WG ECHO March 2023 Issue

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:

Lydia Urice

PRINT EDITOR:

Izzy Poole

JUNIOR EDITOR:

Hadley Hoskins

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/ GRAPHICS EDITOR:

Maren DeMargel

VIDEO EDITOR:

Luca Giordano

NEWS/OPINION EDITOR:

Ali Schulz

SPORTS EDITOR:

Owen Crews

PODCAST EDITOR:

Sam Klein

FEATURE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR:

Joe Harned

BUSINESS MANAGERS:

Soledad Lee

Dakota Motley

TIKTOK/ PUBLIC RELATIONS MANAGER:

Eleanor Kanerva 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 Ave., 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 Quill and Scroll, JEA, MIJA, NSPA and CSPA.

Cover cutline: Senior Posey Bischoff plays guitar and sings in the Garden Cafe

Wallen’s

Robotics

on Jan. 7

Photo by Izzy Poole

Singer-songwriter shares what it takes to make it

Izzy Poole Print Editor

“I think things for women in music have always been difficult in a way that most of their listeners won’t even realize,” senior Posey Bischoff said about her experience with sexism in the music industry.

March is not only Women’s History Month, but also Music In Our Schools Month.

“I wrote my first song in sixth grade, and that’s around the time that I started playing ukulele too, but before that, I always liked to sing and listen to music,” Bischoff said.

After keeping up with something for so long, it can be hard not to lose interest.

“There are so many parts of music that keeps me interested. The main thing though is just that song ideas are always appearing in my head, and I can’t just ignore them! I also love performing, and being able to share what I create also keeps me motivated,” Bischoff said.

According to Zippia, the average age for singer-songwriters is 45 years old, and 77.7% of songwriters are male. Bischoff doesn’t fit in either of those statistics being an 18 year-old female singersongwriter. Not fitting in these statistics has its setbacks.

“I have experienced sexism in the industry. People that hire me to play will sometimes mainly talk to my dad, even though I’m the one performing, setting up my own equipment, and the one that booked the gig in the first place. They will frequently give any payment or tips to my dad, which makes me feel like I’m not being taken seriously,” Bischoff said.

In addition to doing all of that by herself, Bischoff also writes her own songs. “My first step to writing a song is to think of a hook for a song, or the punchiest line of the chorus I can base the rest of the song on. After that, I kind of just do it all at the same time. I write the words, and add melody and chords as I go, so by

the last verse I write, I have a rough draft of a song with all of its parts. I get my ideas from all over. Sometimes it’ll be something I overhear someone say, something I see on TV, or just my current environment or situation,” Bischoff said.

“My biggest inspiration by far is Joni Mitchell. I am in awe of every single one of her songs. They are beautifully written and her use of seemingly random alternate tunings both astounds and intrigues me. I play some of her songs during most of my shows, and I like to think my songs are reminiscent of hers,” Bischoff said.

- senior Posey Bischoff

In addition to Mitchell, “I like to listen to all types of music, but I draw inspiration for my own songs mainly from folk or indie music. I’m pretty much your classic singer-songwriter, and the genre of songs I write reflects that,” Bischoff said.

After writing and performing her music Bischoff hears, “People describe my songs as ‘cute,’ which feels like they are belittling my accomplishments. I have the sense that some people are not actually listening to my music, but just like seeing me on stage. Sometimes I get more comments on how I look than my music after I perform. I’ll get men that frequently tell me I look more beautiful than the last time they saw me, or that if I smile more while singing, I’ll be better to watch,” Bischoff said.

“In my experience, it’s hard to find the right balance between standing up for myself concerning these things, and having to just deal with some of it so I don’t lose those connections and opportunities. I can realize the reality that in order to make it in the music industry, I might have to take a certain level of b***s*** from people, which is unfortunate and unfair. I also find it difficult to even use some of the opportunities I’m presented. I’ve had to turn down musicians that want to collaborate because I don’t want to put myself in an unsafe situation. I guess I’m just tired of feeling like I have to take my parents everywhere I go,” Bischoff said.

“My own small-time experiences so far have been tough, so I can only imagine what it’s like for women that are a lot more successful than me”

Senior Posey Bischoff plays harmonica in Garden Cafe on Jan. 7.

Photo by Izzy Poole

Senior Posey Bischoff performs in Garden Cafe on Jan. 7.

Photo by Izzy Poole

Junior empowers with new club

Maren DeMargel

Social Media Manager

Junior Janya Johnson is the founder of the Women in STEM Club. “STEM” stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“I just hope that more girls can get into this type of career field,” Johnson said.

According to the United States Census Bureau, women only make up 27% of the STEM workforce as of 2019.

Johnson collaborated with science teacher Jessie Michael-Lane to create the club.

“Women belong in all of the places where men are,” Michael-Lane said via email. “However, historically, we haven’t been allowed, especially in STEM fields.”

Michael-Lane has experienced gender bias within the STEM field, making the creation of this club close to her

“People usually sume

am an elementary school teacher when I tell them what I do for a living,” Michael-Lane said via email. Michael-Lane stressed that while there is “absolutely nothing wrong” with that profession, it is an incorrect assumption and is therefore indicative of bias.

Michael-Lane said people often comment on her job saying, “Oh wow, chem istry is hard.”

“It is hard,” Michael-Lane agreed. “However, do we auto matically respond to men with, ‘Oh wow, being a lawyer is hard.’ Maybe we do, but it is something that always makes me think twice.”

“It is essential to our future that young women understand they are just as smart as young men. Women should be encouraged to be curious about the worlds around them, and we should support them excelling in STEM classes,” Michael-Lane said.

Johnson’s motivation for starting the club is due to her future career.

“I want to be an obstetrician/gynecologist (OB/GYN),” Johnson said. “I want to help pregnant people.”

The process to create the club was not easy, but Johnson was determined to make it a reality.

“I talked to Coach (Sean) Wright, and

he thought it was a good idea, so he gave me a form for the signatures. I got all of the signatures, and then I lost the sheet, so I got the signatures again,” Johnson said. “Then I made a presentation, a STEM presentation, showing what the club was about and my goals. I presented it at student council, and they all voted for it. Ms. Michael-Lane, my sponsor, I talked to her to set up the club times and specified what works for us, and we started the club.”

Johnson and Michael-Lane both have high hopes for the impact of the club.

“I hope that more women and girls are motivated to go into these careers and not be hesitant because it’s more male dominated in these areas,” Johnson said.

“We hope to support young women in their interest and pursuit of STEM classes and careers. In the future, it would be awesome if we could even start working with kids in middle or elementary school to help ignite their interest,” MichaelLane said.

The club meets every other Thursday in room 382. Those interested in joining can reach out via the club’s Instagram account, @wghswomeninstem, speak to Johnson or Michael-Lane, or simply show up to a meeting.

Junior Janya Johnson and science teacher Jessie Michael-Lane explain the science experiment at the Women in STEM Club meeting on Friday, March 24.

Photo by Maren DeMargel

Club members make magnetic slime at the Women in STEM Club meeting on Friday, March 24.

Photo by Maren DeMargel

Owen Crews Sports Editor

Jazz band, orchestra and concert band musicians will spend this spring break playing in the Big Apple.

Senior Maddie Wood said, “It’s (orchestra) given me a broader appreciation for different types of music, and I made a lot of connections, and I had a lot of different opportunities to do with an orchestra.”

This was a sentiment shared by others that also were going.

Senior Eli Suppelsa said, “Our orchestra is a very good community. We are all pretty good friends, and it’s a tight-knit group, and when I had this opportunity to go to New York, I thought it would be really fun, and a good way to get even closer within our group.”

Junior Miles Cole said, “ It’s always a super cool experience because there’s a lot of stuff that we can’t do in the Midwest, and New York is the place to be for jazz musicians, so it is cool to see what the scene looks like, and it’s always fun to have a school trip.”

Soledad Lee Business Manager

March is Youth Art Month representing how art is important for youth in their education.

Drama teacher Todd Schaefer believes having a fine arts credit benefits students.

“It builds a better human,” Schaefer said.

“Sixty-one percent of students with high arts involvement planning to get a degree and go to college, vs 42% with low arts involvement,” according to James S. Catterwall and Gillian HamptonThompton in “The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth (National Endowment for the Arts.)”

Webster Groves High School requires one fine arts credit to graduate; Schaefer thinks more could be beneficial.

“I don’t think one fine arts credit for ev-

Senior Maya Ensor mentioned other opportunities, “I also think it will be fun just to have a week in New York with just the jazz band. I think we have a jazz clinic on the first day. Then we have a performance with that, and then we are meeting up with some composer clinics and then another performance with that.”

Cole added, “I am looking forward to the master classes that we are going to be doing. I think we are doing a couple at Julliard so that would probably be the most beneficial. A professional musician will sit down with all of us and that musician will lead a class and give us information, and stuff like that. We can also ask questions.”

About why he played in the orchestra, Suppelsa added, “It has given me something to work towards. Like something to get better at I’d say. Because I play the violin and it is something you can always get better at, and I am not super competitive with it, and I enjoy playing it with my friends.”

However, others are trying to get good at their instruments so that it can influ-

ence their choice of what they want to do in the future.

Cole said, “ Well, I want to go to college for music specifically in New York City, so I think going to New York City right now is going to be beneficial to my knowledge of what college might look like.”

While the trip is mostly for music, students are looking forward to some other activities.

Wood said, “We are going to see ‘Aladdin’ on Broadway and looking to play somewhere new.”

Suppelsa added, “To be honest I don’t know much about the trip, but I am excited to be in that Big Apple, and walk the streets of the city.”

However, the main goal for some was just being on the trip itself.

Suppelsa said, “I would say just try to have an open mind because I think traveling broadens your perspective no matter where it is. If it’s a state away, that’s good, and if it is in a different country, that is good too. I think traveling is all about opening your perspective.”

WGHS music takes on New York Arts benefit Webster students

ery graduate is enough. I think you should be getting four, in my opinion. One fine arts credit for every year to train that creative literacy,” Schaefer said.

“The arts are often overlooked in society,” teacher Jocelyn Reiss said.

“People have the impression that the arts are kind’ve a soft spot or an easy A. I think that’s kinda pervasive,” Reiss said.

Overall people can’t deny that Webster is the City of the Arts.

“Webster’s like the city of the arts; I know we had All-Write and participated in that,” Reiss said.

Webster Arts, originally called Webster Community Foundation, was started by members of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in 2001. One of the events that Webster Arts brings to the town include the Webster Arts Fair, which is a threeday event that showcases art from artists including Webster Groves students.

“High arts groups consistently out-

scored low arts groups on measures of creative thinking,” according to Judith Burton, Robert Horowitz and Hal Abeles in their ‘Learning in and Through the Arts: Curriculum Implications.’

“You’re not going to get to use your degree right out of college. You’re going to have to go do other things and find your way into the industry…It (fine arts) teaches creative literacy. Everything is teaching your brain to kind of look at something through an aesthetic lens as opposed to a STEM lens,” Schaefer said.

Junior Frances Baken noticed that being in an environment like an art class helped her to have more creative and new conversations.

“I’ve noticed that in my art classes I’ve taken; I always meet new people and we have new conversations. That wouldn’t have happened if we weren’t in a creative and open space,” Baken said.

Women speak on experiences in band

Eleanor Kanerva Public Relations and Tiktok Manager

Women are underrepresented in high school band class. Men dominate the student demographic.

Senior Ella Brenner said although she is only one of three women in her section, she doesn’t feel as though she is treated any differently.

Brenner said, “There are three girls and 10 boys in my section. That’s pretty usual for my section. Sometimes I feel a little out of place because all the boys mainly talk to themselves, but honestly I think our section is pretty inclusive, and we aren’t really ever excluded on purpose.”

Brenner added if anything she feels she’s less represented in jazz band rather than concert band due to the fact that the men outnumber the women more in jazz band.

Despite this, Brenner said, “But Mr. (Kevin) Cole and everyone else makes sure we all still get the same opportunities, and we created an all girls jazz group to have more representation.”

Senior Lizzie Nieman plays the baritone/euphonium in a section of mostly men. This year she was the only girl in the baritone section.

Nieman said, “Being a girl in the baritone section and more in general brass section is definitely the minority.”

It is often usual for women to be in the minority for Nieman’s instrument. Being the minority as well as being women in general can create discomfort in certain male-dominated hobbies

Photo

and interests. Nieman can relate to the feeling of being left out. Nieman said, “It used to cause me a lot of stress and anxiety being one of the few girls in my section and in the more general low brass/brass section. I often felt out of place, weird, and felt like I didn’t belong in the band or in my section. These feelings have gotten a bit easier as I’ve gotten older and more comfortable with myself, but I still deal with these feelings and thoughts day to day.”

Nieman also described feeling like she’s treated differently for multiple reasons.

Nieman said, “I think I’m treated differently from other people in the band and even other girls in the band because I’m not the ‘best’ player or involved in other bands. There’s definitely a difference in how people are treated based on how good they are, if they are in other bands.”

Senior Lizzie Nieman has been a member of the band for four years.

provided by Lizzie Nieman

“I often felt out of place, weird, and felt like I didn’t belong in the band or in my section.”

- Senior Lizzie Nieman

Conductor, teacher gives orchestra

Lydia Urice Editor-in-Chief

Five years ago, Andrew Pulliam took over the orchestra program at the high school. Since then, he’s worked hard to produce high-quality musicians, while also making sure they have fun along the way.

“Coming into Webster Groves, I knew that the band was a big deal and they had a great reputation throughout the state, but I never heard much or anything about the orchestra, so I wanted to build the orchestra department up to a level where students were proud of what they were doing and could take ownership of the program,” Pulliam said over email.

The bar is set a little higher each year.

“Each year, I felt like the quality of the orchestra program was being raised higher and higher. Mr. Pulliam has slowly [been] pushing the difficulty of the pieces higher, which challenges us to learn the piece. As we progress as an orchestra, we get to play pieces that are more fun to play, which motivates us to practice more,” senior Yuki Ishiyama said via email.

Senior Isabella Pantano shares Ishiyama’s views that hard work and fun go hand in hand.

“Orchestra is much more fun knowing that everyone wants to work equally as hard to keep improving. We get pretty serious at times, but we know that we can still have fun while achieving our goals,” Pantano said.

Pulliam has divided the program into four orchestras: Statesmen Strings Ensemble, Silver Strings, Symphonic Orchestra and Concert Orchestra.

The students stepped up to take responsibility for themselves under his instruction.

“They are here when they are supposed to be, and when they want to be. The orchestra students are really proud of the work that we’ve done over the years and so am I,” Pulliam said. “I really believe that they understand that they can do and achieve a lot more than they ever could have imagined in music.”

“The orchestra program has become more challenging requiring more commitment from the students. It has been this way since I was a freshman, but COVID obviously prevented a lot of the possible development,” junior Josh Delay said over email.

COVID made the changes even more noticeable.

“When I first started at the high school it was the weird covid year, so orchestra was only for one semester…we only had one concert,” junior Owen Barrs said via email. “By contrast, now, Mr. Pulliam has worked us really hard to perform and succeed at places like the MMEA conference and the solo and ensemble contest.”

Students credit Pulliam for their success.

“This orchestra will not be where it is today without him. I cannot thank more for building such a strong orchestra program,” Ishiyama said. “This orchestra is where it is thanks to everyone’s effort into this program and the parents who support us.”

Senior Celia Alexander reflected Ishyama’s sentiments.

“He has worked tirelessly for years to get the orchestra program’s feet on the ground, and now that we’ve established something this year, I know he plans to keep it going. Pulliam encourages every one of his students to be the best person

and musician that they can, which has helped our ensemble grow as a team,” Alexander said over email.

Senior Maddie Wood said Pulliam cares about supporting player both individual and as an ensemble.

“Mr. Pulliam has brought the orchestra to be better than it ever has before. Personally he has helped me gain skill and confidence in my playing. We have him to thank for all the amazing opportunities we’ve had this year, such as playing at the MMEA conference this January,” Wood said over email.

Senior Essence Williams appreciates Pulliam as well.

“He has consistently encouraged us to take our playing above and beyond especially during the time that we were preparing to perform at MMEA. He continues to encourage us constantly, and with our recent performance success at MMEA, the WGHS Orchestra Program has earned much recognition,” Williams said over email.

The orchestra program creates an envi-

Seniors Celia Alexander and Yuki Ishiyama play violin in the fall concert which took place on Oct. 26, 2022, in Webster Groves Presbyterian Church.

Photo by Lydia Urice Senior Groves

orchestra program new life

ronment for serious musicians to thrive.

“The work ethic of students has at least doubled. Structure and self-discipline have increased. Students not only take pride in their performances but just the way the room looks. No trash putting things away, holding themselves and their peers accountable, and leadership amongst the students. Student leaders play a vital role in the success of the program,” Pulliam said.

Number-wise, the orchestra has decreased since Pulliam started, but quality wise he said, it’s increased.

“They operate with integrity and always show up to class ready to get better. The students work so hard to create a quality performance, simply because they care. We have upperclassmen who share with underclassmen how much they care about the program and they work hard to pass down a tradition of excellence that we have come to expect from each ensemble,” Pulliam said.

“Webster Groves High School was not known for it’s orchestra program. This year, it was acknowledged by music educators from all over Missouri. This is all thanks to the small changes that took

place in this program,” Ishiyama said. One reason the program numbers might have downsized is because of the time commitment it requires.

“Overall I like the changes that have been made; they have really helped push the program and the students forward and achieve more significant results. The one downside to this is the extra amount of time students need to put in for the class, especially at the higher levels, when they might already be incredibly busy with work from their academic courses,” Barrs said.

The changes and goals Pulliam put in place were for the better according to Alexander.

“Because the group has improved so much, we’ve demonstrated that the music department is important. There will be opportunities to for us to bring orchestra to the elementary schools and show them what hard work can do. This only helps the program grow in the future,” Alexander said.

Pantano agreed with Alexander.

“I do think that it has changed for the better. This past year, we accomplished a huge goal of getting the orchestra to perform at the MMEA state convention. This was the first time the orchestra at WGHS has achieved something at this caliber, and we had an amazing performance. We also have had the most representation in the orchestra’s history this past year at MO AllState Orchestra, and the largest amount of soloists and chamber ensembles making it to State Solo & Ensemble Festival,” Pantano said over email.

Pulliam’s goal for the future is to raise the quality of performance for each group.

“I personally believe it shouldn’t matter what level of ability you have. Students always deserve to sound amazing, so each ensemble in the orchestra program will have performances where students are pleased with their performance, and they recognize their growth as a musician. Especially as they work up to performing the more advanced ensemble,” Pulliam said.

Background graphic from Canva

Conductor Andrew Pulliam addresses audience at concert on Dec. 13, 2022. The concert took place in Knights Auditorium.

Photo by Lydia Urice

Senior Maddie Wood plays cello in the fall concert which took place in Webster Groves Presbyterian Church on Oct. 26, 2022.

Photo by Lydia Urice

Candidates discuss school board election

Luca Giordano Video Editor

Four candidates are running in the April 4, school board election.

Candidates Justin Hauke, Tara Scheer, Jo Doll and Grace Lee are running for three three-year term school board positions.

According to the Webster Groves School District website, Courtney Schaefer also ran for a school board position but suspended her campaign.

The terms will run from April 2023 to April 2026.

A school board member must be a U.S. citizen, resident taxpayer of a district or voters of the district in urban districts, a resident of Missouri for at least one year and at least 24 years old.

“The Board of Education is elected to represent the Webster Groves School District community in the governance of its public schools. The Board’s chief responsibility is to evaluate and hire the superintendent of schools,” according to the Webster Groves Board of Education Overview page.

All candidates were reached out via email asking to set up an interview.

Hauke was appointed in 2017 to serve on the Finance Advisory Committee. Hauke unsuccessfully ran for the Board of Education in April 2022.

“I think a lot of the issues I thought of last year have become more apparent, with some of the things like the fact that the enrollment of the district have continued to decline, and that’s causing a budgetary issue on state reimbursement funds for the district.

“I think this district has a lot of very positive things going for it, but one of the things that I think has been apparent, and maybe even become more apparent to me over the past year is that people that maybe don’t feel as successful in the district don’t always have a voice, and I don’t know that their concerns are always heard, and so I think there’s opportunity for a board that is more engaged with the community, that has more public meetings and takes criticism more positively and uses that as a tool to make the com-

munity better,” Hauke said.

Scheer is currently a director of the Board of Education and was elected in 2022. Scheer originally ran after helping her children through virtual school and seeing the school district start its strategic planning process. Scheer believes in keeping independence for the school district regarding state legislation.

“I want to ensure that our school district keeps its independence,” Scheer said.

“To me it’s important that our school district reflects the needs of our local community, and that’s what I hope to do,” Scheer said.

Scheer also encouraged young people to be involved in local elections.

“I do want to emphasize the importance of local elections. They impact our daily lives more than any other election,” Scheer said.

“Young people, new voters need to understand the importance of local elections, and they can make such an impact,” Scheer said.

Doll is the current president of the Board of Education and serves as the District 91 Representative in the Missouri House of Representatives. Doll was first elected to the Board of Education in 2017 and has served two successive terms. Doll originally ran because of her involvement in local schools.

“There was an opening, so I decided I wanted to take it to the next level, so I ran, and I continue to run just because we’ve done a lot of good things, and we have momentum, and I just feel like I want to

continue to see that, and now I think especially coming out of COVID I feel like we have work that we need to keep focused on, and I just hope I can provide that leadership to the board,” Doll said.

Doll’s position as a school board president helps her in her work as Missouri representative.

“I think it’s helpful to the state legislature to understand how school boards work and how school districts run, so that you can speak to things that are trying to go through the house,” Doll said.

In addition, as a Missouri representative, Doll uses her knowledge of policies in the House to prepare the school district.

“As a school board member, it helps just to see what’s coming or can be coming to help prepare for that,” Doll said.

Lee served as principal of Hixson Middle School and participated on the Curriculum Coordinating Committee.

“I believe deeply in public schools. I am a product of public schools. I had a career in public school before I retired,” Lee said.

“I think we also have a lot of innovative teachers, a lot of great ideas, people that are willing to take risks and want to push to grow, to create meaningful experiences for kids. I definitely see that enjoyment and that love of learning that comes from my own kid at home. To be able to support that in any way that I can, if I can lend my voice, if I can lend my experience, that would be an honor for me to be able to do that, just to be a behind the scenes support for the people on the front lines who are doing the hard work every day,” Lee said.

Candidates Justin Hauke, Tara Scheer, Jo Doll and Grace Lee are running for school board positions in the April 4, election.

Photos from Webster Groves District website

Juniors, seniors stress over college

Sam Klein Podcast Editor

Getting older and becoming upperclassmen comes with pros and cons. Some of the pros are feeling more comfortable in the environment and having more freedom, but the cons may out weigh these benefits.

Junior year of high school marks the beginning of stress over college with the ACT and SAT, college tours and applications. Students try to build up their resumes in order to appear more appealing to schools.

Junior Sarah Staab has been getting into the process of

“I have been working on making a college list to find schools with like locations and programs that match what I want to study, and then I’m also planning on going on college trips like over

Staab also noted other stressors she’s been thinking about.

“Obviously also we have the ACT and SAT, I’m kind of studying for that and the free one for school is in April coming up, and I was thinking about what teachers I’m going to ask for letters of rec and also preparing final extracurriculars for my summer so looking at college programs on campuses and finding an internship,” Staab said.

Juniors also begin coordinating with their college counselors and researching at this time.

Junior Olivia Riesz said, “Um, currently I have been talking with the college counselors and researching all the schools that I have been looking into using the college board website to research some more schools that I haven’t considered yet.”

Seniors have a different perspective. In the first half of the year, they’re applying, writing essays, looking for scholarships and in some cases still testing. It doesn’t end after students are accepted though.

About what the most stressful fac tor about college is right now, senior Ellie Nakatani, who’s committed to College of Charleston, said, “Right now, finding a room mate cause I don’t know, no one ever tells you how stressful it is, um, yeah, and right now that’s probably just the main one.”

Some colleges have options for find ing roommates. These schools are Mizzou, Truman and other schools. Students can get a random person they’ve never met, go through a matching process, or students can find people going to the same college to find a roommate and talk to people before making a choice. This is just another stressor that students like Nakatani face.

Another issue after the initial decision in the financials. About what was the most stressful part for him right now, senior James Trueman, who’s committed to Missouri State, said “The money, much I’m getting, how much it what loans I’ll have to take out. All of that is not fun.”

The stress of first semester seniors however can’t be overlooked.

Trueman said about his experience of the first semester, “The preparatory phase is mostly over. Really all I have to do is keep my grades up, but before I had to do a ton of research into what colleges had my program, I had to look at cost, acceptance rates and stuff like that and really just had to determine what would be right for me.”

Junior year and senior year both bring a lot of stress about college in different ways. There’s often a debate over which is harder when it comes to college preparations.

About which year she believes is harder, Nakatani said, “I’d say junior year. I also took a lot harder classes junior year, and this year I’m taking pretty easy classes, but I think junior year because everything else like ACT and that you really have to start thinking about colleges, and that’s when I took a lot of college visits and things.”

Trueman, however, had a different take on the issue. “I think definitely senior year because that’s when all those, at least for me, that’s when all the aps were due, scholarships. I didn’t really start my research that early in junior year, and I had no idea what I was doing.”

For sophomores and juniors, Nakatani and Trueman had advice on how to ap proach the preparations for college.

Nakatani said, “I would say stay honestly looking as soon as you can and just go to as many different colleges as you’re able to to get just a sense of what you like. Even if you don’t like the college or the area you can still get a feel for the size and just there are going to be things you like and that you don’t like and it’s better just to know what those things are.”

Trueman’s advice was a little different and focused on what not to stress over as an underclassman.

“I’d say just what’s most important in college is location and study, you know how close to home you are and what the program is. The things like the food, and the dorm situation all that will get worked out just worry about what you want to study and where you want to study at,” Trueman said.

Art by Tania Peres-Landerio

Wallen’s 36-track album is too long

Joe Harned Feature Entertainment Editor

Artists who could sell out Busch stadium are few and far between; the list of those who actually have is even smaller. Morgan Wallen will likely join this elite group after his 2023 performance.

Despite great success, the world of country music is still isolated in comparison to genres like rap or pop. A 2022 CBS poll found that only 12% of Americans said country music was their favorite genre, and yet Wallen had the number one Billboard album last year. The line, “I like all music, except for country” is a standard response to questions of music taste.

A person who has never listened to country music may go into Wallen’s album “One Thing at a Time” with the standard biases of a non-country listener: The songs will be corny odes to trucks and beer, and the accent will be hard to get over.

Wallen’s new album is an expansive 36 songs, divided into three groups: standard country music fare, hip-hop inspired songs, and “dirt-rock” songs, all of which have titles that suggest to the listener that their biases will be proven true.

From the first song, Wallen’s production is impressive. “Born With A Beer In My Hand” is, on its surface, a stereotypical country song, with slide guitars, twangy acoustics and hushed drums. Its lyrics are more than meets the eye, though, with unexpected vulnerability regarding sobriety and alcoholism. A strong chorus and the touch of autotune on Wallen’s voice give a strong start to the album.

The record loses some steam within the first half. Many of

the songs have a similar cadence and sonic profile, with crystalclear and slightly auto-tuned vocals falling short from delivering a strong impact.

There are outliers in the first act, such as the title track, “One Thing at a Time.” The more electric drive and bouncy drumline gives the song an almost indie-pop sound. One could imagine a voice like Clairo or Phoebe Bridgers over the track (though it lacks the finesse and lyricism that either would bring).

Through the second half of the album, the themes begin to grow old. There are so many songs about drinking, and so many songs about apologizing. The structure of the songs begins to feel familiar too, with a standard versechorus-versechorus cycle among every track.

Thirty-six songs is simply too many for an artist or listener to handle. By song 26, the tracks begin to slog through mud towards the conclusion. In hindsight, trying to listen to the whole hour and a half record may be a mistake when trying to judge the album as a whole.

Looking at the album in its entirety, it is bloated. Long albums, and albums with a lot of songs, can still be fantastic as long as there are true standouts that cut through the fluff that comes with a long album. Wallen’s standouts, unfortunately, are all set at the front end of the album.

By the end of listening, the listener may be able to fully get over the country accent and most of the typical country lyrics. The faults with “One Thing At A Time” lie in its length and repetition. Had Wallen cut the album in half and moved some of the tracks to a deluxe or B-Sides version, the album would have been much more listenable.

Country singer Morgan Wallen performs at Crypto.com Arena during his Dangerous tour on Sept. 24, 2022, in Los Angeles.

Photo by Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Robotics team reflects on season

Jasper Winterton Contributing

Writer

Robotics, a nation-wide sport, holds a place in high school. Some students view it as a club like any other, but to the students involved in it, it’s much more than that.

Freshman Russ Hoskins has been a member of the robotics club sponsored by David Kraus, German teacher, for all of his freshman year.

The club has given Hoskins a space to not only be competitive and have a shared bond with the students in the club, but has also given him the opportunity to show his intellectual side in a safe and judgment free environment.

“The best way to describe it is like building and driving race cars. Most of it happens behind the scenes,” Hoskins said.

Hoskins added through the experience he gained relationships and friends, along with knowing the teacher fairly well from taking German II.

The club has also given Hoskins methods to apply what he uses to possible fu-

ture professions as he has been interested in technology for most of his life.

“Competing is stressful, programming is hard, but the heart of it all is in the building process,” Hoskins said.

The process of building the robots holds a special place in Hoskins’ heart, regardless of how difficult it can be.

The start of the club for him was at the Selma Street Fair, when Kraus told him he should join. Little did Hoskins know that his decision of joining the club would forever influence the way he feels about technology and robots. With the consistent meets and competitions, which take place about every two weeks, he spends a lot of time in the community built at the school.

Only five teams are able to go to State each year, and after state only a select few make it to nationals, which leads to an even more selective group making it to

the world competition.

The last competition the club was in, it placed sixth, making it one team away from going to State.

The final practice of this year was on March 14, where the team will be discussing plans for the future. The team will start again next school year, and until then, members will be working individually and doing other activities.

Missouri contemplates ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

Dakota Motley Business Manager

Florida began passing the “Don’t Say Gay Bill’ in October of 2022. The bill entails that schools aren’t allowed to use federal resources to teach students about sexual activity/orientation, gender identity, dysphoria or transgenderism.

As of this moment roughly five states have a state law similar to this bill, four states have a parental consent policy that goes along with the bill, seven states have a law that explicitly requires it to be included in curriculum and the remaining states have neither a law or bill for or against LGBTQ+ curriculum in schools.

In early February Missouri’s government decided to go further on the proposal on the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.”

“Missouri’s bill would only allow li-

censed mental health care providers to talk to students about gender identity and LGBTQ issues in K-12 public schools, and only if guardians first give permission,” according to apnews.com.

Having this law would restrict LGBTQ+ youth from learning about themselves and how to deal with the mental and emotional struggles that come with living in a world with so many anti-LGBTQ people.

“Missouri is the second leading state with most anti-LGBTQ bills, having 31, only following Oklahoma by three,” according to reckon.news.

“The bill says that ‘no nurse, counselor, teacher, principal, contracted personnel, or other administrative official at a public or charter school shall discuss gender identity or sexual orientation with a minor student’ unless they’re a licensed mental health care provider and have a guardian’s

permission.

“The Missouri bill goes further than the Florida law, which restricts classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity through kindergarten to grade three, by not specifying an age group and explicitly barring discussion on these topics,” according to abcnews.com.

Casey Pick, director of law and policy at the Trevor Project, which provides services and crisis support for LGBTQ+ youth, said last year the group served over 4,300 people in Missouri and that this bill would make the job harder.

“No matter what a young person does, no matter how long they wait, no matter what medical procedures they undergo, this law would mean that a document that follows them their entire life that is issued by their home would never actually reflect who they are,” Pick said, according to stlpublicradio.org.

The Statesbots robotics team competes in a match on Feb. 4.

Photo provided by Russ Hoskins

“Daisy Jones and The Six” disappoints viewers

Hadley Hoskins Junior Editor

Limited series “Daisy Jones and The Six” by Prime Video released its final two episodes on March 24.

The show is based on the national bestselling book “Daisy Jones and the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. While fans of the book had high expectations for the series, some said the adaptation didn’t live up to their hopes.

“Daisy Jones and the Six” follows Riley Keough (“The Girlfriend Experience”) as singersongwriter Daisy Jones as she joins the fictional 70s rock band Daisy Jones & The Six. The band produces one of the supposedly best albums ever, experiences overnight fame-- and consecutively, a dramatic fallout.

The cast features Sam Claflin (“The Hunger Games”) as Billy Dunne, the lead singer of the band, Suki Waterhouse (“Persuasion”) as keyboardist Karen Sirko, Josh Whitehouse (“The Knight Before Christmas”) as bassist Eddie Roundtree and Sebastian Chacon (“Emergency”) as drummer Warren Rojas.

The book was published in 2019, and like the show, presents itself as the nonfiction story of a world-famous 70s rock band. It portrays the fame of Daisy Jones & The Six as comparable to bands like The Beatles or Fleetwood Mac, leaving viewers with high expectations for the show to accurately represent one of the supposedly best bands and musicians of the 20th century.

The show is filmed in documentary format, flashing between interviews with members of the band and their close friends and family, and footage from the rise of the band 20 years prior. It presents the characters, songs, and events as if they really happened-- and as if Daisy Jones & The Six were a real band.

“I think it’s confusing for people who haven’t read the book who might think that it is like an actual real band, but for people who read the book, it makes sense to keep it in that style, because it’s like them looking back on their story,” junior Lily Naert said.

The fictional album Daisy Jones and The Six produced in the show. “Aurora,” was released on March 2, the day before the release of the first three episodes. Written by Marcus Mumford

and Phoebe Bridgers, the song’s credits even say “performed by Daisy Jones & The Six,” aiding in its appearance of it being a real album.

Listeners said that while the album is good, it didn’t live up to their expectations.

“I think the music is good… but it’s described as one of the best albums ever, and so it’s kind of hard to recreate that,” Naert said.

This isn’t the only part of the show that falls flat. The show also struggles to keep up with the pace of the book. The book manages to follow the characters through complicated arcs and story lines, but the show glosses over major plot points from the book and focuses too much on other parts.

For example, the book dedicates a significant amount of effort and time to lead singer Billy Dunne’s struggles with addiction. Naert said she felt like the show did not do this.

“There was, maybe like, five minutes about that, and then they were like ‘okay, next thing,’” Naert said.

Another reason the book was so enthralling was the way it shows human error and portrays the unreliable narration of the characters by presenting conflicting accounts of what happened.

While the show attempts this, its efforts do not succeed for the most part due to the filming style-- there is only one account for everything, and viewers are left to assume that what they saw was the truth, compared to the book, where they know that certain characters see situations differently.

Despite this, some parts of the show, such as the costumes, shine through. The costumes are designed by Denise Wingate and accurately portray the characters personalities and storylines while staying true to the timeline. For example, lead singer Daisy Jones starts off the series in muted tones and more natural fabrics, but as the storyline progresses, her outfits become more colorful and flowy, taking on big fabrics and capes as she rises to fame.

Overall, though, “Daisy Jones and the Six” fails to live up to the drama of the book. The layers and complicated storylines of the book don’t translate well to the screen, leaving viewers conflicted and confused about the true story of the band, despite the best efforts of the writers, designers and cast.

“Daisy Jones and The Six” was released on Amazon Prime Video beginning on March 3.

Photo from Prime Video

What do you know about women in music?

7. Which artist began her career at 14?

1. What female artist won record of the year at the 2023 Grammys?

a. Lizzo

b. Beyoncé

c. Mary J. Blige

d. Doja Cat

2. Who won Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2023 Grammys?

a. Lizzo

b. Olivia Rodrigo

c. Adele

d. Lorde

3. Who sings the Billboard chart topper “Flowers”?

a. Lana Del Ray

b. Miley Cyrus

c. King Princess

d. Kim Petras

4. Who was the first woman to win album of the year three times?

a. Beyonce

b. Adele

c. Taylor Swift

d. Celine Dion

5. Who was the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

a. Aretha Franklin

b. Janis Joplin

c. Patti Smith

d. Joan Jett

6. Who was named woman of the year in 2018?

a. Taylor Swift

b. Ariana Grande

c. Cardi B

d. Selena Gomez

a. Olivia Rodrigo

b. Billie Elish

c. Gracie Abrahms

d. Taylor Swift

8. In 1999 who won the Grammy Award for Record of the year?

a. Aretha Franklin

b. Celine Dion

c. Madonna

d. Lauryn Hill

9. Who was the first winner of American Idol?

a. Carrie Underwood

b. Selena Gomez

c. Kelly Clarkson

d. Pink

10. Which artist won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award?

a. Taylor Swift

b. Dolly Parton

c. Mariah Carey

d. Madonna

Answers: 1) Lizzo, 2) Adele, 3) Miley Cyrus, 4) Taylor Swift, 5) Aretha Franklin, 6) Ariana Grande, 7) Taylor Swift, 8) Celine Dion, 9) Kelly Clarkson 10) Dolly Parton

Sam Klein Podcast Editor

Izzy Poole Print Editor

The meaning of feminism is misconstrued

“Feminism” is a word that has appeared more and more throughout the years. People interpret it in so many different ways, and quite frequently, wrongly.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “Feminism is the belief in and advocacy of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” While this is the standard definition, it can be defined in other ways.

“I think it is about freedom and not judging other women. I feel like people think feminism is about being independent and not being a housewife, but rather it is the ability to do what you want with your life without judgment,” sophomore Maria Pesce said.

“Feminism is fighting for women’s rights to be seen as equal compared to men,” sophomore Ainsley Kniker said.

These are only a few of the ways that feminism can be viewed. Unfortunately, the idea of feminism is misconstrued by people often.

The International Association of Students in Economic and Commerce is “a community of young people passionately driven by one cause: peace and fulfillment of humankind’s potential.”

According to the AIESEC, “Recently the statement ‘I am a feminist’ has become synonymous to the statement ‘I hate men.’ The mere idea of feminism is being misconstrued as the idea of hating men. It’s become a widely spread belief that feminism represents the idea of switching the power structure, so that men are on the bottom and women are on the top; however, this is a common misconception.”

Feminism is not the fight to put women on top, but rather to put them as equals with their male counterparts. It is not founded on the idea that women will one day be on top, rather that they have the opportunities to advance greatly, opportunities that many males are already given.

One should make sure that the truth of what feminism actually is is known. Feminism is not about women over men, rather equality for both men and women.

If someone brings up something untrue about feminism, one should make sure the truth is known. Feminism is an important part in the fight for equality and should be respected and valued.

Art by Gracie Giles