WHEN RHS SPEAKS WE
RHS music program remembers Miss Janet By Samantha Maddux
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Staff Reporter
any students of Rolla High School may be unfamiliar with the name Janet Miller, but to those who have participated in the school choir and musicals hers is a name they will never forget. Janet Miller, known to the students as Miss Janet, was the piano accompanist to the choir and for the school musicals. She passed away this October due to complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She meant so much to many students and everyone who had the opportunity to work with her. “I genuinely think she saved a couple of those kids’ lives,” said senior Brody Light. “There were so many kids in that choir that would come to her about problems they were having at home, problems that were going on at school, [their] stress, or depression, and she would take them in. She would sit there and talk with them, and she would let them rant.” Light has known Miss Janet since he was in middle school. She accompanied the middle school, junior high school, and both high school choirs, so many students knew her since the beginning of their choir career. Junior Elizabeth Cook remembers a time in junior high choir that Miss Janet randomly gave her a compliment. “She randomly just looked at me in front of the entire class,” said Cook. “She was like, ‘You have a beautiful voice and you need to go for it’.” Miss Janet wasn’t all compliments. She also had a tough side. “She was always so positive, and she was always so nice and caring towards people,” said Cook. ”But she also had this side of her where she was like, don’t mess with me.“ Miss Janet had a habit of speaking her mind. The students knew that she would always tell them the truth. “I remember her for being bluntly honest,” said Light. “She was the person I would go to when I needed an honest opinion. I would show her a song and be like, ‘Is this too hard?’ She’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, the choir can’t do this.’ ‘Okay… is this piece good?’ ‘Oh, yeah, that sounds good. But
One of Rolla High School’s own took the stage for a TEDx talk. See TED TALK, page 4
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Edior-in-Chief
ttending school five days a week for upwards of seven hours a day can take a lot out of students and staff members. Tack on hours of homework, clubs, practices, rehearsals, games or performances and this number of working hours grows astronomically. On top of this, many students work jobs and try to keep a social life outside of school. At some point, this overwhelming schedule starts to take a toll on students. This is why schools all over the country have begun to implement “self care” days. Some districts as close as St. Louis have also allotted time for these healing days. The students and staff members of Ritenour School District had both a reset day and a self care day. “On the reset day we were in school [doing] activities, listening to speeches, that type of stuff. On the self care day we were out of school,” said Maggie Bannester, a freshman at Ritenour High School.
Where’s the Water
Two reporters surveyed every water fountain in the building, find out where the best water in the school is. See WATER, page 7
3 Photo submitted by Maggie Jones you really need to fix this, or it’s not going to go anywhere.’ And I respected that honesty so much.” Miss Janet could make students laugh. She was a funny person, but she always knew when it was time for fun and when it was time to work. “She didn’t talk a whole lot,” said Light, “but when she did, it was either something that needed to be said or something that made everyone laugh every time.” Miss Janet would play the piano for the
school musicals, which gave drama teacher Kelli McNeven the opportunity to work with her. There was a lot of behind-thescenes joking going around. “She was very sassy and sometimes you never knew if she was being serious or she was just joking around, but nine times out of ten, she was joking around,” said McNeven.
“Our school took a self health day due to the massive amount of fights, violence, and negativity crowding the school,” said Michelle Everett, a senior at Ritenour High School. Everett enjoyed her reset day. “It was nice to have a break from school work and talk to my friends,” said Everett. “I dressed comfy, as did many of my peers, and participated in the activities even, if I thought they were stupid because it was nice to see the school trying and acknowledging the state of which our school was in and providing us with a day to relax and restart.” Ritenour school district provided activities and exercises to help calm and unite students on the reset day. “There were a couple things we did,” said Everett. “There was therapy boxing which was boxing for stress relief, then we had a guest speaker come in who talked. We also did this thing called ‘you don’t know my story.’ A teacher read out different things
that may or may not be true about us like step forward if you have been bullied, or come from a single parent home, or have been discriminated based on your skin tone. We also had different speakers come into individual classrooms like Girls, Inc. and cyber bullying teams to speak to the students.” Not all of Everett’s peers took the day as serious. “My friends had different views. Some thought it was stupid and a perfect excuse to ditch school,” said Everett. Bannester greatly enjoyed a full school day off on the self health day. “It was very relaxing to sleep in and not worry about school. I slept in, did chores, just treated it like a regular weekend day,” said Bannester. Overall, most were thankful for the days off, including Everett’s mother.
See Miss Janet Page 4
St. Louis schools schedule mental health days. Will Rolla follow? By Meghan Williams
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Ted talk to hear
See Mental Health Page 3
POWDER pUFF POWER
Read about Powder Puff switching the typical gender roles of football. See POWDER PUFF, page 6
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veterans to thank
Rolla High School students reflect on Veterans day. See VETERANS, page 3
Follow us on social media @rhsechonews or visit our website at rhsecho.com.
LEtter from the editor
H
annah Montana once said, “Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days,” and she was so right. I have “those days” often. I’m even having one of those days today. I’ve been plagued with nonstop procrastination and getting distracted by every little thing. Completing a simple job for work took twice as long as it should today. I feel like I’m lagging. You would think with it being a weekend that I would be energized and able to power through all of my assignments, but that’s simply not the case. I blame this on daylight savings messing up my schedule. I feel like a dog who thinks it’s dinner time but really doesn’t know time fell back an hour. As for mistakes, I’ve certainly made many of those in the past few hours, especially spelling mistakes while doing work assignments or even just sending texts. Thank goodness for spell check and autocorrect. Without these softwares, there would be a lot of mistakes in the Phelps County Focus calendar this week. Spell check and autocorrect are always a great help putting together the school newspaper, too. They assist me and the other staff members enormously when writing and editing. Without these
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beautiful helpers many silly spelling mistakes would probably seep into the paper. Sometimes these very softwares can be more of a hindrance than a help. Like when they change the spelling of someone’s name. That’s always the worst. I’ll admit, a few name misspellings made it into the paper last year. (Sorry, again,
to Chase Stacy for spelling your name wrong in the magazine.) There is also no spellcheck system on Adobe Indesign, the software we use to actually assemble the paper. This means that anything typed while on Indesign, such as last minute edits and all the headlines, needs to be spellchecked by a staff member. Unfortunately, when we’re typing on Indesign it normally means we’re in the last stages of creating the paper and thus are rushing. Somehow submitting the paper on time always seems to be an impossible feat the week leading up to our deadline, so the staff and I are always speeding to get it done on time. This causes us to make silly errors, like spelling “restaurant” wrong in a headline despite it being spelled correctly throughout the entire article it’s referring to. I call that one a typo. I promise the staff and I know how to spell restaurant. Basically, I’m just asking our readers to maybe overlook a spelling error or two if they see any. Like Hannah Montana said, “Nobody’s perfect.”
COMIC By Angela Yang, Hannah Puetz, & Connor Lamora
Pictured (from left to right):
The ECHO Staff is always on the lookout for stories. Submit your ideas to our Instagram: @rhsechonews. ACROSS 3. This superhero is considered the first avenger. _______ America 5. This is a popular Thanksgiving dessert. Common kinds include pumpkin, coconut cream, keylime, and apple 6. The best time to weat this striped item to keep you warm is all the time 7. A popped version of this vegetable is eaten at movie theaters 9. Popular song by Post Malone. Harry Styles has a song with the same title 13. The _____ doesn’t fall far from the tree DOWN 1. This underappreciated holiday is November 15th. Reduce, Reuse, and _______. 2. The sport that is played by Lebron James and fictional character Troy Bolton 4. The ship that the pilgrims arrived on 6. “Good ____” said Adam Driver 8. This color heart is awarded to soilders who are killed or wounded or killed while serving 10. A large celebratory meal 11. Air currents pushing strongly 12. This is green in the summer but red in the fall
Crossword
Top row: Nathaniel Jackson, Hannah Puetz, Samantha Maddux, Quinn Guffey, Lana Simpson, Angela Yang, Meghan Williams Bottom row: Connor Lamora, Haylen Jackson, Kyra Ray, Helen Weiss, Mallory Moats
NEWS
NOV. 29, 2021
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Icy roads ahead, prepare for Missouri’s winter weather
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riving can be a fun and exhilarating experience. However, new and experienced drivers alike all can relate to that feeling you get when rain starts to pour, snow and ice begin to fall and freeze onto the ground, and dense fog blinds those behind the wheel. In order to fully counter Mother Nature’s tricks, you have to understand how to prepare yourself and control your surroundings to best combat against the weather. Rain is the most dangerous weather condition for drivers on the road. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of 5,000 people a year are killed and over 418,000 are injured due to weather related incidents, with 70% coming from wet pavements and 46% during rainfall. Giving yourself enough time to stop while driving in the rain and watching out for puddles ensures a safe travel. Driving in middle lanes can also help, as water from rainfall tends to build up and flow towards the sides of the road, creating large puddles. Finally, slowing down and checking that your tires are properly inflated can
help prevent you and your vehicle from hydroplaning. Fog can also be a hassle to drive in. While some may think to turn your brights on,
Mental health days
From Page 1 “Other friends thought it was really cool for the school to do this. My mom thought it was much needed and was glad to see the school taking action, and the teachers for the most part felt the same way,” said Everett. The school was having its issues when returning this year from the unpredictable COVID-19 schedule of last year, so the day had a positive effect for most of the students and staff. “I think on a certain level it did help our school,” said Everett. “Not only did it give everyone a chance to breathe and take a break in the stressful environment we are in, but also like I said, acknowledge how important our mental health is. And I would love for our school to do more of these days, especially when they start to see the increase of stress and anger among us. I think doing this monthly could really help us as a whole.” The day was so effective, in fact, that administrators are thinking of repeating something similar in the coming years. “Admin and teachers feel like it was very much needed, the school board has since started talking about having a fall break in the coming years since this day was so good,” said Bannester. The Affton School District also took November 1 off a mental health day. Although, their reasoning for the break was a little less intense. “Our school took a self care day after the stressful and busy schedules we had been going through since the beginning of the year,” said Mya Franklin, a senior at Affton High School. “We have been through two lockdowns, and academically we needed a break to focus on ourselves, whether that was spending time with family and friends or resting.” Franklin spent her day off catching up on work and sleep. “I think that parents and teachers enjoyed the break from school. My peers enjoyed the day off as well, as they were able to work, sleep, and enjoy Halloween the night before,” said Franklin. Overall, Franklin felt the day off greatly benefitted her and her peers, similarly to Everett and Bannester. “I think the day off benefitted the school. I think the mental health day was a step in the right direction, it shows that the school cares about their students,” said Franklin. “I would love for my school to take more [days off] in the future, they’re crucial for students. Everyone needs a break at some point.” Rolla High School assistant principal Dr. Stephanie Grisham thinks that the students and staff of RHS would enjoy a mental health day, specifically because of the high amounts of teacher fatigue due to the instability the pandemic has caused.
“Teachers are still teaching in a quarantine situation with a pandemic,” said Grisham. “Nothing ever will replace what happens in the classroom, but being able for those teachers to service students that are at home has been tough. Everybody thought this year would be a little bit different, but it’s still kind of the same. And teachers are being able to keep up with their grading and keep up with the demands that the job entails. Yeah, there’s teacher fatigue.” Students are gifted with professional development (PD) days where they don’t have to attend school at all, but teachers do. Although, the day without students can provide a little relief for staff members. “Obviously, [students] have a little bit more [days off] when we have our PD days. I think even on PD days, it’s kind of a relief that we can focus on us as a staff and not have to focus on students and staff that same day,” said Grisham. The periodic professional development day here and there may help students some, but there are still plenty struggling. Unfortunately, the school has requirements set on how many days students must be in school, so taking a day off for mental health or more professional development days is unlikely. “Of course, you have to meet the guidelines of the state on how many days of school that you go in,” said Grisham. “Would we like to have more days mixed in there that are just our day off? Yeah, but we still have to make sure we meet the requirements of the days that we need.” Still, the issue of student and staff health is definitely on Grisham’s radar. “A lot of mental health things are coming to the forefront with students,” said Grisham. “Maybe not so much in my world, but I do know that our counselors have reported that they are busy with seeing students because of depression or panic or anxiety, the list just goes on and on. I think that is kind of a, I don’t want to say a new normal, but I mean I think that’s something that we have to focus our attention on a little bit more because it is prevalent.” Discussions may be floating about in the main office of RHS, but nothing has landed yet. “Some students feel it as a stigma, you know?” said Grisham. “But having [mental health] information given out to students to let them know that, ‘You are not alone,’ that, ‘Others deal with the same things that you’re dealing with, and this is some of the things that we can do to help you,’ would be good. I know we’ve been having some students come to Dr. Pritchett and want to talk about doing some stuff for mental health. So we are kind of talking about [it], we just haven’t had one of those reset days or anything like that.”
Photo by Meghan Williams
keeping your low beams on is the right move. When high beams are on, they direct their light upwards, bouncing off the fog and reducing visibility. If the fog is too
dense and visibility is drastically reduced, slowing down and turning on turn signals earlier on can help signal those behind you. Even pulling off and not driving altogether can be your best choice. Although troubling, snow and ice can be combated as well. Black ice, a thin transparent coating of glaze ice on a surface, is harder to see with the naked eye because it blends in with the black road underneath. Testing out your brakes and turning corners slowly ensures a safer travel. Practicing in empty car lots when snow or ice is present can help accustom you to how well your car works in the weather and how it feels to drive in it. Keeping your gas up so your gas line doesn’t freeze and checking your car for any other various problems should be a go-to before driving in icy weather. Making sure to gradually accelerate can help make sure your car tires don’t spin out. Remembering to equip yourself with tools for your car ensures that in any incident, you’re prepared in some way. Driving defensively and watching out for trouble on the road helps determine potential threats and obstacles you may come into contact with.
RHS devotes time to honoring local Veterans
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olla High School holds a Veterans Day assembly every year. It is an assembly in which the students get to reflect on all of the sacrifices made for our country and freedom by Veterans. Due to COVID-19 related concerns, the school was not able to hold an assembly last year. Senior Emily Yoakum was the leadership student in charge of putting the assembly together. “I think it’s important because it really
[the choir] did the songs for the different branches, because I think it gives them just like a special moment to be recognized,” said Hargis The assembly reminded many students of close family and friends that had served in the military. “My grandfather, he fought in World War Two,” said senior Charlee Sharpsteen “He passed away when I was little, but he had a big effect on how I turned out and how I present myself because knowing
Photo by Hannah Puetz shows our students that we need to honor our veterans,” said Yoakum “I think, especially since we didn’t have one last year, I feel like a lot of kids are excited to do one this year. And kids just need to remember, especially these days, how we got our country the way it is, because we had people fighting for our country.” Junior Zoe Hargis also had a big part in preparing for the assembly. “I think this day is special and makes everyone realize that being a veteran means a lot and it’s more than just serving your country,” said Hargis. The choir sang many touching songs during the assembly. There was one particular song that seemed to stand out to people the most. “My favorite part was probably when
that someone in your family went through that, it changes your perspective on it.” Freshman Elson Wang thinks that it is important that the school holds this assembly. “I feel like some of their work or their pride has gone unrecognized. And I think it’s cool that the school is holding a whole hour to honor these Veterans and their serving the country,” said Wang. Many students appreciated and learned a lot from this assembly. The assembly serves as a reminder not to forget about the Veterans who gave so much for this country. “Because of this assembly, students will remember that we didn’t gain this country for free. Our Veterans fought and died for this country,” said Yoakum.
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Remembering Miss Janet From Page 1 McNeven has many memories with Miss Janet through working with her for so many years. “I don’t know why this one sticks with me,” said McNeven, “We were setting up, [and] the rehearsal hadn’t officially started, and I think it was for ‘Bye Bye Birdie,’ which was the first musical that we did. Christopher Cates, who graduated several years ago, was running around and Miss Janet was just kind of at the piano playing around, and he sat down with her and she played ‘You’re My Sunshine,’ and he sang it.” Miss Janet was always there for students when they needed her. She would give them advice and try to help them with their problems. “When my grandpa died, I was having a really, really hard time with it,” said Light. “It was around Christmas, and I found out that he broke his leg, and the cancer that he had was going to get him within a month or two…. He was going to spend the rest of his life in a bed, and when I found that out, it was in choir, and I ran up [to]
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the loft and cried. B [choir director Jason Bartlesmeyer] had to come up and get me, and he said, ‘You know what, go to the counselors. We’ll get it all straightened out. Just take your time,’ and I ran down the loft stairs in the band room, and Miss Janet was walking through, and I’m like, she’s gonna think I’m trying to run away, she’s gonna think I’m trying to skip the concert we have today. I’m like, ‘I’m sorry, B said that I could leave’ and she stops me, and goes ‘Brody, you’re okay’, and that lesson I’ve carried with me from that day. She looked at me that day and said ‘It’s okay. Just because you do bad things every now and then, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. You shouldn’t assume that of people’.” Miss Janet did so much for the students of RHS and will always be remembered fondly by those who had the pleasure of getting to know her. “[Miss Janet was] somebody who did what she loved and loved what she did,” said Cook. “[She was] someone who just wasn’t afraid to do what she wanted to do in life.”
Kirkbride tidies trails as Wild Keeper Ambassador
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he Keep Nature Wild program was started in 2017 by two nature enthusiasts named Cameron Jarman and Sean Huntington. They wanted to build a community of people that would help the environment and keep it clean. “Keep Nature Wild is actually an outdoor clothing/gear store. They created a community called Wild Keepers, or Wild Keeper Ambassadors, to promote picking up trash and encouraging others in our communities to do the same. It started in Arizona, the home of the company, but now expands with Wildkeepers all over,” said librarian Jessie Kirkbride, who is a Wild Keeper Ambassador. Since then, the Keep Nature Wild community has flourished and grown significantly, and there are many ambassadors and volunteers who give their time to help the environment. The Keep Nature Wild Ambassadors host specific events, called “Impact Days” where all of them gather together for a hike and pick up trash along the way. “They host Impact Days, once a month I believe, where the Wildkeepers organize hikes or walks and pick up trash,” said Kirkbride. After going on their hikes on Impact Days, the Ambassadors gather together and weigh their trash, and share the impact on social media. Being able to share their service for the environment on the internet has helped the Keep Nature Wild community grow. “They [the Keep Nature Wild community] flood social media outlets with posts about picking up trash, leaving no trace, etc. On Impact Days, we weigh the trash that we pick up and submit our numbers,” explained Kirkbride. The community also makes sure to be environmentally sustainable when picking up trash, the community even supplies the Ambassadors with biodegradable bags to
Photo submitted by Jessie Kirkbride pick the trash up in. “Keep Nature Wild provides us with biodegradable trash bags to use on our Impact Days,” explained Kirkbride. Kirkbride joined the Keep Nature Wild community recently, and is now enjoying spending her time hiking but also helping the environment along the way. One of her favorite parts of being an Ambassador is encouraging others to help nature and our environment. “This is actually my first time becoming an Ambassador for Wild Keepers and my first time participating in an Impact Day,” stated Kirkbride. “I enjoy my time outdoors and pick up trash anyway, so I might as well extend my influence to encourage others to do the same. It is great being a part of the Wild Keeper Community. They are so encouraging and supportive!” The Keep Nature Wild project has been making a large impact on the environment and in the communities by helping clean trash and waste materials. “The Keep Nature Wild mission statement is: ‘Wild Keepers are on a mission to pick up trash outside, make a positive impact on the outdoor spaces that we enjoy, have fun doing it as a part of a larger community of Wild Keepers, and inspire others to do the same,’” stated Kirkbride. If you are interested in learning more about the Keep Nature Wild project please visit https://keepnaturewild.com/pages/ wild-keepers-21.
Malone explains a point to the TED Talk audience. Photo by Quinn Guffey
NOV. 29, 2021
It’s the thought that counts
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ith this season’s holidays approaching, many people have started wondering about what they’re going to give others. Some may have already started their preparations, while others know in their heart they’ll be frantically searching through store aisles the day before Christmas. Both making and buying gifts require time and effort, however, it’s hard to conclude which one is better - if either one is better at all. Junior Evan Huang believes that creating gifts is more sentimental. “You spend more time and effort making a gift that you think will have more value to the person you’re giving it to. And buying is more like, ‘I found something. I paid for it. I’m giving it to you,’” said Huang. Many other students and teachers share his opinion. Elizabeth Oster, the Rolla High School Latin teacher, is a bit of a gift-making fanatic. She often shares her various skills, like baking and crafting, with family and friends. “I love to bake,” said Oster. “I make different kinds of cookies, and I make sure that they’re all a big variety of things...I also love to garden. I grow all kinds of peppers and things like tomatoes. There’s an Italian hot chili sauce that I make that’s like really hot chilies cut up into olive oil. That’s used kind of as a relish. Some of it’s too spicy for some people, so I have to be careful who I give that to.” For Oster, though, this extensive process is about more than a simple transaction. “When I’m making [the gifts], I’m thinking about the person I’m making them for. To me, it’s an extension of the closeness of the relationship. I enjoy making them and thinking about the people, so it’s almost as much in the creating as it is in the giving,” said Oster. In a similar sentiment, junior Hosea Clayton also tries to make gifts for his close friends. “I have things at my house that we never use that I can reuse to turn into something,” said Clayton.“Or, I’m just on a creative spurt and choose to make something cool. I’m like, ‘Oh, hey, one of my friends
would like this.’ So I make it, and I wrap it up, and I give it to them as a little gift.” However, Clayton also recognizes that buying special presents also takes effort. “If you actually do the research and try to find something that would best suit them - not just something that you think would be a fun thing for them to have - then yeah, that matters. Not everybody has the skills to make something that creative,” stated Clayton. Senior Andrew Woodley believes that specificity is what really makes a bought gift exceptional. “It really depends on what [the receiver] is into. That’s where that personal aspect comes in, like, ‘Okay, what are their hobbies? What are their interests? What do they need?’ You’re not going to give someone who’s never picked up a guitar in their life a tuner, because they just don’t care about that.” explained Woodley. When it comes to this holiday tradition, senior Elijah Jakosalem has a unique approach to tailoring presents for his friends. “Usually I don’t give gifts, period. But if I have to get a gift, I usually will buy a joke gift or something that they might actually use. [For example], as a graduation gift [for my friend], I went to the dollar store and found this ceramic guy. And I was like, ‘Here take this. I found your boyfriend for college,’” said Jakosalem. Meanwhile, junior Eyram Dumor makes sure to buy items that will mean a lot to their recipient. “My little sister and my brother really like to read, so I try to give them books in genres that they normally wouldn’t try, but would still feel a strong connection to, whether they relate to the main character or to any issues in it.” Dumor also believes that price shouldn’t be the main factor when shopping for presents. “With buying gifts, you have to sort of be sensible. It’s not about how expensive the gift is. It’s about the person that you’re giving it to and what it means to them, or what it means to you that you’re giving it...the most expensive gift doesn’t have anything to do with how important the gift is,” stated Dumor.
Malone shares classroom strategies on TEDx stage
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avva Malone has been teaching at Rolla High School since 2003. She studied at Istanbul University in Istanbul, Turkey and received her Bachelors in Science. After receiving her degree, she decided to help research as an assistant in a Solid State Physics Lab at Istanbul. In 1993 she decided to go to Sakarya University in Turkey to continue researching until 1997. Malone then embarked on a life-changing path. In 1994, she moved to the United States to get her Masters in physics at the one and only Missouri of Science and Technology. “I got a ten year job at Istanbul University, and I found out there was a test going on for a scholarship in the U.S. I made it in with sixty other physicists. My purpose was to just get my PHD at MS&T and go back. But then I met my husband. I ended up leaving with my Masters and going back to teach,” said Malone. Malone decided to follow her heart. “My teacher said if I love my husband, I should go back to the U.S., and that’s what I did. I stayed here and made a career. I’ve lived in the U.S. more than I have in Turkey. I’ve lived here more than 60% of my life,” said Malone. On October 29, Malone graced MS&T again, but this time not as a student but as a speaker. Tedx had brought the show to Rolla, Missouri. The event was held at Leach Theatre with many speakers including artists, historians, and professors. Malone’s presentation was math focused and highlighted her work as a paraprofessional teaching her students here at Rolla High School. Malone wanted to share the hands-on methods she used and the creative ways she helps her students learn.
Malone decided to take a different approach to her presentation. To demonstrate the slope of an object, she had the audience snap and clap on intervals showing a 1:1 ratio. She threw pillows to show the downward fall of slope as well. “I loved getting the audience involved, I figured they’re only observing just like the kids, listening and watching. It’s not as good as physically interacting,” said Malone. Malone shares her inspiration for her presentation. “Over so many years with the kids, I thought, ‘How can I make this fun for them rather than boring? How can I help them crack the code?’” said Malone. “The formulas, they’re like codes. They’re telling a story…once you understand the story, they’re telling you the true formula.”
Photo by Quinn Guffey
NOV. 29, 2021
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RHS ECHO
Agricultural Education: Pigs, Grass, and Student Success By Mallory Moats Web Master
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What is FFA, agricultural education?
ear the end of 8th grade, future freshmen are asked to fill out a brightly colored sheet deciding what classes they will be taking in their first year of high school. Under the practical arts category lies the class Agriculture Science I, often called Ag I. Many students check that box besides the class for a variety of reasons. They could live on a farm, want to be a veterinarian, or they just like plants, but the only requirement to enroll is to have a desire to learn about agriculture. “Agricultural education means we teach everything from forestry and natural
resources and wildlife to production Ag, which includes beef cattle, forage production, and row crop, to Ag construction or Ag mechanics, which would include welding and construction of agricultural products to horticulture and landscaping in our greenhouse where we look at horticulture crops both from a growing standpoint as well as a retail greenhouse,” said Cord Jenkins, the agricultural education instructor at Rolla High School. “Then the landscaping portion of that would be taking those plants and putting them into residential and business landscapes. Law agriculture is huge and covers a large area
on the science side, or what I call the hard science side. Then the other thing that we do in Ag education is teach leadership skills. We’re going to do things like public speaking, speech writing and parliamentary procedure. We’ll talk about citizenship, how to properly dress for the
For sophomore Lena Stricklin, the SAE is her favorite part of FFA. “The portion that I find really fun is showing livestock,” said Stricklin. “It’s an SAE portion, which you do to make money, and it shows you responsibility.… With the SAE project, [you can do] anything. There’s some kids that make candles and sell them, or they make cookies and sell them. My project is definitely something bigger. It’s livestock, so we [my family and I] raise show pigs, and we also raise fat hogs to butcher, and I showed them at the Phelps County Fair.” Showing livestock is a long-term commitment, but to Stricklin it’s her sport. “You work six months with this animal,” said Stricklin. “...For a pig, there are specific weight limits, so for the first weigh in, they [the pigs] can only be 40 to 100 pounds, and if they’re over or under that they cannot be used… Then you strive to be at least 230 though 280 is perfect weight for pigs... What you do with that animal is you train it, and it trusts you. I practice every day with mine. [I] make sure they look show portion and make sure
their weight’s on task… They’re not underweight; they’re not over. They look like the showy type, so their head’s up in the air. They’re not walking too slow, but they’re not walking too fast.” The person showing the animal must also perform responsibly, and look professional. “Practicing makes perfect, of course,” said Stricklin. “And so I spend those six months making sure that they’re on task and then once I get to the fair, it’s pretty much four days to have fun… You work hard at home, and at the end of the goal, you get to sell your animal. You take buyer letters out to the public to get them to come to buy your animal. There’s lots of kids that make good money, and there’s some kids that don’t really make good money, but this is their sport. And so of course some people take more initiative than others, and it shows.” Stricklin started showing pigs as a middle schooler after experiencing injuries in traditional sports. “I used to do gymnastics, and I played basketball when I was little, but I got hurt,”
said Stricklin. “I had something wrong with my knee, and it made me not interested anymore [in those sports]. My grandpa was really big into pigs, and I found an interest in pigs, so we started going to 4-H, which is different than FFA, but it allows you to show when you’re younger, and FFA [is how] you show when you get older. Anyways, I fell in love with pigs. I just had so much fun, so I’ve been showing pigs for about six years. They have a crazy amount of personalities, all with different things. One will be really spunky, and the other one is just kind of gripy.” Stricklin also experimented with showing other animals, such as heifers, female cows that have not had a calf, and lambs, but pigs are her favorite. “I wanted to venture out into more different species, so I moved to cattle.” said Stricklin, “After my heifer… stepped on my foot, and broke my foot… I moved to showing a lamb. After I started showing lambs, I fell in love with lambs, so I show a variety of things.” No matter what animal Stricklin is showing, she strives to be the best.
occasion, whether that’s a FFA event or a job interview, and resumes. It’s a very wide array of subjects.” If a student enrolls in Ag I, they are then eligible to join Future Farmers of America (FFA). “FFA is a student organization that is
A way to compete
Preparatoin for a future career
both intra curricular and extracurricular,” said Jenkins. “What I mean by that is we have portions of FFA that we do in class time and that we have grades on. That’s the intra curricular portion, and then of course FFA has some extra curricular activities, much like another club or organization would at the high school.” These activities include meetings, competition teams, fundraisers, leadership conferences, and fun social events. FFA members must also complete a supervised agricultural experience (SAE).
“My dad, since he was raised on a pig farm, knew the rights and wrongs of how to feed,” said Stricklin. “But as we’ve gradually progressed in the times, we have made better choices on feeding and stuff, and we’ve moved to showing in bigger shows. I always want to win. When I strive to win [something], and I’ve won that, then I have to have a bigger goal. After I had won the county fair, and started winning jackpot shows which are just little one day shows… I wanted another bigger thing and so I went to the State Fair this year… and I won 14 and over 4-H showmanship, so that was a really cool experience.” Stricklin believes her passion for showing livestock will one day lead her to a career in agriculture. “I love it,” said Stricklin. “This is my sport. Other kids like a ball sport at school better than this, but this is just my sport, and I definitely want to do something in the agricultural field. After raising and showing livestock, it’s definitely helped me understand how much knowledge, passion, love, and responsibility it takes to be able to do something like this.”
FFA has also helped senior Lucy Baur prepare for her future career. “I want to study agribusiness and culinary arts,” said Baur. “I want a farm to table restaurant, and I’ll be the chef, farmer, and business owner, so I’ll be an entrepreneur.” One specific activity that has helped Baur prepare for her career is competing in the grasslands evaluation contest. “We have contest teams which go and
compete against other FFA chapters,” said Baur. “The contest team I usually choose is grasslands. That is where you study grass or forage. There’s a cow problem in it, and that’s where you see how much forage is produced and if it meets the needs of the herd. Then there’s soils. That is basically the study of what kind of soil [the sample] is to see if the forage that’s growing it is good or if something needs to change. There’s also ID, where you identify dif-
ferent types of plants, and wildlife, where you see if the pasture is good for wildlife as well as livestock.” While Baur’s future career played a role in her decision to compete in grasslands, her grandma also served as an influence. “I like grasslands because it’s practical for me,” said Baur. “One day, I’ll be a farmer, and I’ll need to know this stuff… It’s also very fun for me because ever since I was little, I’ve been identifying plants with
my grandma.” Baur and her team did well this year. “In Districts, we got first place, so that was really good,” said Baur. “I got third highest scoring individual, and then at State, we got eighth place. The top five teams go to Nationals, so we were only three away, and since we haven’t done it in two years, and we have two new members that had never done it, I think that’s pretty good.”
No matter what part of agriculture a student wants to pursue, ag education is meant to meet that student’s needs and
help them succeed. “Why I do what I do is for student success,” said Jenkins. “Student success looks
different with different students. Sometimes it is a student doing very well on a contest team. Sometimes it’s a student
doing very well in class…. My philosophy is that my job is to meet my students at their skill levels and take them as far as I can.”
All about student success
Memories from the woods: RHS students claim the sport
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ovember usually means that the leaves are changing colors, fall is upon us, and it’s now time for some pumpkin pie. But for some, it means early morning rises and hiding within the trees. The main portion of the 2021 deer season starts on November 13 and goes until November 23. Junior Hannah Hoss has been hunting since she was six, the legal starting age. “The first time I went was probably squirrel hunting and I killed one. I used my grandfather’s old squirrel gun,” said Hoss. Hoss’s favorite hunting story happened after only two years of hunting. “[My favorite story was] probably when I killed my first deer,” said Hoss. “So I was about in third grade. I was in the hunting blind with my dad, and a nine-point came across the blind. I took a shot at it. It jumped in the air, clicked its heels and dug its neck down into the ground.” Poaching is hunting without legal permission from whoever controls the land and/or baiting deer with corn. There is
also only a certain amount of deer a person can tag before it becomes illegal. However, poaching isn’t always on purpose. “It can happen by accident during turkey season, with [turkey shot], the balls will scatter,” said Hoss. “And when there’s a big flock of turkey, [the balls] can easily
Photo submitted by Hannah Hoss
get multiple, but it’s illegal. So don’t do it. Obviously.” Vivian Laprise is a senior who has been hunting since she was eight years old. “I went with my step dad and my mom. We were shooting deer. I shot it, but I didn’t find it. We followed his blood trail for like 45 minutes. And then I assume the coyotes got it because I never found it. Very sad,” said Laprise. Even though this was the first deer that Laprise shot, she doesn’t count it as her “first deer”. “My next one, which was my second deer, but technically my first deer, was a button book,” said Laprise. “He was almost a deer with antlers, but they haven’t broken the skin yet. They were just little buttons.” When going out to hunt, finding a good spot and time is crucial. “If you want the good ones, you gotta go in the beginning of the season because they’re really smart and they figure out [when the hunters come], so by the end of the season they won’t be there. And the time of day is right before dark,so go late in the afternoon. That’s when they come
out,” said Laprise. “I did push someone else out of my spot because they were right on the other side of the fence where I was and it’s my land” The youngest age to start hunting alone in Missouri is ten years old, after the children take a safety hunters course. However, some people, like Laprise, enjoy hunting with other people. “I get lonely if I don’t. I’ll fall asleep. I just eat and read books. My mom [goes with me] and so does her boyfriend because he’s pretty cool. He sees them and then lets me shoot them,” said Laprise. The best memory of hunting Laprise has is when she got that first deer. “When I got my first deer, I shot him and I was leaning,” said Laprise. “I was on the opposite side of the stand from where he was. So I had to lean between the tree and over my mom’s shoulder in like the two seater Mittelstand, and whenever I did hit him, he jumped over a hay bale and just fell. Didn’t even try running. Just jumped over, [hit the] haybale, boom.”
SPORTS RHS ECHO
NOV. 29, 2021
Senior class conquers Powder Puff tournament of ‘21
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owder Puff is an event that has been going on for seven years at Rolla High School. It is an event that breaks societal normalcy of men being on the football field and women on the sidelines cheering them on. Throughout this event, women and men switch their stereotypical roles. The two coordinators were Ashley Wood and Adalie Lauth. “It is a chance for girls to play flag football, and then guys get to cheer,” said senior Ashley Wood, one of the coordinators of Powder Puff. “It’s switching roles because there’s a lot of girls that want to play football, so it gives them a chance to just play against other girls in a simple flag football game.” The atmosphere is unique. “[The atmosphere is] pretty good,” said Wood. “[The girls] get to come up with their own plays. They’ve got their own team. They get to get their own shirts, juniors versus seniors. It’s always fun.” Wood had her own predictions about the event. “I think [the game] will be pretty good because we’ve got a lot of people excited [to play],” said Wood. “We also have a lot of people excited to watch, even though it’s gonna be cold. I’m excited because there’s a lot of competitive seniors that I know that are really excited to do it.” The colors for Powder Puff change every year, but the juniors and seniors get a say of what their colors will be. “What we do for the teams is colors. The seniors picked hot pink and the juniors picked baby blue. Then, the cheerleaders
just have to show up for whatever team they’re supporting with their own shirts, and they get to design their own shirts, just a pink and blue kind of rivalry,” said The planning is very in depth from organizing signups to coordinating with Student Council for concessions. “[For] signups it was the first person [who brought their] $25, and they got a spot,” said Wood. “Then what we had to get ready [for] was practice. [We had to] find people to be coaches and be the game announcers.” Many people find out through social media and advertisements. “There was definitely a lot of advertisement for signing up [to be on the] teams, ‘’ said Wood. “We had to advertise at lunch [and with] posters. We posted it on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.” There were two main people in charge. “We do everything and get everything planned out ourselves,” Wood said. “We have a little helper, Chase Lindsey. And he’s been such a big help to us. He’s on it if we need him to run to the athletic office and check on the date... which is super helpful.” There was excitement around the event. “I’m super excited for the cheerleaders Halftime Show,” Wood said. “They are doing phenomenal [in practice], but I’m excited to watch that, and then I’m just excited for all the girls [to be] playing out there and having their families come and cheer them on while they’re playing football.” Around 150 people attended the event. Seniors emerged victorious with the score ending at 26 to 20.
Photos by Hannah Puetz
Football: end-of-season recap
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he Bulldogs’ football season is finally over, and the varsity team’s first district championship game versus Branson was a successful win. The final score was 28-0 on the Bulldogs’ home turf on Oct. 29. They ended with a total of 286 yards rushing. The lead rusher of the game was senior Hayden Fane, with a total of 166 yards on 15 carries. The Bulldogs second District championship was very close, losing to Glendale, 28 to 34 at Glendale on Nov. 5. Defense was a key part of this game, with Rolla delivering 77 tackles. The leading tackler was senior Ty Locklear with 10 solo tackles and three assists. The organization of high school playoffs is often misunderstood. In the state of Missouri, schools are classified one through six. All the class five schools are split up into districts, same with the other class sizes. The teams’ points are tallied up by wins and losses. Then, the teams will be ranked. Teams will then play in the first round, then the semi-finals, and then comes the district finals. After that, the winning teams will go to the state playoffs, which is in the same order as the district games. The final two teams will then compete in the final state game, and whichever team wins that game becomes state champs. While the Bulldogs’ playoff run was short, the team still had a great season. A key game for the team this year was beating rival Lebanon 28-20. The Bulldogs had a nice offensive game with 220 rushing yards, and 138 passing yards, and the defense kept Lebanon from scoring to finish with a clean 8 points over. This is the first
time they have beat Lebanon since 2009. “We had a good season, seven wins and those all-conference games,” said head football coach Jon Franks. The Bulldogs even had a three win streak, and one of those wins was against rival Waynesville. “They had a really good stretch there where they beat our rival Waynesville and then beat Lebanon and Camdenton. In all that’s three in a row, so that’s a nice stretch,” said Franks. The RHS football team hopes they can keep bringing pride to our school by continuing to do great. “We’re really happy with what’s going on and we’ll continue to try and improve,” Franks added. The players on the RHS Bulldogs were disappointed about the loss to Glendale in the postseason, but happy about the season as a whole. “I think we could have done a lot better, and I was sad to see it end on Glendale,” said linebacker Waylon Kinder, a senior at RHS. “[This season] was a fun one, definitely not what we expected but a good season,” said senior wide receiver Gage Klossner. A lot of starting seniors are leaving this year, but the Bulldogs still have a lot of firepower. “I think they still have a lot of athleticism, they just have to figure out how to use all of their weapons,” said Klossner. Overall the RHS football team had a great season. “I know the boys definitely would’ve liked to win a couple more, but overall they had a really nice season,” said Franks.
Photo by Quinn Guffey
OPINION
NOV. 29, 2021
RHS ECHO
Stay hydrated, but choose wisely
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rinking enough water is vital to good health, but some days you forget your trusty reusable water bottle and have to resort to the water fountains. Two of your local journalists set out across the school in search of the best water fountain. In our judging process, we graded the fountains based on taste, temperature, and the quality of the stream. We also took into consideration location. Below are the top 5 fountains and ones to avoid when you’re B in need of a thirst quenchin’ drink.
Honorable Mention: Attendance Office: Near the attendance office, there are four water fountains. All had decent quality, but the one that stood out was the tall one on the far left. This one earns honorable mention for being the third best tasting and one of the most convenient, especially for RTI students. This station also includes a water bottle filler. Upper Commons: In the upper commons, outside of Mr. Haberman’s room there are four water fountains. The ones on the left were subpar with warm water (and a red filter status for the bottle filler), but on the right, specifically the tall one, the water was fresh and good tasting earning this fountain an honorable mention.
y Mallory Moats & Quinn Guffey Opinion Writers Photo by Mallory Moats
Best Overall Water Fountains: Choir Room: Connecting the band and choir room is a small hallway containing pianos and other assorted instruments, but amid them is two water fountains. While both contained good cold water, the one closest to the band room had more splatter causing the user to get wet leading us to rank the one near the choir room as superior. Practice Gym: Similar in taste and temperature to the choir room water fountain, the practice gym water fountain was at the top of our list. It tied with the choir room due to a more accessible location, but the same cold taste. It also contains a water bottle filler for those too cool to drink from a fountain.
Avoid at all costs: History Hallway: The water fountain that lies outside of Mr. Curtis’s room in the history hallway was quite horrible. It tasted bad and was warm. To clarify, not room temperature as if the water wasn’t cooled, but warm as if the water was being heated. The spout was quite yellowed and looked concerning. The taste tester could not swallow the water and instead spat it out.
The History Hallway fountain Photo by Mallory Moats
Bad for the Environment: Bulldog Room: Inside the Bulldog Room, the water fountain is constantly running causing lots of water to be wasted. Even when the button is pressed the stream causes it to be almost unusable, unless you want to touch your mouth to the spout. There is also some strange water spurting contraption next to it. Your reporters couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but we didn’t try to drink from it.
The practice gym water fountain Photo by Hannah Puetz
Best Water for Location: 10th Street Door: Located in the hallway across from the girls varsity locker room, the 10th Street door fountain offers a good taste and temperature for its location. Unlike the above fountains, this one is in a frequently used hallway, and therefore more accessible.
Photo by Mallory Moats We don’t always drink from the water fountains, but when we do, we prefer to drink from the best. Stay thirsty, our friends.
Self esteem underscores student achievement
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elf esteem and confidence levels are important factors of teens and students' lives, especially in a school setting. There are a variety of different reasons why teens might have low self esteem or lack of confidence in By Hannah Puetz themselves, and there are News Editor many ways to help resolve those issues. Family and relationship troubles, lack of motivation, school events, and poor body image are just a few complications that could mildly affect a student’s self esteem. Students have the ability for great achievements and success, but poor self esteem has undermined self worth. “You never know if someone’s having a bad day. If you’re a positive person, that might make them feel better about themselves,” stated sophomore Sarah Parker. “If it looks like someone is upset or they don’t feel confident in themselves, and you’re positive about it, that could make them feel better.” Family and relationships can mildly affect a student's confidence and self esteem. Being in a negative and dismissive environment can cause low self esteem, especially within teens. Relationships with significant others and friends can have a major impact on your mental health. Being around others that have positive and bright outlooks on life can greatly affect others and heighten their self esteem and confidence. “Being around positive people can make you feel better about yourself and make you feel like you can be yourself around everyone, and that can make you more confident and happy,” said sophomore Abigail Kestle. Being surrounded by others that have negative aspects of life can bring others down, so it is important to have a positive attitude towards everyone. “I had a friend for years that was very negative towards me and it drained a lot out of me,” said Parker. “It can make you feel like you’re not good enough or make you feel like you’re doing something wrong, and it’s not fun.” School settings and events are other factors that influence teens and impact their mental health. Being around many students for such a long period of time can affect your confidence and self esteem. “There’s so many different people in the school, and there are a lot of people that
might be prettier than you, or more popular than you, or have a better style than you, or anything like this. But when you see those people all the time, five days out of the week or eight hours a day, it’s hard to feel confident in yourself. It is hard to feel good about yourself when you feel constantly judged,” explained Parker. “There’s really just constant criticism wherever you go, and you’re at school for a majority of the day. There are all these people around you and it’s hard to feel confident in yourself when you’re constantly being watched.” A variety of students might not be true to themselves because of low self esteem in the school setting. Other students can intimidate and cause students to feel less confident. It is important to accept everyone as they are, which can help to relieve students’ stress of the feeling of being constantly judged. Confidence and self esteem also affects motivation and helps others work on things with better performance. Having a good feeling about yourself will overall lead you to working better and harder, as well as pushing yourself to be the best that you can be. “I feel like, you know, if all of your friends are dressing up for something, and you feel like they look a lot better than you, you might feel unmotivated to want to do that again because you feel like you aren’t good enough. Low self esteem really takes a toll on all aspects of your mental health, and it’s rough,” said Parker. Having support when dealing with hardships about your mental health is a very important aspect of self esteem. Being able to have someone to talk to, and having support is the best way to help someone that is having troubles with self esteem. When having low self esteem or any forms of mental health problems, it is important to be aware of their feelings, and to not pressure them into doing certain things that could be harmful towards them. “If you see one of your friends struggling with something, whether it’s because of someone else, or because they’re struggling with themselves, don’t put pressure on them to change. Do things to help them or support them. Maybe be like ‘hey, like it’s alright, if you don’t feel like brushing your hair, like maybe I can help you,’” stated Parker. “Support is great and very important, and it helps a lot, especially when you have supportive friends.” Self esteem and being confident is a key factor in people’s lives, and it helps them do many things. Having a healthy feeling about self esteem can lead others to have many good experiences and opportunities in their life. It is important to always worry about mental health first. That is the biggest and most important factor in anyone’s life.
NOV. 29, 2021
ECHO EXTRAS RHS ECHO
Cook supports Letters for Rose
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uring the pandemic, many nursing homes have been quarantined from any visitors due to the residents being at high risk. With quarantine, comes feelings of loneliness and isolation, as the patients have not been able to visit with friends and loved ones. Letters for Rose is an organization that was created to combat those feelings. The Letters for Rose website states: “Letters for Rose aims to reduce loneliness among elders during the COVID-19 pandemic by creating and distributing personalized letters, art, and donations for local nursing homes.” Jozie Cook, a sophomore at Rolla High School, sees potential for a Letters for Rose chapter at RHS. “It was started by high school sophomores in New Jersey who put together an organization for a nursing home because of COVID. They couldn’t go and volunteer in nursing homes to visit with the residents, so they started writing letters to help,” said Cook. A Letters for Rose chapter at RHS would provide an opportunity for students to earn service hours, in addition to being an opportunity to connect with members of the community. “Any nursing homes within 15 minutes of Rolla can be accessed, and there’s no requirement for letters, but the more letters you send, the more service hours you get,” stated Cook.
Cook discovered the organization through social media, and as the organization spread across the country, she decided that she would bring the organization to RHS. “I found out through TikTok and I was like, ‘Oh, I should join,’” said Cook. “In order to start a chapter in Rolla, we need four people to be the chapter leaders for Rolla, and then we can make it through the school.” Although Letters for Rose provides a way to keep in contact with people throughout the pandemic, it can be used even as restrictions begin to loosen. Some nursing home residents may have lost contact with friends and family, and receiving letters through this organization may be comforting, as it provides a way to keep in touch with the outside world. “I think others should join Letters for Rose because it really helps others, and it’s an easy way to get service hours. I want to do it just because I find things like that very interesting, and it holds a place in my heart because my grandparents were in nursing homes,” explained Cook.
Visit the link below to read more about Letters to Rose: https://www.lettersforrose.org/
Kuhlman recieves Missouri art award
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very year Drury hosts an art competition to highlight the top artists from all over the state of Missouri. Rolla High School freshman Seth Kuhlman recently sent his art piece off to compete in Drury University’s sixth annual Best of the Midwest High School Competitive Exhibition. “Drury University reaches out to high school art teachers all across Missouri... Through an email I saw that Drury University was having an art exhibition… They have a competition where they will select Best in Show, who will receive a scholarship,” stated Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht pushes many students towards competitions. “The competitions are a little bit daunting,” said Engelbrecht. “They have to be pretty confident and ready for a challenge, in order to actually participate in these competitions. I just shared this art competition with all of my advanced students, and Seth said, ‘I will do it.’ I gave him a day’s notice, so he didn’t have any time to prepare a special work of art. He used something he had just finished, so it was appropriate timing for Seth.” Engelbrecht meticulously looks for students to participate in competitions. “I look for students who already have a body of work that they can pull from. I look for students who are interested, engaged in art, and I look for students who think about these competitions as being
Artwork by Seth Kuhlman
Artwork by Seth Kuhlman fun, not something that’s overwhelming,” said Engelbrecht. Kuhlman is currently in Engelbrecht’s art class. “Well, I’m taking advanced 2D art this year. The same for next semester. I like to do 2D a little better than 3D,” Kuhlman said. Kuhlman has been at the high school for only four months and his growth is being recognized. “He is growing in his ability to recreate proportions of the face to recreate the colors that he sees or even to interpret the color in his own palettes, which is very exciting. He’s beginning to explore relationships of objects to the faces, so that the whole composition is becoming more complex.” stated Engelbrecht. “Just naturally, Seth is excited about drawing. He really is having fun with making those illusions of faces on the page. He’s very passionate about it right now and enjoying the process” Kuhlman began creating art at a young age, and has continued his passion for drawing as he has grown. “I started drawing, maybe in second grade, but I mean, I was good at drawing stick figures,” said Kuhlman. “I remember in third grade I watched YouTube tutorials like how to draw things, and I obviously [was] really bad, but I didn’t care. I just kept on drawing those things that I knew how to draw.”
Students reveal their alltime favorite recipes
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or many families, the legacy of recipe swapping goes back generations. Preparing any food is a great way to bond with family or friends, especially if it is a family recipe or a recipe from their culture. Sophomore Belle Witham adores cooking, and her favorite recipe is her family’s tamales.. “For the holidays, [my family and I] like to make sweet tamales and instead of the normal meat, chicken or beef. We make cheesecake pecan, or we have a really good cinnamon one,” said Witham. Witham is trying to find ways to connect with her culture, and baking these tamales is one way to do so. “If you do any research on the food, they’re of Mexican heritage and I like to bring anything into my heritage because I grew up not with it.” stated Witham. “And I’m like, ‘I want to learn more about it.’ So I do as much as I can with [the heritage].” Senior Quinn Beaugard and twin brother, Luke, became great chefs when they started baking when their mother. Beaugard has a signature dish known well by his friends: his Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. “My favorite meal to cook is chicken teriyaki,” said Beaugard. “It’s super easy to make and it’s so good. Baking wise, I can pretty much make anything, but I can make a pretty mean gooey gooey butter cake.” Every holiday season, Beauregard tackles a new baking challenge. This year: Grinch brownies. “[My favorite] holiday recipe varies from year to year. I’m going to try this Grinch brownie recipe, it’s just brownies with mint ice cream on top. They look and sound off, but I want to try them,” explained Beaugard. Junior Oscar Cheng has two main recipes: killer hot chocolate and “banger” rice. Sadly, he doesn’t know the exact recipe for
Photo by Mallory Moats his hot chocolate. “I definitely say hot chocolate is my favorite,” said Cheng. “But it’s not the Swiss Mix kind of hot chocolate, it’s kind of like the homemade hot chocolate with cinnamon and stuff on it. I just put whatever in it and then it’ll taste good.” Not everybody celebrates the holidays, but that won’t put a damper on most of the high spirits for getting a break from school. “I just wanted to have something because I usually don’t celebrate the holidays at all. So, I feel like making this hot chocolate kind of brings some festiveness to my house which doesn’t really have that much festiveness to it,” explained Cheng. “I would love to show people how to make my hot chocolate, but I don’t have an exact recipe. You just have to improvise it.” Following recipes and cooking different cuisines is an important part of the holiday season for many families. Preparing different spreads is a way to gather others together for holiday festivities. Go and gobble up some food with family and friends.
RHS drama student Lucas Schoen preps for upcoming Thespian conference
T
he Rolla High School Drama Department has been preparing for their upcoming Thespian Conference that will take place later in January. The conference is designed for actors and singers to show off their talents. Several RHS students have spent much of their time working and preparing for the occasion. Senior Lucas Schoen has been prepping his monologues that he will be performing at the upcoming conference. “At the spring conference, I will be doing the acting portion, and I need to have two monologues prepared for that. Both of my monologues are contrasting pieces, which is good so you can show off your acting diversity,” stated Schoen. “My first one is a comedy piece about a man who dreamt his father was inside a baked potato, and my second monologue is a dramatic piece about a person who’s a part of a theatre troupe, but they’re upset because things are not going their way.” Schoen has been preparing for weeks by annotating and memorizing his scripts. “Everybody memorizes stuff differently, but the way that I memorize mine is that I read it over and over again, and then each time I’ll progressively look away from the page and fill in the blanks until I don’t need to look at the page at all. The annotations are stage notes, and they can be
for a lot of things. Some of them are how I move [on the stage], and others are how I feel when I’m saying the lines or how I’m portraying how I feel.” stated Schoen. Schoen has to incorporate many various gestures when he is performing his monologues. “Body language is a big part of acting. I start this monologue being happy, so my chin and chest are going to be up and my arms are going to be bright and big,” said Schoen. “But then I become worried and my shoulders start rolling in and my head droops a little bit, and my gestures aren’t quite as big.” Being passionate is a major part of drama and theatre. Schoen experimented with different forms of drama to find what he was truly interested in. “I have done technical stuff for theatre, but it’s not really my passion. So that kind of wiped it off there, leaving it to singing or acting. I’m a much stronger actor than I am a singer, so I decided to do acting.” explained Schoen. Schoen and the other drama students are excited for the upcoming Thespian Conference and their performances. “This is going to be my first time going to an actual Thespian Conference, and I’ve only heard great things about them. I’m very excited.”