May 2018 issue of Corral by Parkway Central Corral

CORRAL

100

Parkway Central High School, 369 N. Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017, Vol 62, Issue 6, May 11, 2018

Over 1,000 people will die from car crashes this summer during what is known as the

Deadliest Days OF Driving

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CONTENTS

MAY. 11, 2018

CONTENTS

Volleyball p. 4 Teachers leaving p. 16 Mother’s Day Gift Guide pg. 19

Senior Plans p. 10-11

What’s your go-to water fountain? p. 17

PHOTOS of the

Freshman Andrew Ahrens runs his leg in the 4x800. Photo by Wagner Portraits

ISSUE

Sophomore Sam Ladd, junior Ben Prywitch, junior Jacob Nenninger, and sophomore Bennett Johnson watch the varsity baseball game at Busch Stadium.

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EDITORIAL

MAY 11, 2018

TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT SENIORS CORRAL STAFF

CORRAL Editor-in-Chief Libby Archer Managing Editor Athena Stamos

STAFF EDITORIAL

I hate the way you lead the cheers And bring spirit to the football game I hate the way you park your cars I hate it when your pranks are lame.

News Editor Madeline Lee Entertainment Editor Brett Smith

I hate your big dumb Snapchat stories And the too cute senior portraits I hate you so much that it makes me sick It even makes me rhyme.

Staff Writers Gabby Abowitz David Amirdjanian Funmi Ayeni Henry T. Eubank Wesley Henshaw Samuel Keller Jenna Lazaroff Alex Maisenhelder Logan Potts Abby Prywitch Claudia Sanders Danni Schneiderman Nandhini Sivabalakannan Sydney Stahlschmidt Julia Solomon

I hate the way you teach me lessons I hate it when you’re right I hate it that you’re all hilarious Even worse that your futures are all so bright. I hate the way you’re leaving us And the fact that you’re heading off into the world But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

Adviser Mrs. Christine Stricker Left to right, top to bottom: Senior Allison Logan plays with her dog HoneyB on May 7. Seniors party in the hallway between fourth and sixth block. Seniors Carlye Hansen, Shannon Stolte and Krishny Karunanandaa pose in the hallway. Senior Jordan Lander chats in the hallway with friends before the dance party starts. Seniors start a dance party in the hallway. Photos taken by Libby Archer

Yays Yays!

Neighs

•• School’s out soon! We’re almost there. •• Time to get your tans on! •• Freshmen aren’t freshmen anymore- woot woot! •• Football training is coming up- get hyped. •• Get ready to refresh with some watermelon! #yay

What are your yays and neighs?

Neighs •• Seniors are gonna be freshmen again...what comes around goes around •• Summer jobs here we come! :) •• Summer school is on its way- get ready!! •• Next year we’re getting a new freshmen class that we have to teach how to walk in a hallway. •• This summer could be the hottest one yet! Let’s go!

We want to hear from you!

pchcorral.com @pchcorral Pch_publications Parkway Central Publications Pchpublications

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 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.

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MAY 11, 2018

NEWS

END OF THE YEAR INFORMATION After Graduation

ABBY PRYWITCH

Historically it lasts until about 9:15 at Queeny Park so Family Arena may be a little different.

STAFF WRITER

All you need to know for Graduation Seniors’ Last Day

Friday, May 11, 2018 is their last day of classes. All seniors will need to pay their fines in the school store. Also, they are required to leave school right after the 2nd block final.

Senior Barbecue

Pictures

Students who want pictures with big groups should take them at Evening of Reflection

9, 10, 11 Grade Final Exam Schedule Monday May 21: 8th Block Final Tuesday May 22: 1st and 5th block final. 11:35 dismissal. Wednesday May 23: 2nd and 6th block final. Thursday May 24: 3rd and 7th block final.

Friday, May 11 at 10:50 a.m. is the annual barbecue for all seniors and is a school-sponsored free event. Hot dogs, side dishes and drinks will be provided.

Graduation Practice

Tuesday, May 15 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. This is a required event and all seniors will meet in theater. You can only be excused if you are taking an AP exam; otherwise it is mandatory.

Evening of reflection

Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. in gym A. Seniors should arrive by 6 p.m. and meet in the theater. Tickets are not required and it should last around 90 minutes.

Cap and gown

Students are encouraged to try on their apparel after graduation practice to make sure it fits.

Graduation

Graduation is Thursday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Family Arena. Seniors must report to Family Arena through Gate 4 no later than 6:45 p.m. Guests may begin entering at 6:30 p.m. Guests should enter through only gates 1, 2, or 3. It is a formal event, so no jeans, no tennis shoes, and no flip flops.

2017 graduates Lindy Unell and Will Harold walk at their commencement.

Rule Banning Seniors Riding Scooters On Last Week Enforced ABBY PRYWITCH STAFF WRITER

t Parkway Central seniors riding scooters on their last week of school has been a tradition for five years. However, starting last year, the administration cracked down on the rules. By doing so, some seniors feel frustrated, including senior Matthew Oppenheim. “Scooters in school are a tradition, and a good one if I do say so myself,” Oppenheim said. “Ever since spring of freshman year I have waited patiently for my turn to rule the school on my 2007 red Razor,” Oppenheim said. Like Oppenheim, Phoebe Wolkowitz feels the same way. “As a senior, it is my duty to carry on the PCH tradition and scoot around the slick hallways of this fine establishment,” Wolkowitz said. Oppenheim is questioning why this rule was made and feels scooters are fun and harmless. “Why I ask, must this harmless prank be squandered? Are the rumors true?” Oppenheim said. Senior class principal Shenita Mayes explains that the crack-

down on the rule is in the best interest of all of the stuents at school. “To have students riding scooters all day long throughout the day this week is dangerous,” senior principal Shenita Mayes said. They are now only allowed to ride them on Friday which is their last day of school. Some seniors that brought their scooter on Monday had it confiscated. For the seniors riding their scooters shows their achievement of their academic career. “To not be allowed to scoot my scooter is an abomination, and a restriction of my right to prosper in this “free” country,” Deay said.

A confiscated scooter sits in the Senior Office, in the closet. Seniors Phoebe Wolkowitz and Mark Diekroger use their scooters on Monday during Ac Lab.

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SPORTS

VICTORY

MAY 11, 2018

SETTING SIGHTS ON Volleyball poised to make a big run at state ALEX MAISENHELDER STAFF WRITER

Coming off of a state championship is a great feeling, but it also makes the hunger even greater to return to that level. With 10 returning seniors, coach Tom Schaffer has a fully stacked team that will be graduating this year and they want to make one last run at state. Varsity volleyball is having a stellar season so far, claiming their second Conference title in two years. They hope to have a chance at the back-to-back state title as well, but have a strong St. Mary’s side in their way. “St. Mary’s will be our biggest competition for state; they are having a really good season so far,” senior Matt Deay said. Deay is the Middle Hitter for the varsity squad. St Mary’s is who the Colts beat during their summit of the state cup. This year St. Mary’s has an outstanding middle who is really athletic. He is slightly new to volleyball but will still be an obstacle to work around. “One of the big things that we have been working on in practice is setting up the middle hitter,” Deay said. In volleyball it is important to be able to set up the middle hitter so the other team honors it. If you do not try to set up the middle hitter they can drift off of him and only defend the outside hitter making their job a lot more difficult, but assistant varsity coach Nathan Wilson has faith in them. “We expect a deep run at state, we really want to be back… our team has great chemistry, they have played together for a while,” Wilson said. Most of the seniors have played on the varsity team since they were sophomores, Buffum and Domalewski being the

only four year players. “We occasionally run set plays, one of them is a fake between the hitters which draws out the opposing middle,” senior Mark Diekroeger said. But most plays are not set, which is where chemistry becomes important. Most plays happen as you go so you need to know your teammates well in order to execute the moves. In addition to having good teammates a good coach is always important. “I have learned a lot from Schaefer and Wilson; they see things I don’t and they help me on what I can do in order to improve,” Diekroeger said. A good coach can always improve their players, which Schaefer and Wilson have.

The Future is Bright There will be quite a few spots open on the varsity team next year with 11 seniors graduating. “Charlie Meier doesn’t start this year, but still gets playing time even in our most important games,” Diekroeger said. While Meier is already on varsity, it is very likely that he will be an important piece going into next year. “Jonah Hartsook and Jack Williams are two JV players that will have a chance at varsity next year, as all of our setters are graduating,” said Deay. Coming off of four strong years from the current seniors, they hope to have another strong season next year.

Team Leaders *As of May. 8

Kills:

Assists:

Mark Diekroeger 194

Jack Meier 395

Blocks:

Digs:

Jake Domalewski Daniel Buffum 27 180 Aces:

Receptions:

Daniel Buffum 27

Sam Pannet 278 Above, Junior Charlie Meier sets up for a spike at the Varsity game on April 20. Photo by Sheryar Ahmed. Below, The varsity team huddles up to get hyped before their game against Marquette, which they won in two sets. Photo by Wagner.

Above, senior Mark Diekroeger, prepares to serve it against Marquette. Photo by Wagner. Below, senior Jack Meier, attempts to set up the hitters. Photo by Wagner.

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SPORTS

MAY 11, 2018

Seniors go Soldier Students make choices to commit to military academies for higher ed

STAFF WRITER WESLEY HENSHAW

eniors John Kim and Kazu Gavin are taking a step towards a career in the Armed Forces as they both commit to the military academies West Point and the United States Air Force Academy, respectively. Gavin decided to forgo a standard university in favor of a military academy once an opportunity arose. “I’ve always been interested in the military but I never had that proper bridge to go into it,” Gavin said. Gavin, a member of the water polo team, received an email in November from USAFA’s water polo coach, who wanted Gavin to come play for their team. The coach’s invitation opened a door to the idea of attending the academy. Once he thought about the benefits of the college, Gavin accepted and began the preparation necessary for attending. “This way, after I’m out of college, not only will I have a degree, but I’ll also have a job with the military as an officer,” Gavin said. “It’s like a jump-start on your career and you have a kind of guaranteed job.” Gavin describes the preparation as rigorous. In addition to the standard application with essays and letters of recommendation, as well as a medical exam, he had to take something called the Cadet Fitness Assessment. The assessment made sure he was of an adequate fitness level going into the academy. “It was hard for me because I’m a swimmer and I play water polo. I’m not used to running and doing push ups and sit ups and all of those other land activities,” Gavin said. ”I had three weeks and it was pretty rough, but I got through it.” Kim describes his preparation experience as somewhat similar, also having a standard application, a medical exam, and high

physical requirements. West Point and USAFA also require something different from a normal college. “You have to get a congressional nomination, which is from one of your state senators or your local congressperson,” Kim said. Kim was originally drawn to the Armed Forces by his parents a few years ago. After attending a week-long seminar at West Point over the summer, he became interested in the environment of West Point. Certain aspects of West Point appealed especially. “There’s different values they have like leadership and an honor code,” Kim said. When it comes to both colleges, they each have something special. Gavin appreciates USAFA for its balance of education and the military. “It’s a good equilibrium from a normal college experience versus a full-on military experience. You have less freedoms than most universities and colleges but you have more than the standard military,” Gavin said. “It’s more academically rigorous than physical like the army.” Admission into West Point is particularly difficult due to the prestige of the academy. The academy is the oldest, continuously occupied military post. The fort was established as an academy in 1802 by legislation from Thomas Jefferson. Over the years, West Point has seen famous figures such as Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D Eisenhower, Ulysses S Grant, Robert Lee, and Buzz Aldrin. When it comes to the future, Kim is still somewhat undecided. John Kim and his parents stands outside the Cadet Chapel at USAFA. Although Kim is committed to West Point, he visited the United States Air Force Academy over spring He’d like to study engineering and apply that to real life situabreak this year. Photo courtesy of John Kim. tions. Gavin, on the other hand, wants to major in history and teach history somewhere after serving as a pilot in the Air Force.

Senior jumps into IT with local business WESLEY HENSHAW STAFF WRITER

oning his informational technology skills, Senior Justin Nguyen aided a local chiropractic business with technological difficulties over the spring break. “Their printer would not accept any more print jobs or print requests from any of the other computers except for this one computer that was connected to the printer via a physical cable” Nguyen said. “They wanted that resolved.” After troubleshooting the problem for a little while, thinking of potential problems and solutions, Nguyen discovered that the printer had reconfigured to only take print requests via the physical connection. “I had to go to the printer and refresh the whole configuration so

Justin Nguyen working on his computer. For those wanting to get into technology. Nguyen suggests creating services and servers as a resume builder. Photo by Wesley Henshaw.

it was listed on both connections,” Nguyen said. Nguyen has been doing things like this for a while. In fact this wasn’t his first time helping this business. He had previously helped this business with their email client. After forgetting their login information, Nguyen helped by calling the Internet service provider so that he could get the login information, and then he configured the email client so the computer they were using could access the emails. “It does require a little more technological knowhow, like you do have to have some experience and understanding,” Nguyen said. “Like in the case of the printer, you sort of do have to understand the different protocols, how the printer would communicate with other devices on the network.” Nguyen has been interested in technology for a long time, stemming back to middle school where he first dove into the technology world. A friend of his at the time showed him various cyber security tricks and how to hack into things. “Being able to hack into things and get into places where you shouldn’t be, that really sparked my interest in wanting to know and understand how things sort of worked,” Nguyen said. This experience struck a chord with Nguyen, as this new technology world fit perfectly with his personality. “When I see any new piece of technology, I am kind of the inquisitive type. I want to learn more, know how it works, and stuff like that,” Nguyen said. For people getting in the IT field, Nguyen advises getting as involved as possible. Helping businesses with technology builds your skill and your resume. Employers love to see that you’ve made servers and services for yourself or businesses. “Get involved, go online look up latest technology and news, any part there, whether it be a new protocol of some sort, a new type of interface or hardware,” Nguyen said. “The better you’re more well rounded and understand the newer things, the better you’re able to help out other businesses or help out yourself.”

Justin Nguyen on his computer. Nguyen advises getting involved. He was a regular client of the chiropractic office he helped over spring break. Photo by Christine Stricker.

FEATURE

MAY 11, 2018

CORRAL

ALUM TAKES YEAR OFF TO SERVE

Class of 2017 Alum Kayla Benjamin Shares AmeriCorps Volunteer Gap Year Experience KAYLA BENJAMIN GUEST WRITER

fter I graduated from PCH, I threw myself into the deep end: a crazy, ever-changing community service experience about which I knew almost nothing. My program is called AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. It’s one way to travel around the US, give back to communities, learn skills, and meet a ton of people. Funded by the federal government, my food, housing, travel expenses, and uniforms are all paid for during my ten-months of service. Additionally, members get a scholarship award of $5,900 for any educational purpose if we stay the whole 10 months and complete all 1700 service hours. It certainly has not been all flowers and rainbows -- the long hours, difficult labor, constant change, and 24/7 company of a 9-person team (all aged 18-24) present challenges. But still, I wanted to tell more young people about the option; and as a former editor-in-chief and current #1 fan of the Corral, this is one way I wanted to do so. The term is split up into four “rounds,” which range from one to two months long. After arriving in July, I got a month of training on campus -- mine is in Vicksburg, MS, but there are three other NCCC campuses serving different regions in the US. During this time, I got to know my randomly-assigned teammates and did some boring stuff (like sitting through lectures on the programs’ many, many rules and policies) as well as some cool stuff (like handson training on how to use a chainsaw). We find out where we’re going and what we’re doing about a week before they send us out. It keeps us on our toes. Different nonprofit organizations in the southern states can apply to become a sponsor and get a team to help with their work. The sponsor has to provide housing, training, supervision, and tools in exchange. We drive to each location, spending hours packed together in big 12-person vans (which, by the way, I now have a certification to drive). For round one, my team got assigned two projects, each about a month long. First we helped repair houses in a low-income, rural county in West Virginia. We lived in an almost-abandoned elementary school 30 minutes deep into the woods, with no cell service. I got bedbugs. The sponsor organization had no clear plan for us, and our supervisor made such sexist comments to me that I eventually cussed him out. Our first project was kind of a mess, but West Virginia’s mountains are spectacularly beautiful. For our physical training, which we have to do three times a week, we often took hikes; the stunning views made all the craziness of our work seem almost insignificant. I probably never would have traveled to WV otherwise, but now I know I want to go back. Then, for the second part of round one, we went to Richmond, Virginia. Our sponsor there, the Enrichmond Foundation, treated us phenom-

enally. We got to stay in a beautiful hostel right in the center of the city. Our job was to help clear and restore parts of a historic African American cemetery that had been neglected for decades. We uncovered gravestones that had become completely hidden by dirt and plants; parts of the cemetery just looked like forest. After returning to campus in Vicksburg for a week, my team went out to northern Florida to help with Hurricane Irma recovery. It had been two months since the storm by that point, but we still had plenty of work to do for low-income citizens who could not pay contractors to deal with damages. We patched roofs with tarps and cut up and removed fallen trees with chainsaws. We also did some ‘mucking and gutting’ to deal with mold damage, donning respirator masks and heavy-duty Tyvek suits sealed with duct tape to take out drywall, insulation, carpeting, and personal items from flooded homes. During the two months my team was on disaster, we relocated four different times to different Florida counties. We worked six days a week with long hours. Following some more time back on campus and then a ten-day winter break home with family, my team returned to work. Round 3 proved much tamer than round two -- we worked with Habitat for Humanity in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During the four weeks of round three, we pretty much just painted walls white and dug holes for fence posts. We stayed in a pretty nice Habitat house, but it happened to be across the street from a waste processing facility; it always smelled terrible, so we stayed inside mostly. We got assigned two projects for round four. For the first, we worked with Habitat for Humanity in Punta Gorda, FL. This was my favorite project by far. We built the whole exterior of a house from the ground up -- from raising walls to installing siding. I learned a ton of new skills. The weather in Punta Gorda - which is in the southwest part of the state was beautiful, and we went to the beach almost every weekend. Our final project of the year brought my team back to campus -- we stayed there in Vicksburg and made a 45-minute commute each morning to our worksite in Jackson, MS. We cut down trees and hauled debris in an effort to save an abandoned piece of history called the Mississippi River Basin Model. The model consists of 60 acres of handcrafted concrete that makes up a scale replica of the Mississippi River; before computer models, it could predict flooding extremely accurately. It’s been a crazy ride. I learned tons of new skills, met lots of amazing people, and saw lots of the southeast US. Best of all, I had the chance to serve communities without having to worry about paying my way and keeping myself afloat. Everything I have experienced has made me especially grateful for having had the chance to go to PCH.

Class of 2017 alum Kayla Benjamin, in uniform as an AmeriCorps NCCC corps member, gets a picture with her team leader before the start of a 14-hour drive from Vicksburg, MS to their first project in Fayette County, West Virginia in late August 2017. As part of her work with Habitat for Humanity, Benjamin uses a drill to build makeshift tables for a fundraiser in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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FEATURE

MAY 11, 2018

TWINS: FRIENDS SINCE BIRTH GABBY ABOWITZ STAFF WRITER

ust think, what it would be like to have another person with the same birthday, gender, and even friends as you, that’s in your family. This is everyday life for freshmen Andrew and Evan Goldstein. They were born in St. Louis and Andrew is the older of the two by 11 minutes. Andrew and Evan have a tight bond. “We’re pretty close. We live together so we kinda have to be,” Evan said. “I kinda like to think we have twin telepathy. We’ll be thinking the same thing at the same time,” Andrew said. “They are fun and always around each other but, they get into a lot of small arguments”Hayden Christiansen said. Andrew and Evan are fraternal twins so they don’t get mixed up as identical twins would be. “We are actually pretty different,” Evan said. “Andrew is not as serious about school. Evan tries really hard but, they are both very smart” friend of the twins and fellow freshman Hayden Christiansen said. “I’d say Evan is a little better than me in academics, but not that much. Athletic-wise, I think I have it,” Andrew said. They play the same sports; soccer and track. “For soccer, Evan plays forward and midfield and I’m a forward,” Andrew said. Being in the same friend group can get difficult. “There’s occasionally times where one friend will invite one of us and not the other,” Andrew said. “Being a twin has its ups and downs,” Evan said. Andrew talks on about the best parts of be-

ing a twin is having someone to share everything with. But it’s not always fun. “You always got a person your age with you, like a friend always with you. But at the same time gets annoying,” Evan said. Being a twin means your a lot less lonely, but your privacy could be invaded more. “We get to share a lot of moments together, like when we go on trips together all the time and it’s a really fun experience,” Andrew said. Over the summer they went to Israel as a family and had a Jewish point of view being reformed. The two also usually fly together to Boston alone to go into the city and see family. When it was time for their Bnai Mitzvah in seventh grade, they had to include lots of kids but, at the service they only had to do half the work each which helps with all of the pressure. “It was easier cause we did it together. Also we each had it split in half and it was really fun” Andrew said. “We do practically everything together and mostly hold the same opinion,” Andrew said. Andrew and Evan Goldstein as children vs. now in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of the Goldsteins.

One Act Provides Opportunity for Seniors to Shine FUNMI AYENI & CHRISTINE STRICKER STAFF WRITER & ADVISER

letha Bastin had one of those moments. A moment when she just knew what she was going to do with the rest of her life. “I get the same feeling with acting and theater that I do with God. You just get filled with spirit. I think it’s pretty clear and distinct sign that this is what I am supposed to do,” Bastin said. When the opportunity came along to direct a Senior One Act Play, Bastin started thinking about what piece of work she was going to choose. “I knew I wanted to do a drama. I’m not drawn to comedy because it’s hard for me to find the depth. I wanted to focus on transferring the acting technique I’ve learned over the years,” Bastin said. But it wasn’t just the genre of play she was interested in. Bastin chose to direct At the Bottom of Lake Missoula by Ed Monk because “the message of the story was something I was really drawn to,” Bastin said. The Senior One Act Plays, performed on April 19, are the product of a directing class. In addition to Bastin’s play, Chloe Chamberlin directed We Regret To Inform You by David C. Daheim. According to the curriculum, the course is “specifically designed for the advanced theater student who is ready to demonstrate proficiency as a director.” Bastin isn’t sure if she wants to act or direct in

the future. “I did Mary Poppins, and it was everything together, and I was just like, I have to do this. I really enjoy creating one cohesive image, so I might be drawn to directing in the future,” Bastin said. Although she may have been prepared for the job in one sense, she still had some challenges to overcome, including money and time. “Basically for one acts, you have a $30 budget and that’s with two people directing. For normal productions, you have props, crew, makeup, set, lighting, sound. And then the director handles the actors. I’m all of those at one time,” Bastin said. “So at one rehearsal, I would be sprinting from building the boxes ...to checking the props, to heading back into the characters to make sure they were doing their stuff. And I had to coach the stage managers and warm them up, and then go help design and clarify lights and sound.” Bastin’s one act was tech-heavy, so the seniors had do a significant amount of instruction with the younger light and sound crews. However, Bastin’s biggest lesson learned through the process was not related to tech or money. “[I didn’t know] the importance of the precision of words and delegation. It’s kind of second nature, having taken up leadership roles in the past, but having things done right the first time makes a world of difference,” Bastin said.

Freshman David Meyer, sophomore Leah Kneznekoff, and senior Emily Gardunia perform At the Bottom of Lake Missoula. Photo by David Amirdjanian

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SPORTS

MAY 11, 2018

PARKWAY CENTRAL FACES PARKWAY NORTH LOGAN POTTS STAFF WRITER

etting to play under the lights at a major league field is a dream for most St. Louis area baseball players. The varsity baseball team got to do that on April 13 against Parkway North High. Junior Eric White was the starting pitcher and he threw seven innings, only giving up one earned run on four hits. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was so excited to see myself where big leaguers play,” White said. “Running on to the mound and looking around the stadium was absolutely breathtaking.” While playing at Busch Stadium was very exciting, White tried to stay focused on what he was there for. To White, nothing matters other than what he can do to help the team win when he is on the mound. “Whenever it’s my turn to pitch, I don’t care about the team and I don’t care about their record,” White said. “I just care about doing my job that day and throwing strikes to help my team win a game.” As one of only 3 seniors, catcher JT Kerr was experiencing the rush of playing at Bus-

ch Stadium for the last time. “It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” Kerr said. “To get to play on the same field as major league players is a really awesome feeling.” The players get to experience something that a lot of kids dream about and one of those things is seeing themselves on the Jumbo screen. “For me, the best part about playing at Busch Stadium was seeing myself on the jumbo screen,” Kerr said. “It was a really cool feeling to see my plays appear on the screen.” This is the fourth time that the baseball team has played at Busch Stadium. A Central and North alum both work for the Cardinals, and approached head coach Scott Davis and former North head coach, Coach Katz about playing each other at Busch Stadium, according to coach Davis. The team lost 3-2 in a tough game that went to extra innings. Sophomore Anthony Klein, sophomore Antonio Hutti, and junior Ben Prywitch led the Colts with two hits a

piece. North scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Colts answered with two runs in the top of the sixth inning. After seven innings, the game was still tied, and the game went into extra innings. North won the game in the bottom of the eighth inning on a walk-off groundout. After the varsity game was over, the two teams either get to finish 9 innings or play until the two-and-a-half-hour mark is over. During this time, the teams put in the varsity players that didn’t play yet, and then fill in the rest of the lineup with junior varsity players. “It was a great experience being able to play on the field as a sophomore,” JV third baseman Stephen Vierling said. “I never expected to get to play on a major league field.” This is an experience that most people won’t forget. Busch Stadium is considered one of the best MLB stadiums. “Baseball means a lot to me,” Kerr said. “I’ve been playing the sport since 2nd grade and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

5 1. Junior Eric White gets ready to throw the baseball. The baseball team played against Parkway North at Busch Stadium. Photo by Jeri Saltzman. 2. From left to right, JT Kerr, Jacob Nenninger , Bennett Johnson, Eric White, Antonio Hutti, Bobby Bennett, Jake Moritz, Ben Prywitch, Coach Ryan Ayers, and Head Coach Scott Davis line up for the National Anthem. Photo by Abby Prywitch. 3. Junior Tyler James and sophomore Anthony Klein warm up for the game. “[My favorite part] is probably just being there and the environment of just playing on the field,” James said. 4. Senior DeAnte Byrd swings the bat at the Busch Stadium game. Photo by Jeri Saltzman. 5. Sophomore Anthony Klein gets ready for the play at third base. “It was very exciting to look at yourself in the big jumbotron and it is really cool to play in a space you always dream about playing growing up as a St. Louis kid,” Klein said.

Photo taken by Abby Prywitch. Photo essay by Abby Prywitch.

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FEATURES

MAY 11, 2018

ALABAMA

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA Phoebe King

ARIZONA

COLUMBIA COLLEGE–CHICAGO Beth Cromer GOVERNORS STATE UNIVERSITY Taylore Walker

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA Nicole Fagin

ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY Tate Skinner

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY Vindhya Yanamadala

MCKENDREE UNIVERSITY Jayden Mitchell

ARKANSAS

MILIKIN UNIVERSITY Gerald Lenoir Nathaniel Moore

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS Ashley Berghoff Charlie Rodgers Lindsey Wayland

CALIFORNIA

AMDA COLLEGE OF THE PERFORMING ARTS Dorothy Davis SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY Angelica Gorban UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA–SAN DIEGO Dylan Creath Justin Fang UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Jordan Chervitz

CANADA

MCGILL UNIVERSITY Emily Pfau

COLORADO

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY Katy McCormick Allison Logan

FLORIDA

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY Kelli Kinran FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE DeAndre Campbell

GEORGIA

SAVANNAH COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN–ATLANTA Vanessa Brooks EMORY UNIVERSITY Vincent Gao

ILLINOIS

BRADLEY UNIVERSITY Luke Voeller Jake Burstein Sophie Orlet

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Anusha Manjunath Jacob Mack QUINCY UNIVERSITY Devin Rice Cory Rice ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO Lain Sherstoff SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY-EDWARDSVILLE Funmi Ayeni Hannah Coleman SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE Elizabeth Millner UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Arezou Esmaeeli Michael Zhou

INDIANA

DEPAUW UNIVERSITY Emily Kaiser INDIANA UNIVERSITY Carlye Hansen Edye Hansen Tyler Ramatowski PURDUE UNIVERSITY Andy Chen Andrew Espeland Jake Tucker

IOWA

DRAKE UNIVERSITY Molly Ruder IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Jason Slagle UNIVERSITY OF IOWA Kevin Koerner

ISRAEL Rina Gersten

JAPAN

COMMUNICA @ KOBE, JAPAN David Alejandro Perez Palomino

KANSAS

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Sydney Hollett Miranda Horn Alyssa Kendrick Jacob Lentin Adina Levy Ariana Stein Michael Wasserman John Wichlenski Phoebe Wolkowitz

KENTUCKY

EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Justin Kerr MURRAY STATE UNIVERSITY Frances Adams UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY Noah Weidner WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Brittany Fisher

LOUISIANA TULANE UNIVERSITY Jessica Li Matthew Oppenheim

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY Sarah Whalen

MARYLAND

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND Zoe Rosenberg MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART Patricia Nami Rutherford

MASSACHUSETTS WELLESLEY COLLEGE Shelby Ripp

MICHIGAN

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Andrew Mannis MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Shimon Likhtman

NAVY Briyana Lilly ARMY Richard Waitz

MISSISSIPPI

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI Libby Archer Frankie Rasp

MISSOURI

HANNIBAL-LAGRANGE UNIVERSITY Mi’cele Calvin

SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY Emily Goldstein Krishny Karunanandaa Minshi Cen Megan Hamill ST. CHARLES COMMUNITY COLLEGE Hannah Elizabeth Harris Danielle Lyons Spencer Hritz ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE Spencer Shabansky Jonathan Clark Josh Portney ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-MERAMEC Ahmad Abutabekh Hannah Briggs Drew Edelstein Isabel Flick Lauren Olivia Hanser Alyson Muehlman

LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY Brandon Hibbs Rebekah Tennenbaum

ST. LOUIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-FOREST PARK Donald Lee Reen Jr

MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY Mohammed Asad Baig Mackenzie Canoy Madison Canoy Alejandro Lasarte Brett Sayre Nhi Pham MISSOURI BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Sophia Cristiani Corey Freebersyser MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY DeAnté Byrd Hannah Mikitin Samuel Pannett Emily West Rheanna Morris Megan Weinstein Robert Sheehan Shannon Stolte Emily Currington Samia Tahsin MISSOURI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Pablo Espindola Chavarria Suzannah Pan Ryan Ellinger Aaron Ginsparg Adam Kneznekoff Ginny Wells Justin A. Nguyen Nick Buerk RANKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE Troy Harvey-Valiant

US MILITARY ACADEMY John Kim

ROCKHURST UNIVERSITY Amy Morgan Anne Grater Shu Yang Lin

FEATURES

CORRAL

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY Darra Clark Deonna West Shannon Bell Destiny Madison Armand A. Harris

MILITARY

US AIR FORCE ACADEMY Kazuya Gavin

MAY 11, 2018

STEPHENS COLLEGE Karli Mehrle TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY Alexis Morkisz Alexis Poe Tori Strege Ryan Ludwinski Tiffany Steward Courtney Berghoff Marissa Brady Jason Patelis Emily Gardunia UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI Hailey Partsch Kaila Robinson UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI Jack Allen Nick Arcisezwski Cameron Aydt Cameron Baird Data collected from student who responded to the Corral survey before May 7.

Agustin Barcellona Mackenzie Beaver Mitch Broddon Kelly Buckowitz Daniel Buffum Emily Cooper Matthew Deay Mark Diekroeger Jack Domalewski Melissa Finn Ashley Fogarty Natalie Francesconi Eric Gershilevich Jacob Giancola Meghan Kane Jordan Lander Marissa LaRue Allison Leven Remi Levinson Kyle Matzdorf Daniel Roman Paulina Runge Venkatesch Satheeskumar Brad Stinnett Jinghui “Jane” Wang WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Abby Brand WILLIAM WOODS UNIVERSITY Emeri Kitchell Rena Levy WEBSTER UNIVERSITY Jenna Librach Abigail Peevers Jonathan Scully WESTMINSTER COLLEGE Michael Ellinger Claire Whitehouse

NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Vira Voytovych

NEW YORK SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Sophie Baron

COLGATE UNIVERSITY Abigail Flynn

WISCONSIN

NORTH CAROLINA UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA Andrew Hollinrake

OHIO

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Jonathan Yn OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY Alex Kaiser

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON Eva Shanker UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER Haley Castellari

VOCATIONAL Lukas Scigliano Tommy Kosinski

GAP YEAR Ashley Gould Matthew Rook

TENNESSEE

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY Jordyn Perry LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY Mallory Horn

TEXAS

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-AUSTIN Daniel Kattan Eyal Kattan PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY Erica Watson Ciarra Hayles Kayla Nicole Fort

UTAH

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY Jacqueline Blasini

VERMONT MARLBORO COLLEGE Hannah Maurer

WASHINGTON, D.C HOWARD UNIVERSITY Vanessa S. Brooks

oh, the places you’ll

12 CORRAL

COVER STORY

MAY 11, 2018

Days 100DeadliestDriving

13 CORRAL

SUMMER PROVES DANGEROUS FOR TEEN DRIVERS MADELINE LEE

COVER STORY

MAY 11, 2018

Another distraction is passengers, where the number of passengers increases not only your chance of getting in a crash, but also increases your speed and distractions. You are driving along a road at night with two of your friends in the car. “Limit your passengers,” Caswell said. “Especially with new drivers, your reaction to critical incidents is delayed. The less distractions the It isn’t too late, and the weather is warm. You all don’t have to worry about better, and buckle up. Make sure everyone is wearing a seatbelt, and school the next day because it’s summer, so instead you sing along to the radon’t speed.” dio and live in the moment. Suddenly, that moment is changed in a way none Wearing a seatbelt is one of the single most important things that of you could have expected. drivers can do to limit their chances of serious injury in the event of In a flash, you slip off the road. You are a new driver, just 16 years old, a crash. Not only is not wearing a seatbelt illegal, but it could be the and begin to panic. You force the steering wheel back around, jerking the one thing standing between life and death. “It is your responsibility as the driver, to make sure that everyone car back onto the road. However, it flips over, only finally coming to a stop is buckled up,” Caswell said. “When just one of your friends doesn’t in the other lane. You frantically look around even though you yourself have a seatbelt on, that one person is now a projectile inside your are bleeding. You and one of your friends were wearing a seatbelt, but the car during a crash. If you have a 165 pound friend who is plummetother wasn’t. You had no idea why she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, but you ing around, he is causing a lot of pain and suffering not just for him hadn’t thought to check. You and your friend who were wearing seatbelts are but for everyone else.” panicking, trying to figure out what to do. You are both hurt, but one of you Besides seat belts, another thing that drivers can do to prevent crashes is reducing speed. calls the police. Lights and sirens overwhelm your senses, but you’re able to “Pay attention to speed limits,” Right said. “For each increase in pick out one thing: Time of Death, 17:42. Your friend, who wasn’t wearing a speed, that decreases seatbelt, was dead. “Teen drivers are the most at risk, your ability to react.” Teens tend to inall of the statistics show that that is crease their speed for rom Memorial Day to Labor Day, all summer long, is known as each passenger that true, not only during summer but the “100 Deadliest Days of Driving”. The number of fatal car they add into the car, any time on the road.” crashes rises during this period for every age demographic, but which also increases spikes by 15% for teen drivers. --Mike Right, distractions. “Teen drivers are the most at risk, all of the statistics show that AAA Vice President of Public Affairs “Unfortunately that is true, not only during summer but any time on the road,” Vice sometimes we let the President of Public Affairs for AAA, Mike Right, said. “But there is a good times overtake reason for the ‘100 Deadliest Days,’ and that is that you drive differour smart thinking, but we need to step back just a half step to affect ently in July than you do in February.” our lives down the road,” Caswell said. “You can still have a good In 2015, the number of fatal time without speeding, without a car load of kids, and with seat crashes for 16-19 year olds was a belts. Ideas that keep you safe and sound, going to the beach and large 2,893, according to the AAA coming back to school.” Foundation for Public Safety. The In addition to reducing speed, another thing that teens need to biggest factor in the crashes were watch out for is other drivers. not only cell phones, but distrac“For each mile per hour that you add, you are limiting your ability tions as a whole. To combat this, to react to somebody else driving badly,” Caswell said. “No matter Officer Mark Caswell gave many what you do, there is always someone out there not doing the right words of advice for teenagers as thing.” summer begins. Limiting distractions and using proper safety tools are a large part “Distractions are the number one of surviving through the summer. However, one cause cannot be takcause of crashes,” Caswell said. en away with the click of a seatbelt. The main underlying cause of “Noise, and phone distractions, and fatal crashes is experience and maturity. music. You’re opportunity to not pay In the case of Lance A. (16) and Dawson Danback (18) of southattention is increased and not every- eastern Missouri, A. was driving when he drove off the road. The body wears seatbelts everywhere.” vehicle struck a tree and flipped over. Despite both boys wearing seat NEWS EDITOR

Each tally mark represents two lives that are predicted to be lost this summer due to car crashes.

belts, Danback was pronounced dead at the scene and A. was taken by helicopter to a hospital with serious injuries. It was the 33rd fatality for Missouri Highway Patrol Troop E in 2017, and had occurred during the Deadliest Days. 16-year-old Angelique T. was driving in southern Missouri when she ran the car off the road. She jerked it back onto the road, but one of the two passengers that she also had in the car was ejected. She had not been wearing a seatbelt. Thurman and her 15-year-old friend had survived, and had both been wearing their seat belts, but the 16-year-old who had been thrown from the car had died. On July 22, she had become the 35th fatality for Troop E in 2017 alone. Getting into a crash can be dramatic and life-altering. You or others could be injured, in shock, or unconscious. Although it may be chaotic and scary, it is important to prioritize and know what to do. If you are involved in a crash, “your first obligation is to care for the injured, and see that there are no additional crashes,” Right said. “Get off the road and contact the appropriate authorities using 911 or 511. Stop in a safe place, exchange information, take care of the injured, and avoid further collisions and moving traffic.” Although the other drivers and passengers may try to convince you to not to call the police, experts stress that you should always call the police. If you are a witness to an crash, what you should do depends on the type of crash and the severity of what happened. If a crime occurred, or someone did something that they were not supposed to do, call the police and remain give your information, for you may need to give a testimony over what you saw happen. If someone appears to be injured, your first responsibility is to make sure that you are not putting yourself at risk. Let the authorities know. “If you are not going to be of assistance, there is no reason to get out of your car,” Right said. Although the Good Samaritan Law protects the ordinary people that go out of their way to help others, it is important to let the authorities do their job and stay out of their way. Overall, “Be smart,” Caswell said. “Just enjoy the summer with a little bit of caution when you drive.” *Names have been changed to protect minor identity

Missouri Deadly Days Statistics In 2016, 12% of fatalities were under 20 years old.* In 2017, that number rose to 16%. The majority of these fatalities occurred in July.* *Source: Missouri Department of Transportation

14 CORRAL

FEATURES

MAY 11, 2018

Spike

Boys and girls track and field host Henle Holmes meet halfway into their season.

ATHENA STAMOS MANAGING EDITOR

1. Junior Sandi Chasnoff pole vaults over the bar on April 12. Photo by Wagner Portraits 2. Senior Briyanna Lilly participates in the shot put. Lilly is a full-time thrower. Photo by Wagner Portraits 3. Senior Cory Rice is about to throw the discus at the Henle Holmes meet. Photo by Wagner Portraits 4. Senior Ryan Geisz runs the 4x200 during the Henle Holmes meet. Photo by Wagner Portraits 5. Freshman Andrew Ahrens runs his leg in the 4x800. Photo by Wagner Portraits

1 3

6. Sophomore Savannah Grasmick high jumps at the Henle Holmes meet. Photo by Wagner Portraits 7. Senior Marissa Brady long jumps into the sandbox. She will continue her track career at Truman State University in the fall. Photo by Catherine Ke 8. Senior Nate Moore is about to jump over a hurtle during the 100 high hurtles. Photo by Wagner Portraits

15 CORRAL

FEATURES

MAY 11, 2018

ESCAPING RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION NANDHINI SIVABALAKANNAN STAFF WRITER

n the year of 2016, the immigration in the U.S reached a record of almost 43.7 million people, and freshmen Bahar Safarzadeh was one of them. “I came to America on September 16, 2016” said Bahar Safarzadeh. Many immigrants come from all over the world for many reasons, a majority of them to the U.S. because of job security and some come plainly to tour the various sceneries America provides. However, Safarzadeh’s family yearned to come to the land of the brave for a completely different reason. “My family became Christian and it wasn’t allowed in my country so we had to leave,” said Safarzadeh. Iran, where Safarzadeh is from, is known to many Americans for the surplus supply of oil, yet many aren’t aware of what few rights the people of Iran have. The official religion in Iran is Islam, and other religions are forbidden. Practicing Christians face the fate of persecution or punishment by the government. When Safarzadeh’s family converted she explains that her parents wanted to move out of the country, preferably to America, but that wasn’t exactly an easy transition. “For four months and a year l lived in Turkey and we were under the U.N. program, which is a program for refugees like my family and counties worked with U.N. then would take you as refugees,” said Safarzadeh. Though moving to Turkey meant that the Safarzadeh family would be safer than they were in Iran, it didn’t quite mean they were out of the woods just yet. For many people living in Turkey who are facing religious persecution, Turkey is just a hiding place until a better opportunity comes by, which was the case for the Safarzadeh family until a bolt of pure luck struck them. ““We won a lottery back in the U.N. and the winner

Picture of Bahar Safarzadeh and her parents. Photo courtesy of Safarzadeh.

got citizenship in America and since that was a faster route we proceeded the lottery and we came here,” said Safarzadeh. Traveling over a thousand miles the Safarzadeh family came to America on a dewy summer day, and Safarzadeh describes it as an unforgettable experience. “We didn’t have any plan, we were New York we were waiting for a flight. It was really nice. It looked nice, felt nice. We just had a really good feeling. It was a new thing to feel, and I felt really happy and I didn’t know why but it did,” said Safarzadeh. Relocating from a dangerous and unstable living environment to America, a place of freedom, is a major change for immigrants going through situations similar to Safarzadeh. She recalls the moment with fondness. “Being able to say that we were in an airport in New York, now that was amazing and exciting at the same time. I didn’t sleep for like two days because I was just so happy,” said Safarzadeh. Even though making it to America was a dream come true to Safarzadeh and getting to America was hard, she recounts that trying to settle into America seemed like a trial in itself. “In the beginning, I could say hi, hello, the basic things but like other than that the first few years, I couldn’t communicate with anyone,” said Safarzadeh. Not being able to express or communicate yourself to the people around you, can be an overwhelming situation, and to Safarzadeh, who previously spoke Persian, it meant embarrassment in front of peers. “It was scary to speak out, I was worried I’ll pronounce something wrong and I’ll embarrass myself, so it was easier to distance myself from them,” said Safarzadeh. The language wasn’t only the first of many culture barriers Safarzadeh experienced while moving to America. “Being in the same school as boys it was a really strange thing I didn’t have any interaction with them in Iran and its still

hard and weird trying to make friends with them and talking to them” said Safarzadeh. Another adjustment came for Safarzadeh in terms of American cuisine. Imagine transitioning from eating pizza everyday to only rice. For Safarzadeh it was the opposite. She explains how she only ate about one to three American foods when she first arrived. “I would only eat the hamburgers in school when I first came here. I actually recently I discovered mashed potatoes. It’s very weird because they don’t like to have it our country. Our burgers are like three [of the] burgers here,” said Safarzadeh. Through all of these hardships Safarzadeh explains that it was tough, but soon her family got the hang of the American culture and things seemed blissfully perfect. That is until Safarzadeh got her first dose of discrimination thrown at her. “People would think I speak Arabic sometimes or throw some other stereotype at me. I sometimes like, I can’t do things other people can. I’ll think that I would need to do more homework or practice my writing or reading constantly. Because people really do discriminate us and think we’re not smart,” said Safarzadeh. A recent study cited in Pew research estimated that the U.S. has gone down from 110,000 refugees to 77,000 refugees last year. Despite negativity for middle Eastern refugees growing, Safarzadeh proudly defends her country. “Just because my country is a third world country, doesn’t mean we aren’t good or educated enough,” Safarzadeh said. “We have rich people, like guys, we have Apple there, don’t worry,” Stereotypes,racism, criticism of other countries have led many astray to believe in false rumors about Iranians and other people of the middle east. Safarzadeh presents a solution to this matter. “Iranians have the brains and intelligence to help out and contribute to America, they shouldn’t be robbed of a future in America, just because a white guy says no. Immigrants can contribute, but only if they’re given a chance,” said Safarzadeh. Given all of the hate and discrimination Safarzadeh and her family has received, it may seem like the trip to America was not seemingly worth it, though Safarzadeh would beg to differ. “I am happy and I love my life here,” Safarzadeh said.

16 CORRAL

FEATURES

MAY 11, 2018

FINAL BELL

Beloved teachers say goodbye to students and friends, hello to new adventures SYDNEY STAHLSCHMIDT STAFF WRITER

Top Left: History teacher and track coach, Cameron Poole. “I really enjoyed being at Parkway Central and just simply growing as a teacher,” Poole said. Top Right: English teacher, Alyce Duffin talking with freshman, Jake Ellen, on Tourist Tuesday during Homecoming week. Bottom Left: English teacher Nora Biggs grades papers for one of her classes. “Getting to play a small part in my student’s lives is one of my biggest accomplishments as teacher” Biggs said. Bottom Right: Science teacher, Thomas Kazanecki, who has worked at Parkway Central for over 30 years. “Another one of my greatest accomplishments was a student winning a blue ribbon at the honors division of the science fair,” Kazanecki said.

unior Jayden Littlejohn and social studies teacher Cameron Poole have developed a strong connection over the course of Littlejohn’s high school career. After having Poole as a teacher and a track coach, Littlejohn was upset when he heard the news of Poole leaving. “I’m personally going to miss him because he’s been one of my football coaches for 3 years and I was hoping that I could finish it out with him. Also, I take the class contemporary issues right now with him and it’s one of my favorite classes,” Littlejohn said. Poole is going to work at Rockwood Summit High School where he will be an assistant principal, which is something that he has wanted to do for a few years. “This year I have been trying to look at different jobs and when I got offered this one I knew I wanted to take it,” Poole said. Although Littlejohn was upset to see him go, he’s happy he got the job he was looking for. “When I heard Poole was leaving I was a little upset but it was bittersweet. He’s always talked about being a principal and now that it’s happening I’m happy for him,” Littlejohn said. Along with teaching history, Poole is also a javelin and jumps coach for the girls track team. “The track team’s reactions were sad and just the relationships that we had built became so strong after coaching them,” Poole said. English teacher Nora Biggs will also be leaving at the end of the school year. Biggs found out she was leaving in October of 2017 when her husband got a promotion and relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina for his job. “I thought I would spend my entire teaching career [at Parkway Central] because I enjoy working with all of my colleagues,” Biggs said. Although Biggs has to leave, she will always remember her time at Central. “I have been forever grateful for my opportunity to work here. My husband got the job and has been there since January, but my daughters and I stayed back to finish the school year. We move on May 26,” Biggs said. Biggs has worked at Parkway Central for 11 years. However, Biggs does not plan on teaching for a year when she gets to Charlotte. “I am taking a year off from teaching to help unpack and get my kids adjusted. I plan to go back to teaching the following year and have already received my SC teaching certificate,” Biggs said. Biggs states how one of her biggest accomplishments at Parkway Central has been seeing the work her students do and the people they grow to be. Along with leaving herself, Biggs’s students had a difficult reaction when they heard she would not be returning. Another one of Parkway Central’s favorite science teachers, Thomas Kazanecki, will also not be returning after 33½ years of working here. “I decided I was leaving on March 1, 2018 when kidney stone problems started. And I have been teaching science for 39 years, long enough,” Kazanecki said. Kazanecki stated how he has had many great experiences

from his years teaching at Central. “Just getting a job in Parkway Schools was an accomplishment. But I also enjoyed viewing the annual solar eclipse years ago, from a contraption I learned about in workshop,” Kazanecki said. Another teacher who will be missed is English and former yearbook teacher, Alyce Duffin, who retired from Parkway Central on May 7. Duffin left because of the urgent need for a foot surgery. Duffin was a favorite teacher for many students including freshman Evan Weidner. “I liked Ms, Duffin because she was open to everyone and she didn’t really care who you were, she was always going to treat you like everyone else,” Weidner said. Poole, Biggs, Kazanecki, and Duffin have all had huge impacts at Parkway Central, from the years they have worked here. And all three of the teachers stated the thing they would miss the most about working here were the students and people they worked with.

17 CORRAL

FEATURES

MAY 11, 2018

DITCH THE DISPOSABLE WATER BOTTLE JACKSON SHANKER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ccording to banthebottle.net, last year alone Americans used 50 billion plastic water bottles, and to make it even worse the U.S. recycling rate is only 23 percent which means that 38 million plastic water bottles are being wasted. It’s frightening data. Americans have become so accustomed to simply heading to the nearest vending machine and buying a plastic bottle when they are thirsty. However, it’s a bad habit considering the fact that plastic bottles are killing people, the environment, and the planet. Plastic bottles contains Bisphenol A (BPA), which make the bottles clear and hard. The only problem with using BPA is that it has been proven to be harmful to humans. Onegreenplant.org claims that some effects of BPA is some types of cancer, neurological issues, premature labor, and birth defects. BPA can get to a human’s system just be been exposed to it. So considering the amount of plastic bottles used just in America, think of the amount of people exposed to the deadly chemical. Plastic bottles don’t just have a major effect of human health, but a terrible effect on the environment. Ecogologycenter.org claims that the Oakland Recycling Association commissioned an analysis of the toxic chemical burden where they relied on information from EPA data, especially the Toxics Release

Inventory. The data made it evident how bad these bottles are for the environment. Plastic bottles contribute to 14% of the nations toxic release in the air. The chemicals that are being released in the atmosphere are very serious and show just the beginning of the dangers of plastic bottles. The plastic bottle crisis has no end in sight. According to theguardian.com, across the world more than 480 billion plastic bottles were bought in 2016, that number is steadily rising as just a decade ago it was 300 billion less. Projections show that in 2021 that number will rise to 583.3 billion. Another scary sight. If people keep buying and buying these silent killers then the environment and human health will not have a bright future. One simple solution is instead using one or more plastic water bottles a day just use a washable reusable bottle. There’s a water fountain around every corner in the high school (see Henry T. Eubank’s story on page 18).Another solution is to lower the sales and production rate of plastic bottles. In other words, don’t buy them. Most schools and vending machines sell plastic bottles as the only option. Buy a dishwasher safe water bottle for under $12 at any sporting goods store, and drink with confidence that you are part of the solution, not the problem.

Making A Plea For Open Campus At Lunch

ISABEL ROMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The current policy at Parkway Central High School is that students are not allowed to leave campus during their lunch hour to get outside food or generally at all. Students are also not permitted to order food from a restaurant that would deliver to the school. Aside from this restriction, certain students are offered the option of a Colt ass which allows them to leave campus during academic lab. Seniors are the only students eligible for a Colt ass and that is only if they have discussed it and gotten granted permission from Dr. McCarthy. Open campus allows students the freedom to make smart decisions and have the opportunity to choose where they would like to get their lunch from. Open campus is also a privilege but would without a doubt be very much appreciated among students. It is almost unheard of that school lunches served here are people’s number one food choice when it comes to lunch. Sure, everyone likes pizza, but it’s not always ideal when you’re craving something else or have certain restrictions based on health or activities for the day that you don’t have access to. . Although the school does seem to try to offer lunch options for people of all diets, they are not always the healthiest or sound the most appetizing. I’m sure vegetarians who buy lunch everyday are not always going to be in the mood for the salad bar. Allowing open campus would extend the opportunity of getting a wholesome and healthy lunch from one of your favorite restaurants. Personally, I am lactose-intolerant, and I don’t eat red meat, so, when the main choice for food is pizza, there is not an ideal situation. I would really appreciate a wider range of food options but since that’s not provided, many students including myself would benefit from being able to eat lunch from outside vendors. Students normally get AC Lab twice a week which can either be a time to get as much free work done in an hour and a half that you possibly can or a time to relax and rewind. For many seniors it is a chance to leave campus and a break from school. Since this break from classes is only offered so often, many

underclassmen who don’t get the privilege of a Colt Pass would appreciate the chance to be able to leave during their lunch period to be able to get away from school for a while. Even seniors are not supposed to leave for lunch unless they have first lunch for B Days. Although the 30 minutes for lunch the school gives students is not the best to sit down, order and eat, there are many ways to work around it and manage time by deciding to go somewhere quick but still very satisfactory. If the board ever does decide that they believe open campus and giving students that freedom is something they would pass, I could see where they would put necessary restrictions. Along with going to a fast restaurant, many students could also chose to go home for a while during their lunch hour. This would save plenty of kids money from buying from the school’s cafeteria and rather getting food from their own homes. I’m sure a late pass would not be given if arriving late from outside, but students should understand that rule when given the freedom we asked for. It would also be an opportunity to show responsibility. With the controversy that the only fast food options near the school are thought of as unhealthy such as McDonald’s, Steak n Shake and Kimcheese, the argument that open campus would be used for healthier options is not necessarily valid. Nevertheless, Saint Louis Bread Co. just recently opened

a drive through and the nearest location is 6 minutes from the school. The options at Bread Co. are fairly healthy including options such as flatbread sandwiches and various salads. Having only 30 minute lunch periods, driving there, waiting for food and driving back while still arriving on time to class afterwards is more than doable. Open campus during lunch would also be a great option for students to show independence and overall a wider range of food choices that everyone would appreciate.

18CORRAL

OPINIONS

MAY 11, 2018

WATER FOUNTAIN WONDERLAND HENRY T. EUBANK STAFF WRITER

Most Random Water Fountain: The white water fountain in the foreign language hallway. The water is not very cold, the stream is weak and makes you work to fill your mouth. It is also in a very strange spot, very atypical to see someone take a drink from that particular fountain. On top of being a subpar water fountain, it also looks very strange.

ater fountains, we all need them, we all love them. They have several different purposes outside of hydration. Some use them to just get a breather from a class, others to wake up, a rendezvous to meet up with their sweetheart, and numerous other things. Point being, we all use water fountains. However, not all water fountains are created equally. There are water fountains in the building that have great water pressure, some that are colder than the rest. People value different components to water fountains. Personally, I like a cool stream that isn’t too cold, I prefer the water pressure to be higher so I don’t have to break my neck leaning down to get a drink of water. I also really appreciate a thick stream of water so my mouth can be properly filled. It should be noted that this is about actual water fountains that you drink from, the automatic water bottle fillers do not have any sway on the rankings.

The Best Water Fountain in the School: The tall water fountain on the second story of the science wing. High projection with a hearty stream of water, making for an easy drink. The water is also the absolute perfect temperature, allowing the drinker to quench their thirst comfortably without needing to take a break due to the water being too cold.

The Best Water Fountain to Meet Someone: This varies on where you are and where the person you are meeting is. But the best spot most of the time is the water fountains by the health classrooms. They connect science, FACS, and English, while only being a few steps away from social studies and business.

Best Water Fountain in the Most Inconvenient Place: The fountain by the boys locker room by the Gym A lobby. This fountain has a copious stream while having the pressure to allow someone to only bend over a little bit to get a drink. The water is also cold, but not too cold, allowing for your teeth to not be frozen. Worst Water Fountain: The tall fountain by the math wing girls bathroom. The water is either lukewarm or warmer than lukewarm. The stream is copious but the pressure only shoots it up a little bit. Only use this fountain if absolutely needed.

Most Underrated Water Fountain: The ESOL hallway has a huge sleeper. This fountain is very nice water fountain for a quick drink while you’re chilling in English. It is also a good spot for when you cut around to avoid Hell Hallway.

Coldest Water Fountain: The drama wing has a single water fountain so cold that it could make hell freeze over, literally. This is a great spot to go after a P.E. class to cool down, but is typically too cold for a normal drink. Not to mention out of the way.

17 CORRAL

FEATURES

MAY 11, 2018

DITCH THE DISPOSABLE WATER BOTTLE JACKSON SHANKER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Making A Plea For Open Campus At Lunch

ISABEL ROMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The current policy at Parkway Central High School is that students are not allowed to leave campus during their lunch hour to get outside food or generally at all. Students are also not permitted to order food from a restaurant that would deliver to the school. Aside from this restriction, certain students are offered the option of a Colt Pass which allows them to leave campus during academic lab. Seniors are the only students eligible for a Colt Pass and that is only if they have discussed it and gotten granted permission from Dr. McCarthy. Open campus allows students the freedom to make smart decisions and have the opportunity to choose where they would like to get their lunch from. Open campus is also a privilege but would without a doubt be very much appreciated among students. It is almost unheard of that school lunches served here are people’s number one food choice when it comes to lunch. Sure, everyone likes pizza, but it’s not always ideal when you’re craving something else or have certain restrictions based on health or activities for the day that you don’t have access to. . Although the school does seem to try to offer lunch options for people of all diets, they are not always the healthiest or sound the most appetizing. I’m sure vegetarians who buy lunch everyday are not always going to be in the mood for the salad bar. Allowing open campus would extend the opportunity of getting a wholesome and healthy lunch from one of your favorite restaurants. Personally, I am lactose-intolerant, and I don’t eat red meat, so, when the main choice for food is pizza, there is not an ideal situation. I would really appreciate a wider range of food options but since that’s not provided, many students including myself would benefit from being able to eat lunch from outside vendors. Students normally get AC Lab twice a week which can either be a time to get as much free work done in an hour and a half that you possibly can or a time to relax and rewind. For many seniors it is a chance to leave campus and a break from school.

Since this break from classes is only offered so often, many underclassmen who don’t get the privilege of a Colt Pass would appreciate the chance to be able to leave during their lunch period to be able to get away from school for a while. Even seniors are not supposed to leave for lunch unless they have first lunch for B Days. Although the 30 minutes for lunch the school gives students is not the best to sit down, order and eat, there are many ways to work around it and manage time by deciding to go somewhere quick but still very satisfactory. If the board ever does decide that they believe open campus and giving students that freedom is something they would pass, I could see where they would put necessary restrictions. Along with going to a fast restaurant, many students could also chose to go home for a while during their lunch hour. This would save plenty of kids money from buying from the school’s cafeteria and rather getting food from their own homes. I’m sure a late pass would not be given if arriving late from outside, but students should understand that rule when given the freedom we asked for. It would also be an opportunity to show responsibility. With the controversy that the only fast food options near the school are thought of as unhealthy such as McDonald’s, Steak n Shake and Kimcheese, the argument that open campus would be used for healthier options is not necessarily

valid. Nevertheless, Saint Louis Bread Co. just recently opened a drive through and the nearest location is 6 minutes from the school. The options at Bread Co. are fairly healthy including options such as flatbread sandwiches and various salads. Having only 30 minute lunch periods, driving there, waiting for food and driving back while still arriving on time to class afterwards is more than doable. Open campus during lunch would also be a great option for students to show independence and overall a wider range of food choices that everyone would appreciate.

20 CORRAL

OPINIONS

MAY 11, 2018

CONCERTS COMING IN SUMMER 2018 JENNA LAZAROFF

Imagine Dragons:

STAFF WRITER

If you’re more into the whole band vibe, Imagine Dragons is playing at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater on July 11. Imagine Dragons has won twenty-one awards from seventy-three nominations, with two nominations pending. They have been nominated for four Grammys, including Record of the Year (“Radioactive”), and won Best Rock Performance. Their music style can be described as an American Rock Band.

Post Malone: Post Malone is playing at Super Jam Friday, June 8th. This isn’t his solo concert, he is headlining for 21 savage. Post Malone is 22 years old in just the beginning of his career. Post released his first single to the album, “Rockstar” in September 2017. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held the spot for eight consecutive weeks, later prompting Rolling Stone to call him “one of the most popular musicians in the country” in 2017. Posts music genre can’t be confined. He has a mixture of grunge, hip-hop and R&B making him a versatile hit. His new album B&B was released April 27, and since has numerous songs on the top 20 of Spotify.

Jimmy Eat World With The Hotelier: Jimmy Eat World has been around for the past decade. One of their biggest hits “The Middle” has gained tremendous popularity especially in the early 2000s era. If you’re looking to take a time travel trip back a few years this concert is perfect for you. Their song “The Middle” was recently featured on a commercial with Taylor Swift making the song regain popularity. It rose to #32 on the iTunes Top Songs Chart, while Pandora noted a 325% increase in Jimmy Eat World station ads in the first day after the ad premiered.

Luke Bryan: If you haven’t been to a Luke Bryan concert yet… now’s your chance. Luke is playing at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater August 25th. Not exactly still summer time, but a chance to bring in the new school year. Luke Bryan is one of the biggest names in country music he is the only country music artist to release an album of six number one singles on both the Billboard’s Hot Country Songs. He is touring his new album, ‘What Makes You Country,’ with the smashing hit ‘Most People are Good’ which can be heard on almost any country station.

Ed Sheeran: Ed Sheeran was supposed to perform last September, but unfortunately had to cancel last minute, but he is coming back! September 6th, Ed takes the stage at an even bigger venue this

The Suffers:

time, Busch Stadium. It was after the release of his album ‘+’ in 2011, that he rose to fame. It stood at number one in several countries. Within six months, it sold 1,021,072 copies in the UK alone. It also reached the top five in several countries. His music style could be described as acoustic pop, folk, and hip-hop. This summer he will be touring his album, ‘÷’.

If you’re looking for a more relaxing type of concert The Suffers might be the right concert for you. It’s made up of a fairly large number of people. The lead singer Kam Franklin has an amazing range of notes. Their music can be classified as American soul and R&B, they describe themselves as Gulf Coast Soul. A term they define as resulting from the mixture of the different cultures and musical styles present around the Gulf coast and the city of Houston, including Cajun, African American, Mexican, white, which all come together and mix in the port city. This concert takes place at Blueberry Hill May 10.

SUMMER CAMP PROGRAMS SAM KELLER STAFF WRITER

ummer is the best part of most people’s school year, with all the new free time for any activity you want. There are many options for you in St. Louis that will also help out greatly for your future. Many colleges in the area offer summer courses that are for specific areas of interest such as engineering camps or writing camps. If you are interested in engineering or other physical sciences, Missouri Science & Technology has many different camps available for those interested in the sciences. S&T has a wide variety of camps. S&T even have a Nuclear Engineering camp that will deal with S&Ts on-site nuclear reactor. I have seen the reactor and it is absolutely amazing and if you are interested in nuclear engineering. I would highly recommend this camp. S&T also participates a solar car project that is run by active students there that has won multiple awards and competed all over the country. Formula SAE Electric Car Camp will show you the basics to electrical engineering and you will also get the chance to learn what goes into the car that the students have produced. S&T also offers many other camps which you can find listed on their website. MST.edu is the website if you want to find out more. Washington University offers the Wash U Summer Scholars Program which allows high school students to earn credit and study along side of undergrad students at Wash U. Wash U has an impressive undergraduate programs in many different areas and this program allows students to experience all of it in high school. This program provides college credit to high school students. Three different sessions are available for you to

take which vary in length. However this program is very expensive, but I would highly recommend it if you are attending Wash U next fall or in the years to come. However if you want to work through the summer, Six Flags always needs employees and applying to them is very easy, but if you want to get a job you need to apply soon because spaces will full quickly. Being a lifeguard is also a high in demand job over the summer so becoming a lifeguard will allow you to work lots of hours over the summer. To become a lifeguard you must become certified and this requires a little bit of training but it is very easy to do. So I highly

recommend it. Let’s be real here, many of us are looking to have more fun than anything but doing something academic can definitely help with your future, so I would definitely recommend you do one of the things I talked about.

Washington University is a high ranking university located in University City, and they offer many different summer camp programs. Photo credit to WashU. summerexperiences.wustl. edu/earlycollege Missouri S&T offers many different camps focuses in the sciences, like mechanical and electrical engineering. All of these camps are available over the summer to high school students. Photo Credit to Missouri S&T’s website. futurestudents.mst.edu/summer-camps/

21 CORRAL

ENTERTAINMENT

MAY 11, 2018

Album Revist: The Black Keys - Turn Blue DAVID AMIRDJANIAN STAFF WRITER

he Black Keys were my favorite band in 2014 for a long while, and during the time I was pretty psyched for their next album to come out, Turn Blue. I was absolutely let down at the direction The Black Keys took with it. I recently decided to give it another chance since I haven’t listened to the album since its initial release month in 2014 to see if my mixed feelings changed at all. Re-listening to the album, I’ve noticed very heavy Pink Floyd influences throughout the entire album, and it almost seems as if they fully ripped riffs from them and rehashed them on this album. In fact, the intro track to the album “Weight of Love” sounds identical to Pink Floyd’s “Speak To Me/Breath”. The only difference is that The Black Keys just sped the instrumental up, everything still sounds exactly the same when it comes to the riff the rhythm guitar is playing. This is what bothered me about this project as a whole, it feels incredibly uninspired. Feels as if they lost their soul. For a band that loves to label themselves as a “blues” band, even going as far as titling the album “Turn Blue” to remind you that they’re a blues band, it’s pretty ironic. The album’s ‘highlight’ track, “Fever”, while not being terrible, it still feels like they’re continuing to be unintuitive with the songwriting. The entire song is heavily keyboard based, sounding a whole like “Oracular Spectacular” (2007) era of the band MGMT. For a band whose entire shtick was to be garage

rock and blues-y, then to have a dramatic shift in style then execute it so poorly is such a disappointment. Don’t get me started on the outro to the album, because holly molly was it such a great way to leave an even worse taste in my mouth - after my already bad enough experience listening to this record. “Gotta Get Away” literally sounds and has the lyrical content of a tryhard, late 90’s early 2000’s, “Lynyrd Skynyrd”/Country Pop band. Absolutely no creativity went into this track because it sounds like every other formulaic country pop song out there. I’d be more content with a song like this as a single, because the flow of the album was actually good until this track came in and ruined it. It just sounds so dang tacky. The album as a whole struggles because of over-production. “Turn Blue” lacks so much soul due to it. I can’t hear Dan Auerbach’s passion as he’s singing throughout the entire record, which is astonishing to me because every album before this one he actually had such powerful moments on each track, because you know, it’s supposed to be a blues band. Everything just ended up sounding all plastic and perfect and does not capture a true blues band, which makes the title of the album even more pretentious. I’m totally fine with artists and bands trying to evolve their style and experiment with new things, but at least don’t just do it in such a way where everything sounds so flat and uninspired, and like said band just copied the big popular trend in music; they’re too unimaginative to even further that style and make it their own. That’s when experimentation falls flat, and this album is exactly that.

Score: 4.5/10 Favorite Tracks: Bullet in The Brain, It’s Up to You Now, Weight of Love Least Favorite Tracks: Gotta Get Away, Fever, 10 Lovers, Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock, “Blues” Rock, Tryhard Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute. Final Take: Experiment gone wrong

Better Albums by The Black Keys: (Left to right) 1) The Black Keys - Thickfreakness 2) The Black Keys - The Big Come Up 3) The Black Keys - Magic Potion 4) The Black Keys - Rubber Factory

22 CORRAL

ENTERTAINMENT/OPINIONS

MAY 11, 2018

MARVEL’S MASTERPIECE CHANGES EVERYTHING BRETT SMITH ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

RATING:

10/10

DIRECTORS: JOE AND ANTHONY RUSSO OPENING WEEKEND DOMESTIC: WORLDWIDE: $258M $640M

Years. 18 Films. They’ve all been leading up to this blockbuster event: the culmination of some of the biggest names and biggest heroes in the business. With so many expectations peering through the roofs of fans and moviegoers alike, it’s hard to believe that Avengers: Infinity War has finally hit cinemas. Over 40 main characters, nearly a decade of lore and hints and teases, and many other factors were elements that needed to be addressed into this film. And honestly, on paper this sounds like an impossible task. An idea this big and a movie this packed couldn’t nearly live up to all of its hype, right? Right?! WRONG. Combined with the efforts of the ingenuitive heads of Marvel Studios, an astounding acting roster, inspired writers, thousands of incredible staff members working behind the scenes and a reported budget of roughly $300 million, a masterpiece was born. My experience going to see this film was one of the best experiences of my life. Myself, along with a large group of my friends, took part in the Avengers: Infinity War Opening Night Fan Event. It was incredible to have the privilege of sitting in a theatre filled with so many devoted Marvel fans such as myself. Throughout the film’s two-and-a-half hour runtime, the entire crowd was cheering, gasping and crying collectively. To be there, and to share it with my closest friends provided an unforgettable cinematic experience that will last a lifetime. But while the crowd was great, it wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable if it weren’t for the movie itself. In this review, there will be a lot left out, because most of what makes this movie great, if I tell you, would spoil the experience. Instead, I will highlight two of the strongest aspects of this film that I can. Thanos demands my silence, and it would be criminal not to abide by his wishes. One of the best parts of the film easily is its villain: Thanos. Throughout the last few years, we’ve seen many classic Marvel

villains adapted to the big screen. But other than the exception of Loki, they’ve all only been showcased in one film, and weren’t given the most character development or respect that they may or may not have deserved, lacking memorable performances for the most parts. And aside from Loki, the only other villain in more than one film is Thanos. Seen up to this point in an end credit scene for both the previous Avengers films and a cameo in Guardians Of The Galaxy, not much has been shown of this Mad Titan. This left a lot of people skeptical about whether or not he would prove to be a strong villain. Thankfully, all of the skeptics were silenced within the first few minutes of this film. Both an emotional conquerer and a powerful force to reckoned with, Thanos is most definitely one of the best villains the MCU has had to offer over the last 10 years. As you watch him throughout the film, not only is there a chance you’ll agree with Thanos’ plan, but you might also start rooting for him. Maybe. Another aspect of this film that makes it work is its unknown factor. By now, most have seen a sort of pattern with these films. But Infinity War wipes away any kind of originally structured formula, and blows it out of the water. There is so much action and so many turns and surprises that you won’t know what to expect. Trust me, no matter what you think is going to happen in this film, you will be surprised and definitely caught off guard. It keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times, and there’s so much to witness that you may have to watch it multiple times to catch it all. I am speechless. Even still, I am in shock and awe from what I’ve seen. The emotions flowing throughout this thematic experience is unlike any I’ve witnessed before in my life. Everyone has to go see Avengers: Infinity War. And if you’ve seen it already, watch it again. No matter who you are, this film has anything and everything you would need. It’s fun, hardcore, and for those who aren’t big into comics, it’s easy to follow. It’s not just a movie, it’s an experience.

MARVEL’S BIGGEST OPENING WEEKENDS

AVENGERS: $207.4M

BLACK PANTHER: $202M

AVENGERS: AOU: $191.2M

23 CORRAL

ENTERTAINMENT

MAY 11, 2018

BEST CHINESE FOOD IN CHESTERFIELD PUT TO THE TEST

Archer's Atmosphere -Dining in Style-

LIBBY ARCHER EDITOR IN CHIEF

I was receiving great reviews on Hunan Empress by my friends and family but realized that I had never been. I got a group together during lunch on May 4, to try out the place that had been called the ‘Best Chinese Restaurant in Chesterfield’. Before we even left the school, I received my first conflicting viewpoint. Mr. Griffin, whose opinion I respect deeply, said he did not really like Hunan Empress because the food is so Americanized. Since he has visited China multiple times, he knows that the oily, fried food you usually get at a Chinese restaurant is not what they actually serve in China. He prefers to go further into St. Louis to get his Chinese food. This review gave me doubts about this supposed ‘Best Chinese Restaurant’. Junior Henry Eubank, seniors Anthony Zuanich, Dorothy Davis and I took Anthony’s convertible down to the shopping center right by school, Hunan Empress is located right next to Brunswick Zone and Bread Co., which was extremely convenient for a quick lunch on a beautifully warm day. We arrived to an almost completely empty restaurant. A few of the workers were sitting in a booth eating lunch and seemed surprised to see a bunch of kids there on a school day. Fried wonton chips were already on the table when we arrived. The waitress also gave us sweet and sour sauce which was a perfect pairing. Anthony bought hot tea for the table, that I don’t think he ended up even taking a drink of. Also, being gross Americans, we each got Cokes. What we were all craving was a good crab rangoon, so we got two orders of them. The rangoons came out quickly and we all scarfed 3 of them down as soon as the plate hit the table. They were the best rangoons I have had in a very long time. They were so deep fried that they had a perfect crispy consistency around the ends. They were so flavorful and tasted like they were made with real crab, which is unlikely. Anthony almost ruined the meal by blowing

his nose at the table, but we moved on and continued our amazing meals with only a little judgment. I also wanted a soup with my meal, so I ordered wonton soup. I had no clue what this soup was apparently because I am pretty sure it had beef in it, which I do not eat. Other than that, the soup tasted like good salty tea which was kind of weird but I digged it. By the time I was ready to order the rest of my meal, I was pretty much full. I got sweet and sour shrimp, because you can’t go wrong with some good Missouri shrimp. Once again, the food came back quickly and my meal looked delicious. The sweet and sour sauce covering the shrimp and cooked veggies, looked like jello which is kind of gross. The meal also came with one egg roll, one crab rangoon and a ton of veggies. I did not particularly like the veggies because the sauce made a weird combo, but the fried shrimp were amazing. Henry almost ruined the meal by texting at the table, but he finally put his phone away, and we continued our quality conversation about what the heck Kanye is doing. By the time we were finished with our meals, I felt like I had gained 20 pounds in oil alone. Everything I ate was covered in a thick fried layer which made me feel like I was eating KFC; Mr. Griffin was correct about that. Other than the oil, and feeling more full than I have ever felt, I had a great time at Hunan Empress. I would recommend this fine establishment for any lunch. They have an inexpensive lunch menu and have quick service. The crab rangoon are to die for but I heard are not as good if you get them to go. Perfect place for a 3rd date, reunion with a friend you haven’t seen in years, celebratory family dinner after you win an award, professional lunch with your lawyer, or end of the year lunch with friends. Here are my beautiful golden crab rangoon. Watch them glisten in the sun. Here are my wonderful staff writers who did me the honor of eating with me. My kind of gross oily mess of a meal.

CODING INSPIRES LIBBY ARCHER

CREATION

EDITOR IN CHIEF

ith her blond hair and bubbly personality, sophomore Savannah Grasmick is not someone you would immediately assume was a coder, but after spending her summer in a two week coding camp with girls from all over St. Louis, she fell in love with code. “At that camp we learned ruby, html and CSS and so I feel comfortable in those languages,” Grasmick said. Kode with Klossy is a program for girls ages 13 to 18 who want to learn how to code. This camp was started by Karlie Kloss, a supermodel and businesswoman from St. Louis. Grasmick was even able to meet Kloss when she was visiting the various Kode with Klossy campuses. “Karlie stayed for three days at the St. Louis camp,” Grasmick said. “We played some games and just talked as a group. She also helped us code a little which was really cool.” Grasmick applied as a eighth grader but was not accepted, but after being told she could not be in Central’s Computer Science class, she used the experience for her freshman year application and got accepted. “Last year I tried to sign up for computer science and they said that I was a freshman so I couldn’t do it,” Grasmick said. “I was upset about that so I used that as part of my essay application for Kode with Klossy.” She took part in the Hackathon, Code with a Cause, which is an event in downtown St. Louis where coders all get together for a 48 hour binge to help make a website for a nonprofit organization. Some people even chose to sleep in the offices. “The Hackathon weekend was when I decided to vlog and try to post it for the first time, just because it was so cool,” Grasmick said. This was the start of her on going YouTube vlog channel, Savannah Vlogs. She currently has 76 subscribers and over 3,500 views on her 14 videos. “My friends, and even random people, were telling me that I should vlog and that they would watch it,” Grasmick said. Her vlogs consist of her getting laser hair removal, modeling, being a sixth grade camp counselor and a travel diary of her trip to Florida. “I used to vlog but not do anything with the footage because I didn’t know how to edit, so the videos would just stay on my phone,” Grasmick said. She had to teach herself how to edit video before posting her first vlog upload on Feb. 12. She currently uses her phone to video tape and her MacBook and iMovie to edit. “I can’t wait to go back and look at these when I am a lot older,” Grasmick said. She mostly does her vlogs for her own amusement and does not care much about the numbers. “I just love sharing my life with people,” Grasmick said.

Photo courtesy of world marathon challange.