Panorama December 2025

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PANORAMA NEWSMAGAZINE DECEMBER 2025 VOL. 75, ISSUE 4

14

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The evolution of internet slang has created a digital language that connects and divides

LADUE HORTON WATKINS HIGH SCHOOL 1201 S. WARSON RD. ST. LOUIS, MO 63124

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

Contents TOC

PANORAMA

8

NEWS

Hiring a New Superintendent

Photo by Vincent Hsiao

SCAN FOR

BY ELIANA GEBRIHEWET staff

Alina Tenenbaum (11) works with the Wheels to Africa organization to help deliver bicycles to people in Africa

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RISA FINGERMAN photographer

ILLUSTRATION BY NORA BRUNQUELL artist

FEATURES

12

FEATURES

Wheels of Change

T

THE SKY IS PAINTED A light and a chill lingers in the air as the sun rises over the horizon. It’s early in the morning, and a woman and her son are walking for what would be four miles to get water, medications or to reach work and school. For hundreds of women and children in Africa, this daily journey of two to five miles is the reality that stands between them and their access to education, work and healthcare. After hearing about this issue, Alina Tenenbaum (11) spent her summer partnering up with the Wheels to Africa organization to plan a local bicycle drive to bridge the gap between them and their needs with a set of wheels.

“Being at this age, and also having two older siblings in college, I’m always asked what I want to do when I grow up, and I’ve never known the answer,” Tenenbaum

said. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted to answer with is [that] I just want to make an impact on at least one person, and I feel like even just one bike being donated or being sent would change a person’s life, and I just really hope to see that impact.”

Starting in 2002, Wheels to Africa, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been hosting bicycle drives all over the country to send over to Africa, in hopes of changing the lives of rural communities throughout the region. “[By giving them bikes], we cut their [commute] time down at least by 50%,” Wheels to Africa founder Dixie Duncan said. “Generally kids don’t have electricity in their homes, or if they do, they’ll only have it in the living room, so they don’t have a place to study. If we can give them a bike, they can stay at the school a little longer after the school day and be able to come home a little later because they have a quicker way of transportation. Some of the bikes are used by the family to take goods to market, to sell goods and also to go get medical supplies they need.”

Hosting a successful bike drive takes a lot of dedication. The process of handling and shipping the bikes can be quite long and tedious.

“It took a lot of discipline and work to finally get it rolling,” Tenebaum said. “But it felt good to be in charge of doing it.”

Tenenbaum spent a considerable

Alina Tenenbaum (11) works with the Wheels to Africa organization to help deliver bicycles to people in Africa Photo by Risa FIngerman

RIGHT: Carson Crane (11) poses with a Cessna 172 at the Spirit of St. Louis Airport Sept.

20. Inside the plane, there are six main instruments that help the pilot monitor the plane’s motion. He has begun lessons at Elite Aviation, a flight school at the airport. “There’s 10 or so planes that all look the same on the inside and are the exact same model that I fly,” Crane said.

NEWS News to Know Hiring a New Superintendent

6 8

FEATURES Beyond the GPA Wheels of Change

10 12

IN-DEPTH Lost in Translation

14

OPINIONS Panorama Perspective Pushing the Pawn The Tank’s Take Value Connection, Not 75 Consumerism #Canceled? Not Exactly

15,000 bikes

The bike collections take a total of

8-10

weeks to ship

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LADUE HORTON WATKINS HIGH SCHOOL 1201 S. WARSON RD. TIYA KAUL ST. LOUIS, MO 63124

SPREAD DESIGN BY

PANORAMA NEWSMAGAZINE

DECEMBER 2025 VOL. 75, ISSUE 4

IN TRANSLATION 14 LOST The evolution of internet slang has created a digital language that connects and divides

CREDITS: Editor’s note photo by Vincent Hsiao. Front cover design by Isaac Zelinske. Back cover design by Josh Devine.

Front cover illustration by Fiona Van Allen. Back cover illustration by Emery Mao.

BIKE STATS

During the drive, Tenebaum was able to collect 75 bikes.

amount of time organizing and planning each part of the process.

“To organize the drive, I started out by setting up a date with [Duncan] over email to see when she would be available to fly out,” Tenenbaum said. “Then I needed to find a location, so I sought out a teacher sponsor, made a flyer and posted copies around the school as well as digital posters on my social media to spread the word.”

Despite the effort it takes to get these bikes from point A to point B, the lasting impact is what makes it worth it for Duncan and Tenenbaum.

“Changing lives one bike at a time,” Duncan said. “That is such a powerful statement. We spent five hours collecting bikes, and Alina is going to be able to change over 700 lives. What she did, you know, it’s empowering so many people.

Just seeing the fact that this young person wants to change lives makes me want to go out and change more lives. That’s the most rewarding part of working with Wheels to Africa.”

Seeing the impact that the organization has created, Tenenbaum aspires to help grow Wheels to Africa’s initiative within her community and to continue working with them in the future. “[I’d like kids to] actually see the impact of what they’re doing,” Tenenbaum said. “I do plan, or at least hope, to do another drive next semester or next year.”

19 20 21 22 23

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT In the Spotlight Taco ‘Bout Tasty

24 26

HEALTH & SPORTS

WTA has increased life quality by

30%Sports in Review bike collections.

Tear and Repair Riding the Limit To the Pointe

30 32 33

PHOTO MAPPING Break It Down

34

Illustrations

by Tiya Kaul

THE JOURNEY

Has collected over

On the Cover

20

Opinions Pushing the Pawn The recent government shutdown exposes Trump’s cynical use of American Pain

02

4

FEATURES

DECEMBER 2025

WHEELS OF CHANGE

12

Sponsors

The Wheels to Africa organization distributes bikes throughout Africa

26

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 13

Taco ‘Bout Tasty

Henry Madden reviews Cuatro Tacos, a newly opened, authentic taqueria in Tower Grove South

“

Snowboarding will always bring people closer together.”

Noah Stark (11) Riding the Limit, p.32

IN-DEPTH

Lost in Translation Digital Dialects What is your favorite form of brainrot?

Social digits

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editor’s Note

Ladue Media Staff

Scrolling through Tiktok and Instagram, it’s everywhere and it’s inevitable: brainrot. Just as every generation has had its own slang, ours is no exception. Growing up with social media has allowed our generation to connect with one another through memes and shared humor.

However, the cycle of learning new terms and discarding others moves at a pace faster than ever before, and those who can’t keep up are excluded from this connection. Therefore, this ever-changing language we have popularized raises the question of whether or not brainrot is uniting us together, or separating us from those who aren’t in on the most recent terms.

For this issue’s In-Depth, we explore both sides of this question and the effects brainrot has on students. In many ways, our vocabulary creates opportunities for an easy connection with peers: a familiar joke and shared sense of humor.

On the other hand, for teachers and parents, brainrot can confusion that may follow be followed by isolation or disconnection. This disconnection is evident as teachers find it difficult for students to separate brainrot from language used in formal settings.

Brainrot is much more complex than nonsense, it’s a reflection of how we communicate and bond — it’s what often defines our generations. To be on social media is to be a part of this connection, but for others, it’s a split of who understands brainrot and who doesn’t.

EXECUTIVE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

NEWS STAFF

Josh Devine

Cami Welsh

Celina Zhou

Claire Zhang Elisa Cormier

MANAGING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Madeline Awad

FEATURES STAFF Eliana Gebrehiwet

COPY EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Irene Murphy

Katie Jansen

Ryan Nolan

Grace Kweon Ira Rodrigues

IN-DEPTH STAFF Sydney Gao

ART EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Emery Mao

Fiona Van Allen OPINIONS STAFF PHOTO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Adelaide Flintrop

Vincent Hsiao

Reva Chadalavada Sophie Cowlen

NEWS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cindy Liu

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT STAFF Angella Zhang

SPORTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Henry Madden

Mason Eastman HEALTH & SPORTS STAFF NEWS EDITORS

Gabriella Beltranena

Amelie Lock

Elsa Flores-Tamayo

Jane Scheffel

Emily Tinnin

FEATURES EDITORS

COVERAGE EDITOR

Tiya Kaul

Emily Pan

Josie Stout ARTISTS IN-DEPTH EDITORS

Nora Brunnquell

Loukya Gillella Isaac Zelinske

PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Du

OPINIONS EDITOR

Sarmistha Pulagam

Frank Chen

Ellie Lercher Eva VonAllmen

HEALTH & SPORTS EDITORS

Cindy Liu

Meg Myckatyn

Editorial Policy Ladue Media is an openforum for students at Ladue High School. In order to ensure the news we report is accurate, important and relevant to our students, we do not operate under prior review. All content decisions are made by student editors.

SPREAD DESIGN BY

Teo Lee

Victoria Derdoy

MADELINE AWAD

Scan to view our full Editorial Policy

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ID EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

EDITORS

Marie Demkovitch

Medha Chode

Maya Mathew

Adela Gingrich

Annabelle Reagan

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ID STAFF

Aaron Lin

Caroline Cobaugh Sabrina Tagunkova

DIGITAL MEDIA EDITORS-INCHIEF

ADVISERS

Madeline Fong

Abigail Eisenberg

Nathan King

Sarah Kirksey

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PANORAMA

SPONSORS

DECEMBER 2025

SPONSORS

Issue Nicholas Reding The Demkovitch Family Profusion Private Asset Fund

Ladue Blue Allison and Terence Myckatyn Bruce and JoAnne Vieweq Donna Freeman and Mike Heyne Ed Tanyag Katie Myckatyn Meera & Barry Bryant Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cobaugh Salsbury Family The Awad Family The Chode Family The Derdoy Family The Devine Family The Fong Family The Kaul Family The King Family The Lock Family The Nolan Family The Pan Family The Pisarkiewicz Family The Stout Family The Warwick Family The Zwibelman Family Theresa Tanyag Wendy Tinnin Gold Anonymous Arti Jain Desta Gingrich Jean Hayne Kurtis and Katie Van Allen Lillian Jansen Mark Heyne and Rachel Abroms Michael & Jamica Johnson Mike and Elaine Stout Ms. A Jansen Ms. Elizabeth Welsh

04

Pam and Matt Cobaugh The Cummings Family The Jansen Family The Liu Family The Mathew Family The Tenenbaum Family The Witt Family The Yeoh Family The Zhao Family The Zhou Family “Uncle Blake” Baraks

Silver Amy & Kevin Fischer Anonymous Bill and Cathy Scheffler Bill and Sharon Hunn Bremer Family Gary & Shana Singer Gillella Family Hello Garage Juli and Bernie Plassmeyer Kathy Bucholz Laurie Family Louise Flick & Bill True Mr. & Mrs. Brissette MW Interiors Myles Leonard Pedro Beltranena Sara Serati Steve and Liz Van Allen Tass Padavan The Cormier Family The Flores-Tamayo Family The Gandra Family The Guyton Family The Haines Family The Larrew Family The Mayer Family The Sheldon Family The Turner Family The Varvares Family The Zotos Drobak Family

Friendly Alena Tartouskaya Anonymous Anonymous Ladue Alumni Berman Chiropractic & Wellness Candice Bellinger Clarissa Joyce Edward Zhang Ella Bender HaugenHaus.com Johnny Zhang Julie Walther Scheibel Lindsay Turner Matthew Kweon Mohamad Yaacob Nancy Scheberle Nithin Kumar Gattu Olivia Cornelison Shanthi Priya D Sharon and Louis Hill Sneha Vadlamudi The Arora Family The Choe Family The Denman Family The Ganni Family The Hanes Family The Hofer Family The Lohse Family The Murphy Family The Pandian Family The Poremba Family The Rhodus Family The Silver Family The Swillinger Family The Taylor Family The Yang & Zhang Family Tim Armstrong Venkata Pulagam Vivek Manohar Walton Family Will Kodner Yan Sun Zhenyi Liu Zia Mahmood

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11627 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur, MO 63141 Promo code: PANO at register or online for 10% off in December!

CHECK US OUT Scan for galleries, daily stories and updates

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL DEFEATS JOHN BURROUGHS 57-51 NOV. 20 “We played very well as a team,“ Cole Kaufman (12) said. “The atmosphere was there and it was a great environment to play in. We had good team chemistry and played solid defense.”

STUDENTS VOLUNTEER FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS NOV. 12

“The [teams] vibe is family-like,” Gakhutishvili said. “You’re starting to build a bond with teammates that you’re going to be with for the next few years.”

They enjoyed different activities such as face painting and volleyball games.

“I chose to volunteer for the fun community we get to create,” Olivia Berger (10) said.

Photo by Risa Fingerman

Photo by Kayla Chan

LATEST

Photo by Alex Du

Q&A WITH ANDREW GAKHUTISHVILI (10) ABOUT NOV. 17 HOCKEY GAME AGAINST PRIORY

SPREAD DESIGN BY

MADELINE AWAD

05

NEWS

DECEMBER 2025

NEWS TO KNOW

CLUB UPDATES Student Action for a Greener Earth (SAGE) SAGE has been focusing their efforts on the No Idling campaign, where they encourage drivers to reduce the amount of gas they emit by turning off their engines when the car is not moving. Members have passed out flyers in the student parking lot, represented their initiative at a School Board World Cafe meeting and received over 60 pledges from students who support the campaign.

HOSA — Future Healthcare Professionals HOSA members are preparing and studying for the upcoming state qualifier tests Jan. 19-26, 2026.

Additionally, HOSA has partnered with Ladue Make-a-Gift to make hospice cards for hospital patients.

They also prepared meals at the Ronald McDonald House Nov. 29.

Members can earn recognition for their service hours through the Barbara James Service Award.

Chess Club The chess team had its first competitive match of the year Dec. 3.

The team is made up of three teams: A, B and C, which each compete against different schools for the rounds. At the same time, members are practicing their chess skills by playing against each other every Wednesday in Chess Club sponsor Zachary Garrison’s room 2127.

CURIOUS? Scan for more news on the Ladue Today website

06

START BAKE SALE

BY CAMILLE WELSH staff

START raises funds for refugees as SNAP benefits are cut

THE ST. LOUIS TEENS AID Refugees Today Club held a bake sale Nov. 21 during all lunches.

The bake sale raised money to collect gift cards for refugees in the St. Louis area. The club partnered with Welcome Neighbor, a St. Louis organization, to set up the fundraiser.

“The [START] officers decided that we should do a bake sale because we got an email from Welcome Neighbor saying that [they] need all the gift cards [for refugees],” club president Eva Korotkova (10) said.

Supplemental Nutrition Assisance Program benefits were cut during the government shutdown in October. Since the shutdown, many Americans have not received the benefits. START’s bake sale supported refugees in the St. Louis area.

“There’s nothing we can do about the SNAP benefits being cut,” Korotkova said. “All we can do is help. We understand that a lot of

DEBATESGIVING

PANORAMA

refugees rely on SNAP, so we’re getting them Aldi gift cards.”

Conflict has ensued between the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals and the Trump administration. The court has urged the United States Department of Agriculture to fund SNAP benefits, but the administration has argued against this ruling. Although progress is slow on a countrywide scale, START is working to make changes on a community level.

“It’s important to show compassion for refugees because they just left their home, possibly everyone they’ve known due to war or other complications,” Korotkova said. “They need to understand that they have people that care for them.

They need a head start.” P

WANT MORE? Scan for story and photos

Students gather around a table and enjoy some food.

The Speech and Debate team hosted their annual Thanksgiving potluck, also referred to as Debatesgiving, Nov. 18. “I really enjoyed connecting with my fellow debators through this year’s potluck,” Felix Zhang (11) said.

(Photo by Teo Lee)

NEWS

Ceramics II

Introduction to Journalism

Tessa Olschansky (12) and Alex O’Hara (12) dissect a chicken wing to learn about joint movements. (photo by Lydia Stoneman)

Annabelle Murphy (10) and Jessica Xue (10) work on their projects in Ceramics II and sculpt pieces out of clay. (photo by Meagan Zimmerman)

Students in Introduction to Journalism dine at Kirksey Café and learn to write a food review column. (photo by Ivana Todorova)

CLASS COVERAGE

Anatomy and Physiology

ALL-SUBURBAN MUSIC AUDITIONS

Ladue students describe their experience auditioning for All-Suburban ensembles

“

Norah Murphy (12) I was selected as an alto for AllSuburban. I was nervous, but I’ve done it before and I love singing. It’s what I’m good at, so those auditions are a lot better for me.”

SPREAD DESIGN BY

“

Tracy Wu (11)

I play the flute and I got ninth chair.

This year, I didn’t feel as nervous.

My mindset was like, ‘It’s okay if I don’t get in,’ and I feel like that’s what helped me be successful.”

ALL-SUBURBAN CHOIR

ALL-SUBURBAN BAND

The All-Suburban Honor Choir auditions were held Oct. 4. Five Ladue students qualified for the Honor Choir: Velvet Majumdar (9), Chanuth Batagoda (11), Molo Christ (11), Norah Murphy (12) and Anthony Zhao (12).

They will perform at Ritenour High School Jan. 24, 2026. Murphy and Zhao also earned a spot in the Missouri All-State Choir, and will perform at the Music Educators Association Conference in the same month.

Eighteen students qualified for the All-Suburban Honor Band: Samarth Donakanti (10), Ayden Huang (10), Rishi Suri (10), Eric Tang (10), Serenity Xu (10), Aidan Antony (11), Silas Baltzell (11), Kai Chen (11), Anna Drescher (11), Calvino Hammerman (11), Matilda Kim (11), Tracy Wu (11), Angella Zhang (11), Felix Zhang (11), Miles Grossman (12), Kimmi Lin (12), Norah Murphy (12) and Jin Zhang (12). They will perform at Lindbergh High School Jan. 11, 2026.

CLAIRE ZHANG

“

William Weltig (10) I got first violin. I thought the audition was fun but also very stressful because there were many other kids auditioning too.”

ALL-SUBURBAN ORCHESTRA Students from schools across the St. Louis region auditioned for the All-Suburban Honor Orchestra in November. Nine students from Ladue earned a spot in the Honor Orchestra: Darren Lee (9), Akiya Naka (9), Gavin Rao (9), Louis Shen (9), Miyasi Welivita (9), Kevin Liu (10), Maame Ekua Nsaful (10), William Weltig (10) and Frank Tian (11). They will perform at Ladue High School Jan. 10, 2026.

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PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

NEWS

HIRING A NEW PERSPECTIVE SUPERINTENDENT

STUDENT BODY What do you want in a new superintendent?

Missouri School Boards Association and district board make student voices heard in the superintendent search

BY AMELIE LOCK news editor

BY JANE SCHEFFEL news editor

AFTER SUPERINTENDENT Jim Wipke announced his retirement in August, the Ladue Board of Education jumped into action, formulating a plan to find the best candidate to follow him. The search for the new superintendent is ongoing, and moving into a more public phase this month as the school board released community findings from an extensive stakeholder engagement process. The district partnered with the Missouri School Boards Association to gather input through multiple surveys and forums sent out to the entirety of the Ladue body, actively emphasizing the need for student involvement throughout the intensive selection process.

After a thorough survey across the high school, three consistent traits were agreed on: being approachable and accessible, recruiting and retaining strong staff through collaboration and demonstrating unwavering ethics and integrity.

Wipke is known for his involvement and consistent attendance at district events, activities and subsequent signature selfies with students for

the @laduesupe Instagram. Alongside the Instagram account, he posts regularly on his podcast and blog, furthering his relationship with the Ladue community and students.

“This particular process is being led by the Missouri School Boards Association,” Director of Communications Kimberly McKenzie said.

“That’s the search firm that the district and Board of Education hired to lead the superintendent search. Most school districts engage in processes like this, but they don’t always ask for student voices.”

As the district seeks a well-rounded candidate that will echo Wipke’s involvement at Ladue, students who participated in the search voiced the need for a superintendent who is present in schools, engages with diverse student groups and organizations and ensures that student voices and values factors into the Ladue Board of Education’s decisions.

“It is quite important for students to be involved in the process of picking a new superintendent,” Adaeze Loynd (12) said. “This person will be making a lot of decisions that directly impact us, so we should have a large say.”

While students and community members will not be involved in the direct interview process, their feedback will ensure the superintendent chosen reflects Ladue values.

“To hear all of the various topics that the students brought up was really amazing to me,” McKenzie said. “To hear of the qualities and what they want to see in our school district [was amazing].” P

A

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July 14 Dr. Jim Wipke declares retirement

“It’d be really fun for [them] to be involved with our school and do fun things with us and for us.”

Oct. 8 Superintendent search survey sent out

Lila Meyers (12)

“I want someone that takes responsibility for what students do and relates to students.”

Oct. 22 Superintendent search survey closed

Austin Singer (10)

“I want a superintendent that cares about the student body and is open to suggestions.”

Nov. 6 Community engagement forum

Prisha Balakrishnan (10)

Nov. 12 Forum presentation “Someone that’s hard working and fights for equality.”

Gavin Brantmeier Prabhakar (11)

NEWS

SEE THE NUMBERS How much do you interact with the superintendent?

Panorama surveyed 279 students Dec. 4

3.2% 42.3%

9.0% 17.6%

28.0% once or twice a week once or twice a month

once or twice a year once or twice in my life

never

Week of Nov. 17 Board reviews candidates

Snapshot of key data on the superintendent role

$225,000 $275,000

hiring salary range

2-3

year contract initially

4,500

SOURCE: MSBA

PreK-12 grade students approximately

Week of Dec. 1 Semi-finalist interviews

Week of Dec. 8 Finalist interview

LEFT: The Missouri School Boards Association discusses the qualities the Ladue community wants for its next superintendent with the Ladue Board of Education. MSBA presented the results of a process that surveyed and hosted multiple forums for the community Nov. 12. “Students are at the center of everything that the school board does, so it made absolute sense to [the board] to have [student] voice at the table,” Ladue Board President Marissa Rosen said. (photos by Vincent Hsiao)

SPREAD DESIGN BY

ELISA CORMIER

FACULTY VOICE

IN ACTION Q&A with Vice President of Ladue Educators Association Riley Keltner What are the best ways for a superintendent to communicate efficiently with the teaching staff?

I would say a great way to do it is through our teacher organization, which is the Ladue Educators Association. We have a whole board of directors, and we also have officers like myself who have monthly meetings with all of the superintendents, actually. So that’s a great way to for us to communicate and relay information back and forth.

What is an important message about our district’s culture that the search committee should convey to candidates?

The biggest one is just our track record for excellence. That is something that we want to keep up here in Ladue schools, and we want to show that we are a leader in everything we do, not just a follower of what other schools are doing.

What qualities do you think teachers generally want to see in a superintendent?

I think that most teachers would like to see a superintendent who really knows them and who knows the community. This is a relatively small district, so I think that it’s really important that we have a superintendent who knows everyone’s name and position very early on in the job.

Why do you think it is important that the superintendent is engaged with teachers?

The best way to support kids is typically by supporting teachers, because the most important factor in student achievement has proven to be the teacher standing in front of the room.

So if we have good teachers who feel supported, we’re just getting closer to supporting every student as much as we possibly can.

09

PANORAMA

FEATURES

DECEMBER 2025

RIGHT: Diana Redden and Chad Sisk manage their various responsibilities as College and Career Counselors.

Along with helping the College and Career office function properly, Redden and Sisk communicate with students who need help with students who are stressed by the future.

“Anything that can help students get to [their] post secondary goal is what students can come and ask us,” Redden said. (photos by Alex Du)

BEYOND THE GPA College and Career counselors guide students into post-secondary education and careers

BY RYAN NOLAN staff

OVERLOOKING THE QUIZzes and the AP tests, one of the biggest questions for any high schooler is deciding what comes next. It is a question that nearly all high school students struggle with, but one of the biggest mistakes students make is grappling with this alone.

Ladue has two college and career counselors, Chad Sisk and Diana Redden. They work with students based on the first letter of their last names; Redden works with A through K, while Sisk works with L through Z. The two counselors collaborate with every student to plan for the best future for them.

“There’s a myth that we’re just college advisors,” Redden said. “We really want to stress we’re post secondary advisors, so for many different pathways we’re open and willing to meet with students.”

10

On average, 90% of Ladue students attend college after high school. Redden and Sisk advise these students on financial aid, scholarship opportunities and summer programs. They also help students who want to gain hands-on experience through apprenticeships, trade schools or workforce development programs. They aim to collaborate with the students to create a customized post secondary plan starting their junior year, or earlier.

“The more interactions that we have with the students, the easier it is for us to be able to make those personal connections and help them on a level that they need our assistance,” Sisk said.

While their workloads are demanding, both Redden and Sisk work hard to keep a bond with the students. They set times for juniors and seniors to get a private session where they can communicate with

COLLEGE VISITS 1

Junior year is a great time to start visiting colleges.

Spring break or summer vacation are also great visit opportunities.

2

Sign up for official college visit sessions when possible, since visits provide valuable insight into whether a school is the right fit for you.

them about their post secondary goals. For freshman and sophomores, walk in appointments are available on Wednesdays.

“We’re always open to talk to other grades,” Redden said.

“Wednesday is a great day to do that because it’s Walk-In Wednesday.

You can come in and talk with us without an appointment.”

Sisk and Redden have many responsibilities and a heavy workload.

Due to this, they rely on administrative assistant Gayle Noll to schedule meetings and do much more.

“When there’s announcements about college visits, [Noll] coordinates those pieces,” Redden said.

Making plans for the future can be stressful, so the counselors look out for students’ interests.

“We are here as a resource,” Sisk said. “We [will] support you regardless of what you want to do after you leave Ladue High School.” P

FEATURES

STANDARDIZED TIPS

ILLUSTRATION BY SYDNEY GAO staff

Tips and tricks to have the most effective test day experience

Eat a nutritious breakfast and bring a healthy snack to sustain energy the whole test.

Fully charge your computer before test day and bring a spare charger to the test.

Use official test prep books for the most accurate representation of the exam.

WORST TEST EXPERIENCE?

“

CLAIRE NORRIS (12)

When my friend and I were leaving the ACT, we were about to pull out of the parking lot and we got rear ended. It was a hit and run.”

STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

ISHAAN PANDEY (12) Do you have any ACT horror stories?

“I was running really late, and I was signing in and I realized I forgot my ID that was in my car. My dad had driven away, so I called him and I had to rush, but I was able to get it.”

SPREAD DESIGN BY

Do you have any good tips for first-time ACT test takers?

“Take a bunch of practice tests and learn from your mistakes. By taking a practice test, you can see where you are, and then from there you can see what you need to work on like math, science, etc.”

How did you manage test stress and what advice would you give to others?

“If you’re trying to reduce stress, make sure you know that a test score doesn’t define you. I know it’s very cliche, but since I’ve grown, I have realized that I am more than a test score.”

TIYA KAUL & IRENE MURPHY

“

BILL NAPIER (11)

The kid in front of me opened the window while a thunderstorm was going on. The wind was blowing the rain on my face.”

“

RIANA MAGANTY (11)

My knee started hurting and my browser kept turning off. I ran out of time on the math section, so I had to guess on 20 questions.”

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PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

WHEELS OF CHANGE

BY ELIANA GEBRIHEWET staff

Alina Tenenbaum (11) works with the Wheels to Africa organization to help deliver bicycles to people in Africa

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RISA FINGERMAN photographer

ILLUSTRATION BY NORA BRUNQUELL artist

FEATURES

RIGHT: Alina Tenenbaum (11) collects bicycles to donate as part of her passion project.

Tenenbaum partnered with the Wheels to Africa organization in order to supply bikes to underprivileged areas in Tanzania. “I didn’t have a favorite part of organizing the drive,” Tenenbaum said. “It [took] a lot of discipline, but it definitely felt good to be in charge of doing it.”

12

FEATURES

T

THE SKY IS PAINTED A light and a chill lingers in the air as the sun rises over the horizon. It’s early in the morning, and a woman and her son are walking for what would be four miles to get water, medications or to reach work and school. For hundreds of women and children in Africa, this daily journey of two to five miles is the reality that stands between them and their access to education, work and healthcare.

After hearing about this issue, Alina Tenenbaum (11) spent her summer researching and partnering up with the Wheels to Africa organization to plan a local bicycle drive to bridge the gap between them and their needs with a set of wheels.

“Being at this age, and also having two older siblings in college, I’m always asked what I want to do when I grow up, and I’ve never

known the answer,” Tenenbaum said. “The only thing I’ve ever wanted to answer with is [that] I just want to make an impact on at least one person, and I feel like even just one bike being donated or being sent would change a person’s life, and I just really hope to see that impact.”

Starting in 2002, Wheels to Africa (WTA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been hosting bicycle drives all over the country to send over to Africa, in hopes of changing the lives of rural communities throughout the region. “[By giving them bikes], we cut their [commute] time down at least by 50%,” WTA founder Dixie Duncan said. “Generally kids don’t have electricity in their homes, or if they do, they’ll only have it in the living room, so they don’t have a place to study. If we can give them a bike, they can stay at the school a little longer after the school day and be able to come home a little later because they have a quicker way of transportation. Some of the bikes are used by the family to take goods to market, to sell goods and also to go get medical supplies they need.”

Hosting a successful bike drive takes a lot of dedication and handling the bikes can be quite tedious.

“It took a lot of discipline and work to finally get it rolling,” Tenebaum said. “But it felt good to be in charge of doing it.”

BIKE STATS

During the drive Tenenbaum collected 75 bicycles.

% 30

Through Wheels to Africa’s Initiative, the quality of life rose by 30% in regions bikes were distrubuted.

WANT MORE? Scan to take a look at the Wheels to Africa website.

Illustrations by Sydney Gao

Tenenbaum spent a considerable amount of time organizing and planning each part of the process.

“To organize the drive, I started out by setting up a date with [Duncan] over email to see when she would be available to fly out,” Tenenbaum said. “Then I needed to find a location, so I sought out a teacher sponsor, made a flyer and posted copies around the school as well as digital posters on my social media to spread the word.”

Despite the effort it takes to get these bikes from point A to point B, the lasting impact is what makes it worth it for Duncan and Tenenbaum.

“Changing lives one bike at a time,” Duncan said. “That is such a powerful statement. We spent five hours collecting bikes, and Alina is going to be able to change over 700 lives. What she did, you know, it’s empowering so many people.

Just seeing the fact that this young person wants to change lives makes me want to go out and change more lives. That’s the most rewarding part of working with Wheels to Africa.”

Seeing the impact that the organization has created, Tenenbaum aspires to help grow Wheels to Africa’s initiative within her community and to continue working with them in the future.

“I do plan, or at least hope, to do another drive next semester or next year,” Tenenbaum said.

MAPPING THE JOURNEY Has collected over

15,000

The bike collections take a total of

The WTA Organization distrbutes bikes to various countries in Africa, such as Liberia and Tanzania.

8-10

bikes

weeks to ship

SPREAD DESIGN BY

TIYA KAUL

13

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

The evolution of internet slang has created a digital language that connects and divides

IN-DEPTH

BY ISAAC ZELINSKE in-depth editor

BY EMERY MAO staff ILLUSTRATION BY FIONA VAN ALLEN art editor in chief

N

NOT A SINGLE CREATURE ON Earth communicates the same way humans do. Over hundreds of thousands of years, humans have meticulously crafted and refined different dialects of speech, each one uniquely molded to their specific culture. Generation Z continued this pattern with the developments of their specific language. However, their language wasn’t developed via face-to-face communication, instead Gen-Z’s language, as well as their culture, evolved over the internet.

Well, “language” might be giving Gen-Z dialect a bit more grace than it deserves. If Victorian grammar is considered hard to follow, the pure amount of inconsistency in internet speech would put even the smartest of 17th century Enlightenment philosophers into a coma. The development and persistence of this speech spaghetti has left parents nationwide desperately inter-

14

rogating their kids on what a “67” was or what “sigma” could possibly mean. Many parents of Gen-Z had a hard time labeling this speech as anything other than a mess of thrown together words and phrases that have little to do with one another.

In a similar vein, the first few months of school left teachers begging for a brainrot Rosetta Stone. Although primarily developed through social media, this imagery and method of speech has infected and subsequently altered student speech.

The cryptic subsection of meme culture, known as brainrot, is often characterized

by AI generated pictures of Italian animals in weird situations, and obscure slang that ranges from the easy-to-decipher words like “rizz” to the complete nonsense and ever-changing definition of “skibidi.”

Between every generation, slang is a common denominator. What’s unique about brainrot, is the abstractness of its meaning. Hundreds of TikToks have been posted trying to translate Generation Z’s undecipherable language to millennial or Generation X vernacular. Some adults view brainrot as a catalyst for the downfall of the human lexicon. Others find a connection between how the younger population is speaking and how their own generation’s circles are communicating.

CONNECT Due to the virality of the internet, brainrot is very commonplace for the majority of students. Within days, it is possible for a TikTok to reach millions of people, creating a sort of spider web between each person who sees it. Memes especially have the tendency to spread like wildfire, sometimes allowing it to reach an entire generation of social media users in a short time.

IN-DEPTH

!

A M SIG

t ale, bu alpha m ne wolf n a to s der, a lo in statu Equal f a group lea o d a inste

67 !

I D I B SKI

i Toilet, w Skibid ube sho nic effect T u o Y s from nd iro originate for humorous a used

SPREAD DESIGN BY

LOUKYA GILLELLA

This shared sense of humor often acts as a keystone of Gen Z’s connected language. “[Brainrot] has helped me connect with people faster,” Ladue student Oliver Franz (11) said. “If you quote a meme or say something funny in an internet language, people instantly understand that you’re part of the same culture.”

The memes and shared jokes of the internet have burrowed their way into academic settings as well. This universal type of comedy, often shared and created through apps like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat will unite a classroom. “[Brainrot] is like a landmine,” Ladue student Joshua Gu (12) said. “There’s moments where people will say six and seven, and every [student] does the hand motions.

It affects how people pay attention in class, how we talk and how we interact with each other.”

Humor can act as more than a shared laugh or giggle. The jokes that a generation creates can often reflect the things they value, desires fears and their shared experience as a generational community. “[I] like how [slang] defines how [a] generation communicates,” English teacher Emma Lawson said, “There’s defining features of slang that kind of show what each generation cares about, finds funny or derives humor from. It binds you together with the people that have had those shared experiences. You’ve had all of these similar life experiences. You’ve had these moments that have given you guys a common sense of humor and communication.”

Although Gen Z’s odd slang and humor can lend to some criticism due to being made up, there is an underlying congruent pattern of language development. Specifically, the creation of words is a practice that can be dated back hundreds of years.

15

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

DIGITAL DIALECTS Types of commonly-used slang ILLUSTRATION BY SYDNEY GAO staff

IMITATIVE IN-DEPTH

Imitates the sounds of words or phrases to create a new slang term

CLIPPED Created by shortening words while keeping original meaning

FLIPPANT Combines unrelated words to form phrases with different meanings

16

“You look at somebody like Shakespeare, who was inventing words and changing the way people spoke,” Lawson said. “I have this awareness that language is ever evolving, and so I don’t really view it as either good or bad.”

The perceived meaninglessness of Gen Z slang frequently causes adults to scratch their head. Meanwhile, due to their personal understanding of the words, brainrot is able to act as a positive binding agent for the younger generation.

B

The pervasiveness of social media is the root cause of this larger connected language. A Pew Research report found that six in 10 teenagers use TikTok and Instagram. With so many younger people on the same platforms, a global language has been created, centered around their personal definitions of these unique words. The extensive reach of internet slang has made it easier for some younger people to interact with one another and form connections in the real world.

“Brainrot means this inability to use our good critical thinking skills and to engage with ourselves, our fellow man and the material we are encountering in the world in a critical manner.”

“[Slang] is part of what bonds [generations] together,” English teacher Jennifer Hartigan said. “I think that’s a good thing. It’s nice to speak a language that excludes others in a way, because it is something that is your own, and you can speak in your own language when you need to.”

Elaina Luckett, (10)

“[Brainrot] has brought my friends and I together,” Ladue student Elaina Luckett (10) said. “It’s so easy to start a conversation, make people laugh and bond over a common joke. It also helps me feel understood, because I feel like I can connect with [people] if [they] also [know the jokes]. The things that I

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FORM OF BRAINROT?

“I like ‘skibidi’ because there are a lot of jokes you can make with it.”

“My favorite brainrot is ‘domer’ because it’s funny.”

ILLUSTRATION BY EMERY MAO staff

SKY RAZAFSKY (9)

BRADY EARNHART (10)

IN-DEPTH

say make me feel closer with people, and it’s become easy to get a laugh out of anyone.”

DIVIDE While new vocabulary can shape who we are and strengthen bonds with those around us, the pervasive issues follow. With high schoolers who have grown up on the internet, many will struggle to code-switch from casual to formal settings.

“I’ve seen students write things like ‘I’m lowkey tired’ even in emails or assignments, which is kind of funny,” Franz said. “It blurs the line between internet language and academic language.”

Teachers have watched as the newer generation’s vocabulary gets increasingly smaller. Through the internet, words are replaced and changed from the original meaning.

Semantic shifts like these can be seen when a word like “cap,” originally meaning hat, is now used online by Gen Z to mean lying.

“I certainly am noticing a regression in vocabulary and understanding,” Lawson said. “Sometimes these slang words change the meaning of an already existing word. And that’s something that has happened throughout history, but it can create challenges and barriers.”

Language has always been changing, until the new becomes normal. In ancient Rome, the Latin word decessus, meaning departure,

was introduced as a more appealing replacement for mors, or death. This has been passed on throughout centuries into modern English, where words related to the end of life, like “deceased,” originate from a word that was basically ancient slang.

“Language is constantly evolving to the current moment,” Hartigan said. “The terminology we have for everything, the slang words we use. So of course, there’s going to be new words, there’s going to be new slang, and then in a year or two, that’s replaced by all new stuff.”

The biggest splits from new terminology are with different age groups. It forces older generations to learn new words and sayings that can die out in under a month. Further, it causes confusion because new slang can have different connotations depending on context.

“One time I said ‘SYBAU’ to my mom, and she took away my phone,” Luckett said. “But when I’m with my friends and I say that, it doesn’t really mean anything to me. It’s just a silly word. When I said it to my mom, she looked up what it meant and did not take it [as] a joke. It was a big misunderstanding. With the older generation, it’s hard for them to understand that some things just don’t have a real meaning.”

More than dividing generations, slang can cause confusion when it’s not in your native tongue. When you learn from a textbook, it’s easy to get lost when local words are thrown in.

MORE TO KNOW

50% of teenagers have 4 or more hours of screen time per day time

SOURCE: cdc.gov

24%

of teenagers are social media addicits

SOURCE: nlm.gov

62% of students think brainrot and slang have connected people

Panorama surveyed 286 students Dec. 1

“When I first got to Chile, I didn’t even know what language these people were speaking,” Spanish teacher Mary DeLia said. “It made me lose my confidence in Spanish for a while. But then once I started learning the [slang], I was becoming like a local Chilean.”

The same can be said with Franz.

As a transfer student from Germany and with English being his second language, unknown generational vocabulary took time to learn and adjust to, causing confusion.

“When I first arrived [in the US], I didn’t understand what ‘six sendy’ meant or even ‘chopped,’” Franz said. “[Slang] can make things confusing for people who don’t understand the slang, especially international students or older generations.”

The increase in brainrot memes and terms stems from the fact that younger generations are more often online. Consuming information is incredibly simple, coupled with the accessibility and addictiveness of scrolling forever. Brainrot doesn’t just describe the funny terms and weird memes used with ones friends – it’s mindless digital content.

“Brainrot means this inability to use our good critical thinking skills and to engage with ourselves, our fellow man and the material we are encountering in the world in a critical manner,” Hartigan said. “We are atrophying a lot of the skills that we need, because we are giving them over to the machines.” P

“I like 67. It’s recent and so widespread in society.”

“I really like saying the word, ‘ts’. I use it everyday.”

“Gyatt is so funny, so it is probably my favorite form of slang.”

MATTHEW XUBACH (11)

ANABELLA ACOSTA (11)

KATE LACKEY (12)

SPREAD DESIGN BY

SYDNEY GAO

17

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

SOCIAL DIGITS

Panorama surveyed 286 students Dec. 1

On a scale of 1 to 5, has internet slang divided or connected people?

9.7% Strongly Disagree

38.1%

40% 35%

20.5% Disagree

23.8%

25%

26.3% Agree

20% 15% 10% 5%

6.4% 2.8%

0%

1

2

3

4

6.1% Strongly Agree

5

SOURCE: HHS.gov

30% 25%

On a scale of 1 to 5, how brainrotted do you consider yourself?

21.4%

10%

Consuming brainrot makes it harder for me to concentrate

%

9 in 10 teenagers aged 13-17 report using a social media platform

18

37.4% Neutral

28.8%

30% IN-DEPTH

Student statistics reveal the impacts of brainrot on Gen Z

13.6%

50.5 of students feel that online slang is changing their vocabulary

%

51.5

of students feel that using certain slang terms helps me connect with my friends

OPINIONS

PANORAMA PERSPECTIVE

To combat low student

involvement with administration, dedicated time for interaction is needed during the school day

A

Amidst the era of student advisory boards, superintendent search forums and monthly open board meetings, one may think student inclusion and interaction with administration or the Board of Education would be at an all-time high. However, many students have never attended a school board meeting and out of 279 students surveyed by Panorama Dec. 4, just over 40% of those students have never met the superintendent. In a school as large as ours, with over 1,300 students, it is a difficult feat to include each and every student in these decisions while maintaining some semblance of organization for higher-ups.

In order to speak at a board meeting or raise a concern, you must submit a card with personal information such as your full

name, phone number and address. Furthermore, board meetings are often held at 6 p.m. or later, a time that makes it difficult for many students to attend. Those without a license or mode of transportation available cannot easily get to such meetings. To combat this, students could try emailing in their concerns or directly speaking to an administrator. However, many of these are forgotten about without constant pressure from the inquirer. But between the large courseloads and countless extracurriculars many students are committed to, there is little time to send follow up emails and schedule in-person meetings to continue the conversation with higher ups.

While the administration has made many efforts to include a variety of student voices in the superintendent search and other important changes or decisions, it is difficult for students to understand that their voice will be heard in these forums when they are only communicated with over a screen. Because of this, in-person conversations between students and administration are ideal for these topics. During the superintendent search, administration understood this and used seminar time to speak with students. However, many students were unaware or not willing to sacrifice their study time for this.

Editorial note: Each editorial, Panorama selects an issue that the staff thinks is important to address and expresses a view that belongs to the majority of the editorial board. Panorama welcomes the opinions of its readers and encourages letters to the editors. Panorama reserves the right to revise submissions for length so long as original intent remains unaltered.

SPREAD DESIGN BY

LOUKYA GILLELLA

& ISAAC ZELINSKE

24 LADUE MEDIA EDITORS AGREE 1 LADUE MEDIA EDITOR DISAGREES

Twice a week during seminar homeroom, students sit for 25 minutes without doing much besides listening to the occasional anti-bullying lesson or filling out a survey. Of these few lessons or presentations, almost none are thoughtfully consumed by students. That is over two hours a month spent mindlessly scrolling on your computer. With so much time spent doing nothing, why aren’t we doing something?

A much better use of this time would be to address the lack of student involvement in administrative decisions by inviting administrators and board members into the classroom for a face-to-face conversation with students and staff. In order to engage conversations and gather student input, there should be several seminar periods set aside for administrators and board members to travel through classes and meet students. As we continue searching for a new superintendent and see a variety of changes in the district policies, accurate and accessible student involvement is a necessity. By bringing higher ups into the classroom and fostering an environment of student engagement with administration, the ability of students to communicate concerns will be easier and student voices will become stronger, ultimately strengthening the overall Ladue community. P

SOMETHING TO ADD? Scan here for more on letters to the editor, guest essays, submitting correction and the full editorial policy.

19

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

OPINIONS

PUSHING THE PAWN The recent government shutdown exposes Trump’s cynical use of American pain

A

AS TRUMP AND HIS SENATORS refused to budge on slashes to healthcare, millions of Americans starved for weeks.

They didn’t have to undergo this hardship; the administration made the choice to put them through it on the basis that the pain of the masses was less important than the political gain of the few. They were stuck in limbo, expendable pawns in a game of politics they had no hope of winning.

The government shutdown, caused

by Democrats’ refusal to allow billions in healthcare slashes companied with

20

unjustly refused. It wasn’t because they had to. They weren’t legally prevented from using the fund — but they had a political goal ILLUSTRATION BY NORA BRUNNQUELL they were willing to reach at the expense of staff millions of low-income Americans.

Republicans used the hunger of milTrump’s influencing Republican senators to refuse typical budget negotiation, caused lions of Americans to strongarm Senate funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Democrats into forking over their votes. It Assistance Program to end. Without this inevitably worked; six Democrats and one program, millions of individuals and fam- independent voted to pass the budget, enabling the Trump administration to further ilies were left unable to feed themselves.

There is a contingency fund of over their goal of defunding public healthcare.

The current administration doesn’t five billion dollars designed to fund SNAP during shutdowns. However, the Trump see politics as a means of helping peoadministration maliciously claimed they ple; they’re ready to deploy the suffering were legally unable to use this fund to of millions as a gambit to get what they support the benefits, in spite of earlier leg- want. The masses that starved mean as litislation they passed designed to allow the tle to them as the masses who stand to lose contingency fund to be used for SNAP in healthcare do. People are just numbers, so the case of a government shutdown. Not who cares if the tally falls by a few?

Pieces in chess can easily be sacrificed only is their refusal to deploy the fund hypocritical, it’s also downright undemocratic. for a check that helps the player. The pawns Despite further documents and addi- are void of meaning, utterly dispensable tional court orders demanding that the and incapable of winning. When people federal government use the contingency become pawns, we can’t win either — only money to fund SNAP, the administration survive to risk being sacrificed. P

BY ADELAIDE FLINTROP staff

OPINIONS

THE TANK’S TAKE

HARD TRUTHS Trump’s actions have done massive damage to the American people. Here are the receipts.

41

The American people are less different than they seem The American people are less different than they seem BY

BY FRANK FRANK CHEN CHEN opinions opinions editor editor

million Americans lost SNAP benefits due to lack of funding during the shutdown

ILLUSTRATION BY ILLUSTRATION

BY FIONA FIONA VAN ALLEN VAN ALLEN art editor-in-chief art editor-in-chief

NOV. 15, 2024, A YOUNG New York state legislator named Zohran Mamdani filmed himself walking through the Bronx. A self-described socialist who graduated from Bowdoin College, he’d set out to do something unusual: he wanted to interview Trump voters.

Across the nation, Democrats were panicking. One week after the 2024 Elections, maps showed massive shifts across every state towards the Republican party. New York City was no exception — even in one of the bluest cities in America, the Republicans had gained footholds among every age and ethnic group.

The Democrats, pundits crowed, had pushed too far left — and the people had pushed to the right.

Americans love to put politics on a spectrum: Democrats on the left, Republicans to the right and blocs of loyal voters fighting for each side.

Politics, then, is more than a battle between opposing parties; it’s a war between literal opposites.

Mamdani, however, saw something different. Of all the people he talked to, no one spouted off about “conservative values” or glazed the Republican establishment. They did, however, talk about the economy, about how rising prices — for gas, rent and even food — had slowly crushed their American Dreams.

7.8 $793

million lose heathcare with newly passed budget cuts

billion cut from public healthcare by the “Big Beautiful Bill”

days that the government shutdown lasted, an alltime record

43

$5

billion could have been used to fund SNAP —Trump said no

WANT MORE? “Pushing the Pawn” has been abridged. Scan here for the full version.

SPREAD DESIGN BY

ADELAIDE FLINTROP

& FRANK CHEN

15,Yorker 2024,putA it,YOUNG As NOV. one New “people New York legislator believe named want lower state prices…they Zohran Mamdani filmed [Trump] will give them that.”himself walking througha truth the Bronx.

A This reflects that many self-described socialist who graduknow but few acknowledge: on evatedlevel fromofBowdoin, he’d setthe outtwo to ery the class divide, do something unusual: he wanted parties are closer than they seem. to interview Trump voters.

Let’s start from the top. As difAcross ferent as theythe likenation, to claimDemocrats their “valwere are, panicking. week after ues” each partyOne is dominated by the 2024 Elections,ofelectoral similar assortments lobbyistsmaps and showed massive shifts acrossinevery billionaires.

Some groups, fact, state towards Republican party. influence boththe parties at once: the New York City was no Zionist group AIPAC, for exception example, — even one senators. of the bluest cities backs 91 in of 100 in The America, the Republicans had American people are also gained than a foothold among every age closer their party lines suggest andand ethnic TheA Democrats, — theygroup. know it.

2024 Ipsos pundits alleged, had pushed too far poll showed that even in the chaos of left last — and the people pushed to the election, 69% had of Americans the right. agreed that “most Americans want loveout to imagine the Americans same things of life.” politThat ical identity a spectrum: Demmakes sense.asWhether youthe lean left ocrats on the the kids left, or right, Republicans to need to be fed and rightneed and blocs the bills to be of loyal constitupaid.

When that’s entspossible, fighting little for not eachmatters. side. Amerielse canThere’s politics, athen, lot is more than that just to suggest a battle between old party lines are parties; it’sIna batfaltering. retle between cent months,clashcore ing ideals, a war MAGA Republibetween opposites. cans likepolar Tucker Carlson and MarMamdani, however, somejorie Taylor Greene havesaw splintered thingTrump different.

Of all the people he with on everything from fortalkedpolicy to, noto one spoutedfiles. off about eign the Epstein “conservative or glazed the Democrats values” have been rebelling Republican They as well. Backestablishment. in New York, Mamdid, however, talk about the econodani’s honest messaging catapulted my, about rising prices — for him from how obscure local figure to gas, rent celebrity. and even food — had slownational Terrified, billionly crushed theirAckman American Dreams. aires like Bill poured milAs one Yorker putupit,establish“people lions of New dollars to prop want lower prices…they that ment candidates — butbelieve Mamdani Trump will give that.” won anyway.

Thethem people are on the truth many rise,This and reflects the rulersa are on that the run. know few acknowledge: on evIf but Trump weren’t so nervous P ery level the class divide, right now, of I think he’d be proud.both

21 23

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

VALUE CONNECTION, NOT CONSUMERISM

SHOPPING

BY THE NUMBERS

Hyperconsumerism harms the Earth we should be honoring with each season

Panorama surveyed 278 students Dec. 1

BY SOPHIE COWLEN staff OPINIONS

THERE ARE ALWAYS telltale signs when the seasons shift.

As summer fades into autumn, many people feel joy the first day they can breathe in cool, crisp air. Some people also walk outside and admire the changing leaves. As fall cools into winter, families count down the days until the first snow falls and bundle up by fires. For a long time, people have connected to nature every season while also creating lasting memories. But as the years go by, a growing issue needs to be addressed: peoples’ connection to nature is slowly being drowned out by the noise of consumerism.

Now, before the air even starts to cool, seasonal products have already popped up on shelves. Whether a store is displaying a scented candle or home decor, it’s their way of saying that people need to buy their way into the seasons. The seasons are now gateways to capitalism, rather than connection. Consequently, people believe that they need these “must-have” products to enjoy the coming season, but through peoples’ attempts to cherish the seasons, they’ve replaced meaningful connections to nature with harmful consumerism. As a society, we need to stop shopping our way into the seasons because by doing so, the consumption is hurting the environment we should be celebrating.

22

To minimize mass consumption, it’s crucial that people consider a product’s environmental impact when shopping by asking themselves, “What went into manufacturing this product, and what will happen to it when I’m no longer using it?” These two questions can shed light on the true impact of an item. Take a plastic Christmas tree for example. It seems harmless, but to make a product like that, virgin plastic (or fossil fuels) was likely used, it had to be manufactured in an energy-intensive factory and it had to be shipped through all of these steps before finally making it to the shelves. On a mass scale, these processes catalyze climate change.

It’s also important to take into account the “end of life” of a product. For a plastic Christmas tree, its fate would be sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years, slowly breaking down into microplastics. That’s why taking the whole “life” of a product into consideration is so important; it uncovers its true environmental impact. Slowing down to think about these environmental impacts helps people realize that purchasing a product just isn’t worth it.

Being thoughtful shoppers can work to change the idea that hyper-consumerism is normal. In the cooler months, skip the holiday sales, the home decor and the meaningless gifts and connect more to the things that matter. By ending the mass consumption of products and not giving into trends and aesthetics, we can actually honor the planet and solve environmental issues. P

How often students purchase new decorations for the seasons

5%

15.4%

13.7% 16.6%

49.4% = Never = Every few years = Once a year

= A couple times a year = Every season

How often students stop to think about the environmental impact of what they’re buying

3.3% 13.9%

30%

24.2%

28.6%

= Never

= Often

= Rarely

= Always

= Sometimes

% 78.1

of students agree that society has normalized consumerism to a harmful point

OPINIONS

#CANCELED? NOT EXACTLY

BY REVATHY CHADALAVADA staff

W

WHEN COMEDIAN LOUIS C.K. returned to sold-out shows less than a year after being “canceled” for sexual misconduct, it exposed something uncomfortable: public outrage burns hot but rarely burns long. The cycle is familiar now — an influencer gets exposed, a brand is boycotted for a week, a podcast vanishes only to return with a new logo. The entire internet erupts in moral fury, hashtags peak, and then… the world scrolls on.

Focusing on the spectacle alone blurs something important: not all consequences are equal, and not all “cancelations” are unjust. The panic around cancel culture often erases the line between genuine harm and honest disagreement. When every misstep is framed as cancel culture, people stop distinguishing between accountability and overreaction.

Cancel culture began as a tool for calling out misconduct when institutions failed to act. But in a system optimized for clicks and conflict, being “canceled” can boost visibility as much as it penalizes it.

That doesn’t make consequences meaningless — it just means viral outrage often replaces thoughtful judgment. Real accountability deSPREAD DESIGN BY SOPHIE COWLEN

Viral outrage burns hot, dies fast and rarely fixes the problems it claims to solve

PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINCENT HSIAO photo editor-in-chief

pends on intent, context and actual harm, not whether someone trended for all the wrong reasons.

In its early years, online callouts filled a gap. When institutions guarded abusers or ignored marginalized voices, social media created a pressure valve. Movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter showed how collective digital action could force responses where traditional systems stalled. A 2024 article in the Journal of the American Philosophical Association calls online callouts “norm-enacting speech” — a way of reinforcing emerging social standards before institutions catch up. But the mechanism quickly got overloaded. Mass online punishment drifted from simple tool to spectacle. A Yale study found posts triggering moral outrage spread about 20% faster on Twitter than neutral content, meaning the loudest, angriest reactions tend to drown out nearly everything else.

The outcome is a culture where people fear missteps not because authorities will intervene, but because peers, or algorithms, might. Screenshots flatten context. Nuance gets lost. And “canceled” becomes so overused that it stops meaning much at all. If every single offense is treated like the worst one, it becomes harder to tell real harm from human error. This distinction matters. Some speech warrants consequences: harassment, bigotry, targeted misinformation. But piling on someone for awkward phrasing, a disputed take or a mainstream belief outside a group’s comfort zone recreates the exact problem critics warn about: punishment driven by collective mood rather than clear standards.

& REVA CHADALAVADA

NUMBERS DON’T LIE

61%

of U.S. adults reported that they had heard the term “cancel culture.”

Tweets on polarizing topics are

20% more likely to be reshared

Only

12% of people believe that “cancel culture” is mostly about accountability

SOURCES: Pew Research Center, Wisconsin Symposium on Emotion, PubMed Central

Many public figures labeled “canceled,” from YouTubers like James Charles to authors like J.K. Rowling, remain commercially successful. Outrage often helps them.

Meanwhile, normal people face lost jobs, harassment or public humiliation over comments that were misguided but made in good faith. Informal digital power steps in where formal systems never would.

If accountability is the goal, measured, structural responses matter more than viral storms. Demonization should be rare. Research by Herry Mulyono and Benediktus Rolando suggests that consistent disengagement — not public rage — has more durable impact. Quiet shifts in attention weaken harmful influence more effectively than trending anger. Measures like demonetization, contract enforcement or platform restrictions create actual boundaries for our society without devolving into harassment. They’re mostly grounded in high standards and reason, not huge digital mobs.

A healthier culture rests on humility, truth and good-faith interpretation. When conflict becomes dogpiling, empathy becomes performance. Quiet disengagement from harmful behavior and support for alternatives creates change long after the noise dies down. People should practice this steadier form of judgment that outlasts the noise. It’s less glamorous than a public takedown, but more effective. If we treated accountability as a process rather than a spectacle, we’d build a culture that corrects mistakes without destroying people — and one where consequences finally match the harm, not P the volume of the crowd. P

23

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

A&E

ILLUSTRATION BY NORA BRUNQUELL

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Choir students perform their fall concert in the PAC Nov. 13.

They performed songs they had been practicing for months prior to the concert. “I think we performed really well,” Choir student Jayden Hayes (12) said. “We all worked really hard and that showed.” (photo by Alex Du)

CHOIR CONCERT

BY ADELA GINGRICH arts & entertainment editor

Students perform in fall choir concert Nov. 13

THE SOFT SOUNDS OF stressing about notes or the perforharmonious voices echo from be- mance. We were just here to make hind the Performing Arts Center music and have fun.” doors. Inside, choir students are Though the students sang as a lined up on the stage, dressed head group for most of the night, a few to toe in formal attire, performed solos. Anthony sheet music in hand. Held INTERESTED? Zhao’s (12) solo of “ThinkNov. 13, both Treble and ing Out Loud” by Ed SheerScan for a Q&A with a Baritone Choirs peran proved to be a challenge, performer formed for their fall conbut one he could work for. cert, singing pieces that “I was pretty nervous,” they have been practicing Zhao said. “But I was defisince the beginning of the nitely excited because I school year. knew I put in the work for Choir teacher Ruth hours and hours.”

Grollman found that her Overall, Grollman bestudents performed exceptionally lieves her students’ hard work and well in front of a crowd, despite the diligent practice paid off, claiming nerves and stress that come with the concert as a success. It served singing in front of an audience. as an opportunity to showcase their “The students are just so pre- technique and vocal abilities. pared and they come and work real“I feel very proud of the stuly hard,” Grollman said. “And that’s dents,” Grollman said. “I hope that when it’s the best: when you’re not they [also] feel proud.” P

24

STARBUCKS WINTER MENU GINGERBREAD CHAI Like a better Starbucks chai; with gingerbread cold foam and a dash of pumpkin spice, a winter drink couldn’t get tastier.

POLAR BEAR CAKE POP A fun holiday twist on the classic Starbucks cake pop. However, it’s incomparable to birthday cake, which reigns superior over plain vanilla.

SUGAR COOKIE LATTE For non-coffee drinkers, this may not be a top choice. While its taste isn’t too different from a latte, it still has a boost of energy.

CRANBERRY BAR This decadent bar is a trademark treat, the kind of dessert that’s hard to find.

Dry and flaky on its own, it’s best with a drink from the winter menu.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WHAT WAS YOUR TOP SONG THIS YEAR?

“

ESHAA DEORE (11)

“

JACKSON LLOYD (10)

[Mine] was Guilty as Sin, I played it a lot at the beginning of the year since I was preparing for the Eras Tour.”

Source: Apple Music

My top song was Holland, 1945 by Neutral Milk Hotel because they have a unique sound [and] they’re niche.”

Source: Apple Music

“

LEIGH STOKES (9) I think [my top song] was We Hug Now by Sydney Rose [because] I would play it while I sleep.”

Source: Apple Music

Stanley water bottles were all the craze in 2023, which carried over into 2024. With tons of collabs, Stanley managed to capture the hearts of teenagers (and the wallets of their parents). If we’re being honest, more than hydration, the water bottle is probably most helpful to knock someone out in case of an emergency.

The Owala water bottle has seen a rise in popularity this year, which can be attributed to trends and its patented FreeSip design. This design allows people to either sip with a straw or drink from the mouth. Although there are knockoffs, Owala users will tell you nothing is quite like the original.

TILLES PARK

CANDY CANE LANE

When: Nov. 26-Jan. 3 Where: Tilles Park (9551 Litzsinger) Price: Based on vehicle size A holiday favorite, the Winter Wonderland lights are a must-see.

The event provides a drive-through experience for those unwilling to walk in the cold. Either way, the bright colors are sure to captivate.

When: Nov. 28- Dec. 31 Where: 6500 Block Murdoch Price: Free, but donations accepted Take a drive through the famously lit-up neighborhood known as Candy Cane Lane. Here, families come together to turn their neighborhood into art. Best enjoyed with family or friends and a cup of hot cocoa.

SPREAD DESIGN BY

MEDHA CHODE

& ANGELLA ZHANG

STL LIGHTS

BUDWEISER BREWERY When: Nov. 22-Dec. 30 Where: Anheuser-Busch St. Louis Price: $7-12 Located in the Anheuser-Busch Brewery, the Brewery Lights are a magical experience. Millions of twinkling lights decorate the brewery, as s’mores roast and people enjoy the lights and array of food.

OWALA

STANLEY

TRENDING WATER BOTTLE BRANDS

25

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

LEFT: The interior of Cuatro Tacos. Although there isn’t a place inside to eat, there is a shared dining area next door.

RIGHT: The outside of the Cuatro Tacos building. The restaurant is open Sundays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Tuesdays to Saturdays 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., but closed Mondays.

A&E

TACO ‘BOUT TASTY

H

Henry Madden reviews Cuatro Tacos, a newly opened, authentic taqueria in Tower Grove South

HAVING OPENED SEPT. 30, Cuatro Tacos serves as the most recent addition to the Morgan Ford community and is located at 3173 Morgan Ford Rd. I walked into Cuatro Tacos and ordered four different items: the Chorizo Quesadilla, Chicken Tacos, Steak Tacos and the Birria Burrito. I immediately noticed the charming atmosphere and kind staff. Satisfied with the environment, I settled in to try some new tacos. P

26

1. CHORIZO QUESADILLA Two-thirds of the globe are lactose intolerant and tragically are unable to experience the Chorizo Quesadilla from Cuatro Tacos. Before digging in you notice the neon orange, strangely divine, grease.

Normally, grease is a punishment — but here, it is simply the cherry on top. The actual chorizo is good, but the cheese, grease and pico de gallo are the highlights.

2. STEAK TACO In the 70s, Diana Kennedy’s cookbook “Cuisines of Mexico,” divided the hard shell of America and the soft shell of Mexico. Since then, authentic taco shops have grown fast.

Cuatro Tacos makes an effort to be as authentic as possible and does it well. The vegetables are fresh but in the end the beef fell flat. The steak is unimpressive, and overall these tacos were simply fine.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

VEGGIELICIOUS

3. CHICKEN TACO George H.W. Bush is largely forgotten by history as a single-term president. But amongst his illustrious career, what always stuck out is that the 41st president of the United States hated broccoli. I always sympathized with him — I hated vegetables. That is what made the chicken tacos stand out. The chicken is great, but it is not the focus of the dish, the vegetables are. Although the veggies just looked like green stuff to me, they tasted incredible.

BY MEDHA CHODE arts & entertainment editor

4. BIRRIA BURRITO Until my trip to Cuatro Tacos, I hadn’t had a Birria Burrito before. After my trip to Cuatro Tacos, I deeply regretted that. The best part was dipping it into consomme sauce and letting the balance of cilantro, cheese, beans and stewed beef shine. It was by far my favorite combo and simply confirmed to me that burritos truly are one of man’s absolute greatest creations.

CRAZY FOR TACOS Panorama surveyed 175 students what the best taco was

15 said Al Pastor

68 said Carne Asada

ILLUSTRATION

BY FIONA VAN ALLEN

12 said Barbacoa

58 said Birria

22 said Carnitas

While most tacos use meat, many people have dietary restrictions. Here is my easy vegetarian potato taco recipe.

Ingredients:

- oil to fry - four to six tortillas - two tbsp sour cream - two large yellow potatoes - seasonings (See QR code) - a half cup shredded cheese - two minced garlic cloves - a fourth cup chopped cilantro

Procedure:

1. Peel and chop your potatoes into cubes and put them into a pan with water covering them 2. Boil until potatoes are tender (takes 20-25 minutes) 3. Mix seasonings, garlic, cilantro, sour cream and cheese 4. Drain and mash potatoes before adding in your mixture 6. Spread the potato mixture over your tortillas, then fry with oil on each side before folding them in half

CURIOUS? Scan for my seasoning mix and some tips

SPREAD DESIGN BY

MEDHA CHODE

& ANGELLA ZHANG

27

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

SPORTS IN REVIEW BASKETBALL

LEFT: Brielle DeRuisseau (12) swims the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay during the Cape City of Roses Invitational at the Cape Aquatic Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo.“We’re all working for collective points, but it’s individual,” DeRuisseau said. “You have to perform well on your own.” (photo

by Vincent Hsiao)

GIRLS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL The varsity girls’ basketball team’s next game will be held at STEAM Academy, Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. Afterwards, the team will play their next rival game against Parkway West High School, Jan. 15 at 6 p.m.

BY EMILY TINNIN & GABRIELLA BELTRANENA staff

ABOVE: Tamera Currie (11) jumps for the ball during a game against Cor Jesu Academy Nov. 25. This was the teams second game of the season.

“My goal for us is that we work together [as a team],” Currie said. (photo by Avery Murray)

BOYS’ VARSITY BASKETBALL The boys’ varsity basketball team had a strong start to their 2025-26 season with their 57-51 win against John Burroughs School Nov. 20.

ABOVE: William Becker (11) dribbles down the court of the John Burroughs gym. By the end of the game, Becker had scored 27 points. “The first possession of the second half, we had three really good passes,” Becker said. (photo by Giselle Stoeva)

The girls swim and dive team tackles the season with new strategies and goals

THE GIRLS’ SWIM AND DIVE team at Ladue is making waves this winter, led by captains Brielle DeRuisseau (12), Mia Singer (11), Ruby Jurgiel (11) and Annabelle Shepley (12), as they chase a conference win. Head coach Robert Peglar emphasizes unity and technical precision with this new group to most efficiently shape a successful season for them.

“A lot of it is [an] evaluation [of their] technique, endurance, strength [and] all the aspects of what goes into a program skill-wise,” Peglar said.

This initial phase is rigorous to familiarize the athletes with the high demands of the sport. DeRuisseau described how team culture is crucial for overcoming the

CHEER

HEALTH & SPORTS

28

SETTING THE PACE

The Ladue Cheer team is taking on the winter season by maintaining strict conditioning. Head Coach Merri Cross includes practice sessions with intense dynamic warmups, cheering practice and material review for all home basketball games that they will perform at this winter. “We try to switch it up when doing straight conditioning so we are making sure our athletes get a full body workout,” Cross said. (photo by Devin Freeman)

hurdle of isolated stress that an individual might encounter within the sport.

“Swimming is [as much] an individual [sport] as [it is] a team sport,” said DeRuisseau.

High individual pressure creates performance anxiety for many swimmers.

Coaches and captains counteract this by focusing on measurable personal growth to keep athletes engaged and motivated.

Ultimately, achievements are dictated by the effort and dedication of each swimmer.

“After every meet, as a group, [we] celebrate personal best times,” Peglar said.

“This is regardless of level. You swam a better time than you did before, [so] we celebrate that.” P

HOCKEY

HEALTH & SPORTS

“

Hobey Alton (12)

“

So far, we haven’t got off to the start that I would’ve liked or assumed but we have a lot of time to still get things together and get into the shape we want to be in.”

I feel like we have been doing good so far, but I feel like there are improvements we need to continue to make.”

Scan for more photos of players from the Nov. 14 Ladue v. Clayton game

WRESTLING

BY GABRIELLA BELTRANENA staff AS LADUE STUDENTS MAKE their way into the wrestling gym this year, they are met with a couple new faces. One of them being Zachary Alvarado. With over a decade of coaching experience and a background of wrestling in Cincinnati, Ohio. Alvarado is eager to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with the team.

“I am excited to teach the kids a lot of counter-offense this year,” Alvarado said.

“Nothing better than getting an opponent who thinks they’re going to out-muscle you, only to show them that technique can win if you know how to use it.”

His history in sports dates back to his childhood, first starting wrestling at the age of 10 and competing throughout high school at 126 lbs. as a senior in Ohio.

“After I met the other coaches and some of the kids, I felt right at home,” Al-

GABRIELLA BELTRANENA

The season started off a little slow, but as a whole we’ve started to pick it up, and we’re getting back to the skill level the entire team knows we can be at.”

LEFT: Hobey Alton (12) looks to pass the puck. The team played against their rival, Clayton High school, Nov. 14. (photo by Risa Fingerman)

SPREAD DESIGN BY

“

Braeden Hood (10)

Ruilong Tang (11)

LEFT: Miles Settler (12) guards the goal. The team beat Westminister high school 6-0 Nov. 6. (photo by Rylie Dolan)

The wrestling team welcomes experienced wrestler and new volunteer coach Zachary Alvarado

varado said. “Love the room, the energy and the attitudes.”

The road to Ladue began unexpectedly for Alvarado, who had met Head Coach Kevin Clawson at a national tournament.

Clawson’s invitation to volunteer quickly led to Alvarado joining the program.

“He’s done a really good job at stepping in,” Clawson said. “He’s younger, and can get in and assimilate with the kids a little bit better.”

Alvarado’s primary focus in the practice room is instilling advanced technical skills to give Ladue wrestlers an edge against opponents. At the end of the day, Alvarado’s goal is to have as many kids on the team make it to districts and state.

“The more coaches we have up [in the gym], the better it’s gonna be for all the kids,” Clawson said. P

ABOVE: Zachary Alvarado demonstrates a wrestling move on Kevin Bui (11) as James Smith (12) watches. During their Nov. 25 practice, the team had been taught a new move and Alvarado stepped in to help out with teaching. “It’s all about post season tournaments like sectionals, districts and getting as many kids to state as possible so they can experience the big show,” Alvarado said. (photo by Gabriella Beltranena)

29

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

TEAR AND REPAIR

BY ELSA FLORES-TAMAYO staff

HEALTH & SPORTS

T

TEARING THE ANTERIOR CRUciate ligament, a component of the knee necessary for sports, is an injury feared by athletes all over the world. In the millisecond it takes for the ACL to tear, an athletes career is no longer their number one focus, recovery is. This process can take an immense toll on an athlete’s physical and mental health, often leading athletes to permanently step away from their sport.

As ACL injuries become more common in young athletes, recovery and prevention techniques improve as well ACL tears happen so frequently in high performing athletes compared to other people because the ligament isn’t necessary for everyday walking or light running, but it is needed for athletes to jump, cut and pivot.

“When athletes cut, their feet stop, but their body’s momentum keeps going, and that puts the stress in the knee,” Orthopedic Surgeon Matthew Matava said. “That tends to lead to a tear.”

The increasing prevalence of turf fields is one reason why ACL tears have become so common in recent years. Athletes sink further into turf fields than grass, making it much easier for them to get injured when performing at a high level. The growing popularity of these fields has affected female athletes more than anyone. It has become increasingly clear that women are more susceptible to ACL tears.

“The most commonly accepted reason as to why [women experience more ACL tears than men] has to do with neu-

Q&A WITH ATHLETE

30

Caroline Burrus (10) answers questions about her ACL tear and the recovery process

What were you doing when you tore your ACL?

Are you doing anything now to prevent future injury?

I tore my ACL playing basketball last year.

Now I just go to the gym and focus on rebuilding the muscles that I lost in my legs.

What was the recovery process like for you?

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in the recovery process?

I started physical therapy a couple days after my surgery and did that for about six months.

Then I started a workout program that was recommended to me by my surgeon that was structured around ACL tear recovery.

romuscular firing patterns,” Matava said.

“When a boy has a force on the knee that [drives] the tibia forward, which would tear the ACL, boys reflexively fire their hamstrings. When they contract, that pulls the shin bone back and protects the ACL.” In addition to a person’s natural anatomy, their neuromuscular firing patterns, specific timing of electrical signals sent from the nerves to the muscles, ultimately cause an ACL tear. These patterns control which muscles contract and how fast they do so. Often in reaction to an external force, these electrical signals are subconscious and happen immediately.

“When girls have the same force on their shin bone, on the tibia that pulls the knee forward, they reflexively fire their quadriceps muscle,” Matava said. “That pulls the tibia even more forward, which tends to result in an ACL tear.”

After the ACL is torn, the recovery process begins. Fully recovering from an ACL

The biggest challenge was the mental aspect of it because I was sad I couldn’t play sports that year.

It was hard to have to think about my knee whenever I wanted to hangout with friends.

ABOVE: Caroline Burrus (10) uses a TENS machine at physical therapy.

These give temporary pain relief and stimulate the surrounding nerves. (photos courtesy of Caroline Burrus)

HEALTH & SPORTS

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS anterior view of right knee

LCL Meniscus

PCL

ILLUSTRATION BY MEG MYCKATYN health & sports editor

There is an 11.2% chance that a patient will hurt their opposite knee in the next six years following surgery

%

%

85

femur

MCL

torn ACL

What an ACL tear looks like and information about recovery

of patients are able to return to a similar level of physical activity as before they were injured

70

of ACL tears are non-contact

Panorama surveyed 245 students Dec. 1 The frequency that students think about hurting their ACL

= Never = Rarely

29.3%

= Sometimes = Often

24.7% 8.8%

37.2%

tibia

1in50

students have torn their ACL

CURIOUS?

Levels of an ACL tear: fibula

SOURCES: Cleveland Clinic, Panorama Orthopedics & Spine Center

GRADE I: There is a stretch and minor damage, but the ligament is still intact.

Scan for ACL tear prevention exercises

GRADE II: The ligament is partially torn, and the connection between bones is loosened.

GRADE III: The ACL is torn all the way through, and it is split into two pieces.

tear is a process that can take from seven months to over a year. For some athletes, extended time away from their sport can become very frustrating and uncomfortable. Dual sport athlete Caroline Burrus (10) tore her ACL during her freshman year basketball tryouts and found a way to stay motivated throughout her recovery.

“Throughout the process of recovery, I had many goals to reach,” Burrus said. “In the first two weeks after my surgery, my main goal was getting the range of motion in my knee to 90 degrees, and then later I had goals like learning how to walk again, being able to use the stairs and being able to run and jump.”

In addition to the physical challenges athletes face when looking to bounce back from an ACL tear, the often necessary surgical intervention and time away from physical activity can lead to mental challenges as well. These obstacles are often overlooked, not treated the same as physical ones and last beyond the initial pain.

SPREAD DESIGN BY

MEG MYCKATYN

“Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to play sports for another year was hard for me because sports had been such a constant in my life until that point,” Burrus said. “It was hard to sit out on the sidelines and watch my friends play knowing I couldn’t.

It was also hard to have to consider my knee when it came to things like hanging out with my friends, traveling and school.”

A mental struggle that comes with an ACL tear is the fear of returning to sports.

The painful tear and challenging recovery process can make athletes apprehensive about going back to the level of training that they were participating in before.

“That’s called kinesiophobia,” Matava said. “It’s the most common cause of having football players not go back to play football after ACL tears because they’re fearful of reinjury.”

Even though it is possible for people to make full comebacks after ACL tears, training for prevention is highly encouraged because this injury can happen to

anyone, and a person’s overall fitness plays only a small role in preventing a tear. “[General fitness] definitely plays a role, however the right areas need to be equal and strong,” athletic trainer Kelsey Towey said. “The stronger a joint is, the less stress applied to ligaments with an outside force.

But if there is a muscle imbalance it can actually cause more strain on parts of the joint, in turn putting the ligaments at risk.”

An ACL tear can be a cause for high anxiety among athletes, but there are steps that can be taken in order to avoid the injury; taking care of general health in addition to putting in extra work is just the first step athletes can take to decrease their risk.

“Athletes need to consider their body 24 hours a day, not just the two hours at practice,” Towey said. “This includes everything from sleep, nutrition, hydration, education, warm ups, proper mechanics, efficient strength, cool downs [and] recovery. It all plays an integral part in injury prevention across the board.” P

31

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

RIDING THE LIMIT Noah Stark (11) grows through mentoring the next generation of snowboarders

BY EMILY PAN coverage editor PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINCENT HSIAO photo editor-in-chief

HEALTH & SPORTS

WHISTLING WINDS RING THRough the Hidden Valley hills. Snow crunches under the metal edges of a snowboard. Looking down the hill, adrenaline builds up. Everything stands still, and all Noah Stark (11) can think about is hitting a 360 trick on the steep slope below him.

Noah has experimented with boardsports since he was 6 years old. This led to him trying out snowboarding when he was 12 “I hope that he years old. uses [snow“My dad inboarding] to crespired me to get ate relationships. into [snowboardI could [also] see ing],” Noah said. him potentially “He took me up working in the [to Hidden Val[snowboarding] ley] for lessons. field.”

But I had already

I

been in the world of boardsports at that point.”

After giving snowboarding a chance, Noah hasn’t looked back and has continued to explore his limits. Every time Noah landed a trick, he’s felts a rush of dopamine that makes the hard work worth it. “[Snowboarding] is so fulfilling because of the thrill of going as fast as you can,” Noah said. “Or [the thrill of] hitting the jump or landing a trick you never thought you would a year ago.”

Through father-son trips, Noah’s dad, Matthew Stark, has not only been able to

32

create tradition in a sport he enjoys with his son. He has also recognized his son’s determination in achieving his goals.

“I appreciate [Noah] when he gets something in his mind, he’s not afraid of putting in the effort and taking hard falls to make it happen.”

As Hidden Valley became a second home to Noah, he started to think of ways to give back to the snowboarding community. One way he thought to do this was by giving lessons to younger children.

“I wanted to work [snowboarding] into my life beyond just me going out and doing it for myself,” Noah said. “So I thought, ‘What better way to do that and help others learn and grow in the sport [than by giving lessons?]’”

During his time as a snowboarding student, Noah has first hand experience with struggling to complete tricks. Noah has also learned how to teach younger children how to navigate their challenges.

“I will just try to put myself in the person’s shoes,” Noah said. “[I try] to remember how I thought as a kid, and what kind of analogy or captain or strategy I could

Matthew Stark, father use to get them to begin to understand, even if it doesn’t fully complete the action.”

Noah has utilized snowboarding as an opportunity to empathize with other people’s situations and learn how to keep a level-headed mindset in high pressure and difficult situations.

“I had instances where kids I coach have gotten injuries,” Noah said. “There’s that panic of, ‘Oh, are they injured?’”

Gaining experience as a snowboarding instructor has encouraged Noah to consider how he wants to incorporate the snow hobby into his future career aspirations.

“The people that I work with are people with real careers who have free time on the weekend,” Noah said. “If I live out near a resort when I’m older, it’d be cool to pursue a higher certification level as a snowboarder.”

Noah believes that snowboarding can pave a path of genuine human connection even despite other people having different beliefs and diverse life experiences.

“Even if you don’t agree with someone’s political values or their favorite Marvel movie, snowboarding will bring people together,” Noah said. P

HEALTH & SPORTS

TO THE POINTE Jo Gyawali (12) prepares for her seventh annual Nutcracker ballet performance at the Dance Center of Kirkwood

S

SURROUNDED BY THE SOFT shuffle of dancers pacing backstage and the glow of vanity bulbs, Jo Gyawali (12) carefully places four bobby pins at the front of her headpiece. Each pin is more than a clip, but part of a pre-performance ritual that anchors her costume and her mind.

Gyawali has been dancing for 16 years and has performed in the Nutcracker every year since she was in seventh grade. The annual holiday tradition that occurs around Thanksgiving weekend requires immense dedication and commitment from the dancers. The roles were released in June, beginning with sparse rehearsals over the

summer and quickly shifting to a strenuous schedule once the school year began.

“Over the summer, everybody has jobs or is going out of town,” Gyawali said. “As soon as the school year starts, we have 30 minute rehearsals after our two hour dance classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and we have seven hour rehearsals every Sunday from about the middle of August until Thanksgiving weekend.”

During these long rehearsals, the cast runs through the entirety of Acts 1 and 2 without pause, stopping only to review notes made throughout the performance.

Afterwards, they participate in a team bonding activity before being dismissed.

“When we’re rehearsing, we try to do it as accurately to the performance as we can,” Gyawali said. “[My instructor] writes down notes in her notebook as [we dance] and [after], she tells every person what corrections they need to make. It’s a [time to focus on] anything that needs to be fixed like spacing, placement or symmetry.”

While the rehearsal schedule can be very demanding, the cast has built a powerful support system to help navigate the pressure. As the only senior on cast this

BY VICTORIA DERDOY health and sports editor

year, Gyawali created Nutcracker families, pairing older and experienced dancers with younger dancers to help them get used to the Nutcracker’s unique running order.

“Nutcracker families are really fun,” Ladue student Sophia Wilson (9), Gyawali’s teammate, said. “We get together with our families that the [older dancers] lead, and we have a chance to ask questions, help each other with quick changes between scenes and keep each other happy. It’s really good for the younger girls that don’t know everything [about] Nutcracker yet.”

Once the long rehearsals and backstage rituals are complete, the final step is mental preparation and visualization before taking it to the stage. Gyawali and her teammates take a deep breath together before leaning into their teacher’s motivating words.

“My dance teacher says, ‘perform like you’re dancing to the heavens,’” Gyawali said. “This means to perform up and out, rather than to the people in front of you.

There’s a balcony [in the theater], and she always jokes that since dancers are typically paid less, they usually get the worst upper seats. So you want to perform for the dancers, and to the heavens too.” P LEFT: Jo Gyawali (12) acts as a toy soldier doll during Clara’s Christmas party scene. This was Gyawali’s seventh Nutcracker. “I really like being in front of an audience,” Gyawali said. (photo by Vincent Hsiao) FAR LEFT: Gyawali dances as Snow Queen.

She performed five roles.

“As you get older, you get more difficult roles,” Gyawali said. (photo by Vincent Hsiao)

SPREAD DESIGN BY

EMILY PAN

VICTORIA DERDOY

33

PANORAMA

DECEMBER 2025

HEALTH & SPORTS

TOP: Laduettes perform their hip-hop dance Dec. 6 at the Lindbergh Invitational. This was their first performance of the season.

ABOVE: Mia Gourtzelis (12), Giana Avenevoli (10) and Mya Tenzer (11) hit the floor during their St. Louis jazz-themed pom performance.

MIDDLE: While performing their poms routine, Kelsey Thomas (9) jumps into a split mid air.

RIGHT: During their hip-hop dance, Sophie Leidenfrost (11), Mia Gourtzelis (12) and Marah Swillinger (12) perform the “broccoli” dance.

“My favorite part was seeing all of the people I used to dance with from other studios,” Swillinger said. “It’s the first competition of the season, so I like to get my nerves out.”

34

HEALTH & SPORTS

BREAK IT

Laduettes perform jazz and pom routines at Lindbergh High School Dec. 6

DOWN

Laduettes perform their 2025-2026 pom and hip-hop routines during the Lindbergh Invitational Dec 6. The team has been preparing for their first competition of the year and emerged with a second place finish in hip-hop and fifth in pom.

“The most memorable moment of the tournament was after we competed, how we were all so proud because we did our best,” Mya Tenzer (11) said.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAKEN HADLEY staff

SPREAD DESIGN BY

JOSH DEVINE

35

LADUE IN FOCUS Students reflect on their favorites from 2025

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE POP CULTURE MOMENT?

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MONTH?

August Mia G.

Sam M. (12)

Mia G. (12)

“When Alexander Vol“The Parke hoodies kanovski was named becoming popular, I can’t Featherweight champion.” justify buying one.”

Cooper S. (11)

Mimi T. (11)

“I don’t follow pop culture.”

“The Cynthia Erivo holding space meme.”

Harold T. (10)

Liv B. (10)

Adam G. (9)

London S. (9)

“Stranger Things [5] coming out. I like the show.”

“Taylor Swift getting engaged to Travis Kelce.”

“The Super Bowl. It was a good game.”

“When Stranger Things [5] came out.”

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE RELEASED? Sam M.

“‘Sinners.’ It had a really good plot.”

Cooper S.

Mia G.

“I really liked the new Wicked movie.”

Harold T.

Liv B.

“Probably ‘The Running Man.’”

“‘Wicked For Good.’”

ILLUSTRATION BY EMERY MAO staff

July

Cooper S.

July

November Adam G.

Liv B.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ALBUM RELEASED? Taylor Swift, “The Life of A Showgirl” Mimi T.

Drake, “Some Sexy Songs 4 U” Sam M.

Tame Impala, “Deadbeat” Harold T.

Tate McRae, “So Close To What” London S.

Mimi T.

“‘Fantastic Four.’ I “‘Wicked For Good.’ am a Marvel fan.”

It was so good.”

Adam G.

London s.

“‘Zootopia [2].’ It was “‘Regretting You.’ It an entertaining story.” was fun to watch.”

Source: Apple Music