November Globe 2013

THE

Volume 85 November 2013

GLOBE

ISSUE #THREE

SEXTING : The fine line

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Sexting Mock Trial SAINT LOUIS STYLE Sports Marion Freeman Review Art Museum Commentary 6th Grade Camp

Cover Upfront Features

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CONTENTS

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THE

GLOBE

ISSUE #THREE

THE

GLOBE NEWSMAGAZINE

Volume 85 November 2013

editor-in-chief

SEXTING : The fine line

Cover

katherine ren

editors

photographer: Gwyneth Henke

senior managing editors

section editors

sierra carrel

neil docherty

noah engel alexis schwartz

peter shumway

alessandra silva

aishwarya yadama

christopher sleckman

rebecca stiffelman

shiori tomatsu

sophie allen

bebe engel

zach bayly

jolena pang

sierra hieronymus

patrick butler

sophie allen

attiya charrington

claire lisker

ryan fletcher

rebecca polinsky

ava hoffman

phoebe yao

lauren indovino

ennuri yi

linda kim

jeffrey friedman

jessica jancose peter baugh jeffrey cheng yossi katz

reporters

webmaster

addison leong

web editor

lemuel lan

distribution editor

steven zou

richard simon jacques fehr olivia macdougal noah engel

mary mcguire monye pitt

lawrence hu

leah shaffer

noah jacus

maddy vaughn

jihyun kim bridget boeger gabby boeger

graphic artists

cherry tomatsu victoria yi

camille respess

stephanie langendoerfer

kevin rosenthal

andrew erblich

zachary sorensen max steinbaum rebecca stiffelman

graphics editor

audrey palmer

adviser

erin castellano

micaela stoner ashleigh williams tara williams elise yang alex bernard grace harrison

UPFRONT

makenna martin

sophie barnes rebecca bloom

business managers ben diamond

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patrick butler

emma ehll-welply

peter schmidt

photo editors

photographers

rachel bluestone

parker schultz

gwyneth henke

copy editors

abraham bluestone

marina henke

EDITOR’S LETTER editorial. I often see grey walls in front of me,

and frankly, they’re very intimidating. At times, it’s a difficult passage in music, others an impossible math problem. And as I’m looking up at these walls, I wonder how I’m supposed to get over them.

Obstacles are inevitable, and eventually we will have to deal with one. The question is: how do we deal with them?

In this issue, we focus a lot on dealing with obstacles. In our cover story, we follow CHS students dealing with emotional burdens, and, despite how difficult these challenges were, they managed to persevere. No doubt they have scars, but if anything, coming out of such a serious situation has likely made them stronger.

We also cover Jordyn McCarty who loves hockey and plays on our boys’ team. Who didn’t let bullying or being “different” keep her from doing what she really loves.

We all have different obstacles, but we all face the same dilemma: do we give up or do we persist? And in reading this issue and thinking about past experiences, I would say persisting is the way to go.

Regardless of what happens, if we persevere through hard times, we will grow. Everyone needs this skill whether it’s for overcoming a personal struggle or if it’s trying to solve a difficult

math problem. It’s the same answer everywhere — keep working at it and eventually you will come out at the other side — stronger.

I hope readers will come out of this issue with this new mindset. While times may be rough, they can’t last forever.

Ultimately, we decide whether or not our problems control our lives.

It’s only a quarter into the school year. Or maybe I should say it’s already a quarter into the school year. Either way, we still have three more to go until the year is over, but no matter what problems we may encounter, I’ve got confidence that we’ll make it through.

Because problems will always arise, and if we want to continue moving forward, we have to climb the wall in front of us. Walls won’t budge for us. So we must make the best out of them and take action. 

Shiori Tomatsu, Senior Managing Editor

The Globe Newsmagazine exists to inform, entertain, persuade and represent the student voice at CHS. All content decisions are made by the student editorial staff and the Globe is an entirely self-funded publication. Not every story that our reporters write is published in the print newsmagazine. Visit www.chsglobe.com for additional stories and photos and for more information about the Globe itself. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement - for more information about advertising and subscriptions, please contact our office: Clayton High School Globe 1 Mark Twain Circle Clayton, MO 63105 (314) 854-6668 Fax: 854-6734 globe@claytonschools.net Professional Affiliations: Sponsors of School Publications . Missouri Interscholastic Press Association . National Scholastic Press Association . Columbia Scholastic Press Association

EDITOR’sUPFRONT LETTER

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September 28, 2013, Clayton, MO

Victory!

The Clayton High School Greyhound football team defeated Jennings at the CHS homecoming football game, with a final score of 21-6. They celebrated this victory in the best way possible - showering head coach Scott Weissman with a freezing bucket of water.

Photo by Andy Hodapp

Photo by Noah Engel

New Eats For Clayton

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by LAWRENCE HU and MAX STEINBAUM

itting just across the street from CHS is an upbeat, fast and casual restaurant, separated from the campus only by way of Ladue Road. This restaurant, as described by its General Manager, David Clark, “[is just] like an Italian-style Chipotle.”

Cini, short for “arancini,” comes from the name of the restaurant’s signature dish. Originating in Italy, this dish involves small rice balls filled with an assortment of meats, vegetables and seasonings. It is usually either sold on the streets or served as an entree in restaurants. Along with these cinis, the restaurant also serves a variety of pastas and salads, both of which are completely customizable and made within the restaurant.

“Very few things we get in are pre-made,” Clark said of Cini’s ingredients. “All of our dressings, all of our sauces … everything is all made fresh, [by] ourselves.”

Cini is a relatively new restaurant found only in the St Louis area.

Though it has been up-and-running since January of this year, the doors of Cini’s Ladue location have only been open for about five months.

Walking through the front doors of the restaurant, you are immediately greeted by vibrant, colorful wallpaper and lively music. This eatery is outfitted with a stylish and appealing modern look.

As a Cini customer, you will have an “Italian-style Chipotle” experience, as Clark suggested, in that the customer has the power to create their own dish.

First, you select your type of dish - a choice of either miniature arancinis, pasta or salad. If, for example, you select pasta, you may then select your sauce, as well as a variety of toppings to complete your meal.

“I guess the easiest way to describe [Cini] to somebody would just be to tell them that you just come in, have three entrees to choose from, and you go from there,” Clark said. “That’s what’s unique about [Cini]. You don’t have to have the same thing every time. You can mix and match, try different things, different flavors. I think that’s [a good] way to describe it; you create your own dish.”

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Customers can customize a reasonably-priced meal, as well as see their dish created quickly before their eyes.

The idea for the store was conceived by two brothers, who are also the owners of another set of restaurants including the local Buffalo Wild Wings and Giovanni’s on The Hill in St. Louis.

Cini’s introductory location in our area opened within the City of St. Louis. “We opened our first [restaurant] … down on Grand, by the SLU campus,” Clark said.

That’s also the location, according to Clark, where Cini sees the most business.

The company has already made plans to expand its growing business in the St. Louis area, and possibly even to other parts of the United States. “[It’s] just this [location] and SLU right now,” Clark said. “But we [have plans] to expand. Right now, we’re focusing on St. Louis, and we’re hoping to get about five or six here, established, up-and-running, doing well, and then we’re probably going to venture outside of St. Louis, into other cities.”

Before Cini can expand its reach beyond St. Louis, Clark says there is one main thing the company must accomplish first. “It takes some time to get the name out,” Clark said. “I would say, 95 percent of the people here in St. Louis, don’t even know that we’re here. We’re that new. It’s just going to take some time and patience … and I envision, a couple years from now, everybody in St. Louis is going to know who we are.”

According to Clark, most of the customers Cini sees are people working in downtown Clayton on weekdays who are looking for a place to break for lunch.

“I know they like this area,” Clark said.

When asked if he believed Cini would be a good place for CHS students to come for lunch, Clark responded, “I had no clue that you guys were allowed off-campus during lunch,” he said. “But I think it would be great. I’d love to see more of you guys, for sure.” 

Cultivating Knowledge

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by REBECCA STIFFELMAN

he CHS science department is offering a new junior and senior elective course this year that gives students the knowledge and practical experience to study plants up close.

Formally called “Anatomy, Physiology & Molecular Biology of Plants,” this course aims to take fundamental science concepts to a new level by combining traditional classroom teaching methods with interactive opportunities.

Senior Ellie Harrison has been pleased with her experience in the new course.

“Beyond the actual lessons, we have really been able to experiment with the best ways for growing and nurturing our plants,” Harrison said.

“It is really interesting to see all the science that we’ve learned from the classroom being executed and observable in our plants in the greenhouse.”

While the class strays slightly from the conventional chemistry, biology or physics lab-based classes, it offers valuable opportunities to bring textbook pages to the real world. Students are able learn in a relaxed environment where, rather than cramming formulas for the next big exam, they can feel comfortable observing, experimenting and innovating.

“This class is different mainly because of its casual and hands-on nature,” Harrison said. “[Laz told us] she wanted this to be our most fun class of the day where we could have a chance to relax and enjoy ourselves.”

In the classroom, students cover topics such as plant anatomy and plant evolution. They then head to the greenhouse where they can see living examples of the organisms they have studied, and test their knowledge by growing their own plants.

In addition, students learn about the mechanics of the greenhouse, like how to control lighting, temperature, humidity and the automatic watering system — all of which are valuable skills for anyone considering scientific research in their future.

Another essential aspect of the course is understanding the role of plant science in sustainable production of food and bio-fuels.

Students also explore the connection between plant biology and global environmental issues.

As sustainable thinking and green education move to the forefront of the school District’s concern, the need for such a class becomes more apparent. 

CHS students tend to their plants in the rooftop greenhouse (Rebecca Stiffelman).

UPFRONT

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Clockwise from left, the mock trial team members: senior Arya Yadama, junior Jake Tarr, junior Nathan Jarvis, sophomore Omkar Venkatesh, freshman Marysia Hyrc, junior Rachel Bluestone and sophomore Jolena Pang. Not pictured: junior Jeffrey Cheng. (Ryan Fletcher)

OBJECTION!

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by ALBERT WANG

ophomore Jolena Pang sits and waits in the English office. It is 8:00 in the morning, and school is about to start. Finally, the mock trial teacher-coach Justin Seiwell enters his office and takes Pang to room 2. As Seiwell opens the door, Pang sees five other students already waiting for her. A video camera points directly at her seat in the front of the room. Immediately after Pang settles down in her seat, junior Jeffrey Cheng stands up and begins asking Pang a range of questions.

On the morning of Sept. 19, Pang auditioned for the witness role on the CHS mock trial team. “I was a little nervous at first, but once I sat down it was just like having a conversation,” Pang said.

As the name suggests, mock trial is a replica of a real court trial, with some students acting as lawyers and others acting the part of witnesses.

Schools create a team of eight students ranging from all grade levels. For each tournament, all teams are given a fake court case, and teams have to work together in order to prepare.

Lawyers have to use the court case in order to generate questions that he or she will ask the witness on another team. Witnesses, on the other hand, have to memorize all of the specific details relating to the witness character of the case, as well as be prepared to answer any other questions that lawyers from other teams may have.

Mock trial, along with all other speech and debate events, is part of forensics. However, it differs greatly from the other forensic events. Seiwell, the coach for both speech and debate and mock trial, explains that, “mock trial is much more selective. Each school can only have one team of eight students, whereas any number of students can choose to participate in speech and debate. Also, mock trial is much more team oriented. All

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members in mock trial have to attend every tournament, while members of speech and debate can choose which tournaments they want to go to.”

Even though all team members have to put in time and work into preparing for mock trial tournaments, that time spent is definitely not wasted. Junior Nathan Jarvis, one of the members of the team, said, “You get to meet a lot of new people, improve your debate and speech skills, as well as learn a lot about the legal system.”

This year, two spots opened on the mock trial team because two seniors graduated last spring. “Once you make it onto the mock trial team, you stay on the team for all of your high school years. We only get open slots every year because of seniors leaving,” Seiwell explained.

On Friday, Oct. 4, the results for the two new members selected from the auditions were released. Pang and freshman Marysia Hyrc were selected.

“In our new members, we try to look for students who think differently than our current members and may have something new and special to bring to the team,” Seiwell said. However, Seiwell is not the only person who decides who the new members will be. The students already on the mock trial team are the ones who are able to make the final decision.

Jarvis, one of the four mock trial members who joined last year, said, “I think Marysia and Jolena were clear candidates and I believe they will do very well on the team. In our selection process, we were looking for people who were most articulate, creative with their responses and seemed most prepared.”

The addition of these two new members secures the future of the mock trial team which will compete in the preliminary rounds this January and February. 

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ADministrative Assistant Positions REDUCED

down From Five To Three, after District-Wide Budget Cuts, the remaining assistants make due

by STEVEN ZOU

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his school year, CHS administrative assistant positions have been reduced from five to three due to district-wide budget cuts. These remaining assistants have taken on the workload that was once distributed among five positions.

Assistant Principal Marci Pieper explained that the administration team re-interviewed the five CHS administrative assistants to see if they had the necessary skills the new positions would demand, such as viewing the school’s financial system and being comfortable working with Textbook Tracker, an online software that allows the administration to track the location of student textbooks.

Administrative assistant Tanya Brooks said that her role has not changed much from the cuts, except that the job is now at a faster pace.

However, Brooks was originally skeptical of the changes.

“I did not want the change because I loved the departments that I worked with,” Brooks said. “I loved the people that I worked directly with everyday.”

Pieper also expressed her initial uncertainty with the change.

“We knew what we wanted it to look like, but we weren’t sure it was going to work with individual departments because teachers were nervous about getting what needed to be copied on time and who was going to get the bills paid,” Pieper said. “But the faculty has been very patient and have allowed us the time to work through the logistics of things.”

English teacher and department chair Jennifer Sellenriek said that the administrative assistant had a big role in their department.

“Ms. Jones knew what everybody was doing, in the sense that she was a unifying person,” Sellenriek said. “She knew who had what book checked out, she greeted people when they walked into the English office, and in many ways, she kept us together and upbeat.”

For Brooks, one of the best things the change has brought is the opportunity to grow relationships in the Clayton High School community.

“It has allowed me to know other staff members in the building that I would not have probably gotten to know had this change not occurred,” Brooks said. “I think it also helped everybody in the building recognize we all have to work as a group and not just as individuals, even as individual departments, because everyone relies on everyone now.”

Brooks said one of the downsides to the change has been that all three of the administrative assistants had to adjust their way of doing things to accommodate the needs of all the departments.

“We were used to doing things our own specific way when we worked for individual departments,” Brooks said. “When myself, Ms. Manny and

Administrative assistant Tanya Brooks checks the condition of a recently returned book. (Alessandra Silva) Ms. Jones came together, we all had to make adjustments to make our work effective for everyone.”

Sellenriek feels that the new changes have been difficult to get used to.

“We were used to working with an administrative assistant who anticipated our needs, and who would step in before we even knew we needed help,” Sellenriek said. “One of the biggest changes is that whenever we had subs, the administrative assistant would help the sub get settled in.

Now when subs are here in the morning, I have to use my morning prep time to help them get settled in.”

Sellenriek hopes that in the future the District takes into account a teacher’s ease of teaching when making cuts.

“We need to go back and evaluate if the cuts are affecting our instruction,” Sellenriek said. “We need to look at if the cuts are affecting the stress level of classroom teachers in the future because that has a huge impact on us teaching.”

According to Pieper, the administration will soon evlatuate how smoothly things are operating and there may be changes after the first quarter of the school year. 

UPFRONT

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St. Louis is stylin’

Two young entrepreneurs, Jeff and Randy Vines, burst onto the st. louis fashion scene with a T-shirt business that highlights the uniqueness of the city.

by MARINA HENKE

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he Style House sits on the intersection of Cherokee Street and Compton Ave in South St. Louis. Phrases like “Meet Me in Saint Louis” and “Get Your Thrills in Saint Louis Hills” plaster the walls, side by side with images of the signature Central West End lamppost and the iconic Fleur-de-lis.

Run by Jeff and Randy Vines, twin brothers who grew up in the suburbs of Saint Louis, the store has one simple goal: It’s bringing Saint Louis back with style.

In business for ten years, STL Style sells primarily T-shirts promoting inside jokes of the Saint Louis community.

When the Vines brothers came back from college, they wanted an outlet to express their love for Saint Louis. None existed. In their spare time they began printing T-shirts with the help of a designer friend.

A simple hobby soon blossomed, and eager St. Louis enthusiasts approached them, wondering where they could get shirts of their own.

The brothers soon found that many people shared their same excitement for the city. “A lot of people had great pride in the city but no real way to express it, so we slowly started churning out different designs,” Randy said.

For years, the Vines brothers would print shirts at night after a full day of work. However, in 2009 Jeff found himself out of a job and decided to commit himself fully to their T-shirts. Six months later, Randy quit his position as a hotel manager, and the brothers opened their store to the public.

The new store offered the brothers both an outlet for their passion for the city and a work environment that suited their personalities perfectly, “We just weren’t cut out for working in an office, getting dressed up every day… our love of Saint Louis was the one thing we never tired of,” Jeff said.

From there, STL Style exploded. Within their first year as an established store, the Vines brothers grew out of their original space on Cherokee Street and moved to the corner store that they currently occupy.

Although the majority of their T-shirts are affectionately promoting Saint Louis, the brothers now do custom work for groups all over the city, including WASHU, Trailnet and Saint Louis Public Radio.

They have not limited themselves to just T-shirts. The store is covered with posters, onesies, and even underwear. Every item conveys a unique aspect of Saint Louis.

Displayed in the front of the store are orange mugs with the message “City of Saint Louis: Mug” written in bold Helvetica. A parody off of the orange public works trucks of the city that have different city departments written on them, these mugs are emblematic of STL Style’s beloved personal touch.

“We took public works and tried to make it a little sexier,” Jeff said.

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Owners of STL Style, Jeff and Randy Vine, relax in their store on Cherokee Street. (Seth Lewis).

To date, the brothers have roughly 70 different designs. Although mainly limited to the city, they do make some shirts for suburbs like UCity and Maplewood.

The ideas for the shirts come primarily from the twins and are then executed by their main designer, Kadie Foppiano.

The creative team does not think finding inspiration is too hard.

“In a city this rich in history and quirkiness there is no shortage of ideas to spoof of,” Randy said.

Because of the city’s endless inspiration, the Style House has a versatile collection of shirts with personality.

“We will get hipsters coming in for the ‘Fo Choteau’ and then a minivan of soccer moms coming in for the ‘Where Did You Go To High School?’ or

the ‘Highway Farty.’ There is a little something for everyone,” Randy said.

Although much of the merchandise at STL style is light-hearted, the Vines brothers wish to convey a deeper sentiment about Saint Louis.

“This is a business that allows us to be activists and advocate for the different civic causes that we stand for, be it historic preservation or expansion of public transit or a simple political candidate,” Vines said.

Both brothers are extremely active around Saint Louis. They were crucial members in the rally to save the Midtown saucer building last year and are board members for the Saint Louis Landmarks Association. The twins also take part in the Great Lakes Urban Exchange, which is an urban advocacy organization for the Rust Belt cities.

Jeff and Randy are intent on making sure that the city receives its due respect.

“We always want to make sure that Saint Louis remains relevant in the national urban conversation. We believe that once a great city always a great city,” Vines said.

Proper representation is crucial, especially since Saint Louis, and other Rust Belt cities, have attracted negative stereotypes.

Randy believes many of these cities, including Saint Louis, Cleveland and Detroit, are now misrepresented, “they all have this stigma of being crime ridden, empty, or dead,” Randy said.

Saint Louis specifically is often targeted as a crime-ridden city. Randy Vines was quick to note this misconception, and Jeff and Randy take it personally.

“The crime thing is way over hyped, it’s not a dangerous city, that’s really skewed and frustrating,” Randy said.

However, the twins have seen a renewed energy for the city emerging in the past few years.

Cherokee Street, where the store is located, is a testament to the city’s successes. The neighborhood is full of transplants, people who use to live in places like London, Chicago or Seattle. In Saint Louis, they find a greater sense of opportunity.

“It’s a city where you can try and fail and still afford your rent. I don’t think you can say that about a lot of places,” Randy said.

The store aims to promote the city more than anything else. To the Vines brothers something as simple as buying a T-shirt allows for civic engagement, “Our goals for the city are inextricably linked to our business,” Randy said.

“We will only promote things that we believe in … You’re not going to see us doing stupid “Most Dangerous City” T-shirts.”

As the store expands, the Vines brothers remain rooted in their dedication to the city. “Underneath our whole company,” Randy said, “is the desire to make the city a better place.” 

“WE Will get hipsters coming in for the ‘Fo Choteau’ and then a minivan of soccer moms coming in for the ‘where did you go to high school?’

Or the ‘highway farty.’ There is a little something for everyone.”

-RANDY VINE

Interior of the colorful and energetic STL Style (Seth Lewis). features

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Ebel on Wheels

“Yeah, this tooth,” sophomore Abraham Park said, pointing inside his mouth, “is actually fake.” Park was seated in a Starbucks cafe. It was a busy Tuesday night, and in between moments of reliving his skateboarding days, Park stopped to chat with passing friends.

Much like his fake tooth - disguised among a row of pearly genuines - Park has a hidden story of his own that is easy to overlook. Since sixth grade, Park has been “bombing” the streets on his skateboard. For Park, skateboarding is more than a sport; it’s a lifestyle, and he’s lived it on the edge.

As Park shifted his Starbucks chair, his eyes moved about the room and he thought back to his first time stepping on a skateboard. His replies were fast; clipped with the energy of someone who’s willing to speed down hills on nothing more than a thin board with wheels.

“My sister wanted me to become a skater for some reason,” Park recalled. “She thought that skaters were cool back then, and being a tenyear-old kid, I wanted to be that cool kid.”

For Park, skating quickly became more than a way of being “that cool kid.” Skating became a means of rebelling; a means of testing limits and making noise.

“Once I started skating, I became a little rebel,” Park said.

Park started spending more nights bombing streets with his friends. He would meet up with his friends in the evening, then head out to find places to skate. Inevitably, he caused trouble. It wasn’t unusual to be kicked off lots by security guards, or even chased away by cops.

The clatter of coffee roasters almost hid a barely detectable change in Park’s voice. His

Story by Parker Schultz, Photos by Andy Hodapp

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thoughts came even faster; one after the other, as his mind wandered back to late nights spent skateboarding. Something more sensitive had been touched in Park’s memories. He took a moment’s pause, searching for the best way to put his experience into words.

“Yeah, I’ve been kicked out of places,” Park said. “I vandalized. I mean, you can’t really skate without vandalizing. There’s nowhere to go other than skateparks, and who wants to pay 15 dollars to go somewhere to skate?

So you go around downtown Clayton getting kicked out of places.”

One downtown Clayton parking garage, known as the “up-down-yellow” by Park and his friends, was a favorite hangout. The garage featured a curb that was “a great place to practice and do tricks,” regardless of the security guard who patrolled it.

What most bothers property owners about skateboards are the small metal trucks located on the bottom of the boards. The trucks, which attach to the wheels and bearings, scrape away paint and chip concrete when a skateboarder grinds. Over time, skaters wear down the surfaces they perform tricks on. Property owners will often go to great lengths to remove skaters from their buildings.

Park recalled one night a cop was called to clear his group out of the “up-down-yellow” garage.

“The cops came but we ran away from them so we were fine,” Park said. “It was a daily practice to run from people when skating. It was just more extreme and more adrenaline rushing to run from cops.”

In truth, it’s not fair to call Park a skateboarder anymore. He’s a penny boarder, and there’s a difference. Pennyboards, which are

significantly smaller than skateboards, aren’t designed for tricks. The smaller, softer cousins of skateboards are perfect; however, for commuting.

“Things are more subtle. Things are more predictable,” Park said. “I’m not sure if that’s the right word, but you feel better off. You don’t have cops chasing after you. That gets tiring - it’s hard on your feet too.”

When Park switched boards he found a new purpose for skating. Instead of rebelling, bombing streets became a way for him to create his own world.

“Pennyboard is more relaxing because sometimes when I’m bored, and it’s the weekend, I just grab my pennyboard, I grab some money, I grab my sunglasses, music and then I just go,” Park said. “I don’t know where I’m going. I just head out for wherever.”

For Park, pennyboarding is simply relaxing.

“Sensations. Going down a hill. It’s just great,” Park said. “You’re listening to your music - the music is great, it enhances your mood so much - and then you have wind all over your face. It’s making your hair go wild like you don’t care.”

In the Starbucks, Park seemed to find a new energy amongst the tired coffee-goers. He gleamed with an honest interest. In that moment, it was plain that skateboarding meant more to Park than a mode of transportation.

Park would never put skateboarding on a resume, and he wouldn’t be able to collect a case of trophies. It was clear that Park skateboarded because he wanted to.

“You know the roads, but you don’t know where you’re going to end up by the end of the day,” Park said. “It’s just a great sensation.” 

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A Rising Star

by GRACE HARRISON AND ALEX BERNARD

Lily Ibur’s mom, Anne, regularly corresponds with Principal Dr. Dan Gutchewsky regarding the classes her daughter misses. But Lily still has to meet the high expectations placed on all high school students despite her continually growing fame.

Lily and her 18-year-old sister, Bella Ibur, have been singing together since they won the high school band competition at Loufest over a year ago. Loufest, an annual outdoor music festival, draws thousands of spectators to its Forest Park event. Since their win, Bella and Lily Ibur have branded themselves as the duo Bella & Lily. They have performed in many local venues, on radio and television stations, and have recently come out with their first album, “Count to Ten.” The Ibur sisters come from a musical family. They have both been playing music for as long as they can remember; Bella the piano, and Lily the drums and guitar. The girls inherited their artistic talents from their parents, Ted and Anne Ibur.

“Being involved in the arts is just what we do,” Ted said. Ted has played the drums his whole life with a number of bands, and Anne is a gifted painter.

Besides being supportive parents, Ted and Anne also manage their daughter’s duo using their knowledge of the arts.

“It’s weird [having our parents manage us] because we’re not used to it

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yet, but they’re really supportive and they do a lot,” Lily said.

The Ibur parents are very busy managing the band on top of their everyday jobs. “This [managing the duo] is a tremendous amount of time,” Ted said. “We’re a little bit more involved than just Mom and Dad. We have to handle the business end as well.”

Ted, a high school English teacher, finds it hard to balance his day job and the attention his daughters’ career requires. Ted and Anne just recently became the full-time managers, a new level of involvement for them in their girls’ careers.

Before her parents managed her, Bella sought a solo career for a little over a year before teaming up with her sister. She performed under the stage name Bella Kalei.

But as Lily’s interest in her sister’s career grew, it became obvious that she had potential as well.

“Every time the manager would come over for meetings, Lily would be sitting around, adding her input,” Ted said.

Lily credits her sister for much of her interest in music.

“I guess my sister inspired me to write,” Lily said. “She inspired me, as a musician. She’s always been there to support me and my music.”

When Lily won the second place award in the University of Missouri’s COMP (Creating Original Music Project) in her eighth grade year, it be-

came evident that Bella was not the only Ibur daughter with a musical future.

The girls wrote their first full song together two summers ago while on vacation in Wisconsin.

“It was clear that they were just better together,” Ted said.

According to Lily, the fact that they are sisters doesn’t inhibit their musical career. “We’re gonna have our disagreements, but we’re best friends at the same time,” Lily said.

After their Loufest win, the girls began to work together and perfect their sound. In her senior year, Bella was faced with a decision when she found out that she was accepted into the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Bella could either attend the following year, putting the duo’s musical career on hold, or she could defer a year to focus on Bella & Lily.

“Talking to some friends in the music industry, they really felt their age was an asset,” Ted said. “And to try doing something now would be a good opportunity.”

Bella decided to defer, and in the spring of 2013, the Iburs launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the album.

Reaching their fiscal goal of $10,000, the girls were able to travel to New York this past summer to record their album with producer Henry Hirsch.

Hirsch is a distant relative of the Iburs who they found through a family Facebook page. After hearing their music, he invited them to record in his studio in which he has also recorded with Vanessa Paradis, Madonna and Lenny Kravitz, to name a few.

The girls worked on their album with Hirsch for a grueling two weeks; many days lasting past midnight.

“People keep asking them how their vacation was, and they both al-

ways laugh because it was the hardest work they have ever done,” Ted said.

Hirsch has a unique way of operating. Instead of using voice control like many modern producers, he encourages his artists to use their own instruments, and their own voice.

“I think what impressed me the most [about Bella and Lily] was their determination not to run to the computer for pitch correction,” Hirsch said. “From my own experience, this quality of delivering music without cheating will ensure them a long and successful career.”

The girls’ father echoed this sentiment, “If you can’t play it live, then you can’t play it,” he said.

The girls finished recording their album in New York, and released it October 11th at a Blueberry Hill premiere party. “Count to Ten” features six original songs.

The combination of Bella and Lily’s different music preferences makes for an interesting and unique sound.

“Bella’s tendency is more pop oriented, and Lily’s style is more indie-alternative,” Ted said.

“So the producer said, ‘you guys are indie-pop.

Just hybrid it.’”

As far as the future is concerned, everyone seems to be on the same page.

“The immediate goal is to build their name and their reputation and gain an audience that is wide,” Anne said.

Hirsch could see the duo going far, but he knows that they need to mature as artists before they take the next step. “Henry said, ‘I could line up meetings with labels while you’re in the city, but I don’t want to yet. I really want you to hone your live act,’” Ted said.

Lily sees the album release as just the beginning of their musical career. 

“I think what impressed me the most was their determination not to run to the computer for pitch correction” -Henry HirscH

Lily Ibur sings at Blueberry Hill with her sister Bella. (Photos by Dustin Kessler)

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State of Security

by Abraham Bluestone with Neil Docherty Photos by Neil Docherty

A

t the beginning of the second quarter, students will return to a different kind of open campus. At CHS, subtle but evolving security changes will begin the implementation process. Existing locks will be improved, students will access locked doors with ID cards and campus supervisors will be manning open entrances. “[I want to be able to] control better who has access to our campus,” Clayton High School Principal Dr. Dan Gutchewsky said. “Starting by the beginning of second quarter (Note: That was the initial timeline but due to some logistical issues the timeline has been pushed until late 1st semester) we will issue ID cards to the students that will allow access to the exterior doors during the school day. Currently all the faculty have these [cards] that work on the exterior doors, but students’ cards will soon also work during the school day. They will be able to access the exterior and still be able to come and go as necessary, but those doors will be locked to anybody who doesn’t have a key card.”

The key card entry system is not the only security system being put in place.

“We are adding campus supervisors to greet people as they come in and point them in the right direction if they are visiting,” Gutchewsky said. “And while it’s not certainly a perfect system it does give us a level of control in terms of people that don’t necessarily belong here, or at least being able to know who is on campus and control the flow of people on and off campus.”

A permanent station has been proposed for campus supervisors at the front entrance of the high school. Work to construct this station will most likely take place over the course of next summer. This station will prevent unwelcome visitors from walking right into the academic hallways, and will provide an extra layer of protection.

Changes After Tragedies Security has always been an important issue to the Clayton District; however, new emphasis has been placed on student safety after the Newtown elementary school shooting.

“We reviewed our security procedures in response to the the Newtown shootings,” Gutchewsky said. “And engaged in numerous conversations pertaining to security at all of our buildings throughout the District.

Director of Student Services Dr. Greg Batenhorst also cited the Newtown shooting as a motivator.

Campus supervisor Dan Stamborski checks people entering CHS. (Neil Docherty)

“The greater focus on security was intensified last year after the Newtown shootings,” Batenhorst said. “So then we went and looked at where we thought we could upgrade safety and security in the District.”

The Newtown shooting that both administrators referenced was a massacre in which Adam Lanza shot 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December of 2012. He was not authorized to have access to the building.

Gutchewsky recalled that tragedies have often been the catalyst for security upgrades in schools.

“Anytime you have a school violence,” Gutchewsky said. “Newtown was the most well-known recent incident, but I mean it goes all the way back to when I started teaching in the Columbine era. Being a teacher in that era, it was my first or second year I believe, that changed education in how we looked at school security. It was a very landmark case in everybody’s consciousness.”

Director of Facility Services Tim Wonish also remembers how security steps have been implemented after major tragedies.

“We had to kind of revisit some things, especially last year with the Newtown shooting in Connecticut,” Wonish said. “We have to look at which safeguards we have put into place, and we started to look at the trends, back in 1998 with Columbine, high schools were made a target.

That’s when the SRO position started to come into being, and that has transformed into having officers at almost every high school.”

The Student Resource Officer, or SRO, is a program in which police officers are stationed at high schools, to help prevent school violence.

Currently, the School District of Clayton has two SROs, one at Wydown Middle School, and one at the high school.

A third SRO position is one of the many security enhancements recommended to the Clayton Board of Education. Currently, the District’s two SROs are expected to work part-time at the elementary schools. The third SRO would work full-time at the three elementary schools.

Clayton High School SRO John Zlatic feels that he is often forced to make compromises in time management due to the number of schools he has to work with.

“Obviously with recent shootings that took place at an elementary school,” Zlatic said, “elementary principals are very concerned because they feel vulnerable, also they feel that I spend the majority of my time here.”

Zlatic feels that a third SRO to work with the elementary students would prove helpful to the District.

“I think its justified with our population here,” Zlatic said. “The age of our population, and the tendency of them to get caught up in stuff. We have thefts, we have fights, we have all kinds of issues that need to be handled. You don’t really see that kind of stuff at the elementary level.

But they still want to be protected and they still want to be secured, and I think we are getting close to seeing that we are going to have a third SRO, probably to manage the elementary schools.”

Zlatic also feels that a specialized SRO for the elementary schools would help as they can focus more on the students there, instead of trying to split their time among kids of broadly different age groups.

“They are able to provide a different kind of service,” Zlatic said.

“Where as here … mentoring comes into play. I will sponsor a club, I will work with students at certain levels. But mentoring is a much bigger issue at the elementary schools, trying to set a positive role model, while also providing security.”

Alongside the addition of SROs in the past, a major security feature installed over the years has been the addition of security cameras throughout the District.

The installation of the cameras began when the District was awarded a grant to increase security.

The cameras immediately proved useful.

Shortly after the introduction of the security cameras, several students stole a master key to the school and broke into CHS on a holiday weekend, stealing 37 computers. However, the theft was filmed by the

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new security cameras.

“The sad part about it was that I was able to identify [the thief], just by the walk of one student,” Zlatic said. “I had an idea of who I thought it might be, and the size. We were able to check and we were able to find all the computers except for a couple in a closet. We made four arrests at the time. We even found out who stole the key, and were able to charge that person too.”

ENTRANCES FOR CHS

Open Campus The largest problem facing the District’s attempts to secure the high school is one of the most unique and cherished features of CHS - the open campus policy.

Open campus allows students to leave CHS throughout the day, trusting them to return in time for classes.

Prior to the security upgrades of 2013, most doors around the school were left unlocked during the school day. “[Parents] obviously had concerns about the openness of the campus,” Batenhorst said, “and whether or not that would put their children in a more vulnerable spot.”

Gutchewsky also recognizes the movement to close the campus.

“Every time that there is anything in the media [regarding shootings at schools],” Gutchewsky said. “I’ll get calls from concerned folks saying that we need to lock down the campus. I don’t think that’s the answer.”

Gutchewsky believes that the recently proposed measures strike a middle ground, bolstering security while also respecting the tradition of the open campus.

“I think that there are people that are concerned about the open campus from a security standpoint,” Gutchewsky said. “You have other people that are just as passionate about maintaining the open campus and not being reactionary. I think that there are really strong arguments on both sides, so I think that this is a step in providing more security but at the same time allowing us to maintain the open campus.”

Batenhorst also values open campus, while accepting the need to modify its implementation.

“There have always been people with various opinions about it,” Batenhorst said. “But open campus has been a staple of Clayton High School forever and there is not a major movement to get rid of that. I trust that Clayton High School students can do what they need to do with their time and do it wisely. We don’t need to take away that privilege but at the same time I do think it’s important that we bolster the safety and security for all our students in all of our buildings.”

Officer Zlatic feels that the open campus makes security tougher, but not impossible.

“The biggest challenge is that we’re talking about doing it on a campus that is open, so it makes it really challenging,” Zlatic said. “Impossible?

I don’t think so. It just makes it a lot harder than it would be for other places. The philosophy of Clayton is that they like the uniqueness of the open campus and that’s probably going to always stay that way.”

Mental Health However, security issues go far beyond the physical component, as the mental health of students is seen as an increasing security concern.

Batenhorst cites a survey as the reason for increasing concern for mental health.

“There was a recent survey put out by the Pew corporation,” Batenhorst said. “A public opinion poll, and they were asking people what they thought was the number one measure we could use in regards to making our schools safe, and about 58 percent of the people responded that the

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GRAPHIC BY AUDREY PALMER greatest focus should be on mental health and the social and emotional health of our students.”

Gutchewsky supports creating positive relationships between students and staff in order to help the mental health of students.

“In the building everybody wants to feel safe,” Gutchewsky said. “And I think that when you kind of have that common feeling, that’s much more powerful than metal detectors or locking down a campus. That’s one of the reasons that I believe so strongly in cultivating positive relationships with everyone in the campus.”

Gutchewsky goes so far as to believe that a positive school community will protect itself better than any number of physical security systems.

“I believe the whole relationship piece and cultivating a positive school environment - is so important to school safety,” Gutchewsky said. “Because having 850 or 880 sets of eyes watching out for everyone is much more powerful than just the faculty or anything that security cameras are going to do.”

But no matter how secure the buildings are, Batenhorst accepts that security is not an end-goal, but a process.

“There have been secure buildings that have been compromised, that have led to tragedies,” Batenhorst said. “Newtown had locked doors.

There was a situation in Omaha, Nebraska where an assistant principal was shot, despite the fact that a SRO was right there. When I think about security, I ask myself ‘have I given every opportunity for the buildings to be as secure as they can?’”

Wonish also realizes that securing the District is a process, changing over time.

“Each year we seem to make a little improvement here or there,” Wonish said. “We’re a long ways from where we were seven years ago.” 

sexting: the fine line

BY ZACH BAYLY & GWYNETH HENKE WITH PETER BAUGH & GRACE HARRISON

I. “One day [at Clayton] I was walking down the hall and someone was like, ‘Oh, look at that, that’s that whore in the picture.’”

This is just one facet of the tirade of responses that assaulted Rachel*, a CHS student whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity, after a sexual picture of her was shared without her consent.

Rachel was at a party with her friends when the picture

“They said it was [deleted] and it would never go anywhere, and it was sent to everyone in their school, and our school and st. louis.”

- Rachel *All names with an asterisk have been changed

was taken. Many of the boys at the party had been pressuring her to drink all night, and she soon found herself in a compromising position with two other people. Suddenly, someone pulled their phone out. “[A picture] was taken of me without my consent, and I asked if it could be deleted. They said it was and it would never go anywhere, and then it was sent to everyone in their school, and our school and St. Louis,” Rachel said.

In a few days, the photograph had spread to schools across the city.

As she watched the picture get sent to an increasing number of people, Rachel lost more and more control of the situation. She faced several insults and attacks such as the one she experienced in the halls of CHS, and she felt as though there was no way to defend herself against them.

“Everyone just assumed that I was okay with it and I wanted it sent around. No one knew that it was not okay with me,” Rachel said.

Rachel was embarrassed and angry. But most of all, she felt taken advantage of.

While Rachel partially blamed herself for getting into the situation where the picture could be taken, she ultimately felt that the boys who had shot and shared the photo were responsible for its spread. “[The boys there] had us [drink] but they didn’t, so I was already not in a good position, and then they just ran in and took a picture of what was going on. Then when I asked them to delete it they didn’t. So I feel like it was kind of my fault for doing what they said, but also it’s not like I didn’t try to stop it,” Rachel said.

Rachel didn’t tell her parents, teachers or the police because she feared the backlash that would come from the presence of alcohol in the photograph. She also felt that since there were so many people involved in the spread of the picture it would be impossible to ever stop.

Eventually, the sharing of the picture slowed and it gradually faded from conversation.

However, Rachel still knows that the picture exists throughout the city and that it could resurface and do more harm at any moment.

Ii. Elizabeth*, a CHS student, regularly shares sexual images and messages with her boyfriend.

“With my boyfriend I feel like I can trust him and he wouldn’t use it against me, so I have not regretted it,” Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth and her boyfriend are in a long-distance relationship, which was part of what led Elizabeth to begin sexting.

“There definitely can be dangers to [sexting], but I think

(Olivia MacDougal) it can also be something that’s healthy for a relationship, especially a long-distance thing,” Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth believes that sexting is safe and okay to partake in as long as it is with someone whom you are committed to.

“I think it can be very risky, because it can come back to hurt you if you don’t really trust the person and the person isn’t someone that cares about you,” Elizabeth said. “If it’s just someone that you’re casually sexting, it can be blackmailed, it can be shared.”

Elizabeth had been wary of sexting for fear that the pictures would somehow be seen by others without her consent if they were sent through normal messaging systems. However, with the advent of Snapchat, Elizabeth found a medium that seemed to promise her a safe way to send pictures without outside discovery.

Snapchat allows users to send a picture with a short message attached. Once opened by the receiver, the picture can be viewed for an amount of time set by the sender (with a maximum of ten seconds) before it then disappears from the receiver’s phone. Although the pictures can be captured through screenshots, Snapchat does alert the receiver if the picture has been screenshotted.

“It made me more comfortable; whether that’s good or bad I don’t know,” Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth recognizes the dangers of sexting, but the precautions that she takes — being in a committed relationship, using Snapchat — make her feel safe when sexting.

“I think there’s good and bad to it,” she said. “There needs to be a balance of being OK and not shameful about it but also being safe and knowing the consequences of what you’re doing.”

Iii. Julia*, another CHS student, received a picture of a friend’s genitals completely without her consent or invitation.

Julia was exercising with friends when the boy sent the picture through Snapchat. Unaware of the contents, Julia casually opened the picture.

“I was shocked by what came up on my screen, and I was also embarrassed for the people around me because they had to see [the picture] as well, so it just came up during a very public time,” Julia said.

Julia immediately began texting the boy to tell him not to send her a similar picture again, but she was interrupted by another Snapchat.

“Before I could send that message right after the snapchat, I got a second [sexual picture],” Julia said.

After receiving the second picture, Julia told the boy not to try to contact her again.

“I have a really high respect for myself and so, when I got that Snapchat, it felt sort of degrading to me and I felt disrespected ... some people may think that’s an overreaction, but that’s how I

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(Gwyneth Henke) felt ... I was just not okay with it,” Julia said.

Not only was she insulted by the boy’s affronts, but Julia felt like the friendship she had with the boy was completely altered after viewing the picture.

“I’m never really going to think of him or feel the same way about him as I did before … I’m always going to have that image hanging over me,” Julia said.

As offended and hurt as Julia was when she received the picture, she felt that it was important that she went through it so that she could be prepared for similar occurrences.

“I feel like it opened my eyes, and I feel like it’s a good experience to have to go through, because it makes you more cautious and more wary of what happens in the future,” Julia said.

iV. These stories are the sobering reality of sexting. They represent three parts of the spectrum of sharing sexual images online: having pictures shared without one’s consent, receiving pictures without consent and sending them willingly.

While these three stories are from the Clayton High School community, they are in no way unique.

The sexting craze has most recently appeared to the public eye in the widely-known Steubenville High School rape case, in which a young, intoxicated girl was raped by two classmates while she was passed out at a party. Pictures and descriptions of the rape were posted across social media by the boys and

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texted to several people.

Highly-publicized sexting cases such as this only represent the tip of the iceberg in the sexting epidemic currently sweeping the nation, a practice which manifests itself through mediums such as Facebook, Snapchat, text messaging and dozens of other systems.

In America, 20 percent of teens are reported as having posted or sent a naked picture of themselves.

The punishment for teenagers sending sexual photos of themselves or others varies from state to state.

Missouri’s laws are some of the more relaxed in the nation, but the consequences can still be crushing to those convicted.

Upon their first conviction, minors who have shared sexual images — an act which constitutes child pornography in the eyes of the law — are guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. This means that perpetrators can receive up to one year in jail or up to a $1000 fine. However, they will not have to register as sex offenders, unlike guilty teens in several other states.

If the teenager is convicted of sharing sexual images a second time, then they can be punished with a Class D felony. This can merit up to four years in jail or a fine of up to $5000.

Those above 18 under the current Missouri laws, however, can be served a Class D felony upon their first conviction of spreading sexual images, which could include them having to register as a sex offender.

These consequences represent a 2009 change of Missouri’s laws. Before then, teenagers caught sharing sexual images — considered child pornography — could be convicted of a felony and had to register as a sex offender.

As the number of teenagers participating in sexting — and the number of teenagers being convicted for related crimes — increases, the leniency of these laws can be both a blessing and a curse.

Rebecca Biermann, a detective with Washington University

in St. Louis who used to work with a St. Louis area task force that addressed all Internet exploitation of children, reflected this dual purpose in the law.

“I think there’s a fine line there in the laws where you want to teach kids a lesson, but you don’t want to ruin their lives,” Biermann said.

v.

Biermann has seen dozens of cases involving sexting and other digital sex crimes throughout her career. As the breadth and reach of technology expands, Biermann observes the abuse of such technology enlarging with it. The growing sophistication of technology makes it increasingly difficult for task forces like Biermann’s to convict people of child pornography and sexting.

“We don’t have the technology yet to covertly discover what they’re doing on apps, because apps are independently made. So it’s very hard for us to get into those systems, whereas with a big site like Facebook or MyYearbook, they have their own security people who are watching that anyway, so they’ll catch the stuff and send it to [the police],” Biermann said.

Snapchat marks the most insidious branch of technology when it comes to sexting. Championing its ability to protect the privacy of its users, thousands of teenagers have flooded to Snapchat since its creation in September 2011.

However, the safety that teenagers feel when using Snapchat — especially to spread sexual images — may be founded in false promises.

“Snapchat has a big advertisement that [a sent picture] just disappears, and in reality it doesn’t. It’s stored locally, and it’s stored on the servers in which they traffic,” Gene Gladstone, CHS educational technology assistant, said.

If pictures sent through Snapchat don’t disappear, then users like Elizabeth could face severe ramifications for sexual

pictures shared through Snapchat down the road.

“There is always a digital trail on everything we do, even if we think it disappears. Somebody who’s talented enough or people who have the resources can always make those digital bits and bytes come back to life,” Gladstone said. “If they’re there, they can be found, and if they can be found, they can do damage.”

While there’s a chance that “Snapchatted” pictures might harmlessly fade away, the possibility of them resurfacing could be disastrous for millions of users.

Vi. Rachel still thinks about that night, the days that followed, and what she could have done differently to prevent such a degrading outbreak.

“I feel like it would have helped [to report it], but so many people had seen it already, and so many people knew about it, and so many people had it that it just would have gotten so many people in trouble, and I would have looked really bad,” Rachel said.

Although it’s comforting for teenagers to think that mistakes can be resolved and retracted, the pernicious nature of the sexting epidemic lies in the immense difficulty of doing so.

Gladstone emphasizes the digital imprint that human beings, especially teenagers, make in their everyday lives.

“Any time you use a device, and especially if you’re accessing the Internet, you leave a trail. And the kind of things that people typically think are, ‘I can delete my history’ … and you eliminate that trail. But that trail is always going to exist; it’s just a matter of whether or not the suspected violation is so severe that you need to invest the time and talent to go back and follow that trail,” Gladstone said.

While the police can take certain punitive measures after the private pictures have been sent and tears have been shed,

“I think there’s a fine line there in the laws where you want to teach kids a lesson but you don’t want to ruin their lives” - Rebecca Biermann

lives will still be at the mercy of what is forever embedded in the vast workings of cyberspace.

“Any time you use social media to post anything about yourself or somebody else, you need to presume it’s going to be there forever and you need to assume that, when you graduate high school and you look to enroll in college or... to choose a job, people are going to want to go back and take a look and see just who you were in high school,” Gladstone said.

As someone who followed the digital trails of suspected criminals professionally, Biermann believes that the legal aspect of the epidemic has become increasingly convoluted due to the fact that so many of these confessed distributors of child pornography are merely children themselves.

“You can’t be charged with a felony, you don’t have to be

“There is always a digital trail on everything we do, even if we think it disappears. Somebody who’s talented enough or people who have the resources can always make those digital bits and bytes come back to life.”

- Gene Gladstone

registered as a sex offender, and so I think that just shows people that it’s not that big of a deal. Then again, there are kids where you don’t want to ruin their lives just because they sent a picture of themselves to their boyfriend or girlfriend and it got out of control,” Biermann said.

Vii. Teenagers of the next generation have developed an unprecedented symbiosis with the technology industry. Adolescents are an intrinsic part of technology’s expansion, and technology has become an inherent part of adolescent lives.

Although this relationship between teens and technology may prove beneficial in the future, it currently presents inevitable dangers.

Teenagers are irrefutably the most reckless, mistake-prone and hormone-driven people. Combine these traits with the most intelligent and permanent medium of communication ever known, and therein lies an immense problem of a concerning magnitude.

While there may never be a solution to the raging adolescent hormones and sexuality of teenagers, the exploitation of minors on social media and cell phones can be prevented. However, this prevention depends on a commitment to providing teenagers with the information necessary to make informed decisions about sharing sexual content through technology.

Educating teenagers about life choices is notoriously difficult. Rather than giving up due to the sheer difficulty of the task, parents need to reveal what really lurks within such a deceptively intimate device.

The level of surveillance that parents decide to use is ultimately their decision, but an openness to discuss the consequences of using such a prevalent medium of communication for the most private facet of our lives is mandatory.

“You have to make it real, put it on the table for them, and kind of hope for the best,” Biermann said.

Outside of the home, companies within the social media and technology industry must take exhaustive steps toward preventing the spread of explicit images of minors. While certain companies do monitor the images that are sent and received on their sites, there are still private companies, such as Snapchat, that seem as though they are purposely providing teenagers a medium to exchange these images.

(Alexis Schwartz) What is even more counterproductive is that these companies are convincing minors that their pictures are forever safe from discovery or resurfacing, giving irrational teenagers false assurance of their privacy.

These companies have an obligation to be honest with their adolescent demographic about their rights to Internet privacy and to stop the spread of misconceptions regarding the transience of images in cyberspace.

As well as dispelling these misconceptions, private social media and technology companies should further regulate the usage of their products and cooperate with local police departments in order to protect minors from being exploited on such an expansive and permanent scale.

While parents and social media companies have a responsibility to prevent the spread of sexual images through education, local police departments have the controversial and difficult process of dealing with the aftermath of these outbreaks.

Although police departments have different methods of dealing with perpetrators and victims, a certain amount of understanding must be involved.

The gravity of exploiting and violating minors is clear, but dealing with teenagers requires another layer of understanding.

Local police departments need to enforce the idea that their purpose is to offer assistance to minors when there is nowhere else to turn. Otherwise, trapped adolescents will feel as if no other option exists, and their humiliation and shame will continue to relentlessly permeate their lives on an unprecedented scale.

That being said, there is no definitive cure for this epidemic.

Teenagers will always seek out ways to express themselves, and technology is expanding at a rate that allows them to do so with more ease than ever before.

Almost every teenager in the country will, at some point, be affected by the decisions they make on social media or their smartphones. This generation will be defined by the secret moments and private glimpses scattered across computer codes and servers.

Ultimately, the victims of sexting not only suffer the greatest pain, but are often forgotten in the magnitude of the issue.

When young students are associated with unwanted explicit images, they cease to be seen as peers. Instead, victims become the photos they so desperately try to suppress. Girls like Rachel* are known as “that whore in the picture,â€? instead of the individuals they really are. That is the real tragedy; no one deserves to be categorized by a photo. ďƒź

AT H L

PROF

ETE

ILE

all about the team

junior connor cassity is the number one player on the clayton team. She has potential to lead the team to a state title and place in the doubles tournament.

by PETER BAUGH

Photo by Patrick Butler

J

unior Connor Cassity comes from a tennis family. Both of her older sisters, Courtney and Carly, were leaders on an MICDS team that won the state tournament, and Carly, who graduated last year, is now playing at the University of Arizona.

Cassity, the Greyhounds’ number one tennis player, has learned from her sisters and has excelled in her three seasons on the CHS team.

“I just always try to have fun when I play, I don’t try and take it like if I lose then it’s the end of the world, but I hate losing so I always try my hardest,” she said.

Junior Hadley Alter has been Cassity’s teammate on the varsity tennis team for three seasons. She feels that Cassity is a team leader and sets a good example for her teammates.

“Connor is for sure a leader, just because she is the most experienced girl on the team, she’s been playing the longest and … she really handles herself well and has a good attitude as well,” Alter said.

Coach Susie Luten agrees with Alter, feeling that Cassity leads by example. Cassity’s strong play allowed Luten to trust her with a hard decision: how to play in the district tournament.

“She is our number one player on the team, and, therefore, she sets the tone for the rest of the team,” Luten said. “She really is so talented and, because of the makeup of the other districts and other competitors that she will be playing against, she really had her choice to play in singles or in doubles to compete for an individual state championship.”

Cassity decided to play doubles with fellow junior Cameron Freeman.

“She’s a very unselfish person and she’s all about the team,’’ Lu-

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ten said. ‘‘And she and Cameron have worked really hard together and they’ve gotten really good together, and I think she felt that, if she chose to play singles, she would be leaving her partner in the dust, so she decided to go with doubles.”

Cassity’s choice proved to be a good one. She and Freeman finished first in districts and qualified for the state tournament, where Luten feels they have a good chance to win. Cassity also led the team to the state tournament after beating Westminister in sectionals. At press time, the state championship had not been played.

Alter feels Cassity’s hard work is paying off, especially when she has to play against challenging teams, both in doubles and singles.

“She’s a really dedicated player and I feel that’s reflected in how she plays and how she handles herself on the court,” she said. “Connor always has a lot of difficult matches, and she’s always really calm and collected.”

In tennis, Cassity looks up to Serena Williams, a 17 time Grand Slam title champion.

“She takes control of the court, she hits the ball where she wants to hit them, she just does everything that a tennis player wants to do,” Cassity said.

Throughout her tennis experiences, Cassity has cherished the opportunities she has had to bond with her teammates.

“The high school tennis season is my favorite part of the whole school year,” she said. “Just because our team is really close and we get along really well and have a lot of fun together, and I think that’s the most important part.” 

you’re going to hear him roar

Freshman Tiger Chen has already qualified for state and has the fastest times on the clayton team.

by ELISE YANG

W

hen CHS freshman Tiger Chen swims, most people assume that he is a upperclassmen. He is taller than most in his grade, actually in the school, and he leaves almost all of his competition - freshmen to seniors - in his wake.

Chen learned to swim at the age of five in China. His mother’s job caused his family to move to Clayton when Chen was in second grade.

Chen began taking swim lessons when he moved to Clayton. He eventually joined CSP, a private swim team in Clayton, when he was eight.

“I swim with CSP because I am close with my coaches,” Chen said. “It was the nearest swim team to me and the only swim team I knew at that time.”

In the afternoons Chen swims for Clayton and in the mornings he swims for CSP. Chen wanted to try swimming for both the Greyhound team and CSP at the same time because he still was committed to swimming with his original team.

When the Clayton swimming season ends he is going to swim mornings and afternoons with CSP. Fellow teammate, freshman Tristan Belzer, is impressed by Chen’s dedication in swim meets and in practices.

“Tiger is a fast swimmer and he’s pretty cool,” Belzer said. “He is our best breaststroker. Tiger is super dedicated to swimming because he swims two times a day, for two different teams. He’s also put on a differ-

ent lane, that has harder intervals. He’s very hard working. Tiger swims more and pushes himself constantly.”

The 100 yard breaststroke and 200 yard IM (individual medley) are some of his favorite events, and also his best. Chen has won several events throughout the season so far; in the local area he is ranked in the top 15 of the fastest swimmers in multiple events. He’s posted top times on the team in five or more events, and has made top five in Zones, which is a multi-state swimming competition.

Another thing to add to Chen’s list of achievements: he has already qualified for the state competition in the breaststroke. He posted 1:04.17 against Parkway West, well under the 1:04.49 state cut.

Chen has also had some tough competition in the pool. He was more motivated to swim a faster time because he was racing alongside a friend of his from Parkway West.

“I really wanted to beat him,” Chen said.

In addition to being a hard working athlete, Chen is also a hard working student.

Chen is taking all honors classes, including honors algebra trigonometry, a math class usually offered to sophomores. Between swimming and school, he gets little time to do homework. And the amount of homework Chen has can be stressful for him, so time management is crucial.

“I have to know how to do homework efficiently,” Chen said. “I guess that’s kind of the main thing, I find a lot of people have trouble finishing their homework, and I am determined to finish it.”

Two hours is all Chen needs to do homework each night, because he goes to bed at 9:30 p.m. and has to arrive at practice the next morning at 5:00 a.m.

As for his future on the CHS team, he has decided to continue swimming for the Greyhounds next year despite the lack of time he has to do other things.

Chen’s swim coach Robert Laux has been impressed with his contributions to the team. Laux hopes Chen will keep improving the next three years.

“He’s the fastest kid on the team, and he’s strengthened our relays,” Laux said. “Tiger has definitely filled niches that would’ve been missing from some of the kids that had graduated last year, and for a freshman to fill the spots of seniors, that’s pretty great.” 

Chen swims with his club team, CSP. (Courtesy of Tiger Chen)

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29

Playing With The Boys

J

by CAMILLE RESPESS

ordyn McCarty, CHS freshman, laced up and hit the ice alongside fellow CHS hockey teammates. One thing that set McCarty from the pack was a golden blonde ponytail peeking out of her helmet.

McCarty is the only female member of the Greyhound squad.

McCarty began playing boys’ hockey when she was in the fifth grade, but has loved the sport for nearly all her life.

“I’ve had season tickets to the Blues since I was two and I wanted to start playing when I was four,” she said. “My parents wouldn’t let me because they thought it was just a phase. They finally let me because I kept bugging them about it. I just really liked it.”

Since then McCarty has played for four different boys’ hockey teams.

In the past, McCarty played one season of girls’ hockey. She did not enjoy the experience because body contact was limited on the ice. However, she does play girls’ golf and plans on playing girls’ lacrosse in the spring for the Greyhounds. Hockey has not been her only experience on an all male team. McCarty has also played boys’ baseball, soccer and lacrosse. She joined the boys’ teams in part because she feels that they were more competitive.

Although overall she has been happy with her decision to participate in boys’ athletics, she has dealt with some adversity because of her decision.

“At my old school in sixth grade, the girls started making fun of me and calling me a bunch of names,” McCarty said.

The transition to CHS, however, has been a good one. This is McCarty’s first year in the District. Previously, she attended Wolf Branch Middle School in Swansea, Illinois and St. Teresa Catholic School in Belleville, Illinois. McCarty has adjusted well and enjoys the school dynamic.

Jordyn’s mom, Donna McCarty supports her daughter’s choice to play boys’ sports, but at first she was unsure about her participation.

“We were a little nervous at first, her dad and I did not want her to do it [play hockey] because she wanted to play with the boys,” Donna McCarty said. “She finally wore us down after about a year of begging and that’s when we let her join the team for the first time. She’s loved it ever since.”

In the stands at many of Jordyn’s games, Donna often hears people in the crowd questioning if Jordyn is actually a girl playing on the boys’ teams.

“But we’ve never heard anyone say anything negative,” she said. “It’s all been positive feedback so far.”

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Similarly, Jordyn McCarty has never had to deal with any serious issues with the boys on the hockey teams she has played on.

“At first, on every team I join, they’re shy and they won’t go as hard on me and stuff,” McCarty said.

“But after awhile they get used to it and just act like I’m one of them.”

One of the CHS hockey coaches, Zach Han, aims to ensure that the hockey team does not treat McCarty any differently because of her gender. So far Han has only seen positive interactions with McCarty and her teammates. “[They treat her] no differently,” Han said. “I’d Jordyn McCarty is the lone have a problem with it if it female on the CHS hockey team. was different.”

Senior Richard Hol(Photos by Beatrice Engel) locher also believes that McCarty has been welcomed by the team.

“I treat her like any other player,” Hollocher said. “She’s willing to come out with the boys and skate and that is really admirable. I feel like she’d be embarrassed if we let up at all. So I go as hard as I can.”

Off the ice, Hollocher also feels that McCarty is adapting well, but there are a few complications.

“It’s kind of hard because she can’t be a part of the locker room bonding,” Hollocher said. “But I think she mixes in pretty well, it’s a lot of fun.”

McCarty now feels at home on the ice, but it wasn’t always that way.

“My first year it was kind of weird being the only girl,” she said. “I kind of got used to it. My old team, they were all like my brothers. I’m used to being the only girl now.” 

IT’s A HIT

by CLAIRE LISKER and PETER BAUGH

W

Hannah Stipanovich hits the ball over the net in a win over John Burroughs. (Patrick Butler)

ith a newfound unity and talent, the varsity volleyball team has propelled its success like never before and is preparing to play at districts on Oct. 28 at MICDS. Along with beating Ladue for the first time in seven years, the girls have had quality victories over John Burroughs and Whitfield, at one point going on a 10 game winning streak.

But what makes this team different from past years? Coach Jackie Jaques says that the team has far exceeded her expectations. “They’re fighters. If they’re down they often fight their way back,” she said.

A feeling of unity that she expressed was echoed by junior Ryan Fletcher, who explains that the closeness of the team can be attributed to its balance of upper and underclassmen. In fact, the girls are not only teammates on the court, but friends outside. Fletcher says they talk and text and, perhaps ironically, go out to eat a lot.

Seniors captains Jessica Raskas and Hannah Stipanovich keep the team in line by planning activities and making sure everyone is on the same page. “They have pushed us to a higher level that we’ve ever played in my five years here,” Jaques said.

Among the captains, senior Katie Hummel and juniors Lillian Heil, Ryan Fletcher, and Sydney Swinton have also impressed the coach this year.

Stipanovich is ninth in the area in kill average leaders and is first in the Suburban East Conference in kill average, serve efficiency and ace average.

Raskas is second in the conference in both blocks and ace average and Hummel is second in serve efficiency. Fletcher is second and Swinton is fifth in assists, with Heil at fifth in points per serve. Statistics were current as of press time.

One of the team’s biggest challenge at districts will be facing the defending state champion, Westminster, who they are neck and neck with. Jaques says that the outcome of that game will say quite a bit and, if they can get past them, the team will just have to wait and see what comes.

The odds may certainly be with the team to go farther than they ever have. Although the girls have high aims for the coming weeks, their enthusiasm will not stifle their rationale. “It’s such a chance game. You can’t really predict what happens,” Fletcher said.

Regardless, it is safe to say that Jaques and team have their eye on the prize. And their exceptional team dynamic could very well lead them to it. 

“They’re fighters. If they’re down they often fight their way back.”

- Jackie jaques

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31

A run

legac Freeman with a Distinguished Service Award at the MSHSAA Championship tournament. (Photo from the Freeman family) He set down his chair in his usual spot, with a heart full of pride and a focused presence. His applause for his granddaughter never lacks as she plays in her tennis matches for Clayton’s varsity team.

Marion Freeman is the patriarch of a Clayton family whose athletic legacy will forever be remembered. Through the lives he touched and the people he has helped, Freeman has been a consistent member of the Clayton community for over five decades.

Growing Up

During the long, hot, Missouri days of his childhood, Freeman had two choices: stay in the fields or find his own way home.

“I grew up on a farm and I’d go out with my dad in the fields and I’d get bored, I’d run home,” Freeman said.

Running home from the fields translated into a successful high school sports career. Freeman grew up in Northwest Missouri and participated in football, basketball and track in both high school and college.

During his high school years, World War II was raging in Europe. Many of his high school teachers were serving overseas, making class choices

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limited. The situation led to a unique opportunity for Freeman and and some of his classmates. He was able to take classes at a local university, allowing him to get ahead for college.

“By the time I got out of high school I had a few credit hours built up,” Freeman said. “When I started a four year program, I already was midway through my freshman year.”

For college, Freeman attended Northwest Missouri State. For track, Northwest was in the MIAA conference, which featured Cape Girardeau, Maryville and other Missouri schools.

When Freeman got to college, Cape Girardeau had won the conference for over 20 straight seasons. However, his junior year, tragedy struck and motivated the team to stop Cape Girardeau’s streak.

“Our coach lost his five-year-old son in the fall of my junior year,” he said. “The boy was run over by an automobile in a freak accident and that night we decided we better win the conference.”

Freeman and the team succeeded, wanted a bright end to an extremely painful year for their coach.

Freeman was a middle distance runner. Some would expect his small

unning

acy

by BECCA POLINSKY and PETER BAUGH

stature to prevent him from having the chance to run with the sprinters, but Freeman was able to excel leading off many relay teams. He said it always shocked the coach that he was able to do so well.

“He couldn’t figure out why I could beat his sprinters for 30 meters, but I could,” Freeman said. “So I was the lead man on the mile relay team.”

Freeman’s junior track season turned out to be his last in a memorable career. He accepted a position in the Chillicothe School District, opening up the next chapter in his life: coaching.

Coaching Career

Freeman feels that the positive experiences he had during his high school and college playing days led to excitement about coaching.

“I was very fortunate to compete in football, basketball and track in both high school and college and came out with a lot of curiosity and a lot of interest and enthusiasm about coaching and it’s carried over,” he said.

Freeman remembers his success with track, especially at the state level.

“For the first ten years I was out of college, I had somebody in the state

880 yard dash final for ten consecutive years, so I was a little partial to middle distance running,” Freeman said.

When he took the job at Clayton, Freeman coached cross country, basketball and track. He loves to talk about his former athletes and who they played against.

Freeman has memories of coaching against Bill Bradley, a future NBA Hall of Famer, when Bradley played against Clayton for Crystal City High School.

“First night we tried to triple team him and he got 35 [points], the next time we played him we fronted and backed him and he got 35, the next time we just played him, gave him his 35 and we tried to beat the rest of them … unbelievable athlete, unbelievable scorer,” Freeman said.

Overall, Freeman is proud of the impacts he made on his athlete’s lives and the lessons he was able to teach.

“Competition is wonderful to observe,” he said, “and so I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed that and I love to see kids improve.”

A Running Icon

Charlie Carr was one of the starting students during the racial integration of Clayton High School. He was an outstanding athlete and Freeman describes Carr as having a personality “just like a jewel.”

Carr considered playing baseball instead of sticking with track in the spring, but Freeman’s persuasive coaching convinced Carr to run for the first meet of the season prior to quitting.

Freeman placed Carr in an assortment of challenging events. After the meet, Freeman asked if Carr still planned on turning in his uniform to which Carr replied, “‘After today, I thought it had to get better than this,’” Freeman said. Carr became the star of the track team and was one of the many runners that Freeman touched throughout his coaching career.

In the early 1960s, Freeman started the cross-country team through extreme recruiting of other athletes within the high school. The track team was lacking middle to long distance runners, and Freeman desired to have a better-rounded team with a variety of runners.

“I was recruiting, daily, every day, everywhere. No matter where it was or when, I was recruiting. And it paid off,” Freeman said.

“I doubt I was the favorite coach in the school in those days,” Freeman said. “If they had air under them that look like they could run, I had them with an arm.”

His goal was to not only improve one sport, but to ultimately enhance the entire athletic body of CHS. “When I first got to the high school, there were about 18 or 20 boys out for track in the spring,” Freeman said, “And to me, that was a terrible situation.”

By Freeman’s fourth year of coaching track, he had 75 boys try out for the track team. “The last year of my coaching of track, the Clayton team won the Clayton Invitational for the first time in the 81 year history that I know of,” Freeman said.

His legacy lingers, as he continues to invite runners from across the state to participate in the Clayton Invitational track meet, which now bears his name, to break records. State champions return annually to run in this event.

Freeman’s constant support continues to drive the Clayton crosscountry and track teams to success with his inspirational advice. His athletic success is remembered on and off the track as his passion for victory lives on.

Freeman’s coaching can influence all aspects of an individual’s life, runner or not. The words he said to senior Parker Schultz before a cross country meet hold true to what he believes and passes on to those he helps: “When you go, go hard.” 

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Frida’s Vegetarian Deli I took the familiar road to Frida’s Vegetarian Deli located in University City, and I looked around the quaint restaurant. I heard the sound of fresh fruit fusing into a smoothie. I saw the scrumptious, top-selling Frida Burger pass me by: a combination of soy protein, vegetables, and beans dressed with Tahini sauce.

As a vegetarian, I have been a frequent customer at Frida’s since the restaurant opened a year ago. However, as owner Natasha Kwan says, “Most of our customers aren’t even vegetarian.”

Kwan became motivated to open a restaurant as a college student about twenty years ago.

“There were really not a lot of options for clean, healthy food,” Kwan said. “I wanted a restaurant that had every option out there. After nothing like this had opened, I decided to do it myself.”

Frida’s provides customers with a plethora of options, some of which include the kale salad, the falafel wrap and the veggie reuben. In addition, there is a delicious, homemade soup of the day every day at Frida’s.

“We are known for our soups,” Kwan said. “The way we choose our soups is based a lot on how I’m feeling that day. I find inspiration everywhere.”

The day I went to Frida’s, Kwan was serving a tasty French lentil soup.

I tried some of this option, and in addition, I ordered my usual: a white cheddar grilled cheese with tomato, avocado, and arugula. The cheese oozed out of the sandwich as I took my first bite. The tomatoes were perfectly fresh, the avocados ripe, and the arugula spicy: just the way I like it.

In my opinion, Frida’s grilled cheese is the best in St. Louis. Along with my grilled cheese, I also tried Taco Tuesday, a corn tortilla filled with hummus, white beans, scallions, and bright red cabbage, served with crisp carrots and even more hummus on the side. The tacos were satisfying, but they did not compare to the grilled cheese.

Surprisingly, the restaurant is actually named after Kwan’s cat, Frida.

Gravity

by ASHLEIGH WILLIAMS

“Gravity,” featuring mega-star actors Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is out of this world.

Alfonso Cuaron, director of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” did an excellent job of directing “Gravity” so that the movie was able to live up to its full potential. Both the surreal special effects and the wonderful music score make viewers feel as if they are in space, earning it a review of 5 out of 5 stars from movie critics from around the world.

The movie starts with two astronauts in outer space. This is quite peculiar, considering the fact that most movies start out with at least some amount of background story. It follows the journey of astronauts Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (Clooney) as they try to make their way back to planet Earth.

One reason the movie seemed realistic was due to the emphasis on

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REVIEW

by KEVIN ROSENTHAL

“I was looking for a name that would encapsulate the energy of this place and the food, and my cat is awesome. And I just thought...Frida!

I never questioned it afterwards. I thought it was a good, positive and energetic name,” Kwan said.

It is impossible for customers to miss the vibrant painting of Frida the cat upon entering the establishment. The painting resembles artist Frida Kahlo’s self portrait, complete with a unibrow, despite its feline form.

For many vegetarians here in St. Louis, it is very difficult to find restaurants which they can use to indulge their dietary needs.

At many restaurants in St. Louis, vegetarians often find themselves scouring through menus, trying to find just one menu item without meat.

At Frida’s, vegetarians have dozens of options, and one of the most fulfilling aspects of the restaurant is how healthy of a meal one has the ability to experience.

Kwan says, “We have so much fresh food. A lot of it grows in St. Louis. We only source our food from the farms who can produce the quality of what we’re looking for. Also, we use paper straws and compostable straws. Everything is compostable or recyclable.”

Frida’s is a restaurant that will satisfy the desires of all customers.

Vegetarian or not, people who visit Frida’s notice that it offers its visitors healthy, great-tasting food that can make everyone feel good about themselves afterwards.

“We’re 100 percent butter-free and sugar-free. There’s no high fructose corn syrup in any of our items. We are able to provide people with food that’s not going to make people feel badly,” Kwan said. “I definitely invite everyone to come. They’ll find something that they like.”

While Frida’s is currently compact, Kwan said they are in the process of expanding the restaurant. “Frida’s will be more sophisticated. We are doubling our size, doubling our kitchen space. Our menu will expand.

The options are endless.” 

(Warner Bros/MCT) humanizing objects which many Sci-Fi movies lack, such as a focus on a retainer as it floats around the cosmos, or a show of tears streaming out of some characters eyes and dripping onto the camera. This focus on little details makes the movie exceed expectations when it comes to realism.

If you are planning on going to see this movie, I highly recommend seeing it in 3D; the visual direction of the film is an achievement and something that should not be missed as a result of watching it on a regular television.

Furthermore, “Gravity” is not as much a movie as it is an experience.

It delves so deeply into the lives of the astronauts in space that you truly feel as though you are an astronaut yourself. This film is nothing less than a must-see. Without a doubt, many movie addicts will “gravitate” toward this movie the next time they go to the movie theater. 

A Wing of art

by ELLIE TOMASSON

The modern yet unobtrusive facade of the St. Louis Art Museum’s new wing blends well with the grandiose and extravagant main building.

It was a great struggle to build a classy and beautiful wing without detracting from the magnificent marble-pillared, gilded angel-topped main building; however, this was achieved with stunning results. The tremendous floor to ceiling windows allow passersby to catch a glimpse of the wing’s interior as well as to admire the natural ambience of the trees lining the sides of the walkway.

Upon entering the wing, one of the first things visitors will notice is the magnificent concrete cells on the ceiling that let in non-direct sunlight–a greener and prettier alternative to artificial light that will not harm the artwork. This isn’t the only environmentally conscious decision made in the new wing: it was awarded Gold LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

The gallery’s minimalistic smooth, light and hardwood floors along with the bland white walls put all of the focus on the art in contrast to the ornate chambers found in the old building. Each room has its own unique flair and feels different from the last. And yet, the compartments still manage to flow well together, which helps create a cohesive collection.

The wing’s art is exquisite and diverse with a wide range of mediums from the more traditional oil on canvas to Olafur Eliasson’s “The Vortex,” which displays a large clear cylinder of water that is spun to create a tornado effect. The fact that different artistic movements and styles ranging from the early 20th century to the present are displayed contributes to the singular collection of the museum.

The modern art displayed leaves most of the interpretive liberty to the viewer, but small blurbs about each work serve as a springboard for thought. At the same time, the given text still leaves room for the imagination. In addition, the tastefully chosen art lends new meaning each time it’s viewed.

The new modern wing of the art museum charms visitors (Ava Hoffman).

The serenity of the museum leaves a lasting impression as one returns to the reality of the outside world. Almost anyone can find some aspect of the museum to enjoy. I found the visit a tranquil and enlightening experience. Whether you drop in for a few minutes or stick around for a few hours, checking out the wing is definitely worth your time. 

iOS 7

by AUDREY HOLDS

The iOS 7 update is making people sick. Literally.

The long-anticipated iPhone update remodeled the entire design of the interface, and has received both positive and negative reviews. But an overwhelming number of problems have arisen with the new release of this operating system.

One of the new features of iOS 7 is referred to as the “parallax effect”

by Apple, which is the motion of the foreground and background as the user’s line of sight changes. The interface appears to float atop the background image, giving it a 3-D effect. Another added effect is the zooming transition between apps. These effects have caused some Apple users to complain of nausea, headaches and motion sickness-like symptoms. Although the number of users experiencing this problem is unknown, the number of people with complaints is steadily growing.

However, Apple has provided its customers with a solution. Users who face this problem can navigate to “Reduce Motion” in the “Settings” to make these effects go away.

Another problem that arose only a day after release is that if an iPhone had the Control Center enabled for the lock screen, anyone could enter the phone and access its information. This problem was addressed very quickly by Apple, which released the iOS 7.0.2 update on Sept. 26 to rectify the problem. The acommodation and speed with which Apple ad-

dressed the problem was very helpful in terms of protecting the security of customers.

Other problems include iOS 7 draining the battery life and iMessage failing among others. As with any new operating systems, there are still potential flaws that Apple needs to focus on and fix as soon as possible.

More common complaints are that the design is too “Android,” that the screen is crowded and that the overall appearance is juvenile.

But there are some positives to the new design.

Apple has made accessing many essential functions easier, such as wireless internet, airplane mode, flashlight, and other utilities. When the user slides any open screen from the bottom upward, the Control Center, which has many necessary functions, appears. Apple also added other helpful features such as photos organized into events by date and place.

Other added features include extra ringtones and wallpapers, folders with unlimited apps, as well as an optional male Siri.

Overall, the iOS 7 is a necessary improvement in comparison to the older generation of iPhones. The new easy access to many different essential functions and the overall design is helpful to users. Although there are many problems that need to be worked on, the iOS 7 update has set new standards for phone companies everywhere. 

REVIEW

35

Photos by Noah Engel

Vegetarianism Gabby Boeger (Pro) vs. Aishwarya Yadama (Con)

36 Commentary

el

PRO

“Yes, I can chew gum still,” I say when someone asks me of my veganism. This is one of the many strange questions I get when I tell people

that I’m a vegan.

I know this might be surprising, but not every vegetarian or vegan is a peace-sign flashing flowerpower hippie. Most are just normal people, trying to live healthy lives and to eat clean food.

When people ask me why I’m a vegan, I don’t really have a clear answer for them. In fact, there are a lot of motives including ethical reasons, health reasons and the fact that I just feel better off of meat.

Many people stop eating meat and products that come from animals because they are concerned for the treatment of animals in factory farms or testing facilities. This is certainly a side to consider, but there are also tons of health benefits that result from going vegetarian or vegan. In fact, the health aspect of going vegan was my primary motivator.

First and foremost, vegetarians and vegans avoid the horrors of the meat-packing and dairy industries–the hormones, antibiotics and unnatural diets fed to animals so that they will grow fat quickly. Also, eliminating meat and cheese from one’s diet can have a significant positive effect on reducing cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Many that consider abandoning meat, namely athletes, worry about getting enough protein. The

CON

Vegetarianism has become the newest fad. Walk into any high school and ask a bunch of students whether or not they are vegetarians. You’ll get an array of answers, many of which will be “Oh I used to be one. I tried it for a few weeks, but I couldn’t stick with it.”

The truth is that lots of people who proclaim themselves to be vegetarian don’t even know why they have chosen to stay away from meat. There are a plethora of myths and misconceptions about the dangers of eating meat.

We’re humans; we were meant to eat meat. It is part of the natural flow of energy in an ecosystem.

How can something so natural be so harmful at the same time?

Many animal rights activists argue that eating meat is cruel and unethical. I am not advocating for the inhumane treatment of animals. This is a legitimate concern. However, in terms of the actual slaughter of organisms, there is no real difference between vegetarians and those who eat meat.

Plants are just as alive as animals. In any functioning ecosystem, organisms must die.

It is part of the cycle of life.

Just as vegetarians kill plants for sustenance, omnivores use other animals for energy.

Now, the biggest source of motivation for why our generation started to turn to vegetarianism seems to be the alleged health benefits. What people do not realize is that vegetarianism has just as

truth of the matter is that you can get adequate protein not only from beans and lentils but also from the addition of protein powder to any meal as compensation.

People also tell me that they could never give up meat or dairy, and I usually just say, “Yeah, it’s hard,” However, in reality, it has not been hard for me at all. It’s all about getting used to it.

When I mention vegetarian or vegan options that resemble meat, such as tofu or beans, people just look at me like, “Are you kidding?” when in my opinion they would like them too if they just got used to the taste.

I often hear, “What can you eat?” and in my head I’m always thinking, “I can eat whatever I want, but I just choose to eat vegan foods.” However, in response I typically just explain that there are endless amounts of specifically vegan foods out there, but that I can also eat food that is “normal,” such as pasta, PB&J’s, Oreos and Nutter Butters.

Another common belief is that being a vegan is not convenient. However, you can order something vegan at almost every restaurant. It’s similar to being allergic to a certain food. You just explain to the waiter or waitress that you canonly eat certain foods and they can easily accommodate your request.

In short, vegetarianism has many health benefits, and becoming a vegatarian doesn’t imply that he or she has to stray from delicious foods. You also don’t have to be a hippie to be a vegetarian. Vegetarians can be completely normal people.  many if not more health risks than eating meat.

It is much easier to be a healthy meat-eater than it is to be a healthy vegetarian.

Vegetarians must closely monitor their diet in order to make sure that they are getting enough vital nutrients and vitamins. However, the unfortunate truth is that most vegetarians do not do this.

Dr. Kristin Kirkpatrick told the Huffington post that “B12 deficiency is fairly prevalent among the vegetarian population. A long-term deficiency can ultimately cause irreversible nerve damage.”

Furthermore, according to the National Institutes of Health, meats contain a type of iron called heme that is absorbed more easily into the body than the non-heme iron that is present in plants.

One of the biggest misconceptions about vegetarianism is that being a vegetarian will help people to lose weight. This is simply false. There is a stronger correlation between vegetarians and weight loss, however this does not prove causation.

The truth of the matter is that vegetarians are usually more health-conscious people who exercise daily and thus have a lower mortality rate than others.

At the same time, there are vegetarians who are obese or who struggle with heart problems. They too have access to junk such as chips and cookies, the foods that are undeniably the most deleterious of all. In fact, the supposedly unhealthy animal fats are considered to be vital in a healthy diet when consumed in moderation. 

37 Commentary

GRADES OVER KNOWLEDGE?

The focus of today’s educational system seems to have shifted from teaching students how to think to teaching students to HOW to get the all important “A”. Students’ “interests” and activities are dictated by what they believe makes them look like the best College applicant. shouldn’t the purpose of one’s time spent in school be to discover genuine strengths and interests?

by JEFFREY FRIEDMAN “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

These words, once spoken by Albert Einstein, would likely be doubted by most present-day American high school students–many would argue that it is hard to find joy in learning when so much emphasis is placed on the quality of the product rather than the intensity of the process it takes to arrive at the product. In the midst of one’s busy life, which is governed by a work-play divide that puts a much greater emphasis on “work” than it does on “play”, it is difficult to feel enjoyment and pride as a result of one’s work.

Thus, a question arises: does the nature of modern-day education imply that taking joy in the process of one’s work is not an important factor when it comes to accomplishment?

On a different note, as such a dramatic emphasis is currently being placed on the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), many students are shifting their academic “interests” to align with what will apparently get them a well-paying job as opposed to doing what they enjoy.

The well-known expression “choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” seems to be gradually sinking beneath other financially-driven motives.

Higher education institutions are responsible for working to persuade their students that no amount of money that they might make from a well-paying job is capable of compensating for the loss of happiness that would come from by waking up every day to do something unenjoyable.

I will never forget the time in 9th grade when Mr. De la Paz explained

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to our entire physics class that although it is not necessarily true that we will use physics in our careers in the future (unless we become physicists or engineers), learning and working with the material will help train our brains to operate as efficiently as possible at whatever job we end up choosing to pursue.

From that moment on, although it is definitely a challenge to maintain this viewpoint, I decided to see school as more of a way to exercise my brain than as something that requires perfection.

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”

These words, once again spoken by Albert Einstein, convey the easily-overlooked yet ever-present truth behind the most essential reasons for education.

School should place emphasis on the importance of how to think, not on what to think. 

by BECCA POLINSKY To explicate: to make clear or to interpret.

Each day, Mr. Hayward’s third hour Honors American Literature class starts with a quote on the board.

As a class, we discuss its sentence function, its sentence structure and language. And then, we explicate it. Approximately two minutes later, I am able to understand the importance of that specific quote and I attempt to apply it to my daily life.

I often times find myself angrily pondering the true significance of algebraically interpreting a polynomial function or balancing a chemical equation– how will these things help me in the real world? Is determining the limit of a graph going to help me build relationships and a supported family?

It can be common to lose interest and drive in something that seems irrelevant to our lives. We forget what is truly important and devote ourselves to focusing on the outcome–the 4.0 GPA and the 36 ACT score. Although these numbers have the potential to lead us to a world-renowned university, I’ve come to realize that these extraordinarily impressive

figures are only influential on our lives when we have the ability to implement the lessons learned–to explicate each bar graph, timeline and globular protein.

With this knowledge and skill of explication, we not only gain academic intelligence, we gain a better understanding of the way people think, act and feel.

Everything we learn throughout the school day has meaning both indirectly and directly, but we are held responsible for connecting the dots.

A chemistry problem set seems much more meaningful when I take a moment to try to comprehend the reason why I’m learning the material. Afterwards, I feel enough drive to succeed. This moment should be taken before every class period. This moment of explication can limit our community’s obsession with academic reputation and shift our focus to the importance of the material we spend our time learning every day.

This way, we can maximize our positive impact on society and ultimately better the information-filled world around us. 

by RACHEL BLUESTONE We’ve all been there. We’ve all studied hour after hour for a test, only to get it back with a grade that would fail to induce pride in anyone. We’ve all felt the disappointment and self-loathing that comes along with it. It can even be a regular occurrence for some: a repeating cycle in this nightmare we call high school. But is this really what education has to become? Is this what society demands of teens?

Receiving a “C” on an exam used to signify an average score. Now, it implies something that is close to failure.

It means that you’re doing something wrong, when in reality, average means that you’re doing just about everything right. Today, a “C” makes students feel incapable

and powerless, unable to meet the demands that society requests of them.

In the American education system, there is an emphasis on the notion of self-esteem, of a student feeling capable of learning and preforming.

According to this notion, “the purpose of education is to make students feel capable and empowered,” says Harvey Mansfield, a Professor of Government at Harvard University, who conducted a study on the effects of grade inflation and societal expectations. “So to grade them,” he continued, “or to grade them strictly, is cruel and dehumanizing. Grading creates stress. It encourages competition rather than harmony. It is judgmental.”

The enemy of high self-esteem is criticism and heavy expectations. Today, getting a “C” is bad. It means that studying for hours may be pointless, and that trying hard can still result in failure. The problem is that a “C” isn’t failure. “C” means average, or at least that’s what it used to mean.

Average isn’t failure. Average means you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing.

Instead of creating stress, which can lead so surreptitiously to anxiety and depression, society should take a step back and look at the destruction that they’ve wreaked on this nation’s future.

Instead of interpreting average as failure, I think we need to interpret it as doing things right. Instead of creating competition, I think we need to stop judging grades and just accept the fact that a lot teens, at least those at CHS, are doing the best that they can. 

Receving a “c” on an exam used to signify an average score. Now, it implies something that is close to failure.

Artwork by Audrey Palmer.

6th Grade Camp The Experience of a LifeTime

by PHOEBE YAO

T

Photos from the 2013-2014 6th Grade Camp trip (Phoebe Yao). Graphic by Cherry Tomatsu.

here is nothing that comes to mind when I attempt to describe my experience as a 6th Grade Camp counselor – no words, at least.

Instead, a hurricane of images hit me and induce dizzying screams, laughter and tears. Though I came home with a sore back, a voice in shambles and a week’s worth of homework to complete in 48 hours, being a counselor for 6th Grade Camp was one of the most lifechanging and emotionally rewarding experiences I have ever had.

My brilliant co-counselor Stefanie Getz and I headed 14 kids as the leaders of the girls’ cabin called Rabbit’s Burrow.

Responsibilities of counselors range from guiding the kids along the daily routines, including meals and activities, to, most importantly, making sure that they have the best times of their lives.

“Counselors have it the worst,” Wydown teachers would say to us during the nightly camp counselor meetings. And the statement is entirely true. Counselors are with their kids the entire day, from sunup till sundown. The act begins on Tuesday and ends when the last kids have departed on Friday evening. Counseling is a tough job and demands both physical as well as mental endurance.

Many CHS students shy away from the opportunity presented by 6th Grade Camp for fear of

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missing too much school and extracurricular work; however, the gains of putting oneself out there are endless and well worth the weekend of catching up after camp.

I still remember vividly how nervous I was on the Tuesday afternoon when the kids first came into camp on their large school buses.

The counselors and their assigned CITs (8th grade counselors in training) were all going crazy, shouting and waving their flags on a sloping grassy field to the side of the road.

When the kids came running toward us my thoughts turned to, “Oh boy, should I have signed up for this?”

At that moment, I was frightened of potentially letting the kids down, and I was scared of rejection. What could I do but say with all of the fake confidence I could muster, “Hello. My name is Phoebe, and I will be one of your counselors this week.”

The expected cold reply never came. Instead, one very energetic girl told me, “Your name is Phoebe? I love that name! I’m going to name my children Phoebe. Or Phoebo, if it’s a boy.”

I was swept along on the current of excitement.

The various items of camp gear that the 6th graders brought was lined up, some of which were as large as the kids themselves. After my campers found their duffle bags, the long trip to the girls’ village began.

By that time, my anxiety had all but vanished. With my newfound confidence, I grew louder and taught my girls their first cabin chant. R-A, R-A-B, R-A-B-B-I-T-S, RABBITS! clap, clap, clap, BURROW! clap, clap, clap.

To my delight and slight disappointment, my girls were quick learners. As a result, they needed very little guidance from Stefanie and me when it came to cheering. In fact for the entire length of camp, the my kids practically took care of the chants themselves, shouting them spiritedly as we walked along dirt paths from one activity to the next.

Before long, I felt myself click into place like a puzzle piece. I came to recognize and cherish the role of leadership entrusted me by both the Wydown teachers and by my own campers.

The love of which my campers flooded me with during every day of the tiring 6th Grade Camp experience is something that I still think about.

I was a part of a much larger whole at 6th Grade Camp: an entity that breathed and lived for the good of others. The experience I had at 6th Grade Camp is one that cannot be brought down by any amount of homework. I look forward to going back next year. 

Central Ave. in downtown Clayton (William Wysession).

CLayton’s Future Is stagnant growth in clayton going to continue?

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by YOSSI KATZ

s summer heat turns into fall breeze, CHS students begin to explore their city earnestly. What will they find?

That Clayton, a mix of suburban neighborhoods and an urban business district, is in turmoil.

Housing prices have fallen steadily since the beginning of 2012. The median sale price of Clayton houses has dropped 24.9 percent during this period. Over the same amount of time, the national median sale price has increased by 18.3 percent. The median listing price of houses has declined 21.4 percent since February 2011, while the national rate has increased by 7.5 percent.

Evidently, the Clayton housing market is struggling.

While the local housing market slugs along, Downtown Clayton is not doing much better. Empty retail space litters street corners along central thoroughfares. Dark windows attached to empty shops are covered by posters of happy crowds shopping on sunny afternoons: a reality yet to be achieved in the Clayton Business District.

Both the old Mini dealership on Maryland Avenue and most of the retail space in the Centene complex at Forsyth and Hanley are conspicu-

ously empty. In addition, prime land for development both north and east of the Ritz Carlton has remained empty for years. Finally, the empty Schnucks building at Clayton and Hanley continues its trend of dust accumulation with no implication of change.

What exactly does Clayton’s future look like?

New Mayor Harold Sanger believes that only good things are to come.

A longtime businessman, Sanger plans to use his expertise to rejuvenate Clayton. During his election campaign, he ran on a promise to attract more companies and shops to the business district.

The housing market is in reality just a symptom of the nation’s ongoing economic predicament. The two elements to local house values are school performance and provincial economic success. If Clayton continues to improve its already strong school district while growing its local commerce, house prices will recover.

So while it seems as though Clayton is in a bit of a rough patch, with a combination of good fortune and good leadership, a bright future is in store for Clayton. 

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Sex in the Media

by PETER SHUMWAY

according to forbes Magazine, there were 300,000 tweets per minute about her She also added 100,000 followers on Instagram, and 50,000 friends on Facebook - this was Miley Cyrus shortly after the Video Music Awards. After Cyrus’ raunchy performance at the VMAs, one has to wonder if this performance is another blatant symbol that displays America’s increasingly crass media culture.

Art by Stephanie Langendorfer

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According to the American Psychological As- a higher rate of serious sexual assaults (including sociation, American teens are exposed to around rape). England’s sexual assault prevalence is lower 14,000 sexual references per year. This onslaught than [the prevalence in] the other two nations.” of distorted values of relationships has a corrosive Interestingly, both the United States and Caneffect. ada have more tolerance than does England when Constant and dehumanizing media is changing it comes to the ability to view movies that contain men and women’s perception of their individual inappropriate material. sexuality as well as their roles in the fundamental It would appear as though the use of media with unit of society - the family. strong sexual content increases the trend for vioMovie theaters in the United States allow any- lent and predatory sexual behaviour. It had previbody under the age of 17 to be admitted into R- ously been theorized that these materials would act rated movies as long as they are accompanied by as a release for the viewer and diminish these types an adult who is 21 or older. of behavior – this has now On the contrary, as a proven to be incorrect and According to the American 12-year-old visiting Scothas in fact been the cause of Medical Association, teenland, I was not allowed to devastating social repercussee the R-rated action movsions. age girls in the United States ie “Gran Torino” with my Forbes further stated father who is much older between the ages of 15 and 17 that, “[Miley Cyrus’] behavthan 21. Scotland is not ior is part of a carefully exyears old become pregnant at a ecuted plan to rapidly recast the only country in Europe that puts into practice more rate of 75 per 1,000 every year. a former child star as an adult strict legislation regarding (albeit with a healthy dose of movies. childish impetuousness) in So the question is this: advance of her next album, how do these different media laws reflect them- “Bangerz” … And, as the numbers show, it’s proving selves in diverse societies? to be a wildly successful marketing effort.”

According to the American Medical AssociaWhy is it such a big deal that Miley Cyrus used tion, teenage girls in the United States between her sexuality as an accepted “successful marketing the ages of 15 and 17 years old become pregnant effort?” at a rate of 75 per 1,000 every year. This rate is This crass media culture mocks and erodes the two to seven times larger than those of many foundation that holds children, fathers, mothers other first-world countries that are similar to the and the elderly together in tightly knit and compliUnited States. mentary organizations–traditional families.

Moreover, as stated by a study done at BridgeGranted that this may seem cliché, civilization water State University in Massachusetts which historians Will and Ariel Durant commented, “the compared sexual assault rates in Canada, England family is the nucleus of civilization.” and the United States, “According to recent staTime will determine whether or not America tistics, Canada has the highest rate of less serious can continue to thrive without its previously stable sexual assaults and the United States experiences “nucleus.” 

STAFF ED The #ME Generation On August 31, former New England Patriots player Brian Holloway discovered that nearly 300 local teenagers had broken into his vacant Stephentown, New York farmhouse and used it to throw a massive party.

When he returned, Holloway found graffiti on the walls, ruined carpets and drywall riddled with fist sized holes.

The estimated damage totaled to about $20,000.

In this instance, a case that would otherwise have lacked suspects was made almost absurdly simple. Holloway, who was sitting twelve hundred miles away in Lutz, Florida, watched the entire drunken bash play out online.

In an act that fittingly illustrates our generation’s narcissistic tendencies, the teenagers spent the entire night posting incriminating pictures of their inebriated exploits to Twitter.

One picture, published in the New York Daily News, shows a teen boy clutching a drink and walking on Holloway’s kitchen table.

“What is even more dangerous and shocking beyond the crimes, drugs and alcohol was reading the tweets and hearing them celebrate their destruction and documenting their crimes,” the NFL star said.

He has a point. Our generation has developed a reputation of being narcissistic, clingy and dependent on technology. The incident at Holloway’s farmhouse and the latest string of evidence begs one further addition to this list: we are a generation of terrible criminals.

Growing up in an age dominated by social media and online pictures, taking pictures of ourselves is an understandable impulse. These “selfies” allow us to control our own self image while communicating where we are, how we feel or what we are doing.

However, the “selfie” has grown into something of an entirely greater magnitude: it is our primary mode of self-expression. According to Esquire.com, there are currently 90 million pictures on Instagram with the tag “#me.”

This cultural ego trip may seem innocent, but our self-centered impulses have led us to record certain areas of our lives that may best remain forgotten. Pictures of partying, sexual images or vandalism may seem as fleeting and immaterial as the pixels which comprise them. But everything is permanent when it comes to such online interactions.

For instance, Snapchat is an app that allows users to send pictures of themselves to friends. After ten or so seconds, the picture or video supposedly vanishes forever.

However, the website “Digital Trends” recently disclosed that Snapchat’s disappearing act is all smoke and mirrors, and that each picture is saved in some obscure recess of the phone’s database.

In other words, even the program designed to specifically assure secure and impermanent interactions keeps a record of every picture we send. It seems as though nothing is safe anymore.

This online record of our entire lives has consequences that are potentially dire for the next generation of leaders and workers. Somewhere out there is a teenager who will grow up to be the President of the United States. It’s sobering to think that his reputation–as well as ours as a nation–could someday be derailed by something as preventable as a drunken tweet or an explicit picture.

Our entire society has become increasingly dependent on technologi-

According to Esquire.com, there are currently 90 million pictures on Instagram with the tag #me. cal interaction, to a point where for any given person it is almost impossible to avoid. Inevitably, some aspects of our lives will be recorded and displayed for all of the world to see.

So, like the 300 New York teenagers who destroyed a house and proudly advertised their crime, we face a choice: exactly how much of our lives do we want the world to see? And what do we want future generations to think as they discover and scroll through our antique Twitter feeds?

In other words, we have to consider a major aspect of the question that has recently echoed through the halls of CHS: what will your legacy be? 

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CLAYTON TALKS Every person has a story. Often times, all it takes to share an experience is a simple question. In this project, I set out to explore the different stories of Clayton (particularly on the playground). -katherine ren (photos by noah engel)

Shelly Davolt who are you with today?

This is my grandaughter Lauren. She really is a joy-finder and joy-giver. And her hugs ... yum. what is something you haven’t done yet but would like to do?

I want to travel to more places. I loved Hawaii. It has the most amazing smell. The air is so soft and fragrant. It just comes in your lungs, so clean and soft. who has been your biggest role model?

I think my faith. I think faith in God and his son Jesus. I think that’s been the most powerful influence on my life.

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Eri Yoshida who are you with today?

My two daughters. One is nine-monthsold and the other is two-years-old. what’s your favorite thing to do with your daughters?

Right now, we like to go on picnics. We like to pack some rice balls and go on picnics. what’s your dream?

I was a professional jazz dancer in Japan.

Right now, I try to practice dance once or twice a week. But I hope to become a dancer again soon.

CLAYTON TALKS

Maria-Elisa Santos who are you with today?

My mom and my brother. But he’s not my real brother ... because he just ran away from me. He got away from me this time. where do you go to school?

I can’t remember. you’re wearing a tutu, do you dance?

Yep! I never do tap; I like ballet. do you like to go to school?

Yep! I like to play in school. Me and my friends play chicken. It’s a toy chicken.

Yumi Kim who are you with today?

My son. Leon is two-years-old. so are you teaching him Japanese?

Yes. Actually, my husband is Korean. So we are teaching him Korean, Japanese and English. do you and your husband speak english at home?

No, we speak Korean at home. I learned Korean after I met him.

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