March 2021: Bridging the Virtual Divide

Central Focus Francis Howell Central HS Volume 24, Issue 3: March Issue

Bridging the Virtual Divide

Online teachers serve as virtual students’ connection to the classroom

From the Editors

STAFF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF CENTRAL FOCUS: Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh FHCTODAY: Tea Perez EDITORS COPY EDITOR: Essy Ingram PHOTO: Rhyen Standridge & Amelia Vohsen SOCIAL MEDIA: Keaton Frye VIDEO: Hannah Bernard & Paige Fann STAFF REPORTERS Anna Baranowski, Faith Beckmann, Elisa Carter, Sophie Delaney, Faith Jacoby, Maddy Mabray, Olivia McCary, Tea Perez, Isaiah Salin, Sydney Tran STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Maya Culian, Samantha Jaramillo Castille, Cole Maxwell, Avery Ott, Chloe Schwab, Aniya Sparrow, Riley Wania, Leanna WelchHerring, Halie Young ADVISER: Matthew Schott

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. We can also be reached via snail mail at 5199 State Highway N, St Charles, MO 63304. 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.

EMPTY: Light shines in through a window, exposing the vacant desks. PHOTO BY ESSY INGRAM

14

VIRTUAL TEACHERS

T

he school year that students and faculty are facing has been like no other. Wearing masks from class to

class and learning how to navigate a Canvas page are just a

few of the struggles we conquered together. In this issue, we shine light to a different perspective of this crazy scenario we name a pandemic. Through photographers’ galleries and a reporter’s nar ration, we show what it’s like for a teacher to do their job in a virtual world. Teachers not only had to accommodate each students needs, but also had to build a

Bridging the Virtual Divide: Senior Essy Ingram provides insight to the ups-anddowns of virtual teaching from a new perspective.

Photographers spent nine weeks capturing not only the physical isolation but also the emotional connections built between students and their virtual teachers.

bridge that fills the gap between computer screens.

SINCERELY, Kayla Reyes & Natalie Walsh

Get Connected Follow our social media to stay in the loop about all things FHC

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2 ABOUT

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Page by Natalie Walsh

DISCOVER

A Window into Inclusivity ... 4: Black Literature and Black History classes will be taught in FHSD next year.

Senior Schedule Shift ... 5: Why seniors took the option to shorten their schedules.

MOVE

28 22

Trapped in Religion: How leaving an organized religion can cause unseen trauma.

ENTERTAIN

26

8

A Touch of Love: How love languages affect our interactions with anyone and everyone.

Spring Things, COVID Style...27: What you can do during spring break despite a worldwide pandemic?

Budget Cuts at Faculty: Teachers across the district are facing repercussions because of a tighter budget.

FEATURE

10

VOICE

30

Sights Set on Service: Why some seniors decided to attend military academies.

Game On ... 1213: The Fancy/ Flannel Friday battle has begun.

Committing Across the Country: Several senior Spartans decided to take their sport to the next level.

24

Page by Natalie Walsh

The Virtual Athlete: Athletes going virtual to avoid modified quarantines.

Influencers: Social media creators and the powers they hold.

7,000 Reasons ... 31: Just a few of the many reasons we need to change our approach to vapes.

H*zelwood ... 32-33: How the threat of censorship needs to change.

The Price of Admissions ... 34: Why the ACT and other influential factors in admissions are poor assesments of intelligence.

The Faces of Change... 35: Teachers find their way through online learning.

CONTENT

3

A Window into Inclusivity

New Black History, Black Literature courses aim to create inclusivity

“These classes are important because... we live in a bubble,” Bahru said. “Within our bubble, Starting in the 2021-2022 Black culture has never been school year, a Black Literature paid any attention to primarily and Black History course will because we live in a whitebe available for students to take. dominated area.”

The Black Literature course’s Especially in regard to the Black curriculum will be written by History course, Bahru believes Dr. Ashley Eiswirth, who these classes to be crucial. also hopes to teach the class.

“Not only do I think it’s Dr. Eiswirth currently teaches necessary, I think it’s relevant The Novel, a class in which the because like we’ve been told time student chooses their reading and time again if we don’t know material, and as a class they history, history is bound to repeat can build upon the bigger ideas itself,” Bahru said. “And if we derived from what they read. She don’t know Black history, how hopes to make Black literature can we expect not to repeat it?” similar, in the sense that students The telling of history and can explore walks of life that the exploration of literature aren’t as prominent in regular deserves to be transparent and literature-based curriculum. inclusive. To only get one piece “I really want students to have of the story is to be ignorant access to Black authors ... and of all the world’s contributors. when we focus on Black authors Junior Alexis Barnes is taking you’re not just getting what we both Black Literature and Black call a struggle story… These History and is looking forward stories encompass all identities to the new narratives she’s going of the Black experience,” Dr. to be learning about.

Eiswirth said.

“I really hope both classes Dr. Eiswirth has been focus more on the empowerment advocating for the inclusion of of African-American people these kinds of courses for years, instead of their struggles and along with her participation hardships,” Barnes said. “Of in the Diversity Club and course, there were a lot of bad MAC Scholars, a club whose DIVING INTO DIVERSITY: A window opens up to a number of texts and individuals the new Black Lit class will discuss. Being exposed to the works of different cultures widens ones views of not only the times, but it’s the perseverance goal is to inspire the under- world of literature but the world we live in. ILLUSTRATION BY TEA PEREZ and the dedication of many represented student population figures and groups that make and encourage good academic standing and character. The inclusion of these classes will allow for Black history and literature so amazing.”

These classes will prompt the discussions of many important topics greater representation to many of FHC’s students.

“We were looking at access points where we could make our school in regards to race, which is a discussion that is still largely needed in more equitable, where we could have more points of inclusion for today’s society. Barnes is assured these classes are a step in the right our students,” Dr. Eiswirth said. “One of our solutions that we direction in regards to the school’s becoming more racially inclusive.

“With [seven percent] of our student body being Black, it is could offer was adding these courses in the curriculum.”

Their first unit will consist of Trevor Noah’s book “Born A important to have classes that are able to share their interests Crime.” The unit, titled Windows and Mirrors, will pair Noah’s and to be able to spark conversation that isn’t usually held in our stories with other short fiction stories and introduce the idea of normal classes,” Barnes said.

Bahru is also in agreement that the school is making commendable windows and mirrors.

“Most of the time, students enjoy reading because they’ve seen a efforts in regards to racial equality. “[The school] has taken steps to grow and evolve MAC Scholars, mirror, which means they see themselves reflected in the literature, so they can relate because they see themselves,” Dr. Eiswirth said. and the district has put together an equity building committee “But I’m hoping that you also see windows because windows open where we work on trying to build equity not just within our school, but our entire district,” Bahru said. “And I do think it’s on the your eyes to a world that you don’t have a connection with.”

Junior Grace Bahru plans on taking Black history and hopes right course of talking about race because if we can make it a that these classes will start breaking the barriers faced by the St. part of common conversation it can lead to common and civil conversations outside of the classes.”

Charles County community.

By Tea Perez

Web Editor-in-Chief

4 DISCOVER

Page by Tea Perez

S

enior chedule hift

LEAVING EARLY: A senior student leaves school early, pulling out of the parking lot due to their shortened schedule. PHOTO BY AMELIA VOHSEN

Seniors explain reasoning behind shortening their school days

By Faith Jacoby Staff Reporter

The 2020-2021 school year so far has undoubtedly been… different. The sea of masks is one thing, but the lack of seniors staying throughout the whole day is something different in and of itself. This year, many seniors have decided to shorten their schedules. After spending the day in classes required to graduate, seniors with shortened schedules are permitted to leave campus. Numerous students have taken this opportunity and come to school with just a few hours on their hands, leaving campus as soon as possible.

Senior Ruthann Kimbrel explained her reasoning behind shortening her schedule for the second semester.

“I wanted to focus on the more ‘important’ classes,” Kimbrel said. “The ones that would allow me to graduate. I was kinda in the mindset of ‘Well what’s the point of sitting through seven classes when I don’t need all of them to graduate and since I’m not doing Winter Guard.’”

Another senior shortening her schedule is Sarah Skelly, who spoke about why she chose to shorten her schedule for the second semester.

“I decided I wanted a shortened schedule when I spoke to my counselor a few weeks ago and realized I was overworking myself for no reason,” Skelly said. “I have all my

Page by Faith Jacoby

credits completed and am only staying in school for five hours to stay in band and complete my AP classes before the AP exams.”

Skelly decided to tackle her senior year and make it run as smoothly as possible.

“I prioritized my AP classes, band, and a class I was interested in,” Skelly said.

“This is because I really wanted to have a relaxed but still interesting senior year. I figured it would be best to not drop my AP classes because the exams for those classes are in May, and I didn’t want to drop band because that’s been one of my passions since middle school.”

Furthermore, senior Dylan Miller shared his idea behind planning on having a shortened schedule since he stepped into FHC. “I realized I wanted a shortened schedule when I first went to high school,” Miller said. “I saw all the math classes and science classes that I had to take and realized, ‘Man if I could just… not do this.’”

A majority of the seniors who shortened their schedules decided to based on the fact that after finishing a few classes, they have time for other out of school things like work or sports. “...With a job I think [having a shortened schedule] would be easier to get more time in at work,” Kimbrel said. “And when I’m

off work it’d give me more time at home to get chores and homework finished so I can have time to relax.”

Skelly commented on the advantage of leaving early and how it will affect her second semester.

“I’ll be able to go home and complete my homework so I can have more free time in the evenings,” Skelly said. “I’ll probably be able to sleep more since I won’t be staying up as late at night while doing homework.”

Miller elaborated on one of the particular advantages to his condensed day.

“An advantage, however, as someone who has a job, [is that] I get to go to work a lot earlier,” Miller said.

Kimbrel also expanded on one advantage of her shortened schedule and how it reduces stress after school.

“You don’t have a lot of homework to worry about when you get home,” Kimbrel said. “And if you do take a study hall, you can just do homework there and relax the rest of the day.”

Seniors with shortened schedules tend to be less stressed and have much more time for out of school activities and work. When students realize they have all their credits needed to graduate, besides a few, they usually go down the shortened schedule path, with the reasoning: “Why be here longer than I have to?”

DISCOVER

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BUY YOUR BOOK

Name: _________________________________________ Grade: ____

Date:________

Cash: ____

Check#_____

RECEIPT

All checks must be made payable to FHC Publications The last day of school is the FINAL day to purchase your yearbook.

Book price in 2021 is $65.

Staff signature: ____________________

RECEIPT

Reserve your copy of the 202021 yearbook in Room 139 with cash or check.

Cost of the book is now $65.

You can also order the book online: www.yearbookforever.com

NEWSPAPER & WEB: “Newspaper is the reason I come into school every day and why when everyone around me is praying for a snow day, I’m wishing for the opposite.”

Liz Baker, editor-in-chief “You build so many amazing relationships through your time in room 139; publications has introduced me to some of my best friends. We’re a big family and no matter what you know you can rely on eachother.” Lanie Sanders, editor-inchief YEARBOOK: “The best memories I have from my time at FHC have something to do with Yearbook. In three years, I’ve never gotten bored, and I’ve always felt at home in room 139. The only thing I regret about my time on staff is not joining sooner.” Sydney Kaiser, editor-in-chief PHOTO & BROADCAST: “Photography and broadcast have helped me to find a place to develop my creative side as well as well as keeping my Spartan pride. I love being in the know at FHC and being a part of a team to capture those memories for everyone,” Taylor Tinnes, editor-in-chief HONORS: Honors requires students to create a project, in collaboration with Mr. Schott, that must be published. The project must be approved by Mr. Schott.

WHY PUBLICATIONS

DEADLINE: JANUARY 27, 2021 in Room 139

PHOTO & BROADCAST: Photographers are our eyes on the ground; they cover events as they happen at FHC. Our videographers tell stories of the people, places and things that make FHC amazing.

YEARBOOK: Yearbook staff chronicles the year.

We’re at every event and every game. We tell the big stories, like the homecoming football game, but also the small stories, like that one time Ms. Fay pranked one of her students. We take pictures, write stories, design pages, and make sure everything that matters gets remembered.

NEWSPAPER & WEB: FHCtoday.com is the daily website of FHC, while the Central Focus newspaper comes out once per month and covers the biggest issues and stories as they happen.

FHC Publications students create all the media (yearbook, newspaper, website, broadcast) at FHC.

ABOUT US

NEXT STEPS: Turn this in to Mr. Schott in 139 and enroll in Newspaper Production or Yearbook Production.

1. Why do you want to be on FHC Publications?

2. What skills do you bring to FHC Publications?

3. What would you change about the newspaper/ yearbook/website?

What class do you want to be in (rank from 1-3, 1 being your favorite) Newspaper: 1 2 3 Yearbook: 1 2 3 Photo/video: 1 2 3

YOUR NAME: YOUR GRADE: FAVORITE ENGLISH TEACHER:

HOW TO GET IN: If you’ve taken (or are taking) Journalism I or II, Digital Photojournalism, Graphic Design or AP Lang & Comp, you’re in! Woo-hoo! Skip the questions below, but fill out your name, grade and English teacher and let me know your choice of class.

All others, please answer the questions below on the opposite side of this paper.

APPLY

FHC PUBLICATIONS. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Budget Cuts Out Faculty VACANT CHAIR: A teacher’s desk and chair sit deserted. Schools across the district will soon face a loss of up to 53 faculty and staff members due to new budget cuts. PHOTO BY AVERY OTT

8 DISCOVER

Page by Natalie Walsh

COVID-19’s impact on an already tight budget will soon cause faculty number to decrease across the district

By Tea Perez

Web Editor-in-Chief

The future for many FHSD faculty members remains uncertain as new budget cuts will result in the reduction of staffing across all schools. For the past 10 years, the district has been dealing with issues in regards to the budget. Revenues weren’t moving as fast as expenditures. To mitigate these issues, the district had tried to pass three tax levy hikes in the past 10 years, and a tax levy hike would raise the tax rate, which has to be approved by the community. All three times it didn’t pass.

In addition to a tax levy hike, they also needed a bond issue, which provides the funding needed for buildings, fixtures, and equipment. A bond issue was run and passed, which is allowing for the rebuild of Francis Howell North and a new parking lot and heating and cooling system for our school. It was the district’s hope that they could run a tax levy hike in the next couple of years and have it be successful until COVID-19 hit the community.

The district relies on three main revenue streams, local property tax, state funding formula, and local sales tax. Due to COVID-19 local sales tax plummeted, and the state funding formula got reduced as well, causing the district’s revenue to decrease. This all amounted to a strain on the budget. Dr. Sonny Arnel explained that the only way to save the money needed to keep their expenditures and revenue in a safe place is to start making faculty cuts.

Page by Natalie Walsh

“About 80 percent of our budget goes to teachers, staff, administration… for us to cut enough of that 20 percent budget would be like getting rid of the buses, you can’t do that,” Dr. Arnel said. “It’s an unfortunate situation where we have to examine and reduce the number of our faculty.”

The school board is voting on the finalization of the staffing plan on Feb. 4.

There are plans to reduce the number of faculty in all three high schools, and after reductions, there would be a 1:25 teacherstudent ratio. On February 11, the Francis Howell School Board approved plans to cut 53 full-time teachers, along with three administrative positions and 40 support staff positions. Central’s student body has been gradually decreasing over the years, but faculty hasn’t been cut in a number of said years. This could result in a greater amount of cuts coming from Central in order to meet that specified ratio. With this decrease in faculty, some of the less popular classes students try to enroll in might not be able to run.

“Let’s say, 13 students out of the whole school sign up for a class, then I have to make a decision, do I run that class with 13 kids, or do I run our English freshman classes a little lower, where do I put the staffing?” Dr. Arnel said. “Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t, and as a result, I have to eliminate a class if it’s only offered one time.”

Cuts will be based on seniority, but some teachers may take this as their sign to retire instead, thus saving one of the younger teachers in their department. Dr. Arnel commends any faculty member who may be considering this.

“Will teachers think about that and choose that? Possibly,” he said. “That’s very admirable but doesn’t mean they have to, nor do I want them to… but we may have people make those conversations and personal decisions… how much that will make way in their decision is really individual.”

As for those faculty members who are reduced, they will go on a “parking lot” as Dr. Arnel called it. It simply means they will no longer be assigned to Central, and are either reduced by half or all of their classes. On March 5, the HR department will work to see what openings are available in the district that matches their qualifications.

“Our best hope is that people will have a position in our district,” Dr. Arnel said.

Should HR not find a position for someone left out on the parking lot they will, unfortunately, have to search for a position elsewhere.

“We hire really great people, we take a lot of pride in who we hire because I think that’s the most important thing we do is putting awesome people in front of [the students],” Dr. Arnel said. “And the hope is that maybe they’ll be able to return.”

DISCOVER

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Sights SetSERVICE on AIR FORCE ANTICIPATION: Kami Eslinger poses with her Congressional Nomination certificate from Senator Ann Wagner.

Receiving a nomination from a state representative is an important step in getting accepted to a military academy. PHOTO COURTESY OF KAMI ESLINGER

Air Force Academy

11.1% 31 3.87 acceptance rate average ACT average GPA

10FEATURE

Seniors pursue military academy educations

By Kayla Reyes

Print Co-Editor-in-Chief

In October of her sophomore year, senior Lauren Guth flicked through the day’s mail. A letter from West Point lay buried between bills and coupon books, and she plucked it out and set it aside with the rest of her invitations to schedule tours and attend open houses at colleges from across the nation.

Having recently scored a 1330 on the PSAT, Guth was an attractive candidate to even the most prestigious of universities and academies. Bundled together with dozens of other flyers and booklets, the letter from West Point quickly faded from her mind, replaced with the stress of balancing her AP classes with the end of her cross country season and a rigorous load of clubs.

Two years later, Guth plans to attend West Point in the fall. A once forgotten solicitation from the academy has turned into a tangible plan for at least the next eight years of her life.

The process has been far from EASY. The tenacity and diligence with which Guth has worked for the past few months is enough to make even her most impressive peers shudder. In her eyes, the unwavering effort and countless hours spent on essays and physical training and congressional nominations will be far outweighed by the promise of a bright and exhilarating future, and the opportunity to be an influence in others’ lives.

“I knew I wanted to help people in some way, but I also know I don’t want to be a doctor or a teacher,” Guth said.

“I kind of think this is the way that I can help people. I want to... positively contribute to society… I think this is my way of doing that.”

Senior Kami Eslinger, a prospective Air Force Academy student, has similar motivations for finding such strong appeal in a military academy.

“I know I want my path to take me forward in a challenging career, serving others and being a part of something bigger than what I could ever accomplish on my own,” Eslinger said. “I know the education I would receive from a service academy would challenge me academically, mentally and physically to be the best person I can be.”

Aside from the desire to grow personally and morally in her higher education, Eslinger has always been captivated by the idea of attending an institution that would provide her the educational experience of her dreams.

“The academy appealed to me because it was everything I was looking for in a college. I knew I wanted an education in chemistry from a top ranked school. I also knew the core values I was looking for in the student body and the teachers I wanted to learn from and work alongside,” Eslinger said. “I plan on studying chemistry at the Academy and after I graduate, I hope to attend Medical School and then serve in the Air Force or Space Force as a Physician.”

Though an education with a military academy offers the

Page by Kayla Reyes

benefits of free tuition, stellar education, and strong camaraderie, the applicant must first face numerous stages of challenges before they are able to experience the rewards that come along with enrollment. Guth’s biggest obstacle throughout her West Point journey has been the extensive and incredibly detailed application process.

“I interviewed with an alumni from West Point. That was one of the first things I did. And then after that, I had to apply for nominations from congressional members. So my two senators, and then one more representative. And for those, they each have their own application,” Guth said. “It was like a separate college application with… their own essays and your resume and everything. So that took a while. And then I needed to pass a vision exam and then like, a medical exam, and then a physical fitness test.”

For Eslinger, the most difficult part of the process thus far has been waiting. For months, the anticipation has been accumulating. Though she has passed her vision and fitness exams and received her congressional nomination from Ann Wagner, Eslinger has not yet received her official acceptance letter. As she sees peers committing to universities, she must continue to be patient.

“The whole process is extremely competitive and takes a long time. When you’re spending a lot of time waiting for results you can definitely doubt yourself,” Eslinger said. “Especially seeing all my friends commit to colleges and knowing what they’re doing can definitely be hard, but it is also so rewarding once you do get favorable results and see all your hard work pay off.”

For Guth, one of the highest honors she has received so far came not just from her acceptance to West Point, but from her teachers’ willingness to aid her throughout her application.

“Throughout the whole process, I’ve needed a lot of… high school teachers to do things like write letters for my nominations, write letters for the Academy, write letters for these people to recommend me for this,” Guth said. “What was so rewarding was just, I think, seeing how many of my teachers… actually cared about me enough to take the time to do that, and how many seemed… genuinely excited for me. So I didn’t feel like I was inconveniencing them too much, which… I thought that was really sweet.”

After overcoming the challenges of four years of honors classes and extracurriculars, an immensely difficult and all-encompassing application, and maintaining the mental and physical fortitude to carry on throughout the process, Guth is enthusiastic and eager to start her future at West Point.

“I’m excited to keep learning because I really like that. But I’m also excited to gain a real sense of leadership. They focus so much on character development, [and] you as a person. And they really focus on the leadership because when you come out of the Academy, you’re commissioned as an officer, so you have to lead other soldiers,” Guth said. “I know I’m going to meet people that are a lot like me and people that are a lot different... I know I’m going to be mentally tougher after it just because it’s going to be… really hard work. But if I can make it through it, then at least I’ve proved to myself I can do that much.”

Page by Kayla Reyes

West Point Academy

12% acceptance rate

28 3.9 average ACT average GPA

MILITARY MOTIVATION: Lauren Guth poses with her Congressional Nomiation certifcate and acceptance booklet. Guth went through a multitudinous process composed of essay-writing and interviews in order to get accepted by West Point Academy, where she plans to attend in order to serve her country and earn a degree.

PHOTO BY AMELIA VOHSEN

FEATURE

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The battle between Fancy & Flannel Friday has begun: Who will win?

GAme on

By Natalie Walsh

Print Co-Editor-in-Chief

A BUSINESS-CASUAL: Senior Emma Smallen matches her plaid pants with a simple white shirt and black jacket. Smallen has been dubbed as an original participant in Fancy Friday.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LUKE MORRISON

SUITING UP: Senior Carson Howe wears one of his many fancy suits every Friday. His spirit carries on past just Fridays. In fact, it is very rare to see him not showcasing his fancy attire from class to class. PHOTO BY NATALIE WALSH

12 FEATURE

STRIKE A POSE: Sophomore Aniya Sparrow poses in a green flannel she took from her father’s closet. It’s pretty common among the Flannel Friday participants to get their clothes from thrift stores, friends, or their parents’ closets. PHOTO BY RHYEN STANDRIDGE

FRIDAY FIT: Senior Essy Ingram sports her statment red shoes and mask with a classic flannel to tie it all together. Buttoned up or down, she thinks a flannel can make any outfit special. PHOTO BY NATALIE WALSH

Page by Natalie Walsh

CHOOSE YOUR CHARACTER Senior Luke Morrison

Player 1 Why did you start your flannel/fancy wear Fridays?

“I started participating in Flannel Friday because it was a fun way to celebrate reaching the end of the week. It also is a unique way to bring people together,” Abigail Wolf said.

“I got a couple new suit jackets over summer and I wanted to be able to wear them, but with COVID-19 everything was getting canceled (including possibly school). So, the first Friday I just wore one to school while I still could, and then I kept doing it afterwards,” Luke Morrison said.

Is it every Friday? Some Fridays?

“Flannel friday only happens once a month, in an attempt to make it more special when it does occur,” Abigail Wolf said.

“Every Friday is Fancy Friday,” Luke Morisson said.

What are your proudest Fancy/ Flannel Friday moments? Your most memorable moment?

“My favorite Flannel Friday moment is of course just walking into a room on Flannel Friday and seeing a lot of people, even people I don’t know, wearing flannel,” Abigail Wolf said.

“My favorite moment with Fancy Friday was in Oc tober, after about a month of me just dressing up with a friend or two, watching as it went from three, to 20, to 50 and then close to 100 people dressing up,” Luke Morrison said.

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Senior Abigail Wolf

Player 2 How does dressing this way make you feel?

“I’m always very excited for Flannel Friday, especially when it’s a busy week and there isn’t much to look forward to, it’s a way to make waking up and going to school less of a burden,” Abigail Wolf said.

“It always makes Friday feel special and like it’s worth celebrating, along with having confidence and professionalism,” Luke Morrison said.

How do you encourage others to do the same?

“I encourage people to participate by simply announcing to all my classes that Flannel Friday is coming up this Friday, people are generally pretty excited, except for the Fancy Friday participants of course,” Abigail Wolf said.

“I honestly don’t encourage people to dress fancy much at all.

The best way to promote the fancy is to be fancy because (unlike flannel) people take notice,” Luke Morisson said.

Is it expensive?

How much money have you put into your outfits?

“I haven’t really spent much at all on flannel Friday, usually I’ll get one from Goodwill for just a few bucks.” Abigail Wolf said.

“It definitely depends on the person. I know some people like to go hard with like 300 dollar suits, but I tend to simply go thrifting at Goodwill or something if I want a new one. At the very least, I think people tend to have at least one fancy fit they tend to bust out at special occasions,” Luke Morisson said.

FEATURE

13

HONED IN: American Government teacher Kimberly Schellert looks over some papers as she prepares for her virtual classes. Schellert taught four virtual classes last semester. PHOTO

BY KEATON FRYE

14 FOCUS

Page by Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh

Bridging the Virtual Divide

T

By Essy Ingram Copy Editor

he learning approach students and teachers have known for their entire lives has suffered a critical alteration. A

certain coronavirus pandemic has pressured schools across the nation and in the Francis Howell School District to adopt a safer alternative to in-person education: virtual learning. Those with a preference for contactless learning could choose to opt in for this new form. When hundreds of students from Francis Howell Central High School proceeded as virtual students, they transformed the learning lives of virtual teachers as they did their own.

Virtual teachers are still required to teach from their physical classrooms. Chilled plastic chairs scatter vacant classrooms in the absence of their students. As is the case with English teacher Melissa Fry, some virtual teachers teach exclusively virtual classes...

Page by Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh

FOCUS

15

CORNERED OFF: Melissa Fry uses enthusiastic gestures to her class of distanced-learning students in the corner of her bare room. Teaching virtually has allowed her to adapt to instructing her students in new ways (even through a screen) despite this profession being heavily based on face-to-face interactions. PHOTO BY ESSY INGRAM

...All

the

chairs

in

her

in front of the laptop.

classroom are pushed up against

“The most difficult aspect [of

the wall, leaving a gap of empty

teaching virtually] for me has

white flooring in the middle of

been not getting to see and hear

the room. In the afternoon, light

most of my students on a regular

trickles in from the windows,

basis,” Mrs. Fry said. “Many

casting a soft, muted glow on

days I find myself saying, ‘Let

the room. Mrs. Fry sits by the

me know I’m not talking to the

window in silhouette, her hands

void! The Zoom void!’”...

gesturing intensely as she speaks NOSE DIVE: Spanish teacher Caitlin Crain rubs the bridge of her nose, stressed from the challenge of adapting to a completely new version of her job.

Mrs. Crain is teaching only virtual classes this school year and with it comes with the struggle of stress and loneliness. She tries her best to connect. “[It’s difficult] recreating everything so students can engage with the material from home, teaching to black boxes with names. [I enjoy] getting to know students from all over the district, developing new and unique ways to connect with kids and mimic in person learning,” Mrs. Crain said. PHOTO BY ANIYA SPARROW

16 FOCUS

FACING CHALLENGES: Mrs. Schellert presses her fingers against her temple as she teachers her virtual students. Though she only has four classes of distancedlearning students, she still faces the challenges that accompany education carried out through a computer screen. PHOTO BY MAYA CULIAN

Page by Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh

Lonely

“I don’t require cameras to be on, so not having the real ‘normal’ interaction is sad to me. I thrive off of my audience, just as a comedian or a public speaker does,” Mrs. Laurie Fay said.

“It’s hard. It’s trying. It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve done in my career. However, it is still great. I wish I had the right words to describe this incredibly unique situation,” Mrs. Caitlin Crain said.

Trying

MAKING HISTORY: AP World History teacher Jane Kelley carries out her duty to accomplish the impossible: virtually teaching. Among the empty chairs, she taught her one virtual course during second hour.

PHOTO BY JOANNA GRGURICH

DIGITAL DEDICATION: Spanish teacher Caitlin Crain sits at her desk as she instructs her class over Zoom.

Mrs. Crain has overcome how ‘trying’ virtual learning is by staying dedicated to her virtual course work. PHOTO

BY CHARLIE ROSSER

Humbling “This semester has really pushed me to extend myself as an educator and as a human. I’ve leaned on a lot of people for help, and I’m forever grateful for their support,” Mrs. Melissa Fry said.

STRONGER CONNECTIONS: English teacher Melissa Fry connects with her students through computer screens by utilizing a creative approach to community bonding. She created a safe space for her students to share some of the troubling times in their lives and provided inspiration as to how they can combat this adversity. PHOTO BY AMELIA VOHSEN

Page by Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh

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...In many virtual classrooms, active participation from students is lacking.

Regarding the awkward barrier of the digital realm or simply negligence from the student, either can cause teachers’ attempts to make connections with

CHOOSE PASSION: French World Language teacher Amy Roznos acknowledges how difficult staring into a lifeless screen can be. She chooses to bring life into her lessons over zoom to showcase her passion for teaching. PHOTO

BY CAROLINE BRIMM

students feel one-sided.

Much of science teacher Patrick Reed’s solicited attempts at connection have been met in the same cold manner.

“I use a lot of humor (attempted) and personality in my instruction. While my online students profess that it comes through to them and they appreciate it ... in the virtual classroom… [feedback] is so lacking,” Mr. Reed said.

English teacher Laurie Fay highlights loneliness as one of the starkest changes to the virtual classroom.

“Not

having

the

real

‘normal’

interaction is sad to me. I thrive off of my audience, just as a comedian or a public speaker does,” Ms. Fay said.

This unresponsiveness of students has proved to be an aspect to virtual learning many virtual teachers have wrestled with. However, the rare connections

ORGANIZED MESS: Business teacher Ashton Witthaus faces the chaos of virtual learning by staying organized with post-its surrounding her monitor. She has set up her work station to accommodate with the times. PHOTO BY AVERY OTT

that do take place between dedicated students and teachers are made that much sweeter.

FHC and its sister schools, Francis Howell High and Francis Howell North High, share a pool of virtual teachers and students. This intermixing is an aspect of virtual learning that drama teacher Cori Stallard is grateful for, as she got to collaborate with passionate students from across the district....

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Page by Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh

The Virtual World:

By the Numbers

451 1124 At FHC,

students went virtual.

district-wide students

made this same decision.

104 38

teachers from FHSD,

coming from FHC, joined them.

STACKED: English teacher Kathryn Mastorakos lays her computer on stacks of books to create the ideal virtual teaching set up. With a pencil in her hand, she continues to use typical teaching methods despite the atypical learning environment. PHOTO BY VINNY KETCHUM

BLUE SIGHT: Laurie Fay utilizes this unique environment and provides a different aspect to teaching that isn’t seen in the typical classroom. Virtual teachers’ eyes, glued to computer screens, see teaching in a different light. A blue light. PHOTO BY RILEY WANIA

Page by Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh

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...“[The student] participates in discussions, he is creative, and he is really interested in acting. I would have never been able to work with him had he not [been] in a virtual class with me,” Mrs. Stallard said.

For Mrs. Stallard, witnessing her students progress is the most rewarding part.

MAKING COMFORT: Surrounded by books, a clear backdrop and sat in a comfortable chair, history teacher Erick Webster focuses on his laptop screen. As an all-virtual teacher, Mr. Webster also has dedicated lights and a web cam to help improve the appearance of his Zoom classes. PHOTO

BY MADI HERMEYER

“Getting to watch their creativity and their confidence bloom has been wonderful,” Mrs. Stallard added. “I loved being surprised by what they came up with for projects.”

The online format of AP English Language is taught by Ms. Fay, who has noticed positive aspects that are unique to her virtual classrooms. The class itself helps students to practice reasoning in their writing by conducting class discussions. She was pleased to see that, while the students were eager to share their arguments, they were hesitant to talk over one another, allowing for a more coherent and peaceful conversation.

In a surprisingly short period of time, teachers have been pushed to extremes: adapting to new software, juggling virtual and in-person learning formats, maintaining confidence while lecturing to 30 silent black screens.

“It’s truly been an unforgettable experience that I will remember and learn from for the rest of my life,” Mrs. Fry said.

Despite not having a normal in-person audience, virtual teachers continue to express their passion for helping their students not only to succeed, but to leave intentional margin for personal connections to be made — ones that would have otherwise occurred in the physical classroom. With each new challenge, their steadfast resilience becomes increasingly apparent.

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LESSON LEARNED: Laurie Fay leads her students through a lesson to help them prepare for success in their class. As a teacher, her determination for students to succeed remained despite this new approach. PHOTO BY HOLLY MCCLINTOCK

Page by Kayla Reyes and Natalie Walsh

“It feels like flying a plane, with passengers, while reading the instruction manual. You are wanting to land as safely as possible, but you are in a world that is being created as you go through it. You just have to trust your gut instincts and be the pilot.”

-Mrs. Cori Stallard

(Above) FIGURE IT OUT: Theatre teacher Cori Stallard smiles behind her mask along with her virtual students.

Although COVID-19 has presented challenges to learning, teachers have remained positive and ready to meet this change head on. “[This is] something that has not been done before,” Stallard said. “It doesn’t come with an instruction manual, you just have to figure it out and what works well for you and your students.” PHOTO BY HANNAH BERNARD (Below) CREATING SPACE: There’s a lot to fit into virtual learning, but not enough space. Teacher Amy Roznos uses two screens and multiple tabs to watch over all her students while presenting her French powerpoint. PHOTO

BY PAIGE VANDAELE

Page by Kayla Natalie Reyes Walsh and Natalie Walsh

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21

ILLUSTRATION BY MADDY MABRAY

THE VIRTUAL GAME Athletes switch to virtual school to protect their sport season SWITCH OUT: Junior Rylee Denbow takes on Fort Zumwalt West on Dec. 17. Due to COVID-19, Denbow switched to online school to help preserve her season PHOTOS BY RILEY WANIA

By Maddy Mabray Staff Reporter

Second semester commences, and with it new waves of quarantines. Student-athletes are tempted to go online to help protect their teammates and season. For many, the choice was a tough one: an almost normal school experience, or a strong sports season.

Junior Rylee Denbow made the decision right before Christmas break.

“I started the season quarantined and missed the first two games which was really tough mentally and physically … since then, the whole team [had] been quarantined when five players tested positive,” Denbow said.

For Denbow, basketball has been a major role in her life for as long as she can remember.

“I’ve been playing basketball...probably since I was five or six, [and] I always had a ball in my hand even before that,” Denbow said. “Growing up I had always been around basketball...I was always in the gym...I was always dribbling or shooting...I was always doing something related to basketball,” Denbow said.

Despite the difficulties and impact COVID-19 has had on the team, she feels it is doing well to adapt and push through.

“Coach [Hayley Leake] did a really good

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job of keeping us together through Zooms and just checking up on us daily to see how we were doing,” Denbow said.

Their practices typically start together in the weight room or watching film to prepare for the upcoming games. From there, the girls are on the court running through plays and the various defenses and offenses in a game.

“I think Coach Leake always does a great job of having us feel prepared and ready to execute in a game against all the teams we play, which definitely gives us an edge over other teams,” Denbow said.

Although going virtual for school is difficult, she enjoys the opportunity to pace herself and is less worried about being quarantined again. Online learning limits the amount of contact with others, and though Denbow isn’t able to have the same interaction with teachers and other students as she would in a classroom, she considers her teammates family and finds motivation and focus on the court.

Her school day typically starts around 7 a.m. when she spreads her work out on her bed and gets set up for Zoom. Because ‘in class’ times aren’t regulated by a bell, Denbow has struggled to balance her time between all the different classes. Fortunately, she has found positives to the change. After

classes she is able to use her time to work, to study, and or to workout until she leaves for practices around 2:00.

“We all know that tomorrow isn’t... guaranteed so just being able to step up and help the team any given night when needed is something we’ve all had to learn,” Denbow said.

Athletic Director Scott Harris has felt the impact of COVID-19 on the teams as well as the school’s spirit.

“We have such a community and such a culture of school spirit...and all those aren’t there this year….The days of having 500 kids in the student section for right now are over...and that’s one of the biggest things I hate that we’ve lost. We gotta get this thing under control and keep things safe so...as soon as we can, we can get back to normal,” Harris said.

Despite the restrictions and challenges faced by teams and their spectators, he remains proud of the coaches, sponsors, players, and community for their attitude and understanding, and the role they play in taking restrictions seriously. He respects students’ commitment to keeping a safe environment and taking initiative.

“I think...everybody has to do the best for their...students and their families,” Harris said.

Page by Maddy Mabray

Committing Across the Country

Spartans decide to continue their athletic pursuits in college

By Sydney Tran

Q&A with Sofia Tweedie

Staff Reporter

Why did you choose to continue your basketball career during college?

I chose to continue my basketball career in college simply for the love I have for the game. I have been playing since I was four years old, being introduced to the sport by my father, and have been hooping ever since. I love the experiences I experience through the game, the connections I build/ have built, and the feeling of being a winner with people who push each other to be their best selves is something you can only get through sports.

Kaden Hart Men’s Wrestling

University of Nebraska at Kearney

As a student athlete during COVID-19, was the application process difficult?

As a student athlete during covid and trying to get recruited was extremely difficult. Seniors get their years back because of COVID, so a lot of colleges (specifically D1) were skipping over my class and I had a shortened season which meant less exposure, on top of that colleges couldn’t even come and watch in person.

What were qualities that you looked for in colleges as a student athlete?

Qualities that I looked for in a college were: 1.) A coach who I thought would push me and care about me 2.) How the team plays. I love to run and play as a team that wants to win more than show off their own personal game.

3.) Location. My goal was to get out of Missouri and get an athletic scholarship out on the west coast.

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Sofia Tweedie Women’s Basketball

Hawai’i PacificUniversity

Page by Sydney Tran

Sophie Delaney Women’s Basketball Grinnell College

Gracie Stugart Women’s Basketball

Truman State University

Olivia Zykan Women’s Soccer

Stephens College

Faith Bridges Women’s Soccer

Hannibal LaGrange Univeristy

Paige VanDaele Women’s Soccer Missouri S&T

Senior Commitments as of Feb. 3

Faith Bridges, Women’s Soccer at Hannibal LaGrange University Sophie Delaney, Women’s Basketball at Grinnell College Kaden Hart, Wrestling at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Ryan Hoshaw, Baseball at Maryville University Jackson Lunders, Baseball at Colorado State University – Pueblo Owen Nagel, Baseball at Maryville University Gillian Nicholson, Women’s Soccer at McKendree University Gracie Stugart,Women’s Basketball at Truman State University Sofia Tweedie, Women’s Basketball at Hawai’i Pacific University Blake VanBeers, Baseball at Maryville University Paige VanDaele, Women’s Soccer at Missouri S&T Olivia Zykan, Women’s Soccer at Stephens College Page by Sydney Tran

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25

A Lesson in Love

An explanation of the love languages and their influence

By Maddy Mabray Staff Reporter

All connections are created on the basis of some form of communication. The way an individual communicates their love is unique to them. Whether it’s with a significant other or among friends, knowing yours and others’ best form of communication can help create healthier and happier relationships.

There are five main forms of communication known as love languages. They are listed, in no particular order, as the following: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch.

Knowing your love language is important, as well as knowing the languages of those who are close to you, but one’s love language isn’t set in stone, and it’s not a compatibility chart that predicts the personality of others in your relationships and who you will love.

You don’t have to have the same love language to maintain a close and healthy relationship. Meaningful relationships are formed through effective communication and mutual trust, not just a love language. Likewise, most people have multiple love languages, meaning they feel and offer affection in multiple different ways.

Although it is helpful to understand love languages, relying solely on one to form relationships can be dangerous. Using a love language as a requirement and or baseline in life leads to a closed mindset and inability to be changed or see change. If you come to focus only on the five main types of love, you miss the other ways and opportunities of expression. Understanding the fluidity and natural processes of human change, especially in regard to displaying emotions, allows for the adoption of an open mindset and thereby, further growth.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MADDY MABRAY

Acts of Service: When you or someone reaches out to help ease stress and responsibilities you feel valued and loved. For this love language, actions speak louder than words, and it really boils down to the thought behind the action. “When others serve you out of love (and not obligation), you feel truly valued and loved.”* Quality Time: Undivided attention and spending meaningful time with others is the main way this person gives and receives love.

“Being there for this type of person is critical”* and your care for them is shown in the way you put others’ wants or needs on standby to hear their own for a change.

Words of Affirmation: If this is your love language, it means the world to hear unprompted and genuine compliments. More than just hearing ‘I love you’ or ‘I appreciate you,’ it’s the reason behind the words that makes you feel most loved. “You thrive on hearing kind and encouraging words that build you up.”*

Receiving Gifts: Thoughtful and meaningful gifts are the best way to give and receive your love. It’s not just about getting material goods, but instead feeling the value and effort someone put into the gift that makes you feel special. “Gifts are heartfelt symbols to you of someone else’s love and affection for you.”*

Physical Touch: This love language is pretty self-explanatory, but is commonly misunderstood. Touch shows affection, care, and concern. “Physical presence and accessibility are crucial” * In this relationship, one seeks for safety, and their desire for acknowledgement is shown through their physical connection.

*all information regarding Love Languages can be accessed through the website: https://www.5lovelanguages.com

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Page by Maddy Mabray

Spring Things, COVID Style

A plethora of COVID friendly activities to do during spring break

By Faith Jacoby

Get Up and Out

Staff Reporter

With the weather warming up, spring break presents the perfect opportunity to get outside.

Whether it be a simple walk or a full blown hike, getting outdoors is good for you and can be super refreshing! Here are a few trails to visit over break:

Baking in the Sunshine

Castlewood State Park, St. Louis County Klondike Park, St. Charles County Lone Elk Park, St. Louis County

Being in the kitchen isn’t fun for everyone, but it can be! There are plenty of scrumptious things that can be whipped up in the kitchen and enjoyed later or even on a lovely picnic in a field of flowers. For example, this recipe for sweet banana bread courtesy of AllRecipes.com: Ingredients 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1 cup white sugar 1 egg ¼ cup melted butter 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt Directions Step 1 Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Step 2 Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and butter together in a bowl. Mix flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl; stir into banana mixture until batter is just mixed. Stir salt into batter. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Step 3 Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Spring Cleaning

For many, cleaning is more of a chore than anything. But for others, it can help calm the nerves and lighten the loads of pressure. Whether it be just dusting a shelf or cleaning your whole house, it can make a difference. So, this spring break, clear not only your room, but your mind.

Page by Faith Jacoby

Read, Read, Read!

While reading proves difficult for some, it’s never a bad idea.

Opening a book on a nice spring day can relieve a lot of stress while taking you to a different reality to escape your everyday hectic life. Here are some books that have been loved for generations: “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell

Game Day Typically, teenagers play a lot of video games as it is, but with a pandemic and all, staying inside and playing games is definitely much more popular. Although it isn’t as productive as the ideas suggested above, staying in and playing games is always fun, especially with loved ones.

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Trapped in Religion

The unseen reality of coping with religious trauma and leaving an organized religion

By Faith Beckmann Staff Reporter

Religion is something that is very personal to a lot of people. It starts as a seed implemented into the minds of infants by their loving family. Then it blossoms into the core of human existence. From there on it becomes a defining aspect of them as a person. For the majority of the population that identifies as religious, the religion they partake in is one that they were brought up in from early childhood. I was one of these people.

I grew up in a Christian household, resulting in a decently-sized portion of my earliest memories being centered around church. From infancy, church on Sundays was a regular occurance as well as Vacation Bible School every summer. There’s even a home video where one of my parents lovingly tells two-year-old me to “say Jesus” from behind the camera, to which I happily obliged. There was no questioning; I wasn’t supposed to. Instead, I merely took in all the information given to me at church without any outside knowledge.

The first time that my mind allowed itself to question what it was being fed on Sundays was around the age of 12 or 13. That’s when sermons started to reveal what this religion really entailed. Starting then and in the years following were sermons on a variety of topics including two (almost three) on why being a part of the LGBTQ+ community is wrong, one on why women need to be subservient to men, and one on why having anxiety means you’ll go to Hell. Each one brought its own set of mental and emotional issues.

One year during this span of time, there was a class at school which happened to discuss different religions as a part of the curriculum. While learning about these religions, the subconscious thought that the majority of them sounded more plausible compared to the one I was currently practicing became prevalent. Past teachings had said thinking about any other religion being superior was wrong, but I couldn’t help it. In the videos we watched that focused on these religions, the people seemed so much more content with their lives and so much more grounded. That’s all I wanted in life.

Despite this, those feelings were repressed

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for a long time. I continued going to church, lying to my parents and friends out of fear, vigorously going to youth group, and even became a volunteer at Vacation Bible School and on various mission trips. All while I slowly started to form my own viewpoints on the world and the universe as a whole.

At around 15 years old I stopped feeling any sort of connection to Christianity. What once had been something that had made me feel secure became a prison. The phrase “trapped in religion” became engraved in my mind, but I was too scared to say it out loud. There was a yearning to leave, yet I couldn’t. This religion had been hammered into my brain my entire life that the thought of leaving petrified me. It felt like there was no one to talk to. Everyone seemed to be perfectly okay with what the church was teaching, everyone but me. All my friends were religious and content. My parents are so very devout. All of them would try to convince me this was a test from God. And if it was, I didn’t want to pass, I wanted out.

Then, the COVID-19 lockdown started and I was fine, until I wasn’t. With everything going on, a sense of uneasiness became ever more present, prompting my pursuit of trying to become religious once more.

For about a month and a half I read my Bible daily and analyzed it, did a daily devotional, and even started doing a prayer journal with my mom at night.

These habits soon proved to be destructive as they became an obsession. There was this dreadful feeling of having to do them because I might be spiritually punished if I didn’t. It felt like I was being held down on the ocean floor by a ton of boulders, unable to make my way to the surface. I had been trying so hard to regain my faith, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t force myself to love something I didn’t believe in.

My mom was understandably upset when I told her this. She told me that I had broken her heart. I already had thoughts that I had let her down, and that made it worse. You never want to know you’ve let your parents down. She then proceeded to claim that one time she heard God’s voice while she was angry, essentially trying to convince me (or possibly even scare me) back into belief, leaving me discomfited.

Leaving a religion is something that sounds so easy until you actually have to do it. It’s a lot of deconstructing every little detail you have been taught from the time you were able to process thoughts and trying to interpret new information for the first time. Some of it is almost completely effortless, other parts are more hard-won.

I stopped attending church in August of 2020. My parents were upset and would give me grief about it every single Sunday.

They honestly thought it was just part of that teenage phase of being rebellious and going against my parents’ views.

What they didn’t see were the nights where I could barely sleep because I was so terrified of the future. They didn’t see the tears shed when I was forced to go to Christmas Eve service. They didn’t see the constant anxiety attacks whenever I would see or hear anything that could point back to Christianity. People saying “Oh my God” in hallways. Anxiety. My mom’s cross necklace. Anxiety. A quote in a book for school that happened to talk about the Bible. Anxiety. A problem on a math assignment that asked whether or not going to church helped you live longer. Anxiety.

The list goes on from there.

Sometimes the anxiety would be so bad that I’d come home from school or work and lie on my bed under a blanket with my cat for hours at a time because it was the only way to feel safe. Even then it would get to the point where just being in my room became difficult as the dread of anxiety would linger, waiting. I would cycle through a wheel of having anxiety, working through it and getting better, then having a trigger push me all the way back to start. Concentrating during school became increasingly difficult as thoughts of religion would antagonize me constantly, something I’m still working through to this day.

The hardest part, however, was the feeling of not being able to tell anybody and dealing with every single thought and every single anxiety attack alone.

Eventually I began to open up to my sisters and one of their friends, but that was it. Even then I still held back a lot of stuff out of fear. Going through a situation like this is extremely distressing

Page by Faith Beckmann

when everyone around you is religious. Honestly, you never realize how mainstream certain religions are until it’s the one thing you’re trying desperately to get away from. It’s very difficult to leave a religion and move on in such a religion-dominated society. In St. Charles alone, there’s a church nearly every two miles on any given street. Christian ideas, to be specific, are even featured in public schools in various books students read or on worksheets despite laws maintaining separation of church and state.

Yes, people have the right to worship and have whatever beliefs they want as long as they aren’t harming anyone, but it’s a twoway street.

Religious Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is a newly-coined phrase, but it is not a new concept. According to human development expert Marlene Winell, religious trauma is a “condition experienced by people who are struggling with leaving an authoritarian, dogmatic religion and coping with the damage of indoctrination.” Due to how deep the wounds often lie, religious trauma is something that tends to stick with people for the rest of their life. However, it can eventually get to the point where it comes and goes in waves. Symptoms of religious trauma include anxiety, depression, isolation and problems forming relationships.

It is estimated that millions of people suffer from it across the world, myself included.

Leaving a religion and religious trauma are topics treated as criminal in most organized religions. Oftentimes, these faiths teach that you must try to reach out and use whatever methods you can to bring the victim back to whatever religion they want to escape. Or they say that religious trauma is the direct result of a person’s faith not being strong enough. Thus, inciting the people of these faiths to use phrases such as “Not all (insert place of worship) are like that”, “(insert higher power) loves you”, or the classic “You’re gonna go to (insert the opposite of positive afterlife)”. What people don’t realize is how incredibly harmful these phrases are. They not only invalidate the suffering of another person and/or their own personal decision on their belief system, but can cause more harm than good.

These phrases can either push people further away from whatever religion is being marketed towards them or induce even more fear or guilt into their lives. As previously stated, the decision to leave a religion does not come lightly. For a lucky few, it’s an easy switch, but for the rest of us there’s a lot more to it. Some people even lose their families because of it. Adding this guilt or fear can really impact the mental health of a person already suffering so badly.

It’s incredibly hypocritical to tell someone that you love them and want what’s best for them and then make comments that ignore the decision they made in order to help themselves.

This was the reason I didn’t and still haven’t opened up to my parents about what I’ve been experiencing. I have this vision of them sitting there, quoting verses of the Bible and using fear tactics in order to get me to go back.

It shouldn’t be that way.

Nobody should have to hide such an important part of their life and wellbeing from someone they love. They should be able to trust the people in their lives.

When someone is going through this, the best way to help is to give them a safe place to be able to work through their feelings and start the long process of healing. Allow them the ability to be able to share their experiences without judgement. Most importantly of all is to not try to force them into religion if they don’t want it.

If they want to go back to the religion they left eventually that’s a decision for the individual to make for themselves.

Page by Faith Beckmann

How to Deal With Religious Trauma: • • •

•

•

Create a safe-space with no triggering objects and items that make you feel secure.

Listen to music that makes you feel happy to give yourself a boost of serotonin.

Find a comfort TV show or movie that can be used as a distraction or a way to calm yourself down from an anxiety attack.

Have a safe, trusted person to talk to- keeping your toughts and feelings internal only makes them worse.

Get rid of physical reminders of the religion you left that may lead to anxiety or other negative mental emotions.

RELEASING THE PAIN: A hand is shown dangling a necklace that bears the religious image of a cross, ready to release it. Letting go of something that was once so personal is very difficult no matter the circumstances; however, with religion there’s a little more there. The massive stigma around this act only accentuates these feelings. PHOTO BY FAITH BECKMANN

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Social media creators must understand the influence they possess

By Sophie Delaney

ILLUSTRATIONS BY RHYEN STANDRIDGE

Staff Reporter

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As I walked into my aunt’s house, I saw my little cousin sitting across the room. I said my hellos and got no response. Seeing her sat in her pink princess chair, I wondered what she was doing. As I turned the corner to see her face, her eyes were lifelessly staring at her iPod screen as her fingers endlessly scrolled through TikTok. When I asked Molly what she was doing she finally replied with, “Watching Charli and Addison.” My aunt and cousin told me these creators consume her time and there is never a moment when they don’t see Molly watching someone on Tiktok.

Seeing how much our younger generation is obsessed with TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram influencers is shocking. So many of them have enormous followings. People like Charli D’Amelio, Brent Rivera, David Dobrik, Liza Koshy, and The Try Guys, just to name a few, are some of the Internet’s most popular creators.

Ranging anywhere from a million to 100 million, the follower count for social media creators only seems to rise. Along with follower count, supporters and shares only seem to escalate. Popping up on “Suggested,” “For You,”or “Based on What you Watch” pages, the content of these creators keeps spreading.

So, if huge creators like the ones mentioned above continue to enlarge their following, shouldn’t they be using a platform that large for good? Influencers should be advocating for social change, spreading positive information, speaking out for topics that the creator feels strongly about.

So many of our young members of society are focused on anything and everything these creators are doing. They scroll and refresh to see the newest dance Charli D’amelio uploaded or being clickbaited into the “SHE SAID WHAT?” videos featured on Brent Rivera’s social media.

The continuation of these followings must be possessing more information to our youth than the simplistic nature of social media content now.

With a platform that includes up to 100 million followers ranging from young kids to young adults, the time to influence is now. A human’s brain is not fully developed until at least 25 years old, so this is the time to take grasp and teach. This is the time to have these creators teach and show kids they can be incredible and influential even if they are young.

We need to be teaching the younger generation about things that matter and have a lasting impact on their lives. Creators bringing awareness to climate change, gender inequality, racial injustice, bullying and social issues are all examples of current topics that impact this generation.

With the current pandemic the world is facing,

kids seeing creators and influencers out partying and gathering in large groups makes them want to go out and do the same when they should be socially distancing, staying inside and wearing masks. If their favorite influencers can go out with no problem, why can’t they? This is the big problem with influencers: they do not realize the impact they have on the youth who watch their platforms.

Creators being blatant negative influences is detrimental to creating a good atmosphere for youth to grow up in. If children are able to watch controversial creators like Jake and Logan Paul, Sebastian Bails, Lauren Godwin, and Jeffree Star then our society is continuing to place negative influences in front of our children. We are teaching them it is okay to say racist things, it is okay to break the law, it is okay to joke about domestic violence.

None of those actions are okay and youth should not have access to creators like this because it teaches them socially unacceptable actions.

Seeing the creators they idolize advocating for topics that socially matter creates an uproar in discussion and advocacy within our younger generations. Youths are constantly talking about what their favorite creator posted, what kind of content they saw on TikTok earlier, or how this creator uploaded a new video on Youtube. This should simply be the spark plug in creators wanting to grasp at the opportunity to influence.

Many influencers have done incredible things to benefit society and spark support for important charities. Zoella, a British Beauty Guru, has starred in the U.K’s “Comic Relief Bake Off’ to raise money for vaccinations in Uganda. She also worked with Trekstock to give funding and support to adults with cancer. Additionally, Tyler Oakley has worked with the Trevor Project to raise money in support of LGBTQ+ youth. Creators like these two are the ones who are influencing our youth for the better and showing them how to be socially responsible.

Having kids so interested in trends like the Renegade dance, the Cinnamon Challenge, or ASMR proves their fueling obsession with these creators and their content. So, if today’s creators start publishing videos of them doing great things for society and spreading good information to advocate change, our youth will want to participate just to be like their favorite creators.

The utmost power to influence youth is in the hands of our content creators. They have the power to do better, to be great role models, and to utilize the enormous followings they have for the betterment of societal youth. So instead of creators continuing to post less meaningful content, they must push the creation of influential content to its limits and impact our youth for the better. Influencers, you have millions of young viewers at your feet, so grasp at

Page by Sophie Delaney

COLOSSAL CONSEQUENCES: A Juul and Juul pods sits still in an open space. A Juul is a vaping device used to intake niotince filled pods, those pods are known as Juul pods. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

7,000 Reasons

The consequences to vaping are much greater than some believe

By Elisa Carter Staff Reporter

Imagine taking a drive over to a vape shop, but you’re still a minor, no issues here. You can walk in without being 21 and purchase any vape from the shop that you’d like. That’s how easy it is for teens to purchase vapes. As long as they find the shops around town that don’t ask for ID, minors can find nicotine-filled products with ease.

Vaping is a huge issue for teens of the 21st century because vape products are easily accessible for them. There are many shops around the United States that are allowing minors to buy these products without ID-ing them. From Hydes to Puff Bars, Juuls to Njoys, all these products are illegal for minors to use in the United States, yet minors still have full access to them by going to the shops themselves or by having people buy the products for them.

By vaping, you allow 7,000 toxic chemicals to go into your lungs. Through vaping nicotine, you allow yourself to be at risk of becoming addicted to nicotine, starting to have cravings and going into withdrawal if you choose to ignore the urge to vape. Vaping can also increase your blood pressure and cause your adrenaline to spike, increasing your heart rate and your likelihood of having a heart attack.

The horrible toxic chemicals being inhaled in the lungs of today’s youth include not only nicotine a highly addictive chemical but also propylene glycol, carcinogens, acrolein, diacetyl, diethylene glycol, heavy metals, cadmium, benzene, and more. These chemicals can be found in items such as antifreeze, paint solvent, car exhaust, and weed killer. These chemicals are also known to cause cancer, lung disease, “popcorn lung” and breathing problems.

Vaping has many awful side effects which begs the question: why do teens choose to vape? Research shows that teens today vape

Page by Elisa Carter

because they are curious to try it, a friend or family member does it, the flavor or the fact that it can be used to do tricks. Teens try vapes due to those reasons; however, teens continue to vape because once they try it they become so easily addicted. These shops help allow teens to go in and buy these products.

Vaping is a killer and causes so many problems for the youth today that it has become this crisis around the world. These shops that are allowing teens to continue to kill themselves need to be stopped. If they aren’t, more and more cancer, lung disease and death will spread across the world. I watch people that I know and love kill themselves more and more everyday when they inhale and exhale those 7,000 toxic chemicals. It breaks my heart because everytime I watch them do it I know just how much it is hurting them due to their addiction.

Addiction is the other major cause of this crisis. Once these teens try nicotine once or twice they become hooked. Addiction is a disease in and of itself, people struggle so hard to fight the urge to vape because of how addictive nicotine is. Being addicted to nicotine is very serious and very harmful. If you become addicted to nicotine it becomes a very large part of your life. It takes over your life by creating strong urges and craving for more and more nicotine.

If you refuse these urges and cravings you go into withdrawal.

This looks like headaches, cravings, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and irritability.

Quitting vaping is difficult, but it is attainable. There are many sources out there that can provide you with help to quit. One great source is thetruth.com. They provide sources that can help get you on track to stop vaping once and for all. If you or someone you know wants to quit vaping go to that site and start quitting today.

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The Detriments of

H*ZELWOOD

By Kayla Reyes

Print Co-Editor-in-Chief

Last year, I sat in my AP Government class as Mrs. Schellert introduced the court case Hazelwood V Kuhlmeier. In 1987, students in a high school Journalism class wrote articles entailing divorce and teenage pregnancy.

Their principal cut those pages, reasoning that the stories should not be published because the parents mentioned in the article about divorce had not been given an opportunity to defend themselves, and the anonymous teenage girls in the pregnancy article would be too easily identifiable, and thus the status of anonymity was ineffectual.

When the students received the newspaper, eager to see their stories, they instead saw a shortened version of the publication.

Then, they took their principal to court.

After several appeals, it was determined that the principal had not violated the students’ freedom of speech, and had the right to censor any material deemed unsuitable for immature audiences.

For a few reasons, this court case makes me angry. As the Co Editor-in-Chief of the Central Focus and a three-year staff member, I would be furious if my work or the work of my staff were to be censored.

Before each issue, the staff reporters and editors I work with pitch ideas for coverage, and myself and my fellow editors decide which stories will go in the paper and on the website.

The school does not contribute money or input to the staff’s paper (nor does the district), but because the Central Focus is run in a classroom setting, it would be perfectly legal for Dr. Arnel to pull stories or censor material.

Thankfully for me, this has never happened.

My staff has published stories about sex, eating disorders, mental health, and suicide without administrators interfering. Dr. Arnel never asks for prior review and has never censored our publications. He supports our publications and gives us complete freedom to publish the material we deem important.

This is not the case for every public school, however. Depending on principals’ viewpoints, a different publication could have completely different rights. This sparks two questions that are imperative to the first amendment rights of student journalists -- why is the Hazelwood V Kuhlmeier ruling faulty, and how can its issues be resolved?

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In regard to the first question, the ruling has been debated for decades. It is one of the only rulings in the last thirty years to actually lessen the rights of a group of people, and it does not even do so in a consistent manner. Because my principal supports my publications, we have virtually complete control over what we publish. A student with a more conservative or modest administration could have vastly different rights as a journalist.

A law that limits First Amendment rights is contentious, but one that affects its subjects in such significantly contrasting ways is even more controversial, and rightfully so. Just as students’ rights to protest should not be different based on the views of their administration, neither should their right to free speech. There is nothing inherently wrong with the ruling.

There are situations in which material should not be published, and a school that financially supports its publications should be allowed to intervene in extreme scenarios if the content may be truly harmful to its student body. The problem arises with the question of what is classified as harmful, or what defines an extreme scenario.

The ruling in Hazelwood V Kuhlmeier is not nearly specific enough to ensure all student journalists have the same rights.

Nobody should be censored solely because their principal disagrees with the content, but so long as the administrator has some miniscule form of reasoning for why the material shouldn’t be published, it won’t

be. The ruling allows for principals and other administrators to silence student

journalists on the basis of “legitimate pedagogical concern,” according to the ruling. The list categorized as such includes material that is “ungrammatical, poorly written, inadequately researched, biased or prejudiced, vulgar or profane or unsuitable for immature audiences.” There is no question as to whether the majority of this material is journalistically sound; it is not.

However, some of the guidelines are far too subjective. That is what causes the inequality

Page by Kayla Reyes

Hazelwood V Kuhlemeier allows for unjust censorship in the rights of student journalists. There is far too much room for interpretation by administration. Almost any subject could fall into the guidelines of “unsuitable for immature audiences.” Some could argue that the topics of cyberbullying or teenage relationships are inappropriate, despite the

this case was not in and of itself faulty, but the guidelines which were established are. To fix them, they need to be reviewed.

They need to be made more specific.

No two student journalists should have different First Amendment rights based solely on what school they attend, just as no two citizens of the United States should have different First Amendment rights based on where they live, or where they are employed.

To allow school administrators the right to limit what students publish on the basis of their personal beliefs is to infringe upon their rights.

As a journalist, I would do whatever it takes to ensure my rights are guaranteed, and not contingent on the decision of a school administrator.

Having the opportunity to publish the material the staff and I deem necessary to cover has allowed me to hone my journalistic skills and better my judgement about what should and should not be published.

For the last three years, I have been able to report on topics that are heavy and emotional and uncomfortable.

These opportunities were never a guarantee, HAZELWOOD HYPOCRISY: In 2014, administrators at Fond Du Lac High School censored however. As a student an article about rape culture. Though the story used sources and facts, Hazelwood V Kuhlmeier journalist, I do not have allows principals to censor material that is “unsuitable for immature audiences.” In 2019, a sexual assault issue of the Central Focus was published. The fact that one sexual assault issue the right to publish the was censored and one was not brings light to how Hazelwood allots different privileges to material I believe to be students based on their principals’ viewpoints. ILLUSTRATION BY KAYLA REYES important. I have had the fact that every high schooler has seen the privilege of being free to do so, but it is two to some extent. Almost any subject dependent on school administration, not could be classified as inappropriate because law. At a different school with more strict the interpretation of what is appropriate administration, I would not have been varies across administrations. granted this opportunity.

The decision of the Supreme Court in At a school with a more modest

Page by Kayla Reyes

administration, the article I wrote about masturbation would have been censored.

The cover stories about eating disorders and sex that I oversaw would have been censored. The editorials about mental health and suicide that were published in our paper would have been censored. The reporting and writing of all of this material was outstanding and journalistically sound. The topics were important and relevant to the lives of my peers, but some administrations would see these topics as inappropriate.

Though I have never been censored in my time as a student journalist, the fact that it could legally happen infuriates me. The fact that it happens to other student journalists across America, solely because of their principal’s viewpoints, infuriates me. My privilege to write what I deem important has made me a more talented journalist with better judgement about what should be published. Because Hazelwood allows censorship on the basis of content being “unsuitable for immature audiences,” student journalists across the country are censored based on the topic of their content rather than its quality and journalistic integrity.

If an article is journalistically sound, it should not matter what topic it covers. If it is reported on in a factual, unbiased and intelligent manner, it will not reflect poorly on the school, and it will not harm students.

Adolescents deal with intense and mature emotions and experiences, so publishing enlightening and factually correct material about those topics will only leave them feeling more informed and less alone. For this reason, the Hazelwood V Kulmeier ruling is faulty, but it is not unsalvageable. Rather than allowing censorship of topics that are “unsuitable for immature audiences,” the ruling should instead allow censorship of content that is harmful to students due to journalistically unsound content. This solves the problem of principals pulling material solely because they don’t like the topic, but still prevents harmful content from being published.

Should this change or a similar change be implemented, student journalists would not suffer the fate of being censored because of their principals’ viewpoints. They would not be prevented from publishing material solely because of its content. This would allow students to grow as journalists, while still allowing oversight to administration in extreme scenarios. Ultimately, it would ensure student journalists have the right to free speech without their principals baselessly infringing upon it.

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The Price of College Admission Is the ACT a test of aptitude or simply a hindrance for those lacking money

By Essy Ingram Copy Editor

Last year, FHC’s dimly lit auditorium hosted a silent sea of waiting students, myself among them. Our principal, Dr. Sonny Arnel, joyfully introduced the guest speaker of the evening: ACT prep guide Dr. Mark Arnold. For years, Dr. Arnold had held this briefing for juniors concerning the ACT and the tutoring he offers for it. At the time, I had a general idea of what the ACT consisted of, having already taken the free practice ACT that my school offered, but I knew nothing of the presentation awaiting me.

Dr. Arnold took to the stage and out of his mouth came words that held a peculiar resemblance to electricity. His booming voice shook the auditorium with an urgency I had not yet come to associate with the ACT. He announced to the near 500 of us that we were going to proceed through an entire booklet of ACT problems in just one hour. This caught me completely off-guard, for I had the impression that this tutor would simply explain his services and call it a day. Vaguely confused about the timing of his proposal, I tried to make sense of how this would work, thinking back to the practice ACT I took the year prior.

Wasn’t it four hours long? We only have till the bell rings…

In hindsight, it was ridiculous of me to underestimate our guest speaker. He wasted no time.

Shortcuts, strategies, process-ofeliminations — they rolled off his tongue like bolts of lightning, zapping question and after question with ease.

I was amazed at the velocity of his progress while I continued to spiral into a state of confusion.

He spoke like the test before us would alter the trajectory of our lives, as if without it we wouldn’t survive.

He wasn’t completely amiss. This was

the unspoken truth that Dr. Arnold expressed in his hour of rapid-fire practice. For many students seeking a college education, their prospective futures would depend a great deal on this singular test.

Fortunately, because of the coronavirus pandemic, many post-secondary institutions have decided to lessen the weight of test scores in the admissions process, allowing high school seniors to opt out of submitting their standardized testing scores. However, some of those universities will still use the ACT to decide which students are eligible for merit scholarships, making the ACT unavoidable for students who seek financial aid.

The reason schools across America regard the ACT as the deciding factor for college admission and scholarship eligibility is because the test claims to be an accurate measure of college and career readiness. However, the ACT’s claim to this accuracy overlooks several discrepancies that are most harmful to students who are at an economic disadvantage.

The exam itself tests a student’s mathematical reasoning, grammar, and test-taking abilities. High schools in richer areas can afford to offer a more encompassing education that gives their students a performative edge on the ACT in comparison to schools in poorer areas. Students attending poor public schools perform worse on the ACT not because of any difference in individual intellect, but because of their curricular disadvantage.

Students who experience these disparities could benefit greatly from ACT tutors like Dr. Arnold. Sadly, these services come at a steep price — on average, they range from $40-$200 per hour. The Princeton Review, an

acclaimed college prep company, offers a course that guarantees a 31 or above on the ACT at the “discounted” price of $1,300. This quite literally puts a price on the collegiate aptitude that the test claims to measure.

Students who can afford to pay the price for a better performance also tend to be able to pay for college. This means that when universities use the ACT in the admissions process and favor the majority of high-income students, they don’t have to allocate as much money towards financial aid. Because of this, universities have incentive to maintain their ACT-based standards because of the socioeconomic prejudice that it employs.

Something is undeniably wrong when students’ post-secondary futures weigh heavily on the individual’s economic access. Corrupted circumstances like these merit immediate action from the institutions to change these standards.

This kind of change isn’t as farfetched as some may think. As a result of a coronavirus pandemic, many universities and colleges are giving students the option.

While circumstances like not being able to afford ACT prep resources are beyond the help of a college’s admission office, the choice to stop upholding the damaging ACT standard is well within their control. This decision allows for a more holistic view of a prospective student, one that would otherwise be obscured by their income. Education is power — power to create social good, to amplify marginalized voices, or to break one’s personal cycle of poverty.

Intentional or not, a school’s choice to use the ACT to apply a simpler, cheaper method of admission favors the disempowerment of poorer students who aim to maximize their opportunity with education.

ACT ANXIETY: A student prepares to open an ACT practice booklet. The ACT can be a stressful part of every high schooler’s educational experience. PHOTO BY ESSY INGRAM

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Page by Esther Ingram

FROM THE STAFF:

The Faces of Change

LIFELESS: Desks are stacked in columns of two and pushed against the farside wall in a bare room. Virtual teachers are the only sign of life in some parts of FHC. PHOTO BY ESSY INGRAM

I

Virtual teachers navigate the world of online learning

n March of 2020, students and teachers were given an additional week off of school after spring break to allow time to slow the spread of a novel coronavirus. That week turned into another, and a few more, eventually extending through the end of the school year.

In the isolation and loneliness, the anxiety and fear, teachers chose to remain diligent in those last months of learning. There was no practice, no training for a virtual classroom.

The creation and implementation of virtual assignments was unscouted territory, and navigating it wasn’t easy. Students became uninterested and unmotivated while teachers lost much of their regular interaction with them. Students and teachers both pulled their remaining dregs of motivation together to face the last remaining objective of the year: to merely survive.

This year, many students have returned to school for in-person learning while some have chosen to learn virtually.

Page by Natalie Walsh

Although this year the district offers more reliable virtual teaching resources, current virtual teachers still suffer much of the same challenge from before.

Forming relationships with students they can’t interact with in person proved just as difficult. In an attempt to make learning more personal, some teachers opt for live video conferences, only to be met with blackened screens and muted microphones: a radio-silent classroom.

Virtual teaching is lonely and difficult for most virtual instructors, but they’ve remained steadfast throughout this process. Beyond the basic accommodations made for virtual students, our virtual staff continues to show their undying support for students and their education. but we continue to be supported by passionate teachers who value us as individuals.

It’s unlikely that we will ever be able to fully encompass the experiences of virtual instructors, but we were lucky enough to

catch glimpses into their lives.

We witnessed the stark loneliness of virtual teachers’ empty classroom habitats.

The triumph of inside jokes shared across a video chat. The frustration of speaking to a silent and faceless audience.

All this and more -- a plethora of joys, heartaches, and all the emotions inbetween, serve as a sobering reminder that change continues to sweep us off our feet with unyielding force.

But, more importantly, it has given us all more reason to find our footing despite it all.

The teachers that instruct from computer screens no longer take connection for granted. Now, more than ever before, they are fueled by a passion for their students to thrive.

It is our hope that those who witness these individuals’ resilience will find encouragement to hold their ground in the face of a world that will never cease to keep changing.

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VIRTUAL ENLIGHTENMENT: Bathed in the sunlight filtering through the blinds in her empty clasroom, English teacher Melissa Fry discusses the first chapter of “Night” by Elie Wiesel with her sixth hour English II class. Mrs. Fry is one of a handful of teachers whose entire slate of classes is taught virtually. PHOTO BY ESSY INGRAM