Liberty Ledger - Issue 3 - February 20, 2018 by The Ledger Magazine

Vol 5 Issue 3

Liberty Ledger FEBRUARY 20, 2018

E X P L O R E

ST L

Content

News

Give All Your Heart LHS students gather at Red Night to raise money for the American Heart Association.

In-Depth

Travel STL Discover the hidden treasures of St. Louis Metro Area.

Features

One Second of Happy Senior Ellie McCrary treasures her senior year in a unique way.

Features

#Instagirls Reporter Chasteanne Salvosa breaks down the new generation of “Instagirls.”

16 Entertainment Glimpse at High School Relationships Reporter Olivia Holler gives her take on and advice for high school relationships.

Sports

For The Glory Senior Kale Catchings commits to Harvard University.

Champions Hallway A new addition to a hallway honors the athletic success at LHS.

Volume 5 Issue 3

Editors-in-Chief Olivia Holler* Chasteanne Salvosa* Online Editor Sarah Martin*

News

The Personalities Behind the Podcast Go behind the scenes and meet the faces of Liberty’s first weekly podcast.

LIBERTY LEDGER

Content l lhstoday.org design by: e. bobbitt & s. martin

Reporters Alyssa Bailey, Maddie Baker, McKenzie Bartels, Emma Bobbitt, Max Fensterman, KaMera Harper, Jessica Gibson, Alisha Grant, Emma Hankins, Gwyendolyn Major, Gibson Mitchell, Melana Quarles *Each editor also serves as a reporter

Intentions

The Liberty Ledger is a publication that releases 4-5 issues throughout the year, distributing 1,000 free copies to the student body, faculty and administration of Liberty High School as well as the surrounding Wentzville and Lake St. Louis communities.

The Ledger magazine is a part of the district’s curriculum and is designed to provide a practical journalistic experience for written expression on a variety of topics. It is a student-led publication class that reports on stories relatable to the school community. Students write, take photos and design the publication and the adviser will supervise the student journalists. The opinions expressed in this magazine may not be those of Liberty, nor the Wentzville R-IV School District, faculty, staff or administration. The main editorial, when included, expresses the opinion of the Liberty editorial staff.

Reacting

Letters to all editors can be submitted in room 239, emailed or mailed to Liberty. All letters must be signed. Limit letters you wish to be published to 250 words. Letters may be edited for space requirements and libelous material to the discretion of the editors. If you have a news story idea or comment, please contact us in room 239.

Credentials

The Liberty Ledger is a member of the Sponsors of Student Publications of Greater St. Louis.

Advertising

To further facilitate the space available for student writing, advertising will not be offered in the Liberty Ledger.

Upcoming Events MARCH

1st - Educators Rising Meeting @ 6:50 a.m. 1st - Track and Field Parent Meeting @ 6 p.m. 5th - Late Start Day 6th - STEM Olympics @ 4:30 p.m. 14th - End of Third Quarter 14th - Dance Team Parent Meeting @ 7:30 p.m. 15th - 16th, 21st - Dance Tryouts @ 2:45 p.m. 16th - Early Release Day 21st - Educators Rising Meeting @ 2:30 p.m. 22nd - Educators Rising Meeting @ 6:50 a.m. 23rd - No School - Teacher Professional Dev. 26th-27th - HOSA Field Trip to State

APRIL

3rd - LHS Cheer Tryout Meeting @ 6 p.m. 4th - Educators Rising Meeting @ 2:30 p.m. 5th - Educators Rising Meeting @ 2:30 p.m. 7th - LHS Cheer Tryout Clinic @ 9 p.m. 9th - Late Start Day 12th - County-wide STEM Olympics @ 5 p.m. 14th - LHS Cheer Tryouts @ 9 a.m. 24th - NHS Induction @ 6:30 p.m. 25th - Educators Rising Meeting @ 2:30 p.m. 26th - Educators Rising Meeting @ 6:50 a.m. 27th - STUCO’s Mr. LHS @ 6pm

SPRING BREAK

March 26th-March 30th: Spring Break

LHS Today: LHSToday.org

Keep Up To Date

Twitter: @LHSJourn

The Wentzville School District adds around 500 students each year, increasing enrollment by 10,000 students since 2001. Holt and Timberland high schools should be over capacity by the year 2021.

The Growth According to the Business Information Services, Wentzville could add 6,700 students over the next decade. The district will need another elementary school by the year 2023. by Sarah Martin Online Editor

Wentzville continues to be one of the fastest growing school districts in Missouri. This includes an addition of 1,000 students in the past two years, reaching a total of 16,380 students in grades K-12. The district is currently the 11th largest school district in Missouri. To help manage the growth of students, a $125 million notax-increase bond issue was voted unanimously to be put in place on the April 3 ballot. A no-taxincrease bond is essentially a loan obtained from taxes without causing taxes to increase. Included in this bond issue will be a new high school and elementary school, classroom additions at Barfield Early Childhood Special Education Center, Peine Ridge Elementary and Pearce Hall. This will also incorporate a new gymnasium at Holt High School. The high school would be

Wentzville Hopes to Launch Fourth High School The school district plans to incorporate new schools and classrooms to accommodate wide student growth

set to open in fall 2021. Now it comes down to waiting for the April ballot and hearing what the voters have to say. However, there is a possibility that the bond issue won’t go through, which would delay the opening of the high school for a year. Ms. Rosner is Liberty’s building representative for the teacher union NEA (National Educators Association). “So (if it doesn’t go through) then they would wait and ask again a second time. Sometimes they’ll change what they say they’re going to use the money for, but what it will ultimately do is delay. We have to have a place for kids,” Ms. Rosner said. “With Liberty, they couldn’t get it passed the first time, so they reduced it and we only built two thirds of the building. Then they had to go back and ask for more money to build the rest of it.” In Missouri, non-metropolitan school districts are required to ask voter approval for the following: purchasing sites for new buildings, construction of new buildings, repairs of facilities, purchasing transportation and paying off bond obligations. The bond issue “Proposition E” will be put in place to increase funding for local schools by raising the Education Fund tax rate; which hasn’t been raised since 1977. According to Executive Director of Facilities, John Blanton, a new high school will take around three years to build. To accommodate for the addition of new school(s), the district purchased 108.9 acres of land on the northeast corner of W. Meyer Road and N. Point Prairie in Wentzville. The district entered

into an agreement on June 28, 2017. The cost of the property was $3,906,473 and is being funded with proceeds from Proposition E from April 2015; the appraised value of the land being $4,357,659. “We are very pleased with the purchase price,” district CFO Pam Frazier said in a district press release. “Given the appraisal and the growing challenge of finding suitable suits that are large enough for a school at a price that is fair for our stakeholders.” Two new elementary schools were opened as a part of the K-6 Plan for Growth. The program was put in place to help relieve overcrowding in the middle schools without a tax increase.

“Our K-6 plan addressed our space issues at our middle schools for the first time without a tax increase and provided us time to pay down our debt so that our next buildings could also be built without asking the voters to approve the tax increase,” superintendent Dr. Cain said in a district press release. “We are working to effectively manage our continued growth… It is certainly a challenge, but it’s one we are familiar with and we are fortunate to have an amazing team committed to moving this great district forward and providing adequate space for all students to learn and grow.” The district will keep working to accommodate students as the population in the area continues to grow.

photos by s. martin Construction of the new school(s) has not begun. However, the location for the building(s) has been chosen and will be located on the northeast corner of W. Meyer Road and N. Point Prairie in Wentzville. Along with the possible new high school and elementary school, the district will also receive several classroom additions to various schools.

News l lhstoday.org design by: e. bobbitt & s. martin

Give All Your Heart

Spirit Week

photo by e. mason Students kicked off the first day of spirit week for American Heart Association with twin day. Left to right: senior Emma Ingle, juniors Mike Coyle, Phillip Karre, Rishi Kondapaneni, sophomores Logan Wernig and Megan Foster.

photo by b.mcmakin StuCo pulls off their annual dance for the student body. They did a mash up of a bunch of different songs and variety of dances.

by Olivia Holler Co-Editor-in-Chief

ed Night was on Feb. 9 and the purpose of the event was to support the American Heart Association during the boys and girls basketball games. To prepare for the week, StuCo conducted a spirit week to prepare for the event. Many students dressed as simple as color wars to as fun as in 80’s attire or as emotions. “I participate in spirit week because it’s so much fun,” sophomore Emily Gann said. “School is usually boring most of the time so when you get to dress out of the ordinary, it adds something new to it.” To conclude the week, Liberty hosted a pep rally to hype students up about the event, recognize the winter sports teams and showcase some performances. StuCo also prepared activities and a dance in front of the student body. Junior Donavan Arrington was crowned as the spirit king and sophomore Annette Oliphant won spirit queen. Ms. Kleiber won most spirited teacher. Funds raised went to the American Heart Association. Many clubs and organizations got involved to help raise money with the cake auction and other

activities. Educators Rising sold monograms. “The red and pink monograms will go to American Heart Association,” juniors Abby Visconti and Autumn Jones said. The tradition of the “Parting of the Red Sea” took place during the game led by senior Will Koester. The big crowd showed how much spirit Liberty has. The goal was to get the crowd pumped up for the rest of the game against Washington through the winter dance that happened after the game. Liberty won 64-41. “It was fun to see and it bonds our school together and it’s a good way for our school to participate,” junior Kara Collier said. The Winter Dance theme was “Dance Your Heart Out” and about 100 people attended this year. It was an easy way for different groups of friends to come together and dance the night away. With many clubs and organizations helping out, Red Night was a success and it was a fun way for the student body to not only to enjoy the evening but also support a good cause.

photo by j. arnold Juniors Hunter Perkins and Marlee Doniff dressed as an emotion on Tuesday. “I thought yellow was a happy color so I wore it,” Doniff said.

photo by j. arnold Wednesday was color wars. Freshmen wore red, sophomores wore black, juniors wore pink and seniors wore white. Evan Mantz and Rylee Peanick were spirited out in red.

photo by m. quarles Left to right: Sophomores Aminhan Lobster, Annette Oliphant, Julia Deters and Lilia Taylor went full out 80’s.

photo by o. holler

photo by e. mason photo provided by a. grant

90 Tickets were sold

for the winter dance

News l lhstoday.org design by: o. holler

photo by b. mcmakin

Spirit Queen: Annette Oliphant Spirit King: Donavan Arrington Most Spirited Teacher: Ms. Kleiber

photo by m. quarles Left to right: Freshmen Robin Allen, Kiara Jimenez, Emma Witzke, Kelsey Corcoran and Allison Stabile are all red for the final day of spirit week.

Liberty’s Got Talent Students get to showcase a variety of talents for their peers by Alisha Grant Reporter Students were given an opportunity to perform their talents in front of the school at Liberty’s very first talent show. The event was hosted by Key Club on Jan. 19 in the auditorium as their main fundraiser to support club service projects and give back to a member of the Liberty community. Mr. Peggs’ son, Drew Peggs, was born 6 weeks early so he had to be taken to the NICU/Special Care Nursery. Key Club held a miracle minute to raise money to help the family and all other proceeds exceeding their goal will go to the Peggs’ family as well. Many students showed off their vocal prowess, such as freshman Alliesa Howard who also played the guitar. “I definitely like playing music in front of people because it’s hopefully going to prepare me for my future which I hope will be in music,” Howard said. Junior Cameron Jones decided to take a hobby of his and showcase it for the school. He performed a magic trick for the talent show. “I have been waiting for us to have a talent show since freshman year and I’m so excited that we get to have one,” Jones said. “I started doing magic when I was 11 and I got this trick last year for Christmas and I wanted to perform it.” One group decided to combine acts that would traditionally be separate. Junior Rishi Kondapaneni played the piano while juniors Marlee Doniff and Megan Maetten danced. “We thought it would be cool to do something different rather than just me playing the piano or them PLTW teacher Mr. Peggs had a son born on Dec. 8 prematurely. Drew Peggs was born 6 weeks early and weighed only 4 pounds. He had to be taken to the NICU/ Special Care Nursery. He had an MRI that showed that he probably had a cyst in the Pia Mater of his brain that became a stroke and then he started hemorrhaging. Key Club held a miracle minute at the talent show to raise money to help the family and they raised a total of $562.14.

dancing to a track,” Kondapaneni said. One student has a very unique act. Senior Austyn Kloth styled his hair for his talent. “My hair turned out really well and the crowd seemed to enjoy it and that was the ultimate goal with my act,” Kloth said. One of the school’s PLTW teachers, Mr. Kling, performed in the show. He sang “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” from the “Lion King”. “I think [my act] went okay. I’d probably give it a B. I messed up a little bit there, but I landed on my feet. I stuck the landing and it felt good,” Mr. Kling said. The talent show was a competition and the winner was junior Christian Tebeau. He performed a color guard routine. “I feel like the start of a legacy, the start of a great history of excellence and talent and love and the fostering of a great family, not only for Key Club, but for everyone that is included in this talent show,” Tebeau said Since the talent show was Key Club’s main fundraiser, they put in a lot of work to make it successful. Sophomore Annette Oliphant was committee chair on the project with the club treasurer, senior Danielle Kunz, assisting her as the supervising club officer of the project. “It’s been great to work with the Key Club team and being in a leadership position,” Oliphant said. “I’ve learned a lot and I hope everyone enjoyed the show.”

Talent show hosts senior Danielle Kunz and sophomore Annette Oliphant congratulate talent show winner junior Christian Tebeau. photo by e. mason

photo by e. mason The varsity dance team performs one of their competition dances for the talent show. They placed second with this dance at the St. Charles classic dance competition.

photo by m. morris Senior Austin McClanahan plays “Riptide” by Vance Joy while seniors Hannah McCrary, Julia Wolz, and Abby Hankins sing.

photo by e. mason Junior Mikayla Bowman signs “House of Memories” by Panic! at the Disco.

photo by e. mason Senior Austyn Kloth styles his hair for his talent to the song “Supermodel” by Jill Sobule.

photo provided by Mr. Peggs

News l lhstoday.org design by: a. grant

Personalities Behind the Podcast A behind the voices look at Liberty’s first ever weekly podcast show

by Melana Quarles Reporter There’s no denying the passion Caleb Woods and Lawson Murphree have for what they do, namely radio. They helped start Liberty’s first ever weekly podcast radio show called J-Dubs in the Morning. J-Dubs in Morning is an entertainment show like you would hear on the radio in the morning on your way to school. Woods has been in the publication classes for two years and plans to continue throughout high school and college. He has an interesting philosophy on journalism. “Everyone is a journalist, even if they don’t know it,” Woods said. “I think people think that to be a journalist you have to write stories in A.P. style, but no, everyone can be. When you’re at a big event and take a picture and share it on social media, that can be citizen journalism,” Woods said. The idea for the show initiated in journalism class, but his fascination with radio goes way back to 2012. His first glimpse of radio was the Disney movie Radio Rebel, and that sparked an interest that he would later be very determined and excited to carry out. His passion for radio pairs great with his big passion for music. (Left to right) Caleb Woods, Lawson Murphree and Brandon “Swag” Salamun have a weekly podcast on “I like for the people to just hear my voice, and hear me lhstoday.org. Along with Mr. Walterbach, the group’s quirky personalities blend well together. out,” Woods said. J-Dubs in the Morning has three main co-hosts: Woods, Murphree and social studies teacher Mr. Walterbach, who is known as J-Dubs. They record the show every Wednesday during AI. Murphree has a warm inviting personality and was quickly recruited for the show when it was first beginning and has been with it ever since, as co-host and creator. For Murphree, the podcast came into his life at just the right moment. He was new at Liberty last year, and his fellow co-host Caleb extended the olive branch and that was where it all began, not just for the show but for new friendships. “The people here have really applauded my efforts, and it’s something I’m really excited to have here,” Lawson said. Walterbach is the face of the show – not his idea – here’s how he got here. “It started because I was Caleb’s AI teacher and he would record the show in my room and I would just be like ‘hey I wanna be on the show, I wanna be on the show’ and next thing I know I’m on the show,” Walterbach said. Aside from being constantly entertained by the personalities on the show, he fondly remembers one of his favorite memories. “Caleb always sends out press releases. My favorite memory was getting the press release from Caleb saying that said it was official, I’m a member of the show,” Walterbach said. Walterbach contributes by being another voice, doing a fact of the day, and sometimes randomly talking about science. The team has recorded 24 shows and counting. The show has developed a lot since last year. They started in Mr. Hall’s back room with just a Chromebook and a microphone, and they have come a long way since then. They acquired two microphones, a mixing board and a studio. They added two more co-hosts Brandon Barry and Brandon (Swag) Salamun, which changed the show ‘tremendously’ because it added even more opinions to the widely varying views of all the hosts. “The guys are great, I’ve gotten to know them so well, and I’ve gotten long lasting friendships that I probably wont ever forget,” Murphree said. For Barry and Salamun, it has been more than just fun for them. They have gained valuable social skills from being involved The main ambition for the show is simply to see it continue even when the original co founders are not at Liberty anymore. “So I can look back and say ‘Hey, we started that,’” said Caleb. All the hosts, especially Lawson and Caleb, have extreme pride in the show. It’s given them a voice, it’s funny and they talk about everything under the sun. It’s even reached other schools. One photos by b. mcmakin of the schools that it has reached is Duello Elementary where a whole team of fourth grade teachers Caleb Woods is at the control panel, ready to make the show run smoothly. J-Dub’s in the Morning recently began listen to the show. Check out lhstoday.org every Wednesday for a new J-Dubs in the Morning. broadcasting in the studio next to the publications room.

Entertainment l lhstoday.org design by: m. quarles

NEW Year, NEW Me

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“I want to travel to Europe, Ireland and Great Britain. I would like to become an international engineer so I will be able to work all over the world.” -Evan Mantz (9)

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Entertainment l lhstoday.org design by: a. bailey & k. harper

TRAVELING AROUND TO DISCOVER THE UNDERRATED AND POPULAR PLACES OF ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN AREA

EXPLORING AROUND US Indian Creek Camp

2679 Dietrich Road Foristell, MO 63348

Indian Creek camp is St. Charles County’s largest park, with 603 acres. Within the park is an 18-hole disc golf course, fishing pond and 10 miles worth of multi-use trails used for hiking, biking and equestrian use. Whether you take a walk with your dog or friends, or take a fishing trip with the family, Indian Creek will not disappoint you. In addition to the beautiful scenery it’s also a perfect place to take photos.

In Depth l lhstoday.org design by: j. gibson & m. fensterman

Reset STL

2607 Bellevue Ave Maplewood, MO 63143

Reset STL is the place to shop when looking for vintage clothes. The shop is super unique looking and has a lot of name brand apparel. Not only can you buy clothes, but you can also sell old clothes for cash. They carry men’s and women’s clothes and shoes. This vintage apparel shop is the place to go and is growing by the day.

Ellbee’s General Store

6 W. Main Street Wentzville, MO 63385

Ellbee’s General Store has everything from candy to spices. From the wide variety of everyone’s favorite candy, they also have their own cafe along with a bakery. They have fresh made pies, pastries and fresh brewed coffees and specialty drinks that are made right in front of you. Not only do they have coffees, but also sell over 100 different soda flavors. So let your inner child out and explore the store.

The Vault

6662 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 Check out the vault to stay up on the latest trends in street fashion. Being one of the only stockists of exclusive sneaker releases in St. Louis, they keep a matching selection of clothing on hand to complete the look.

Peacock Diner

Ranoush

6501 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 The Loop has many options when it comes to Middle Eastern restaurants, but Ranoush reigns supreme when it comes to their classic Syrian style dishes. Try out the falafel or chicken shawarma; if you’re feeling daring, try out one of the many hot or cold mezza options.

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The Tivoli

6350 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 St. Louis’ destination for independent, documentary, narrow release films, the Tivoli has been in business since 1924. After a large renovation, you can now catch films in the original 1920s ambiance, complete with original Hollywood memorabilia adorning the walls.

6261 Delmar Blvd, University City, MO 63130 The Peacock Diner offers a solid spread of classic diner food with a St. Louis twist. You can still find all of the normal fare, but try out the Loop Sling, or breakfast Loop Fling, for Peacock’s take on a St. Louis original.

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Pageant and Delmar Hall

6161 Delmar Blvd, St Louis, MO 63112 Catch a concert or performance at either the Pageant or Delmar Hall. The 2,300 person capacity Pageant continually draws some of the biggest names in music across just about every genre. Check out Delmar Hall for smaller performances in an even more intimate setting. In Depth l lhstoday.org design by: j. gibson & m. fensterman

One Second of

HAPPY

Liberty senior finds a unique way to appreciate her senior year by Alisha Grant Reporter

Senior Ellie McCrary knew at the start of her senior year that she was going to miss being a senior when she graduated and she was afraid of forgetting all the wonderful memories she had made. She wanted to make sure she never forgot all of the small moments that make senior year special. She decided to make a video that was a compilation of one second of every day of her senior year. “I want to be able to be like ‘What was I doing on Oct. 14, 2017 of my senior year?’ and then being able to go to my video and see the best part of my day that day,” McCrary said. McCrary has been compiling her video clips since the beginning of the year and has been putting it together almost every day as the year goes on. Her parents have been very supportive of her project as well as her teachers. McCrary’s broadcast teacher Mr. Weis has kept up with her progress on the project. “The most difficult part of doing something like that is to make sure you do something every day,” Weis said. “If that’s what your commitment is, even on the days that you don’t feel well, even the days you don’t feel like shooting, because we all have those days that we don’t really feel like doing anything creative. That’s part of the beauty of this project is to force yourself to get out there and to find something worthy every single day and to be committed to doing something every single day. So that, in and of itself, is the greatest achievement: the discipline.” McCrary really enjoys broadcast and has had a lot of fun filming her video. “I get really excited when I get a cool shot, but my favorite part is when I capture a really genuine part of my day because it captures an authentic part of who I am,” McCrary said. McCrary has had many wonderful experiences this year that she decided to put into her video. Her special spot that she has with her friend, senior Sara Merz, at Broemmelsiek Park, the moment before the cast of “A Night of Comedy” went onstage and had a celebratory huddle, the Revivalists concert she got to go to with her boyfriend, Liberty alumnus Evan Fuhremann, for their sixth-month anniversary, an ordinary moment made memorable by her friend, senior Julia Wolz, during AP Literature and Composition, and McCrary and Fuhremann attempting to carve a “Rick and Morty” pumpkin after Halloween before they gave up and hit it with a golf club. McCrary plans on finishing her video before graduation and publishing it on YouTube and lhstoday.org. It will be a wonderful way to reflect over all the memories she made her senior year and she will be able to share her favorite memories with family and friends, so not only will her project touch her life but the lives of those around her.

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Behind the Double Doors

Ms. Merritt and Ms. Hill are the new friendly faces of the front office and resource room

etween the busy ring of the phone or the chime of the security system, new attendance secretaries Ms. Hill and Ms. Merritt are answering phone calls, running various reports and ensuring everyone is signed in and out of the building, all while students pass from class to class. Though both Ms. Hill and Ms. Merritt are new additions to the LHS staff, they have quickly become student body favorites by making everyone’s day a little bit brighter. Whether being the first friendly face that visitors see or checking that attendance records are accurate, Ms. Hill and Ms. Merritt have helped to make the front office into Liberty’s very own welcoming reception. “I’m responsible for checking to make sure that the people who are wanting to come into our building are safe and presenting in a professional way,” Ms. Merritt said. “Being the first person that people greet or see, coming into Liberty High School, we want to make sure to present a warm and welcoming atmosphere.” The day begins with a flood of phone calls and text messages for both attendance secretaries, which begins at 6:30 a.m. for Ms. Hill and 7 a.m. for Ms. Merritt. Then is followed by a series of running the daily attendance reports, checking visitors both in and out of the building and correcting students’ attendances. However, the front office’s current atmosphere cannot only be attributed to both Ms. Hill’s and Ms. Merritt’s positive attitudes but the experiences that both have gained before accepting their positions at Liberty. The roads that have brought both ladies to the positions they hold now are starkly different, with Ms. Hill being fresh out of Central Methodist University, and Ms. Merritt retiring from 18 years of being a stay-at-home mom combined with a slew of jobs that include: pediatrician’s assistant, nurse, substitute teacher and private tutor. Despite the differences between the two, they both share what they love

the most about their job; the students. “I love it (the job) because every student I come in contact with at Liberty, is so different from the other, and that is something that I appreciate so much,” Ms. Hill said. “Getting to meet and talk to so many students from so many different walks of life, who have so many different goals and aspirations, I am just super thankful that I get to play even just the smallest part in their lives.” The students may also very well be the main reason that Ms. Merritt initially accepted her attendance secretary position, despite thinking that the job would have very little interaction with students. “The connection with the students was of utmost importance to me, so I pre-judged this position as having very little contact with kids and I was super grateful that it was not that case,” Ms. Merritt said. “So I was able to come in and work towards the end of the (last) year and realize I had much more access to students than I had originally thought.” Both ladies’ connections to the school don’t just run as deep as the door to the lobby as Ms. Hill also coaches JV cheerleading and Ms. Merritt’s two eldest children, senior Grace Merritt and sophomore Grant Merritt, attend Liberty. “That was one of the perks when Mr. Pryor asked me to fill this position, knowing that this is Grace’s last year as a senior and I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for since Grace was born,” Ms. Merritt said. “It’s just fun to see them in the hall, to get a quick hug from Grace or to make fun of Grant. It’s just that connection of being on the same schedule has been really helpful, to make sure we get the most of our time together.” In addition to her duties as an attendance secretary, Ms. Hill also coaches the JV cheer team. Having been a cheerleader in high school herself, she has known former Timberland cheer coach and current Liberty counselor, Ms. Wooten, since making the team back in her

freshman year. “When I was in college, she (Wooten) knew I wanted to be a teacher really bad and I cheered in college as well, so when the position of the JV cheerleading coach was open, I talked to her (Wooten) and emailed coach Rosner and I said, ‘Hey, I wanna do this’ and interviewed and I got the job,” Ms. Hill said. Aside from all the phone calls and attendance reports, both attendance secretaries play a large part in a small portion of Liberty High School. “Since I deal with attendance, it’s to make sure that students are getting the best possible education that they can,” Ms. Hill said. “When I was going to school to become a teacher, each student is just one positive adult interaction away from succeeding or going down a different path of life. Each person plays a huge part in the picture and it’s awesome to be a positive influence to students because you could be the only adult in their lives to take notice and ask them how their day is going.” For Ms. Merritt, learning that every staff member plays a large part came early in her career. “I used to think when I was young and naive the most pivotal job in the school was being the teacher,” Ms. Merritt said. “And I quickly learned that your school really only functions as well as your main office functions. So, seeing both ends of how the teamwork has got to be seamless in order for the school to be run efficiently had been really beneficial to me.” Ms. Hill has recently moved from the front office to become Liberty’s newest resource room teacher two weeks before the time of this publication. She moves her positive influence from the main office to room 451. And although Ms. Hill and Ms. Merritt’s duties mainly operate within the office, by bringing their kind-hearted spirits to the office, they not only make the office but the whole school, a happier place to be.

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was of utmost importance to me, so I pre-judged this position as having very little contact with kids and I was super grateful that it was not that case.” - Ms. Merritt Features l lhstoday.org design by: c. salvosa & g. major

Instamodel for a Week M L O N T I U E W O E D T I H U F M R I ittle did I know that taking a single picture for a first post would take so long on my first day of Instamodeling. I spent a good 30 minutes in between school and work trying to snap a single selfie of my outfit, a white polo matched with a black sweat-

er vest, something I wouldn’t normally choose, but was called for by the occasion. I had settled on a simple selfie, with a simple caption (#P O L O + J U M P E R V I B E S) and was surprised by the amount of likes I had earned, totaling at 13 by the end of the night.

snapped a photo of an outfit I had been sitting on for a while. Taking the top from my two piece homecoming dress, I paired it with high rise jeans to finish the look. Posting the picture, I inserted dialogue into my caption, something I thought was utterly cheesy and tagged Camille LaVie (from which I bought my homecoming

dress) in the photo. To my surprise, Camille LaVie was quick to notice, both liking my picture and commenting, “We (heart) two-for-one looks!” It was no doubt that their social media representative was on top of it that day. I also earned a total of 23 likes that night and earned three more followers overnight.

n Wednesday, I attempted something that I would never do otherwise; apply makeup for a post. I spent an hour perfecting a makeup look that I would wear for a night out and simply drew half my hair up in a ponytail. By the time I had assembled the entire look, the clock read 10:03 p.m. However, the inexplicable need to snap the perfect selfie led me to spend 30 minutes in my

had worn my new Christmas sweater to class that day and was the one outfit I had looked forward to posting about. However, caught between another schedule snag, I had trouble snapping another perfect picture to post. My main problem; not being able to fit the

y first sponsorship fell on Friday as my mother officially opened her Color Street store, an Avon-esque business that sells nail polish strips in various colors and designs. To celebrate the beginning of her mini-business, I advertised a buy two, get one free deal when people would

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by Chasteanne Salvosa Co-Editor-in-Chief

bathroom and at least 100 new pictures on my camera roll. On the other hand, I had plenty of pictures to choose from. I opted for a more simple caption like I had done the other night (A N G L E S), while the hashtag read #maygoodlightingbeeverinyourfavor. I had tagged every brand in the photo from my makeup to the navy crop top I wore and even earned a response from a distributor of the lipstick brand I wore.

whole word, “naughty” into the snapshot. I caught the last half of the word and played it into my caption, “On the ‘aughty’ list”. I began to feel less and less motivated about posting and the initial rush of earning likes and followers had already slowed.

join her Facebook group and mention my name. I was quick to notice that the amount of people to like had declined, however knew that the dawn of finals week was a factor. I had tagged my mother in the post and mentioned her Facebook group, but has yet to make a sale from this sponsored post.

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#instagirls

by Chasteanne Salvosa Co-Editor-in-Chief

ith recent notions that our generation’s pop culture parallels with that of the late 1990’s, there is one aspect people tend to neglect the most - supermodels. While the word itself is hardly ever in use anymore, only 27 years have passed since women like Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Tatjana Patitz and Linda Evangelina dominated the world’s magazine covers and runways. With the birth of social media platforms such as the highly popular Instagram, seemingly ordinary young women become the new generation of supermodels or “Instagirls” as the fashion industry has dubbed them. The prospect of becoming an overnight Internet sensation has taken many amateur models to levels of success that took The Big Five years to accomplish. By posting pictures of their everyday lives, sidelined with a cute caption and subtle sponsorship, Instagram models are not

sored post. On the other hand, supermodels such as Gigi Hadid and Gisele Bündchen, who were formerly or currently the highest paid in the industry, are paid millions a year, however, they do not have the flexibility that a Instamodel would. Having very little social media experience in my past, I decided that the best way to understand the thought process of an Instamodel, is to become one. I opened my account with the standard profile picture I used for nearly every account. My sister had taken the photo and insisted she take it with a filter to make it more “Tumblr”. I toyed with more settings, exploring different usernames like chast19 and chastxx, after learning my truly unique first name, was taken. I had always thought a bio had to be witty, something to keep people wondering or have a short laugh, like DJ and music producer, Diplo, whose bio simply reads, “Instagram

there was something about applying makeup for a post that seemed so exhausting. To spend an hour for three pictures was hard to wrap my head around and just to see that hour wash down the drain was even more mind boggling. I began to question why these women would do this on a daily basis, regardless of the paycheck. It took a lot of motivation out of me to complete the rest of the work waiting for me and left me hoping that for all that effort, people would notice the post. I also didn’t utilize the typical tactics that a serious model would utilize, such as the follow for follow technique, using an absurd amount of hashtags and posting racy pictures that would

live your best life, take your best selfie only becoming the new standard of beauty, but rather a new generation of successful, innovative entrepreneurship. An Instagirl’s success is directly correlated to her numbers, which include likes, followers and amount of times a post is shared. And to big retail companies such as Urban Outfitters and Topshop, larger numbers translate to a larger potential for exposure and publicity. However, they thrive of the unreliable possibility that impressionable followers will flock to their pages to snatch the latest pieces their favorite models have worn. So while it may be a unsure tactic, the brands employing this strategy secure the model’s salary, no matter the outcome of their sponsorship. For example, “microinfluencers” such as Emily King and Corey Smith, who own popular #vanlife account, Where’s My Office Now?, reported in an article for Business Insider that they make between $500 and $1,500 per spon-

Model.” I first settled for the following, “I’d like to thank the baristas at Starbucks for making all of this possible.” However, after following a few Instagirls, I switched to a similar structure, adding an American and Philippine flag. I began by following the few models mentioned in the article I had mentioned above, like Gabrielle Epstein and Claudia Alende, with the hopes that the models would suggest to me how to learn more about the Instagram model. And within my first 15 minutes of opening my Instagram account, I had gained two followers; both avid selfie takers and fashionable. But by the end of my setup session, I had followed a total of 13 accounts, all models or brands with the exception of Beyonce. Having only taken a handful of postable pictures in my past, it was hard to perfect so many variables I hadn’t thought of before, including angle, lighting, filters and caption. While the pretty pictures were quite rewarding,

attract more attention. But by the end of the week, I had gained 48 followers, which would not cut it as an Instamodel. While it was fun to experiment with social media, the effect it had on me was ultimately taxing as I was constantly thinking of my next post, what was it going to be, what I should wear, how many likes would it get. I found myself becoming quickly consumed by the numbers and couldn’t imagine enlarging this project onto the scale that an actual Instagram model works with. Overall, while it pays to become a “microinfluencer” on social media, it is a taxing process that requires time, money, creativity and discipline. One must be ready to climb the social ladder in order to earn the money and receive sponsorships on the scope that Instamodels do.

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Teachers Share Their Best Valentine’s Day Stories by McKenzie Bartels Reporter

“When we were dating, on our first Valentine’s Day, we went to the 5-Star Lounge in Chesterfield and watched a movie and ate so much delicious food. There was a Valentine’s Day special that we were able to see a movie that wasn’t even out yet. It was all you could eat buffet and waiters waited on you.” -MRS. MCMILLEN

“One year, I believe it was our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple, I was able to convince Mrs. McFadden that we needed to go to a Mizzou basketball game on Valentine’s Day. The weather was really nice that day, so we walked around campus for a while as I showed her my old stomping grounds. We got a delicious lunch at Shiloh, then headed to the Mizzou game. And Mizzou was terrible that year so we were able to get really good seats for just $5. It was awesome! I’m still not sure how I pulled that one off....” - MR. MCFADDEN

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Bringing the Spark Back by Bailey Crow Reporter

I have absolutely loved Valentine’s Day ever since I was little. Valentine’s Day is about spreading love. It seems now that it has lost its spark of happiness, but I want to bring that spark back. As kids, there was a school party every year for Valentine’s Day. Each student was to bring cards to give to everyone in your class. Everything about Valentine’s Day just made me happy...the crazy games, the sweet notes and chocolate. After elementary school, there are no longer parties and candy, and as we get older these objects change to sweet little teddy bears, dark chocolate and red roses. Now as high schoolers, we all see Valentine’s Day as being in a relationship. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend is great on Valentine’s Day, but is that really what it should only be about? What about your best friend? Do you care for them greatly? Well, of course! This is the one time of year we can slow down for just one day and let someone know you do care for them. You know how it feels when someone tells you they care about you or love you. It feels great, so this year think on the side of spreading love and bringing the spark of Valentine’s Day back.

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“We went to Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton. It was our first Valentine’s Day together and it was a few months into our relationship but it was love at first sight. We worked at the same school, and his students asked what he did for Valentine’s Day and then asked me. After we both said eagle watching, the students put it together that we were dating. Now we have been married for almost 11 years and I fall in love with him more and more each day. I don’t remember any Valentine’s Day before then.” - MRS. HALL

“About 20 years ago, my current wife and I were headed to a place in Illinois called The Original Springs for Valentine’s Day. On the drive there, my girlfriend at the time (Mrs. Jolliff) asked if I was ever going to ask her for her hand in marriage? I responded, ‘YES, OF COURSE!’ I told her to drive to Piazza’s Jeweler on the way there in St. Louis. We stopped, she picked out a ring, I bought it, and we got engaged right there on the spot. The drive there was stressful because Mrs. Jolliff didn’t think I was serious and I knew I was about to make a huge investment at 26 years old.” - MR. JOLIFF

TH E L O V E by Sarah Downs Reporter

Valentine’s Day, a holiday for the couples and the stores. The couples love all of the romance and the stores love all the money coming in. The prices are raised higher, just because it has the words ‘Valentine’s Day’ on it. Valentine’s Day also seems like a filler holiday. Why do you need a day to show your significant other how much they mean to you? You should be showing how much they mean to you about everyday. You shouldn’t feel forced to show someone how much they mean to you just because there’s a day that’s dedicated to that. Some people don’t have a significant other and it can make them feel upset about not having a Valentine. Valentine’s Day consumes our feelings. How is it that on any other day you and someone who you appreciate can show their feelings towards one another, but on Valentine’s Day, everyone feels like they have to go all out to show their love? Some people who are in a relationship expect a present from their significant other. Some couples may get great, big presents while the others may get great, but smaller gifts from their significant other. How would the other couples feel if they thought their presents were not grand enough? So what do you think? Is Valentine’s Day a good holiday? Or is Valentine’s Day a made up holiday?

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Show Love Everyday

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Glimpse At My High School Relationships My advice and experience on high school relationships

by Olivia Holler Co-Editor-in-Chief by Olivia Holler Co-Editor-in-Chief

igh school relationships sometimes can be difficult while also battling school, work and any other activities going on outside of your personal life. In my experience, high school relationships in the past haven’t been very good. I always used to just settle and I was more than they could handle. I loved more than they liked me. I think I was oblivious to what a real relationship was. As time went on, I continued not knowing what was the difference between a healthy relationship and what was not. I was continuously getting hurt and kept letting it happen. I think part of that is I opened up too quickly and trust people too easily. From then on, I started to give up. I was in the mode of “I don’t want to be in a relationship till I get out of high school,” kind of thing. I was set on it, just because I was continuously tired of having to deal with the heartbreak and the loss. I was tired of the same thing happening over and over. I was starting to settle. I took some time for myself. I started finding self love and respect for myself. By summer, I started to realize that not all relationships will be bad just because you have a couple bad ones. It just makes you stronger. It is possible to be happy and have a good strong relationship. You just have to find the right person. You have to love yourself first. That was my problem. I wasn’t loving myself and was aching for love from someone to compensate for myself. I was finally able to love myself by the end of summer. Now, I am in a healthy lovable relationship. l lhstoday.org 16 Opinion design by: m. bartels & o. holler

photo by c.salvosa

I am taken care of, I have someone who loves me for who I am and my disease which is important to me. I used to think that I wasn’t going to have time for a relationship because I was so busy with school and clubs and work. As my mom reminded me, high school is about experiences and the memories you make. Yes, school is important but you have to have fun too. It also has a lot to do with time management and balancing time between school and your personal life. My boyfriend has not only encouraged me with school but also motivates me to do well in school. It is helpful to have someone who can be your rock and be there for you when times are rough. I think sometimes people are scared of just being hurt in relationships because they have had too many bad ones or they are against high school relationships because it’s too much or it’s not going to last. You just can’t worry about that. You are still going to have heartbreak and those worries in life not just in high school. I’m not saying I’m encouraging high school relationships or saying you are in the wrong if you aren’t in one. I’m saying if someone truly makes you happy, go for it. Don’t make up excuses not to be in one, you can’t be afraid forever. My point is, love yourself before you love anyone else and high school is about experiences so make them. All relationships are not bad in high school. You just have to find the right person that makes you the happiest and just go for it.

photo by m. baker

The More the Merrier?

Classes should have fewer students by Jessica Gibson Reporter As a student, I have a lot of questions throughout class. Maybe because I get lost in the lecture or I simply don’t understand what was going on. Normally, someone will raise their hand and ask a question. But I don’t want to feel dumb by asking a question everyone already knows the answer to. My real question is, would I feel better about asking the question out loud if there weren’t as many people in the class? Or if I personally knew everyone who was around me? Or would I still have to wait until the end of class to finally figure out what had happened halfway through the lecture. Throughout Liberty, there are about 100 classrooms. There are about 1,300 students who attend Liberty. On average, there should be about 13 students per teacher per class. There are classes around the school that will have six students and other classes that will have 34. I understand that there are some classes that more students won’t take, whether they don’t have the prerequisites to take that class or they have no interest in the topic of the class. But teachers who teach the same class multiple hours should be evened out to a reasonable number of

students. Personally, I prefer a class with a small amount of students. I’m not talking five or six because that would still be weird for some classes. I’m talking 15-20 students per class. Having 30 students in one classroom doesn’t leave much room for anyone to move around. Also, when talking out in class, I feel more pressured to say the correct answer and it makes me anxious that I might answer wrongly. I just won’t say anything, which doesn’t benefit my questioning. The amount of students in a class could also reflect on the student activities or learning. A class like weightlifting has limited resources. There are only so many bars and weights for everyone to use, so if there were an unreasonable amount of students in that class, it would take longer to get the workouts and activities completed. Having a smaller amount of student in the class would benefit the students who choose to take it. Another class that would benefit with smaller numbers is any science class. Most science classes have some type of lab work throughout the year, and there are limited stations and supplies in most science rooms. Having fewer students in the class would benefit each student because more students would be able to do hands-on work during the lab instead of watching two or three students do the few steps there are. A solution to the overcrowded classes would be to have a limit to each class. Obviously, the limit would be flexible because some students have to have specific classes certain hours of the day. However, most students change their schedule and ask for a specific hour, which causes very crowded classes. An example of this would be someone switching their P.E. class to be 8th hour. It’s understandable to why most students wish to do this, but it causes the class to have too many students in it. In the end, I feel as if class sizes are too big and should be spread out more to prevent overcrowding and give students the help they need in their particular class. photo by j. gibson

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For the Glory Senior Kale Catchings commits to playing basketball at Harvard by Maddie Baker Reporter

Harvard is known as the school for the top-notch students and getting into Harvard is highly competitive in many aspects. It was a really proud moment when senior Kale Catchings, not only got offered to play basketball for Harvard, but also got into the school with his academics. With a GPA of of 4.64 and a height of 6-foot-6, it’s hard for Catchings to not catch an eye. In fact, many other schools wanted Catchings to play for them. Division I schools like Princeton, Brown and Missouri State were also very interested. “I was super excited when I found out that Harvard wanted me,” Catchings said. “I had good sophomore and junior seasons, but I didn’t really get started recruiting heavily until my junior season. I had a couple of schools I was looking at and I don’t know, but once Harvard started talking I got pretty interested and excited to see where basketball and school takes me.” Harvard has been looking at Catchings since the spring of his junior year and during the summer, head coach Tommy Amaker followed him to different basketball tournaments to see Catchings play against highly competitive teams. “They started recruiting me towards the end of spring last year, so as a kid always excelling in school it’s always been goal of mine,” Catchings said. “Whenever they started to take interest, I jumped at it for sure and it’s always been at the top of my list. Eventually in September, I went up there and I loved it so I went ahead and committed.” Coach Sodemann has notices Catchings’ dedication and tries to coach certain qualities to make him better. “Coaching a competitive player is fun and has its challenges,” Sodeman said. “It’s fun because when you have to coach effort and coach guys playing hard and coach guys caring, it can be kind of a long season. With Kale, you don’t have to coach those qualities, but at the same time it’s been a challenge to get other guys to play with him and around him. It’s been a challenge because at times I think Kale gets frustrated because other teams guard him so hard and spend a lot of attention and a lot of focus on him and part of what he needs to learn is how to play with them and let the game come to him and sometimes that’s tough to teach. But I think he’s done a pretty good job this far.”

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Catchings puts in about 2-3 hours a day just dedicated to basketball and is always trying to improve himself. Not only is he the first Liberty basketball player to go Division I, but he is also the first men’s player to continue his basketball career into college. Basketball comes very naturally to Catchings and he has been playing since he was about 4 or 5. He’s had a very competitive drive since he was young and has played on travel teams like Bradley Beal Elite, St. Louis Eagles and St. Louis Prospects. “Kale’s biggest strength is his competitive nature,” Sodeman said. “He’s got the hard work, he works really hard and he’s a good teammate. But I think the thing that sets him apart from other players around the area is he plays to win, all the time.” Catchings hasn’t always attended Liberty. He actually transferred here this year from CBC, which is how Harvard head coach Amaker got into contact with him. “Coach Amaker heard from my high school coach at CBC that I was I was a good student, so he just came to a game, last spring and throughout the summer I was traveling to Vegas and Georgia and all those places and actually got to see me play. So we’ve been in contact ever since then,” Catchings said. Amaker wasn’t the only coach impressed by Catchings. Coach Sodemann was excited to have him join the Liberty team. “I was excited to have him. He’s a very high level player and has had a lot of success” he said. “He was an all-state player last year at CBC, so having a guy with that talent makes us excited to help us grow our program in the direction that we want it to go.” Kale’s younger brother, spohomore Jayce, also goes to Liberty, but hasn’t actually played with Kale until this year. The brothers are really close and Jayce looks up to all that Kale has accomplished so far. “I like what he has accomplished so far and I look up to that,” sophomore Jayce Catchings said. “It was crazy when I found out Kale was going to Harvard. I was pretty surprised.” Kale is thinking about majoring in economics next year, but doesn’t know for sure. He plans on going with the flow and seeing where life takes him next.

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Champions Hallway New tradition showcases athletic achievements by Sophia Sarhmann Reporter

photo by b. mcmakin Mr. Labrot and Mike Rybak put up the team picture photo boards for the Champions Hallway.

What the LHS Staff Thinks “A great showcase of our supreme student athletes at LHS. My favorite part is the Eagle athletes at the next level, which displays the athletes and their respective colleges they will play for.” - Mr. Wheeler

“I like how interested all the kids are, and it’s nice to see them look at it and think that it looks really good and with more to come. It’s helping our school establish traditions, gives our athletes something to strive for and recognizes athletes that establishes the foundation for athletic programs.” - Ms. Wilke

In its fifth year, Liberty High School is still establishing it's identity and traditions are beginning to form. The majority of the student body participates in at least one sport or after school activity. Athletic director, Mr. Eldredge, along with other Liberty coaches and staff members developed an idea where athletes could be recognized for their achievements in the Champions Hallway. This hallway is located between the big and small gym outside of the activities office. “The hallway is in its infancy but starting to take shape. I encourage you to come down the hall near my office to check it out,” Mr. Eldredge said. The project began in early January. The school decided to use navy paint for the bottom half of the wall with a gray line of paint across the top connecting the navy and white. There are three photo boards hung on the wall that separate sports by the season. Each team has their current team photo on display that will be changed out each year.

Dreams Come True

There is also a smaller board that displays sports signings for colleges. There are currently nine conference championship plaques on the wall as well. “They did it now because they wanted to wait until the school had time to succeed more and fill the spaces,” Eldredge said. In the future, the athletic department plans to add several additions to the hallway. One of these is an all-state trophy case to recognize the all-state athletes. They also wish to add sports specific records to the wall. Mr. Labrot and senior Mike Rybak both volunteered to help put the boards on the wall on Jan. 26. Rybak enjoys volunteering when he sees teachers working on things in the hallways. “I helped to make the boards level and look good,” Rybak said. The athletes also enjoy the hallway and it’s displays. “I think it’s cool that you can see all of the sports throughout the school year in one place,” sophomore Leah Baalman and Liberty cheerleader said.

by Chasteanne Salvosa Co-Editor-in-Chief

Four Liberty seniors celeexchanged as each student was anbrated a momentous occasion on nounced, snapping pictures with National Signing Day with friends family as well as coaches. Howevand family to mark the beginning er, the excitement that filled the of their college sports careers in auditorium did not exceed the exLiberty Performing Arts Center citement of the athletes who sealed during eighth hour on Wednesday, the dream of carrying their passion Feb. 7. into college that afternoon. The athletes who partici“Playing college golf has pated in National Signing Day always been the goal for me and to included Wesley Hines, football be given the opportunity to play for Lindenwood University, Lucas on the next level is just a dream Mitchell, soccer for Missouri S&T, come true,” Schnable said. And more dreams came true Claire Roberts, soccer for Central Methodist University and Maya the following day, with Kaitlyn Schnable, golf for Truman State. Theriot signing with Webster University for soccer, Bennett Smiles and applause were Sports l lhstoday.org design by: g. mitchell, e. hankins & g. major

Kaitlyn Theriot signs with Webster University.

photos by m. baker, b. mcmakin, c. hollowell & m. arnone Seniors Lucas Mitchell, Wesley Hines, Maya Schnable and Claire Roberts gather to celebrate the start of their college sports careers on National Signing Day, Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Bennett Williams signs with William Jewell College.

Williams signing with William Jewell College for soccer and Brandon Wortman signing with Avila University in Kansas City for football. Brandon Wortman signs with Avila University.