Globe Newsmagazine, April 2019, Issue 7, Vol. 90

globe.

How can the Sch ool Dis tri ct of Cla yto n att ain its vis ion for the Pro fil e of the Gra dua te?

beyond the Clayton High School. Clayton, MO. April 2019

2 | SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! The Globe is an entirely self-funded publication. We receive no funding from the school district for printing. Each issue of the Globe costs approximately $2000 to print.

We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for their support of our publication. They make our work possible. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please email us at globe@claytonschools.net.

ISSUE SPONSORS ($2000 Level) Gail Workman Herbie’s in Clayton

GOLDEN GREYHOUND SPONSORS ($200+ Level) Big Bend Auto Center Center of Clayton Integrity DTLS Landscape Architecture Dale Avenue Pediatrics Windsor Madonna O Cotlar Centene

Yeung Realtors Melissa Clark Clayton Pilates Studio The Thompson Richardson Team St. Louis Suit Company English-to-English Clayton All in Coalition

WORLD TRAVELER SPONSORS ($100+ Level) Northwest Coffee The LaGesse Stanton Family The Brown Family The Higuchi Family The Sturmoski Family The Abburi Family Jane Cross Eugene Cross Bob and Betsy Cuneo Bob Chapman The Stemmler Family Charlotte de Sauvage Nolting The Curtis Family Sangeeta Khanna and Aseem Sharma The Chung Family Washington University Physicians Allergy & Immunology Clinics Mary and Dick Anthony

Robin and Neil Snelling Christy Hager DDS Ann Sachar Sarah Bernard Dr. James Fehr Dr. Anne Glowinski Angela and Troy Quinn Chandrakant C. Tailor Alex Waldbart Florist Protzel’s Delicatessen Cobblestone Quality Shoe Repair Celsius Cryo-Therapy The Erlin Family Debbie and Andy Schwartz Chandrakant Tailor The Choo-Kang Family The Family of Lary Baker Go Inc. Kay Quinn Malone

April 2019

3 | CONTENTS

16 Tucker Hall

CHS junior Tucker Hall started playing instruments in 6th grade and recently performed in Carnegie Hall.

30 Transforming the Game Nicky Taghert, CHS senior and soccer player, is officially the first transgender student athlete in Missouri.

34 Tacos of STL

A review of local taco joints in and around Clayton.

CORRECTIONS In the March cover story “Those who came before us,” on page 28, Ryan McAdams referenced his AP English teacher Kathy Poor. Her name is actually spelled Kathy Puhr.

In the same story, on page 36, the Globe spelled Juliana Schafer’s name incorrectly.

Additionally, we reported that she works for SGM Architecture, the company is actually called FGM Architecture . ______________________ Send your thoughts to globe@claytonschools.net

Senior Eliza Copilevitz celebrates the success of the Dance Marathon.

Photo by Michael Melinger

globe.

STAFF

REPORTERS

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Michael Bernard and Jacob LaGesse

Natalie Ashrafzadeh

Kaia Mills-Lee

CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR

Luka Bassnett

Margaret Mooney

Kaitlin Bates

Siddhi Narayan

Disha Chatterjee

Ruth Pierson

Danielle Choo-Kang

Reese Quinn

Cece Cohen

Dheera Rathikindi

Ella Cuneo

Helena Reuter

Sofia Erlin

William Redington

Kate Freedman

Maya Richter

Sahithya Gokaraju

Ingrid Stahl

Mhari Harris

Abigail Sucher

SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS

Tallulah Hawley

Jackson Swinigan

Richard Cheng

Maxwell Keller

Louis Van’t Hof

Grace Snelling

Sasha Keller

Jessie Wang

Lila Taylor

Moriah Lotsoff

Angela Xiao

SECTION EDITORS

Gabriela Madriz

Yiyun Xu

Justin Guilak

CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR Michael Melinger

CHIEF VIDEO EDITOR Sean Kim

COPY EDITOR Anna Sturmoski

BUSINESS MANAGER Daniel Cohen

David Higuchi, NEWS Sara Stemmler, FEATURE Daniel Cohen, SPORTS Ashley Chung, OPINION Hongkai Jiang, REVIEW

PAGE EDITORS Sarah Baker

Jimmy Malone

Josephine Cross

Neema Naemi

Lise Derksen

Junyi Su

Zachary Fisher

Sophie Thompson

Katie He

Bridget Walsh

Noor Jerath

Victor Wei

PHOTOGRAPHERS Isabella Clark

Caroline Marsden

Gwen Duplain

Mallory Palmer

Catherine Holtzman

Deborah Park

Xuenan Jin

Maya Richter

Lucia Johnson

Elia Rios

Areeba Khan

Annika Sandquist

Cicely Krutzsch

Madalyn Schroeder

Julian Lawless

Emma Siegel

Kathleen Lay

Anna Walsh

Whitney Le

Lauren Wolff

Audrey Deutsch Professional Affiliations: JournalismSTL, Missouri Interscholastic Press Association, Missouri Journalism Education Association, Journalism Education Association National Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association Please visit chsglobe.com for our editorial policy, mission statement, and ethics code. You can contact us at chsglobe@claytonschools.net with comments, story ideas or letters to the editor.

5 | editors letter

from the editor At the end of this year I will have completed my 12th year in the Clayton School District. This means I will have experienced 12 different grades, countless teachers, three buildings and numerous different school board elections.

I remember my first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday. I was crying, holding onto my mom as children were being shuffled inside from the playground to the hearts, stars or diamonds classroom. I spent six years walking the halls of Captain Elementary.

Some would say those were some pretty great six years. But as all great things do, my time there came to an end. I found myself moving through three years at Wydown where I performed in Integrated Arts productions and ran around the field numerous times as ordered to by Coach Knight. Finally, I transitioned to the high school, where I am now, writing this letter in the middle of one of my classes.

What means more than just the education Clayton has given me is the outside opportunities that I’ve had because if it. So many

things go unnoticed, like the ability to write an email to schedule interview from the skills I’ve learned in English. Or the ability to engage in thoughtful conversation based on the skills I’ve learned from sharing my thoughts in AP World. Or the ability to problem solve in a variety of ways from the out-of-the box thinking I’ve learned in math. And finally the journalism skills I learn at 7:25 a.m. three days a week. Theses skills have led me to becoming an accredited press member at the White House, and covering the Sacramento Kings game and National College Football Championship to name a few.

Not only did those skills come from the teachers I directly interacted with on a daily basis, but they were also influenced largely by the decisions made just a couple of hundred of feet away from where I go to class every day, by the School Board.

A school board marks the center of any school district .

It is comprised of the district’s decision makers and is a representation of what the community’s voters want to see for the fu-

ture. And for the most part, that representation in Clayton has been comprised of middle age adults who may or may not have a direct connection to the District other than residing inside the city boundaries. Clayton consistently ranks as the number one public school in Missouri, followed by one of the top in the country, but how do we continue to stay on the forefront of school innovation as we face changes and fight for student voice?

Just this week I donated to the Student Press Law Center while at Mizzou. SPLC fights for student journalists who are being censored by administration. While Clayton doesn’t face this issue, we can always expand our reach for student voice, including adding a student to the school board. This communicates that our voice counts as much as anyone else. It puts students first. I am grateful that I go to a district that supports students’ freedom of expression, a district that trusts high school students with open campus, a district that empowers students to be the agents of their own learning.

I want to see the School District of Clayton take the next step in empowering student voice and decision making. Allow a student to have a seat at the table where the decisions are made about students.

MICHAEL MELINGER | CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR

too legit to sit Organized by senior Caroline Marsden, CHS’ first Dance Marathon raised over $18,000.

Over 100 dancers attended the event.

Dance Marathons across the country benefit the local Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. For St. Louis that includes SSM Cardinal Glennon and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

MICHAEL MELINGER | CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR

130 Million /5 years The contract Cardinal’s new star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt signed with the team, becoming the largest in club history.

Atty. Gen. William P. Barr told Congress on Sunday that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not find that President Trump’s campaign “or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia” during the 2016 election.

He also wrote in his letter to lawmakers that evidence collected

by Mueller did not conclusively show whether Trump obstructed justice after taking office. Barr quoted in his letter from Mueller’s confidential report, which was submitted on Friday, writing that “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

DAVID HIGUCHI | NEWS SECTION EDITOR

Clayton Clubs Thrive at Competition Robotics

Finishing 1st out of a field of 48 teams, the Robohounds won the St. Louis Regional, qualifying for the World Competition for the first time since 2014

Journalism

37 journalism students from Globe, GNN and CLAMO were recognized at the Missouri Interscholastic Press Association J-Day at Mizzou’s J-School in Columbia, MO

DECA

14 students qualified for the International Competition in Orlando in April

$15.2 Billion The amount Centene agreed to pay to acquire WellCare, another health care company based in Florida. The deal cements Centene’s dominance in the Medicare & Medicaid markets.

Tax LevyS

The School District of Clayton announced Proposition E, a ballot proposal asking voters to consider an operating tax levy increase of 56 cents and an 8-cent waiver of Proposition C sales tax revenues. The net effect of both measures will provide the District with an additional 64 cents of operating revenue. The additional revenue will be used to maintain and strengthen the District’s academic excellence and fiscal stability by eliminating the gap between revenues and expenses, addressing facility and maintenance needs and rebuilding reserves. Prop E requires a simple majority vote and was on the April 2, 2019, ballot.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Mueller Report: “No Collusion” but no answer on Obstruction

news & notes

“He is a terrorist, he is a criminal, he is an extremist. But he will, when I speak, be nameless.”

- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Mosque Shooter

Boeing 737 Max-8 Jet Grounded Worldwide (Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/TNS)

(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

10 | NEWS

splinters of a sanctuary A recent vote by the Methodist Church to reinforce the ban on LGBTQ+ rights in the church sparks controversy VIVIAN CHEN and KAITLYN TRAN | REPORTERS

O

n Feb. 26, 2019, the future of the Methodist Church transformed, tearing a rift between two conflicting opinions. On this day, the church voted 438 to 384 on a decision to reinforce the ban on gay marriage and LGBTQ+ clergy members - a major turning point for generations to come.

The division in the church eventually heightened to a conference held in St. Louis, where a critical decision on how the topic of LGBTQ+ rights would be approached was made.

“It’s basically the legislative body of the church,” explained Sabra Engelbrecht, the executive director of ministries at The Gathering, a progressive Methodist church located in Clayton. “Similar to in Congress, they will bring a bill to the floor, and they will debate that… Picture a big auditorium with 864 delegates sitting on the floor and following Robert’s Rules of Order while taking turns talking for and against certain petitions, which could become laws.”

During the conference, two plans were discussed: the One Church Plan and the Traditional Plan.

The One Church Plan advocated for more leeway, allowing the individual churches to withhold their own discretion on the restric-

Photo by Vivian Chen tions or freedoms they would implement.

In contrast, the Traditional Plan would universally ban LGBTQ+ rights throughout the United Methodist Church, including same-sex marriages, LGBTQ+ clergy and other restrictions. This plan stems from the United Methodist Book of Discipline, the printed version of the doctrine of the Methodist Church, which states that homosexuality is inconsistent with the teachings of the church.

At the conference, the majority of votes were tallied in favor of the Traditional Plan, establishing this as the working convention.

However, this plan is still in progress and no regulations have immediately been instituted.

“There are lots of legislative flaws with [the Traditional Plan]. We have a body that is kind of like the Supreme Court of the United Methodist Church called a judicial council. And there’s a lot of prediction that this plan is going to be marked unconstitutional. So even this plan that we just adopted, there’s really not a concrete way to even know what it’s going to look like,” said Martin Leathers, the students’ pastor at The Gathering.

Regardless, the vote in affirmation of the Traditional Plan may cause an irreversible split within the church. Depending on the future results of the vote, more conservative or more progressive churches may choose to

separate from the denomination.

“One of the other big things that passed was what is called a disaffiliation action plan. [This is] the process for the church to go through if they want to disaffiliate or separate from the United Methodist Church, but no one knows [what will happen] if the traditional plan is upheld. There may be a group of more progressive churches that want to disaffiliate if the traditional plan is held unconstitutional, and then there could be a group of very conservative churches that want to disaffiliate,” Leathers said. “It’s incredibly restrictive, and the consequences are incredibly severe. There’s no gray area in this plan. I think that the biggest difference this plan made was that the consequences were so black and white, and the idea would be that no one would ever want to break them because you would move towards being fired from the church and for ministry in the United Methodist Church.”

While some churches voted in favor of the Traditional Plan, others refused to allow their progressive values to be violated. An example of this is The Gathering Clayton, founded 12 years ago in St. Louis by Matt Miofsky. It was derived from Miofsky’s vision of a church which holds more progressive values with the intention of promoting a more diverse and accepting environment.

“My own experience of so many churches is that they were too beholden to the past and upholding traditions that worked for previous generations,” Miofsky said. “I wanted to create a church that valued creativity and change in order to share good news with new, younger and more diverse people.”

Although the recent vote has put The Gathering’s values to the test, they firmly chose to continue to pursue the objective that Miofsky has sought out and to remain loyal to their core values.

“I wouldn’t want to predict what the future of the denomination looks like, but I know The Gathering will be part of whatever that looks like. If there is something new forming, we will be leaders in that conversation, simply because we are one of the third fastest growing United Methodist Churches,” Engelbrecht said. “I’m really excited and proud to be able to say that there is no differentiation between gay and straight in our leadership...The Gathering is not just that we say ‘You are welcome,’ but also, ‘Bring your gifts, bring your leadership and share them with the church.’”

Another unique aspect of the Gathering is their openness about controversial views.

“Something that I feel is unique to see in religious branches is announcing your ideas that the general public may not agree on. With The Gathering, they are very public about their views on the LGBTQ+ community,” said freshman Reese Quinn. “They had a booth at the Pride Parade in the summer of 2018… It’s amazing to see the love and acceptance at the Gathering.”

Freshman Emma Baum is another member of The Gathering Clayton and has attended for almost 10 years. “[The Gathering] has made it really, really clear that despite what the Methodist church has decided, they will still be supporting and accepting and loving of LGBTQ+ people because that is the belief of our particular church, and we don’t believe that a vote should change

“The greater church around the U.S. has to figure out a way to no longer turn people away, but to invite people in.”

-Matt Miofsky

11 | NEWS

Breakdown of Votes

our beliefs,” Baum said. “While I do feel a little conflicted about being a Methodist, I don’t feel conflicted about going to the church that I go to because I know that they do not support the views that the Methodist church has recently adopted.”

Miofsky also sees openness as one of the greatest attributes of The Gathering.

“I think the greater church around the US has to figure out a way to no longer turn people away but to invite people in,” Miofsky said.

“We need to be known for what we are for, not simply what we are against… The General Conference was a step back for the greater United Methodist Church.”

LGBTQ+ rights are an extremely sensitive topic, especially in the context of religion, and with the recent divide of the Methodist church, the debate has further intensified.

Among this, however, individuals have discovered their standpoint and defined their voices.

“This conference has unleashed a whole host of unlikely advocates or unlikely activists.

People that normally are pretty quiet on the issue or don’t really want to get involved are starting to say, ‘This was not okay and I’m going to speak up.’ I’m starting to see that more and more people that don’t normally have a lot to say about divisive issues are starting to take a stand,” said Engelbrecht.

With the vote and technicalities, Leathers and Engelbrecht also believe that the sensitivity of the topic has been overlooked.

“The tag line of the Methodist Church for the last 20 years has been open minds, open hearts, open doors, and there are a lot of people who are feeling like this door was just

closed to them. And I think that is the hardest part about this process. People were talked about not as people but as issues and less than people … There needs to be understanding that this issue that we are dealing with is people and not a debate to be had, but the people to be loved. Part of this conference lost sight of people and that’s forever unfortunate,” said Leathers. “This was a vote by imperfect people who were representing an imperfect institution. It was not a statement of God about people, and no church or no person gets to decide who God loves.”

According to Miofsky, the decision will not alter the position of The Gathering on acceptance of LGBTQ+ community members.

“We are not going to change our stance or our practice of welcoming LGBTQ+ people into all steps of ministry [even though] this will put us at odds with the larger denomination,” Miofsky said. “While we are hoping the denomination changes to allow for this, if it does not, we will reconsider our relationship with the United Methodist Church. We will continue to be a voice for advocacy and change at the greater church level.”

Miofsky and his fellow pastors plan to keep on fighting for a church that will welcome the LGBTQ+ community and promote acceptance of all people, the same goal he had when creating the church in 2006.

“I’m just so sorry for the ways that the church has hurt gay, lesbian and trans people, and I would tell any teenager or any person that you are loved, that you are not a mistake, that you are not wrong, or broken,” said Leathers. “There are places where you are welcome.

You can be known for who you are.”

12 | FEATURE

Scott Hilse

Former St. Louis high school student Scott Hilse makes it big in the world of social media MICHAEL MELINGER | CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR

Photo by Michael Melinger Photo of Hilse by Michael Melinger

C

layton students have taken a break from chatting about Fortnite and Snapchat and are instead talking about something unusual: an ad. With the help of Facebook geotargeting, Scott Hilse, a 24-year-old college dropout, has struck a bout of local fame.

Hilse, a St. Louis native and Lindbergh graduate, has a combined following of over 25,000 through social media and YouTube and regularly garners hundreds of thousands of views from subscribers yearning to achieve success. Now, an e-commerce mogul and content producer, he lives right in the heart of Clayton.

Although he’s no Jake Paul or Casey Neistat yet, Hilse continues to leverage his online success as a true embodiment of Generation Z. Hilse, who has become a regular appearance for Clayton students in his fluorescent-colored North Face Jacket and purple penny board, remembers the first time he tried to gain an internet following. Two years after the creation of Vine, where the likes of Jake and Logan Paul were on the rise to fame, a small competitor was released: Gifboom.

“It was Vine without the sound,” Hilse said. “I had 23,000 followers on Gifboom and then Instagram came out and I mentioned it one time, ‘Ev-

eryone go follow my Instagram.’ I got 2,500 followers and this is three months after Instagram came out. I was getting 250, 300 likes a photo and I’m thinking that’s pretty insane for when my friends were getting five, six because not many people were on [Instagram] at the time.”

For Hilse, this new social media gig proved to be anything but easy. The exigent demands of social media while being a teenager brought about a new, less optimistic reality.

“These kids at my school didn’t like [my new social media following]. They started bullying me because of it. I kind of stepped back from there,” Hilse said.

This step back is something Hilse would later regret. However, he ended up with much more to deal with as high school went on. After freshman year, Hilse abandoned his Jesuit education at DeSmet and transferred to Lindbergh High School. School transfers soon became the least of his worries after he was diagnosed with benign tumors early in his junior year.

“I had these crazy non-cancerous tumors on my chest, huge growths, and insurance wouldn’t cover it,” Hilse said. “My parents wouldn’t pay for it. So I was like, ‘It’s up to me really to be the one who pays for this.’”

Hilse went on to work most of his junior and senior years to save up the $7,000 he needed to

complete the surgery. His work left Hilse without much of a social life during his later years in high school, giving him new hope for life after Lindbergh.

For a now tumor-free Hilse, making it big has always been the dream. A signature feature of modern-day Hilse is his skateboard. It is not only a method of transportation, but an essential aspect of the movie “Lords of Dogtown”, to which he credits much of his inspiration.

“I saw [‘Lords of Dogtown’] when I was 10 years old, and I was like, ‘Okay, this is the best lifestyle ever,’” Hilse said.

Hilse took the skateboarding theme to the University of Missouri, where he quickly reignited his pursuit of internet fame.

“I had the exact same plan. It was to open college campus videos, which is my other YouTube account, gain notoriety and then sophomore year run for office at school,” Hilse said.

It didn’t take him long to reach a small following again, with his first video ultimately becoming one of his most iconic.

“They have this huge fountain in the middle of the student plaza and there’s two tour groups going by and I was like ‘Hey, check this out!’ I had my skateboard back then and I was going down.

I was like ‘Oh sh*t! Oh sh*t!’ And then I jumped in,” Hilse said. “I didn’t see there were lights on

13 | FEATURE the bottom. So I hit my chin and I have a permanent scar. Blood gushing out and everything.”

Stunts aside, as Hilse’s second year of college was coming to an end and summer was approaching, he decided that it was time to follow his “Lords of Dogtown” dream and go to Los Angeles.

“I was offered the opportunity by my boy Jimmy Lee Yang to live with him in the straight hood in Koreatown, like AK-47s, robberies-type stuff,” Hilse said.

Although Hilse’s living situation was less than ideal, it gave him new hope for the future, and after a short stint in L.A., he returned to Columbia, MO, only to drop out on his first day back.

He headed back to L.A. with no concrete plans.

“The only two things I knew were I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do and I wanted to live in L.A.,” Hilse said.

Now a college dropout, Hilse became an Uber driver. Barely sustaining himself and living paycheck-to-paycheck, he had his sights set on something better. With an apartment lease that turned bad, Hilse felt his new situation falling apart quickly. Hilse was uprooted from his new life in L.A. and drove back east.

It was at this same time that Hilse launched his first ad: one for an anti-gravity phone case that he was dropshipping from China. He started slow, achieving a couple of sales on a good day.

But as he passed through St. Louis on his drive, it soon became 10, 20 and 30 sales a day.

“I was like, ‘Okay, maybe I can sustain this,’” Hilse said. “So I kept scaling, scaling, scaling and

“The only two things I knew were I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do and I wanted to live in L.A.” -Scott Hilse

scaled that iPhone case [to] ridiculous numbers.”

Hilse spent a short tenure back in St. Louis before going L.A. again, only to return almost immediately. It wasn’t long after coming back to St. Louis that he caught the attention of Tai Lopez, famous for his “Here in My Garage” video, in which Lopez professes his love for books and knowledge while adjacent to his new Lamborghini in his Hollywood Hills home.

The dropshipping e-commerce business continued for Hilse as he saw his profits rise to over six figures for both of his websites. These profits caught the attention of one of the largest drop shipping companies, Oberlo. After b eing fl own out to Berlin, Germany by Oberlo, Hilse finally reached the validation he had longed for.

But why move to Clayton?

Hilse, originally from South St. Louis, never really ventured to Clayton much as a kid. But now, it’s his little slice of heaven.

“I can’t talk about Clayton enough,” Hilse said. “This is amazing.”

Hilse credits the walkability and the amenities, including the tennis courts, pools and the Center of Clayton, for his fascination with the little municipality just outside the city. Clayton’s low crime rate also offers Hilse a sense of security.

Hilse is a regular visitor to the Center of Clayton and makes maintaining his physical fitness priority.

“I just hired a personal trainer yesterday.

I blacked out for 15 minutes, it was so insane,” Hilse said. “I’m just trying to make myself the best person possible so that if a major opportuni-

ty does arise, I’ll be in prime form physically and mentally to take it.”

While physical fitness is only half the battle, Hilse completes it with maintaining a prime mental state. For this, Hilse take a play out of Lopez’s book, literally, and devotes time to reading.

“I’m trying to be the best person I can, reading a lot,” Hilse said.

While Clayton may offer countless perks, it lacks an essential aspect of Hilse’s up-andcoming empire: collaborations.

Collaborations, face-to-face, allow Hilse to network and grow his business.

So then why move to Clayton at all? L.A. has gyms, pools and tennis courts, right?

Hilse’s move to Clayton is also strategic in his eyes.

“So become noticeable in Clayton. Okay, now you’re notable in St. Louis. Become notable in St. Louis, now you’re notable in Missouri,” Hilse said. “You could potentially become notable in the whole United States and I know if I’m able to do that, then I’m easily able to do that in Los Angeles or any city at that.”

Hilse sees it as much easier to enter the play-ing field in Los Angeles somewhat successful rather then working from the ground up. There are not as many dropshippers in Clayton.

“I want to do a million profit and then to have that tag line going into L.A., I think I would be able to meet certain people,” Hilse said. “Instead of coming in as an Uber driver right here and working my way up like this.

I’m coming in as what I am now.”

But for now, 212 S. Meramec it is.

14 | FEATURE

lift for life academy A St. Louis City charter school with a unique purpose NOOR JERATH | PAGE EDITOR

E

ducate, empower, uplift. This is the motto for the Lift For Life Academy (LFLA).

Situated inside an old bank in the Soulard neighborhood, the school was started in 2000 as the first independent charter school in St. Louis city.

The school has 585 students in grades 6-12, of whom approximately 85 percent live below the poverty line.

The founder of the school, Marshall Cohen, first opened the Lift For Life Gym in order to provide a constructive after-school environment for at-risk youth in St. Louis. After seeing how behind those kids were academically, Cohen opened the Lift For Life Academy as a way to set them back on track.

Currently, the majority of students enter the academy with reading and math skills that are one to four years below their grade level. With

a graduation rate of over 94 percent, the school’s External Affairs Manager, Janet Frain, feels that the school’s unique environment is key in helping the students succeed.

“I think it’s how Lift For Life has this wraparound service for the students,” Frain said. “We just seem to cover every need they could possibly have. And I think it gives them the support they need to move forward, and also helps guide them after they leave.”

According to senior Justin Plummer, the school environment is very close-knit.

“Everyone at LFLA is like a family since the school is very small, and everyone tends to know everybody,” Plummer said. “This environment is a good one because you are around people that actually want to learn. This helps me and motivates me to do better and to succeed in life with my family at LFLA.”

The teachers at LFLA are crucial in creating a supportive environment. With their help, graduates go on to college, technical school and the military.

“When I first enrolled in LFLA, I wasn’t as focused as I needed to be because I was coming from a school where the teachers didn’t care that much,” Plummer said. “LFLA has made me an intelligent, smart, successful young man. [The teachers] want to see us succeed in life and become a doctor, lawyer or even a teacher. They care about us as if we were their kids instead of students.”

Teacher and head of the school’s math department Allison Owens has been at LFLA since 2004. Previously, she taught at Maplewood Middle School and Kirkwood High School. She transferred to LFLA after becoming intrigued by their unique mission.

Owens has never regretted her decision.

“I always say that there is no better place to become a good teacher than Lift for Life. Not only is the professional development the best in St. Louis and beyond, but when you get to practice on kids who come to us at least four grade levels behind with many, many issues that make learning difficult, you have to figure out how to make learning come alive,” Owens said.

In addition to being available during the day

Photo of Lift for Life Academy Seniors from Justin Plummer

15 | FEATURE and through email, teachers often go in on the weekends to help those who need it and attend students’ games and presentations outside of school.

“One of the biggest things that I hear repeatedly from students is that it feels like a family. It feels intimate and the teachers are very, very passionate about the kids and about teaching them,” said Frain.

The environment that the school’s teachers have created not only supplies students with the resources they need to succeed, but also with the motivation.

“We have created an environment where it is cool to be smart,” Owens said. “Kids try to get on honor roll and make proficient and advanced scores on state tests. When teachers come from other inner-city schools, they are in awe of the difference. For the first time in our history, we are seeing kids transfer to our school so that they are more academically challenged.”

This support has helped students like senior Nicholas Murphy grow in ways beyond just academic performance.

“I honestly dedicate the responsibility of who I am to Lift for Life,” Murphy said. “The summer before my freshman year, the guidance counselor, Ms. Kriss, pushed me and several other stu-

With a graduation rate of over 94 percent, the school’s External Affairs Manager, Janet Frain, feels that the school’s unique environment is key in helping the students succeed. dents to apply to the Wyman Teen Leadership Program… it was that once in a lifetime opportunity that kind of woke up the intellectual giant within me. From there on, I started to feed off of everything I could, and Lift for Life supported me with no hesitation.”

In addition to guiding students throughout their time at the school, LFLA works hard to help its students prepare for college and for the rest of their lives.

“The other thing we do is we start introducing kids to college before they get here,” Frain said. “In sixth grade, we start talking to them about college and we have two college counselors who help the kids prepare for the ACT, give them practice tests… and basically just make sure that, you know, they have direction after they graduate.”

This support has helped students like Plum-

Photo of front door at Lift for Life Academy from Noor Jerath mer and Murphy get a clear vision for their futures. Plummer will be attending Southern University and A&M College after graduation with plans to major in physiology and minor in sociology.

“My biggest strengths are discipline, respectfulness, determination, dedication. LFLA did this to prepare me for the future. They played a major role because they taught me everything I needed to know. I have worked hard to become the person that I am today and I will use everything that my teachers and my administrators have taught me to the fullest,” Plummer said.

Murphy also attributes his success to his time at LFLA. “I plan on attending a small liberal arts college in hope to mimic the same experience I’ve had at Lift for Life. Lift for Life has been an incredibly resourceful school for me and leaving is almost bittersweet,” Murphy said.

At the heart of its mission, the school aims

to produce intelligent, kind, productive citizens who have the skills to overcome challenges they may face later in life.

As a non-profit school, LFLA relies on donations and fundraising. In the past, students from both Glenridge and Captain Elementary have raised funds and donated school supplies to the academy.

With the support of the community, the school is able to provide an education to kids from over 20 zip codes in the city of St Louis, and make sure that they have the resources to be successful in life.

“I have gained lots of knowledge and gotten to know myself at this school,” Plummer said.

“I have made plenty of friends and they helped me become the person I am today. [LFLA] offers more than just an education, they offer a lifetime full of knowledge, friends and family. This has always been my happy place and will continue to be that.”

16 | FEATURE

tucker hall at carnegie hall CHS junior Tucker Hall’s interest and talent in music has led him to be accepted into prestigious programs NOOR JERATH | PAGE EDITOR

Photo of Carnegie Hall from Tucker Hall.

C

arnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. Even non-musicians can recognize these names as two of the most prestigious musical halls in the world. After summer 2019, CHS junior Tucker Hall will be able to say that he has performed at both.

Hall is currently involved in a variety of extracurricular and honors ensembles, including the Young People’s Concert Orchestra, Symphonic Band, All-Suburban Band, All-State Band and Bi-State Honor Band. He was first introduced to the clarinet as a band student in 6th grade, but did not realize his passion for playing until 7th grade. He began to pursue his music skills more, auditioning for All-Suburban, an honor band, twice while at Wydown Middle School.

Hall credits much of his success to his exposure during this program.

“Our band program, especially at the middle school level, in my opinion is one of the best I could have hoped for, since it’s very much focused around the individual musician, which produces a lot of really talented players that are all part of a very skilled ensemble,” Hall said.

Although he began playing in 6th grade,

Hall became seriously invested in music during his sophomore year at Clayton. Hard work and hours of practice, rehearsals and lessons resulted in Hall’s acceptance into one of the Community Music School youth orchestras and receiving an honorable mention at All-State Band auditions.

That year and his numerous musical achievements marked a turning point for Hall and his music career. He began to dedicate even more time and resources into music, with results such as his acceptance into the coveted All-State Band.

“Truth be told, I didn’t really consider myself particularly skilled or remarkable until this year, when I made it into All-State for the first time and realized that a lot of the hard work I had put in for the past six years had actually paid off,” Hall said. “All-State is kind of the end goal or highest hope for many high school musicians, so being able to say I got in was a great feeling.”

From there, one of Hall’s band directors registered him for a program called the Honors Performance Series. According to its website, the Honors Performance Series “assembles some of the world’s rising young musicians to perform under the baton of master conductors at two of the world’s most celebrated concert halls: Carne-

gie Hall and Sydney Opera House.”

Hall submitted a recording of himself playing a couple pieces and was soon selected to have the opportunity to perform with an honor band at Carnegie Hall last February.

“My experience in the Carnegie program was absolutely phenomenal,” Hall said. “I think meeting musicians from around the country and the world was probably the best part of the whole experience. We had made a Facebook group chat before the program started so we could connect with each other and it’s still very active… I never thought that such a diverse group could become such good friends in such a short period of time.”

The same application that Hall submitted for this experience also admitted him into a similar program run by the same group to play at Sydney Opera House this upcoming summer.

In addition to rehearsals, Hall plans to spend his time in Sydney sightseeing and getting to know his fellow musicians. Music has helped Hall connect with like-minded peers from an early age and has fostered an amicable atmosphere between players.

Balancing music with schoolwork and other activities has been a struggle for Hall, as he spends upwards of six hours every week on practice alone.

“I think a big challenge is trying to make time for daily practice in my personal life, and also just keeping up with technical stuff like long tones and articulation practice, which is really the polar opposite of enjoyable but is super important for developing musicality,” Hall said.

In the immediate future, Hall hopes to repeat and add to the success he has been met with this year. Long term, he is considering a music major, but has not committed to anything yet.

“I hope to be able to be some kind of a music educator as an adult, whether that’s a conductor in a college ensemble or just a side gig of teaching private lessons or playing in a small ensemble,” Hall said. “Either way, I know I want to enjoy playing in at least some capacity for the rest of my life.”

He attributes the joy and opportunities that he has gotten out of being involved in music to his band directors, private teacher and his family.

“I think just the experience of being able to bring joy to others through music is my favorite thing about playing,” Hall said. “Whether it’s in the pit for theater at CHS or in the little concerts my mom always has me put on at family gatherings, I love being able to make other people happy through what I do.”

17 | FEATURE

10,000 hours

CHS juniors Ethan Mayer and Theo Bockhorst share their experiences of playing the violin KATIE HE | PAGE EDITOR

CHS juniors Ethan Mayer (right) and Theo Bockhorst (left). Photo from Mayer and Bockhorst.

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than Mayer and Theo Bockhorst are two juniors at Clayton High School who both play the violin. Together, they started charting their violin progress on Instagram and collectively have over 24k followers spanning their individual accounts: @ethanviolin and @practicemakes_violin85 and their joint account @ethosviolin.

Music has always been an integral part of both students’ lives. Mayer has been playing the violin for 11 years and Bockhorst for 13.

“I actually started on a cardboard violin so I could learn how to stand and hold it. My dad carved it out of a cereal box,” Mayer said.

Bockhorst also discovered his passion at a young age.

“I started the violin when I was four. My mom took me to Bearden’s Violin Shop to try out a bunch of stringed instruments. I don’t know why, but I went straight for the violin,” Bockhorst said.

Mayer and Bockhorst continue to cultivate their craft today, and have recently expressed an extreme amount of dedication in the form of practice.

“Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called ‘Outliers’ and in this book, he talks about how any certain thing takes 10,000 hours to master, so I thought it would be cool to map out our progress and see what happens,” Mayer said.

Bockhorst contended that even after the 10,000 hours of practice, there will be room for

improvement.

“Obviously, we are going to continue to practice after 10,000 hours. There is no point at which you can stop practicing because you have to keep rejuvenating your skills every day to encompass everything that you have learned along the 10,000 hours,” Bockhorst said.

Since beginning the challenge, both Mayer and Bockhorst have practiced over 500 hours. To put that time into perspective, it is the equivalent of three straight weeks of only playing the violin.

“I feel motivated by my friends who are practicing hard, but also by people who are taking like four, five AP classes. They work so hard every single day, and it is my job to equivocate musically what they do academically. It all works out in the end. Those who work the hardest get the best results,” Bockhorst said.

As Mayer and Bockhorst continued to post on their practice accounts, their audience grew and they began to feel tremendous pressure to perform well.

“I think both of us have gone through this experience of making one video that has a good reception because it sounds pretty good and people like it. And you feel motivated the next day, like oh, people like this, I gotta make this video just the same or even better. And gradually, as the days rack up, you are needing to make a better video. The most time I have spent recording a video was 45 minutes, playing the same thing, the same passage over and over again.” Bockhorst

said. He describes how the process had become unproductive and unenjoyable.

Mayer echoed a similar sentiment.

“I think for both of us, it got to the point where it become physically unhealthy and mentally unhealthy. I was pushing myself to the point where practice was not fun. It was all about the time and meeting the goal of getting 5 hours in,” Mayer said. “Also, in the past couple weeks, when I stopped becoming obsessive over the time but more just enjoying the time that I do have, I enjoyed it. Even if it is just two and a half, three hours, it was fun. I have been looking forward to that in my day now.”

Now, besides practicing on their own, Mayer and Bockhorst also teach violin to younger kids.

“I teach these two boys as part of this St. Louis Symphony program called Peer to Peer. The boys don’t really have excess to a substantial music curriculum so it is sort of my job to provide that to them. They told me to help them to learn the violin and how to play it but I feel like there is so much more I could do for them,” Bockhorst said.

Assisting less experienced players has also bolstered Mayer’s commitment to music.

“Working with younger kids and just sharing my experiences with them helps them become not only better players but better people. I remember last year, I played Mendelssohn for an educational concert at Powell hall. After I played, a man came up to me and said: I want to let you know that my daughter is playing the violin, and she wanted to quit. She had been begging me to quit the violin and just doesn’t like it. But after today when you played, she came up to me and said: I do not want to quit the violin anymore. I want to play like him,” Mayer said.

As they continued to play violin, their appreciation for violin and classical music has grown.

“My appreciation for classical music and music in general has increased in exponential amounts,” Bockhorst said. “When you actually get to play the music people have written for performance, you not only get to listen, you get to feel what is like to perform the music and the emotions of the composer. Because there are so many distractions nowadays, I think the biggest gift playing the violin has given me is discipline.”

Mayer added, “I think music has given me purpose. It has helped me in all aspects of life. It taught me to problem solve, to appreciate, and to look at things from a different perspective. Music is about making people feel things that can not be expressed through words. When you have been working on a piece for six months and finally perform it, it is all the hard work and hard times, the moments that you hated, and the whole process of practicing that makes the final product special. Music requires a lot of sacrifice, willpower, discipline and perseverance. Although it is hard, and it takes a toll on your mind and your body, at end of the day, the reward of having music in your life is fantastic.”

CLAYTON SCHOOL DISTRICT 2019

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Volume 1

Section 1

PART 1

BEYOND THE BOARD

APRIL, 2019

How can the School District of Clayton attain its vision for the Profile of the Graduate? The Globe examines the potential for student and teacher voice and leadership in the District by considering new opportunities and examining past roles that have been lost.

By Luka Bassnett, Disha Chatterjee, Kaia Mills-Lee, Grace Snelling and Lila Taylor With reporting by Justin Guilak and photos and art

by Michael Melinger

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2012 The reverberations of the Great Recession, which officially transpired from December 2007 to June 2009, caused the School District of Clayton to make significant cuts and reallocate resources in the 2011-2012 and 20122013 school years. Over those two years, the District made a combined $2.57 million budget reduction, “through its Resource Management and Long-Term Financial Planning (LTFP) efforts, which involved input from a committee of District administrators, parents, staff and community members,” according to the School District of Clayton website.

As of 2016, the District spent an average of $18,020.08 per student. In Missouri, the average teacher salary is $48,478. At Clayton, it’s $72,184. In Missouri, the average administrator salary is $88,796. At Clayton, it’s $123,674.

In 2016, Clayton used 80.12 percent of its $50,173,814 expenditures on employee salaries and benefits. During the reductions, the District worked to make sure that teachers in the District remained well-compensated, but some staffing reductions were made at that time.

In 2012, three positions were cut at the high school that still come up in faculty conversations today: the positions of academic director, substitute coordinator and department secretary. The question is not merely why; it is whether or not those positions were vital to the function of CHS. “I was in the District [when the cuts were made], but I was in a different role,” said Clayton Superintendent Sean Doherty. “I know that the main focus of that conversation was to try to make decisions that were going to be farthest away from the classrooms.”

The Board did not consider cutting down on teachers, but other programs and personnel were considered across the District.

“I know that they looked

20

at staff benefits and the health benefits and made some decisions around cost savings, and so some of those systems types of things versus personnel, but I know that they really tried to make decisions that they felt were as far away from the classroom as possible,” said Doherty.

Despite attempting to stray away from staff whose loss would directly affect students, Doherty realizes that any staff can have a relationship with a student, directly influencing that student if let go.

“I also know that our administrative support staff are very integral to our students as well,” said Doherty. “We had to make decisions to cut some of those positions back then, which was difficult because our support staff have important relationships with our students. They’re sometimes the trusted adults for some our students.”

None of the positions lost have since been added back, and administration and the Board are not considering returning those positions if the 2019 tax levy passes. Instead, they are looking towards the future.

“We haven’t added back any of those positions or structures that we cut since that time, so those cuts have carried on. For this current tax levy, we’re not saying, ‘We’re doing the tax levy so we can add back the positions that we had previously,’” said Doherty.

The last tax levy Clayton experienced was in 2003, and the next will be voted upon on April 2, 2019.

According to the School District of Clayton website, “Proposition E is a ballot proposal asking voters within the School District of Clayton to consider an operating tax levy increase of 56 cents and an 8 cent waiver of Proposition C sales tax revenues. The net effect of both measures will provide the District with an additional 64 cents of operating revenue. The additional revenue will be used to maintain and strengthen the District’s academic excellence and fiscal stability by eliminating the gap between revenues and expenses, addressing facility and maintenance needs and rebuilding reserves.”

If Prop. E fails, administration and the Board predict that another wave of expenditure cuts would result in the loss of more staff and personnel. Without the levy, the expenditure and revenue gap would climb to $4.8 million in the 2020 fiscal year.

“The tax levy was voted on by the School Board, and six out of seven members voted to put it on the ballot this April,” said School Board President Kristin Redington. “That’s to give the community the opportunity to pass it. So it’s really inviting the community’s input, what do they value and what do they want for the Clayton schools and their future.”

The tax levy is not just needed to add new positions but to keep up with inflation and other economic challenges.

“The way that school finances work, they’re cyclical in nature,” said Redington. “So you have a certain amount of revenue coming in, and then you have your expenses, and when the revenue first gets voted on by the tax levy, it creates an ability to create a fund balance, and the expenses are maybe a little bit lower than the money that’s coming in. But then eventually, because of inflation, your expenses rise, and the amount of money that we get

clayton’s

REALLOCATION

OF RESOURCES

doesn’t change. So eventually the expenses are going to take over the amount coming in.”

However, the frequency of Clayton’s requests for tax levies is much lower than other school districts.

“Usually a tax levy lasts for three to five years. We had a tax levy in 1988 and in 2003, and now we’re going for one in 2019, so ours are lasting way longer, primarily because of how fiscally prudent the Board has been over these years. We’re super conservative in how we handle our money, we’re super frugal, we very rarely allow for new hires to happen. It’s this constant look at human capital and how you can resort it instead of having to add on,” Redington said.

The Board and other administration plan to align the new revenue with the mission statement and goals of the District.

“The current tax levy is going to allow us to maintain that high level of academic excellence that we provide our students— making sure that we’re not having to make any additional cuts. But with our new strategic plan, my hope is that we really ask ourselves if these are the priorities within our strategic plan, how are we aligning our resources to make sure that we’re supporting those priorities?” Doherty said.

The tax levy, if passed, will be used to maintain Clayton’s current standards as well as add any new positions or programs as needed.

“So if we’re looking at a different approach to learning, or a different position that would support learning in a different way, then our

resources should be aligned to that,” said Doherty. “Right now the plan is not to add back any of the cuts we’ve made in 2012-13.

We want to make sure that we’re moving forward and that our resources are aligned with our goals. That might mean that we have to

Department chair and history teacher Josh Meyers demonstrated how the loss of department secretaries affected him.

“I think what ultimately happened was not so much an increased burden on the department chair, but an increased burden, a small one, on the workload of everyone. The policies on paper seem super reasonable unless you’re a teacher who’s constantly innovating and thinking on the fly and changing stuff on the fly.

Those kinds of quick decisions and changes to lessons happen all the time.”

The lack of a staff member ready to make copies and do other secretarial work for each department resulted in this loss. If a teacher wants to add to their lesson, they aren’t able to do so in the same way.

Currently, there is a certain amount of notice required for copies, preventing teachers from changing lessons, worksheets, homework and tests.

“Our teachers are so professional and so dedicated that the [effect on students] probably didn’t change that much. It’s small tiny little things that the teachers absorb that the kids would never necessarily know or experience that is the kind of cumulative of those cuts.

This has become our new normal and this is how we operate.”

Now, the three staff members in Room 8 run the administrative duties that the individual department secretaries once held.

“Prior to those cuts, each department had its own departmental assistant. We went from having a department assistant for each de-

“With our new strategic plan, my hope is that we really ask ourselves, if these are the priorities within our strategic plan, how are we aligning our resources to make sure that we’re supporting those priorities”

look at positions differently, or innovative ideas or different opportunities for students that we haven’t had in the past.”

Despite Doherty’s forward-thinking approach, many CHS teachers have felt the loss of the cut positions. While a student may not realize these losses, they may be affecting the student indirectly.

21

partment to consolidating them into Room 8 and using them as an office pool rather than departmental assistants, and by doing that it allowed us to reduce by two or three positions at the time,” CHS Principal Dan Gutchewsky said.

The loss of department secretaries resulted in a larger burden on the academic departments than on the counseling department.

“Fortunately, for us in counseling, we didn’t lose administrative support like the rest of the building did. That particular part of it: the administrative assistant, I would just leave it at that we didn’t feel the effect of that as much as the academic departments did,” Counseling Department Chair Carolyn Blair said.

Despite the extra burden placed on the teachers, the School Board continues to promote its student-focused agenda. “[Lack of department secretaries] is putting more pressure and work on teachers who should be teaching, and that’s challenging,” said Redington. “At the same time, we are very fortunate in Clayton that we spend $20,000 per kid, and many school districts don’t do that, so where do we try to control costs and still try to provide the best education that we can with as many options and opportunities as we can for kids?”

Another significant position lost was the substitute coordinator. Before the cuts, two part-time positions were merged to form one, full-time substitute coordinator.

“Also, at that time, we had a sub coordinator that coordinated the subs in the morning and then filled in if there was a shortage or if something came up during the day,” said Gutchewsky. “The duties of assigning subs in the morning went to one of the administrative assistants in the office. If we run short [on staff] we use the campus supervisors to fill in for periods here and there. But that also allowed us, at the high school, to eliminate another salary position.”

Presently, teachers are left to scramble for substitutes, increasing the burden on the department chairs. Additionally, teachers often give up their planning periods in order to fill in for other, absent teachers.

“If someone has to leave, and I know that I can’t rely on a permanent sub, I just go to someone in the department,” said Meyers. “And this is a really important point, it’s not just department chairs, it’s like we’re asking each other to cover during their prep periods. While everyone is totally willing to do it because we’re

22

good colleagues and we help each other out to whatever degree we can, those are things that we weren’t having to do before. So there’s no question that the amount of periods that people have to cover due to absences or absences that aren’t planned, that’s where a lot of the loss is felt in that position.”

Having that permanent position was especially beneficial for the history department, as the previous substitute coordinator was trained in history specifically and could teach a lesson as opposed to playing a video and handing students a worksheet.

“In terms of a day-to-day impact on the department chair’s life, that was one of the biggest things lost,” said Meyers. “It’s just hard without a permanent person here. When you have a permanent person, you have a relationship with them and they know who you are and what your needs are.”

Other teachers in the building have felt the loss of the sub coordinator, and deem its return crucial.

“I think the sub coordinator position needs to come back. If you have at least one dedicated person who is able to oversee that, it ensures that we have somebody here if something happens,” said CHS teacher and former administrator Marci Pieper. “I just think that the position was something valuable and could come back easily.”

Pieper’s not alone with her opinion. Many teachers miss the convenience and the stability of a permanent position.

“We cover for each other. In some cases that means we’re doing two classes at once.

It adds another kind of layer to stress which shouldn’t be a difficult issue,” said CHS art teacher and Art Department

Board members Brad Bernstein and Amy Rubin

Chair Christina Vodicka. “That sub coordinator was really valuable just to have someone in the building who knew teachers and who had the sensibility of schedules and could have that big picture view of who needed to be where and when.”

Self-described fiscally conservative Board of Education member Brad Bernstein does not refer to the personnel losses as budget cuts, but as a “reallocation of resources.” He argues that a substitute coordinator should not be necessary.

The third position eliminated during the budget cuts, and perhaps the most important in terms of teacher voice in administrative and building decisions, was that of the academic director. Previously held by Meyers, the academic director handled accreditation of the district as well as running Leadership Council meetings, which involved building administration and department chairs. The academic director acted as a bridge between teachers and administration and no equivalent position has since been created. A position running district accreditation still exists, and is currently held by CHS science teacher Craig Sucher.

“The [academic director] was a stipend position, there was an extra-duty contract with that, and there was release time for the teacher in that role,” said Gutchewsky.

“And that was one of those things that kind of forced us to look at how we do our work and who leads different groups. What used to happen was our building leadership team was actually led by a teacher, and then at that time I took that over as principal and I lead that same group now. Part of the work of that is part of our school’s accreditation process which is called Advanced-Ed, and so what we did was rather than having a full-time academic director, depending where we are in the cycle, we provide release time and compensation for a teacher-leader to work with that. That’s more of a cyclical thing, so instead of having a full-time person with release time, the process works on a five-year cycle, and when it’s the year of a site-visit he has a release period.”

Teachers and staff are feeling the loss of the academic director in terms of voice on the administrative team.

“With regard to the academic director, though, as a member of the administrative team, it was interesting, and there was a difference in regards to the voice of the teachers and

their presence there and the representation I think that they had,” Blair said. “I would say probably even more than the administrative team, but even leadership council, that was run by the academic director, so there was a more philosophical type of time to talk about what was happening as opposed to an administrative kind of information type of setting.”

The academic director was a go-to person for teachers to express their problems to, and no direct link has been made to fill that gap.

“There was a lot of trust that was built up,” Pieper said. “So when that position was gone, a lot of teachers felt like their voice was gone.

Even though they still had department chairs and other people from their departments speaking for them, it was just a different feel.”

The academic director was used as a link between teachers and administration without the added pressure.

“The other piece of that is that sometimes the academic director was a person another teacher could [meet with] to talk about issues that they had and then that person was the representative,” Blair said. “It would be difficult to create a linear example of how, now that this position’s gone, then this issue doesn’t come forth. But you can just sort of extrapolate how that shakes out,” said Blair.

Often teachers have want to approach the administration with various issues, but have held back due to the missing representative.

“Over the years there’s been things coming up here and there that a faculty member wanted to communicate with the administration

without going to them personally with feeling singled out of stigmatized,” Vodicka said.

“Sometimes you just want someone else to be your advocate, and that position was really valuable for that.”

Meyers witnessed firsthand changes in the academic director position.

“My understanding is that the position evolved over time and that at first, the very first academic director was someone who ran the school accreditation process. By the time I left the role, the academic director position was not only running the North Central Accreditation, but they were sitting as a member on the administrative team,” said Meyers.

When the release periods were taken away from the position, Meyers thought the job would be essentially impossible to complete without the extra time, so he resigned. He had been able to communicate teacher issues and complaints to administration and became a trusted teacher ally.

“What I would do is serve as a liaison between teachers in the building who were upset about something but didn’t necessarily know how to approach the administration. I was like a go-between. So people would come to me and they would express their concerns and I would often present them to the administration anonymously… It was nice because I wasn’t necessarily saying I believe these things, I’m saying I’m hearing these things so it was like a conduit or a go-between between the faculty and the administration.”

Moving forward, the reestablishment of

these positions may not be out of the question.

“As a principal, you never want to turn down staffing,” said Gutchewsky “I think [the cuts] did force us to be more efficient and more productive. I think that, probably had you asked me the first year or two after the cuts, there was a fair amount of upset or concern about how we were going to do our work, but I think we’ve kind of settled in and become accustomed to how we do business. Change is always hard. If somebody said, ‘hey we’re gonna bring back the sub coordinator,’ I wouldn’t turn it down, but it wouldn’t be my highest priority in terms of where I was going to spend the money in the building. One of the things that we wanted to do [during the cuts] was not touch classroom teachers, and I think we were pretty effective in doing that without impacting the student experience.”

Maintaining Clayton’s current standards will continue to come first, as well as the well being of Clayton students and their families.

“Priority number one is to be able to maintain everything that we have right now in terms of resources and the services that we provide for students and families,” said Gutchewsky. “If nothing changes, then we won’t be able to continue the level of service that we’re delivering right now because we would not have an influx of funding from the tax levy. We’d have to look at how we balance our budget, and frankly staff accounts for 80 percent of the budget, so it would be impossible to balance the budget without significant staff cuts. So the key there is to maintain.”

student

INVOLVEMENT

“The question I would ask is, ‘Who would you go to right now if you have a problem?’ I don’t know. We want to make this an option for people. We want to make it an available resource,” said CHS senior Greg Pierson, one of two student leaders who are looking to install a high school student on the Clayton School Board.

“What we’re trying to do is put a student representative on the board,” Greg said. “That

IN THE

would be a single student that sits at the Board table, interacts with the Board members, and works with the administration. They would have essentially a vote as more of an indicator vote, they can’t officially vote on the board, that’s state law, that there’s seven voting members on a board. But on an issue that the board was voting on, the student would vote on the issue, and the board would take that into consideration.”

school board Greg, along with sophomore Adam Jaffe, has been coordinating with both administrators and Board members over the course of the year in order to establish a viable and balanced plan to present to the Board on student involvement in the administration. As the son of board member Gary Pierson, he was already familiar with many of the policy-making processes of the Board, and was open to working with member Joe Miller when Miller

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I think there should be an advisory council for proposed the idea to him. the Board.’ We met to discuss it a little while “I have been involved in the School Board later and he asked me to be the student chair a lot; my dad is on the School Board so I know of strategic planning. Then Greg comes quite a bit about the dynamics of up to me and says, ‘I want to do it,” Greg said. “I understood this faster. I want to get this there’s definitely a probdone earlier.’ So, that’s lem a lot of times with kind of how [Greg the way the Board and I] came tooperates, as a gether.” student. Any According student that to Greg and really watchJaffe, the es it would core purnotice that pose of this they tend to initiative move pretty is to close slowly, and the gap of try to spend information a lot of time between stutalking about dents and the things and not administration. a lot of time doAlthough a stuing things. [Board dent on the Board member Joe Miller] would not have an ofspent a lot of time workGreg Pierson ficial vote that would count ing with other districts, and towards decisions, their posihas seen that this works, that this tion would be recorded in the minutes of is the best practice for other schools, and he Board meetings and would act as an indicator, asked me to work with the students to make for both the other members and the commuthis a reality. We got a ton of support for the nity, of student position on certain policies. idea.”

However, the selected student’s opinion alone Although his father’s involvement on the would not be the only factor that would dicBoard provides Greg with an understanding tate their stance on policies; they would addiof its day-to-day proceedings, Gary contendtionally work with a council of eight students ed that Greg is running the initiative without to aid their decision-making and provide alpush from him. ternative viewpoints. “[Greg and Jaffe] are doing it. And I’m sure “We’re going to create a District advisothere’s probably people that are cynical about ry council. It will be eight students, two from it thinking it’s like me behind the scenes, but each grade, that are selected after an applicathat’s totally not the case. They’re better at this tion and then a student election. There will than I could be,” Gary said. be some student input into who should serve Similarly to Greg, Jaffe had been interesteach grade level. That group will sort of just ed in the idea of improving the connection support the student that’s on the Board and between students and Board members for also be responsible for bringing issues from much of his time at Clayton. However, when their respective grades and from around the Doherty asked him for assistance with estabdistrict that they want to address. Both the lishing a board advisory council, he was able student representative to the Board of Eduto make his ideas a reality. cation and the advisory council will have ap“I had been at the high school for a year plications that every candidate needs to comand a half maybe and I saw Dr. Doherty, who plete. All applications will be reviewed by the was my principal at Captain, so we’re very administration, so for the student representaclose, and we were just kind of talking,” Jaffe tive to the Board of Education, the adminissaid. “I’d been thinking for a while that I don’t tration is going to select an individual. That even know what the Board does. I’m sure that insulates this from being a popularity contest,” most people in the District, especially in the Greg said. high school, don’t really know what goes on.

This plan is modeled to fit the needs of I hadn’t been to a meeting, didn’t know what Clayton students and administrators, but it policies were being put in place besides the tax also mirrors many of the successful aspects levy—and so, I said to Dr. Doherty, ‘You know, of other student representative programs at

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schools in the St. Louis area. University City High School has had a similar system for over a decade, and stopped allowing student elections several years ago after realizing that it had negative consequences for the functionality of the Board and student council. This largely impacted Greg and Jaffe’s decision to incorporate administration selection of individuals into their proposal. Another important aspect of the plan is to ensure that the

“We don’t want that typical Clayton student to just have another thing to add to their college resume, which is something that we’ve heard from every single Board member— how do we represent all students?”

-Adam Jaffe eight students on the advisory council represent the varying experiences and interests of the Clayton student body.

“What Board members have said and what they’ll continue to say is that we don’t want the same kids who do everything [on the advisory council]. We don’t want that typical Clayton student to just have another thing to add to their college resume, which is something that we’ve heard from every single Board member—how do we represent all students?

It comes down to this advisory council and making it as diverse as possible,” Jaffe said.

In order to further reach as many students as possible, two students from each grade will be chosen for the advisory council. The representative on the Board will be selected at the end of their sophomore year, serve for the duration of their junior year and become

head of the advisory council as a senior in order to encourage continuity of the program.

Interaction with the Board has allowed Greg and Jaffe to form a system that they believe is mutually beneficial for students and administration, and they’ve received positive feedback from the District in this regard.

“Overall we have had overwhelmingly positive support,” Greg said. “That really goes for everyone that we’ve talked to, six of the seven Board members right now are on board.

Brad Bernstein is the only board member who hasn’t expressed explicit support for the idea. He has put forward ideas that he has that would slow down the process and not allow what we’re trying to do to reach its full capacity.”

Concerns that have been expressed in regard to the addition of a student to the Board mainly involve three factors: disruption of Board dynamics, the qualifications of the chosen student and their time commitment. According to Jaffe, the workload and dedication necessary for the position will deter the “typical Clayton student” from assuming it, as it would have to become their main priority, and Board dynamics could be greatly improved through the addition of a student voice.

“The time commitment is a big factor for a lot of these things. So when you’re looking at the students who do everything, that’s our response, we’re not going to get the same students who do everything, because they don’t have time for it. This is a big time commitment,” Jaffe said. “Something we’ve heard from more than one person is, ‘How is this going to affect the dynamics of the board?’ What we want is to force the Board to work more efficiently and consider moving more quickly on issues that students really care about. So having a student sitting there, is going to force their hand on certain issues and require them to move with a little bit more pace on certain things.”

Board member Kristen Redington is also hopeful that a student on the Board will provide it with a greater sense of direction.

“Some people think that having a student on the Board will help keep the Board focused and keep the meetings efficient and effective, and I hope that that continues to be true. We are making decisions, and when we have the information in front of us, we each are bringing our own experience to the table with our own children, and having someone who is currently going through it is really helpful to have at the table. I may have a child in high school right now, but six years ago I didn’t. I wouldn’t have known some of those things.

When I first started I didn’t even have a child in middle school, so if there had been a student on the board at that time, they could’ve given some perspective about what it was like in middle school or high school,” Redington said.

For the upcoming school year, Superintendent Sean Doherty is looking to ascertain the most important skills and traits that a Clayton student should acquire through their education and use those qualities to inform everything from budgeting to policy-making. This concept, known as the profile of a graduate, is heavily linked with the expressed need for communication between the student body and administration.

“I’m focusing on the profile of a graduate, because we’re looking at competencies that we want for our students, beyond just measures of test scores,” Doherty said. “We surveyed what the community thinks are the attributes our students need to be successful when they leave Clayton. I’m hoping the profile of the graduate will influence the development for our strategic plan—keeping the end in mind. The profile might help us challenge the givens about teaching and learning, our curriculum and what our classroom spaces look like. I think we need to make sure our strategic plan is responsive to what our students need.”

R e d i n g t on additionally views student and community input on essential aspects of the Clayton academic Adam experience as critical for Board members and for district growth.

“Dr. Doherty has proposed this idea of the profile of the graduate, which I’m super excited about, and I’m hoping that students will be a really big part of that and expressing what they want, as well as our community,” Redington said. “What kinds of things do we want all of our students to be able to do when they leave? To me that brings up ideas of being independent, and of being curious, and creative, and socially aware, and kind,

empathetic people who are going to give back to the world.”

To Greg and Jaffe, issues of mental wellness and equity in Clayton classrooms are a top priority, as well as being factors that could shape a more well-rounded CHS graduate.

“The phrase I like to use is, ‘I think it’s important to love learning and life together’, and I think Clayton focuses a little too much on the learning. I think it’s something we need to look at, is how do we incorporate that life back in there. My biggest thing is, we need to cut back on homework. When you look at sleep, when you look at stress, it comes from homework, because you’re pushing back that sleep, and it’s delaying your eating habits. People need time to decompress. If you’re assigning 30-45 minutes of homework in every class, it doesn’t work. You don’t have time to play a sport, eat dinner and to go to bed at the right time. We’re already in school for seven and a half hours,” Jaffe said.

Ideally, Greg and Jaffe are hoping to begin initiating change on the Board through an elected student and an accompanying advisory council by this April. Although any alteration of the Board dynamic can be difficult and is likely to cause pushback, the positive experiences that other schools have had with similar models have encouraged the administration to consider it as a viable program.

University City High School Superintendent Sharonica Hardin-Bartley conJaffe tended that the student on University City’s School Board provides critical learning experiences for all involved.

“We are preparing [students] for life,” Hardin said. “And we also try to expose them to those real world experiences, and government and policy has a lot of people. We want our students to understand how to advocate for themselves, in a very positive and productive way, to understand how to use information to advance their ideas, their opinions and their recommendations. We want them to be re-

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sponsible for their decision making. So why wouldn’t we ask them for their feedback and input regarding how effective we are being at administering policies and putting them into practice where it matters the most?”

At University City, students are nominated for the position based on merit and overall behavior. They are required to have a thorough knowledge of the Board, to attend Board meetings and to connect with fellow students in order to serve as the face of the student body. The current representative, Dominic Bryant, began serving last May and is currently reaching the end of his senior year.

“I was basically walked up to—only seniors can sit on the board, so I was walked up to by another senior that was about to graduate and I guess I got recognized for my leadership throughout the school and things like that,” Bryant said. “Then next thing I know I’m going to Board meetings. There is no paperwork involved or anything, it’s just totally voluntary.

I’m the only student that sits on the Board. It’s not really a lot of preparation that goes into it.

I just basically keep track of events and then if something comes up on the Board where I can comment or make a proposal I will do so, other than that I can’t really vote to pass things but I do have a say and a voice.”

Despite the fact that Bryant is unable to vote to sway policy decisions, he believes that he has been able to speak for his peers and make an impact on the Board.

“I think what’s most important is definitely just the voice: the voice of hearing the student’s side. Just basically letting us be heard so that the teachers, or any staff for that matter, aren’t totally blind to what the students are going through. Take it into consideration and try

it out, because hearing the student’s opinion or students’ opinions can really help develop a school and the environment as a whole and even the community itself. When you’re on the Board, you get invited to a lot of things and really get to see the inner sights and it can just overall help a community,” Bryant said.

Hardin-Bartley agreed that close-mindedness to the idea of student voice in the administration can be destructive to the relationships within a district.

“I try to understand the rationale for [opposing a student on the Board]. And I guess I would ask, you know, how do we feel about the judicial process, about the governmental process? What are we saying about these processes? And if we are stewards of students, which is what board members are, how can we not include their voice? I would just really want to understand the thinking and the rationale behind the opposition,” Hardin said.

At Clayton, measures have been taken in the past to bridge the perceived divide between students and the administration. One of the most prominent means of connection is the principal’s advisory at CHS, which is headed by Principal Dan Gutchewsky and attended monthly by a group of interested students.

“Principal’s advisory is a group that I started when I became principal,” Gutchewsky said. “It’s certainly not an exclusive group, in the sense that I wanted a body that represented students from all walks of life. We get together once a month, and usually I’ll bring an issue to the table and throw it out there for discussion to get student feedback on it. To find students for the advisory, I ask the faculty to think about kids in their class that would be a good representation of some segment of

student life at CHS, and I specifically ask for students that maybe aren’t in every club and committee and takes 10 honors classes, that’s not necessarily the profile of every student. I want to make sure that we cover a range of students, maybe students that aren’t necessarily always selected for something, so that we can get a pretty broad cross-section of lenses and opinions. It’s good for me to give me perspective, and it has led to some changes.”

Principal’s advisory is the primary place that Gutchewsky sources student feedback when making a decision. However, he is also in favor of the student leadership opportunities that would be provided through the addition of a student to the Board. According to Greg and Jaffe, current organizations life principal’s advisory are beneficial, but aren’t expansive enough to account for the entire student body.

“We don’t want to advocate for getting rid of those activities, we want them to keep going, and something that I will say, and this goes along with the election process, is that if there is one thing at this school that I want to be taken seriously, the one thing that can actually make change, I want this to be [the student on the Board],” Jaffe said. “Because right now, if you look at every club, every organization, if you look at the DECA board, the Speech and Debate board, which are both very sound, they operate well, they can do things within their own club, but let’s do something that can affect the whole District. So if there’s one thing that students should take seriously, it’s this initiative, because that’s going to make direct change, and that’s the whole goal.”

Superintendent Sean Doherty

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looking FORWARD

Board President Kristin Redington Photo by Naomi Merrihue This January, the Clayton Board of Education asked the community a question: what are the most important attributes we need to develop in graduates in order for them to be successful?

Students, parents, staff and alumni gave a variety of answers, from kindness and empathy to a love of learning and critical thinking.

Several other themes emerged when community members were asked to consider the ideal attributes of a Clayton graduate: confidence, integrity, diversity, creativity, mental and physical health, social and life skills and personalized learning and adaptability. From there, the Board began analyzing which of these qualities are currently absent among Clayton students in an effort to understand how the school district can better develop key values.

Some students in particular have noticed the toll that school has taken on their mental health.

“Sometimes it’s hard to remember I am still young, I’m still a kid. This environment that we’re in is intended to prepare us for

adulthood, but the rigor and the competition can make it feel like we are already years ahead of our time. Sometimes I feel like we can lose some of those important aspects of childhood,” junior Sara Stemmler said.

For Greg, mental health is a key feature of a capable graduate, and, as such, is an area the District needs to focus on.

“Obviously mental wellness is something that’s a problem across the nation, but we definitely see that in Clayton quite a bit, and we want to make sure that the kids have all the resources they need to be mentally healthy and physically healthy,” Greg said.

Both Greg and Jaffe agree that the students’ opinions need to play a more active role in the policy decisions being made for the student body, and their new approach offers a solution—having a student representative on the Board of Education supported by an advisory council. They believe that having students offer their unique perspective will help the School Board create successful graduates, and will allow the administration to track progress and receive direct feedback

Doherty discussed how he might use the coming year’s District strategic plan to focus more on Clayton’s attainment of important student qualities.

“With our new strategic plan, my hope is that we really ask ourselves, if these are our priorities, how are we aligning our resources to make sure that we’re supporting those ideas?” Doherty said. “So if we’re looking at a different type of approach to learning, or a different position that would support learning in a different way, then our resources should be aligned to that.”

Any school district’s first priority is the well-being of its students. The goal is to not only develop a student’s academic ability, but to also construct an admirable character. Clayton values the qualities described by its students, parents and staff: leadership, confidence, integrity and kindness. With a willingness to use available resources and the advice of a student representative on the School Board, Clayton will be well on its way to creating graduates that its community can be proud of.

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28 | SPORTS

talented talavera Freshman Daena Talavera is an accomplished international fencer GABY MADRIZ | REPORTER

F

or freshman Daena Talavera, what began as a birthday gift from her dad became one of the most important additions to her daily life. At the age of eight, Talavera was introduced to fencing, and has been involved in the sport ever since. Talavera was immediately intrigued by the unique sport.

Previous to her commitment to fencing, Talavera participated in taekwondo, soccer, tennis, gymnastics, swimming and volleyball. Upon discovering fencing, she knew that it was something she wanted to take part in.

Having played a multitude of sports prior to fencing, Talavera knew exactly what she was

looking for in a sport.

“I just found those [other] sports a tad basic and boring and lost interest, but since fencing is unique it really grasped my attention,” Talavera said.

Fencing requires a considerable amount of physical and emotional stamina, a challenge that Talavera welcomes eagerly.

Talavera has been incredibly successful in the fencing community. Being highly ranked on national and international levels has gotten Talavera’s name out into the world as an incredible athlete. Additionally, being a citizen of both the Philippines and the United States, Talavera has many more opportunities to represent countries

Talavera at a competition. Talavera is an A-ranked US fencer and competes nationally. Photo from Talavera.

in international competitions than other opponents. She specializes in foil fencing, which is extremely difficult due to the fact that one is not awarded points for hits on the entire body.

Having to aim at a smaller area on a person is a task in which Talavera is clearly skilled. Her accomplishments include first place in the North American Cup, first place at U.S. Nationals and sixth place at a marathon (Grand Prix) in Paris. Talavera’s frequent fencing competitions have taken her all over the world, including France, Germany, Poland, Singapore, the Philippines and Japan.

Missing school as often as three separate times per month to leave the country for fencing tournaments takes its toll on Talavera as well, especially since preparations for a tournament are just as important as the results themselves.

“During the competition when I’m constantly moving and nervous I physically cannot eat so I just load up the night before. I eat a small breakfast and head to the venue, blasting a mixture of classical music and rap to calm my nerves,” Talavera said.

Additionally, Talavera recently suffered an injury to her collarbone while training.

“It impacts it drastically, you get injured, especially somewhere needed to fence, it’s crushing,” Talavera said.

Sitting on the sidelines and watching teammates and opponents training for hours every day while Talavera’s own training has been very limited is incredibly difficult.

“I’m still nowhere near to what my old self was since I can only slowly ramp up how much I train,” Talavera said.

Being an accomplished athlete has kept Talavera on her toes, both when training and when competing.

“Sometimes when I pass by a group of people, I can hear them talking about me, both good and bad things. But most importantly, I constantly have a target on my back,” Talavera said.

Keeping her ranking high is extremely important to Talavera, since it’s hard to climb one’s way back up to the top of any leaderboard.

Talavera’s fencing endeavors have not only contributed to her skill as an athlete, but also to non-fencing activities in her daily life. She has been left with lessons that will benefit her for the rest of her life.

“Your lowest moments don’t define you and the important part is recovering and being better than your past self,” Talavera said.

29 | SPORTS

marvelous marsden

Varsity lacrosse player Caroline Marsden is a leader on and off the field CECE COHEN | REPORTER

Senior and LAX captain Caroline Marsden at Clayton’s Gay Field. Photo from the Globe archives.

I

was convinced I would make the Olympics as a runner in fifth grade,” CHS senior Caroline Marsden said.

Marsden, the captain of the girls’ varsity lacrosse team, has not always played lacrosse. Instead, she grew up running.

“I love running. I grew up loving to run,” Marsden said. “I also really liked soccer. Lacrosse was a good way to combine those things. Now it’s like my favorite thing ever.”

However, Marsden did not plan on playing lacrosse. She instead found the sport through her brother.

“My brother used to play lacrosse. I would pass with him to help him,” Marsden said. “I ended up getting into it too. We ended up reversing roles. He doesn’t even play anymore. I loved it so I would play with people in my neighborhood.

Ever since then I have stayed with it.”

Marsden began playing lacrosse in seventh grade for the Wydown Middle School lacrosse team under the direction of Bob Panke. Panke

helped Marsden learn about the sport.

“Coach Panke really got me started and taught me literally everything I know about lacrosse. He was my coach for my first year at Clayton. He was also my coach in seventh and eighth grade. He is still there for me if I ever need him.

He really liked the sport. I really respected him and I still do. He made it seem so much more than just a game on the field,” Marsden said.

In her freshman year at CHS, Marsden was one of the only two freshman to make the girls varsity lacrosse team. Now, in her fourth year of playing lacrosse at CHS, Marsden hopes to bring a different type of leadership to the lacrosse team.

“This year I am really working on the positivity and team bonding aspects. We are going to be putting a lot more focus on that. We will also be working a lot on the field too,” Marsden said.

She is additionally focused on instructing and mentoring younger players through her own actions.

“I try to lead by example,” Marsden said. “So,

by coming to every practice and trying my hardest at every practice, people follow that and it becomes a norm. That will set up our team better in the long run as well.”

The girls on the lacrosse team have noticed Marsden’s hard work. “[Marsden] is always in a good mood and always tries her hardest. This really gets the rest of the team in a good mindset to play and try their hardest,” sophomore Charlie McDonough said.

Marsden does not plan to play lacrosse at the collegiate level.

However, she hopes to play club lacrosse in college next year and to keep lacrosse in her life, even if she is only able to play once a week.

Marsden has learned a lot from lacrosse in her past six years of playing the sport.

“I think lacrosse correlates a lot to teamwork and being able to trust each other,” Marsden said.

“If you don’t show that you trust your teammates, they are not going to trust you either. It has also taught me about positivity and commitment.”

30 | SPORTS

transforming the game CHS senior girls’ varsity soccer player Nicky Taghert is the first Missouri transgender high school athlete DANIEL COHEN | SPORTS SECTION EDITOR with JIMMY MALONE

Photo of senior and goalkeeper Nicky Taghert. Taghert is the first official transgender athlete in Missouri. Photo by Michael Melinger

“I felt that playing for the team that matched my gender identity was something that I wanted and something that I felt should be available to people who are being forced to play for teams that don’t match their gender identity,” CHS senior Nicky Taghert said.

On Feb. 7, 2019, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) approved Taghert to participate in MSHSAA athletics girls’ sports.

Taghert is the first known Missouri transgender high school athlete to receive eligibility to participate in MHSAA athletics on the team that matches the athlete’s gender identity.

From freshman to junior year, Taghert played in the CHS boys’ soccer program.

Now she is a member of the CHS girls’ varsity soccer team.

During her sophomore year, Taghert desired

to make the switch from boys’ soccer to girls’ soccer because her gender identity no longer matched with the boys’ team.

“We had initial conversations and met with her and her family and laid out a game plan. Obviously they had to supply a lot of the medical information, but we did have to submit the application. Dr. Gutchewsky was involved with making the recommendation and making the initial request,” CHS athletic director Bob Bone said.

In November 2017, Taghert’s application to play on the girls’ soccer team was submitted.

As Taghert was the first CHS transgender athlete to apply for eligibility, the process was a learning experience for her and the school district.

“I was really curious, and I was very interested because I was not familiar with the process.

The more I learned and got into it, I found it a

very interesting process and one that I felt was very positive for the athlete involved,” Bone said.

“They rejected me to play junior year because I was not one year into hormone therapy,” Taghert said. “Also, I played for the boys’ team that fall, and MSHSAA’s policy is that you can’t play two seasons of the same sport within an academic year.”

Boys’ soccer is a fall sport, while girls’ soccer occurs in the spring. Since Taghert played on the boys’ team in 2017, she could not play another season of soccer during the same academic year.

MSHSAA’s policy for transgender athletes is modeled on the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) policy.

As part of the MSHSAA guidelines, a male transitioning to a female must sit out one year before playing on a female team. A female transitioning to a male, however, does not have to wait

31 | SPORTS one year to be eligible to play.

Whether or not the male transgender athlete is receiving hormone treatment, he is eligible to participate in a boys’ sport.

For a female transgender athlete, the MSHSAA Board Policy on participation of transgender student-athletes states, “A trans female (male to female) student-athlete who is not taking hormone treatments related to gender transition may not compete on a girls’ team, but may participate in co-ed and boys sports. A trans female (male to female) student-athlete being treated with testosterone suppression medication for diagnosed gender dysphoria and/or Transsexualism may continue to compete on a boys’ team but may not compete on a girls’ team, without changing it to a co-ed team, until one calendar year of documented testosterone suppression treatment is completed.”

MSHSAA declined to comment on policies and methods in place for dealing with transgender athletes.

Other states, including Wisconsin and Illinois, have a policy similar to MSHSAA regarding transgender athletes.

Another group of states requires the high school athlete to participate on sport teams that match the athlete’s birth certificate gender. For example, Texas and North Carolina have such a policy.

California and Connecticut fall into the category of states that does not require the athlete take hormones or have surgery before a transgender athlete can play on a team that matches their gender identity.

Before granting her eligibility, MSHSAA required Taghert to undergo one year of hormone therapy. In addition, Taghert had to submit a letter from herself, a parent, a trusted adult and a therapist.

“The letters confirmed that I had gone through one year worth of hormone therapy and confirmation from mental health experts or experts in the field that what I was doing adhered to [MSHSAA] policy,” Taghert said. “Other steps including documentation provided by the treating physician.”

During this more-than-year long process, Taghert and her family worked closely with the athletic department and school district administration.

Taghert said, “It was all a combined group effort. All of the administration as well as the athletic department worked with me making sure that all the application materials were in order. The school district has been very helpful, especially Mr. Bone, in staying in contact with MSHSAA representatives and making sure the process went along as smoothly and productively as possible.”

Taghert’s family also served a vital role throughout the process.

In addition to acting as a support system for

their daughter, they worked with those who provided documentation to make sure all the paperwork was in order and submitted on time. Also, they ensured that Taghert was on track to meet eligibility requirements.

“We worked very closely with the school and the athletic department. I relied on Bob Bone for guidance, and he helped lead us through the process. We had meetings with Bob Bone, Dr.

“While I was playing for the boys’ team, I felt that I should be playing for the girls’ team and felt kind of out of place. Playing for a team which fits my gender identity has given me a sense of place on the team” - Taghert

Gutchewsky and Dr. Luhning,” said Anneliese Schaefer, Taghert’s mother. “There was close communication between Bob Bone and Dr. Gutchewsky. They would then communicate directly with MSHSAA. The school was extremely supportive and very responsive. They were definitely advocating for Nicky throughout this process.”

The hard work paid off for Taghert, her parents and the school.

“When I found out Nicky would be allowed to play, I was ecstatic. I was so excited. This decision is huge and so many aspects of it shouldn’t be overlooked because it is so important not only for sports, but for everyone who is transgender, or questioning gender or gender fluid to know that Clayton High School and the entire district is extremely supportive of these kids,” Schaefer said.

Taghert had a similar reaction when notified of her eligibility.

“I feel happy to be able to play for the team that best fits my gender identity and that I can play, that is what’s most important to me -- playing the game that I love,” Taghert said.

Although this is Taghert’s first year as a player in the CHS girls’ soccer program, she already feels part of the team.

“While I was playing for the boys’ team, I felt that I should be playing for the girls’ team and felt kind of out of place. Playing for a team which fits my gender identity has given me a sense of place on the team,” Taghert said. “I always want to do well, no matter what team I’m playing for. But now that I’m playing for the team that matches my gender identity, I feel more part of the team rather than somebody who’s different, who’s playing for the wrong team.”

Taghert’s transition to the girls’ team has also been smooth with the players on the squad.

“Nicky was a manager for our team for the past few years, so she has always been present at practices. She would help with the goalies and be around the team, so it has been easy to have her as a new player on the team because she has been with us so often,” Eliza Copilevitz, senior captain of the girls’ varsity team, said.

Taghert’s parents are excited to be able to watch their child once again play the sport she loves.

“Just like any other player, I will be out there cheering her on. To me, at that point, it’s not that Nicky is my transgender daughter, but my daughter, and I am really excited that I will get to see her play this year,” Schaefer said.

Taghert has not received negative comments from players, coaches, or opponents, but she and her team, along with the school district, are prepared to handle such a situation.

Throughout the application process and now as a member of the girls’ team, CHS administration has regularly communicated with Taghert to ensure that she feels accepted.

“We are here to support Nicky and help her every step of the way. If another team were to begin directing hurtful comments to Nicky, we would just take Nicky away from the situation, reassure her that she is accepted, welcomed, and has our full support,” Copilevitz said.

Bone also wants to ensure that Taghert has a positive experience as a member of the team.

“What we really want is for her to have just a normal experience, like any other student who participates in girls’ soccer. We want a consistent experience for the people on that team,” Bone said. “Inclusion, which is something that we always value, is very important to us. Our whole athletic philosophy is about participation and opportunity and this is very much down that line. She has the opportunity and she will get to participate because that’s what we believe in. It’s really exciting for us.”

After high school, Taghert plans to continue playing soccer. She is currently in the recruiting process, which means attending showcases and communicating with coaches at the college level.

At the Division I level, colleges recruit players before their senior year.

Taghert said, “I didn’t play for a girls’ team my freshman, sophomore, or junior year, so it’s hard for women college teams to scout me or even for me to put myself out there as an athlete hoping to be recruited if I’m not playing for a girls’ team.”

For Taghert, it has been difficult starting the recruiting process during her senior year as opposed to the beginning of high school.

Taghert remains hopeful that she will continue her soccer career at the collegiate level.

Taghert said, “I want to inspire myself, not just from what other people are doing, but in my own way.”

32 | REVIEW

Hi-Pointe Drive-In A new review on a popular St. Louis burger joint.

MORIAH LOTSOFF | REPORTER MAYA RICHTER | REPORTER

H

i-Pointe Drive-In is located in Richmond Heights and features a variety of burgers, sandwiches and sweets.

One of the sides of its exterior is a large shipping container painted orange and yellow, which matches the chairs in the interior. The color palette for the whole restaurant is a vibrant mixture of orange, red, yellow and blue. There are wooden beams exposed on the ceiling and concrete floors, giving the restaurant a Southern, yet industrial, look.

Upon walking into the restaurant, you stand in line to order your food off of a large sign hanging above the employees standing behind a counter. They have a large selection of sandwiches and burgers and a few salads available. In addition, they serve classic American desserts such as apple pies ($3), oatmeal cream pies ($3) and chocolate chip cookies ($2).

When ordering, the employees were very patient in letting us figure out what we wanted. An employee at the cash register read the order back to us to make sure everything was correct. They

were very friendly in this process.

As for food, we ordered the Veggie Burger ($10.50 with a side), the Salmon Banh Mi ($13) and the Not Vanilla Milkshake ($6.50). When ordering the milkshake, we debated between flavors such as strawberry, dreamcycle, butterscotch and a few others, finally landing on strawberry as our drink of choice.

After we ordered, we sat ourselves down in one of the booths rather than at a table. There were many sauces on the table, including ketchup, spicy mayo, sriracha granada and mustard.

There was also some salt and pepper available.

The Veggie Burger, made from quinoa and other ingredients, was topped with pickles, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, onion and lettuce on a white bun with a side of seasoned fries.

The burger was very pleasing to the eye, with all of the toppings neatly arranged. After tasting the burger, I noticed that it was lacking flavor, and the accompanying fries were cold. Considering we were two of five customers in the restaurant, this was surprising.

Although the meal wasn’t bad, it wasn’t worth the price of $10.50.

The Salmon Banh Mi consisted of grilled salmon, pickled veggies, cilantro and chile mango aioli, and was served on a white bun. The sandwich looked very good because of the various colorful veggies. Its taste didn’t measure up to its appearance, and it was definitely not worth $13. It lacked moisture, so I put on one of the sauces available at the table, which made it tastier.

When we saw that the Not Vanilla Milkshake was $6.50, we thought it would be an overflowing drink full of sugary features that made it stand out.

Sadly, we were disappointed. Our milkshake had little bits of strawberry and was also very smooth. It was not amazing, but it was by far the best part of the meal.

Overall, Hi-Pointe Drive-In was an aesthetically pleasing, friendly restaurant. Although the portions were a good size, the quality of food to price ratio was lacking.

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Pop Culture

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World were two exceptionally well-received movies in the world of animation.

An update on recent months in pop culture

KEILAN MORISSEY | REPORTER

Marvel Studios’ first female-led film, Captain Marvel, pulled record numbers opening weekend, receiving primarily positive reactions from critics and fans. alike.

Aquaman surpassed DC’s previous biggest hits in The Dark Knight trilogy, making over a whopping $1 billion in the box office, and entering the 20 highest grossing films of all time. The movie is now available for digital purchase.

M.Night Shyamalan made his directorial return with Glass, the conclusion to his horror trilogy, which took a surprising turn in the superhero direction. The film was disliked by critics, but divisive amongst audiences.

A new trailer is on the way for Disney’s Aladdin, yet another live action recreation of a classic animated film. The iconic genie is set to be played

by Will Smith.

Liam Neeson’s newest film, Cold Pursuit, somewhat flopped in the box office due to a loaded comment he made about race several days prior to the premiere, which sparked great controversy amongst fans of his acting and the movie-going community.

Ben Affleck withdrew from the role of Batman, claiming that the studio is seeking a younger actor for the 2021 origin film directed by Matt Reeves.

34 | REVIEW

s o tac OF

STL

The Globe examines some of the best taco restaurants in and around Clayton JACOB LAGESSE, JUSTIN GUILAK, RICHARD CHENG, SEAN KIM AND MICHAEL MELINGER

mayana Despite its informal setting, Mayana provides a surprisingly well-balanced taco at a reasonable price. The ordering setup allows easy customization of your tacos, a feature not offered by the other restaurants. We began by selecting proteins for our tacos, including fajita steak, carnitas and citrus chicken. You then have the option to add various rices, salsas, cheeses and other toppings. One feature of note - queso comes at no extra cost. The flavors of the meat and other ingredients blended together pretty well, but the taco itself felt a little dense. However, the sauces offered give opportunities for spice if desired. Compared to the other venues we visited, the tacos were also fairly large; ordering three street tacos provides a filling meal, leaving little else desired. For students looking to grab a quick bite during a lunch period, Mayana’s close proximity to the high school and rapid preparation make it a great option.

E’s B O GL K PIC

MISSION TACO

With a wide variety of tacos on the menu covering every kind of meat, anything from duck to shrimp to the classic carne asada, Mission Taco filled all of our cravings while managing to keep prices as low as any of our other stops. As a collective, we agreed that Mission Taco beats the rest in terms of quality, though. The tortillas also absorbed the sauce in each taco to distribute the taste without making them soggy. These flavorful sauces, alongside the masterfully-cooked meat, cheese and vegetable fillings, are what make Mission Taco satisfy the palate so well. The flavors can be wildly different for different tacos, so be sure to check out our digital version of the story for our live reactions to each one! We also recommend ordering the carne asada fries for the table - a great way to enjoy the restaurant beyond just the tacos.

SEOUL TACO Seoul Taco offers a different interpretation of the taco that calls for a fusion between both the cultures of Mexico and South Korea. When you order at Seoul Taco, your options include tacos, burritos, bowls, or other dishes with a protein of your choice. The tacos we chose included the bulgogi steak and pork varieties. We found that the bulgogi steak and pork were marinated with a sticky, sweet soy glaze that complemented the other ingredients in the taco very nicely--however, we did find that the supplementary ingredients such as the rice or accompanying veggies were more subdued. And while the tacos were certainly delicious, we found that the seasoning of the meat became overpowering across the rest of the dish. The Globe recommends that at this particular establishment, a burrito or bowl gives better flavor and provides a more cohesive experience for your palate. That being said, Seoul Taco is a very solid choice if you’re looking for a taco experience but with a little spin.

36 | OPINION

since parkland A closeup on the recent student journalism initiative documenting the lives of young gun violence victims SARA STEMMLER | FEATURE SECTION EDITOR

He was the comedian of his high school’s marching band, one of 10 brothers.

Every evening, he and his family sat down together and discussed their days.

He was practicing for the band’s performance at his high school’s homecoming game. “He kept the band going and just kept the band in good spirit,” Glenn Hills’ band director said. “Whenever you were having a bad day, he would definitely make you smile.”

Roshawn White Jr., 17, known as “Roach” by his friends, was shot in an attempted robbery in front of a grocery store in Augusta, Georgia, on Sept. 30, 2018.

T

his was just one of more than 1,200 obituaries published on the sinceparkland.org website launched on Feb. 12, 2019 highlighting the lives of students who have died as a result of gun violence since the Parkland shooting in February 2018.

“The goal of the project was simply to document the lives of the children and teens who had died. The original working title for the project was ‘The Kids Who Won’t Be Coming Back,’ and that was really what was in my mind’s eye,” said Beatrice Motamedi, senior project editor and curriculum designer for Since Parkland. “That empty desk. The spot on the bench or the field that isn’t taken. The cafeteria tray that isn’t used.

Who was that person that we all know, but isn’t there?”

Motamedi directs an international journalism network called Global Student Square. She spent the first semester of the 2017-18 school year overseas.

“I came back to the U.S., a few months before Parkland. When the Parkland shooting happened in February of 2018, I was really shocked. I was also really moved by how the student journalists

had covered the story. They did exactly what you student journalists do. You’re professionals and you cover a story as it is happening.”

But Motamedi also felt that career journalists like her weren’t “moving the needle anymore” on gun violence, and that student journalists should instead take up this kind of reporting. So she reached out to The Trace’s Akoto-Ofori-Atta, who she’d met as a Knight Fellow in Journalism at Stanford.

“So I called the Trace. I knew that the Trace was America’s only single issue newsroom covering gun violence, so I left a voicemail message, and I sent an email, and I said, ‘Whatever you need’,” Motamedi said.

They needed writers. So Motamedi developed a story format and along with senior editor Katina Paron, she started recruiting writers.

And that’s where we come in. The Trace commissioned eight of us from the Globe to join a coalition of reporters from high schools from across the U.S. to write obituaries for victims of gun violence ranging from a few months old to 18 years of age.

“Living in St. Louis, obviously gun violence is

an issue close to a lot of us,” said CHS junior and reporter for #SinceParkland Lila Taylor. “The police brutality trials that made national news were less than a mile from school. We’ve participated in walkouts and protests, so when this opportunity came up, I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”

As far as the plan, Motamedi and Ofori-Atta wanted to create a format for the stories that would be effective and accessible for the teen reporters. Inspired by the New York Times’ “Portraits of Grief ” and Hemingway’s six word stories, Motamedi created a template that would include a six word tagline and a 100-word story that would accompany it.

“I wanted to find a story form that a student of any level and any desire for journalism could write. And it turned out that it worked... the students really took off with it. The goal of the project was always to do documentary journalism, but the student journalists really took it in a direction that was both more poetic and more journalistically rigorous than we ever imagined,” Motamedi said.

The writing of the obituaries was just the first step. The Trace partnered with the Miami Her-

s i n c e p a r k l a n d . o r g ald to publish the work via a website designed by Upstatement as well as written stories about the project itself. A social media team with several student members was assembled to gain publicity and the response was massive, with coverage from dozens of newspapers, websites, radio and television outlets both from the U.S. and overseas.

“I started out as a reporter, writing obits for

“That empty desk.

The spot on the bench or the field that isn’t taken.

The cafeteria tray that isn’t used.

Who was that person that we all know, but isn’t there?” victims inside and out of St. Louis. Eventually, I headed the social media team for the #SinceParkland. Three students, each from different states across the country, and I worked on writing Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram posts,” Taylor said.

Even with all the effort put in, the social media team itself was not aware of how huge the project would become, and how much support it would receive from news outlets that much of the leadership hadn’t even heard of.

“I had barely any expectations going into the project, because I didn’t know what it was going to look like. I thought it would be published as a magazine or something lowkey. I didn’t think it would gain a lot of support. It turned out to be a lot bigger than I thought,” CHS sophomore and #SinceParkland reporter Disha Chatterjee said.

As an editor of #SinceParkland, CHS Class of 2017 graduate and former Editor-in-Chief of the Globe Camille Respess noticed that a large part of the praise the project has received has been for the writers themselves.

“The feedback has been immensely positive, because what we did was extremely daunting

and a huge, huge project, so the fact that high school and college age students were integral in the creation of that is something you should be extremely proud of, because this would have been a monumental project even for professional journalists,” Respess said.

The poetic nature of each obituary came from a place of deep emotion for each of the reporters, as they combed through social media posts, candid photos, tributary videos and heart-breaking testimonies from family members. Reporters were often reached out to after the project was released with messages of gratitude.

“One of the ones that I wrote—it didn’t strike me at first—it was just another one that I was writing. But later, when we published it, my English teacher emailed me and said that the child I wrote the obituary about was someone her brother had taught in Missouri,” Chatterjee said.

“The day that he died, her brother had told her about it and was really upset over the death, so she was really moved when she read the obituary, and that really struck a chord with me.”

Respess believes that the emotion involved in producing the project was necessary for its intent.

“I think that was challenging to be immersed in [the project] for a number of months as we told the stories of over 1000 minors,” Respess said. “I think that it was emotionally taxing and demanding, but I’m glad that I felt that way about it, and I’m glad that I experienced this, because that’s how we should feel about this. We should

be horrified and disgusted and deeply saddened by how much gun violence affects everyone in this country, especially young people.”

Gun control should not be a partisan issue.

Preserving the lives of young children is not a partisan issue.

“This is the toll. And if the problem is this bad, we can leave our politics and try and come together and find a solution to this,” Motamedi said.

A personal note: as one of the reporters for this project, I can say that I have never experienced second-hand tragedy in quite the way that I have these past few months.

It is easy to think of a person as a statistic. Sitting at my desk for hours at a time every weekend researching the lives of these children that could have easily been my peers, I was deeply saddened when the only information I could find for the victim was about the incident itself, with little to no personal detail.

What strikes readers more are the unexaggerated characteristics and quirks of these human children that led human lives. As I wrote in other stories: He always dressed like he was ready for a wedding. She hung a hand-painted welcome sign outside of her first home. He sat in on political science lectures as a high school student for fun.

One day, our own obituaries may not look much different from these, apart from one exception: most of us will live past 18. That is something we should not take for granted.

38 | OPINION

love, the globe a column

REESE QUINN | REPORTER

Reporter Reese Quinn with her younger brother Max. Photo from Quinn. Art by Lila Taylor and Sara Stemmler.

I

do not remember the adoption all that well. I do not remember the first time my parents told me I was getting a younger sibling. I do not remember much, as I was a 6-year-old, but I remember enough.

I remember the first picture I saw of him.

Max, my brother. He was only 7-monthsold then. His hair flopped over his face as he smiled at the camera.

I remember a strange woman inspecting our house, my parents craving validation from her. She walked around each room, trying to make conversation with a six-year-old who wanted nothing to do with this woman or with a new brother.

It was the same question and the same answer over and over again.

“Are you excited to be a big sister?”

“No.” And that was that.

Everyone tried to make me excited about it, but I never grasped why. Why would I be excited to share everything with someone I haven’t even met? Why would I be excited to put my life on hold?

The rest of the family was ecstatic though, and why wouldn’t they be? They wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night to wails that would frighten a bear. They didn’t have to change soiled diapers or say, “Oh, it’s ok,” when the little menace inevitably broke my toys. They didn’t have to hear about how excited my parents were to fly across the world to pick up someone they had never met in Korea.

Naturally, I didn’t completely agree with the rest of my family. I didn’t really understand much about the adoption. To me, it

seemed as though my parents weren’t happy with me so they had to pick up a baby. Obviously, that was not true, but as a six-year-old kid in 2010, it was my world.

Even my friends in first grade thought being a sister was the coolest thing. I don’t blame them, even nine years later, but I have still never met someone who was adopted other than my brother.

I remember the week my parents left for Korea, which seemed light-years away. My grandparents watched me that week and we went to the zoo, played games, watched movies, anything to keep me distracted. I feigned excitement about Max’s arrival and I created a “welcome-home” poster for him to distract me. These activities dulled the feeling of betrayal and abandonment a little, but it was not enough.

39 | OPINION

Eventually, the day came where my grandparents look me to the airport to meet Max. The car ride seemed to last forever, the streetlights at a standstill. The entire family was meeting us there. All of my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, everybody came to meet Max. I thought about how easy it was for them to come. They didn’t have to come home to a crying baby, wondering where his foster parents went. All my family had to do was show up and leave. It was that simple.

I remember seeing my parents walk out of the gate with a chunky baby in their arms, slobber dripping down his bib. I cannot recall much after that, except the feeling of wanting to cry. I felt betrayed by my parents, and hurt.

It felt as if my parents chose a stranger over me.

Of course, that is not true, and my parents desperately tried to prove that to me. They bought a stuffed zebra I had been eyeing at the mall, which I named Scout. They told me how Max would never replace me and how much they loved me. With time, I grew to love Max, and began to see him how other saw him.

It was his first birthday, and his foster parents sent a traditional piece of clothing called a hanbok that Korean babies wear on their first birthdays. My family and I did not know

what to do, but we dressed Max up and took a picture of his cheeks spilling over the collar of the outfit and sent it to his foster parents.

Max knows his whole story. He knows that I initially didn’t like him, which he understands. Even if my parents didn’t want to tell him he was adopted, it would be pretty hard considering he is Asian and my parents and I are as white as fresh snow.

Others have noticed our differences. Many believe that he is just some random boy and I am just some random girl, not that we are brother and sister. Our family has had a lot of second glances and questions by friends. I don’t really mind it, I think it’s interesting too.

It’s when people think that Max and I are telling a joke that we are siblings that gets on my nerves.

It’s when Max comes home saying that kids at his school pulled back their eyes in a racist way. It’s when people think that my mother or father had an affair. It’s when people have called Max racist names like “Stir-Fry” and “Caramel boy”. That is what bothers me. Honestly, I think it hurts me more than it hurts Max. Sometimes, I don’t even think about Max being Korean. Why would I? Max is my brother and I am his sister.

40 | OPINION

pro: political expression CHS students should be free to express their political views despite the possible backlash TALLULAH HAWLEY | PAGE EDITOR

Tallulah Hawley argues that students should have the right to promote political positions at school. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

C

HS is a school with a predominantly liberal student body. Nevertheless, the political scene is seemingly nonexistent. A student wearing a shirt promoting a politician is not routine, but also not unusual. No political posters hang on the walls.

Typically, Clayton is viewed as a fairly open-minded school district as opposed to other schools in the St. Louis region. However, something is missing—conservative students being openly able to express their political views.

In mid-February at Lindbergh High School, a school club hung up a ‘Black Lives Matter poster commemorating Black History Month. In response, another student tore down the poster shortly after it was put on display.

Someone walking through the school hallway put it back up again, but the same cycle

occurred multiple times that day, as did several fights.

One can easily see how different the political climates are at Lindbergh High School and Clayton High School just from this occurrence.

CHS government and history teacher Kathryn Lyons is new to the District this year, having taught at Lindbergh for the last eight years. She said that she heard of the incident from a faculty member, but that she never directly witnessed an occurrence like this.

“And this is again where it gets hard,” Lyons said. “Where you have students walking down the hallways yelling ‘Build that wall.’ To what extent is that allowable in a school setting? Especially when those comments directly offend students that are immigrants.”

According to CHS history teacher and Social Studies Department Chair Josh Meyers, “in this relatively liberal educational commu-

nity, our biggest challenge is allowing for and actively cultivating a marketplace of ideas.

Some liberals talk a good game about free speech and tolerance and empathy and diversity of thought until someone else’s beliefs or values or speech offends their own beliefs or values or speech. Liberals and conservatives alike are guilty of hypocrisy on this subject.”

In the landmark Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines, the court ruled that students’ constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression do not stop “at the schoolhouse gate.”

This case also stated that student speech is protected by law, as long as it doesn’t the expression doesn’t disrupt the learning environment.

Even so, CHS students should be allowed to express their political views however they want to, as long as it does not harm or offend others.

41 | OPINION

con: political expression If students are free to express their political views, public schools could become a dangerous and hostile environment MAX KELLER | PAGE EDITOR

In 2014, CHS students took part in a “die in” in the commons to protest the killing of unarmed teenager Michael Brown. Max Keller argues that students should not have the right to promote political positions at school. (Photo by Lawrence Hu)

P

olitical expression has always been a controversial issue in schools across the country. Ever since the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines case, which was a battle between free speech in schools and a right to censor, students have been relatively free to express their opinions in schools with their clothing.

However, recent events in neighboring districts have brought this idea to the public’s attention once again.

A few months ago, Lindbergh High School experienced fights among students regarding posters that were hung up on the walls of the school. Several Black Lives Matter posters were hung and shortly thereafter taken down by various students throughout the day. This obviously harmful action caused fights in a school where yelling one’s political views down the hall is commonplace.

Clayton, which is a liberal bubble in any sense, has never experienced much political clash within its schools. But this does not mean it lacks various forms of political expression amongst its students. It’s not uncommon to see t-shirts or other articles of clothing bearing campaign slogans or names of political candidates.

While CHS is traditionally safe from hurtful expression or fights, this expression of political choice is still dangerous in a school setting.

At this age, students are learning about important political issues daily in the classroom and at home. They are are taking a stand on different sides of controversial issues.

While it is important that students are given all of the right information about these issues to fuel their good decision making, something else is far more important: protection from influence.

Parents have been influencing their children’s political views since the beginning of politics. It’s quite natural, even if the parent tries to avoid it. Kids will see their parent choosing one side of an issue and that child will automatically think that their parent is correct, even if there is no clear answer. This influence can drastically impact a child’s future viewpoints in politics.

Students should be safe from this influence while they are learning about the world.

But when students aren’t at home, school can be an even bigger influence. Being exposed to varying political views in a learning institution is dangerous. Seeing a teacher or administrator express their political views can directly change their students’ mindsets.

After all, why wouldn’t you listen to someone who is supposed to educate you?

But teachers are not the problem. The real problem is from the expression of fellow students. In a teenager’s life, the only people they really rely on are their friends.

A child’s entire personality and attitude towards certain topics can be easily changed based on influence from their peers. This is why political expression is a dangerous game at schools. After all, if you wouldn’t want a politician to walk down the hallways with the students, why allow someone to wear a political slogan on a t-shirt?

Obviously political views that are hurtful to other students can never be allowed in a school setting, and Clayton does a good job of keeping hate out of the hallways. But in the world of politics, changing someone’s vote is criminal. And the best way to change a vote is to surround a student with people who express their political views.

In a natural effort to fit in, many students will change their viewpoints and be impacted for the rest of their lives.

Students who express their political views can and will impact all of their peers around them.

Even if clothing isn’t harmful or hurtful, it still can have major importance. At a time where fitting it is the most important part of life, changing one’s political views can be a small price to pay. But, as these students are sent out into the real world, their choices really matter. And the influence that they receive during school can drastically change their views.

42 | OPINION

staff ed: transgender athletes The Globe examines Clayton’s inclusiveness regarding transgender athletes

O

ver the contrasting boos and cheers of the crowd, the referee for the Texas girls’ state wrestling championship raised Mack Beggs’ arm, proclaiming him the state champion.

Although hoping to compete on a boy’s team, Beggs had to wrestle for the girls at Trinity High School in Euless, Texas due to the state’s policy.

Texas’ policy states that any person wishing to partake in high school sports must join the team correlating with the sex listed on their birth certificate.

Beggs, a trans male (biologically female, identifying as a male), began hormone therapy a few years ago. Testosterone is not a banned substance because it comes from a physician, so with the extra amount of testosterone in his system, Beggs was able to crush his opponents, ending the season 36-0.

Controversial opinions have surfaced throughout the process of figuring out how to place transgender individuals on sports teams.

Many people believe trans female (biologically male but identifies as a female) athletes have an unfair advantage over their opponents. On average, male-bodied people have more muscle mass in relation to their total body mass due to higher testosterone concentrations than female-bodied people.

However, this works both ways. Like Beggs, trans males who are going through hormone therapy and are not allowed to compete in the division they identify with also have an advantage over their competitors. This leaves regulations regarding transgender athletes in a dubious position.

Unlike Trinity High, CHS prides itself on the

inclusion of everyone in sports. That’s why when Nicky Taghert, a trans female and student-athlete at CHS, wanted to be included in girls’ soccer, Clayton offered her unconditional support.

“As a trans athlete, there’s people I’ve played that have been better than me, have been worse than me. It’s just a team sport,” said Taghert. “It’s hard to make claims that there’s a competitive advantage given how many other factors there are, like how much you train, your diet, your sleep habits, how hard you train and the type of effort you put in off the field. So there’s so many other things besides your assigned sex that contribute to your athletic ability.”

Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) states a trans male must undergo treatments with testosterone for a gender transition in order to compete on a boys team; however, these athletes are no longer eligible to play on a girls’ team. It also says a trans female student-athlete must be treated with a testosterone suppression medication for gender transition for a full calendar year in order to compete on a girls team.

Taghert abided by MSHSAA policy regarding her playing on the girls’ soccer team at CHS. Taghert had to obtain four confirmation letters as a confirmation from mental health experts and other medical personnel saying that she adhered to their policy. The letters confirmed that she endured a few blood tests to measure the estrogen and testosterone levels and at least one year worth of hormone therapy prior to playing.

Another concern often brought up discussions regarding team placements is the locker room situation. Generally, transgender students at CHS avoid using the locker rooms and often

change in the bathrooms or cars before practice.

MSHSAA policies are similar to Olympic policies as well. Previously, the Olympic policy required transgender athletes to undergo sex reassignment surgery, but in 2013, the policy was changed. Currently, the Olympic policy says that hormone therapy must be done for a year for athletes to compete with the gender they identify with. Looking into 2020, certain regulations regarding the amount of testosterone a trans male can be given may be changed.

Hormone therapy, according to Taghert, is a long process. Transgender hormone therapy, also known as cross-sex hormone therapy, is the process of replacing sex hormones with the sex hormones the individual wishes to identify as.

This allows the person to align the sex characteristics of the sex of the individual as their gender identity.

“Getting aproved to play was a long process, it feels daunting, feels intimidating,” Taghert said.

“But, hopefully, since I went through it and it worked out for me, it can be used as a precedent so that trans athletes wanting to play aren’t as intimidated by the process and stigma behind it.”

Taghert has been allowed to play on the girls’ soccer team and is the first trans female in Missouri to play on the sports team she identifies with. With hopes of being an inspiration and continuing soccer into college, she is happy that all of the hard work of the school and her family has paid off.

Taghert is the first step in making CHS truly inclusive. Clayton’s no-cut policy allows everyone to play on a sports team, regardless of their ability. That everyone includes Nicky and any other transgender student-athlete.

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