WG ECHO October 2019 Issue

echo

the

Women’s softball competes in Sectionals pg. 5

Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Elise Keller PRINT EDITOR: Lindsey Bennett JUNIOR EDITOR: Jaden Fields BUSINESS MANAGER: Zora Thomas VIDEO EDITOR: Ethan Weihl SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/ GRAPHICS EDITOR: Zeke La Mantia NEWS/ OPINION EDITOR: Elise WilkeGrimm FEATURE/ ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Emily Stisser PODCAST EDITOR: Maeve Taylor 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

Fall musical features ‘Chicago’ Webster will host Friendship Dance this year All Write shortened to three days Golf continues success past regular season Women’s softball competes in sectionals Football continues 4-game winning streak Women’s tennis repeats last year’s success Foreign exchange students leave permanent mark on community My experience leading students at Camp Wyman Student performers involved in community theater ‘Unbelievable’ tells harrowing, hopeful story Vine walked so Tik Tok could run Spooky movies continue to entertain Acceptance pressure transforms admissions process Willie’s Comic

3 3 4 5 5 6 7 8-9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

The Echo is a member of SSP, Quill and Scroll, MJEA, JEA, MIPA, NSPA and CSPA.

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!

10

4

Melanie Bennett Aerin Johnson Keillyn Johnson Trinity Madison Terri Riutcel Wilke-Grimm Family Gail and Owen Taylor Cover Cutline: Senior Elizabeth Zareh slides into home plate after scoring a run in the District final on Oct. 18. Photo by Lindsey Bennett

2

wgecho.org

5 Table of Contents | October 2019

Fall musical features ‘Chicago’ Lindsey Bennett Print Editor Fiona Carton Contributing Writer “Chicago the Musical” will be directed by drama teacher Todd Schaefer and assistant director senior Zia Massena.

The show is written by John Kander, Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. The directors chose this play because they feel it holds a mirror to current issues in America.

Massena said, “We believe ‘Chicago’ reflects a crisis that is in our country today; the guilty rich get away, and the innocent poor are punished.”

According to Schaefer, “We have a liar problem that has hit an obscenity that needs to be addressed right now.”

Schaefer cited the need for a femaledriven musical, “We’re in a female year, and we needed a show representing women.”

“Chicago” is a musical about female criminals being treated as celebrities and is known for numbers such as “Mr. Cellophane” and “All That Jazz.”

The characters lie and get off easy for their crimes because of public atten-

Photo by Zeke LaMantia

Senior Zia Massena, assistant director, gives instructions at an afternoon rehearsal of the fall play, “Chicago,” which will be performed Oct. 24-26.

tion and sympathy. The women who are the wealthiest and who have the most heartbreaking stories escape justice. The women who are of a lower economic class have a tendency to tell the truth and stay

locked up.

Annalise McCann, Samantha Massena and Ian McCann play the lead characters Velma, Roxie and Billy.

Roxie, played by S. Massena, is a wannabe socialite singer who gets caught up in an affair. She murders a man and ends up in prison where she devises a plan to be acquitted of the charges.

“Originally, I wasn’t going to audition, and I was going to be costuming instead, but I decided to audition because I thought it would be fun, and then I got the lead and decided to do it anyway,” S. Massena said.

A. McCann, who plays Velma, is both excited and nervous to hold a lead role and perform the opening number.

“I think that we’ll all feel very prepared for opening night because everyone is super committed. For me, I get myself into the right head space and I have warmups that I do before every show,” A. McCann said.

“Working with the cast has been different than past shows because there are so many people that are new to theatre, but they are adjusting and learning really fast which is cool to see,” A. McCann said.

“Chicago the Musical” will be performed Oct. 24-26, at 7 p.m. in the Jerry R. Knight Auditorium.

Webster will host Friendship Dance this year Zora Thomas Business Manager

Students look forward to shopping for outfits and making plans with friends, in preparation for the annual WGHS and Kirkwood High Friendship Dance. Since 1939, the two rival schools have come together to celebrate the dance.

Tickets went on sale on Oct. 21, for $10 each in the Activities Office. The price will increase to $12 on Oct. 30, and then to $15 on Oct. 31, which is the day that the ticket sale will end. To purchase a ticket, students must have all their fines/fees paid. Ticket sales will not occur the night of the dance.

About the unique history of the event, Football Coach Cliff Ice said, “This is Webster’s homecoming, and no one really has homecoming with their rival.” This dance will mark Ice’s 21st year of being in charge.

Each year the host of the dance switches; this year, the dance is at WGHS on Nov. 2, from 8-11 p.m. in Roberts Gym. Each school sells 1,000 tickets; however, 50 outside tickets are also sold for students who want to bring someone from a

October 2019 | News

different school to the dance. Outside guest tickets often sell the

Sophia DeWald fastest.

Contributing Writer WGHS enforces a semi-formal dress code for Friendship

Dance that still leaves plenty of options for students to dress up in. The only head-coverings allowed are those meant for religious or medical purposes.

Every year, each school crowns a king and queen.

This year’s male Friendship Court Nominees are seniors Ray Wetzel-Meechan (Band), Jacobie Banks (Cheerleading), Ethan Weihl (ECHO), Cole Schnettgoecke (Football), Kameron Yancey (Football), Donell Robinson (Step) and Quinton Nehring (STUCO).

The female court nominees are seniors Lillian Ortinau (Band), Sanaa Reed (Cheerleading), Elise Keller (ECHO), Elizabeth Egley (Football), Jocelyn Woods (Football), Tanys Giles (Step) and Peyton St. James (STUCO).

About being nominated for Friendship Queen, St. James said, “I am excited and happy I get to represent a group as great as Student Council.”

Students voted for one male contestant and female contestant on Oct. 15, during sixth hour.

wgecho.org

3

All Write festival shortened to 3 days

Photos by Lindsey Bennett

Various hip-hop acts perform at the final assembly of last year’s All Write festival on Friday, March 8. Former senior filmmaker Sam Hayden accepts the Screen Write award for the short film “Reach.” Former seniors mix and play music during the The Last Word Awards Finale & Celebration featuring Owen Ragland and Christian Ragain.

Maeve Taylor Podcast Editor All Write will be shortened to three days, running March 4-6 of 2020. This is two days fewer than the typical five-day run of the festival.

The scheduling change was finalized last spring, due to a mix of both lack of funding and discipline issues within the festival. All Write is completely self-funded and relies on money from fundraisers, donations, merchandise sales and occasional grants.

English teacher Katie Guymon, one of the members of the festival’s organizing committee, said, “Very practically, it’s money, and even if we had that money, then after that it’s buy-in.”

Guymon added, “We had people cutting class to go, or leaving the auditorium when they should be in the auditorium.

We’ve tried to manage all that as best we can, but we are only three people.”

English teacher Steve Leftridge, another member of the festival’s organizing committee, said, “We have a sister pro-

4

wgecho.org

gram at Pattonville that also runs a three day festival, so that was kind of the original design: a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday festival.”

Guymon said, “I think it’s a matter of not continuing to replenish the account every year. We don’t have guaranteed sources of funding. Sometimes we get a grant, sometimes we get a donation, but generally speaking we are kind of scrapping it all together every year and it’s just very time consuming.”

As far as how students and community members can help, Guymon said, “Donations are welcome; they are tax deductible. I can give you a go-fund-me link. $25, $50 means an awful lot to what we are trying to do.”

“We are looking for ways of raising that money right now. We would love to have this thing be an annually funded thing, so we didn’t have to worry about fundraising, and starting over with fundraising every year. We are exploring those options right now,” Leftridge said.

“I think we have a really good case that this is providing a sort of renaissance and explosion of artistic expression among

our students every year, and just the ideas and the celebration of writing and reading that comes up in this festival. I think there are people out there who want to see us keep this going, and we are looking for them. We have our interns that are actively looking at fundraising options and finding donors right now,” Leftridge said.

As for as changes this may bring to the festival, Leftridge said, “We are going to keep it all up. It’s just gonna feel a little more condensed than it was maybe last year.”

“Obviously, there will probably be fewer guests overall, although we do have three different spaces, with the Black Box,” Leftridge said.

He added, “The secondary stage in the library, which last year we called the Satellite Stage, only had an assembly in it maybe half the time… we could pack that six hours a day, and have six hours a day in the auditorium, and still have just about as many guests as we had overall last year.”

Leftridge said, “The festival is not in danger of going away, and it’s not in trouble.”

News | October 2019

Women’s softball competes in Sectionals Ethan Weihl Video Editor Coming off of its District win last year, the women’s softball team is set to do even better.

The team is currently 19-8 and played Marquette in its first Sectionals game (Score unavailable at press time).

“Webster has never won a Sectionals game,” senior Claire Kellick said. Kellick added how that is a goal for the team this year.

Senior Noel Spatola is excited about the team’s prospects. “This year we’ve done really well,” Spatola said. “We’re ranked ninth in St. Louis.”

Coach Bryan Gibson thinks that the team’s experience will put it on top.

“They’ve all been there [the postseason] now,” Gibson said. “I think they know what to expect.”

Spatola credits a lot of the team’s success to junior Maddie Buske.

“Maddie has always been a reliable pitcher… She works her absolute hardest every day,” Spatola said.

Buske is currently fourth in the St. Louis Area for shutouts and seventh in the area for wins, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“We’ve done a great job keeping other teams off the scoreboard,” Gibson said.

However, players felt that team success came from teamwork.

“We’ve worked together as a team and I think that’s where most of our wins come from,” Kellick said.

Gibson echoed these sentiments, “They’re a really close-knit group.”

As for how the team will play going into the postseason, Gibson said Photo by Emily Stisser “our dynamic is trying to play with Junior Maddie Buske pitches on Oct. 18, in energy.” the District final.

The team won 5-3 against If the team makes it all the way to St. Joseph’s Academy. state, that game will be on Nov. 2.

Golf continues success past regular season

Photo provided by Jenna Clark

Women’s golf takes second at the Conference Tournament on Oct. 3.

Elise Keller Editor-in-Chief Women’s golf was 9-3 in the regular season, with several younger players leading the team.

“I feel this team has a really special bond because we all get along well and we push ourselves to be the best we can be, to always improve on something, and I believe that has played a part in our large number of wins,” senior Mary Claire Wolk said.

October 2019 | Sports

“The younger girls like (sophomores) Jenna Clark and Sarah Ewing have medaled at several tournaments and have significantly grown the girls’ golf program,” Wolk said.

The team is made up of 11 girls, three of whom made the All-Conference team.

All-Conference first team members are Clark and Ewing, and junior Jaden Fields made All-Conference second team.

“Coach (Cary) Morrison and Coach (Joshua) Spuhl have helped every single girl in the program by giving us the ability to gear our practices to our own needs, have encouraged us in all areas of our game and given us special rewards for our success like taking a trip to top golf for a practice,” Wolk said.

“All 11 players made an impact at some point this season. I think the team had a lot of fun. That really helps to lighten the mood and play the game. Golf is a very tough sport. The younger girls played very well. It is nice to have some new players come in that were ready to compete,” Spuhl said The team placed second in the District

Tournament, with Wolk, Clark, Ewing, Fields and freshman Ellie Nakatani representing Webster.

Both Clark and Ewing competed in the Sectional Tournament on Oct. 14.

“As a senior nearing the end of my time with the WG girls golf program, I am so excited to see how much these girls are going to continue to succeed because they have a passion for the game and are always eager to get out on the course and play,” Wolk said.

“I would also like to thank our seniors, Cecily Schmanske and Mary Claire Wolk for playing. I have enjoyed getting to know them both and wish them the best next year,” Spuhl said.

Clark was one away from making the State Tournament this year.

“All this success for me is because I had the experience this year. I am a sophomore and I had a good season last year making it to the sectional tournament but I missed the cut by 14 that year. This year I knew what it was going to take to move on and what I would have to practice before this year,” Clark said.

wgecho.org

5

Fields from the Frontline

Football continues 4-game winning streak

Photos by Addie Palmquist

First Home Game: Seniors Jerqon Conners (11) and Enrique Quinones (10) celebrate a second touchdown by Conners.

Webster players get into position for a first down by Hazelwood Central at their first home game on Friday, Sept. 6. Coaches James LeMay, Matthew Doner and Desmond Reichold yell plays from the sidelines.

Jaden Fields Junior Editor Varsity football enters a sudden winning streak after a season of hardships.

Following a game a few weeks ago, Varsity football has seemingly lifted whatever “curse” had been on the team for the past seasons. The sudden success from the team may be credited to one crucial factor: unity.

Last season, three leading players were injured, with at least some form of injury every game, and as a result, this caused morale to suffer to an extent.

“A lot of our senior leaders were injured last year Enrique (Quinones), who plays quarterback is a major of a leader on the field. . . Maurion (Clemons) was out as well Cole (Schnettgoecke) was out beginning of this season, but now that they’re back too, a lot of people have stepped up,

6

wgecho.org

and they’ve helped lead the underclassmen to playing better as well as their individual abilities,” senior Preston Haney said.

Another improvement from past seasons to this one is this season, practice attendance has greatly improved, further amplifying unity. “[A past difficulty was] people not showing up, and we had no team bonding last year, so we didn’t have that bond, but we have it this year. . .all of our practices making sure people showed up and people got more physical this year and started learning the plays, and that helped a lot,” senior Noah Arinze said.

The first win after a stretch of bad luck came at the team’s game against Ritenour High School on Sept. 27. Webster won with a score of 48-7, cheerleaders and the student section flooding into the field after the final buzzer went off.

This win seemingly lifted the team out of

whatever rut it had been in, propelling it down a streak of four wins in a row.

One of the most exciting wins of the season came on the team’s senior night at Moss Field. The game was against Lindbergh on Oct. 11.

Time was almost up for the fourth quarter, with a score of 31-35 Lindbergh.

While the student section had been nearly full during the start of the game, nearly all the students left around halftime, resulting in hardly any students rallying support.

Despite the lack of support, the team pulled through with a touchdown at the last second, resulting in fans, cheerleaders, other players, and remaining students rushing into the field in celebration. The Statesmen ended up winning 37-35.

The team has been calling this successful season its “comeback season,” with many looking forward to the upcoming Turkey Day Game that takes place on Thanksgiving against Kirkwood.

Sports | October 2019

Women’s tennis repeats last year’s success “We’ve done a great job of improving from last year when we were 8-5,” coach Terry Verstraete said.

The team went on to defeat Ursuline, who it lost to on its senior night, in the first round of Districts and lost to Lindbergh in the second round.

“We’re in a tough district with Lindbergh and Kirkwood, but we played them tough in the regular season,” Verstraete said prior to those matches.

The team has also formed a close bond this season.

“Everyone’s come together… to get that double digit win,” sophomore Molly Stevison said in reference to the team’s goal of getting a 10-win record during the regular season.

Senior Lily Ortinau echoed these sentiments: “The team is really close this year.”

Photo by Lindsey Bennett Six seniors are on the team: Ortinau, Seniors Gwen Acar and Cecelia Eldridge high five during a match on Sept. 24, 2018 Gwen Acar, Ella Castleman, Cecelia against Rockwood Summit, where the team won 5-4.

Eldridge, Kathryn Heddens-Kocher and Izzy Heintz. The team also has Ethan Weihl one senior manager, Duncan Clipp.

Video Editor Verstraete had high praise for this group of seniors.

“They’re friendly; they’re nice; they’re kind; they’re driven,” Women’s tennis has had a strong season. After breaking its 25 Verstraete said.

Ortinau agreed, “We’re all very supportive of each other and year losing streak last year, the team won its conference this year have lots of fun.” with a 9-4 record.

Upcoming Sporting Events Friday

Women’s Varsity volleyball 5:30 p.m. at Parkway South Men’s Varsity soccer 6 p.m. at Parkway West Men’s Varsity football 7 p.m. at Rockwood Summit October 2019 | Sports

Saturday

Men’s cross country MSHSAA District Meet 9 a.m. at Jackson City Park Women’s cross country MSHSAA District Meet 9 a.m. at Jackson City Park

wgecho.org

7

Foreign exchange students leave Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist Last Saturday, Oct. 19, 12 exchange students and two teachers arrived for their three-week stay through the German American Partnership Program (GAPP). These individuals are from Kirchheim unter Teck, a suburb of Stuttgart, Germany, St. Louis’ sister city.

This unique experience is something WGHS has been involved with for several years. This three-week exchange, coordinated by German teacher Brent Mackey, develops a partnership between a school in Germany and in the United States.

GAPP works somewhat interchangeably; in June, the same 12 WGHS students who hosted will get the chance to be an exchange student in Germany with the very same students.

Before their arrival, former and upcoming hosts were asked what foreign exchange students brought to the W G H S community in their limited time here.

For the first semester of the 2016-2017 school year, senior Lily Orinau’s family hosted 16 year old Florentine Vogt from Homburg, Germany.

On this experience, Ortinau shared, “We decided to host her mainly because we wanted to give someone an opportunity to study abroad. We wanted to give exposure to culture, meaning that we could learn about Flo’s culture, and she could learn about ours. Hosting Flo not only met our expectations, but it exceeded them.”

On their immediate connection, Orinau said, “The first night that she was in the U.S., we stayed up until 3 a.m. talking about our lives and getting to know each other, so we immediately got along very well. She was very adventurous and open to trying anything, so she taught me how to be more outgoing. Flo was not only a sister, but she was also one of my closest friends that year.”

8

wgecho.org

Similar to most exchange partnerships, Vogt and Ortinau still stay in contact. Last summer, Vogt even came back to Webster to visit.

Senior Ella Castleman’s family hosted Vogt for her second semester at WGHS. Castleman said, “My family was contacted through the Rotary program that brings exchange students to Webster because they knew that my family had hosted a few students in college before, asking if we were interested in hosting a high schooler.”

“It was a lot different than the other times we’ve hosted because we were so much closer in age, which was a really amazing experience for me.

I got to have a stronger bond with her. We became friends very quickly because I got to see her at school everyday. We were in Orchestra together and had mutual friends,” said Castleman.

After only hosting older students in the past, Castleman said Vogt was “someone who could really fit into our family.”

Similar to Castleman, most students experience a quick connection with their partners.

Exchange students spend a substantial amount of time with their host, in and outside of school. This time includes school activities, everyday classes, and more.

Castleman shared, “I still keep in touch with her and have even seen her again since her year here. I would not change anything. I am so glad I got to be a part of her time in America.”

Junior Sarah Ahrens is a part of this year’s

Feature | October 2019

e permanent mark on community

Photo provided by Brent Mackey

WGHS students cheerfully welcome their German exchange partners with flowers, balloons and signs at the airport on Oct. 19. The exchange students are here for three weeks through the German American Partnership Program (GAPP).

GAPP, hosting her 17 year-old exchange student, Elena.

Before her arrival, Ahrens said, “I really just hope to gain a better understanding of the culture. For me, at least, it is very important to better myself by learning about things I don’t know yet. Going to a different country and learning from a person who is coming here was really something that I wanted to experience before going to college.”

“I hope to gain a better understanding of the world around me and a new perspective. I really wanted to host someone because I wanted a best friend in another country. I wanted to get to know someone who was so different from me, but similar at the same time. I really wanted to have the full experience of the exchange and be completely immersed,” Ahrens said.

About 2018-2019 WGHS exchange student Sofia Lerchundi from Orio, Spain, senior Scout Broshears said, “She became one of my best friends, and I know she will always be. Sofia was always positive and willing to do anything. She taught me a lot about Spain and different cultures in general.”

Broshears and friends are even going to visit Lerchundi in

October 2019 | Feature

Spain next summer.

German teacher Brent Mackey has been a part of GAPP since he has taught at Webster.

Mackey participated in the exchange when he was in high school and shared that he still keeps in touch with his exchange partner after 20 years.

“He came to my wedding, and I visit him whenever I am in Germany. I want that for my students,” said Mackey.

About what he personally gains from the program Mackey said, “It’s not so much what I get from it as what the students get from it. There’s no better way for my students to learn about Germany and its culture than to live there. It’s also great for the host families and community here in Webster. Exchanges like this bring the world a little bit closer together.”

To learn more about the exchange students, check out the bulletin boards in the hallway across from the library entrance closest to the main offices, decorated by GAPP participating WGHS students.

wgecho.org

9

I-Story

My experience leading students at Camp Wyman

Photos by Elise Wilke-Grimm

Camp Wyman activities: Sixth grade student and sophomore counselor Adelyn Armstrong enjoy fruit punch during lunch.

Sophomore Karrie Smith climbs a wooden structure during counselor training day. Armstrong practices her rock climbing skills.

Elise Wilke-Grimm News/Opinion Editor There is a specific feeling of being at Camp Wyman. It’s definitely something special, but it is nothing compared to the people I met or the new experiences I had.

From rock climbing to learning how to take care of children, the involvement in these activities generally increased my ability to see through more aspects of life.

I was there to take care of the children, so it was important for me to be empathetic and see through their points of view.

I’m not the only counselor who felt this way.

Karrie Smith, sophomore, remembered the moments she shared with her campers.

“Nights in the cabin were always fun with my girls. We played music on our radio and danced around the room,” Smith said.

I remember the late nights I spent with my campers, staying up telling scary stories, spilling secrets and sneaking snacks.

The girls in my cabin weren’t too close before Camp Wyman, but the bonding we did every night in the cabin was enough to create lifelong friendships between them.

10

wgecho.org

Being a counselor is more than just keeping the campers safe and out of trouble. It’s also getting to the bottom of internal problems the children may be suffering with. It’s our job as counselors to make sure that the campers are having a great time and that they can leave camp with a warm feeling inside.

As a counselor, I definitely had to practice lots of patience with the children, but when it comes down to it, the children with the most behavioral problems were suffering most. Maybe it has to do with them not feeling well, or maybe they’re missing their parents, either way, if a child is acting up there is normally a deeper meaning behind it.

A camper in my activity group would occasionally lash out at peers or call an activity “boring.” This behavior wasn’t because he is a bad person but because he had trouble fitting in with the rest of the group.

Camp Wyman lasts five days (MondayFriday), with four possible weeks to attend depending on what sixth grade team you wish to counsel. With a full day of training on Monday, I felt very prepared to handle the children. Everything went

smoothly throughout the week; the schedule is so packed it keeps the children all very organized.

The dense schedule kept us bouncing from one activity to the other so there would be no room for children to feel homesick or bored. Everyday each activity group would go to three main meals and two activities. To fill in the gaps between the activities, there is field time (counselors get a break), cabin time and a variety of other things, like the ceremonial campfire.

Athough I was trying to help the children learn and grow, I now feel like they’re the ones who helped me. They helped me practice what it could be like to be a teacher or maybe even to raise children of my own.

Sophie Delay, my fellow counselor and junior agreed, “I’ll never forget the kids. They were so sweet, and sometimes they’d surprise you by saying something really funny or being thoughtful.”

I really encourage everyone to be a camp counselor. The attributes it provides went beyond anything I expected, and I will most definitely be seeing Camp Wyman again next year!

Feature | October 2019

Student performers involved in community theater theater company is great because you get to know so many people outside of your circle of school friends that you would see doing a show at school. Some of my best friends have come from doing shows with theater companies outside of school,” Egley said.

“There is a benefit to outside of school shows because you work with different directors, sometimes perform at professional theaters, and work with people who have the same mindset as you, and can prepare you for professional theater,” McCann said.

Both McCann and Egley got their start in theater at a young age.

“I think I got started in theater just because I began taking dance classes when I was a toddler, so we figured we might as well try it. Also, my mom did some theater when she was little. I remember auditioning for my first show when I was about six, and I remember that my mom Photo provided by Annalise McCann and my grandma brought me and my sister to the audition. I’d like to think that my Junior Annalise McCann performs in Gateway Center for Performing Arts’s grandma is part of why I do theater. She “Titanic.” always loved classic musicals and came to Elise Keller every show I’ve ever been in. I remember Editor-in-Chief her bringing me to quite a few of my auditions when I was very young,” Egley said.

School theater productions like “Chicago” get students in“I danced for 10 years, and then decided to do musical theater volved in theater, but those who participate in theater outside of instead, which was a great decision for me. I started doing comschool have different opportunities. munity theater in middle school, and now I do shows at COCA “I’ve been in 10 shows outside of school. My favorites were and GCPA,” McCann said.

‘Titanic,’ ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘Matilda.’ I’ve been in three shows “I think my favorite part of theater is not just getting to show with the school, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream- people what I can do but to be able to express myself through it. coat,’ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Chicago,’” Annalise Getting to express my own emotions and what I’m dealing with McCann, junior, said. in my own life through singing or dancing is nothing like any“The biggest difference is that the majority of people in high thing I’ve ever done, and I’m so lucky that I have the opportunity school shows outside of school plan to go into theater profes- to do that,” Egley said. sionally, and most actors in school shows look at it as more of a “My favorite part of theater is telling a story to the audience hobby. It really depends on what show and what company it is; that is relevant and makes them feel something. I also love getevery show is a little bit different in the process, at school or not,” ting into a character and getting immersed into a story and life McCann said. that’s different than my own,” McCann said.

Lizzy Egley, senior, has been involved in theater companies “Even when playing a character, it’s always interesting to find CBC and Gateway Center for Performing Arts (GCPA) since how I can relate to what that person is going through to make my freshman year. acting more realistic. It’s proven to be very therapeutic and has “Most of my theater involvement has been outside of school. helped me through many of my own problems,” Egley said.

Some of the shows I have been in are ‘Grease,’ ‘Music Man,’ “Some shows like ‘Spring Awakening,’ which I did this past ‘Spring Awakening,’ and I’m currently rehearsing for ‘Matilda’ summer, give me the opportunity to be a vocal advocate and (which will be Nov. 22-24 at Central Visual and Performing Arts speak up about important issues for those who cannot. Knowing High School),” Egley said. that I can use my talent to help others in that way makes me ex“Because I have never done theater at WGHS, it’s hard to tremely grateful, and it makes me feel like I am doing something say (differences between the two), but working with an outside good for others, and not just for myself,” Egley said.

October 2019 | Feature

wgecho.org

11

Review

‘Unbelievable’ tells harrowing, hopeful story

Photo from Netflix/TNS

Kaitlyn Dever performs a scene from “Unbelievable” on Netflix. © 2019, Netflix. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.

Lindsey Bennett Print Editor Netflix launched a new miniseries in September that was released to critical acclaim.

“Unbelievable” is adapted from a 12,000 word article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” by Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller published in 2015. It follows a series of rapes in Washington and Colorado from 2008 to 2011. The story won several awards, including the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting.

Netflix separated the story into eight 42-58 minute episodes.

The first episode takes place in Lynnwood, WA, and introduces an 18-year-old victim under the pseudonym Marie Adler, played by 22-year-old Kaitlyn Dever. The scene opens with Adler distressed in her apartment after calling the police to report her attack.

“Unbelievable” is one of Dever’s first starring roles, having previously acted in shows such as FX’s “Justified” and the ABC sitcom “Last Man Standing.” She also appeared in films like critically acclaimed “The Spectacular Now” and “Booksmart.”

Following Adler’s report, the young woman is forced to recount her traumatic story several times, undergoes invasive hospital procedures and is questioned intensely by the police. All of these events happen in the first episode, highlighting the whirlwind of steps that occur when victims report sexual assault.

The local detectives who handle Adler’s case are highly suspicious of her accusation due to events in her past. Because of their

12

wgecho.org

doubt and the subsequent accusatory questioning, Adler redacts her official statements and undergoes criminal proceedings. Each day, the victim faces daily scrutiny from friends, employers and the public.

According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), three out of four rapes go unreported. “Unbelievable” vividly depicts why this fact exists. However, the show also brings awareness in hopes that the ratio will lower and victims will be treated with more understanding.

It took several other sexual assaults by the same attacker and the chance connection of two female detectives, Karen Duvall and Grace Rasmussen, to finally link the crimes. After this meeting, the two detectives work together to find the criminal.

The two female detectives are based on real-life officers Stacy Galbraith and Edna Hendershot and played by Merritt Wever and Toni Collette.

Following the release, Dever revealed how the real-life Marie reacted to the show in an interview with Forbes, “Her reaction was incredible. She said it is perfect and she got closure from watching it. I was overwhelmed with a lot of feelings. My heart dropped. It brings me so much joy knowing she feels that way.

It makes me so happy and that’s all I need at this point. I don’t need anything else.”

“Unbelievable” is a devastating yet informative series that gives weight to victim’s words and shows how valuable closure is for victims of sexual assault. The show is available to stream on Netflix and rated TV-MA. Safe Connections crisis helpline: 314-531-2003

Entertainment | October 2019

Stisser’s Scoop

Vine walked so Tik Tok could run

Logos from Wikimedia Commons and public domain image from Good Free Photos

The Tik Tok logo shines upon the grave of the discontinued app Vine.

is cool because there have been some songs that have blown up because of Tik Tok.” According to Media Kix, 66 percent of Tik Tok users are younger than 30 years old, where according to Expanded Ramblings in 2015, 71 percent of Vine users were millennials.

St. James was an active user on Vine but did not use it as much as she uses Tik Tok today “because I was younger when I had Vine,” she said.

With the extensive amount and variety of clips comes several different trends, communities and pockets on Tik Tok. A few types of the most popular videos are dances, singing, art, cooking, lip syncing, beauty, comedy and more.

Although the spontaneity and ridiculousness of Vine contributed to its mass popularity, the format and mechanics of Tik Tok are built for lasting growth.

The way videos are sorted on both of the applications varies as well. A unique element that has contributing to Tik Tok’s success is the ForYou page. The app opens to this page, recommending some of the most popular videos, hashtags and creators.

St. James said, “What I like about both apps is that people can express themselves through video. They have a chance to show their personality.”

Although Vine is dead, words and phrases such as “hi welcome to Chili’s,” “what are those” and “9+10=21” will forever be memorialized in our hearts and minds. Thanks to the enduring reign of Tik Tok, you’ll have plenty of future trends to hold on to.

Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist Chances are you had an account on Vine. Perhaps you even have an active account on Tik Tok. Whether you simply view videos or are viral, there is a clear difference between the two applications, but which app is better?

According to Media Kix, in its height Vine had 200 million active users, less than half of what Tik Tok has today.

According to Datareportal, as of July 2019 Tik Tok has 500 million active users worldwide making the app ninth in terms of social network sites, ahead of well known platforms Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest.

Tik Tok has an obvious advantage over Vine.

First of all, the app has not been discontinued, #ripvine.

Furthermore, the videos on Tik Tok are longer, ranging anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds, whereas Vine is known for their six second looping clips. Additional video time allows for extensively planned videos and increased creativity, promoting a much more dynamic platform.

Additionally, the factor that keeps the app together is music and sound. Users are able to use sounds and sounds they have seen other creators use. Users can then favorite or save these sounds to use later.

On these factors, senior Peyton St. James said, “I think that Tik Tok is better than Vine in a few ways. One, you can make longer videos and creativity is not limited to six seconds like Vine. Two, you can use music and sounds on Tik Tok which give artists in the music industry a chance to have their song hear, which I think

October 2019 | Entertainment

wgecho.org 13

Spooky movies continue to entertain Jaden Fields Junior Editor As Halloween quickly approaches, Halloween lovers are rapidly looking for spooky and scary activities to partake in.

Scary movies have always been a captivating pastime during October. One thing that makes these seasonal movies so entertaining is the diversity through the genre. They can range Photo from FoxMovies.com from classic non scary Halloween favorite, “Silence of the corny movies, such Lambs,” can be found on Amazon as George Wagner’s Prime, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu 1941 film “The Wolfand YouTube. man” to more recent psychological yet gory flicks, like Ari Aster’s 2019 movie “Midsommar.”

Whether the preference is the classic upfront horror films or the more artistic types, there’s never a wrong choice on which scary movie to pick. While all genres of horror have their supporters, there’s much argument over which Halloween movie is best.

The top three best (and worst) scary movies- including classics, animations and more recent films are:

2. “Troll 2” (1990)

For someone who loves terrible movies, then Claudio Fragasso’s “Troll 2” is a definite win. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 6 percent and an IMDb rating of 2/10, “Troll 2” is truly the worst Halloween movie to date.

A young boy, Joshua (Michael Stephenson) fears goblins will come and turn his family into a green goo. When his family takes a vacation to the town of Nilbog, he tries everything he can to deter the family from goblins. The film was originally titled “Goblin,” but then changed to “Troll 2” at the end of production.

There are no trolls in this movie. “Troll 2” will forever serve as a monumental bad movie.

1. “Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

To completely switch gears from the monstrosity that is “Trolls 2,” Jonathan Demme’s dramatic film will always stand the test of time as one of the greatest thriller films of all time.

“Silence of the Lambs” was a monumental turn in serial killer thrillers, introducing Dr. Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) as one of the most terrifying on screen antagonists of all time.

With a 96 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, this film has proven time and time again that it shall remain as one of the greats. Audiences were on the edge of their seats watching detective Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) tracking down another serial killer, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) with the aid of imprisoned Lector. Based on the thrilling book by Thomas Harris, “Silence of the Lambs” is a timeless Halloween classic.

3. “Coraline” (2009)

Directed by Henry Selick, this stop motion claymation never fails to impress and deeply disturb viewers.

Following main character Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning), the audience watches as she discovers a world nearly identical to hers, save the fact that everyone has buttons for eyes. The film follows Coraline as she has to defeat her “Other Mother” (Teri Hatcher), a woman almost identical to her mother except for Photo from Laika.com the buttons where her This piece of concept art depicts eyes should be. “Coraghost children in the tunnel. Cora- line” shows that horror line is available on Netflix and for is definitely animation purchase on iTunes. inclusive.

14

wgecho.org

Opinion| October 2019

Op-Ed

Acceptance pressure transforms admissions process Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist Addie Palmquist Contributing Writer The college admissions cheating scandal, progressively lowered acceptance rates and thousands of dollars spent on private test tutoring and college consulting are just a few effects of the extreme college admittance pressure students face today. When will the increasing standard of severity regarding the college process end?

Society’s gradual obsession with the elite success has perpetuated the intensity of the admissions industry beyond reasonable limits. The pressure students face today is inexplicably higher than what students faced 20 plus years ago.

In fact, according to a poll sent out to WGHS students, more than 75 percent of responders reported that their parents only took the ACT/SAT once, twice or not even at all. These same students reported that they had all widely started the college process at the beginning of sophomore year.

Finally, when asked to choose an adjective that describes their college process, 75 percent chose stressful, hard or confusing.

Generically speaking, the parents of high school students today faced much less demands in the process. The standard of testing, formality of recommenders and communication between universities and students is inexplicably higher than it was several years ago.

Nowadays, it is much more common to hire a private college consultant outside of school. At most large high schools, including WGHS, college counselors are responsible for helping 150+ students with their personalized college process. In fact, according to IBIS World, the annual growth of the college consulting industry is going up by at least 4.1 percent a year.

Additionally, according to Poets & Quants, the number of private consultants has exploded since 2005, according to a survey released in 2015 by Independent Educational Consultants Association. The IECA reports that in 2015, there were around 8,000 domestic consultants in the

October 2019 | Opinion

industry, up from 1,200 international consultants five years prior. Since this boom, the industry has exploded even more to around 40,000 consultants, IBIS World reported.

This detail has also taken extremes in the past couple of years.

The infamous college admissions cheating Photo by Emily Stisser scandal has im- Senior Peyton St. James prepares for the Oct. 26, ACT by takpacted the pro- ing an at-home practice test provided by a private tutor. cess in one way or another. The culprits include are not College freshman Theresa Palmquist limited to, Lori Loughlin, “Full House,” argued, “You can’t practice certain probOlivia Jade Giannulli, YouTube, and Fe- lems or read certain books that are going licity Huffman, “Desperate Housewives.” to give you an advantage. My suggestion In early March, federal prosecutors would be to see a private tutor, but the cost charged over 50 parents regarding their in- can be expensive, especially compared to volvement in “Operation Varsity Blues,” a the free class at the school, but one-onlong-running supercilious enterprise to one tutoring is a lot more beneficial.” secure illicit admission to several elite Tutoring is not the only way to boost American Universities through bribery, scores on the exam. There are things one deceit and manipulation of standardized can do at home individually or with a partesting. Those charged spent anywhere ent, that can help ensure better results. For from $15,000 to $6.5 million to bribe uni- example, pinpointing weaknesses from versity personnel, stage athletic recruit- previous test scores is a great way to zero ments, alter standardized test scores and in on what to focus on when doing pracmore. tice tests.

In this scheme, parents could often pay A new change, however, may change to give their children “a little extra help” the test taking process forever. Beginwhen it comes to standardized testing. ning September 2020 students will have This could be a bribed proctor changing the chance to retake individual parts of the answers, helping the student with the test, ACT exam, but that’s not the only upcomdoing the test for the student, and more. ing modification.

The options became limitless.

According to Leadershipblog.act.org, Everyday high schoolers spend months “Students will also have the choice of takstudying, practicing and preparing for ing the ACT online, with faster test results, what seems like the most important test of on national test dates, and those who take their lives. When the time comes, students the test more than once will be provided file into a testing center to embark on the an ACT ‘superscore’ that calculates their three-hour-long ACT exam. highest possible ACT composite score.”

Participants can study various ways for With these additions to the test, students the exam, including practice tests, ACT are predicted to have a better test taking book reviews and private tutoring. Some experience as well as significantly better students opt to hire a tutor outside of results, further impacting acceptance rates school; however, many take the ACT prep and superscore regulations. class offered at WGHS.

wgecho.org 15

Scary Halloween Costume Ideas

Join us in Celebration of the Lord!

16

wgecho.org

Comic | October 2019