December 2016 Issue of the Pepper Box

Staff Editorial

As the end of national election season approaches, the holiday season and new year is beginning.

The upcoming months seem to be the busiest for people, including students and staff at RHS. The joy of finishing the first semester of the school year, shopping for loved ones, and celebrating the festive season are what are getting many people through, despite the uneasy election results. Although there are many people frustrated with the situation, there is always a bit of sunshine through the stormy clouds.

The amount of positivity during these times of confusion and anger is what will overpower the negative. Situations like these are what are eventually going to bring our school, community, and country together. No matter the season, our school, community, and country can get through whatever it is put through.

Many people of RHS and in the community of the district are affected by the nerve-wracking week of finals, but still manage to get through it. Many things are put into the making of finals week, including the joy that arrives after it. Teachers and students are at the final peak of their first semester of the year and they have almost reached the conclusion of the semester. Much stress is put into this week, but it does not amount to the happiness that is present afterwards.

Not only is finals week stressful for the community, but so are the election announcements and other social events. These types of events may be good and bad, depending on the person, but that should not prevent a positive mindset throughout any person. No matter the circumstance or opinion from one to another, each person should have a positive mind, whether they like the outcome of events or not. This is what will bring our schools, community, and country together, finding the joy in every little thing.

No matter who you were pulling for in the election or how you do on finals, we all must work together to find the joy in our daily lives.

PEPPER BOX STAFF Adviser: Ron Steinschriber Production Editor In Chief: Leia Boyd Content Editor In Chief: Sarah Barbeau Design Editor In Chief: Sidney Lee Business Manager: Morgan Diamond News Editor: Alicia Watson Opinion Editor: Royalty Knight Online Editor: Bri’asia Mays Sports Editor: Jenna Hutson Spotlight Editor: Makayla Smith Staff Members: William Qualls, Kourtney Pliner, Martin Trujillo, Vanessa Delgado, Jordan Barber, Ashley Wright, Bailey Stock, Shelby Langhorst, Victoria Taylor, Tabitha Peebles

Editorial Policy: The Pepper Box is designed and created by members of the newspaper staff of Ritenour High School. The purpose of the newspaper is to provide a forum for the students to focus on issues, give opinions, and share information with the Ritenour High School community. The opinions expressed in this paper do not reflect opinions of our faculty or administration.

Letters to the editor are welcome and accepted, but they may not contain profanity, obscenity, or anything inappropriate to school. They may be e-mailed to Ron Steinschriber at steinschriberr@ritenourschools.org, or dropped off in room 240. The staff reserves the right to edit these letters.

Cover art by Shelby Langhorst Back cover by Ron Steinschriber, made with easel.ly

Illustration by Kourtney Pliner

The problem with judging People are told not to judge books by their covers, but there is hypocrisy in that statement

The Royal Treatment By: Royalty Knight

At one point or another in our life we have heard the saying, don’t judge a book by its cover.

People should not judge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. Why do we stress the idea that dress is so important in our schools and in the workplace if outward appearance is not supposed to matter?

Of course, I am not referring

to dress codes associated with safety issues, such as construction workers being forced to wear hard hats, or doctors wearing disposable scrubs, masks, and gloves.

What I am referring to is the idea that what you wear has an impact on how other people perceive you. I am not saying everyone is judged by what they wear. There are always exceptions to the rule.

Girls are told that they should always practice modesty because if not, they will be viewed as promiscuous. Young men are expected to wear things that make them seem masculine, and if they don’t fit into these norms, then they will not be respected by peers. If we are truly not supposed to judge a book by its cover, then it should not matter what anyone is wearing in any situation.

The idea that the most identifying characteristic about me is what I am wearing is a horrible thought. So, why do we judge other

people? Is it human nature? Is it because we are scared? It could be both of those ideas or another idea entirely.

Whatever excuse anyone can think, it does not matter. We as humans have the control and brain capacity to push those thoughts back and still be able to function in society effectively.

If we are not judging books by their covers, why do they make covers so interesting? If we truly believed as a society that we should not judge books by their covers, then all book covers would be brown with Times New Roman font. The hypocrisy behind the statement is obvious. We live in a world where teenagers are seemingly defined by the latest picture they put up on Instagram.

The message behind the statement about covers is great, but the ironic undertone is almost comical.

We definitely should not judge a book by its cover. However, everything that we are taught outside of that phrase is the exact opposite.

Buy your yearbook before it is too late.

50% of all yearbooks ordered have already been purchased.

For more information come to room 240.

Senior Ad space is still available.

Opinion

How NOT to study for finals The Pepper Box offers light hearted advice for how students should definitely not study for finals didn’t miss any questions.

Senior Ry’n Dubose hides in the blinds, and pretends he is not home during finals. Photo

by Sidney Lee

By: Martin Trujillo-Carrazco Staff Reporter Below are some tips if you aren’t sure how well you want to do on finals.

Make sure you read the next page for real tips!

Cry Start crying before, during, and after the test. Pre-test crying will prepare you for future crying. Crying during the test will gain you pity points from your teacher. Cry in fifteen years when you recall back on this horrendous time in your life.

Use Wite-Out Pour Wite-Out over questions, or entire tests, that you don’t want to answer. If all of your peers do this, your teachers will start questioning their sanity and disregard the question and/or test. A 0 out of 0 means you

Opinion

Cry again

Open up a mysterious magical hallway with a large snake in it

There can never be too much crying.

Cry in fifteen minute intervals, cry for fifteen minutes then take your test for fifteen minutes, and repeat.

The entire school will be so frightened that Dr. Hopper will cancel exams.

When finals are over, slay the beast and close the hallway. Hey, it worked in Harry Potter.

Color code your notes

Use the universal answer Don’t know the answer to a question?

Do not fret, for mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. This is the answer to ALL the questions on your exam. Find x, “mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”. What’s your name, “mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”. Explain who Charlemagne was, “mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell”.

Sleep on top of your textbooks Information will travel to your body through means of diffusion. When you wake from your 3 hour rest, you will have retained all important information needed to succeed on your test.

Colorful notes will help you forget the imminent threat that is finals and your future. Color coded notes will also give you and others around you the illusion that you are organized and ready.

Write your answers in a different language Assuming you are not in a foreign language class, your teachers will most likely be too lazy to translate your answers, give you the benefit of the doubt, and give you an A on your test.

Create a super energy drink Call it “Packed Power Potion”. Mix together five shots of espresso, seven cans of energy drinks, twelve ounces of caffeine, and a few of your tears.

This will give you so much energy that you will start to violently shake; your teacher will mistake this for test excitement.

Watch Netflix

Pretend you are not home

You must already be stressed out while studying. Take a short break and watch an episode or twenty. It may even mean the difference between failing and passing if there is a question about Stranger Things or Daredevil.

Wrap blinds and curtains around you on the day of the test. When the teacher starts passing out test, stay very still, and she will skip over you.

You will be free to move again when everyone, including the teacher, leaves.

How to really study for finals Take these steps to do well during finals week and finish the semester with the best possible grades Do Not Second Guess If your mind says that it is correct, most likely it is. Do not change your answer in fear of getting it wrong.

If you’ve studied Senior Correana Jones is heeding the warning of taking a break from social properly, media before finals. Photo by Sidney Lee all it takes By: Jordyn Barber is a certain Staff Reporter sign for your brain to select the right answer. So, unless you have a moment Below are real tips for finals. These of absolute realization and recognize take place from December 19-21, and that the answer is indeed something account for 20% of grades. else, don’t erase and regret it later.

Take a Break from Social Media

Procrastination is NOT your friend

We all know the panic you feel when your phone vibrates. It signals that something is ready for your attention, as if your body is compelled to check the notification. However, you must learn self control and combat the urges with even more studying. It is evident that breaks are necessary, but let the anticipation of social media inspire dedicated time to learning the material for your classes.

You may think that you’ve got this, or you can do it later. Just ask yourself, “If not now, when?” Say no to your friends for once and worry about you.

This is your future, and you have the power to decide what happens. If the teacher hands you a review and it isn’t due until a week later or is not turned back in because it is just a guide, take advantage of it. This is not a matter to take lightly, they have practically handed you a key to the treasure.

Reward yourself Studying is a major responsibility so when you’ve done all you can, make sure to plan a stress-free celebration for yourself. Whether it is buying a frozen treat or having a party with friends on the last day of finals, be sure to reward yourself for this accomplishment. Make finals a time of focusing but not a burden.

Express Your Emotions Feel free to cry. Don’t get embarrassed, you are not alone with these feelings of pure frustration. Get it out, but don’t stay down in those feelings forever because you will need that strength to get through these tests. Stay dedicated and persevere.

Just Breathe Yes, these tests are crucial but if the stress has become too much, just take a minute to breathe. Don’t worry about the amount of time you have left, or what your mom will think if you fail.

Think about getting the best grade possible for you. First, think what you’re capable of, then add to that what you think is no longer possible.

Aim for the latter. Always strive for greatness.

Opinion

Making Ritenour great again Senior Alicia Watson did an experiment to see the reactions she would get from her peers when she wore a politically charged shirt to school, and the results surprised her

Undercover Sister By: Alicia Watson

I am in no way shape or form involved in politics. If you asked me who ran against Barack Obama eight years ago I would not know. When it comes to politics I am completely neutral. Even if you are like me and know nothing about politics, you can not help but know (or have heard something) about Donald Trump due to how widely he is covered in the media. Hillary Clinton is in the media too, but not to the negative extent that Trump is.

From what I know, Presidentelect Trump is a very old man with a very huge ego. He has said some extremely offensive things regarding minorities, especially Latino immigrants. He said that, “[Mexico] is sending people that have lots of problems… They’re bringing drugs.

They’re bringing crimes. They’re rapists.”

Not only that, but after a Hispanic man was assaulted by two moved Trump supporters, he did

Opinion

not reprimand the behavior, but instead called them “very passionate”. A similar incident occurred at one of his rallies in Alabama when a Black Lives Matter protester was attacked and Trump responded by saying that “maybe [the protester] should have been roughed up.”

Who in their right mind condones these sorts of hate crimes?

Not only has he said some ignorant things regarding minorities, but he also has said some extremely offensive things concerning women. He’s obviously a misogynist. I’m not a fan of misogynists. I’m not a fan of ignorant people. I am not a fan of Trump.

Many people take a stance similar to mine when it comes to Trump, which is why I decided to wear a Trump shirt to school to see how our student body would react. Wearing the shirt alone made me feel guilty; like an impostor. Not only am I not political, but (for reasons already stated) I would not ever affiliate myself with a person like Trump. I would not want to be viewed as a person that was okay with (or supported) Trump’s racist and misogynistic remarks.

Wearing the shirt made me feel like a modern day Hester Prynne.

I was standing out, and not for good reason. Like Hester and her scarlet ‘A’, I thought people would look down on me and my Trump shirt.

Leading up to the election and the days following the final

decision, many Ritenour students were exceptionally vocal on their political views and stances. From the comments I heard, I could only imagine that the majority of the student body was either leaning towards Clinton or despised Trump, which is why I expected people to respond negatively to my Trump shirt. I also expected them to be extremely loud about their disgust for faux support of Trump.

I expected people to stare and give me nasty looks. I did get a few, but not as many as I anticipated. The most passive aggressive and negative response I received was when I was walking into the library. A girl was patiently holding the door for me, but as soon as she saw my shirt she instantly dropped the door and kept walking. A couple of people took a double take at me in the hallway, but besides side glances and petulant behavior, no one really confronted me or even noticed.

This experiment has shown me that our students are not as attentive as I thought they were. No one paid attention to my shirt, and if they did they either did not care or were not vocal about their disapproval. I think as young adults we need to be vocal and express ourselves no matter what the circumstances are. Our voices matter, and without expressing our beliefs and speaking our minds we are just conforming to society’s twisted norms. Silence shows contentment. If we are not content ,then we need to make sure our voices are heard.

Ritenour students embody joy Students define what brings them joy throughout the course of the school year By: Bailey Stock Staff Reporter

As the holidays are approaching, many people are using this time to recognize things that have happened to them. Whether those events were good or bad, people tend to reflect during this time of year.

On a positive note, one of the feelings that is often heard of throughout the holiday season is joy.

Joy is something that anyone can feel or obtain. It is something that brings out the pure happiness in someone’s life.

“A time I experienced joy is when I was on a talent show a few years back,” said junior Arieon Thomas-Smith, who has a passion in singing. “This was important to me because I was very nervous leading up to the days of the contest. I practiced and practiced and even took some vocal lessons from people who are more experienced in my craft. It was such an amazing feeling when I found out I had won because I knew all of the hard work paid off.”

Sophomore Davis Volpitto experienced joy when he made the JV basketball team, even though he wasn’t sure if his natural attributes would be enough to land him a spot on the roster.

“Coming in as one of the smaller guys I was kind of skeptical of whether it was actually going to work out. As tryouts continued and I was able to work with these other guys and the coaches told me I made the team, I was completely surprised, but I was beyond excited,” Volpitto

Junior Makhalla Taabish finds her joy in being in the school play. She is shown here in dress rehearsal with junior J’von Halbert. Photo courtesy: Greg Jones

said. “Joy is something that shows what is important to you. It brings out happiness that you may have never felt before. Joy is something you will always remember.”

Freshman Chance Aites has encountered joy recently, and it was also in the field of athletics.

“When I hit my first homerun I felt joy. It was probably the happiest I have ever felt,” Aites said.

Everyone feels a sense of joy in their own ways. Whether that may be by winning a talent show or hitting a home run, joy is something that can be felt universally.

According to the MerriamWebster Dictionary, joy is the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of

possessing what one desires.

However, joy has a much more sentimental definition to many students in our school.

After being in her first play, junior Makhalla Taabish experienced joy.

“It is something that gets my heart racing,” Taabish said.

A couple years ago, freshman Amelia Norman encountered joy when she found out her mother was going to have another baby.

“I cannot stop smiling when I feel joy. It is just one of the best feelings in the world,” Norman said.

“Joy is when you can be happy and have a heart that is just full of pure happiness.”

Spotlight

Finding joy over the holidays Students define what brings them joy throughout the winter holidays My whole family goes to my grandmother’s house, (who we call Honey), and afterwards goes to church. We open presents that we get each other and then we all eat together.

After that we hang out for the rest of the time with our items that we got. That’s what brings me joy on Christmas.

Freshman Bria McGinnis

I celebrate Christmas and New Years, plus my birthday is in winter.

The whole season gives me joy, but family is a really important part.

Freshman Emily Hampton By: Will Qualls Staff Reporter

I spend it with family and close friends. We all sit at my family’s house and just enjoy each other company.

It’s not always about the materialistic things, that’s not the only thing that makes people happy.

Junior Felicity Foster

With stress building up from work, school, personal life, social media, and life choices, it is hard to say the word relax, let alone do it.

As the winter holidays approach, many students seek out joy. They find joy in many different avenues, from being with family or friends, to participating in yearly rituals.

According to a survey amongst Ritenour students, the most highly celebrated winter holiday was Christmas.

One of the more holiday-spirited responses came from senior Rebekah Jimenez who said that she enjoyed being around her family and great food.

My joy is from my family and friends. I love hanging out with them for the holidays and doing fun things. I love to sing Christmas songs and watch Christmas movies. That always brings joy to me.

Spotlight

Junior Aliyah Pargo

Junior Makayla Johnson

I celebrate Christmas because it’s a time where we can connect with family and be happy at the same time. I experience joy during this holiday by spending time with my loved ones, opening gifts and spreading joy to them in general.

Sophomore Haley Knarr

During Christmas, I get together with my family. My Papa hunts turkey and deep fries it. Every family member and friend brings some kind of dish. We eat dinner after it is all ready, around 5:30-6:00 PM. After everyone is finished eating, we pass out all of the presents until there are no more presents under the tree or in the tree’s area. The person with the most presents has to open up their presents until there is an even number of presents between everyone. Then, we go in a circle and open presents one-by-one. It is usually celebrated at my grandfather’s house. After presents, we just watch T.V., socialize, and eat dessert and maybe some more food. That is how I experience joy on Christmas.

Junior Samantha Thompson

Christmas and Thanksgiving Holidays are a time for close friends and family to get together and spend quality time together. I experience joy during the holidays by catching up with family members I haven’t seen in a long time, and by doing things together whether it be playing a game or telling funny stories about our lives, or joking around with one another.

Another one of theholiday spirited answers came from senior Demetri Parezo who had a wide variety of holidays he celebrated as he celebrates Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Parezo said that he celebrates all of those activities with food and close family.

Senior Makayla Johnson has found joy in her celebration of Christmas throughout the years.

“I celebrate Christmas because it’s a time where we can connect with family and be happy at the same time,” Johnson said. “I experience joy during this holiday by spending time with my loved ones and opening gifts and spreading joy to them in general.”

I go and feed the homeless.

Freshman Coby Nathaniel

My family and I make gingerbread houses at my God Mom’s house. There’s a lot of eating and the gingerbread house usually falls down a lot, which usually results in us giving up and taking a picture with our mangled gingerbread house.

Sophomore Camia Clay

Every Christmas Eve, I go to my cousins’ house and we get the entire family to come around and open presents.

On Christmas Day, I celebrate with the other half of my family and we eat a big lunch feast.

Sophomore Caroline West

Spotlight

Play turns tragedy into triumph Cast members of the fall play find joy in performing “The Women of Lockerbie” people. The positive energy that people feed off of during a performance can give them an extra boost in lightening their mood. When people know that others are joyous because of their actions, it affects them as well and makes them feel even better about themselves.

“Hearing the crowd applaud and give you such cordial feedback for your good work makes you and the cast as a whole feel wonderful,” senior Lexi Sneed said.

When people happen to be working with such a diverse cast, that can also bring them joy. Being around new people and having to work with them can open doorways to friendship or association in general. Walking away from such a temporary joy can The cast of “The Women of Lockerbie” hold candles for a scene in the play. Photo courtesy: Greg ultimately lead to an everlasting one in Jones exchange.

By: Tabitha Peebles Halbert said.

“While doing shows is a team Staff Reporter

Joy can also be felt in release. effort, it calls for cooperation from When people complete a task that every member of the cast. When

The cast members of this year’s they’ve worked their hardest to you’ve worked together for a time, you Fall Play, “The Women of Lockerbie,” conquer, that task could feel like a load feel like family when it’s over,” junior are feeling the joy of a job well done, off of them. When a tedious task is Emma Norman said. and also feeling recognition for their concluded, it could alter a mindset into

An underlying passion could hard work. contemplating the ability to achieve also bring people joy. Taking in a new

After performing to high anything. and unknown art could become a praise of audiences at Ritenour High

Junior Emma Carriker felt joy for some. When people take their School, the play has been accepted that sense of relief after completing time to grow and become versed in as one of the two shows picked to her performances in the play, and gave something that they’ve always wanted perform at the Missouri Thespian much of the credit to the work done as to do, it can cause them to feel a bliss Conference in January. a team in the performance. affection towards that dedication.

Junior J’von Halbert was one

“After delivering a prosperous

“Being that I’m new to the of the actors in this year’s performance. performance, it often feels like a weight acting scene, learning how to love He said that the reactions of the being lifted off of my shoulders. A being on stage and take away the ropes audience helped spur him on in his feeling of astonishment and greatness in theater is one of the real joys I look performance. is felt when it’s all over. It’s even better to carry away with me,” junior Tiffany

“When I’m on stage I feel joy knowing we conquered together as Dinh said. because I get to hear my audience one,” Carriker said. react. This positive reaction motivates

Joy can also be obtained me to finish a successful performance,” through providing happiness for other

News

Staff and students celebrate Ritenour students find joy in their respective holidays, which are as diverse as the school population it be playing a game or telling funny stories about our lives, or joking around with one another,” Ritenour student Samantha Thompson responded.

Hanukkah, also known as Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday where Jews celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks. It is known as the festival of light, because a small Senior Kaylajenna Dobin plays with a dreidel amount of oil that should have in class. The dreidel is part of a game played on only lasted a night ended up Hanukkah. Photo by: Sidney Lee keeping candles lit for eight days.

This holiday is celebrated over an By: Vanessa Delgado eight day period where celebrants Staff Reporter like math teacher Kevin Daniels get to spend time with their family.

The winter holiday season is

“Hanukkah is when my just around the corner and Ritenour family gets together for a huge meal, staff and students are more than joyful gifts for the little kids, and we do gift of what lies ahead. and cookie exchanges for the adults,”

Students at Ritenour High Daniels said. school celebrate from an assortment

Christmas is known as the of holidays ranging from the popular celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Christmas to celebrating Chinese New It is typical, but not necessary, for Years. families to exchange gifts with their

Thanksgiving, a time where loved ones. It is a time where distant people break the diets and their jean families can come and rejoice spending buttons was the precursor to many of time with their family members like the December holidays. It is the time Some students have the whole day of year where celebrants spruce up planned out, like student Haley Knarr. to look their best just to walk around

“My Papa hunts turkey and the house. It was intended as a day to deep fries it. Every family member and give thanks to the Native Americans friend brings some kind of dish. We for helping the Europeans survive and eat dinner after it is all ready, around adapt to the new land. Thanksgiving 5:30-6:00 PM.,” Knarr said. “After still serves that purpose, but also everyone is finished eating, we pass serves a purpose of reminiscing old out all of the presents until there are family memories and bringing out the no more presents under the tree or embarrassing photo album. in the tree’s area. The person with the

“I experience joy during the most presents has to open up their holidays by catching up with family presents until there is an even number members I haven’t seen in a long time, of presents between everyone. Then, and by doing things together, whether

we go in a circle and open presents one-by-one.”

Some holidays go unrecognized by many because they are not as well-known as others.

The Chinese New Uear celebration is one of the most important dates in the Chinese culture. This holiday is meant to get rid of any “huiqi,” or inauspicious breaths, as history.com states.

Sophomore Lena Thai celebrates this holiday and is joyous to celebrate this. It sets her apart from most of her peers.

“Because of tradition, we have to clean the house and prepare a number of Vietnamese delicacies as part as a praying ritual and then go to temple to pray for good fortune and good health in the new year,” Thai said.

“It’s cool because I’m doing something different from the rest of my peers. It brings my family together during the winter time rather than Christmas or Thanksgiving would for other people.”

The holiday season is a time where most stop being self centered and think of others for a time. Not everyone is self centered, but actually the opposite the whole year. During the holiday season, people all over the community do acts of kindness to those close to their heart or to random strangers they come across in their daily routine.

“My family likes to come up with some service project (charity) each year and I participate each year in the Jewish - Muslim Day of Service.

Every year, Jews and Muslims all over the area come together and do charitable work on Christmas, so others don’t have to,” Daniels said.

News

News

Ritenour Is Bringing A New Schedule To 2017-2018 Ritenour will be introducing a hybrid schedule at the high school for the next school year.

By: Jordyn Barber Staff Reporter

Ritenour High School has adjusted its previous schedule to a new hybrid arrangement that will take place at the beginning of the 20172018 school year.

The new schedule will maintain this year’s class order, first through seventh hours, on Monday and Tuesday. It then incorporates a block-style concept with hours one, three, five, and seven on Wednesday and two, advisory, four, and six on Thursday. The schedule returns to first through seventh hours on Friday.

Junior Makhallah Taabish does approve of the block schedule, but has concerns about the lack of consistency throughout the week.

“I think a block schedule would be better, but only having two days out of the week doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think it will have much effect on our education, but I think it’ll give us more time to get caught up on homework, which I like,” Taabish said.

Opposite of this view, junior Brenda Reed completely agrees with the decision to implement the hybrid schedule because she believes it benefits the students overall.

“I like that there are block schedule days because it gives you more time to get homework done. It will also give student athletes more ease because we don’t have to carry around so many books on top of the multiple bags you already have everyday,” Reed said. “It might also

make the day go by faster, which is always a plus. Along with all of that, it might improve our education because we have more time for lessons.”

The biggest change comes for students on Thursdays, when there is an extra advisory block added to the schedule, as well as early release days throughout the school year. Freshman Lauren Mabery has expressed her excitement about the built-in incentives in the schedule.

“I like the early releases, it’ll make people want to come to school more because the early releases are like incentives,” Mabery said.

The advisory will allow students more time with their teachers as well as provide a longer period of learning time. Freshman Ryan Thurman believes that will be positive for many students.

“I like the new hybrid schedule because you get more time to be with your teacher, which can definitely help with our education,” Thurman said.

Ritenour Principal Dr. Shane Hopper believes that this new schedule can provide extra help to students, as well as enhance the opportunities that students have to learn during their high school years.

“(We are) trying to broaden some things that we do; trying to do something a little bit different to give our students more opportunities through the schedule,” Hopper said. “(Provide) more opportunities for what we are able to offer, and better some things that we are doing at the high school.”

News

Athletes find joy in sports

Ritenour students choose to participate in athletics for a variety of reasons. They answer the question, “How does your sport bring you joy?”

Senior Carl Garmon

Sophomore Coralis Bobe

Junior Austin Cornell

Sophomore Kylie Gibbons

“Being with my brothers, us growing a bond. As of now just going out there and winning games.

When you score and everybody is happy for you.”

“Bonding with my teammates, making new friends, and the excitement of winning.”

“The joy that I find in cross country is probably the competition, beating people, and competing well.”

“The joy that I find in volleyball is that I can get all of my anger out during practice.”

Freshman Pierre Brown

Sophomore Eric Silva

Junior Rosalind Johnston

Senior Tyrel Slack

“The rush and the adrenaline that I get diving in when I’m racing other people.”

“The best thing about playing soccer is getting to meet new people, making more friends, and having fun playing my favorite sport.”

“I like to play with my teammates and keep everybody going. I like competing and winning.”

“The thing that brings me the most joy when playing football is working as a team and getting the work done.”

Sports

Winter sports updates • •

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Girls Basketball

Current record - 3-3 Progress: We’ve already experienced some highs and lows, but hopefully we are constantly learning and getting better. We had a good start in the first tournament we were in, winning 2nd place, but we found some things that we need to work on to be more successful during the season.

Standout players: Junior Alexis Ramey has been a standout scorer so far. She is coming off of a knee injury that limited her last season, but she was 2nd team all-conference as a freshman, so it is good to see her getting back into game shape. We have had double digit scoring nights from 7 different girls so far, so we are really seeing a team effort.

Season predictions:: If we can keep up our defensive intensity for a full 32 minutes each game, we will have a great season. It is up to the girls to stay focused and ready every game. If we can do that, we can have a lot of success.

Sophomore Adreona McCraw drives against Berkeley.

Photo courtesy of Ritenour Athletics

Wrestling •

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Season is going pretty well so far. As a team, we can’t do very much because we don’t all the weight classes filled up. We had our Ritenour invitational this past weekend, and we entered 6 kids, and 5 got medals. 2 of them were champions, 3 were third place.

Standout wrestlers - Austin Cornell, Ryan Howerton, and Brian Chrun. Those are the top guys right now. They were state qualifiers last year, and Brian Chrun is a senior, so I expect him to do well, and they’ve been wrestling for me since they were about 10.

Season predictions: We will do well individually, but as a team we give up 30 something points every dual meet because we can’t fill weight classes. But we usually compete very well, because out of 6 kids, 5 of them will win against the other team.

Freshman Allie Inman swims against Hazelwood West. Photo courtesy of Brendon Klohr

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Boys Basketball • •

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Junior Kobe Smith drives against a St. Charles West defender.

Photo courtesy Ritenour • Athletics

Current Record - 4-1 Progress: So far so good. We got off to a rough start in the first game, but since then we’ve won 4 in a row and won a tournament which is kind of big for us, beating Kirkwood in the finals. We don’t want our highlight of the season being a game we won on December 9, so we want to keep building.

Standout players: I think the strength of our team is our depth. I could sit here and talk about a lot of guys. Obviously people know about Robyion and Carl, but Demeetrie Beach has come on really strong in his junior year, and so has Kobe Smith. Those guys have been very productive.

Season predictions: We’re going to keep getting better. I think our guys • have bought in. I think they know that our strength is our depth and our strength is our defense. As long as we continue to do those two things I think we can compete with any team in St. Louis. We certainly have goals, we would like to compete for a conference championship and our district is the toughest in the state, so hopefully it will prepare us for that.

Girls Swim

Current Record - 1-2 Progress: The season is going well so far. Every meet has been a learning experience and the swimmers are rising to the challenge. Over half of the team are new swimmers, so there has been a strong learning curve.

Standout players: I have two seniors who have been on the team all four years, Kelly Hall & Lauren Jacobsen, that help bring a strong core to the group. Samantha Pullen, junior, has started out strong for the team by winning races in the 100 backstroke and the 200 IM. She can swim all 4 strokes which adds a level of versatility that is needed. Emma Stiebel, also a junior, is our strongest freestyler and often does sprints and distance events for us. Other noteworthy returners are Leanna Morales, Caroline West, Lexy Alanis, & Monica Jara.

Season predictions: With the strong work ethic from these young ladies, I have no doubt that their personal bests will continue to drop time and they will figure out which events are their strengths and weaknesses.

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