WG ECHO December 2018 Issue

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V olum e 1 0 4 I s s ue 4 De c e m ber 2 0 1 8 1 0 0 S e l m a Av e . w g e c h o . o r g

Women’s basketball shines through season

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2018-19 ECHO STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Cole Schnell PRINT EDITOR: Ellie Marshall JUNIOR EDITOR: Elise Keller BUSINESS MANAGER: Trinity Madison VIDEO EDITOR: Evelyn Trampe SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Rosa Parks OPINION EDITOR: Emily Stisser NEWS EDITOR: Ethan Weihl SPORTS EDITOR: Greg Frazier FEATURE EDITOR: Lindsey Bennett PODCAST EDITOR: Maeve Taylor ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Josie Krueger GRAPHICS EDITOR: Colin Shue ADVISOR: Donald Johnson SOME MATERIAL FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE The Echo is a monthly publication of the newspaper staff of Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Avenue, Webster Groves, MO. To contact staff members, call 314-963-6400 ex. 11157 or write to wgecho@wgmail.org.

Unsigned editorials are the opinion of a majority of staff members; signed articles are the opinion of the writer.

Letters to the editor of 300 words or less are welcome; submit letters by the 10th of the month to wgecho@wgmail.org, or room 155. All letters must be signed, although the name may be withheld from publication if requested. The Echo has the right to edit letters for publication as long as intent remains unchanged.

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

The Echo Family The Echo Family helps make the Echo possible. To become a member of the Echo Family, please contact wgecho@wgmail.org. Thanks to all of our members!

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SAD should be taken seriously WGSD should redistribute calendar Op-ed: Unsolicited sexual photos are sexual harassment High school to have late starts next year Closed campus rumors proven false Congresswoman supports special education Bill passes, allows students to take online classes for free Mr. Webster winner’s talent show aspirations Recent report predicts environmental crisis Women’s wrestling made official sport Varsity basketball remains strong Women’s basketball offers young team ‘Boy Erased’ emphasizes need for acceptance Review: The Grinch has lost its grouch 6 fighters join “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” Willie’s comic

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Aerin Johnson Keillyn Johnson Brad and Amy Krueger Curtin Family Melanie Bennett Hepfinger Family Cover Cutline: Freshman Eliza Maupin jumps to dunk the ball against Parkway South on Dec. 10. Photo by Greg Frazier

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12 Table of Contents | December 2018

Ellie’s Expression

Seasonal affective disorder should be taken seriously Eleanor Marshall Opinion Columnist For most people, the winter months are filled with joy. For people with seasonal affective disorder, it’s a different story.

“Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a recurrent major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern usually beginning in fall and continuing into winter months,” an article from the National Center for Biotechnology said. “Symptoms center on sad mood and low energy.”

Sad mood and low energy is an understatement for Rachel Fisher, a senior struggling with the disorder.

“When I get an episode of depression, I feel like there’s a void inside of me that I can’t fill,” Fisher said. “Nothing excites me, and everything feels pointless. I want to crawl into bed and not move because trying doesn’t seem like an option.”

People with this disorder also often feel guilty. While others are singing carols and drinking eggnog, they are unable to feel the holiday joy.

“The hardest part of having SAD is watching it affect the peo-

ple around you in a negative way and wanting to get better, but you just can’t no matter what you do,” Fisher said. “(During the winter) I feel very alone. It feels like I’m very distant from people that I love,” an anonymous student added.

There should be no guilt. Depression is an issue of chemistry, not character. SAD should be treated as seriously as any other disorder, and despite the growing movement of mental health awareness, it is still often brushed off as simply the winter blues.

“People don’t think that SAD is real because they aren’t informed about it,” a second anonymous student said. “Other mental disorders like depression, though still stigmatized, are taken a little more seriously and have become more normalized to talk about in our society. A lot of people don’t know about SAD or know very little about SAD, so they draw conclusions with the little information that they do have.”

When not taken seriously, help isn’t given and symptoms increase. This is obviously not a good thing.

We need to start thinking of our peers, acknowledge their feelings and treat seasonal affective disorder like we would any other disorder: with acceptance.

Op-Ed

WGSD should redistribute calendar Trinity Madison Business/Ads Manager

Students used to eagerly await Christmas and Easter break.

Although the breaks’ names have changed, their original purpose remains. WGSD prides itself on fighting for diversity, but it is not respecting diversity of religion.

The nation’s biggest district, New York City Public School District, has observed two Islamic holy days, Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, since 2016. WGSD could use some pointers from them. After all, Pew Research Center reported in 2010 that there are at least 1.5 billion Muslim people worldwide.

Junior Musa Siddiqui, a practicing Muslim, said, “In an ideal world, I think just for all religions, not only Islam, but also Judaism and any other religious holidays should be taken into account, too, besides just Christmas.”

There are more religions than Christianity, so the district should give an effort to observe more than just Christian holidays. It’s not fair that students and staff should be forced to choose between getting an education and participating in their faith.

The policy for religious holiday observances for staff states, “A professional staff employee may be allowed a paid absence for up to two school days for a bona fide religious observance obligation that cannot be fulfilled before or after the school day schedule or on a Saturday or Sunday.”

Currently, the district has no explicit policy for religious holidays for students. Those who choose to practice their faith at the expense of an absence are at a disadvantage. Even the school agrees that absences are detrimental to the health of students.

The student handbook states, “Absences have a damaging ef-

December 2018 | Opinion

fect on the student’s ability to learn the content of the course.”

The 2008 U.S. census reported that the most populated religious groups were Christianity, Non Denominational, Evangelism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.

If WGSD observed the two most important religious holiday from each of those groups, that could account for 10 days off of school.

Accommodations can be made. Winter break spans 17 days and only five holidays: Winter Solstice, a Wiccan holiday from Dec. 20-23, Christmas, a Christian holiday on Dec. 25, Holy Innocence, a Catholic holiday on Dec. 28, Guru Gobind Singh’s Birthday, a Sikh holiday on Jan. 5, and New Years, a federal holiday. The excessive days off can be redistributed.

Senior Fanuel Achinda, a practicing Evangelist, said, “ Instead of making us go to school [on religious holidays], they could even make [those days] a half short, or if it’s a holiday, announce it over the announcements... It might not matter to some people, but for those who are celebrating it, it does [matter].”

Observing religious holidays isn’t just about faith or creed. It’s about sending the message that students and staff, regardless of their beliefs, are accepted, welcomed and respected in our district.

The school handbook features the quote, “This school welcomes…Students of all religions If this were the case, then the district should make more of an effort to ensure that students of all religions feel welcomed.

English teacher, Adam Conway, a practicing Buddhist, said, “I think the question itself is the valuable thing: What should the district be doing, and how can we work towards more inclusiveness?”

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Op-Ed

Unsolicited sexual photos are sexual harassment Cole Schnell Editor-In-Chief A male student sent unsolicited sexually explicit photos to another student.

This may seem like one disturbing event created by an outlier, male student.

However, this doesn’t represent one situation that occurred between two students, but many parallel alleged situations experienced by many students.

It is an epidemic, a psychological phenomenon of sexual harassment that needs to stop.

Fourteen students said they received an unsolicited sexual photo, according to a Echo poll of 44 respondents.

Dr. Jennifer Siciliani, professor of psychology at UMSL, said, “What they (men who send these photos) are being, is offensive, abusive and victimizing.”

“Offensive, abusive and victimizing” may sound extreme for a picture. It isn’t.

Despite the contrary belief of obviously some men, most people don’t want to receive an unsolicited sexual photo and feel “really uncomfortable,” “disturbed,” shameful and unsafe when they do.

A student who alleged she was sent an unsolicited photo said, “I’ve never met anyone who wanted unsolicited sexual pictures.”

Eleven of aforementioned 14 students said they received the photo via Snapchat.

Snapchat has created the perfect breeding ground for unaccountable sexual misconduct.

With the increase of allegations comes an increase of skepticism of those allegations which bring less accountability for the actions of actual harassers.

When a large number of sexual harassment cases involve the use of Snapchat, where the photo and videos i.e. the evidence disappears after a handful of seconds and only with a subpoena or a warrant can be recovered, it becomes a dangerous situation.

In a system like this, harassers don’t feel accountable and continue their behavior without consequences or apologizing.

These unapologetic men only leave the harassed to blame themselves.

A lot of the time these woman in this

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situation feel like seeking accountability by reporting the misconduct does more harm than good.

Twelve out of the aforementioned 14 students said they didn’t report anything to the administration or police.

One of the 12 said, “The administration wouldn’t have done anything about it.”

Two others said reporting leads to victim shaming.

Whether these claims are accurate or not, this mistrust of the administration and police is a problem that allows for a lack of accountability and perpetuates sexual harassment.

The administration cannot comment on any the disciplinary actions of any individual cases, so there is no way to see if any alleged harassers are being held accountable.

A student who said they were sent explicit photos and reported the incident said, “I should have the right to know what is happening to my harasser.”

Forty-six percent of women between the ages of 18 and 25 have received an unsolicited photo of a penis, according to a YouGov poll of 877 respondents. Seventy-three percent of these first received a “d**k pic” before they turned 18.

The first conclusion to jump to is men misinterpret signals leading to them sending graphic images of themselves.

Siciliani said, “[With] anyone outside of men trying to be abusive, [there] is a misinterpretation [in the situation].”

Siciliani said men think that they will get some kind of “sexual access” by sending these photos. The “misinterpretation” is somehow sending a photo will give men “sexual access.”

In a lot of the cases where men send explicit sexual photos, they also pressure the receiver to send explicit sexual photos back. Men should not pressure anyone to send any photo. This is also sexual harassment.

Nearly two women receive unsolicited pictures of penises to every one man who sends a picture, according to the YouGov survey. The men admitted to and knew they were sending those photos and did it anyway. The gap between senders and receivers must mean there are repeat offenders or/and people are lying. This is

astonishing.

When sending pictures of something not socially acceptable to show in public, the only green light is explicit consent.

If they fail to get explicit consent, men need to be more receptive to the negative reaction of women and realize it is a chance for growth and sympathy. If this happened, maybe there would be fewer repeat offenders.

This conduct is pretty clear to be a bare minimum with all non-sexual conduct but not with sexual conduct. It is clear that understanding or recognizing these principles is not the problem. Something else causes these men to throw these principles out the window and ignore people’s humanity.

It doesn’t seem like treating the urge is an option in this situation. We don’t really know what exactly that urge is or how we would stop it. Men have to fight any urge by understanding the consequences of their actions, how they could be “offensive, abusive and victimizing” Men who have sent unsolicited photos of their genitals, need to recognize their wrongdoing and apologize. An apology can go a long way.

Institutions need to create paths where alleged harassers can work towards sincere apology and a commitment to never be harassers again. The school does have a “restorative practice” curriculum for students with in-school suspension to help students better understand their behavior and its impact through dialogue and visual presentations.

There always needs to be a path to recovery and redemption without ignoring the seriousness of harasser’s actions.

Without such a path, people will feel isolated and continue their behavior, and with ignoring the seriousness of the actions, harassers won’t truly understand the consequences of their behavior.

This is a delicate balance that is very hard to enforce, but harassers need punishments, and others need to support the path of people who have harassed someone towards never committing this kind of behavior again.

Whether, the school is balancing these properties is unclear from an outsider’s perspective to a very opaque process.

Opinion | December 2018

High school to have late starts next year Ethan Weihl News Editor Webster Groves High School will begin having late start days next school year.

The extra time will be used by teachers to create Professional Learning Communities or PLCs. PLCs are times when teachers are able to meet in order to talk about the classes they are teaching.

The PLC structure “allows teachers to be reflective in their classes,” principal Matt Irvin said.

The additional time will be used to coordinate schedules so that one class does not get ahead or behind another. It will also allow teachers to create similar assessments, so that they are better able to gauge what the students have learned.

For example, if there was an AP U.S. History class where all of the students got perfect scores on a test about the Civil War, and another class in which students did not perform so well, the teachers can use this PLC time to meet and discuss how the first teacher taught the students, allowing for more equal education among students, regardless of teacher.

PLC leaders will be in charge of these meetings. These leaders will be teachers of the class that the meeting is about.

The idea of a time for teachers to discuss educational plans has been around since the 1960s; however, more in-depth research did not begin until the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Lafayette High School, which is larger and has a higher average socio-economic

Photo by Ethan Weihl

Social studies teacher Zach Smith welcomes students into the building. Next year, on days with late starts, students will be allowed to enter the building at 8 a.m. instead of 7 a.m. status, introduced a PLC program that included a late start at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. Irvin was associate principal at Lafayette for the 201718 school year. Lafayette’s late start days begin 90 minutes later than its usual start time; however, it only has 12 late starts throughout the year.

Lindbergh, Pattonville and Francis Howell High Schools also have PLC time; however, they have early release instead of late start. They let out 15, 59 and 45 minutes earlier, respectively, than their usual dismissal times.

Students are excited about this change.

“Overall, I think it will be better for the school,” junior and student advisor to the school board Patrick Lee said. Lee added he is excited to have more time to sleep: “I will be more well-rested those days…

I can only see my learning ability go up.”

The new schedule has been approved by the school board. Teachers have also gone to other schools with PLC time in order to better learn how to utilize this new time The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires 1,044 hours of class time. The high school has 1,079 in the schedule for this year. With the implementation of the new schedule, the time will be cut down to 1,052 hours.

This brings the total extra time down from 35 extra hours (5.8 school days) to eight extra hours (1.2 school days).

The high school will have 26 late start days, beginning at the start of the 2019-20 school year.

The late starts will take place on Mondays, where school will start at 8:57 a.m., instead of the usual 7:55 a.m.

Closed campus rumors proven false Elise Keller Junior Editor Rumors have drifted throughout the school, especially among the junior class, about whether the opportunity of having an open campus will continue in the coming school year.

A number of schools in the area have closed their campuses for lunches due to safety reasons, but Webster Groves has no intention of making this switch in the near future.

“If there have been discussions this year regarding a closed campus for lunches, I haven’t been involved in them nor am I

December 2018 | News

aware of their occurrence,” said superintendent John Simpson.

Former principal Jon Clark considered the semi-open campus a “perk” for seniors, and principal Matt Irvin has the same stance.

“We’d like to allow that practice to continue as long as we can navigate the school day safely,” Irvin said.

This doesn’t mean there won’t ever be a possibility of the campus being closed.

According to Irvin, “We would probably start to get into really serious conversations as a building about if we felt like kids were being unsafe or not coming back on time.”

If a closed campus ever becomes a more likely possibility, Simpson said, “Student input and ideas will be sought.”

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Congresswoman supports special education Maeve Taylor Podcast Editor Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), first passed in 1975, according to Understood.org, is a federal law that “requires schools to serve the needs of eligible students with disabilities.”

Over the years, there have been cases in which the application of IDEA by schools has fallen short. One such case was worked through this year in Southwest Missouri.

According to an article in the Joplin Globe, the Bronaugh school district in Bronaugh, MO, was “found to be out of compliance with federal laws.” Out of three allegations made by a district parent, Michael Milliman, Sr., who believed that he and his son, Michael Milliman, Jr., were being underserved by the school district, two were validated by an investigation.

On Nov. 25, representative Sarah Unsicker responded to the above article in a thread on Twitter.

Unsicker said, “The law promises a free and appropriate education for students with disabilities. [Missouri Legislation] needs to address this with appropriate funding and policy measures.”

One of the problems stated in the article was the school’s inad-

equate funding.

Unsicker said, “The Federal government provides insufficient funding for special education and needs to do better at funding services… School districts need adequate state and local funding so that federal money received can go toward special education…

There need not to be high bureaucratic hurdles to [apply] for that funding.”

In addition, Unsicker discussed policy changes.

Photo from house.

Unsicker said, “DESE (Missouri mo.gov State Representative Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) needs to make Missouri 91 District abundantly clear that schools must folSarah Unsicker was re-elected to office on low federal IDEA law. There need to be consequences for schools that do Nov. 6, after serving not.” one term. “[Missouri legislature] must make clear that it supports the ideals of IDEA: equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic selfsufficiency,” Unsicker said.

Bill passes, allows students to take online classes for free Cole Schnell Editor-In-Chief Starting next semester, any student in grades six-12 can take a bunch of new online classes.

The virtual education bill or Senate Bill 603 was passed by the Missouri Legislature and signed into law earlier this year. This law allows for any student who was previously enrolled fulltime in a public school in Missouri to take online courses of their choice paid by the school.

Previously, a few class were available through a online program such as personal finance. Now, there are high school courses available for all the required credit for graduation including English, math, social studies, science, fine art, practical art, health and physical education class.

These classes must fit into the student’s seven-hour schedule.

If a student is interested in taking one of these new online courses, she or he should contact their counselor to get started.

Launch will be the school district’s virtual class provider.

Jessica Petterson, student advisor to the school board, said, “It opens up opportunities for people who don’t have the same means to get to school.”

Students “with a documented medical or psychological condition” still have this opportunity even if they weren’t able to be fully enrolled in a previous semester.

Online summer class that were available over the summer were not through Launch but other online courses providers.

Junior Emma Kelley said, “I took online personal finance, and

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Photo from fueledbylaunch.com

Launch would now provide sixth-12th grade students an online option for many of their classes. Launch is “Missouri’s solution for course access issues for school districts and families in need of flexible and personalized learning options” as it states on the Launch website.

I would definitely recommend it for anyone who doesn’t want to have it take up one of their classes during the year.”

Junior Ella Huertas said, “I personally did not enjoy taking an online class because I work better in person, listening and looking at the teacher.”

Though, both Kelley and Huertas said the flexibility was nice to control the pace of the classes.

Launch also advertises flexibility and working at the student’s own pace.

News | December 2018

Mr. Webster winner’s talent shows fashion aspirations

Photo by Trinity Madison

Senior Ray McIntyre is shocked to win DECA and Marketing II’s Mr. Webster Pageant on Nov. 28, in Knight Auditorium.

Lindsey Bennett Feature Editor DECA and Marketing II’s Mr. Webster pageant took place Nov. 28, in Knight Auditorium and included talents, dancing and other traditional pageant activities.

Senior Ray McIntyre was voted Mr. Webster over 11 other contestants, all of whom applied and went through interviews in September and early October.

“Seeing his reaction to winning was genuine and fantastic, I would argue that Ray just has such a great energy about him,” Mr. Webster judge Jon Petter said.

Senior Sam Getz was runner-up, and senior Fanuel Achinda received Mr. Congeniality.

The winner and runner up were decided 60 percent by judges and 40 percent by the crowd vote. Mr. Congeniality was decided based on the crowd vote alone.

“I thought I was going to be the last person to win,” McIntyre said about his prospects.

McIntyre mentioned contestants with a more “stage appropriate” talent, such as Getz, as the ones he predicted to come away with the title.

When his turn was up for the talent category, McIntyre wheeled out racks of clothing he picked to help style Petter for a fictional 80s themed party.

“It was so unique. I’ve been doing this all these years, and no one has ever done anything like that,” Mr. Webster judge Eric Dunn said.

He also brought fellow seniors Christian Ragain and Rachel Fisher on stage to model his original designs. Fisher was modeling a jumpsuit that later appeared in the Lindenwood University Fashion Show on Dec. 7.

“When it comes to fashion, Ray is very passionate, and he knows what he is doing. It’s kind of a hard thing to portray on a stage, but he was able to bring together two really cool factors: styles that he likes and pieces that he’s made, and he did a really good job of bringing those two together,” senior Parker Bont said.

Although fashion is not commonly seen in the pageant, it has

December 2018 | Feature

been a constant in McIntyre’s life.

“When I was super little, my mom actually just gave up her dream of being in the [fashion] industry for the sake of raising a family,” McIntyre said.

The winner cites his mother as well as a constant interest in “how people like to express themselves” as reasons for his attention to fashion.

McIntyre intends to double major in fashion design and marketing in college, and eventually hopes to become a creative director of his own brand or an already-established brand. He believes starting his brand in high school before receiving a formal fashion design degree shows that “It doesn’t take schooling to learn yourself.”

“Ray genuinely cares about everything he does and all those he interacts with. You can really feel that when you work, teach, learn, or talk with him,” Petter said.

In terms of his own clothing, McIntyre said, “The direction I want to go towards is (A) stuff that I would actually wear that I don’t see and (B) making stuff that can be someone’s favorite… and they can have memories with it, but also still keep it relatively affordable.”

McIntyre said, “I wanted to pursue something that my mom never got to do. I want to show her, ‘Hey, we can do this.’”

Photo by Ray McIntyre

Senior Rachel Fisher models a maroon jumpsuit made by senior Ray McIntyre, 2018’s Mr. Webster.

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Op-Ed: Recent climate report predicts environmental crisis

Josie Krueger Entertainment Columnist It might be cold right now, but not for long, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s most recent report.

This report, titled “Global Warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius,” was released on Oct. 6. It predicts environmental crisis as early as 2040 and has consequently been purposefully overlooked by the federal government and citizens around the world.

Humans have developed a fatal habit of ignoring an impending problem until it is irreversible: the Wall Street stock market crash, the dangers of leaded gas, asbestos and tobacco, or the election of Donald Trump as president.

Most popular, though, is their habit of ignoring approaching natural disasters.

Disasters can and have been predicted: the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami, etc.

Especially now, the IPCC’s report cannot be ignored.

Summary The report essentially states that if rapid and “unprecedented” changes are not made to reduce global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius rather than 2 degrees Celsius, humans’ negative effects on the environment will be irreversible by 2040.

Although, with this reduction made: “global sea level rise would be 10 cm lower with global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with 2 degrees Celsius.

The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared with at least once per decade with 2 degrees Celsius.

U.S. Forest Service photo by Mike McMillan

The Rim Fire in the Stanislaus National Forest near in California began on Aug. 17, 2013, and is under investigation. The fire has consumed approximately 199,237 acres and is 32 percent contained.

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Natural Disasters Frequency and severity of natural disasters can be increased due to rising global temperature.

Take the recent California wildfires for example. According to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, a wildfire’s depending factors (temperature, soil moisture, presence of trees, etc.) are all directly or indirectly linked to climate change.

The wildfires’ sizes are increasing, too.

“In 2015, wildfires burned more than 10 million acres across the United States,

Opinion | December 2018

half of that in Alaska alone. It was the highest annual total acreage burned since record-keeping began in 1960.”

These wildfires not only destroy people’s lives and homes, but they also emit large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, further contributing to global temperature rise.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the carbon dioxide emitted from California’s electricity use in 2016 is roughly 76 million tons. The 2018 California wildfires have released a comparable 68 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air.

Wildfires are just one example of an issue that increases in severity with the furthering of climate change. Affected even further is the ocean and its ecosystems.

Ocean Ecosystems The report stated, “Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to 2 degrees Celsius is projected to reduce increases in ocean temperature as well as associated increases in ocean acidity and decreases in ocean oxygen levels (high confidence).

“Consequently, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is projected to reduce risks to marine biodiversity, fisheries, and ecosystems, and their functions and services to humans, as illustrated by recent changes to Arctic sea ice and warm-water coral reef ecosystems (high confidence).”

With climate change comes melting of ice caps and, as a result, increase in sea level rise. Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is projected to decrease sea level rise by 0.1 meter, which will potentially protect 10 million more people from the risks related to sea level rise.

Coral reefs are also affected by rising global temperature. According to the National Ocean Service, “Climate change is the greatest global threat to coral reef ecosystems.”

The report states, “Coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent with global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius, whereas virtually all (> 99 percent) would be lost with 2 degrees Celsius.”

Practically all aspects of our environment are affected by climate change, which predict our future as a global population.

December 2018 | Opinion

Government Response From our government officials’ stances and Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2017, it can be assumed that the United States will not be taking immediate action in response to the report.

In 2015, Trump said, “I believe in clean air. Immaculate air. But I don’t believe in climate change.”

In addition, in an email to The Daily Beast, a United States Environmental Protection Agency representative said of the October report, “Governments do not formally endorse specific findings presented by the authors. The United States [sic] continues to lead the world in GHG reductions having reduced our emissions by 14 percent since 2005.”

Even the leading percentage of emission reduction is not enough to save the

wards limiting the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees. It is now a matter of their willingness to use such advice.

With carbon dioxide emissions being a major cause of global warming, carbon dioxide removal measures are provided such as afforestation, BECCS, direct air carbon capture and storage, etc.

Carbon dioxide emissions directly from industry need to be limited, also. The report stated, “Such reductions can be achieved through combinations of new and existing technologies and practices, including electrification, hydrogen, sustainable bio-based feedstocks, product substitution, and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS).”

Other ways to gradually limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees are included.

The IPCC acknowledges the potential

U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Zachary West

Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard move through flooded Houston streets as floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey continue to rise, Monday, August 28, 2017. More than 12,000 members of the Texas National Guard were called out to support local authorities in response to the storm. environment’s resilience by 2040. Where the United States does not step up, though, another leading country needs to.

Many administrations around the world seem to be waiting on one another to take action, simply because they do not know where to start.

Therein lies the mistake, though; we cannot wait. International governments should be, at minimum, discussing possible solutions and improvements. Citizens need to speak up about the issue as well; they have an unstoppable voice when joined together.

Potential Solutions The report provides options that will help countries around the world work to-

limiting factors to these environmental efforts, and the fact that many of these sustainable methods have not been proven to be effective on a global scale.

What’s important, though, is that these efforts could potentially save the environment by 2040. This report has given humankind the opportunity and the options to reverse the downward spiral our environment is in-- it is just a matter of what we choose to do as an international population.

The people and the governments of countries with the most resources and influence need to consider the options provided in the report, and act before it is too late.

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Women’s wrestling made official sport Evelyn Trampe Video Editor According to the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) website, “The voting process...for the addition of Girls Wrestling [in the 2018-2019 school year as a MSHSAA member wrestling schools voted [yes] to separate the coeducational sport of wrestling into sex-separated wrestling for both boys and girls.”

Wrestling remains a male-dominated sport, but through the state addition, women’s wrestling is growing in popularity.

“Wrestling is a sport for everyone, and now that women’s wrestling has been added as an official sport in Missouri many newcomer girls have started wrestling across the state,” senior Stacy Borth said.

The number of women wrestling has grown, but the numbers remain small, with only four females wrestling for Webster this year. The women practice alongside the men, and some team members have expressed that girls may be too intimidated to join wrestling because of the environment and lack of information about the sport.

Senior Sydney Ward said, “Playing a sport that is dominated by males feels no different than any other sport I have played that isn’t male-dominated. The only real difference I’ve observed is the reaction I get from non-wrestlers. I appreciate others supporting the fact that I wrestle, but I get frustrated when others treat it like some totally crazy thing for me to participate in.”

“I feel more girls should get the chance to wrestle. Lots of girls

go their entire lives without realizing this is a sport for them too.

I didn’t know girls could wrestle until I was in eighth grade, and it took me another two years to get my parents to let me join the sport,” Ward said.

About what she likes about the sport, sophomore Hannah Jansen said, “The guys treat the girls just like any other teammate and how everyone pushes me to be a better athlete and to give my all at practice and during matches. Wrestling has also really helped with my self-confidence as an athlete because in wrestling mentality is key.”

Borth said, “The team has a great atmosphere. We’re all like a big family, and none of the guys treat us any differently, and they don’t exclude the girls or anyone from the team. I love how everyone is always willing to do whatever it takes to help out a teammate.”

Ward said wrestling has something to offer everyone and encourages more women to go out for the sport.

“I love that wrestling has something to offer for everyone rather that be gaining more confidence in themselves, having a team, getting in shape , or competition. For me, my favorite thing about wrestling is there is always room to improve and always something new to learn,” Ward said.

“This year we have four girls on the team, two sophomores Hannah Jansen and Ella Erb, and two seniors myself and Stacy Borth. I consider all these girls my friends, teammates and part of a family. Female wrestling is growing as a sport currently and that is amazing. Girls are always welcome to join the sport, and more specifically, Webster’s team,” Ward said.

Photos by Trinity Madison

Seniors Sydney Ward and Stacy Borth, and sophomore Hannah Jansen practice wrestling techniques during practice.

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Sports | December 2018

Varsity basketball remains strong out whenever it wants.

Stevie Wright, senior and number 21, said, “I think this season will determine if we are mentally tough enough without our best players on the team, but I think we had enough days and practices that we should be ready. I think we will be good.”

The team showed success in the recent game against Christian Brothers College High School in the 19th annual Webster Classic Championship. Webster scored, winning 73-68. It also won games against Gateway Tech (81-69) and Lee’s Summit (60-42).

Simpson said, “For this season, I think we have a lot of potential-it’s just about putting in the effort everyday to devote to it. [We] just Photo by Jaden Fields [have] to see how far that takes us, Senior Dallas King and Gateway player Jemard Sykes grapple for ball in game, Thurs- take it one at a time. There’s lots of day Dec. 6. Statesmen won, 81-69. good competition around. We can’t take any game lightly, [can’t] be Rosa Parks like, oh, this game is gonna be easy; we can’t do that...We have Social Media Manager to take every opponent seriously.”

Varsity basketball has had massive success (i.e. winning backto-back State Championships) in the past years, but after losing star players: Courtney Ramey and Carte’are Gordon, the success of the teams been doubted by some.

Last season, the team won State for the second year in a row.

The score was 101-90 against the Chaminade Red Devils. This win was mainly due to alumni Ramey, R.J. Wright and Gordon.

Gordon and Ramey have left their mark on the basketball team, as can be seen from Webstergrovesathleics.com which states, “Webster will lose arguably its greatest player ever in Courtney Ramey...will also lose one of the most dominant players in history in Carte’Are Gordon.”

In the 2017-2018 season, USA Today listed Webster Groves Varsity basketball preseason rank as number 13. However, with the loss of Ramey, Wright and Gordon, the USA Today’s 20182019 preseason rank list left Webster Groves completely out Despite the loss of these players, some players remain positive about the upcoming season.

Malachy Simpson, senior and number 30 on the team, said, “I’ve been telling people I think we’re gonna surprise them.

They look at last year, who we’re losing, player wise, and they kinda count us out, but I just feel like from being at practice with these guys, we have some good players.”

Senior Ray Adams, number 10, agreed with him, “I think we relied a lot on them last year, so everybody did not get to show their full potential so we have a lot of secret weapons.”

To counteract the loss of some of the team’s players, the team has been practicing since Oct. 29, along with two-and-a-half hour regular practices. The team also has the option of working

December 2018 | Sports

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Frazier from the Field

Women’s basketball offers young team Greg Frazier Sports Editor

While many are awaiting the men’s basketball season, the women’s season is well underway with a total of five games played.

The Stateswomen played against Lutheran South to start off the season. The game ended with a one-point deficiency by Webster resulting in 68-69. Last year women’s basketball didn’t play against Lutheran South in the regular season.

Another interesting start to the season is senior Lauren Hollandsworth. She is the only senior playing this year. In past seasons, the team has had at least four.

Hollandsworth and head coach Joshua Spuhl said, “We have a very young team.”

The team’s freshmen team sprung up conversation as well.

Four freshmen play for the team: Eliza Maupin, Sophia Nittinger, Ellie Paloucek and Jenna Clark. Maupin and Nittinger are both over six feet tall; the two tallest on the team are freshmen.

Photo by Greg Frazier

Senior Lauren Hollandworth gets ready to shoot against Parkway South on Dec. 10. Webster lost this game 38-46.

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Photo by Greg Frazier

Junior Courtney Lumpkins attempts to dribble through Parkway South players.

It’s hard to say why there are more underclasswomen on the team. In recent years more players decide to quit after playing for one or two years. This increases the need for players on team, and the easiest solution is to have underclassmen on the team.

This isn’t a bad thing. Spuhl should pick the best players with the most talent.

“The starters are based on skill level,” Spuhl said.

The starters are senior Lauren Hollandsworth, junior Courtney Lumpkins, sophomore Gabriela Moore, and freshmen Eliza Maupin and Ellie Paloucek.

On Dec. 10, the Stateswomen played Parkway South.

Maupin had a presence on the court reminiscent of two-time State champion Carte’Are Gordon. Maupin controlled the box and put up two points play after play. Maupin remained on the court for the entirety of the first half and briefly in the third quarter. Leading the game with 13 points, Maupin made up 30 percent of the total points against Parkway South. Unfortunately, Maupin didn’t make up enough as Webster lost 38-46.

The Stateswomen play tonight at Kirkwood. Their record is 2-4 against a Pioneers 5-0.

Photo by Greg Frazier

Freshman Ellie Paloucek looks for a teammate to pass the ball to.

Sports | December 2018

Review

‘Boy Erased’ emphasizes need for acceptance Emily Stisser Opinion Editor “Boy Erased,” adapted from Gerrard Conley’s memoir, was released on Nov. 2, in limited theaters. The explicit film brings to life the realities of the LGBTQ+ community and the 700,000 survivors of conversion therapy.

Lucas Hedges “Ladybird” plays 19-year-old Jared Eamons, son of a Baptist preacher. Eamons is outed to his family, prompting his parents to send him to “Love in Action,” a conversion therapy program based in Memphis, TN. Nicole Kidman plays Nancy Eamons, Jared’s mother. Nancy first pursues the “right” thing to do for her son, abiding by religious standards and the guidance of individuals who renounce Jared and his sexuality. Kidman quickly establishes herself as a capable, understanding mother as she and Jared journey to his “recovery.”

While Jared endures weeks of the demoralizing program, Nancy annuls her predisposed stigmas and does what’s in Jared’s best interest.

“She (Nancy) put her child into conversion therapy because she thought that it was the right thing to do. She actually thought it was the most loving thing to do because she didn’t know anything else and she loves her son,” Kidman said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter, “They actually now have the most extraordinary relationship, and she’s apologized and healed what she did, which I think is beautiful. That’s a great message in terms of what can happen.”

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about Jared’s father. The film implies that Nancy and Marshall Eamon’s marriage was never the same after Jared’s experience in the program. Though Jared’s shallow relationship with his father seems easy to foretell, “Boy Erased” emphasizes that healing is possible, but only through genuine acceptance. Jared’s relationship with both parents receives closure.

Four years later, Jared writes articles about surviving the horrors of conversion therapy, detailing the tolls it has took on his relationships and personal mental health. These articles are many of the

December 2018 | Entertainment

Image from Focus Features

Theodore Pellerin plays Xavier and Lucas Hedges plays Jared Eamons in “Boy Erased,” which was released Nov. 2. pieces that eventually comprised Gerrard Conley’s memoir.

To illustrate the connection between many events in Jared’s life, leading him to his current situation, the film uses anachronic order.

Director Joel Edgerton plays Victor Sykes, the executive director of the program. Edgerton humanizes the ugly reality of oppression through religion, which is still rampant in society today considering that conversion therapy is still legal in 36 states. Edgerton’s character is the ultimate antagonist, portraying traits of hypocrisy and cowardice in his sermons and “conversion” tactics.

The curriculum of the program, called “The Source,” is abundant of spelling errors and unsettling teachings. Sykes consistently reiterates that this curriculum is off limits for parents. Nancy’s unsettlement grows as Jared shares small details of what actually goes on inside the program.

Sykes is inept in his teachings, exposed by multiple families regarding the legitimacy of his program. His inadequence leads several parents to find concern with the teachings they originally sought for their children.

Artist Troye Sivan plays Gary, a positive ally to Jared during their fellow struggles in the program. Sivan was cast in the role before the idea of writing an original song even came up. Sivan’s song “Revela-

tion” illustrates Jared’s first experiences with a positive feeling regarding his suppressed identity.

Sivan said, “It’s a moment of firsts for Jared — the first time that he gets to experience any real, tender, sweet emotion with another boy, and I remember reading the script and feeling so relieved and happy for him, and the moment afterwards where nothing terrible happens and God doesn’t strike him down,” according to Variety.

The title of the Golden Globe nominated song is purposeful, including religious significance while alluding to Jared’s view of his sexuality in an accepting light.

Sivan said, “The song is about that moment where he starts to ponder if this is actually okay, and if maybe that’s the way things are supposed to be,” reported by Variety.

On Dec. 6, the film received several Golden Globe nominations. Hedges is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama.

The film successfully portrays struggles with acceptance in a way that can be felt and understood by the audience. Jared’s story is still reality for many. Disturbing yet powerful, “Boy Erased” needs to be seen and heard.

The film is R rated for sexual content including an assault, some language and brief drug use. The run time is 155 minutes.

wgecho.org 13

Josie’s Journal

Review: The Grinch has lost his grouch

Image from Illumination Entertainment

The Grinch’s character redesign is emblematic of a major problem with Illumination’s adaptation: the menacing grouch has lost his vileness. Though the Grinch is usually a repulsive character, his new appearance doesn’t seem like a person who would have garlic in their soul as the iconic song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” suggests.

Josie Krueger Entertainment Columnist With the release of Illumination Entertainment’s “The Grinch,” on Nov. 9, it’s safe to say that the live action “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” from 2000 is the best adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s Christmas classic.

Director Chuck Jones’ animated “How the Grinch Stole Christmas ” from 1966 is an iconic original television special that perfectly captures Dr. Seuss’ illustrations. It also introduces the song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” with lyrics written

by Seuss himself.

Its only fault is its overall blandness. There is no attempt at humor, nor is there much depth as far as conflict goes. This film was fantastic to watch as a child, but easy to grow out of postchildhood.

Director Ron Howard’s live action “How the Grinch Stole

Christmas,” released in 2000, is by far the most developed of the three versions, especially in its characters. Jim Carrey plays one of his most memorable roles as the Grinch, and his cynical view and dry, cruel humor appeals to children and adults alike.

Howard cleverly included the Grinch’s bittersweet childhood, revealing the root of his menace and the love story between the Grinch and Martha May Whovier. Brilliantly, all of these aspects added to the preceding film did not ultimately confuse Seuss’s main story.

The most recent movie, “The Grinch,” directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier is somewhat well-made when taken as a whole, with characters having the most noticeable change.

Cindy Lou Who in particular went from just being sweet and intelligent to wanting to trap Santa-- with good intentions. Her family scene now consists of a single mom, creating a whole new motive for her wish to Santa.

“The Grinch” succeeded in giving the classic soundtrack’s songs a twist with music from Tyler, the Creator, Run D.M.C. and Brockhampton. The new R&B version of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” kept its classic feel, even in a whole new genre.

“The Grinch” regressed from the 2000 film, though, in depth.

It excluded the conflict of Whoville temporarily losing sight of the true meaning of Christmas, resulting in the iconic “Where are You, Christmas” track. In result of this exclusion, this adaptation felt too simple.

The Grinch wasn’t portrayed with his classic cold-cut meanness, which drove his actions and the movie itself, instead encompassing a lukewarm dislike towards the greater good. This was partially due to a difference in character, but his new redesign also took away his menacing appearance. Instead of his usual repulsive look, he resembled a green version of the alien from “Chicken Little.”

The three stories of the Grinch differentiate from one another in their character development and complexity of plot and conflict. Overall, the Grinch’s peak in cinema was reached in 2000 with the live action “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Any adaptation since is, and will probably be, incomparable to Carrey’s portrayal of the famed green fiend.

“The Grinch” runs for one hour and 45 minutes and is rated PG for brief rude humor.

Upcoming Movie Releases December 19: “Mary Poppins Returns” December 21: “Aquaman,” “Bumblebee” January 4: “Escape Room” January 16: “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” January 18: “Glass”

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Entertainment | December 2018

Electric Retrospective

6 fighters join ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ Sean Mullins Technology Columnist With any Super Smash Bros. installment, the spotlight is always on new playable fighters, and “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” is no different, although it sacrifices quantity for quality.

“Ultimate” introduces six newcomers, fewer than any previous installment. This is due to every fighter returning, including characters cut from earlier games. Beloved characters like Ice Climbers, Pokemon Trainer, Wolf and Snake are back, plus Young Link and Pichu, whose inclusion really wasn’t necessary.

Six characters will be added later as DLC, with two revealed thus far: Piranha Plant, a minor Mario enemy, and Joker, the protagonist from “Persona 5.”

The roster is extended with Echo Fighters, a new term for clones like Dark Pit and Lucina. While clones use an existing character as a basis, Echoes have drastically different animations and slight attack changes. The number of differences varies between Echoes; Daisy and Richter have barely any altered attacks, but Dark Samus has minor frame data changes and swaps Samus’s fire damage for electric damage.

Echoes are an excellent way to warm fans towards clones, but they feel inconsistent given the aforementioned Young Link and Pichu, who are clones of Link and Pikachu, respectively. While Dark Pit and Lucina were retroactively labeled as Echoes, other fighters with very few differences weren’t. This is ridiculous given the remaining Echoes, Chrom and Ken, have enough differences be semi-clones, characters based on existing fighters with major moveset differences.

Speaking of semi-clones, Isabelle from “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” was added as a semi-clone of Villager. This old dog was clearly taught new tricks, as her specials, Smash attacks and miscellaneous moves are original. Although she’s one of the kindest characters in the roster, her puppy-dog eyes shouldn’t fool anyone: Isabelle is a dangerously versatile fighter who specializes in stage control with her command-grab fishing rod and Lloid trap.

Inkling is a fairly technical newcomer, with weak neutral and aerial attacks balanced by special moves and Smash attacks that cover foes in ink. While inked opponents are more easily damaged and launched, ink is a limited resource. Unless refilled by shielding while pressing B, ink attacks deal less damage or become unusable, leaving Inkling vulnerable. Like an actual match of “Splatoon,” playing as Inkling requires meter management mastery.

If anyone is having his finest hour, it’s the highly requested King K. Rool. His moves are both goofy and menacing, referencing his boss battles in the Donkey Kong Country series. His chestplate gives him super armor during belly attacks, though it breaks and stuns him if damaged excessively. With powerful attacks that are stronger than a golden banana, K. Rool is the best super heavyweight fighter in the series.

Unlike K. Rool, Ridley got the short end of the stick. Fans showed colossal support for Metroid’s iconic villain, but that may have been a big mistake. Even though Ridley’s moves deal

December 2018 | Entertainment

Image from Nintendo

King K. Rool has a variety of moves referencing his boss battles in the Donkey Kong Country series. For example, his neutral special attack is the Blunderbuss cannon from “Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest.”

huge damage, his surprisingly weak air mobility and easily punishable attacks are what cut him down to size. Thankfully, fans at large will stop complaining that Ridley isn’t playable, but that doesn’t make up for his massive flaws.

Third party Smash characters are always a delight, and Simon Belmont from the Castlevania series is no exception. His his iconic whip, Vampire Killer, gives his Smash attacks, aerials and tilts excellent range and protection from weak projectiles. Simon is the only newcomer with an Echo, that being Richter. Richter is almost identical in combat, but Simon’s moveset includes moves from Richter’s games, so they’re essentially Echoes of one another.

The Fire type starter Pokemon from the Alola region, Incineroar, fills the traditional fighting game archetype of an up-closeand-personal grappler character. This pro wrestler isn’t the most practical character, but its varied moves make it entertaining to play as, like its unique counter that strengthens its next attack.

Incineroar has the most flair of any fighter, as most of its attacks end with wrestling taunts that can be instantly cancelled.

These characters were such popular choices because they were selected from the Smash Ballot, a 2015 event that asked fans who should be playable in upcoming games. While runners-up became Assist Trophies and Mii costumes, five of the newcomers had massive voter turnout. Incineroar is an exception; a character slot was saved for a Pokemon, and director Masahiro Sakurai chose Incineroar because he wanted to design a grappler.

“Ultimate” introduced a solid group of new and highly requested fighters, as well as Ridley, whose inclusion at least means fans can end the infamous “Too Big for Smash” debate. Given how faithful the newcomers are to their original appearances and how fun they are to play, it’s exciting to imagine how the upcoming DLC fighters will play when they’re released over the next year.

Visit the Electric Retrospective blog at https://electricretrospective.wordpress.com/ for gaming news, reviews, and editorials. New articles release every Tuesday.

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Comic by Colin Shue

We wish all a blessed Holiday Season!

Christmas Brunch is Dec. 23, at 9:45 Christmas Eve Service is at 5 p.m.

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Comic | December 2018