] get about a third of its [power] supply from Russia. If Russia raises the price much, they could cripple Ukraine, which would also hurt Europe,” Dr. Wallace said. “On the other hand, if they are able to bring in other kinds of energy, like natural gas, solar or anything other than oil, that would hurt [Russia’s] economy.”

Oil dominates Russia’s economy, which is not a secure commodity, Dr. Wallace said, because there is a lot of oil in the world’s market. During the Cold War era, the U.S. and the Soviet Union both had a set amount of allies on their side, and a second Cold War, according to Dr. Wallace, is very unlikely.

“Neither the U.S. or Russia have the degree of global power that they had during the Cold War. During the Cold War, the alliance systems were pretty well set, one led by the U.S. and another by the Soviet Union,” Dr. Wallace said. “Today, we have globalization in so many different ways, so it would make it increasingly difficult for a small combination of people to engage in these actions.”

Pushechnikova hopes she can see her home country again after this conflict resolves. She said that even though war is in the nature of humans, it is a great shame that it happens, no matter where it happened.

“I am from Kiev, and the streets they show in the news are those streets which I used to take to go to the grocery store, or school and other places,” Pushechnikova said. “It breaks my heart greatly that there is so much bloodshed upon those quiet, peaceful streets which were always home. Crimea ... well, that is also very hard for me because that is where I used to go in the summers, to the sea, and it [was] a very calm place, lovely place.”

infographic by Maddy Mueller

Local Ryan Ferguson files lawsuit against city

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athleen Zellner, Ryan Ferguson’s lawyer, filed a civil rights lawsuit against the City of Columbia, the Columbia Police Department, investigators, prosecuters and Boone County on behalf of Ferguson.

Zellner believes there was fabricated evidence in Ferguson’s trial back in 2004. His charges include suppression and fabrication of evidence, defamation and false arrest, with a total of nine charges.

Ferguson’s lawyer is demanding $75 million for actual damage done to his client and $25 million for compensatory damages, for a total of $100 million dollars. stories written by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi sources: CNN, Kansas City Star

State

National

Hearing on legalizing marijuana in state produces no change

Important breakthrough in research on Big Bang Theory

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esearchers on Monday discovered new solid evidence to support the Big Bang Theory. Using a telescope called the BICEP2 telescope, scientists were able to discover evidence for gravitational waves, a prediction that Albert Einstein put in with his theory of general relativity.

Scientists describe these gravitational waves as the aftermath of the Big Bang, leftover ripples in space after the massive explosion.

If this evidence is tested and proved correct, then it would explain how the universe expanded so quickly after the Big Bang, in under a trillionth of a second, also called inflation by scientists.

Inflation, essentially, is the heart of the Big Bang Theory. It states that as the universe expands, the distance from two pieces of mass increases more and more.

Gravitational waves are believed to be the tiny ripples which scientists call “quantum fluctuations.” The theory goes that if it was possible to look at space in the smallest size, scientists would be able to see them. This break-

photo from www.fotosearch.com

through discovered on Monday gives evidence for these gravitational waves, without which the Big Bang Theory would not be possible.

According to CNN, Scientists will conduct several tests to see if there could potentially be a flaw in the original discovery because the finding is so important in the science community and is very important to the Big Bang Theory’s survival. In the next one to two years, flaws will either be found or they will not, depending on the tests conducted.

CACC recognized for hospitality Continued from A1

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hey set a standard of that,” Childress said. “Even in the selection of schools to their hospitality list.”

Senior Chormaic Sullivan has been involved with the Culinary Arts program for the last three years, and this year is enrolled in a Culinary Independent Study course as well as the Baking and Pastry course at the CACC. Sullivan believes that Sullivan University chose the CACC as one of the best hospitality schools in the nation because of the dedication displayed by both students and instructors of the program.

“I believe that the Career Center was selected as one of the top 100 programs because of how we have placed in competitions, both at the state level and at nationals. Our Culinary Arts program has multiple qualities that make it one of the best,” Sullivan said. “I believe the foremost are the culinary instructors, since each one is highly knowledgeable, passionate, and they all have great work ethics. To have them as examples of what it

means to be both as an adult and a chef is really the foundation of our culinary program.”

Because of his experiences in the nationally recognized CACC culinary program, Sullivan feels as though he has obtained lifelong lessons and experiences that will assist him in his future.

Sullivan said it has been a longtime ambition of his to pursue a career in the culinary field, and the courses he participated in during his high school years will help him to obtain his goal.

“I decided to join culinary because during my freshman year, when I was touring the Career Center, the class really caught my attention,” Sullivan said. “I had also worked in a small restaurant back in my hometown of Portland, Ore. before I moved out here, and I saw the class as a way to get deeper into something that I really loved as a child.”

Unlike Sullivan, Harlan explained that not all students in his CACC classes may wish to continue on in Culinary Arts.

However, Harlan said the lessons and advice obtained from the CACC Culinary Arts classes bestow students with skills that

are useful across the board, regardless of the careers they wish to pursue.

“Working in an industry like culinary arts and food service,” Harlan said, “you get really efficient and you learn how to be organized and I think that can help you with any area.”

Because of the involvement and practice the culinary program and its instructors provide its students, Sullivan believes the CACC is more than deserving of its recent nomination. In addition, Sullivan believes the recognition and reputation of the CACC will assist him in his near future.

“I feel like the Career Center’s nomination to the top 100 hospitality schools list is a powerful recognition, and I believe that it is because of the amazing instructors that we were awarded with this honor,” Sullivan said.

“In terms of my own future, the Career Center’s award winning Culinary Arts program gives me a head start compared to others who don’t have access to this program, and I know that my experiences I’ve had in this class will serve me well in my future.”

he Missouri House of Representatives conducted a hearing Monday to talk about a bill that would decriminalize the possession of up to one pound of marijuana in the state. The bill would allow adults ages 21 and older to buy, sell, grow and consume marijuana and, if passed, would make Missouri the third state, after Colorado and Washington, to legalize marijuana.

If the bill passes and Gov. Jay Nixon signs it into law, along with it will come a new tax on the drug. An estimate of the money the tax will generate per year predicts more than $200 million in revenue in 2016.

The bill allocates the new tax money to pensions for government employees like police officers, teachers and local governments.

The hearing on Monday did not generate any change to the current system.

Follow this code to BearingNews

Celebrate My Drive school committee to decide on use of newly acquired funds Trisha Chaudhary

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bronze Bruin bear statue.

Phone charging stations.

Sofas and seating throughout the school. These are all ways that students and faculty suggested RBHS spend the $25,000 it received this year.

The final meeting for the Celebrate My Drive team will happen today, Thursday, March 20 at 12:15 p.m. The team plans to narrow the list to a handful of suggestions and have the school vote on what they want.

Last October, State Farm Insurance Co. hosted a nationwide high school competition in order to promote safe driving habits for students.

For one week, each day students went online and voted for RBHS and answered two questions about safe driving. Of the 3,544 high schools that registered, RBHS was one of 45 to receive $25,000 because of their rankings.

State Farm requires that winning schools use 10 percent, or $2,500, of the money to promote safe driv-

ing. RBHS plans to do this by splitting the money evenly among all of the Columbia high schools to ensure that safe driving impacts all high school students in Columbia, not just those attending RBHS. “It was suggested first by one of the representatives from State Farm kind of as an opportunity to not just spread good will, but you know we were fortunate that we won the competition, but Battle and Hickman were involved as well,” principal Dr. Jennifer Mast said. “So the idea for the 10 percent is to help promote safe driving then you get to share that among the other high schools.”

The administration is unsure how exactly they will spend the money on promoting safe driving.

However, State Farm left it up to the schools to decide how to spend the remaining $22,500, and RBHS put together a team of students and faculty members to decide this.

There was a survey on the RBHS homepage on which students and faculty could recommend people for the team as well as give suggestions for how to spend the money.

Principal Mast, Assistant Principal and Activities Director David Bones, Learning Specialist Mary Grupe and seniors Jack Shimpf, Brayden Parker, Juston Sharp and Trisha Chaudhary are all members of the team.

During the first few meetings, the team looked into the suggestions students and faculty gave via the survey and eliminated some.

They also brainstormed independently and together for other ideas.

The team is focusing on trying to find a way to spend the money that will benefit as many students as possible and additions that can occur before this school year is up, in an attempt to reward the current seniors who voted everyday.

“Basically, the money should be separated equally between all the groups at Rock Bridge and certain groups shouldn’t get more ... money,” Sharp said. “I was thinking of a way to give each group a certain amount of money so that they can go on a field trip or something they would like to to do… We should split the money equally among everybody else.”

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Health & Wellness

Zoning in on drug abuse Misuse of stimulants poses health risks George Sarafianos

T

he first time junior Madeline Perry took Adderall was when her boyfriend introduced it to her during her sophomore year. Having since been prescribed for Adderall to treat her Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Perry is one of many students whom use the drug for daily life.

Labeled as the “study drug,” Adderall contains central nervous system stimulants: amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, both of which affect areas of the brain relating to both hyperactivity and impulse control. With attention and focus being the primary concern in high school settings, abuse of Adderall became commonplace.

The abuse of the drug has been steadily increasing since 2009, according to drugfree.org.

“There’s been a lot of times where I’ve been approached by either my friends, or my classmates to see if I’ll sell my medication to them,” Perry said. “I never do it because my dad rations them to me one per day. If I were to sell my one pill for the day to one of my friends, then I wouldn’t get to take it, which I like doing because I definitely think it helps with my studies.”

While students often only see benefit in a drug such as Adderall, it can pose serious health threats, licensed psychologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Dr. Deborah Wright said in an email interview.

“Individuals may develop tolerance to stimulant medication (i.e., addiction). Stimulant medication can increase the risk for cardiac problems in some individuals including increase in blood pressure and risk of heart attacks,” Wright said. “Stimulant medication can also increase anxiety. There is also concern that it can suppress growth in children.”

Prescription medication abuse is specifically

forbidden in the RBHS student handbook.

Because of this strict policy, the punishment for illegal possession of prescription drugs at RBHS is currently arrest, as well as a 10-day suspension, school resource officer, Keisha Edwards said.

“One thing that myself, the administrators and staff members here at RBHS are good at is knowing who we are around every single day.

Our teachers are good at knowing the students in their classrooms. I am good at knowing the kids who are in the hallways. The principals are good at knowing the kids that come into their offices. But what we are really good at is knowing what they look like every single day,” Edwards said. “Every single day when kids come into school they have one of several looks on their faces; either they’re sleepy, frustrated, what have you. But there is this look in their eyes every single day, and we get used to that look. And when that look isn’t the same one that we are used to, we know something is wrong.”

Although there are ways to attempt to fix test results, new tests for ADHD contain intricacies in which deceit is nearly impossible, Wright said. It would be unlikely for a someone seeking stimulants to fool a doctor, she said.

“The symptoms of ADHD are well-known and diagnosis, in part, is reliant on self report.

Thus, the symptoms are easy to fabricate. Part of the diagnostic process relies on ‘self-report,’ or the symptoms of a patient as reported by that patient. In that sense, it is relatively easy to fabricate symptoms,” Wright said. “However, other parts of the diagnostic process require information from other individuals; in the case of minors, parents and teachers are asked about symptoms. Additional cognitive testing is often required in order to rule out learning disorders and/or other issues that may cause ‘ADHD-like’ symptoms.” photo by Maribeth Eiken

The dark side of coffee: dangerous effects of caffeine Ashleigh Atasoy

C

olumbia has four different coffee shops on one street. Amidst the hustle and bustle of downtown, Ninth Street serves as a Mecca for all caffeination needs, representing the world’s growing dependency on coffee.

Coffee, along with tea, follows water as the most consumed

drink on the planet, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. But despite its rise to the top, coffee garnered both favorable and unfavorable reports.

From stunting growth to increasing metabolism, the effects of coffee have been the subject of dozens of health, social and mental claims. Beneath the favorite flavors, cream and sugar, comes a darker, addictive side:

caffeine. RBHS nurse Tammy Adkins noticed the negative effects of caffeine both within herself and RBHS students.

“It can adversely affect hormones,” Adkins said. Coffee can cause “headaches, often if you don’t get the coffee … but it can also conversely cause headaches if you’re prone to migraines and stuff. Sometimes they say stop caffeine. Staining your teeth,

photo by Maribeth Eiken

photo by Maribeth Eiken

that’s a big one. Coffee also [causes] teeth sensitivity, with the enamel.”

In a recent study, the United States Food and Drug Administration found that 80 percent of adults in the U.S. drink some form of caffeine every day, and while the stimulant does have perks such as heightened concentration and non-drowsy properties, the addictive side effects of coffee lead many people to foster a serious “dependence.” The study also found that in addition to the developed dependence on caffeine, as consumption rate increases, the positive effects slowly decline. This built up tolerance toward coffee’s effects forces the drinker to consume increasing amounts to retain any positive benefits.

Though she doesn’t drink the beverage herself, senior Claire Herndon said she saw how coffee became a daily requirement for many of her friends and family members.

“There are a lot of people, especially our parents, and people that have been drinking it a long time that … have to have it in the morning to wake up or to feel right about their day,” Herndon said. “Coffee is something they have to have to kick-start their day … it becomes just like a force of habit, something that people need.”

The coffee shop industry in the U.S. is a multi-billion dollar industry, according to Small Business Development Center, a national business information database, and while many theories are around as to why, a recent study led by University of British Columbia researcher Ravi Mehta got international attention. Mehta’s study claims the average 70-decibel noise level found in most cafes is the perfect amount of sound for creativity to blossom.

Paired with caffeine’s positive concentrational effects, the coffee shop atmosphere becomes even more alluring. Senior Bri Porter agrees that environment is a factor that can contribute to increased coffee consumption.

“Obviously [coffee] gives you an energy boost right when you drink it,” Porter said, but “I just always like it because I like to hang out in coffee shops and drink coffee in coffee shops. It’s not so much of a feeling thing as it is the environment.”

Herndon agrees that environment plays a role in the prevalence of coffee shops, and thinks that cafés not only serve as backdrops for studying, but also for meeting friends. Nonetheless, there’s another negative aspect of coffee she can’t swallow: price.

“A lot of times people are like ‘lets go get coffee,’” Herndon

said. “I feel like coffee is a weird, common American thing that people do. They go out and get coffee in the morning and they get coffee just to talk and they get coffee to study and all of that … and I can’t also justify spending all of the money that people do spend on specialty coffees and stuff like that … [Also], it can get really expensive and it’s not super healthy especially if you’re always getting specialty coffees and not just black coffee.”

Ultimately, coffee remains one of the most contradictory products on the market. While researchers have found data on both ends of the health scale, the coffee industry continues to boom.

Despite confusing studies, Adkins said it is important to be aware of the positive and negative effects of coffee. While she noticed some of the effects at work in her own life, in the end, she still feels coffee can serve as a useful tool if used in moderation.

“There’s lots of different things about caffeine. You can find benefits for it and you can find negatives,” Adkins said. “In moderation, everything kind of serves a purpose. Usually I think there are [good] things about caffeine [like] stimulating the metabolism and stuff like that. So there are benefits but too much of a good thing is always negative.”

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Health & Wellness

Men’s Birth Control??? art by Alex Carranza

Students, scientists discuss possibility of innovative male contraceptive options Urmila Kutikkad

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mplanon, Nexplanon, Ortho Evra, “The Pill,” Today Sponge, NuvaRing, the diaphragm, the morning-after pill, spermicide — the options for female contraception are seemingly endless, dulling into a blur of discomfortingly scientific names.

The options for male contraception, however, are distinct and looming in their loneliness: condoms or snip.

The challenge of inhibiting thousands of sperm instead of just one egg presents this disparity in options. Furthermore, numerous unwanted side effects still pose problems with early testing.

New research, however, is attempting to change this. Testing on mice at Monash University in Australia has taken an unconventional approach and attempted to keep sperm from being ejaculated, instead of trying to stop pro-

duction in the first place. This, in turn, could aid in the prevention of unwanted pregnancy.

“We wanted to see whether blocking two proteins involved in sperm transport would be able to make males infertile but otherwise healthy,” Sab Ventura, a researcher and senior lecturer at Monash University said in an email interview.

“We did this by genetically modifying mice so that they no longer expressed these two proteins and then we mated the genetically modified male mice with normal females to see whether they could conceive. We concluded that if you block these two proteins, then males become infertile but they are still pretty much healthy in every other respect. This means that this type of therapy is a viable way of producing a medical male contraceptive.”

Though the word “infertile” sounds scary, Ventura said the mouse sperm

remained healthy throughout the study, meaning the contraception would be quickly reversible and there would be no chance of genetic defects in future offspring. Furthermore, the method the research is pursuing is not hormonal, meaning sexual performance or libido would not be affected. Ultimately, Ventura believes the development of this research could only mean good things for birth control variety and declining the numbers of unwanted pregnancies.

“Male contraception would mean extra options for birth control,” Ventura said. “There are about 80 million unintended pregnancies throughout the world per year, so a male contraceptive option should help to bring down this number. If we can make a suitable medicine that works in this way, then males will have a convenient and safe method of contraception. This would bring about a big change in birth control

around the world.”

Male birth control doesn’t just have medical implications, however. It would also usher in pressing societal questions, shifting greater responsibility into the hands of men. If the contraception is developed, men will have to be willing to use it. Senior Khaymen Hoelscher, however, said he wouldn’t think twice about using male contraception if it were to become available.

“I would definitely be open to using it just because of the risk [of unwanted pregnancy],” Hoelscher said. “I would hate having a kid at the age I’m at. Unwanted pregnancies can change your life, and there’s definitely a stigma associated with them — you’re looked down upon almost — and one way to counteract that definitely would be birth control. There are a lot of options for women, almost no options for men, and the more options you have, the safer it’s going to be

all around. I would take it myself … it’s just reassurance.”

RBHS school nurse Tammy Adkins agreed that the possibility of male contraception could be a good thing in terms of additional protection and more equitable gender responsibility. However, she also cautioned that people still need to be aware of the persisting drawbacks that might inevitably still exist. For example, a male contraceptive pill would not prevent the spread of infection between two sexual partners.

Male birth control “could have a positive impact as far as pregnancies go,” Adkins said. “It might not necessarily protect from STDs, though, so that could still be a major issue. Socially, I think it could be a positive thing, but I would just hate for it to be a total shift, a fight almost, ‘Well, now you take care of it’ kind of thing. If you’re doubly protected, maybe that’s a little bit better.”

Are your genes blue?

British scientists identify hormone cortisol as initial possible biomarker for depression Anna Wright

R

esearchers at Cambridge University discovered what they believe may be the first biomarker for clinical depression. Their study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science (PNAS), concluded that teenage boys with depressive symptoms and elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol were up to 14 times more likely to develop clinical depression.

Dr. Matthew Owens, one of the scientists who helped conduct the research, said in an email interview that the team wants to help the public and medical worlds better understand how depression works and how to treat affected individuals.

“We hope that our study will shed further light on the complexities of what we currently call major depression,” Owens said.

“It is in fact a very heterogeneous disorder that has many causes and in turn, preventative measures and treatments are likely to need to be different depending on the type of depressive disorder that an individual has.”

Ian Goodyer, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Cambridge University, said this breakthrough is the first of its kind. The significance of a biomarker, he said, lies in its ability to identify a distinct correlation between a biochemical trait and a specific disease.

“This is the first discovery

of a biological marker for major depression in the population at large,” Goodyer said. “Ideally a biomarker should be stable over time, present in well individuals who later become unwell, indicate a pathophysiological process of some kind, likely to be revealing a sub type of a complex set of disorders that may have many biomarkers because of causal heterogeneity.”

Depression is a serious illness with a negative impact on society and the lives of those affected, sophomore Garrett Zyk said. After witnessing a friend experience clinical depression, Zyk said he realize the serious need to further research the disease.

“Studying depression is important so that way we can lower suicide rates and find out more about how the brain works,” Zyk said. “I have witnessed someone depressed, and it made me sad to watch because I just wanted to help them. It’s debilitating to the quality of people’s lives by always making them think negatively and not allowing them [to] progress socially and always being in an emotionally unstable state of mind.”

Owens said it is exceedingly important to explore the causes behind clinical depression. The illness, he said, affects a range of individuals and has a grim effect beyond the people who suffer directly from the disease.

“Clinical depression is a devastating illness for both individuals and society,” Owens said. “It

is very common with as many as one in six being affected at some point in their lives. Reduced quality of life, reduction in academic performance and life chances can result and for some individuals, often young men, it can end in suicide. The financial costs to society are enormous in terms of medical treatment, reduction in work productivity and lost taxes.”

The effect of depression on an individual’s quality of life is hugely damaging, Gooyder said.

It is treatable, he said, though the chance of relapse is significant.

“Recovery may be quick in mild disorders, perhaps a few weeks with no sequelas. There is around a 56 percent chance of relapse within five years of the first episode, however, although it is not clear if this risk increases for severe compared to mild depressions.”

Goodyer said he and his team plan to conduct further research regarding the biomarkers for depression and the physiological causes behind this disorder.

Doctors will evaluate the condition of study participants later on in adulthood and perform new studies regarding the same topic.

“This paper is part of a large body of ongoing research investigating the causes, characteristics, treatment response and naturalistic outcomes of these conditions that emerge in the adolescent years,” Goodyer said. “We are currently planning a further follow up of the teenagers reported in the paper to see how they are

art by Alex Carranza

in adulthood; we have completed a new treatment study, [and] we are mapping the structure and functions of the adolescent brain and mind to see if we can find neurocognitive circuits and functions that will tell us more about the at risk brain.”

Further research will help identify even more biological connections between the brain

and the illness of depression, Owens said. These medical discoveries will play a key role in developing successful treatment options for the disease which will, in turn, improve the lives of millions.

“If we can identify different types of people with different psychological and biological profiles we may be able to im-

prove prevention and treatment response, (which isn’t that great currently),” Owens said. “There are likely to be other markers involving genes, serotonin, for example, and more complex cell level markers. Combining biology, psychology and social factors to reach a better understanding of this common problem is one of the goals of this research.”

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Community UMC hosts lecture with atheist, skeptic speakers for SASHA

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Jay Whang

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ark Twain had an anti-religious view. In his classic novels, like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he portrayed the Christian church as hypocritical and authoritative. Twain’s home state of Missouri still has this fundamentalist Christian trait, where people have voted for Republicans like George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney in the last four presidential elections.

Evangelical churches in rural Missouri indoctrinate their children, some of whom Oscar-nominated documentary “Jesus Camp” depicts. In 2014, the state’s lawmakers proposed a bill that allows parents to take their children out of biology class because it teaches evolution. (Later Gov. Jay Nixon threatened to veto the bill, saying it does not best for the public education.)

Despite Missouri’s red-state status, some praise the city of Columbia as a progressive place to live. But many non-believers still feel alienated and unaccepted by society.

Columbia is “a rather progressive city surrounded by a very conservative state,” Katie Huddlestonsmith, 2010-11 alumina and current President of University of Missouri-Columbia’s Skeptics, Atheists, Secular Humanists and Agnostics club, said. “Students who came from surrounding small towns or even other conservative states have a hard time letting go of their religious ideas and are often scared to do so. Many of our members fear rejection from their family, denial of school funding by their parents or worry about being fired.”

Huddlestonsmith’s SASHA club organized the annual conference SASHAcon at the University of Missouri’s Student Center on March 15 and Jesse Hall on March 16th. In the summer of 2013, the idea for SASHA-con began when the club officers gathered together to plan a free conference for non-religious people to meet others in the community. They created their own kind of conference on MU that they, as students, wanted to go to.

“This conference will be a great way for students and the public in general to learn about who atheists are and what we actually stand for,” Huddlestonsmith said. “‘Atheism’ is often a dirty or scary word, and we want to be able to educate people through interaction and experience.”

Huddlestonsmith and her organizers started an Indiegogo online crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the event. However, the fundraising campaign failed, only bringing in $475 from seven contributors. The SASHA club persisted and continued to collect donations through PayPal. Chantelle Moghadam, SASHA’s Vice President and Public Relation director, contacted the Secular Student Alliance, a secular activist organization, to potentially award SASHA a substantial sum for the work they planned to do with the conference. The club also asked their university departments to donate money if the departments found the conference relevant to their religious studies.

As a Volunteer Network Coordinator of SSA, Moghadam contacted well-known speakers through the organization and invited them to the conference. Invited speakers included Mizzou professors, bloggers, personnel like controversial anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon, The Friendly Atheist blogger Hemant Mehta and The Atheist Experience co-host Matt Dillahunty.

“It’s always exciting to go to a student-run conference and I’m a big fan of the other speakers,” Mehta said.

On March 15, Alan Schmidt, a senior student and self-described transhumanist atheist, attended the conference with few expectations. He expected it to be “a massive circlejerk between intellectuals with little understanding for human nature.” Schmidt never made any connections with other atheist groups on the internet, but he came there just out of curiosity.

The first speaker of the conference, Matt Dillahunty, discussed how to debate with Christians. Dillahunty, who grew up in Missouri and was brought up Southern Baptist, talked about how he debated with the pastor and his brother at the Church of Christ last month. At the end, he provided some tips on how to debate with undereducated Christians.

Napoleon Chagnon, an anthropology professor of University of Missouri-Columbia, presented his documentary short about Yanomami people practicing Shamanism.

Schmidt met a professional skeptic named Phil Ferguson, an investment advisor who works at Polaris Financial Planning. Ferguson helps people to avoid falling victim to fraud and scam by giving them advice through podcast and radio. Schmidt and Ferguson sat together and talked about Ferguson’s experiences with debunking scams like mediums and his cold reading on his fellow skeptics at famous secular conference, The Amaz!ng Meeting.

Hemant Mehta, talked about how skeptics can make mistakes sometimes in gathering information and analyzing it.

“We’re blinded by our own biases sometimes,” Mehta said. “It’s funny to watch atheists claim to be rational in all areas, when the proof against that is pretty evident.”

In the end, the Saturday conference went different than Schmidt expected.

“Not circle-jerky as I thought. There is still a lot of it, and there was between atheists that were complete a-h---- who were able to emphasize and understand more rationally than what I expected,” Huddlestonsmith felt very accomplished for making SASHA-con happen.

“I feel extremely proud of the conference and relieved that it went smoothly,” Huddlestonsmith said.

“However, we’re already planning the housing arrangements for next year and are discussing how we will tweak the schedule to allow more sightseeinspeakers.”

photos by George Sarafianos

All things aside: Senior Kyle Zynda preforms an “Ice Plant” on Parkside Skateshop’s skateboard ramp, during his AUT. Seizing every opportunity possible to skateboard, Zynda views the sport as a way to escape from the monotony of everyday life, allowing him to put all hindrances to the side and focus on something both productive and stimulating in nature

News Analysis

Starting from the bottom: Located at 1614 Business Loop 70 West, Parkside Skateshop moves past the five year mark in stride while simultaneously providing local skateboarding enthusiasts with the service of efficiently priced skateboarding goods and apparel.

5 years strong Business administers service to skateboarders George Sarafianos

F

or skateboarders in Columbia, the first of this month marked an important day, the five-year anniversary of Parkside Skateshop.

Run and owned by business partners Shane Stander and Christopher Bailey, they started Parkside out of their love for skateboarding alone.

“We decided to go through with the idea of Parkside because skateboarding played such a large part in our upbringing,” Bailey said. “We didn’t get into it for money, we just wanted to give back to something that gave us so much.”

Being the sole provider of many skateboard and apparel brands in Columbia, Parkside allows skateboarders both supplies crucial to their sport, as well as the opportunity to give back to what they love.

“A lot of skateboard companies and brands aren’t really interested in having their products sold in mall stores like ‘MC Sports’ or places that are more interested in profit than they are in the love of what they’re doing,” Stander said. “A good portion of skate companies want their products in core skateshops, shops that cater to only skateboarders, like us. And when people buy those products from Parkside, they support skateboarding because it allows us to do more things with skateboarding like contests and giveaways.”

Although the popularity of the sport is important to skateboarders everywhere, establishments such as Parkside are seen more as a landmark than as a business, according to senior Kyle Zynda.

“Whenever people think of Parkside, I don’t think they see it as a store. It’s more of a homebase for skaters in Columbia,” Zynda said. “It’s the place that you go to meet up with everyone before going to skate, and it’s where you go after you’re

done skating to hang out, get something to drink sure that they feel a sense of comradery with each and watch skate videos. I guess you coul d see it as other because 90 percent of what skateboarding is, a clubhouse of sorts.” is just going out and having fun with your friends.”

In conjunction with helping the community In hopes to bring skateboarders in Columbia of skateboarding grow, Parkside also aids in the even closer together, both the owners of Parkside, progress of the skateboarders themselves through as well as members of the community helped in sponsorship. building the shop’s very own skateboard ramp. A “Whenever we see a kid who’s really got some project that allowed for skaters to hone their matalent on a skateboard, it’s our job as owners of a neuvers, while in the company of those most interskateshop to make sure that they’re taken care of, ested in their well being. make sure “We built the ramp about a year after they’ve got a we opened the shop. We did it to give You’re not really good board, skaters a place to try and learn new tricks thinking about a decent pair right next to us so that they can come in anything bad like of shoes, and get whatever they need,” Bailey said. that sort of school, or work, or “Everyone came together to help build thing,” Bailey ramp, local skaters, friends, family, whatever problems the said. “These just about everyone you could think of you have. kids who are lent a hand. It was really great to see evkilling it on eryone help out for the greater good.”

Kyle Zynda skateboards With skateboarders ranging in both senior at the local age and availability, the best things that skatepark tocome from Parkside are the skateboardday are the kids that are quite possibly going to be ing festivities, Zynda said. the ones that you see on the TV in a couple years “Whenever it’s warm outside, every Friday or in all these big name contests. You want to make so, everyone will just come out to the shop. They’ll sure you do everything in your power to look out light up the ramp when it gets dark, and everyone for them and make sure that they do the best that just hangs out. It’s easily the best part of my week,” they can.”

Zynda said. “You’re not really thinking about anyAlong with taking care of more seasoned skate- thing stressful that’s going on in your life, whether boarders in hopes that they progress, Stander and it’s school, or work, or whatever problems you Bailey also make sure that newcomers to the sport have. Skateboarding just distracts you, and all you find everything that they need to thrive. care about it skating and having fun with it. It’s “Every summer we hold a week-long skate camp pretty great. I don’t think I would trade that for in August for the younger kids who are just starting anything. It’s become such a big part of my life to skate. We try to teach them the basics of what that I’m not sure what I would do if it all went they’re gonna need to actually move forward with away. But I try not to think about things like that their skating,” Stander said. “You have to make and try to just focus on skating.”

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ALSO INSIDE In-Depth: Technology and security at RBHS

Rookie life-savers Volunteering leads to uncovering of new passions Manal Salim

I

t was a devastating car accident, the mess of the collision and the public safety officers respondence that triggered senior Riley Johnson’s realization of his dream and pursuit towards his future career.

Because of his automobile accident, Johnson understood the effort safety officers and, more specifically, fire fighters exert into ensuring the safety of all citizens.

Observing their gallant activity in repairing his collision, caused Johnson to realize that it was his goal to become just like the officers. He would do whatever it took to be among the fire fighters.

Johnson didn’t hesitate to contact the Boone County Fire Protection District, submit an application, interview for a position and take a series of drug and physical exams.

He was determined to introduce himself to the world of fire fighting, and Johnson planned to begin by volunteering for the Boone County Fire Department.

Though Johnson is currently in the recruit class, graduating in late May 2014, he still experiences many of the events that fire fighters endure.

“We train every Tuesday and Thursday evening and every other weekend, for both Saturday and Sunday,” Johnson said, “and we do everything from fighting fire to emergency medical training.”

In order to prepare for the extensive training at the fire department, Johnson enrolled beforehand in several Columbia Area Career Center courses that specialized in the task of fire fighting and public safety.

“I took the Core Essentials of Fire Fighting and Public Safety class at the Career Center. That class is a prerequisite for the class I am taking this year, which is the Emergency Medical Technician class,” Johnson said. “These classes were a great introduction to what it’s like to actually work for a fire department. It also really helped to have a great instructor who has

actually been a fire fighter and an EMT.” RBHS students aren’t the only ones taking advantage of this career-seeking experience. Hickman High School senior, Hunter Verhoven, who volunteers with Johnson at the Boone County Fire Department, explains that he also discovered the volunteer opportunity through his Intro to Fire Fighting Essentials course at the CACC. Like Johnson, Verhoven volunteers several times a week and enjoys the training exercises dealing with live burns and vehicle excitation due to the perspective into real-life fire fighting that these activities provide.

“I wanted to be a part of this program because I thought I would have a good time learning more about what I will experience in my future as a fire fighter,” Verhoven said. “Also, working directly with the fire department has taught me a lot of skills that I will definitely need in my future as a fire fighter.”

In addition to looking toward the future, Scott Olsen, the Fire Chief at the Boone County Fire Department, said volunteers will obtain beneficial skills for the present as well. Olsen said the Boone County Fire Protection District is a unique and dynamic organization with a long history of commitment to the community. The passion for excellence and enthusiasm that Olsen believes the station provides will foster ambition and drive in young volunteers.

“First, and most important, as a volunteer, you will know that you are providing a very important service to your community, one that very few people do,” Olsen said.

“There is no more noble of callings than to be in a position to give someone a second chance at life or return a family to their home when they thought all would be lost. Additionally, you will be provided with a great deal of exceptional training.

The emergency medical training, fire training and rescue training, not to mention the speciality team training that is available to you, will serve you well for many years.”

From the experiences gained, both in his CACC classes and training with the fire department, Verhoven believes he obtained a grasp upon the skills it takes to become a fire fighter.

“From all this, I think I’ve learned that being a fire fighter is really a lot harder than it looks and what people make it out to be,” Verhoven said. “Besides the difficulties, from everything I’ve learned in my recruit class and volunteering, I can definitely see myself as a fire fighter one day.”

Olsen said the learning experience the volunteers gain is because of the enriching environment present at the Boone County Fire Department. Both the individuals at the fire department and the lifesaving activities they perform collaborate to provide the ideal setting for volunteers to observe.

“The Boone County Fire Protection District is much more than your stereotypical fire department,” Olsen said. “Mediocrity has no place in our organization, our mission is simply too important.

We are fortunate that we have been able to recruit the caliber of men and women that presently comprise the Boone County Fire Protection District. These are exceptional people with exceptional capabilities, and we are so very proud of each and every one of them.”

Having the unique opportunity to work with educated and trained individuals at the fire department has allowed Johnson to make the most of his fire fighting experiences.

“I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve on a district that prides itself on customer service and being a helping hand for all the members of Boone County. I wanted to volunteer because I love to help people. I would love to give back to the community of Boone County, and also, I just really love to fight fire,” Johnson said. “The training I’m receiving at the County Department is teaching me to manage my time, work as a team and it teaches me to have the responsibility it takes to save a life.”

Photos by Morgan Berk

Full Coverage: With nine different fire stations, a training academy and a fire administration building throughout the city, Columbia has ample resources in case of emergencies.

Escape to nature brings peace, clarity and tranquility for hikers Justin Sutherland

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alking along a ridge line with drop-offs on both sides that make visibility through the pine tree forest with only the underbrush of fallen needles seems endless and delightful to four backpacking seniors. This was what they were looking for; the serenity and tranquility of pure immersion in nature, the adventure of searching for sights not seen, the companionship developed through the fellowship of depending on one another.

Seniors Breta Phillips, Joanna Zhang, Charlie Gan and Josh Baumer went recreational backpacking on the Big Piney Trail near Springfield, Mo. in the Mark Twain National Forest on Feb. 16. Baumer said for him, backpacking involves going out for a set number of days, carrying all the food he needs, all of the trash he makes and all of his shelter on his back in an effort to fully experience nature.

“Backpacking is really cool because you get to go out in God’s creation for a certain amount of time and with most cases you have very little distractions from what humans have built,” Baumer said. “So you have a lot of peace and quiet and get to see a bunch of really cool things.”

Among other sights, the crew got to see forests of short trees, enormous trees and various wildlife including two particularly rowdy armadillos.

“We saw two armadillos which are actually some funny-looking animals and really weird, too,” Baumer said. “We’d be going by and they’d just jump straight up in the air and then kind of waddle off.

They were pretty cool to see.”

With two less-experienced and two more-experienced campers, the group

took care of each other in pairs: girls and boys with Baumer as a sort of “group leader” and Phillips as another.

During the day hike, the hiking crew kept one another’s spirits up through various methods including quoting a movie Phillips and Zhang watched just two days prior to their hike called 3 Idiots. In the movie, there is a scene where one of the characters said “Whatever the problem in life is, just say to yourself ‘Aal Izz Well,’” which motivated them even at the beginning of the 17-mile long hike.

“Within the first 300 meters, we come across this giant hill and that was just the first part, and we just looked at each other and were like ‘If this is what the rest of the hike is like, I don’t know

if we’re going to be able to do this thing.

We’ve got, like, eight miles left to do today,’ but it wasn’t all like that, and it was OK,” Phillips said. “Each of us had three other people pushing us on so that made it easier, as well.”

Although they planned on staying another night, the equipment wasn’t fully adequate for the 17-degree weather, causing the students to return home a day early.

Even with the students going to bed at 9:30 p.m., Phillips woke around 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. because of the cold outdoor conditions. Shivering, though it started as voluntarily, became an attempt for heat soon learned to be useless.

At around 1:30 a.m. however, Zhang

glanced at her watch which illuminated their two-person tent.

“We had both slept about one to two hours at that time since 9 p.m., and she ended up asking me if I was awake, and I replied yes, then she asked ‘Are you cold?’ And I said ‘Yes, I’m freezing; it’s so cold,’” Phillips said. “So then she decided we should get into one sleeping bag, but these were mummy sleeping bags, which means that they are fitted right to you so we don’t really fit in one, so that was a struggle.”

After finally getting into a comfortable position, they soon realized the worst thing for a time like this; they both needed a bathroom break. They took care of this quickly and then had to re-

photo provided by Joanna Zhang

Pack that sack on your back: After getting the idea from Into the Wild, hikers go out for recreational backpacking.

position for another 30 minutes to where they could get sleep for about another hour or so. Then, after the few hours slept, the morning came and it was time to pack up the campsite.

“We got up and started figuring out how to make the fire and trying to get stuff together while singing Frozen which apparently woke the guys up,” Phillips said. “Then they came out and Charlie made the fire in like a second, which was awesome because the rest of us kept trying and couldn’t.”

Though Phillips prefers matches, the rest of the crew uses lighters. However, starting the fire in the morning, the group used no firestarters, matches or lighters to create the fire even though they prepared to. Instead, Gan used the embers that were almost all blown out from the windy night before.

“Somehow, Charlie found something deep down or something, but we didn’t have to use anything in the morning because of it, so we just started the fire,” Phillips said. “I don’t know how but he found something deep down in the fire.”

The cold weather not only affected the amount of sleep for the hikers, but also the pack up time in the morning.

Continually going back and forth between packing one item and having to return to the fire to warm their hands, the process took longer than expected as they got ready for the six or seven miles left for their trip, incubating a stronger friendship all along the way.

“If you can stand just hiking with them all day long when you guys are all at some points miserable and at some points fantastic,” Baumer said, “you either learn to hate each other or learn to love each other. For us, I think we all came out loving each other at least a little bit more.”

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Ads

In-Depths

B3

Ready in the event of violence RBHS plans to install buzz-in system to create more secure, safe campus, cut down on possible threats Afsah Khan

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n light of incidents of school violence, such as last year’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. and the more recent Arapahoe High School shooting in Centennial, Colo., security is becoming a priority for all types of educational institutions. As reforms are being made to change school security systems, RBHS still stands by its traditional “Freedom with Responsibility” motto.

In RBHS’s situation, students have the freedom to move in and out of the building any time of the day as part of the open-campus policy.

However, security measures are always in place to keep students and faculty safe on campus. School resource officer Keisha Edwards said the school is alert in order to keep the students and faculty safe. One of the ways the students are prepared for any emergency scenario is through the ALICE model, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate and helps students react to an active intruder scenario.

“There’s always safety [measures] around the school to prevent school violence. One of the things that we do is we practice drills,” Edwards said. “We do the ALICE model, for how we train you guys in case something happens around the school. We practice with you guys because it’s not just the staff members that are going to be involved in … an emergency situation; it’s going to be you guys too.”

Edwards said she and other school personnel are ready to handle any situation that might arise.

School personnel constantly monitor campus activities throughout the school day, and they take care of any disruptions easily because of the easy accessibility of administrators. Edwards said her job as a school resource job is to stop disruptive behavior that might occur on school grounds.

“I walk the halls a lot. [Assistant Principal] Dr. [Lisa] Nieuwenhuizen walks the halls a lot. We have a parking lot attendant that walks the outer grounds a lot,” Edwards said. “We have one of our assistant principals, Mr. [Brian] Gaub, who walks the grounds a lot.”

The presence of a school resource officer at RBHS keeps the school much safer, though not all schools are required to have an officer present, according to The Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting, issued by the U.S. Department of Education. This handbook outlines rules and regulations for schools and other educational institutions. These “immediate, ongoing and annual requirements,” as stated in the handbook, help keep students safe and prevent more incidents of violence from happening on school campuses.

According to the handbook, “The Clery Act requires all institutions to collect crime reports from a variety of individuals and organizations that Clery considers to be ‘campus security authorities.’” Any individual who is part of the campus security department has some re-

sponsibility for campus security but are not part of a security department, receives school security reports or has a significant amount of responsibility over campus activities can be considered a campus security authority.

“The function of a campus security authority is to report to the official or office designated by the institution to collect crime report information,” the handbook said, “such as the campus police or security department, those allegations of Clery Act crimes that he or she concludes were made in good faith.”

The handbook also points out that “any institution, regardless of whether it’s public or private, that has a campus police or security department, must create, maintain and make available a daily crime log.” This log helps keep track of any criminal activity happening on campus, and this information is used to help keep the school safe for others students in the future.

“The purpose of the daily crime log is to record criminal incidents and alleged criminal incidents that are reported to the campus police or security department,” the handbook states. “For example, if a student tells your security office that he lost his wallet in the parking lot behind a dorm, it is not a criminal incident, and you aren’t required to record it in the log. However, if a student tells your security office that his wallet was stolen from his dorm room, this is an alleged criminal incident which must be recorded in the log.”

Although RBHS does not need to worry about thefts and other criminal activity occurring in dorms or residential halls, the parking lots are an area where thefts and car damage can cause problems for students and faculty. Darryl Heaton, the school parking lot attendant, said he tries his best to make sure everyone who utilizes the parking spaces does not abuse the privilege and follows basic rules.

“The main function of the parking lot attendant, No. 1, is that faculty or staff and students have safe and adequate parking, and everyone’s parking in a designated area,” Heaton said. “And then the second thing they like the parking lot attendant to do is, because it is against state law to smoke on campus, so I monitor that too. And then of course, if I see drug activity or anything like that, I report that and we take care of that.”

Heaton said there are cameras monitoring parts of the parking lots, but he is mostly in charge of physically patrolling the area and constantly monitoring for any suspicious activity. He also pointed out that in any circumstance, a vehicle’s owner can be tracked down by looking through the computer data base. When students register for a parking pass for the RBHS lots, they enter basic information about their car and insur -

ance policy, including their license plate number.

“Through our computer systems, all students that have bought a parking permit are in our system,” Heaton said. “So we can either look them up by their parking permit hangtag number, or by the license plate. Or if we know who owns the car, we can look it up three ways. We can look it up by student’s name, parking permit number or the license plate. So we got traceability three ways.”

There are many ways students can further ensure the physical safety of their cars and other belongings in the school parking lots, Heaton said.

He stressed that using common sense and not being too rowdy while driving around in the lots will prevent any incidents from occurring between vehicles and will keep personal belongings safe.

“Well the main thing I think they should do is, No. 1, park in designated parking spots,” Heaton said. “And No. 2, they should always keep their cars locked. And also, just like any other time, any of your belongings that are valuable, keep them hidden. Cover them up or put them in the trunk.

And for students, another way to be safe out there they shouldn’t be driving more than 10-15 miles an hour in the parking lot. Be slow and obey the right of way.”

Besides the various methods that keep students and faculty safe during the day, the school building is kept saecure at night by an alarm system that is activated once everyone leaves the building around midnight, Edwards said. This prevents any vandalism or break-ins that might endanger school property.

Even though several security measures are in place to keep violence off of RBHS’s campus, some changes will soon occur in school security in the coming years. RBHS is scheduled to have a buzz-in system installed, just after other schools in the Columbia Public Schools district have gone through the same transition.

“Rock Bridge is on the list to receive that buzzin system,” Edwards said. “However, I do know that the way Rock Bridge is run with freedom and responsibility, and it’s run just like a college campus, I don’t know if that’s why our school wasn’t one of the first few chosen to get the buzz-in system. I think that they wanted to get some of the schools that didn’t have a [school resource officer] inside the school, [like] the elementary schools and middle schools that don’t have a police officer there. They’re going to get those schools first.”

Edwards pointed out that adopting a buzz-in system would bring some drastic changes to the school atmosphere, and some new rules and regulations would come into effect. For example, school IDs might be mandatory for students and faculty in order to ensure maximum security on campus.

Having a buzz-in system “would change a lot.

Like right now, no one carries a school ID. Rock Bridge High School spends a lot of money to get those pictures so they can make the IDs, but no one seems to carry them around at all,” Edwards said “I think that that’s when you are required to wear your student ID at all times, kind of like the staff members are required to wear an ID at all times. If you ever notice, most of the teachers have some sort of clip on ID they have on their person … so you know they’re teachers, and they’re employees inside the building.”

Although potential changes might threaten the current freedom RBHS students enjoy, Heaton said the security measures in place help prevent anything unfortunate from happening on campus. The security at RBHS is in place to ensure the physical safety of its students and faculty, Heaton said, and he believes that is why the school is relatively safe, even with an open campus policy.

“You have somebody like myself, the parking lot attendant, constantly patrolling the lots, and then we have a school resource officer, then we have cameras,” Heaton said.

“I would say since I’ve been here, and talking to the principal and everything, I’d say everything is relatively safe. I haven’t heard of any thefts from cars and I think it’s pretty safe.”

B4

In-Depths

District watches over student internet activity Brett Stover

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ore than 15,000 bullying-related tweets are sent every day, according to a 2012 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The “Confessions” Twitter accounts increased dramatically in number in recent months, and many school districts enforced strict disciplinary policies against students operating accounts that violate their cyberbullying policies. Among those such districts is Columbia Public Schools.

CPS is in its second year of contracting with Meltwater, CPS Community Relations Director Michelle Baumstark said in an email interview, and the district pays $6,000 each year to the company.

Baumstark said the company’s software searches the internet’s publicly available documents for any keywords she requests. Public sites on the internet include tweets from unlocked accounts, conventional media like news sites and blogs.

“Some examples [of keywords] are school building names,” Baumstark said. “Names of key people like [Superintendent] Chris Belcher or [School Board President] Christine King, name abbreviations such as RBHS or terms like bully.”

Meltwater is an online ‘Software as a Service’ platform that helps businesses monitor their brand in traditional online media and social media, Marc Cowlin, Meltwater’s public relations director, said in an email interview.

“Meltwater analyzes billions of digital documents daily to help organizations and business like CPS to better understand our brand, customers, and social media,” Baumstark said. “We also have an added bonus of using the system to help provide more insight into how our students are behaving or what they are posting online.”

Baumstark added that the monitoring reaches to posts made from every device, not just school-provided devices like iPads and school computers. This expands the district’s watchful gaze to more than traditional systems of surveillance.

The purpose of this advanced cyber-monitoring is student safety and Meltwater helps the district prevent cyberbullying and other harmful online activities, Baumstark said. CPS is using the company’s services to deal with a problem Baumstark said is a violation of district policy.

“A good example is the current problem with anonymous Twitter accounts,” Baumstark said. “For every one that we have pulled down another pops up. This monitoring service helps notify me when we have another one that students have created.”

Some of these anonymous accounts are against CPS’s policies regarding harassment and cyberbullying, Baumstark said, and the district has identified 23 of those such accounts. She said the district often takes action against these types of offenses. Discipline, according to the district’s policy on hazing and bullying, “includes, but is

not limited to, suspension or expulsion from school and removal from participation in activities.”

“These accounts are being used as a means for students to harass and bully other students without being accountable for their actions,” Baumstark said. “They are completely inappropriate.”

School districts across the nation have disciplined students during the past year regarding anonymous Twitter accounts, especially “confessions” accounts. More than 20 students from McKay High School in Salem, Ore. were suspended recently for retweeting a tweet alleging that a teacher at the school flirted with her students, according to USA TODAY. “We report [the accounts] to Twitter for removal and then work to identify any students involved [and] contact parents,” Baumstark said. “Also, in some cases students may be subject to disciplinary action as defined by board policy.”

Although the district assures that the program’s purpose is benign, senior Maaz Muhammad believes that this type of monitoring is outside the district’s reach.

“The school district’s job is to keep students safe within the school, not outside of school,” Muhammad said. “That’s not the school’s job.”

Other students disagree with Muhammad’s opinion, however.

Freshman Kailey Miller supports the district’s use of the program and said CPS’s motives are good.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Miller said. “I mean, if they’re not invading anyone’s privacy, and it’s for the good of the students, then yeah, it’s fine.”

Mid-Missouri American Civil Liberties Union Director and attorney Dan Vites said this monitoring does not constitute any privacy violations, rather, he believes it is “just a big waste of public money.” Baumstark said that students have the right to free speech, saying CPS is not “encroaching” on those freedoms.

Despite the questions on privacy, Baumstark reminds students that no matter the anonymity of the account, those who post on it must keep accountability in mind. The monitoring serves to provide discipline for violations of district policy, Baumstark said, and the identities of those who follow the accounts in question are not hidden.

“I think the important point here is that students are using these accounts to attempt to avoid consequences and to say things that they wouldn’t normally say to someone,” Baumstark said. “If you wouldn’t say it in person, you most definitely shouldn’t be posting it online. Additionally, those that follow these accounts are not anonymous. Students need to think about that when they click the follow button on these types of accounts. It is important for students to be responsible and make good choices when it comes to the use and abuse of social media. These accounts are inappropriate and reflect poorly on the students and their schools.”

New iPads covered under District Technology Agreement Sophie Whyte

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chools across the nation are eager in their pursuit of raising educational scores and standards, according to census.gov. Part of this education is technological use in this 21st century world, which is why schools are incorporating computer and tablet usage into curriculum. RBHS uses computer labs, allows cellphone use during school hours and starting this past August, advance placement students own iPads.

Junior Prarthana Patel says she uses her iPad for about an hour a day, using apps like Dictionary and Quizlet to study. She also enjoys gaming apps in her spare time after school.

With the new abundance of schoolowned, personal iPads, student privacy in reference to technology has become a concern as more schools are issuing these educational components like iPads and laptops, especially since they are equipped with microphones and cameras. In 2010, Pennsylvania schools monitored students via their school-is-

sued laptop camera. This became a law suit, Robbins v. Lower Merion School District, had the district pay $610,000 to two families in compensation for invasion of privacy.

Rare but memorable cases such as this prompt questions about the privacy for students in Columbia Public School district. The school district has the ability to view iPad locations, school email messages and times the computers are used, but with more than 2,000 students in the school, it is impossible for administrators to monitor all activities. Administrators only look into technology usage when a concern arises of a students’ safety Media Specialist Dennis Murphy said. Student privacy is a big concern, especially for students.

“In my opinion, schools should monitor the use of technology to an extent,” Patel said. “The staff should not monitor the usage of phones and iPads during students’ free time, passing periods or lunches.

However, if a student is using an electronic device frequently without teacher’s permission, the teacher should have the right to take away the device for the rest of the class. Also, the staff members should understand the importance of technology in students’ lives and should let them use it if necessary and appropriate.”

RBHS has freedom as an important value, and that includes freedom with technology. As long as students use their devices appropriately, then there are no problems, Murphy said. He also says the technology license agreement form

has stayed the same through this year, even with the introduction of iPads.

“An iPad is just like any other technology, a computer here at school or your locker or your server space. So the only time that someone would actually take your device and look at it would be if they thought there was something that they needed to see for some reason,” Murphy said. “I really don’t know of any instance where anyone looks at an iPad for any reason other than to help someone that needs help with it.”

Suspension of a device would occur in instances such as cheating, cyber bullying or usage after told by a teacher not to according to the technology agreement. Many students use school technology for gaming or social media, but as long as this is done outside of school hours or with teacher permission, there are no problems, Murphy said. Administrators can view activity on technological devices, as long as it’s not on a personal account.

Junior Jett Ballou-Crawford admits to movie-watching on her iPad using Netflix outside of school, along with her studying uses.

“The only trouble I have heard of with iPads is teachers getting mad at students for having them out in class at inappropriate times,” Ballou-Crawford said. “Or gaming on them instead of doing work.”

These instances are nothing new, however. Students for years have found ways to be distracted in class, even without school issued technology with the passing of notes and whispering to friends. Although some distractions may have increased

with the introduction of cell phones and iPads, with the NY Times saying this digital age is “wired for distraction.” These distractions may be a cause for teachers to take away your device, but generally teachers don’t need to look into students’ files or applications.

“If there was something bad going on or something that [administrators] thought you might be involved with … then they can take your iPad or your computer or your server space and look at what you have,” Murphy said. “Or your email and look at that. One exception to that would be your Gmail account or your Hotmail account, which is your personal account, so they can’t see that without a court order because that is your personal account that is not given to you by the Columbia Public Schools.”

Even though administrators have the ability to view student technology activity, they often don’t have the time or the interest to look, Media Center Specialist Gwen Struchtemeyer said.

Every school is different, however, such as in the case of Robbins v. Lower Merion School District.

“I don’t think school administrators should be allowed to monitor students’ technology use at all. I feel that by entrusting us with technology they have paid for, they should also be able to trust that we will use it responsibly,” Ballou-Crawford said. “Besides, I think that if students are planning on being irresponsible with technology, they would end up using their own technology or finding other methods, so monitoring school equipment would not really solve anything. But I do think that if schools are planning on monitoring usage, students have the right to know.”

In-Depths

B5

Securing the future Memorization, application and a happy medium Brayden Parker

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t may have been 1776, but the founding fathers were ready.

Among the countless preparations they included in their new American government, the drafters of the eternally famous Declaration of Independence made certain their citizens, both present and future, understood their responsibilities as human beings. Near the end of the introduction, Thomas Jefferson alerts the American people of the obligation that they have to themselves for their future and their well being. In regard to the pressure that comes from preparing and managing the chaotic nature of life Jefferson penned “It is their right, it is their duty ... to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Late adolescence is the prime period for students to begin the very task of stabilizing the rest of their lives. While the everyday happenings don’t often require teens to make life-altering decisions, the time in a young student’s life is rapidly approaching where instruction will cease and the responsibilities of day-to-day living will become the focus. There is hardly time to lose in preparation as students already lead busy lives outside of the classroom. With the amount of time teenagers spend in the classroom, it has long been the expectation that school is the place to mold teenagers into effective young adults.

The many teachers in the United States provide infinitely diverse teaching styles students interact with every day. Likewise, there is an equally large population of students to fit teaching methods to, which leaves wide open the long contested debate over what methods are most effective in the classroom.

A recent study by The University of Indiana Education Department compartmentalized teaching styles into three central categories: memorization, understanding and application.

The trends are beginning to shift from the long established method of rote memorization and into the realm of real application which relies on students to be resourceful in their learning.

“You are seeing at the national level in the way tests are changing, and you’re seeing it happening right now,” RBHS social studies teacher Matt Dingler said. “In the next two years, social studies and language arts tests will look more like this and actually the ACT will change to look more like this, but you will be given whatever prompt or whatever question is being asked of you and they then provide you with all the necessary resources that you will possibly need to answer that question. So it’s no longer about having background information or information memorized. It’s what can you do with whatever has been given to you.”

Widely known in the education community as Smarter Balanced Assessments, the tests allow the student to be creative and freely express their personal ideas in a variety of methods.

According to the testing

services website, smarterbalanced.org, the company’s philosophy is based on an ideal where the memorization of material requires tests centered around right and wrong answers, yet modern teaching is headed toward enabling students to have the opportunity to explain themselves, defend their ideas and engage in self-directed learning.

“In every field there are facts people have to know and access quickly,” senior Megan Kelly, a proponent of fact-based learning, said.

“Straight memorization helps people to know information. It is a starting point for gaining knowledge. Then you can use creativity to expand and synthesize. You use creativity to make the information meaningful.”

The varying styles of teaching appear to be divided across particular subject areas. Brought up in debates following the institution of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, the use of standardized tests, similar to those of math and science, rely on the memorization of facts. Opponents to the bill worried over the loss of a more creative learning, used primarily in social studies and language arts assessments.

Although there is a divide among the subject areas, junior Emily Vu, who plans on studying engineering after high school, believes it is necessary to have a mixture of both and that the balance between the more rigid ways of teaching sciences and the loose approach to teaching language arts is important.

“I think there should be a little bit of both,” Vu said. “There should still be things you have to know, but [there] needs to be some creative way to get it ingrained into your head. Like in math a teacher could give you all of these formulas to tell you how to use it to solve this problem, but if you don’t know how that formula is derived or what it means you are never going to remember it.”

Dingler agrees that in the transition to preparing students through a more creative style of learning, the educational community has reached one end of the spectrum, and it will be more effective when a middle ground is reached.

“I think what has been lost in shifting the emphasis for memorization to ability and skill is really it’s nice to have both. The people who can recall things that they have learned in terms of information and then use that, that’s a time saver,” Dingler said. “They don’t have to look things up, so I think in shifting the focus to skills and the ability to learn we have gone to one side of the pendulum, and it’ll be nice

when it swings back a little and you have memorization and skills in both of those in a good proportion and then that’s when you have people who can be very effective.”

As the styles of instruction modify, the purpose of education has also seen drastic changes.

Beginning in 1918, every state in the country provided free public education for all children and although not required past elementary school, able students continued through high school to receive job instruction. Now, with the fluidity of the job market, people aren’t guaranteed to stay in the same field of work forever and the ability to be versatile is invaluable. The pressure of instruction is now based on teaching students the proper ways to learn.

“I think any job that you enter into in any field, they provide the training,” Dingler said.

“The first portion of the time there is learning how to do the job. So they provide all the ... information you need. So the big thing is, are you trainable? Are you someone who knows how to learn? Are you someone who has learned how to learn?”

While individual instructors often debate the purpose of teaching, teachers remain set on their purpose, written subtly in their mission statement: “Where learning is life.” As a whole the school attempts to create not only effective people in future society, but also effective learners who continue evolving outside of the classroom.

Regardless of instructional method it is still the responsibility of the student to take control of their individual learning. As the founding fathers once imagined, the power ultimately falls to the people to secure their desired future.

Always changing styles of teaching are just a means to the end.

“It is ultimately the students’ responsibility to make the most out of the classes they take,” Kelly said. “Not all teachers will teach the way you want them to. So it is the student’s responsibility to seek help from either the teacher or others if they need it. It just makes it a more enjoyable experience when students like the way a teacher teaches.”

B6

Editorials

Columbia Board of Education bond issue presents opportunity for necessary changes

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tudent enrollment in the Columbia Public Schools district is facing significant increases, with an additional 1,700 students joining in just the last 10 years, and an additional 1,000 students projected to enroll in the next five years. With the influx of student enrollment, on top of the 17,905 students already enrolled, the district faces the dire necessity to accommodate facilities through a variety of methods, and in several schools.

In order to adjust to the population changes, and look toward the future of CPS, the Columbia Board of Education has called a special election on Tuesday, April 8, for the purpose of submitting a proposal for a $50 million bond issue, with a four-cent debt service levy increase to Columbia voters. The proposal requires a 57 percent approval among voters before the bond can come into effect.

Many schools will experience the benefits in terms of construction, building improvements and numerous technological advances the bond has to offer. But more specifically, the upgrades the bond presents to RBHS are especially necessary and would be of great assistance to the school. Of the $50 million bond, $1.9 million is allotted for improvements at RBHS, including the replacement of field lights and concession stand and restroom renovations and improvements to the school’s technology infrastructure.

In terms of the developments to the athletic facilities, the potential for an upgraded outdoor stadium, with new lights and a cleaner concession area would help bring RBHS athletic amenities up to the MSHSAA code compliance level. CPS superintendent Chris Belcher said mere PTA donations funded the current concession stand, so the increased finances provided by the bond, will provide an updated refreshment area.

Additionally, the bond commits a new grandstand, a new press box and new lights to the RBHS stadium.

The bond would renovate facilities in dire need of im-

provement, as all older structures require a little fixing up at some point in time. Also, the prospect of keeping the stadium up to MSHSAA code is a necessity for RBHS and the importance of athletes and the athletic program to the school.

Aside from the athletic improvements, the approval of the bond would provide technological benefits to RBHS as well. From the proposed $50 million bond, $4 million is allotted for technology infrastructure in several schools, servers and storage area networks, according to Belcher.

And the need for technology at RBHS is of utmost importance since, according to the National Center for Education Statistics at www.nces.ed.gov, in 2011, 40 percent of teachers reported they or their students used computers in the classroom during instructional time very often, and 29 percent of teacher reported using technology sometimes.

With an increase in technology use in classrooms, the CPS bond issue proposal is a step in the right direction. Using the funds to progress the use of technology in classrooms assists in preparing CPS students for the increasingly technologically advanced world of today.

It is essential that the Columbia Board of Education votes to approve the $50 million bond issue at the April 8 meeting.

Failing to move forward with this bond issue now will put the district further behind in addressing growth and building needs.

If this bond issue proposal is approved by voters, funds will not be available until 2016, but necessary planning for the plethora of projects proposed can begin immediately.

Therefore, for RBHS in particular, the approval of this bond issue is necessary, as the technological advances and improvements to the athletic facility provide the prospect of making RBHS the best it can possibly be.

The Columbia Board of Education is holding an election regarding a proposed $50 million bond issue.

Is the money being used properly?

“The Rock” staff voted Yes - 18 No - 4

New field turf necessitates reconstruction of track Josh Ripley

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ecently Columbia Public Schools announced that they would replace the playing surface at Wayne Sells Field at RBHS. FieldTurf, the type on Sells Field, was found to be defective around the time RBHS installed theirs.

While I’m always in favor of upgrading facilities to ensure we have the best available for our athletes, the new turf announcement only brings more attention in my mind to the poor and continually deteriorating condition of the track that encircles the field.

During the last few years, CPS

has made massive overhauls and improvements with their athletic facilities, including a new indoor baseball training center at RBHS, new turf at Hickman High School and new gyms at both schools. Throughout all these changes and upgrades, CPS has continually ignored the most glaring eyesore within the three high schools.

The track is nothing short of embarrassing.

While we only host one track meet a year, the small RBHS Invitational, that does not excuse the lack of action by CPS in upgrading the primary training facility for some of the most successful athletes at RBHS over the past few years.

art by Elena Franck

We want to hear from you Send letters to the editor to contact@bearingnews.org. Names will be held upon request, but the original copy must be signed.

In addition to its unsightly appearance, the track is worn down and hard, making it less than ideal to run on. It is mostly the standard reddish brown, although there are also blotches of green mixed in, making it painfully clear that it was poorly resurfaced and the new layer is already breaking down.

As a member of the track and field team, I am impressed with the facilities of other schools across the state. Everywhere we go for meets, from Jefferson City to Kirkwood to Camdenton, the track is always in tiptop condition and looks brand new.

Though it is necessary for a new track to be installed, the new turf is a good decision. I’ve seen what happens to Fieldturf when it reaches a certain age, and it definitely becomes an injury risk. In 2011, The University of Missouri-Columbia was in a similar predicament. That year was filled with constant complaints about the slickness and lack of traction on Faurot Field, which culminated when star running back, Henry Josey, among others went down with a major injury on the aging playing surface.

The safety of the athletes should be the top priority at RBHS, and it’s encouraging to see the administration taking steps to ensure that is the case. However, the track is still well below the standards set by other MSHSAA Class 4 schools.

The track is one of the last things that clearly remains on the to do list. Still it has yet to be done and it has been in poor condition for quite a while.

A new track is a necessary addition for athletes who devote their time, day after day, for the students who use it to pick up a P.E. credit and for the community that puts so much into our school.

The Rock Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Rd., Columbia, Mo. 65203 Vol. 41, Issue The Journalism: Newspaper and Honors Seminar class produces The Rock, Bearing News and Southpaw. Call us with comments at 573-214-3141, or email us at contactus@bearingnews. org The paper’s purpose is to accurately inform, educate and enlighten readers in an open

photo by Mikaela Acton

Science education in U.S. lacks adequate hands-on activities

tures.

This way, teachers can enforce the inforix times a year, students get up early on mation students learn through traditional a Saturday morning and make the com- learning methods, such as reading textbooks mute to school to take the American and taking notes, with experiences the stuCollege Testing exam, otherwise known as dents are more likely to remember further the ACT. The test consists of an English, on down the road. During tests, students mathematics, reading and science section, in will then be more likely to recall the information they learned through enjoyable acthat order.

The last section, though, seems to be the tivities, because lectures that they find bormost challenging for students, according to ing might not be effective at embedding the necessary course material into their heads. annual statistics.

Another reason students cannot learn For me, the science section of the ACT was always one of the hardest, and I blew science efficiently just by memorizing forthrough several practice tests before I got mulas and random facts is because science a decent score. But the problem applies to is much more than learning a few pieces of many students who take the test. According information through this method of rote to research findings published by ACT, only memorization; science is an ever-changing 36 percent of test takers met the ACT Col- entity. It is not comparable to subjects like lege Readiness Benchmark for science as of English or history, because science does not require students to 2013. know the role of the These findings The United States British in the French indicate that more than two-thirds of has the potential and Indian War, or how to properly students did not have to develop the use a proverb in a the scientific knowlminds of the sentence. Although edge they needed to scientists rely on a do well in college, next generation’s knowledge of sciand this was after top scientists. It entific facts from these individuals had has all the right which they can base graduated from four ingredients for it; their thinking off years of high school education. all it needs now is of, they usually apply what they know This raises a red the right recipe. to the current task at flag for all American hand. education systems.

Scientists don’t The U.S. education system is in dire need of a reform, from spit out the information they learned in high top to bottom. There are many ways teach- school on a regular basis; they are thinking ers can do their part to help their students people who challenge old theories and test learn better; change always starts small, but out new ideas of their own. If those skills are needed in a science-related career, then it needs to start somewhere.

According to a study by The Journal of Ef- our education systems should be stressing fective Teaching, “active techniques do aid in their importance.

The U.S. has the potential to develop the increasing learning as in-class activities led to higher overall scores while lecture led to minds of the next generation’s top scienthe lowest overall scores.” The study, titled tists. It has all the right ingredients for it; all “Learning by Doing: An Empirical Study it needs now is the right recipe. By changof Active Teaching Techniques,” tested four ing the way our science instructors enforce different types of teaching techniques: lec- learning through an increase in hands-on tures, demonstrations, in-class activities, and activities available to students, our nation will be one step closer to becoming compadiscussions.

The report concluded that in-class activi- rable to the caliber of science education in ties tend to cause better retention of infor- other nations. In this manner, the U.S. can mation in students, and lectures often led reform the curriculum of its school systems to the worst performance in students. But efficiently.

On an international scale, it is entirely along with these conclusions, the study also stressed that a perfect balance of the four possible for American students to eventumethods of teaching are needed for a suc- ally overtake the current achieving countries, cessful classroom experience. A good teach- and their excellence in science education can er would use multiple strategies in order to not only bring up the prominence of the ingrain the course material into his or her U.S. on a global scale, but it can also prepare our youth for the technologically-advanced students’ brains.

In order to boost the nation’s scientific future. But in order for this reform to hapcapabilities, teachers should change the pen, we must take initiative. This reform can structure of their lesson plans in a way that only start if instructors change the way in incorporates more hands-on activities that which they teach, with their students’ best directly correspond with class notes and lec- interests in mind.

Afsah Khan

S

forum. The Rock is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Quill & Scroll.

Advertising is $50 for a quarter page, $100 for a half page and $150 for a whole page.

Publication: The Journalism Newspaper class produces the Rock at Rock Bridge High School, located at 4303 South Providence Road, Columbia, Mo. 65203 The Rock Editors-in-Chief: Ashleigh Atasoy, Trisha Chaudhary, Manal Salim

BearingNews Editors-in-Chief: Urmila Kutikkad, Afsah Khan Production Managers: Brittany Cornelison, Renata Williams Arts and Entertainment Editor: Sophie Whyte Art Editor: Yasmeen El-Jayyousi Commentary Editor: Luke Chval Community Editor: George Sarafianos Design Editor: Renata Williams News Editor: Brett Stover Features Editor: Justin Sutherland Editorials Editor: Manal Salim Health & Wellness Editor: Anna Wright

In-Depths Editor: Emily Franke Photography Editor: Maribeth Eiken Sports Editors: Brayden Parker, Harsh Singh Staff Writers: Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi, Madison Mertz, Sam Mitten, Ross Parks, Graham Ratermann, Joshua Ripley, Pen Terry, Derek Wang, Jay Whang Artists: Alex Carranza, Madeline Mueller, Sarah Poor, John Gillis Photographers: Mikaela Acton, Morgan Berk Videographer: Eric Glennon

Editorials

B7

Downtown construction requires different location Ross Parks

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s the largest city within the region, Columbia has always enjoyed the progressive nature of the University of Missouri-Columbia, the fruits of entrepreneurial businesses and the labor force of both the city’s residents and the surrounding communities.

The history of Columbia, is one for which any resident should be proud, and mindful of. The accomplishments and steps Columbia has taken forward from a small town, small city, to sizeable metro area with the city at the center, have been successful thus far.

No longer are we simply a point halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis, where the University of Missouri happens to reside. Instead, with a city population now well above 100,000 the community once known simply for the universities within it, has grown to something more.

Now, while perhaps a good portion of the growth we experience is because of the colleges within the city limits, it cannot be denied that the city is growing and at a fast rate. The truth will soon become that Columbia will become a city with colleges, rather than the college town it has been in the past, and it is our responsibility to recognize and adapt to these changes with a full embrace. It is often said that if a society is not growing, it is shrinking and the same goes for cities.

Growth is a blessing to any sized community, but given the opportunity to emerge from a big town, to sizeable city, is rarely afforded to any population and is one Columbia should embrace like all the other changes we have so far encountered and accommodated.

This transition, however, is one that is not faced only internally, but one that will take shape in a literal fashion, through the refurbishment and upward growth of the city’s downtown district, or some area in which the affluence and progress of the city can be shown. While the nostalgia of the city’s past, and the unique aspects of this city flourishes within the area directly south of UMC’s campus, the time has come to reconsider how we treat the district.

According to my calculations, the daytime population of Columbia is now around 143,000 people, an addition of roughly 37,000 people when it was calculated in 2000, that is growth that does not include the students of universities, an additional 49,563 people. All together, including those who commute to Columbia, go to school here and are permanent residents, the population of Columbia on any given day nine months out of the year is 192,196 people, nearly an addition of half of our stable population within city limits.

Perhaps to put things into perspective, this calculation is greater than the separate total stable populations of Salt Lake City, Utah and Tallahassee, Fla. Both of these cities, though truly larger, but not by much, have multiple buildings exceeding twenty stories or higher. Recently, Columbia has been approached by an architecture firm which wishes to build a 24-story apartment building, which was faced with both opposition and understanding acceptance.

However, it has been recently discovered that the city’s current infrastructure does not support, not only such a building, but anymore renovation and construction at this time.

The city council voted in a five to two decision that the city would not support a tax on sales to help pay for the necessary improvements needed to accommodate the building projects around the district. Many residents, for one reason or another, say it should be the job of developers to pay for the multi-million dollar improvements to the infrastructure. However, while I reserve serious judgement on those who stifle progress, the truth is this attention shows the greater world Columbia is more than a town, which it now is whether they like it or not.

Honestly, the question doesn’t have to be, “do we or do we not want to build huge buildings and crowd our streets and quaint private businesses?” but rather, “do we want to continue to thrive as a community, and attract the business and interest of people that will inevitably promote the growth of Columbia?” After all, the truth is that the citizens and leaders of this community cannot afford to turn their collective noses up toward growth, because these are opportunities allow the city to monitor change and regulate and plan to become larger. While it can be agreed that The District of Columbia, a play on words that took me a while, too, will grow, maybe not all the city’s growth must occur in that one location. While some buildings must go up for the sake of accommodating more people and business, soon large companies such as IBM has recently done, will be interested in incorporating themselves into the city’s large labor force, while hopefully expanding it, as well.

Instead, the city should consider, seeing that it may not be willing to change the face of the historic downtown, an area dedicated to this new urban spread in which the city can show its growth without harming its compact and rich past. After all, one thing the city is not short on outside the limits of the downtown area, is room to grow.

While it may not be conventional to place the larger buildings of a city nearer the outskirts of town, Columbia has a unique aspect that it sits at the crossroads between two major interstates, which can make commuting and business fast and effective for the potential contractors and developers of the large swaths of land that currently sit empty, awaiting progress and expansion. With a moment’s thought, two large plots of land come to mind.

Virtually any area east of Highway 63 between the East Broadway exit and Discovery Parkway sits awaiting something to happen as well as any area on East 70. Both these areas would have no trouble accommodating new buildings, and should be capable of handling some more traffic. The city should be mindful of keeping space open for interested businesses.

In all, nothing more than the progress of the city is at stake, and agreeably its central identity and no decision that is made on the issue should be taken lightly, but it should be made quickly. Because after all, if the city wishes to continue to not only be an attractive college town, but also a city, serious planning and fresh perspectives will be needed to make sure that Columbia continues to grow in a positive direction.

Art by Elena Franck

Source: usalacrosse.org

Fast growing sport receives little recognition

Lack of promotion in schools prevents lacrosse from achieving full potential Emily Franke

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n Columbia, there is one girls lacrosse team. It is an expensive, unsanctioned and widely unknown group of athletes.

The anonymity of womens lacrosse in the center of the state harshly limits the size of the team as well as the fan size. The failure of RBHS to recognize the girls lacrosse team as an official school sport goes against the usual values of progressiveness that the school typically displays.

Womens lacrosse was the fastest growing college sport in 20122013, with 40 teams added, according to the National College Athletic Association’s annual participation

report. Columbia Public Schools would be very wise to latch on to the opportunity to sanction girls lacrosse before it is too late to catch up with the prestigious teams of Kansas City and St. Louis. At laxpower.com, six Missouri high schools are ranked in the top 100 Midwest teams, all of which are located in or around the Kansas City and St. Louis areas.

Even with such successful teams, MSHSAA considers girls lacrosse an emerging sport. This growing nature of lacrosse as an increasingly recognized sport is the root of major benefits of the sport for high school girls—the sport requires little to no experience to start, especially at schools with

newly instated teams.

If CPS sanctions high school lacrosse next year, girls with zero years of experience would have the same opportunity as girls with any number of years of experience playing for the city team. Whereas soccer, basketball and even cheerleading require tryouts, girls lacrosse would not necessitate any tryouts and no exhibited ability for a girl to play.

The opportunistic quality of a new high school team could allow more non-athletic girls to become involved in a sport, which is unheard of with other sports.

Every girl in CPS who will be in high school next year has the opportunity to voice either their

support or their intent to play for a high school team in the coming school year at a board meeting on April 14.

Even with potential assistance from the school board, support from the district is not enough to create a team.

It is not enough to make the option available. Building a team takes recruiting, spreading the word, encouraging individual girls to play and so much more.

If athletic directors, coaches and even teachers talked to students about the benefits of a girls lacrosse team, there would be a higher chance of successfully sanctioning a team for the 2014-2015 school year.

Social stigma prevents adequate treatment of mental illness Anna Wright

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n this rapidly advancing age of science and technology, researchers are hurtling forward the field of medical investigation and discovery. Our knowledge of the human brain and diseases afflicting this central organ is expanding exponentially, yet mental illness remains a dated social taboo. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Time to Change, an organization advocating against mental health organizations, a tragic 26 percent of young people said the stigma attached to their mental illness made them want to give up on life.

Despite the scientific evidence that these often debilitating diseases are biological in nature, with logical, objective explanations available at a cellular level, individuals affected by these disorders suffer in the face of society’s unacceptable mental health shaming. This psychiatric stigma contradicts what we know about the causes of mental illness, creating a sense of secrecy regarding such conditions.

In recent years, doctors suggested various biochemical explanations as to what causes diseases such as clinical depression, chronic anxiety and bipolar disorder. Magnetic resonance imaging has illustrated a noticeable difference in the appearance of brains of healthy individuals and those in people afflicted with depression, according to the National Institution of Mental Health. The sections of the brain controlling mood, sleeping, thinking, appetite and behavior looked different in those with depression, indicating a contrast between the bio-

chemical activity of healthy and depressed brains.

A study conducted at Cambridge University established the first possible biomarker for clinical depression by showing a correlation between the disease itself and elevated levels of a stress hormone known as cortisol. Teenage boys with depressive symptoms and raised cortisol levels were found to be 14 times more likely to develop major clinical depression than their hormonally balanced counterparts.

Bipolar disorder, another mental illness with a negatively charged stigma, has a neurological basis that goes largely unrecognized by the general public. Despite the disease affecting nearly 5.7 million Americans, or about 2.6 percent of the U.S. population, the public often labels those suffering as “moody” or “dramatic,” looking down on them as people who simply can’t handle having a range of emotions.

In reality, the onset of bipolar disorder is attributed solely to the internal workings of the brain. An article published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics brings into light a variety of medical explanations for the disease, including evidence.

The article asserts “changes are evident at nearly all levels of the central nervous system in bipolar patients” and that “numerous biochemical abnormalities have been detected by measuring one or another neurotransmitter metabolites, or hormones in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and postmortem tissue studies.” In other words, bipolar brains have fundamental chemical differences from normal brains and these differences have been studied

and detected by scientists through the utilization of modern medical research practices.

Having bipolar disorder, much like having depression, is not an imagined disease or the fault of the affected individual, but rather a serious brainbased disease with treatable, scientifically accountable roots.

Despite clear evidence that mental illnesses are largely based on biological traits beyond the control of any given individual, rampant bias continues to plague our society. A disturbing study by Bernice Pescosolido, a stigma researcher at the University of Indiana, found that 68 percent of Americans do not want someone with a mental illness marrying into their family and 58 percent do not want people with mental illness in their workplaces. Furthermore, more than 45 percent of

people surveyed by University of Calgary stigma researcher JianLi Wang said they believed that depressed people are unpredictable, and 20 percent said depressed people tend to be dangerous.

The consequences of such social stigmas against mental disorders are severe. Taboos surrounding diseases evoke a feeling of discomfort in those seeking out help, discouraging treatment and leading mental illness to go untreated.

The NIMH estimated in 2010 that 51 percent of those with bipolar disorder don’t receive treatment.

This is unfortunate, given that the NIMH reports up to 80 percent of those treated for depression show an improvement in their symptoms generally within four to six weeks of beginning medication, psychotherapy, attending support groups or a combination of these treatments.

We wouldn’t shame someone for having cancer, Parkinson’s disease or Epilepsy, and mental illness should be regarded in the same light. Biochemical imbalance causes these disorders, not egocentrism, attention-seeking or self pity. Mental illness does not define one’s character or potential and the societal stigma surrounding diseases needs to be addressed immediately with an open social dialogue.

We must encourage loved ones afflicted with mental illness to seek help through psychotherapy or prescription medication and regard their condition as scientifically accountable rather than a personal flaw.

Obliterating the mental illness stigma and taboo is essential to the progression of medical research and the well being of those who suffer from these serious, yet highly treatable, diseases.

Photo by Morgan Berk

B8

Commentary

GIVING BACK

art by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

Acts of kindness, students volunteering for the community Manal Salim

O

one person dies of hunger nearly every three seconds.”

These words she uttered resonate in my mind to this day. I remember my hand froze before I could finish pouring the last few grains of rice into the bag.

I stopped and thought about what the spokeswoman from the Stop Hunger Now organization had just said, and in that moment I realized the simple task I was performing would make a life-changing difference in someone’s life. It was as though a barrier had been lifted, as I was now able to see the reality of the situation, and the direct correlation between the rice packaging I was performing and the life-saving meals that would be provided as a result.

In November I stood among the hundreds of other Columbians participating in the “Spread the Peace; Feed the Hungry” project, co-sponsored by the Islamic Center of Central Missouri and the Stop Hunger Now organization. I remember being astounded by the 150 people who had gathered to support the event, and how quickly everything got started. We were all assigned a duty, mine being to weigh the bags of rice and adjust the amount in the bag to

the proper weight. Everything suddenly started buzzing as volunteers diligently performed their designated tasks as I concentrated on mine as well.

Why was I participating in this activity? Perhaps I did it to be a part of the community or be alongside my friends, but in all honesty, I didn’t have a defining reason as to why I was partaking in the event.

I didn’t have a reason until the wise words of the spokeswoman emanated from the megaphone. In that moment, the fruits of my labor suddenly became a reality. Weighing bags of rice was a seemingly simple task for me to perform, but those exact same bags would be the difference between life with a full stomach or death from hunger for another person, perhaps across the world. From this realization, the job I was undertaking became so much more meaningful. I perfected my measurements, and put a little more heart and soul into those bags.

From that day, I carry the reminder that every act of contribution to society will impact both my life and the lives of others. I learned that volunteerism shouldn’t be taken lightly, as it is an extremely meaningful, important and necessary action to consistently carry out. What may take a few minutes of my

time will eventually contribute to a greater good, either now or in the near future, and could make a life-changing difference in someone else’s life.

Keeping this notion at the forefront of my mind, I decided to participate in various acts of volunteerism, including teaching at the mosque weekend school, making Linus blankets and cleaning streams for service clubs at RBHS. In addition, I am even more determined now to pursue a career as health professional to ensure I will have the chance to have a greater impact on the well-being of society.

One person every three seconds, meaning 600 people, would have lost his or her life to hunger by the time I finish writing this commentary. But that doesn’t mean I, or anyone else, should merely mope about with that information. Rather, it is important to realize the many volunteer opportunities Columbia presents to its residents. Any volunteer work one participates in is a step in the right direction. Regardless of the activity, I realized volunteerism has allowed me to not only grow as a person in the variety of experiences I had a chance to engage in, but also allowed me to realize the many lives I’ve been lucky enough to directly impact through the many opportunities I have been a part of.

Emily Franke

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fter a month of snow days and extended weekends, it is easy to fall into a slump, to lose motivation and slack off in my classes. I am burnt out. Lacrosse season and the promise of summer steal my focus, and my classes seem less interesting than they did in August.

Yet one class still brings a daily bout of inspiration and excitement.

Every other day, I spend my first hour at La Petite École, a French immersion school. For one hour, I speak French and work with children under five years old who come from English-speaking homes. This school is designed to immerse children in the French language and culture so they learn the language in the same way every child learns their first words.

On the first day of school, few, if any, of the ten kids knew any French. Now, each child can manage not only to form complete sentences but is also capable of reading new vocabulary and holding full conversations in French.

Even in my slump, these kids inspire me to enjoy the last year and a quarter of my high school education. They

are just starting their career of learning.

Working at this great place has opened future options for me. I can see myself working with kids, working with a different language or even working with education in general.

There, the kids inspire me to find my passion for learning for the sake of learning, working with them inspires me to apply what I’ve learned to other areas of my life.

As a musician, I have a passion for music similar to that of the people who run this school. For me, music is a language and it can be learned, understood and performed.

Recently, one teacher commented that the language is alive, that it grows as you learn it and that if you don’t try to improve it, you are not letting the language live. After hearing this, I realized music is alive as well. When you read an ancient piece, when you play music that was written a century ago, you are keeping someone else’s ideas alive. If I apply the educational values of LPÉ to music, I can envision myself teaching music someday.

Not only do I believe the school holds inspirational value, but I also believe the opportunity to take an internship class provides a chance

at looking into a more vivid depiction of one’s future options. Volunteering at LPÉ has offered me the opportunity to experience the life of a teacher, work with children and work in an environment completely foreign to the American culture. With this new experience, I see the importance of openning my eyes and mind to all possible careers and paths for my future because you never know what you will find or how it will affect you.

School is often tedious and bogged down by grades and expectations. I appreciate the release this internship provided for the past year. With the pressures of school, it is difficult to see any real value in what I learn. However, working with these kids has opened my eyes to the reality that there is a joy in learning. When one little girl struggles over a set of letters for a few minutes, finally sounds out the word and suddenly realizes that she can read it out loud, her eyes light up and she smiles with pure delight, repeating what she has learned for her friends to hear because she is so proud.

Even with grades and the importance of GPA, I can step back and consider what I am actually doing. I am learning, and that in itself is a reward.

L e av i n g h i g h s c h o o l , with comforts of home Afsah Khan

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ith the thought of leaving home to attend college is close to becoming a reality for many seniors, my friends talk about their excitement to “finally” get away from their parents and live on their own. They mostly want to get away from the constant nagging of their parents and the constant chatter of younger siblings.

While the idea of this seemingly unlimited freedom approaching creates hype among many of my friends, I can’t include myself in their celebration.

I decided to stay at home for the next four years of college based off of many factors. I’m among the youngest in my class, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle leaving home at the age of 17. And being the oldest child in the family, I didn’t think it was right of me to leave two younger brothers behind at home at a time when they still need me to guide them through the tough challenges of elementary school and the scary realities of high school.

Personally, I’m attending the University of Missouri—Columbia, so staying at home isn’t all that difficult.

College will just be a small drive every

morning, and I’ll have the luxury of living in a huge bedroom of my own instead of a cramped dorm room I share with someone else. I can construct a long list of reasons why I want to stay at home, but the main reason is simply because I’m too attached to my family.

My friends seem appalled whenever I mention this, but I can’t explain how much my family means to me. While other seniors can’t wait to leave home, my folks have been making an effort to keep me home ever since the idea of college first came up.

I grew up in a house where the cultural expectation is to stay with one’s parents until an undeniable job opportunity, marriage proposal or an equally urgent event forces one to leave the nest. By trying to live up to these expectations, I made the decision to forego the idea of late-night dorm parties and staying with a roommate for staying with my beloved family.

After having to explain to my friends over and over why I am not taking advantage of an opportunity to leave home, I grew more and more embarrassed. Here I was, less than a year away from becoming a legal adult, explaining to my friends that I was sacri-

photo by Mikaela Acton

ficing my independence so I could stay home with my parents. I didn’t want to be thought of as just a child; I didn’t want to be thought of as dependent on my parents for everything.

But after months of dealing with the same tiring, “You’re staying at home? Voluntarily?” I don’t need to explain myself to others, nor do I need to apologize for this personal decision that I have made.

It’s not that I’m not independent. I can drive. I have my own car. I don’t have an enforced curfew and I can come and go as I please. My parents

barely put any restrictions on my daily activities. Heck, I even have my own Panera card.

For me, staying at home just means a higher standard of living for the next four years. Home is a place where I don’t have to pay, and the food is free.

I have space to store my belongings and personal bedroom and bathroom.

I certainly wouldn’t have these luxuries had I decided to live on campus.

During the course of this year, I’ve learned that I don’t need to explain myself to anyone for my personal decisions, nor do I need to change my

future plans to fit the expectations of others. After high school, the people I have known for more than a decade will disperse; the majority of the hundreds of people I have grown up with will be out of reach.

But only I will feel the consequences of any decisions I make; I don’t need to consult with others before I decide what’s OK for me. I’m perfectly happy with living at home for the next four years, until I am more capable of standing on my own feet and chasing down that successful life I’ve always dreamed of.

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ALSO INSIDE Arts and Entertainment: Hollywood restrictions

AND THE REST IS...

photo by Maribeth Eiken

Fab Five: The starting five (from left to right: junior Sophie Cunningham, senior Bri Porter, junior Cierra Porter, senior Chayla Cheadle and senior Audrey Holt) for the Lady Bruins are considered the top players in the team’s history. Along with key reserves, RBHS begins their quest for a fourth state title tonight as they play St. Joseph’s Academy in the semifinals.

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Their Story

amily. To state it simply, the girls basketball team can be summed up in that one lucid word. Mothered by head coach Jill Nagel, in her eighth season in southern Columbia, this group might just be the most successful that the town has seen. During the 2013-14 season the Lady Bruins have collected 25 wins, four of which came against teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation, and have since climbed to become the No. 5 team in the country.

Late in the season they won two important games to clinch the district title, two more to reach the Final Four, and as is customary at RBHS, won two bragging rights games against the rival state-ranked Kewpies. Now just two more wins separate them from a Class 5 State Championship, a title that never gets old.

And this family should know.

Arguably the most triumphant team in school history at least in recent memory, the program has made its mark on the state. In 2008, the Lady Bruins captured their first district title in the program’s 33year history against rival and city supremacy Hickman. Since, RBHS has added five more, failing only to rule the district in 2011, an uncharacteristic ‘down year’.

While they may not have made the tournament that year, they

State Champion

have done a pretty good job of keeping hold on the state. Following up a surprising performance with their first district crown, RBHS continued to shock the basketball community and won the 2008 state championship over national powerhouse Incarnate Word. In similar fashion, the Lady Bruins have continued to assert their dominance and have since won twice more on the final night of state basketball.

So on the eve of yet another Final Four, these ladies and their champion coach, find themselves in a familiar position. The target is again on their backs as St. Joseph’s, Lee’s Summit North and Eureka seek to become crowned the new champion of the girls basketball world.

But RBHS has what it takes to continue to be the queen of the court. An impressive gameplan that only three teams have been able to pick apart. A ‘tradition of excellence’ that has spanned the past seven seasons. A successful history to make them the premiership in prep basketball. And a coach that continues to hold all the pieces together.

With family as the basis, this tightly knit group will be the favorite yet again. The only question is can they write the correct ending to the story?

Regardless of the outcome, however, it will always be their story.

2008 2012 2013

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Columbia lacrosse starts strong in their league

Team begins their season with Coach Renick setting high expectations for players Harsh Singh

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rom controlling the possession of the ball to converting their chances into goals, Columbia lacrosse dominated O’Fallon, defeating them 9-4 on Saturday, March 15. Sophomore Kylie Jacks from Hickman High School and RBHS senior Ginny Tharpe from RBHS both netted two goals. Junior Claire Simon, who plays center, said it was important for everyone to get into a solid rhythm right away.

“I think we played really well as a team, and we have the potential to be a strong team this season,” Simon said.

“There are still a lot of things we can work on like transitions and ground balls, but now we know what to work on in practice.”

The second game was tighter than the first one. With Bloomington ranked as one of the best teams in the region, Columbia kept things tied at six heading into the final minutes of the match. Girls lacrosse coach Angel Renick said she told the players to remain positive.

“I told the girls to not give up,” Renick said. “I told them to put it all into their game and leave the field with no regrets, win or lose.”

Bloomington scored a late goal to win 7-6, but the players from Columbia did not give up in a tense situation.

Senior Malaika Motavalli scored two important goals for Columbia, one of which tied the game at six. Senior Hannah Cajandig, a midfielder and one of the three captains for Columbia, said the team showed their grit and resistance to push a good team right down to the wire.

“That second game was probably one of the best games I’ve ever played. We were evenly matched in skill, speed and determination,” Cajandig said. “I truly believe the lesson we learned was that by giving it our all, we actually managed to keep the game tied for a huge portion of the time. Bloomington is a fantastic team, and the fact that we were able to come so close to winning was huge.”

Renick said she was proud of the way her team performed, especially after only a week of outdoor practice.

She said the girls improve after every game.

“Each year I am amazed at how much better my team looks. I know my expectations have gotten higher, and the girls never cease to amaze me with their stick skills, defense and communication,” Renick said. “Our first game against O’Fallon showed me we could do transitions and cause turnovers. Our second game showed me how strong defensively my team is and how my senior goalie Josie Miller is a force to be reckoned with.”

With there being the possibility of lacrosse becoming a sport at RBHS, Simon said it is important the team does well in these games so that more people come to watch them play.

“These games, especially being in CoMo, are important because there is nothing like seeing lacrosse that’s going to make people want to play,” Simon said. “Of course, these games have always been important to the players, but now, as we are trying to recruit players for next year, we want people to come watch our games and see us play well.”

Columbia plays their next games at Cosmopolitan Park on April 5 and 6. They will play Bloomington again for a chance to exact revenge. Renick said the team will have to improve on picking up ground balls.

“The girls are ready and eager to improve on their weaknesses in the practices ahead,” Renick said. “I just can’t wait to play them again in two weeks and get a rematch.”

photo by Maribeth Eiken

After an interception by the O’Fallon defense: Senior Malaika Motavalli and freshman Kat Sarafianos double team an O’Fallon offender in the middle field in an attempt to force a pass, prevent a breakaway to the goal and retrieve the ball.

Under new management Trisha Chaudhary

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photo by Mariah Journey

Senior Kayla Cooper poses atop her fellow cheerleaders during a practice in the north commons after school.

his season, RBHS cheerleading will face a completely new coach, and thus a completely new experience.

At the beginning of March, RBHS appointed a new head cheerleading coach, Jenna Reynolds. A panel consisting of RBHS athletic director David Egan, Columbia Public Schools athletic director Bruce Whitesides, co-president of RBHS Booster Club Charlotte Brumfield and a cheerleading parent made the decision. After an interview process with each candidate and a series of follow-up questions with a select few, the panel eventually decided on Reynolds.

“After the initial interviews it was apparent that a lot of the candidates were overqualified and so we went back and forth, back and forth,” Egan said. “We did a series of follow-up questions with some and then went back and forth, back and forth. It was a really tough decision, and we eventually came to a consensus.”

The former coach, Jessica Kendrick, resigned in late 2013 and the appointment of a new coach was necessary before the beginning of the cheerleading season. Reynolds is the state director for the National Cheerleader’s Association and said her passion for cheerleading drove her to coach RBHS cheer.

“I decided to apply for the job because cheerleading is an important aspect in my life; my full-time job involves cheerleading and I already help coach at Mizzou,” Reynolds said in an email interview. “I have been involved in cheerleading some way or another since fourth grade and I met my husband while doing NCA summer camps.”

Senior Delaney Catlettstout has been active in cheerleading throughout her years at RBHS and was a varsity football cheerleader as well as an alternate for the competition squad this year. She had the opportunity to meet Reynolds for the first time last week at the cheerleading tryouts meeting.

Though she admits that the first year may be rough because of the new coaches, Catlettstout thinks that Reynolds is extremely qualified and will help the cheerleaders remain positive throughout their season.

“We normally do two competitions, and one is regionals, and one is state,” Catlettstout said. “And then [Reynolds] wants to add a couple more competitions for the basketball cheerleaders ... and then she also talked about how she wants to make sure that girls doing other sports and other activities outside of Rock Bridge cheer can work around their schedules so they can still be a part of the program.”

Catlettstout does not foresee any changes in the team’s performances at competitions for this year and believes the Bruin cheerleaders will continue to be as successful in the upcoming season as they have been in the past few years. Tryouts for the team are this upcoming week, and though she has not encountered any challenges yet, Reynolds is looking forward to the season and building a strong relationship with each of her cheerleaders.

“My biggest goal is to build the program—improve overall skill, become a cohesive squad and to help the girls as they continue their lives after high school,” Reynolds said. “I am hoping that we will compete at NCA High School Nationals in Dallas at the end of January.”

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Back-to-Bac

Lady Bruins attempt to win third straight

In the beginning...

T Renata Williams

he banner rose to commemorate the hard work and determination. Forever they can look up on the wall and see this banner. No one can take that away from these girls. It’s a feeling that will last a lifetime. They get chills every time they see it.

“I can’t even describe that kind of emotion,” 2008 alumna Amaya Williams, who played point guard said. “That was everything we worked towards in the regular season and to have that come true, especially when we were kind of the underdogs, was fulfilling.”

On March 8, 2008, the Lady Bruins won the first state title for RBHS girls basketball, playing against Incarnate Word. The Bruins broke the school’s 35-year history and made history of their own. Along with the championship, they broke the 26-year drought in their quest for a district title.

“It’s special,” Williams said. “Especially now that it seems to be a staple for Rock Bridge girls basketball.”

The community involvement in 2008 astonished the players. The atmosphere at Mizzou Arena, from students to parents, really gave the girls the support they needed. Williams said it was impressive how so many people came to watch, even though they weren’t expecting RBHS to actually win.

We “didn’t have as much raw talent as we see today,” Williams said. “It’s kind of, luck. Every team needs a little luck, and that year, all the stars aligned.”

The state championship game wasn’t nearly as exciting as the district championship where the girls played crosstown rivals, the Hickman Kewpies, at Hickman High School. It was a sold out nail-biting game that RBHS won by a mere two points (52-50). No game was as close as districts on their journey to state.

“I think once the light bulb clicked in our heads, nothing or no one could stop us,” 2008 alumna and post player Kelia Hardin said.

Earlier in the season, the Bruins lost to HHS at home in a heartbreaking game. Winning districts was almost like state, emotionally, for the team. To beat HHS for the district championship was the monkey off of their back that gave the girls the push to go all the way.

“We were those kids on the playground that maybe didn’t look like we could play,” Hardin said. “But when we got in there we fought till the end.”

Many factors went into winning the state title, but the closeness of the team was most important to the coaches and the girls. They spent practically every day together, during the course of the season, as well as preseason.

“We were a family. Everything we did was family-like minded,” Hardin said. “We had to continually encourage and remind ourselves who we were, physically, emotionally, athletically and spiritually.”

She said that year they went back to the drawing board more than any team she had been on. They individually knew and would master their roles as teammates, which helped the team dynamic.

The 2008 team was a trailblazer for RBHS girls basketball. They set the foundation and tone for both district and state championships. But when talking to the girls, the name that most comes out of their mouths is Coach Jill Nagel, the head coach of the Bruins.

“I think when you get to know and encounter someone like Jill Nagel, you understand why Rock Bridge is a winning program,” Hardin said.

When mentioning Nagel, praise seems to always follow. Hardin, among others, say Nagel is known for coming into RBHS and completely turning the girls basketball program around.

She came in with experience, knowledge and love for the game.

Nagel’s determination and heart shows through in her coaching. Since coming to RBHS, she has secured six district championships and three state championships. She’s given girls basketball a winning name.

“Just the kind of coach and type of person she is on and off the court,” Williams said. “It really makes you want to play for her.”

But when speaking with Nagel, she praises her players. Her love for coaching is expressed through humbly talking about the success of those around her.

“I’m very blessed to be a part of this group, whether it’s ‘08 or now,” Nagel said. “These are just amazing kids; They’re very talented basketball players, but they’re even better people off the court.”

She loves what she does and is very thankful for all of the opportunities and success she’s had. Nagel explained that even though she’s won three championships, it hasn’t changed her feeling after each win.

“It’s brand new each time,” Nagel said. “The feeling doesn’t get old.”

Not only was the 2008 state championship the first for the girls, but for Coach Nagel, as well. Nagel remarked on the team’s basketball IQ and how high their IQ was as a team. They took it one game at a time and would run a play until they got exactly what they were looking for; a skill that has carried on to today’s team.

“Coach Nagel taught me how to believe in myself,” Hardin said. “For that, I am forever grateful for her and always will be.”

Dominance: Since March 2008, the Lady Bruins first trip to the state tournament, RBHS has claimed the district crowns and two straight state championships. RBHS will attempt to make it three when

1. photo by Renata Williams

1. With ease: Senior Audrey Holt lays it up and in during the courtwarming game Feb. 21. The Lady Bruins blew past opponents all season, including Miller Career Academy, making easy passes and simple shots just as Holt does above.

2. Family: All of coach Jill Nagel’s teams attribute their successes to their ability to play as a true team. Prior to every game the Bruins take time to pray together.

photo by Marco Rhea

Rivalries: Apart from their slate of tough out-of-state games, the Lady Bruins played familiar area foes. On Feb. 13, in a rare home contest, RBHS took on longtime rival Jefferson City. Going 4-0 against other area teams, the Bruins beat the Lady Jays 61-23.

Bruin sophomore Bri Ellis attempts to inbound ball to junior teammate Cierra Porter.

2. photo by Morgan Berk

6 District Titles

2 Gatorade Players of the Year

Sports

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ck-to-Back?

state championship, head to Mizzou Arena

Then there were four...

St. Joseph’s Academy Nickname: Angels Location: St. Louis Type: Private (Catholic) Record: 16-14 Head Coach: Julie Matheny Road to the Final Four:

Hazelwood Central 56-45

Fort Zumwalt West 87-76

Lee’s Summit West Nickname: Broncos Location: Kansas City Type: Public Record: 23-5 Head Coach: Tricia Lillygren Road to the Final Four:

Truman 55-53

North Kansas City 49-44

Eureka

photo by Maribeth Eiken

d six district championships and three state titles. The 2014 Lady Bruins have accounted for half of n they start the Final Four tonight at Mizzou Arena, 5:10pm. They face St. Joseph’s Academy.

Nickname: Wildcats Location: St. Louis Type: Public Record: 26-2 Head Coach: James Alsup Road to the Final Four:

Fox 58-38

Parkway North 64-58

Home sweet home Spring break overlaps with state tournament Josh Ripley

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or the third year in a row, the girls basketball team will advance to the Final Four of the state tournament at Mizzou Arena. This year, however, the majority of the student body who have been with the team the whole season may not be joining them.

Unlike previous years, Columbia Public Schools scheduled spring break for the week of March 24-28, with the final day of school being March 21.

The Missouri State High School Activities Association scheduled the Class 5 Girls State Championship game for Saturday, March 22, the first day of spring break and a day when many RBHS students will be on airplanes heading to various destinations. This is an unfortunate coincidence for the members of the Bruin girls basketball team who, playing their biggest games of the year in their hometown, will miss a sizeable chunk of their fan base because of vacations.

“The timing is very unfortunate,” senior forward Audrey Holt said. “However, we all know that if all of the students were able to be at the game, they definitely would be. We get great support from our community and classmates, and I know they’ll be cheering us on from alternate locations.”

The Bru Crew, the RBHS student section, has been at all home games this year and will likely still be present at the Final Four, although how many students will make it up is a big question.

While junior forward Cierra Porter wishes the students could be there, she said it won’t affect the Bruins ability to bring home their third straight championship.

“Of course, we would love to have a big student section,” Porter said. “They’ve done an amazing job supporting us over these past two years. So the timing is unfortunate, but regardless of how big the crowd is we’re still going to play our hearts out.”

While spring break will affect the attendance at the Final Four, the games will not affect the Bruin players’ spring breaks. Since the games are on the first weekend they will still have plenty of time to enjoy their time off.

“A lot of people are still going on vacation,” Porter said. “The game would be on Saturday should we make it that far, so we can still go places.”

RBHS plays St. Joseph’s Academy in a semifinal Thursday, March 20. If they win that game they will take on the winner of Eureka and Lee’s Summit North in the other semifinal for the state championship on Saturday. Two wins this week would mean a third class 5 state title in a row for the Bruins and would mark the fourth in the career of coach Jill Nagel, further establishing the RBHS girls’ basketball program as a dynasty.

For players, it’s a chance to do something very few programs have accomplished before.

Senior Audrey Holt said it is a chance to go out on a high note as she plays her final games for RBHS. “All any senior ever wants is to go out on a good note,” Holt said. “For me personally, winning a third title means a lot because I know this group of girls is capable of making history.”

Final Four Fast Facts Who: Rock Bridge (25-3) v St. Joseph’s Academy (16-14) What: MSHSAA Class 5 State Semifinal When: Thursday, March 20 at 5:10pm Where: Mizzou Arena, University of Missouri-Columbia

Starting Lineups St. Joseph’s Angels (16-14) Natalie Sims (#14, 5-9, G, Sr.) Mary Barton (#5, 5-7, G, Jr.) Jackie Karl (#22, 5-7, G, Jr.) Abbey Combest (#24, 5-9, F, Sr.) Kelly McLaughlin (#54, 6-0, F, Fr.)

Rock Bridge Bruins (25-3) Sophie Cunningham (#3, 6-1, G, Jr.) Chayla Cheadle (#23, 5-11, G, Sr.) Bri Porter (#4, 6-2, G, Sr.) Cierra Porter (#21, 6-4, F, Jr.) Audrey Holt (#13, 6-1, F, Sr.)

3 State Championships No. 5 national ranking

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From Hays Code to modern films art by Alex Carranza

A close look at Hollywood censorship through the years, and how it affects today

Sophie Whyte

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woman uses seduction in order to climb social ladders and to get rich, highlighting the fact that women are put into such restrictive social roles that they may feel that embracing objectification and sex is their only way out.

This is the plot of Baby Face, a 1933 film. It doesn’t exactly sound like a typical “old movie.”

Yet prior to 1934, many films had themes that were sexual, aggressive, vulgar or otherwise explicit. This was changed with the introduction of the Motion Picture Production Code, often dubbed Hays Code.

Directors who made movies prior to the ‘30s, like the 1931 remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, were forced by the new code to cut out certain scenes to even allow for the film to be shown after 1934. The role for women was diminished, and speaking roles of people of color were almost non-existent because of Hays Code. If directors wanted their films to be shown at all, they had to comply with the new production codes.

“If you start censoring [media], then it loses any effect that it might have had,” junior Ashwini Mantrala, member of the Society of Cinematic Greatness, said. “I don’t believe in censorship of anything, whether it be music, movies, literature, any of that.”

The Hays Code was a self-imposed set of rules, not laws set by the government. The code, being incredibly strict, lead to the era of squeaky clean movies in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Certain locations were

even limited in their appearances, like bedrooms or brothels, because they suggested the mere idea of sex, according to the University of North Dakota’s website. The code states that “certain places are so closely and thoroughly associated with sexual life or with sexual sin that their use must be carefully limited.”

“In the early to mid-20th century there was extreme censorship, but that system was removed and I think the way films are rated hasn‘t changed since the ‘80s,” junior Victor Topouria, another member of the Society of Cinematic Greatness said. “Today, I think people are a bit more open about sexuality, but it hasn’t affected the censorship much. As our culture develops, the film industry will conform to it as welI. Many films explore modern ideas and challenge modern values.”

The Motion Picture Association of America replaced the Hays Code in the late ‘60s. It is a system that many are familiar with: movies rated with a letter rating, such as R. The censorship of movies declined as well, since the movies MPAA deemed inappropriate for a younger audience could simply get a stricter rating rather than be cut out entirely. The MPAA system of ratings still does limit the viewing of movies, however.

“I thought The King’s Speech from a couple years ago was given an R rating in America and … I heard about this one specifically since it was such a good Oscar movie,” Mantrala said. “I remember everywhere else around the world, it was given the equivalent of our PG-13 or even PG. There’s one scene where the main character swears a bunch …

Upcoming musical performances Orchestra Concert Thursday, March 20 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center “We Always Swing” Jazz Series presents MU College of Arts & Science “Signature Concert No. 2” Thursday, March 20 7 p.m. at the Missouri Theatre (203 S. 9th St.) Doors open at 6 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $21-$39 Show Me Country Night Feat. Murphy’s Bridge Saturday, March 29 9 p.m. at the Blue Note. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $5, but there is a $2 surcharge for individuals under the age of 21.

Orchestra Rehearsal Monday, March 31 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Choir Room (Rm. 400) Emily Edgington, conductor of the Columbia Chorale, will rehearse with RBHS and HHS students who will accompany an April performance.

Chancellor’s Concert Monday, April 7 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. at the Missouri Theatre (203 S. 9th St.) This event is the MU School of Music Student Ensemble Recital. Tickets are $10.

Show Choir Appetizer and Dessert Benefit Saturday, April 12 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. at RBHS Tickets by invitation only, the final show choir performances of the school year will be prefaced by a sampling of food and student performances.

CAPERS All-School Talent Show Thursday, April 24 7 p.m. at RBHS Tickets are $5 at the door, but advanced reserved seats cost $10.

I thought that it was unfair because one, they’re losing a bunch of money since not as wide of an audience can go see it and two, I thought it was a really good movie for kids to go see in general. So I thought that movie was completely wrongly rated.”

Today, ratings are in a different format than in the days of Hays Code. Currently the letters used are: G for all ages, PG to warn parents of possible offensive content, PG-13 for a stricter warning to parents, R to state that those under 17 need an adult guardian present and NC-17 for no one admitted under the age of 17 as provided by the MPAA website. The system for how these movies get their ratings seems a bit more complicated.

“The short answer is that I don’t really know, and very few people seem to have a clue. The system operates behind closed doors,” Chris Boeckmann, associate programmer at Ragtag, 10 Hitt St, said. “It’s still not very transparent. I remember reading some headline where Chris Dodd claimed he would fight for more transparency, but I don’t think that’s come to fruition.”

While there is confusion surrounding the ratings process for movies, film studios may manipulate their films in an effort to both draw in more viewers and to fit into a certain rating.

“The studios know what the people like and how they can make the most profit, therefore they go through a virtual checklist of the things a movie has to satisfy before they release it, so more people go see it, and as a result people end up seeing movies that extremely resemble each other,” Topouria said. “Ultimately it‘s the MPAA that rates the mov-

ies and gives it rating from G to NC-17. When a movie receives an NC-17 rating the studios will undoubtedly cut out some ‘inappropriate’ content so it can be screened in big theaters.”

Although movies still experience censorship in modern times, the restrictions are far less than with Hays Code according to the University of North Dakota’s website. Bold movies like 12 Years a Slave feature strong leads of black actors and actresses, exposing the horrors of human slavery and racial conflict: something that would have been forbidden in the years of Hays Code from 1934 to 1968.

“Recently I thought, ‘Gravity is going to be extremely influential, going into the next 10 years.’

And I think 12 Years a Slave as well,” Mantrala said.

“Gravity for just technical achievement. I think they did a really good job making the movie. And 12 Years a Slave in terms of directors going for controversial issues and attacking them with as much brutality as they wanted. I think those two movies are going to be super influential going into the next two decades.”

Ultimately, Mantrala believes Hollywood made changes for the better by becoming more open.

Still, Boeckmann argues there is more room for improvement and the industry still has a ways to go.

“I think we’ve become less strict, and I think that’s a positive development,” Boeckmann said.

“Hollywood is a complete mess right now. We need more diversity behind the scenes and on the screen.

We need studio heads who are willing to gamble on talented directors with original visions. We need less product placement and fewer sequels.”

Perry bombs with ‘The Single Moms Club’ Renata Williams *This is an opinion piece nother Tyler Perry movie, yes, I know. This man seems to always have a movie out. And either you really like his movies, or you really don’t. I have found that a lot of his movies, especially lately, are quite interesting, and I’m someone who likes his movies.

That’s why I was excited to watch this one. When I saw the previews, I thought I’d have a good laugh, maybe even a cry (from laughing), so I was ready to go to the theater.

But I’m disappointed.

“Single Moms Club” is about a group of five single moms who find each other through their children’s school principal. The moms realize how much they need one another because each one is going through issues as a single parent. Throughout the movie they help and support eachother. The movie follows each mom’s story.

I honestly should have known by walking into the theater that the movie wasn’t great. It was only the third day the movie had been out and six people were in the theater besides me.

As I said, the previews made me assume it’d be a comical journey through these women’s lives. I chuckled, six times, if even that. I definitely didn’t leave with a stomach pain from laughing too hard, though I wish I had.

The movie starts slowly and never really picks up from there. Before I knew it, the movie was halfway over with no real interesting events. I actually almost dozed off at one point.

It was a predictable film, of course, but not even an interesting predictable film. The whole time I felt like: Where’s the emotion? Nothing drew you into the story from beginning till end.

The scene where the moms actually decide to start the “Single Moms Club,” makes no impact in the story. One mom said they were the single moms club and the other moms didn’t even acknowledge the thought that went into her sentiment.

When looking back at the movie’s description, it’s classified as a drama.

“Single Moms Club” is a drama-less drama. I could see why the movie was thrown in that category, but a drama to me evokes true emotion and angst.

I’m a cryer and I only had watery eyes once. This is coming from the girl that cried during “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”

As it was a Tyler Perry film, he made an appearance in it as well. He never astounds me as an actor, though I do find myself drawn to his acting in a sense. I want him to talk because his voice is truly charming. In fact, he’s just charming all around. Tyler Perry is TK, one of the moms’ alluring heartthrob; he was the single father who loved his children and would care for yours. He played a single mother’s dream.

The other actors in the movie were fine. I think some did better than others. There was actually a point in the movie where I

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poster with permission from tylerperry.com

cringed at the acting. One of the moms was having an emotional moment where it looked like she was supposed to cry but she couldn’t portray true pain.

It was a somewhat solid cast, just not a solid script. This was the first Perry film I had seen with a cast not completely dominated by African Americans. I feel as if he might have been out of his element because of this. The chemistry within the cast did feel forced. There was a point in the film where the moms were making peace and hugging each other, but you hadn’t even seen them really connect throughout the movie to be so happy to reconnect.

It’s one of Tyler Perry’s weaker pieces of work and I know he can do better. I hope to see a new drama from Tyler Perry soon to overshadow this shabby film. Maybe a “Single Dads Club”?

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Season two of Hannibal captivates fans Sophie Whyte

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*This is an opinion piece veryone’s favorite cannibal, Hannibal Lecter, originated in the novel The Red Dragon by Thomas Harris in 1981. Lecter has come to life in several film adaptations, including Silence of the Lambs. Now in a television adaptation, which has recently begun its second season, Lecter takes center stage as a cultured, intelligent serial killer.

Perhaps it appeals to a niche audience with a strong stomach, but the cinematography is to die for (pun intended). I have never seen a show that manages to get such pristine, artistic shots. Part of watching a thriller show is the camera work. The camera builds the suspense, with the music aiding every step of the way. Every aspect of Hannibal is delightful—and terrifying. Beware, spoilers are ahead in this review.

Season one ended with Will Graham (Hugh Dancy, Adam) framed for the murder of Abigail Hobbs which Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen, Pusher trilogy) committed. Graham desperately seeks for answers, especially to the question of how his closest confidant could betray him and get away with it. Graham’s own sanity is questioned by himself and everyone around him.

The first episode begins with a bang. Lecter and Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne, The Matrix) are fighting, where it is only possible for one victor to remain alive. The episode swiftly jumps 12 weeks earlier in order to show the build-up to this particular scuffle. I assume viewers won’t see the resolution to this fight until the season finale.

Graham is in prison awaiting his trial. He works on memory retrieval of his own repressed memories with Alana Bloom, with a visually stunning scene where Bloom transforms into a black horned monster. The computer generated imagery is incredibly well done, and it feels as though you are losing your sanity along with Graham. The memory recovery leaves me somewhat doubtful; however, I can suspend my disbelief for the sake of enjoyment.

Episode two is definitely my favorite so far, out of both seasons one and two. A farming silo is filled with perfectly preserved dead bodies, aligned in a color palette by skin tone. Roland Umber, one of the bodies in the silo, survived his preservation (being injected with heroin, coated in resin and stitched to other bodies) and gruesomely removed himself from the situation, only to run into his murderer. The scene was so captivating I forgot to blink. The show has truly mastered the art of suspense. Even though we have never seen Umber, I could see myself rooting for him.

Unfortunately, Umber does not escape his pursuer and eventually dies by falling off a cliff into a river, where his body is then later found. Lecter ends up murdering the maniac killer, placing him in the eye of the silo and then harvesting his leg for dinner. Lecter still remains innocent, though, as no one thinks the cannibalistic killer is really him.

Graham’s trial in the most recent episode leaves me holding my breath to see his fate until this Friday in the episode Takiawase. Graham represents total empathy, so it is easy to be on his side. Lecter, on the other hand, is devoid of empathy, however his strange rela-

Sneak peek: The next Hannibal episode, “Takiawase”, which airs Fri., March 21 (image used with permission under Fair Use Doctrine).

tionship with Graham makes you question if he really does lack all empathy. I also wonder how long Lecter’s facade can last before he is found out. Mads Mikkelsen certainly was an excellent pick to play Lecter.

The show is a psychological horror series that keeps audiences on their toes with its twists and turns, even

if you are familiar with the basic premise of the series.

Hannibal season two is just as good if not better than season one. Fans of thrillers, incredible acting, breathtaking footage, and an intriguing plot, have a vital need to watch Hannibal. Be aware that viewer discretion is advised. The show airs weekly at 10 p.m. Fridays on NBC.

Personal portobella pizza makes for a great snack Ashleigh Atasoy

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t wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say mushrooms are perhaps the most polarizing food group of all time. Groups on both sides of the aisle are about as passionate about their respective views as it gets, but with the recent meteoric popularity rise of the portobella mushroom, many have been put to shame.

With the mushroom making appearances in everything from burgers, to smoothies, it’s safe to say that the Age of the Portobella is upon us.

Better to join than fight, my friends.

Portobella Pizza

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1. Final product: A yummy portobella pizza ready for eating. Feel free to add more toppings, like pepperoni or peppers. I like to leave it simple.

2. Sauce: Homemade tomato sauce cooking in a pan with oil. You can also season the sauce with basil or your favorite spice. The recipe is very customizable, making it perfect for a personal meal.

3. No more gills: Mushroom with the insides removed. It makes room for the cheese and sauce.

4. Raw mushroom: A close-up of the raw portobella mushroom in all its glory, gills included. Just a few more preparations left! Photos by Ashleigh Atasoy.

1 Portobella mushroom 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ tomato ¼ cup mozzarella cheese ¼ cup onion (optional) 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional) ½ teaspoon minced garlic (optional) 1. Begin by preheating oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. (If you prefer pre-made tomato sauce, go ahead and skip directions two and three.)

2. Next pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into a medium hot saucepan to prepare tomato sauce. Dice half of a tomato and throw it into the pan. If you want, you can also add ¼ cup onion, one teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of minced garlic to add flavor. Since I have the tastebuds of a five-year-old, I opted not to.

3. Stir-fry the diced tomato in the olive oil for four to five minutes, stirring continuously.

4. Meanwhile, go ahead and wash out the portobella mushroom. Afterwards take a spoon and scoop out the gills, making sure the inside is cleaned out as best you can.

5. Pour the tomato sauce into the carved mushroom, leaving room for mozzarella on top. When the oven is ready, proceed to bake for about 12 minutes. Enjoy!

All in all, the recipe was pretty good—for a mushroom. It was quick and super easy, but it definitely didn’t taste like pizza. If you’re looking for comfort food, I would keep looking. The recipe can be customized for your topping preferences as well, making it a good personalized dish and has quite a few health benefits as well. Try it out and feel free to experiment. Best of luck!

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