Consumed

Francis Howell Central High School

CENTRAL

FOCUS

Volume 20, Issue 1 Sept. 22, 2016

Consumed

The foods students eat affect your body in more ways than you might expect

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STAFF

DEAR READERS,

STAFF MEMBERS

Print Executive Editor

In our busy lifestyles

Emily Mann

we sometimes forget

Multimedia Executive Editor

to stop and take care of ourselves, or take note as to what it is we

Emily Mann

Print Executive Editor

are actually eating. In

Elisa Swanson

Move Editor

Elizabeth Gerger

Feature Editor Skylar Laird

our busy busy society fast food, pre-packed,

Voice Editor

and easy to find junk foods are through the

Discover Editor

roof with money and success rates. But as tempting as it is to cave into the cravings, and be reeled into to the $5 footlong and the McPick 2 for $2 its important to remember what you’re putting in your body can affect you. Central Focus dives into nutrition, eating habits, and their short and long lasting effects on the body. What are you eating?

Mackenzie Morris

Elaine Mallon

Staff Reporters

Liz Baker, Abbie Bartell, Juliet Fuhrmann, Jessica Fults, Caleb Harmon, Whitney Klein, Bryce Lee, Reese McLaughlin, Lukas Mendel, Conor Ruffin, Millenia Simmons, Hailey Stewart, Kalani West

ON THE COVER It is hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and it is more often than not that we fall into the unhealthy cycly. Howeer, most are unaware of how trapped they actually are, what they are eating, might actually be eating them. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY MANN AND TAYLOR TINNES

THOUGHTS?

Have a letter for the editor or a question for us?

If something we wrote demands your voice, please e-mail us at fhcpub@gmail.com or drop your handwritten letter off with Mr. Schott in Room 139.

The Central Focus staff will print the entirety of your letter, providing it meets the standards of publication laid out in the FHC Publications editorial policy, which is available in Room 139 or at www.fhctoday.com for your perusal.

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WORKING OUT THE LOOP IN HER SWING Gesturing toward No. 1 golfer Emma Wolf, Coach Paul Otto talk about a problem with Wolf’s swing during the girls golf team’s match against St. Dominic’s at The Golf Club of Wentzville. “We were discussing how to fix the loop in her swing by dropping her hands and right elbow at the start of her downswing,” Coach Otto said. This was the team’s first match of the season and Wolf was happy with how she, and the team, performed. “As a team I think we all did good, but I felt I did exceptional, being that it was the first match,” Wolf said. PHOTO BY SYDNEY ROBBINS

Local elections mean MO ... 4 Don’t forget about the state elections, they matter too.

Ink with a meaning ... 5

Three seniors share the stories and meaning behind their tattoos.

New law creates division ... 7 Daily recitation of pledge finds supporters, detractors.

A new Proposition ... 8-9

With the failure of Prop Y, the board proposes Prop Howell to help better fund district.

Putting together the circus for Homecoming ... 10 Student Council puts in a ton of hours to make Homecoming a reality.

Choirs cut down ... 11

Loss of advanced treble choir irks remaining members.

In the army ... 12

Seniors Ezell, Kujath return from basic training over summer

ANYTHING BUT BASIC Fresh from carrying the U.S. Army flags onto the field at the Sept. 2 football game, seniors Max Kujath and Luke Ezell bring the flags to the Spartan sideline and are congratulated by their teammates. PHOTO BY HUNTER RODGERS

What are we eating? ... 14 Student reporters log what they eat for five days.

Experts explain junk food’s effects ... 16

Doctors and students dive into nutrition facts, our diets, and more.

FHC’s fast food favorites ... 20

The prevalence of fast food and first hand experience from fast food fans.

HANDS UP FOR WORLD LANGUAGES Members of Mrs. Caitlin Crain’s Spanish II class raise their hands as the work on learning new words in Spanish. “It’s a game where students have to work with their rows to guess the vocabulary terms,” Mrs. Crain said. “Each person within a row has to guess a word, and if they all guess correctly, they can sit down.” PHOTO BY BELLE HERRERA

Drink up! ... 22-23

Why you should drink more water when exercising.

Keep your brain in shape too ... 24-25

Exercises for your brain to stay awake and healthy.

HAVE FUN AT THE CIRCUS! Enjoy Homecoming week with our circus-themed kids page featuring a word search, doodle analysis and tips and hacks for Homecoming.

ILLUSTRATION BY ELISA SWANSON

Student disrespect ... 27 Teachers deserve more respect from their students, argues Emily Mann.

Figure it out, quick ... 28

Conor Ruffin says society forces students to decide on careers too quickly.

PROPOSITION HOWELL The FHSD board of education proposed a new tax levy in August to help fight budget problems that have arisen in light of dwindling tax revenues and funds from the state.

Students are seeing more crowded classrooms as a result of cuts made due to limited funding. PHOTO BY HUNTER RODGERS

Sept. 22, 2016

Speak up ... 29

Kalani West shares why learning another language is a positive thing.

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discover As elections draw near, students find they need to

By Abbie Bartell

Know MO

Staff reporter Starting the summer of 2017, incoming freshmen will be required to take a one hundred questioned U.S civics test over immigration. If a freshman fails, they can not graduate high school. This might be a shock to most people, but the voters are the ones to blame here. This new test came about through a new state law that Missouri citizens voted on.

Governor Jay Nixon recently signed this into law on June 22. This brings up a relatively overlooked topic regarding state elections and state government in general.

With the 2016 Presidential elections just around the corner, the names Trump and Hillary are being tossed around throughout the day. But what about the names Eric Greitens or Chris Koster? These are the two candidates for Missouri governor.

On the state primary election day, only 24.8 percent of registered voters cast a ballot, leaving majority of Missourians oblivious to the great impact state elected officials have on their daily lives.

According to senior Keenan Peebles, state issues and elections are incredibly overlooked not just amongst teenagers but adults as well.

“The state impacts a lot of things that happen in our community like education. You can see Proposition Howell that’s going around now, and I can guarantee you most people

don’t know about it. for some reason and People aren’t aware it blows my mind, about what happens because I know about in the school district that civics test and a or in the community,” lot of people don’t, and Peebles said. they will need to know Many people are about it to pass high not focused on state school.” government mostly With the November because they just election just a few aren’t informed months away, many correctly, or they students (and adults) simply just don’t care. are more tied up in “[State issues] aren’t the presidential race in media or at least simply because it is mainstream media more entertaining. and a lot of people Government teacher don’t pay attention Nick Beckmann points to the local media out that the results of a especially when it state election will have comes to politics. a greater impact on a Local media doesn’t citizen’s’ daily life than really focus on local the national election issues in politics ever would. unless it becomes “State elections don’t Keenan Peebles a problem,” said get as much attention Peebles. as the national While majority of elections because adults may ignore state elections, the players aren’t as popular, but senior Lyndsey Bariller believes high they are probably more important school students should not make to the individual of the area than the same mistake. the national election,” states Mr. Especially in this particular Beckmann election, since the laws passed State elections should be and government officials elected emphasized more just because of will have a great impact as many the much larger impact they have students begin college and embark on the citizens personally. on their early adult years.

“State elections are more important ”Why would you not care about policy wise,” Mr. Beckmann said. this kind of stuff?” Barillier said.

“They affect our laws, community, “People in high school don’t care and especially our schools.”

“The state impacts a lot of things in our community like education.

You can see Proposition Howell that’s going around now and I can guarantee you, most people don’t know about it.”

Major statewide elections on Nov. 8 ballot Governor

Republican businessman and former Navy SEAL Eric Greitens won the Republican primary in August and will face current attorney general Chris Koster, a Democrat, in the election for the governor’s house. Both men are seeking to replace Gov. Jay Nixon, who is not running because of term limits.

U.S. Senate

Sen. Roy Blunt is seeking to retain his seat in the United State Senate but is facing a strong competition from current Secretary of State Jason Kander. Blunt has held his seat 2011, while Kander has been Secretary of State since 2013.

Statewide initiatives

There are five constitutional amendments on the ballot Amendment 1 would renew an existing sales and use tax.

Amendment 2 would establish campaign contribution limits Amendment 3 would tax cigarettes 60 cents per pack by 2020.

Amendment 4 would prohibit a new state sales or use tax.

Amendment 6 would require voters to present a photo ID when voting.

HONORING A LOST LOVED ONE When her pet lizard died, senior Emma Entner wanted a way to remember it, so she had a tattoo done on her left ankle. PHOTO BY ELAINE MALLON

INK with meaning Three students share the significance of their tattoos

By Elaine Mallon

Discover Editor From a deceased pet to a strong father daughter bond, life’s greatest gifts and saddest moments can leave a lasting mark on a person’s life- a mark in permanent ink. Often times, tattoos are associated with members of rock bands and college kids’ lapse of judgment on spring break.

Disregarding the social stigma of tattoos, three Francis Howell Central students reveal that the depth of tattoos can be greater than skin deep.

After months of syringe feeding her sick baby lizard, senior Emma Entner lost her beloved pet on June 22nd of this year. Entner decided she wanted to remember her lizard on her ankle.

“Despite all of my efforts, he still passed away.

That’s kinda why I got it, to always have that with me,” E n t n e r said. “ I also want to be a vet, so when I’m sitting in vet school. I’m going to remember h o w much I love h e l p i n g animals.”

W h i l e m o s t parents m a y b e against

teenagers with tattoos, senior Evi Arthur shares a matching tattoo with her father.

“My dad is my best friend. He has been with me for a lot of stuff, so when I was sixteen he wanted to get a matching tattoo with my mom, but I was like I will get one with you,” Arthur said.

For Arthur the tattoo was painless, but her father was close to tears. Arthur believes pain tolerance shouldn’t dissuade a person’s decision for a tattoo.

“Don’t be afraid of the pain of a tattoo. If you want something on your body bad enough, and you want it there forever, it’s worth a little bit of pain,” Arthur said.

On Arthur’s and her father’s right shoulder bears the phrase, “You knew me at my darkest.”

According to Arthur, their matching tattoos will keep them connected as life begins to change after high school.

“I want to move far away, but it’s kinda like no matter how far away I go I will always have our tattoo connecting us. It probably sounds pretty cheesy, but it’s pretty cool knowing we will always have that in common,” Arthur said.

For senior Bella Jones, the pink and blue ribbon sprawled across her back connects her triumph over HLH to her mother’s current battle

against breast cancer. During her freshmen year, Jones was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, a cancer that hospitalized and almost took her life. Just last April, Jones’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The week of her mom’s surgery, Jones surprised her mom with the tattoo.

“I always wanted to get a tattoo. I wanted to get one for my cancer, but this one kind of made it even more special. I found a way to combine it, and then I surprised her,” Jones said.

With her father’s approval, Jones arrived home to share with her mom her special gift.

“She wasn’t ecstatic since it is a tattoo and I didn’t tell her, but she was very happy because o f the meaning. I just think tattoos need to have a lot of meaning to be done,” Jones said.

TATTOOS WITH A MESSAGE Senior Evi Arthur, left, has the same phrase inked on her right shoulder as her father. Junior Bella Jones got a pink a blue ribbon tattooed on her back after fighting off a rare type of cancer and her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. PHOTO BY TAYLOR TINNES

Sept. 22, 2016

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CENTRAL

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Volume 18, Issue 2 Oct. 30, 2014 Francis Howell Central High School

The

Pressure to be PERFECT Students face the challenge of balancing the pressures of achieving perfection in apperance, academics, athletics, and social life.

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FHC Publications students earn national and state recognition each year. At our most recent national competition, one student took second place in a national design contest. FHCToday and the newspaper you’re reading, took ninth place in the Publication Website and Newsmagazine categories.

In students own words: “I like the freedom we have to do as we wish and have responsibility.”

“I like that we get to share the memories we make with our student body and that we tell the story of our year through our pictures.”

“Everyone has a story, and every story is worth being heard. It is so fun to get to know people and then take their words, face, drawings, and turn them into a medium on a page in a book that they can look back on and remember.”

“The class gets to run itself and be responsible for their work and deadlines.”

“Nothing is better than seeing something that is in your mind come to life through the web, newspaper or yearbook.”

“I love the atmosphere of room 139.”

APPLY NOW!

Stop by Room 139 to talk with Mr. Schott about how you can become the next great journalist at FHC. Get an application to join either the newspaper or yearbook classes at the semester.

We’re looking for the following people: WRITERS. PHOTOGRAPHERS. VIDEOGRAPHERS. EDITORS. SOCIAL MEDIA MAVENS. GRAPHIC DESIGNERS. Come be a part of the best!

Indivisible?

Mixed feelings are being stirred about the new pledge law

By Millennia Simmons Staff reporter

In February, Missouri state Representative Shane Roden passed a bill that requires reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools every day. This law is an adaptation of a bill passed back in 2002 which only required public schools to recite it once a week. The passage of this bill has stirred mixed reactions from students and teachers alike.

Although law is law, not all students agree with saying the pledge every day. Junior Mallory Wantling and senior Taylor Fawcett believe reciting the pledge everyday takes away from its true meaning, sounding more like a broken record than genuine reverence to our country.

“I feel like we don’t need to say it every single day to prove that we are a patriotic school,” Wantling said. “The pledge to me means showing your love and support for your country, and I think that’s really important, but we’ve been saying it since elementary school. And I feel less supportive. Now it’s just kind of annoying.”

Just like a broken record however, a pledge on replay can still have a purpose, but opinions can be changed and values diminished.

According to Fawcett, singing the national anthem along with

PHOTO BY RAVYN MOTSINGER

reciting the pledge once a week possessed a great value to students.

“I think it’s kind of redundant,” Fawcett said. “I think it worked out when we did it once a week before. Not only were we doing the pledge, we were also doing the national anthem. Beyond that, people didn’t think it was a hassle, but now it’s being associated with something very negative.”

Although the pledge has been around since 1887, there are some people now who do not agree with saying certain parts because of their beliefs, therefore not wanting to recite it at all. For junior Aleks Kisseloff, his refusal to participate in the pledge is due to the reference to God. “I don’t really say it because of the wording ‘Under God,’ and I’m not Christian,” Kisseloff said. “The teachers, if they see me sitting will say ‘Everyone has to stand.’ I kind of want to go up to them after class and say why I don’t do it. I’m not against it. Let everyone do what they want, I just choose silence.”

For other students, reciting the pledge everyday is a reminder of the great sacrifice many have made for our freedoms.

Junior Sam Kaplan does not understand the annoyance some have with reciting the Pledge everyday.

Sept. 22, 2016

“I don’t really understand why people are freaking out, I don’t think 10 seconds is too much to ask for to respect the country we live in,” Kaplan said. “It means loyalty, respect for the great country and everything it stands for.”

Social studies teachers Don Lober and Stacy Dennigmann, agree with Kaplan. Since the day they started school, reciting the pledge every day was part of their normal routine, so for them taking time at the end of class is not a big deal, if it means paying our respects.

“I think it’s part of our civic responsibility to know our pledge, I don’t think it’s too much to ask students to show respect to our country and all those who came before them,” Mr. Lober said.

“It’s a way to connect with the many people who sacrificed so much for our country.”

Mrs. Dennigmann agreed with Mr. Lober.

“It doesn’t bother me. When I was a kid we said it everyday when I was in school, and it doesn’t [disturb] class flow,” Mrs. Dennigmann said.

Changing the pledge’s routine may be viewed as random or annoying to students. But with it being the current law in Missouri, Mr. Lober believes people will get used to it, it just may take some time.

“It is different, anytime something changes you’re not sure how to feel about it. Maybe in a couple of of months I’ll grow accustomed to it,” Mr. Lober said.

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A new Proposition If passed, new levy will reduce class sizes, refresh technology

By Juliet Fuhrmann

Staff Reporter Due to Proposition Y’s failure to pass last year, there have been changes within the district.

Thirty-seven sections of classes have been cut, and some classes have been cut altogether.

In order to maintain budget, the district has had to reduce the amount of teachers for the school, so class sizes have increased dramatically. Many teachers, like Mr. Nicholas Beckmann, are overwhelmed with the surplus of students in their classes.

Last year, Mr. Beckmann’s four AP Government classes consisted of 100 students; however this year he has an additional 30 students, increasing class sizes by around eight students.

“Normally, the class sizes are around 24-26 students at most. Now I have up to 32 students per class. In one of my classes, there is a desk short in the room, so one of my kids is stuck at the back table,” Beckmann said. “It is not the best for AP students. You’re supposed to give them the space and time they need, and they are not getting that now,” Mr. Beckmann said The increase in class sizes, especially those in AP courses, makes it difficult for teachers to gage whether or not students fully understand the material.

“It is not a good combination trying to get lots of students to get into AP classes and then have budget cuts as well going on. It’s hard to keep track of who all is having trouble and who all needs more help,” Mr. Beckmann said.

One-on-one time between a student and teacher is harder to come by with a class size of 32. Overflowing class sizes makes it difficult for teachers to get to know their students on a more personal level, and many teachers find

Increased class sizes

The average amount of students this year per class is 32 students. Last year it was only an average of 28 students.

CROWDED HOUSE Mr. Nicholas Beckmann’s sixth hour class has 32 students total, taking up all of the student desks and leaving one student to sit at the back table because there is not enough desks. PHOTO

BY ELISA SWANSON

their greatest joy in getting to know all of their students.

“It is going to be a lot more difficult to get to know kids on a one on one level, which is something I like to pride myself with and a lot of teachers take pride in that as well. we’re all feeling it [the overcrowding] and it’s not ideal for the teachers and the kids,” Mr. Beckmann said.

Many students agree that the increase in class sizes have created a rather uncomfortable learning environment. According to junior Danny Ulses, his claustrophobic classes have made learning a greater challenge.

“I don’t feel like I am able to get that one-onone time with my teachers. I’m also not getting a lot of my own space which is frustrating,” Ulses said.

According to Superintendent Mary Hendricks-Harris, if a class section did not have up to 20 students sign up for it, they had to cut that period.

“We may have had 16 sections of English II last year & only offered 15 this year. Most departments lost some sections. In guidance, they lost a .5 counselor [position] which is equivalent to one section,” Dr. Harris said.

Not only are students having trouble with class sizes, but student athletes are also struggling, specifically those involved on Freshmen teams. From the reduced game schedules, to the 10% budget reduction for equipment, freshman soccer player Carl Swanson and his teammates do not receive new bags or as much playing times as years prior. Regardless of these changes, Swanson and his teammates are making the most of this season.

“Either way, we’re still gonna come out and

give it all we got no matter what,” Swanson said.

The cost of transportation has impacted all sport teams in one way or another. According to Savannah Womack, the girls golf team is not provided a bus to get to and from matches.

Often times, the girls will carpool.

“We have a van that we use now for transportation, but we haven’t had a bus for two years now,” Womack said.

Another effect on the sports teams is that there is no open weight room after school because there is no longer a sponsor. Now a student can only go if their coach is present.

Ulses used to go to the weight room after school, but now has to go workout in the morning.

“No one can go in the afternoon any more and now I have to get up early to workout in the weight room,” Ulses said.

Along with the loss of several school sponsors, everyday after school tutoring was also cut. A total of 13 duty positions were cut.

The district has also lost the ability to advance or update the technology in the school. Every five years software on the computers and iPads are refreshed and updated. Since Proposition Y failed, Dr. Sonny Arnel has had to decrease funding for technology.

“The past two years the ability to advance technology have been frozen, so if a computer breaks we can’t fix it,” Arnel said.

Almost every class uses Google Classroom, which is very difficult to do when losing computers.

“We used to be one of the most advanced school district in the state and now we’re slowly falling behind, and it doesn’t take long to get really far behind,” Dr. Arnel said

Prop Howell & Prop Y Harsh cuts

Prop Howell is the new tax levy the school district is asking voters for on Nov. 8.

Sports budgets had a 10 percent reduction in equipment, it ranged from not getting new uniforms and not having a bus for transportation.

It is asking for 60 cents instead of Prop Y that asked for 90 cents.

If approved, the owner of a $200,000 house would see an increase of $19 per month in property taxes.

Sports also had a reduction in the amount of games they play, mostly freshman games.

Some sports have fewer games this year than they did in previous years. Sports that had 27 games, now only have 13 games total.

Over the past five years, the Francis Howell School District has cut $20 million from its budget, with $8.2 million cut in fiscal year 2016.

Revenue from the approve of Proposition Howell would be used to address technology needs, refresh curriculum and reduce class sizes

What the district lost this year: - Weight room supervisors - TASC sponsor - Band coach - Sports management team supervisor - Assistant football coach - Sophomore Sponsor

- Assistant track coach - Freshman class sponsor - Sophomore class sponsor - 37 sections in classes - Sports equipment - More work space - Transportation Source: Francis Howell School District

Sept. 22, 2016

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TRANSFORMING THE GYM Every year the gym is decorated for Homecoming by the members of Student Council the afternoon and morning before the dance. The next evening the gym is filled with students dancing and jumping around having a fantastic time. PHOTO BY HALEY KARLAS

Making a circus

Student Council’s hard work rewards entire school

By Liz Baker

Staff reporter Homecoming’s either the thing student’s dread most about the beginning of the year or the most anticipated part. Buying tickets, finding dresses and dates can be super stressful. For Student Council members especially, it’s stressful but very worth it when they see all their hard work and planning come together on that one night.

Raina Carter, the president of Student Council this year, definitely feels how intimidating running StuCo and organizing homecoming can be.

“People are looking up to you and expecting you to know everything that’s going on with Student Council,” Carter said.

When most students think about homecoming, their first question is theme. Last year’s was Bollywood and this year’s is circus. Student Council goes through several ideas when choosing theme.

“At the end of the year we had a slide in which every officer came up with two or three themes they liked and then we kind of narrowed that down at the end of the year, all the way down to circus,” Carter said.

Things can get quite hectic when organizing such a large event, but Student Council handles the stress well. They get everything together on time and make it look wonderful. From music to decorations to food, everything is carefully organized and planned in advance.

Mrs. Stacey Dennigmann and Mrs. Vicki Pohlman are the advisors and are in charge of making sure everything’s running smoothly.

“It’s extremely hard. We’re dealing with deadlines we can’t change. We’re dealing with trying to meet with officers at 6:30 in the morning, all five of them,

meet with the board to make decisions, get the approval through Dr. [Sonny] Arnel before we move forward, order everything, and then get it here, and have time to build and decorate,” Mrs. Dennigmann said.

Homecoming takes a lot of organization, preparation and cooperation. Preparation includes ordering decorations, food, picking music and setting up before hand. From Raina’s perspective the hard part is decoration because she hasn’t done many crafts before, but Mrs. Dennigmann had a different view.

“Trying to organize a very large amount of people in a very short amount of time [has been the hardest part of it,]” Mrs. Dennigmann said.

Homecoming has a lot of different parts and takes a lot of people to make happen. Student Council has two advisors, five officers, and 25 board members as well as general members. If there are people in charge of decorating a specific hallway and there are people in charge of making sure they are decorating the hallway and that it’s going the way it’s supposed to.

Carter believes that homecoming isn’t easy but it can be fun even though it’s challenging. All the hard work pays off the night of the dance when everything is brought together.

“This year we’re going to take before and after pictures and I think that’s going to be the highlight of my night is seeing all the hard work and how it all came together,” Carter said.

Student Council definitely knows homecoming is a big process but the end result is definitely worth it. The circus theme is definitely fitting for homecoming, with the ringmasters being Ms. Dennigmann and Ms. Pohlman.

Homecoming by the numbers

25

StuCo Members: The board members vote on the decisions and ideas that the rest of the members come up with.

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Advisors: Ms.Dennigman and Ms.Pohlman handle the budget and make sure things are happening as they need to.

1,200-1,300

Tickets sold: Tickets are sold during lunches and show how many people are actually going to homecoming

Spirit Days: Monday: PJ Day. Wear your jammies.

Tuesday: GQ Day. Come to school looking like a million bucks.

Wednesday: Blast from the Past (90’s dress to celebrate FHC’s 20th year) Thursday: Jersey Day (in support of the Powderpuff game) Friday: Blue & Silver Day. Wear your school colors!

Top

10 Songs

For any occasion These songs are the perfect playlist for anything, whether doing homework or having a party.

“A cut like this has felt very personal for my kids, since music is often kind of looked down upon anyway, to do something like that makes things hard.”

Mrs. Elisabeth Baird

1. “Low Life”

by X Ambassadors This is a song with a beat so loud you can feel it more than hear it, making it perfect to drown out your thoughts.

2. “Chicago”

by Sufjan Stevens This song’s minimal lyricism and repetitive themes make it so easy to listen to you won’t even realize it’s on its tenth loop.

3. “Goner”

by Twenty One Pilots When you’re not sure whether you’re in the mood for quiet ukulele music or screamo, this is the perfect song.

4. “No Control”

by One Direction Although One Direction can seem a little played out, this song is still one of my favorites to sing along to in my car.

5. “This is Gospel”

by Panic! At The Disco Almost any Panic! song is a jam, but this one especially hits hard through its awesome chord progressions and vocals.

6. “The A Team”

by Ed Sheeran This song is a bit of a throwback, but its appeal continues through its mix of somberness and upbeat tempo.

7. “Sigh No More”

by Mumford & Sons With this band’s unique mix of banjo and contemporary style, this is the perfect song to listen to in the car late at

8. “Savannah”

by Relient K A song with a backstory, this one has such a catchy melody, it’ll be stuck in your head for days.

9. “Cherry Wine”

by Hozier Hozier is best known as a one-hit wonder, but this song is so stunningly emotional, it can’t help but tug at a heartstring.

10. “Blue Spotted Tail”

by Fleet Foxes This song is beautifully folksy, perfect to fall asleep to or to listen to when you’re just relaxing.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH A crowded Concert Choir does breathing exercises during its seventh class. Many people who were supposed to be a part of Advanced Treble Choir were placed in this class instead when Advanced Treble Choir was cut due to budget issues. PHOTO BY JOSIE JULIEN

A deep cut

Choir suffers the emotional loss of a class

By Jessica Fults

Staff reporter A class with 50 people can be overwhelming, especially for the teacher who has to look after all these students at once. Elisabeth Baird, the choir director, has to do this everyday. Advanced Treble Choir was one of a number of classes chosen to be cut for the 2016-2017 school year, and it has affected the choir students and the sizes of the classes. While one choir class being dropped may appear insignificant, it makes a world of difference to those involved.

Senior Hannah Burton, a former member of Advanced Treble Choir, took this decision to heart because of all of the memories she made in the choir.

“It was awesome, I had all my friends, and we just connected as a choir because we are all girls.” Burton said. “We were super close, so it was really heartbreaking when they cut it.”

Gabe Alden, a sophomore and former member of Treble Choir, reflected on a huge accomplishment for the choir and the talent that was present.

“Advanced Treble is basically women’s chamber, so it’s a really high ranking class to be in, and it’s very professional,” Alden said. “The girls who were in Advanced Treble last year, a

Sept. 22, 2016

group of them were a sextet, and they got a one in state, which is the best you can get.”

Junior Alyssa Rey, who would have been in Advanced Treble Choir, explains why the district shouldn’t have cut the choir and the obvious increase in the concert choir.

“None of the bands got cut, all of the other Howell’s have eight choirs,” Rey said. “We didn’t deserve to get a class cut. Our concert choir this year has 50 people. It’s huge, and a lot of those people are junior and senior girls who would have made Advanced Treble, which would have made classes smaller.”

Mrs. Baird said choir students took the elimination of Advanced Treble Choir personally.

“I feel like a cut like this has felt very personal for my kids, since music is often kind of looked down upon anyway, to do something like that makes things hard,” Mrs. Baird said.

There is one message she wants everyone to know about a choir class being the one cut.

“I think, especially in all of these reports and articles and things, that it needs to be said that any cut is hard, but that people often cut music or the arts because it is an easy cut, and because we don’t have a maximum number of students in our classroom as opposed to some of the other [classes]”

11

feature

12

Military beginnings

“It’s a good life, but it’s not an easy life because you work difficult hours and you never know what to expect.”

Luke Ezell

LEADING THE CHARGE Seniors Luke Ezell and Max Kujath burst through a banner before the Sept. 2 football game against St. Charles West. Activities Director Scott Harris helped organize the event to honor the two boys completion of the first phase of their basic training in the Army. PHOTO BY HUNTER RODGERS

Two seniors traded an entire summer to start careers in armed forces

By Whitney Klein Staff reporter

Senior Luke Ezell woke up at 4 a.m. every day this summer, in order to have a clean, shaven face and a completely squared away uniform by 5 a.m. or he risks punishment and drill sergeants screaming in his face, but he’s used to that already. He heads to physical training which includes push-ups, sprinting multiple miles while carrying weight in intense heat and more drill sergeants screaming at him.

Ezell leaves physical training, tired but still going, and goes to breakfast then off to do whatever is planned for him for that day, he never could be sure. He continued this rigorous routine every day for 10 weeks, envisioning the end, seeing who he could become.

Army Basic Training Camp is part one of two of basic training programs for the United States Army. Over the summer two seniors from FHC attended, Luke Ezell and Maximilian Kujath.

According to the United States Army’s website, basic training is the program of physical and mental training required to become a soldier in the Army. It is divided into two parts: basic training and advanced individual training. Basic training is ten weeks at a base where recruits learn the fundamentals of being a soldier and A. I. T. is training recruits’ chosen field.

“Whenever we got there, there was a drill organization, they had to baby us a little bit sergeant on the bus with us and we pulled up because of the heat. They had to be more to get off and that was when it all started,” Ezell restricted about the rules because it is the said. “They started yelling at you, then they make government,” Kujath said. “It wasn’t really our drill you run probably a good half mile into this big sergeants’ fault, it was more the summer’s heat. tent, and you have to hold everything you have If it would’ve been a little cooler, it would’ve been above your head. You’re out there in the heat for a lot better and a lot tougher than I felt it was,” about an hour with drill sergeants in your face.

Basic training not only teaches recruits They call it the ‘shark attack’. That’s combat training and self-discipline, the moment I’ll never forget.” but also how to be a good person.

In basic training, individuals Ezell said it taught him a lot about undergo physical training to prepare being a better person. their bodies and their minds for the “I learned the value of teamwork, eventual mental and physical strain having integrity, and always doing of combat. It introduces soldiers to the right thing because there are a strict schedules with many duties all of these people relying on you,” and high expectations. Ezell started Ezell said. “I liked that no one was to regret joining within the first few farther ahead than others. Everyone days, but soon grew accustomed to was equal.” the harsh routine.

Both Ezell and Kujath said that According to Kujath, they had a they would definitely recommend Maximilian Kujath rigorous daily routine that included enlisting to their friends and peers. waking up at 4:30 a.m., being up They believe that joining the army within a half hour, and eating at direct times. can set a person up for a lifetime of leadership During the day they would do whichever and positivity. activity or lesson had been chosen for that day, “It will set me up for a strong, independent life but they missed out on a lot this summer due to where I can learn how to do many and multiple the intense heat. things. I can serve my country and even myself “It was good, but I felt like it being the summer because all the skills they teach you can be and too hot and because it was a government applied to the real world,” said Kujath.

2016-17 YEARBOOK ORDER FORM

BUY IT! The 2016-17 yearbook will be FHC’s 20th. Celebrate our school’s 20th anniversary by giving us some information and $50 and you’ll have your name put down for one copy of FHC’s award-winning yearbook, the Odyssey.

What we need from you (please write clearly): Your name:____________________________ Year in school:_________________________ Cash or check:_________________________ Date:______________ (ALL CHECKS MUST BE MADE OUT TO FHC PUBLICATIONS)

If you prefer to use a credit card, you can do so at this registration or at this address: www.jostensyearbook.com Once you are there, type in Francis Howell Central and follow the directions IMPORTANT DEADLINES: $50 price: from the start of school until Dec. 25, 2016 $65 price: from Jan. 1 until end of school year $75 price: at pick-up, no extra copies guaranteed

RECEIPT

Thanks for ordering your copy of the 2016-17 Odyssey.

Books will be available at registration in the summer of 2017 (typically, late July). If you have questions, please contact Matthew Schott at matthew.schott@fhsdschools.org Order date:_______________

Staff signature

Amount paid:_____________

__________________

Dates to know FHC Publications has partnered with Club’s Choice to give students a chance to earn a free yearbook.

Sell 15 tubs of cookie dough and you’ll earn a copy of the 2016-17 Odyssey for free! Get order forms at schedule pickup Collect all money and checks (made out to FHC Publications) at the time of order.

Money is due when you submit order forms.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Order forms submitted to Rm. 139 by: Monday, Aug. 22 Cookie pick-up: Tuesday, Sept. 20 in school cafeteria (2:30-5p) All orders MUST be picked up, as FHC Publications has no way to store your cookie dough if it is not picked up Questions?

Ask Mr. Schott at matthew.schott@ fhsdschools.org

Show us your skills!

ReplayIt is an app from our yearbook publisher, Jostens, which allows amazing student photographers like you the chance to share photos you take from the events and classes you attend so we can use them in FHC Publications!

Just download the app from the Apple App Store or Android App Store and find our school in there. Upload your photos and the app does the rest!

APPLE APP

ANDROID APP

14

in focus

Everyday eats Three staff members wrote down what they ate for a week, here’s what we got. Over the next few pages we analyze some of the foods we ate and their nutritional value, to really understand what we are putting into our bodies and how it affects us mentally and physically.

Bryce Lee

Elisa Swanson

Kenzie Morris

Day 1: Breakfast: Honey bun Lunch: 2 pieces of Papa John’s pizza Snack: 2 Peanut butter granola bars Dinner: Footlong on white bread from Subway

Day 1: Breakfast: cinnamon toast crunch bagel with pean ut butter Lunch: Sandwich with whole wheat bread, lettuce, tomato, cheese and ham and 2 Cookies with chips Snack: Cheerios and orange slices Dinner: Salad and Mac n’ cheese with hotdogs

DAY 1: Breakfast: Trail mix with coffee Lunch: Banana, apple and saltine crackers Snack: 2 eggs, Cotton candy grapes and cocoa rice cereal Dinner: Everything bagel

Day 2: Breakfast: Frosted flakes Lunch: 2 Bosco sticks Snack: Goldfish with a green tea Dinner: Spaghetti Day 3: Breakfast: Pancakes with butter and syrup Lunch: Spicy chicken sandwich Snack: Doritos Dinner: Spaghetti Day 4: Breakfast: Frosted flakes Lunch: 2 pieces of Papa John’s pizza Snack: Hot fries (Chips) Dinner: Tacos Day 5: Breakfast: Oatmeal with apples Lunch: Spicy chicken sandwich with tater tots.

Snack: Oatmeal Dinner: Ham and cheese sandwich with Doritos

Day 2: Breakfast: Danish Lunch: Sandwich with 2 cookies and Dorritos Snack: Belvita and a cutie Dinner: Chicken alfredo Day 3 : Breakfast: Bagel with PB Lunch: Sandwich with jalepeno chips and a Chewy granola bar Snack: Grapes Dinner :Salad with steak and chicken Day 4: Breakfast: Danish Lunch: Sandwich with 2 cookies and Pretzels Snack: Belvita bites and a banana and kiwi Dinner: Salad and chicken tenders Day 5 Breakfast: oatmeal with condensed milk Lunch: Panini with kale and chicken noodle soup Snack: Strawberries Dinner: Salad with Chicken with green beans

Sept. 22, 2016

DAY 2: Breakfast: Coffee and a banana Lunch: Ramen noodles Snack: Apple, salted caramel Greek yogurt, pretzels, trail mix and raspberry Greek yogurt Dinner: Little Caesar’s pizza and an everything bagel DAY 3: Breakfast: Coffee and a banana Lunch: Chicken and wild rice soup Snack: Apple and Cheezits Dinner: Tiramisu and DQ caramel shake Day 4: Breakfast: Coffee Lunch: PB and J sandwich Snack: Apple Dinner: DQ chicken strips, fries, and onion rings Day 5: Breakfast: Coffee Lunch: Pizza Snack: Cake/mousse Dinner: Olive Garden breadsticks and salad

soup

with

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in focus

Little Debbiesmall honey bun

Frosted flakes Calories: 110 Calories from fat: 0 Total fat: 0g Saturated fat: 0g Trans fat: 0g Polyunsaturated fat: 0g Monounsaturated fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 150mg Potassium: 35mg Total carbohydrates: 26g Dietary fiber: <1g Sugars: 10g Protein: 1g Vitamin A; 10% Vitamin C: 10%

Calories- 230 Total fat- 13 g Saturated- 6 g Polyunsaturated- 2 g Monounsaturated- 4 g Cholesterol- 0 mg Vitamin a- 0% Vitamin c-0% Sodium- 0 mg Potassium- 0 mg Total carbs- 28 g Dietary fiber- 3 g Sugars- 23 g

Students, stats, and studies

By Elizabeth Gerger

Move Editor

Many students make up excuses for not eating healthy.

Not enough money, too busy, no support. Seniors Faith Hiles and Sydney Trendley make sure they don’t fall into those trap excuses.

Hiles, newly vegan, has been living a food healthy life since the spring of this past year. It takes time and commitment, but she survives the daily temptations of junk food.

“It does take a lot of time,” Hiles said. “I have to separate a good two hours to clean all my whole foods, chop them up, put them in bags and separate them.”

Being able to set a certain time aside is a key part in healthy eating.

Hiles recommends using Sundays for shopping, cleaning, and cutting your healthy greens. Grab and go snacks are an easy tip to stay above the temptations during your

busy week schedule.

Although the commitment is tough, it is proven that a healthier diet can not only prevent diseases such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes, but can give you a more positive attitude.

“I feel better about myself, you have a positive outlook, and you don’t feel guilty for eating stuff which is really good,” Trendley said. “I feel more energized and more ready to go all the time.”

According to a study done by Gallup, 62 percent of students admit to eating junk food during the week, only 57 percent claim to be active. Which means there’s still a portion of students eating an unhealthy diet and living an inactive lifestyle.

Also, 27 percent of students in the United States are considered obese, making obesity tied with cancer for the most urgent health problems with teenagers.

Mac n’ cheese Calories in 3.5oz:290 Calories from Fat: 40 Total Fat: 4.5g Saturated Fat: 2 g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 15 mg Sodium: 850mg Potassium: 0mg Total carbohydrate: 50g Dietary Fiber: 2 g Sugars: 6g Protein: 13g Vitamin A: 2% Vitamin C: 0% Calcium: 20% Iron: 10%

10 Tator tots Calories- 160 Total fat- 8 g Saturated fat- 2 g Monosaturated fat- 4 g Polyunsaturated fat- 2 g Cholesterol- 0 mg Sodium- 330 mg Potassium- 410 mg Carbohydrates- 20 g Fiber- 2g Glucose- 0.5 g Protein -2 g Vitamin- 16% Iron- 4% Calories from fats- 72

Test of the best

Students were surveyed on popular junk food items as to which they believed were healthier. See their results in comparison to their accuracy.

Pizza

Dominoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s: 47% Papa Johns: 53% Correct: Dominoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is healthier with only 5 less calories per slice than Papa Johns pizza, but tied with 9 grams of total fat.

Chips Taco

Calories: 180 Calories from Fat: 40 Total Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 8% Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 0% Sodium: 40% Total Carbohydrate: 9% Dietary Fiber: 4% Sugars: 2g Protein: 3g Vitamin A: 8% Calcium: 4% Iron: 10%

Ragu sauce

Calories: 70 Calories from fat: 23 Total fat: 2.5 g Saturated fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 480 mg Potassium: 0 mg Carbohydrates: 10 g Dietary fiber: 2 g Sugar: 6 g Protein: 2 g Vitamin a: 10& Vitamin c: 4% Calcium: 2% Iron: 4%

Lays: 66% Doritos: 34% Correct: Lays Chips have fewer calories, much less sodium, and less total carbohydrates than Doritos.

Drink

Coffee: 17% Tea: 83% Correct: Tea has more antioxidants that have been long linked to lower levels of inflammation and a reduced risk of cancer.

Candy

Chocolate: 57% Gummy Bears: 43% Correct: Gummy bears have 112 calories and zero total fat, compared to

chocolate which has 155 calories 9% total fat.

Potatoes

French fries: 56% Potato chips: 44% Correct: French fries have less surface area, which means less room for grease to soak.

Grapes 90 calories in 1.5 cups Total Fat: 1 grams Saturated Fat: 0 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 0 mg Total Carbohydrate: 24 g Protein: 1 gram Vitamin A: 2%

Sept. 22, 2016

Doritos

150 calories in 11 chips Total Fat: 8 grams Saturated Fat:1.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 180 mg Total Carbohydrate: 17 g Protein: 2 grams Calcium: 20 mg

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18

IN FOCUS

Fake food, real facts Dietitian offers knowledge about what is really going into your body

Summary of junk food advertising by food category Hamburgers

Ice cream

Pizza

Chocolate

Fried chicken

Soft drink

Most popular junk food among our students Misc.

Pizza

Soda

French fries

Chips

Donuts

Try this instead...

Tea > Coffee The antioxidants in tea have long been linked to lower levels of inflammation and a reduced risk of cancer.

Soy milk > whole milk Soy milk protein, vitamin A, B12, vitamin D, and potassium. Has just as much protein and whole milk, but fewer calories.

Kale chips > potato chips Kale gives good eyesight, no cholesterol or unhealthy saturated and trans fats, no grease.

Frozen yogurt > ice cream Yogurt has the creamy texture of ice cream without the sugar.

Hamburger takeaway/fast food: 30% Pizza takeaway/fast food: 25% Soft drink: 22% Fried chicken fast food/takeaway: 7% Ice cream products: 7% Chocolate confectionery: 5% Misc: 4% Registered dietitian Rebecca Levine, who has a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, a master’s in nutrition and teaches nutrition at Lindenwood University, offers some insight on junk food and its effects.

QA

: How prevalent has junk food become in our society? : It’s the American way. It’s part of our culture. And it’s everywhere.

While when I was young there used to be maybe three fast food places to eat, now on Mid Rivers alone there are probably 13. We’ve gotten away from eating actual food and into eating junk food.

QA

: In what ways does junk food impact people health-wise? : It impacts us in so many negative ways. We’re seeing young children with blood pressure, cholesterol, and cardiac issues, as well as type 2 diabetes, which is ridiculous. What we have to realize is that a lot of these are preventable through diet and exercise.

Pizza: 35-40 percent Donuts: 21-24 percent Soda:12-13 percent Chips:8-9 percent French Fries:24-27 percent Total students surveyed: 113

Banana ice cream > regular ice cream Throwing bananas in the blender and then freezing them for a few hours is a great alternative for regular ice cream. Bananas replace the sugar and calories ice cream has with loads of potassium.

QA

: Are there academic benefits to eating healthier? : Our​​body​​doesn’t​​recognize​​[junk​​food]​​as​​food,​​so​​our​​bodies​​use​​ it​​very​​quickly, meaning​​we​​don’t​​have​​long​​lasting​​energy​​as​​we​​ would​​with​​nutritional​​food.​​So​​if​​a​​kid​​ate,​​say, Pop​​Tarts​​for​​breakfast,​​they​​ wouldn’t​​get​​the​​same​​power​​to​​focus​​for​​school​​as​​a​​kid​​who​​ate real​​food. I​​ can​​tell​​when​​my​​own students​​are​​eating​​junk​​food​​because​​they​​sit​​in​​class​​ with​​their​​heads​​in​​their​​hands​​and​​can’t really​​concentrate.

QA

: Why is junk food so appealing? : It’s the flavors we love: fat, sugar, and salt. Our taste buds prefer these tastes, and companies use them because they’re easy to manufacture and taste good. I have adult clients who won’t stop eating it just because it tastes so good.

Psychosocial

NEUROLOGICAL

Poor selfesteem Depression Eating Disorders

Pseudotumor cerebri

CARDIOVASCULAR

Pulmonary

Dyslipidaemia Hypertension Coagulopathy Chronic inflammation Endothelial dysfunction

Sleep apnoea Asthma Exercise intolerance

Gastrointestinal Gallstones Steatohepatitus

ENDOCRINE

Type 2 diabetes Precocious puberty Polycystic ovary syndrome(girls) Hypogonadism(boys)

Renal

Glomerulosclerosis

Complications of childhood obesity

Musculoskelatal Slipped capital femoral epiphysis Blount’s disease Forearm fracture Flat feet

Due to the heavy amounts of junk food in our regular diets, obesity is an increasing problem amongst students and teens. What seems like a harmless bag of chips, or just a simple “cheat day” could be affecting you in more ways than you know.

Illustration by: Emily Mann

QA

QA

QA

QA

: What affect can junk food have on athletes? : When athletes don’t eat healthy, they’re not getting the energy or nutrients they need, so it absolutely affects their concentration and fatigue. They focus less, they get tired all the time.

It can cause athletes to become much more fatigued in a much shorter amount of time. : How would you define junk food? : If​​it’s​​in​​a​​box​​or​​a​​can,​​it’s​​not​​food.​​If​​it​​has​​a​​longer​​shelf​​life​​ than​​probably​​a​​week,​​it’s not​​real,​​it’s​​processed.​​If​​it​​has​​a​​food​​ label​ ​on​ ​it,​ ​especially​ ​one​ ​you​ ​can’t​ ​even​ ​read​ ​because​ ​it’s all​ ​chemicals,​ ​ then​​it’s​​junk​​food.​If you can’t grow it, harvest it, or butcher it, it’s junk food.

Sept. 22, 2016

: How much junk food does the average person eat? : We as dietitians have what we call the 80/20 rule, meaning 80 percent of what you eat should be clean, but 20 percent can be junk food. With that said, teens tend to eat the reverse: 80 percent junk and 20 percent healthy. : How can people become healthier? : If people wanted to eat healthier, small changes have big benefits. I’m not asking them to totally give up all the wonderful things they do in teen culture, just to cut off the soda and the fast food.

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in focus

F ast

ood ascination

What role does fast food play in the lives of students at FHC?

By Mackenzie Morris

Voice Editor David Tuttle balances school, clubs, and family life, and finds fast food as a common occurance in his every day life.

“It’s quick,” Tuttle said when discussing his reasons for eating fast food, “I have an hour maybe when I get home to eat.” Tuttle does not eat fast food for the sole purpose of wanting to though.

“I feel worse about myself when I eat fast food,” Tuttle said, “Fast food is terrible for us. We all eat it because it’s quick and it’s cheap and it tastes good… sometimes, and then we feel bad about ourselves. And then if you eat a lot of fast food you feel really bad about yourself.”

Even with his frequent visits to McDonald’s, Tuttle offers a word of

advice to those of us who also suffer from the fast food bug.

“Just don’t eat fast food, learn how to make food. You can buy more for less than you get from fast food. We just don’t have the time.,” Tuttle said, “Find time. That’s pretty much it.”

We Interviewed 100 students about fast food. This is what they said: 77% of FHC students surveyed believed McDonald’s was the least healthy.

In reality: Burger King is the least healthy fast food restaurant according to Yahoo Finance.

55% of students eat fast food once a week.

The leading reason 57% of students east fast food is because it is easy.

“I feel worse about myself when I eat fast food. We all eat it because it’s quick an it’s cheap and it tastes good. Then we feel bad about ourselves.”

David Tuttle

Half of students eat fast food at least once a week. Many are just down the street from our school.

The largest percentage of students surveyed reported they ate McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most often.

Sept. 22, 2016

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move

Symptoms of mild and severe dehydration

Mild dehydration Dry, sticky mouth Sleepiness or tiredness Few tears when crying Headache Dizziness

Severe dehydration Extreme thirst and irritability Very dry mouth and skin Sunken eyes Low blood pressure Rapid breathing and heartbeat SOURCE: MAYO CLINIC

Hydration key for athletic success The facts of hydration may be well known, but how about the myths?

By Caleb Harmon and Conor Ruffin

WATER BREAKS ARE A MUST Cole Kreder, a junior football player, takes a drink during a water break at practice on Sept. 13.

According to trainer Anna Rozanski, it’s important for Spartan athletes to stay hydrated to stay in peak physical condition for their sport. PHOTO BY ELIZABETH GERGER

Staff reporters Hydration and dehydration. Brad Schroeder knows all about it.

“During the summertime I had practice and the temperature outside was like 105, and after some time had passed I started to feel dizzy and my vision became blurry. It came to the point where I had to stop,” Brad Schroeder said.

When coaches asked if he had hydrated well before practice he replied that he didn’t and didn’t think he needed to.

In conversations about hydration, people always take whatever advice they can get. But is there a side to these hydration claims that isn’t true? As a kid your parents probably told you not to believe everything you hear. This is also the case when talking about keeping liquid in your system according to Athletic Director Scott Harris.

“You always hear things like drink liquid, liquid, liquid.

Some liquids are better than others you know?” said Harris.

The first myth in need of tackling is the, “Eight glasses of water a day,” myth. A healthy dose of hydration everyday is good for you, but how much water a person intakes is all based on the individual. Susan Yeargin, Ph.D., assistant professor of athletic training at the University of South Carolina said in an interview with Runners World that the number of glasses of water per day is all based on the individual and that everyone has different needs. For example athletes are going to require more water than people who do not participate in athletic events.

This next myth is the belief that you can’t drink too much. Doug Casa, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut and COO of the Korey Stringer Institute explained in an interview that drinking too much can be a problem and sometimes a fatal one. Dr. Casa said that sodium levels in the blood become dangerously low which can kill a person if too much liquid is consumed.

Of course, we all have those personal beliefs on how we should live and consume. According to senior Nathan Schroeder, drinking water during a volleyball match isn’t all that necessary.

“It was almost like, I don’t know I just lost focus when I drank water. When it was intense I didn’t drink because it threw me off,” Nathan Schroeder said.

Ignoring his thirst during a volleyball match leads us to our last myth. This myth states that thirst isn’t a good tool to use when tracking hydration. Dr. Yeargin is of the

Sept. 22, 2016

opinion; however, that it is always a good idea to have some other methods to ensure you’re hydrated. Although there are other ways of tracking dehydration, our thirst is pretty accurate. Some experts even argue that thirst is the only indicator that you need to determine hydration.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, to stay hydrated, active people should drink, on average, 16-20 ounces of water one to two hours before an outdoor activity. After that, you should consume at least 6 to 12 ounces of water every 10-15 minutes that you are outside.

When you are finished with the activity, you should drink more.

Keeping your fluid intake high will increase your level of hydration and ensure you are at your highest level of physical condition.

Another important part of staying hydrated is having enough electrolytes in your system. Athletic trainer Anna Rozanski said the proper balance of water and electrolytes, such as sodium, magnesium, and potassium, is essential to keeping athletes in peak physical condition.

The best way to keep that balance is to gradually hydrate and get the electrolytes you need throughout the day and to have the right amount for you, because human body types and the amount of physical exertion varies from person to person. Even when you don’t believe you need water, it’s better to keep a high level of fluid intake to stave off dehydration.

The Mayo Clinic states that dehydration occurs when you use or lose more water than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you will get dehydrated.

Dehydration is no joke and can result in severe physical ailments.

“Dehydration can result in heat related illness, fatigue, dizziness, vomiting, stomach pains, and in more severe cases loss of consciousness and even death,” Rozanski said.

Hunter Apt, junior and lineman on the varsity football team, knows the effects of dehydration all too well.

“Last year, during the third week of football practice, I was out in the heat of summer, putting in the work for practice, and I started to feel dizzy and cold, then I started to get headache, and after that I passed out for a bit,” Apt said.

Apt said he didn’t have water before or during practice, so it’s important to keep in mind that even though you don’t believe you need it because it’s better to be safe than sorry.

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ARTWORK MADE BY JULIET FUHRMANN PHOTO ILLUSTRATION TAKEN BY ELISA SWANSON

Trying to balance all the obligations of life can take a real toll on people’s life due to people’s inability to multitask.

By Lukas Mendel

Staff reporter Many people often consider themselves to be great multitaskers, while others admit to not being able to do more than one task at a time. The truth is, there is no such thing as a good multitasker, but that the brain is simply able to switch between multiple tasks at such a fast rate that people fall under the false consensus that they are actually capable of working on more than one thing at once.

A significant problem lies within the false belief of one’s ability to multitask; it actually affects how adequate the work a multitasker completes and puts out. The National Public Radio Organization wrote an article, “Think You’re Multitasking? Think Again”, focusing on this concept of the human ablity to multitask, using the scientists they interviewed and other scientific studies they researched, to disprove the belief of multitasking.

“People can’t multitask very well, and when people say they can, they’re deluding themselves ... the brain is very good at deluding itself,” neurologist Earl Miller said.

Think of a girl sitting down at lunch, texting her boyfriend, but she is also having a coversation with her friend. Then she ends up texting to her boyfriend the words that just came out of her friend’s mouth. Or take someone sitting down at their desk doing their homework, while simultaneously watching TV. But after looking

down at their paper, they realize the words they just wrote was the line the character on TV just said. The examples are numerous, but they all show that your brain isn’t capable of focusing on even two things at the same time.

“Switching from task to task, you think you’re actually paying attention to everything around you at the same time. But you’re actually not,” Miller said. “ You cannot focus on one while doing the other.

That’s because of what’s called interference between the two tasks.”

High school can be overwhelming and stressful for different reasons for different people, trying to balance class, relationships, friendships, sports, clubs, and the list continues. Students going through all of this need time to themselves and let their mind and brain relax. Since people cannot really multitask, they need time to work on one thing at a time and prevent from overloading too many ideas or obligations at once.

More often than not, life doesn’t allow time for relaxation or anything of the sort, so it is essential that students try to incorporate some similar method to keep them truly focused. Everyone has their own individual method that works the best for them when balancing their obligations throughout life. They need to learn how to focus on either sports, homework, work, or anything else for one moment at a time, and they must learn what mentally helps them to achieve a better, singular focus.

“People can’t multitask very well, and when people say they can, they’re deluding themselves ... the brain is very good at deluding itself.”

-Earl Miller

Molly Jones: “I’m never really relaxed, I’m always kinda stressed out.”

I

t’s not uncommon to find students working hours after school or on the weekend. These students struggle to balance their life, any and all schoolwork, and the added obligation of work. Add on a couple AP or Honor classes onto the student’s life and it can become a disastrous mess. They are trying to balance way more than healthy people can at any age or time of life.

Sadly, these individuals lack the time to relax and let their brain have time to focus on one

issue at a time because it goes from school to work to more schoolwork and lastly to everything else.

Molly Jones, a junior and swimmer for FHC, experiences this type of day more often than is really healthy.

“I work at JC Penneys, and I work about 15 to 20 hours a week,” Jones said This allows just a small amount of time on the weekend for any time to actually relax and relieve stress. She always feels like she is running

behind trying to catch up.

“It messes up my sleep schedule, so I’m super stressed and tired,” Jones said.

Work is important and it’s a priority to Jones, but lacking any time or method to keep her focus on just one thing or having any release from her busy life really affects her frame of mind.

“I’m never really relaxed, I’m always kinda stressed out,” Jones said. “It’s definitely really overwhelming when I get out of school.”

Nathan Smith: “When the game starts, all you really

focus on is playing well, winning, and playing for your team.”

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hile other students might not have jobs bogging them down, they might be in array of different sports, and when you play a sport — especially on a varsity team — it’s a dedication, it’s a part of your life. The life of an athlete, who also enjoys to explore into the more advanced classes, can turn into one overwhelming task to the next.

Tackling school, practice, games, and homework, especially when you have a lot at once, can turn into one humongous game of balancing stress. For senior Nathan Smith, who is goalie of the varsity soccer team, and secretary of NHS, this is a game he plays every day.

“I have five AP classes, Calc BC, Physics, Chem, Spanish 5, and Psychology plus my engineering class which is honors,” Smith said. “I have soccer every day plus weekends, I’m in student council and I’m secretary of NHS, so that takes a lot of time ... plus, I have a girlfriend so I’m quite busy.”

With so many things on his plate as once, and so

little time to get it all done everyday, organization is key for Smith. Smith’s organizational skills and his attitude to tackle one task at a time keeps his brain from getting too overwhelmed.

“I like to keep a whiteboard in my room and I like to write down my homework for each night for every class and what I can get ahead on because that really helps me be prepared,” Smith said.

While Smith might lack time simply devoted to the relaxation of his mind, his method of planning and organization is what helps him make up for it.

It’s an essential part of Smith’s routine and what is responsible for helping him retain his focus while having so many daunting tasks.

Smith commented his organizational skills are essential for determining how overloaded he feels.

“They definitely keep me organized and feeling like I have time and I’m not overloaded,” Smith said.

School, NHS, and girlfriend aside, Smith is still the varsity goalie of the FHC Soccer team. Not only is it another time consuming obligation, but it also requires another chunk of his focus and dedication.

Before every game Smith has to take a minute to get into his zone and zero in on the game.

“I just take a minute to relax and focus on the game, and when the game starts all you really focus on is playing well, winning, and playing for your team,” Smith said.

When Smith gets home from a game he knows the game is over and he has to move on.

“I had my fun but now it’s time to focus,” said Smith.

There is an importance and a necessity to just take everything one task a time and to focus on what’s in front of you and nothing else, and this is a lifestyle Smith lives to keep himself mentally healthy and accomplish the countless list of things he is required to do.

Hunter Rodgers: “Being able to break up my day and do something I love makes all my obligations seem more minor.”

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f at all possible, make time to relief the of the mind from the burdens of life. No matter what the method, if time is allotted in life, use it wisely.

Just as it’s important to organize all the obligations of life, it’s important to take your mind away from it all and get into a zone of your own world. Everyone has something they are passionate about and they love, and some students have learned to find that and implement it into their daily routine; they are better off mentally and have better focus on the rest of their life because of it.

With a busy schedule every day, it can be difficult to make time for one’s passion. Hunter Rodgers, senior and set crew head for the fall play, has learned to incorporate his passion, art, into his everyday life. It is something Rodgers

truly cares for and had difficulty finding the time to work on it in the past. This year Rodgers took the class AP Studio Art, so he would have a dedicated hour each day to be creative and focus only on his art and not on the rest of his obligations for that day.

“I’ll usually go to a coffee shop after school if i’m still feeling inspired and still feeling like I wanna work or feeling productive and enjoying it, and I’ll probably work on it there for another hour or so,” said Rodgers.

Even though Rodgers now spends more time in school and after just creating his art, he is able to be more productive and feels less stressed out dealing with the rest of his worries. His art allows his mind to take a break from juggling all his stress and for him to zero in on what makes relieves him.

Sept. 22, 2016

“It gives you a very big sense of relief and whenever you’re making something and it’s turning out the way you want it to turn out,” Rodgers said. “It’s very satisfying because it’s literally just your hands and you doing it.”

For Rodgers, it’s his art that calms him and his mind, but it doesn’t have to be art. It could be reading, sitting outside and enjoying the weather, or maybe playing a sport; it does not matter the passion, but only the time.

“If I have time to make art then I feel like the rest of my day will be much better, because I go to work and I go to school and those things are obligations that I have to be doing, and art isn’t an obligation, it’s’ something I truly love doing,” Rodgers said. “Being able to break up my day and do something I love makes all of my obligations seem more minor.”

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WATCH IT LIVE! If you can’t make it to a game, we’re going to try to be there to live stream it for Spartan Nation. Streams will stay on FHCtoday.com for one month after an event.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Sept. 21: Girls volleyball at 6p Sept. 23: Football at 7p Sept. 26: Girls volleyball at 6p Sept. 27: Boys soccer at 6p Oct 7: Football at 7p Oct. 11: Girls volleyball at 6p Oct. 13: Boys soccer at 6p

Too cool for school Emily Mann

Print Executive Editor

Disrespect from students toward teachers has gone too far

By Emily Mann

Print Executive Editor As I walk into the building, I hear students flaunt their skipped detention for the fourth consecutive week because “that teacher is so stupid anyways, the reason I got it was so gay, I’m not serving that.” From there I make my way to my first hour class and I sit down in front of the girl writing on the desk, and behind the boy bragging about the nap he’s about to take because “he hates this class and doesn’t care”.

Finally, class begins, and as my math teacher attempts to answer questions from the previous night’s homework, a student complains about “hating math and hating school” and continues to repeat these words, progressively getting louder, as if that makes their words more important, and not interrupting the teacher’s instructions to the struggling students in any way.

As I attempt to make out the explanation for number three, the teacher simultaneously passes out today’s notes and homework, which for one student, the fifth disruptive and disrespectful student this morning, is the end of the world.

The teacher has now stopped explaining number three, and is listening to the student gripe and complain about how “awful of a teacher [she] is, for assigning so much homework, this is a bunch of BS”.

My day continues for another six hours and, despite my hopes, student complaints, ungratefulness, and disrespect does not disappear; it lingers, it remains, and it is all too prevalent.

School is supposed to be a positive

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MORGAN WEST AND EMILY MANN

learning environment, in which students are given the opportunity to get an education for free, take classes that will help them better their career in education and later in life, grow as a student and a person, and participate in clubs and activities. ”You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”

Some students will resent high school, and fail to participate or better their studies. Which is their choice, and is completely fair, as long as they don’t drag anyone else down with them. It starts becoming a problem when their choice to not participate or care or do anything or respect the teacher or school or building starts affecting other students, but even if you choose not to drink, it is still incredibly rude to disrupt the classroom continuously, and disrespect the teacher, simply because you’re “too cool to care.”

The gift teachers give to students is irreplaceable, the gift of knowledge.

Yes of course not every teacher spends the same amount of time at their desk bettering their students, and yes not every student spends their eight-hour school days disregarding teachers instructions and guidelines. However, the vast majority of teachers devote practically their entire life to improving ours, and far too many students take that, and them, for granted.

For someone that spend 8 hours of their day, at the least, doing nothing but teaching you in hopes of bettering you in multiple ways, it baffles me that children disrespect all that is given to them, and continue to blame the teacher for their

Sept. 22, 2016

lack of knowledge. Learn to be grateful for what you are offered, and even then if you are too cool to care, do not ruin it for other students.

Nothing is more rude than abusing, disrupting, and ruining the learning environment for other students around you. Some students really need to hear the instructions for them to fully understand the assignment, but can’t because you are too busy laughing with your friends about the tweet about Harambe.

For you to take time away from class by either harassing the teacher, or requiring special attention to fix your behavior, is so unnecessary. We are teenagers. Even if you do not care about school, or what it has to offer, or anything like that, it is ridiculously selfish to make that decision for someone else.

It is so stupid to intentionally break, vandalize, or misuse school supplies because of this, then they need to be fixed or replaced, sometimes limiting students in other hours and classes or even your own class from being able to accurately do assignments or learn. It is simply not fair to obstruct other people’s learning experience because you don’t like a certain teacher, or a certain rule, or the school system in general.

Again it comes back to the choice, it was the teacher’s choice to chose a career to devote to teaching you. Even if you didn’t ask them to do that, and even if you don’t care, it is rude and unfair to disrupt it, or make it any harder. Its rude to ruin the opportunity for everyone else as well.

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voice

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MORGAN WEST

Millenials can’t make up their minds And that’s okay; our generation doesn’t believe in choosing their majors so early

Conor Ruffin Staff reporter

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As kids, our parents, grandparents, teachers and coaches told us how we are supposed to work hard, keep on the straight and narrow path, and have a plan in life. By the time we hit high school both our parents and ourselves have an idea of what we are going to do career-wise after college, and by the time we graduate high school we’ve already picked what college we are going to based off of that idea.

Now flash forward to your sophomore year in college. You intended on getting your business degree but now you’ve decided you want to become a marine biologist. Due to this change you have credits that have become worthless to your new found endeavor of obtaining a degree in marine biology, you have to spend more time getting the credits to this degree, spend more money in the long run, and in many cases you’ll garner the disapproval of your parents. This is the moment when you

realize your entire life, the preparation for your college and career has been shaped by others and you’ve really had no real say in what you are going to do.

Our parents and grandparents are from different eras, they are Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. During their lifetimes, salaries stagnated, one source as a household’s income was beginning to fade, women and people of color began to work white collar jobs that were for the longest time held by white men. A high school diploma, which once was the most education average Americans received, lost the level of significance it held and blue collar jobs were beginning to be outsourced to other nations for cheaper costs.

Our parents and grandparents needed to know what degree they’d need to get a job. However, a profession in today’s world should be what we are passionate about, not a paycheck. We don’t have enough

time to find ourselves and our callings because right after high school we are expected to go to college and have a job, then get a college degree to get a better paying job and maybe get an even higher level degree to get an even better paying job.

But that’s not what people of our generation want today.

We want something that we can be proud of, something that makes us feel fulfilled. We don’t have to know what we are going to do nor know where we are going yet.

The human brain doesn’t stop developing until well after one attends college to get their undergraduate degree, so how can one know exactly what you are going to be? People our age need to focus on personal development and maturation.

We will find out on our own with the passage of time.

percent of students will change their major at least once during their time in college, according to a 2011 study by the National Center for Education Statistics.

employers

1 in 3

half Benefits of bilingual Almost of all employers Makes learning new words easy Better listening skills The ability to connect better with others worldwide

report five years from now, it will be important that candidates be bilingual.

71% of employers 65% of employers

would rather hire bilingual employees.

say hiring bilingual employees increases believe hiring bilingual employees will increase the customer satisfaction and retention.

But what language?

competitiveness of their business.

84% of businesses indicate Spanish is the most useful second language.

The second most important language to businesses is Polish.

Source: Northern Illinois University

Becoming more worldly Why I learn languages — and why you should, too

Kalani West Staff reporter

If you asked someone on the street what their definition of trying something new would be, often the answer (for those who live in the suburbs) will be the likes of trying out a new restaurant or venturing into that new store at the mall. Those experiences are interesting yet ultimately have no value other than just doing something for the sake of spicing up your day for only a couple of hours or so before going back to your everyday routine.

This makes me wonder why people with this problem haven’t considered learning a second language. With my experience of self-studying Korean for two years and taking French courses for three years at school, I’ve had escapades on escapades of things that have not only given me oodles of practical perks, but a new perspective on the world around me and where I fit into it, all of which has given me an adventure of a lifetime.

You’d think this solution to such a multi-faceted problem in our society would be obvious; but for reasons I find weak, the concept of learning a language is — ironically — too foreign of a task to embark on to actually be worthwhile for way too many people.

Take, for instance, the argument that because English is spoken virtually everywhere, there’s no need to learn another language even if you travel to a different country, let alone if you have no plans to travel outside of North America anytime soon. This argument is so ignorant, it’s comedic.

In the U.S. alone, it was recorded in

2011 that almost one-in-11 people speak a language other than English at home, 22 percent of these speaking English “not well” or “not at all.” That said, with the vast number of people living in the U.S. not able to understand English, it makes sense there will always be the need for those in the workplace who are able to speak any other language than English fluently.

If I were hiring for my business, I know I wouldn’t complain if I saw on a resume “Can speak five languages fluently.”

The majority of people also fail to realize the fact that learning a language boosts brain function. Something anyone could appreciate is the fact that the bilingual brain is able to switch from task to task much faster than the monolingual brain can — who doesn’t want stellar concentration — especially when you have three hours of homework, your job, and chores to do all in one night?

Moreover, studies have shown that those who must switch between languages in daily language inadvertently strengthen the part of the brain in control of attention span, as well as the part involved in memory. So basically, learning a language equals less spacing out in class and better grades.

But wait, there’s more; individuals who are fluent in two or more languages have been shown to acquire Alzheimer’s Disease and other diseases associated with old age much slower than their monolingual peers. Though not as relevant to high schoolers, you’ll thank yourself in 60 or so years.

Sept. 22, 2016

If nothing else, consider this: learning a language is too fun an opportunity to pass up. It opens up a new culture, no matter what language you decide to take up- this means having new music to listen to, books to read, TV shows to watch.

To further explain what I mean; as humans, we forget knowledge remarkably easily. Most of the things we learn in school now will simply dim into random bits of information and useless facts in adulthood. But the constant of all human thought and consciousness is other humans, because we most often remember other people and the feelings they elicit within us.

So it goes without saying that connecting with someone and their culture while learning a language will not only allow you to reap the benefits of being bilingual, you will also gain longlasting camaraderie with those you never wouldn’t have crossed paths with before.

I dare you to make the decision to learn a second — or a third or fourth — language.

This area of life may not be something we think of very often, but when we do, when we go out of our comfort zone into a new culture and ways of living, we allow ourselves to open a door we’ll never regret stepping through.

With whatever resources you chose to use to accept this challenge, whether it be online or through one of the language courses offered at school, it will certainly give new meaning to the phrase “trying something new.”

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entertain Welcome to the Homecoming

Circus !

e m r

e a his t tak to olor k c e e d w an his dies rcus. et i im r stu he c t e ou m t m y o o m fr es Us ak fro seal bre rable o ad

lo o C (Doodle here) Doodle in this space here as you begin thinking about the magical nights awaiting you at the Homecoming football game and dances.

Tips and hacks for the big dance Wear shoes that you find comfortable and can dance in all night, so you can avoid check-in line

Best doodle/coloring job (as judged by the Entertain editor) turned into Room 139 by Sept. 30 will win a Paper Day t-shirt (write your name on the sheet when you submit it).

Girls, think about getting a dress with pockets so all you really have to bring is your essentials-phone and money- to again avoid the long line.

If staying at a friends after the dance, drop your belongings off before the dance.

Eat a meal before: not big to make you sick, but enough so you’re content throughout the dance. Good places to go might be Steak N’ Shake, Applebee’s, or IHOP. If you’re doing pictures, go to a place you know won’t be crowded with other dance goers, it will save time. SCC, St. Charles Main Street, and Legacy Park are all very popular places to get pictures.

Word Bank: Boutonniere Dance Homecoming Heels Dresses Football Tuxedo Tie Corsage Music

Doodle analysis Colors:

Red is a color of power, often used to make a statement.

Black and Gray usually conveys solidity and strength, but often represents darker things, like sorrow and death.

Purple is used to be different, and has whimsical connotations.

Brown creates an earthy feel.

Green is a calming color, but can often be associated with jealously.

Marks:

Lightweight: Drawing lightly can indicate you are a sensitive person who is afraid of making mistakes.

Medium-weight: Drawing with the medium amount of pressure can show that you are a self-confident person full of personality.

Hardweight: Drawing with an insane amount of force can indicate two thing: you

are full of strength, or you are full of aggressive tendencies.

Placement:

Center: Drawing your doodle in the middle of the paper means you like the spotlight and you’re the center of attention.

Right: Drawing your doodle to the right of the paper means you need to talk about your feelings more in depth.

Left: Drawing your doodle to the left of the page might indicate that you’re stuck in the past.

Top: Drawing your doodle towards the top of the page means you are very independent and an open minded person.

Bottom: Drawing your doodle towards the bottom of the page means you are very sensible person who doesn’t like to disrupt other people.

Sept. 22, 2016

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