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Vol. 45, No. 1
lhsimage.com
Aug. 30, 2013 Lafayette High School – 17050 Clayton Rd. – Wildwood, MO 63011
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Rockwood and Lafayette welcome new staff members
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Senior Michael Wefelmeyer scores a perfect ACT 36
On The Web
State audit enforces “new”tardy policy
New “ongoing” grading philosophy deems quarters unnecessary
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02misc. In This Issue
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page 12
Previewing the Lancers upcoming fall sports season
The Glam Gazette: Backto-school fashion tips
Aug. 30, 2013
Quick breakfast spots for Late Start Days
For breaking news updates check out lhsimage.com and follow @lhsimage on Twitter
and
Staff Policies Gabby McDaris – Editor in Chief Emily Pascoe – News Editor Jack Rogan – Asst. News Editor Alex LaMar – Opinion/Entertainment Editor Avery Cantor – Features Editor Arianna Demos – Sports Editor Lucas Meyrer – Webmaster Hannah Marshall – Asst. Webmaster Katie Blackstone – Multimedia Editor Delaney Eyermann – Social Media Editor Jessica Brown – Business Manager Nancy Y. Smith, MJE – Adviser
Staff Members — Image
Emily Altic Jennifer Butler McKinzie Duesenberg Stephanie Herbers Elise Laarman Hannah Martin Garrett McBay Jordan McDonnell Kelly Panzitta Monica Piccinni Ben Rachell Megan Rigbar Alaina Strollo
Digital Media Gabby Breiten Jalyn Henderson Courtney McFarland Haley Gassel Jacob Robbe Brendan Rodgers Ellie Swoboda Kyle Witzig
Information —
The Image is published 10 times a year by the Newspaper Production Class. Subscriptions are $30. Free issues are distributed on campus. The 2012-2013 Image received a rating of First Class with two marks of distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association. lhsimage.com received a rating of All-American with four marks of distinction. The 2011-2012 Image was awarded the George H. Gallup Award from Quill and Scroll.
Philosophy Statement —
The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. Operating as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decision making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper.
Contact Us —
Located in Room 137A at Lafayette High School, 17050 Clayton Rd., Wildwood, MO 63011. Our phone number is (636) 733-4118 and our e-mail address is smithnancy@ rockwood.k12.mo.us or visit on the web at: www. lhsimage.com
Policies —
A complete explanation of the Rockwood School District Policies and Regulations concerning official student publications and the policies and procedures used by the Image staff can be found on the website www.lhsimage.com under the About Us tab.
TRAFFIC JAM On the first Late Start Day on Aug. 26, student cars line up in the turning lane to enter school as School Resource Officer Oliver Helbig directs traffic. A large group of students had to sign in at the Welcome Center when they arrived after the 9:46 a.m. start time due to the long lines of traffic entering the parking lot. — photo by Gabby McDaris
The Cover
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Editors —
Around the world in 81 days Breaking away from typical summer vacation stories, five Lafayette students recap their summer trips from around the world.
This Space Could Be Yours Get Info at www.lhsimage.com
Have a great year Lancers!
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Aug. 30, 2013
Under New Management New Hires at Lafayette jackrogan
–asst. news editor– Katrina Choate Math
Choate is a golfer who describes herself as determined, assertive and funny. She grew up in St. Louis and attended Rockwood Summit. She got her degree at Drury University. She teaches Algebra 1 Part 2 and Geometry.
Cathy Coffman Welcome Center Receptionist
Coffman is from Biloxi, MS, attended University of Southern Mississippi and has worked at Chesterfield Elementary. She has been married for 26 years and has two children.
Cheryl Egan College Specialist
Egan grew up in St. Louis, and attended UMSL. She was on the pom pom squad in high school, which is her favorite memory.
Meghan Finley Language Arts
Finley is an energetic, honest, and motivated person who grew up in St. Charles. She attended college at the University of Kentucky. Finley enjoys reading, writing and playing with her dog, London. She teaches 9th and 10th grade.
Nicole Goettelmann Language Arts Goettelmann graduated from Marquette and attended Missouri State University. She enjoys reading and has even rescued a dog. She is the freshman cheerleading coach and teaches 9th grade Honors Language Arts and Reading Strategies.
She coaches field hockey and freshman girls basketball. She enjoys running, golfing and playing with her beagle. She teaches Personal Fitness and Wellness and Health.
Jason Long Music
Long is an Assistant Band Director/Percussion Specialist. He also works as a guest clinician and adjudicator. He and his wife Becky, a band director at Rockwood Summit, have a son, Jace.
Lise Olson School Nurse
Olson is originally from Ottawa, Ontario, but has been living in St. Louis for the past 20 years. She has three daughters. She has been a substitute nurse in Rockwood and has been the part-time nurse at Rockwood Summit.
Chris Paladin World Languages
Paladin earned a BA and MA from the University of Missouri. Paladin enjoys guitar, tennis and spending time with his wife and cat. He teaches German at Lafayette and Rockwood Summit.
Jeanne Roe Hall Monitor
Roe grew up in North St. Louis County and attended Washington University where she received a BS in Journalism and Communications. Roe has five children and is expecting her first grandchild in March.
Julie Weitzel World Languages
Adams steps in as interim Superintendent delaneyeyermann –social media director–
With a genuine concern for the students of the Rockwood schools, the new interim Superintendent of the Rockwood School District, Dr. Terry Adams, truly has the students’ and teachers’ best interests in mind. Having 27 years of experience as superintendent of the districts of Wentzville, Rolla, Park Hills and Arcadia Valley, Adams seems more than qualified for the position. However, Adams is not the permanent Superintendent for Rockwood, but an interim, meaning he is a temporary Superintendent until the position can be filled permanently. Nonetheless, Adams is committed to fulfilling his obligation. He has visited with the teachers, staff and administrators of the district and has said everyone truly cares about the kids and their learning. Upon joining the district, Adams continuously remarked about how great of a district Rockwood is and made mention of its many achievements, academically and athletically. Adams made it his mission to visit each school in the district once the school year began. He went to each school not because it was a requirement of the job but because he wanted to see for himself that the district was performing to its fullest. “It’s been fun going from building to building, seeing wonderful children and great teachers interacting,” Adams said. To further express his dedication to the students, Adams continued, “I think of them as if they’re my kids, all 21,000 of them, and I’ve asked every staff member that I’ve spoken to so far to take care of my kids.” Principal John Shaughnessy is confident in Adams’s ability to serve the district. Shaughnessy said, “He is focused on reach-
PLEDGING HIS ALLEGIANCE/ Rockwood’s Interim Superintendent Terry Adams visits an elementary school to get to know the district. He said he hopes to make a positive change in the Rockwood District. — photo courtesy of Communications ing out to the community, to district employees and to students, assuring them that our focus is on doing what is necessary for the success of everyone and everything in our district.” Adams may only be an interim, but his expectations and goals are set high. Shaughnessy said, “Adams is firm on his expectations of each member in our district,
Calcaterra takes over as Associate Principal; excited to work with school community
Weitzel graduated from Southeast Missouri State and is working on her Master’s through ate in Educational Leadership and Southern Oregon University’s Higher Education and higher edu–news editor– Summer Language Institute in cation from St. Louis University. Guanajuato, Mexico. She enjoys Along with the many other new For the past six years, CalcaErin Graves www.edwardjones.com traveling and exploring new faces at school, Dr. Karen Calca- terra was an assistant principal at Science terra joins Lafayette as the Associ- Parkway North. She spent three Graves is from Eureka and teach- things. She teaches Spanish. years as an area coordinator for ate Principal. ing is not her first career. She did Special School District at Patton“I am excited to experience scientific research for 25 years. Jim Wiseman all of the rich tradition at Lafay- ville High School and was a SpeISS Graves said she is curious, open ette and to get to know the stu- cial School District teacher for six Wiseman is a Lafayette graduate minded and dedicated. She has years at Parkway North and at the dents, staff members, and parents, and is in his 20th year in edua chicken, whom she is teaching and all that happens in the high Afton Lindbergh Early Childhood a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Graves cation. He was on the football www.edwardjones.com Center. school,” Calcaterra said. coaching staff at Ole teaches Forensic Science. We understand the difference youMiss makelast every day, In her personal life, Calceterra Growing up in Sunset Hills, season. He earned a BSE from Arand we’d like to help State. makeHe a difference in your Calcaterra life. has a master’s degree in said, “I have two nieces and three kansas enjoys sports, Melissa Lantz nephews that all go to Rockwood a public educational institution, Educational Administration from lifting, bicycling, animals Physical Education If you work forweight St. Louis University and a doctor- schools, and we have a foster kitEdward Jonesand canreading. explain options for your 403(b) Lantz is a Lafayette graduate.
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To learn why it makes sense to talk with We every day, Weunderstand understandthe thedifference differenceyou youmake make every day, Edward Jones about your retirement savings, and inin your life. call today. Or visit www.edwardjones.com/ andwe’d we’dlike liketo tohelp helpmake makea adifference difference your life. Geoff Rigabar IfIfyou educator. youwork workfor foraapublic publiceducational educationalinstitution, institution, Financial Advisor Edward 403(b) . EdwardJones Jonescan canexplain explainoptions optionsfor foryour your 403(b) or 457(b) plan and recommend a strategy that 11005 Manchester Road or 457(b) plan and recommend a strategy that Kirkwood, MO 63122 Geoff Rigabar makes sense for you. makes sense for you. 314-966-3801 Financial Advisor .
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and in turn, is focused on sharing what we as district members can expect of him as our superintendent.” Adams expects the faculty and administrators of the Rockwood District, as well as himself, to fulfill their responsibilities. He added that it’s the district’s obligation to ensure that every student realizes their potential. Though Adams is hard at work, he doesn’t consider work to be a chore. “I try to find a way to enjoy my work; I like to laugh,” Adams said, “and I think that anyone who doesn’t enjoy what they do probably isn’t very good at what they do.” Not only does Adams enjoy his job, but he has made it a point to serve the kids as well as the community. There have been several events in which Adams has taken the time to tell the parents what he plans to achieve over the course of his time with Rockwood, as well as meeting with the parents on a more personal level. “Adams introduced us to his personal family members, and included in that introduction that he now has over 21,000 new members of his family, and that our job was to take care of his kids,” Shaughnessy said, “That’s a pretty powerful statement from our superintendent.” Adams holds a position of leadership as he oversees the district, and he expects the teachers to accept their roles as leaders, too. “Strong leadership begins with high expectations and I expect our school leaders and teachers to take care of their responsibilities,” Adams stated. Adams said he understands in order to run a smooth operation harmony is required among the teachers, staff and administrators. While he may be the head of the operation, he is not the only person necessary to run the district. “Public education is a partnership,” Adams stated, “and we can’t do this alone.”
Member SIPC
ten right now that we’re determining if we are going to adopt or not. So we have a pseudo-pet.” Not only is Calceterra looking forward to being involved with Lafayette during school hours, but she also has some ideas for after school programs. “I think we could have a student-staff Pickle-Ball tournament!” she said. Calceterra is looking forward to her first year and hopes to gain memories and experience. “I hope to learn more about being part of such an excellent school,” Calceterra said.
Karen Calcaterra, Associate Principal
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04opinions
Aug. 30, 2013
New technology advances insightful, but rushed staff ed Opinions expressed on the editorial pages do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school administration. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board. Signed, columns, blogs, editorial cartoons and reviews reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the Image Editorial Board.
Today’s interest in new technology has greatly impacted the school system. Chalk boards and white boards have become obsolete or useless due to Smart Boards being installed in almost every classroom. Google has left the nonfiction section of the library reminiscent of a ghost town. Now Rockwood is attempting to take another step forward in the tech department by implementing changes in the services the schools will have students use for documents and email and the availability of personal devices in the classroom environment. But is all of this focus on becoming a tech savvy school a good thing? Early problems with the system may mean that Rockwood is attempting to move forward too fast. Complications arose early on with Google Drive, the new system Rockwood schools are using for student email accounts. Some of the Image staff found problems in the first few days when trying to send emails to people using other servers such as Microsoft Outlook and others even found is-
sues with emailing people within the district itself. Even an email to tech support to fix the problem received a “failure to send” notification. The problem appears to have been solved but this seems like the sort of thing that the Technology Department should have figured out before the school year began. The log on servers for school laptops have also had problems with overload this year, causing the district to install more Wifi access points in the school. Another change that Rockwood is bringing to the table this year is the new Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy that went into effect on the first day of school. According to Rockwood’s website, BYOD means that students in Rockwood “will have the opportunity to bring their own electronic devices into the classroom to support their learning.” The webpage for BYOD goes on to list a wide selection of devices that fall under this category. “Any WIFIcapable mobile device, including lap-
tops (Window or Mac), netbooks, iPad tablet, iPod touch, eReaders, smart phones or similar devices, and other digital tablets” will all be permitted for students to bring. The Frequently Asked Questions portion of the webpage states that teachers will decide whether or not students will be allowed to use these devices in each individual classroom, but other than that it does not specify how students must get their devices approved by the school for use. This either means there is no protocol for the school to make sure that students are only using approved devices, or the information simply has not been communicated as well as it should have been. We’re assuming that it’s the latter, because BYOD is not even mentioned anywhere in the district’s Policies, Regulations, Procedures and Consequences Handbook. If Rockwood is so eager to make changes such as this, they should make more of an attempt to educate students on the changes in policy. There are also some things we can
foresee going wrong in the future because of BYOD. It’s no secret that despite the blocks Rockwood has put on certain websites that students are still able to play Tetris in the library or go online shoe shopping during Intro to Java class. Now that students will be able to use their personal electronics in class, who’s to say that they won’t find ways to distract themselves during lessons? Of course there are students that will actually use this policy to their academic advantage but we need a way to make sure that others don’t just take advantage of the system and use their devices for entertainment during class. We can tell that Rockwood is very involved in trying to become a more technologically capable district, but this increasing dependance on technology for school to function is not a good thing. What Rockwood needs to do is find a healthy medium of open technology access and control.
District providing excellent accommodations, opportunities for its students with Autisim One of my favorite people in the entire world is my younger brother, Nick. He loves reading, watching movies and typing on the computer. He also has a severe case of Autism. Life has always been hard for Nick because of this and of course hard for our family as well. Little things like going to the movies or the grocery store are practically impossible for him to do, as he is prone to sudden outbursts. Due to his lack of communication skills, everyday routines like getting ready for school in the morning and taking a shower at night require a lot of coaching. We shared a bedroom for the majority of our childhood, so many of these responsibilities fell on my shoulders. Needless to say, Nick is not able to participate in school at the same level as that of his peers. All of my siblings and I are enrolled in Rockwood, so thankfully Wild Horse Elementary School had a special education program for kids with Autism. When the time came for Nick to make the jump to middle school, he went to LaSalle Springs and en-
tered the Special Education viding educational opportuniAutism class there. This year ties for those with disabilities it is time for Nick to take ansuch as Nick’s. Associations other step in his education to like the Autism Spectrum Disthe high school level, and it order Foundation (ASDF) and just so happens that Lafayette Autism Speaks offer special is now home to the district programs and projects that can high school program for stuhelp ensure families with Audents with Autism. tistic children that they will be Overall our family has provided with opportunities for been very pleased when it their kids and awareness is be–opinions editor– comes to the special accoming raised for their cause. modations the Special School District (SSD) has been The first year of high school is a bit chaotic for able to make available for Nick. The programs at both almost everyone and this is especially so for Nick. LaSalle Springs and Wild Horse did a very good job It’s definitely a big change, and that’s always hard for of keeping him happy at school while also teaching him. him social skills. Because of his Autism, most of the everyday tasks It may be early in the year, but Lafayette’s pro- he is able to learn to perform are learned through gram seems to be just as helpful for him, and that repetition, so altering his environment in such a dramakes me feel optimistic about his future. matic way means that it will be hard for him to adapt. Outside of Rockwood as well, our society today Nick seems to be doing well so far this year. He is more focused than it has ever been toward pro- has always enjoyed school, and he seems to like La-
I’m Just Sayin’ alexlamar
fayette just as much as he did LaSalle Springs. I know he will probably have some bad days down the road, but I definitely feel as though he is in capable hands with the Autism classroom. I sincerely hope all of the special treatment that Nick has been able to receive will increase his odds of entering the workforce in the future. Of course it is impossible for him to ever have any sort of selfsupporting lifestyle, but at least we can try to set him up with some sort of job that he will be happy doing. Education is very important for somebody like Nick. If did not offer the programs that have helped him progress and learn over the years, he would be a lot worse off. The SSD has done a great job of creating these programs for Autistic students and collaborating with Rockwood to make them available. The teachers are instructive, the bus route understands and Nick actually enjoys going to school every day. I hope that his involvement in Lafayette’s Special Education program will help keep him enthusiastic and happy to better himself.
- CARTOONIST NEEDED Do you like to draw? Do you want to share your opinions with the school? Do you want to see your creations published in the school paper? Come see us in Room 137A if you are interested in being a regular cartoonist for the LHS Image.
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- It’s the third week of school, and sweats and hoodies already outnumber outfits that actually require effort. Are we really giving up so soon?
GPA , ACT scores favor different types of student learners Let Me Tell You
As I begin my college guide, we thrive at knowsearch, I start to realize ing the general informahow much my GPA and tion. ACT scores are now a Multiple courses from part of my identity. different years are examIf an admission’s gabbymcdaris ined in just one section of officer were to look at a standardized test. –editor in chief– both numbers side by The code to success in side, they may assume a high school is to memorize completely different person had taken the ACT some terms and concepts for a 50 question test, for me. start a new chapter and replace the information My GPA is pretty average, simply because for the next test. I am not a strong student when it comes to The ACT is a completely different story. You absorbing certain amounts of information at a either know the answer or you don’t, and that’s time. that. There is no study guide when it comes to Luckily, the ACT caters to my strengths, the ACT. which is why I have ended with a higher than To try and memorize everything one has average score. ever learned in their high school careers would But this leaves me wondering, which score be about as effective as digging a ditch with a matters the most? fork. I would hope the latter is what catches a There is no telling whether a school cares college’s eye more so than my GPA, since they more about 4.0 or 36. paint two completely different pictures of what Sure, it would be great if we could be perfect kind of student I am. at both, but not everyone is that lucky. I have heard of several instances where stuThe fact of the matter is that the ACT caters dents with 4.0’s and above have ended up with to a different type of student than four years of average or even lower than average ACT scores. high school does. Frustration is imminent when a student Sure, ACT prep classes teach the tricks of who has skated through high school for four the trade and can bump up someone’s score by years can’t deliver when it comes to one test. one or two points, but once someone’s score After two summers’ worth of prep classes plateaus, there is no way it’s getting any higher. with a tutor and two practice tests, it was a According to the ACT website, the test is great relief to end with a score I feel confident not meant to measure aptitude, but rather the about. student’s general knowledge. ACT and GPA should not be associated “The test questions on the ACT are directly with each other for one simple reason, they test related to what you have learned in your high the strengths of two different types of students. school courses in English, mathematics, reading I am not a strong student and I am not afraid and science.” to admit it. Although I don’t want to discredit the test It’s difficult for me to focus during class and that makes me seem like a smart and hardworksoak in what is being taught, but at the end ing student, I have to disagree with this stateof the day, I take away the main point of the ment. course. If this were true, than one’s GPA would be About 90 percent of a student’s GPA is a direct reflection of their ACT score. This obvimade up of test scores, and test scores cater to a ously is not the case. different type of student. Until a realization is made that these two Students who can easily memorize a set of numbers reflect two different aspects of learnfacts and recreate them on a 50 question spread, ing, smart and capable students will be let are the students who earn a GPA of a 3.5 or down on multiple opportunities that greatly afhigher. fect their futures. Students like myself are not able to rely on Colleges need to take in account how these memorization as a crutch, so when it comes two numbers are grouped together, even though to standardized tests, where there is no study they measure two different things.
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Around the country, across the web and all over the school we find things that intrigue us. Here are three things that are on our radar this month:
- Humorous and helpful Lafayetterelated Twitter handles to follow: @lhsimage @LHSproblems @LafayetteNHS @LHSSuperFans @LafayetteStuco
2 3
- We’ve once again practiced fire drills, intruder drills and tornado drills. Where’s our zombie apocalypse drill? We’re one mutated virus away people...
stars & gripes Stars To:
• The final season of Breaking Bad is well underway, and it’s just as good as the rest. We can’t wait to see what the writers are cooking up next. • Worldwide protests against a new law in Russia banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations around children.” Laws like that are pretty off-Putin. • The return of Friday night football games. There’s nothing like being covered in baby powder and cheering on the Lancers with hundreds of our best friends. • Demi Lovato’s new upcoming role on Glee. For once a child-star-gone-mad has actually recovered her career! Your move, Lohan. • Rockwood’s follow up audit revealing the district has made tremendous progress. Second time’s the charm. • Two new outlet malls opening in the Valley recently. We really needed another Hollister.
Gripes To:
• A recent study by a high school in New York revealed that the amount of icing in Double Stuf Oreos actually only adds up to about 1.86 Stuff in comparison to the original. Double Stuf? More like Double Cross. • A slew of bear attacks have been reported in Alaska and Michigan over the past few weeks. Things just keep getting more grizzly. •This years VMA’s. We had to sit through Miley Cyrus to get to Justin Timberlake. • The air conditioning going out in the Flex wing already. How many years has it been since LHS was built? And how long is it going to take for us to finally figure out how to work the AC? • An infectious agent that may be the cause for the number of dolphin deaths along the East Coast doubling over the past year. It looks like Miami isn’t the only place having Dolphin problems. • This year’s crop of freshmen continuing the trend of poor hallway etiquette. Welcome to high school, kids.
Your Turn This year, high school students will not receive quarter grades but rather one cummulative grade for the entire semester. How do you think this will affect you?
Margaret Nicholson, 9
Drew Cusumano, 10
Megan Landauer, 11
Ian Drake, 12
Mandy Lewis, Asst. Principal
“Now you can’t really just coast through a quarter anymore. You have to work hard all year to make sure you get the grade you want.”
“If I can keep up with my grades and classes, I don’t think I will have that hard of a time with the change. It could affect my grade, but it won’t if I do well.”
“I see what they were trying to do, but I think that a lot of people will be slacking by second semester and ruin their grades.”
“I think it will be more positive in the long run, giving people more time to make corrections. It might hurt them to begin with, but it will be better overall.”
“I think that it will actually improve students’ grades. If they have a bad grade first quarter, they won’t be stuck with that bad grade to average.”
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Panu vacations in European countries to learn about culture
averycantor
–features editor–
meganrigabar –reporter–
alainastrollo –reporter–
Frederickson spends summer months on sailing , hiking expeditions through Boy Scouts Rain. Hail. A 100-pound backpack weighing you down. These conditions were typical for sophomore Nathan Frederickson, who spent his summer sailing in the Bahamas and backpacking through New Mexico. The first leg of Frederickson’s summer adventure began in the Bahamas with a week-long sailing expedition. Throughout the trip, everyone took turns steering the boat. “It was my first time on a fairly large boat. It’s not like a car; you can’t just turn it and have it stay. You have to readjust,” Frederickson said. Frederickson’s outdoor experience didn’t end during the night. Although the nights were cold, sleeping on the boat was an experience in itself. “There were only two bedrooms – the captain’s and the first mate’s, so I just slept on the deck. It was awesome,” Frederickson said. Shortly after Frederickson returned from the Bahamas, he went to Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico to hike in wilderness for two weeks with nothing but a backpack. Frederickson and his dad, along with other Boy Scouts, hiked a grand total of 70 miles. Before the trip, Frederickson and his dad bought hiking backpacks in order to carry supplies such as food, water, clothes, pots and other necessities. “Everything was about conserving space
and weight because there is only so much room,” Frederickson said. Along his hike, Frederickson mountain biked and visited tourist sites, such as Baldy Mountain. Despite the large amounts of energy needed for these activities, Frederickson found challenges in hiking itself. “The most difficult challenge was simply getting to TAKE A HIKE Sophomore Nathan Frederickson and other members Point A to Point B in of his Boy Scout troop hiked over 70 miles at Philmont Scout Ranch. the rain and hail. It Fredrickson said Philmont is considered one of the highest adventures hailed about almost of all Boy Scouts. — photo courtesy of Nathan Frederickson every day there,” Fredbecome more independent,” he said. erickson said. As for the future, this was not just a once in a In the end, Frederickson’s experience taught lifetime adventure for Frederickson. him skills difficult to learn anywhere else. “I’ve always been totally in love with sailing. “I definitely know how to work with my There’s a guy my mom knows that could hire me scouting troop better and how to handle myself as part of his crew for summer. It would be an in the outdoors much better. I’ve learned how to awesome job - sailing around the world as a saildo a whole bunch of things on my own and have ing merchant,” Frederickson said.
“It was unbelievable. You’d have cheese, bread and candles everywhere; it was like something from Tumblr,” senior Meghan Panu said referring to her vacation in Europe. Panu’s trip began in Rome. Once there, she toured Vatican City, the Colosseum and the Sistene Chapel. After a week of touring in Rome, Panu traveled down to the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy, where she stayed in the Positano, a village right on the Mediterranean Sea, her favorite destination. “I like the environment of it, the whole city is within 20 minutes, walking distance,” Panu said. After five days in Positano, Panu traveled to WHEN IN ROME Senior Meghan Sienna, a city inside Tuscany with rolling hills and Panu visits Saint Peter’s Basilica in wineries. Vatican City. “I had no idea it would She stayed at a castle on the countryside. be so big; you really don’t have a “We didn’t want any big chain. We weren’t good perspective of something going to stay at a Holiday Inn; we wanted until it’s in front of you,” Panu said. something that was really authentic” Panu said. — photo courtesy of Meghan Panu
After Sienna, Panu flew to Paris where she stayed in the apartment of a family friend, just two blocks from the Eiffel Tower. Staying in the apartment gave her a more authentic and realistic look at what life in France is really like. “You get two different versions of a trip - from staying in a hotel, to someone’s actual house. You get a really good feel for [the environment], and that’s what I liked about it,” Panu said. While in Paris, Panu went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and even saw the end of the Tour de France - a moment Panu describes as “unbelievable.” Though she didn’t go up the Eiffel Tower, the environment was enough. “It was a ten minute walk [to the Eiffel Tower]. We laid underneath it for hours. Going up it wasn’t important, it was just being there,” Panu said. Panu loved the mix of cultures she experienced which ultimately allowed her to appreciate
Huffman travels to Africa to celebrate grandparent’s anniversary In celebration of his grandparent’s 50th Anniversary, freshman Danny Huffman and family were able to vacation in Africa for three weeks this summer. The Huffman family traveled to various places in Africa such as Johannesburg, Chobe, Kruger, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Capetown – each place with their own culture and traditions. “They were all cool in their own way. Kruger and Chobe had national parks, so they had more animals and safaris. Capetown was an actual city. Zimbabwe and Batswana were more rural areas” Huffman said.
During his trip, he went on six safaris and saw a variety of animals such as elephants, rhinoceros, zebras and lions. Not only was he able to see these animals, but Huffman was able to interact and actually ride elephants. “It’s more comfortable than riding a horse. They have big cushioned seats as opposed to a saddle. You had to walk up stairs and then step off a platform and onto them though,” Huffman said. On top of learning about exotic animals, Huffman was able to experience traditional African culture as well. “One night we went to a na-
tive’s house so we could experience what it’s like to have dinner and be in an African society for a night. They lived in communities of metal shacks – one room shacks for whole families to live in,” Huffman said. At the dinner, Huffman tried traditional African foods such as different types of chicken, fried kale with peanut butter, beans and even caterpillar. “I learned a lot about their culture and realized that we’re really fortunate to be here. I’d definitely go back; it was a trip of a lifetime for sure,” Huffman said. AFRICAN ADVENTURE While vacationing in Africa, freshman Danny Huffman went on six safaris and got the chance to ride an elephant. “It was unbelievable. Riding them was definitely my favorite part of the the trip,” Huffman said. — photo courtesy of Danny Huffman
Deskin volunteers to help children and widows in Central America
UN-BELIZE-ABLE EXPERIENCE Senior Tara Deskin travels to Belize and the Dominican Republic to help widows and children in poverty. “You learn that we are very fortunate here. I plan to go back next summer to volunteer again,” Deskin said. — photo courtesy of Tara Deskin
“I love helping people. It’s something I’d always known I would do. So, when my youth minister started explaining the missionary profession, it took off from there,” senior Tara Deskin said. That’s how Deskin spent her summer. She traveled to Belize and the Dominican Republic on missionary trips. Her interest in volunteering began after Deskin heard about how life changing mission trips can be. Thus, Deskin and other members of her church fundraised money for their trip. Once in Belize, Deskin and 15 other teenagers helped demolish the JVI house, a Jesuit Missionary house. “It was built around 1920 and they were going to redo it, so we were in charge of breaking down the rock with sledgehammers,” she said. While in Belize, Deskin met natives and learned about their lifestyle.
“The people were really family oriented. For the most part, the grandmother would live in one house and all of her kids and grandkids would live in surrounding ones,” Deskin said. Education is another vital part of their lifestyle, as most students travel two hours each day just to go to school. “We take it for granted that we live right down the street from school. They drive for a long time every day on unpaved roads, willingly,” Deskin said. Shortly after returning from Belize, Deskin began collecting toiletries, clothes and school supplies from friends and family to take to her next destination – the Dominican Republic. “Everyone was really helpful. I ended up collecting a whole suitcase worth of school supplies and an entire duffle bag full of clothes. I still have 12 bags of stuff in my basement that I’m getting ready to ship,” Deskin said.
All items were donated to widows and children in a community called Los Fondos. There, Deskin brought meals to widows and built beds for them and their families. In addition to helping widows, she volunteered at a facility for children struggling in school or in poverty. She worked with deaf children and taught them to sign. “They only spoke Spanish, so I had to mouth the words or write them on the board in Spanish and then sign them in American Sign Language. It was really confusing,” Deskin said. She said the best part of her trip was building a relationship with the kids and plans to return next summer and stay for a month to teach again. Deskin said, “It was a life changing experience. You find out what you want to do when you’re there and have a lot of time to think. For me, it confirmed this is the path I should be on.”
different people. In particular, Panu enjoyed the French. “The French were really nice. They were more straightforward. All too often in the US, people are more sensitive and for the French it’s just, ‘You’re in my way; I’m going to tell you this, and that’s it,’” Panu said. Not only did Panu learn about different cultures, but also about navigating new areas and that sometimes it’s okay to get a little lost. “We ended up on the wrong train with all natives that didn’t speak English. There was a panic but at the same time we just said, ‘Eh, we’ll figure it out,’” Panu said. Though visiting the Colosseum and Sistine Chapel were enjoyable, Panu enjoyed the authenticity of Sienna and Positono most of all. “I’m not as much about being a crazy-tourist, sometimes I like to just sit down and enjoy the culture. I think that’s important,” Panu said.
Sherman spends six weeks backpacking through Spain with family Unlike other sophomores, Joey Sherman did not spend his last two weeks of school cramming for finals; instead, he went backpacking in Spain Joey Sherman for a pilgrimage with his family. In order to miss finals week and leave on time for his trip, Sherman had to do a large amount of extra work in each class in a short period of time. “I had to come in early and stay late every day to finish all my school work. It was terrible,” Sherman said. He was in Spanish II before the trip, but he learned even more by experience. One of these classes was Spanish II, in which Spanish teacher Brian Reed helped prepare Sherman for his pilgrimage by teaching him extra vocabulary in addition
to what is traditionally taught in the classroom. “He came in before and after school every day for seven weeks. He took the final a month early. It was impressive how fast he learned,” Reed said. As the only Spanish speaker in his family, Sherman was the translator. He used his Spanish skills mostly for ordering food, which were mainly bland options such as salami and bread. His trip began in Roncesvalles and ended in Santiago and lasted an impressive 600 miles. He walked about 15 miles a day over a six-week period. “We were planning on starting the first day we got to Spain but there was a freak snowstorm where someone actually died,” Sherman said. The wind was coming down at 40 miles per hour and Sherman estimated the temperature was around zero.
“After the snowstorm ended, the temperature went back to the 70s. The weather was intense; during the day it would get up to the 90s and at night it would drop to the 30s,” Sherman said. Throughout the entire trip, Sherman and his family each carried a 15-pound bag on their back filled with clothes and gear. The final destination, as well as Sherman’s favorite, was a place called “The End of The World”. “We saw the ocean for the first time there. We went to a gigantic cathedral there that had 800 pounds of incense that swung throughout the church. There were flames coming out of it,” Sherman said. Aside from improving his Spanish, Sherman learned a lot from his trip. “I learned not to take things for granted. Everyone should do a trip like this because it really makes you grateful for what you have,” he said.
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08news
Eye on the Arts
Aug. 30, 2013
Fine Arts program offers preview of busy year of performances with Spring Musical Shrek looking to be largest undertaking gabbymcdaris
hall. We have a clinic with someone who is a nationally recognized conductor,” Gutowski said. More information of Orchestra events can be found at staffrockwood.k12.mo.us/gutowskijoseph. com.
–editor in chief–
Lancer Regiment Unbeknownst to a majority of the Lafayette community, Marching Band’s year will consist of much more than just football games. With a total of four events just in the month of September, Band Director Brad Balog is preparing for a busy year. “Marching band’s going great. We’re really excited to get out and get performing,” Balog said. Much like Orchestra, the Lancer Regiment will have a less travel-oriented year, with a schedule focusing on more community events. “We host our own Marching Band Contest of Champions on Sept. 28 and then we’re performing at the Edwards Jones Dome at a national show Oct. 8,” Balog said. The one out of town trip Lancer Regiment will be taking this year will be to Kansas City on Oct. 10 to Blue Springs High School. In just the month of September, there are four events scheduled on top of the regular football schedule, and plenty more throughout the year for members of the community to attend. Students and community members are encouraged to attend, with a majority of events having no admissions fee. “Ninety percent of what the Fine Arts Department does are free and open to the public,” Balog said. The Lancer Regiment will be joined by new Assistant Band Director Jay Long. “He’s in charge of the percussion program so that’s our big change,” Balog said. More information on Lancer Regiment event dates can be found at www.lafayettebands.com.
Theatre
BACK IN THE BAND. The Lancer Regiment practices after school. They will be performing at the first home game for varsity football on Sept. 6. — photo by Emily Pascoe
Orchestra Following up from a trip to Italy over the summer, Lafayette’s Orchestra will be focusing more time on local performances and less time on out of town events. “This is not a trip year. This is not a year where we have a ton of outside of school things,” Orchestra Director Joe Gutowski said. With a class of around 150 students, Gutowski has enlisted the help of Michael Blackwood as Itinerant Orchestra Director to help divide the workload. “We have to split the class of 80 into two rooms
so we can actually fit,” Gutowski said. What Gutowski is most excited about is the caliber of students he has for the year. “The Symphonic Orchestra is one of the best I’ve had. For Open House we played a piece that we never would have attempted. That’s kind of exciting,” Gutowski said. Orchestra, Lancer Regiment and Choir will also perform together for the Race for the Arts on Oct. 5. Although they had to limit out of town travel, Gutowski will be taking the program to the University of Illinois on President’s Day weekend in February. “It is sort of a clinic opportunity at the Krannert Center which is a big world renowned performance
The Lafayette Theatre Company will be kicking off the new school year with their fall play Fools by Neil Simon. Director Natasha Toro said, “It is about a town that gets taken over by stupidity. They get a curse put on them so everybody’s stupid. It’s very funny.”Performance dates for Fools are Oct. 17-19. The Fine Arts programs will also work together to collaborate for the Spring Musical, Shrek. “We’re the first high school to do it. It’s going to be a huge cast, huge set and great music. It’s very funny so I’m very excited about doing that,” Toro said. Both band and orchestra members will be lending their hands into the production of the musical. Balog said, “I’d say the biggest thing that’s probably happening is the Fine Arts Department tackling Shrek. It’s an all hands on deck event. Everybody will be helping out with that.” Balog added the Fine Arts Department is excited most excited about orchestra and band being able to work together. “We’re very excited because it’s going to have a lot of instruments. There are a lot of set pieces for people who like to build. We’ll all be very much working with each other to make sure it happens,” Balog said. In addition to the Fall Play and Spring Musical, students interested in performing will now have a new creative outlet in an Improv Team which will be starting this year. “We’re very excited about. It will be awesome.” Toro said. More information on Theatre events can be found at staff.rockwood.k12.mo.us/toronatasha.com.
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Aug. 30, 2013
Ahead of the Curve
After a year of challenges, senior Michael Wefelmeyer becomes one of few students to get perfect ACT score garrettmcbay –reporter–
Of the 1.66 million students in the US that took the ACT in 2012, only 781 were able to pass the test with a perfect score. Despite those odds, senior Michael Wefelmeyer scored a 36. “I got an email that said my score was in. I checked it on my phone and saw it said 36. I just jumped out of my chair. Michael Wefelmeyer, 12 I was so excited. I had to ask my friend to also check and see if I had gotten a 36. I just couldn’t believe it,” Wefelmeyer said. The ACT is an important part of any resume, as it can make many opportunities available to students, such as scholarships, grants and other perks. “If you have an [ACT score] on hand, you won’t have to take most community college’s entrance exam, which are normally unreasonably difficult,” Melissa Schumacher, language arts teacher and one of Lafayette’s ACT prep classes teachers, said. Many schools require you to have an ACT score to be accepted into them. According to Schumacher, most schools require around a 22 to accept a student, while the average composite test score in the US is 21.1.
“Out of many things, the ACT is one of your best tools for getting into college,” Schumacher said. Wefelmeyer took the ACT on June 8, 2013, for his third time. In the past, he had scored a 27 and a 29, but both times were after he had begun chemotherapy for Leukemia, which affected his ability to take the test. “When I would take tests in the past, I would feel like I was doing fine. And then, the time would be up, and I wouldn’t be done,” he said. On his most recent attempt however, Wefelmeyer was given extended time and the ability to circle his answers instead of bubbling them in during the test to help compensate for his illness. “When I was given the extended time, I was actually able to stop and read my test. Circling made the test a little easier for me too, since the chemotherapy literally made it harder for me to use my hands and answer the questions,” Wefelmeyer said. On his most recent attempt, Wefelmeyer was able to show his true potential and score a 36. To put that into perspective, only 0.001 percent of all ACT test takers make a perfect score. “I was surprised on getting a 36. No one ever expects to get one. But in the back of my mind, I knew I did really well,” Wefelmeyer said. Wefelmeyer has also appeared in multiple news stories about his perfect score, as well as a interview for a News Channel 5 feature story. With all of this new interest in him, Wefelmeyer has started to feel a little nervous. “I don’t always like all the attention, people telling me how smart I am and it can get kind of awkward. When people say something like, ‘That’s so
ACT Facts 1.66 million students took the ACT last year. What all should you know if your planning on taking it?
•The ACT is administered multiple times throughout the year, and there is no limit on how many times a student can take it. 20132014 test dates are available at actstudent.org. •Rockwood pays to have every junior take the ACT. This year’s junior test date is April 23, 2014. •Registration for the upcoming October ACT ends September 27 •Lafayette offers multiple ACT prep courses during the school year. For info on prep courses, visit the Guidance Office, or contact the ACT prep coordinator at muellermary@rockwood.k12mo.us.
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incredible,’ or ‘That’s amazing,’ you just don’t really know what to say,” Wefelmeyer said. Despite this, Wefelmeyer is trying to stay optimistic about being stuck in the spotlight. “Out of all the problems out there to have, this one isn’t that bad,” he said. As well as scoring a 36 on the ACT, Wefelmeyer has scored a 2320 out of 2400 on the SAT, and has also stayed active with his school and community through leadership in the school and tutoring for the A+ program. “Michael was dealt a hand that not many of us would ever want to be dealt, but he has handled it with grace, and has been able to not let his Leukemia take away from his goal of being an academically strong student here at Lafayette,” Principal John Shaughnessy said. After graduating in May, Wefelmeyer is planning to attend college to study political science, but still is undecided on where to attend. “I still haven’t really made a decision on where to go, and been putting off thinking about it. It’s a big decision, and it seems like something that I would have to devote a lot of my time into.” Wefelmeyer said. “Georgetown would definitely be my first choice.” After college, Wefelmeyer hopes to join the Peace Corps, as well as one day go to graduate school for an advanced degree in international studies. “Schools love having top shelf students, and with this I’ll be able to show them that I’m one of those students,” he said.
AT THE CORNER OF CLARKSON AND MANCHESTER NEXT TO MULLIGAN'S GRILL
Class of 2002 Memorial Scholarship Fund Trivia Night and Silent Auction Saturday, September 14 St. John Church 15800 Manchester Rd. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. $20 Admission 6-8 people per table Proceeds benefit the Class of 2002 Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides four scholarships every spring to current LHS Seniors Call Jill McDonnell at (314) 378-1393 to reserve your tables
Visit lhsclassof2002.com for more information
news09 Desloge gets nod as St. Louis Suburban Association’s Counselor of the Year meganrigabar –reporter–
Guidance Counselor Marybeth Desloge has been named the Counselor of the Year by the St. Louis Suburban Counselor’s Association. After being selected as the Rockwood Counselor of the Year award last spring, she sent a nomination Marybeth Desloge packet for the St. Louis Suburban Counselor’s Association award. “I was nominated by a couple of teachers, a parent and some students that wrote letters. [The selection committee] read through the letters and assign certain points, like a scoring guide,” Desloge said. After the nomination packet was sent in May, Desloge found out in August that she had received the award when Principal John Shaughnessy made the announcement at a staff meeting before the school year began. “It’s a great award, it’s wonderful recognition for somebody who does a lot of hard work…I think it’s a nice way for others to recognize somebody for doing some outstanding things,” Shaughnessy said. Desloge is the Guidance Department Chair and has been at Lafayette for 31 years. So what are Desloge’s goals for the coming year? “Pretty much continue what I’ve been doing, help kids reach their goals and let them know that I care about them and their future successes and I’m here to help them in any way I can,” she said. With all her recent success, there’s no doubt Desloge will fulfill her goals. Shaughnessy said, “She’s a huge advocate for her department and all of the different venues that they are responsible for. She’s pretty much a leader when it comes to dealing with our students.” In addition to her family celebration, Desloge will be recognized at an awards ceremony and breakfast in December when all the winners of the award will be announced.
Seniors: Visit lhsimage.com for info about
•2014 Grad Ads •Sr. Portraits •Yearbook Sales
Deadlines are
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10sports
Aug. 30, 2013
Lancers fall into action Boys Cross Country/
With a strong third place finish in State last year, the boys cross country team aims for another successful year and looks to finish their race on top of the podium. Sophomore Dylan Quisenberry expects great things to come from this young team consisting of potentially only three upperclassmen, juniors James Fox, Josiah McElmurry and Jack Rogan. Depending on the team’s progression, additional runners could be added to the varsity roster. “[With such a young team] there is only room for improvement. Practice is tough, but if it wasn’t for Coach [Sean] O’Connor pushing us, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” Quisenberry said. Quisenberry, along with the rest of the cross country runners, has high hopes for the team at State this year. “Hopefully in the end, we will get top three in State competition,” Quisenberry said. In preparation for meets, the team alternates focus each practice day, switching between speed workouts and long distance runs. Their first meet is the Lafayette Invitational on Aug. 31 at Castlewood Park. —Story by McKinzie Duesenberg, reporter
Girls Cross Country/
Last fall, the girls cross country team shocked the State Tournament by finishing sixth in State after not even being ranked. Coming off of a strong season, the girls cross country team is looking to top its record this fall. “Eureka is going to be our strongest competition, they had a really solid team last year. However, they lost two of their top runners. Our team will support each other, set high expectations for themselves and work as a team to achieve these expectations,” Assistant Coach Mary Anne Moosman said. The team could accomplish their goals due to the diverse mix of talent they have; from experienced seniors to All-State sophomores. After finishing their freshman seasons in the Top 25 at State, sophomores Anna West and Sarah Nicholson have high goals for themselves and the team. Sophomore Anna West hopes to place in the Top 15 and Sarah Nicholson hopes to beat her last season’s sixth place at State. Moosman said the seniors are not only talented, but have really stepped up into a leadership role. Moosman said the team is compiled of “great senior leadership and a lot of girls who put in work over the summer.” Their first meet is the Lafayette Invitational which is Aug. 31 at Castlewood. —Story by Ariana Catalano, reporter
Girls Golf/
The varsity girls golf team begins with a big swing opening their first tournament, The Summit Invitational, on Sept. 5. Head Coach Gaylen Laster said, “The Summit Invitational will be a good measure of where we are as a team. The three returning players, senior Michelle Standing, junior Sammi Charpentier and sophomore Mindy Hennrich, will be huge factors on how the season progresses.” Also, three new additions to the varsity team include senior Gabby McDaris and juniors Paige Randazzo and Sarah Madej. Their goal for the 2013 season is to win the Suburban West Conference title and tournament, win the Districts and then qualify as a team for the State championship. If you would like to go cheer on the girls golf team, their next match is Sept. 4. They tee off at 3:30 p.m. at Aberdeen Golf Club against Eureka High School. —Story by Rachel Brunts, reporter
Field Hockey/
It’s a new year with a new coach for the field hockey players. The returning varsity members are adjusting to the new ones, while rebuilding chemistry after losing key players last year. New Head Coach Melissa Lantz has many goals and changes she wants to make to the team. “We may not have the best skill, but we WILL work the hardest,” she said. The seniors have many expectations for the sea-
SWIMMING TO VICTORY Competing at Fall Sports Night, senior Brent Huffines and sophomore Calvin Gilbride finish in a tight race. As the team shows potential early in the season, players and coaches hope for a successful season. After losing 16 seniors last year, the crew is looking to grow as a young team and place well in post-season competition. — photo by Smrithi Mani son as well. “So far, we’ve been focusing a lot on becoming more fit so that no matter what skill level an opposing team has, we’ll always be able to outrun them in a game,” senior Tanya Grover said. Although most sports start the first day of school, field hockey prepares to have an advantage on the opponent by starting their conditioning in the summer. “We have been doing neighborhood runs and sprints constantly to ensure that we are lean and mean,” Taylor Schneider said. Finally, the seniors have high hopes to use their different and hopefully effective skills to make it to the Final Four or even a State championship. “All us seniors think we could really go far in Conference if we do our best and everything works in our favor. It’s our last year, we want to make it count,” senior Meghan Panu said. The first game of the season is Sept. 3 at home versus MICDS . —Story by Chandler Leonard, reporter
the 2013 season. The squad’s toughest competition will be last year’s District champions, the Eureka Wildcats. Junior Maddie Seifert, a returning varsity starter, said, “Last year, we got a lot better as the season went on and became a very successful team. We hope to grow into an even better team this year.” After only losing two seniors, Ashley Parks and Mara Worley, the Lancers have a strong crew full of many veteran players. They went 17-8 last year which earned them second place in the District tournament. Putting in the hard work will be the key to this team’s success. They are full of strong individuals and great chemistry. Head Coach Scott Denoyer, said he tells the girls, “Play like you’re in first, and practice like you’re in second.” The Lancers start the season in the Troy Tournament this weekend. —Story by Taylor Schneider, reporter
girls to do their best on and off the court. “We want the team to play their best every time they take the court, and to show character, leadership, intensity, focus, and sportsmanship. We hope they will enjoy the experience, as well as love the sport they are playing,” Head Coach Donna Stauffer said. They have very big goals this year that they would like to fulfill. They want to win their Conference, win their District, qualify for State, win State as a team and have as many individual medals at state as possible. At the same time, they want the girls to excel scholastically and represent the school well. Along with those girls, the coaches would like the team to beat their biggest rival, St. Joseph’s Academy. These girls have great potential to be very successful in the next few months. Their first match was Aug. 29, but they play their home opener versus Parkway West on Sept. 4. —Story by Amanda Abd, reporter
Boys Soccer/
Boys Swimming/
Girls Volleyball/
Coming off of a season that was cut short due to a 1-2 loss at Sectionals to CBC, the boys soccer team looks to finish what they started last year. The season was slow at the beginning, losing multiple games in a row, but the boys got their rhythm towards the end which resulted in a District championship. The Lancers hadn’t won Districts nine years prior to that. “As a senior this year, it’s my job to push people to work hard and play to their full potential,” senior Jack Fladda said. The team lost 12 seniors, most of them being key players and huge contributions in their success as a team. “It will be interesting,” Head Coach Tim Walters said about how the boys will step up and fill those positions. “We haven’t found those key players yet, but watch for some of our veteran players like (seniors) Jack Fladda, Kyle Lum, (juniors) Pete and Nick Wesner,” he said. The Lancers kick off the season Aug. 30 in the Parkway West/Northwest Tournament at Parkway West. —Story by Hannah Martin, reporter
Softball/
After a disappointing loss in last year’s District finals, the softball team is back with high hopes for
Finishing 11th overall at State last year, the boys swimming and diving team is stepping up their game and working to rebuild after losing nearly half their team to graduation. Senior Jacob Alspaw, one of five swimmers who attended State last year, said, “It’s going to be hard to improve from last year, as there was so much talent. This year we can only hope to keep working hard and use the effort to win meets.” After its loss of seniors, there are only four new additions to the varsity team. “[The team] is more low key and has a little less energy than last year, but with the freshman bringing new energy and life to the team and by practicing at faster intervals and longer distances, we hope to win Conference,” sophomore John Wilmsen said. Their next meet is scheduled for Sept. 2 against Parkway Central at Lafayette. The meet will begin at 4:15 p.m. —Story by McKinzie Duesenberg, reporter
Girls Tennis/
With four returning seniors, girls varsity tennis has the potential for a new and great year. Varsity captains seniors Haleigh Chobanian, Arianna Demos, Kayla Neskar and Emily Weinhold hope to lead their team in a successful season. Coaches Donna and Scott Stauffer expect the
After losing eight varsity seniors last year, the girls volleyball team is looking to sustain their dominate reputation after a perfect 2012 season that ended with a State Championship. With division one college commits seniors Lily Johnson, Maggie Scott and Jackie Scott leading the team, the girls have high expectations for the upcoming competition. “The great depth that our program has fostered allows us to have an extremely experienced and seasoned varsity crew going into 2013. I have so much confidence in our group and can guarantee improvement throughout the fall,” Johnson said. As the Lancers welcome seven new players, the girls may be facing the loss of strong team chemistry from last year’s squad. Playing at the competitive varsity level may initially be tough for the newcomers, so they hope to use their experience on club teams in a Lafayette jersey. “It’s a new year and a new team. We are playing under the same name, but are a completely different team. We are stressing improvement and putting all focus into that,” Maggie Scott said. To kick off the season, the first match will take place against St. Joseph’s Academy on Sept. 3. “I am just looking forward to being a part of another great team and really enjoying my senior season,” Jackie Scott said. —Story by Arianna Demos, Sports Editor
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Aug. 30, 2013
Battle of 109 Hoping to defend their District title, the Lancers face the Eureka Wildcats in the season opener tonight at Eureka. Both teams are vowing to fight until the clock runs out. kellypanzitta
–sports reporter– The Lafayette Lancers will be kicking off the season against their cross-district rivals, the Eureka Wildcats Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at Eureka. In last season’s “Battle of 109”, the Lancers brought home the win with a final score of 35-14. With the entire towns of Eureka and Wildwood coming out to support both schools as they battle for a win, parking space at Eureka High will be at a premium so there will be a shuttle beginning at 5:30 p.m. from Blevins Elementary and the Annex to EHS. Pre-sale tickets were on sale for $5 all week. And, due to their win last season versus the Wildcats and their Cinderella season, the Lancers are confident about their chances tonight. In last year’s campaign, the Lancers finished with a 9-0 regular season record and proceeded deep into the postseason. With an overall record of 12-1 the Lancers were one game away from playing at the Ed-
NO SENIORITIS ON THE FIELD. As the senior boys prepare for their last season together, they are making every moment count. The boys plan to leave everything on the field and are hoping for a season that will be unforgettable. — photo by Jenny Perez
ward Jones Dome for the State Championship. Many of the departing seniors including John Voit, Shacquille Holley and Elliot Montgomery have moved on to play college football. Without these valuable players, the Lancers have large shoes to fill. When asked how the loss of these strong players will impact the 2013 season, senior Alex Brcic responded, “Although last year’s line was huge, we’ve all been working hard to fill in those spots.” He believes with this year’s athleticism the Lancers have the potential to execute plays even better. “We have a lot of players that didn’t get a ton of playing time that are going to be asked to step up and play. Although we have lots of talent there are also inexperienced members on the team.,” Assistant Coach Rick Voss said. To prepare, the boys have been competing in scrimmages against each other and have been weight lifting all summer. “The goal is to out work the competition,” said senior Evan Scales.
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Brcic added that because Eureka is the squad’s biggest competition in the District, it “absolutely adds pressure to the first game especially since last year we beat the Wildcats twice.” But for the coaching staff, this is just another District game Voss said. Scales also said the team’s goal is to start things off right by beating Eureka and hopefully win Conference and District. He added, “All things we are confident we can achieve.” For many of the boys this will be their last time padding up for a season opener. Senior contributors Jalen Dansby, Cole DuPont, Corey Manne, Trey Perez, Chris Raymond and Evan Scales are looking forward to a memorable season with their teammates. Underclassman this season who are moving up to the varsity squad will need to add significant contributions if the team wants to start where they left off. A few of these athletes include juniors Alvin Houston and Cedrion Sacus along with sophomores
Chase Behrndt, Jake Reynolds and Brendan Scales. Reynolds will take on this year’s kicking and punting duties for the Lancers. When asking Reynolds if there is extra pressure being one of the younger athletes on the team he said, “I’m pretty confident that I will be able to preform well even with the pressure”. Reynolds had the opportunity to kick last season with the varsity team. That additional practice is what he believes will get him through the season. Assistant Coach Steve Miller will be at the helm for the season opener as Head Coach Boyd Manne experienced a heart attack while on vacation this summer. He was air lifted to a hospital in Tennessee where he recovered and then was able to return home. Manne received open heart surgery Aug. 12 and will be out for the Eureka game, but hopes to be back in mid-September after taking time to recover at home along with participating in rehab. His team hopes to welcome him back with several dominating performances already in the books.
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Aug. 30, 2013
Stop and EmilyAltic –reporter–
Smell the Pancakes
With this year’s schedule changes, Late Start Days that used to occur once a month will now happen every other Monday. Here are a few places close to school that serve great food and provide quick service so students can get their day off to a good start. Whether you’re looking for something quick to pickup or a place to hang out and meet up with friends, these spots should make a rough morning go a little smoother.
Dunkin’ Donuts 9860 Manchester Road Hours: 24/7
The Egg and I 1722 Clarkson Rd. Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
Kaldi’s Coffeehouse 17211 Chesterfield Airport Rd. Hours: M-F 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.
You’ve taken advantage of the late start and chosen to sleep in, however, minutes turn into an hour and before you know it you’re throwing yourself out the door with two different shoes and an empty stomach. Sound familiar? Luckily for those who choose to sleep in, Dunkin’ Donuts has 24 hour service and is a quick option for a donut or coffee to carry into class. There is a variety of frozen, cold and hot coffees. Its enough to keep costumers coming back to try something new.There is also a convenient drive-thru for those rainy or snowy days that lie in the future. Sophomore Christian Wolk said, “Dunkin’ Donuts is a good place to go on a late start day because it’s a fun place to have breakfast with your friends and relax before school.”
This restaurant is any egg lover’s paradise. The menu is filled with eggs all served in delicious, unique ways that won’t disappoint. Those who don’t like eggs can still get traditional breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles and French toast. The atmosphere is laid back and tables are spaced out so customers never feel crowded or that their conversations are being overheard. If you choose to sit down and enjoy the food, the service is both quick and efficient. Breakfast can easily be served and finished in under twenty minutes, allowing students enough time to enjoy a good breakfast and get to school before the final bell. “It’s not too far from school and it’s quick enough so you don’t have to get up ridiculously early,” senior Erika Heckemeyer said.
For a wide variety of breakfast foods that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy, Kaldi’s is a great place to get a start on the morning. Depending how far you are from the Valley, it may be necessary to get up a bit earlier in order to arrive at school on time. The café menu consists of many breakfast sandwiches and crepes for those who prefer a heavier breakfast. They range from a breakfast basic such as “egg sandwich”, to a unique flavor such as the “roasted apple sandwich.” Running late? The bakery provides a lighter variety such as pastries and parfaits for a quick and easy meal. Bakery items sit in front so they can be served right away. “I like to have coffee there and it’s a good study place,” senior Grant Hornberger said.
Sunny Street Cafe 2480 Taylor Rd. Hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Wolf 15480 Clayton Rd. Hours: 6 a.m.-9 p.m.
Also referred to as “a bright spot for breakfast and lunch,” Sunny Street Café is a breakfast franchise that serves many breakfast varieties including breakfast combos, house specialties, omelets, Benedict’s and handheld breakfasts for those that are on the go. All of the meals on the menu are hearty and served in large portions that will leave your stomach satisfied throughout the school day. Many students enjoy eating at Sunny Street Cafe for their wide variety of breakfast foods to choose from that give customers something new to try with each visit. “You can do anything there, you can make an omelet or a pancake,” freshman Deacon Owens said.
The Wolf is an interesting restaurant with a unique atmosphere. With tables made of irregular wood, mason jars for cups and wholesome food choices the entire establishment gives off an outdoorsy vibe that makes you to feel like you are dining in a wilderness cabin rather than a restaurant. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m. and includes a variety of simple foods such as steel cut oats and several different types of skillet and egg dishes. All foods are fresh, local, and very low cost. Service is a bit slow, but the dishes and experience is worth the wait. Junior Jennifer Butler said, “The coffee is really good and sometimes during the dinner hours they have local acoustic bands play.”
Letty Lou’s 505 Strecker Road Hours: 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Letty Lou’s is a quaint café that is perfect for a sit down breakfast early in the morning. The menu consists of several traditional breakfast items including French toast, biscuits & gravy, and delectable pancakes that prompt students such as sophomore John Wilnsen to return. For those with more discriminating taste buds or dietary needs there is an option to choose the ingredients and create their own burrito, breakfast sandwich or omelet. The café is small with few tables that give it a homey feel and relaxing atmosphere. Breakfast is served from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. Letty Lou’s is located just down the road from school. Since it is technically a sit in restaurant it may take a bit more time to get food on the go, however, the location is very convenient and can save a lot of time.