The Rock September 2013

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The Rock

Students react to Bruin Block, opposition arises Brittany Cornelison

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he beginning of every school year brings about excitement, but the transition into the 2013-14 school year was one that was bursting with even more new opportunities and experiences for RBHS students. Besides the excitement that encompassed iPads and 68-minute lunches, there was one change that was put into place specifically for freshmen and sophomores at RBHS. Bruin Block is a four-year schoolwide program that was initiated this year for the Class of 2016 and 2017, according to Success Center Counselor, Melissa Coil.

At RBHS specifically, all students are enrolled in a Bruin Block, however only underclassmen are required to participate in the program. During this 31-minute period, teachers and senior mentors provide lessons that are specific to the freshmen and sophomore grade levels. These lessons were decided upon by a 14-person committee, including a teacher from each department, that Coil assembled to create a structured program.

“We have built the whole program on what we kind of call our four pillars, and those are understanding self, future planning, school preparation and then service and leadership and so all the lessons are designed around that,” Coil said. “Junior and senior years are where we’d really like to see some school-wide service and leadership projects really accumulating everything that they’ve done over the prior years.”

Math teacher and sophomore Bruin Block advisor Marla Clowe said one of the most beneficial things about this new program for freshmen and sophomores is that students will now have a teacher that they get to know pretty well over the three to four years they are at RBHS. “It’s going to be a four-year thing and it’ll develop,” Clowe said. “We ultimately want to help [students] build a résumé and do student things, but the purpose of Bruin Block … is also a way to provide a support system for kids so that they have a contact every single day that they get to know and have someone to contact at school.”

This story will be continued inside the issue on page 4.

Off-campus lunch:

Off limits How the CPS policy change on lunch affects RBHS’s underclassmen Jay Whang

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reshman Wilson Fitzgerald approached a lunch cart near the planetarium and picked out Bosco sticks. He bit into the greasy breadstick, the cheese melting inside his mouth. As much as he enjoyed the moment, he said he would rather leave school and eat at Shakespeare’s Pizza.

Last year, the Columbia Public School board changed the lunch policy from open to more restricted when the freshmen came to RBHS for the first time.

“I think it should be open campus for everyone,” Fitzgerald said, expressing his view on the district’s new lunch policy.

At the start of this year, freshmen entered RBHS for the first time. The school board considered various changes to existing lunch policies, including open-campus lunch for underclassmen. Between last September and December CPS principals, including then-RBHS Principal Mark Maus, gathered along with Laina Fullum, director of nutrition services and Dr. Jolene Yoakum, assistant superintendent for secondary education.

“We were transitioning to some new configura- tion instead of having ten to twelve, we are now hav- Long lunch lines: Starting this year lunch is closed for underclassmen, causing more crowding.

ing nine through 12. So what we realized is that this These students wait in the throng attempting to get lunch from the cafeteria on September 28. is a good time to stop and examine our practices of about students getting back to school on time after ing school lunches went down eight percent last year. many different things, not just open lunch,” Dr. leaving campus for lunch and their safety With more restricted policy and more students, lunch Yoakum said. “And we looked up poliin traffic; therefore, they preferred workers are more busy than usual. cies, and we also considered ongo“It made it more difficult to have right amount of closed-campus lunch for undering concerns about safety and foods made,” head cafeteria worker Shannon Brown classmen. supervision of students, and, “We also considered Last December, the com- said. of course, we are looking at Underclassmen faced this change with mixed ongoing concerns about mittee reviewed survey all the high schools, not just reactions.

Freshmen like Gretchen Cook and Jim results, and decided that safety and supervision of one.”

Hornmann said they understand the change, espefreshmen and sophomores At the meeting, the students, and, of course, we would remain on campus cially because they don’t have their own transportacommittee decided to are looking at all the high during lunch, while ju- tion. ask people in the comschools, not just one.”

“I kind of agree with it because we don’t have niors and seniors would munity their thoughts on have the option of leaving cars, and we can’t drive,” Cook said. open-campus lunch at the And Hormann himself expressed similar thought campus. high schools. According to Dr. Jolene Yoakum with Cook; he doesn’t mind about staying at the The committee also retheir survey of the ColumAssistant viewed facility options, food campus eating his lunch, even though he thought it bia community, CPS students, choices and nutritional guide- would be nice to go out and eat.

Superintendent teachers and parents, 81 per“I think that it is not a horrible decision. I mean I lines and reached a consensus cent of 550 students believe lunch on open-lunch. Later, they took that would have the ability to go and walk over to a place should be open for all freshmen to recommendation to the school board, to get different kinds of lunch than [school lunch],” seniors, at the same time 28 percent of Hornmann said, “since we don’t drive, and we can’t where it was approved. them believe open lunch should be an earned priviget around it’s harder to go the place in time. I think The change also affects RBHS’s cafeteria staff. lege. However, the majority of parents and members of the Columbia community were concerned more According to Fullum, the number of students buy- it’s certainly makes freshmen and sophomores safer.”

Changes to lengths of school lunches affect local restaurants, eating habits Harsh Singh

I photo by Morgan Berk

These times, they are a-changin’: Because of the policy changes regarding lunch times, dining venues around Columbia experienced its repercussions. Above is the menu at Angelo’s.

ncluding passing periods, juniors and seniors have 74 minutes for lunch. Last year all students had 37 minutes. The nearly 40-minute difference allows upperclassmen to do more, such as driving downtown, finding parking and grabbing a burrito from Chipotle.

Businesses, as close as Angelo’s and as far as Chipotle, have profited from the change in the lunch schedule. The longer duration allows students to explore more meal options, including those outside of the area imme-

diately around the school.

Junior Jared Richardson said he often went to restaurants like Shakespeare’s South or Angelo’s to eat last year to allow ample travel time. This year, his options have diversified.

“I really like the hour-long lunches this year,” Richardson said. “It got repetitive last year on what I ate, but this year there is almost too much time for lunch.”

The longer lunch periods haven’t only affected the people inside the building, but also the places surrounding the school.

The restaurants near RBHS no-

ticed a strong influence on their business, caused by the prolonged time to eat for juniors and seniors. Courtney Riemer, manager of Sonic on 701 E. Nifong Blvd., said she sees more students during lunch.

“During the whole hour, our drive-throughs are full of students,” Riemer said. “Last year it wasn’t this busy because there was only 30 minutes [for lunch].”

However, not all restaurants have noticed an increase in their daily profits.

This story will be continued inside the issue on page 3.

COMMUNITY

BRUIN ATHLETICS

Skateboarding gains prominence

Bruin football team prepares for annual ‘Providence Bowl’ against rival Kewpies

In 1988, Christopher Bailey began riding a skateboard around on his bottom at the age of 13. Soon afterward he began to stand on his feet, and has since become coowner of Parkside Skateshop. PAGE 8

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Government commits genocide against Muslims in Burma

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Photo by Mikaela Acton

Peronal Finance: Students wait for the bell a few minutes before second hour last Friday. Out of view to the left is a box with iPads that students use to take tests and do research for projects.

Program provides funds for Personal Finance classes

Money grants courses both funding and experiences Manal Salim

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or this school year, Pathway to Financial Success awarded RBHS’s business education department a $6,500 grant to expand its existing personal finance curriculum. According to the Columbia Public Schools’ website, the Pathway to Financial Success program helps to bring financial education into classrooms across the country in a fun, exciting and interactive manner, in order to help children graduate with an understanding of personal finance.

Junior Hend Al-Rawi, who is currently enrolled in the RBHS personal finance course, believes the increased funds will improve her current class conditions by allowing students to have more access to online resources, as she has already seen in the first few weeks. In Al-Rawi’s opinion, the addition of technology will help enhance lessons and student understanding of the curriculum.

“I think the grant will improve the curriculum since the teachers will probably have a variety of activities which will in turn boost our productivity,” Al-Rawi said. “With more of these activities, we will be interacting with our classmates more while focusing on learning at the same

time, which will help our under- getting in real life business deals.” standing of what we’re learning.”

Besides providing an underThough personal finance stu- standing of personal finance curdents like Al-Rawi foresee a posi- riculum, David Nelms, chairman at tive future with the addition of the the Pathway to Financial Success, $6,500 grant to the curriculum, said the program and the grants personal finance instructor Susan it provides can help make a great Lidholm initially saw a need for deal of change in the lives of stuimprovement. Lidholm personally dents. Nelms believes the grants wrote to Pathway to Financial Suc- will assist in ensuring that the cess asking for a grant, and she be- next generation gets the financial lieves the increase in funds education it needs to make will supply students informed decisions with not just maabout money in “The terials, but also its near future. money will experiences.

“As a parreally help out “I just ent, I know with the educational wanted to it can be curriculum, training for enhance difficult our funds teachers and materials. talking to since they teenagAnd also really a lot of were pretty ers about hands on experiences. “ limited, so money, but we needed we owe it to Susan Lidholm additional our children teacher funds to do evto provide erything we wantthem with the ed to do in our Perbest opportunity for sonal Finance classes this a brighter financial fuyear,” Lidholm said. “The money ture,” Nelms said. “Financial educawill really help out with the edu- tion is the key to this opportunity.” cational curriculum, trainings for The same way Nelms expects teachers and materials. And also to see the personal finance proreally a lot of hands-on experienc- grams go above and beyond, es. We are actually going to be go- Al-Rawi anticipates gaining ining in and looking at contracts and depth knowledge and understandviewing what you’re going to be ing of how to manage money

as a teenager. Along with that, Al-Rawi more importantly looks forward to planning her longterm expenditures in the future.

“I’m hoping that with the grant, the key component of personal finance will be focused on even more,” Al-Rawi said. “I hope it focuses on financial planning even more, especially since I will be off on my own in college soon.

“I look forward to the fact that this class will help me learn how to budget my expenses while saving, and will teach me how to balance my earnings and spending, which I know is absolutely essential in my near future,” Al-Rawi said.

Lidholm said she has no doubt the money now available to the school will benefit students immensely in preparing for their future, no matter what path they take in order to achieve their goal.

“Technology is great, and the money is helping us fund some iPads that we will need in the program that will provide additional outside sources for the class,” Lidholm said. “But until you can go to a car lot, talk to a salesman and then look at how to compare those costs, things of that sort are a completely different story.

The main goal is that hopefully this money will be preparing them for what to expect in real life.”

Different lunch length affects local business

Students react to change in school start times

Harsh Singh Continued from page 1

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ngelo Skyvalidas, manager of Angelo’s, noticed a decrease in the amount of customers from last year, as well as a decline in their daily business.

“There [were] two lunch periods last year, but there is one this year,” Skyvalidas said. “The lunch period is also longer this year, so people go to other places.”

Richardson was one of the students who went to Angelo’s for lunch last year. He said the only reason he went to Angelo’s last year was because of the limited time to eat. This year, there is time to go to places like Sonic or Taco Bell, Richardson said.

“Last year, I went to Angelo’s sometimes because we only had about 30 minutes,” Richardson said. “However, this year I have an hour so I have much more options of lunch to choose from.”

The longer time for lunch has also given students the choice to go home to eat. Junior Rohit Rao often eats at home due to having more time. He believes going home to eat is comfortable and saves money.

“It’s cheaper for me to eat at home instead of going out to eat every day,” Rao said.

The increase in lunch time isn’t the only factor that lowered the number of RBHS students going to certain restaurants. Mickey Winingar, manager of the 1201 Grindstone Pkwy Subway, located next to HyVee, noticed less food sold to students during lunch than last year.

“Actually, there are less students during lunch this year,” Winingar said. “Because only juniors and seniors can go out to eat, fewer students come here.”

With open campus lunch for sophomores last year, they had the opportunity to go out

www.openclipart.org

he government is persecuting a minority that exists in Burma, called the Rohingya, because of their religion, violating their human rights. They are not classified as Burmese citizens because their government doesn’t want to give them citizenship. They are stateless Muslims who came from Bangladesh in 1982.

In July of 2012, the Burmese government released a list of more than 130 ethnicities that live in Burma, and the Rohingya were excluded from that list. This Muslim minority, since 1982, cannot become citizens, travel without permission or own land. They must also agree to a document that limits their children to two.

Along with the laws their government has imposed on them, a Buddhist group that exists in Burma is also killing and hunting them down. The Rohingya are one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

National Déjà vu: Congress fights over Obamacare, budget

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or what feels like the thousandth time this year, Republicans and Democrats in Washington D.C. are locked into a fight about a potential government shutdown. The GOP leadership in Congress has started a final attempt to stop the implementation of the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The program will open for enrollment Oct. 1.

As Congress prepares to pass a contining resolution — a funding bill — the GOP has tied a provision to defund Obamacare to that legislation. If Senate Democrats refuse to approve the bill, Obamacare will continue as planned, but the national government will shut down all non-essential functions, as it did during the mid-1990s in a similar budget fight.

State Income tax collection up, sales tax collection down

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ncome tax collection in Missouri from individual people and from businesses is higher this year compared to last. This fact hints at a rise in people working in Missouri. It could also mean that people who already had jobs are working more or are receiving a higher pay.

There is, however, only a small increase in sales tax collections, showing that people are being careful of what they buy and at what price they buy it. This is likely a result of an economy that is finally recovering from the economic turmoil that plunged the United States into a great recession.

Local

Library of Congress

First Roots N Blues N BBQ held at Stephens Lake The journalism staff surveyed 200 people, which is 10 percent of the school.

Art by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi

to eat. Richardson said, last year, he could sometimes go to further places for lunch.

“Even as a sophomore last year, I could go to places like Subway or Sonic sometimes,” Richardson said. “But this year only juniors and seniors can go so I am not surprised that some restaurants have lost customers.”

Restaurant managers near RBHS have noticed an increase in their daily profits while some have noticed a decrease. There are a few restaurants where the managers believe the daily earnings have remained constant in comparison with last

Check out Bearing News today to see student reactions to start times.

year. Salah Bedaida, manager of the 3709 S. Providence Rd Panera said there is no change in the number of RBHS students visiting his restaurant.

Senior Maaz Muhamad said he has less restraints during lunch compared to last year. He believes that even though there is more time for lunch, he will still go to restaurants near RBHS, like the 3911 Peachtree Drive Shakespeare’s, because he thinks their food is better than many restaurants nearby.

“Just because a restaurant is far away doesn’t mean it has better food,” Muhamad said. “The places near Rock Bridge have great food so I can just go there.”

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he first annual Stephens Lake Park Roots N Blues N BBQ festival occurred this last weekend, from September 20-22. The attendance was more than anyone expected. At least 10,000 people were in the park by the time the festival closed on Saturday.

The unexpected turnout caused the lines for the bathrooms and vendors to grow on Saturday. These minor problems should give the organizers an outlook on how to prepare for the event next year. The damage to the park itself was not much and the trash was picked up from the park after the event.

Stories by Abdul-Rahman Abdul-Kafi and Brett Stover

Follow this code to Bearing News

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News Lit seminar classes face challenges, stigmatism Urmila Kutikkad

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photo by Renata Poet Williams

Getting connected: Bruin Block’s curriculum provides numerous opportunities for RBHS students. Here, underclassmen visit booths from clubs during Student Involvement Day, Sept. 20. This gave new students a means to connect with RBHS.

Bruin Block begs for changes Continued from page 1.

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ruin Block advisors have lesson plans for each class in the hopes they can help their students grow more acquainted to RBHS. However, students have voiced their opinions that, even though they understand the concept of the class, this 31-minute period should not be mandatory.

“My teachers said basically that they are teaching us about RBHS and about life. I don’t think that needs to be a class,” freshman Logan Buster said. “I think that it is going to get dry really quickly; they’re just going to run out of things to do.”

Sophomore Jamey Jackson said she understands the purpose of Bruin Block is to help orient students to RBHS and build relationships with the kids in their class as well as a specific teacher. However, she also believes being forced to be with the same group of students for four years could be problematic.

“I think it [is] beneficial to build relationships with people … but if the other people don’t reach out to become friends or if you don’t reach out, [it will not be useful],” Jackson said.

“If you have a problem with someone, it’ll be an issue since you’re with them all four years.”

Freshman Zach Doster, along with his fellow classmate freshman Ben Howser, created a petition against Bruin Block, which is now posted on billboards around RBHS. The freshmen have experienced this daily 31-minute program and feel as though it is not a necessary implementation.

“Most people I have talked to about Bruin Block don’t want to have it either, or they are neutral about it … it takes away the chance for us to prove if we can

be responsible because we don’t tionship, but I think a 20 to 25 get to manage that time; it’s al- minute conversation usually is ready managed for us,” Doster [sufficient] because it’s only one said. “I didn’t think by itself it little brief topic,” Clowe said. would do anything, but with “So, it’s taken awhile to build the petition it just shows that it up, but this week we’ve had a lot of people agree and that our best conversations because it grabs peoples attention, and they’re starting to realize that, then most are ecstatic about it. I yeah this [class period] is going really just wanted to get the idea to happen.” out there.”

The freshmen and sophoThough students may not mores in Bruin Block this year see the purpose of Bruin Block will stay in the class for the reyet, Coil said it will take time for mainder of their high school it to sink in that this new man- career. Eventually, every class datory class is going to remain level at RBHS will take a Bruin implemented. In this 31-min- Block. ute class period students will Buster said that he thinks learn about topics such as the idea of Bruin Block career exploration, would be more creativity, réaccepted by “My sumé writing, students teachers said study skills if there basically they are and many was an teaching us about m o r e . adjustRBHS and teaching us There are ment a lot of to the about life. I don’t think diverse w a y that needs to be a topics to it was class.” keep sturun. dents in“ I ’d Logan Buster terested. probably “ R e a l l y, change the freshman the entire puramount of pose of it is to ... time,” Buster give students a place and said, “maybe like three a person they can connect with out of the five days of the week that they will have solidly for they have you just come in, four years,” Coil said, “but also do homework, whatever you to provide a comprehensive want and get work done, and look at all of the things that we the other two days they have feel are important that we just something that’s class organized get little glimpses of, tradition- where you do something as a ally just in the sophomore year group or a project.” [in advisory], and then we don’t As students journey through ever touch those things again.” their high school career, the lesClowe admits her first weeks sons taught in Bruin Block will as a Bruin Block advisor were be more tailored toward future very rough. Students weren’t planning. Coil said applying to keen on the idea of having a colleges, preparing for the ACT shorter lunch than the upper- and preparing a portfolio/serclassmen, but now her students vice project presentation will are into the swing of things. be some things discussed and “In my Bruin Block, it’s get- prepared. Though, she also unting better every time. It’s taken derstands student frustration. us awhile to develop that rela- However, she hopes they will

give this program a chance. The future plans for this program haven’t been finalized, but she said changes should be expected.

“In terms of how we present the curriculum and how it’s done, without doubt there’s going to be some changes. I mean we’re only four weeks into the very first year and so all the planning in the world can’t make something perfect when you go to put it into practice, and so it’s going to take the whole faculty really, along with student feedback, the time to really grow it and make it into what we all really want it to be,” Coil said. “I don’t see the juniors and seniors needing to report every single day. We haven’t gotten to that point yet, but I think there will be some differences so that they may not have a 68-minute lunch every day, but there will be times and opportunities where they will.”

Clowe said the biggest advantage she sees coming from the Bruin Block program is that students will be able to get to know other students who they otherwise might not have reached out to be friends with.

RBHS currently has more than 2,000 students, so this period could also be one that unites students of different personalities and backgrounds during their high school career.

“The main positive is making a smaller community out of a larger one, making a neighborhood within the whole city,” Clowe said. “I think it also gives you a chance [to] meet people you possibly wouldn’t have had the chance to meet, because it’s just alphabetical order, so you’re getting a chance to meet people that you may not have chosen to hang out with, and that allows you to get different views ... I think it makes [students] expand their horizons sooner.”

or the 2013-2014 school year, 123 students were deemed eligible for the reading instruction program, also known as Literacy Seminar, offered at RBHS. This number easily surpasses the number of eligible students any year prior.

However, only 36 of these students, less than 30 percent, are actually enrolled in the class at RBHS. Furthermore, beginning this year, the process by which the district determines whether students are eligible for reading instruction classes has improved in accuracy and thoroughness, Columbia Public Schools Social Studies and Language Arts Coordinator Nick Kremer said.

“We’ve been doing reading intervention for as long as students have been in school,” Kremer said.

“A typical day would be about a 15-minute mini-lesson where we focus on a reading strategy, and then the rest of the block would generally be reading time. And you’d have tasks to do as you read, but it’s what we call a workshop model. We’ve been doing that approach for a while. What is kind of new this year is the way we’re trying to identify students and using that to be much more deliberate about who we recommend.”

Kremer said the process consists of three steps. The first is the STAR Reading Assessment, which all students take at the beginning of the school year. Scoring at or below the 25th percentile is the first indicator that a student may be eligible for reading instruction.

The second step is a reading assessment called the Diagnostic Reading Evaluation for Secondary Students, or DRESS. The DRESS is more individualized and personal, where teachers sit down with students one-on-one to administer the test. Scoring poorly on the DRESS is the second indicator that a student may need reading instruction.

The third and final step is a survey sent to all the teachers of the particular student. Its questions concern what the teacher has seen in regards to the student and their reading skills. If the teacher confirms they’ve noticed the student may need help with reading and comprehension, the school then acknowledges that the student could greatly benefit from being a part of the reading intervention program. The student isn’t required to take the class, though.

Kremer said this new, more detailed process is an improvement over the previous system.

“In the past, [the process] was, if an individual teacher recommended you, that’s kind of how you were on our radar, and that’s how we followed up,” Kremer said. “And while it worked well for those students, there were a number of students that got left behind or left off the radar. And so, by moving to a more databased approach, what we’re hoping is that we catch all students that

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need it.”

With 123 students “on the radar” at RBHS alone and an additional 321 at Hickman and Battle combined, it would seem the new system is working well in identifying the students that need help.

However, with only 36 students enrolled in the Literacy Seminar class at RBHS, only a fraction of those 123 are actually getting the help they need.

The reason for that discrepancy could lie in many places. One of the them, suggested by RBHS principal Dr. Jennifer Mast, is funding. She explained that each building, in order to determine how much staffing it has and in what areas, gets a certain amount of FTE (Full-Time Equivalent), which is how many full-time teaching positions a school offers.

“We have a certain amount of FTE, and then we have to determine where it goes,” Mast said. “So the decision was made to spend our FTE differently. It wasn’t like we were given, ‘Here’s a certain amount of FTE for reading,’ and then we then pulled it away and used it in different areas.

In order to have FTE for reading, we have to use it out of the big chunk.”

When schools recommend students for the reading intervention program, the students have the chance to opt out. The percentage of students who opted out at RBHS was significantly higher than the percentage who opted out at HHS. Because of this, RBHS Literacy Seminar teacher Daryl Moss suggested another, more human reason for this discrepancy.

“I think that [Literacy Seminar is] stigmatized [at RBHS],” Moss said. “I think there’s definitely a negative view of the Lit Sem course. I’ve heard some terrible comments about, ‘Oh, that’s the dumb kid class,’ and that breaks my heart. That is not at all what this class is for. Specifically at Hickman, there are six or seven different sections of reading instruction, and many students, both struggling readers as well as competent readers, take the class.

And I haven’t quite figured it out, but there’s some type of negative assumption at Rock Bridge for this class, and I don’t know how to get rid of it.”

Conversely, at HHS the stigmatized view of the Literacy Seminar class doesn’t have much of a presence, HHS Literacy Seminar teacher Kim Acopolis said.

“I don’t think there is any more stigma for the students in these classes than a regular English class,” Acopolis said. “We have students in Literary Seminar who are also in AP classes. If you ask kids at Hickman what classes have a stigma, Literary Seminar is generally not one of them that comes up.”

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News Increase in students causes rise in parking lot congestion Derek Wang

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very day parking attendant Chris Plummer goes out no later than 8:30 a.m. to monitor traffic going into the RBHS circle drive, allowing buses to drop off their students unhindered.

Even with this assistance, it takes some time for students to get off their bus in the morning.

Buses can only drop students inside the circle drive, but they are often stuck outside of the drive because of the sheer number of these transporters.

One student who has to wait for these buses to clear up is sophomore Mirnes Mustafic who rides Bus 46 in the morning and afternoon. He thinks the wait should be less since it can make him late for morning classes.

“In the morning I spend about seven minutes waiting for my bus to pull up to the area where it can drop us off,” Mustafic said. “[I get to school] at about 8:50 [a.m.] and class at about 8:53 [a.m.], but sometimes I can be late.”

The drive can only fit about ten buses before it is filled, leaving the other 17 buses to not only wait outside of the drive, but also hold up traffic.

Bus driver Todd Yatsook drives bus 50 and drives for all three levels of elementary, middle and high schools.

“After getting into the circle drive, the process speeds up considerably,” Yatsook said. “There’s only a dozen students on my bus, and after I drop them off I get out of here.”

Although the busing system is crowded, the buses themselves are practically empty. This is because Columbia Public Schools requires First Student to provide transportation to every student, which adds to the afternoon turmoil. Assistant Principal Brian Gaub helps combat the troubling

system in the afternoon, allowing kids are coming for sports and activities, to get home faster. they can get confused and get mixed “The morning situation is not too in with our buses.” bad; one person can usually handle Even semi-trucks can take a wrong that,” Gaub said, “but the afternoon turn and get onto the access road, is very labor intensive.” blocking traffic and causing even more The first adult goes out as early of a jam. The extent of the main probas 3:30 p.m. to stop cars from enter- lems include limited space, lots of cars ing the circle drive. Another member and many different types of traffic. of administration heads out at However, there are many 3:50 p.m., and together things the “10 teacher they start writing task force,” as they “In down the bus are named, have another year numbers on a implemented whiteboard to make the or two, when so students process go Battle gets fully can find smoother. online, the student where The first their bus day of population should get is in the s c h o o l, smaller, which will help.” circle the team drive. took 40 “ B y minutes to Brian Gaub 4:05 [p.m.] get all the Assistant Principal there are buses loaded actually five and sent off, but different adults now it’s down to 15 that are involved in minutes. the process,” Gaub said.

“We’ve gotten it down “There’s one at the North part of the to a manageable time,” Gaub said. “In circle drive, keeping cars from coming another year or two, when Battle gets into the circle drive, and they also have fully online, the student population to stop the traffic out on the access here should get smaller, which will road, so that the buses can get out.” help some.”

There is also need for yet another With smaller population, First Stuadult manning the whiteboard, one at dent can combine buses into larger the South end of the circle drive who routes, which they already started. is stopping the car traffic coming out This helped afternoon busing congesof the parking lot, along with many in tion, but First Student can only conother helpers as well. dense the buses to a certain extent “There are many different kinds before the time students spend on the of traffic [getting in our way],” Gaub bus reaches a flengthy duration. said. “There’s the buses that are com“I think that Rock Bridge should ing and picking students and leaving, devise a new system or a new place to there are parents coming and picking drop and load the bus riders at,” Musup students, there are students who tafic said. “Or just let us off and pick drive to school and are trying to get us up before the main entrance so we out of the parking lot. Some days we don’t need to be stuck on the bus or at have buses from other districts that Rock Bridge as long.”

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photo by Randi Obermiller

Traffic jam: Buses line up to pick up students after school. The large number of buses causes traffic and buses cannot enter the circle drive.

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In-Depths i e r n f d h s t i W like these

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eal Blackburn, language arts teacher, attributes the selection of personal relationships to maturity. Blackburn, a first-year teacher at Rock Bridge High School, made the transition from Gentry Middle School and witnessed the ways in which different maturity levels allowed for a lapse in judgment when choosing friends.

“There is still such a lack of [maturity] and there’s such a lack of self confidence in middle school that kids occasionally make those irrational decisions [in selecting friends],” Blackburn said. “But, as they become more self-confident and self-aware of what they want to become, they make those better decisions.”

Although Blackburn recognizes that maturity shapes who teenagers choose as friends, he admits the criteria for the final selection on friendships are more intricate than just one factor. Blackburn credits the friend selection process to common interests.

“You’re going to become a part of who you hang around and what you’re involved in,” Blackburn said. “Where the interest lies seems to be where the friends are, too.”

When Newbery Medal winner Katherine Paterson commented “real maturity, which most us never achieve, is when you realize you are not the center of the universe,” it is difficult to imagine that anything other than her life was on her mind. Then again, her own levels of maturity freed her to speak such truths.

The nationally acclaimed, two-time Newbery Medal recipient, born to missionary parents, spent the majority of her childhood on the move. Her family relocated a total of 13 times in just as many years. With every change of scenery came new people, new activities and new opportunities. Subsequently, with every change in circumstance, she discovered heightened levels of maturity.

“The external factors that push and drive development ... would be support systems from families and friendships, social interactions and activities or things that kids are doing, such as extracurricular activities,” Dr. Laine Young-Walker, division chief of child psychiatry at Missouri Psychiatric Center, said. “All those things are part of development and maturing.”

The basic understanding that external factors do exist and deeply affect an adolescent’s maturation process is acknowledged as information the common man should know yet, how many common men have inverted this theory and reflected on what effects maturity has on human interaction?

“You are wanting to try to gravitate to those who are at the same level of development as you,” Young-Walker said, stating that maturity is only half the influence on friendship. “But I also think that your interests will drive some of who you spend a lot of time with,” Young-Walker said.

“It has to do with maturity and your interest level of what you like to do.”

From a distance, the beginnings of friendships seem to be convoluted, as if two unknown candidates were hand-picked from unfamiliar circumstances destined to become friends. And yet, when taking a closer look, in order to avoid the supreme aforementioned cliché, selecting friends becomes nearly incomprehensible.

Possibly the most accurate representation of the decision making that is required for friendship is given by Peterson herself. In her first Newbery Medal novel, “Bridge to Terabithia,” Peterson told the story of Jesse Aarons and Leslie Burke; two adolescents desperately in need of both maturity and, more importantly, a friend.

Unfortunately, the loss of the latter allowed them to establish itself and grow. And while Burke’s death devastated Aaron’s life, it finally enabled him to mature and realize that making friends with Burke did not have to solely benefit him; but rather it was about the entire friendship, a human interaction requiring the effort of two people.

To a lesser extreme, the parallels between adolescent friendships and adolescent maturity are impressively similar. Sometimes a lack of maturity creates an opportunity for a good time. The immature person, society agrees, enjoys his life and senselessly welcomes other people to experience life with them. However, when crises intercede themselves in life, the immature person lacks the understanding to defuse the situation.

At the heart of maturity lies the ability for sacrifice. As the schoolyard kid desires friends only to compete against and enjoy recess with, the mature friend searches for friends to console in and enjoy life with. Just as the Stanford School of Philosophy, in Serra Mall, California, defines friendship, when one person sacrifices his own desires and places the other above them in order to harbor a friendship, the outcome is not only an outstanding relationship with mutual benefits but an incredible increase in maturity.

“You realize what you want in a friend and what you need in a friend,” Blackburn said, “and to a degree what those friendships and relationships mean to you.”

art by Yasmeen El-Jayyousi source: livestrong.com

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hen senior Kelsey Cheney started private school in second grade, she was “the new kid.”

It seemed to her that all the children in her class had their friend groups set in stone. Still, it was then that she met a few girls in her class who seemed to understand her creative personality.

Cheney is still close friends with the group she met nearly ten years ago. They’ve stuck to each other through elementary school, middle school and now high school is quickly coming to an end. Cheney accredits this strong bond she shares with her friends to how well they complement each other’s personalities.

We’re still friends “because we have so much invested in our friendship. We’ve done so many things together,” Cheney said. “We’re all kind of crazy, and we have the same interests, and we have the same background ... it’s not hard to get along with them or talk with them.”

Even though Cheney still has the same group of close friends that she had at the start of high school, her circle opened up over the years to welcome many new friends into their group. Though she chose to stick to the same best friends she had since elementary school, Cheney saw many people being attracted to her and her friends, thus expanding her circle.

“We always have more crazies moving into our group of crazy friends. I guess it’s just interests and humor,” Cheney said. “People who have the same kind of interests and the same kind of humor find the same kind of things funny and like to talk about the same kind of things.”

Cheney remained loyal to a single circle and accepted friends into her group, but junior Hend Al-Rawi took a different road. Ever since first starting high school, she reached outside of her group and met new people, expanding her own circles of friends.

“I think it’s cool to get social and [reach] outside your circle and meet new people,” Al-Rawi said. “Sometimes at lunch I sit with my friends from back in middle school and elementary school, but I switch it up a bit. I still say hi to all my friends.”

Al-Rawi, a cheerleader for RBHS for the first time this year, believes getting involved in activities and sports is a way that she got to socialize. But she still follows her own rules when making new friends.

“You can just find a new group of friends, but you don’t have to necessarily ditch your other group; you just add more friends,” Al-Rawi said. “Like for me, I think I’m nice to everyone, and I don’t want to make anyone mad or angry.”

Patrice Reddick, a psychologist based in St. Louis, Mo. and co-owner of R&R Counseling Center For Hope, studies teenage psychological behaviors, including the way they navigate the social aspect of high school. Reddick believes people are innately inclined to sort themselves into groups.

“We, as human beings, are social creatures and strive to create long-lasting, meaningful relationships with other people, or, in other words, establish our degree of how well we are accepted into the community; we all strive to know what our role in the greater society is,” Reddick said. “Due to the way that the educational school system is set up, most students have been surrounded by the same group of peers for the entirety of their early lives … during this time, they have created a role for themselves in how well they relate to other people; a sort of niche where they ‘fit in.’”

Even though Cheney did not voluntarily reach out to meet other people and include them in her friend circle as much as Al-Rawi, she admits she gradually grew apart from some of her friends because of her changing interests.

“I don’t do show choir anymore so I don’t hang out with [my show choir friends] as much,” Cheney said. “I guess when your interests change, or what you find is important [changes], that can change your relationships with other people.”

Though Cheney doesn’t have frequent contact with all of her friends from high school, she notes that there are many teenagers that voluntarily grow apart from their good friends over the years, and graduate with a completely different set of friends than they started freshman year with.

“I think [some people change friends] because ... it’s usually an experience or a situation that a person’s put in that they’re not comfortable with, and they’re no longer accepting of the other person’s behavior,” Cheney said. “I have a friend that totally moved from one group of friends to another because she didn’t accept [her friends’] use of drugs and didn’t like their behavior and a lot of how they were changing.”

Reddick said high school comes with many changes in personalities and a reassortment of priorities, so it is not uncommon for people to switch from one circle of friends to

another to avoid bad choices and negative influences. “[Some] students may seem to float in and out of friend groups because they themselves do not know who they are. They look to others to define their personality and character; to give them approval and love that they are lacking in other areas of their life, and when they get bored with the persona they have allowed to be portrayed upon themselves, they switch to another friend group,” Reddick said.

“These individuals have a hard time in life, and will continue to struggle with their own identity, popping up here and there until, after finding themselves, they will find where they feel they fit and the friends associated with that location.”

Like Cheney, Al-Rawi acknowledges some teenagers willingly cut off ties with their friends. From personal experience, she knows how painful it can be when good friends grow apart.

“I kind of question myself, ‘What did I do? Did I do anything wrong?’ But ... sometimes the people that do that ... just leave for no reason,” Al-Rawi said. “They want to make new friends, and they feel like they don’t fit in themselves, so they just kind of leave. But I really question myself [when a friend leaves] and I try to get back together with them and hang out or something, but sometimes it just doesn’t really work.”

Reddick isn’t stranger to the notion that teenagers often leave their friends and pick up new ones throughout the course of high school. She witnessed her own daughter changing the people she spent time with, mainly because of changing interests and priorities within the group.

“When [my daughter] entered into high school, it wasn’t her morals and values that changed, but that of her friends.

My daughter realized that while she was striving towards academic achievement and the hopes of bettering herself, some of her friends had let decided to slack on their work ethic, and it had begun to affect her own,” Reddick said.

“Though it was hard for my daughter at first, she began to distance herself, and even though she didn’t completely stop being friends with them, she made better and more supportive relationships with like-minded individuals.”

Even though Al-Rawi knows how it feels when a friend leaves and cuts off past relationships, she recognizes it as an inevitable part of high school, and believes little can be done to prevent such separations. Cheney agrees that some people change drastically over the years, and feel the need to make new friends that share their new personality.

“I guess when people change ... you want to keep that bond you had when you were younger, but as you get older, characters change and you can’t be the same, and you can’t have the same relationship,” Cheney said. “Relationships are always changing.”

Trust, common interests lead to companionship Brett Stover

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n eighth grade at West Junior High School, senior Amanda Eaton met her best friend, Hickman High School senior Rayna Sims. They shared mutual friends through middle school.

“We were both in Viking Band, and she played trumpet and I played trombone,” Eaton said. “We were in a lot of classes together ... She was friends with my best friend at the time; we both take piano lessons from the same teacher, so I’d seen her at all the recitals.”

Eventually, Eaton and Sims grew closer, using those shared interests as a stepping stone toward friendship.

Though they now attend different schools, that common bond over music holds them together despite the distance.

Also through similar interests, sophomore Grant Sykuta met new people and developed friendships this year at RBHS. Like Eaton, Sykuta is a member of the Emerald Regiment, RBHS’s competitive marching band, and also runs track; through both of these he has found new friends here. He attended WJHS and is a member of the largest class of new students RBHS has ever seen.

“It’s pretty cool to have people you see often that are interested in the same things,” Sykuta said. “[It’s important to have] someone that can hold you accountable of things in your life, someone you get along with well, and a huge aspect of a good friendship is trust.”

Sykuta believe accountability and trust on both sides of the relationship are a must. A person to whom they can entrust their innermost secrets is a common value held in friendships, a value that freshman Stephanie Zhang echoes. She saying that the most important part of a friendship is that they can trust each other.

Besides that feeling of trust, another important piece of relationship building is that first one felt when meeting a new person. While the saying goes ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ that’s exactly what many people do.

According to the 2009 study ‘Personality Judgments Based on Physical Appearance,’ conducted by Laura P. Naumann, Simine Vazire, Peter J. Rentfrow, and Samuel D. Gosling, subjects were able to accurately judge a variety of psychological traits based solely on pictures of random individuals. They could predict the person’s “extroversion, self-esteem and even religiosity.”

Accordingly, first impressions are important; those initial few thoughts about a person define that person in the viewers mind, at least until a deeper connection is made. Zhang says when she first meets someone, she listens to how they speak.

Or, more precisely, how educated they appear to be.

“If they use slang words,” Zhang said, “I might think maybe they don’t care about school as much as I do.”

Sykuta, though, doesn’t make assumptions based on the speech of a new peer. Instead, he looks to their appearance. Both physical and verbal cues affect the impression one makes upon meeting a new person.

“As much as I hate to admit, the first impression that a new person has on me is their appearance,” Sykuta said.

“I try not to judge a book by its cover per se, but just by looks you can usually tell what type of person someone is. I don’t want to make it seem like I’m stereotyping anything, but in reality, everyone does.

For example, if a guy comes up to me with a piercing in his right ear and tattoos down his arms, he probably won’t be the type of person that I want to surround myself with.”

No matter what sort of first impression is made, those

shared experiences, shared friends and shared interests are always an important factor in successful friendships.

Eaton says it would be harder to be friends with Sims if they didn’t get the same grades in school, and that it would be uncomfortable to talk about school because of their differing scores. She says she doesn’t seek out people at her intellectual level, rather that she frequently meets and befriends in their shared classes.

[When we hung out] we’d talk a lot, sometimes we’d play duets,” Eaton said. “We got the same grades too; we have the same ACT score, the same PSAT [score], the same GPA.” Having friends with strong interest in academics, like Eaton and Sims, is beneficial to students throughout high school and beyond. According to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics, students with peers who have at least a moderate interest in academic success are more likely to graduate school than those whose friends care less about school.

Additionally, the students who surrounded themselves with peers that have a ‘high level’ of interest in school are four percent more likely to reach proficiency in both reading and math.

Senior Keeley Houghton finds having friends who strive for scholastic excellence helps her, too, to achieve academic success.

“If I’m around people who don’t care [about academics,] about their grades or anything, then I’m not going to feel pressured or encouraged to work on my grades,” Houghton said. “I’d want to slack off with them.

I’m not going to feel pressured by those friends, in a good way, to try to be up there with them in the ‘A’ honor roll instead of slacking off and being in that ‘F’ range.”

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Community 1. Striking while the iron’s hot: a local Blacksmith contributes to the ‘olden days’ aesthetic of the festival whilst preforming his craft.

2. Soundtrack to the day: musician entertaines festival goers with obscure instruments not seen in everyday life 3. Taking a knee: a member of a Native American dance troop performs on the stage, exhibiting his own heritage.

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photos by Morgan Berk

Annual Heritage Festival triggers nostalgia

Celebration helps families form memories and learn history in the comfort of Nifong Park Ross Parks

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or years, man has searched for a way to alter the fabric of time and yet, the collective attempts by humanity have all fallen short, and we remain in the present. However, for those living in and around Columbia, a unique opportunity is opened every year, to travel in a time machine constructed within the historic yards of Nifong Pa rk.

Here, the efforts of men and women from all walks of life assemble an example of the most practical time machine, set to the 1800’s world of Missouri.

In lieu of cogs and switches, men orate stories above the flames of open campfires under the night’s stars, and instead of complex equations written upon a board and a dial set to a date, vendors call out their goods from within their pitched tents, filled with items common to the past.

The Heritage Festival, an annual event held in Nifong Park, is a celebratory recollection of the unique history of Missouri. Having been a part of the lives of Columbians for now 36 years, it has become a part of many’s yearly rituals.

“Some of my kid’s best memories are from the Heritage Festival,” Denise Rohrer said, a former craftswomen and loyal attendee to the annual celebration.

This year, of the nearly 15,000 estimated visitors, many new faces are sure to be in the crowd. However, a large portion of anticipated guests, like the Rohrers, are expected to have attended in the past.

“It was one of the first things we did here as a family and everyone loved it, so we have always come back every year“ Bissy Crosby said, another loyal attendee of many years. Having just moved to Columbia in 2001, the families first experiences with the festival were those just after 9/11.

“It was just really patriotic... really special,” Cros-

by said.

For many, the festival offers a place for the family to be at ease. With the strumming of guitars and banjos in the background as children attempt to stand on stilts or milk a fake cow, everyone can observe and enjoy the days activities.

“I like the Heritage Festival because its somewhere anyone can go, even if you’re a family, or a group of friends or just one person. All ages can go and have a fantastic time,” Alicia Hoagenson said, a RBHS senior and attendee. “I really enjoy all the shops ... its just a great thing to do as friends, and make memories.”

However, this type of atmosphere doesn’t happen overnight.

Karen Chandler, coordinator of the majority of the Festival for a solid decade says that while she still finds entertainment in the events, she gets the most satisfaction from seeing people enjoying themselves.

All of which makes sense, since Chandler spends a

large portion of the year planning the event.

“Around the first of the year we really start getting in touch with our performers and traditional artisans,” Chandler said. “It takes nine or ten months to put it all together.”

Still, while it may take a large amount of planning and management to coordinate the event, it is more than a one-step process. In all, the purpose of the Heritage Festival is to remind us of ourselves, and enjoy both the people we are now, and who we were then. Many of those who help out with the festival have a firm grasp on that idea, including Rose Weston, a social studies education major at the University of Missouri and Festival volunteer.

“I really enjoy talking to people about history, especially local history,” Weston said. “I don’t really think most people realize how cool local history is.”

So as the curtain closes on this year’s Heritage Festival, the memories of another celebration are tucked away, as the community returns to normal.

Columbia skateboarding reaches prominence with time and effort apart of Bike, Walk and Wheel Week, such as bicycles, scootn 1988, Christopher Bailey be- ers, etc. In preparation, Bailey gan riding a skateboard around researched other cities that had on his bottom at the age of 13. had similar ordinances in the past Soon afterward he began to stand and steps they had taken to help on his feet, and has since become skateboarding become more acco-owner of Parkside Skateshop, ceptable.

The 38-year-old skateboarder currently located at 1614 Busithen went on to contact several ness Loop 70 W. Opening the business March commissions and organizations 1, 2009, along with Shane Stand- throughout the city including er, Bailey has gone the last four PedNet, The Commission of years working to make skate- Physical Fitness and more all of boarding something more acces- which gave him letters of apsible to the youth of Columbia. proval, aiding in the credibility In 2011, Bailey went before city of Bailey’s cause when presented council in hopes to amend city to city council. Upon hearing his ordinance 14-5 which at the time case in which Bailey pointed out stated that the use of skateboards skateboarding as a practical soluand roller skates was limited to tion to such problems as obesity, traffic congestion and high gas local or residential streets. prices, city council unaniBailey’s goal was to have mously voted to pass skateboards allowed an amendment to be used as “There’s allowing skate‘green’ non-moa lot people boards on torized methin my life that, the roads of ods of transthe only interaction the business portation in district. downtown that we have ever “It was and Unihad is through something versity of skatbeboarding.” that we Missouricould easily Columbia Kyle Zynda do that would campus areas. senior not cost the city a “I heard about dime and also do what Bike Walk and Wheel they are trying to do,” Bailey Week and thought, ‘What the hell?’” Bailey said. “It kind of said. “[It is] the squeaky wheel lit a fire under my a-- because I that gets the grease, if you keep thought it was very contradictory on squeaking and makin’ noise, and hypocritical of the city to they’re eventually gonna have to support this thing but at the same shut you up.”

Fast forward to 2013 and the time have skateboarding illegal.”

Upon discovering Colum- Columbia Parks and Recreation bia’s reception of $21 million and Open Space Master Plan has for ‘green’ transportation, Bailey set aside more than $800,000 for thought it contradictory to have the improvement and developriding non-motorized vehicles ment of skateboarding facilities.

Now planning on expanding such as skateboards illegal in certain areas of the city yet at the Columbia’s current 28,000 sq. same time support other meth- ft. skatepark located in the back ods of transportation already of the Columbia Cosmopolitan

George Sarafianos

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Recreation Area to a 250,000 sq. ft. plaza as well as a 25,000 sq. ft. bowl. Columbia Parks and Recreation also intends to build a small skateboarding facility at Douglass Park.

“One thing we got is we got it in the master plan,” Bailey said, “They had a big survey on the Parks and Recreation Department website so people could go and let them know what kind of park amenities the city wants which is based off of public input. So I pushed a lot of people to go will out that survey, which helped rank skateboarding higher on the priority line, which help get more skateboarding in the master plan.”

Out of gratitude, Bailey’s wish is to simply have skateboarding be as accessible as possible for everyone.

Skateboarding “provides a lot of life lessons; trial and error,” Bailey said. “You get the camaraderie out of it but, it doesn’t have to have a full team, or be as organized. And another thing is that it’s a lot easier to be a part of in low income areas.”

Having the entire skateboarding community as support, Bailey and his business partner and longtime friend Shane Stander continue to run Parkside Skateshop as a place where anyone who wants to see what skateboarding is about, can. RBHS freshman Nathan Garriott has been skateboarding for as long as he can remember, and is positive that these decisions made by Columbia Parks and Recreation will do nothing but good for both the community and skateboarding.

“Skating’s unique in a way that; as long as you’re actually physically skateboarding, almost nothing bad can happen. You’re not doing anything bad, you’re not hurting anyone, you’re just

photo by Mikeala Acton

Up in the air: RBHS sophomore Andy Carranza, does a ‘Nose Grab’ over the ‘Taco’ at the skate park. This park is currently the one and only skateboarding facility, found in the back of the Columbia Cosmopolitain Recreation Area, where various RBHS students skateboard often. taking something, and making something else out of it,” Garriott said. “It helps to teach you that you have to commit to it even if it’s scary, you learn really fast that the only way to actually enjoy it is to put everything you have into it, and that’s a really big part of life, so if you think about it, more skateparks just means more kids will get introduced to something that might change their whole life. And that’s pretty important.”

Being another one of the many skateboarders at RBHS, senior Kyle Zynda feels skateboarding helps make relationships that are unlike any bond that could be created elsewhere.

“There’s a lot of people in my life that, the only interaction that we have ever had is through skateboarding,” Zynda said.

“We didn’t live by each other, we didn’t go to school together, but we both spend so much of our time skating that we’ve just

bonded in a special way. Some people I skate with to this day, I don’t even really know that well, but I do know that they feel the same way I do about skating, and that says enough.”

When asked for his opinion on the city’s plan for more parks, Zynda said, “If there is any way that more people can be able to see how great skating is, then I’m on board, and right now more skateparks seems like the perfect way.”

Features

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photo by Maribeth Eiken

Spinning records: Timothy Dickmeyer collects records. After finding the spinning label of the Led Zeppelin album on the internet, Dickmeyer chose to purchase it since he enjoys hearing it.

Taking notes under review L photo by Maribeth Eiken

Justin Sutherland

art by Alex Carranza

earning guitar, making an album with his wife and ushering in places like the Amphitheater, Scottrade center and Mississippi Nights for contemporary productions prepared AP Psychology teacher Tim Dickmeyer for a second job.

Without pay, he took a position in June 2013 where he reviews music for earbuddy.net.

Earbuddy.net is a “music website established in 2011 with a strong, but not exclusive, focus on independent music — all genres accepted but discriminated on a writer-to-writer basis” according to their website. Dickmeyer reviews music sent to him by his supervisor, Chris Bell.

“You’re supposed to write about the music and not about you. It’s tough becoming a music writer instead of a guy who writes about music and I’m not there yet,” Dickmeyer said. “So on that first draft you want to give everyone an A, because I know what it’s like to make your own album and how hard it is.”

Music has been prevalent, dynamic and a source of passion in his life ever since he can remember. In fact, he first started playing his own music at the age of four when he received a gift from his great-grandfather.

“My great-grandfather was a professional accordion player, and he was actually a bugler in

WWI, but he considered himself a keyboard player even though he played the accordion,” Dickmeyer said. “He got me my first instrument which was the Little Tikes piano, which was actually in tune.”

From Little Tikes to an actual piano, Dickmeyer’s grandmother tried to instruct him about musical theory, which proved useful for him when all of his friends decided to buy instruments and play in the school band. The problem was, at the time, Dickmeyer’s family did not have the financial stability to buy an instrument. Fortunately, the school already bought a euphonium and told Dickmeyer that he could have it for free if he would play it for them. After he performed a few years for the school, he decided that band was not for him, yet music drew him back after his first year of high school.

“Freshman year I kind of did my own thing. All these sports teams, almost all the guys in my school went out for them so I really started missing music because these other things were taken away,” Dickmeyer said. “So the summer between freshman and sophomore year I found this guitar that my aunt had in the basement. After that, at the end of summer, I bought my first guitar.”

Playing guitar through high school and college resulted in a first date with his wife, Alison

Dickmeyer. For him, it was love at first sight, he said. He told his friend right when he first saw her that he was going to marry her, even though his friend said she was out of his league. He proceeded by attempting to flirt with her, but she did not want anything to do with him. Later, they both were at another friend’s party. Though Dickmeyer wanted to do nothing other than play the guitar that night, he made an exception for a special girl.

“She just walked up to me and was like, ‘I didn’t know you played guitar.’ So I think she fell in love with me because of music,” Dickmeyer said. “My wife is actually a classically trained cellist so she can both knock out a Tchaikovsky piece and also play rock and roll without seeing music. [Music] was a key attraction in our relationship, but it wasn’t that [first attraction] for me.”

Ten years later, Dickmeyer made an album with his wife as Christmas presents for some friends and family. They were unsure of where they were going to be financially that particular year, overloaded by how materialistic people became, in their opinion, and did not want to spend all of their weekends shopping.

“We decided, ‘Let’s just make something for someone.’ So here it is, in November and December, we spent everything on our own. The pictures, the recording, you know just everything,”

Dickmeyer said. “Some people were like really judge-y about it, and we were like, ‘Well, that’s just going to happen.’ We were together, so we were happy.”

The beginning of his experience with any albums was when Dickmeyer received his first cassettes as a child of “Slippery When Wet” by Bon Jovi and Def Leppard’s “Hysteria” along with a boombox to play them as gifts for first communion from his family. Dickmeyer took them to the Catholic school he attended during third grade despite his fear of being punished by the nuns for having them.

“I remember in elementary school there was this kid with a little cassette player. We went to Catholic school, so we would go in the back and hide on the playground because we thought this was devil’s music or something,” Dickmeyer said. “We thought that we were gonna get in all kinds of trouble. [The records were] the most metal thing we had ever heard of.”

After listening to and enjoying Bon Jovi, Dickmeyer began collecting records. Prior to modern day conveniences of Spotify, Pandora, YouTube and other musical outlets such as Earbuddy, music was more difficult to get for high school students.

“It’s really cool that the internet is now allowing this resurgence of getting good music out,” Dickmeyer said. “If you

write a really good song and you put it online, people will share it.

That’s awesome, so now people can rediscover all these older artists, too.”

Although he is doing something he is passionate about, the luster of it is starting to wear off.

Reviewing music can be stressful when he has limited time after working at school and wanting time to be with his family.

“In some ways I’m thankful to have my professional life away from my music life, I really do,” Dickmeyer said after his friend and boss Chris Bell introduced him to Earbuddy. “I mean, I would love to [write columns and more reviews] but [the people that do that] come home and that is what they do. I maybe have one or two hours to focus on it but I have other priorities.”

Even though his profession is not intertwined with his passion, Dickmeyer is happy to instead be teaching high school students AP Psychology.

“There are other ways to contribute to society and yourself and you still get to hang on to [your passion],” Dickmeyer said. “[Music] is something you pour your heart and soul into and then you kind of offer it up to others to judge you. It’s a hard, emotional experience. Whether its art, photography, you know, whatever your passion is, you can still hang on to and not have it be your job.”

variety into it. How boring would it be if you never met anyone different, and only interacted with the same people over and over again? That would be awful!”

A perfect example is Neu’s AP Psychology teacher Mrs. Profitt, a teacher not only new to RBHS this year after returning, but also new to Neu. “She makes it actually interesting, I was pretty surprised,” Neu said. “I thought it would be just a run of the mill class, but as

soon as [Proffitt] started talking I knew she would be what would make me remember this class in years to come.”

Having an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ mentality on the topic, Neu values having a new teacher in a way that not many students do.

“I just think of it like, I’m one of the first people they teach at their new job,” Neu said, “I’m as big a part of their life as they are of mine.”

Welcoming a group of brand new teachers George Sarafianos

B

eginning the year with an addition that is larger than any among previous years, RBHS has rolled out the welcome wagon for 36 new members of faculty in order to replace both retired employees of RBHS, and to cater to this year’s changes in enrollment.

“A big chunk of it was just replacing those who left, so we had to fill up all of those empty positions,” RBHS Principal Dr. Jennifer Mast said. “The rest of those decisions were made jointly between the board office and Mr. Maus [previous principal] based on enrollment projections.”

In conjunction with all Columbia Public School high schools now carrying freshman students, the opening of Battle High School also affected this year’s faculty at RBHS by not having a senior class.

“It’s the freshman and seniors together; what makes us big is the addition but no reduction in seniors,” Mast said. “Battle didn’t open with seniors but did take essentially one third of every other class. So this is a very special year

that both Hickman and Rock Bridge are both oversized.”

Both schools now hold more than 2,000 students, making for a pretty packed enviornment.

The process of finding the right teachers, however, is a task that goes unnoticed by most but is easily one of the most strenuous tasks that must be done each year, Mast said.

“I think we look for a cultural fit, as well as a philosophical fit.

We are aware that our philosophy is not the same as every other high school, and every school I think can say that,” Mast said.

“So principals and decision makers, when they’re interviewing for jobs they want to make sure that the candidate is obviously competent as a teacher, someone who knows their craft, but also agrees with our philosophy at RBHS.” The main issue at hand, according to Mast is, “Can we do the best job we can in supporting new staff ?” Faculty new to RBHS are always greeted with “full support” in their transition to their new work environment.

Ninth grade Physics teacher Travis Gable is one faculty member in which the transition made

sense.

“I taught at Jeff Junior for five years but always liked this school,” Gable said. “I coached here when I was in college, and I plan on coaching here this winter for basketball, so it was gonna be a pretty smooth transition for being able to teach and coach at the same school.”

But convenience was not the only motivator in Gable’s decision to come to RBHS this year.

Having fallen in love with teaching while in college, Gable has a very defined list of goals he wishes to accomplish here at RBHS. “I want to increase student engagement in activities and help them make connections with the content and real life,” Gable said.

“By doing this, I think it starts good relationships with the kids and with a good relationship, and getting a good foundation laid helps the students want to be in the class and helps them want to perform at high expectations.”

Faculty members, however, are not the only ones being affected by the large addition, which brings up the matter of how students are affected to the surface. Students play a major

art by Alex Carranza

role in the welcoming of new teachers regarding their actions towards them. If it weren’t for students eager to learn from the new teachers, it wouldn’t be possible for them to carry out their job efficiently.

Senior Katie Neu, a student here since her sophomore year, has always found excitement and pleasure in meeting and welcoming new teachers.

“It’s always fun to meet new people,” Neu said. “It brings a

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Features

art by Alex Carranza

Buisnesses utilize new media to advertise

Though this type of advertising may not be extremely common yet, there is no denying its pohe area on a woman’s thigh between her tential effectiveness. Ninety percent of consumers knee socks and mini skirt is known as the trust recommendations from people they know, ac“absolute territory” in Japan and has be- cording to the latest Nielsen Global Online Concome a common ground for advertising, sumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers according to the Content Marketing News and In- from 50 countries. These recommendations among dustry Insights website. other things make advertisements efIf one were to walk the streets fective; however, Pete Eichholz, the “Sex of Tokyo, it would not be uncommarketing teacher at the Columbia appeal and mon to see stickers advertising Area Career Center (CACC) thinks hunger and all various Japanese companies appealing to viewers’ emotions is these other things are decorating the “absolute the most powerful. things that they try and territory” of many women.

“A good ad that tugs at the drive you to because...

A similar marketing emotions of the consumer is you remember them.” campaign emerged in Lonthe most effective,” Eichholz don in January 2009 when said in an e-mail interview. people agreed to use tem“It is also the hardest to creporary tattoos and advertise ate. You must know your target Chandler Randol market very well in order to be http://feelunique.com on senior successful.” their eyelids and wink at passUsing knowledge provided by ersby, according to The New York labs, advertisers use a plethora of new Times. techniques to attempt new ways of reaching out But this method of advertising is not just one that occupies foreign countries; in fact, it is to their customers. One of the labs advertisers use is located in the School of Journalism in the present in California.

Approximately 30 people in Los Angeles in early University of Missouri — Columbia, and is called 2009 agreed to shave their heads and advertise Air the PRIME lab, which stands for Psychological ReNew Zealand on the backs of their heads using search on Information and Media Effects. The lab henna, according to the New York Times. The “cra- conducts research on the psychological and emonial billboards” learned of the opportunity through tional reactions that a person has to different feae-mail updates from the airline; however, sites such tures of media, according to their website.

“Emotional responses have become a huge as leaseyourbody.com also provide people with the chance to ‘create a profile’ and connect with busi- thing,” senior Chandler Randol said.

Randol was in Marketing and Entrepreneurship nesses to advertise on their body parts.

Trisha Chaudhary

T

last year at the CACC and is currently taking Sports Marketing. He went to internationals for the Distributive Educational Clubs of America (DECA).

“I know sex appeal and hunger and all these other things are things that they try and drive you to,” Randol said, “because it stimulates your brain and you remember them.”

The PRIME lab has published several papers with topics ranging from “Changing Student’s Attitudes Towards Palestinians and Israelis Through Video Games” to “The Effects of Graphic Health Promotion Messages to Third-Person Effects of Idealized Body Image in Magazine Advertisements.”

The lab conducts this research by placing participants into a room with a television and a recliner with wires connected to it. The wires attach to a person and they monitor heart rate and skin conductance to see how much attention the individual is paying to the commercial, and facial electromyography measures whether he or she is smiling or frowning in reaction. This allows the researchers to understand the connection, or lack of one, that the subject made with the advertisement and their reaction to it.

Senior Campbell Thompson took Marketing last year at the CACC and this year is in Advertising. She takes part in DECA activities and plans on attending a communications school for college.

Thompson thinks in today’s market humor and guilt are strong emotions appealing to consumers. This paired with aesthetic appeal is what draws people in, she believes.

“Ads don’t typically appeal to people in an emotional sense these days,” Thompson said. “Mainly it’s about showing how a product will improve your

lifestyle, but sometimes emotion needs to be pulled in to get people to listen.”

This kind of science, known as psychophysiology, is a growing phenomenon. Labs similar to PRIME exists in several universities around the country, including Texas Tech University, Ohio State University, Stanford University, Tufts University and others. In fact, a survey conducted by the association for psychological science shows 27 percent of empirical articles about psychology used psychophysiology methods in 2009.

With companies able to study the emotional connections behind advertising their ability to manipulate and appeal to the general public will increase, Randol said.

“I think the emotion will become a big piece of marketing and advertising specifically,” Randol said.

“I think that you’re going to see more and more of that, whether that’s a good thing or not I don’t know that one person can really answer that, but I also don’t know if it’s necessarily a bad thing because it’s just human nature.”

In addition to studying and utilizing emotional responses, Eichholz sees the future of advertising connecting even more so with technology. Companies already use facial recognition, location finders, interest inventories and physical response tracking software in appealing to customers, Eiccholz said, and it will only continue this way.

“The future of advertising is all about personalization,” Eichholz said. “Advertisers want to be as efficient with their money as possible. What better way to do that than to appeal directly to people that they know use a product? Technology will change advertising significantly in the next couple decades.”

iPads incorporate technology into AP Luke Chval

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ountless changes and new ideas have come with the 2013-2014 school year. One of the most intriguing and influential of them all is the transition of the district from using textbooks to handing out iPads to all Advanced Placement (AP) students. The goal of these iPads is to produce higher amounts of efficiency in the classrooms and to potentially save money for the school.

Columbia Public Schools didn’t pioneer the use of iPads in schools. According to an article by U.S. News’ Jason Koebler, over 600 districts, and even Columbia Independent School (CIS), across the United States have implemented student use of iPads into their curricula.

Evidently, unlike some of the changes of the new year, the iPads have been met by students with an incredibly high satisfaction rate.

“The best part of the iPads is reading the textbook on it,” junior Kristen Tarr said. “Because there’s no way I’m going to carry a textbook around and read it frequently.”

However, the logistics of a transition this large are difficult and unpredictable. Namely, the fact that a month into school there are still many AP students without iPads. AP Language and Composition teacher Deborah McDonough

has a roughly estimated 200 students in AP Language and U.S. Studies, and yet only a handful of students in her class have iPads.

“Right now, these students have to use the textbook, which we had as our backup, we don’t want to receive them until there are enough iPads for both sections of AP Language and U.S. Studies,” McDonough said. “The first year is going to be a learning curve for everybody, but we’re excited about it, and once we get them here and get used to them they will really help a lot.”

More decisions, such as the prioritization of distributing the iPads, have been called into question by the students.

The AP Math students received them first, and the administration handed out the rest in a random line of succession all the way to AP World, finally receiving theirs on Monday, Sept. 23.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for these iPads,” sophomore Drake Short said. “And the fact that the students in the AP Human Geography class got iPads and my AP World History class didn’t is a little ridiculous.”

Just like any other technological step forward in school, there are some who feel nostalgic about the old ways. Despite supporting the decision to distribute iPads to all AP students, McDonough describes herself as one of the more traditional teachers in the school.

“I’m from the old school. I like the

feel of a textbook, I like the smell of a textbook,” McDonough said. “I like turning the pages, and, most importantly, I like to be able to write notes and messages in a book.”

With all of the AP students receiving iPads, it will be sure that the use of the iPads won’t be limited to educational use. Along with the belief that the iPads will help learning, McDonough expects a significant amount of trouble brought with these new devices.

“They can definitely be a great tool within a classroom,” McDonough said.

“However, we will have to do a bit of work to get the students to use them appropriately.”

The students will without a doubt use

the iPads for recreational purposes, and some students are already planning their usage of the iPads for the school year.

Many have already downloaded assorted games and other apps such as YouTube or Facebook.

“I’m really excited to see what kind of things we can do in the classroom with the iPads.” Short said. “I’m also looking forward to playing games and watching Netflix.”

Tarr has a similar mind set, as do many other students at the school, when it comes to the use of iPads. She also believes they can be extremely helpful, but sees them as a recreational device and believes that the students will be responsible enough to know the limits of work

art by Sarah Poor

and play.

“I use Twitter on my iPad all the time,” Tarr said. “But I don’t let that get in the way of my work, and I think that’s how it will be for most students.”

McDonough, Tarr and Short all see the endless possibilities with the iPads and agree that the step from paper textbooks to electronic reading programs is beneficial for students and will carry RBHS far.

“They’re going into a world that is all about technology,” McDonough said. “They have to be ready for that, it would be a great disservice to them if we weren’t teaching them about technology.”

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11

12

Editorials

y r r o We’re S

CLOSED

Closed campus lunch proves smothering to underclassmen RBHS has worked to promote the infamous freedom with responsibility clause while enforcing new school policies. Has the restriction on underclassmen flouted this motto?

The Rock staff voted yes.

T

he recent changes for the school district and RBHS have been both far reaching and complex. Along with the many concrete changes in school rules and procedures that have been finalized, a dozen more questions simultaneously arise.

As we navigate through this new and unfamiliar high school setup for the first time, it gives us a great opportunity for reflection as we evaluate what elements of our school’s culture to keep and what to change.

The school district introduced the idea of closed campus lunches to RBHS last year as a tentative idea, given the impending changes that accompanied the addition of freshmen to the building.

Although RBHS indulged sophomores, juniors and seniors with the privilege of open campus lunch in the past, ideas began to circulate last year regarding whether this was a safe practice for incoming underclassmen.

School officials, with helpful input from parents and community members, gave only juniors and seniors the privilege of off-campus lunch, while sophomores and freshmen stay confined to the RBHS campus during their 37 minute lunch period.

And, although the grounding ideas behind closed campus lunch for underclassmen are, in theory, understandable, freshmen and sophomores should be permitted to vacate the school during their lunch block.

Having an open campus for all four grade levels is crucial if RBHS wishes to maintain the motto of “freedom with responsibility.” Not only is it a huge piece of school culture, but it teaches students personal responsibility and time management. As students, they plan out how to leave school, get food

and return to campus in time for their next class. Rather than adjusting longstanding practices in order to satisfy anxious parents, RBHS should be striving to incorporate the lowerclassmen into the current school culture.

One of the most apparent flaws in the closed campus rule for underclassmen lies in the inconsistency of this year’s rules as compared to former practices. For years, sophomores new to RBHS enjoyed the privilege of off campus lunch without recurring problems regarding the safety or integrity of the students who exercised this privilege.

Never in the past have sophomores proven to be less responsible when given the opportunity to go off campus for lunch.

However, with the addition of an even lower grade level to the building, sophomores have been hastily thrown into a category of students perceived as less reliable and less deserving of upperclassmen privileges. It isn’t fair to the sophomores that they are unable to do what thousands of 10th graders did before them simply because ninth graders are now attending their classes at RBHS; nor is it reasonable that the the administration subjects ninth graders to the same closed-campus policy that they endured in years past.

If RBHS is serious about promoting its central principal of “freedom with responsibility,” it should introduce the ninth graders to new privileges, so that they may, in turn, learn to exercise a greater degree of responsibility.

Parents of underclassmen expressed concern last year regarding the safety of their sons and daughters if the school were to establish an open-campus policy for all grade levels. The closed-campus policy that followed

was an attempt to ensure the safety of younger students who either cannot yet drive and may attempt to walk to lunch, as well as new drivers who may not be experienced on the road. Though the placing of student safety at the top of the school officials priority list and implementing rules to protect the underclassman is commendable, an open

lunch policy is neither dangerous, nor impractical. Nearly all sophomores will turn 16 at some point during the school year, and many will receive their driver’s license and a car.

If these students are already fine driving to and from school, a quick trip to Jimmy John’s mid-day should not pose any more of a safety threat than their trip to school in the morning.

Furthermore, freshmen who can’t yet get their licenses or drive to school on their own most likely have older friends who drive, and can take them out to lunch during the day. Regardless of whether or not any underclassman has the ability to drive, the option of leaving campus should at least exist. Any students who cannot drive or go to lunch with a friend who does drive still has the option of remaining on campus for lunch. The simple opportunity to leave campus does not make doing so mandatory, and lowerclassmen without the means to leave campus by no means have to.

However, administrators should give this privilege to freshmen and sophomores because as high schoolers they should be expected to possess the degree of responsibility necessary to make that decision. If their parents are concerned about any safety issues this entails, that should be between the student and their parent. If a parent does not feel comfortable with their child leaving the school campus for 37 minutes each day, that should be a rule which the parent can establish for their son or daughter individually, rather than RBHS establishing a schoolwide policy regarding the matter. After all, if a parent doesn’t feel they can trust their child to obey rules and boundaries which the parents have personally established, that is an issue in

and of itself. It is not the job of the school to enforce a rule stemming from parental concern expressed by a very select few.

Not only is the closed campus policy flawed and inconsistent with RBHS culture, but the school has yet to implement any way whatsoever to enforce the new policy. It is entirely possible for sophomores with cars to leave campus during their lunch period and be back in time for Bruin Block, and there is no way for the school to prevent this from happening.

In the same sense, freshmen can get rides off campus from upperclassmen friends after their Bruin Block lets out, and be dropped back off in time for their third hour class. RBHS is not enforcing the policy, but rather trusting the honesty and obedience of lowerclassmen to remain on campus during their lunch period.

Theoretically, this lack of concrete enforcement is consistent with “freedom with responsibility;” however, a problem arises in that the majority of underclassmen do not agree with the closed campus policy. Because sophomores and freshmen possess the fully grounded notion that being forced to stay at school during lunch is neither fair nor reasonable, they are not undertaking the responsibility of being honest and remaining at school during their lunch period.

Thus by implementing a widespread policy that is neither enforceable nor supported by students, the school is sending the message to its students that it is both easy and acceptable to disobey school policy.

The current policy of closed-campus lunch for underclassmen is both unreasonable and contradictory towards the values of RBHS. As high schoolers, freshmen and sophomores possess the level of maturity and responsibility necessary to hold the privilege of opencampus lunch. The school should establish an open-campus policy for all grade levels in order to fully reflect its motto of allowing “freedom with responsibility” and to retain its unique and longstanding liberal school culture.

Without such trust in the students, the strength of RBHS’ unique policy is not only then questionable but perhaps diminishing.

Staff editorial written by Anna Wright art by Maddy Meuller

Policy, guides structure newspaper’s content The Journalistic Production and Honors Seminar class produces The Rock, Bearing News and Southpaw. Call us with comments at 573-214-3141, or e-mail us at contactus@bearingnews.org The paper’s purpose is accurately to inform, educate and enlighten readers in an open forum. The Rock is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Quill and Scroll.

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The paper’s editorial board, made up of the Editors-In-Chief of The Rock, Bearing News, and the Advisor of the Journalism Department will review all opinion pieces, including staff-written editorials, submitted for publication, for use in the opinion pages only. Columns expressed in signed works are those of the author and not necessarily the entire staff.

“

The Rock

Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Rd., Columbia, Mo. 65203 Vol. 41, Issue 1 The Journalistic Production and Honors Seminar class produces The Rock,

Editorial Policy Letters to the Editor: The paper encourages letters but reserves the right to edit or reject material based on the standards set on all members of the Journalism staff.

All stories with grammatical errors will be printed as received. Anyone wishing to submit a letter must sign with a valid signature. The Editorials Board will hold names upon request from, but a signature must be given upon submission. When a group writes a letter, all members must sign.

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Bearing News and Southpaw. Call us with comments at 573-214-3141, or email us at contactus@bearingnews.org The paper’s purpose is accurately to inform, educate and enlighten readers in an open forum. The Rock is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Quill and Scroll.

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Publication: The Journalism Newspaper

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Editorials Collegiate opportunities induce unfair acceptance The view of “gifted” is too narrow for good

of Missouri, the MSA Alumni Association and various philanthropic donors. Only 330 stuigh achievement should merit reward, es- dents from across Missouri atpecially for high school students. RBHS is tend, which presents a problem.

This degree of selectivity is an above average school filled with above average students who deserve recognition based on the populations of all CPS high schools. Only 10 applifor their accomplishments.

For example, on the 2011 ACT, 65 percent of cant spots are open to the district RBHS students scored at or above the national aver- and, consequently, only five to each high school in the 2013 applicaage, according to the Missouri Department tion process. Considering 20 students met of Elementary and Secondary Eduthe standards for the initial process of cation (MDESE). A school filled the selection, it is difficult to imagwith excellence, then, is expectine the ease of cutting down the ed to provide rewarding opnumber to just five. portunities to its students.

“The fact that this According to their webOn the rare occasion program caters to a site, MSA believes “Misa prestigious opportunity miniscule number of souri’s gifted youth must is offered to a student, it the masses of students be provided with special is considered a bonus, a deemed “gifted” is both opportunities for learning great opportunity and, in and personal development in most cases, a reward for unfair and dishonest.” order for them to realize their their success. However, full potential.” these rewards come infreIf this is the case, MSA exquently, often with highly cludes thousands of gifted stuselective requirements and a dents from this gifted opportunity. price far too steep for the averIn the 2012-2013 school year alone, age teen.

38,045 students constituted the state’s giftBeyond extracurricular activities, ed programs, according to MDESE. the school introduces qualified students to In contrast to the restrictive selectivity of MSA, distinguished programs for which they must compete for a spot. Missouri Scholars Academy (MSA) MFAA’s selectivity increases the prestige of the proand the Missouri Fine Arts Academy (MFAA) are gram and, as a result, the potential educational gain just two of a number of programs created for high for the students. According to MFAA’s website, it achieving high schoolers to extend their educational is a three-week summer program that provides intensive classes for, “highly motivated student artists experience.

MSA is an academic program for gifted Missouri in visual arts, theatre, dance, creative writing, and students. Held at the University of Missouri, it is music.”

A panel of judges and artists review the applifunded by the University, the Gifted Association

Emily Franke

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cants’ s u b missions based on merit.

MFAA seems like an ideal h o n o r program ­— until you see the cost. Every student must pay $1,500 to attend.

Some need-based scholarships are provided for eligible applicants, but not every applicant in need of additional finances will be eligible for aid. If a student makes the cut for the program, but cannot find the money to pay for it, that student loses the chance to extend their artistic skills through the esteemed program.

Absurd factors limit the number of students who can attend prestigious events such as these. Be-

cause a predetermined amount of students can participate, because the cost of the program is too great, these programs deprive commendable scholars of the option to acquire knowledge.

The number of students allowed to participate is not an accurate representation of the student body of RBHS or the state of Missouri. The fact that these programs cater to a miniscule sample of the masses of students deemed “gifted” is both unfair and dishonest.

The limitations in the number of applicants and the numbers admitted prevents deserving stud e n t s from enjoying a well-deserved educational opportunity.

If the goal of these programs is to provide the experience to deserving students, they should cater to a greater amount of those students who meet the requirements to participate, rather than the ller f e w u e dy M w h o Mad y b art have the good fortune of being selected.

There should be far more equal opportunities for all students who succeed, rather than an opportunity offered based on population and limited by a wholistic number. This is a right which should be given to all students who have proven themselves in the classroom.

Increase in non-driving student population jams parking lots Brittany Cornelison

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s students may notice from the cramped hallways and overcrowded lunchroom, RBHS has grown significantly this year. With 2,337 students, RBHS is now the seventh largest school in Missouri and has pushed the boundaries of capacity. Increased student population has resulted for many in a daily sprint to the parking lot at the end of the day, in hopes that getting to the car 15 seconds earlier will decrease the chance of being stuck in traffic for half an hour or what seems like eternity.

Juniors and seniors who can park in the North and South lots are now up against more traffic than they have been in the past, as parents of both sophomores and freshmen push their way into the lots to retrieve their children. Frustration has risen from students who were already uneasy about the 4:05 p.m. release time but now also must wait around school for over half an hour just to make it off school grounds.

Students all knew this was coming, but seeing the actual chaos is a bit alarming as students, parents and faculty fight their way out of the parking lots.

The faculty deserves credit, however, for attempting to aid in this stressful mess by placing staff outside as traffic control. These individuals should receive applause for taking on the daily task of guiding parents and student drivers in

the mad dash to get off the premises.

Not only do they have to deal with irritable parents, but they have to control wretched teenage driving, as well.

Having traffic control administrators standing at the South lot entrances and exits has greatly helped to decrease the amount of backup and has added a sort of organization to the disfunction.

Though there is an attempt at synchronization on the South side of the school, the North is left to fend for itself. As students exit from the North lot onto the side road, South Providence Trail, they must choose whether they want to brace two lanes of traffic and try to head toward Providence where the backup sometimes stretches as far as Arby’s, or if they want to head toward Southampton and try their best to avoid the traffic exiting the South lot as well as the busses. It’s somewhat of a lose-lose situation.

It’s hard to miss the cones that now block off the beloved “Sophomore Alley,” for this used to be the after-school escape for some to avoid Southampton traffic. However, now that this road is no longer passable, the backup on this street stretches for about a quarter mile.

In addition, The Insurance Group has completely voided the “sneaky” escape through their parking lot. This is technically a private drive, and this year, it has been heavily enforced that students may not drive through it. Police officers

stood in the middle of this drive to warn cific spots. Doing this would regulate the any students who tried to enter that they flow of traffic and make it so students were trespassing. This action laid down would go out one way as parents came in the law for students, who now know another. However, this would definitely there will be consequences if they enter. require more staff to help in traffic conTrying to get more than 2,000 stu- trol, and who knows if any parents or dents off the campus in a matter of students would actually obey the guideminutes is logistically impossible. Even lines of the system. with possible solutions being Those who are worried considered as ways to about costliness might calm the road rage, like an idea which the practicality of requires no ad“Students many of these is dition of staff, all knew this was next to nothing. such as telling coming, but seeing One vocalparents they the actual chaos is a ized idea, shut cannot pick bit alarming as students, down because up their chilof the costlidren until 15 parents and faculty fight for ness, was that minutes after their way out...”

RBHS purthe final bell chase a piece of of the school land behind the day rings. This Columbia Area would give the Career Center and driving students a construct an alternate head start at escaping entrance/exit in the north the lot without having to parking lot. Exiting school property avoid crashing into parents sitting and from here would create less traffic on blocking traffic. But, with a release time the side road but would cost the school already an hour later than previous years, board quite a chunk of change. most students wouldn’t be pleased with A less costly, but more supervised the idea of having to wait around school route would be to create a system of for an extra 15 to 30 minutes, and parparent pick up that avoids student traf- ents haven’t vocalized immense support fic. In order to make this happen, offi- for this idea either. cials would have to stand in the parking In any option considered, someone lot and direct parents in and out at spe- is going to be disappointed. Whether it

be parents angry with pick up routines or students upset about the amount of time it takes to get off campus, pleasing everyone is impossible. But regardless of this, something must be done, or students are going to be blasting their air conditioning or heat while sitting idly and consequently causing a great pain to their gas tanks and already starved pockets.

As of right now, the most cost efficient and least administration-taxing plan would be to change the pickup times for underclassmen parents. However, neither of these options seem pleasing to either of the parties. It seems as though students figure their only option of escaping the painful traffic is either to sneak out of class early and race out of the parking lot before the traffic begins or wait until 4:30 p.m. to even attempt driving at all.

There is no easy or wholly crowdpleasing solution, but the best way to make sure all students get out safely and efficiently would be to make a tiered system, having one grade level be released at a time.

In doing this, each class would have the ability to get to their cars without the mass chaos of 2,000 plus students trying to vacate the premises at the same time.

Though this may not please all, it would definitely be an option to explore and outweighs the benefits of the current system.

Administration anchors new drop policies Manal Salim

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art by Maddy Mueller

n recent years, taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to nudge more students into Advanced Placement classes, according to the educational news site, politico.com, by promoting classes and subsidizing exam fees for low-income students.

However, a close looks at test scores suggests the government has wasted much of its investment.

According to the site, in the last five years, the federal government has spent $275 million to push students to AP classes, and subsequently, enrollment has soared. But data analyzed by politico.com shows that the number of kids who fail the AP exams is growing rapidly.

Though the enrollment and data don’t seem to correlate, the results make perfect sense.

With a focused attention on trying to get more students to take AP classes, those who do not want to participate end up getting forced to take a class they know they don’t have the time or effort to devote to. Rather than acknowledging this fact, schools, including RBHS, continue to drive unwilling students to take AP courses.

This year, at RBHS, if a student wanted to drop an AP class

from his or her schedule, he or she would have to receive permission from the principal, Dr. Jennifer Mast, and provide her with a better reason than “the class is just too hard.” This newly enforced policy makes it difficult for students at RBHS to transfer out of AP classes if they realize the class is too difficult for their capacity or time availability.

Though the idea of encouraging students to take AP classes has good intentions to push students to their maximum abilities and prepare them for post-secondary education, data results show the efforts are not practical.

AP classes, available in 34 subjects, are classes where the curriculum is at a college level, and tests are graded on a scale of 1 to 5. The College Board considers 3 to be a passing grade, though many universities that grant college credit for AP require a score of 4 or 5. And, according to College Board data, the share of exams that earned the lowest possible score jumped from 14 percent to 22 percent nationally.

And recent achievement data for CPS doesn’t prove to be much better. According to the data provided on the CPS website, the average number of students who took AP exams last school year will not receive college credit for

the majority of tests they took.

For example, of the 177 CPS students who took the AP World History exam last year, the average score was a mere 3.05, which would not grant the average student college credit.

Similarly, of the 178 students who took the AP U.S. History exam, the average score turned out to be just 3.27, which again, would not grant the average student college credit hours.

Though the RBHS administration and other advocates argue that students benefit from being exposed to the high expectations of an AP class even if they don’t pass the test, there is no proof that’s true. In fact, taking an AP class does not lead to better grades in college, higher college graduation rates or any other tangible benefit, unless the student does well enough to pass the AP test and receive college credit, according to Trevor Packer, a senior vice president at the College Board. Without having a score high enough to receive college credit, students are not receiving adequate benefits from their AP classes.

Therefore, if schools and school districts are looking to improve the education of their students and wish to challenge them, the best way to achieve this goal is not by making it difficult

for students to transfer out of an AP class. Doing so does not necessarily ensure that students will then have a change of heart and doesn’t guarantee that they will suddenly feel more motivated to get through the course.

Many students wish to drop out of AP classes for a variety of reasons, and restricting their ability to do so infringes upon the time they have to devote to the classes they actually want to be in.

Instead, RBHS should focus on encouraging, through various presentations and teacher recommendations, students to consider enrolling in an AP course. This way, students will make their own personal decision as to whether they are willing to be a part of such a rigorous course and if they have the time. In this manner, students will have the freedom to drop and add classes as they please, and if they so choose to be a part of an AP class, students will be more eager to put in the work the course demands in order to be fully prepared for both the class itself and the AP exam. This way, students will have the liberty to make their own decisions, as they themselves know best what they have the time and capability to do and will challenge themselves accordingly.

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Commentary www.bearingnews.org • The Rock • Sept. 26, 2013

photo by Hagar Gov-Ari

Immigrant plans to enlist in Israeli army after graduation Hagar Gov-Ari

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y parents say I can’t get a tattoo until I am of age to make sound decisions on such permanent matters.

“You’re just too young to know what you want,” they say.

What I feel they fail to see is that at this age, we are already forced into making huge permanent life decisions. What we do today, tomorrow and the next day will affect the rest of our lives in some way. We go to school, we build up a resumé and we head to the college of our choosing; it’s time to pave the path of the rest of our lives.

What many people, myself included, often fail to see, is that this path has already been started.

Every decision we make shapes who we are and who we will become. When we were 3 and decided to share a toy with our annoying brother or when we were 10 and spit on our best friend because she called us stupid, and even when we went to that party

at 16 instead of studying because our friends encouraged us; we’ve made decisions every day for as long as we can remember.

We make mistakes every day.

It is what we do with these decisions, how we learn from our potential mistakes and the actions we take to pave a more impactful path; that is the huge life decision.

Against my parents’ better judgment, I have decided my next step after graduation is to join the Israeli military.

While I don’t know what my calling is, I do believe there is much to be said for taking leaps.

I strive to be a part of something larger than myself by taking the biggest leap I’ve had to make so far, to serve as a part of a team which makes a change and to make the most of my abilities to give back to the one thing which I believe plays a huge role in every teen’s life: their familial culture.

Growing up, being an IsraeliJewish immigrant was a burden.

At basketball games when all my teammates would eat McDon-

ald’s during halftime, I would eat pita bread and hummus because McDonald’s wasn’t “necessary.”

During the magical holiday season in the winter, when all my friends came to school with their new Christmas gifts, I would come back with a fake smile.

And when my friends would go out on Friday nights to the movies, I would call and say I couldn’t make it because I was “stuck at home, welcoming the Sabbath with my family.”

As a spoiled, selfish kid, I never understood what role these “burdens” would play in shaping the person I am now and the person I want to be.

Instead of “Wheels on the Bus,” I grew up to Shlomo Artzi, a male Israeli vocalist. Instead of Christmas, I’d spend holidays watching my mother slave over the festive Hanukkah meals while humming her favorite holiday tunes. And instead of Saturday college football games, I heard my father and brother scream at the television while their hometown soccer team lost yet again.

For the longest time, I didn’t make the connection. This culture and place that I resented for the barrier it put between myself and my surroundings made up all the parts of who I was.

Israel is my birthplace. Hebrew is my language, falafel my food; it’s my religion, my culture.

My relatives never flew in to visit for the holidays, my parents weren’t familiar with American lingo and I was in a constant struggle, finding the balance between being an American and staying true to my Israeli roots; the combination of both is the true definition of being an immigrant.

It took me most of my childhood to come to this conclusion.

But, once I came to this realization, I found and began to understand what I had been looking for my entire life: a strong connection to both cultures. I grew up in the United States but was born Israeli, born Jewish and into a culture which I find aggressive, different, but mostly one which I identify with.

In Israel this summer, I had the most profound epiphany of my short life.

This foreign country, this language, these people, they’re all like me and my parents and their parents before them. So I realized the only way to maintain and protect what is mine is to enlist in the Israeli military. I want to serve a small part in the preservation of the beautiful country, the ancient language, the unique culture that gave so much to my parents and especially to me. They eat the same foods, pee in the same sea and pray the same prayers.

While two years could not even begin to repay my country for shaping me into a proud Jew and high schooler sure of her identity, I hope the donation of two critical years of my youth will, in fact, make a difference and an impact on someone somewhere. The amazing thing about the military is that an individual isn’t the key. It is the unit, the squad, the whole which makes such a prominent impact.

The military is a part of Israeli

adolescence. You grow up preparing for it, hearing stories from parents and older siblings. It is immersed into the Israeli culture.

Every citizen is a veteran.

All 18-year-olds know they aren’t going directly to college after graduation, for they all must enlist in the military. The two years for females and three years for males is not a setback from college but a tradition which is integrated into the growing-up process for all Israelis.

But for me, this isn’t a standard stepping stone.

While I am an Israeli, I am more so an American. I have the opportunity to go to college after high school like everyone else. After all, my family moved here for those oppurtunities. But I believe that anyone who has been impacted by a force, small or large in their lives, should follow their calling and return the favor. For me, joining the military is my way of giving back to my country.

Making life’s path meaningful is all that one can ask for at 18.

Community, academic rigor shown to have equal importance Luke Chval

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he very first time I entered the halls of RBHS as a student last year, I was a freshman. I can remember staring at the incredibly high ceilings, the large commons and the extensive campus, completely encompassed by the differences from my previous school, West Junior High School.

Being a student as a freshman is no longer uncommon at RBHS, as there are now hundreds of them. The thing that made my attendance strange, however, was that last year, the school was limited to sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Being the son of a professor of education who knew the ins and outs of Columbia Public Schools, I enrolled in several advanced classes during middle school, my mother noting, “You don’t want to be bored, do you?”

The question was fair enough, since during elementary school I had found the curriculum lethargically paced and unchallenging. So in sixth grade I took Algebra at WJHS, a zero-hour class filled with seventh graders. In eighth grade, I skipped another class and made the jump from Spanish 1A to Spanish 2, intent on more challenges.

Already planning to continue to Precalculus Honors and Spanish 3, I knew I would have to take those classes at RBHS. But then I earned one thing that I had never gotten before, to reach an academic goal that eluded even my brother.

I would take Journalistic Writing, a class normally filled with sophomores a year early, something my siblings were unable to do.

At this point, my schedule must have been the most confusing and hectic any freshman had. I was surprised when the guidance office at WJHS was able to fit it all together into a structured day. I

started every day at RBHS for first block, then bussed back to WJHS for three classes and lunch and then was driven back to RBHS for fourth block. When I was at RBHS, my sophomore friends said I was basically a sophomore, and when I was at West, I was counted as a freshman instead.

This split in my day created social challenges; it’s hard to make friends when you spend half of the day at one school. Several times, when I walked through WJHS seeing people I hadn’t seen in a while, they would ask me, “You still go here?” I didn’t belong in a grade, and even though I attended two, I didn’t belong to a school.

By the time I had gotten to my freshman year, the division of students between honors and advanced classes had finally caught up to me, and I no longer had to seek challenge. I struggled regularly in Precalculus, often peering over my shoulder to ask the kid next to me what the teacher was talking about. I would spend time scanning all my sheets with several Spanish verb tenses, I sat for hours at a computer screen, trying to put forth my best work for Journalistic Writing because I knew that no matter how good it was, it would be returned marked in red ink with dozens of corrections.

In retrospect, I only gained a sliver of the experience of a RBHS student last year, just a tiny amount of my mind and body. I didn’t have Advisory with all my peers, I didn’t have the large class of AP World with a lot of kids who don’t know each other and persevere under the pressure of a tough course. I could probably only name five kids from my Precalculus class last year.

Just as no one can gain the full experience of a swimming pool by dipping their toe in the water, I could not understand what it meant to be a student

art by Sarah Poor

at RBHS when I was a freshman. Only by jumping in and completely submerging yourself in a pool do you encounter the full effect. Now, I have done that at RBHS with all my extracurricular activities, strenuous classes and the peer community I have found.

This year, the pressure, the difficulty and the community that I have at RBHS have all amplified tremendously. Precalculus no longer seems difficult compared to the first month of AP Calculus BC, and as Government and English 9 seemed easy, AP World History has replaced them.

But as the workload has increased during the last several years, so has the amount I have enjoyed school. Compared to RBHS, there was no sense of community within Smithton Middle School or WJHS. The schools only held two grades, and the administrations didn’t focus on bringing the students together, as Smithton even split each grade

into four teams, isolating the students even more.

I never really understood I felt distanced from my peers, or how this happened. But now I realize that even though Smithton and WJHS had a limited sense of camaraderie, I left behind whatever community I had with my peers by advancing. I didn’t realize this at the time, but the decision I unknowingly made was the choice between academic rigor and a group of peers of the same grade in my classes.

It’s really unfortunate that there has to be a choice between the two in intermediate schools, and most students aren’t given the choice in the first place; they simply have community without the challenging curriculum. The norm for intelligent students at Rock Bridge is to be ahead, with hundreds of students in dozens of AP classes, honors classes or just challenging classes. Because of that, now I have the gift of both academic

rigor and a sense of identity and community with my peers. Since the beginning of this year and some parts of last year, I am finding that high school is so much more fulfilling than middle or junior high school. I think part of this is that challenges bring people together more than anything, along with the addition of peers challenging themselves alongside me.

It’s a lot easier to make new friends while sweating through an arduous project due the next day than a boring lecture that doesn’t provoke mental capacities in any form. There is always a sense of community in the shared horror of a potential bad grade, where teamwork suddenly becomes necessary to help the individual grades of each person.

So while I may struggle through my difficult classes now, I am just being challenged intellectually in a classroom. I no longer see this as a type of failure, but rather a sign that school is getting better.

Health & Wellness Deceivingly delicious

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Processed foods contain potentially dangerous ingredients, pathogens Anna Wright

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very Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m., while most teenagers are fast asleep beneath their covers, senior Zach Mefrakis is just waking up. He, his parents and his four brothers pile into their Ford F-150 and drive to the Columbia Farmers Market on Ash Street where they set up their produce tent and prepare for four hours of selling fresh, homegrown fruits and vegetables for their family business, Mefrakis Produce Farm.

Mefrakis says the business originally stemmed from his family’s long standing appreciation of local and homegrown food. Because of this, they rarely buy processed meals or snacks.

“We’re very aware of what goes into what we eat,” Mefrakis said. “We grow most of our foods, mostly just vegetables and fruit. If we need to go to the store, sometimes we do. It’s just not as healthy as growing your own stuff.”

Although his family only grows a variety of fruits and vegetables, their wholesome eating habits are not limited to produce only. Mefrakis’ grandparents own a farm in Perryville, Mo., where they humanely raise and slaughter their own cattle in order to produce high quality beef for local consumers. Mefrakis said his family buys only natural, farm-raised meat because of its overwhelming health benefits when compared to store-brand options.

“The cows that our grandparents own, you know, they’re not given hormones or anything like that,” Mefrakis said. “What the cows eat is mostly just grass and natural grains, so when we eat that beef, we’re only consuming the natural ingredients that it was fed. It’s a lot better for you that way.”

Health teacher and head athletic trainer Greg Nagel also recognizes the benefits of unprocessed meat and produce. Nagel said despite the convenience and ease of preparation that accompanies fast and processed food, the lack of nutritional value and potentially harmful preservatives they possess make these foods a poor choice for daily consumption.

“The cheapest things in the stores and the most convenient and affordable things to package and turn profit on happen to be those things that are high in simple sugar content and high in fat content,” Nagel said. “Basically with fast food it’s more about the fat content and the way it’s prepared, and with processed food it’s more about the preservatives that are in the food.”

Nagel said in order to keep processed food fresh on store shelves, companies will add potentially dangerous ingredients to the food. He said although the purpose of these ingredients is to make the food safe for consumption even after an extended period of time, these preservatives may have an extremely harmful effect on our health.

“Those preservatives and the high salt content are there to prevent excessive bacterial growth,” Nagel said. “When you’re starting to manipulate foods to try and kill bacteria with high sodium content and high preservative content, you’re toying with potential cancer causing things.”

Aside from the preservatives and excessive fat and sugar in fast and processed foods, Nagel said the presence of noxious bacteria is a major health concern as well. In 2011, the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, or NARMS, analyzed 480 samples each of ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops, and chicken breasts, wings and thighs, purchased in supermarkets around the country.

Researchers found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in an alarming 55 percent of ground beef, 81 percent of ground turkey, 69 percent of pork chops, and 39 percent of chicken breast, wings or thighs. Even more unsettling, the study identified the antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus bacteria in 87 percent of all collected meat. Researchers explained this served as an indicator that nearly all of this meat came in contact with fecal matter at some point during the process of production.

Nagel attributes these alarming rates of bacterial contamination to unsafe or inconsistent food handling procedures. He said that bacteria is common in our foods, but that this is preventable with proper food handling techniques and storage in appropriate temperatures.

“I think bacteria is on everything,” Nagel said. “If we don’t handle our foods properly or if we don’t store them the right way or if we leave them out for too long, I think those things can have a higher instance of bacterial prevalence and can cause bacterial infections more readily than the others.”

To avoid the health consequences of fast and processed food, Nagel recommends eating everything in moderation. He said it’s OK to indulge in a fast food meal every now and then, as long as the bulk of your diet consists of wholesome ingredients.

“By and large, when you’re shopping just [buy] fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and if its meat make sure its a cut of meat that you’re familiar with,” Nagel said. “I think that approach would improve almost everyone’s dietary intake.”

Nagel’s dietary recommendations are consistent with the eating habits of RBHS Gifted Education teacher Jake Giessman, who said he and his family prefer natural, whole foods over the more processed options.

“We’re kind of food snobs,” Giessman said. “We grow a lot of our own produce, and we eat mostly whole grains, and not that much processed food.”

Giessman said he tries to choose nutritious food options, while remaining within a reasonable budget. Despite the reputation of fresh foods as being overwhelmingly expensive, Giessman said eating healthy does not always have to be costly, and he recommends simple whole foods, which can be bought for surprisingly low prices.

“We’re health minded but we’re also cheap, so we find ourselves shopping at either Clovers or Wal-Mart,” Giessman said. “A lot of healthy foods are more expensive; however, some aren’t. For instance, rice and beans are about as cheap as you can get for food.”

Nagel said making wholesome food choices should be a priority for everyone who wants to take good care of their body, regardless of age or budget. He said healthy and affordable options exist for all types of individuals and choosing these foods plays a vital role in your overall health.

“There’s much truth to the saying, ‘You are what you eat,’” Nagel said. “You may not look like a Twinkie, but you may feel like that stuffing inside of a Twinkie if you’re not taking care of yourself, and you’re not watching what you put in your body.”

25% off Coupon

feature photo by Maribeth Eiken

Diet soda poses variety of health concerns Harsh Singh

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bout one-fifth of the American population drinks diet soda every day, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

RBHS Junior Michael Vu is among the people who drink artificially sugared sodas rather than regular soda. Since doctors diagnosed his father with diabetes, Vu drinks only diet beverages in order to protect his health. However, Vu said diet soda isn’t as healthy of an alternative as it sounds.

“As far as I can tell, it’s the amount of artificial sweetener [in the soda] that acts as the source of controversy,” Vu said. “I mean, it’s soda; adding diet in front of it doesn’t just make it suddenly a weight loss miracle.”

Almost 80 percent of high schools, according to Web MD, have diet soda instead of regular soda in their vending machines. RBHS is one of these schools.

Recent studies concerning the effects of artificially sweetened sodas have brought into question the healthfulness of diet drinks. Salynn Boyles, an award-winning journalist for medical issues, reviewed the findings from current studies, showing a 48 percent increase in heart attack and stroke risk among daily diet soda drinkers.

Curious about the effects of diet soda, Mahesh Thakkar, a member of the University of Missouri’s neurology department, did an experiment in 2012

to learn more. Thakkar noticed it was slow down and stop eating. the artificial sweeteners that caused diet Artificial sweeteners could confuse soda to be harmful. these intricate feedback loops that in“It is very true that diet soda is just volve the brain, stomach, nerves and as harmful as the regular sodas,” Thak- hormones. This could throw off the kar said. “The artificial sweeteners and body’s ability to accurately gage how chemicals within the diet sodas are del- many calories it is taking in. As a reeterious to humans.” sult, diet sodas won’t reduce people’s Thakkar believes schools are mistak- weight because the brain can’t judge the en about diet sodas being better for you amount of calories consumed. This may than regular sodas. He said people have increase caloric consumption. misunderstood the word, “diet.”

Even though diet soda has Thakkar said people think proven harmful because of diet as something that of the artificial sugar it reduces weight or imcontains, the Ameriproves health. In recan Beverages As“I mean it’s ality, the word diet sociation advised soda, adding diet simply indicates CPS to only in front of it doesn’t a product with have diet sodas make it suddenly a a lower caloric in their schools. weight loss miracle.” value. He said CPS director companies use of nutritional the word to misservices Laina lead consumers.

Fullum said the “Fewer calories ABA has agreed to Michael Vu doesn’t mean that sell only diet sodas junior product is better,” Thakin the school’s vending kar said. “Businesses have machines. As a result, the basically tricked people by putting variety of beverages avaliable for the word diet in front of their products purchase in school cafeterias and vendto get them to buy their stuff.” ing machines continues to shift to water, Researchers at Harvard University portion-controlled sports drinks, diet conducted multiple experiments con- drinks and 100 percent juices. cerning the side effects of diet soda.

“The American Beverages AssociaAccording to their research, artificial tion has agreed to only put diet soda in sweeteners like Splenda are 200 times school machines,” Fullum said. “[This sweeter than sugar. The human brain is] due to issues with excess calories in responds to sweetness with signals to, at the US leading to increased number of first, eat more and then with signals to obesities.”

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Sports

Providence Bowl Preparation: Bruins defensive line fights for the sack on the Panthers quarterback in the seconfd quarter against Ray-Pec Sept. 20, 2

Former players recall p Luke Chval

T

he feud between Hickman and Rock Bridge is by no means old and distantly derived, but that fact doesn’t call for a lack of history in the rivalry. The first time the schools played in football was 1981, and the teams wouldn’t meet each other again until 1994, in which Hickman won in a historic, three overtime game 43-42.

The rivalry lives on in Columbia; however, the annual RBHS-HHS game will not be played on Faurot Field this year, as it has for nine years. Instead, they will play at HHS on Sept. 27 of this year. Pending a decision by the University of Missouri, there is a possibility of a return to Faurot in coming years. If, however, it does not, the annual game will be played at HHS on odd years and RBHS on even years.

Although last year was the final time in the foreseeable future that RBHS and HHS will meet on Faurot, offensive line coach Dan Schufeldt believes it is important for high school players to play in a larger stadium.

“You see the field every Saturday [at MU games], and it looks big, but I don’t think anyone understands the enormity of the stadium until they are down on the field,” Schufeldt said. “I know that with the Providence Bowl the stadium isn’t even half-filled, but it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

There is no doubt that the majority of past players who had their opportunity of playing on Faurot Field cherished the experience.

Quarterback Logan Gray ‘08, who holds the RBHS football record for career passing touchdowns with 59, is one of these past players, looking back fondly on his experiences of success.

“When I played, obviously we were

playing Hickman at Faurot Field,” Gray people by winning that game.”

“What I remember the most had to There is no doubt that one play will be the first play of the game. I threw said. “It’s unfortunate that today’s players aren’t able to play there anymore always stand out to Gray, symbolizing a 77 yard touchdown pass to open up because it’s a great experience for a the excellence achieved in that game the game and that was a little unexhigh school football player to play in a into one small piece of it. pected,” Gray said. “We knew we had Division I football stadium in front of a large crowd here in Columbia.”

Graduating from the University of Georgia in 2011, and transferring to the University of Colorado to play another feated the Bruins 10-7 in overtime, bouncPen Terry season of collegiate ing RBHS from the state playoffs, fans and football, Gray has players alike have been looking forward to hen Rock Bridge and Hickman rereturned to Columthis game. The past three meetings between new their rivalry series tomorrow bia to work as a tutor the two schools have been decided by a evening, the game commonly reto student-athletes touchdown or less and the last two games ferred to as the Providence Bowl will have at the University by a combined 4 points. a slightly different atmosphere. Created of Missouri, and to “It’s always going to be a close game in 2003 to feature the two Columbia high with these guys no matter what their record serve as the quarschools on opposite ends of the city’s main is,” senior captain Ross Alexander said. terback’s coach at thoroughfare in a central location, this year “We can’t underestimate them which is the match up heads north, to Hickmans’s his high school alma what I think happened last year.”

LeMone field, for the second consecutive mater, RBHS. As one The fans, athletes and coaches are not meeting. of the most accomthe only ones excited for the game, as the “It’s a little disappointing for those kids plished quarterbacks administration here is also highly anticipatto miss out on those opportunities” RBHS in the history of ing the match up. athletic director David Egan said. “On the Bruin football, Gray “I just expect it to be a good football other hand, though, I completely underhas quite a number game,” Egan said. “As someone who loves stand why it needed to be moved, with Mizof Providence Bowl football and is a big football fan, I’m exzou hosting a game the next day on Saturmemories, starting cited to see our student athletes out there day and the construction that’s going on on competing at a high level, demonstrating quarterback in the Faurot field.” their talents and representing your school RBHS head coach AJ Ofodile also thinks games against Hickin a manner that makes us proud and in a it’s disappointing, especially for the seniors. man for three conmanner that makes for an entertaining and “It’s unfortunate that this group of sesecutive years, from enjoyable night.” niors will miss out on that opportunity,” 2004-06.

The Bruins will enter their game Friday Ofodile said.

“I’d rather it be at Mizzou, I “My favorite game night at 3-1, and ranked 5th in Missouri think that it’s a great experience for the kids. was in 2005 when we Class 6A. The Bruins raced to a 3-0 start to They can always play at a high school stabeat Hickman 21the season beating Desmet, Fort Zumwalt dium but getting the opportunity to play at 18,” Gray said. “They West and Springdale Har-Ber scoring 41, 48 a bigger venue [is exciting].” were coming off of and 55 in each of the three wins, respecRegardless of the setting, the Bruins are tively. a state championship sure it is going to be a competitive contest.

However, the Bruins seemed to stumble the year before, and Since Nov. 2, 2012, the day the Kewpies dein their most recent outing, putting up only we surprised a lot of

Different place Crosstown foes continue

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Sports

Photo by: Maribeth Eiken

2013. Ray-Pec walked away with a 31-21 victory, handing the Bruins their first loss of the season, changing their record to 3-1.

past Providence Bowls a good opening play but obviously we didn’t know that we would score, so it was great that our first offensive play worked out so well.”

One of the things that makes the

Providence Bowl so invigorating is the fact that the last three times the Bruins and Kewpies have played, the margin of victory was six points or less. The 33-27 RBHS victory over HHS at Faurot Field

in 2011 was one of the best moments of quarterback Bo Bell’s, ‘12, life.

“Faurot Field was crazy. So many people came out, and the crowd noise is so much louder than playing at Rock Bridge,” Bell said.

“I wouldn’t change anything about that game, I remember waiting for it the whole summer before it happened.”

Bell finished the game with 166 passing yards, 129 rushto lead the game tying drive late in last years ing yards and three playoff game. touchdowns, but his Revenge is certainly on the minds of favorite moment was several RBHS fans and players who renear the end. member the two heartbreaking losses at the “The touchdown hands of the Kewps last year. Ofodile, on we scored to gain the other hand, does not think revenge is the lead in the fourth the motivation his team needs to win.

“That’s one of those things that can be quarter was huge,” distracting,” Ofodile said. “That kind of Bell said. “Kenny motivation would last maybe the first two James [‘13] became plays.” wide open on a scat Ofodile believes the key to success will route and scored, that be returning to the principles that made had to be my favorite their team so successful in the earlier games play of the game.” this year.

While Bell’s suc“We just have to be the team we were cess in his high school in the first three weeks and be relatively career may seem to be mistake free on offense, be physical and be mostly made up of an effort team on defense,” Coach Ofodile said. “It’s cliché, but we really need to be the 2011 season and in a position where we are not beating ourthat one Providence selves and we are playing the kind of footBowl, Schufeldt was ball we are capable of playing.” so prodigious as a The man who has been at the helm of lineman himself Bruin football for the past 13 years seems that he can recount confident that a few key factors will deterthe tales of four mine the outcome of game.

Providence Bowls he “At the end of the day,” Ofodile said, played in as a student. “whoever executes the best, whoever un“My favorite derstands their game plan the best, whoever proves to be the most physical throughout memory from the the course of the game is going to end up Providence Bowl had winning.” to be my junior year

es, same rivalry series away from Faurot 21 points and zero second half points in a 31-21 loss to unranked Raymore-Peculiar High School.

The Kewpies come into the Providence Bowl at 2-2. After dropping their season opener 16-27 to a Lee’s Summit North team that had only one win last year, HHS bounced back to defeat Wentzville Holt, 3015. The Kewpies came back from a week three loss against Fort Zumwalt East to come back and defeat Helias Catholic in Jefferson City, 27-17.

With the exception of the second half of their loss to Ray-Pec, the Bruins offense has looked at worst above average and at best absolutely unstoppable. The offense will be led by receivers, senior Zach Reuter and junior Alex Ofodile, senior running back Eli Caldwell-Stout and junior quarterback Logan Twehous. Twehous has thrown for 1267 yards and 16 touchdowns as well as running in two scores through the first four games. 12 of those touchdowns were caught by either Reuter or Ofodile.

Caldwell-Stout has added 368 yards and two touchdowns as well.

The Kewpies will be led by returning starting quarterback Mason Murray and senior receivers Roderick Beasley and Grant Jones. While Murray has thrown for 583 yards and only seven touchdowns this season. The Bruins certainly haven’t forgotten the plays he made against them last year, including several key first down scrambles

[2006],” Schufeldt said. “I remember we scored on four of our five first offensive plays; our running back had around 300 yards, and Hickman didn’t even score; it was an amazing experience.”

Even though four Providence Bowls warrant feelings and nostalgic memories, the 2006 game clearly sticks out as the game he takes pride in the most.

“I remember, another time in that game we were on our own 1-yard line, and the backup running back was in” Schufeldt said. “The quarterback [Gray] called a timeout and brought the starter back in, and he ran 99 yards for a touchdown, and that was pretty much the defining moment for our season.”

Gray looks back fondly at his era of dominance in RBHS football, by setting records and supporting a Bruin team that overthrew HHS as the high school football power of Mid-Missouri. However, Gray claims he doesn’t think about the impact he left on the school nearly a decade ago, but what he is doing to support the school now.

“I’m really grateful to Coach [AJ] Ofodile, who let me come back to the school to help the team by coaching the quarterbacks,” Gray said. “Also, working with [junior] Logan Twehous has been so amazing. He really works hard, and I think he will have a good shot down the road at breaking mine and Chase’s [Patton, ‘04] records so I hope he continues on and aims for those goals.”

All three former players emphasized that if they were to give advice to the Bruins in the Providence Bowl tomorrow, the most important thing would be to relax and enjoy the game.

“I think that it’s really important that each player enjoys their game against Hickman,” Schufeldt said. “It’s something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

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Sports New schedule affects sports practices “We either miss all of school or leave early three out of five days a week,” senior tennis player Allison Baker said. “It’s ith the addition of freshmen and sophomores really hard to stay on top of school work, so you have to do along with the new start and end times, RBHS a lot of work on the bus to tournaments and go in early to has undergone various changes that require make up work.”

The golf team practices an hour later than last year and is necessary adjustments. Starting school an hour later than previous years means different practice times for missing quite a lot of school as well. Getting home late along sports in correlation with RBHS’ new school hours. Finishing with more absences makes completing homework more difschool later also affects those who have to get out of class ficult.

“Our matches will start at 3 p.m. or 4 p.m.,” junior golfer early for sporting events. Some student athletes are up and moving from early in the morning until the final bell rings, Madison McDonnell said, “and I miss fourth hour twice or three times a week and third hour twice a week as well.” enduring a long school day.

Mcdonnell preferred last year’s start and end times beCross country, Bruin Girls, softball, football, boys C team cause golf practice got done before dark as opsoccer, golf, and tennis are some of the sports affectposed to this year. Constantly missing school ed by new practice times. It may have been hard “It’s causes schoolwork to pile up. at first, but these athletes admit they are startjust hard to “With all of the school I miss , I also ing to get used to it a few weeks in. get everything miss my AUT,” said McDonnell, “so “It was really hard to adjust to at first done when you get I have to come in to get the things but it has gotten easier,” softball player home at 7:30 p.m ... eat I missed in the morning.” Athletes Conner Logsdon said, who now stays who have to miss a lot of school dinner, see your family, at RBHS over an hour later for practice work this year are responsible for this year. “We’ve all adjusted to the time do your homework, and managing their time and catching change by now.” get ready for bed.” up.

Although waking up early to go exerFootball and softball practices cise before school may not sound appealConner Logsdon remain after school this year. Howeving to some, it does prove to have its pros. senior er, practice now starts and ends later.

Practicing in the morning means beating the “We have to stay for practice an hour and sun before it’s beaming at full force. Cross country a half later than we did last year because of the has morning practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays and practice after school other days of the week. Senior cross time change,” Logsdon said. “It’s just hard to get everything country runner Zach Cook has been a member of the team done when you get home at 7:30 p.m., have to eat dinner, see since freshman year and has always practiced after school. your family, do your homework and get ready for bed.”

A positive regarding practicing in the morning is getting This year, he’s faced with a switch.

“At first 6:30 a.m. practices sounded miserable,” Cook it done and being able to go home after school. It allows athsaid. “Seeing how it’s been so hot out, as a runner, it has actu- letes the availability to spend their late afternoon how they ally worked out extremely well because running in 75 degree please as opposed to being at school longer.

“It’s nice to be done with practice and not have to worry heat is a whole other world from 98 degree heat.”

Exercising in the morning is considered a good choice. about it for the rest of the day,” Cook said. Although it means Though some athletes may not be crazy about practicing so an earlier start in the morning, athletes can be finished with early, it proves to be a positive move. According to Ph.D. Ce- their day when the bell rings at 4:05 p.m.

Some athletes may be morning people; others, not so dric Bryant, those who exercise in the morning tend to do better because they get their workout done prior to other time much. Getting to school early gets difficult as people start to get tired and lose their steam. pressures. Doing so gives athletes a fresh start to their day.

“Practice every morning gets hard,” Bruin Girl Erin ConPracticing in the morning may have its perks, yet some athletes miss having more time at night post practice. Getting cannon said. “Sometimes by the end of the week I don’t even home later after practice due to this year’s school end time hear my alarm go off and end up missing practice.”

As student athletes practice at new times, their coaches cuts out time for other things.

“By the time we’re done with practice and cleaned up, the are along for the ride as well. Lyria Bartlett, one of this years’ sun’s almost down,” said cross country runner Danny Lantz. Bruin Girls coaches, thinks positively regarding morning “For me it would be nice to have more time for homework or practice. Early practices may be tiring at the time, but Bartlett has faith that hard work will pay off in the end, and everyone just to stay up later.”

Along with practicing at different times this year, some will adjust to the time change.

“We start at 6:45 a.m. and, well, it’s early. The girls are athletes have to often miss school, sometimes even full days.

The girls’ tennis team, for example, misses class frequently for adapting as well as they can, but they miss their sleep. And so do I, actually,” Bartlett said, “but it all will be worth it.” matches or tournaments.

Molly Mehle

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Photos by Maribeth Eiken

Bruin Girls: (top) Beginning at 6:15 in the morning, the Bruin Girls practice line-kicks while their fellow students have yet to wake for the day.

Cross Country: (bottom left) Junior Sam Farmer runs during Cross Country morning practice despite the early time. With physical and mental determination, Farmer pushes through any doubt.

Football: (bottom right) Bruin kick-off team prepares for a practice kick-off the night before their match-up with Ray-Pec High School.

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art by Sarah Poor

Scandals lead to ruined careers for celebrities, exception being singers

Brittany Cornelison

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rom Britney Spears’ breakdown and Charlie Sheen’s much publicized ranting to Tiger Woods’ infidelity and Martha Stewart’s jail time; scandals are publicized and whether or not people keep up with the latest Hollywood gossip, the latest wrongdoings are everywhere. Society sees these celebrities, looks down upon them and even revokes monetary funding towards them or their organizations because of their acts of rebellion. Because of withdrawn support these stars lose their status in society, causing their careers to

come spiraling down.

However, when looking at the stars who are famous because of their musical talent, there is a different trend. Sex scandals, drug addictions, nude photos, whatever it may be, seem overshadowed by the lyrics that encompass this generation’s singers and performers, leaving their fame unscathed.

Take Miley Cyrus for instance. Her performance at the Video and Music Awards in August struck the world of music listeners by surprise. From tweets to news posts, it seems as though viewers were not expecting this from the for-

mer Disney Channel child pop star.

As freshman Catherine Ryberg watched the VMAs, she said she lost respect for Cyrus after her actions at the awards show.

“I thought it was sort of degrading of herself, like, ‘Does she have any dignity? Why would you put yourself out there like that?’” Ryberg said. “I mean, she’s always been famous. I guess a couple years she faded out. I don’t know if this is her comeback or whatever. Her last two videos have had the most views in 24 hours on YouTube, so obviously that says something.”

In addition to the 10.7 million views on Vevo in 24 hours, her single “We Can’t Stop” remains in the top 15 songs on iTunes. Despite her twerking and near nudity, people continue watching her performance, listening to her music and consequently supporting her career.

Senior Seth Johnson said he likes some of Cyrus’ new music even though he is against the way she portrayed herself during the VMA’s.

“I think that when I see Miley Cyrus I will remember the action, but the music can take me to a different place,” Johnson said. “No, what she did will not affect her music for me, but when I physically see a visual of her face I can’t help but think of the VMA’s.”

The VMA’s showed a different side of this pop-icon, but her music remains just as popular today as it was before the

awards show fiasco, Johnson said. This ideology that singers don’t reap as severe of a punishment for their actions remains as well for American recording artist Chris Brown. Brown, in March 2009, received felony assault charges for attacking his then-girlfriend Rihanna. This charge of domestic violence shocked the public, yet Brown’s music remained prominent, and his music supported by many. But, listening to artists who are involved in controversy does not mean that you support them as a person, Ryberg said.

“I think generally actually if the music sends a bad message there’s a good chance that the person isn’t going to be that great of an influence,” Ryberg said.

“There’s a line between listening to music and having that person be like your idol ... you don’t have to make them someone you look up to just because you listen to them.”

No matter how large the action, songs of artists who have acted publicly indecent are still making music worthy by the people of being in the top 40 chart list. This is not true for all celebrities, though. Accusers said that chef Paula Deen used racist comments in her kitchen resulting in sponsors such as Wal-Mart and Target cutting ties with this famous star cook. Deen’s career spiraled down the drain, despite her fame from her innovative cooking, as Food Network fired her in June 2013 because

of the controversy that surrounded her.

Deen is not the only celebrity facing criticism based upon their actions though. Lance Armstrong, former professional road racing cyclist, used steroids during his career which was based upon his physical accomplishments. No longer do people look at his accomplishments in awe; it seems as if only disappointment remains. At the end of the investigation, Armstrong lost all of his sponsors and even Nike refused to support the Livestrong foundation that was founded on Armstong’s name. There are some celebrities who are unable to get past their actions and remain in the limelight.

“People just love music so much … it just overshadows [their actions],” Johnson said. “It’s so hard to just separate ourselves from music, it gets our brain amped up in such a different way than what the talent of others, not trying to downplay them, but it’s different.”

This seems to be unique to singers however, as we observed from the popularity downfall of Deen and Armstrong.

“But I mean as far as Lance Armstrong or Paula Deen, there will always be some other chef that can make the exact same stuff as she makes and there will always be more bikers like Lance Armstrong but no one can duplicate the music of Chris Brown,” Johnson said.

“Songs are very unique, not every person can do the same genre of songs.”

Performing Arts department prepares for upcoming Seussical musical, which will premiere in November Madi Mertz

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person’s a person no matter how small in RBHS’s fall musical, Seussical. Based off of the classic works of Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, Seussical will bring the Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant and even Whoville to life on the RBHS stage.

This November, the Performing Arts Center will be filled with bright colors and music from the world of Seuss.

The show also allows for a large cast, lifted straight from the picture book pages, which will provide plenty of opportunities for any of the over 2,000 students in four grades at RBHS to get some stage experience as anything from a citizen of Whoville to Horton the Elephant himself.

Seussical follows Horton’s adventures outlined in the books “Horton Hears a Who” and “Horton Hatches the Egg.” Alongside Horton’s story line runs the tale of his friend Jojo in Whoville who is sent into the Butter Battle, and his neighbor, lesser known Seuss character Gertrude McFuzz, who becomes convinced that a larger tail might win Horton’s affections.

“It offers a lot of chances for a lot of performers to be featured,” Mike Pierson, the RBHS vocal music instructor and director of Seussical, said. “It [also] features smaller people, which now that we have freshman we can do some more of that.”

Smaller people really is an understatement for the characters in this show. The main conflict centers around Horton the elephant trying to protect

his friends in Whoville, a microscopic city which resides on a clover. The big voices of the tiny characters open Horton’s eyes to the world around him, and he realizes that he is not the only one who feels as though they are completely alone in the universe.

Whether they believe themselves to be alone in the universe or not, all creatures great and small will join together in the PAC. For Seussical, Victoria Mongillo, RBHS Fine Art’s costumer is tasked with creating a look for the inhabitants of a whimsical world that isn’t too overwhelming, but still invokes the childish spirit of Dr. Seuss.

“I got out all my Dr. Seuss books, many of which are first editions,” Mongillo said. “I started there, at the characters as Seuss envisioned them.”

When it comes to bringing the Jungle of Nool on stage, the late author doesn’t have a say, allowing a fair amount of creative freedom on stage. While RBHS has more than enough talented students to put on a show like Seussical, it is still a high school, on a high school budget.

“I also have looked at images of all the theatrical productions that have, as many as I could find that have been done,” Mongillo said. “The stuff that I did find that I loved, I kept thinking that I might have to, like, sell my first born child in order to be able to pay for it, but we’ll see.”

Even if the birds can’t fly through the rafters, the strong players of RBHS’s theater department will have no problem with Seussical. After last year’s show, “Urinetown,” the story of a dystopian future in which the citizens have to pay

to pee, the bright colors of the Jungle of Nool and the Circus McGurkus should be a breeze for the actors.

“For us,” Pierson said, “to be able to have that kind of depth and range is completely important.”

After performing a musical based around political satire last year and more geared toward adults, coming back to a more family friendly show this year is an interesting switch for the theater.

Freshman Kieran Buck is ready to try her hand at getting back on stage. After doing crew for West Junior High’s production of “The Phantom Tollbooth” last year, she hopes she can snag a role in her first high school musical, when she tries out for Suessical this year.

“I’m really really excited to be a part of [the Performing Arts department],” Buck said, “I know a lot of people, like, I’ve heard so much good things from it; I figured it’s gonna be awesome, as well.”

Buck and the rest of the hopefuls had to perform in front of a panel consisting of Pierson, Mongillo, and choreographer Tammy Walker, where they sang their hearts out for the crazy character roles they so desire.

Auditions, which were held on Sept.

24 and 25, have wrapped and the cast list will be posted on Friday, Sept. 27. There isn’t much longer until Dr. Seuss comes to RBHS and fills the PAC with colorful sets and costumes. The cast will look forward to the performances Nov. 14-17 in the PAC. The cast list will be posted tomorrow in both the choir hallway, rbhsbruinsmusic. net and on bearingnews.org. Rehearsals for the musical will begin next week.

photo by Mikaela Acton

A Day for the Cat in the Hat: Jon Crader (front), senior, auditions for Seussical the Musical in the PAC on the evening of Sept. 24. Emily Mertens (left), junior, and Neil Cathro (right), sophomore, wait behind Crader for their chance to audition in hopes of being cast in a featured role.

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