The Bugle - December 2022

GIVING BACK CAN THRIVE IN 63025

Local ways to give back during this holiday season

Hope In A Box

Katie Jones, 12, opened her own charity, Hope in a Box when she was 17. Over the years, Jones and her family collected about 3500 winter clothes like coats, hats, gloves and blankets to spread to people in need.

“We put all the clothes in boxes and went and delivered them to different locations like Dierbergs, local elementary and middle schools, and banks all around Eureka and Wildwood,” Jones said.

Once Jones collects the clothes, she and her family go through them and take them to LifeWise STL, which was formerly Kingdom House, who distributes them to people of all ages in need.

“That’s been my goal recently because I found that one of my guiding purposes in life is to help people or positively impact people and this is just my small way of doing that,” Jones said.

Peyton Wibbenmeyer, Reporter

To donate: Contact hopeinaboxstl@gmail.com or drop off winter clothing donations (hats, gloves, coats, blankets, etc) at the drop-off locations around Eureka and Wildwood.

Got Your Backpack

PIE coordinator Jennifer Fine works with Maureen Smith, a teacher at Fairway Elementary School, to organize a charity called ‘Got Your Backpack’ which has provided weekend food for students in need in the Rockwood School District for the past 11 years.

“It started because we found that there was a need for students who maybe were getting free or reduced lunches at school but didn’t have food during the weekend,” Fine said.

Fine’s role in running this charity is helping coordinate the volunteers that come to help pack the bags that get distributed to all the schools.

“The whole pantry is run on donations so I would say to absolutely donate because we always need food and we pack about 70 bags a week and each bag has about ten items in it so that’s about 700 items going out of the pantry each week,” Fine said.

To donate: visit mo-rockwood-lite.intouchreceipting.com

Most Sacred Heart Giving Tree and Toy Drive

Elizabeth Kiblinger, a fourth grade teacher at Most Sacred Heart School, is helping the school with multiple ways to give back this season. One being a toy drive as well as a giving tree.

“As a school, we are holding a toy drive at our school Mass, with toys being given to Rural Parish Workers in Old Mines, MO” Kiblinger said.

The Parish is also organizing a giving tree which has been a long-standing tradition at Sacred Heart for years.

“Christmas trees are in the narthex [vestibule of church] with ornaments that represent needed gifts for children, seniors and adults with special needs,” Most Sacred Heart School Newsletter said.

To donate: Contact Most Sacred Heart School on Instagram @mshs-eureka

Sophia Brummond, Editor-in-Chief

ROCKWOOD CALENDAR PROPOSAL

After two years of a changed calendar school year, Rockwood School District teachers and administration have collaborated to make an improved calendar for the 2023-2024 school year that plans to have students out of school before Memorial Day Weekend.

This change has been in the works for a little over a year after the state of Missouri changed their laws on school hour requirements. Director of Human Resources, Tracy Edwards, specifies that Rockwood had to change their calendar year two years ago, and that despite the change, the Rockwood School District still aligns their days very closely with other school districts.

“We had to change 2 years ago because the state implemented a law requiring us to not start so many days before Labor Day, but we are closely aligned to most St Louis school districts,” Edwards said.

The Bugle looked at various Missouri District Schools calendars and learned that the Rockwood School District goes to school for the longest period of time and fully completes and exceeds the required 174 days by an extra week and a half. In comparison to other school districts in the Missouri area such as Parkway Schools who only go to school for the exact required amount.

Along with getting out before Memorial Day weekend, the calendar proposal also includes a reduced amount of late start and professional development days to make sure that Rockwood stays within the required 1,044 hours.

With the proposed changes to the school calendar year, students in Rockwood will have the same number of attendance days and teachers will have the same number of contract days.

“Both years we are just shifting days so the school year ends before Memorial Day, a request by all stakeholders so hopefully there will be only advantages to the calendar proposal,¨ Edwards said. ¨Students have the same number of days in attendance and teachers have same number of contract days.”

Rockwood students, however, still ask the question: why do we go to school longer than anyone else?

The extra week and a half of academic days are not subject to change despite the revoking of some half days and late starts, which means that the Rockwood School District is still surpassing the required days, and will continue to in the future.

by Cara Brotherton

TROUBLES IN THE DEEP END

Dive deep to learn about the pool’s problems that members of the Swim and Dive team face.

Lanie Diekhoff, Reporter

Eureka’s aquatic program has produced numerous state contestants and champions, and they have done all of this while having the oldest pool in the Rockwood School District. Members of the Girls’ Swim and Dive team are highly aware of the pool’s issues that have come with its old age.

Aleksa Roark, a senior swimmer, believes that the pool’s many issues create a dangerous environment for athletes. “The leveling of the pool ground is so beyond repair that a ton of water can pool into the little dips in the walkway, there have been many wipeouts by not only our swimmers, but swimmers that come for meets,” said Roark.

Swimmers strongly believe that the pool needs to be renovated and issues need to be addressed.

“Our pool is so underkept that the pipe busted, and we didn’t know until the divers showed up to practice and found the storage area flooding,” said Roark. Additionally, the pool is so outdated that races swam by the team members in the pool don’t qualify as official times. “A long time ago, pools were measured in meters and 25 meters was the standard pool length. Now, it’s 25 yards, our pool is old enough that we are still in meters,” said Peyton Wells, another senior swimmer. Eureka’s swimmers are also unsatisfied with the overall appearance of their pool.

“The pool just plain looks bad. It’s old and outdated. The ceiling is green. It’s embarrassing to have other teams over for home meets,” said Elise Humes.

In addition to its appearance, members have also complained about the pool’s air quality.

“There’s something wrong with the air filtration/AC in both the pool and the locker room, in the pool, it gets very hard to breathe unless we leave the door to the outside open, and in the locker room, there’s simply no AC,” said Humes.

The swimmers feel that their environment is not suitable and desire a change, sooner rather than later. “The air quality is so bad that half the time while we are swimming, we’re inhaling chlorine vapors until we open the door to the outside, which then causes steam from the pool to go up into the air,” said Roark.

Members of the Swim and Dive team hope that their pool’s issues can be corrected and that the pool can soon become a more appropriate environment.

Photos

PARTING WAYS

Lucy Knerr, Reporter

Assistant Principal Daniel Thoman announces retirement.

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately for the Eureka High School community, Assistant Principal, Daniel Thoman, has decided to retire after 21 years of working for the district.

“It’s just that time,” Thoman said, “There are several reasons, this is my 32nd year in education, and you reach a point where we have to make the decision to enter our retirement system.”

Although Mr. Thomans time at Eureka has come to an end, he promises to remain involved with sports and various activities.

“[I feel] it’s time after all these years that I really need to step back and let a younger person take on the task so that I can spend more time with my family,” Thoman said.

Mr. Thoman expressed his excitement to spend time with his family amongst other things he enjoys doing, such as hiking and traveling. He also expressed his sadness in leaving the community.

FACING THE WIFI ISSUE

“The kids here feel like the kids I grew up around, so I felt really at home here with the kids, the staff and the community,” Mr. Thoman said. “Not a day goes by that I don’t enjoy waking up and coming here [to work] in my job.”

It is undeniable that Eureka will greatly miss Mr. Thoman, the school community will undoubtedly feel the absence of his school spirit.

“It becomes your family, you’re gonna miss those conversations and laughs you have everyday with the people you work with and with the kids you see everyday, I’m going to miss being around a lot of people,” Thoman said.

Whether it’s in the grade level office or as a supervisor at football games, Mr. Thoman never failed to show up for his community in big ways and as a result, his time and effort will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression on the culture of Eureka High School.

Students and staff speak out on the topic of Wi-Fi

Libby Dunham, reporter

Eureka’s Wifi is an ongoing issue, for years our school’s wifi has always been a disadvantage to students and staff. The issues stem past getting Snapchats to go through and posting Tik Toks, at times it is hard for students to access things while learning. Teachers also have trouble pulling things up, such as videos or documents that they need to show as part of their lesson plans.

“I find emailing my teachers and submitting and uploading photos and document s to canvas are some of the problems I face with the school’s Wifi”, Morgan Bilby, said.

Catherine Cande, 9, believes that we

also need better Wifi because she has good Wifi depending on the day.

“At the end of the day I need to text my sister when we are about to leave school so I know where I need to be,” Cande said.

Many students have resorted towards downloading a VPN app, this app helps students acess cellular data to be able to do varioud activities without using the school wifi.

Students are going to all these difficult lengths to get good service, when it shouldn’t be that big of an issue. The school and district needs to do something about the wifi, so students can learn about their VPN working.

Photo by Audrey Watson, Social Media Editor

Photo and Illustration by Cara Brotherton, Photo Editor

WELCOME TO THE GREEN SCENE

Missouri adds Amendment 3 to its Constitution to legalize recreational marijuana Porter Sayers, Reporter

Missouri estimates millions of dollars in additional revenue due to the passing of Amendment 3 on November 8. The amendment legalizes recreational marijuana for people over the age of 21 and changes the criminalization of marijuana offenses.

The fight for progress on marijuana use in Missouri has been in the making for several years. According to STLPR, marijuana was approved for medicinal use with 65 percent support in 2018. Amendment 3 extends the legalization of marijuana use for recreational purposes. The amendment was passed with 53 percent approval in 2022.

Amendment 3 allows people with a medical license to obtain six ounces of marijuana, while nonmedical users will be able to buy up to three ounces.

Missouri is expected to make millions of dollars with this legalization of recreational use. A 6 percent tax rate will be applied to nonmedical sales. Local governments are given the ability to tax up to another 3

percent. At least 2 percent of the revenue gained will go to the Veterans, Health, and Community Reinvestment fund.

Some individuals with prior marijuana convictions may be eligible to petition to have their sentence revoked and their records expunged.

While there are limits on the restrictions given with marijuana use, it does not protect those that have sold marijuana to a minor. An individual could be fined up to $2,000 for selling marijuana to a high school student.

One of the most controversial aspects of the legalization of recreational marijuana is the fact that it’s an amendment to the Missouri constitution which means it could only be changed or altered by another state-wide vote.

Although Missouri is expected to benefit financially, the legalization of recreational marijuana use is an additional amendment to the state constitution which means it could only be changed by another statewide vote.

OFFICIAL BALLOT TITLE

Illustrations by Cara Brotherton, Photo Editor

BATTLING SCHOOL SAFETY THREATS

Claire Rickles, News Editor Madison Heep, News Editor Illustrations by Cara Brotherton, Photo Editor

In St. Louis, school safety is a more prevalent concern than ever. On Oct. 24, two people were killed in a school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis.

School Resource Officer (SRO) Derek Ploeger saw direct impacts of the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School school shooting.

“One of my fellow officers that I’ve worked with now for the last four years, his mom was the teacher that lost her life in that situation,” Ploeger said. “I feel for their family, and I feel for the student that lost her life, it’s just a senseless act of violence and we have to do better.”

In the Rockwood School District, Marquette High School was subject to a bomb threat on Nov. 17, followed by a gun threat on Nov. 18, resulting in the school being evacuated.

“It’s unfortunate,” Rockwood Safety Supervisor, Ty Dennis, said of the situation. “Every threat is taken seriously and it’s unfortunate that someone felt the need to call it a hoax because it prompted so much response from law enforcement and created anxiety amongst our staff and students.”

Dennis noted that the safety concerns in Rockwood are visible in schools nationwide.

“At the end of the day, we are a public school entity. And I think the same thing that we’re facing every school in America is facing,” Dennis said.

According to Dennis, safety is Rockwood’s number one priority.

“Making students, making staff, making everyone feel safe has been a priority long before any incidents have happened. Every week we’re meeting about safety,” Dennis said.

When the intruder alarm sounds, SRO’s immediately notify their dispatcher of the intruder.

“The average time for a police response, once the call has been put in for Eureka, is about 3-5 minutes before we would have a very heavy police presence from our officers here,” Ploeger said. “Myself as well as the entire administration team are going to do everything we can to locate that person as soon as possible.”

Most days, when there isn’t a school safety threat, Ploeger is ensuring that all doors leading to outside are locked.

“I’ll also go on the exterior and check those doors as well. I usually do that about 2-3 times a day,” Ploeger said. “Staying out in the hallways and being visible is a really big thing.”

Despite Rockwood’s efforts to ensure safety among their schools, many stu-

dents across the district still don’t feel safe at school.

“A lot of times a lot of our students may not feel safe at school in the sense that they don’t feel safe anywhere when it comes to the act of shooting incidents,” Dennis said. “It can happen at the mall, it can happen at church, it can happen anywhere.”

Ploeger argued that a lot of the increased concern over school safety is due to cell phones.

“Nobody really talks face-to-face anymore and everything is done through text messages or social media, so it really does have an influence on it,” Ploeger said. “Every time something happens in a school, immediately students bring their phones out and start recording, and when kids see what happened [at Marquette] where they ended up leaving for the day, unfortunately they look at that as an opportunity to get another free afternoon off.”

Ploeger stressed the importance of students and staff’s vigilance in preventing these situations.

“Keep an eye out, and if you see something or hear something, say something to a teacher or say something to an administrator, or say something to me. That’s how we keep on top of these things,” Ploeger said.

The safety of Rockwood schools becomes a concern after recent threats within the district and shooting at a St. Louis high school

Ella Dickhaus Reporter

READY FOR TAKE-OFF

Student takes the journey to becoming a pilot at 17

Raegan Craig, 12, has been working on getting her pilot’s license since the summer of 2022. To train for the license she has spent about 15 hours in the air along with other more classroom based lessons on the land. With her instructor, she flies a Cessna Skyhawk around three to four times a week.

“I haven’t officially gotten my pilot’s license yet, but I hope to have earned it around summertime or before college,” Craig said.

After becoming interested in learning to become a pilot, she started searching for places close by to begin lessons at and ended up landing on Elite Aviation, a flight school based in Chesterfield, MO.

“I booked a discovery flight used to introduce beginners, and afterwards I decided I loved it, and moved forward with lessons,” Craig said.

Currently Craig takes classes at the Wildwood Community College in the morning then goes to her flight block two times a week. In the afternoon, she

goes back to Eureka High School to attend her other classes and then attends flight school for her ‘flight block’.

“I also fly over the weekend every Sunday and occasionally Saturday. Flight blocks are scheduled for two hour periods, so I go to Elite four to eight hours a week,” Craig said.

For Craig, a pilot has always been a possible career choice due to her many family members in aviation, but her interest in other subjects kept her from pursuing it earlier.

“Originally I wanted to go into law or philosophy, but after discovering aviation I couldn’t imagine myself going down any other path,” Craig said.

After high school Craig has plans to attend college for a degree in aviation, but she is unsure of which college she wants to attend yet.

“I definitely plan on pursuing aviation as a career path, maybe in professional flight or for the Navy,” Craig said.

Craig was inspired by many of her close family members to pursue a

career in aviation.

“My uncle is a pilot for the Navy and is currently stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, my grandpa also served in the Air Force during the Vietnam war, where he mainly deciphered codes in his air crew,” Craig said.

Although Craig currently is only flying locally, she hopes that in February of 2023, she will complete her solo test and be able to fly solo.

“Further into my training after my solo I will plan for a cross country with my instructor,” Craig said.

Craig thoroughly enjoys her time while flying and even recommends it to people that want a non-traditional job that makes them feel content.

“A lot of people interested in aviation don’t pursue it simply because they don’t know where to start, but there are resources all around and it’s a great option if you’re looking for an enjoyable career,” Craig said.

Photos courtesy of Macey Matheny

MORE THAN METAL

Audrey Watson, Social Media Editor

Pieces of jewelry around Eureka that have a deeper meaning

Jenna Beasley (10): Cross necklace with her brothers ashes sealed inside.

“It means a lot to me,” Beasley said. “It was given to me right before his funeral and everyone in my family has one. I just feel more included having him with me every day.”

Ava Valli (9): Gold Dior necklace gifted to her by her grandfather.

“It was my golden birthday this year because it was on November 15th and I turned 15,” Valli said. “My grandpa does big things for my family’s big birthdays, so it really means a lot to me.”

Payton Deakin (12): Heart locket with a picture of her late friend.

“It signifies a friendship that is still present even after his passing,” said Deakin. “It’s a picture from the last time I saw him. Sometimes just looking into it reminds me he is still with us and taking care of us.”

John Nisbet (11): A Gold chain and pendant gifted to him by his grandfather

“I’ve had it since I was really little,” Nisbet said. “Both the chain and the pendant were given to me as gifts from my family and on the pendant is a saint because my family is really religious.”

Payton Lauer (12): Her Grandmother’s gold earrings.

“My Grandma unexpectedly passed a month ago and my mom and I had been taking care of her for the past five years,” Lauer said. “My mom gave me her favorite earrings that she would always wear since my grandma knew how much I loved jewelry. It’s a great memento to have of her.”

Aaliyah Barsh (11): A pearl bracelet with her name on it given to her by her father.

“It just means a lot to me,” Barsh said. “My dad gave it to me before he left for the Navy when I was really young. It was kind of like a piece of him that I had until he came back.”

HAVE THE HOLIDAYS LOST THEIR

Branscum, Opinions Editor

When we were in elementary school, most of December would be dedicated to holiday related activities. Whether the teachers were equally excited about them or they were too burned out by the end of the year to attempt anything else, the lesson plans revolved around the holidays from the books, to P.E. games, to the infamous holiday class party.

Every year on that fateful December day, we would all come into school clad in winter themed pajamas, drink hot chocolate, and watch The Polar Express. Reagan Wood, 12, recalls that this day was a part of what made the holidays special as a child.

“My favorite elementary school holiday memory would have to be either getting to watch Christmas movies in class or performing Christmas carols, accompanied by my siblings, in the school’s choir,” Wood said. “We didn’t sound very good but it was always fun to sing Christmas Time from the Chipmunks movie.”

However as we grew up, the in-school celebrations dissipated from full blown holiday parties, to watching movies before break, to only a lonely, ‘Happy Holidays’ shouted by our teachers as students scoop up final review packets on their way out the door. Increased workloads and finals looming after break create a distinct lack of morale amongst students. While teachers explain it away as ‘welcome to the real world!’ granted they are somewhat right, the transition that growing up forces on us is unwelcome and jarring.

“Coming towards the end of semester, all of my classes have tests and finals at once and it leads to more stress on top of everything else I have to do,” Alex Meier, 12, said.

The notable lack of holiday spirit isn’t just present in schools, the increased responsibilities of teenagers around the holidays through work, family, and community, puts more demands on their lives.

Due to long hours at work, teenagers miss out on typical holiday experiences.

“The holidays make my job very stressful because of how often I work, it takes away time I could be spending with my family decorating or celebrating,” Meier said.

Another big change is the increased expectation to buy gifts for friends and family which can lead to long hours in lines and large portions of paychecks.

“Each year I buy about 5-6 sets of gifts for friends and family, which can be really stressful as well as take a lot of money out of my paychecks. However, doing certain Christmas traditions such as Secret Santa make it a lot more manageable on my time and for my budget,” Wood said.In my opinion, the holidays do not hold the same sense of wonder and magic that they did when we were younger. However, it’s not something to be necessarily mourned. While we can look back in nostalgia at the way things used to be, it is not natural to experience life the same way we did 10 years ago. The holidays may have changed, but so have we. Whether it’s driving around with friends to look at Christmas lights, upgrading from licking the spoon to cooking a whole meal for your family, or seeing the look of joy of your little sibling’s face when they open up that perfect present, getting older creates even more ways to celebrate the holidays. Growing up doesn’t mean giving up the magic of the holidays, just looking for different ways to create it.

It’s the most wonderful time of year, or at least it used to be

Lucy

Illustrations by Cara Brotherton, Photo Editor

THE DELIGHT IN THE LIGHTS

Each holiday season, families love to get out and visit lights displays around the St. Louis area, but the biggest question is what house’s have the best lights?

The Berg family always goes above and beyond for the holiday season.

Senior, Mia Berg’s family always goes big and their light display is one to see. They have been setting up large Christmas light displays since they moved to Eureka fifteen years ago.

The Berg’s love everything Christmas, they enjoy celebrating the holiday through one of the largest Christmas lights displays. However, not only do the Berg’s have house lights but their yard is filled with a wide variety of blowups and lots of yard decor.

With all of the lights the Berg’s include on their house, it costs around 50-75 more dollars a month than they

would usually spend, but a few years ago they switched to using LED lights in their decorations, which made the production much cheaper on their electrical bill.

The Berg’s usually are able to put their lights up quickly as they have a routine.

“We have a neighbor that puts up our roof and house lights and that usually takes 2-3 days,” Kelly Berg said. “Tony, Mia’s dad, does all the blowups, yard decor, and finishing touches as well as the inside of the house and that’s 1-2 days as well,” Kelly Berg said.

Even with the increased cost and time it is worth it to see all of the cars drive by coming to see their house.

“We love how much the lights warm up our house on the inside and out and bring joy and conversation to everyone,” Berg said. “However our most

Grace Dunham, Reporter

favorite part is all of the traffic we get up and down our street to come see the light display.”

The dedication the Berg’s have to putting the lights up is worth it due to all the people that come to see their display. Their creativity and ingenuity has secured their place as one of the top decorated houses in the St. Louis

WINTER WONDERLAND VS. SLICE OF PARADISE

Would students rather spend their winter break on a ski trip or beach trip?

Diekhoff, Reporter

break including: Colorado, Montana, and Utah. Being in a cold place during winter break offers more of the Christmas vibe, rather than being at a beach, which many students preferred.

While being more festive, skiing also creates great family bonding.

Mallory Mayer, 12, is traveling to Montana this winter break to ski, this winter activity brings her family together and they love the bonding it gives.

“My whole family skis and it’s a great bonding experience,” Mayer said.

Another reason students prefer going skiing during winter break is because it is colder during winter break, rather than the spring and summer breaks.

“I’d rather go on a ski trip because it isn’t as cold during spring break,” Zoey Vancil, 11, said.

Students travel to the beach in hopes of getaway from Missouri’s cold weather. When surveyed, a handful of students preferred the beach weather because it is a break from the cold.

“I’d rather go to the beach because it’s hot and I like to be tan,” Jace Peterson, 12, said.

Although the beach doesn’t give a Christmas feel, people still manage to bring the holidays with them. Mia Berg, 12, is traveling to the Dominican Republic this year and plans to bring the christmas spirit.

“When we went to the Cayman Islands 2 years ago, we bought a Christmas tree when we got there and put it in our hotel room,” Berg said.

Many people also would rather go to a beach because they like the warmer weather and it makes them happier, but the cold weather provides the same kind of happiness and holiday magic.

Visuals by Cara Brotherton, Photo Editor

Ava

One house shines brighter than the rest.

THE HOLIDAY OF HANNUKAH

Abby Holt, Reporter

Hanukkah and the students and teachers that celebrate.

As the Holiday season rolls around many people forget about the small population of people who celebrate holidays other than Christmas. Here is a look into Hanukkah and the Jewish population who celebrate at Eureka High School.

Hanukkah is not the “Jewish Christmas.” Hanukkah is celebrated by Jews as the “festival of lights.” It falls anywhere between late November and December, the exact timing differs every year. Sometimes Christmas and Hanukkah will even overlap.

Hanukkah is not truly the most significant Jewish holiday and did not originally include gift-giving. Because it falls around Christmas time, many families now include gift giving. Some families will spread the gifts out between the 8 nights of Hanukkah while others will save it all for one night.

“My family hosts a Hanukkah party at my grandma’s house every Sunday during Hanukkah. Out of town family comes in and we make traditional Jewish foods and exchange presents. Our food traditions are Kugel (sweet noodle casserole), Latkes (potato pancakes), and lots of bagels,” Emma Trog,12.

Traditions for Hanukkah differ be -

tween families. Some things include lighting the menorah, making Jewish foods, playing dreidel (a four sided spinning top), going to temple services, saying prayers, and other unique family practices.

“Sometimes we make dreidels out of marshmallows, pretzels, and hershey kisses,” Mrs Fine, PIE Facilitator, said. “It is mostly about all being together on the holiday.”

Lighting the menorah is a big tradition because it is the most symbolic part of the holiday. Each candle represents a night from when a small amount of oil lasted eight nights, much longer than anyone predicted. When lighting the menorah, the family will sing a Hebrew prayer that correlates to Hanukkah.

You let the candles burn throughout the night and reset the candles the next day... you do not blow them out. “I’ve introduced my kids to the Hanukkah traditions... they like to make little wagers as to which candle will stay lit the longest,” Scott Sherp, Math teacher.

Some families celebrate both Christ-

mas and Hanukkah, making for a very eventful holiday season. When two people with different religious affiliations get married and have kids, they typically choose together how the kids will be raised. A split household can be a cool experience for families.

“Because my mom is Christian, we celebrate Christmas too. We sometimes get gelt (Jewish chocolate coins) and other small things on Hanukkah, but the majority of our gifts are saved for Christmas. It is kind of a cool experience to be in a religiously mixed family,” Rebecca Grossman, 12.

“One thing that I liked to do growing up was get a mini menorah and use it as a Christmas tree topper,’’ Sherp said. “We wouldn’t do that every year, but whenever Christmas and Hanukkah would overlap we’d have our little menorah on top of the tree.”

Hanukkah is a big deal to many Jewish families. It is intriguing that although many Hanukkah practices are a constant in most households, each family has their own traditions that they look forward to each year. Like Christmas, Hanukkah is centered around bringing families and friends together all while remembering the true importance of the holiday.

Photo Courtesty of Taylor Pike

Photo Courtesty of Ashton Smith

Photo Courtesty of Megan Haskell

IN THE RANGE, ON THE TRACK

Elli Gianino, Sports Editor

High school sports fill the atmosphere and occupy conversation all year round at Eureka. From football to swimming, basketball to track, softball to lacrosse, and all of the other school sponsored sports, Eureka’s student body alway has a game to play, watch, support, or hear about.

But what about the sports that Eureka doesn’t offer? And what about the students who compete in those sports?

Ashton Smith, 12, competes in many archery competitions throughout the year and has won the majority of them, including local competitions, State, and Nationals. Smith has been doing archery for about 8 years.

Smith said that with archery, he competes as an individual, compared to most high school sports where games, meets, and competitions are team based.

Taylor Pike, 10, has been competing year round as an equestrian for the last two years at Ridgefield Arena in Wildwood.

Pike and her horse recently competed at the National Equestrian Centre, winning 6 first places and one second place.

Megan Haskell, 11, will be entering her 6th year of trap shooting this January when

her season starts.

Trap shooting works by standing in a position on a trap field then calling for a bird, by saying the word “pull”, and a Clay Bird, which is a small orange disk, is shot out and the shooter then has to shoot it to get the point.

Haskell competes all around, but mainly in Sparta, Illinois and The Lake of the Ozarks.

Riley Romacker, 9, is part of two mountain bike teams, one Nika team and one Enduro team. Romacker has been mountain bike riding and racing for a year.

Romacker’s Nika team, formed this year, is an interscholastic bike team that represents Eureka, but is not technically a school team.

There are different types of mountain biking competitions. In cross country races you get scored on the whole lap, whereas in Enduro races you go to the top of a mountain and race to the bottom of it 7 times.

Eureka has a lot to offer when it comes to athletics and competitions. Even if you don’t see it in the school, Eureka students are always busy in competition.

Many Eureka athletes compete in sports outside of school sponsorship.

Photo Courtesty of Riley Romacker

THE BUGLE’S

ALEX GRAPSAS

Sport: Gymnastics Grade: 12 State 2020: 1st State 2021: 1st State 2022: 1st

The past fourteen years of hard work and dedication have paid off for gymnast Alex Grapsas, 12. He has been the state champion for the past three years in a row and wins an average of 2-3 competitions all around per year.

“My greatest accomplishment is winning rings at nationals, being on the Region 3 Elite Team, and I’m proud of my 3 year streak of state championships,” Grapsas said.

Grapsas spends about twenty hours a week in the gym practicing various

events, however if he had to choose a favorite event, it would be floor over his most accomplished event, rings.

Going D1 has always been a goal for Alex but earning his scholarship at William and Mary was something in particular that he is extremely proud of, especially because of the more competitive recruitment process.

“It was extremely difficult to get this scholarship, especially since there are only 9 D1 programs in the country that aren’t military academies, and within those 9 programs each team

only recruits about 5 people per year so getting a spot at all made me really happy,” Grapsas said.

Sport’s can play a huge role in shaping someone’s life and teaching valuable lessons, Alex learned many valuable skills that he will be able to take off the mat

“It has helped me with time management, being a good teammate, and all the typical lessons of being involved in a sport, especially sticking with it and finding success and which gives me a sense of pride,” Grapsas said.

Caitlin Birkenmeyer, Reporter

Photo by Cara Brotherton, Photo Editor

THE ROAD ENDS HERE

Athletes done playing sports after high school

Throughout high school, many students enjoy taking part in sports and extracurricular activities. Seniors Jonah Fowler, Cole Olivio and Lauren Nicolls share their experiences with being a part of something much more than just a team.

Throughout their time at Eureka, they have shown their love and compassion for their sports. For many athletes, playing on the same team with the same people for four years has created bonds that can’t be broken.

“I’ll miss the bond that I’ve made with people I never knew before,” Fowler, 12, said.

Playing a sport in high school can create friendships that will last a lifetime. Along with that, Lauren Nicolls, captain of the girls’ tennis team, states that sports also build leadership skills and character.

“My best memory from playing a sport in high school was being the captain on the tennis team and staying close with all of my teammates in and out of season,” Nicolls, 12, said.

Being a leader on a team is empowering and builds confidence, both of which are important in the workplace for the future. Being on a team is a good experience to have and has many benefits. It encourages personal growth, makes it easier to create relationships and gives memories that will stick with you forever.

“The thing I will miss most about playing

sports will be how competitive it is and how everyone is giving their all to win. I will also miss having that team around me to pick me up when I’m not playing at my best,” Olivio, 12, said.

Fowler, Olivio and Nicolls all decided not to play a sport in college because it is too much of a commitment and they want to focus on other aspects of life. Seventy percent of students stop playing sports after high school due to the extreme commitment and effort it takes to play on in college.

“I am not playing a sport in college because I have always wanted to go to a bigger, D1 school, and I am not good enough to play at any D1 school. I have heard playing a sport in college is like a

Rylie Cepicky, Reporter

job and I want to completely focus on my education without any huge commitments,” Olivio said.

“I don’t plan on playing competitive lacrosse but I’m most likely joining a fraternity and focusing more on my education,” Fowler said.

“I received offers from colleges to play for their school, but I decided to not play a sport because I want to be able to spend time focusing on other aspects of life instead of sports in college,” Nicolls said.

By the time many athletes get to college, they lose their passion for their sport and decide to focus on getting a good education. These athletes choose what will be best for them in the future, whether that means playing at the collegiate level or not.

MASON DUNLAP:

After losing 9 seniors from last year’s team, Eureka Boys

Basketball looks

7:00 AM every morning, junior point guard Mason Dunlap walks into Gym A and gets to work. In the following hour, Dunlap takes around 200 shots from all over the court. This is a testament to his work ethic showcased both in athletics and academics.

It shows the leadership role that he has taken on during this season, and these are all traits that have helped Dunlap seamlessly take over the helm

ahead to a new frontier with junior guard Mason Dunlap leading the pack.

Sam Garner, Reporter

of point guard from graduating senior Caiden Roellig.

“He has to bring the ball up the floor, he has to score, and get everybody organized,” Eureka basketball coach Austin Kirby, said.

Dunlap helps make those around him better players through his leadership ability. Dunlap has a positive effect on the team, both in practice and in games. Junior Nate Dorner believes

that on the court, Dunlap is important for setting a tempo, “As a leader he helps set the pace of the game,” Dorner said.

Even after appearing in 28 varsity games as a sophomore last season, Dunlap is poised to make a huge leap in production this year.

Entering the season, the Wildcats lost 9 seniors and the top 4 leading scorers from a team that went 20-9

EUREKA’S NEW STAR

and were district finalists last year. The goal for this season is to reach Districts once again and win the championship. With the reigning champs CBC out of Class 6 District 2, the road to a district championship becomes much easier.

on improving his three point shot by taking between 400 and 500 shots every workout. So far, this hard work has paid off, as in the season opener against Soldan, Dunlap had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Through the first three games of the season, Dunlap leads the team with 12.3 points per game, 5.67 assists and 5 rebounds per contest. This is a massive improvement from last season, in 2021, Dunlap averaged 4.1 points, 2.14 assists and 2.1 rebounds a game, an impressive feat for a first year varsity athlete(at the time of The Bugle deadline, the team had only played in three games).

round with both the Gateway Basketball Club and Eureka, he still partakes in multiple AP classes.

While this amount of work might be challenging for some, Dunlap finds a way to stay on top of both sports and school, by being a standout both on and off the hardwood.

“I try to do my schoolwork at school, utilizing ac-lab times and stuff like that, so I have time to play sports before and after school,'' Dunlap said.

In preparation for the season, Dunlap was in the gym every single day over the summer. He especially focused

The work ethic that Dunlap has with his athletics also applies to the classroom. While playing basketball year

Through his leadership and work ethic, Dunlap has become the ideal point guard to lead the team for the next two years. Make sure to catch the cats in action this winter as they attempt to win their first district title since 2019.

”Win Districts, that’s the goal,” Dunlap said.

Photos by Cara Brotherton, Photo Editor

SCORING CHANCE

Eureka

Haiden Schoessel, Sports Editor

The sport of hockey is a longstanding, proud tradition of St.Louis that extends way past the bright lights of the Enterprise Center and the signature bluenote uniforms into all corners of the area. For most, carrying on the tradition begins at a very young age, with players’ passion for the sport often leading them to represent their high school and Eureka is no exception.

Michael Velicer, 12, Eureka Hockey Club captain started his career at the age of five years old, this year being his 13th year out on the ice. Velicer has high hopes for his senior year and numerous goals for himself as captain.

“I think one of the biggest things is to try to prepare the team as best as I can and put in as much effort into preparing people before games, getting them excited to play, [and] taking care of them during games,” Velicer said.

Varsity head coach and Eureka Hockey Club Alumni, Joe Nahm, also returns for his 4th season with the club, and 17th season as a high school hockey coach. Nahm is impressed with the amount of strength the team has shown and notes that their teamwork is one of their most prominent strengths.

“I think in the past few years there may have been an individual player or two that maybe stood out a little bit more but this team as a whole from a team aspect is probably the best one we’ve had,” Nahm said. “They understand and attack each game as a team not as individuals and that’s a big thing that we’re focusing on.” Nahm claims that the determination and perseverance shown in that game exemplifies what sets the team apart from years past.

“I think that something we’ve been lacking in the last few years is when we get down in a game we tend to just let it go. There’s like this sign of defeat, heads are down on the benches. This team is not like that,” said Nahm. “This team has really recognized the fact that they are not out of any game, they just need to put their heads down, so I think that’s probably the most impressive thing I’ve seen about this team.”

Overall, the team is looking forward to the rest of the season and is hopeful that their combined efforts and competitiveness will pay off in the difficult games ahead.

“I think playing with discipline and playing as a team is a big part of it,” Huerman said. “ We just need to keep our heads in it.”

by Bailey Boulay

The

Hockey Club starts the season off with strong wins and even stronger teamwork.

Photo

GOT THE BAG

A Look Inside the Backpacks of Winter Athletes

Sammie Williams, Reporter