E-Sports

The competitive nature of E-Sports is encouraging more and more involvment across the nation.

Should Clayton have an esports team? In 2018 the National Federation of State High School Associations classified esports as an official sport. Since then, over 8,600 high schools nationwide have started teams. So why not Clayton High School?

Video games have become increasingly popular with today’s technology, especially among high schoolers. According to Pew Research Center, 72% of teens report playing videos. Having a Clayton esports team will create a place where these students can come together and build a community apart from just sitting behind the screen. To many students gaming is considered pretty isolating, although players talk to each other through headsets, they are alone for hours at a time. Organizing a team where students can meet in person creates stronger social bonds not only within existing friendships but also allows students to meet people with similar interests.

Additionally, many of these students may not already be in an extracurricular activity. Adding esports will create a wider range of school activities, allowing more students to participate and feel connected to Clayton High School.

Just like any other sport Clayton E-athletes attend a gaming convention (Photo from Wikimedia Commons).

currently has, esports teaches their players valuable skills. Having esports as a team sport turns a somewhat isolated activity into a place where students can grow socially. Teamwork, collaboration, and compromise are all skills students will develop. As teammates would have to work together in high pressure competitions it becomes critical for these students to obtain those skills and think quickly and strategically.

Team sports often create deep connections and bonds within teammates. As a group of teens go through success and failure such as winning and losing competitions handling these emotions together helps the students become more resilient. Dealing with the emotions that come from competition can be hard, however, having an esports team will create an environment for thesis students to do so.

High schools are not the only institutions who have started implementing esports as an extracurricular activity. According to College Gazette, there are 175 colleges in the U.S. that have an esport team recognized by the National Association of Collegiate esports. However, in addition to these colleges have esports teams a lot of them give out scholarships for these teams. Having an esports team at Clayton High School would potentially help students turn their interest into a way to help fund and further their education.

Apart from esports teams, students are often inspired to pursue education and careers in STEM as the two go hand in hand. Currently, the national government has placed an emphasis on getting American students interested in STEM related fields and implementing esports in schools would be an excellent way to support it. STEM learning integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics which provide the foundation of esports.

Having more Clayton students going into STEM will not only be more beneficial to our schools and education but also for the students themselves. Over 100 jobs are STEM related and among these, 93 have wages above the national average according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. When students take part in esports they grow a passion for STEM, which will help lead to success further on in life.

Esports gives students the ability to grow and succeed in life while having fun and pursuing a passion. Clayton should give their students these opportunities as well so all students can thrive.

HANNAH TEAGAN REPORTER

Wrapping Up First Semester

Some of the new teachers at Clayton tell us about their new chapter so far in their teaching career.

Page editor Kirby Miller checked in with three of the new teachers at Clayton to see how the semester went . From left to right, art teacher Kamille Chavarin, band teacher Sophie Browning, and English teacher Melissa Goodlett.

This school year had a very interesting beginning so far. It was sad to see former superintendent, Sean Doherty, retire from Clayton and take a gap year to begin a new chapter. But it doesn’t mean that this school year wasn’t interesting. Thirty total new faculty joined the district; including new superintendent Nisha Patel, and twenty-nine other new staff for all six schools. Now that the holidays have arrived, it’s the best time to ask them about what they’ve witnessed so far in Clayton.

Several new teachers had a different view in a good way of coming to Clayton. “I love all the teachers and all the students are super awesome,” said Sophie Browning, assistant director in the Clayton bands. She has observed the qualities of students and teachers in the school, where these qualities are better than many others. Kamille Chavarin, who is one of the two new art teachers, feels “very lucky to have found a school and a team that feels like such a good fit for me. My students are so fun to spend the day with and they are pushing themselves to create incredible and beautiful work.”

“The high schools where I taught in the past were much larger, with 2000-2500 students,” said Chavarin, “so I really like the smaller size of Clayton. It feels like much more of a community.”

As a comparison, new teachers have noted certain differences in student-faculty ratios and management. “At my previous school I was responsible for 150 students; while at Clayton, I have 58. That’s pretty nice,” said Melissa Goodlett, new to the CHS English department. Relationships and connections are also something interesting that new teachers observed here in Clayton. “At my old school, I didn’t really get to talk to many people outside of the music area,” said Browning, “and then now I get to talk to a bunch of other people.”

When Chavarin was in her previous school, she felt alone because of where her classroom was located which caused lack of teacher relationships. “My last classroom was on the opposite end of a very large building from any other Art teachers, so I went days without seeing any of them.”

Hearing and learning about other experiences in Clayton causes many teachers to want to join too after inspiration. One reason for this is about acquaintances.

“I knew Mrs. Overman before coming here . . . and I knew Ms. Shenberger as well,” Browning notes, “so I got to hear about their experiences. And when I saw the position open, I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to join them,’ so then I applied.” Another reason that new teachers joined was the ability to be familiar with the location itself.

“I grew up in Saint Louis so I’ve always been familiar with the district,” Chavarin says, “I attended Lutheran North, which was a small high school, so I always saw myself eventually teaching at a smaller school.”

Third, the benefits of the school while not already in it were an influence. Roughly six years ago, Goodlett attended the National Black Educators Conference in Louisiana. While there, she “attended a booth hosted by Clayton High School of Missouri,” she pointed out. “After spending almost 45 minutes of speaking to the HR officials about the benefits of working at Clayton, I was sold!” “Starting this semester was a bit of a whirlwind, getting used to a new school and organizing a new space,” Chavarin emphasized.

“Now, I feel much more comfortable and have the classroom figured out so it will be nice to have a fresh start.”

The pandemic also played a role in new experiences.

“There’s no secret to returning back to school in-person, fulltime, and not even post-Covid is a bit overwhelming for admin, students, and teachers,” said Goodlett. “Now, I’m adjusting so much better. I anticipate continuing to deepen my relationships with my colleagues and students. I’d also love to bring my ideas and experiences to Clayton because I’m quite proud of the road I’ve traveled,” she continued. “However, I figured I’d better focus on one plate before I enjoy the buffet.”

KIRBY MILLER, PAGE EDITOR

Staff Ed: Missing School at Clayton

As a district, Clayton should re-evaluate the policies of missing classes for illness and keeping classrooms safe.

The front entry of the Clayton High School campus. Students struggle wth missing classes, even through the pandemic.

This year, thousands of students returned to school for the first time in a year and a half. Although anticipated by some, this return to school in the midst of a pandemic brought perils that a usual school year wouldn’t. Even before the pandemic, the rigorous academic curriculum at Clayton made missing school something some students avoided at all costs. As a district, it has become necessary to re-evaluate the culture surrounding missing classes for illness to ensure safety in classrooms.

“Freshman year I would never stay home sick unless I physically couldn’t get out of bed,” says CHS junior Lily Kleinhenz. “This year, I’ve missed three days of school already this semester.”

Many students share a similar experience to Kleinhenz, and there has been a definite shift on what counts as ‘sick enough’ to miss school. Missing school can easily snowball into an avalanche of incomplete assignments and dropping grades.

Pre-pandemic, Clayton students like Kleinhenz would routinely show up to school not feeling well to avoid the academic consequences. During COVID, all these consequences still exist, but students and staff now have to be

aware of not endangering others by showing up sick. It is very anxiety-inducing for both students and teachers to have this kind of trust in everyone in the building, especially for those that are high-risk or have high risk family members.

However stressful for students, the process for a teacher to call in sick is even more involved.

“The first thing that has to happen obviously, is that we have to make sub plans. So whatever that looks like, it’s usually pretty work intensive,” says CHS teacher Amy Doyle. “Having a good supply of subs really does make a difference in terms of allowing people to feel like they can have the flexibility to call in sick, but all districts are dealing with a sub shortage.” In the midst of the pandemic, teacher and staff morale has been at an all time low. Substitute teachers are worried about coming into class, especially since many are older, and teachers and students alike are grappling with the new standards that require a sick day.

There are primarily two schools of thought for CHS teachers regarding the leniency students should be granted this year, as well as, some would argue, two groups of students. The first of which is the students that need a

break. These students are working their very hardest in the thick of a pandemic that changed their way of life. This has taken a huge emotional toll on everyone in different ways, and the teachers are sympathetic to this group of students and understand that.

The secondary group of students is those who take full advantage of any leniency they are given, even when it is not necessary. The teachers who respond to these students are far less understanding about students struggling, viewing it as a matter of laziness. Wanting to not be taken advantage of is completely understandable, but there needs to be a balance between cutting students some slack and letting them coast through the year.

“We need to make sure that what we’re doing is still maintaining high expectations, but also affording people the grace to be able to be sick,” says Doyle. Although these two groups are not as black and white as some may think, finding a balance between these two ideologies is necessary for student and teacher mental health.

Doyle, Kleinhenz, and many others emphasize the importance of open lines of communication between teachers and students, especially now, to ensure an enjoyable and effective school year. AVIE MALLON, REPORTER

STAFF ED 47

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