Corral Newspaper, Issue 2 Nov. 2018 by Parkway Central Corral

Corral Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield, MO 63017 Vol 63, Issue 2 Nov. 12, 2018

The

Price of Pain

Junior Ryan Pham walks down the athletic hallway in crutches. Photo by Christine Stricker

Staff Editorial

Corral Editor-in-Chief Athena Stamos Managing Editor Wesley Henshaw Copy Editor Madeline Lee Entertainment Editor Brett Smith Features Editor Jenna Lazaroff News Editor Henry T. Eubank Opinions Editor David Amirdjanian Photography Editor Gabby Abowitz Sports Editor Logan Potts Social Media Director Abby Prywitch Online News Editor Claudia Sanders Online Features Editor Sydney Stahlschmidt Online Sports Editor Alex Maisenhelder Staff Writers Jay Bowen Kaylee Canoy Avery Cooper Lindsay Dehn Eva Deniszczuk Tori Favazza Myori Felix Megan Fisher Lee Foust Sally Hanser Patrick McColl Ryan Pham Mackenzie Rush Haydn Schertz Danni Schneiderman Taylor Stern Margaret Vierling Carly Wasserman Shoshana Weinstein Trey Williams Adviser Mrs. Christine Stricker

Discussion is crucial, regardless of opinion or agreement Corral Staff

n a nation that is divided on almost every issue that there is, discussion is more important than ever. Regardless of what your opinion is, if you agree with someone else’s opinion, or if you think someone’s opinion is wrong or not valid, respect must be shown by all parties involved and everyone must be given the right to speak, express their views, and to be given a respectful place to share their opinions. I am not saying that you have to agree with some one’s opinion or for you to try to convince someone to change their opinion or for them to change yours, but everyone deserves respect. In fact, when someone feels that they aren’t being respected and that they are not being allowed to speak, they actually become more shut down and hold more steadfastly onto their own views. They may also become angry or agitated at the other parties involved, and the last thing we need in this world is more conflict. Instead of waiting to talk and then yelling your viewpoint at a person whom does not share your same opinions, listen and take in what they are saying and then calmly respond in order to facilitate discussion. Discussion is crucial- it makes us better people, helps us grow as a community and as people, ex-

Yays Yays!

•• Six more weeks left of first semester! We’re almost there!! •• Winter sports are starting soon… let’s goooo •• Thanksgiving break starts next week! Five days school-free :) •• It’s time for the annual Powderpuff Game! Is your team ready? •• Begone bugs- colder temperatures mean the critters are gone.

pands our individual worldview, helps us understand others, and unites us in a time that some see as more divided than ever. Some people reading this may not agree with us, or they may become offended by our opinion, but hopefully everyone takes the time to read this and to hear what we are saying instead of just looking for ways that we differ from them, that they see as ways that we am wrong, and respond angrily. If you get offended by someone having a different opinion than you, that is a you problem. The odds of being surrounded 24/7 by people who have the exact same opinions as you are slim to none, and in order to be functioning, good members of society, we need to learn to respect others opinions and to not yell out that we are offended simply by someone else expressing their views. This nation is built upon the First Amendment-the right to free press and free speech-and while we can debate upon things such as hate speech, everyone has the right to have an opinion and to express it without being silenced or having fear about what repercussions there could be if they express their opinion.

Neighs Neighs •• Thank you, College Board, for making AP testing sign ups in November •• Who is ready for all those tests that teachers are cramming in our two day week? •• Finals are in five weeks!! You ready?? •• Seniors, college deadlines are coming up. Stay updated! •• We’re a little done with it being 90 degrees in October. Is it finally fall?

We want to hear from you! Our goal is to always report the truth.

The Corral is a student-written, edited and produced publication of Parkway Central High School, 369 N. Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017; 314-415-7978. The Corral is given away free of charge to students and faculty. Subscriptions and patronships for one year may be purchased, starting at $20. The goal of this publication is to provide accurate, informative and entertaining information in the true spirit of responsible journalism and to operate as an open forum for students, faculty, administrators and parents. The Corral is created on Hewlett-Packard and Mac computers using Adobe Creative Suite 6 and is published by PJ Printing. Unsigned editorials reflect the views of the editorial board. Signed columns and artwork reflect the views of that individual. The staff appreciates comments and suggestions. Letters to the editor, guest editorials and other correspondence are encouraged but must be signed. The Corral reserves the right to publish or refrain from publishing, as well as edit, all submitted material.

What are your yays and neighs? pchcorral.com @pchcorral Pch_publications Parkway Central Publications Pchpublications

Opinions

WORLD AWARENESS CLUB RETURNS Taylor Stern Staff Writer

Imagine browsing the school website during AC Lab one day when an apparent non-existing school club catches your attention. Do you ignore it since it doesn’t exist anymore? Or do you revive the idea you got so excited to join? That’s the decision juniors Emma Cantor, Maddie Fels, and I had to make. “I was browsing the school website looking for information on a different club and I saw a tab for World Awareness Club. I thought it sounded interesting and I really wanted to join it,”

Cantor said. “I clicked on it hoping to inquire more information but the only thing I found was for a meeting in 2011. I thought ‘well if I can’t just join it, maybe I can recreate it.” World Awareness Club previously existed at Parkway Central but unfortunately died out several years ago when the founding student, Emily Wilson, now 25, graduated and the sponsoring teacher retired. Inspired by the lost idea of learning about and addressing issues affecting our world, nation and community, my friends and I decided to bring it back. “I feel like a lot of people have the curiosity to learn about what’s going on but don’t have the means to discuss it,” Cantor said. “We want to provide a place where people can explore those curiosities and learn more about what they hear so we can intelligently talk about the things that are happening.” Upon discovering the club online, Emma and I went around the school talking to various teachers about the club’s history when we ran into Maddie in the hall. We instantly knew she would be on board so we asked her to join, sat down together in the history commons, and planned our first club meeting. “I wanted to help start this club because there’s a lot going on right now worldwide and and people aren’t really educated on it, ” Fels said. “I think lots of people can gain something from being more politically aware.” As founders, we all agreed there’s many things happening in the world today and you can ask several people, especially teenagers, what’s going on and they’ll likely have no idea. We feel that our youth needs to be more educated to be able to combat our generations naivety and ignorance to become more well-rounded, aware people. Our main goal is to focus on discus-

sion and education of current events and issues happening on both national and global levels. “It’s going to focus on whatever the members and participants see fit,” Cantor said. “We’re going to do whatever we can to help other people learn as much as they can while having fun.” Club sponsor and science teacher, Lee Johnson, said that through the resurrection of this club, “people will become more aware of all that is going on in the world which is very important.” Johnson is also the sponsor of Colt’s Demand Action, a similar political awareness club dealing with youth activism specifically regarding gun abuse. Obviously, having an idea and a desire to start a new club is not enough to make it happen; there’s a process you have to go through. Luckily, the process of getting a club started is fairly simple. There is a form in the Student Activities office that needs to be filled out stating the club proposition, who the faculty sponsor will be, the focus of the club, how often it will meet, and when. Once the club is confirmed and deemed appropriate, the club can begin as soon as they’re ready. “It’s hard when we all have different activities after school and we have to plan a meeting time and we aren’t all always available,” Fels said. “But this is something that’s important to us so we’re trying to find the time to make it happen.” Learning more about what’s going on in the world and broadening one another’s perspectives is something the club wants to help everyone benefit from. World Awareness Club is currently on it’s way to a comeback; the first meeting will be Nov. 16 during AC Lab at 9:30 in Johnson’s room.

LGBT STL - HOT SPOTS FOR QUEER CULTURE Eva Deniszczuk Staff Writer

he night is Oct. 5, and the music is so loud I wonder if my ears will still be ringing by tomorrow. The multi-colored lights flash rapidly to the beat, and a group of men dance intensely in front of us. To our right is an older lesbian couple. I can’t help but smile when I catch a glance of them every so often. It’s not everyday I see the people who’re like me in that regard. Attitudes Nightclub is a little pink brick building, placed directly at the corner of Manchester Ave. and South Sarah St in The Grove. Above the building, a gay pride flag flies high, an omen of what’s to come should you go inside. Arriving early will treat you to the sight of the working girls, drag queens, filing in, face half beat, wig half pinned, and outfit not entirely on. And yet, it feels like home. It’s hard to describe the mentality you slip into once you enter a queer space. It seems even people who identify as 100 percent heterosexual can easily pick up on this change in atmosphere. It’s certainly an experience I would recommend to anybody, interest in queer culture or not. The joy of the audience, and of course, the performer, (who in the case of my most recent visit, happened to be Monet X Change from Rupaul’s Drag Race, Season 10) is intoxicating in a way where no matter how you felt going in, you’ll always leave with a giant smile plastered to your face for the rest of the night. Although Attitudes is technically a nightclub, it is open for minors to attend, although without the drinking so synonymous with gay culture and nightclubbing, of course. However, if you have overprotective parents, you could see that this may possibly be a problem. Trying to explain to them that this is a perfectly safe place could prove futile, as the label of ‘nightclub’ could raise some eyebrows. To some gay (especially those not out) students, this can be a challenge, or even intimidating. This is the importance of accessible queer spaces, which is something that

St. Louis has actually been slowly catching up on these days. Another spot, is on the corner of Washington Ave. and North 4th St., is Hamburger Mary’s. If you were to go there during the day, you might think it’s just a regular burger place with funny food menu names. But go there on a weekend at about 6 p.m., you’d see that it’s much more than that. At night, it turns into an all-ages welcome drag show, which typically lasts about two hours. It’s loud, exciting, and the flashing lights and loud music just make you wanna dance with the girls on stage. But as somebody who has plenty of introverted friends, I know that sometimes drag and club environments can prove stressful, or even overwhelming for some people, which is why such introverts treasure queer cafe, ‘MoKaBe’s’ so dearly. ‘MoKaBe’s’ is a queer space located in The Grove, that has a welcoming and quiet atmosphere, as well as board games stowed away that patrons can pick up and play with. The staff there are incredibly kind and warm, and the space feels extremely homey. Perfect for anybody who just wants a little quiet breathing time away from home, or to be casually queer in public if they’re perhaps not out to those around them. Although there are queer pockets to St. Louis, the first that tends to come to mind being The Grove, which I’ve already mentioned, Missouri in and of itself is still a red state. It’s a strange balance of existence, teetering in between an acceptance in one county, and a burning hatred of your very being the next county over. Gay people all over predominantly red states know this strange feeling of being accepted among their individual communities, all the while their home state tries to rip their human rights from their hands. Bottom Left: Courtesy of Lee Foust Bottom Right: Courtesy of CitySeeker

The very existence of queer people is a political statement, whether we decide to address it or not. The notion of celebrating yourself and the people who paved the way for you is a riot. Support local queer artists, business owners, politicians, and activists, who are still working hard to keep people like us, or perhaps, people you know and love, safe and secure in their homes and skin. Above: Courtesy of David Amirdjanian

Opinions

HEATING UP: CLIMATE CHANGE What is global warming and how YOU can make a change Danni Schneiderman Staff Writer

s building principal Tim McCarthy’s voice booms over the speaker system in the cafeteria, students left and right throw their recyclables in the compost bin, ignoring his pleading instructions. However miniscule this action might seem, it truly does contribute to polluting our earth. During the past few years, global warming has been a rising concern in many people’s lives. Global warming is the gradual increase in temperature of the earth’s oceans, climates and atmosphere due to “greenhouse gases” which are the effect of excessive carbon dioxide and pollutants from burning coal and fossil fuels being released into the air. These changes can cause rising sea levels and an increase in the frequency and severity of storms. Greenhouse gases are what is clogging and polluting our atmosphere. According to a reference article from National Geographic, “It’s becoming clear that humans have caused most of the past century’s warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives. Called greenhouse gases, their levels are higher now than in the last 650,000 years.” This increase of greenhouse gases are what is causing a sharp incline in temperatures all around the world. The ozone layer is what protects our Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays by absorbing them and prevents damage in the DNA of plants and animals which causes cancer. In the past few decades, scientists have realized that our natural protective barrier, the ozone layer, is deteriorating. Specifically, an area of concern is the space over the South Pole, which they call an ozone hole. This hole is caused by excessive chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases which come from aerosol cans such as axe, febreeze, etc. The ozone layer can only absorb

Photos courtesy of Pixabay

so much chlorine before it starts thinning. However, after a few decades of observation and legislation against aerosol cans and the use of CFC gases in products, “last year, the ozone hole was 4 million square kilometers (2,485,484.769 miles)smaller than it had been in the past,” according to National Geographic. To give you some perspective, the surface area of the entire Earth is 196.9 million square miles. This makes the shrinkage of the ozone hole only about two percent of the total area of the Earth. However, over time, this two percent is leading us in the right direction to help save our planet. There’s no doubt that humans can have an impact on the environment, both positively and negatively which is shown by this drastic decrease in the ozone hole. There are people who feel differently about this topic, as there are nuances in every political topic (yes, this topic does get political). Scientists mark the start of modern global record-keeping at roughly 137 years ago, in 1880. “That’s because earlier available climate data doesn’t cover enough of the planet to get an accurate reading,” according to NASA. The Earth is 4.5 billion years old and 137 of those years is just a microscopic sliver of the big picture. Some people believe that humans cannot impart a change in the cycles of the climate on our gigantic planet. Due to the obscurity of what climate was like at the beginning of time, 4.5 billion years ago, some scientists can’t be sure what the future will look like. According to National Geographic,“The Earth’s climate has changed throughout history. Just in the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the

beginning of the modern climate era.” Even though humans do have an impact on global warming, some might think that the impact is not that significant and won’t impact the “pattern” of heating and cooling in a broader aspect. On the other hand, there are statistics that show that there is a direct correlation of human pollutant emissions to the warming of our climate as of late. “Scientists are discovering that production of electricity using coal and petroleum, and other uses of fossil fuels in transportation and industry, affects our environment in ways we did not understand before,” National Geographic contributor Aaron Sidder said. This new information causes new discoveries and new challenges. Since we are aware of this direct correlation, people are trying to spread awareness about cutting back on electricity in order to preserve the earth. Regardless, there’s many ways you can help preserve our Earth. Trying to conserve water is a major part of saving the environment. Turning the water off while brushing your teeth, limiting the amount of time you’re in the shower, and fixing “leaky” toilets. These are all ways to do your part. In addition, trying to carpool with others is a great way to reduce the amount of carbon emissions you are putting in the atmosphere. Also, riding bikes or walking from place to place is also an earth-friendly way of transportation and can get you moving and exercising. A change in our lifestyles needs to be implemented, whether it’s to stop global warming or just live a more energy efficient way of life.

Opinions

Recruitment or Undue Influence? Coaches and players offer insight on recruitment habits

Recruitment has become a more prevalent issue in recent years with social media and the reach private school coaches have using that as a tool. Henry T. Eubank “Coaches post on Twitter where they got their guys to go News Editor for college,” Central’s head football coach, Mark Goldenberg ecruitment. It’s an exciting word, especially for those who said. are subject to it. We usually hear a lot about recruitment Head football coach Jeff Duncan of Parkway West believes of gifted athletes in their senior year of high school, for that recruiting has become more aggressive recently as well. basketball, baseball, football, and so on. Recruitment is an es“I think that this is an issue and it is becoming more and sential part of college sports and a tool that the best coaches and more common each year,” Bunton said. programs use to build successful teams and build legacies. But How do private school coaches contact athletes? A numrecruitment doesn’t only happen at the college level; it happens ber of ways, some of Bunton’s players experienced aggressive in middle school as well. recruitment through letters, emails, text messages, and phone However, it shouldn’t happen at all according to the calls, even after the student has informed the school that they do MSHSAA Handbook in the “Undue Influence” section. There not wish to attend their school. Duncan knows that coaches will are several rules stated clearly prohibiting recruitment of middle go to their junior league or select team games and talk to them schoolers and the penalties are explicit in their intention to before and after. Freshman Cam Harris, who was also recruited, prevent such behavior. Yet, it still happens can verify that this happens. frequently in the St. Louis area. Schools, “They would actually come to a few predominantly private, continue to exploit of games and talk to me after the game,” young athletes and pull them out from unHarris said. der the public school that they are familiar According to the MSHSAA Handwith. book, section 2.6.3, is a direct violation of Over the years there have been a numthe rules. This is a problem of multiple ber of Central student athletes approached levels. To Goldenberg it is both a moral by private school coaches to persuade them and ethical issue. Not only that the rules to join their school for athletic benefit. set by the state are being ignored and “It was kinda hard because I was broken, but also kids can find themselves young so didn’t know what was going on exploited by these schools if they don’t really,” freshman Joe Siervo said regarding meet their standards. being recruited as a young middle schooler. “I have also seen what happens to Most of the kids that go to Parkway kids who are not good enough and then Central Middle know that they will go to are ‘released’ by the private schools due Parkway Central High School, however, this to athletic ability. That is wrong,” Bunton is not the case for all kids. Siervo is a prime said. example of someone who’s future after Goldenberg has also seen a change Jeff Duncan PW0H Head Football Coach middle school was uncertain. Approached in who takes part in the recruiting at a private school’s basketball camp by that “It used to be only the larger schools school’s basketball coach, Siervo was very flattered, so he decidthat were the issue... but some smaller private schools that have ed that he wanted to go to that private school for high school. But gotten on the bandwagon and are sometimes more aggressive in it was a rushed decision for Siervo and his family. their recruitment.” “They gave me a lot of paperwork to fill out and I had to So how do coaches entice kids to leave an environment take test to see if I was eligible to go there, and Ipassed. So I they are already comfortable in? Assurances of success in athletonly had a couple of weeks to tell if I wanted to go to (the private ics and academics, not to mention the financial aid. school),” Siervo said. Siervo would go on as a middle schooler “[The private school coach] said my academics would be set on attending that private high school, however he did not end better and that I would have more success in basketball,” Siervo up going there. The reason, unrelated to school or basketball, said. was controversy among that private school’s leadership. But in Some private schools have tremendous success in athletics hindsight, Siervo believes he made the right decision. and impressive academic records. But the fact of the matter is, “You don’t need to go to a private school for education or so does Parkway Central. With numerous banners and plaques to get noticed for sports,” Siervo said, “Deandre Campbell went to show our success in recent years athletically and impressive to a public school and he got noticed by colleges… I realized that academics of our own, deceit would certainly have to be involved there was no reason to leave, I have friends here. I’d rather stay in any pitch to oust Central. Deceit isn’t mentioned as a violation here.” in the MSHSAA Handbook, but is used routinely for the purpose Public school coaches take serious offense to private school of impressing and luring impressionable kids to their school for recruitment, no surprise. The Parkway North head football their own gain. Public school coaches believe that this process is coach, Bob Bunton, has a strong opinion on this matter. wrong and should be discontinued. “I would consider any school (public or private) that offers So what is being done to combat the recruitment? Football any young student-athlete ANY financial gains to attend a school and basketball assistant coach Jon Hardy who works at Parkway a very serious issue. When you start dealing with money for athCentral middle school, has an up close look at what can be done letic ability, I consider that a very unfair advantage,” Bunton said. to sell Central to recruited middle schoolers. “We talk to them and talk about our sports and academ-

ics to try and show them they don’t need to leave for a private school,” Hardy said. Coach Duncan also has a way to reach middle schoolers as well. “I have three football coaches that teach at the middle school who promote West High and our football program.” The problem really falls back on the public schools regarding this issue. Seeing that little is done to keep undue influence in check, it is up to the public schools to sell themselves to kids, and keep them in a familiar environment that also inspire and produces success.

“We have to all stick together. We have to continue to create a sense of pride around our school and communities.”

Freshmen Joe Siervo and Cam Harris pose in private school garb. Photo by: Henry T. Eubank

Opinions

PROP B - MINIMUM WAGE BOOST

What it means for Central students and their futures Lee Foust Staff Writer

roposition B is a ballot initiative that, having been passed, will raise Missouri’s minimum wage to $8.60 immediately, and increase wages by 85 cents annually until reaching $12 in 2023. The outcome of this initiative could have a significant impact on many high schoolers’ lives, as students are often the ones being employed at minimum wage. As it stands currently, it can be difficult for students to start saving money at this point in life. With such low pay for many and sometimes expensive economic obligations, it can be hard for a student to store away any cash for the future. For sophomore David Meyer, who works two to three days a week, there’s barely enough to cover his many expenses. “I’m making maybe $300-400 a month. $100 of that goes to insurance, maybe about another $100 or $200, depending on how much I drive that month, goes to gas,” Meyer said. “By the end of the month I really only have maybe $30-40 that is like my money to spend or save or do really whatever I feel is necessary at the time.” For many high schoolers, the relatively low current minimum wage can also make it difficult to meet all of the financial demands of growing up. As students start maturing and making their own money, parents may start to demand more of them. “Spotify premium, clothing...part of my car insurance, gas, food for my pets, and sometimes food for myself. I have to pay for games like for PC or PS4, I have to pay for pretty much anything in the electronic zone,” senior Chris Huber said. This responsibility to help pay for and fund any personal costs can fall heavily on some students shoulders, making

secure a place if it were raised, but overall I’m not sure how it’d it hard to start saving any money. For some, like Meyer, they affect everything else, because like if we’re getting more then must provide for themselves in order to lessen the burden on I feel like something’s going to be taken away in exchange. their family. So I feel like there has to be a balance in there somewhere.” “I have siblings who currently cannot work and they Collins said. won’t be able to work for a while,” Meyer said. “As someone The raise in minimum wage will have a strong effect on who comes from a family who has a bit of money problems, many high schoolers’ lives, generally in a positive way. As stuit puts a lot of stress on me to ask my parents for anything, so dents move towards their future, being able to have a stronger that little bit of extra money that I could use for my own subfinancial situation could help alleviate some of the stress of scriptions or whatever would be a big stress reliever.” For others, the extra money could just help their family’s transitioning into adulthood. “It would be helpful, cause here people are just kinda economic situation overall, regardless of personal uses. Junior like oh, you’re 18 or you’re moving out, you have to jump right Bernarya Collins plans to use part of her income as a way to into something, which that’s not the case for every family.” support her loved ones. Collins said. “I personally want money to assist my family… and basically pay [my mom] in return for what she’s given for me in my life,” Collins said. ”So raising it would be helpful and just get us out of little ruts we get into now and then.” There is the possibility of there being certain effects on the future, both positive and negative, as a result of this change in minimum wage. Though more money always sounds like a good thing, if minimum wage is increased, many businesses, especially smaller ones, may have to raise prices to keep up with the increased labor costs. Graph showing the change in Missouri’s statewide minimum wage from 2008-2018. “I think it’d be helpful to Provided by FRED Economic Data.

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Join PCH Publications! Start with: Convergence Journalism (a quick semester, for the basics) Broadcast Production (PCH-TV and video hits) Move to: Yearbook (photographers & designers, we want you!) Newspaper (sports, social media, and online too) We also: Travel to conventions (D.C. in Fall 2019!) Enter contests (local and national) See Mrs. Stricker in room 948 or cstricker@parkwayschools.net before registration in January.

News

PROP S PROMISES UPGRADES

What To Expect Now That Prop S Has Passed Megan Fisher Staff Writer

t was hard to go anywhere within Parkway and not see or hear information regarding Prop S or the new visitor management system. Prop S will not only affect Central but all Parkway schools. This $110 million bond issue will do a lot for the aging buildings in Parkway. District wide, almost $60 million will be devoted to maintenance and repairs within the buildings as well as outside. This includes replacing doors and windows, lighting, exterior walls, flooring, heating and air conditioning, pavement of parking lots and sidewalks, and more. Nearly $13 million will help with safety and security measures. Double security cameras will be added to elementary

Graphic courtesy of Parkway School District

schools. Locks will be replaced, double door vestibules, and intruder-resistant security film will be added throughout the schools in the district. $8 million will go towards updating and replacing the telephone system, Smart Boards and document cameras. The remaining $32 million will be used to renovate classrooms, restrooms, libraries, nurse and counselor areas, resulting in a near $110 million total. Specifically for Central, the bond will cover the following: replace interior and exterior HVAC units, replace the pool filtration system, replace the north parking lot and one sidewalk, and add a vestibule at main entrance with double-entry doors. Central students will soon see a difference once the heating and air conditioning units are re-

placed, along with some of the roofing. These replacements will help with a more consistent learning environment as well as help with a more consistent airflow throughout the school. When talking with Superintendent Keith Marty, he touched a lot on the repairs that will be taking place. He mentioned several different things one being new lighting. New lights will make the building much brighter which in the end will benefit the students and teachers while in the classroom. Another thing, which is a very big piece of Prop S is security. Parkway is really focusing in on safety with the addition of more cameras, the new check in system. “Security, making sure you’re secure in the school, that’s a big piece of it,” Marty said. Adding these extra security measures will make the students and staff feel safer in the school building. The biggest surprise about the bond is that it will not raise tax rates. You may be wondering how a $110,000,000 bond issue won’t raise taxes but Parkway has a well thought out plan that does not involve an increase in tax. “School districts assume debt and they assume debt because of bonds, so when we pass this we have to go out and borrow money and then we pay it off over a number of years,” Marty said. “We have to go borrow money but because of our fund balance, we then don’t have to go out and borrow money, so we’ve been able to do more of that, so we have been able to reduce having to go and even add onto that debt.” Now that the bond has passed, these renovations and repairs can begin. If it had not passed, the renovations would have been put on hold and Parkway would have to think differently and go back to the voters. Along with Prop S, information about the new visitor management system has been shared online and in the paper Parkway sends out to parents. This new system is designed to add another layer of security to our school and make the students and staff feel safer while in the building. “The new system] is connected to a database, so if someone has engaged in conduct or behavior that is illegal and particularly problematic in the context of schools, it will alert us to that and we can respond to that,” McCarthy said. If someone is checking in and has a suspicious record, the database will notify the staff, therefore keeping an extra close eye on said visitor. Since Prop S has passed, the new system won’t be the only added layer of safety Parkway is hoping to place at its schools. Double-doored vestibules will be added to Parkway schools in the next two years. These vestibules will be furnished so that it is not just a room, but will be truly welcoming to the visitors. Installing these vestibules will take time because “there will have to be a design process specific to the building. The thinking on that is just with the new visitor management system, that is essentially when someone comes into the building now to check in, they are already inside the building. So the thinking is the check in then will happen inside the vestibule,” McCarthy said. This will ensure that any visitor that should not be in the building is still outside, but the building staff is aware that they are there. Every day students come to school knowing they will spend their day in classes learning and in the hallways with their friends. What students do not know is what goes on around them to ensure that the environment is safe and comfortable for everyone. At Parkway, the plans being put into place with Prop S and the new check-in system will allow Parkway to continue putting the students, faculty and staff first.

News

VOTING IN THEIR COMMUNITY As students turn 18, they earn the right to contribute

Claudia Sanders Online News Editor

ollowing the elections on Nov. 6, high school students that have just turned 18 had the privilege to vote in the midterms. Even though we have this privilege, some of us are unaware of deadlines, who to vote for, where to vote, or how to register. Although the information could be look it up on the Internet, with the busyness that is the first semester of senior year, it’s easily pushed to the bottom of our to-do lists. It’s not that people don’t want to exercise their civil rights, but most of the seniors who didn’t vote, just simply forgot. “I didn’t have a specific reason, but I was just overwhelmed by college apps and schoolwork that it just didn’t come to mind,” senior Christina Pham said. Despite how important it is to vote, many students wish that they would have known more about deadlines so they could cast their ballot. Senior Zahva Naeem is working to bring voting information to the students of Parkway Central. “I think that sometimes it’s difficult to see the impact one person’s vote can have during an election because of the sheer number of votes that are collected, but there have been numerous elections where the winner has been decided by a handful of voters. Also, the U.S. has a somewhat low proportion of citizens who vote so your vote is actually worth more than you think. And either way, expressing your voice and opinion may not always mean that you get the result you want, but at least you’re standing up for what you believe in,” said Naeem. She is working hard to get as many qualifying seniors to voice their political opinions. Naeem is part of a political club for Parkway that is work-

Senior Lindsay Dehn proudly displays her voting sticker for Parkway Central’s practice voting activity. Parkway schools has held practice voting simulations to help students experience voting before they have the opportunity to vote in a real polling place.

ing to show students the importance of voting in every election. “I’m a part of the PSPF Committee (Parkway Student Political Forum) and we organized a Student-Sponsored Candidate Forum on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. where we had some of the candidates running to be the Representative in the HoR for the 2nd Congressional District for MO,” Naeem said.“It’s was a panel with pre-selected questions that have been submitted by Parkway students.” This committee’s goal is to educate interested individuals to participate in our democracy by voting for what they believe in. As a young adult, it’s hard to think that one vote could make a huge impact, but when all combined that one vote turns into thousands. “The reason I don’t think I would’ve signed up until the next presidential election is because I feel like my vote doesn’t really mean anything just because of how many people will be voting,” senior Nathan Sharp said. “I just think that one extra vote won’t make someone win or lose an election, but I realize that if everyone thinks that way then that’s how elections are won or lost.” These thoughts have crossed many minds because in all honesty, one vote doesn’t seem like it could do anything, but by putting it in perspective, every vote counts Voting is a right of passage as many are turning 18. Your voice matters and it’s important that in a democracy, you use it to your full advantage so that there’s a chance your ideal government can become a reality. According to Fox 2 News, voter turnout is at an all time high(over 60%) compared to the previous record of 56%. Thanks to those showing out to share their opinions, the representation allows for many people of different political backgrounds to participate in the elective government.

TEACHER LEADS DOUBLE LIFE AS MAYOR AND EDUCATOR Tori Favazza Staff Writer

ail Winham, while figuring out societal issues within the community of Winchester, also helps disabled kids here at Parkway Central High School; two jobs that take completely different mindsets and values. Winham knew she wanted to be a mayor after being an alderman, or chief magistrate of a county or a group of counties, for 19 years, starting the job at 59. “I like directing what the city evolves into, solving some of the major problems that we have, coordinates, violations, and problems residents have,” Winham said, but the job requires a bit of persuasion regarding finalized decision making. “I don’t have a vote, the mayor does not get a vote, so I have to convince the alderman. We have four alderman, and I have to work with them to come to a consensus and hopefully get them to see my point of view.” Being mayor requires cooperation with other people in the community, and without that cooperation builds issues. “I don’t like when my alderman, or residents, don’t tell you the truth. Then, you have to go back and solve a problem because you were working on the assumption that this was going to happen, and instead they change their minds and they don’t tell you. Then you have to resolve the problem,” Winham said. Even the journey to becoming mayor was a rocky road, with multiple obstacles, Winham had to overcome to gain the respect she deserved. “Being a woman, even years ago we were in a culture that a

man knows more about concrete, asphalt, and knows more about working with construction. Though I don’t know everything about these things, I do know a lot about them, just because I’ve done it for so many years,” said Winham. Though the desire to be mayor wasn’t a newfound passion, becoming a special education teacher was a bit of a surprise. “16 years ago I got divorced and I had to have a job with insurance, and I didn’t want to teach as a teacher because of my other responsibilities,” Winham said. “I wanted to be able to do a good job with whatever I did, because that’s the way I am, so I thought I could work in the special school district, and work with kids, to make a difference in their lives, and have a job that has regular pay and hours.” Though becoming a special education teacher was not expected, working with kids and teaching was no stranger to her. “I was also a preschool teacher,” Winham said. “I’ve taught second, third, fourth, and sixth grade. Through the experience, Winham describes what she loves about the job. “I love the ability to help them and aid them to make their lives better or to make their lives more complete… I’ve had some children here for several years, and you can see the progress they made… that’s very rewarding,” said Gail. But aside from teaching children, from the job she has learned a few ways to better herself. “I’ve learned patience as one of my biggest. I tend to be

hard nosed. I like things done, I like them done now in the right way, and with our kids that’s a process,” said Winham.

Ms. Winham is both a mayor and a special education teacher at Parkway Central. She is mayor of the small suburb of Winchester, with a population of about 1,519. Photo by Victoria Favazza.

Features

THEATRE DEPARTMENT PREPS FOR FALL PLAY Margaret Vierling Staff Writer

The cast of Noises Off has been working hard the past month and a half rehearsing almost every day. According to some of the cast, the fall play is full of excitement, drama, and love triangles. Samantha Seigel, a senior in the play, describes it as a farce, which is a physical comedy. “Basically it’s about all of these actors who are in a play together, so it’s a play within a play, and they’re all kind of idiotic and everything that could go wrong in the show pretty much does go wrong,” Seigel said. “There are love triangles, people are fighting with each other, and it’s a lot of physical comedy and it’s fun to see it all go wrong and they’re all trying to work together to make it work and it’s just not happening.” Most of the characters in the play also play another character since it is a play within a play. “My character is Poppy Norton-Taylor and she is the stage manager for the play inside of the play,” junior Darby Blum said. Senior Jen Harry plays two characters, Dottie and Mrs. Clackett. “Dottie is an older character and she has money in this show and wants to get the whole thing together and it’s not exactly working for her and everybody on stage is stressed and has other things going on with other characters or maybe two or more. And then Mrs. Clackett is a sassy housemaid that [Dottie] plays,” Harry said. Seigel also plays two characters who are very diffrent from each other. “My character, Belinda, plays Flavia in the show. Belinda is overly optimistic, tries to keep the moral up, and she’s a pretty reliable actress, which is good for everybody. Flavia is very cutthroat and she wants what she wants and if she doesn’t get it, she

becomes really intimidating and you see another side of her, but they’re contrasting from each other. In the second act, you see Belinda getting more frustrated and more stressed out trying to make sure that everything is going okay.” Seigel said.

The theatre department gets their costumes from a variety of places, depending on what exactly they need. “Sometimes we borrow things from the St. Louis Repertory Theatre at Webster University or sometimes borrow from Stages and a lot of it we have in our giant costume inventory in Mrs. Voss’ classroom,” Seigel said. Preparing for a role can be stressful, but if you practice the right techniques, then everything will fall into place. Some actors have put common technology tools to work in unexpected ways. “A lot of us have gone onto Quizlet and made a Quizlet of our cue line and actual line and we study the heck out of that,” Harry said. “We are rehearsing a lot and have upped the schedule a bit from doing three days to know four or five days a week. It’s pretty vigorous.” “Mrs. Voss also has character sheets that are very helpful and it’s nice to have that in front of you. If you really think about the lines it kind of helps you to get into character. I’ve worked on accents and things too.” Harry said. The more practice each character does, the better they will be on stage. Junior Darby Blum tries to really understand her role and how to be successful during the show. “We will have characterization rehearsals where we really get to focus on our individual characters,” Blum said. The cast will be performing November 15,16, and 17. Tickets can be purchased at the box office or at every lunch shift about a week before the play. The price for students is $6, seniors are $8, and adults are $10.

Junior Darby Blum(left) and senior Samantha Seigel(right) rehearse for the play.

CARVEDOO: MULTITALENTED SOPHOMORE RAPPER By Ryan Pham Staff Writer

appers are our generation’s musicians. When most think of a rapper, they think of Drake or Eminem, but contrary to popular belief, there are young local rappers out there producing music. One new young popular rapper, CarVon Howard, a.k.a. CarVedoo, just recently hit the scenes of Parkway Central. Only a sophomore in high school, he is trying to create his platform now. As a kid, Howard was inspired to rap. Since the age of six, Howard has been rapping. He gained inspiration from his cousins who are popular rappers known as “the Migos.” From their success, Howard was able to visualize his dream. His parents fully supported him throughout his journey. After showing his dedication and passion for rapping, he parents fully supported his goals. With his cousin as his role model, he began rapping and ever since, he has been inspired ever since to become a popular rapper. He gets motivation for his goal from looking at rappers that started from the bottom and raised above and succeeding from the where they started. Howard writes and performs his own songs and it gets produced by the same producer for his cousin. “He gave me the game and I have been rapping ever since,” said Howard. CarVedoo’s music can be found on both Spotify and iTunes. Through spreading and promoting his name through social media, he has up to 1,000 views on Spotify. His song, “Swagg on Em,’” debuted as the soundtrack to the junior varsity dance team routine in the Oct. 12 pep rally. Not only does Howard have

music on Spotify and iTunes, but he also has music videos that can be found on his YouTube channel Rapping is an important goal for Howard, but it’s not his only aspiration. Howard also dreams of playing football beyond high school. He started as middle linebacker as a freshman, and had to transition to other positions to accommodate for the needs for varsity. Even as a freshman, Howard had played a handful of junior varsity games. Even though his is only a sophomore, Howard started offensive center and starting defensive end. Howard also 36 total tackles in the 2018 season with eight tackles at the Webster Groves game on Sept. 28. “Carvon brings a lot to the table, with his competitive edge. Whether it’s on defense or on offense, or even on special teams. His work ethics is tremendous for being an underclassman, and even being an underclass, it doesn’t let that get it in his way. He has a strong dedication for the game,” said junior Haydn Schertz who plays defensive end position. Howard’s current aspirations now are football and rapping. He is now trying to spread his name through social media until he can fully commit to one career. So far Howard is pursuing both his rapping and football career until he gets an opportunity of ether to achieve his goals and aspirations. “I do football, rap, and school. It really depends on which comes first, for real,” Howard said.

Sophmore CarVon Howard poses for his song cover. Photo courtesy of CarVon Howard.

News

FINANCIAL PROGRAM ROCKS CENTRAL Rock the Street, Wall Street helps girls explore finance Shoshana Weinstein Staff Writer

arkway Central is making history this year. As the first school in Missouri to offer the Rock the Street, Wall Street program to its students, Central High is encouraging girls to get more involved in careers in finance. “Central High is the first school in Missouri to have this program implemented,” business teacher Kim Carr said. “Rock the Street, Wall Street is nationwide, but they partner with TD Ameritrade, which is a local company, and then TD Ameritrade brings their female workers, their female executives, in to spread the good word to other girls who might be interested.” Finance is currently a male-dominated field; the Rock the Street, Wall Street program tackles this issue head-on. “The purpose of the program is to promote financial literacy and financial career options with women, because the makeup of that field is very inequitable,” Carr said. “Men to women, the ratio is really lopsided. So this Rock the Street Wall Street organization wanted to just promote that these are great careers for women to come into.” Once enrolled in the program, female students enter the world of finance. They are introduced to the process of budgeting, stocks, bonds, and financial careers. Participants are challenged to think outside the box. “For each section we’ll focus on some aspect of finance, so lately we’ve been working on budgeting and making a mock budget,” senior Talia Emch said. “We’ve looked at stocks, so we’ve tracked a few different companies and their stocks. And

we’ve looked at savings accounts and checking accounts.” Additionally, students find that they are afforded real-world experience through the program. “I’m interested in studying business, and as a senior I kind of want to see a more realistic side of things and how things actually work in the field of finance,” Emch said. “It’s kind of cool to get hands on experience instead of just learning about it in the classroom.” This experience equips girls with the financial skills they will need in the real world. Students also get to interact with women currently working in the field of finance. TD Ameritrade sends experts to coach participants. Girls enrolled in the program expressed gratitude and admiration towards these female role models. “I love meeting these ladies, and seeing how they talk about how much they love their job and the stock market and stuff,” freshman Katie Tien said. “It just seems really interesting to me.” Undeniably, learning from someone with experience is helpful for students pursuing a career in finance. “The program is hosted by professionals that are actually working in the world of finance, so they are bringing a real world perspective, rather than it just coming from a teacher like normal,” business teacher Mary Piening said. “And I think that is enticing to students because they’re hearing it from someone who is doing it.” Participants and teachers alike emphasized that the program was helpful in deepening their understanding of finance, especially when combined with Parkway Central’s required Personal Finance course. “It’s based less on personal application of finance and more on advising other people about financial choices,” Carr said. “So they do a simulation where it’s like,

‘Okay you have this person, and here’s her situation. What would you advise her with her financial situation? What would you advise her to invest in, what would you advise her to budget for different things?’” The rigorous course is paying off. “I’m in personal finance right now, but this is deepening my understanding of personal finance and stuff,” sophomore Julie Ryterski said.

From left to right: Kylie Jost (10), Alexis Schnatmeier (10), Julie Ryterski (10), and Talia Emch (12) meet with a representative of TD Ameritrade during AC Lab on Oct. 17. Photo by Shoshana Weinstein.

COLT CAFE WITH A SIDE OF CHANGE Abby Prywitch

Social Media Director

his year the Colt Cafe managers have been working to improve the atmosphere and efficiency at the cafe. The managing team of six students work alongside Business teachers Kim Carr and Sarah Lueken to make these collective decisions. “They are in charge, and implement the vision they have created,” Carr said. Recently, a new ordering system has been implemented to help with crowding and ordering. “A sticker that is placed on the cup with the customers name and order. We have also made it so that after someone orders something, they move to the pick up side [which is] to their left. This helps with crowdedness and order,” senior Zoe Hahn said, who is a student manager. With these new changes the ordering process is now less time-consuming and more organized. “We also wanted to improve the atmosphere of the cafe, so we rearranged the seating to create smaller groupings instead of all rows. We are also in the process of changing out some of the decor,” Carr said. Soon a big chalkboard will be full of their products and specials. “It’ll be like how our old board was in Mrs. Schwent’s room but bigger and better--a big chalkboard full of our products and specials,” senior Sandi Chasnoff said, who is a student manager. There are also many behind the scenes changes being

made, including a new sign up system to work for the cafe. Students interested in working at the cafe can sign up online at SignUpGenius. In order to work at the cafe, you must be in a business class. “This change was made so that we could be more organized and keep better track of who was working,” senior Mollie Weinberg said, who is a student manager. The cafe managers are working on advertising for the cafe and trying to post on their Instagram story almost every B Day. “When we started getting more people to follow on our Instagram, we gained a huge amount of customers the following day. Keep your eyes out for specials and new items on our Instagram,” Chasnoff said. The managing team have been making these changes to enhance the overall customer experience when going to cafe. “I believe these changes are gaining more customers, like the flyers definitely got people to know about the cafe and our social media has helped as well,” Hahn said. “If you haven’t visited [the cafe] you should stop by,” Weinberg said. The cafe is continuing to change and make improvements. Some of these changes have nothing to do with coffee. “We do for see new changes in the future. We hope to incorporate art into the cafe at some point and start up with our new chalkboard, and besides that, I’m sure we will continue to change things and continue to update as well,” Hahn said. “Our team is working hard to provide the best service and products so our customers can get the horsepower they need,” Chasnoff said.

The new chalkboard at the Colt Cafe was recently added. Photo by Abby Prywitch.

Senior and cafe student manager YuTing Shi places an order sticker on the customers cup. Photo by Abby Prywitch.

News

COMMUNICATION CURRICULUM Modern language curriculum moves to communicative

proved quite difficult for Spanish teachers. “Once we started using it, it really just Managing Editor canceled out the whole communicative apver the past three years, the Modern proach because it made us only teach grammar, Language Department has been underand the problem with the foreign language going massive curriculum changes from curriculum up until this point has been that the the more grammar-oriented approach, to the textbook pretty much dictates what you teach,” more communicative approach, in an attempt Kelty said. “So we were pretty much at the merto increase fluency and general speaking ability cy of whatever textbook we adopted.” in students. Instead of the textbook, teachers now use “Our goal is for students to end our “authentic” sources, meaning any videos, songs, program, whatever level they exit at, that they and other forms of media made by and for are highly proficient learners,” Spanish teacher members of the target culture. Andrea Williamson said. “So that they are Additionally, the tests and class time itself conversational and literate.” has been re-centered towards communication For the new curriculum, students are and interaction. now being taught using the communicative Before the change, the tests were split up approach. The communicative approach is into categories such as reading, grammar, lisa complete refocus from the original gramtening, and writing. Now, assessments are split mar-oriented curriculum, focusing on a more into three categories: interpretive, interpersonnatural and immersive study of the language. al, and presentational. The interpretive section The communicative approach is “when acts as both the reading and listening sections. you use a language to get the kids to communiThe interpersonal section is actual speaking, cate with each other on various topics and most typically between two students. Finally, the of the class time is spent on using the language presentational is mostly compositions, but also for communication,” Spanish teacher Daniel whenever students give a presentation to the Kelty said. “At the same time though you’d have class. to teach the grammar that went along with it.” The biggest change, however, is in how When it comes to a trend towards classes focus on culture. communication, many teachers consider the “Now we always talk about leading with approach to be better for students. culture,” Williamson said. “It’s more interesting German teacher Christie Staszcuk went for the students, it’s more interesting for us, it to school at Parkway Central and learned under really connects us with the real world.” the old curriculum, which she thought didn’t Students discuss cultural topics and prepare her for speaking later on. current events, refining their communicative “We want our kids to speak, we want our skills as they do. The grammar that was so kids to use the language,” Staszcuk said. heavily emphasized previously is now taught as The new approach differs greatly with the needed. original curriculum, which the Modern Lan“When we ask them, ‘Okay, what hapguage Department teachers were, in essence, pened with hurricane Michael,’ they’re going stuck with. For example, with Spanish, the to be summarizing, so that means we’re going classes used the textbook iExprésate!, which to have to teach them a little bit of past tense In order to go along with that,” Williamson said. One of the key aspects of the new curriculum is something known as “thematic units.” This means that each unit focus on a theme, such as food, art, and other outlets of culture. “Instead of having, ‘In chapter two we’re going to talk about the past tense,’ it’s more, ‘In this unit, we’re going to talk about art and we’re going to include things in there with vocabulary and culture,’” Staszcuk said. The entire Modern Language Department then roughly follows the same units. For example, the German 2 and Spanish 2 classes were both on a self-portraits unit at the same time, their classes even sharing paint. Of course, this isn’t the case all of the time. “A lot of what we’re doing is very similar, especially in levels one and two,” Staszcuk said. Spanish teacher Daniel Kelty helps students answer “But when you talk about being culturally drivvarious “what would you do?” questions on Oct. 26. en, there are big differences in the German and On the board, it reads “What would you do if there was...” followed by a picture of a flood, encouraging the Spanish cultures, so when you get to those students to apply to real world situations. Photo by more upper levels the topics should probably

Wesley Henshaw

Wesley Henshaw.

Spanish teacher Daniel Kelty talks with students of his Spanish 3 class on what they would do in the case of various natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes on Oct. 26. The communicative approach deals more with real life application of the language, having students answer and ask questions using their language. Photo by Wesley Henshaw.

change.” The transition to the new curriculum wasn’t exactly smooth, though. “Before I got here, they wrote the level one and level two curriculum and it was not a fun transition,” Staszcuk said. “Everything was the same. Vocabulary lists were the same across all three languages. They tried to implement that, it didn’t go well.” The main problem with the transition was that the teachers in the Modern Language Department had to make their own curriculum from scratch, without the aid of any textbook. As a result, the curriculum was being created as it was being taught. This led to plenty of problems. “That’s why the people who are in level three now, they’ve really suffered because they have been our guinea pigs for the past three years,” Kelty said. “They’re good kids, they’re smart, but they’re not at the level they should be.” For younger students, the department has smoothed over many of the problems, creating a more solid curriculum. However, the curriculum is still growing. “We are continually revising trying to find things that do work, find things that we can have in common,” Staszcuk said.“But keeping the cultural and the linguistic differences in mind so that it is more authentic to the culture and language that we’re talking about.” The change reflects a national movement towards the communicative, as many teachers across the country had been switching to this new style. “Our previous World Language coordinator kind of was looking at national trends

and decided that this was the direction we were going to go,” Staszcuk said. “I worked in Rockwood previously and Rockwood was doing the same type of curriculum change.” The new curriculum has been implemented into language levels one, two, and three, and teachers plan to implement it into the fourth and fifth levels at a later date. Teachers have begun noticing many improvements in students’ fluency and conversational skills as a result of the change. “The kids that are using this new style of curriculum, when they do their speaking tests, are a lot more responsive to what their partner is saying,” Williamson said.“They’re actually listening to what their partner is saying and coming up with an off-the-cuff response.” These students also have been described as less intimidated by listening to indigenous speakers speak. But, there have been some drawbacks. In turning away from grammar and vocab, the younger students don’t have as wide a vocabulary or as much knowledge of grammar. “These kids don’t have that kind of range of grammar knowledge or vocab knowledge, but when I used to teach level three in the past there weren’t many people who could speak spontaneously, whereas now I see a lot of fluency that’s impressive,” Kelty said. The teachers feel that, despite some difficulties, the change has worked out well and they’re now working on solid ground. “There have definitely been growing pains, but, especially with the level two curriculum this year, it’s something that we’re pretty proud of and we think is working well,” Staszcuk said.

Cover Story

The

Price of Pain

BREAKING DOWN: Athletics give opportunities for health, Madeline Lee Copy Editor

oncussions and injuries plague the sports world, and with nearly 30 million participants in youth sports, kids are turning to painkillers to manage their pain. Concussions and CTE, a brain disease that is caused by head trauma such as concussions, have been getting deadlier. Each year as new research come out indicating their effects, injuries constantly occur, and drug abuse is becoming even more prevalent in society.

Concussions Continue to Plague Athletics

On the day before the interview, sophomore Irene Zhang had just been cleared from a second concussion in about seven months. “In March, I got a concussion while I was playing goalie for the water polo team,” Zhang said. “It was fairly mild.” While at practice, Zhang was hit in the face with the water polo ball, which caused a concussion. Immediately after, Zhang went to the athletic trainer, Michael Aaron, with symptoms of dizziness and was diagnosed with a concussion which was later confirmed at the hospital. According to Raman Malhotra, an Associate Professor of Neurol-

ogy at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, a concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, also known as a TBI, that is caused by a hit or a jolt that causes the person to move hard enough that their brain bounces inside the skull and jolts the brain cells. In less than one year, Zhang has sustained two concussions. One from water polo in March, and her most recent one in August. “This most recent [concussion] was caused by taking a tennis racket to the face,” Zhang said. “This one hurt. I had headaches and dizziness, nausea, lack of memory, and I had a hard time concentrating.” Although Zhang is back to normal and no longer has issues with memory, others are not so lucky. “I’ll be trying to think far back and it hurts a bit,” senior AJ Collier said. “It gets blurry.” As a freshman, Collier chose against getting medical care and instead opted to keep playing, which doctors say can be detrimental to the brain. “If someone doesn’t properly allow their brain to rest and heal, then some of the symptoms of the concussion can become permanent,” Malhotra said. “Although, most people, with proper time and healing, will fully recover.” Concussions have long been associated with football, and recent tragedies have shed light upon the dire effects that concussions have had. For example, former Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski committed suicide his junior year which is thought to have been caused by a concussion that upset his brain balance so much that it caused a mental and emotional shift. “My concussions were not as extreme,” Collier said. “But it’s something that the football community is aware of and trying to help with.” Senior Alex Gelman has made a full recovery from a concussion that occurred freshman year while on the swim team. “I remember almost blacking out,” Gelman said. “I couldn’t swim for a couple of days and I wasn’t able to go fast for a week or two.” Symptoms of a concussion can be headaches, nausea, issues with balance, mood swings, drowsiness, or loss of consciousness. “A concussion disrupts the balance of chemicals, such as sodium and potassium,” Malhotra said. “So the nerve cells don’t talk to each other as well. That’s what causes the symptoms of a concussion.”

Presence of Injuries Effects Athletes

While the majority of high school students are walking around the hallways without a second thought, one athlete is rolling. Collier has been wheelchair bound due to an injury that he got during the varsity football game against Ft. Zumwalt North. “I have a torn ACL and MCL,” Collier said. “It was the third game of the season.” He was taken off the field and told by the athletic trainer, Michael Aaron, that he needed to go to the doctor. It was there that Collier found out he would need surgery. “I’m so thankful that Mike told me to see the doctor,”

Collier said. “The sooner that I found out, the faster.” In addition to this injury and a concu tire football season with a torn labrum in his s ble for keeping the shoulder joint in the socke “I just try to think as positive as possi Collier said. “It motivates me to be healthier an Injuries plague the sports world, and high sch According to STOP Youth Sports Injuries, high estimated 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor vi each year. Junior Abby Levine is no stranger to chiropractor a couple of times a year. “I have a lower back issue with my pe “I also have a disease in my foot and my toes ca The National Institute of Health repo rare condition, affecting the “long bones” of th nosed in seventh grade and was required to we “The pain is chronic, so it’s a frequen unbearable, but if I run of jump it will hurt mo excruciating.” In addition to Freiberg’s and a m a broken arm. “Luckily, it didn’t affect my swimmin really started to swim competitively.” Injuries have been, and will continue is changing, however, is how athletes are deali their pain.

The Hidden Price of Painkillers

The pressure on athletes to be better immense. To cope, some athletes turn to paink “Dealing with pain depends on what Michael Aaron said. “If it is from sore muscles be beneficial. If it is from an injury: rehab, rest combination of the three, are beneficial.” One of the more common coping me ers such as ibuprofen and medicine that includ “I literally take Ibuprofen twice a day Katie Kertzman said. “I use it more than I prob According to Gretchen Reynolds in a intense physical activity usually results in a sm small intestine, as well as limited digestional a “I know Ibuprofen can thin your blo always sore from dance and my mom thinks Ib world.” Reynolds found that studies showed ma when an athlete took Ibuprofen before exe to absorb nutrients faced compromise. Howev tent use of ibuprofen is generally safe. “Short-term use of Ibuprofen for inju propriate,” Reynolds said. One of the studies was conducted by and researcher at Appalachian State Universit “The idea in the athletic community

Cover Story

but can also cause harm better. That way I could recover

ussion, Collier also played an enshoulder. The labrum is responsiet and in the correct placement. ible and focus on college sports,” nd to get in better shape.” hool sports are no exception. h school athletes account for an isits, and 30,000 hospitalizations doctors visits either, visiting a

elvis misalignment,” Levine said. alled Freiberg’s disease.” orts that Freiberg’s disease is a he foot. The swimmer was diagear a boot while swimming. nt pain,” Levine said. “It isn’t ore momentarily, but it’s not misalignment, Levine has also had

ng,” Levine said. “It was before I

e to be, present in athletics. What ing with their injuries and with

r, to move faster, to get stronger, is killers in order to dull pain. t is causing it,” athletic trainer s, foam rolling and stretching can t, and limited activity, as well as a

ethods is with common painkilldes Ibuprofen such as Advil. y,” dance team captain and senior bably should.” an article for the New York Times, mall amount of trauma for the ability. ood,” Kertzman said. “But I’m buprofen is the best thing in the

d a raised level of intestinal trauercise, and that the body’s ability ver, Reynolds states that intermit-

ury is generally considered ap-

y David C. Nieman, a professor ty. y is that ibuprofen will help you to

At the homecoming football game against Parkway West, Jayden Littlejohn (12) gets tested for a concussion by athletic trainer Michael Aaron. “I had slight headaches throughout the day, and I was told to not play until I was better,” Littlejohn said. “I hit my head against a West playter and a teammate, our heads all crashed together.”

train better and harder,” Nieman said. “But that belief is simply not true. There is no scientifically valid reason to use ibuprofen [regularly] before exercise, and there are many reasons to avoid it.” Still, many athletes take Ibuprofen at least once in a season, despite the majority not using it regularly. In addition to Ibuprofen, however, there are other painkillers. “After the surgery, I took Oxycontin,” Collier said. “On the ‘good days’, so-to-speak, I’ll take Ibuprofen.” Before the surgery, Collier would take ice baths and use heat compresses to help muscles relax and feel less sore. “I’m weary of taking too many pills in a given day or week,” Collier said. “So I would limit my intake and my dosage. I would never just be laying there taking a pain pill or anything.” In addition to Collier, Gelman is also aware of what medicine is put into his body. “I’m really aware of when I take Ibuprofen,” Gelman said. “I feel like the more you take it, the more sensitive you get to pain, and then you become more likely to take it again and get addicted to it.” While addiction to Ibuprofen is rare, people can become dependent upon the pain reliever.

“It becomes whenever you feel pain, you have to pop pills,” Gelman said. Fellow Parkway Swim Club member Levine feels similarly. “I know people who take Ibuprofen regularly, but I usually don’t” Levine said. “I feel meds aren’t that great unless you have them prescribed.” Levine takes a pain reliever after not having gone to a chiropractor in a while, or if she feels a lot of back pain. “I don’t want to ever pop a pill as soon as I feel any sort of pain,” Gelman said. “Unfortunately, some people do.”

Contributing reporting by Logan Potts and Haydn Schertz.

Sports

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: DIGGING DEEP

Despite losses, girls volleyball achieve a winning record

land, Christian O’Fallon, and Lutheran Southern. Schaefer was not alone in his enjoyment of high level games, with players also Online Sports Editor enjoying the fierce competition. *Clinched state berth “I really enjoyed the tournament at Rockwood Summit. There was really good competition and we were all playing well fter losing to Parkway West in districts last year, volleyball was hungry to get back to the court and start wintogether,” junior outside hitter Lana Cristiani said. Matzdorf also enjoyed the tournament at Summit. “One of our best games ning some games. To get a chance however, they would was against Northwest at Summit, we were all excited after every have to play to the best of their ability, and fight for every victory. point,” Matzdorf said. “I feel like when we play good teams, it It was going to be a grind all year long. makes us play better as a team because we have a common goal “We knew our schedule was going to be really tough, and there was also a district realignment,” to win.” Teamwork goes hand in hand with another important factor of a team sport, Head Coach Tom Schaefer said. “We chemistry. want to play at a really high level and challenge the teams in the top ten.” The “Chemistry and team bonding is a very important part of volleyball because in girls evidently took this sentiment to volleyball you have to be good teammates,” heart, winning three out of their first Matzdorf said. ”You rely on other people four games, with one being a tie. Even tremendously and have to trust that they have with a good start, a good work ethic is very important so they stay hungry, and your back.” The team showed great aspects of chemistry in their many team plays. However, do not relax. it sadly did not all come to fruition in the end “We get a lot of work done at during the district tournament. our practices, we practice six times a “I can say with confidence that we did week and condition 2-3 times a week,” Tom Schaefer Head Coach our best but lost to Lafayette,” said Senior junior libero Katelyn Matzdorf said.“We are Julia Hendricks. Playing as a middle for the team she led in total expected to work hard every day at practice.” Their training and blocks throughout the season with 42 total blocks, helping the work ethic contributed to their 15 victories this season. They also had some hard fought losses against some of the top teams in the Colts to a 15-13-4 record this season. “They played really well down the stretch,” Schaefer said. area, like Summit, Mehlville, Webster Groves, and Northwest. “The girls showed great teamwork and play to come from behind “We were close with some of the top teams all year, even against Parkway South. They pulled out a come from behind splitting 1-1 with a couple of them,” Schaefer said. “We did not win against South before their season ending at the hands of break through as much as I would have liked, but it was always Lafayette. close.” The Varsity team split the season series against Timber-

Alex Maisenhelder

“It is a great group of girls that I have had a pleasure working with.”

Kills: Lana Cristiani - 156 Blocks: Julia Hendricks - 42 Digs: Katelyn Matzdorf - 242

1. Head Coach Tom Schaefer directs his team against John Burroughs on Sept. 5. They eventually took the game 2-1. “The season was challenging, but rewarding,” Schaefer said. “It was challenging yet really fun and overall a great experience,” Julia Hendricks (12) said. Photo by Catherine Ke. 2. Senior Mackenzie Duvall attempts to kill the ball against Lafayette in ditricts. Lafayette took the victory in two sets, eventually advancing on to state. Photo by Christine Stricker.

Stat Leaders:

Aces: Lana Cristiani - 28 Assists: Rylee Schertzer - 246 Receptions: Katelyn Matzdorf - 417

BOYS SWIM AND DIVE RECAP AFTER STATE Logan Potts Sports Editor

s one of the sports offered at Central as a no cut sport, the swim and dive team includes a variety of grade levels, including freshman and seniors. As a freshman on the team, George Harris who mostly swam the freestyle stroke was able to experience the ups and downs of a swim season. “Being a freshman was alright because I was accepted by the team and I knew some of the people before the season,” Harris said. The team also includes senior Preston Chen, who ranks 20th in state in the 100 yard butterfly, and will be one of a few swimmers leaving the program as he leaves Central. “I want the boys to remember the pride that comes with Central swimming,” Chen said. One of the big moments from this past season was when the team went to an annual invitational meet at Cape Girardeau, where the team got second place for the second straight year.

“The meet at Cape was definitely one of the best moments of the year,” Junior Brandon Smith said. “It was great to get out and bond as a team and having the success that we had was an added bonus.” The team was able to finish third in conference this season. Along with the team success, there were swimmers that were really able to stand out individually. “My goal was to get my personal record in all of my events, which I have done,” sophomore Hayden Christiansen said.“I also want to place top 3 [in state].” Christiansen swims backstroke, freestyle and the 200 IM which is a combination of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. The end of the season is bittersweet because some of the athletes will be competing for state honors, but for seniors, they will be swimming for the last time as a Colt. “The end of the season is sad because I won’t be competing with this same exact group of teammates ever again,” junior diver Jacob Greene said. “This is a tight-knit group and we will all miss the seniors.”

The end of the season means the end of competing together, but the memories from the season will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Sophomore Brandon Scaife performs breaststroke. Photo by Catherine Ke.

Sports

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY ROAD TO STATE

Varsity girl runners persevere through the season Sydney Stahlschmidt

Online Features Editor

his season has been one like no other for girls cross country. Showing their skills on and off the track, the team has made memories that they will never forget. Especially for senior and second year captain, Madeline Lee. “It’s a lot different this season, every year the dynamic changed a little bit and this year it has changed for the better; it’s a lot of fun,” Lee said. As the season came to a start, the coaches and returning runners didn’t know what to expect. There were many expectations and hopes from the coaches, Ryan Banta and Kathy Burnett, of the season coming up. “I thought we would be much improved from last year and that our team would be in contention to be in the top few schools in most of the meets that we competed in,” Banta said. Competing in over ten events, the girls have placed in the top five over half of the time. Including races like the Parkway Central Invitational, Forest Park XC Festival, Webster Groves Invitational, Class 4 District 3 Championship, and more to possibly come ahead. The team not only reached but surpassed their coaches goals. Especially for first time coach in 15 years, Cathy Burnett, who saw a different side of cross country. “I didn’t really know what to expect from this group but the girls have been great. They have been fun to coach and work with. As a team, they always come ready to give it their all and have made tremendous gains throughout the season,” Burnett said. Not only are new freshmen coming and showing their talent, but other students trying out the sport for the first time are standing out in the sport, including freshmen Lily Ruiz Del Arbol, Aryn Rehr and junior Sophia Day. Day, previously a strong leader on the Parkway Central track team, gave cross country a shot, and has made a big impact. “Sophia has really become a key contributor to our program and I was very surprised especially because it was only her first year doing it and she did such a good job,” Banta said. Along with Day, the two of the many freshman standouts on the team, Rehr and Ruiz, showed how the PCH cross country team was the right place for them. Both made the varsity team, they ran mostly the 3.1 mile run or 5k. “Lily and Aryn are two of the great group of freshman. They continue to improve with each meet and are going to be forces on next year’s team,” Burnett said. Ruiz had a goal for herself this season, and in Arkansas at the Chili Pepper race, she reached it, getting her personal record of 22:21. Rehr earned a time of 22:01 at the same race. “My goal for this year was to get faster, stronger, and more independent and positive about myself,” Ruiz said. Rehr also acquired her goal for the season by setting her personal record for this race. “I wanted to run a 22 minute 5k and I finally reached that for the first time,” Rehr said. Not only did Rehr run her fastest 5k, but she also gained her mile personal record at the school’s Red and White night, where she ran a mile in 6:21. This year may have had many standout freshman, but the upperclassmen also had a huge impact on the team. Especially Lee and junior Brooke Hilton being the first and second runners on the varsity team. Hilton earned a personal record of 20:56 this season on the 5k and Lee earned a current personal record of 12:18 on the two mile. Lee earned a medal in every race in Missouri that she competed in, except one. According to both of

their coaches, they are not only great runners, but also standout leaders for everyone else on the team. “They not only lead on the race course, but are also leaders at practice, encouraging their teammates to do their best. They also know how to have fun and keep it light which makes it fun for the whole team,” Burnett said. Both girls said how they enjoy being a leader for the younger and all girls on the team and want to set a good example for them of hard work and it paying off. “I’m focused on making sure that everyone’s where they are supposed to be, they are warmed up, and by leading by example,” Lee said. Hilton and Lee have had at least one experience with state so far, Hilton going herself, and Lee as an alternate. State is the biggest time of the year for cross country and they are preparing for it all season long. “Preparing for state is what every hard Monday is for. I’ve been to state once and it was a super cool experience where I ran my personal best time of 20:26,” Hilton said. “But at the same time, state has one of the hardest courses, so these workouts are needed.” State is a huge process for Lee and she trains all year for it. The runners use a process called tapering, where they increase and decrease mileage and intensity every day. First the girls will head to districts, sectionals, and lastly state. And they can move forward either individually or as a team depending on placement. Many years in the past, Parkway Central has had the toughest district in sectionals. However, this year may be different. “While I think it may be hard, we definitely have a really good shot this year,” Lee said. This year Lee, Hilton, and junior Sara Espindola all qualified for state. The Milkshake Mile, a tradition where half the team has to beat their personal record for the mile and if they do, Banta will buy them milkshakes. The event this year took place on Oct. 30, and almost the whole team hit personal records, with Hilton, Lee, and junior Sophie Louis getting a score in the 5:30 range. Running for cross country is not only physical health and skill that is needed but also one of the biggest parts of running is the mental thoughts. According to many of the runners just based on mental focus, can determine how well you perform in the race. “I wanted to improve my mental grip and toughness. I’m trying to go into races relaxed and knowing what I can do, and believing in my abilities

and my fitness,” Lee said. Lee is the one of the top runners on the cross country varsity team. Being an outstanding leader and showing her talent with the fastest runs. “Maddie Lee is probably the most improved athlete I’ve ever coached and she continues to just improve a lot which is really exciting,” Banta said. Not only working hard to be successful in high school and state, Lee is planning on continuing her running career in college. And while not officially committing until February, Truman State has offered her the opportunity to walk onto the team. Many of the girls on the team this year have become very close and not only friends on the track but in school too. And the runners of all ages have been able to come together and make friendships. Rehr, Ruiz, Hilton, and Lee all said that, even if returning or first year, they loved the season this year and made so many unforgettable memories. “I really love how close the team all got. I felt like I got to know each and each person on the team,” Rehr said. Not only has this been a season that the runners will remember, but the coaches believe that this was a great season and the girls will continue to make an impact on the team in later years. “I’m really proud of the girls as a group because pretty much all of them are better than they are last year and the new runners keep me excited looking towards the future,” Banta said.

Left: Senior and cross country captain, Madeline Lee, running at the Parkway West Invitational. “It’s just been a really fun season overall. It’s a lot of fun and I’m able to joke around and laugh,” Lee s0aid. Photo taken by Athena Stamos. Above: Freshmen Aryn Rehr and Lily Ruiz running at the Parkway West Invitational. “I love enjoying the nature when I run,” Rehr said. Photo taken by Athena Stamos.

Sports

DANCE TEAM CAREERS CONTINUE ON

Members of the class of 2019 dance onto college squads Carly Wasserman Staff Writer

“

I have been doing dance for so long that I can’t really imagine it not being a part of my life,” senior varsity dance team captain Katie Kertzman said. Each person has a different hobby in their life that they love to do and are always looking forward to. For Kertzman, it’s dance. She can’t even picture not doing dance. Other than dancing at school, Kertzman also dances at Dance Inc., a local dance studio. Next year she plans to go to an undergraduate school, possibly the University of Arkansas, and be a part of the Razorback Pom Squad. After that, she hopes to go to medical school. One of her many goals for after high school is, to figure out how she can incorporate dance into the medical field that she hopes to go into in later years. “Even after college I hope to somehow stay involved with dance even if it’s just taking classes every once in a while or possibly teaching/coaching in the far future,” Kertzman said. Just like Katie, Amanda Shifrin, senior varsity dancer, is also devoted to dance. Shifrin started dancing when she was just three and is still in love with the sport after 15 years. Outside of dance team at school, Shifrin dances at Miss Kim’s Dance Class where she is on the competition team. Other than Amanda just having a passion for doing dance, she has an internship at her

dance studio where she teaches dance classes as well. Last season Shifrin was out for half of the season from a broken foot. During this time off she came to the realization of how much dance truly meant to her. Just like Kertzman, Shifrin also can’t imagine dance not being a part of her life. Shifrin doesn’t just dance for herself. After the recent death of her grandfather, she is even more committed to dancing. “I continue to dance for him in my heart, as he has been one of my biggest supporters.” Shifrin tries her hardest in her dances, especially in his memory. Although, Shifrin is still indecisive on where she wants to end up attending for college, she has a couple favorites. All of the schools she’s currently interested in, she has already contacted their dance team coaches and plans to tryout. “My biggest goal after high school is to be successful in college and continue to pursue dance,” Shifrin said. “I see myself dancing for awhile.” Unlike Kertzman and Shifrin, another fellow varsity senior dancer Sasha Yarovinski doesn’t see herself dancing after high school. “I plan on finishing the season, but I do not plan on continuing to dance after high school,” Yaroinski said. She has been dancing for 14 years now and used to dance at Krupinski Academy of Dance but currently, only dances at school. For any sport, tryouts are always overwhelming but for dance they seem to be a little more stressful for some. Kertzman, Shifrin, and Yarovinski all come to an agreement that there is a

big stress factor in tryouts, especially when trying to perfect the routine. They all spent along time trying to learn and memorize there tryout dance but for some dancers it got very tense. Most of the dancers spent the nights before tryouts practicing and studying their routine. There was also a couple practices with all the dancers trying out a few days before tryouts, which helped. “The hardest thing about tryouts is the anticipation about seeing what level you will be put on, and making sure you know the dance well enough,” senior varsity dancer Leanne Davis said. “Yes, I see myself dancing for awhile,” Shifrin said.

Varsity dance team performs at homecoming pep rally in gymnasium. Photo taken by Megan Fisher.

NBA TIP-OFF; KING TO L.A., GOLDEN DYNASTY LOOMS Patrick McColl Staff Writer

new fall means a new NBA season, and with yet again plenty of movement amongst the stars and well known players in the league, many are looking forward to an interesting season. The biggest move this offseason was by perhaps the most popular player, LeBron James. LeBron has moved on from his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers and has decided to sport the purple and gold in Los Angeles for the Lakers. LeBron signed a record breaking deal back in early July with L.A., a 4-year, $154 million contract to come to the team during free agency. As with any team that LeBron has been to, there are high expectations. LeBron is expected to lead his team to a playoff spot, teach the younger players on the team, and help attract new stars to L.A., and eventually, bring an NBA Championship. President of Basketball Operations Erving Magic Johnson was a big part of the pitch to bring LeBron to L.A., but is still under pressure to lure other big name stars to the Lakers. “We’ll have enough room for next summer to give another player a max deal. [General manager] Rob [Pelinka] and I, we already put the strategy together. LeBron, of course, changed some of that, but we’re still going to stay disciplined and hope we’ll be a team that can have a championship run for a long time.” Magic said in a press conference back in July after the LeBron signing. Even with the expectations as they are, there is a mutual conception that the process in not yet done. “We are focused on this season. We feel we are gonna have a really good season, and then we know next season we’re gonna have cap space for another player,” Magic said in an interview with ESPN’s First Take. The Lakers are interesting but make no mistake not the favorite. As of right now, the Golden State Warriors are the odds-

on favorite to win the NBA championship again this season, with 1:2 odds or similar from Las Vegas sportsbooks. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green have been the four all-stars leading the team the past two seasons to championships, and with the addition of all-star center Demarcus Cousins, the Warriors are looking even stronger.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in a game against the Denver Nuggets in the first half on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Their foes in last year’s conference finals, the Houston Rockets, might be the Warriors biggest threat in the West, coming off a 65 win season. Houston has lost key defensive players like Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, however, and will have to hope that aging star Carmelo Anthony fits very well with the team to get back to their dominance last year. With LeBron on the Lakers, they are some’s pick to get to the Conference Finals, but are still going to have to prove themselves against the tough competition out West. The rest of the Western Conference

contains good solid teams with dynamic all-stars which makes the conference so tough. Teams like the Spurs, Jazz, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Thunder, and Trailblazers. In an Eastern Conference with no LeBron, the Boston Celtics are favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals after a trip to last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. They return this year with their all-stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward back from injury, and a young core featuring Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier. Even with the odds stacked against them, Kyrie is still confident. “Can we beat Golden State in a seven-game series? Yes.” Kyrie Irving said in an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan. The rest of the East shows some promise this year, though. Mainly from teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors. Philly’s Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have brought a lot of expectations and won 52 games last season, but still seem to lack behind the Celtics overall talent level and core system. Milwaukee has had success with superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo a.k.a. the Greek Freak, but still don’t have any other true stars, and up against powerhouse teams they often just aren’t good enough. Up North, the Raptors are likely the biggest threat to the Celtics in the East. With a 59 win season last year, the Raptors added a 2-time defensive player of the year and superstar Kawhi Leonard to the squad. Star guard Kyle Lowry should fit nice along Kawhi, and the Raptors are returning with some solid players like Jonas Valančiūnas and Serge Ibaka. If the Raptors are going to beat the Celtics, however, then it will likely be because of a monster performance from Kawhi Leonard. Nonetheless, with a new NBA season among us, there are new questions to be asked. How will LeBron play in the West? Can the Celtics be good enough to beat the Warriors? Will the Rockets be as good as last year? Nobody knows for certain, but in a short eight months, June will bring the NBA Finals, and we will likely be looking at another Golden State title.

Sports

THE WRAP ON HOCKEY TAPE

How hockey tape impacts a player when they hit the ice Avery Cooper Staff Writer

efore every game, hockey players do something that may not seem too important to the average watcher of the sport, but for the players, it’s one of the most crucial pregame rituals: taping their hockey stick. Usually about $3 a roll, some players can go through a roll a week. Whether the player does it before every game or does a re-tape every few times they step on the rink, every player knows a good tape is key to keeping control of the puck. Art teacher David Jafari has been playing hockey since he was 10 years old and continues to play in Friday night men’s leagues. After many years, Jafari still uses the same technique. “I like my tape to be clean, free of creases, but not wrapped all the way to the toe of the stick. I don’t use wax, but only like black tape,” Jafari said. Most players carefully wrap their stick, but the way it’s taped, the color, and use of wax varies. For color, most players choose white or black depending on what their position is and what they want to hide. “A lot of people use black because they feel it hides the puck’s release off the blade from the goalie’s eyes because it will blend in. On the other hand, a lot of people will use white tape to blend in with the ice so it’s more difficult for defenders to keep track of their blade, making them harder to guard,” senior Jonathon Nathan said. However, players who use colorful tape are quickly judged by other teams. Senior Sam Benoist has used colored tape in support of certain organizations, but otherwise thinks colored tape without purpose can reflect your ability and the other team will make their own judgments.

“If you see somebody with green tape or pink tape you know they’re not good at hockey. Unless it’s Breast Cancer awareness month or another reason to support a group, that’s the only exception. But anything else, you know they’re bad.” Benoist said. While hockey tape may look similar on every stick, they are actually all different in their own ways. Freshman Jeremy Emch and many other players have tried different ways to tape their sticks, but end up usually sticking to their go-to wrap. “Most players, including me, have many superstitions with wrapping their sticks and feel as if they wrap their sticks the wrong way they’ll mess up in the game,” Emch said. Same with the choice of colors; players can be seen as bad if they tape their stick messily or in an odd way. “The worst people known as the ‘dusters’ are more willing to tape their stick in a ‘garbage’ way and just over-use tape and make it uneven, “ Nathan said. That’s why for players it can take between five to 15 minutes to tape their sticks, depending on how skillful you are with taping and the way they tape it. Whether you’re a new player or have played for decades, a good tape job is necessary in order to play hockey. Junior James Sherstoff has tried playing without a wrap, and it was not successful. “I’ve tried it a few times before and I never played well. It helps the player stick to the handle and hold onto the puck,” Sherstoff said. If you’re wanting to join a hockey team, make sure you learn to tape your stick clean and neat, choose a black or white tape, and you’ll be ready to hit the rink. Senior Jonathon Nathan tapes his hockey stick. “No two people do it the same so I don’t trust others to tape mine,’ Nathan said. Photo by Avery Cooper.

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH TRAINER MIKE Haydn Schertz

Staff Writer he athletes at Parkway Central High School may be in the spotlight, but how do you think that they reach the spotlight.? That’s why Trainer Michael Aaron is here. An athlete’s health at Parkway Central is a big part of their ability to succeed in sports and dealing with injuries is a big part of the experience. Whether it’s game day or practice day, athlete health is Aaron’s number one concern. In his fourth year here at Parkway Central, Aaron puts in a lot of work both at and away from Parkway Central. Before Aaron gets to Central, he does his office work at Mercy such as responding to emails, doing paperwork for some of the athletes and making important phone calls. He arrives to Central around 12:30 p.m. Then he touches base with Athletic Director John Theobald to get updates about the schedule for that day. Following his daily meeting, Aaron prepares water for all the teams to use for practice and makes sure that all of his supplies are stocked up and ready to go. Once school gets out, he will evaluate, tape, and treat all injuries. Lastly he will talk to all the coaches about their players, injuries, and give them

updates. But not everyday is the same. “Working as an athletic trainer requires working abnormal hours, sometimes long hours, but the payoff of seeing athletes recover from injury and be successful is a huge reward,” Aaron said. Aaron deals with a various array of injuries such as bumps and bruises to torn ACLs or concussions. Sometimes athletes are unsure if they are indeed injured and Aaron will give them a medical professional opinion to give them a better understanding of their injury. “I had a small crack on the side of my foot, and Aaron helped me because if it weren’t for him I would have just kept running on it. He said that I should stop running on it and gave me some exercises for my foot” junior Sarah Espindola said, who runs varsity cross country for Parkway Central. Aaron will give his best estimate of whether to go to the doctor or not. “Mike told me that I need to go see a doctor about my shoulder and I’m thankful that he did because I ended up needing surgery and the sooner that I found out the better, so that I could recover faster,” senior AJ Collier said, who went on to a healthy recovery. “He has helped me recover after I got

a mild concussion and helped me get back to workouts and practices,” sophomore Jack Williams said, who is a swimmer and plays volleyball. Aaron also has a new assistant trainer whom he helps sharpen their skills so that someday they will be a trainer on their own. Aaron is also assisted by Brian “BG” Gaffney. BG is always working with Aaron whether its having a good laugh or helping the football team with water. Aaron also always attends sporting events. Aaron is required to attend every football game whether it is home or away. On other days, he will bounce from practice to practice or game to game in case of an emergency. Aaron will also always have his phone on him in case of emergency and will get there as soon as he can. In his free time, Aaron also loves to be involved in his church community, and enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with family and friends. But he really enjoys Colt game days too. “My favorite memory at Parkway Central was having a very successful 2017-18 school year of sports, such as soccer winning State, football going to the Final Four, and it was just an overall great year of athletics,” Aaron said.

Trainer Michael Aaron in action at the boys varsity soccer game vs. McCluer. Photo by Alex Maisenhelder.

Entertainment

THE MIGHTY MUSIC METAMORPHOSIS How music has progressed through the streaming age Trey Williams Staff Writer

op music, also known as popular music, shows us what’s trending, what music listeners value, and who listeners appreciate. Throughout time people have gone to different sources for their music, from the symphony, to the radio, to MTV, to pure word of mouth. How we listen to music has changed dramatically throughout history. Now, streaming music is king. Streaming has completely changed how music listeners consume music, according to sophomore Kaelan Kinkead. He uses streaming services, such as YouTube Music and Pandora to get his music. “I usually use a YouTube playlist with songs on it instead because it’s just more customizable,” Kinkead said. He isn’t the only one. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) shows that 65 percent of music revenue in the United States comes from music streaming, far outweighing physical sales and downloads. “There usually aren’t very many problems with the services,” Kinkead said. “YouTube has the whole related videos under music you select, so it’s easier to find something that’s like by the same artist.” Though streaming music has been done for years on services such as Limewire and the scorned free and illegal Napster, streaming has become easier than ever with smartphones. Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora, all apps you can download on your phone, are now some of the most popular ways to listen to music.

Obviously, music hasn’t always been listened to like this. Before digital music, physical music was the only way to discover your favorite artists. English teacher Christian Schaeffer often found his music from cassette tapes from his friends. “I can’t remember how we heard new music other than the classic word of mouth from your friends,” Schaeffer said. “You would make 90 minute cassettes. I still have a bunch of them at home... if it were somebody’s birthday you would give them a mixtape. That was how I shared music and how I got music the same way.” With the rise of the internet and streaming, physical music such as CD or albums have become rare. Traditionally, pop has been influenced by its presentation, from cover art to crazy outfits. Music videos also were significant in pop culture. With the rise of MTV, music videos became a nearly vital component to a successful single. Though English teacher Libby Reed didn’t pay as much attention to MTV when she was younger, it was still relevant. “It was on often as radio in the background in the summer when I was home. There are still some videos that I’m like ‘oh, I totally remember the video for that!’” Reed said. Though MTV is a shadow of its former self, the music video medium hasn’t died. With the rise of streaming video, this is an aspect that hasn’t changed as much. Drake’s “In My Feelings”, the most popular song of the summer, has over 150 million views on YouTube. For many, YouTube is the new MTV. A major difference between then and now, according to Reed and Schaeffer, is how we have shifted to listening to singles rather than albums. Due to the ability to choose to listen to

As music streaming becomes more accessible than ever, music streaming generates more money per year for the music industry. Graph by Statista

whatever song you want, whenever you want, it’s become easier than ever to only listen to your favorite songs off of an album. “...a lot of the artists I listen to right now don’t really have albums. It’s kind of like, ‘here’s a song!’” Kinkead said. We can A student using Spotify, one of the most popular music streaming apps with 83 million users see this change in June of 2018, according to Statista. in how music Photo by Trey Williams is listened to on the charts. Now, the focus when creating an album isn’t always on making a cohesive product; it’s more focused on being packed with hits. Some of the most successful albums of this year, such as Culture II and Scorpion, are massive in length, both between 90 and 110 minutes. These albums aren’t intended to be listened to all the way through in one sitting. Their goal is to release as many songs as possible, and profit off of what sticks. More songs means more chances at making the next “In My Feelings.” Another side effect of the rise of streaming is the death of the radio, at least in being relevant in mainstream music. NYU’s Steinhardt Music Business Program published a study in 2017 which stated that teenagers listening to AM/FM radio has decreased 50 percent since 2005. Before then, according to history teacher Ryan Banta, the radio was another massive source of music consumption for teens. “...the radio was what I would listen to to enjoy music. Especially if you go back to the 80s and you’re looking at old school hip-hop music, like that’s the only way I could get that music, on the radio station because my parents didn’t have those albums,” Banta said. The radio has faded out of the limelight, according to sophomore Spencer Kessler. “I feel like at this point in time modern radio is 99 percent ads and one percent music and that’s a lot of the reason it has faded out of popularity. It’s just ad space,” Kessler said. “The last time I listened to the radio was when the Bluetooth stopped working in my car.” Due to streaming, it’s become more convenient than ever to listen to music wherever you go. Though there are many beautiful aspects to streaming, there are many aspects to music that have been lost through time. When hearing multiple teachers capable of naming different popular radio stations by both signal and name, it surprised me, because I would never be able to tell you what my local radio stations are. Hearing Reed talk about MTV, and Schaeffer talking about sharing cassette tapes, and Banta talking about his favorite stations, makes me wonder how different music would be for me if I grew up in their times. “I miss the spontaneity, getting to hear only what’s playing, learning new songs instead of getting stuck in one place musically,” Kessler said. “But it’s also nice to have the control. It might also be more of a sense of nostalgia than really missing it.”

Entertainment

GREAT TIMES AT LA CINEMA

Drew Goodard’s latest blockbuster absolutely kills

Brett Smith

Entertainment Editor

hen it comes to films, this fall has definitely delivered some excellent ones. From the highly anticipated Venom to the delightfully entertaining A Star Is Born, there truly was something for everyone. And with so many projects releasing, there’s no way you can go and watch everything But while those films and others like them flooded advertisements across the globe, there was one that I personally believe did not receive the attention and praise that it undoubtedly deserved. When it comes to the best films of the year, Bad Times At The El Royale earns its spot on that list. The cast’s performance was one of the strongest I’ve seen in a long time. I mean having the likes of Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth or any of the other actors in this film in any project almost always guarantees commercial and financial success to the companies involved. All of those incredible talents in a single project, there’s nothing less than a jaw-dropping experience is to be had. The entire cast is brilliant in this film. They all bring a level of originality and personal flare to their performances. Never once did they feel dull or stagnant, always finding ways to keep the audience invested in everything they did. There was so much life in them, I forgot they were actors. That is such a hard feat for an actor to accomplish, and I can almost guarantee that for the rest of these actors’ careers this movie will be one that audiences always come back to. The plot for Bad Times at the El Royale is hard to explain for two main reasons. First, I can’t really say anything without spoiling parts of the film. It’s a discussion film. That’s a film that absolutely needs to be seen a group of people, even though it can still be enjoyed watching it by yourself, as I did. That way you

can talk about how you felt and what you say during the film and share that with your friends. Second, this film plot is unique. It’s not exactly a single plot. Rather, it’s a plot that’s made up from the combined plots and journeys of all the characters who come to and stay at the El Royale. The film is broken up in chapters, each named based on a room in the hotel. Every chapter shifts its focus to the individual staying in the room number the chapter’s named after. This style of storytelling is phenomenally executed, and a great way of showing how everyone and everything is connected to varying degrees. With its outstanding storytelling and stellar acting, Bad Times At The El Royale is a must watch. A fantastic film that really left me wanting more by the end of it, saddened when it ended I was completely captivated by the combined effort of cast and crew in this Oscar-worthy experience. This earns its nine out of ten rating.

Opening Weekend: $7.132 Million

Final Rating: 9/10

DOES TØP’S NEW ALBUM FLY OR FALTER? Trey Williams Staff Writer

wenty One Pilots were one of the biggest music groups of 2016, when they launched into popularity with their massive hit song “Stressed Out”, landing at number five on the year-end chart. If you pay attention in the halls, you’ll likely find someone wearing some TØP merch, or maybe playing their song in their headphones. With the release of their new album, and the concert taking place here in October, their popularity seems never-ending. Why? Twenty One Pilots have always been a polarizing group. Members of the Twenty One Pilots fandom adore the group. From their emotional lyrics, to their genre diversity, to their explosive live shows, fans adore the duo. On the other hand, there are many vocal Twenty One Pilots critics, particularly because of the culture of the TØP fandom. Critics have often cited their lyrics as whiny or pretentious, and their sound as overly produced and too pop-y. Critics also don’t like how Twenty One Pilots fans treat their members, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, like members of a boyband. Even though in middle school I loved this band, I slowly drifted away from their music as I listened to more stuff. Little did I know they would pull me straight back in with their latest album, Trench. Their lead single “Jumpsuit” was the first sign of massive improvement. This song is far darker, heavier, and more “rock n roll” than anything they have ever produced. However, I didn’t let myself get excited for the album until their song “Levitate” dropped. This song isn’t only one of my favorites off the album, it’s one of my favorites of the year.

The song has an interesting contrast between the dreamy instrumental and percussive and hard-hitting beat. What makes this song great for me, surprisingly, is Tyler Joseph’s flow. Tyler goes off in this song. He produces the best rap verses of his career in this song, talking about their fame and the music industry as a whole. Thankfully, the album is just as good as its singles. The band retains their sound, but improves it on all fronts. This is what Blurryface, their previous effort, could have been. The instrumentations are heavier, darker, and far more intricate, while remaining pop-y and easy to listen to. Tyler’s vocals, a common criticism of the group before, have also massively improved. Their lyrics have also matured, talking about a plethora of topics with unique perspectives, like the loss of his grandfather, the state of the music industry, and mental health. There’s even an overarching story to the album. There are things to like about every song, but here are some highlights. “Legend” is an adorable song about his grandfather, who passed away earlier this year. He celebrates his life in the song to an upbeat ukulele and soaring horns. This song is bittersweet and beautiful. “Neon Gravestones” is another highlight off the album, perhaps one of the most important songs the duo has released. The song talks about the glorification of suicide in the media, a refreshing take on the topic that isn’t talked about enough. Even if you don’t like this group, I would recommend reading the lyrics. “Pet Cheetah” took a few listens for me to like it, but after I got over Tyler’s unusual flow, I really started to appreciate the song’s gargantuan beat and strange lyrics dealing with writer’s block.

If you like rock or hip-hop with a pop twist, there’s something you’re bound to like off this album. This is one of my favorite pop albums of the year, and also one of the most surprising releases of the year. Twenty One Pilots have revitalized themselves on Trench, and I recommend this album to everyone.

Entertainment

BLACK FRIDAY DO’S AND DONT’S The best deals you can find on November 23

Lindsay Dehn Staff Writer

t’s that time of year again; turkey and shopping day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday. I’m here to tell you the do’s and don’ts of Black Friday. First things first, let’s talk best deals: According to John Matarese, consumer reporter for Scripps TV stations, Target, Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy are the places to get the best deals. Shoot for buying electronics and skip out on other items. Predicted prices for Target include saving up to $50 on Beats headphone can also save up to $90 on an xBox that comes with a free $25 Target gift card. Stores like Walmart are offering up to $300 gift cards if you purchase an iPhone. It’s predicted that Apple will have full price on iPhones, so I would skip going to the Apple store. Larger retailers such as Target, Best Buy, and Walmart stores may have discounts on iPhones along with $100-$300 gift cards as well. My second tip is to start early, before all the best deals get sold out. Most stores open around 5- 6 p.m. Thanksgiving night. Like we have always heard, “the early bird gets the worm.” Another very important tip is to use your credit card or bring extra cash to purchase your items and beware of Black Friday apps. Kent Allen, an publisher for identity theft, said that “Nearly 1,500 Black Friday apps, ostensibly geared toward help-

ing consumers navigate the busiest shopping day of the year, are actually fraudulent attempts to lift credit card and other personal information, according to a digital-threat management firm.” If you want to shop online, use the store’s app or store’s website. Amazon and Etsy are also safe choices. An alternative to the crowded stores and long lines is Cyber Monday, which is held on November 26, the Monday following Thanksgiving. Sales will reach about $6.6 billion, marking the biggest shopping day of the year. With Cyber Monday just two weeks away, I’ll give you some of advice on how you can shop online efficiently and effectively. The first tip is to do your research on sites that fit best for you, and if electronics are your main priority on your shopping list, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, in the long run, will benefit you the most. Secondly, have your items that you plan on purchasing already in your shopping cart for that specific website. If you’re like me, I prefer to skip out completely on the Black Friday shopping, and spend time with family and friends. Some fun activities to do that are cheaper than shopping or completely free are baking cookies, playing cards around a table, have a movie night, and my personal favorite, being thankful for the little things we have in life, because that’s what matters the most.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

NEW SPOOKY THEME AT LEMP BREWERY

David Amirdjanian and Lee Foust

Opinions Editor and Staff Writer

ouse of Occult is the new iteration of the Lemp Brewery Haunted House this year, in what might possibly be the most difficult to get to haunted houses in St. Louis. The entrance isn’t very obvious, and we needed to go on some obscure routes to actually get to the place: granted, it is an old part of St. Louis. As we arrived to the place we were greeted with a dark and damp parking lot with minimal-to-no light around the lot. Finding the ticket booth is something of a challenge because again, the whole lot has no indicator as to where anything is. Still, it isn’t a hard find, it’s just surprising that there are no obvious lights or pointers. As we made our way into the building after buying our tickets, we were greeted with a gloomy room lit only with dim red lights and a line that leads to the depths of the brewery. You may even encounter a sassy clown yelling sporadically and chatting up the line of people waiting to enter the attraction. This clown was one of the funniest and most personality-filled characters in any haunted house I’ve been to, and he was more than a one-dimensional jumpscare actor. He was having a good time with the visitors and catching them off guard by changing his entire character in a snap. The layout and the atmosphere of this haunted house is one of the best in St. Louis as of now. All of the rooms have a narrative link between them, and tell a cool story. It feels narrative-driven without the story ever actually being mentioned. You’re going through a vast cult building, and descending all the way to the basement and into the cave systems that run under the brewery. That deep descent is really nerve wracking, with each step being very narrow, though still safe. Walking through felt really cool, having that descent leading us into what felt like

a secret part of the building dedicated to the cult. Overall, the experience is generally more creepy than scary, and it didn’t truly kick off until we went into a small church room where you see a circle of cultists praying and even more on the seats in front of the podium. You hear a voice “backstage” telling you to come in behind the podium and push through the hanging curtains. You’re instantly greeted to a whole new atmosphere, which gets a whole lot more demonic. The freaks of the cult seem to play around with you as the onlooker. Pacing of the groups was a big let down: our group of four caught up incredibly quickly to the multiple groups ahead of us. That really took away from the immersion, needing to stop about two times to let the group get some distance. Things became a whole lot less scary at that point. Regardless, it still didn’t take away from the overall atmosphere. As we carried on, we started to hear what sounds like a cultist rave, playing weird industrial techno music as they lead you through a convoluted maze. There are strobe lights flashing sporadically, making it hard to navigate the maze and disorienting you greatly. Once we managed to break free of the rave-maze, we made our way through a few more rooms with actors playing the part of demons, cultists, and bloodied individuals. It’s a relatively straight shot from there to the end of the haunted house, where we climbed a short staircase back to ground level. All in all, The House of the Occult is a good bang-for-your buck experience, though I would highly recommend finding a coupon (off of their website) of some sort as it is a fair short attraction. For $25 (or $20), it certainly provides a good hour of entertainment. If you’re not so much into the jumpscares and chasing of other haunted houses, the creepy atmosphere of The House of the Occult may work for you - just remember to keep your distance from the group.

Entrance to Lemp Brewery’s House of Occult. Photo by: David Amirdjanian

Features

Windy City of

Stories

School publications travel to Chicago for convention broadcasting. “I’m looking forward to going to Chicago, exploring new things,” Williams said. “It’s one of my favorite cities.” Editor-in-Chief When students could have taken media or college tours, ome publication students attended The National Scholasthe group who went decided to shop and see sights instead. tic Press Association and Journalism Education Association “I think they’ll go to sessions that will open their ideas and (NSPA/JEA) in Chicago Nov. 1-4. follow their intuition,” Publications advisor Christine Stricker Thousands of students attend this conference every year said. “I hope they come home with one thing that can implement to learn about all aspects of journalism, media, and commuin their lives.” nications. This includes breakout sessions, contests, lectures Sophomore Ellie Mueller competed in the broadcast professionals in the field, and even tours of local sites. The 2018 anchor contest. “I want to do broadcasting when I’m older,” Chicago convention was the second-largest convention in history, Mueller said. with 6,360 students attending. The large number of student jourAccording to Stricker, the “big draw for the convention nalists attending might surprise some, like sophomore Sydney is Pete Souza.” Souza is a photographer who followed former Stahlschmidt who sees the state of journalism at risk. President Barack Obama during his presidency. “I think it’s important because I think journalism in society “I was really excited,” Stricker said. “However we are in the is dying down.” Stahlschmidt said. “It’s cool to see other ways to overflow seating and in essence we get to watch him only on TV. incorporate journalism not just in the newspaper.” But it was amazing to hear him describe the behind the scenes Stahlschmidt is the Online Features Editor for the Corral of the pictures he took of the Obamas in the White House. I and competed in the features category. cried twice during the presentation because the pictures were so “I’m really excited to just touching.” hear the different speakers,” sophStricker was a moderator and judge for a broadomore Abby Prywitch said. cast contest in which no students from PCH were Prywitch is the Social Media competing in. Director of the Corral and particiThe combination of the city of Chicago and pated in the news writing contest. publications excited many of the students that attendIn the contest, you are given infored the convention. mation and have a certain amount “It’s combining yearbook and Chicago which of time to write an article with a both are really fun,” sophomore Melanie Gubernik word limit. said. “I’ve never done a contest Gubernik is one of the editors of the yearbook. like that so I’m a little nervous,” She competed in the Student Life Contest. This year, Prywitch said. “The certain she won Honorable mention. She was given informaamount of words and time limit tion and pictures and had to come up with captions, are what I’m worried about.” headlines, and basically create a spread. Christine Stricker Publications Adviser In addition to individual “I go to Chicago every year and it’ll be fun to go contests, there is a Best of Show with my friends,” Stahlschmidt said. “I have friends at contest as well. Each school subWest in publications so it’ll be fun to see them there.” mits an issue from the newspaper and yearbook from last year Junior Morgan Kinran participates in broadcast and yearand attend an award show. book. Kinran participated in the Video Editing Contest in which These students had the opportunity to learn more about she had to put multiple video clips in order to create a finished journalism in a different setting. product. “I think it’s important because here [PCH] you’re limited “I’m excited to see Chicago because I’ve never been to to other experiences,” sophomore Sydney Kolker said. “It’s a Chicago before,” Kinran said. good opportunity to get to know other people that have the same Stricker has attended to journalism conventions in St. interests as you.” Louis, Kansas City, dallas, Washington DC, and Chicago. These Kolker is one of the yearbook editors at PCH. She particiconventions occur twice each school year. In the fall of next year pated in the yearbook copy and caption for sports contest. This the journalism convention will be in D.C. and spring will be in entailed using information to create a story with captions. Kolker Nashville. has attended another journalism convention last year in Dallas. “I’m really looking forward to taking students to Washing“I learned about things I’ve never heard about before,” ton D.C.,” Stricker said. “It’s the center of our democratic system Kolker said. and also of press freedom.” Sophomore Daniel Williams is involved in broadcast at PCH and participated in the Writing contest specifically for

Athena Stamos

“I hope they come home with one thing that can be implemented in their lives.”

Top: From left to right (top row) Adviser Christine Stricker, junior Morgan Kinran, and sophomores Ellie Mueller, Sydney Stahlschmidt, Daniel Williams along with left to right (second row) sophomores Melanie Gubernik, Abby Prywitch, and Sydney Kolker pose at the Sugar Factory in Chicago. Bottom: From left to right sophomores Abby Prywitch, Sydney Stahlschmidt, junior Morgan Kinran, and sophomores Melanie Gubernik, and Ellie Mueller sightsee at the John Hancock Tower in downtown Chicago. Photo by Christine Stricker

Features

TOPGOLF: DOES IT TOP EXPECTATIONS? Students share their first experience at the new golf range Myori Felix Staff Writer

opgolf has recently added a location to St. Louis, right in our backyard in The Valley. Does it really live up to all the hype? Being such a new destination for entertainment, people have found that it can be difficult to secure a spot. “We called to make a reservation and the only open slots were 7 a.m. or 11 a.m. on Saturday,” math teacher Tom Schaeffer said. On the other hand, others have had a more positive experience getting in for a few game. “We made a reservation, just because there were so many of us, but people walked in after us and got a spot on the bay,” senior Chayse Williams said. She went over the summer time, so time slots weren’t as competitive, while now it can be harder to get in, especially on the weekends. “We went around noon on a weekday and just walked in, we didn’t have to wait because it’s not as busy as it is on the weekends,” junior Hugh Hodson said. While it seems like a hotspot to go to, is it really worth all the hype? Students who have gone reported some of their favor-

ite features including the interior design and the activities. “The lobby when I came in I was like wow this is cool, by the time I ate I thought yeah, I’m definitely coming back,” Williams said. Along with providing a fun physical activity, Topgolf has an extensive lunch and dinner menu ranging from ribs to quesadillas, but is it good? “It was so good. I got a grilled cheese with steak inside and it came with fries and that was between $12-$15. It wasn’t as expensive as some of the other items on the menu,” Williams said. Hodson agreed that the food was tasty but had one complaint. “It was good, but it was expensive,” Hodson said. Topgolf can host for many occasions, but if you’re debating whether to make it a family fun night or a casual date destination, students express their favorite way to enjoy the experience. “You can do a date night, but it’s better in a group. You’re paying for the bay (which costs $40) and you can have six people so you might as well,” Williams said. “It’s definitely best to go with a group, that way it’s less expensive too,” Hodson said. Although we’ve established it’s a great place to spend an afternoon, what if you’re not good at golf? Put your worries to the side, if your considering your skill level in golf and feeling discouraged to go, don’t! Students who have gone can all agree it’s a great place for a fun time regardless of your expertise.

said.

“It’s honestly funnier if you don’t know how,” Williams

Other students share that the environment at Topgolf is very welcoming no matter how good you are “You definitely still have fun even if you’re bad because the atmosphere is fun and energetic so it’s not even about golf it’s just about having a good time,” Hodson said.

Topgolf in Chesterfield Valley opened on Aug. 9. Photo by Myori Felix

A SUCCESSFUL TRADITION: DAY OF SERVICE Kaylee Canoy Staff Writer

ay of Service is the day when our whole school comes together and takes a break from the classroom to do something bigger than one person and help our community. Every grade in our school takes a different role: the freshman stay at school and listen to speakers, the sophomores go off campus and commit acts of service, the juniors and seniors stay at school and participate in Special Olympics, all to help improve our community. Freshman Ansley Brody talked about her first day of service experience, “I listened to speakers from different organizations,” Brody said. “I think this day is important because it makes everyone feel special in some type of way. Day of Service to me means everyone is equal and helping out in your community.” While freshman listened to presentations, sophomore Julia Solomon spent her day at Long View Meadow Ranch which was purchased in 1988, and ever since has been funded by George Packwood Jr. for the care of ranch animals. “I helped clean up pig pens including picking up the poop and cleaning the water buckets and cleaning out the old hay,” Solomon said. “I feel proud and accomplished after Day of Service.” The juniors and seniors stay at school and participate in Special Olympics. Some students in the theatre program went above and beyond and dressed up as characters. Megan Baris, who was dressed up as Belle, was thrilled with all the kids reactions when they saw her. “I felt extremely wonderful on this day because I was

able to make so many athletes smile by dressing up as a Disney character and going to talk to them,” Baris said. “This year was my favorite for Day of Service. Last year the theatre department dressed up as mimes and clowns, but kids are much less excited to talk to mimes and clowns. As Disney characters, on the other hand, children were extremely excited to talk to us because they recognized our characters and they enjoyed talking to us about their favorite Disney characters.” Business teacher Sarah Lueken was one of the founders of Day of Service. “I had a conversation with Dr. McCarthy on how all should be involved with service and how we all need to work together to serve a purpose rather than kids who could get a permission slip signed and miss class for a day. I approached Mrs. Michael with the idea of teaming up StuCo and Project Help and we formed a committee. It takes a year to plan the day so we started back in November 2015 when the idea came up,” said Lueken.

1. (Left to right) Stella Bauer (12), Skylar Droege (12), Darby Blum (11), Hannah Dubman (11), Eva Deniszczuk (11), Chris Williams (12), Brett Smith (12), and Megan Baris (12) all dressed up as disney characters to put smiles on the Olympians’ faces. Photo by Jenna Lazaroff 2. Sophomore Molly McAuley at the food pantry organizing and packing up food. Photo by Sydney Kolker and Gabby Abowitz 3. Seniors (left to right) Genevieve Gittemeier, Allison Brown, and Lily Rudman play soccer against the faculty to end the day. Photo by Christine Stricker

Photo Essay

A favorite time of the school year Gabby Abowitz

Photography Editor

any people get excited for homecoming week for many reasons. Being asked to the dance, taking pictures before the dance, the dinner, the after parties, the dance itself, spirit Week, and the Pep Rally. Homecoming and all dances at Central have usually been in the commons until now. Many people enjoyed the dance being in the gym because it was in a different space and the dance got more exciting once the lights were turned off. There’s always controversy on the music at every dance. “The music was lame because it was really old and overplayed music,” sophomore Drew Hanser said. Although Hanser thought the music was lame, reasoning behind that is that they school was not allowed to play explicit music. Hanser may not have enjoyed the music but many other crowded the dance floor for the majority of the dance. School dances can sometimes be awkward with almost everyone from the school gathered in one room. “The dance was fun but we just stood there with music playing and there wasn’t much dancing from the group I was with,” freshman Mikaela Snitzer said. Spirit week gives everyone an excuse to get all dressed up. “I had been looking forward to spirit week since the beginning of the school year and I absolutely love Homecoming,” senior Zoe Hahn said.

1.Lindsey Ormont (11) and Peyton Douglas (12) dress up for class theme day. “I chose to dress up for homecoming week because I enjoy being involved in school, it makes school a lot more enjoyable and exciting.” Photo taken by Sydney Stahlschmidt. 2.Drew Hanser (10) plays kickball at the class games. “My favorite part of the class games was playing kickball because we got to hangout with everyone and my least favorite was the weather and it being cold,” Hanser said. Photo taken by Abby Prywitch. 3.The homecoming court listens as Tiana Ford (12) is crowned Homecoming Queen. Photo taken by Christine Stricker. 4.Mikaela Snitzer (9) and Ansley Brody (9) dress up for class theme day. “I dressed up because that’s what everyone else wears and I wanted to look nice and it was ironic because I’m jewish and the freshmans theme was frozen so I gotta wear Christmas stuff.” Snitzer said. Photo taken by Sydney Stahlschmidt. 5. Zoe Hahn (12), Morgan Fisher (12), and Grace Chazen (12) dress up for class colors day. “I chose to dress up during hoco week to show school spirit and try to help the seniors win the dress up week.” said Hahn. Photo taken by Claudia Sanders and Danni Schneiderman.

Spotlight

SOCCER STAR COMES OUT, SCORES SUPPORT Jenna Lazaroff Features editor

hen the soccer team won state, it was only the second most memorable thing to happen to senior Adam Burnett. He views his two most memorable moments of high school as winning the 2017-2018 state championship and coming out as gay. “It was definitely a weight off my shoulders,” Burnett said. “That’s the first thing I felt. I was keeping a secret for so long and I didn’t tell anyone and then to finally just let it out was a sense of relief and one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.” Burnett came out to his family first, and after he proceeded to slowly tell his friends. Burnett attended Green Trails Elementary and has numerous relationships with students that have carried him, some of which have lasted all 13 years. “My parents and family were definitely the hardest to tell because if they didn’t love and accept who I was, than no one would,” Burnett said. “I was most nervous to tell my dad and my older brother because they always use the words ‘fag’ and ‘gay’ as a bad slur so I just figured they thought being gay was a bad thing. But after I came out they both turned out to be some of my biggest supporters. They even felt guilty for saying those things. It was a lot easier to come out to my friends and everyone else. But the kids on the soccer team were also hard to tell.” Camden Dunne, a senior, was the first on the school team to know. Burnett came out after the soccer season had already concluded and they had already won their state championship. Dunne knew before Burnett came out publicly because he wanted someone to lean on, just in case. “Camden had my back through the whole thing,” Burnett said. “Once I told the whole team, everyone appeared to be fine with it. Some of the seniors last year were weirded out and awkward with me being gay. I could tell because they started to put distance between us when they usually didn’t.” But this year has been a different experience. This year’s captains including Dunne, senior Evan Karagiannis, and senior Charlie Meier, all wear rainbow captain bands during each game in support of Burnett. Every single individual on the team, as well as Head Coach Brian Adam, also known as B.A., have been supporting him on and off the field. “I haven’t felt like they changed or looked at me differently for being gay,” Burnett said. “B.A. has been like a guidance counselor for me, not that he necessarily helped me so much with being gay but he helps me with struggles life tends to throw at me. He’s always been there to help me. He’s also

helped me learn a lot about myself and how to cope and deal with situations.” Although he claims coming out is the best thing to happen to him, the journey hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine. There are days Burnett wishes he didn’t come out. As for anyone, people have good and bad days. He sometimes believes that it would be easier if he were straight. “Going to college straight would be easier, I think,” Burnett said. “A lot of the people in this school I’ve known since middle school and are more accepting of me. But in college I’m going to have to tell a lot of new people. I’m going to play soccer next fall and I think the guys on the team would like me more or feel more comfortable around me.” Burnett’s escape from reality is the soccer field. He is committed to attend Rockhurst university on a basically full ride scholarship, only having to pay for the meal plan. Burnett has won numerous awards during his two years of high school soccer, including Class 3 Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-State, First Team All Region, and First Team All Conference. “Soccer is my whole life,” Burnett said. “That’s all I wanna do is play soccer. I regret not getting better grades because if I did I could be going to play at a D1 level. If soccer ends up not in my future then I wanna become a teacher, therapist or a soccer coach.” With the start of this soccer season, Burnett’s twin brother Blake joined the team. Blake has been by Adam’s side through everything since the day they were born. Being fraternal twins has been a great advantage for them both. “Blake has always been there for me,” Burnett said. “I always feel like I can be myself around him, he makes me feel like there’s always someone who has my back and he’s someone I can trust. He is the very first person I ever came out to. I tend to feel good when I’m with him. I honestly think its because were twins. I have a close relationship with my older brother but Blake and I are different.” Burnett wants people to know its okay to take your time to come out. Everyone’s ready for obstacles of life at different points. But he also encourages to not hide who you are. “I came out not only for myself to find happiness but also to help other people in my situation or any lgbt to come out and be themselves because you shouldn’t have to live a lie,” Burnett said. You shouldn’t have to suffer for being who you are and it sucks that sometimes in the world today you can’t be who you are without people judging you. So I just wanna be someone who can support and help people.”