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echo Volume 104 Issue 7 m arch 2019 1 0 0 S e l m a Av e . w g e c h o . o r g
Student-run theater company to produce spring play pg. 14
2018-19 ECHO STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Cole Schnell PRINT EDITOR: Ellie Marshall JUNIOR EDITOR: Elise Keller BUSINESS MANAGER: Trinity Madison VIDEO EDITOR: Evelyn Trampe SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Rosa Parks OPINION EDITOR: Emily Stisser NEWS EDITOR: Ethan Weihl SPORTS EDITOR: Greg Frazier FEATURE EDITOR: Lindsey Bennett PODCAST EDITOR: Maeve Taylor ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Josie Krueger GRAPHICS EDITOR: Colin Shue TECH COLUMNIST: Sean Mullins ADVISOR: Donald Johnson SOME MATERIAL FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE The Echo is a monthly publication of the newspaper staff of Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Avenue, Webster Groves, MO. To contact staff members, call 314-963-6400 ex. 11157 or write to wgecho@wgmail.org. Unsigned editorials are the opinion of a majority of staff members; signed articles are the opinion of the writer. Letters to the editor of 300 words or less are welcome; submit letters by the 10th of the month to wgecho@wgmail.org, or room 155. All letters must be signed, although the name may be withheld from publication if requested. The Echo has the right to edit letters for publication as long as intent remains unchanged. The Echo is a member of SSP, Quill and Scroll, MJEA, JEA, MIPA, NSPA and CSPA.
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New bills regarding abortion wrong for Missouri Letter to the Editor: Students, alumni want Burchett to return to Chelsea Center Student council officers to be elected Burchett removed from Chelsea Center Students lobby with Planned Parenthood All Write comedian did not please crowd Senior poet awarded second Franzie United Methodist Church restricts LGBTQ+ community School should value growth, not proficiency
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School-to-prison pipeline threatens youth Newspapers jump the gun on ‘Pokemon Sword and Shield’ Fishing club begins spring competitions Men’s tennis comes back in full swing Wrestling finishes season at State Soccer Seniors begin final season Student-run company to produce spring play Review: “Deltarune: Chapter 1” charms in spades Willie’s Comic
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The Echo Family The Echo Family helps make the Echo possible. To become a member of the Echo Family, please contact wgecho@wgmail.org. Thanks to all of our members!
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Aerin Johnson Keillyn Johnson Brad and Amy Krueger Curtin Family Melanie Bennett Hepfinger Family Cover Cutline: Senior Grace Engel practices “It’s a Mystery,” a play by Ethan Ryan. Photo by Jaden Fields
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6 Table of Contents | March 2019
Ellie’s Expression
New bills regarding abortion wrong for Missouri
Photo by Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS
Supporters of legal access to abortion, as well as anti-abortion activists, rally outside the Supreme Court on March 2, 2016, in Washington, D.C.
Eleanor Marshall Opinion Columnist Abortion. What once was simply a medical procedure has morphed into the hottest political topic of the last 50 years. This dividing issue has trickled down from the rural areas of our state and infiltrated Jefferson City in the form of five bills. House Bill 126 will prohibit abortions in Missouri after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks. It will also require both parents to give consent (if the person seeking an abortion is a minor). There are no exceptions for rape or incest. Also there are four Senate Bills (279, 139, 345 and 315) that would interfere with the current laws on abortion. If passed, these bills will make Missouri the most restrictive state regarding abortion in the country. “The new bill states that you can’t get an abortion after there’s a heartbeat, which I understand, because in my opinion I think at that point it’s a human,” senior Mackenzie Chiodini said, “but I do think you should be able to get an abortion if it’s rape, incest
or due to health concerns.” With no exceptions for rape and incest, these bills are not “saving the babies” like supporters think; they are forcing children to give birth to babies that they didn’t want. In addition, making a minor get consent from both parents just makes the process harder and even dangerous for young people. In the case of separated parents, parents living in a different state than the minor or an abusive parent, it is easily conceivable that the minor would be unable to get consent from both parents. People against choice and for these bills often argue that adoption is always an option. In a perfect world it would be, but when according to childrensrights.org, “On any given day, there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the United States,” it is very unlikely that the baby will find a permanent home. People also often argue that abortion goes against their religion. That is a completely valid point, but abortion being legal doesn’t force anyone to have to get one; it simply gives women a choice. Making it harder to get abortions and outlawing them altogether won’t stop the procedures from happening; it will just make them more dangerous. “I went to PSR (Public School Religion) for a really long time, and my family is super religious, so we were taught that abortion was wrong,” senior Cielo Munoz said. “The church says that, but at the same time, God loves you no matter what. Even if you do get an abortion, God is still your father, so he’s going to love you. It is considered a sin, but all sins are forgiven through the Lord.” “I am pro choice,” Munoz added. “Even if I wouldn’t personally do it, I don’t think a book or a law should determine the well being of another person. That’s not right. If you say that just because you’re religious, you don’t support choice, then you obviously haven’t read the Bible. Many times in the Bible it says that even if you do commit a sin, you’re still loved. It’s a decision you make for yourself, and that’s between you and the Lord-- not anyone else.” Despite personal beliefs, everyone should be entitled to make decisions about their body and their health, and these bills are infringing on that right.
Letter to the Editor
Students, alumni wants Burchett to return to Chelsea Center On behalf of the BBB (Bring Back Burchett) we thank all the students, staff, parents and community for their continuous support in our efforts to get Mrs. (Julie) Burchett reinstated as the director of the Chelsea Center. As of now, we have met with Dr. Irvin and Dr. Simpson, protested outside the Board of Education Self-Evaluation meeting and strongly voiced our opinions. To our knowledge, we were told the administration (Dr. Irvin) was looking for “fresh eyes” in the Chelsea Center. Many students have had the wonderful opportunity of working with Mrs. Burchett, and those students have tremendously benefitted. These benefits coming through experiential learn-
March 2019 | Opinion
ing, internships, credit recovery, her caring mentality, and much more. For those reading this, stand up, speak up, go against the “norms,” and challenge the administration and their decisions. Mrs. Burchett has been in the Chelsea Center since it started, and it has positively improved every year since. The administration won’t answer questions, and we are tired of waiting. Voice your support, call Dr. Irvin, call Dr. Simpson, tell them your opinion. It’s time that we fix this wrong, together, despite the administration constant secrecy and quietness. We need answers, and we are not going to wait much longer... -Bring Burchett Back Committee
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Student council officers to be elected Maeve Taylor Podcast Editor
With the end of the school year just a couple months away, it is again time for student council elections. This year, four offices have one candidate running unopposed, with the other two having two students competing. In the presidential office, the sole candidate is junior Allie Reed. She has been a student council participant since freshman year, is currently president of the junior class. Regarding her motivation for running, Reed said, “I have always looked up to the person in the presidential position, and see it as an opportunity to create good within the club.” “I have been incredibly dedicated to STUCO
throughout my high school career,” Reed said Through that time, I have not only been able to learn everything about how STUCO runs, but I have that passion and motivation to try and make it better.” Reed continued, “I feel like it would not only be a great opportunity for me, but I would love to bring so many things to the club, to help benefit everyone as a whole and to make a better school community.” Other candidates running unopposed include junior Patrick Lee for secretary and junior PeyPhoto by Maeve Taylor ton St. James for historian, and junior Amanda Allie Reed, current Rodriguez for public relations (PR) officer. Junior Class President, Sophomore Caroline Gillow and junior Mary is running for STUCO Claire Wolk are running for vice president. For President. Elections are treasurer, junior Quin Dolan and freshman MatMarch 28. thew Curtis are running.
Burchett removed from Chelsea Center Cole Schnell Editor-in-Cheif Julie Burchett will not return as the Chelsea Center coordinator, on Thursday, March 14. “It was a shock...a total surprise,” Burchett said. Burchett said her contract ends at the end of the year, so she will not be a part of organizing any part of the summer experiential learning program, according to Burchett. Burchett will still finish organizing Sophomore Service Day. Burchett has been the Chelsea Center coordinator since its conception in the summer of 2010. Despite the change, Irvin said he is committed to keeping the experiential learning center. Burchett said she was told in December that she would be Chelsea Center coordinator, social studies teacher and no longer be the Statesmen Center coordinator, next year. Burchett said she was fine with this change because it would give her a chance to expand the Chelsea Center. On Feb. 2, Webster Groves-Shrewsbury-Rock Hill Chamber of Commerce awarded Heart of Gold Award to Burchett. WGSD’s Twitter congratulated Burchett for her award. In 2013, Burchett received national accolades, winning the Educator of the Year Award from Peabody Energy Leaders in Education. After learning of Burchett’s change in position, 32 students and alumni formed the Bring Back Burchett committee. Five members of the committee met with Irvin and superintendent John Simpson, separately, on Monday, March 25. After the meetings, 29 students, alumni, parents and community met at the Edge of Webster to protest outside a Board of Education Evaluation Meeting, a closed meeting. Bring Back Burchett committee said they will organize more “student action” if Burchett isn’t reinstated by Thursday, March
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Photo by Ethan Weihl
Twenty-nine students, alumni, parents and community members protest outside a Board of Education Evaluation Meeting, a closed meeting.
28. A majority of the committee’s organization is through a Facebook page. The page has 147 likes as of Wednesday, March 27. Burchett said, “It makes me want to cry sometimes. I’m just so appreciative of their support...more than they know.” Another committee member senior Tyler Benbow said, Burchett “understands and is always there to support students.” Burchett said she has stayed off of social media and her email since learning of this change. Personnel records are protected under the sunshine law excluding, “names, positions, salaries and lengths of service of officers.” Job postings for “Chelsea Detrick Experiential Learning Center Coordinator” and “Alternative Education Coordinator” were posted on March 15, and closed on March 26, on the school district website. The superintendent’s office administrates job postings. Burchett also teaches one section of A.P. U.S. History. The Board of Education doesn’t have approval over job openings and changes in position when the position doesn’t require a new certification and happens within a school.
News | March 2019
Students lobby with Planned Parenthood
Photo by Ellie Marshall
The Teen Advocates for Sexual Health group traveled to Jefferson City March 6.
Emily Stisser Opinion Editor Teen Advocates for Sexual Health (TASH), an advocate group including WGHS students, traveled to Jefferson City on March 6, to lobby for the banning of harmful conversion therapy and the lowering of tax on period supplies and diapers. As reported by Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, TASH is “a group of teens (grades nine-12) representing diverse backgrounds from the St. Louis
area. TASH creates, develops, plans and implements programs that move toward a greater understanding and appreciation of healthy sexuality based on teen rights, respect and responsibility.” The group attended a hearing for the Tampon Tax Bill, reporting that the majority of audience in favor of lowering the tax. Individuals including group members shared personal testimonies regarding high prices in feminine products, detailing challenges and personal experiences. Although representatives and senators were in session or meetings, the group was able to meet with several legislative assistants. Senior Molly Nash said, “We are going there as constituents to show we care about these issues and that as our representatives, these people should be voting in ways that support us. We hope to tell our stories in order to demonstrate how these laws and bills affect us.” Though the Conversion Therapy bill does not have as much support as the latter, many groups are still in favor. If passed, this bill would make it illegal for unqualified medical practitioners to perform damaging and ineffective “therapy.” Although there is currently no bill, the group additionally lobbied for comprehensive sex education in Missouri schools, a crucial component of education that is perpetually taught ineffectively.
All Write comedian did not please crowd Rosa Parks Social Media Manager
This year’s All Write festival took place with roughly 45 speakers, ranging from authors to comedians. However, this year’s comedian, David Graham, received negative feedback from both students and staff. Cleancomedyguy.com said, “David Graham, a six-foot-six teddy bear, will take any event to the next level. David is a clean comedian who hits those hard-to-reach areas of the comedic nervous system.” Graham is broadcast across his own website as a clean comedian, one who performs for all ages and does recurring church performances. However, some students found the comedian to be a bit inappropriate. Senior Olivia Bickford said, “It started off as witty jokes, and then it kind of turned into something inappropriate. He joked about there being a lot of ‘fine women’ at Webster, which made me uncomfortable because he was significantly older than us. He also decided to pick on me, which was fine...until things got weird.” Some of Graham’s jokes were considered crude by some students. A few of the jokes made suggested sexual innuendos and references to the audience. One joke that offended some was when Graham made a joke that referenced there being a snake
March 2019 | News
in his hand but when he woke up, he realized he was just naked. Senior Tyler Benbow said, “I thought he was disrespectful and degrading to women and made everyone uncomfortable. It isn’t what our school stands for.” All Write staff did not expect this and pulled Graham off stage about 15 minutes early. Bickford added, “I Photo by Trinity Madison don’t blame the school Steve Leftridge, All Write Coorthough. They had no idea dinator, introduces performers that he was going to do during seventh hour in Knight that. He got pulled off the Auditorium. stage early, which was good, but I think it left a lot of people uncomfortable, including myself. After the assembly, a lot of people were checking on me to make sure I was okay, which I appreciated. I’m alright now, but I’m disappointed that the comedian felt like he had to degrade women and make crude jokes to get people to laugh.”
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Senior wins 2nd All Write Franzie Lindsey Bennett Feature Editor “There are a lot of things that I see that sometimes make me angry or sad, and that’s when I write poetry,” senior Trinity Madison said following her win of the 2019 Franzie Award. Her poem, named “Racial Alliance,” was “based on the idea that there are these phrases that we use to unify us that are actually really toxic, and they’re rude,” Madison said. Madison cited the phrases “the only race is the human race,” “all lives matter” and “I don’t see color” as some of those toxic expressions. “They are all really sweet sentiments, but at the same time… they are used to rebuttal things like Black Lives Matter,” Madison said. “I don’t necessarily like having to defend my poetry; the work says a lot for itself,” Madison said. The poem does that by weaving together rebuttals to the earlier listed phrases, while incorporating historical injustices and events as well as what ails America today. Facts about mass incarceration and police brutality are intertwined throughout Madison’s lines with the 3/5 Compromise and voting literacy tests, forming clear and complete connections from past to present. Following a complete rejection from the contest her freshman year, Madison continued writing and started performing at gigs around St. Louis. Madison entered the 2017 Franzie con-
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Photo by Lindsey Bennett
Senior Trinity Madison accepts the Franzie Award for “Racial Alliance” during the seventh hour All Write Assembly on March 8. test the following year, winning for the first time with a piece called “I Pledge,” making her the only finalist awarded first place twice. Madison notes a transition from her more “angry” or “vocal” type of poetry to one that has become more private, like a coping mechanism or a ritual for herself. The last two lines of “Racial Alliance”
state: “Even if my words be my only weapon, I’ll lift every voice.”
News | March 2019
United Methodist Church restricts LGBTQ+ community Elise Keller Junior Editor St. Louis held a special session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church to restrict LGBTQ+ community on Feb. 23-26. The reason for this was a recent concern about the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. There has been dispute in the church over homosexuality: whether the church should allow LBGTQ+ clergy or recognize gay marriages. The vote was to determine whether a plan called the One Church Plan would be passed. This plan would get rid of the restrictions on homosexuality in the church and leave issues like LGBTQ+ ordination and same-gender weddings up to local churches. The opposite of this plan was called the Traditional Plan, which would more strongly enforce the rules against homosexuality. Delegates passed the Traditional Plan by a 438 to 384 vote. “I don’t agree with it, and it saddens me. I think it reflects the opinions of leaders in the African churches whose cultures are in a very different place regarding LGBTQ acceptance and also a small subset of American hardliners,” Lisa Long, member of Webster’s The Gathering United Methodist Church, said about the vote. “My main issue with the vote is that it’s dividing the denomination, and I think that everyone is going to lose because of the vote,” Lamar Fitzgerald, methodist church member and WGHS librarian said. The United Methodist Church (UMC) is made up of around seven million members in the United States and five million more across the world, mainly in Africa. “The conference that was held had people from all over the world and not just America, so obviously in other parts of the world, the LGBTQ+ community isn’t as accepted. Even though it’s still not as accepted as it should be here, it’s worse in other countries. “People with much more conservative views than even conservatives here in the States got to vote, so I don’t think it represents the Methodist Church as a whole in America, but I do think it represents the Methodist Church in other regions,” Ca-
March 2019 | Feature
Photo by Lindsey Bennett
The United Church of Christ released an open letter to the United Methodist Church, denouncing it for reinforcing rules against homosexuality. leb Miofsky, junior, said. Miofsky is the son of a pastor at The Gathering Church. With much disagreement about the vote, “Churches are already preparing to leave and taking steps toward the creation of a new denomination,” Long said. “This generation— the new generation of leaders— they want acceptance,” Fitzgerald said. “I think the vote is really disappointing and discouraging to people of the LGBTQ+ community and to allies. I think that in terms of progressive churches in the Methodist church, a lot of them are going to start leaving or joining other churches,” Miofsky said. “Even though the vote is the way it is, the gathering is still going to allow LGBTQ+ people to come and take all levels of leadership, become as involved as they want and be treated equal with everyone else because that’s how it should be,” Miofsky said. “I go to a church that is progressive and fully affirming of LGBTQ individuals. We will continue affirming, marrying and celebrating LGBTQ people as members and leaders,” Long said about The Gathering.
“Therefore, we will be leaving the United Methodist Church.” The questions now facing The Gathering are whether it will join other affiliated churches, create a new denomination with similar churches or if it will leave alone. “We are waiting to see how some of the legal questions play out and how the dust settles. We know we get to keep our property, but there are a lot of questions yet to be answered. All we know for sure is that we will no longer be part of the UMC,” Long said. Long also was able to give insight about churches that may have less clear cut paths. “I know people who go to other UMC churches where things are not as clear. (Those members and) their pastors may hold progressive stances. However, some of the older members and biggest donors may have more conservative views. The church might stay UMC to please the people who give them the money, but I think they will lose a lot of members who switch to progressive churches,” Long said.
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Cole Schnell Editor-in-Chief
Ethan Weihl News Editor
During her confirmation hearing, DeVos was asked by thensenator Al Franken about her ideas on the debate. However, DeVos’s response used the definition of growth to describe proficiency, and when Franken tried to ask a follow-up question, he was cut off, and the topic was changed. Proficiency targets are an easily quantifiable way to judge a school’s ability to teach students. According to the American Institute of Research, “proficiency targets set a minimum level of achievement that all students are expected to meet on their summative assessments regardless of where they start at the beginning of the instructional period.” For example, a teacher might give a test at the end of a unit and set a goal that all students will pass the test. Proficiency targets provide easy-to-understand statistics that are used to rank schools. Because of this, proficiency is the system that the state uses for tests like MAP and EOC. Proficiency targets are also much easier for teachers to grade. On the other hand, proficiency targets can also disadvantage schools. If schools are ranked by proficiency, schools that don’t perform as well could lose funding. These schools are typically in lower-income areas, and students who go to these schools don’t have the same resources that students in a higher income school, like Webster, have. The median household income for Webster Groves is $28,000 more than the national average. African Americans are five times more likely to be below the poverty line than white people in Webster Groves, according to Census Bureau projections. In addition, since a large number of those in poverty are African American, those lower income areas receive less accreditation and therefore appear to be performing lower than average. This leads to less funding of schools, which creates a poorer education
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for those in the lower income schools, which leads to lower test scores, and the cycle continues. Growth provides for a much fuller picture of a student’s advancements. Growth measures how much a student advances over the course of a class. At the beginning of the class, the teacher will give a pre-assessment to determine a student’s starting level. Then, at the end of the year, the students will take a post-assessment to see the improvement a student has made. For example, a teacher might set a goal for all students to improve their test scores by 30 percent. Therefore, if a student gets a 40 percent on the pre-exam, he/she will need to get 70 percent to meet the goal. The elementary schools utilize the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a growth based grading system that is aligned to Missouri standards. This is the district’s third year using this system. Growth provides a number of advantages. It shows the full range of advancements that the student has made over the course of a year. It also shows that learning might be different for each student. Growth allows those differences to be seen. However, growth has its flaws. It requires teachers to give pre and post assessments, which may take up more time. Growth also does not motivate students as much. Referring back to the previous example, if the state minimum test score is an 85 percent, and the student gets a 40 percent on the pre-assessment, he/she will not be motivated to try to get that 85 percent, as it is above their growth target of 70 percent, still putting him/her behind his/her other classmates. “Growth and proficiency measure completely different things,” Dr. Kristin Denbow, assistant superintendent for learning, said. The Renaissance Awards recognizes students for a level of proficiency, getting above a 3.5 GPA for two consecutive semesters. Seniors, juniors and sophomores recognized was 5 percent black, and the school is 19 percent black; that is a percent error
Feature | March 2019
of 74 percent. As well as celebrating proficiency, the Renaissance Awards celebrates a higher percentage of white students than African American students. All honorees also received a free shirt. Because the achievement of African-American students is under-recognized in this ceremony and fewer African-American students received the shirt, this may exacerbate a lower expectation of success for black students if following the logic of the self-fulfilling prophecy. WGHS also celebrates students nominated by teachers with the Top Hat Awards, which are non-proficiency based. The achievement gap is when the proficiency of a group of students is lower than the larger group. Typically, the achievement gap is discussed as it relates to African-American or Hispanic students underperforming or Asian students overperforming on standardized tests. “At times we have to look at if there is bias in the test,” Denbow said. “Sometimes there is racial bias.” Policy addresses the achievement gap through affirmative action. The purpose of affirmative action is to address the lower achievement of Africa-American students. Affirmative action discriminates based upon race to advantage African-American students who are previously disadvantaged by the empirical proficiency data of which college applications are heavily based. Webster Challenge is an initiative founded in 2008 with the goal of tightening the academic achievement gap that exists bePercent of Whole School
tween African-American students and non-African-American students. Assistant principal Dr. Shiree Yeggins, who helps organize Webster Challenge, said educators need to “relook at what is proficient,” and that some of what contributes to this differential is the proficiency-based standardized test and grading that is commonplace. Yeggins said, “Standardized tests are somewhat unreliable” when comparing the success of students. Webster Challenge holds monthly meetings which include guest speakers, looking at stats relating to the gap and goal setting. Webster Challenge also hosts college trips, biannual celebrations in January and August and community service events. African-American students have seen some improvement over the 11 years Webster Challenge has been around. The attendance of African American students has increased, after-school involvement has increased and the number of failing grades has decreased. Also Yeggins said, she “sees more individual success.” Self-fulfilling prophecy is the idea that there is an expectation that something will happen, then that expectation makes that thing happen. In the case of the achievement gap, African-American students may be expected to do worse than other students which in turn causes the African-American students to do worse. Yeggins said that “societal expectation for students” could be a factor.
Percent of Renaissance Award Honorees (Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores)
Graphic made with Google Sheets
Of the students who received Renaissance Awards, only five percent were African-American. This is contrasted with 19 percent of students overall.
March 2019 | Feature
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School-to-prison pipeline threatens youth school year, black students represented 15 percent of the total student enrollment, and 31 percent of students who were referred to law enforcement or arrested. Missouri, being one of 19 states to still allow corporal punishment, has reports of black students being twice as likely to be Photo provided by vectorportal.com hit in school than Studies show disproportionate school discipline threatens their white peers acyouth and promotes incarceration. cording to ACLUMO and volume 30 Trinity Madison of the Social Policy Report. Business/Ads Manager According to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance program, the St. Louis leads the nation in school sus- more a student is exposed to punishment pensions for black students. and disciplinary action in school, the more School disciplinary actions, like suspen- prone he or she is to going to prison. sions and expulsions, may lead students The pipeline is furthered by implicit onto a track of dropping out of school and bias. Georgetown Law Center on Poverty ending up in the justice system. This track and Inequality reported data to support is called the school-to-prison pipeline. the theory of adultification. Its data shows A study from the Civil Rights Project that adults view black female students as at UCLA revealed Missouri schools, in less innocent and more adult-like than the 2011-2012 school year, had the wid- their white peers, especially in the age est gap between suspension rates of black range of five–14. and white students in the country. Several They explained, “The perception of reports and studies have concentrated on black girls as less innocent may contribMissouri’s education and justice system ute to harsher punishment by educators since then. and school resource officers. Furthermore, According to the American Civil Liber- the view that black girls need less nurturties Union Missouri’s (ACLUMO) 2018 ing, protection and support and are more report, “Disproportionate school disci- independent may translate into fewer pline in Missouri is costly, unconstitution- leadership and mentorship opportunities al, and funnels children out of school and in schools.” into the criminal justice system.” Research by Indiana University’s ProIn Missouri, according to ACLUMO’s fessor Phillip Goff revealed black male 2018 report, black students are 4.5 times student are more likely than their white more likely to be suspended than white peers to be misperceived as older, viewed students. Black students with disabilities as guilty of suspected crimes and face poare three times more likely to be suspend- lice violence if accused of a crime after ed than white students with disabilities. they reach 10 years old. Black male students are four times Zero-tolerance policies create a pointed more likely to receive out-of-school sus- pathway to prison. Zero-tolerance policies pension than white male students. Black were created by the Reagan Administrafemale students are six times more likely tion as apart of the Drug Free Schools to receive out-of-school suspension than and Campuses Act of 1989. The policies white female students. were extended as a part of the Gun Free According to the U.S. Department of Schools Act of 1994 and have continually Education, nationally, during the 2015–16 extended to more violations, both minor
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and major. Now, schools holding Zero Tolerance Policies push harsh disciplinary actions on all violations. According to Dr. Christopher A. Mallett, a professor at Cleveland State University, “The increased use of zero tolerance policies ... in the schools has exponentially increased arrests and referrals to the juvenile courts.” Not only are these practices discriminatory, they’re also costly. According to Quality Counts 2018 and the Missouri Department of Social Studies, the government spends an average of $11,558 for one year of public schooling per Missouri student versus $82,260 for one year of juvenile detention. From 1979 to 2012, Missouri’s expenditures on state and local corrections ballooned over 183 percent more than the state’s expenditures on pre-K-12 education grew in the same time period according to ACLUMO. Dr. Sharonica Hardin- Bartley, University City Superintendent, addressed how discipline enables the pipeline in an interview with ACLUMO, saying, “Our practices must be more restorative in nature. The punitive measures simply do not work. They fail miserably.” Some districts have taken the same outlook and sought reform. In 2016, St. Louis Public Schools banned out-of-school suspensions for children in preschool through second grade. Bans on preschool through third grade suspensions were made by Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District in 2017 and Ladue School District and Normandy School District in 2018. Local programs like Shut It Down, spearheaded by SLU professor Norm White to work with educators to “create healthy learning environments that celebrate all of our children and nourish their social, emotional, and cognitive development,” have began to pop up to counteract the pipeline’s progress. Similar programs, like Break the Pipeline campaign, have orchestrated protests and meetings. Hardin-Bartley concluded, “You can’t have this conversation without being brutally honest about where we are. We can do better by black and brown children, and those are the children that are most adversely impacted by our discipline decisions.”
Feature | March 2019
Electric Retrospective
Newspapers jump the gun on ‘Pokemon Sword and Shield’ Sean Mullins Technology Columnist NOTE: This is a revised version of an article exclusive to the Electric Retrospective blog. Visit https://electricretrospective. wordpress.com/ for more news, views and reviews that can’t be found on the ECHO’s main website. “Pokemon Sword and Shield” mark the beginning of the eighth Pokemon generation, but fans are equally excited for the subsequent release of “Pokemon Gun,” or they would be, if “Pokemon Gun” was a real game. Twitter user @cin_ceja noticed something odd when their local newspaper, La voz de Michoacan, released an article about “Sword and Shield” after its recent reveal. The article’s graphic contains logos for both games, as well as the newly revealed Galar region starters: Grookey, a Grass-type monkey with a curious attitude, Scorbunny, a Fire-type rabbit with acrobatic skills, and Sobble, a Water-type lizard that can camouflage itself. However, what caught their eye was a fanmade logo for “Pokemon Gun,” which Game Freak never announced. The logo was actually a meme poking fun at enhanced versions of Pokemon games, like “Pokemon Emerald” and “Pokemon Platinum,” which add story content and gameplay improvements to a previously released set of games. It wasn’t referenced in the article, meaning it was likely a layout issue rather than one by the author. Oddly enough, it would have been incredibly easy to find a real graphic. From experience, Electric Retrospective articles use images from press kits and official websites, which are both a quick Google search away and are excellent resources for game journalists. Speaking of Google, that also would’ve been an easy way to fact-check the image and determine that it wasn’t official. This isn’t the first mistake news organizations made in covering the announcement. A CNN report claimed the games were a sign that Nintendo was capitalizing on “adaptations of old favorites to breathe new life into its Switch gaming device.” Following backlash on social media, CNN removed the quote from the video version of the article on Twitter, although the article remains unchanged on its website. Even if the author didn’t intend to, the article came off as misinformed. It suggests the Switch is failing and Pokemon is suddenly being used to revitalize it, but the Switch continues to sell like hotcakes. As of 2018, Pokemon is the world’s highest-grossing franchise, not to mention one that releases games almost every year and consistently reaches high sales figures. The article also suggests “Sword and Shield” are “adaptations” of earlier games. Game Freak has released remakes of previous generations, but this is a new generation entirely. Ironically, last year’s “Pokemon Let’s Go! Pikachu and Eevee” were Switch remakes of “Pokemon Yellow,” so it could just be that CNN got their information from Slowpoke. However, the Switch was still successful in 2018, so the article would still be incorrect. It’s amusing to see these simple mistakes, especially in a rather humorous case like “Pokemon Gun,” but on a serious note, this is
March 2019 | Feature
Image from Game Freak
Mexican newspaper La voz de Michoacan accidentally printed a fanmade meme about “Pokemon Sword and Shield” that claimed there would be a third version called “Pokemon Gun.” This could have been easily avoided by using images from the game’s official website and press kit, like the image above.
why news organizations need to fully research what they report. In a 24/7 news cycle, simple mistakes or uninformed comments often slip by. While these specific cases are admittedly trivial, there could be dire consequences if similar mistakes occur when reporting urgent news or topical issues.
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Fishing club begins spring competitions Ada Foley Contributing Writer On Sundays in the spring, a group of Webster Groves High School students meet around lakes in St. Louis for competition and sharing the activity that unites them. This group is fishing club. When fishing club started, it was made up of clashing groups of students–those who wanted to enjoy fishing with their peers, and those who just wanted some kind of club on their resume. Frank Mandernach, teacher and sponsor of fishing club, described how fishing club worked through that tension, with the aid of the Missouri Department of Conservation, to become the fun, friendly, competitive group it is now. “It’s kind of been a little bit difficult trying to find people who would be interested,” senior Steven Burkett, one of fishing club’s founding members, said. “We were able to keep it going and find
Photo from Musa Siddiqui
Senior Musa Siddiqui holds a fish he caught at a competition the first weekend in March. Fishing club competes at lakes around St. Louis that are stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
more people and get a group going. It worked out.” The Missouri Department of Conservation started a program around two years ago with the goal of enhancing urban fishing opportunities. Around that time, several students, including Burkett, came to Mandernach about starting a fishing club. Mandernach reached out to the organization, and the group was officially created. The Missouri Department of Conservation stocks lakes with fish in the St. Louis for general use, and they set up and supervise all of the competitions that the fishing club attends. Fishing club practices its techniques in the fall and competes in the spring. Its meetings are devoted to planning the strategy for its next competition. At competitions, three fishers and one helper from the fishing club rotate around to different fishing locations at a lake, working as a team to catch fish. At the end, a scoring system is used to declare a winner. “Something that we have to do whenever we get a fish on the line is we have to net them… and it was crazy how immediately, once it first started and once we understood what we were doing, how we all just kind of synced up perfectly together,” junior Rebecca Mandernach said, describing the teamwork that fishing club must use in competitions. She is the only girl in the entire program that the fishing club is a part of. Frank Mandernach said the main appeal of fishing club is that it allows teenagers to share their hobby and passion with other teenagers in a friendly competitive atmosphere. He also talked about how the competitions give teens a chance to interact with professionals and employees of the Missouri Department of Conservation who have made a career out of their love of fish. He added it opened students up to scholarship opportunities. “I really enjoy all the people I’ve gotten to be in the club with,” Rebecca Mandernach said. “It was just cool to hang out with other people.”
Men’s tennis comes back in full swing Annabelle Lewis Contributing Writer Tennis season began Feb. 25-March 1 with tryouts lasting the whole week with Coach Terry Verstrate. Coach Verstrate is celebrating his 22nd year coaching at Webster. He coached women’s tennis for the first three years of his career and switched to only men shortly after and has been with only men for 18 years. Last season was his first season coaching the women again, and now he is both the men’s and women’s coach. Coach Verstrate never played for a professional team or even his college but did play some in high school. He really found his love for tennis by playing recreational. Verstrate stills plays tennis with his friends when he isn’t busy coaching or teaching geography, military history or government.
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“He’s very good at taking people in a short amount of time and making them tennis match ready or more ready for the season,” senior Joe Castleman said about Coach Verstrate. Castleman has obtained the number one spot on the team. Even though there are no captains, he is there to take charge on and off the court as well as helping with drills and being a leader for the younger players. “I try to keep up a good morale because we want to be cheering on our teammates and even though it’s an individual sport we still play as a team,”Castleman said. His advice to the freshman and any new players is to “Be on time and enjoy it because it is a fun sport. Just try your best and stick with it for your whole life.” There were no cuts from the team. Challenge matches will be played to find spot numbers on the team. The first game was on March 26, against Rockwood Summit at their courts.
Sports | March 2019
Wrestling finishes season at State Elise Wilke-Grimm Contributing Writer
Ethan Ryan Contributing Writer
“No matter what the outcome is, you know you put everything on the line, and we love you for it. Never give up,” senior Edward Suber said. His words epitomized this season for the team. As the wrestling team left Farmington High School for Districts, seniors Eric Pettibone and Charlie Getz each placed for State while sophomore Hannah Jansen made third place in women’s in only her first year wrestling. She too was on her way to Columbia where this year’s State Tournament was held. “It was hard for me not to get in my head about matches,” Jansen said. This had been the goal all season as Coach Lemay and the wrestling team worked towards Districts and on since early November 2018, but there were challenging moments as well. “I lost my semifinal match by one point; then I had to wrestle back,” Getz said. Through that hardship however, a team can find unity in one other. Sophomore Ella Erb, one of the only women on the wrestling team, said, “The girls are treated as family, just like the boys are. Our whole family is surrounded by the idea of keeping each other safe and comfortable.” Pettibone, who would later go on to place sixth and medal at State, said, “The whole aspect of being on a team and working together as a family is very important for the wrestlers. Coach Lemay is like the father. Especially when you’re a senior and you already know a lot, he is mostly there for support, so you can go
Photo by Trinity Madison
Coach James Lemay instructs students during practice in December.
to him with anything you need. (Lemay) looks to us almost like (the seniors) are the big brothers of the team.” Getz agreed with Pettibone. He enjoys how close one can become with Lemay and the other wrestlers. “After four years of being around them, it’s like you really feel like you can go to them with anything and you will feel supported,” Getz said. Pettibone and Getz enjoyed their time wrestling in high school, and they’re excited to wrestle in college as well. Getz plans to go to Central Missouri, and Pettibone doesn’t have a particular college in mind yet.
Soccer seniors begin final season
Eleanor Marshall Opinion Columnist
In 2016, six freshmen made the women’s Varsity soccer team. Now, three years and a State championship later, they are ready for one last season together. “I feel good about the season,” senior captain Natalie Hanrahan said. “I’m going in with a positive attitude and going to make the most of my last season.” Because of the success of the past few seasons, the team was moved into a different conference. “We added Eureka, Lafayette, Parkway South, Marquette and Ursuline, so it’ll be a tough schedule,” Hanrahan said. In addition to the challenge of a more difficult conference, the old players are adjusting to the new team. “We lost around 11 seniors last year which is never easy to recover from,” senior captain Emma Atherton said. “We have a lot of new faces, and it’s always a challenge learning to play with new people at a new level. Once we get find a style of play that works with all the talent we have, I think we’ll be unstoppable.”
March 2019 | Entertainment
It seems the team did just that. At its first game on Saturday ,March 23, the Stateswomen won 4-0 against Hillsboro, a team that was already three games into the season. “We are playing in a new formation, so it took us a minute to adjust, but after that, we played better and our passing was pretty good,” Hanrahan said about the game. “Ellie Paloucek, a freshmen, had two goals.” The team also won its second game 2-1 against Lindbergh, who is ranked third, with goals by Hanrahan and junior Izzy Heintz. The success of the first games, and the success of past seasons bring up a question: “Is a State championship a possibility?” “I feel like we are just as good as our previous years, and we’ll be able to go far,” senior captain Zoe Schultz said. “I’m really excited.” “I think State is always a possibility because we have the talent, but what sets us apart is how hard each of us play and leave everything on the field,” Atherton added. “I think we’ll be really successful this year, especially with as many seniors as we have, we know it’s our last go around so we have to give it everything.”
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Josie’s Journal
Student-run theater company to produce spring play rectors, tech staff and cast are working to make sure the basis of the play. Regarding inspiration, Ryan said, “We wanted to do a murder mystery, and we needed a good blueprint to base our story off of. We took inspiration from movies like ‘Clue,’ ‘And Then There Were None’ and ‘Murder on the Orient Express.’” Toskin said, “(Ethan and I) like to do satires of things we enjoy. It’s basically based off of ‘And Then There Were None.’ We liked making fun of and having fun with the tropes.” Ryan remembers starting the writing last March with the original idea for a 45 minute, one night only Blackbox show. Later, Schaefer reached out in need of a murder mystery and Photo by Jaden Fields took Ryan up on his show, who Actor senior Hank Geers lies on stage portraying agony in his character, Gregory E. Munn, “never anticipated the show bein “It’s a Mystery,” which will be performed in April 4-6. ing a full two-hour mainstage play.” Josie Krueger The cast includes seniors Hank Geers as Gregory E. Munn, Grace Engel as Jodie, Tea Gardner as Victoria, Danny Chura as Entertainment Columnist Neil, Rahman Ali as Johnny, Zach Comegys as Stephen, Nico“Freshly Broke Productions,” a theater company founded by laus Braun as Dominic, Ryan as the mailman and junior Ellie seniors Ethan Ryan, Sammy Toskin, and Christian Ragain, will Gilstrap as Vanessa. Toskin said, “Certain characters kind of emerge as lead roles as produce the spring mainstage play, “It’s a Mystery.” “It’s a Mystery” is written by Ryan and directed by Toskin, and the play goes on, but I would say it is more of an ensemble show. Everyone has their time in the spotlight.” it’s the company’s biggest project yet. Ryan’s favorite part of rehearsal was the first two readthroughs. Toskin additionRyan said, “The first time a work is read aloud, the characters ally co-directed the fall mainstage mu- develop their own personalities... Sam and I kind of let them go, sical “Joseph and and they’ve developed a lot of depth.” Comegys said, “Everyone has really good chemistry. ” the Amazing TechRyan said, “The actors are going to do really great… They nicolor Dreamcoat” alongside have really put their hearts and souls into the show.” The greatest challenge for Ryan was the lack of rehearsal time. drama teacher SarRyan said, “A mainstage has two months usually. We’ve had ah Romanowski. Toskin said, “I three weeks (of rehearsal time). I would have loved another have been working month.” Toskin said, “I have very high expectations (for the play). All with Ethan since freshman year, so of the people working with us have a lot of experience, so even this is the dream with a lack of rehearsal time, everything is moving very quickly and effectively.” team in my eyes.” The cast and crew will hold a miracle minute each show night The play is Photo by Jaden Fields called “It’s a Mys- for senior Chris Kuse, who is receiving hospital treatment. Actor senior Tea Gardner, who plays “It’s a Mystery” will take place in the auditorium from April tery” because the Victoria, stands in costume during rehearsal for “It’s a Mystery,” which will plot remains un- 4-6, at 7 p.m. The tickets will be $10. revealed. The dibe performed April 4-6.
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Entertainment | March 2019
Electric Retrospective
Review: “Deltarune: Chapter 1” charms in spades Sean Mullins Technology Columnist “Undertale” seemed like the magnum opus of developer Toby Fox, but “Deltarune: Chapter 1” proves he has another ace up his sleeve, even if it’s far from completion. “Undertale” needs little introduction, as its lovable characters, memorable soundtrack and metacommentary on player choice helped it achieve a cult following. A rabid fanbase and online oversaturation turned away potential fans when the hit indie RPG peaked in cultural relevance, but the game itself still holds up after its initial popularity. It’s a hard act to follow, but “Deltarune” aced it by acting as the antithesis to “Undertale.” The fact that “Deltarune” is an anagram of “Undertale” has an underlying meaning: every piece of the first game is there, but rearranged into a new story. The game takes place in an alternate universe where monsters were never forced underground, so returning characters live on the surface. They have different jobs and lifestyles, but retain their personalities. That said, returning characters are relegated to background roles in the first chapter. Instead, the plot revolves around Kris, a silent protagonist who accidentally enters a dark world inside a school closet. Kris is joined by Susie, a violent bully, and Ralsei, the dark world’s kindhearted royalty, on a quest to stop the tyrannical King. Since it doesn’t rely on returning characters, “Deltarune” doesn’t require prior experience with “Undertale.” “Undertale” commented on choice and morality by allowing players to kill enemies on a Genocide route or find peaceful solutions on a Pacifist route, and its plot changed depending on the player’s actions. The same routes still exist here, but they don’t affect the plot. In contrast, “Deltarune” shows how little the player’s choices matter, from trashing a player-created avatar to villain characters interrupting dialogue before players can make choices. While this contrast is interesting enough, it’s further explored by how little agency Kris has in the story. In fact, it could be argued that Kris is a background character to Susie and Ralsei’s character development. Not only does this change of focus further the story’s themes, it makes Susie and Ralsei two of the more interesting characters in either game. The story isn’t the only aspect that “Deltarune” improves upon by adding these two characters. The combat system retains its basis from “Undertale,” with timed button presses for player attacks and the ability to dodge enemy fire, as well as being able to interact and reason with opponents. The additional party members provide new roles in battle, with Susie dealing massive damage and Ralsei as more of a support character. Each character has special moves correlating to their abilities; Kris’s moves change depending on the enemy, Susie’s Rude Buster axe crushes anything in its path, and Ralsei can end fights early by putting enemies to sleep. These moves require Tension Points, which are accumulated by dodging attacks from a close distance. This change turns fighting into a game of risk vs. reward, making even basic enemies as engaging as major bosses. “Deltarune” has a more reasonable difficulty curve than “Un-
March 2019 | Entertainment
Image from Toby Fox
Kris, Ralsei and Susie battle a group of King’s henchmen.
dertale,” likely because this is only the first chapter. Mechanics are introduced at a rate that doesn’t bore or discourage players, and while the game is relatively easy, a challenging boss is available in the postgame for those seeking higher stakes. Additionally, Susie automatically attacks enemies for most of the game, meaning Pacifist runs better engage players by planning around her attacks. One of the only major flaws of “Undertale” was its visuals; compared to other indie games that use pixelart, the graphics were static and bland. While “Deltarune” still doesn’t reach the excellent sprites of games like “Owlboy” or “Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove,” it’s an improvement over “Undertale” with cleaner character art and more movement in animation. Additionally, the dark world’s motif of playing cards gives the character designs consistent theming. “Undertale” is often praised for its excellent music, a category in which “Deltarune” doesn’t disappoint. While the soundtrack will be completed in future chapters, the first chapter alone has an arguably better soundtrack than “Undertale” due to leitmotifs that more clearly express the story, cleaner instrument samples and more memorable composition. Overworld music has particularly improved, with the standout track being “Field of Hopes and Dreams.” This first chapter is available for free, and yet it has a significant amount of content comparable to about half of “Undertale.” “Deltarune” keeps its cards close to its chest about what will happen next, but even though it hints at future events, the content that’s currently available is still satisfying. Chapter 1 provides an afternoon’s worth of entertainment at no cost. Despite the game being marketed to previous “Undertale” fans, this is an experience that even newcomers can enjoy, and the story, presentation and gameplay show promising improvement. If the developers play their cards right, “Deltarune: Chapter 1” will be just the beginning of a fantastic sequel that steals hearts once again. “Deltarune: Chapter 1” is available as a free download on PC, Switch and PS4. Future chapters will release at an undetermined date but won’t be free. Go to the Electric Retrospective blog at https://electricretrospective.wordpress.com for more game reviews and news. New posts release every Tuesday.
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Join us in Celebration of the Lord!
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Entertainment | March 2019