The Photo Issue

vol. 23 issue 5: february

THE PHOTO ISSUE the best pictures of 2019-2020

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Looking Back ...

As the decade came to a close, we all took a minute to reflect on what we have achieved, our personal growth, and how we got to where we are now. However the 20’s bring many grand and exciting opportunities for us high schoolers, many of us will go to college, start a new job, get married, buy a home, or have children. These revelations can be scary, or they can be very exciting. But this Photo Issue is made to capture memories, so when we are approaching the 30’s, we have something to hold, take in, and remember forever.

- Gracie Kruep

Photography Editor-in-Chief

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JAN. 29

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In a tough match, freshman Brandon Spies pins his opponent, earning himself a victory during his dual in the main gym. Spies’ hardfought win was a propelling match, helping his team win 45-18 over the Holt Indians. PHOTO BY ERIN REITZ

JAN. 27 Senior Logan Scott blocks a layup at the Hyland Arena at Lindenwood University against a Lutheran North player during the St. Dominic tournamnet. The Spartans had their work cut out for them while playing tough defense. “Our team’s defense is really good, especially when we all put our hearts into the game,” Scott said.

PHOTO BY KIKI FRYE

DEC. 9

Nervous players scrambled as the shot clock wound down in the C-team’s first game of the season against Francis Howell North. Although the C-team members were anxious for their first game, Brayden Rubel was pumped to be there. “I was excited,” Rubel said. “It was my first game back on the basketball court.” PHOTO BY ANN-MAREE

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JAN. 24 The theatre department’s officers take the microphone at the winter pep assembly to encourage students to join their spring production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Historian Faith Carter thinks that the pep assembly is a great place to recruit people for future shows.

PHOTO BY TAYLOR KRIEG

JAN. 21

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Freshman Xime Camarena rises above the water while swimming the butterfly stroke against the Fort Zumwalt East Lions on Jan. 21. Camarena’s initial season on the team was a strong one as she placed third in the 200 individual medley and placed second in the 500-meter freestyle at the GAC conference meet. PHOTO BY ZOE LENTZ

good things must come to an end, and senior, NOV. 6 All Brayden Conley shows his emotion at the

conclusion of the soccer season. Conley hugs Coach Taylor Yocum as they share a moment together at the end of their last soccer game. The boys had many wins and losses as a team, but, more importantly, they can take away lasting relationships. PHOTO BY EMILY WOLFE

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GRAFFITI IN THE CITY

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By Taylor Krieg

t. Louis is full of street art and aspiring artists. Scattered around the city, little pieces of art, made by unrecognized artists, are enjoyed by many. Often times graffiti artists risk breaking the law to create something beautiful. Paint Louis, a group of artists from across the nation, found a place for artists to create freely and turned it into a tourist attraction. The wall is updated every Labor Day weekend. Over 250 artists come out to claim a spot and showcase their street art talents in a legal way. The attraction is loved by visitors and the weekend is full of art and music.

MONSTER OF THE MIND: Most people struggle to find a way to put their thoughts into words, wh thoughts. Lauren Dubuque is one of these people “When I’m creating things it’s like every single fee about creating is being able to invoke emotion in complete strangers through a shared connection y COUNTRY CREATORS: Diversity is encouraged along the wall. Artists around the nation bring their own personal style to create a full rounded mural.

After the mural is finished artists are still encouraged to add on.

Throughout the year sections are painted over so the wall is constantly evolving and it’s nothing like what was started in September.

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BEFORE AND AFTER: The idea of life and death varies between people.

Artists often illustrate their perspective in either a serious way or a fictional way. This artist in particular took a fictional approach writing the words “Sweet Dreams” making it all feel like sleep.

ds, while many find it easy to create something, like a monster, to explain their gle feeling I can’t explain with words is all expressed on paper, my favorite part ction you can feel without having to explain”.

LOVE IN THE SKY: Actions speak louder than words, but sometimes the words are an action. Love is a common theme among artists on the wall. Art is about expression and it is supposed to evoke emotion and sometimes what evokes a certain emotion more than the word itself.

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SEPT. 6

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SEPT. 25

The varsity football team runs-in for the first home game of the season against Fort Zumwalt South High School. “Take the dogs to the pound” refers to Zumwalt South’s mascot, the bulldog. The Spartans won 32-0. PHOTO BY ABBY TURNER

Senior Anna Carroll walks through a sea of tennis rackets during the girls tennis Senior Night. Girls tennis had a great season, and they won the Scholastic Achievement Award and had two players qualify for the state tournament. PHOTO BY SUZIE SAFI

SEPT. 26

The sophomore powderpuff football team runs through a banner to kick off their game against the freshmen. The sophomores brought home a win for the class of 2022. PHOTO BY HANNAH BERNARD

OCT. 23

A Francis Howell North C-team soccer player looks on as the the ball flies into the air in Francis Howell Central’s final game of the season. The Spartans fought hard in the loss against FHN despite having a field player in goal due a goalie injury. PHOTO BY NIKKI CRANGLE

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OCT. 26

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Lead singer of indie pop band COIN Chase Lawrence gets into the moment as they performed their song “Growing Pains” in Memphis, Tenn. on Oct. 26. COIN sets off on one of their biggest tours in early March and it will run until late April. PHOTO BY SAVANNAH DRNEC

SEPT. 26

Sydney Aleksick waves from the Student Council float, at the annual Homecoming Parade. The Homecoming Parade is one of Central’s favorite traditions, and gets everyone excited for the weekend to come. PHOTO BY PAIGE FANN

DEC. 2

First chair flutist Vanessa Luan practices the difficult third march movement of “Symphonic Metamorphosis” with the wind ensemble under the direction of conductor Andrew Messerli. The piece, containing strenuous and challenging lines for all instruments in the band, especially the high woodwinds, was the first song performed by the band at the MMEA conference in late January. PHOTO BY ANDREW HOUMES

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Welcome to the Wild Side

By Gracie Kruep

The pets of students whose parents said yes to them buying exotic pets We’ve all done it. Took our little doe eyes and days of building courage, to go and ask our parents to get a new pet. Whether it be a puppy, a kitten, or more mundane things like a hamster or snake. But, parents always have the same set of answers: “Too stinky”, “Too much work”, “You won’t take care of it”. And after hearing these remarks, we took our crushed dreams and buried them. However, some poeple’s parents weren’t so quick to say no. Here are a collection of students who own the animals we could only dream our parents would let us have.

Sophia Perez’ mom grew up on a farm surrounded by animals, so she let her daughter’s have the same experience’s she had when she was young.

NEWFOUNDLAND AND COTON DE TULEAR: Gus Gus the 140 pound Newfoundland enjoys his outdoor time by darting around the yard, while Daisy the Coton de Tulear sits back and watches.

ROSE HAIRED TARANTULA: Harriet, the rose-haired tarantula stands upon the hand of Perez as she inspects the camera equipment.

CHINCHILLA: Although cute and fluffy, Chiquito the Chinchilla only likes Perez’ little sister. It was picked up by it’s tail at first because their bodies are so small they could slip through unkowing fingers.

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NORMAL BALL PYTON: Perez shows off the milky underside of her ball pyton, Babs

LOP EARED BUNNY: Perez holds her Lop Eared bunny, Lloyd.

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Town and Country Llamas The hidden llama farm in Florissant, MO

LACEY: The black and white alpaca chows on her fresh hay.

FEEDING TIME: Don Berkemeier, grandfather of freshman Evan Enloe, feeds his llamas and alpacas. He and his wife, Marsha, have been raising and showing llama’s in competitions for years. Today, they have six alpacas and six llamas on their property.

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LIPONZONER: Berkemeier’s most decorated and oldest llama stands in his barn and poses.

FEEDING FRENZY: Ezra (LEFT), Lilly (CENTER), and Prince (RIGHT) enjoy some hay. Llamas like Ezra are larger than alpacas like Lilly and Prince, and can weigh up to 400 pounds, while alpaca’s will weigh in at about 150 pounds.

CURIOUS CREATURES: Fiona (LEFT) and Sanibel (RIGHT) stare directly at the camera. Llamas and alpacas are excellent guardians, they will form defense circles around their young to fight off predators like coyotes. They are naturally curious animals, so they will stare at unusal sights and often see and sense trouble before people do.

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A Dangerous Pack Seth Wilcox and his scary housemates

THE FIRST: Junior, Seth Wilcox holds his tarantula for the first time. Seth’s mom, Tammy Wilcox, is a teacher at Jefferson Intermediate School.

Tammy was a science teacher for part of her career where she obtained lots of animals to display in her classroom, she then switched from science to history and was forced to bring all of the educational animals into her home.

Because the animals were near children, they were never conditioned to be handled.

CALM SOUL: Although not being handled very often, the tarantula was very docile and kind.

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ARAGOG: Rose-haired tarantulas live up to fifteen years, which is exactly how old Aragog is, Seth is picking her up out of a feeding cup where she shows off her sharp, ventral teeth.

FIRE-BELLIED TOAD: Evident by their bright colors, fire-bellied toads are poisionous. They secrete a toxin through their skin that tastes terrible to predators, when handled, the fire-bellied toad leaves a rash on the skin where contact was made.

TIGGER AND KERMIT: The Wilcox family has two firebellied toads, they live happily together in their terrarium

TWINS: Brother dachshund’s Scamander and Strax chill on their favorite couch spot. “They sit on the couch like little humans and look out the window,” Tammy Wilcox said.

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NOV. 8 As they wrapped up their set, Addie Sartino and Pierce Turcotte of The Greeting Committee made sure to put on a memorable display by leaning on each other and finishing the final song.

After a year of touring, The Greeting Committee is taking a break, and have hopes of touring before the end of the year.

PHOTO BY SAVANNAH DRNEC

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SEPT. 26

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Members of the varsity cross country team converses before their biggest race of the season at Sioux Passage. With nerves running high, joking with the team cheers everyone up and prepares them for a stressful event. PHOTO BY RHYEN STANDRIDGE

JAN. 28 Sophia Tran, the first female wrestler in school history, set a trend that led to the development of the inaugural girls varsity team this year. Tran was one of the first female wrestlers to qualify for the state wrestling meet this season. The team is thriving with 6-2 in duals and a growing sense of community. PHOTO BY RHYEN STANDRIDGE

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Through A Different Lens

P Viewed from a hill above, Deven Debro looks up from the orange, concrete wall calmly. After searching for interesting angles, we picked an overhead shot that framed Debro. PHOTO BY ANDREW HOUMES

By Ann-Maree Gammell & Andrew Houmes

hotograpraghers, like snowflakes, are not the same. Each photo will end up different from another taken, regardless of similar scenery.

Each person will utilize their own shooting styles, whether it be looking for different perspectives or to shoot with completely different settings or gear. To test this, two of our photographers took portraits of the same model, in the same location.

The goal was to show viewers photography between people vary differently as everyone is unique in their photography style.

Looking up from the depths of a storm drain, Melanie Gill stares longingly towards the world above. Playing around with the natural lighting of the dismal tunnel, this photo plays off of Gill’s fine white clothing and the dreary location. PHOTO BY ANDREW HOUMES

Kicking up dust and ash, Faith Carter squats at the hilltop of the Katy Trail offshoot. Framed with graffiti and light captured in the dust, Carter depicts her calm and intensely artistic personality.

PHOTO BY ANDREW HOUMES

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Sitting on stairs, Deven Debro peers down at the camera.

Debro searched for a place to sit before finding a staircase behind shnucks. PHOTO BY ANN MAREE GAMMELL

Melanie Gill stares as she reaches out into the darkness. Her elegant clothing contrasts the bleakness of the sewer. PHOTO BY ANN MAREE GAMMELL

Faith Carter stands beneath a cave atop a large hill along the Katy Trail. PHOTO BY ANN-MAREE GAMMELL

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NOV. 9

Senior Kayla Steinmeyer jumps to serve the ball during the volleyball state tournament at Southeast Missouri State University. Steinmeyer’s impressive skills during the tournament helped the team secure fourth place at the tournament. PHOTO BY AMELIA VOHSEN

the girls volleyball team battles for State title, they come together to celebrate gaining the lead during a difficult set. Over the NOV. 9 As weekend, the girls became the first team in program history to earn a berth at the state tournament. This accomplishment resulted from strong relationships among the team as well as individual talent on the court. PHOTO BY AMELIA VOHSEN

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SEPT. 26

Senior Sam Newston leaps for a headball alongside an opposing player. As team captain, Newton carried the team throughout the season, leading with an example of hard work and good sportsmanship. His efforts helped bring the team as far as districts before the season came to an end. PHOTO BY AMELIA VOHSEN

SEPT. 23

Junior Connor Phillips writhes in pain on the ground after suffering an ankle injury during a game against Fort Zumwalt West. Despite the aggression the players endured throughout the game, the team pulled out a 2-1 victory. PHOTO BY AMELIA VOHSEN

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FEB. 7

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Seniors Chris Boerding and Allen Butterfield celebrate the impressive comeback of the varsity boys basketball team at the white-out game against Troy. With these two leading the student section, the crowd was electric and propelled the team to a win by the score of 45-44. PHOTO

BY ERIN REITZ

JAN. 24

Watching her pass fly to a teammate, junior Sophie Delaney grins during a game of seated basketball at the winter pep assembly. Even though they tried their best, the girls lost by a few points. this photo shows how well the girls team works together and how much they enjoy being around each other. “It was super fun because we all had to work together to achieve a basketball goal that is different from our normal practice,� Delaney said. PHOTO BY PAIGE FANN

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TOP Landry’s Seafood House is a popular restaurant at Union Station. PHOTO BY HANNAH BERNARD

The Arch and Enterprise Center from the top of the ferris wheel, which gives riders a view from 200 feet in the air. PHOTO

BY HANNAH BERNARD

Meet Me In St. Louis

By Hannah Bernard and Paige Fann

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hat began as a train station in the 19th century, has now become a popular tourist destination. The 187 million dollar renovation of Union Station brought back life to the area.These renovations included The St. Louis Wheel, the St. Louis Aquarium complex, and fun restaurants.

The new ferris wheel towers 200 feet above St. Louis and gives a spectacular view of the skyline. It costs $15 to ride the wheel, and the ride lasts 15 minutes.The aquarium complex is home to over 13,000 animals and 44 exhibits. The new Soda Fountain restaurant features their extravagant milkshakes.

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The reflection pool at Union Station lit up with blue lights. PHOTO BY HANNAH BERNARD

The St. Louis Wheel lit up purple and yellow in honor of Kobe Bryant’s passing, as seen from the roof of Union Station. PHOTO BY HANNAH BERNARD

The St. Louis ferris wheel opened in late 2019 as part of an ongoing renovation at Union Station in downtown St. Louis. The wheels stretches 200 feet into the air and has 42 gondolas for people to ride in. PHOTO BY HANNAH BERNARD

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JAN. 24 Performing during the winter pep rally, junior Dylan Waters pumps up the crowd. The Adaptive PE class is a new gym class offered to students with special needs that aids in their physical development. “I love what the teacers are doing for our kids and we also have our mentors and TA’s that push in there, too,” Principal Sonny Arnel said. PHOTO BY ABBY TURNER