Globe Newsmagazine, May 2022, Issue 8, Vol. 93

THE DEATH OF GLOBE

Essays from the Clayton community examine the increasingly polarized nature of discourse.

VOLUME 94. ISSUE 8.

CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL. CLAYTON, MO. MAY 2022.

Contents

NEWS Shaw Park Playground

8

OPINION The Lessons of Black Girls

10

PUZZLE 12 FEATURES

Retiring Teachers Post Office Fraud Senior Colleges Finding the Foundry

13 20 22 24

ON THE COVER The Death of Nuance

26

REVIEW Fast vs. Fancy

44

SPORTS Amazing AnMei Powerful Paige

MAY 2022 VOLUME 94, ISSUE 8

46 47

G EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Ella Cuneo Shane LaGesse Ivy Reed CHIEF DIGITAL EDITOR

Kaitlyn Tran SENIOR MANAGING EDITORS

Owen Auston-Babcock Vivian Chen Seraphina Corbo Kate Freedman Alexandra Hagemeister Kaia Mills-Lee Ana Mitreva FEATURE SECTION EDITORS

Emma Baum Daphne Kraushaar NEWS SECTION EDITORS

Dheera Rathikindi Alex Slen REVIEW SECTION EDITORS

Rachel Chung Moriah Lotsoff

Senior James Lay cradles the ball down the field at the April 5 Clayton-O’Fallon game.

Clayton lost to O’Fallon 8-6.

PHOTO BY AVA MARSDEN

SPORTS SECTION EDITOR

Alex Cohen OPINION SECTION EDITOR

Enoch Lai Sophie Yoshino

Isaac Millians Naveed Naemi Iris Park Sophie Srenco Sofia Mutis COPY EDITOR

Ruby Nadin ART EDITOR

Sonali Dayal STAFF REPORTERS

Stella Bishop Alison Booth Samantha Braidwood Zoe Daniels-Sankey JiaLi Deck Kenneth Gould Norah Gross Riley Kerley Charlotte Meyers Caitlin Kuhlmann Micah Lotsoff Sidra Major Sam McDonough Omeed Naemi Poppy Orchard Caleb Park Ezri Perrin Spencer Pompian Abby Rosenfeld Ivy Slen Samuel Smith Samuel Sun Leo Taghert Charlie Thompson Kipp Vitsky Chloe Wolfe Santi Vaqueiro-Espinosa

PRO/CON SECTION EDITOR

Sasha Keller

PHOTO EDITOR

Lily Kleinhenz

PUZZLE MASTER

Thomas Gustafson STORY IDEAS SECTION EDITOR

Max Hagemeister PAGE EDITORS

Isabella Bamnolker Chloe Creighton Izzy Erdmann Maya Goldwasser Sahi Gokaraju Isra Kayani Sophia Lu Charlie Miller Kirby Miller

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Angela Wirthin Ava Marsden Esther Wang Gabrielle Thomas Kendall Turner Maci Klaus Maya Richter Sofia Klein Owen Wohl Paige Conrad Sophie Matiszik FACULTY ADVISER

Erin Sucher-O’Grady

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 $2,000 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 level sponsors ($2,000+ level) Gail Workman Clayton Education Foundation Dr. and Mrs. Barry Berlin

Golden Greyhound sponsors ($200+ level) St. Louis Suit Company All In Clayton Coalition Dave Stine Woodworking Carlie Chiou Mark Hagemeister Naomi Erdmann David Auston Deck Commerce

Dayal Family The Jewish Federation of St. Louis The Sucher Family The Bassnet Family The Baum Family The Gross Family The Cuneo Family The Berlins

Gregory Booth The Baer Family The Lotsoff Family The Slen Family Jason Braidwood Melissa Baum Lan Yang The Cohen Family

World Traveler sponsors ($100+ level) The LaGesse Stanton Family Bob and Betsy Cuneo Peter and Sheila Nadin The Chung Family Gita Krisnaswamy Angela and Troy Quinn The Erlin Family The Family of Lary Baker Kay Quinn Malone Marica and Josip Kos The Slen Family Lan Yang Enoch Lai Bill Moore

The Bassnett Family Laura Pierson Alicia Espe Allison Creighton Bill Dupor Jennifer Baer Michael Reed and Julie Layton Marci Boland The Cuneo Family Jill Moran Emily Rosenfeld Jo Flannery Linda Pieczynski Pat Clenderny

Abby Rosenfeld The Major Family Stephanie Gross The Chung Family Selina Yah Marie McLaughlin Susan Goldwasser Andrew Millians The Mills-Lee Family Kyra Moore The Cohen Family The Slen Family

From the editors

Seniors Owen Auston-Babcock, Ella Cuneo and Shane LaGesse reflect on their time on the Globe.

I

PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ

T

he last four years of our high school experience have been anything but traditional. Between transitioning from watching Tiger King and baking everything imaginable, to trying to focus on Zoom screens, to finally walking the halls, our senior class experienced the full swing of schedules.

For me, the only consistent thing was the Globe. Every month, I knew I had to develop three story ideas. I had to conduct research. I had to put out an article I felt proud of.

During my sophomore year, I spoke with a mother who lost her 13-year-old son in a shooting just two weeks prior to our conversation. I went with an older Globe editor and we sat at her table and talked about the impact her son left on their family and how much she missed him. Through the whole conversation, the idea that nothing is permanent kept revolving in my mind.

Now, as I finish my last few weeks at CHS, I feel lucky that I gained an understanding of how important the happy moments in our lives are, and how to for advocate the movements I care about. The stories I worked on for the Globe encouraged me to appreciate the present and take every opportunity.

Thank you to everyone on the Globe who grew with me over our time on the staff. Thank you for being a consistent part of my life, for challenging me and for helping me find new opportunities.

ELLA CUNEO EDITOR IN CHIEF

I

n reflection on my high school career, it’s easy to look to the gaping hole of pandemic-wrought uncertainty in my academic timeline for an example of a formative experience, an event by which I can mark my high school days. But really, that era of unpredictability just taught me that change is only as constant as a deadline.

For the past four years, I’ve been a part of the Globe. I’ve watched the staff change, the fonts modified, the templates redone and immediately switched back again after. I learned how to interview, how to transcribe and draft up a story, and how to completely rewrite the whole thing the night before print. My experience with the Globe has been nothing but change, the staff and myself growing or evolving.

But when everything did change, rapidly and unpredictably, the Globe remained constant.

There was a full staff always working to get the next issue out during the pandemic, meaning the full staff had a reason to stay connected, and to continue contributing to the issue.

In times of both normalcy and unpredictability, the Globe — and its constituent reporters and editors — have been there to keep me connected and improving. It’s an experience for which I’ll always be thankful, and an opportunity which I hope continues to educate and grow far into the future. So thank you, Globies, past and present. It’s been real.

SHANE LAGESSE EDITOR IN CHIEF

n April, the district posted a new position on its hiring website: Learning Support Interventionist. In December, I wrote a 3,000-word piece about the staff of the CHS Learning Center, who have worked for pay below what MIT’s living wage calculator — the most reliable calculation of this metric — says is a sufficient income to meet the costs of living in St. Louis County: roughly $35,300. The new Interventionist position is a direct result of the work I documented in December, tireless efforts by the Learning Center and its director, Carroll Lehnhoff-Bell, to raise the staff ’s pay. The Learning Center staff ’s current title is Learning Center Intern.

According to the job posting, which was posted externally, Interventionists would earn $21.27 an hour, which seems as though it would be above a living wage — if they were working full-time all year. However, the position is only paid during a 188-day work calendar, and given the 7-and-a-half-hour work day, they would only be paid $29,991 annually, $5,342 short of a living wage.

In December, Tony Arnold, the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources, called the concept of a living wage “subjective” because it varies by region and the size of the household. The number I’ve been referring to as the living wage for St. Louis County (the city proper has the exact same number) is for a single-person household without any children.

When the number of adults and children in a household increases, the household’s living wage increases.

Ultimately, it’s a pattern of excuses — that the interns are earning a livable wage for 188 days; that they could work a summer job; that their pay matches those of similar job titles in similar districts — made by the Clayton School District; a disingenuous effort that keeps valuable members of its staff (who have worked for the district an average of 9 years) below a living wage.

It was Globe that helped me realize the importance of journalism to our democracy. It’s the small interactions with our government, such as those I’ve covered, that are the most obvious examples of how democracy manifests itself. These are the situations that affect us as citizens most directly, further underlining the important work that this staff, who I have been fortunate enough to work with, does. We are not high schoolers pretending to be journalists. We are high schoolers and we are journalists, and that is incredibly valuable.

OWEN AUSTON-BABCOCK SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

6 PHOTO GALLERY

THE LIGHTNING THIEF Photo gallery from Clayton High School’s Student-Run Musical, The Lightning Thief.

LILY KLEINHENZ PHOTO EDITOR

WILLA STINE AS ANNABETH (ABOVE) The musical featured a live, on-stage orchestra, directed by Jonah Feinstein and Allyson Ord.

G

7

PHOTO GALLERY

The musical follows the story of Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon.

Percy discovers that he has special powers he cannot control. With monsters on his trail, he is on an epic quest to find Zeus’s lighting bolt and prevent a war between the gods.

ANGELA CHEN AS MR. D AND ARES (LEFT)

WILDER MAY AS PERCY (LEFT) AND SARAH VALLO AS SALLY (RIGHT) Clayton’s Student-Run Musical, The Lightning Thief, premired in Clayton’s black box theatre on April 21st. The cast put on four shows through April 23, all of which were sold out.

8

NEWS

Places to

Play

Tucked away at the park’s edges, Shaw Park’s two brand new playgrounds are beautiful additions to the community that will be enjoyed by all for years to come.

ALISON BOOTH | REPORTER

P

laygrounds are an essential part of childhood, and Shaw Park has two new ones. Approved about a year ago, the new spaces are receiving lots of use from the community.

These new spaces replaced old equipment.

The smaller space, tucked behind the concession stand near Adzick Field, contains three elements. First, there are two circular rope swings.

Behind the swings stands the main element, a rope climbing structure fitted with a metal slide and turf mound to climb. Additionally, there is a spinning rope pyramid. The entire space sits atop a mulch bed.

CHS teacher, Chad Harmon, was at the smaller park with his son. Harmon enjoyed the privacy of the park. He said, “[The park is] kind of off the beaten path. Unless you are over here doing something you wouldn’t know it’s here.”

The spot is also close to the elementary school-age soccer fields, so it is a great place to take a break between games. Additionally, the space is close enough to the fields that older siblings can take a break from the game and still be seen by parents.

Harmon’s son, Adam, recommends most of the park, pointing out the turf hill and commenting on the speed of the slide. Additionally, he enjoys the rope swings.

The larger playground had a clear vision.

The renovation had a focus on attracting older children to play. The space predominantly features spaces to climb. Near the South Shelter, the spot boasts more rope climbing elements.

The main structure is a tower that children can climb to reach a slide. Additionally, there are swings, a seesaw and a metal drum set. The space is busier as it is larger and more central, but there is still plenty of space for everyone to spread out.

The rope features allow easy visibility. Jiera, who took her kids to the playground after a softball game said, “It is spacious…Nothing is hidden so you can see where your kids are.”

Parents also enjoy the turf as it is softer than the previous mulch. The space will also keep a variety of ages busy.

Jenny Wand, a CHS teacher, also took her kids to the playground after a softball game.

Wand said, “I actually really like the unique play structures that they have. Because I have a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and one and a 1-andhalf-year-old, and they all seem to be pretty

Children play in the new Shaw Park playground near the South Shelter.

PHOTO BY ALISON BOOTH

“You get to climb up that [tower], and then you can slide down.

[Also,] It’s really blue. That’s my favorite color.”

- Molly Wand, age 6

occupied.”

The kids love the space. Four-year-old Benjamin Wand recommends the tower as the climbing and sliding were a great combination.

His sister, 6-year-old Molly Wand, a Captain student enjoyed the same structure. She said, “You get to climb up that [tower], and then you can slide down. [Also,] It’s really blue. That’s my favorite color.”

Some kids did comment that they miss the old sandbox and excavator set, but overall, kids are excited to climb and explore this new space.

The group that designed and built the space, AB Creative, involves seven elements in their spaces to maximize the number of ages that can enjoy the space.

Although the Clayton spaces focus on climbing, the other elements of sliding, spinning, sensory, balancing, and swinging are present in the musical instruments, swings, seesaw and monkey bars.

For families looking for a smaller space than Tree Top Playground to spend time, the new spaces are wonderful.

The spots are also both great for playing after a soccer or softball game.

ALWAYS A GREYHOUND: AMY FEDER Class of

1997

Clayton Alumni accomplish interesting and incredible things in every industry, all across the country and even around the world! Each month, we’ll profile a different Greyhound graduate. If you know a Clayton Alum who should be recognized, we want to tell their story!

Contact us at globe@claytonschools.net.

Class of 1997 CHS alumna Rabbi Amy Feder.

“I

was just looking for something that I could do that could bring together all the things that I love,” said Rabbi Amy Feder.

“I knew I wanted to sing, I knew I wanted to write and I wanted to be a counselor, I love public speaking.”

Becoming a rabbi wasn’t something Feder imagined during her time at Clayton School.

She focused on her involvement in the theatre program, participating in musicals and pursuing singing. But when she graduated in 1997, she decided to opt out of music school and head to the University of Michigan.

“I ended up sort of creating my own major there, that was music and Judaic studies,” she said.

A month after graduating from Michigan, she decided to move to Jerusalem to start rabbinical school.

“Some faith backgrounds, people have a calling, like God calls them. God did not talk to me,” laughed Feder. “I did not have a calling,

Jews don’t really do that. It just kind of felt like the right job for all the things I love to do.”

After spending a year in Israel, she returned to the states to finish rabbinical school in New York. After her rabbinical ordination at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, she moved back to St. Louis in 2006. Her first job was as an assistant rabbi at the reform synagogue Temple Israel. Her husband, who she married in her last year of rabbinical school, was offered a job at another synagogue, Central Reform Congregation.

Now serving as Senior Rabbi at Temple Israel, Feder can be found on Friday nights leading the congregation in prayer and song as a trained vocalist.

“My husband and I work together, so one of us gives the sermon, but I usually do all the singing,” she said. On Saturday mornings, they lead services or attend bar or bat mitzvahs.

Sundays are reserved for Hebrew school and Sunday school, which Feder also teaches.

“And then I do a ton of lifecycle events, so

weddings and baby namings and funerals, but all those of course are totally random as to when they happen,” added Feder, who has a busy schedule as the president of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association as well as a mother of two.

“When I became a senior, I had a two year old, [...] but the congregation was super supportive, and they really liked the idea that this young family was taking over and that we felt like family to them,” said Feder, who is the youngest woman to lead a reformed congregation as a senior rabbi. “So it didn’t really feel like I was breaking any sort of big barrier.”

She pointed out that rabbis have been strictly male for most of Jewish history, so she has often been met with surprise when she walks into a room in a rabbi capacity.

Feder said, “I feel like that happens more than discrimination, it’s more that people don’t really expect me, and, and because of that I’m able to maybe approach things in a different way.”

Always a Greyhound Alumni Profiles are sponsored by the Clayton Education Foundation: Funding classroom innovations, providing educational opportunities and promoting lifelong connections for alumni. www.ClaytonEducationFoundation.org

10

OPINION

The Lessons of

Black Girls

Reporter Zoe Daniels-Sankey offers her perspective on the dynamics of Black students in honors classes.

Zoe Daniels-Sankey | Reporter

I

haven’t always attended schools within the Clayton School District. Before I moved here, I lived in Chicago, where my classmates always looked like me. It wasn’t until I attended a Clayton school that I noticed a big difference.

Upon arrival, I quickly noticed the small number of black people in my classes. However, this realization wasn’t shocking. I knew this school was predominantly white, so I unconsciously knew there had to be some attempt at putting the black kids together to make them feel comfortable. However, what I did not know was that despite the efforts made, the school actually does the exact opposite.

If you’ve seen me, you know that I am a very pale person. My dad says it’s because I don’t go outside enough, but I’d disagree. Me being pale has nothing to do with not enjoying the socalled great outdoors. Due to the fact that I am so pale, it’s often mistaken that I am a white girl.

With that, my experience has not been the same as my darker skinned friends.

I am typically the only black person in my honors classes. The expected questions like, “Oh, you take this honors class?” or “Why do you take that class?” are always a fan favorite.

However, because I am so pale I’m not asked

“I feel like I have t0 prove to everyone that black people can be in honors classes too.”

- Kailyn Rhimes

those questions as often as my darker skinned friends, so my position in that class isn’t questioned as often.

In my opinion, it feels like the reason no one is threatened is because my skin complexion is so light. Since my skin is not as dark as my other friends, it makes me able to fit into both worlds: one where I’m not questioned to be in a higher level class and another where my abilities are always watched.

Thinking about it now, this scenario touches on the topic of colorism. Colorism is discrimination based on one’s skin tones. Contrary to popular belief, colorism not only affects darker skinned people, but lighter skinned people as well.

For example, there have been multiple times where I’ve been told that I act too white because of the advanced way I talk or the way I wear my hair. On the other hand, I get told I act too black because of the other friends I have. My pale skin tone makes me an easy target for those who have their own insecurities, and for those who feel the need to make fun of my skin.

For me, this feeling of not fitting in also plays into how I act at school. Whether I decide to go out to eat with my white friends or stay at school with my black friends, these problems follow me

s

of

11

around to my classrooms.

When I talk to my black friends about what classes they are in, a lot of them say they take regular classes. But for the ones who do take honors classes, they all say the same thing: it’s uncomfortable.

“It is intimidating to take honors classes and there not be someone who looks like you in them,” said Kailyn Rhimes, sophomore vice president at CHS. “I stayed in a class that I hated and stressed me out because I was the only black person in there. I didn’t want to let my other black people down. I feel like I have to prove to everyone that black people can be in honors classes too.”

Hearing her response was no shock to me.

To put it bluntly, her experience is the reason why black students don’t take honors courses.

It is often that I’ll hear from my black friends that they don’t take honors courses not because of the workload, but because they feel like they won’t be accepted amongst their peers.

There have even been instances when teachers try to put black kids in the same class so they won’t feel as alone, but in reality, this can sometimes make things worse. From personal experience, it can leave me thinking, “Okay, well why did you really put these two black kids in this class together?” This is problematic because the thought which lies in the back of my head are split: are they putting me in this class because they feel I can do it, or so they don’t have black students feeling lonely?

Similar to Rhimes, freshman Brooke Lytle shared her thoughts about the topic.

“When I was younger, I used to be intimidated or shocked, but as I’ve gotten older it’s normal to me which is kind of sad.”

Brooke’s perspective made me realize that even at a young age, students notice some people don’t look like them. For Lytle, this opened her eyes to the idea that she is only in control of her own actions, and is not responsible for how others view her.

To experience this is the unwanted birthright all black children are given upon entering this world.

Being the only black person in a class is not always bad. I’d say it definitely has its trying moments when you feel like you can’t do it, but the benefits to stay and persevere will always outweigh the doubts. Being different is what keeps the motivation alive.

Portrait of Zoe Dainels-Sankey.

PHOTO BY LEO TAGHERT

OPINION

PUZZLE BY THOMAS GUSTAFSON

NERD MATERIAL

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THOMAS GUSTAFSON, PUZZLES EDITOR PUZZLES 12

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DOWN Place to get bills at a bank Like many middle schoolers Stiff PewDiePie or Ninja Japanese dog breed Sn Finale Name for one of three longdistance cycling races (in 53-Down) Some minor theft Aquatic mammal with an elephant variety What “ice” might be Lube up Even score Director Kazan Jackson 5 song whose first words are “You went to school to learn” Fuzzy huggy feeling, maybe Nigerian activist and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Leader of the three stooges ___ King Cole Suffix meaning “kinda” Hawaiian guitar, for short Fresh Towel off Opposite of WNW Left, slangily Japanese activist and avantgarde pioneer Yoko

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To solve this puzzle, you need the wittiest of wits and smartest of smarts.

T.G. Use your 62-Across!

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10

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(EASY)

ACROSS Month known for its showers: abbr.

For a scandal, suffix with Water Certain navigation device Prefix meaning “three” (or what the first letter of 65-Across stands for) Similar What comes after “www” Great Lake *Synonym of 62-Across Roman “three” Old TV show about Californian attorneys Nepal’s neighbor Leafy green written on many parody college shirts *Synonym of 62-Across For a drink, suffix with Power ___ v. Wade Surprise *Synonym of 62-Across Cooked bread The “I” of M.I.T., for short Moist, as grass *Synonym of 62-Across Second-person present form of “be” Tear apart Game with stripes and solids Latin “six” Was in the loop Wandering spirit She sang “Hello” on “25” in 2015 Mistakes What this puzzle visually resembles, or what you probably have if you can solve it!

“Kind of ___” (Miles Davis album) Explosive in Minecraft

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Sch. of the Trojans Fastening tool Lil Wayne’s “___ Carter IV” Annoy ___ Colada Bovine utterance Cultural faker For a much longer marathon, prefix with marathon Near Certain continent: abbr.

Big sizes James whose eponymous telescope was almost renamed because of his complicity in homophobic government practices ___ Lanka Swaggerish rhythm “Sure, dude”

13 FEATURE

Retiring Teachers Mary Modzelewski Longtime CHS counselor talks with The Globe.

KAIA MILLS-LEE | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR KATE FREEDMAN | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

A

fter 11 years of assisting CHS seniors in their transition out of high school, Mary Modzelewski (aka Modz) is preparing to make her own transition to retirement.

Prior to coming to Clayton, Modz worked at several different schools and universities. She started as a high school teacher, and from there, worked close to family in St. Louis at Washington University. She traveled all across the country visiting high schools for Wash U’s School of Art and Architecture.

After spending time traveling with Wash U, Modz accompanied her husband to Albuquerque, New Mexico, working at St. John’s College in Santa Fe for nearly six years. From New Mexico, Modz ventured to Illinois to work at the Illinois Math and Science Academy, then went back to Wash U, and ultimately, she and her husband moved back to New Mexico.

However, when Modz’s husband passed, she moved back to St. Louis to be with family. “I’m grateful that I landed in a place that helped me heal during a really difficult time,” said Modz.

Working at Clayton proved to be a “very healing experience” for Modz. She said, “Clayton is a wonderful community. Everyone embraced me … I felt very welcomed and loved during this time. You know, it was healing through grief, and

“I’m grateful that I landed in a place that helped me heal during a really difficult time” - Ms. Modz

that’s how I happened to be here.”

In her time spent at CHS, Modz has enjoyed getting to know the students as she works with them from junior year to senior year. Especially only meeting students their junior year, Modz has limited time to get to know everyone.

“I come in not knowing anything about your history. So I get to know you through the interviewing process, and then from what you and your parents write about, by the end of your senior year, I feel like I really know people even though we just met,” she said.

Aside from building connections with students, working at CHS, specifically, has offered its own appeals in Modz’s career. “I love the student and parent body here,” Modz said. “I’ve always felt supported, and you know, there’s no cookie cutter mold of the answer to your solution about the future. So I love the complexity and I love the challenge, and with the support of students and parents, it’s a fun challenge.”

Even when visiting Clayton as part of the WashU staff, Modz noticed the competitive environment, and this competitiveness hasn’t decreased over time. However, one of Modz’s favorite parts of working at CHS has been the focus the school takes on student health and wellness.

“I just feel like wow, we’re really fortunate because we promote a place for listening and for inclusion, and so that, I think, is just the hallmark of who we are,” Modz said.

Having spent 11 years working as a college counselor at CHS, Modz has become a beloved member of the Clayton community, and although exiting CHS will be bittersweet for her, she is looking forward to everything retirement has to offer.

“I feel like I will embrace these next steps like anybody who’s making a change, and I don’t know what to expect, but I know that I’ll have more time to take care of myself,” said Modz.

Mary Modzelewski better known as Ms. Modz her students.

PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ PHOTO EDITOR

14

FEATURE

Beth Scott The much-loved Glenridge principal reflects on her tenure.

A bird in the mural painted

by Mrs. Scott

B

eth Scott, the principal of Glenridge, is retiring after 14 years, but something most people would not know about her was that she used to be an art teacher before she became the principal.

Scott has been an educator for around 40 years. She taught art in three different elementary schools until Scott’s father told her, “I know you like being an art teacher, but I think you do want to be a principal someday.”

Scott, throughout high school, was always the kid who ran for class office. When Scott was an art teacher at Clayton thought she would be a good fit for Glenridge, so when Scott went into the interview she was nervous but confident. No matter what happened she would be proud of herself. After her interview for the job she said, “That’s the one time in my life where I nailed it.”

Scott’s father had a big impact on her life, especially in pursuing her dreams. He was a big motivator for her throughout her life. Besides pushing her to be a principal, he also made sure to let them know she is able to do anything. “[He made] sure all of us were not just going to get married, but that we had a career.”

Scott believes strongly in the power of kindness. Her favorite motto: Choose Kind.

Kindness is one of the things many places seem to overlook. It may seem like a little gesture, but when everyone does it, it makes the world a better place.

Scott said, “We talk a lot about how it’s hard to be nice [...]

“My favorite thing is seeing the children every day.”

-Beth Scott

building skills around behavior and choosing kind is important especially for the younger years.”

Building up these skills at a young age is very beneficial because kindness is what makes the world function. Glenridge is unique for basing their rules off of this fundamental phrase.

“The smartest thing I’ve ever done was to crown 5th graders as the leaders of the school, because they take that job very seriously.” Scott values leadership very heavily saying,“The thing that I also loved about education was the leadership side of it.”

CLAYMO stands for “Care Lots About Yourself and Many Others,” another kindness motto. They meet often and the 5th graders are given an opportunity to help lead meetings and learn about responsibility. They gain skills on how to be a leader and get to learn more about responsibility and future preparations for later years. This shows how much pride Scott takes into the little things to make a kid’s school experience better and more unique. CLAYMO is Scott’s favorite memory of Glenridge.

After Scott retires she plans on traveling and spending time with all of her extended family.

Scott says that she also “hope(s) to pick up a paint brush.” Inspired by her art teacher roots, she painted the tree at Glenridge Elementary and the one at CHS is based on that tree. But Scott says, “Even if you don’t grow up to be an artist, if you like it, it can bring you lots of joy.”

Doing what makes you happy has been a common principle throughout Scott’s life, as she hopes future Glenridge students lead lives filled with kindness, leadership and dedication.

STELLA BISHOP & ABBY ROSENFELD REPORTERS

15 FEATURE

Julie Geissler Ms. Geissler first helped stroke survivors regain communication skills.

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ulie Geissler spent 18 years at Clayton as the Speech-Language pathologist. She worked three different jobs before deciding to go to graduate school after earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology, obtaining a degree in speech pathology.

“My bachelor’s degree was in Psychology, and when I was thinking about graduate school, the job market was really tough,” said Geissler. She had picked up an article about other future career options and read the information about being a speech-language pathologist.

“It offered a lot of autonomy, and was a blend of medicine and education that allowed me to work in several different settings and with different age groups,” Geissler continued. “I liked the idea of working with individuals and small groups on communication skills. I enjoyed studying brain anatomy and the development of higher-level thinking skills.”

When she first arrived at Clayton, Geissler was “struck by the professional collaboration and caring in the district.”

Outside of Geissler’s time working with students individually, she also worked with the Special School District department. Staff in the SSD help disabled students learn the best that they can. She also assisted in Study Skills classes to help other students with certain assignments, and led IEP (Individual Education Program) meetings where teachers collaborate on a plan for each student for the coming year.

“I feel very lucky to have had great support from coworkers and parents throughout the 18 years I’ve been here,” said Geissler. Part of working in the education field means caring for teachers and students, and it was a rewarding experience for Geissler to be a part of. She also feels

PHOTOS FROM JULIE GEISSLER blessed to have played a role in the maturation and performance of certain students.

“I have learned so much from my students about the importance of respecting an individual’s differences,” Geissler said. “The teen years are such a time of self-discovery and I am so happy to have been able to be part of their growth.”

Next school year won’t be the same without Julie Geissler and her wonderful ability to help with academic growth. Every student helped by her will not forget the help she gave them, and how impactful she was during their time at school.

“While I am really looking forward to some time to myself, I will miss the conversations and relationship-building that happen at the beginning of every new school year,” said Geissler.

KIRBY MILLER | PAGE EDITOR CHARLIE MILLER | PAGE EDITOR

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FEATURE

“I

m probably the only teacher who has been hired three times and retired two times at Clayton,” said Pieper.

Pieper was involved in journalism from an early age. Starting in high school, she was on the newspaper, the yearbook staff, and even participated in the radio program.

“I started taking some journalism classes and just really, really loved it. I loved the writing process and interviewing people… then I got into some marketing classes, which I thought were really, really cool” said Pieper.

Yearbooks can include a mix of images and words, and the design aspect of marketing hooked Pieper into the world of journalism.

“In the classes that we took, we were a lot of project-based things. I loved being able to experience it firsthand, I realized that’s what I wanted. Not to just be a theory, but to be a part of something that’s action,” said Pieper.

Pieper also worked as a creative consultant at Jostens Yearbook, (She worked for Jostens much later in her career) after graduating in 1982 from Truman State University. Then, Pieper taught English at Francis Howell, while advising the yearbook and newspaper team.

“At Francis Howell, we were one of the first schools to do yearbook on the computer… so Jostens hired me away from teaching at FHN and I started teaching all over St. Louis for the St. Louis Jostens rep as his computer consultant and creative consultant. I was teaching computer classes and teaching design on the computer, so I would go into schools and help them set up their labs and get them started and then to help train their kids,” said Pieper.

During the three years Pieper worked as a consultant, she worked with the adviser at Clayton High School, Chris Holmes, and they became friends. He was getting ready to leave CHS and suggested that she come to apply for his job at Clayton. The interview process was

“When you go back and look at the yearbooks, it’s going to mean something to you. It’s going to touch your heart” -Marci Pieper

Isabella talks with Marci Pieper, Clayton High School’s yearbook and photojournalism teacher, about her time at Clayton.

“About three weeks after I retired, Dr. Gutchewsky called me and said, the yearbook teacher has moved to another state, would you like to advise the yearbook again? I sat there and I thought about it for about two minutes.

I said, Absolutely. I think it’s the best job ever,” said Pieper. This was the third time the district hired her to work here.

One fond memory for Pieper isn’t exactly a thing or event, it’s the people she connects with.

“It’s always the kids. I’m still in touch with a lot of those kids from 1995. Facebook friends will once in a while, give me a call and say, ‘Let’s go have coffee or something.’ The relationships and the kids are amazing. Just watching people go on to do such incredible things. It’s that connection to people,” said Pieper.

Yearbooks serve as history books and personal creativity shines through Pieper’s advisory.

“The pictures are not just snapshots, but they tell stories. When you look at them, it’s not just about covering an even, but it’s about finding all the different stories at those events,” said Pieper.

“When you go back and look at the yearbooks, it’s going to mean something to you. It’s going to touch your heart,” said Pieper.

ISABELLA BAMNOLKER | PAGE EDITOR AVA MARDSEN | PHOTOGRAPHER

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FEATURE

Betsy Baer

Ms. Baer is retiring from her 17 years working at the high school.

EZRI PERRIN | PAGE EDITOR

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etsy Baer has recently announced her retirement from the Clayton High School Library. She has spent the last 17 years working in our library, and even longer working in our district.

Since she first became a member of our Clayton School District in 1999, she has been making students’ experiences– in school and in the library– better. This year, she has made the decision to retire, and begin the next stage of her life.

“It just seemed like the right time to retire,” she said. “My family lives out of town, and I would like to travel and enjoy time with them” Seventeen years is a long time, and Ms. Baer has accumulated many fond memories of her time at CHS. According to her, her favorite memory is her time working with Ms. DeRigne.

“We seem to know each others’ strengths,” she said. Other favorites included interactions with the students. “[Some of my favorite mem-ories are] the satisfaction that each student has after reading a book, or helping a student with research.”

Most of all, though, she says that it was “nice to feel a sense of belonging.” This is a feeling that we can only hope to replicate for each teacher and staff member that passes through our doors.

Ms. Baer is looking forward to the relaxation of retirement. She has stated that she is looking forward to the time to do things for herself, specifically time to visit family, travel and explore.

As for what she will be reading in retirement, or for those who would like one last book recommendation from Ms. Baer, she has stated that her favorite books among her latest reads are Circe and The Song of Achilles, both by Madeline Miller. “I enjoy her writing and interpretation of mythology,” she said of the author.

As we bid farewell to a longtime member of the CHS family, we vow to keep up our reading and researching habits in her absence. A happy and fulfilling retirement to you, Ms. Baer, from all of us at CHS.

PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ

18 FEATURE

Jennifer Sellenriek SAMANTHA BRAIDWOOD | Reporter PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ | PHOTO EDITOR

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his year marks Jennifer Sellenriek’s 28th year at Clayton. 2022 happens to be her year of retirement and final year of teaching English. Not only has she made a major impact on the students in the Clayton School District, but also the face of the Clayton literacy curriculum.

Sellenriek’s first teaching job was in 1993 and then moved to teach at Clayton in January of 1995. She hasn’t left Clayton since.

She first started teaching Learning Center and American Literature at the high school, and then the next year she moved to Wydown and taught Literacy there for 10 years.

Currently she teaches College Prep English I (9th grade English) and is the curriculum coordinator for the district.

“The curriculum coordinator oversees the curriculum in literacy in high school and reading and writing k-12 so mostly I’m just helping teachers figure out what to teach and how to teach it,” said Sellenriek on roles of being Curriculum coordinator.

Even though she is retiring after the end of this year, her hopes for the future of the Clayton literacy program are big.

“What I really wish is that we could have a more flexible curriculum in the sense that like we would have some standard books that we all teach but then maybe we would be like, ‘Oh wow this book is really important right now, lets teach it for the next couple of years and then find something new.’ This year we

This is a place that pushes you to be the best teacher you can be.”

- Jennifer Sellenriek

were actually looking for some new books that we could teach and I had a great time teaching a book that I had never taught and I think my class really liked it. I’m not sure if it’s a book that we would teach forever, but it’s something new. And I really like teaching book clubs, like right now my class is reading 4 books which is really great because they can pick what they want to read but they also can study it with a group,” said Sellenriek.

Throughout her 28 years of teaching at the district, pinpointing one favorite memory of hers is hard, but one of her favorites happened at the first poetry slam at Wydown. “[My] All time favorite memory was at Wydown many many years ago, when we had our first poetry slam. And we had no idea how it was gonna show up and how it was going to turn out. And on that day it was standing room only in the cafeteria, kids and parents came at 7 o’clock at night and it lasted a really really long time and there were so many kids that came to read their poems. But I just have really vivid memories of some very specific students standing up and reading poetry that they had written in my class for this huge crowd and that was pretty amazing,” said Sellenriek.

Even though this memory stands out, in her eyes it’s rare to come to teach at Clayton without walking away with a new good memory from that day.

“This is a place that pushes you to be the best teacher you can be,” says Sellenriek.

When asked about her biggest takeaway as a teacher, her response was nothing but heartwarming and hopeful.

“My biggest takeaway is that the kids are alright. It gives me a lot of hope, particularly right now, since we are coming off/still in the midst of a global pandemic and these students I’m working with are worried about big important ideas and how to solve them, and I think that’s pretty cool. Adults who don’t work with teenagers don’t get that about teenagers so I’ve been really lucky to always have that in my life.

You guys [the students] expect a lot in a really great way, you want to learn a lot, you want to do well so that keeps us on our toes as teachers, in a pretty rewarding way,” said Sellenriek.

It is clear that Jennifer Sellenriek had a huge impact on the Clayton community and all of the things that she did for the literacy program will never be forgotten.

FEATURE

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Chuck Collis

CHS AP Environmental Science teacher discusses his time at CHS.

SERAPHINA CORBO | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

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or many American teaching professionals who have spent their lives dedicated to sharing their knowledge and wisdom with young people, the prospect of retirement can seem a sobering and bittersweet reality.

Although the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic have certainly made teaching the last two years less than ideal, AP environmental science teacher Chuck Collis is laying down his gradebook with an optimistic view of the future.

A St. Louis native, Collis attended a Montessori preschool before spending the rest of his childhood and adolescence in the Lindbergh School District, where his love for biology was born. Always entertaining a wide-ranging array of interests that included literature and history, he was inspired by his high school track coach, who helped ignite in him a passion for science that would last for decades.

“In high school, a couple of things became really important to me, one of which was cross

country. I had a really dynamic coach named Thomas McCracken, who was also a biology teacher. When I got to my junior year, I took IB biology so that I could have him for a teacher.”

From a combination of natural interest and motivating mentorship, Collis declared biology his favorite subject, which he then went on to study at Truman State University. However, opportunities for future employment were not his foremost concern at the time.

“I had no idea how I was going to apply what I had been educated in, because I was really going through the motions. I knew I needed to get an education; I knew that I liked biology, and I never spent much time thinking about how I would want to use it as a working adult.”

After considering that he could put his knowledge and skills towards a teaching career, Collis enrolled at Illinois State University, where over the course of three semesters he earned a second bachelor’s degree in science education.

He later pursued a master’s degree in instructional technology and telecommunications.

Before coming to Clayton High School, Collis worked at Erie High School in the Quad City area of northwestern Illinois. After having his first child, he and his wife decided to move back to their hometown of St. Louis. In 1998, he was interviewed for a position at CHS by his previous track coach, Thomas McCracken, who had transferred from Lindbergh to Clayton to become the chair of the science department.

Throughout his 24 years of teaching at CHS, Collis has taught a wide variety of classes, including freshman physics, chemistry, biology, AP environmental science and evolution. Following in the footsteps of his inspirational mentor, he acted as the chair of the science department for eight years before becoming the school district coordinator for the science curriculum.

For Collis, the most rewarding and valuable part of his career has never centered around a particular class or group of students, but rather the ability to teach independently and collaborate with talented colleagues. However, the opportunity to conduct field research at Grand Teton National Park with students during the

“Science lives at the intersection of ignorance and knowledge. There is all this unknown, and we try to push those limits.”

-Chuck Collis summer will always recall fond memories.

“Being afforded the opportunity to travel with small groups of students to do field research has been really important to me for a long time, and it would have been harder to make that happen at other places.”

While 2022 may mark the end of a fruitful career as an educator for Collis, he hopes to continue challenging himself intellectually through scientific pursuits in retirement. A scientist never truly retires, for the search of truth and the willingness to push beyond the limits of human knowledge is a passion that lasts a lifetime.

“Science lives at the intersection of ignorance and knowledge. There is all this unknown, and we try to push those limits.”

MAIL FRAUD SWEEPS CLAYTON

PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHENZ

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FEATURE

The Globe investigates recent mail and identity theft reported by Clayton residents.

IVY REED | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ALEX SLEN | NEWS SECTION EDITOR OWEN AUSTON-BABCOCK | SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR

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layton Police Department received the first report at the end of January. Five weeks later, around 40 more individuals and businesses had reported incidents of mail fraud.

“Since the beginning of the year, we have had a number of reports of residents or business associates in our area mailing checks and later finding out that they had been intercepted somewhere and altered,” said Jenny Schwartz, the Community Services Corporal and Public Information Officer with the Clayton Police Department.

The increasing number of checks stolen from USPS drop boxes is not limited to Clayton, and reports have been filed in other St. Louis County municipalities including Brentwood and University City.

The Globe spoke to one Clayton resident who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of information she shared.

Around two months ago, she received a letter from her homeowners insurance company informing her that her regular payment had not gone through. She learned that a check from her had been cleared to a name she didn’t recognize.

The resident, who uses Bank of America, closed her account and checked for any other fraudu-lent payments, finding an illegal wire transfer accepted using her routing and account number. She filed a report with the Clayton Police Department, who passed it onto the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. She expressed frustration concerning her interactions with the police. “Victims are the last to know,” said the resident, who was defrauded $20,000 in total and has not yet gotten the money back. “Victims are tangential,” she said.

Another anonymous Clayton resident, a customer of Commerce Bank, was defrauded $5000. He uses a small checking account, sepa-rate from his main account, to send two checks a month for his son’s rent.

One of those two checks was intercepted and likely photocopied to produce two more copies. The resident has a friend who works for his bank, so he was able to get fast tracked on the forensics process.

Since these cases involve mail fraud, Clayton Police Department has acted as the initial party when reports are filed and then passed on the investigations to the Postal Inspection Service. However, not everyone files a police report.

“Who knows how many more people are out there that this has happened to and they’ve just handled it through their financial institution and haven’t reported it to us as well?”

Cpl. Jenny Schwartz Clayton Police Department

“Who knows how many more people are out there that this has happened to and they’ve just handled it through their financial institution and haven’t reported it to us as well?” said Cpl. Schwartz.

It’s unclear how these checks are being intercepted. One possibility is that the keys to USPS drop boxes are being stolen or bought from mail carriers.

CPD’s weekly incident report from March 21-27 detailed an incident that may support this explanation for the stolen checks. A CPD officer was st opped by a ma il ca rrier wh o re ported that on Tuesday of that week, a red Camaro approached him and the passenger asked to purchase his postal keys. The mail carrier mentioned that one of his coworkers had a similar experience, and the police tracked this second carrier down. She explained that she was stopped at a red light when the passenger of a red Dodge Charger asked to purchase her keys.

“A potential suspect has been identified & officers continue to investigate,” said the CPD in their incident report.

That same week, officers obs erved a subject outside the Clayton post office facing the access doors of the mailboxes. When the officers entered the parking lot, the subject got into their car and sped away.

Another possibility is that these checks are being stolen using plastic bags inside the drop boxes that collect mail as it is deposited. However, the second resident interviewed reported hearing his check hit the bottom of the box when he mailed it.

As CPD and the Postal Inspection Service continue to investigate what’s behind these stolen checks, they’re warning the Clayton community to be extra cautious.

“The postal inspectors are cautioning residents that if they have outgoing mail, they should consider taking it directly to the post office and handing it off to a clerk rather than putting it in a standalone mailbox,” said Cpl. Schwartz.

Although checks are becoming less widely used in the digital financial s ystem, e ven o ne intercepted check can mean a major financial loss of tens of thousands of dollars. Until the investigation is successful, CPD will likely continue to process more reports of fraud by increasingly frustrated Clayton residents.

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FEATURE

GLOBE 2022 G

The Globe’s seniors reflect on their favorite memories and what The Globe has meant to them.

Daphne Kraushaar | Feature Section Editor Loyola University Chicago | Elemetary Education “Playing sardines in the school during team bonding and hiding in a non-airconditioned stairwell” Ella Cuneo | Editor-In-Chief University of Washington | Psychology “Globe trips, camp Globe, and working late at editor’s dinners”

Vivian Chen | Senior Managing Editor University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Computer Science “Meeting cool people at interviews”

Sahithya Gokaraju | Page Editor University of Denver | Biology “I love the sense of community and being able to meet and collaborate with people across different grade levels”

Alexandra Hagemeister | Senior Managing Editor University of Southern California | Environmental Science “Going to Philly” Sophie Srenco | Page Editor Chapman Univeristy | Marketing

Shane LaGesse | Editor-In-Chief University of Missouri | Journalism “Bonding with the staff and making some great friends” Sophie Yoshino | Senior Managing Editor Washington University | Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology “Interviewing interesting people in the Clayton and St. Louis community” Kaia Mills-Lee | Senior Managing Editor University of Texas at Austin | Statistics and Data Science “Editors diners and breakfast with the editors cooking as well as camp globe”

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FEATURE

2 GRADUATES

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Sasha Keller | Pro/Con Section Editor Hamilton College | Pre-Med “Editor’s dinners with friends and food” Emma Baum | Feature Section Editor Denison University | English “I have loved gaining more confidence in myself and learning how to use my voice

Maya Goldwasser | Page Editor Mount Holyoke College | Gender Studies “Camp globe, getting to know new people, and writing a story together with them” Chloe Creighton | Page Editor Emerson College | Media Arts Production “Making connections with people in other grades and collaborating to write stories” Thomas Gustafson | Puzzlemaster Harvard | Undecided “Writing the March crossword and cluing Elon as ‘He smoked with Joe’”

Kaitlyn Tran | Chief Digital Editor Harvard University | Government “Growing up with my classmates on the Globe from the first interview we ever had until now” Max Hagemeister | Story Ideas Section Editor Boston University | Business “Interacting with peers in events like camp globe and our trip to Philadelphia” Owen Auston-Babcock | Senior Managing Editor American University | Journalism “The time that I got to spend with staff, especially at editor’s dinners and on trips to conventions”

Moriah Lotsoff | Review Section Editor American University | Communications “Secret Santa pancake breakfast” Kate Freedman | Senior Managing Editor Indiana Univeristy | Marketing “Playing sardines during camp globe and getting to know new people”

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FEATURE

Finding the foundry Where St. Louis can be found CHARLIE MEYERS | REPORTER

The main street of the Foundry leading to the entrance

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he first steps leading into the City Foundry are filled with excitement and anticipation. As the delicious smells from more than 18 local restaurants in the Food Hall fill your nose, the numerous tables displayed with the goods of local businesses grab your attention, and friendly laughter mixed with the catchy rhythms of live local St. Louisan music fills your ears, your senses are never at rest. Located at former electrical Foundry, this place of activity brings together the community, supports local businesses, and provides a space for St. Louis to be found. So, what is the City Foundry?

The City Foundry is a mix of many unique things. With a food hall, local shops, and a Fresh Thyme market, this place is filled with enjoyment. The food hall has local restaurants such as Buenos Aires cafe, Patty’s Cheesecakes, and 4 Hens Creole kitchen.

Cultures and cuisines including Afro-Caribbean, Hawaiian, Columbian, Asian-Mexican among many more. Shops that line the street leading into the foundry are that of: Procure- a store promoting only women-made, and locally owned items, as well as Golden Gems- a fun and colorful store whose focus is on empowering women.

Katie Mosher, SLU college student and Poptimism employee at the Foundry’s food court described the City Foundry as, “A food court, like a mall, but it’s not chain restaurants; it’s small businesses, and it’s local communities.

It’s businesses that maybe wouldn’t have the opportunity to open up their own restaurant in a building that’s more expensive, so The Foundry has given them an opportunity to have permanent locations for a lot cheaper.”

On the industrial and production side of things, Todd Rogan, director of development services at Lawrence Group, and current employee at the City Foundry’s real estate firm New + Found, described the project as, “An adaptive reuse of a former industrial project into a new community that embraces the creative side of these businesses, by giving them a platform and environment to make that happen.”

Additionally, Fresh Thyme employee and SLU college student Isabella described the Foundry’s neighboring grocery store Fresh Thyme as, “‘Whole Foods but cheaper.’

Because you’re able to find everything that you need pretty easily and it’s not as expensive, especially as a college kid when everything is expensive.”

The local aspects of the City Foundry

are really what make it special and a one-ofa-kind destination in St. Louis. However, this shopping-center-like location wasn’t always what we consider it as today.

The City Foundry is built within familiar walls. While the building was originally built in 1929 for Centric Electric as a Foundry (a factory used to produce metal goods), the redevelopment efforts kept the name and building.

New + Found served as the architectural brilliance behind the structure and format of the Foundry’s property, and Foss & Company stated that, “The $217 million redevelopment of the site is one of the largest historic redevelopments

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“Golden Gems,” a small boutique at the Foundry in St. Louis history,” displaying how this huge transformation came at a hefty price.

Rogan recalls trying to first make the place usable, before making architectural improvements. “When you stand here today and see what this is, it’s so different from how it started,” said Rogan. “When the building had been abandoned for 10 years, there were weeds and trees growing out of every gutter, the building was stripped of all value, and the building was really in difficult shape.”

With New + Found, and The Lawrence Group primarily focuses on taking historical buildings and turning them into something unique and different, the repurposing of the building presented a different challenge. “The easy thing would’ve been to just tear [the building] down, but then you lose the character and the history, and that would’ve happened if Law-rence Group and New + Found hadn’t stepped up with a vision,” said Rogan.

Repurposing resources that are openly available is an important and beneficial strategy to use in the world of business. So, luckily when plans for the City Foundry fell into place, the construction had a perfect place to build. Mosher said, “It’s nice to be someone who lives in St. Louis and see the repurposing of old buildings and things that are already here in a great way.”

“This is a unique spot,” said Patt Upchurch of Patty’s Cheesecakes, located in the food hall of the City Foundry, “It’s bringing people together, and it’s about community.”

As the community of the Foundry is known for being positive, and supportive, so is its relationship with students of SLU, which happens to be only a short walk from the location of the City Foundry.

“When you’re in college, it’s really hard especially if you don’t have transportation to get

“[The City Foundry] is breathing life back into the city.”

- Todd Rogan

FEATURE

fresh food and food that you enjoy, and it’s a lot easier to get what you need [at Fresh Thyme],” said SLU student Isabella, “It’s also easier if you don’t have a car but you want to work, and this is a job that I can do because I can walk here, and I don’t have to rely on transportation to get here.”

With looking at the past and present of the City Foundry, questions arise of what the future of it is going to look like. On the City Foundry’s website cityfoundrystl, news of a new mini-golf course with multiple areas of entertainment to come to the Foundry in late December of 2022 are discussed. This upscale, tech-infused mini-golf game known as Puttshack will be an entertaining addition to the already attention-grabbing Foundry.

Rogan said, “The Foundry, as we grow, will hopefully not just serve the local community; It will serve the region. So, if someone is coming to St. Louis for a Cardinal game, or to visit family, we really hope that The Foundry is on their bucket list of things to see.”

As Rogan described, in the end, the City Foundry is only going to get bigger and better.

Mosher said, “it’s always expanding.” She also noted that the future of the Foundry is looking very promising. “They’re building movie theaters coming this fall, a mini golf course, and apartments for SLU,” she said, “I’m a SLU student so maybe there’s an opportunity in the future to get to live here, and work here.”

The City Foundry has left recognizable positive effects on the people of St. Louis.

As Isabella said, bringing attention to, “local St. Louis brands which are really important,” is a powerful and helpful notion. Today the City Foundry supports St. Louis, standing as an influential building complex that embraces its history, and shows promise for the future.

Homemade popsicles from the Food Hall’s “Poptimism”

All photos by Charlie Meyers

THE DEATH OF

All photos by Lily Kleinhenz

“To engage in any kind of discussion, you have to separate yourself from what you think essentially.”

- Finnegan Lindsay CHS Senior

“I think that people are restricting what they have to say, not on the sphere, or conformity to the mainstream of people’s beliefs. I think that they are out of fear of not conforming to extremist beliefs.”

- Daniel Glossenger CHS Social Studies Teacher

“We’ve lost the ability to see the shades of gray. And I think a lot of that is because we have conflated the idea that my opinion is my identity.”

- Jenn Whitmer CHS parent “I feel like [Clayton] likes to say that we love free speech and encourage free-thinking in classrooms, but we also encourage certain sides of an issue over others. That’s contradictory in itself.”

- Don Ung CHS Senior

“The rapid movement of information on social media has amplified the worst, most dangerous and divisive voices in our society.”

E

veryone, regardless of their political beliefs, is aware of the free speech emergency. Parents are pushing school boards to ban books, lawmakers are drafting and passing bans on the teaching of race and LGBTQ+ inclusion, and cancel culture is pervading social media. The free speech emergency is just one symptom of our collective loss of ability to communicate with depth and nuance.

Prior to 2011, social media existed in an infant form.

People posted updates about their life and family to Facebook, without regard for follower counts or number of likes. Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat didn’t exist.

As social media became more popular, algorithms became smarter and adapted to the new landscape. They promoted content that got the most likes and shares, eventually moving to promote content that elicited the greatest emotional reaction from users. All of these adaptations reward people who have the most extreme views, and hasten the spread of their ideas. The spread of misinformation became nearly instantaneous, assisted by bad actors who intentionally exploit the power of the algorithms.

The rapid movement of information on social media has amplified the worst, most dangerous and divisive voices in our society.

The societal and political polarization in our culture was born on social media, but very much lives in the real world.

Deep divides exist between the left and the right, each of whom consider themselves not only correct but morally superior to the other side. These massive chasms are also widening within the left and the right, between

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moderates and radicals on each side. Politicians fight for control of the two major parties, clashing internally over cultural touchpoints, such as trans athletes, election integrity, policing, the teaching of history and more.

Yet this toxic polarization is not confined to the walls of legislatures. It has infected conversations between friends and family, making gatherings synonymous with either conflict or silence. It has infected schools, silencing students and teachers alike. Teachers are afraid to encourage class discussions on current issues, while students fear the retaliation of their peers if they share an opinion that is not the one of the majority. It has infected universities, where professors cower in fear of being reported to deans, and where invited speakers are chased off campus by students claiming that the speaker’s ideas threaten their safety.

Polarization drives censorship, as the government responds to a population’s desire to be insulated from ideas. People enforce this censorship upon others through social pressure, casting out those who disagree with them. Many now self-censor, for fear that cancel culture will come for them, and they will be ostracized for their opinions and words.

A loss of scholarship is natural as polarization overtakes a society, as censorship prevents the free exchange of ideas. This loss stunts intellectual development, preventing people from understanding the breadth and depth of human experiences, and making collaboration impossible among diverse groups of people.

In this way, polarization is a parasite, eating away at the foundations of our society, by degrading conversation and cooperation, which are foundational to the

functioning of our democratic society. It also threatens the vitality of democratic institutions, whose stability keeps people united with a common idea of what it means to be American, a shared story that is woven through the fabric of our nation.

Polarization is driving a decline in social capital, as people lose trust in their leaders and stop working together to create a society that serves the collective good.

Our democracy is based upon self-determination, that the people have the right and the ability to choose how they wish to be governed. Yet this relies upon compromise and communication, skills that are on the decline, as the parasite of polarization undermines our nation. It is incumbent upon the people of a country to protect and uphold it, and that we must.

The very foundations of our democracy are in grave peril.

How can we bring our communities together to talk and to listen? To solve problems for the collective good? How can we encourage depth and nuance in conversation? Fight censorship and prevent the slow and painful death of this great democratic experiment?

Our response is this project, a collection of journalistic writing, video interviews, opinion essays and data from our community. All of this centered around promoting productive

dialogue, encouraging people to problem-solve together.

This project was born after months of conversation among our staff, about the shortcomings and changes in our community that we grapple with every day as journalists. The ways that our work can be used both to bring people together and tear them apart. How we strive to fight for truth and understanding, but often hit roadblocks. This is our part of the solution.

Yet this is not a culmination, but a celebration, a beginning and an inspiration. A celebration of our work as journalists and as scholars, working to break down the walls that our society imposes. A beginning of what could be a beautiful transformation in our community, as people explore new ideas and engage productively with those around them. And an inspiration, for us to continue to write and produce, to discover the ways that we can better ourselves and our community, together.

So please, we invite you to explore the ideas, problems and solutions presented here. To listen carefully to the voices around you, and to step out into the world, and to live and think in the gray areas, to resuscitate nuance.

So please, we invite you to explore the ideas, problems and solutions presented here. To listen carefully to the voices around you, and to step out into the world, and to live and think in the gray areas, to

resuscitate nuance 29

A Republic If We Can Keep It Alex Slen

Editor-in-Chief

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ollowing the ratification of the US Constitution in 1789, Benjamin Franklin walked out of Constitution Hall in Philadelphia, where he was approached by a woman who asked what type of government structure was chosen.

Upon hearing the question, Franklin apocryphally responded: “A republic if you can keep it.”

This saying echoes the fragility of a democratic regime, where one bad actor can bring it all crashing down. The American democratic experiment was new and unproven, and with novelty comes danger.

Franklin and the other Founding Fathers intended to mitigate this by looking back into history.

Ancient Greece and Rome proved to be strong influences on the Founding Fathers. Many turned to the early city-states or poleis of Athens as a model for the new republic.

In ancient Greece, poleis were organized around a central business and government area.

Here people would learn about, debate, and debate on legislation.

These areas would also become the birthplace of free speech.

The Athenians had two similar yet very different words for freedom of speech, isegoria and parrhesia. Isegoria is the older of the two and means the right to participate in public debates. Parrhesia translated is the right to say whatever to whomever.

These two principles would make up the modern understanding of freedom of speech.

Isegoria is much more about equality than freedom. It allowed anyone regardless of citizenship status or socioeconomic status to participate in speaking. This separated Athens from the rest of the world as it gave a voice to those who typically did not have one.

Parrhesia might be the more recognizable of the two. Parrhesia focused on the liberty to criticize whoever for whatever reason. This did not mean there would not be consequences but it still

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was an important part of Athenian civil society.

Together these two principles made Athens a hub for democratic ideas. When it fell to Macedonia, many of these ideas fell out of favor. Parrhesia was later rediscovered in the renaissance and the later Enlightenment providing a foundation for philosophers such as Machiavelli, Mill, Kant, and Hobbes.

Those texts became favorites of the founding fathers when incorporating enlightenment philosophy into the Constitution. So what went wrong?

The answer is simple, we lost sight of these principles.

In 1798, the highly controversial Alien and Sedition Act was signed by President John Adams. The law, among other things, banned criticizing or defaming the federal government, in clear violation of the First Amendment. This law was so unpopular that it was ultimately a key factor in Adams losing the presidency to Jefferson in 1800. This was an early example of how checks and balances were put in place to protect freedom of speech from the government. Since then, the United States has long upheld a tradition of protecting free speech. But something fundamental has changed, no longer is speech being challenged by the government but rather it is challenged by the citizens.

This trend can be traced back to the Weimar Republic. The Weimar Republic compared to the prior Bismark regime had strong protections for freedom of speech. This is not to say that all sorts of speech were permitted, many publications were banned and their editors imprisoned, but it served as a significant improvement.

Simultaneously, new technological innovations found in radio and television increased overall media consumption. This led to the birth of mass media which in turn further advanced radical ideologies. Also at this time, the Nazis began forming increasingly large factions of people.

These factions created an immediate us vs them situation with the “aryans’’ against everyone else.

Increased political extremism ensued as more and more Germans identified with the Nazi Party. While speech was protected by the Government, individual citizens became the new threat to free speech. They burned books, expelled and harrassed academics, and met any criticism or

differing views with violence. Within a few years, the angered factions became the government, leading to some of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century.

The United States is on a similar path. The social-media-fueled rise of political extremism has led to the birth of dangerous political factions who seem all too happy to stifle speech.

Part of keeping a republic is maintaining and protecting its key values such as isegoria, and parrhesia. Should we fail, we may end up like the Weimar Republic.

“The social-media-fueled rise of political extremism has led to the birth of dangerous political factions who seem all too happy to stifle speech.”

Hiding Behind Masks Adam Bergeron Biology Teacher

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was met with a wall of silence when I entered the room; however, it was obvious that everyone was communicating. Heads tilted downward, fingers furiously striking keys projected on to a small screen, this group of young people was sending information both personal and impersonal into the void of the Internet.

I tried to envision what could demand their attention.

A funny video? A text mesage?

Pictures of friends? A grade update?

What were these students thinking?

What were they feeling?

What might be preventing them from connecting with the other human beings in the room?

Public discourse in the United States has progressively soured since the beginning of the 21st century. We project avatars of ourselves on to a screen while trying to maintain meaningful relationships with digitized versions of our friends and family.

We have reached the convergence of connected disconnection.

Our increasing tendency to favor electronic communication over face-to-face conversation has left our society with an empathy

gap. Through online distraction we are less likely to be mindful of our own feelings and, as consequence, struggle to connect with the emotional state of others.

When was the last time that you sat with another as they revealed a secret? Cried with a friend who lost somone that you didn’t know? Listened to a neighbor share their thoughts about a political candidate for whom you would never vote?

Our failure to feel what others feel, to be present moment-to-moment has led to deep disconnection. One need not directly experience what another has been through to know joy, shame, pride, sadness, or rage.

When we look another in the eye and say out loud, “I hear you. I’ve been there before” we foster a sense of emotional connection.

Would we be as willing to dislike a post, to argue for something for which we are not entitled, or to bully someone who we barely know if we knew how these actions made the other person feel?

Do we wish discomfort or even pain on another?

Time will tell.

For now, I choose human connection over digital disconnection.

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The History of

Groupthink JiaLi Deck

Managing Editor

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he word nuance stems from France where its original meaning was “to shade.” The term was used to describe the subtleties of colors in paintings.

As time passed, the word’s meaning expanded to describe facial expressions, ideas, and many more less physical concepts. Now, the word nuance means seeing arguments from many vantage points, and not jumping to the harshest of conclusions.

The title of this cover story not-so-subtly suggests that nuance is deceased in our modern society, but in doing so, it suggests that at one point nuance was alive and thriving. I do not doubt that nuance was at one point much easier to come across; however many of the human impulses that contribute to un-nuanced thinking are far from new.

One of the most significant psychological contributors to the lack of nuanced thinking is groupthink. Groupthink is a phenomenon which leads to decisions which are based on the urge to conform, rather than logic and reason.

The most famous case study of groupthink was conducted after the failed military coup, the Bay of Pigs. The Eisenhower administration planned the invasion to overthrow Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, and when Kennedy took

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office he simply accepted it with little hesitation. There were a few members of Kennedy’s staff who had concerns, but chose not to speak up because of fear of social prosecution.

Arthur Schlisinger, a historian who was a part of the decision making process, later wrote about feelings of groupthink while planning the invasion, “Our meetings were taking place in a curious atmosphere of assumed consensus, [and] not one spoke against it.” As a result, over 100 men died in what is now regarded as one of the greatest failures in American politics In the modern era, the urge to succumb to groupthink is terrifyingly easy. Whether it be in small social settings, or larger discussions, the act of sharing an unpopular opinion is difficult, to say the least. When I reflect on my own decision making, it’s hard to separate what is of my own volition and what I do simply to fit in with everyone else. It’s nice to pretend that I’ve chosen my “side” because of my own values, but, the reality is, my belief system is incredibly arbitrary. It’s difficult to bring myself to actually speak up and contradict those around me, especially when I know others feel

strongly. I hold an underlying doubt in my own arguments due to the overwhelming agreement of my surroundings. For this reason, I cannot pretend my own contribution to the death of nuance is nonexistent.

I know I am not the only one to feel this way. As political extremes become more extreme, many feel as if speaking out is impossible; however, not speaking up subsequently entraps us in an endless cycle of conformity to increasingly polar ends.

Now, this brings us to the ultimate question: What do we do about it?

History may hold an answer. After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Kennedy was faced with yet another Cold War dilemma: the Cuban Missile Crisis. With his recent failures in mind, Kennedy was vigilant to avoid groupthink when deciding how to respond to Russian aggression. He outlined new protocols to reduce groupthink in meetings which served as a way to brainstorm options, stimulate productive

debate, and ultimately let the best plan prevail based only on its merits. Meetings were held in informal settings to lower the stakes for non-conventional thinking and encourage casual conversations. The group was split into smaller sub-groups which only reconvened at the end to minimize group coercion. Sometimes, meetings were even held without Kennedy to prevent participants from simply going along with the president’s ideas. By following the new protocols, Kenedy’s administration was able to successfully avoid nuclear conflict at one of the most heated moments during the Cold War. As we face problems with groupthink online, in politics, and classrooms, we should look at the past for answers. Obviously, the solutions for modern problems won’t be exactly the same as historical ones, but it’s always a comforting reminder that conformist thinking isn’t new. Humanity has prevailed against the perils of groupthink before, and we can do it again. I refuse to believe that we are doomed, or that there is no way to fix the problems we have created. It may take effort, uncomfortable moments, and difficult conversations, but nuance isn’t dead yet.

A Plea for InstaAmnesia Charlie Rubin CHS Sophmore

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ocial media. Not to sound overly cliché or anything, but the problem of perceived censorship in our school (among countless others) is directly spawned from the very platforms that give people the outlet to express themselves in the first place. Back in the days before apps like Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok (AKA The Middle Ages), you had to try really, really hard to surround yourself with people who shared your verbatim beliefs. Some (mostly politicians) succeeded in the task, but that was a rare privilege for a select few. Now, the algorithm gives everyone their own personalized echo chamber for free!

It’s not that people are afraid to share out their controversial ideas. By and large, the internet has inflated the (already large) egos of students in the Clayton bubble, making them

unafraid to share their beliefs with anyone and everyone. Believe me, if you want to hear someone’s opinion on a topic they’re wholly uneducated on, you need not go further than the CHS cafeteria, where everyone talks and nobody listens. When everyone simultaneously shares their beliefs, refusing to listen to anyone else’s, nothing gets done and everyone gets mad.

Considering that Clayton is relatively homogenous, many expect school life to be as agreeable as their For You pages, so when ideas and core beliefs are openly challenged, people get really mad. This issue has notably impacted history and English teachers.

During history class in March, we learned about the Israel-Palestine conflict. Well, learn might be too strong of a verb here, because the entire time, I could see my history teacher tip-toeing around language, briskly skipping over words and phrases, doing anything to remain impartial. Many of my classmates were preestablished to have… strong feelings about the situation.

The classroom was a minefield, my teacher a hopeless soldier trying not to get blown up.

Strong, explosive opinions don’t change within a 1 ½ hour (painfully) long history block, and any perceived challenge to their

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“The classroom was a minefiled, my teacher a hopeless solider trying not to get blown up.”

- Charlie Rubin

ideas would make them double down on their original thought processes, a byproduct of their one-sided internet habits. One verbal “whoopsie-daisy” from the teacher could end up with phone calls to the administration, a reprimanding, and before you know it Dr. Dan Gutchewsky shows up in your office telling you that you need to be more politically correct when educating the arrogant and youthful masses.

It’s not like this is new to education, but I feel the gargantuan opinionated narcissism of the students (and the parents, I mean the students get their egos from somewhere), enabled by social media isn’t helping the whole ordeal.

Social media has also killed the benefit of the doubt. (Not that it was entirely kickin’ and thrivin’ to begin with). I’ve seen teachers treated abysmally (or at least, more horribly than usual) for books that they have no choice

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in teaching.

Many at the beginning of the year were complaining about the misogyny in the Catcher in the Rye, hysterically screeching that it shouldn’t be taught as a result. I had to take a deep breath and ask myself if my classmates were just missing the entire point of why we read that book in the first place.

They were.

I haven’t viewed the books we’ve read at Clayton as inherently harmful to teach, maybe boring, dull, mind-numbing, or soul-crushing, but not catastrophic. However, even if I did view them as somewhat “dangerous,” it’d be abhorrent to attack the educators over it.

An adolescent verbal onslaught on a harmless teacher does nothing but hurt class dialogue. To threaten the parental phone call, the condemnation, the so on and so forth simply because you don’t agree with something is ineffective to fostering a healthy learning

environment.

When things like this happen, it feels like teachers are afraid to have open discussions with their students about tough topics, hurting civil discourse.

The 280 character limit of Twitter has reconditioned people to think hyper-literally (that is, when they choose to think at all).

When people take a book, a topic, an idea at face value, and then bleat about their own misinformed interpretation of a concept, civilized discussion is dead on arrival.

I’ve heard stories about teachers being handed down notices from administration after an infuriated parent/student duo complained about the content of Clayton’s education, so it’s more than understandable why discourse is critically endangered.

There are so many problems, but what about a solution? Is there any solution at all?

It’s hard to imagine that there is.

Frankly, barring the internet getting destroyed overnight and everyone getting insta-amnesia and immediately forgetting about it, it’s impossible to imagine things will be any other way in the coming future.

Everyone just deafly yells at each other in the meantime.

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Standing in Line with the Victoria Correct Fan Page Editor “I am fearful to create a more inclusive classroom with a diversity of viewpoints… that people will accuse me of being racist, sexist, or classist,” Daniel Glossenger, a social studies teacher at CHS, said. “Though it is not to exclude that the students are correct about the topic. It’s possible that [the teachers] are [racists, sexist, and etc.] but I would be surprised if all of the sudden there is a wave of racists and sexists among our teaching staff that were not present 10 years ago… something has changed here.”

Over the last decades, movements like Black Lives Matter sought to unveil the systemic racism in America; successful on various levels, these efforts and initiatives promote civil liberty, raising public awareness about racial inequality and discrimiation. “I feel like our society and our schools have reared a generation that is very aware of social justice issues… but I wonder if some in this generation couch their values and beliefs about race almost akin to a religion, where there are absolute rights and wrongs… good and evil… black and white,” Josh Meyers, social studies teacher at CHS, said.

While people are more open to talk about the presence of inequalities and xenophobias in society, social costs – like being labeled as racist or being alienated from a group – are often associated with the discussion and disagreements over the grey areas in race: one could be called racists for the times when their language or actions could be interpreted and categorized as such, even though they are not prejudiced against others of different race. Many seek to align themselves with the radical side that seems the least likely to be accused of such labels out of a desire to be virtuous and a fear of being judged or misjudged.

“Another reason that I think people would use these labels is that the current climate, especially for young people, assigns social status to those who are able to call out those who have transgressed and very little social status for those who call in and try to make the real changes happen,” Glossenger said.

This division and polarization are heightened to another level in the echo chamber the Internet creates, where people are continually exposed to similar ideas and few who would challenge their way of thinking. “There is a saying that you should always start the conver-

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sation with the weather, something that is not that controversial… And now, it is a joke that with climate change, you are not supposed to talk about it [the weather] either.” Zach Wang, a senior in CHS, said. Impairing one’s ability to consider the different perspectives, the world of social media makes it far easier to ostracise individuals or groups of people, focusing on who is wrong or who is stupid from their perspectives.

“It feels like it’s easier online… people seem to feel like they can do that with impunity, where it might be much harder to look at your neighbor with personal relationships.” Amy Ravin, CHS parent, said.

Social media undeniably creates a type of anonymous place where everyone is disguised and camouflaged in the mass of information and algorithms. Nevertheless, with few clicks, people are able to trace almost all the information about a person: posts, videos, or comments made by or about them ages ago.

“In my history class, the other day, there was a whole moment where the sub and the kids were yelling back [at each other]. It was kind of unnecessary… But one of the kids in my class

was videotaping it on Snapchat. And that’s pretty significant because once it’s on video, once it’s online, it’s there forever… And sometimes it could cost people their careers,” JiaLi Deck, a sophomore at CHS, said. “I think that the opportunities to make mistakes are lost with the internet, because people… and social expectations change overtime… When everything on the Internet feels like it is happening now, there is no vintage effect to it.”

Since 1953, Harvard Sociology Professor Samuel Stouffer surveyed a sample of Americans, asking “Do you feel free to voice your thoughts as you used to?” In 1953, 13 percent responded that they did not. In 2015, This proportion climbed to 48 percent and 40 percent in 2019.

“There are many among the teaching staff at this school, who are deeply afraid of transgressing. And that to me, is a major detriment to our students… I think that systemically our school district has done many things to worsen this problem and few things to ameliorate,” Glossenger said, “I declined to answer with any greater specificity out of the exact fear that people are talking about. I am fearful of advocating changes to this.”

“Another reason that I think people would use these labels is that the current climate, especially for young people, assigns social status to those who are able to call out those who have transgressed and very little social status for those who call in and try to make the real changes happen. “ - Daniel Glossenger 35

Nuance at CHS Charlie Meyers Feature Editor

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yes fall to laps, as hesitancy and agitation fall over the faces of 20 tired teenagers. Fearful looks of realization glare from corner to corner of the room, anticipating the battleground that is about to spring up from the stained carpet, wounding students’ self-esteem and slowly scarring our relationships with each other. As the teacher prepares themselves for this messy and dangerous task, one can only wonder what the source of this conflict is.

There’s only one answer: Group discussion time.

The Student Perspective

When CHS freshman Hannah Yurkovich enters her eighth hour class, her immediate response to controversy is to censor herself. With few friends in her class, speaking her mind can be a challenge.

“I feel like I really can’t say anything, and it really bothers me because I want to say something, but I don’t have power in that situation because I don’t know if I have a base of anyone who could support me,” said Yurkovich.

But why is it that students are so fearful of speaking their minds? For sharing their thoughts and opinions? In the years after the rise of dependency on technology and after online school and masking, students struggle with productive conversation. This is due to the fear of ostracization, or in the popular lexicon, cancel culture, and the increased desire to hide behind one’s mask or phone screen for safety.

“As a teacher, if you’ve taught for a few years like I have, it’s like you have sensors,” English teacher Adam Hayward said, “and my sensors tell me that there are students that are definitely stifling what they want to say at times.”

Hayward explained that with recent isolation, the formation of social skills and consideration for others as developing teenagers hasn’t been practiced due to recent isolation from the pandemic. However, with respectful disagreement and productive conversation, those skills can be rebuilt.

“We need to promote more nuance and ability to have compassion, going both ways,” said Hayward.

On the idea of free speech in school atmospheres, Jynx Falk, CHS freshman said, “While we should be able to educate people — because this is a school — and be able to talk about differences, and solve discrepancies, we don’t

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want to create a breeding ground for bigotry and hatred and misinformation.”

In Paul Hoelscher’s history classroom, he recognizes this tension at play.

“I’ll joke with my own students that great Clayton liberal students love freedom of speech, as long as everyone agrees with them,” Holescher said.

Hoelscher teaches AP World History and Sociology at CHS and serves as the K-12 Social Studies curriculum coordinator for the school district.

As students, we need to understand when voicing differences of opinion becomes an ad hominem attack on someone because that person doesn’t agree with us.

The idea of ruining someone’s reputation because they said something controversial or offered a difference of perspective, and then saying they can’t change or become informed is where we create this breeding ground for resentment of nuance.

High school students are in a state of building their identities and their understanding of the world. In this process, students often lack solidified beliefs which means that other people’s perspectives can have a lot of impact on our own. “[Having these debates in high school] makes the conversation easier, because a lot of people are open to new ideas and hearing new things,” said CHS senior Sophia Martin, “But

also at the same time, it’s a time where you don’t want to be embarrassed or to be proven wrong, so it’s also challenging because you don’t want to say the wrong thing.”

The Teacher Perspective

Teachers are also grappling with how to host nuanced discussions, essential to intellectual diversity, in a more polarized time. This is especially true in humanities classes.

As language and ideas change, so do people’s beliefs. When the architecture of modern communication has transformed the terms of seemingly acceptable discourse so rapidly, it is easy to see why students, and teachers, might feel at risk to facilitate discussions of challenging material.

When teachers feel that they have to form their curriculum and dialogue around the sensitivity of historical events, or pieces of literature they’re teaching, their reputation or even job could be jeopardized if someone says the wrong thing at the wrong time.

For instance, when an English teacher is teaching ‘Black Boy’ by Richard Wright to their sophomore class, in order to successfully teach it they must be well versed in the background and controversial topics in it, in order to be respectful and mindful of the content.

Falk said, “A teacher should be allowed to have the sharing of ideas, and not let it get out of hand, with making sure everyone’s opinions

“I think some faculty have fear about speaking freely in their classes, to have the freedom to bring up perhaps controversial ideas and things like that, because they might be attacked” — Adam Hayward

are respected and heard without taking up too much class time.”

“It takes a profound amount of work, I think, for the teacher, because students have such different interests, such diverse opinions, and their collections of different experiences,” Hoelscher said.

Measurable changes have had to be made to the social studies curriculum because so much has changed in the past ten years.

“It’s both a dangerous time to be in Social Studies curriculum, but also an exciting time, because there’s so much dialogue out there,” Hoelscher said.

Changes haven’t just had to be made to the curriculum, but also to the physical material being taught in class. Books have been taken out of the English curriculum, however Hayward notes that the change of content the department has been teaching has lent a new way of thinking.

“What I find really fascinating is that, with [the] books that I’ve been teaching for the past 25 years, given the context of what is happening right now, I have to immediately shift the way I think about literature, and the way I teach these books,” he said.

The Solution

Facing all of these problems, we must think about how we can fight the death of nuance in classrooms, as well as the polarization of conversations among students and teachers.

Being able to have these debates and discussions about controversial topics is healthy and essential for intellectual development.

Hayward, quoting poet William Blake, said “Without contraries is no progression.”

We need to be able to see other peoples’ opinions and perspectives without feeling threatened or shut down. Without opposition, there is no growth. Without discussion there is no gain of perspective. Without respect in group conversation, there is no progression.

Yurkovich said that to fight the polarizations between students in classroom debate teachers need to help students develop empathy for their fellow classmates.

“Making people more aware of other peoples experiences, and understanding that might be a good thing to do,” Yurkovich said.

Falk, however, remains concerned about creating a safe space around classroom discussions.

“Conversations are the richest area for education to happen” —Paul Hoelscher

“With respectful speech, we need to have space to lift the conversation, but we also have to make sure that we’re not forcing anybody to be in a situation where they feel unsafe, because some of those more controversial opinions are about human rights,” Falk said.

As we insert more empathy into the conversation, and urge students to think about the other side of the argument to consider where someone else is coming from, we can make strides in the right direction.

“As an English or History teacher, conversations are the richest area for education to happen. You have to have the back and forth… We want to be able to share complicated, rich literature and be able to have conversations,” Hayward said.

“Don’t be afraid to speak up whenever you disagree with something because I think by doing that the person speaking who’s often controlling the conversation hears no other side of it,” said Martin, “You’re probably never going to change someone’s mind right in front of you but you can always put new perspectives in their head.”

The death of nuance in society has greatly influenced conversations in school. With students hiding behind their screens and masks, and teachers fearing for their jobs when teaching material within their curriculum, agitation and anxiety has risen among teenagers in Clayton.

To avoid polarized discussion, we must use consideration, respect, and patience to engage in these conversations and always consider the other side. Next time you’re in a debate or conversation, will you take a step back and consider the other perspective? Or will you use your voice as a weapon to turn the conversation into a battleground of ignorance?

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B

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ack in the Middle Ages when one could be put to death for an offhand remark, the Court Jester often had the role of both entertainer and truth teller. Those royal clowns used humor to tell their hard truths. It was a dangerous position, however, never knowing at what point the privilege to speak freely would be cut short by the chopping block.

Today we presume to enjoy the right of free speech and that includes the right to offend.

Modern day fools — the stand up comics — quip about politics, relationships, existential questions … anything and everything is fair game.

At least it has been until cancel-culture.

With the dawning of cancel-culture, the axe blades have been sharpened.

I’m not a stranger to metaphorical public execution. When I was in college I did a stand up routine that didn’t go well. I went to Wheaton College, often referred to as “the Harvard of Christian schools.” (That’s debatable) Though the institution is rooted in conservative Evangelicalism, the professors I had were mostly progressive intellectuals. I went there to study with Jim Young, a man who would become my mentor and teach me how to be a good artist and human being. I’ll come back to Jim, but first, the humiliation of my stand-up routine.

A friend of mine organized an “Open Mic Night” in the theater. There were bands, poetry readings and he tagged a few of us “funny people” to do stand up. His first mistake. The only thing I really knew about stand up was what I had seen George Carlin do. I was sure comedy was supposed to be truthful, harsh and outrageous. So that’s what I did.

In a black box theater packed with over a hundred 19-21 year old virgins I didn’t even get through my jokes about sex before I was hissed off the stage. Hissed!! Off the stage! I said true things that people didn’t want to hear. Things that offended their sensibilities. That — and my comedy probably wasn’t all that great.

My head was on the proverbial chopping block, not for what I said, but for not knowing my audience. A more nuanced comedian could’ve said the same things and made the audience look at themselves and laugh. Maybe.

Because of the deeply conservative, even puritanical ethos among the student body, the first lesson my teacher Jim, or Jimma as we affectionately called him, taught us was the skill of bracketing. In his hugely popular Intro to Theater class Jimma exposed students to all kinds of literature, music, and art - Samuel Beckett, Bertold Brecht, Leonard Cohen, John Cage, Rothko, Rauschenberg, Motherwell.. the list goes on.

As we engaged with a piece of art we were to journal our reactions; anything that confused us, offended us, or grossed us out, we were to write down and put in red brackets on the page.

Then he asked us to let those difficult things go and move on to what surprised us, delighted us, and moved us.

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You see, because so many of us were coming in with underdeveloped world views that were rigid and dualistic, he gave us a system for naming the hard things and moving on. He gave us an out so that we could continue to engage even after we were offended, to engage for the purpose of learning, to engage outside a binary mindset and with a lens towards nuance.

It was a new idea for a lot of students that something that offended them could also be a source of wisdom. Both/And. That is what it means to be a non-dual thinker - to live into the gray spaces, on the edge with curiosity. It’s what it means to be a learner, an intellectual. To look beyond our delicate sensibilities and exhibit a sturdiness that says, “There is a NO for me, but this, this part is really interesting. Let’s dig in and talk more.”

No matter what the “purity culture” of the 90’s told my classmates or what the cancel-culture says to today’s young people, merely being offended is not worthy of a merit badge.

Everyone is offended by something. BUT, to be offended and to continue the brave task of staying in the room, talking, collaborating, and co-creating new space that is perhaps not perfect, but surely a step closer —THAT, my friends, will get you a gold star every time.

Learning Amidst the Chopping Blocks Kelley Weber

Theatre Director

“With the dawning of cancelculture, the axe blades have been sharpened”

“We must remember, history and politics should be complicated because human beings are complicated”

“W

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Seeking Out The Gray Area Josh Meyers History Teacher

ho controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” George Orwell The election of Barack Obama in 2008 was lauded by some as the culmination of centuries of struggle by African Americans to achieve full equality. Obama stated in his farewell speech that after his election, “there was talk of a post-racial America” and that “such a vision, however well-intended, was never realistic” as “race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society.”

Unfortunately, all one has to do is look at Ferguson after the Michael Brown shooting and dozens of cities across the United States in the wake of George Floyd’s murder to know just how right Obama was. It shouldn’t be surprising then that as part of the culture wars raging in the United States, one of the most important fronts is in education; what should and shouldn’t be a part of the history curriculum, how race and racism is taught in schools, and whether teachers are “indoctrinating” students.

And to a degree this makes sense.

Despite a view that some might have that history is simply the gathering of names and dates, the writing, teaching, and study of history is inherently subjective. It is never neutral.

Historians, biased by their own perspectives and experiences and influenced by the milieu in which they are working, determine which facts to gather and how to interpret them, what sources to gather those facts from, which facts to present and which to ignore, what order they are presented in, what context is provided when they are presented, and which counter-arguments may or may not be valid to consider.

Therefore, the facts never speak for themselves.

Under the best of circumstances the study of history is complex. Today, educators are at the center of a perfect storm- a world where globalization increasingly creates economic winners and losers, a society going through a massive demographic shift where white people will become a minority by 2050, and a political landscape where social media funnels the national dialogue into echo-chambers of outrage and every action, policy, and statement from one side is demonized by the other. Students are learning and teachers are teaching in an increasingly volatile landscape.

Recent attempts by school boards and state legislatures to ban the teaching of CRT and resources such as The 1619 Project are demonstrative of how schools are now on the front lines of the culture wars. For a long time- too long I would argue, the dominant narratives of American history tended to celebrate our achievements more than criticizing our failures.

To borrow the language of a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece, historians traditionally placed a greater emphasis on “1776” (the year the United States declared independence from Great Britain) than “1619” (the year slaves first landed in North America) as the starting point to our national story. The 1619 Project attempted to counter the dominant racial narrative of American history; that despite the sin of slavery our revolution was just, our constitution a protector of freedom and liberty, and the horrible stain of slavery was finally washed away by Reconstruction and the African American civil rights movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. The 1619 Project places slavery at the center of the American story.

Should it be? I’m not sure. Should it be more central to the American story than previous versions of our history? Undoubtedly. Whose vision of American history is correct? Do we teach “1619” or “1776?”

Perhaps no historian has done more to counter traditional narratives of American history than Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States, first published in 1980. Zinn described his approach to history: “Thus, in that inevitable taking of sides which comes from selection and emphasis in history, I prefer to try to tell the story of the discovery of America from the viewpoint of the Arawaks, of the Constitution from the standpoint of the slaves, of Andrew Jackson as seen by the Cherokees, of the Civil War as seen by the New York Irish, of the rise of industrialism as seen by the young women in the Lowell textile mills, the First World War as seen by socialists, the Second World War as seen by pacifists, and so on, to the limited extent that any one person, however he or she strains, can ‘see’ history from the standpoint of others.”

Therefore, Zinn’s great contribution to

39

history was his ability to use multiple lenses to triangulate the truth, to whatever degree truth can be triangulated. Zinn did not need to look through the lens of rich powerful white men, as their truth was history up to that point.

While Zinn was a welcome counterbalance to traditional, even jingoistic narratives of American History, is it possible that the pendulum has swung too far in Zinn’s direction? Have we become overly critical of American history? Do we stand to lose something if history is ONLY looked at through the lens of identity, or race? Or class? Or gender? What dangers do we face if instead of having competing narratives of the American story, we become so atomized that we have no narrative at all?

Increasingly in history education, as well as in our national political discourse, there has been an unwillingness (or inability) by some to entertain any ideas that run contrary to their beliefs. Pluralism is out. Debates in classrooms have become more contentious and therefore less frequent due to self-censorship or teachers steering clear of issues that might land them in hot water. Political opponents have become enemies to be vanquished. We are not listening to each other anymore. This is a major problem, as being closed-minded is antithetical to being a good student and a good citizen.

My “call to action” is for teachers and students to always try and put themselves in someone else’s shoes and look at the world through their eyes, to seek genuine understanding of their position, even if for no other reason than to validate the logic of their own argument (as John Stuart Mill once said, “He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that.”).

No one thinks they are the bad guy, right? We are often the hero of our own story.

We must reject black and white, binary, sim-

40

plistic arguments or interpretations and instead constantly seek to live in the middle ground, the gray area in between. Always ask: What might the other guy say? What information do I not have that might be relevant? How would I feel if this happened to me? How would I respond to my own argument? What lens am I not looking through that can help paint a more complete picture?

History is chock full of opportunities to seek nuance and alternate narratives, to use different lenses to look at a problem or event. Was WWII a righteous war where the U.S. led the free world against tyranny and facism? Or was this really a competition for empire and have we forgotten that the “good guys” collectively held over 600,000,000 people in colonial bondage? Are men like Carnegie and Rockefeller “Robber Barons,” who amassed obscene amounts of wealth by exploiting cheap labor and buying off politicians, or are they “Captains of Industry” who worked extremely hard, took enormous amounts of personal and financial risk, and earned their wealth through innovation and invention? Is Thomas Jefferson a hero for his contributions to the Enlightenment, or a hypocrite who deserves to be canceled?

To go further, do Democrats like murdering babies? Do Republicans hate poor people? Or is it more complicated than that? If you find yourself full of righteous indignation in an argument, how likely is it that the other person feels just as strongly they are in the right? We must remember history and politics should be complicated because human beings are complicated. Actively seeking out the nuance and complexity in the “gray area” will make you a better writer, thinker, scholar, and person. So should we teach 1619 or 1776? The answer is “yes.”

The Center Will Not Hold Erin Sucher-O’Grady Journalism Adviser

S

ince 2011, American society has collectively become a dumber and sadder society. The widespread adoption of the iPhone, coupled with social media apps that entice the most destructive aspects of human nature, are the most likely candidates to blame for our current state of ire.

Our contemporary discourse has become corrosive as we have become trapped in what feels like a political zero sum game, imprisoned by the speed of communication.

We are not biologically designed for the world we find ourselves in. Of the 210,000 years of homo sapien occupation on our 4.5 billionyear-old planet, 99.9% of that tenure has been spent in a hunter-gatherer state.

University of Kansas Psychologist Dr. Stephen Ilardi refers to depression as a disease of civilization, along with the likes of diabetes, allergies and obesity. Essentially, the further our species moves away from a life that prioritizes the features of hunter-gather living, the sadder and sicker we become. For a healthier existence, we need to build lives that prioritize time outside, feature physical activity, spend our time in the presence of loved ones, and orient our minds around non-ruminative thinking patterns.

Psychologist Dr. Jean Twenge in her book about the cultural trends of Gen Z, “iGen” offers data to support Ilardi’s findings. Twenge finds, based on decades of generational research, that in-person socialization and sports and exercise are the most protective activities that young people can engage in, in terms of their mental health.

So what does mental health have to do with our corrosive discourse?

It is because life is about habits of mind.

The wonderful American writer and transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote,

“What is life but the angle of vision? A man is measured by the angle at which he looks at objects. What is life but what a man is thinking of all day? This is his fate. Knowing is the measure of the man. By how much we know, so much we are.”

We are what we think about.

When we spend our days ruminating in echo chambers of bad ideas, no wonder the result is a decrease in the state of our mental health.

I believe that we are living in the dark ages of too much information.

We are in desperate need to acquire and teach new skills to find good information, and engage our brains to sort, analyze, and process the flood of information that comes at us minute to minute.

Our need for a healthier discourse and way of mental operating could not be more imperative. We need to understand big problems, understand how technology is commodifying our attention for profit, and how our current habits of information consumption are leading us astray. In an age when we have access to any and all the information in the world, the result has been a narrowing of the mind.

America is an experiment in governance that is unparalleled in human history. Not only is it a democracy, but it is a multi-cultural and multi-racial democracy that requires the cultivation and curation of diverse viewpoints, experiences and an understanding of humans in their distinct circumstances.

How do we capture the complexity of our country, and its citizens?

I believe embracing nuance is the best way forward.

In our modern media landscape, where most people consume their news, nuance is not being practiced.

“How weak we are, that we cannot entertain an idea that makes us uncomfortable?”

The architecture of social media has created a national landscape of silos and echo chambers which exacerbate division. The result is us versus them thinking, right versus wrong, and most dangerously, good versus evil.

A commitment to scholarship, the essential foundation of our educational institutions, is under threat. We are losing our ability to deeply focus, which is necessary to do profound work.

This is true in both progressive and conservative communities, where mirrors of intolerance abound. Books are banned or eliminated from curriculum in both directions. Toni Morrison and Mark Twain, both shapers of what we understand to be this American experiment, have become too distressing to teach and learn.

How weak we are, that we cannot entertain an idea that makes us uncomfortable? How do we hope to be strong if we cannot withstand intellectual challenge?

Education is not intended to make people comfortable, it is meant to make them think.

In a democracy, where the people are allowed to govern themselves, dialogue is going to be messy, and we better be prepared for it.

Our self-righteousness has become intellectually constraining, and we will only find our center when we find our humility.

The Enlightenment, the intellectual movement that placed striving for reason as the priority for an often unreasonable and emotional animal at the center, is the inheritance of our educational institutions and we should swiftly adhere to the purpose of its’ aims.

We must act in service of seeking truth through the scientific method.

If we do not recommit to placing this frame at the center of American education, at every level, we will lose our democracy - if we haven’t already.

41

My Digital Trail Ella Cuneo

Editor-in-Chief

M

y best friend and I run a fan account for the popular 2010s boyband One Direction. While now, I am often a little embarrassed for my seemingly stereotypical fangirl behavior, I worry far more for my reputation in the future. What is one of the former band members uses a derogatory word?

What if I disagree with their political ideology?

What if they are accused of a crime?

While pondering these questions, selfishly, I am always brought back to the thought of how this can be used against me in the future.

From our middle school days, we are taught to watch our “digital trail.”

We are taught that everything we put on the Internet will be there forever, so be careful what we post. I have always lived by the motto that if I would not do it in real life, I will not do it online. Recently, that motto has not been enough to ease my mind. I tend to avoid being opinionated or posting anything that could lead to debate in the future.

That is, other than my passion for music.

I caption most of my Instagram posts using lyrics from my favorite songs to describe my feelings the moment the photo was taken and I post TikToks singing along to my favorite songs. I talk about my favorite lyrics and vocals and promote new content the band is releasing. I do all of these things while still a small voice in the back of my mind is chanting what if… what if…

I would like to say that all of the artists I listen to and enjoy would never

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do anything that could be seen as disrespectful, but I cannot see the future.

I am afraid that if one of the musicians I love does something wrong, someone will go back and find my TikToks or Instagram posts from when I was a senior in high school and use them to prove that, yes, Ella is a bad person. By association, Ella supports their disappointing actions. Ella should be fired from her job.

While that may seem like an exaggeration, things that adults have posted in their teenage years have recently come back to haunt them.

Alix McCammond, a former politics reporter at the Washington news site Axios, was supposed to become the editor in chief of Teen Vogue in May of 2021. After Teen Vogue staff members found racist and homophobic tweets McCammond posted when she was a teenager, she resigned from the job.

McCammond, 27 at the time, was named journalist of the year by the National Association of Black Journalists and was vetted by the hiring team at Teen Vogue, who were aware of the tweets. Additionally, in 2019,

McCammond apologized and deleted the tweets.

“My past tweets have overshadowed the work I’ve done to highlight the people and issues I care about…” said McCammon in a statement after her resignation. “I look at my work and growth in the years since, and have redoubled my commitment to growing in the years to come as both a person and as a professional.”

While I do not condone her past actions in any manner, at what point do we accept that she has grown? McCammon apologized and removed the tweets years before they were brought up in a professional setting and continued to apologize and show personal growth once she was announced for the job. At what point can we determine that she has learned from her past actions?

As a society, we need to allow for someone to move on from their past mistakes, especially when they are made during growing moments in their lives.

Everyone makes mistakes at some point and we have to be able to acknowledge that we are not the same person that we were years ago. While our digital trail may follow us, the things posted in the past are not always a reflection of who we will be in the future.

“I tend to avoid being opinionated or posting anything that could lead to debate in the future”

Dear Readers, E

ven before we send this story to print, I am proud of what we have accomplished with this project.

Dozens of essays have been written, encouraging teachers and students to think deeply about how to improve our school environment.

Interviews have been filmed, as people bravely speak their minds.

Hundreds of hours have been spent in conversa-tion, between reporters, teachers and students, some formal and recorded, some informal. I have read every essay at least three times, had a conversation with every essay writer and worked with all of our reporters and designers to put this together. At the very least personally, I can attest that this project has expanded my mind, pushed me to think deeply and engage with my community. Even before we publish, we have begun to create change.

We know what we must do to continue to create this change. It all begins with civil discourse, by resurrecting nuance. This is necessary to preserve scholarship in our community, and by extension, democracy in our nation. The minds of our students and the livelihoods of our teachers depend on our ability to create this change.

While we, here in our community, do not have the power to change the entire American political climate, we do have the power to resurrect nuance in our community. We can create structures: lesson plans, coordinators and committees. We can change the way that we teach our students, encouraging them to share ideas, softening the fear of backlash.

We can support our teachers, giving them the protection they need to push each other and their students to engage with one another. We can all work to live in the gray area.

Living in the gray area means taking risks, having discussions with people that you disagree with, wrestling with ideas, inconsistencies and contradictions. It is incumbent upon all of us to engage in this work, and to do so continuously, always looking for ways to improve.

The current climate of fear and anxiety in our school is only a glimpse of a potential, terrible future.

The generations of students to come will have grown up with social media and cancel culture, bringing a closed view of the world with them as they move into adulthood. Classroom discussions will become non-existent and teachers will teach in constant fear of an accusation that could cost them their job. They will no longer be willing to push students to think critically. Adolescence will be forever changed, as students will no longer have the freedom to explore and express themselves and their identities.

We have the will, the tools, the power to prevent the catastrophe that is slowly unfolding around us. So we will act with urgency, communally and individually, to address one of the greatest threats of our time?

Thank you for reading and engaging with this work. A dozen Globe and GNN staffers, even more essay writers and interviewees, and our tireless journalism advisor contributed their thoughts, time, energy and even nuance to this project. We hope you get as much out of this as we have.

This project would not have been possible without: Lily Kleinhenz, Ivy Slen, Charlie Meyers, JiaLi Deck, Alex Slen, Ella Cuneo, Victoria Fan, Ana Mitreva, Isabella Bamnolker, Sonali Dayal, Seraphina Corbo, Caleb Park, and Sophia Lu. Sincerely, Alex Cohen Managing Editor

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REVIEW

Fast vs. fancy

iHOP Ratings:

CHS students review breakfast foods from iHOP and Half & Half.

SOFIA MUTIS | PAGE EDITOR HANNAH TEAGAN | REPORTER

French Toast: Teagan 5/10

Bacon:

Newmark 7.9/10 Mutis 4.1/10 Sofia Mutis shows off the critics’ iHOP breakfast order.

Pancakes:

Newmark 7/10 Mutis 8/10

Eggs:

Newmark 8.1/10 Mutis 8.5/10

Teagan 6.5/10

Potatoes:

Newmark 4.3/10 Mutis 5.9/10 Teagan 9.8/10

FAST: iHOP

A

PHOTO BY SOFIA MUTIS | PAGE EDITOR

whiff of maple syrup and sizzling bacon reaches the noses of CHS students and renowned food critics: Zachary Newmark, Sofia Mutis, and Hannah Teagan, as they are led to their iHOP booth.

We get comfortable in our chairs as we know the most important review of our careers is on the horizon. The menu feels cold at the tips of our fingers. Our eyes carefully graze over every option.

After ordering a meal with pancakes or French toast, bacon, potatoes, and eggs we anxiously wait.

Mutis is ridiculed and ostracized for her order of over-hard eggs. Newmark says, “Anyone who orders over-hard eggs is weird and should rethink their life choices.” Although she attempts to defend herself, every rebuttal is shot down right away. Mutis was outnumbered 2:1.

Fifteen minutes later the food was brought out. Silence dominated our booth as we scarfed down our meal. Only the clattering of utensils and an occasional loud chew broke the quiet.

Once we had time to collect their thoughts, the review process began.

Newmark, who ordered the Breakfast Sam-

pler, claimed the eggs were the best part of his meal. He said, “They were cooked to perfection, honestly amazing sunny-side up eggs.” However, the potatoes failed to impress. The hash browns were undercooked with subpar seasoning and needed more salt.

Teagan is vegetarian and claims that French toast is superior to pancakes. Therefore, she ordered French Toast with a side of hash browns, scrambled eggs, and no bacon. Sadly, she was left wanting more out of her French Toast. Teagan said, “It just didn’t give what I wanted it to give. The edges of the toast were cold and undercooked.”

Mutis, who ordered the Breakfast Combo, thought the pancakes had an adequate fluff to them. She said, “I normally don’t use the butter on my pancakes, but this time I did. It elevated the dish quite a bit.” However, the bacon did not meet her expectations. She said, “The bacon was dry. But, that may slightly be my fault for wiping the grease off with a napkin.”

Overall, we felt as though their meal was satisfactory. The diner environment made us feel at home.

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REVIEW

FANCY:

Half & Half

A

s we are guided to our booth, we take the chance to observe the plates off of every table. We find pancakes stacked with raspberry filling and nuts, and searing skillets filled with delectable hashes. We decided the presentation of the food at Half & Half was superior to that of iHOP. As soon as we get settled in our seats, our waitress comes over with cheerful energy. Her smile and enthusiasm is something the service at iHOP lacked. At Half & Half every staff member appears to enjoy their job and value their customers.

Our waitress takes our order. Again, it’s a meal with pancakes or French toast, bacon, potatoes, and eggs.

While waiting for the food, Newmark admires the farmhouse environment at Half & Half. Teagan said, “Zach, next time come in with boots and a country hat so that you can be a fun little cowboy.” Newmark did not care to confirm or deny if he thought that was a good idea.

Twenty minutes later, the food is served.

We each paused to admire the presentation of our plates before devouring our meals. The generous amount of syrup used left our hands sticky. Once finished, we gathered our thoughts and began the review process once again.

Newmark stated that his Pancakes were scrumptious and spongy, but possibly slightly undercooked. Mutis tried his pancakes and identified the “undercooked” portion to be butter. Next, the bacon. Newmark said, “The bacon had practically the same level of crispy and toasty as the bacon at iHOP. I expected more.”

Teagan was left content with her French toast. She said, “They were really well-cooked this time and the syrup was delightful. The best part about them was their fluffiness, no question.” Also, even though they didn’t have the hashbrowns she wanted, the potatoes were still delicious. She said, “Only one word comes to mind: fire.”

Mutis forgot to ask for her eggs to be overhard. Therefore, they were maybe a little too runny for her liking. On the other hand, the Pancakes were the best part of her meal. She said, “The syrup is legitimately god-like and these pancakes are fluffier than my pillow. So good, I could cry.” Mutis did not cry.

All in all, our experience at Half & Half felt more personalized and cozy, whereas iHOP felt more commercialized and nostalgic. Both are exceptional breakfast choices and we disagreed on which restaurant was better. At the end of the day, it all depends on the vibe you want to surround yourself with as you eat.

Half & Half Ratings:

French Toast: Teagan 9/10

Bacon:

Newmark 7.8/10 Mutis 7.2/10

Pancakes:

Newmark 7.9/10 Mutis 9.1/10 Half & Half alley windowsill sign.

PHOTO BY LILY KLEINHEINZ | PHOTO EDITOR

Eggs:

Newmark 5.2/10 Mutis 5.5/10

Teagan 5.1/10

Half & Half’s Clara Cakes

PHOTO PROVIDED BY HALF & HALF

Potatoes:

Newmark 6.3/10 Mutis 7.5/10 Teagan 8.0/10

46

SPORTS

A

Amazing AnMei Sophomore at Clayton High School, Star Gymnast for All American Gymnastics.

MICAH LOTSOFF | SPORTS SECTION EDITOR MORIAH LOTSOFF | REVIEW SECTION EDITOR

C

layton High School sophomore, AnMei Deck, has been competing in gymnastics for the past 10 years. Although she loves the sport and hopes to continue throughout her time at Clayton, Deck acknowledges that it is difficult to juggle amongst other activities.

“I am on the speech and debate team, and often have to skip gymnastics to go to tournaments, additionally I have to skip editors and build nights for VPEL because of practice,” said Deck. She often doesn’t return home until 9 pm and must complete her school work and other responsibilities. “There have been very stressful weeks and sometimes it’s really hard to drop one activity to do another.”

Like in any sport, Deck occasionally experiences “mental blocks” where she avoids a skill or move. Although frustrating at the time, “I always find it extremely gratifying to look back and see how far I’ve come. I am now doing skills I never thought I could ever do, but by continuing to push through and stick with things even when it felt impossible, I got to where I am today.”

Deck recently completed her level 7 season and hopes

to reach a level 9 by the time she is a senior.

However, despite her love and longevity with the sport, she is unsure if she will continue to compete after high school.

“When I was little I wanted to go to the Olympics like most children, but I realize now that’s a bit far-fetched,” said Deck.

“I’m definitely not the best at the sport… so I don’t think about my future in gymnastics too much. It makes me sad to think after highschool I will probably be done with the sport, so I mostly just think about short term goals.”

In the State competition which occurred on March 27th, 2022, AnMei had the third best time on the bar. She also not only had the best time on the beam, but she also achieved the goal of having the best all around time in the entire competition.

Deck thanks gymnastics for instilling her resilience. “Not every practice or meet will be my best, but the sport has taught me to never give up and to just get up and try again if something doesn’t work out.”

“The biggest thing gymnastics has taught me is dedication and grit. There are definitely days, sometimes weeks, when I dread going to practice, but the sport has taught me dedication and to show up even when you don’t feel like it.”

47

SPORTS

Powerful Paige Senior Paige Rawitscher relfects on her time on the Clayton Lacrosse team after scoring her 200th goal.

RUBY NADIN | COPY EDITOR

I

t was a gray, rainy afternoon on April 20th when Paige Rawitscher’s shot hit the back of the lacrosse net for the 200th time in her high school lacrosse career.

“It was a little surreal. It wasn’t something that I ever thought would be possible and I think it’s just such an incredible achievement. It’s just very, very exciting.” Rawitscher said, as she reflected on her 200th goal in their game against Incarnate Word. The game ended with a win and an 18-3 score, ten of which were scored by Rawitscher.

Rawitscher has been playing lacrosse since suffering from a soccer injury in 7th grade. Since then, she has made a name for herself as a top player both at Clayton and on her club team, 410 West Lacrosse.

Rawitscher’s dedication on her club team has helped her become the player that she is today. “We practice three times a week, as well as extra clinics and stuff on Saturdays and Sundays. I’ve gone to those all through highschool.” Said Rawitscher. In addition to extra weekend practices, Rawitscher plays in many tournaments throughout the year. “We go to the East Coast a lot because lacrosse is really big there, so I’ve been to tournaments in Virginia, South Carolina, the Boston area, and New York.”

Since she started playing in 8th grade, Rawitscher quickly developed a talent for midfield. “I’ve never minded running, so it just felt pretty natural to just be able to run up and down. I also really like the motion and movement of running back and fourth on the field.”

Rawitscher’s natural athleticism and passion for

the game has helped her excel during her 4 years playing for Clayton. This season alone the girls lacrosse team so far has an 8-4 record, with many integral goals scored by Rawitscher. As well as her speed, Rawitscher uses different skills to get the ball into the back of the net. “In games I am definitely a driver, so I like to start up top and work on my dodging up there, then just drive the ball into cage,” Said Rawitscher.

“But when I’m just messing around in practice I like to do trick shots like behind the back type of stuff.”

Rawitscher’s relationship with her teammates has also helped her grow as a player. “Both on and off the field we all get along really well, which is something that I think really brings us together and is really remarkable about our team.” Said Rawitscher. Many of the seniors on the team have been playing together for four years, and have grown very close. “I’m friends with a lot of the girls in and out of school, which makes it even more fun to play because they’re not just my teammates but they are also my best friends.”

As she looks back on her high school lacrosse career, Rawitscher reflects on some of her favorite memories; “My all time favorite moment was probably when I scored my 100th goal last season,” Said Rawitscher. “We were down by one in the last minute of the game and I ended up pushing us into overtime and then scoring the game winning goal.”

With Rawitscher’s final Clayton season drawing to a close, she remains focused on winning every game and pushing herself to end the season with a bang.

HELPING YOUTH MAKE HEALTHY CHOICES

Minors in possession (MIP) of alcohol

can be charged with a misdemeanor, including driver’s license suspension for 30 days and up to $300 in fines for first offense.

Y T R E A F P SA PARTY SAFE. PARTY SOBER.