Eureka goes green 15&16 New faces around Eureka

the bugle And Then There Were 80...

Peyton Wibbenmeyer reporter Virtual Teacher tackles more than 80 virtual students over the new school year.

Everyone at Eureka High school has experienced virtual learning, but with the school reopening, the virtual population has been reduced to only 80. An eLearning website, Think Impact, said that as of 2021, 75 percent of schools were still planning to operate online, Eureka High School included.

Science teacher Michele Pelikan, who previously worked as a substitute and a teacher at Fox High, has stepped up to take on the challenges of virtual teaching.

“Virtual learning is extremely hard because of communication and connection issues,” Pelikan said. “I can not be sure if people are understanding me because their internet could be going in and out. I find this extremely difficult especially, having to teach 5 different classes all under one curriculum along with the struggles of the internet.”

Internet connection remains one of the largest obstacles to effective online learning.

“Even when students do have access to devices and the internet, this access can be spotty. Families with multiple children find their technological resources strained. This is especially true as many parents are working from home and also needing access,” Informational Website, Insights to Behavior said.

Virtual student Abygail Mercado, 9, enjoys being online because she can work at her own pace.

Unlike traditional classes, discussions and lectures are in the form of videos, which can be watched, paused, and reviewed as needed.

Both in-person and online

Virtual Teacher, Michele Pelikan. Photo by Ali Pate.

learning present different sets of challenges, but considering the majority of Eureka students have decided to return in-person, it’s safe to say that many believe the cons of online learning outweigh the benefits.

her favorite thing about Eureka is all the great people. “The Staff is really fun to work with and everyone is so kind”, Jaeger states. Something she looks forward to this year is building better relationships with students and getting involved with the school. Her inspiration to teach was her experience with being a student teacher. It

was “super fun” and she loved the environment at Eureka which made her want to stick around and be involved. In addition, she is a very talented artist. She draws and paints all the time (at home and school), works at Trader Joes, and was an art teacher at a camp over the summer.

Tony Larusso

Mr. Larusso teaches online PE classes serving kids from all 4 Rockwood High Schools. He also works with Eureka students as an intervention specialist. He worked at the Individualized Learning Center for the last 15 years and was at LaSalle Springs for two years prior to the ILC. His favorite thing about Eureka are the people. “Staff and students are welcoming, and very helpful”, Larusso said. He is looking forward to helping as many EHS students as possible. Something that inspired him to pursue his carrer at EHS was his love for his own High School experience. He had many teachers and coaches that had a positive influence on him and were a lot of fun. He wants to be able to mentor and have a positive impact on young adults. Some interesting facts about Mr. Larusso are that he is a Huge Mizzou fan, loves sports, loves beating Coach Wasson in golf, and has coached HS football for 17 years, the last 7 here at Eureka. “Nothing is better than a friday night under the lights in E-Town”, Larusso said.

Emily Lawrence

Mrs. Lawrence teaches 10th grade Accelerated Language Arts and 11th grade Language Arts. She previously student-taught at Rockwood Summit. Her favorite thing about Eureka so far is everyone she has met, including teachers, students, staff, and parents. She says they have been so welcoming and supportive. Something she is looking forward to this year is attending more games and seeing the fall musical. Her inspiration to teach derived from her first class of students she ever taught. “They were a vibrant group of motivated, rambunctious seventh graders. I realized I could learn just as much from them as they could learn from me. We had so much fun together, and I knew teaching was for me”, Lawerence said. One interesting thing about Mrs. Lawrence is that her favorite color is purple, so her EHS gear fits perfectly into her wardrobe.

Marianne Leighton

Mrs. Leighton is going to be assisting Orchestra as a string assistant. She is not new to Rockwood. She has worked in the District for over 20 years but is new to Eureka.

Brittani Slinkard

Mrs. Slinkard currently teaches German and she just graduated college at the University of central Missouri. Her Favorite thing about Eureka so far is the community. For example, Dr. Artlege calls everyone “family” and she definitely sees that among the students. She is looking forward to homecoming this year. She has studied German for 11 years and she visited Germany as a Freshman in Highschool. She absolutely loved the culture and language which inspired her to teach it. Something interesting about her is that she loves sloths and has a stuffed class “sloth” in her classroom.

Elliot Woll

Mr. Woll is currently “teaching” In-School Suspension, although with his degree in high school social studies, he hopes to use this as a stepping-stone to having his own History class. Mr. Woll previously worked for Rockwood as a substitute teacher, and before that, a motorsports salesman. His favorite thing about EHS so far has to be the students. He says everyone is very friendly, understanding and polite. He is looking forward the most to forming positive relationships with students, and hopefully having an impact on their lives. Especially on the ISS students who need guidance and support they might not find elsewhere. His inspiration for this career is how rewarding it can be; not monetarily, but in the sense that he can encourage real change in people’s lives. The idea that as a teacher, he’ll be able to help hundreds of students become the best they can be. His love and interest in history, as well as all of social studies (sociology, psychology, politics, philosophy, etc.) played a major role in his inspiration as well. He knew whatever career he chose, it had to involve this interest. He said teaching seemed like the most rewarding of options in the field of Social Sciences. Conveniently, his interest in social studies and goal of positively changing the world go hand-in-hand in teaching. As such, he hopes to foster students who understand the past, use it to authentically live

in the present, and create positive change in the future. Some interesting facts about Mr. Woll is that he plays the drums and dabbles in other instruments, and he plays a lot of videogames.

Thomas Beckmeyer

Mr. Beckmeyer teaches Wood Processes 1 and 2, and also teaches Metal Processes 1. He was teaching in Rockwood at the Alternative highschool (Individualized Learning Center.) His favorite thing about EHS so far is being in the building and getting to know his students. He says he is looking forward to being a part of the activities that are held in a traditional high school. He says he enjoys teaching students a hands on skill that they could potentially use to better their home or jump right into a career after school. Something interesting about Mr. Beckmeyer is that he is also a Girls Track and Field Coach in the spring.

Jenna Carlson leads class. Photo by Grace Dunham.

ISS teacher Mr. Woll. Photo by Grace Dunham.

New Faces Around EHS Emma Kaemmerer reporter

This school year we welcome 16 new teachers and staff to EHS including Olivia Bauer (ELA), Jenna Carlson (Math), Marcie Dawson (SSD Para), Olivia Jaeger (Study Hall), Tony Larusso (Intervention Specialist), Emily Lawrence (ELA), Marianne Leighton (Strings Assistant), Brittani Slinkard (German), Elliot Woll (ISS), Thomas Beckmeyer (Engineering), Kristin Calacterra (Cafe Assistant Manager), Tasha McKay (Cafe Manager), Michelle Pelikan (Online Science), Jackie Skaggs (Secretary) , Stacey Watson (Science), and Erin Stebor (Library Assistant). A few of them discuss their backgrounds and experiences so far this year:

Olivia Bauer

Mrs. Bauer teaches 9th and 10th grade Language Arts. Before she arrived at Eureka, she did student teaching at Lindbergh. One thing she is looking forward to this year is dancing in the silverline with Mrs. Lawrence. Her inspiration to teach stemmed from her love for the teenage age group. She believes that teenagers are often misunderstood and a lot of fun to work with. She believes that all the students are filled with so much potential and it only takes one teacher to unlock that empower students to pursue their dreams. “I feel lucky to be a part of that”. Something interesting about her is that she loves trivia, her students play trivia everyday and she gives candy to the winners.

Jenna Carlson

Mrs. Carlson teaches Algebra 1 and Algebra 2. She went to college at Mizzou, substitute taught in San Diego, and last year she worked at Parkway North. Her favorite thing about Eureka are the kids because they are nice, friendly, and smart. She is looking forward to having good relationships with the students and being able to attend football games and homecoming this year. Carlson has wanted to be a teacher since 5th grade because she, “likes explaining things to people and making people feel good about themselves”. Something interesting about her is that she is originally from Chicago and used to live in St. Louis.

Marcie Dawson

Mrs. Dawson started at EHS last spring as an assistant in the library. She switched and is now working for SSD in special education. Previously, she had been a Parent Educator and Pre-K instructor. Her favorite thing about Eureka are the people she works with and the administration because they “have been kind and fun to work with so far” and she loves the school spirit here. Something she looks forward to this year are getting to know more people and being more involved. Dawson switched to special education because she has had some experience with it and has found she enjoys working closely with students and smaller groups. Some interesting things about her is that she has lived in St. Louis for 2 21/2 years. “I have been blessed with four children and a patient husband, I love to go walking and hiking”, Dawson said. One of her favorite movies is Goonies and her favorite TV show is Psych. To relax and for fun she plays Christmas music on her Saxophone.

Olivia Jaeger

Mrs. Jaeger teaches Study Hall and she just graduated from Missouri State college. Last semester she was student teaching here at Eureka helping with art classes. She says