November 21, 2017 Print Issue by RHS ECHO

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Rolla High School - 900 Bulldog Run Rolla, Missouri 65401- Volume 69 - Issue - 4 November 21, 2017 - www.rhsecho.com

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Understanding consent is important to changing the status quo

Rolla High students give back to the community

Fall sports season comes to a close

In this issue...

This is Why We Can’t Have Mice Thigs.........................................6 Powderpuff....................................................................................10 Small Clubs...................................................................................19 12 Angry Jurors............................................................................20 Art Teachers..................................................................................23

Letter from the Editor

As the school year continues, I find myself reflecting on my love for reading. For me, walking into a bookstore is one of the best feelings. If I’m ever lost for a while, I’m probably pacing up and down the aisles of a Barnes & Noble. Reading has been a staple in my life for so many years now that it’s hard to understand why some people don’t enjoy it. Of course everyone is different, but I’m certain that there are books out there for every type of person. I always hear about how people don’t have time to read or they don’t want to put in the extra work, but I can assure you it’s worth it. Books contain some of the best stories, and you get to choose the pace. When you watch a movie, you typically learn the story in one sitting. However, when you read a book, you can make it last for as long as you want. You have freedom. You can also imagine the characters however you want. Sure, the author may give some description, but other than that it’s up to the reader. I love reading because I get to use my imagination. Now, I know that it may seem way easier to just turn on Netflix and pick out a movie, but reading can be easy too! When I find a book I really like, I find myself lost in the story. I forget that I’m reading until I turn to the last page and realize that the story is over. Books have made me laugh, cry, and think about the world in a way I never have before. I’m thankful for the millions and millions of stories that are sitting on the shelves of libraries all across the globe.

2017-2018 Rolla High ECHO Magazine Staff Editor In Chief - Sophia Gesualdi Copy Editor - Adrienne Pyeatt Managing Editor - Lydia Giesey Photo Editor - Bailey Allison Section Editors: Caroline Adams (Opinion), Maia Bond (Arts & Entertainment), Kayla Copeland (News), Brandon Kirchner (Sports), Jessa Swearingen (Feature) Staff Writers - Nalani Massaro, Lorren Black, Brett Gonzalez, Tutu Hardwick, Abbee Hilgers, Elizabeth Kaelin, Sam Kimball, Taylor Miller, Isaac Stormes, Nicole Van Horn, Abbee Hilgers Adviser - Mary Gillis ECHO is an open forum for student expression. All letters to the editor must include the writer’s name, signature and class or position. Anonymous letters will not be published. ECHO reserves the right to reject any letters. Letters should be sent to ECHO, Rolla High School, 900 Bulldog Run, Rolla, MO 65401. ECHO is a member of Missouri Scholastic Press Association, Journalism Education Association, and Quill & Scroll Honor Society

Table of Contents

ECHO seeks solution to bathroom pass

inconsistency

This month, our staff addresses the bathroom policies at Rolla High and why they can create problems for our students.

ECHO Staff Editorial

Rules are necessary in order to maintain normality inside the walls of Rolla High. In most cases, these rules remain consistent throughout every classroom. However, the rules for going to the bathroom, a simple everyday task, change countless times throughout a student’s day. We, the ECHO staff, believe that bathroom policies at RHS cause student confliction. The typical student at Rolla High has seven classes a day with seven different teachers (not counting PRIDE time). Each teacher has his or her own policy for allowing students to use the bathroom. Some teachers allow students to use the bathroom whenever they need, and some teachers issue bathroom passes that can be later used as extra credit. While we do realize that bathroom policies are crucial, a consistent policy throughout the school would benefit both teachers and students. One conflicting bathroom policy is the practice of using passes for extra credit. There are multiple versions of these passes, but most of them reward a student with extra credit at the end of the semester for any unused bathroom passes. Everyone loves extra credit, so at first glance, this policy seems like a great idea. However, it can cause students to feel anxious about using the bathroom, which should be a simple task. While faced with the decision of using the bathroom or getting extra credit, many students will choose the extra credit regardless of how much they need to use the bathroom. This is an effective way to keep stu-

dents in class, but resisting the urge to go to the bathroom can cause health problems later on in life. According to steptohealth. com, holding your pee “can produce severe urinary infections. These infections can spread to the kidneys and lead to much more serious conditions.” Along with raising health concerns, not being able to go to the bathroom when needed can create a distraction as students work in the classroom. It is understandable to have extra credit passes for forgotten supplies or homework because if a student has forgotten something, it shows their lack of preparation. However, students should not be penalized for using the bathroom when they feel the urge. At the same time, there must be some limitations when it comes to students’ bathroom use. If there were no regulations at all, then it would become easy for a student to use the bathroom as an opportunity to skip class. For this reason, a policy where students can use the bathroom anytime they want is not an ideal solution either. Perhaps the ideal bathroom policy for Rolla High School is a system where students are allowed to use the bathroom a certain number of times, but they are not rewarded for their unused passes. Teachers and students must establish a trust when it comes to bathroom use so that classroom distractions can be avoided. The current bathroom policy at Rolla High creates an inconsistency for students that distracts from the learning process.

This Month in History: The First Thanksgiving Each month in this column I will feature exciting events that happened in the past. Anything from iconic historical moments, influential movements, or just silly random events. I have always enjoyed learning about history, and I hope you will too! b y

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Staff Reporter

The celebration of Thanksgiving in America originates from America’s earliest settlers, the pilgrims of Plymouth. The pilgrims left from England, seeking new land that promised prosperity and a place where they could freely practice their religious beliefs. On December 16, 1620, their ship the Mayflower landed on the coast of Massachusetts, where the settlement of Plymouth was founded. The first winter at Plymouth proved to be disastrous, with many colonists falling ill due to wet weather and lack of shelter in the cold winter months. Many of the colonists remained on board the Mayflower during the winter, while some left to build houses to prepare for Spring. In March 1621, the remaining settlers that survived the harsh circumstances of their first winter moved ashore, where they met Samoset, a Native American from the Abenaki tribe. He greeted them in English and asked them for beer. In return, the colonists gave him biscuits, butter, cheese, and pudding. He came back a few days later with Squanto, who also spoke

This history of Thanksgiving was compiled using information from the following websites: https://tinyurl.com/manlmuq, https://tinyurl.com/yar63afx, and https://tinyurl.com/ne2na8p. English. Squanto taught the pilgrims how to grow corn, extract sap from maple trees, and how to catch fish in the rivers. He also taught them what plants are poisonous, and how to avoid them. Squanto aided the settlers in forming an alliance with the Wampanoag, an alliance that would last for more that 50 years. In November 1621, the pilgrims first corn harvest proved to be successful. The governor of Plymouth, William Bradford, called for a celebration feast in honor of the harvest and invited their Native American allies. Governor Bradford sent four men on a hunting mission in preparation for the feast, and the Wampanoag arrived with five deer. There is no written record of what was on the menu of the feast, but some historians believe that many of the dishes were most likely prepared using traditional Native American recipes and spices. This celebration lasted for three days, which is now remembered as America’s first Thanksgiving.

Staff Editorial 3

ECHO Awareness

Bringing light to America’s opioid epidemic each issue

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The recently declared Opioid Crisis in the United States has had an effect on people around the United States. People in the Rolla community have also been affected. According to a recent story in the New York Times by Josh Katz, Opium is a narcotic derived from a kind of poppy. Opioids are drugs that are developed from this substance. Morphine and heroin are both opioids. More modern opioids include painkillers such as Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin. Opioids regulate pain receptors and the reward center of the body. This is part of the reason they are addictive. Erik Williams, a certified registered nurse anesthetist explains how one may first become addicted to these pain killers. “Usually it starts off when they go and have surgery. Their surgeon prescribes them pain medications for the pain afterwards but then for some reason or another they remain taking the pain pills for one reason or another and low and behold, they’re taking them. There’s another way they can end up taking them. If they’re people that have chronic pain conditions, bad backs, injuries related that have never healed up they can be prescribed opioids from their family practice doctor, from their physician, and they will continue taking them because the pain is always there it seems like.” “One of the ways we deal with that, for example, any time someone has meds they’re not going to be using we ask them to bring them into the police department. We have a drop off box in the lobby of the police department. We take bags and bags of meds every day,” Rapier said. Williams acknowledges that the crisis is an issue in the United States and explains how he and other medical professionals experience it. “[The Opioid Crisis] is a big problem in this country. There are many individuals that come in for surgery and they take so many painkillers every day and they’ve been taking them for so long that when we give them our anesthetics. The painkillers in anesthesia they do not respond to them. It’s like giving them water. It doesn’t make a difference,” Williams said. The awareness given to the Opioid Crisis is increasing however, resulting in preventative measures. Williams discusses how his department has been contributing. “In terms of anesthesia, we have tried some new strategies to help these patients to receive less opioids because we feel that sometimes it can start from having a simple surgical procedure and so by giving them less of it, hopefully they won’t have to keep taking it,” Williams said. “We don’t sensitize them to taking it, so in the end they won’t have to take as much. They won’t need as much,” Williams said. The next question is, why has the opioid crisis occurred? The answer is partially due to tradition, as explained by Williams. “Traditionally, you’re a doctor, they’re in pain, you can’t take ibuprofen for some reason, you have an ulcer in your stomach or you have some kind of odd allergic effect from it. Well, they’re going to give you that medication. Not so much anymore, because they’re more aware, more hyper senstive of the opioid crisis going on but that’s traditionally what happened. It’s always been the preferred method. It’s always been a part of treatment plans by

ECHO Awareness

physicians and it’s probably always gonna be used. But we have to learn to use them in a better strategic fashion. In a way that’s more helpful to the patient, a more responsible way,” Williams said. While the opioid crisis is a serious problem in the US and a better system is being developed, opioid is also important in the treatment of chronic pain and cancer patients. According to him, there are other ways to treat pain however. “There are many other options to opioids. Opioids affect the pain receptors in the body but there are other medications that are non-addictive that can take away the pain.” However, the Opioid crisis is not just affecting people going in for surgeries or pain. “I don’t think you can control people who experiment with drugs. I think people who want to do it are going to go out and do it. However, if there’s less prescriptions laying around the house. Let’s say you’re giving twenty pills for a surgery, twenty opioid medication, pain killing medications for a medical procedure and have some left over. It’s better than having those left around for someone to grab, or steal, or experiment with and I think that would remove some of the risk but I think there’s a lot of problems with that,” Williams said. Officer Wayne Rapier with the Rolla Police Department explains how he has observed this in the Rolla community. “What you see with students is more recreational use. Where the kids bring it from home because it’s cool. Or they’re buying it from their friends,” Rapier said. What leads to this issue is the improper disposal of these opioids. A student may find some at home or at a friends house and not consider possible consequences. “The pill that was prescribed to your friend is not necessarily good for you. Because you really don’t know what effect it will have on you,” Rapier said. “Part of the problem is when you go to the doctor and you have an injury and the doctor gives you a script for 50 percocet and you need them at the time and of course you have some people that because of the nature of that injury, but then you become addicted to it,” Rapier said. The Rolla Police Department offers the option to bring leftover, unnecessary medication to the Police Department for proper disposal. This is to avoid tempting other people to take medication not prescribed to them. This Crisis is a public issue, but like many public issues, a lot of people will register that it is a problem but not do anything about it. An important step toward the resolution or betterment of the situation is awareness. “When you learn about your, body you should learn about all the common medications that you would take for a common cold. You should also learn about the common medications you would take with a surgery and that can be done in the school and it also can be done at the doctor’s office when you go in for a treatment, a procedure or for something, they need to sit down with you and make sure that you understand the effects; long term, short term and all the effects. And that you can be addicted to these medications. The physicians should understand that if they prescribe that to you, they should be liable for it,” Williams said.

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Thanksgiving: a time of love, bonding with family and friends, and intense arguments about which food items are best. One of the biggest debacles of the holidays is the argument over which is best, pumpkin or pecan pie? Personally, I side with those who favor pumpkin. Pumpkins are only socially acceptable one time of the year, so why not take advantage? Pumpkin pie also has historical value. It was first introduced to the holiday table after being featured in an English cookbook in 1675. Though pumpkin pie didn’t gain popularity in America until the early 1800s, it remains a part of holiday dinner traditions to this day. Aside from history, some other things that make pumpkin pie superior include, but are not limited to, texture, presentation, and health benefits. Typically, when one imagines eating a pie, they think of a smooth, sweet filling and a flakey crust. Pumpkin pie is just that-where pecan pie assaults the consumer’s mouth with hard, crunchy nuts, an overload of sweetness, runny filling, and soggy crust. Pumpkin is also beneficial to health. Pumpkins are antioxidants, they prevent cataracts and eye degeneration, provide vitamin C, protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, and the chemical L tryptophan, which can prevent depression and other mental illnesses. Granted, the average pumpkin pie contains 21 grams of sugar, but pecan pie generally has up to 31 grams. In conclusion, pumpkin pie is one of America’s most delicious traditions, and deserves way more appreciation than it gets.

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Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce. These are all foods that are associated with the Thanksgiving holiday. For the most part, everyone loves a colorfully arranged main course, but who could forget the marvelous ending of the meal? While there are multiple options of sweets to choose from, a wonderful traditional pie is always a golden choice. What better way to finish a feast but with some nicely crusted, golden, pecan pie? Pecan pie has a smooth and sweet center with a layer of roasted pecans on top. The pie is so unique in flavor that it does not need any topping to make it taste better. Pecan pie is made with ingredients such as honey, molasses, or syrup for the sweet and smooth center. The pie also contains a mix of eggs, sugar, and pecans. However, if you did want a little topping to add on an extra pop of flavor, pecan pie goes well with just about any dessert topper you can think of. Ice cream, whipped cream, fruit, and even icing could all lay wonderfully upon this pie and still contain unique and magnificent taste. While it may not be the healthier option from the long list of pie, it is definitely a more delicious choice.

Take our Twitter poll @rhsechonews Which side do you take?

Sam’s Soapbox

Reduce then Reuse then Recycle

Staff Reporter

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Every Monday, I spend an hour of my time sorting through Rolla High School’s recycling. As a member of Eco Club, I get to see what Rolla students put in those bins. There are of course the things that are to be expected, like chewing tobacco filled bottles, used gum, and week old milk bottles. Most people think I’m crazy, but I really don’t mind. After about the twentieth piece of chewed gum of the day it loses its impact. The thing that really bothers me is finding useable items in the recycling bins. Every week, I find a sealed bottle of water or soda, or a folder that has nothing wrong with it. It saddens me that people would simply get rid of items that they could still use. It seems that people have forgotten the first two items of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The first priority should be reducing consumption. Try to use less of everything, like water and energy, and buy products with less wasteful packaging. After that step is done, reuse when possible. Instead of using paper towels, use actual towels, and instead of buying a new bottle of water each day, use a refillable bottle. Only after those two steps are completed should recycling become a priority. Do not recycle things that can be used again. Instead, try to repair minor problems with whatever items you have, and only recycle and replace them when it becomes absolutely necessary. And when recycling becomes necessary, make sure it is done in the proper manner. All blue bins at Rolla High School are paper only, including the large ones in the hallways. Do not put cans, bottles, or boxes in them. Clear plastic bottles and aluminum cans (and nothing else) belong in the white recycling bins located in each classroom. Do not use the gray bins in the hallways. I love what I do in Eco club, but I wish I could do more, and the only way I can do that is with the help of the students of Rolla High School.

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ately, the halls of Rolla High School have been plagued both by fears of mice and survivor stories of those unlucky enough to encounter such unpleasant creatures. Tales of horror in the lunchroom and terrible accidents in teachers’ desks have been circulating for weeks. Thankfully, Mr. Headrick, the head custodian at Rolla High, is unperturbed by the recent events. “Mice are common. This time of the year, when it starts to get cold, they’re just like anything else. They’re trying to find places to come in and get warm. There seems to be more this year than I’ve ever seen before. I think a lot of it has to do with the construction last year. The building was open and there were ways for them to come in. The main thing is that they’re like any other pest. We have measures out to eliminate the problem,” Headrick said. Some students at Rolla High are extremely disturbed by the state of our school. Junior Ashlynn Marley voices her concerns. “Since the beginning of the semester I’ve seen two mice. The first time I saw one was in the lunchroom. One of the kids in there stomped on it. I kind of felt bad, but I’m pretty grossed out that there’s mice in the school. I especially don’t like that they’re in the cafeteria. I also saw a mouse in the band room under one of the pianos. That could definitely be our fault because people were leaving food, clothes, trash, and drinks in there. I just want the mice to be gone,” Marley said. Other students, however, don’t see the mice as a problem to

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be fixed, but rather a minor nuisance that can easily be ignored. Freshman Gigi Huber is sick of the drama. “Although I haven’t personally seen a mouse, I have heard from multiple sources that they are around the school. Lots of people have strong feelings about the mice, but I really don’t think they’re hurting anyone so we should probably just leave them alone. People should stop making such a big deal about it,” Huber said. Then there are students like Senior Trent Jenkins, who has decided to take matters into his own hands, or rather, feet. “I was going to dump my tray as usual and I noticed a mouse had run under the trash cans right in front of me. It tried making its way back out and across the cafeteria so I stepped on it with enough force to kill it, but not enough to make a major mess of things. I’m normally against killing, but I know we don’t want mice running around the school, especially where all the food is,” Jenkins said. Overall, the mouse situation isn’t something to worry about, but it’s important to be conscious of how we treat the building and all of its inhabitants. “[The mice] also require us to be diligent as users of the facility. We need to make sure we’re throwing things away and not leaving things out that could attract them or make them want to stay. If they don’t have food or water, they’re not going to want to hang around,” Headrick said.

is why we can’t have Mice things at Rolla High b y

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7th and Pine Street Downtown Rolla www.reddoorgiftsrolla.com

Should You Get A Flu Shot? b y

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As the weather gets colder and school starts again, illnesses are easier to catch and harder to get rid of. This time of year also ensues the seasonal flu vaccine. Each year, there are the people who are adamantly against the vaccine, who can give you half a dozen reasons why and approximately seven family members who got sick from the vaccine. The long list of excuses run from ‘my immune system is already so good, I never get the flu,’ to ‘the flu got me sick,’ and finally ‘if they worked, then why do I have to get a new one every year.’ License Practical Nurse at the Mercy Clinic in Rolla, Shelly Cooper, suggests the reasoning behind having to get a new shot every year. “The strains are different. They do all these tests throughout each year to tell what kind of strains are likely to be active that year, and then change the flu shot to those strains,” Cooper said. The flu virus adapts and evolves at an incredibly fast rate, therefore the vaccine from years past will most likely not be helpful this year. It evolves so quickly that despite all the testing, sometimes the vaccine is less effective than other years.

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Arts & Entertainment Editor “No they are not always effective, but it is better than not getting the shot at all,” Cooper said. Not getting the vaccine each year, even if one believes they will never get the flu, can be dangerous. If one is around someone who is very susceptible to the flu, then something very small could give them the illness. It is better to be cautious and get the vaccine to further prevent friends and family from getting sick. “Babies and the elderly are most susceptible because babies have not gotten a very good immune system yet and the elderly’s have began to deteriorate,” Cooper said. The main excuse for not getting the vaccine is that it causes one to get sick. Though several studies have proven the vaccine can never actually give you the flu, because the vaccine is made with flu viruses which have been inactivated, therefore not infectious, or have no flu virus at all. However, it is possible to feel a little down after receiving the vaccine. “When you get any injection, you can get a fever. Sometimes people do run a fever with the flu shot, and they think that the flu shot got them sick, but that’s true for every vaccine,” Cooper said. Now that seasonal flu vaccines are available at Walgreens, PCRMC, and the Mercy Clinic, it is a good idea to get the shot, just in case.

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Great Circle is a series of specialized programs designed to help children and families with unique circumstances surrounding behavioral health. These programs are widely spread throughout Missouri, with the closest facility to Rolla being in St. James. Stacy Hardwick used to work in Boys and Girls town as a residential counselor. “Great Circle is a facility that houses children with mental health problems that are so severe that they need 24 hour adult supervision. At Great Circle, they provide a variety of counseling sessions such as individual, group, family, and activity therapy. The children’s schooling is also a part of the St. James School District,” Hardwick said. Among the many positions available in the Boys and Girls Town facility, Hardwick shed some light on what her job entailed. “Teen boys from ages 13 to 17 live in houses called ‘cottage therapy’. I did all of their individual, group, and family counseling to help them solve their issues that kept them from becoming successful in a regular home environment,” Hardwick said. One of the main goals for Great Circle is to constantly find new ways to improve the experience of the children and families that use their program. “Great Circle has a ranch with rock climbing, agility courses, zip lining, horseback riding, fishing, and camping. Most of the kids who live at Great Circle never previously had the opportunity to

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participate in those activities. Here, the kids become engaged in activities and work in teams that teach them to take pride in their own success. This helps them become more confident of their success in therapy, and to eventually become more successful in a home environment,” Hardwick said. As the program is ever-changing and expanding, there are many ways in which it could improve. “I would like to see more state and federal funding available so that inner-city kids who would never get to experience the Great Circle, would have the same access as kids who have mental health needs. The kind of successes that are gained here are good for kids’ self-esteem,” Hardwick said. While now knowing about the experiences built for the children, we wondered about the staff that came together everyday to make everything possible. “The best thing about working at Great Circle was having coworkers who were passionate about helping kids get back into their homes, and took pride in bringing families back together,” Hardwick said. If you are interested in Great Circle and their services, you can contact them at: https://www.greatcircle.org/index.php/contact-us 1-844-424-3577 (GCHELPS)

No means no, but what about By now, people have learned that no means no, but why does someone in the U.S. get sexually assaulted every two minutes? Sexual assault and rape are not something people are open to talk about, but I want to make a motion for that to change. It’s something real. It’s something more common than it should be. Sexual assault, as defined by the U.S. Bureau of Justice, is “forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion as well as physical force”. Sexual assault and rape are inarguably a serious issue in our world, but why is it such an issue if people should already know the simple act of consent? Why do women still fear walking in public at night, often arming themselves with pepper spray, having the first two digits of 911 dialed just incase the third is needed? It’s sad yet simple: consent is not properly taught. Girls are taught at a young age that if a boy is being mean to her and acting like a bully, that he has a crush on you; this teaches boys to abuse girls to show affection and girls to accept the abuse and brush it off. Similarly, school dress codes are enforced so that male students and faculty members are not distracted by female students’ bodies. With social norms like these taught at such a young age, no wonder these students graduate and head off to college, where sexual assault and rape cases skyrocket. College campuses are the leading location of sexual assault cases, but almost every case is either not reported or nothing is done about it. Cases of sexual assault and rape have increased so greatly in past decades that the End Rape On Campus (EROC) was founded by college professors, students, and victims in 2013 and Netflix released a documentary in 2015 called The Hunting Ground that is strictly about sexual assault on college campuses. It’s a problem that is affecting students physically, academically, mentally, and emotionally everyday. Consent should have been enforced from the start of a child’s school career. So what is consent? Being in a relationship with someone does not automatically mean consent. Previous sexual interactions does not mean consent. Consent has nothing to do with what the other person is wearing. If a person is not sober that does not give you consent. Making someone scared to say “no” is not consent. If you have to convince someone, it’s not consent. Consent is voluntary. Consent is verbal. Consent is reversible. Consent is honest. Failure to receive clear and sober consent from both parties is rape. Statistics used for this article were taken from the following sources: RAINN sexual assault prevention program, Huffington Post, U.S. Bureau of Justice (BJS), Missouri Coalition Against Domestic Violence (MCADSV), and National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).

If you or someone you know is going through, or has been through, sexual assault or rape, don’t hesitate to call RAINN’s sexual assault hotline, availible 24/7:

1-800-656-4673

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of rapists are never incarcerated

69% of rape victims are under the age of 30

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60% of sexual assaults in the U.S. go unreported

of rapists spend a day in jail

65% of sexual assault victims have been a victim more than once in their life

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91%

of rape and sexual assault victims are female

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of teenagers will be abused or assulted through social media

82%

of juevinille rape victims are female

15%

of rape victims are under the age of 12

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of rapes go unreported

25% of those who are charged with sexual assault get convicted Feature 7

Seniors retain championship after a hard-fought battle B

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After a dominating victory last year, the senior Powderpuff squad was confident that they had the skill and personnel to win another powderpuff championship. The senior bunch was exposed to the game with almost everyone who played last year coming back. The team would rely on strength, experience, and effort to pull out the sweep of Powderpuff championships. “I thought the game went well, it was a lot of fun as was it last Class of 2019 vs. Class of 2018 year and it is definitely nice to have a something to brag about to last years senior class and this years junior class” senior coach Ryan Smith said. The senior team was expecting a walkover of a game but the juniors came out and surprised everyone. “They were freaking fast,” senior wideout Ami Ikuenobe said. The juniors had kept the game close throughout the first half just trailing the seniors by a score of 12-14. The seniors had a mindset coming out of halftime to make that lead increase. And that is exactly what they did. After getting a quick stop on defense, they were able to punch in a touchdown for a 20-12 lead. They didn’t look back after that continuing to play great and because of this they were able to bring home trophy with a 34-26 win. The main focus of the game was that everyone had fun and got to play football with their friends. “The game went really well. The score was pretty close so it really pushed us to play our hardest and that made it even more fun to be out there,” senior defensive safety Emma Weinbaum said. Practices helped players and coaches evaluate what would work and who could play what positions for the game B y B l a i z e K l o ss n e r “We spent two weeks prior to the game prereporter paring ourselves physically and mentally, This year’s junior class could perhaps we perfected our plays during practices be considered one of the most underrated teams which is what helped us win on saturday” to play Powderpuff football in recent memory. The senior quarterback Macy Moreland said. class of 2019 is well-balanced, with an even mix of The seniors finished what they had speed, strength, and football IQ. The juniors came come for. They got the trophy but they into the Powderpuff games with plans of not just playstill have some advice for next years ing but taking home the trophy. teams. “I definitely thought we were gonna win, but I’m still pretty “Some advice I would have to the impressed with the outcome,” junior Lauryn Kamper said. next year teams is to just enjoy it While the juniors came in with high hopes, the and have fun with it and ask quesseniors woke them in the first half going up, 14-12 at halftime. tions to the coaches to definitely After a humorous dance by Rolla’s very own all-male cheer team, give ideas to the coaches to make the juniors started the second half out on offense first, but failed practices more fun and that it’s to score. After a slow second half, the junior defense made a fourth nice to have the players inputs down stop to regain possession of the ball with :01 remaining. Their on it because it’s mainly for hopes and dreams would be crushed after the class of 2018 defense the players,” Smith said. stopped the juniors, winning Powderpuff 2017 by a score of 34-26. Players even warned next Coaches on both sides were satisfied with the outcome. year teams about wearing “I thought it was a good, evenly matched game. There was plenty of stuff we the eye black. could’ve done differently to come out on top, but we have to put that behind “I probably wouldn’t us,” junior coach Elijah Young said. have put the black stuff While the class of 2019 may have came up just short, the Juniors have on my face because their sights set onto next year’s matchup with the class of 2020. it smelt bad and Junior Carlee McCormack put it plain and simple, “Good luck, [sophowouldn’t come off mores] you’re gonna need it.” completely for photos by Sydney Hulbert almost two days,” Moreland said. 10 Sports

powderpuff

Junior class puts up tough competition and falls to seniors in annual powderpuff game

Athletes of the Month Colton Morris

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Senior Colton Morris, who plays linebacker, is new to the Rolla Football program, but is not new to Rolla High School itself. Colton went to school in Rolla until his Sophomore year when he transferred and spent a year in St. James. He has now come back to Rolla and excelled drastically on the football field. Morris, Otherwise known as “Bobby”, is a true leader on the defensive side of the football team. He isn’t the most vocal veteran out there but he leads by example. “I try to go out there and play my hardest for the other ten guys I’m on the field with. Out there it’s a war and we have a brotherhood. I’m close with my teammates and that is one of the many reasons I enjoy football.” Morris said. The hardest thing for Morris coming back from Saint James was getting used to the system of the Rolla defense and all the defensive calls that go in a game. “Coming in, I didn’t have any expectations for myself I just wanted to go out there and show the Coach (Coach Jon Franks) what I could do, and see where he would put me” Morris said. Morris had a great season for the bulldogs this year being second on the team in tackles with 149. Morris earned 2nd team allconference for linebackers and will surely earn all district honors along with that. “It was a great honor receiving these accolades, being noticed for all the hard work we have put in, it was a great feeling” Morris said.

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The American Taco Company has generously agreed to award each Athlete and Artist of the Month featured in ECHO a $10 ATC Gift Card.

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Cross Country has seen its fair share of success this high school season, with two girl runners qualifying for the state meet. Krista Hilmas is one of those runners who has claimed her spot in the Bulldog history books forever. Krista knew exactly what she was looking for when she began her senior campaign. “My main goal was to ultimately make it to state, but ultimately I just wanted to end my season on a really good senior year” Hilmas said. She got into cross country five years ago and wasn’t sure what she was going to think of it. “I’ve ran Cross Country since 8th grade year, a bunch of my friends influenced me to do it, to stay in shape for other sports, but I ended up liking it more than the other sports, so I quit to run cross country” Hilmas said. From the first day Krista tried Cross Country, she knew it was for her. “I really like the team aspect of it, it’s an individual sport, but you have the team aspect too, like you can do well on your own, but still encourage each other. Cross Country was something where I saw immediate changes, like I would work hard at practice and then I would see immediate changes with my times and that they would get better” Hilmas said. She went into Hilmas is an accomplished runner and isn’t new to being decorated with honors. “Last season I got honorable mention all-conference and this year I got second team all conference and then last year I was third team all-district and this year I got first team all district. I was also a state qualifier this year, while last year I wasn’t” Hilmas said. Her running days in high school aren’t over as she plans on running and Track and Field and she believes her past experiences will help her. “This year could be a pretty strong year;I can go in with a better mental aspect from this cross country season” Hilmas said. Hilmas plans on running at the collegiate level already fielding some offers from schools in Missouri. “I have had a few offers, I am planning on going to a Division ll school, so I can focus on my academics still” Hilmas said.

Sports 11

#thirtydaysofthankfulness

STUDENTS OF RHS

ENGAGE During the months of October and November, the Rolla High School National Honor Society split up into five groups to help out different community organizations. Each group picked their organization based on who they felt passionate about helping. “My committee worked on raising money for the new animal shelter we’re getting in town. We chose this project because it was a great way to help our community and all the beloved pets too,” senior Ariana Stanislawski said. Along with raising money for the animal shelter through a fundraiser at McDonald’s, the students of National Honor Society also chose to fundraise for the high school’s student need account. This group of students raised money by hosting a gift card raffle. “The NHS committee I was in decided to fundraise money for the school’s special needs account by selling raffle tickets. Not many people know about the school’s special needs account, but it is a monetary account that supports Rolla students when they can not pay for a class related fee or need a necessity. Jessica Qiu and I came up with the idea to raffle gift card baskets. Also, Alex DeBlasi and Sean Kim were very helpful with driving to local businesses and asking for donations. I think they played a very big part in the project’s success,” senior Vivi Ho said. The third group of students decided to sell ice cream at the high school and donate their profits to hurricane victims. “My committee sold ice cream during lunch and pride to raise money for the hurricane victims. We had to order ice cream ahead of time and get people in my committee to help sell [the ice cream],” NHS secretary Shannan Chan said. Through their fundraising, Chan was pleased with how supportive other students of Rolla High were during the ice cream sales.

12 Focus

“It felt really great to help the community, especially seeing people’s generosity when they knew where the money was going. Being able to see everyone helping was very rewarding,” Chan said. Outside of fundraising, students of National Honor Society also gave back to the community by hosting a fall festival for Choice’s For People Center in Rolla. Another group of students is currently working on adopting a road and keeping it clean. “Our committee project is working on trying to adopt a road right now that we can pick up trash on. We chose this project because we think it’s very important to raise awareness about keeping the earth clean by going out and being a good example ourselves,” senior Krista Hilmas said. As their community service projects came to a close, the National Honor Society is thankful that they were able to help these organizations. “Our community gives so much to us and it’s only right for us to take time out of our own lives to give back to them with no rewards in it for us. I also think it helps shape us into better people because we’re doing these things for others needs instead of our own,” Hilmas said. National Honor Society member Ariana Stanislawski encourages students to get involved in their community in any way they can. Any student, whether they are involved with National Honor Society or not, can find a way to become involved. “You aren’t asked to do community service, you choose to do it. It’s the whole idea of your ‘actions speaking louder than your words’ that says a lot about a person. What you do matters, and helping out just a little can make a big difference,” Stanislawski said.

IN ROLLA

COMMUNITY RHS National Honor Society helps different organizations through community service and fundraising. b y

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STUDENTS OF RHS

SHARE Being thankful is a wonderful thing. To be blessed beyond compare and recognize that fact--especially amidst the frantic holiday season--is something we want to celebrate at ECHO magazine throughout the whole year, rather than just one month. But if we have to, we can settle for only November. We asked for some examples of people and organizations that the students of Rolla High School are thankful for and, thankfully, we got answers.

“I am thankful for the Rolla FFA Chapter. They are such a caring group of individuals who are quick to jump and help anyone in need. They work hard and support the school district and students!” “To the cafeteria staff: Thank you for preparing food for us to eat and for washing the trays when we are done. It’s not an easy job and you don’t receive the respect you deserve for your hard work.” “I thank the U.S. Military. They go overseas everyday and make the ultimate sacrifice so we can stay home and enjoy being spoiled. They work everyday to keep the terrible things we hear on the news over there and not in our backyard. I just want to say that I could not put into words how thankful I am for their service to our country,” Landon Hirtz said. “To Lynn Coffman: Thank you for keeping our school clean and also being one of my favorite people at school. You’re like one of my friends,” Jessica Richardson said.

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“Thank you to our community heroes, such as policeman, firefighters, teachers, and people who stop to let you pet their dogs on the Acorn Trail. You guys are the best,” Ashley Barth said. “To the lunch ladies: So thankful that you take the time to fuel the school,” Kaberon J. Burgess said. “I am thankful for Greentree Christian Church for helping people find out about the Lord and reaching out to help other parts of the world. Being able to see the problems in different countries and right here in our own country. Changing people’s lives that we don’t even know through the Lord. And just spreading the word all over the place,” Brooke Frazier said. “I’m thankful for Mr. Cook because he helps me with my math when I get behind on it. He also answers my questions. He’s the nicest teacher. I know that’s why he’s my favorite teacher,” Jenna Phillips said. “I’m thankful for Ms. Mulia for believing in my dreams and showing me who I am,” Kelly DeNise said.

“I am thankful for Mrs. Kinder because she is always happy and bubbly. She makes me want to improve my math skills,” Natalie Counts said. “To Dr. Peterson: Thank you for putting the effort and heart that you do into teaching. Your passion for science inspires me. I’m excited to learn this year and grow from your class!” “I am thankful for Missouri Science and Technology. My brother is currently going to S&T and if it was not in town he would be going else where. This allows me to spend more time with my brother,” Daniel Read said. “I am thankful for my family. I’m thankful for all of my family because I know they’re there for me and if I need them I know I can receive help. I’m also thankful for our sports program for giving a wide range of sports to choose from and good coaches to coach these sports. One last thing I’m thankful for is the classes we get to choose from at the Rolla High School to guide us to our wanted career in an easier way,” Nathaniel Pulliam said.

WHY THEY ARE

THANKFUL “To Mrs. White: I’m thankful for having a wonderful teacher like you. Someone that listens when there is a problem. A teacher I can count on for support. I’m also thankful for having a teacher that supports me. That helps me with all my work. I am thankful for having the best teacher and a best friend that I could have asked for,” Cathy Messex said. “Somewhere I am thankful for is the hospital (PCRMC). I am thankful for the hospital because my mom has had six surgeries in the last five years and if those surgeries have not been successful my mom wouldn’t be here today and someone I am thankful for is my youth pastor. I am thankful for my youth pastor because he has guided me to know God and Jesus and to follow his commandment and to be the person I am today,” Shandon Alexander said. “I am thankful for my family and my teachers. They have helped me throughout this school year. They have helped me with my assignments and projects throughout this year,” Wesley Blake said. “I am thankful for our police officers for keeping our town as safe as they can get it,” Riley Cooper said.

“I am thankful for Dr. Pritchett for making our school a positive and safe place,” Jaden Bryce said. “To Coach Franks: Thank you for giving your time to help us develop and become better athletes in the weight room and on the football field,” James Wick said. “I am thankful for Ashley Barth. for being one of the best section leaders ever. I can’t imagine having anyone better than you and Lauren. You guys love all of us. I’m so happy I stayed as a trombone. We have the best section ever and I will argue that point with anyone. I’m going to miss everyone in there when they graduate,” Gabby Jones said. “I am thankful for the Rolla High School Cheerleaders because they are always smiling when they are cheering. They also have to endure the cold weather and travel with the football players. I am very thankful for them and the time they spend practicing. CHEER ON!” Tahrea Facen said. “I am thankful for my dad because he helps me through life everyday. He teaches me how to cook and how to drive. He shows me how to be a good person,” Logan Welch said.

“I am thankful for band, as it is a very fun program, although it requires a lot of dedication and patience. You form connections with those around you, and get to know many different people with many different views against all the grades at Rolla High School. As an individual, you increase your talent and can make yourself as good as you want to be. Band is a program that I am looking forward to enjoying in the next four years,” Mable Daugaard said. “To Mr. Noellsch: Thankful for ya homie! Thanks for always being proud of me and telling me when my ideas are bad so I don’t make bad choices. You’re pretty alright, sometimes,” Venesa Young said. “Thankful for the upcoming Rolla Animal Shelter because we need more homes for homeless pups and kittens. All dogs and cats deserve love, so thanks so much for taking your time and money to help out sad dogs and cats! You’re greatly appreciated.” “I am thankful for our doctors and nurses because they help us when we are ill and when we need them,” Sloan Davis said.

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Recapping The Season

Fall

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With the Fall season now heading towards an end and Winter sports starting up for another season it is important to look back at the success and heartbreaks Rolla teams endured over the 2017 Fall Sport Season. The Rolla Volleyball team finished the season off 19-13-3 and ended the season off in a heartbreaking defeat to Lebanon in the 2nd round of districts by 2 points. Loran Pritchett is a Sophomore who has played Volleyball for quite some time. “It’s going to be a very different team next year because we are losing our defensive players. We are going to work very hard in the off season and next year at practices. Returning players are also going to be an even bigger help than this past season because we are getting stronger, and better everytime we touch a ball,” Pritchett said. However it is important not to focus on the past, but to be ready for the 2018 season by training during the offseason. Junior

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Shelby Ply is a varsity Volleyball player and takes Volleyball quite seriously “Offseason volleyball for me is fairly straight-forward. We lift weights as a team once or twice a week, and we have open gyms about once a week as well. Staying in shape and just getting in the gym are hugely important so you keep a steady improvement and don’t lapse on how far you’ve come as a team in volleyball. A large part of our team, including myself, also play club ball. Most of us play in different teams, especially this season,” Ply said. Out of all the sports during the Fall season one of the most underrated is the Rolla Girls Tennis team who finished 10-8 (counting districts) and had quite a successful season all around with players such as Rachel Butz who won districts singles. Joe Schisler is the coach of the Rolla Girls Tennis team. “We finished second in districts behind Jefferson City Jays. Ra-

“We finished second in districts behind Jefferson City Jays. Rachel Butz won our district singles and she also won the sectional against a girl from Ozark. She ended up finishing in the top 16 at the state tournament. We ended up winning our own tournament. We finished 3rd at the 10 team Waynesville Tournament and also won against 2 of the 3 teams we faced at the Rock Bridge Tournament. It was a great season overall and we had great leadership and players,” Schisler said. Losing 4 seniors will have an effect on the team and definitely with the loss of Rachel Butz but is important for the 2019 class to step up. Joe Schisler has been coaching the Rolla Girls Tennis team for 15 years. “It was a great season overall with great team players and leadership they were a fun group of ladies to be around and work with. We lose 4 seniors but have great players to carry on what was started 2 years ago,” Coach Schisler said Rolla Boys Soccer finished the season off 22-5 and won Districts for the 2nd year in a row, Senior Drew Blair also broke the school record for the most shutouts in a high school career this season and overall was a successful season. Senior Drew Blair broke the school record for the most career shutouts this season. “It was surreal. I thought all along, since freshman year, that I would get to it, but when I finally got it I had so many emotions going on in my head. Getting to go to the middle of the field and being presented the game ball, getting to look out at all my friends and family was just incredible. It was a night I’ll never forget. Celebrating with my team, boys that I’ve been playing with since I was little, and all the people after the game that congratulated me. It really just made me realize how much of a family we really were, and I can’t imagine it being any other way,” Blair said. With the 2018 class graduating and losing many seniors such as Nick Janke and Drew Blair it will be important for the 2019 class to step up as leaders of the team. Junior Rhys Proffitt has quite a lot to say about next season. “Well Drew is an amazing goalie no question, and will be a very hard spot to fill. But our backup goalie Josiah Hohman has potential, and I’m planning on working with him this summer so he can full Drew’s spot as best he can. For Nicks spot it will be quite a challenge because we are a young squad and not a very tall one, but with proper adjustments on the back line like moving Ahdeeb Massri or Jacob Lortz to the middle I think we can hold a strong defense. The main problem with losing all these players is we will not be as dangerous in the air as previously by losing Nick. So we just have to adjust our strategy on corners and free kicks and we will be fine,” Proffitt said. With Tim Dunn now resigning after a disappointing 3-22 season the team will be looking for a good offseason to compliment a bounceback 2018 campaign. Cross Country had a successful 2017 fall season. The Lady Bulldogs medaled at every meet and had a few runners make it all the way to sectionals. Senior Krista Hilmas was one of the two runners who made it all the way to the state championship.

“It was definitely a lot of hard work day in and day out to make it to State. But that hard work was all worth it at the end of the season when we were racing in the State Championships. It’s been my goal for my whole high school career to make it to state, and I felt so proud of myself of above all else for working hard to finally achieve that goal,” Hilmas said. With the 2018 class graduating it is going to be important for the lower classmen and the class of 2019 to step up to continue the success of the Cross Country team. Junior Olivia Holmes runs for the Cross Country team. “Well even though we are losing a beloved teammate our work ethic will be the same. We have a very promising team and will work just as hard as previous seasons,” Holmes said. Winning Rolla’s first district title in over twenty years and only the sixth one in school history was quite the memorable experience for a team that put in a lot of work. Senior Quarterback Josh Pritchett led the Rolla Football team to the district title. “It was a great feeling winning districts and it felt like it was overdue. The team had really put a lot of effort and time into the game and to finally get a district championship was an amazing experience,” Pritchett said. Losing many starters from the 2018 class next season will be quite the interesting one trying to recreate the same success from this season. Junior Jonathan “Blaize” Klossner helped lead the high power offense this season. “We are going to recreate the success the exact same way we had this season, have a great offseason, put in the effort this summer, and prepare every day for next season,” Klossner said. Far left: Senior Tristen Oneal runs onto field before Senior Night. Top Right: SeniorNick Janke goes up for the header against Glendale during the quarterfinal game Bottom Left: Senior Laura McCutcheon returns a shot against Willow Springs also Senior Marliere Toothaker driving the club during the Camdenton Invitational Bottom Right: Junior Olivia Holmes and Senior Krista Hilmas competing in Cross Country

Sports 17

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ROLLA HIGH’S FIGHT SONG

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Everyone is in the stands for a Friday night football game at Rolla High. The band marches out as usual and stands in formation preparing for the Rolla High School Choir’s performance of the Star-Spangled Banner. After the song, the football team begins to line up outside the field. The band starts to play a familiar tune as the team rushes across the turf. This song is Rolla High’s very own school fight song. Heard at every home football and basketball game, it has been a part of our school’s history for 80 years, and yet people know so little about our fight song. The first thing students don’t know is that it has lyrics These lyrics are available by paper copy in the Counseling Center, or are on the front page of our school website. Written and composed by Isabelle Estes, it was approved by the school board in 1937, making it 80 years old. Mrs. Estes is a common name among the Rolla Music Department. She decided that we needed a song to represent this school perfectly. The song, titled Rolla High, is a long held tradition and trademark of Rolla. This song is completely original to our school, with lyrics that show the pride of our students to all. Mrs. Estes was a very influential woman with her time at Rolla High. As a tribute to her, there is a trophy case dedicated to her outside the choir room. Next time you hear our school’s fight song, remember all its history and meaning, and try to sing along!

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Hello! Welcome to Pick of the Pack, ECHO’s monthly column all about the lovable pets waiting down at the Rolla Animal Shelter! The Rolla shelter always has many dogs and cats hoping for someone to come adopt them into a loving home. If you are interested in adopting any of these animals, go to our local shelter located at 1915 Sharpe Rd in Rolla. Name: None Gender: Male Age: 1 Year Breed: Border Collie Mix Description: This young dog is ready to go home with a loving family. He was found as a stray on October 17, 2017. This pup is very shy and submissive at first, but is sure to come out of his shell once you get to know him. He enjoys walking on a leash, though he is apprehensive at first. Bellyrubs are a must for this little one, and he always wants to be the center of your attention. If this pooch seems like the pet for you, head over to Rolla Animal Shelter to check him out! Name: Emily Gender: Female Age: Adult (Professional guess: 2-3 years old) Breed: Norwegian Forest cat Description: Emily is a delightful house cat. She’s a bit shy at first, but once you show her affection, she adores you. Once she takes a liking to you, she doesn’t stop wanting attention! Emily was taken to the Rolla Animal Shelter on October 18, 2017. She isn’t spayed or declawed, but she has no health or behavioral issues. Emily is a long-haired bundle of love, and she’s a great cuddle buddy. If you’re interested in this amazing cat, go to the Rolla Animal Shelter today!

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Rolla High School is home to many small clubs people may not know about or think about joining. One of those clubs is Book Club. Sponsored by Mrs. Kirkbride, Book Club meets every other Wednesday in the library. Students are invited read various books, eat breakfast, and discuss what they’ve read. Michelle Woodley, a member of Book Club, had this to say about the club.

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Can You Tell Me A Little About Book Club?

“We’re doing it a little different this year than we have in the past. Mrs. Kirkbride is one of the few librarians who helps choose the Gateway Award winners, so she gets a bunch of the Gateway books. So, we’re reading those right now, and we each take a different book and we get together every other week and we talk about what books we finished, what we liked about them, what we didn’t like, and then which ones we think would be the best winners, and [Mrs. Kirkbride] gets our opinion with it too. We get together on a Wednesday morning for twenty minutes and just eat some breakfast and talk about our books. It’s really laid-back and fun,” Woodley said.

What Do You Think of Book Club?

“So, I love to read. Like, I read a ton of books in a year. I think I’m at eighty-five books or something, maybe ninety. For me, I like it because it’s a bunch of other people I can talk to about the books I’m reading, because some of them I read are really new or they’re really out there and only certain people have read them. If I talk to other people, they’ll just say ‘Oh yeah, it was okay, I liked it,’ but here we all are very opinionated about our books. ‘I hated that book because of this,’ and ‘I love this book because of that.’ And I like having somebody I can actually talk to about my books,” Woodley said. Why Should People Join Writer’s Club? “People should join Book Club because it’s a lot of fun and it’s really laid-back. We get together occasionally and watch movies about the books we’ve read and we just kind of hang out. We’re a bunch of friends,” Woodley said. Feature 19

12 Angry Jurors

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Arts & Entertainment Editor For the past several months, Mrs. McNeven and the Rolla High School students worked tirelessly on their annual fall production. This year’s show was “Twelve Angry Jurors.” Their efforts came to fruition on the nights of November 16th through the 18th. In case you missed the show, here’s a brief synopsis, “A nineteenyear-old boy is being accused of murdering his father, and [the jury has] heard all of the evidence and they’ve retired to the jury room to make their final decision. When they take the preliminary vote, just to see where everyone stands, eleven of the jurors believe the boy is guilty and there is one juror who doesn’t think he’s guilty or at least wants to take the time to discuss the case further before they make a decision that could result in a death sentence for the boy. And so throughout the course of the play, you see the evidence presented, you see some of [the jurors’] prejudices come out that maybe they weren’t even aware of until the moment they say them. In the end, the one juror manages to convince the rest of them that there at least is reasonable doubt,” McNeven said. That one juror, Juror Number 8, was played by senior Cody Kimes. “My character is the kind of guy who wants to always find the truth in things. If you know what the story of ‘Twelve Angry Men’ or ‘Twelve Angry Jurors’ is, then my character is the one who tries to convince everybody that the boy that’s on trial is not guilty of murdering his father. So, I’m kinda the guy who wants to stick up for someone and who goes against the crowd,” Kimes said.

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“I wanted to do a dramatic piece, because we really haven’t done many dramatic pieces at all, in terms of our main-stage shows, so that was a driving factor. There were several shows that I looked at. I looked at ‘Twelve Angry Jurors,’ I looked at ‘1984,’ and I also looked at ‘The Crucible.’ After reading through all of them, and looking at the set requirements, the costume requirements, cast size, and all of those different elements, I finally decided on ‘Twelve Angry Jurors’ because it fit our needs better, fit what we had, who we had available. It was partially that, it was also partially that I think there’s a lot of elements and lines in ‘Twelve Angry Jurors’ that are really relevant today, especially given our political climate, so I think there’s a lot of good points that are made throughout the course of the play,” McNeven said. This show presented some challenges to put together. “For one, for the most part, we have twelve characters who are on stage the entire show. We have three other characters, two of whom you don’t see, the judge and the clerk are just off-stage voices, and the guard makes appearances once in a while. So staging a play and going through rehearsals with all twelve actors on stage throughout the entirety has been different, not in a bad way. It’s been good. It’s a different dynamic than a lot of plays where sometimes you can be at rehearsal on Monday and Wednesday and not have to be there the other days of the week. This show, from the beginning with the cast I was like, ‘the expectation is you are here every single day,’ because that’s how the show works,” McNeven said. In the end, it was all worthwhile.

Monthly Movies

November is known for Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas celebrations, and its vibrant fall colors. However, it is also the month that we celebrate Veteran’s Day, which reminds me of some of my favorite war movies. Because of this I thought that I would share some of the most popular war movies. Saving Private Ryan This movie is about the journey Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his group take as they travel into enemy territory to save Private Ryan. Ryan’s three brothers were killed in action and it is up to Captain Miller and his team to save Ryan before it’s too late. Throughout the journey each person learns to have courage and strength no matter the odds. This movie has received 27 awards and it is definitely an awe inspiring movie.

Fury Don Collier (Brad Pitt) is assigned an incredibly dangerous mission to lead a group of five men in a tank behind enemy lines to help fight the Nazis. The men become incredibly outnumbered on their journey but fight with all that is in them to help the Allied Powers. It’s a suspenseful and sorrowful movie.

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Hacksaw Ridge Based off of a true story about a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, this movie is one of my favorites. Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) is a religious man and refuses to use a gun, but that doesn’t stop him from signing up to join the military. Desmond only wanted to be a medic, but is abused by his fellow soldiers for his views. This moving and often times funny movie is one that everybody should see.

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Pearl Harbor Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) were childhood friends that both became fighter pilots in World War II. In this action filled and dramatic movie, both friends struggle to balance their duty and what they believe is right. This is an incredibly famous movie and one that you should see if you haven’t already.

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I am definitely one to go onto Netflix, browse through the trending category, watch the first episode of literally everything, and likely never continue the series. So for this column I’m going to watch the first episode of a recommend series on Netflix to give my first impressions and whether I would continue the series or not. For the month of November, I watched the raved about show Stranger Things 2. This issue of Next on Netflix will be a tad different. Instead of watching a new series, I’ve decided to watch the next chapter Stranger Things, since I ended up watching the entire first season in a day. After hopping on the Stranger Things bandwagon so late in the game, I conveniently finished the first season a few days before season two was released on Netflix, and all I can say is that I am now obsessed. Episode one of the new season was too emotional

for me to handle, but I couldn’t stop watching until I was done with the season. I am head over heels for the young love between Mike and Eleven. The fact that they had so many close encounters before actually reuniting at the end of the season had me binging the show until the met again. And don’t get me started on the fact that Mike never gave up on looking for El and called her for 353 days. I instantly sobbed after that scene. Besides Mike and Eleven’s relationship, I was also obsessing over the return of Will and his visions of The Upside Down. It undoubtedly led viewers to anticipate the return of The Upside Down and all of its horrors. I am officially obsessed with Stranger Things and Stranger Things 2 led to the growth of that obsession. To sum up, I need a new season as soon as possible. Stranger Things 3 hopefully coming soon?

Arts & Entertainment

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Chase Stacy

Freshman Chase Stacy has been drawing since he was about five years old but started taking drawing seriously when he played the video game Sly Cooper on his ps2. “After discovering the animation sketches for Sly Cooper, I would draw the characters over and over again until I got them right. From there I started drawing in a sketchbook and went on from there,” said Stacy. Stacy works hard to create animations using a tablet programs. Drawing on a tablet or any computerized device takes focus and hard work, so he will spend a full day working on an animation to get it perfect. “Usually, if I’m sketching I’ll sketch for about an hour but if I’m doing animation, I do that all day. animation takes a lot of time, for example one 43 second animation has over 1000 frames,” Stacy said. Stacy enjoys animation because it is extremely self rewarding and fun to watch. “My favorite type of art is animation because it takes effort and a lot of time and when it comes out it’s actually something you can watch and enjoy,” Stacy said. Many pieces of art have stood out and influenced Stacy, but the most memorable one would be “Drawing Hands” by Salvador Dali. “Salvador Dali has amazing artwork. He has realisms that morph from a 2D to a 3D perspective. My favorite one is of a hand drawing itself in a loop. The hand would go from 2D to 3D which is really cool and complicated to create,” Stacy said. When stacy graduates he plans to go to or possibly open his own animation studio, much like dreamworks to pursue animation full time. “My biggest inspiration is Walt Disney, because not only did he do animation he also drew and wrote stories. He was an universal artist who he worked hard in everything he did,” Stacy

Stacy finds that creating drawings, paintings, and animations is extremely rewarding. He explains that the best feeling is when he gets more than a mere acknowledgment from people when he shows them his finished artwork. “What I love about art is the feeling I get when I’m doing a piece of artwork, and I know it’s turning out really well. I feel accomplished and proud when I show my pieces to people and get a genuine reaction. It never fails to make me proud of myself,” Stacy said. Over time Stacy has become proud of his progress and has found many positive things to come out of continuing his art. “One of the most self rewarding things is keeping a sketchbook, because you can see your progress and how you’ve grown as an artist over a period of time.” Stacy won a cash prize for his artwork that was entered in a competition on the website, Artsonia, with his prize he invested in a digital drawing tablet to produce animations more efficiently. “Recently I’ve been heavily focusing on mainly animation. Using my tablet I’m able to create animations. Recently I finished an animation titled “Natural” about a fox and the circle of life,” Stacy said. As a student Stacy balances the responsibilities of a student with AP classes as well as participating in choir. Stacy finds himself working on animation whenever time allows and has found a way to incorporate his favorite hobby into school in the video production class here at the high school. “This year I started doing RHS Review because I joined video production. I am helping the review team revamp their intros. I’ve been working hard to revamp the entire format of the show and create a better intro. The new intro will come out right before or as soon as we get back from winter break,” Stacy said. For anyone who is interested in animation you should first learn how to draw basic shapes, then move on to learning the correct proportions for the human body. investing in a tablet or downloading free animation programs on your computer can also help. If you are passionate about it the art teachers are extremely caring and will most likely help you find a way to start if you just ask

rA t hers c S a Te Of RH The outside of the art classrooms proudly display the newest art students have made, and the talent and practice put into each of them is obvious. Though behind each talented art student, is an encouraging teacher. Art teachers Shannon Engelbrecht and Connie Shoemaker have been teaching and inspiring students for 24 years. “I started off in a little town Lake Water, teaching kindergarten through 12th grade art. Then I moved to Cuba and then to Rolla, and I’ve been here for about 19 years,” Engelbrecht said. Shoemaker had a similar story of traveling from Green Valley, to Jacksonville, Florida, to Linn, finally landing in Rolla. Pursuing a lifelong career in art stemmed from early interest in it. Both experienced teachers recall their love of art early in their lives. “I’ve always been an artist, because my mom always gave us art supplies, and it might have been cheap, it might have been the K-Mart blue light special, but we had stuff to play with,” Engelbrecht said. Shoemaker looks up from painting a snowflake, fondly remembering her early childhood. “I’ve always really liked art. My mom said that when I was about three, the worst thing she could do to me was take away my scissors and paper. I got more seriously interested in art about sixth grade, because I had a social studies teacher that had us do a project where we researched a culture, and I really enjoyed all the hands on parts and the teacher really encouraged me with my artistic ability,” Shoemaker said. Further into their childhood, both had encouraging teachers that lead them to the career they love. Engelbrecht vividly remembers each experience she shared with her teachers. “Mrs. Stormes was my Wyman Elementary art teacher. We used to go out the back door because her room was right by the soccer field, and she would give us big sheets of paper and paint brushes and watercolor and we would do landscape painting. Mrs. Sassman, my art teacher in middle school, made it sound more like I could do this as a career, and that was just seventh grade,” Engelbrecht said. She describes her high school art teacher, Mr. Hill, as weighing “less than 90 pounds, his rings weighed more than him

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Arts & Entertainment Editor ”She gestured as she described his “huge thick glasses and balding head with long curly hair and bolo ties.” Despite his odd appearance, she smiles remembering him. “I knew I wanted to be an art teacher in junior high, and Mr. Hill took some of us aside with his long pointed finger and say ‘Shannon, you are very talented. You could do great things.’ Of course I would go back into the class and my friends would make fun of me. I think it just sunk in that someone else had confidence in me, so maybe I could do this, and do some great things,” Engelbrecht said. Unlike Engelbrecht, Shoemaker did not find her passion for teaching art until she was in college. She only knew she wanted to pursue some kind of career in art. While attending her classes, a young man from Japan shared a few with her, and she describes their time together, pausing from painting. “Every day we had class, I would stay after and explain to him everything the teacher had explained. I spent another hour after class working with him so he would pass the class. He was an amazing artist but he didn’t have a clue what anyone was saying. After several months, he said I was going to be a great teacher. And I thought about it and I realized I do have patience and I do love art so I went and changed my major,” Shoemaker said. Though they teach art now, both have had years of experience in their field, and there’s no doubt that Engelbrecht’s piece that she is most proud of is extremely impressive. “I was commissioned to paint this large painting. I stretched canvas on a board that was about ten feet long and five feet tall, and they wanted a tropical island musician feel. Across the painting you see about five figures playing different instruments and you see the movement, a woman with a pearl necklace flying, really a lot of energy. It was an oil painting and I got $500 for it,” Engelbrecht said. Shoemaker strayed from the usual painting and drawing to describe her best piece of art. “I’ve done a lot of different baskets. I’ve gone to some workshops and worked with basketry artists that make their own materials, so cutting down trees and stripping it. Getting to share the materials that they have made by hand instead of just buying material from the store is really neat,” Shoemaker said. The Rolla High School art teachers are some of the best, from experience, to genuine love of art, Shoemaker shares her biggest lesson learned in all her years. “Organization is important and students always come first. There is a lot more to an art class than most people think, because it is just so different from most other classes. I used to teach preconceived lessons where I tell students what to do. I don’t really do that anymore, I like to do skill building, and then let them get creative,” Engelbrecht echos Shoemaker with her struggles during her career. Though she finds her inspiration from her husband Jim, describing their relationship as one where they “push each other, challenge each other, learn and grow together.” He has no doubt helped her realize her own potential through the years. “Having that faith that you know what you know and having faith in myself was something I struggled with because I wanted to be what people wanted me to be. I had to cross over to what do I expect of myself and what are my goals. That is one of the biggest things I’ve learned through teaching,”

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RHS students are â&#x20AC;&#x153;fallingâ&#x20AC;? for fall

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Contact RHS ECHO Magzine Mary Gillis, Adviser mgillis@rolla.k12.mo.us (573)-458-0101 ext. 14302 Room 302