Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Hadley Hoskins PRINT/PODCAST EDITOR: Sam Klein JUNIOR EDITOR: Ali Schulz SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/ GRAPHICS EDITOR: Soledad Lee VIDEO EDITOR: Margaret Oliphant NEWS/OPINION EDITOR: Arianna Peper FEATURE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Margaret Korte FEATURE EDITOR: Jasper Winterton ADVISOR: Donald Johnson
the
echo
Dynamic brother duo demolishes records
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Renovations on Kopplin Field impact softball season
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FemCo holds annual fundraiser
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Exchange students look forward to school year
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Coffee shop benefits school community
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Former English teacher becomes counselor
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Joint aspect called into question as Friendship Dance planning begins
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Students celebrate Halloween with elaborate costumes
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Staff decides: Best pumpkin recipes for celebrating fall
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Review: ‘Guts’ perfectly describes teenage girlhood
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Staff helps students prepare for SAT, ACT
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Jazz band performs at jazz festival
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Athletes academics at risk due from sports
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Editorial: Using turf moves away from environmentalism
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Movies to get into the autumn spirit
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Can you find it? Cover search and find
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SPECIAL THANKS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF THE ECHO: Melanie Bennett Ariel Johnson Keillyn Johnson Jenny Korte Tracy Willis Anne and John Klein
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.
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Cover Cutline: Sophomore Arianna Peper lies on the ground in despair.
Photo by Hadley Hoskins
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Table of Contents | October 2023
Splash!
Dynamic brother duo demolishes records Sam Klein Print/Podcast Editor Calum and Emmett Shank are brothers on the men’s swim and dive team. They’ve broken records, gone to State, and now, senior Calum Shank has committed to swim at McKendree University. Calum announced his commitment to swim for McKendree University’s men’s swim and dive team via an instagram post on Sunday, Sept. 10. McKendree is a division two school in Lebanon, IL. Calum spoke about his choice to swim in college, “It’s really just been a big part of who I am and a big part of my life in general. It’s something that I couldn’t really see myself without especially right now, and I really like the social aspect of the sport on top of the just being bored and having something to do,” Calum explained. “McKendree is a relatively new program. They’re top of D2 for men. Their coach, at least in my eyes, he’s a legend, and he knows what he’s doing, and on my visits there the team was awesome. They clicked really easily and really well,” Calum said about his choice to go to McKendree. Both the brothers have broken multiple school records. The most recent record Calum broke was 56 years old and was for the 200 m freestyle. However, Calum said the first record he broke was his favorite. “The 200 IM (individual medley) sophomore year State. It was finals, and I touched the wall, and I honestly wasn’t expecting to even be close to it. I didn’t even know the record at the time, but when they told me after, I was super excited, so that one probably felt the best,” Calum said. Calum currently holds seven school records; it used to be eight until his brother, Emmett, broke the 500 freestyle record, taking it from Calum. “I have the 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, the 100 freestyle, the 100 breaststroke. I had the 500. Emmett has that now, and then I’m part of the 200 freestyle relay,” Calum said. Calum recently broke his other two records at the Columbia Missouri Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 30, including the 400 Freestyle relay, which included his brother Emmett as well and the 200 medley relay which also included Emmett. Calum’s younger brother, Emmett, is a junior on the swim team and also holds several school records, including the 500 freestyle that Calum once held. “I’ve broken two records. One relay which was with Calum and the 500 freestyle, which I broke 10 minutes before the relay,” Emmett recounted his records. Emmett also broke two individual records at the Columbia Missouri Invitational which were the 200 m and 500 m freestyle both of which Calum held before. The brothers have both been swimming since the age of six, and both swim on the same club, Parkway Swim Club, and the high school team. “He’s like a motivator for me because I want to be a better
October 2023 | Sports
Senior Calum Shank is congratulated by teammates after breaking a 56 year old record in the 200 m freestyle with a time of 1:47.52.
Photo by Arianna Peper
swimmer than him, and it’s also good for morale, and it’s fun swimming with him. This year I swim with him on high school, and we’re in the same club group,” Emmett explained what it’s like to swim with his older brother. Emmett also talked about how Calum’s success has motivated him. “He just committed to McKendree for swimming. I would also like to commit to a college in the future and swim there too,” Emmett said. Calum notes what swimming with his brother is like. “It’s great swimming with Emmett. He pushes me a lot. My whole family swims, so we all have a big thing that we do with each other. It’s always good to have somebody to push me,” Calum said. “I’m kind of just motivated by how much of a grind that it is. I feel like once you get going everything kind of just steamrolls together, you just keep rolling. I’d just say having good teammates, having a good coach, that’s having a good mentor, everything just rolls together.” Calum added what motivates him outside of his brother.
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Renovations on Kopplin Field impact softball season Arianna Peper News/Opinion Editor Kopplin Field renovations started Sept. 18, cutting off around a month of the women’s softball season. Athletics director Jerry Collins said the renovations were decided a couple of years ago; however, it wasn’t until the 2022 vote on Prop S that provided the funding made him sure this would happen. This last year the school has been working on plans for both Moss and Kopplin Field. They focused on the Moss Field planning first and then moved on to Kopplin Field planning. This summer, the school knew a rough timeline of when the renovations would begin, as it depended on the contract with the company they are working with. Women’s Varsity softball coach Bryan Gibson said it was not until the first week of the season this fall that they knew it would impact their season so much by having construction start on Sept. 18. Sophomore Sa’nye Cannon prepares to bat in the JV Women’s Softball “As soon as Coach Collins and the coaches game against Rockwood Summit at Affton Athletic Association on Oct. 2. met with the construction company in early Au- Webster won 15-8. Photo by Arianna Peper gust word started trickling out within hours to the players. We talked about it that afternoon at practice,” Gibson said. ple and moments from our past, and at the same time, have been JV softball player Micah McCoy, sophomore, said, “It was working to teach our future players what it means to be a Stateskinda scary and such a shock. We had so many questions that men Softball player.” couldn’t be answered so it created a lot of stress for the girls.” McReynolds said, “At first, we felt hurt and obviously sad Junior Emery McReynolds, who has been on Women’s Varsity about it but we found a way to use it as motivation for the team softball since freshman year, said, “It was a sense of losing the and I think that it ended up bringing the team closer together.” place of home we had. We always had practices and games on McReynolds said that while at first, they only wanted the field the field so at first it really impacted us to not be able to have back, she realized it will benefit the team to have a new field to that anymore.” play on in the future. With the field under construction, the players are now having Collins said while he wishes the renovations didn’t impact the their games at the Affton Athletic Association and practicing in softball season. He believes that it worked out for the best since either the multipurpose room at the high school or the fields at the renovations are expected to go until April 1, which is only Givens Elementary School. impacting a part of the men’s baseball season. He said, “We are McCoy said, “Not having a home field has definitely caused lucky with how it worked out. Neither team is losing all of their some struggles for the team. For instance, JV has no buses to season, which could have been a possibility.” Affton for our games or practices and Varsity has to use a van.” Gibson said, “Having a dedicated softball field for our proGibson said, “There’s no doubt that we wish that we could gram has truly been special. It has been a good home for 20-plus have finished this fall season on our field before construction years worth of Webster Softball players. This is a once in a lifebegan. It is a real challenge on our time and energy to have to time ... or once in a career .... opportunity to be a part of a field travel somewhere everyday to get our game or practice in. It was design project. From the coaching perspective, I’m excited.” also hard to work through some of the emotion it takes to move Gibson said, throughout the process, he’s kept in mind the imout of a place that was a second home to many of us.” portance of designing and building a place that the alumni are Gibson said, “I’m extremely proud of our team and our coach- proud to return and a place that future athletes will be excited ing staff this year, though. They have accepted this challenge about playing at for the next few decades. well and in some ways even turned it into an opportunity to celCollins said, “It is going to be great. Webster is finally going ebrate the Webster softball program and draw positive attention to have facilities that match, or even exceed, the other schools in to our team.” the area.” Gibson said, “They have recognized some of the special peo-
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News | October 2023
FemCo holds annual fundraiser Margaret Oliphant Video Editor Feminist Coalition Club is raising money to help end period poverty through its annual candy grams fundraiser. FemCo will sell candy grams at junior and senior entrance from Oct. 23, and Oct. 24. The candy grams will cost $1 to $2 depending on the type of candy and will be delivered on Halloween in academic networking. All proceeds will go to Dignity Period, a Saint Louis based charity which donates period products to people in need. The group has been donating to Dignity Period for two years, with this being the third year. "It's just a fun way to raise money," copresident of FemCo and senior Charlotte Collier said. According to its website, Dignity Period's mission started in Ethiopia to end period poverty and keep girls in school.
Many stay home while menstruating due to lack of supplies. They have since brought it to Saint Louis to end period poverty across America, while also working in Ethiopia. The website states Dignity Period's mission is "To impact period poverty around the globe by improving access to accurate menstrual information and distributing high-quality washable/reusable menstrual hygiene products. We are motivated by the belief that those who menstruate should do so with comfort and in dignity." Although Collier has been in the club for four years, this is her first year as co-president alongside senior Lily Teague. Chair of fundraising and senior Amelia Kennerly has been a leader for two of her three years. She works with copresidents to create fundraisers and find guest speakers. "I think we're trying to get more out there this year. We have very on top of it leaders and want to do more guest speakers and fundraisers to spread the pros of feminism," Kennerly said. Art from Canva
Join us in Celebration of the Lord!
October 2023 | News
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Exchange students look forward to school year Hadley Hoskins Editor-in-Chief
though. “My family is cooking a lot, so I have very similar foods to Czech… Pastas, rice, normal cooked stuff,” Jicha said. As for why she decided to study abroad, Wedemeyer said, “It Webster Groves High School is hosting four foreign exchange students this year from Germany, the Czech Republic and Brazil. was always a dream for me, since I was like 11. I’ve always wanted to do au pair, or work in travel, and just see different parts The exchange is through an organization called Step-In. The students arrived just before the start of the school year, of the world.” Wedemeyer added she was and will stay through the year. excited to experience Junior Lasse Laubach, who is from Braunschool spirit and schweiger, Germany, said he thought the bigactivities. “I want gest difference between the United States to see the school and Germany was in the school system. spirit…and all the “In Germany, the dances and special teachers are days, like Turkey really Day.” strict, de Souza and Laubach and they agreed they were excitdon’t uned for school dances, derstand like the Friendship fun… Here, Dance and Prom. our teachers are The students said very kind and helpwhile their experience in ful if you have a question. America has been positive It’s not like in Germany,” so far, it wasn’t always Laubach said. easy. Laubach added there “I think at the beginwere major differences in ning, it was the language, the school day itself, saying, - Junior Mathilda Wedemeyer because it was hard… in “In Germany, we only have Germany, I speak everythree classes [every day], day German, and here I the classes are 90 minutes, have to speak everyday and we don’t have lunch,” he explained, “In America, we eat lunch with all our friends in English. If I don’t know a word in English, it’s hard for the others to say it to me, because I can’t ask them in German what the cafeteria, but there, we eat lunch by ourselves [at home].” Senior Jan Jicha, who is from the Czech Republic, also said he it means,” Laubach explained. Jicha said the packing was the hardest part of his experience thought the biggest difference was in the school system. “The teachers’ enthusiasm to learn [is the most different]. The so far, saying, “I couldn’t bring a lot of stuff with me because I teachers actually want to teach. In Czech, they usually just do it needed to get only one luggage, so I needed to buy a lot of things for money. They don’t enjoy teaching the students so it’s hard for here.” “I think really leaving everything behind. To see friends doing students to learn,” said Jicha. Beyond the school day, junior Mathilda Wedemeyer, who is stuff together, and you’re not there. Or you miss your parents, from Germany as well, said there were many differences outside and your mom and everything…missing home and all the people you know,” Wedemeyer said. of school as well. Still, students said they were enjoying their time in the United “The first thing that comes to my mind is the highway. In Germany, we don’t have a speed limit on the highway, and here you States. “I like the nature [in the United States]. I went to a park… I can only drive like 90 [km/hr],” Wedemeyer said. Jicha agreed that transportation was different. “In Czech, we think it was Forest Park, and the nature was beautiful,” Laubach have plenty of public transport everywhere. In the U.S., you can said, adding, “I like the temperatures. It’s very warm here. In Germany, it’s really cold.” only use a car,” he said. “I like it a lot. I think I learned quite a bit over the month I’ve Senior Gabi de Souza, who is from Brazil, found a difference been here,” Jicha said. in culture and food. “I love it here… Everyone is so nice and helps you when you “The time when people eat, because for you guys, you don’t have an exact time. In Brazil, we have right times to eat,” de- have problems. It’s more like a gap year from Germany, so it’s great,” Wedemeyer agreed. Souza said. Jicha found more similarities than differences in the food,
“I want to see the school spirit…and all the dances and special days, like Turkey Day.”
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Feature | October 2023
Coffee shop benefits school community Soledad Lee Social Media/Graphics Editor Students can choose to get coffee in the mornings, courtesy to the coffee shop and peer educator Alicia Sinclair, who runs it. The shop is open from 8:15 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. on Tuesdays, and 8 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. Wednesday through Friday. It offers iced coffee, hot coffee, hot chocolate, bottled water, Keurig coffee and cookies. Prices range from 50 cents to $2.50. The shop was started in 2015 by Emily McEntire, who has since moved on to Kirkwood as a Special School Educator. Sinclair runs the coffee shop with Angela Backer, and the SSD students are sometimes there to help and clean up later. Sinclair enjoys running it each morning, due to all the students she’s met. “I like meeting the different students, especially the ones that come in over and over again… Just keeping a smile on everybody’s face,” Sinclair said. SSD uses the money to support the students with community-based opportunities, pre- employment and field trips. “We went to the Botanical Gardens; we went to the park; we went to the stadium.
Peer educator Alicia Sinclair serves a customer at the school coffee shop on Tuesday, Oct. 10.
Photo by Soledad Lee
We like to kinda take them out to learn restaurant skills,” Sinclair said. In 2019, the money was used to build an apartment on the third floor for the SSD students to work in. “Basically we furnished the whole apartment upstairs in room 334. We do use it all day; like, now they’re up there doing work skills,” Sinclair said Senior Ciana Jackson considers her mornings at the coffee shop something she
looks forward to. “I love going to the coffee shop every morning, it’s the highlight of my day,” Jackson said. Jackson said Sinclair is always enthusiastic and knows each student well. “She always knows my order as soon as I walk in. She knows my name and she’s always smiling and real happy,” Jackson said.
Former English teacher becomes counselor Ali Schulz Junior Editor Bianca Haghighi worked as an English teacher at the Hazelwood Opportunity Center for nine years before transferring to Webster Groves High School to become a new counselor for the 2023-24 school year. Haghighi went to Lindenwood for College, where she got a Bachelor’s degree in English Education. She later started working at Hazelwood Opportunity Center. According to the Hazelwood Opportunity Center website, its purposes are “to provide students options to address life situations so they can successfully graduate, improve the quality of alternate learning experiences, maximize partnerships, and improve the school environment.” “I worked there because I loved the kids that I was able to work and interact with,” Haghighi said. Haghighi chose to work in the English department because she had a special love for all literature although audiobooks are her
October 2023 | Feature/News
favorite. Although she enjoyed working at the Hazelwood Opportunity Center as an English teacher, she decided she wanted something different. Haghighi received her Masters degree from Lindenwood in School and Professional work in May of 2023. Haghighi said she believes there are a lot of similarities between teaching and counseling. This is ultimately why she decided to pursue a new counseling career. She then started applying to any place she could find that fit with this career. She received multiple offers, but ultimately decided on Webster. “I chose Webster because it fit the community I wanted to be in,” Haghighi said. Haghighi currently lives in North County, and even though she has no connection to Webster, she is excited to be here. Haghighi said everyone has been welcoming and helpful so far. She is excited for this new opportunity, and looks forward to working with students. “Webster is one of the few districts that I have seen continuously work to create community among all people here. There is a group or activity for all types of students,” Haghighi said.
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Joint aspect called into question as Sam Klein Print/Podcast Editor Webster and Kirkwood High Schools have been coming together for the annual Friendship Dance before the Turkey Day football game since 1939. The dance has taken place every year since, not including 2021, when the dance was c a n celed due to
COVID-19. It was then held separately by the two schools to reduce the possible spreading of the virus. That year, Webster held it’s “homecoming” dance in the courtyard as another prevention for the spread of COVID. Since then, there’s been some debate over whether the dance is better together or separate. Students brought this debate to the high school administration and they chose to hear out the students. This was done by talking to students. and even the parents club, according to principal Dr. Matt Irvin. After talking to the different groups, Students were surveyed during their advisory period. The survey was conducted last school year to see what students would prefer. A majority of the students voted to have the dance separate; however, the percentage of students who wanted the dance separate was not enough to end an almost century-old tradition. The results were 49% for ending the traditional Friendship Dance and 47% of students saying to keep the tradition.
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Over 3% of students did not respond. On Thursday, Sept. 27, the survey was put out again during Advisory to see what the results would be. The results were another 50/50 split, which again did not constitute the changing of the tradition. About if he could see the dance becoming a more traditional individual homecoming dance, Irvin said, “Yeah, I mean we’ve looked at it the last t w o
“I think historically and cool. We’re very unique, of another set up where together for a shared da
- Activities Direc
years, I think for us to change something so rooted in our school’s history and tradition… for me and our administrative team we’d really want to see some compelling strong data to make a change, and we just didn’t see it. So is it possible? Absolutely, but I think right now the consensus of the school is one that is not really a vast majority of our students want us to look at something different.” Irvin said. Students and staff have mixed opinions on the topic of what should be done with the Friendship Dance. Activities director Jerry Collins talked about the history of the dance and its weight. “I think historically and traditionally it’s very cool. We’re very unique, in that I’m not aware of another set up where two rival schools come together for a shared dance, more or less our homecoming dance, for both schools, so from that perspective, I think it’s very cool,” Collins said. Some students like senior Ava Lamitola feel it would be better separate from Kirkwood. “I think it should just be with Webster because it would be really crowded and we [students] don’t really know anyone from Kirkwood,” Lamitola said. Some students like junior Dayton Stahl enjoy the Friendship Dance being with Kirkwood though, considering that there are some students who are friends with Kirkwood students. “I’m okay with the friendship dance being with Kirkwood because since I work at Oberweis, I have friends that go to Kirkwood there, so I’m excited to see them all there, and we’re plan-
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News | October 2023
Friendship Dance planning begins
ning to take a picture with all the Webster kids who are there and the Kirkwood kids who are there,” Stahl said. Other students like senior and STUCO member Simon Greenblatt have a more neutral opinion. “I mean I feel like it’s fine. It’s crowded I guess just because no one has a big enough space for two thousand kids but you know, I don’t think it makes that big of a difference,” Greenblatt said. With Kirkwood being officially invited to Webster for the Friendship Dance, planning must begin. It starts ctor Jerry Collins with
d traditionally it’s very , in that I’m not aware e two rival schools come ance.”
logistics like how many tickets can be sold. “It’s always important that we talk about safety procedures…how many outside guests we’re going to have. Making sure we’re [with Kirkwood] on the same page with all of that, then coming up in the next couple weeks, we’ll start getting the tickets ready to be sold,” Collins said. Collins elaborated on how this would look. “The process for doing that and making sure we advertise it to all our students and their parents so that every student has the same opportunity. We can’t allow, with the two schools combined, we can’t just have open ended tickets. There had to be a limit somehow, just for safety reasons to keep it from getting too big, so we want to make sure everyone knows how to get a ticket if they choose to,” Collins explained. With Webster, it’s a challenge to be able to sell tickets to all students because of the size of the space available. “It’s a challenge to have it at Webster Groves High School because the size of both schools and to try to do so in a safe and thoughtful manner,” Irvin said. The main worry is that the gym would be too crowded with students if the ticket sales are unlimited. Kirkwood of course has now been invited to the dance; however, it’s still up to them if they are going to participate. “I mean, they can always say they don’t want to come, I don’t suspect that’s the case though. I expect they’ll come, and I think we just now are thinking about ‘okay how do we make this work,’ and the environment we have is not, it’s a little small for two schools to be in so we’re trying to figure out how to make that work the best we can,” Irvin explained.
October 2023 | News
Planning is the next step that comes with knowing if the dance will be held together or not. Regardless, it would be Webster’s job to plan this year. The student organization in charge of organizing the dance is STUCO, and this year it’s run by a specific dance committee which is headed by junior and student council secretary Emma Patneau. The theme for this year’s dance is “Out of This World” as in a space theme. “We have to pick out a theme for the dance and then we have to start brainstorming ways we can dec-
orate…I then have to hand the charges over to our treasurer to figure out what we have in our budget to get that,” Patneau said. After the budget planning is done, it becomes time for organizing “Then it’s about organizing time to come in and set up everything and organizing DJ and figuring out ticket sales and stuff like that,” Patneau said. From a planning perspective Patneau shares her opinion on the dance being held with Kirkwood. “Personally I’m one of the people who’s anti Friendship. I think it would be so much easier and more chill if we just did it with Webster. I really enjoyed it my freshman year when we just did it in the courtyard, but I do understand tradition, and it’s nice that we only have to plan it every other year,” Patneau said. Art By Allie McGuire
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Students celebrate Halloween with elaborate costumes Margaret Oliphant Video Editor Students will celebrate Halloween in style this October with group costumes and celebrations throughout the month. Junior Ange Lopolito is buying and crafting their own costumes for every day in October, along with junior Bex Derr, who will do themed outfits organized by week. Juniors Zodiac Ryan, Zaire Bates and Lydia Foss along with senior Jae Ryan plan to show the school their take on “Scooby Doo’s” mystery gang Lopolito’s costume categories include classics, which will consist of vampires, ghosts, angels and demons. Lopolito plans to dress as hairy monsters like a werewolf, moth man and Cousin It from “The Addams Family” for the week. Lopolito will also dress as pop culture characters including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Frankenstein and Deadpool, and have a deity week which includes various deities from different cultures including Nigerian, Egyptian, Greek and Japanese. Lopolito will also make jewelry, which they will also sell on Depop and at crafts fairs after they are done wearing them for their costume. Derr will have different themes for outfits organized in the same style. Categories will include slashers from classic horror movies like Jason from “Friday the 13th.” Derr’s love of Halloween comes from his love of theater and horror. “I’ve always had a love for creepy and scary stuff from a young age,” Derr said, adding, “I love an excuse to coordinate an outfit, it’s like an art prompt or a writing prompt it just gets you going. Just as much as anyone else, it’s about having fun.” For Lopolito, the costumes take on a different meaning. “Because of how I speak and how I look, I can’t be on stage. I want to be the protagonist in my own story,” Lopolito said. “I want to be myself, in a world full of a ton of other people who want to be themselves. I do believe we are all the protagonists of our own lives, and for me, dressing in a way that gives me confidence and character makes me feel more comfortable with who I am, ‘cause I can’t change my body type or my face shape or my height, but I can change my clothing and reinvent myself everyday with how I express myself in that way,” Lopolito said. Lopolito has a love for the way characters can dress on TV and movies, and wants to normalize different ways of dressing and give everyone access to their own style. Zodiac, Jae, Bates and Foss will turn the classic “Scooby Doo” look into a modern version that they would wear. The group
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costume began as a joke but soon became a plan. The group realized that they wanted to do something special for Halloween together before Jae graduated. Jae’s main goal was to create good memories. Jae, who will go as Fred, will use the basic color scheme and turning into someone she described as “some hippie alt chick” and will go to Goodwill, Party City and Spirit Halloween to find her take on the classic Fred look. Bates will do a “y2k version of Shaggy” using vintage clothes and going to thrift stores. “All it really takes is buying the clothes and putting them together,” Bates said. The group has planned its own costumes on its own time and talk about it in person when members see each other outside of school. Zodiac will be Daphne, complete with an orange wig, high heels, purple eye contacts and dress and a green scarf. “I’m excited to have a better Halloween than I have in the past. I’m excited to spend it with the people I love,” Zodiac said. Foss’ take on Velma will include a vintage striped sweater from the era, 3D glasses with no lenses, a skirt and extra accessories such as hair bows. “I just think it’s fun; as a kid I was drawn to creepy things. I love dressing up, and Halloween is the day to do that,” Foss said. Foss’ love also came from the history of Halloween, starting with the Irish holiday Samhain (soh-wen), where people believed spirits could cross into the living world. People would carve jack-o’-lantern out of turnips to protect themselves and dress up as spirits in order to blend in with them. Foss wanted to give creative takes on the Mystery Gang because she believes it is more fun to put together and for people to see.
Feature| October 2023
Staff decides...
Best pumpkin recipes for celebrating fall Margaret Korte Entertainment Editor
Autumn: known for the beginning of sweater weather for the year, the smell of cinnamon, the crunching of leaves… but most of all, pumpkin. For about three months, the pumpkin reigns above all other fruits: carved and put on display on front porches everywhere, made into spiced lattes, and of course, baked into an array of cozy desserts. A favorite fall treat of many is the pumpkin muffin, which takes the flavor of the pumpkin and turns it into a dense, fluffy pastry. One of the best pumpkin muffins comes from Panera, with its powdered-sugar topping and hearty flavor. However, a dozen of these muffins can be made at home with only a few ingredients: enter, the Panera Pumpkin Muffin recipe from Savortheflavour.com. These muffins taste just like the real thing, and the recipe yields 24 regular muffins, or 12 jumbo ones. A perfect fall dessert, these muffins are made with canned pumpkin and taste right out of a bakery. They take a few hours and a few dishes to make but are most definitely worth the trouble. Because pumpkins are so versatile, they can be made into just about anything, with the right amount of cinnamon and brown sugar. One such recipe is from Cookingclassy.com: “Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.” Even without the optional icing, these melt-in-yourmouth cookies are soft and decadent, best enjoyed fresh out of the oven. They’re sweet while not being too sweet and are the perfect fall dessert. Though the cookies look nothing like the photos on the recipes’ website (although this could also be attributed to a lack of skill on the baker’s part, not a fault of the original recipe), their unassuming appearance gives no indication of the rich flavor and texture—and Art by Margaret Korte their smell while baking
October 2023 | Feature
makes up for anything their appearance might lack. “Sheet Pan Libby’s Pumpkin Bars” from Simplyhappenings.com are pumpkin in the form of brownies, with the icing on top adding an extra layer of comfort. The bars are easy to make, only taking a few minutes to mix together, and can be enjoyed with or without the frosting. They’re made with
a shallow sheet pan and are easy to stir together and toss into the oven. They’re fun to decorate too, and the white icing acts as a blank canvas for an array of designs. The hardest part is undoubtedly waiting for the bars to cool before icing. All recipes use canned pumpkin, and are made with generally the same ingredients.
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Review...
“Guts” perfectly describes teenage girlhood
good but didn’t live up to “Sour,” while others said it was better overall. “I just like ‘Sour’ more overall as an album… because I feel like the songs have more emotion to them,” senior Aria Ford Two years after her debut album, “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo re- said. “I think her voice is a lot more mature, and the content [is leased her sophomore album, “Guts.” The album, which came more mature] because it’s more after fame. I feel like it’s more out on Sept. 8, features 12 songs, with a runtime of 39 minutes. about how [fame] affect“I really like it. It ed her,” Berra said. makes me scream at After the release of the top of my lungs,” “Sour,” Rodrigo was junior Adriana Berra accused of certain said. songs-“Good for you” Just as Rodrigo did and “Deja Vu” from in “Sour,” “Guts” ex“Sour”-sounding too plores a mix of genres. much like other songs Some songs, such as (in those cases, “Misery “all American b****” Business” by Paramore take on angstier tones, and “Cruel Summer” by reminiscent of early Taylor Swift). Retroac2000’s pop-punk mutive credit was given to sic. Others are slower those artists as songwritand arguably more ers on those songs. vulnerable, almost About the accusatheatrical-sounding, tions, Berra said, “I like “vampire.” Comthink a lot of artists do bined, the sound perthat, or people think artfectly encapsulates ists do that, just because the experience of bethere’s so much music ing a teenage girl, out there. So it’s hard through its almost for you to not sound the moodswing-ey genresame as someone else.” switching and emoAs a result of this contional rollercoasters. troversy, rumors about a The album soared possible feud between to number one on the Rodrigo and Swift Billboard 200, makspread across the ining Rodrigo the first Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album, “Guts” was released on Sept. 8. Album ternet. Rodrigo denied woman since 2014 to cover from oliviarodrigo.com this in an interview with have her first two alRolling Stone, but fans bums start at the top still speculated whether certain songs on the album (“lacy” and of the chart (the last woman to do so was Ariana Grande). The “the grudge”) were about Swift. album also marked the sixth-largest debut of 2023, with almost Ford disagreed. “I don’t think there’s any beef. I think people 200 million streams, according to Billboard magazine. made it up,” she said. Not only does the musical tone help encapsulate the “teenageThe punky, pop-rock songs shone through as fan-favorites girl experience, but so do the lyrics. Rodrigo writes openly and from the album. honestly about awkwardness and embarrassment in “Ballad of “My favorite is ‘Get him back,’ because it’s relatable,” Berra a Homeschooled girl,” and boys, love and heartbreak in songs said. such as “Get him back,” “logical” and “Bad idea right?” Even “My favorite song is ‘Love is Embarrassing’ or ‘All Ameritopics that might be less relatable to listeners-- growing up in the can.’ I like the lyrics in ‘Love is Embarrassing’ a lot,” Ford said. music industry, for example-- Rodrigo makes relatable in “teenOverall, the album absolutely lives up to the legacy of “Sour.” age dream.” Rodrigo tackles more mature concepts, explores the pressures of The album faced immense pressure to do well on charts. Rofame and maintains relatability, all through beautiful songwriting drigo’s first album, “Sour,” marked the biggest album debut on and a captivating sound. Spotify of 2021. Some fans said they thought the album was
Hadley Hoskins Editor-in-Chief
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Entertainment| October 2023
Staff helps students prepare for SAT, ACT Margaret Korte Entertainment Editor “I absolutely think standardized testing is stressful for students,” Rebecca Frese, math and test prep teacher, said via email. As a test prep teacher, Frese helps students (mostly juniors) get ready to take the ACT by teaching them material and skills to help them succeed. She assists with the math and science portion, while English teacher Sarah Gray oversees reading and English. “It’s a mixture of teaching the content as best I can for what courses they’ve completed to that point, but also test-taking strategies,” Frese said. “A junior can be in any number of possible math courses, so I do my best to cater to their needs and show them the quickest way(s) to answer questions,” Frese added. One way of doing this, Frese said, is by “exposing the students to the style of questions and getting them used to the time constraints.” She tries to put her students under similar conditions as what they’ll experience while taking the ACT. “Putting them under that physical stress of the clock is an aim to gradually relieve some stress they’d feel the day of their test.” “Forcing students to remove their headphones and airpods is also something that’s important,” she said. “All students have their own way of focusing, but music is definitely a practice for the majority of our students. Forcing them to work without anything in their ear is important for them to get used to for any standardized test.” “I do a mixture of activities where students can work with each other to collaborate, or they are working alone under a time constraint in the testing conditions. We then review every single question and talk through multiple ways to solve,” Frese said. Counselors are another resource available to students preparing to take the ACT and SAT. Counselor Cassie Aschinger said via email, “The counselors work to offer resources to students to help them prepare for the tests.” Meeting with one’s
October 2023 | Feature
counselor can be helpful, and ACT and SAT prep books can be found in the department. “We might encourage the Test Prep class here on campus, or could suggest outside agencies that do test prep.” “What I always tell my students to do,” Frese said, “is to speak with our college counselors.” College and career counselor Ellen Silverstrand said, “There are many ways to prepare.” The counseling office has a list of outof-school resources that are sent out online, in addition to what’s offered in the office itself. “Standardized tests, in many ways, are now worded in a way that’s no longer simply ‘solve for x.’ You must know multiple concepts to accurately answer one question,” Frese said. Tests like the ACT and SAT word their questions differently so that understanding the question itself is a large part of succeeding. “They try to avoid questions that allow you to simply plug in the answers to get it correct,” Frese said. She said on the ACT and SAT, some questions may be over material a student hasn’t learned yet. “This is particular[ly] geared towards the math section. I can’t speak much towards the English and reading sections, but the science section is more so science reasoning, not so much to do with concepts you actually learn in a science course.” The actual format of the tests and the way that the questions are composed, can cause confusion for test takers. Aschinger said,
“Some students struggle with testing in that standardized format, and the tests then become less about a student’s actual academic abilities.” The format of the test can make it so that it depends more on the student’s ability to take the test than their knowledge of the material itself. “I don’t know that I would say it is a good measure of intelligence,” Frese said, “but more so a measure of a student’s potential intelligence of what they’ve learned to this point combined with their problem-solving and reasoning skills. As we know, many students are simply not good test-takers, so a student scoring lower than another on a test does not in any way mean they are less intelligent.” “Right now is a great time for students who aren’t great test takers,” Silverstrand said. There are “a lot of schools that don’t require test scores.” Many schools want to see performance and grades over the four-year time range of high school more than results on a four-hour test.
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Jazz band performs at jazz festival Ali Schulz Junior Editor Jazz band played at the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival Sept.16, from 1 to 2 p.m. The performance was on the North Gore Avenue stage. The jazz band prepared for the performance starting on the first day of school. It had about four weeks to prepare. The jazz band listened to recordings and read sheet music to prepare. The musicians practiced and prepared their parts, and then they worked to put all those parts together. They also collaborated with each other and shared their improvisation and solo ideas for their music. At the festival the jazz band performed seven pieces. These pieces were “Love for Sale,” “Blues Walk,” “There Will Never Be Another You,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Meetin’ Time,” “Goomba Boomba,” and “Old Devil Moon.” “Those pieces were either exactly as
recorded by artists like Count Basie, Clifford Brown, Buddy Rich and J.J. Johnson or inspired by those artists,” band teacher Kevin Cole said via email. Wo r l d - r e nowned Grammy-winning t r o m b o n i s t Junior Molly Woodfin plays the saxophone at the jazz band Michael Dease performance. joined the jazz Photo by Hannah Ensor band up on stage. “I’m definitely happy with the perfor“Being joined by jazz artist Michael Dease made this performance stand out mance and proud of the kids. It reflected for most of us, and I really feel we did diligent preparation by the kids, and it was better as a group playing alongside him,” obviously a really positive little ‘snapshot’ in the life of the kids and the band. Now senior Jacob Vedova said via email. The jazz band is also integrating new we obviously work to get better!” Cole members to the band this year who helped said via email. contribute to the performance.
Athletes’ academics at risk from sports Jasper Winterton Feature Editor “If I have a student who’s a struggling math student and also an athlete who gets out early a lot, it can really make it challenging for that student,” Michael Siebels, math teacher, said. Students have repeatedly missed school in their last hour class due to sports, which according to students and teachers, has made it harder for them to catch up in class and maintain good grades. Along with the individual struggle athletes experience, when there is a miscommunication with the school, it cuts down class time and causes students to lose focus. “It’s constant like individual attention, like taking care of this one person so they know what’s happening, and it kind of breaks up the class time where you can lose focus of students,” Siebels said.
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“Coaches usually are really great, and the activities office gives us a spreadsheet every week that is very detail oriented and tells us the kids that aren’t going to be here or will leave early. However when things like today happen, a bus situation is usually the problem,” Siebels said, adding that there’s a bus shortage, which is the main issue. Jerry Collins, athletic activities director, also mentioned that if it weren’t for the lack of transportation, teams wouldn’t be dismissed early as often as they are. “Over the last two years specifically, it’s been much more of a regular occurrence,” Collins said. The school used to get out earlier, but since the school’s dismissal time was changed, it’s become harder to get athletes to games on time without them missing part of school. “(Unexpected dismissals) happen specifically at the request of the bus company, so if there’s a driver out sick or a short-
age of buses, they need to pick up athletes early,” Collins said. Some teams have rented out mini-vans the coaches can drive, but most rely on the buses who also have to drive students home, giving drivers a short period of time to bring athletes to games, get back to school to drive students home, pick the athletes up, and bring them back home. “I had a student last year who was in multiple sports so they missed a lot in the fall and a lot in the winter, and it just kept going, so it’s definitely impacted students’ grades in my class,” Siebels said. Lula Pondrom, freshman and cross country runner, has also had this issue. “I left class once due to cross country. It was more towards the end of the day but it did make me miss an assignment,” Pondrom said. “We’ve heard concerns from parents, from teachers, from athletes themselvesit’s not preferred,” Collins said about the missing work athletes struggled with.
News/Feature| October 2023
Editorial
Using turf moves away from environmentalism Jasper Winterton Feature Editor “Turf creates a mini-heat island. It can create toxic run-off. After maybe eight-10 years of use, because of multiple polymers, there is very limited ability to recycle the material,” Joann Stephan, community member, said via email. According to websites ReTurf and Artificial Greens, it is theoretically possible to recycle synthetic turf, but it is costly and not commonly done. On Aug. 23, Stephan posted about the risks of the turf on Moss Field on Webster Construction on Moss Field began on Aug. 21. Groves Community Connect, a Facebook Photos by Soledad Lee group locals use to post about the neighborhood. The post sparked a debate, with corded to be up to 86.5 degrees Fahrenheit cus aureus (MRSA) outbreaks, sepsis and 14 comments under it and 22 reactions to higher than natural lawns. pneumonia. the post. On Dec. 5, 2015, the U.S. National Because sports aren’t canceled aside Concerns with the turf include safety from cases of severe heat, if students prac- women’s soccer team refused to take the issues and environmental issues. Webster tice or play sports outside in 90-100 degree field during a FIFA match against Trinidad shows itself as an environmentally friendly weather, they’re exposed to temperatures and Tobago in protest of the unfair customs school, but the small actions such as this up to 170 degrees from the turf. of the fields they have to play on. have big impacts and are often overlooked. According to Time magazine, the men’s According to the National Institute of According to Webster-Kirkwood Times, Standards and Technology, human skin league played on primarily natural grass, the school has while the women’s league was forced to put over $10 milplay on artificial turf, which had caused lion into the Moss Alex Morgan, U.S. women’s soccer playField renovations. er, an injury the prior year. “Webster More than 40 soccer stars have filed Groves talks lawsuits against FIFA regarding the isabout green spacsue, but still artificial turf is used on some es, no-mow April, fields including Moss Field. s u s t a i n a b i l i t y, According to Green Building Alliance, etc., but puts in putting the rubber and plastic particles artificial turf at present in turf contributes to microplastic Moss Field and pollution. - Community member Joann Stephan plans to put more Microplastics are not only harmful to at the high school the environment but can cause long term for the short-term health issues, specifically from a toxic gain of convenience and year-round use begins to feel pain when exposed to tem- substance called bisphenol A, which is for multiple activities,” Stephan said via peratures at 111 degrees. Then, first de- absorbed into the body and causes various email. gree burns are caused at 118 degrees, and diseases in the endocrine and reproductive Along with this, the safety risk for stu- second degree burns at 131 degrees. With systems. dents playing on Moss Field is more sig- that being said, on only a 70 degree day, Animals also may ingest this, which as nificant than some would think. well can cause other health issues to them, it’s possible for students to develop second “It is dangerous to those using it, both in degree burns if there is extended skin to as artificial turf is essentially plastic. documented increased injuries (head and turf contact. As Webster aims to be an environmenlimb), and because temperature on the turf tally friendly neighborhood, the artificial Along with the burns that are caused by field can be 40-70 degrees higher than am- the heat, turf burns can be caused by ex- turf was a major step back, and the school bient air temperature, so even on a 70 or 80 posed skin sliding on artificial turf. should focus on the effects these actions degree day, there’s a risk,” Stephan added. According to the National Institutes of have. The slight convenience does not outAccording to Turfgrass Producers Inter- Health, untreated turf burns are associated weigh the negative impact. national, artificial turf lawns have been re- with methicillin-resistant Staphylococ-
“Webster Groves talks about green spaces, no-mow April, sustainability, etc., but puts in artificial turf at Moss Field and plans to put more at the high school.”
October 2023 | Editorial
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Movies to get students in the autumn spirit Soledad Lee Social Media/Graphics Editor
Fall time movies, usually considered horror movies, date back to the 1890s. The first horror film ever made was “The House of the Devil,” a horror and silent film, directed by French actor Georges Melies. Classic fall movies include, “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Scream,” (1996) “Hocus Pocus,” “The Goonies” and “Little Women.” Students who are interested in finding a new film to watch this season or a rewatch, should tune into films such as “Dead Poets Society”, “The Black Phone” and “Practical Magic”. These all together provide horror, romance, drama and a coming-of-age vibe. “Dead Poets Society,” shapes a fall vibe. It includes Robin Williams as John Keating, a new English teacher. The main premise is how a teacher changes the way students see poetry and learning. Watching this movie, viewers will see strong friendships form and it truly is as emotional as anything that Williams is in. The two main characters, Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) and Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) build each other up to be better and inspire each other to take risks. Hawke continues to strive in representing fall in his characters with the movie, “The Black Phone,” recently released in 2021. Hawke plays “the Grabber,” who is the main villain in the movie, kidnapping children. This horror film takes place in 1978. Finney (Mason Thames),
(who is in middle school) lives in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, where the kidnappings are going on. His sister, Gwen Blake (Madeleine McGraw) has psychic dreams about one of the Grabber’s victims, Bruce. Eventually, Finney is taken by the Grabber. Finney is kept in the basement, where there is a black phone, but the line is disconnected. If viewers keep watching they’ll learn how significant the title is, and if Finney survives. 1998 film, “Practical Magic” is a romantic yet spooky movie. It’s one of those movies watchers will have to interpret what’s happening at first because of the time skip. The movie stars Sandra Bullock as Sally Owens and Nicole Kidman as her sister, Gillian Owens. The two grow up together with their peculiar aunts who are witches. At a young age, Sally and Gillian learn their mom died from a broken heart because their past ancestor cast a spell that went wrong. This leads to a curse where if any man falls in love with an Owens woman they die. One night, young Gillian finds Sally casting a spell for her dream guy, thinking if she makes him sound impossible she will never die of a broken heart. The story skips forward and Sally indeed does find her dream man. Viewers will follow along Sally’s adult life and see if the curse ever breaks. The movie is not the stereotypical witch movie as the people in the town believe they are truly witches. It also provides that romantic comedy aspect viewers wouldn’t always expect.
Art by Vanessa Schroeder
Can you find it? Cover search and find 1. Hall pass 8. Lip balm 3. Admit 1 Football Tickets 16
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5. “Romeo and Juliet” book
6. Mascara 7. Two Miniature pumpkins
4. Keys 2. “Red (Taylor’s Version) vinyl” 9. School ID Entertainment| October 2023