89.07

sluh.org/prep-news

St. Louis University High School | Thursday, October 4, 2024

Volume LXXXIX, Issue VII

Coming Together SLUH celebrates 100 years at the Backer Memorial

read more on pages 4, 5, 8, 12

Food trucks, hypnotism, Billy Bash featured at Spirit Week

BY Lucas Hayden News Editor

F

locks of students dressed as society’s bravest outdoorsmen are filling the halls today as St. Louis U. High concludes its annual Spirit Week. The past week, coordinated largely by StuCo, has seen wide varieties of dress-down themes, a hypnotist, a coffee house, free tacos, and more.

The week has been undergoing planning for months, with one of the chief struggles being scheduling.

“Planning is kind of a whirlwind,” said Student Body President Noah Butler. “We have dealt with a lot of difficulty around navigating the schedule, navigating around Studium, and trying to figure out how we

photo | Zach Linhares

continued on page 7

Carruthers returns following Centennial sees largest single-program donation surgery; scholarship named in school history, bolstering new STEM program in his honor at Centennial

BY Andrew Hunt News Editor

P

resident Alan Carruthers returned to the office last Monday, Sep. 23, after a prolonged absence and period of remote work following his surgery on Aug. 27 as part of his treatment for prostate cancer.

He was able to attend and facilitate last Saturday’s Centennial Celebration, at which he received a nice surprise: Vice President of Advancement Sean Agniel announced that an anonymous do-

nor committed $325,000 to SLUH, funding the newly-named Alan Carruthers Scholarship. The fullyendowed scholarship is capable of funding full tuition for one student at St. Louis U. High every year in perpetuity.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” said Carruthers. “It’s such a beautiful act of Christian generosity, and something like that is so meaningful to me.”

Carruthers was diagnosed with prostate cancer in July, and his Aug. 27 surgery—a radical

continued on page 6

Conrads making a speech announcing his donation.

BY The Editors

S

Carruthers raising a toast at the celebration.

The weekly student newspaper of St. Louis University High School 4970 Oakland Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 531-0330 ext. 2241 online at sluh.org/prep-news prepnews@sluh.org ©2024 St. Louis University High School Prep News. No material may be reprinted without the permission of the editors and moderator.

t. Louis U. High received the largest single-program donation in its 206-year history, as Sherry and Bob Conrads ’65 have committed $10 million to the school to fuel SLUH’s expansion of its STEM programming. The gift was announced by | photo Zach Linhares Conrads at the end of the celebration

news Open House Trumpets sound and choirs sing as the gates to SLUH’s fabled halls open for prospective students.

Page 2 entertainment Satire Another STUCO Spirit Week?! We’re sure to impress with Prep News Spirit week starting Monday.

Page 6

news Color Spread Many great news stories await in beautiful color on pages 6 and 7.

Page 6-7 news Taste of SLUH Everyone loves SLUH food, but what do the “experts” think? The Prep News’ own Leo Hahn and Jens Istvan investigated– here’s what they found.

Page 8

of the Centennial mass on Saturday.

“The world has changed a lot,” said Bob Conrads. “I feel that there is an opportunity given the foundation that’s been built here to make a donation to enhance the curriculum and give you, the students, an opportunity to take advantage of a broader exposure to technology, which can help you as you advance your edu-

photo | Will Linhares

cational careers. The school needs resources to do that.”

History has been made. The generous gift, of Anna Backer proportions, is sparking the creation of the Conrads Program for Integrated Sciences, a robust, forward-looking new STEM curriculum that will position current and future SLUH students to

sports Swimming SLUH’s performance at COMO gave the rest of the state FOMO. The Bills swept en route to a first place finish.

Page 9

continued on page 12

sports Soccer SLUH soccer surges back from disappointing finishes with statement victories.

Page 11

sports XC INDEX Cross country dominates in crossriver showdown! The Running Bills 2, 4-8, 12 News trample teams in the Land of Lincoln. 3 Entertainment Page 10 9-11 Sports

2

NEWS

Prep News

October 4, 2024

Volume 89, Issue 7

AMDG

Open House reaches new heights with Centennial buzz, using pre-registration

BY Daniel Neuner Core Staff

F

or many of the St. Louis U. High students who walk the halls today, their Open House experience when they were in middle school was one of the biggest factors in why they chose SLUH. This year, the event was scheduled for the same Saturday as another monumental celebration on Oakland Avenue: the Backer Centennial. In the morning and early afternoon leading up to the celebration, SLUH admissions ambassadors led prospective students and their families throughout the school, leaving them with a comprehensive understanding of what it means to attend SLUH and the multitude of opportunities the school offers.

Open House has been a longstanding tradition at SLUH. It is often challenging for families and middle school students to choose between St. Louis’s unique array of Catholic all-boys high schools.

Furthermore, the sprawling SLUH campus can feel like a maze without proper guidance from a SLUH student.

This year, Open House captured the bubbling excitement surrounding the Centennial, allowing families to witness firsthand the school spirit and community at the U. High.

“To me, Open House is just as much about getting information about SLUH as it is catching the

“It’s an exciting time to be here,” said President Alan Carruthers. “We have a lot of new programs and a lot of new spaces, everything from our media space to admissions to the co-lab; the school looks good. It’s fun to show these things off.”

Last year, the Open House tour route, which seeks to cover each corner of the now centuryold Backer Memorial as well as the modernized facilities such as the iLab and Si Commons, began in the Danis Field House. There, extracurricular activities ranging from Ping Pong Club to the varsity basketball team were represented at tables along the perimeter of the gym.

This fall, the route was reversed to begin in the Danis Lobby and Schulte Theater area. Moreover, curricular and co-curricular activities were consolidated into the library, while athletic teams were located on the balcony of the Field House. This enabled the Backer Centennial to receive the support it needed from faculty and staff who would have otherwise been helping out during Open House.

“When we were first contemplating what the day would look and feel like, I think everybody felt slightly overwhelmed when we were figuring out how to make all the details and logistics work out,” said Assistant Director of Admissions Jennifer Thomas.

Science teacher Bill Anderson speaks to families. vibe of campus,” said Director of Admissions Ann Murphy. “I was thinking that the Centennial would give off that vibe in a bigger way than typicallydo on Open House day. The Centennial started later, but everybody was still excited to be here, and all the marketing that Mr. DuMont did helped pave the way for that.”

photo | Clark Davis

Perhaps the most significant change to Open House was the introduction of pre-registration to visiting families. Instead of being told to arrive at SLUH any time during the event, families were told to select a time slot that aligned with the ambassadors’ tour shifts throughout the day.

“Pre-registration was a game

Spanish teachers Javier Moreno and Kate Toussaint presenting about the modern languages department.

A prospective student poses with the Jr. Billiken in the Robinson Library at Open House. changer. It’s the first time in the history of Open House that guests pre-registered for a specific tour slot. It was a steady stream throughout the day, instead of what we’ve experienced in the past, where you have an onslaught at the beginning of the day with copious lines wrapping down and around the Field House. I think it was a much better guest experience and a better ambassador experience. So from now on, we will always have pre-registration,” said Thomas.

For the student admissions team, preparation for Open House took more than just putting on a tie and showing up to school Saturday morning. In the days preceding the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year, Thomas, along with alumnus Chandler Flowers ’23, spearheaded three-hour training sessions for Admissions Ambassadors. During their session, each Admissions Ambassador developed a plan for how they’d introduce themselves, discussed how and what to present about the school, and practiced their conversation skills.

“When students apply and get selected for that role, we can’t assume that they know how to have those informal conversations with families and how to best represent themselves and the school. So we wanted to position them for the greatest amount of success, and the intent behind the training was

photo | Clark Davis

photo | Clark Davis

Daniel Steingruby ’24 observes a rifle team member. photo | Zach Linhares to give the ambassadors in-themoment opportunities to practice the skills that we’re teaching,” said Thomas.

Last Saturday, these fullyequipped students, along with a group of volunteer Open House ambassadors, each tackled tours for two and half hours. Snaking through the theater, band rooms, iLab, Rec Room, Chapel, J-Wing, and more, the students provided a first hand perspective of life at SLUH. “I love being able to meet the future classes of SLUH and sharing my home for the past three years with them. Knowing I played a part in hopefully seeing these kids in the halls next year means a lot to me,” said junior Admissions Ambassador Parker Stone.

An Open House tour often introduces visitors to the real experiences of SLUH students. The tour, which offered activities from physics lab experiments in the Science Wing to gaming with the Esports team in the field house, illuminated how each student’s interests can

SLUH crest.

be fostered at SLUH. “There’s a lot of myths out there about what SLUH is and who you guys are as students, and it lifts the curtain for families to actually see that you’re happy and you’re thriving,” said Thomas. “There are a lot of great opportunities for any guy with any type of interest here at SLUH. When we have families on campus, that’s when they have the chance to see the real SLUH instead of what the rumors of SLUH are.”

Even though collaboration with the Centennial was something that can only happen once, the admissions team plans to continue the changes made to Open House this year, most notably the implementation of pre-registration and the exposure of SLUH to families long before the Archdiocese high school application deadline.

“I don’t want to change anything. It worked so well that I don’t think I want to change a thing,” said Murphy.

photo | Zach Linhares

ENTERTAINMENT

October 4, 2024

Prep News Volume 89, Issue 7

AMDG

PN CROSSWORD: Reward Pot DOWN 1. Org. that regulates meds 2. Stan of MCU cameos 3. “_____ the ramparts ...”

4. Penned 5. Relating to a battery terminal 6. Gomez of “Only Murders in the Building” 7. Sign of 5-Down (abbr.)

8. Pens for 60-Down 9. Kelly Marie of “The Last Jedi” 10. Emulate Eminem 11. Summer drink 12. Part of mph 15. “Braveheart” villain 17. Phone card 20. First American to orbit Earth 21. Steph’s team 22. “Eureka!”

23. Company with one backward letter in its logo 25. Contraceptive drug 26. Tailgate bread 27. Picnic pest 30. Dizzy with excitement

3

31. Read with a laser 33. Scholarship consideration 34. 911 respondents 36. Big deer 38. Rhyming Wisconsin city 39. Royal domain 40. Like a fox 41. _____ kwon do 43. Ball holder 44. Grass patch 47. Astray, as a knight or baseball throw 48. Polar navigation hazard 51. Shocks 53. Encrypted connection 54. Dot on a map 55. Protest too much?

57. Animal foot 58. Country without an official language 59. Acronym for a cheap beer or a baseball scouting service 60. Wilbur or Pua, e.g.

61. Ostrich relative 62. Bro or sis 63. RR stop

Last Week’s Answers

Crossword | Paul Baudendistel | criticisms, compliments, and ideas welcome at pbaudendistel@sluh.org

ACROSS 1. Ruoved?

5. Nile snake 8. Seceip?

13. Klats?

14. “The Matrix” protagonist 15. Online brokerage 16. Fine mists 18. Detasnepmoc?

19. Yfidom?

20. She dies at the end of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” 21. Egdab?

24. Part of UNLV

25. Open sched. spot 28. HBO alternative 29. Citsejam?

31. Ostracize 32. Gotham City family 35. Not appropriately dressed 37. Word that’s different when read backwards 40. Snoitcefnoc?

42. Keer?

45. Niwt?

46. Grant’s successor 49. Name of 13 popes 50. Is the Pope Catholic?

College Visits Friday, October 4

Friday, October 11

Vanderbilt University (11:25am)

Texas Christian University (10:35am) Southeast Missouri State University (10:35am) Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville (10:35am) Mississippi State University (10:35am)

Wednesday, October 9 University of Colorado Boulder (10:35am) University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy (10:35am)

51. HI followers 52. Tropsnart?

55. Rehtet?

56. Lerrauq?

57. Ekatsim?

60. Hassle-free 64. How an actor-director or playermanager contributes 65. “Monsters, _____” 66. Kcolc?

67. Yah? 68. Part of Verizon 69. Redrob?

X-Word Winner Friday, October 4

Volume 89, Issue 7

Editor in Chief Micah “A good old book!” Doherty News Editors Andrew “The camaraderie and good cheer!” Hunt Lucas “Enjoying this beautiful fall weather we’re having!” Hayden Sports Editors Theo “Yum yum yummy cookies!”

Agniel Aiden “The delish dishes!” Erard

Features Editor Leo “Sharing fun memories with my friends!” Hahn Visual Editor Jesse “Watching Theo argue!” Heater Staff Artists Colin “the Bears won” Schuler Core Staff Jens “BTPN” Istvan Thomas “racquetballin’” Juergens Kane “wizard demonstration” Luchun

Tuesday, October 8

Activity Period: Funnel Cakes Homestyle Fresh Lunch: Papa John’s

Studium: Boneless Chicken Homestyle Fresh Lunch: Adobe Chicken

Monday, October 7

Wednesday, October 9

Activity Period: Pretzels and Cheese Homestyle Fresh Lunch: Beef and Broccoli

Activity Period: Corn Dogs Homestyle Fresh Lunch: Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Bake

Clutch move! Senior Jack Boland went hog wild for an impressive crossword win last Friday.

Prep News Credits

Food Menu

Thursday, October 10 Studium: Toasted Ravioli Homestyle Fresh Lunch: Roast Beef

“Favorite Spirit Week activity?”

Otto “college apps” Reitenbach Patrick “day off” Byrne Daniel “claiming the brown crown” Neuner Jacob “Gettin’ sturdy” Fitzpatrick Lincoln “Kairos” Shorley Staff Matteo “Footballing” Abbate Madhavan “writing my articles” Anbukumar Tristan “annual SLUH 5k” Kujawa Max “Watching people fake their hypnotism” Marnatti Gavin “sippin’ onnat blue raspberry rushie” Simon

Reporters Andrew “bubble soccer” Chalmers Henry “dunk tank” Hassenstab Brendan “chowing down on chicken shawarma” Hunt Neil “Smash tourney” O’Connor Photographers Jack “picturing” Auer Clark “photographing” Davis Aidan “SLUH spiriting” McCoy Zach “the excitement” Linhares Dave “ESports” Callon Kathy “Periodic table” Chott Moderator Steve “Kairos 120” Missey

4

Prep News

NEWS

October 4, 2024

Volume 89, Issue 7

AMDG

Choir and band jazz up Saturday’s events by showcasing student talent

BY Otto Reitenbach and Max Marnatti Core Staff, Staff

F

rom ongoing jazz combos to a cappella singers, the series of Saturday’s festivities provided the various St. Louis U. High bands and choirs a perfect time to show off their best features and highlight the unique talent in each program.

During the day, different SLUH bands performed in both the music room and the Danis Lobby during Open House. The group then played in the Si Commons and the Danis Field House during the Centennial.

For Open House, the focus was on the music program’s fit into the larger mission of SLUH while showcasing the quality of the Fine Arts program.

“It’s the best time to get the word out for people to come through and to see our programs, especially for people that wouldn’t normally see it,” said band director Jeff Pottinger. “It is a really important day of the year for us to be able to share the mission, of course, but also to let instrumentalists in particular know that if they play an instrument and they want to go to an incredible school with a Jesuit mission with faith for-

mation and high academic standards, then there’s a place for them here at SLUH.” Open House is an opportunity to display some of SLUH’s more unique bands and groups. Jazz 1, jazz combos, Chamber Orchestra, and Symphonic Band all performed throughout the day.

“We’re the only boys Catholic school that I know of that has a string orchestra, so it’s really important for me for those guys to be seen,” said Pottinger. “They were playing every 30 minutes to highlight all of their talents.”

For the Centennial, Jazz 1 and the jazz combos served as a backdrop for the night’s festivities.

“There’s nothing better than live music. You know, even if it’s just background, there’s just an energy and excitement to it,” said Pottinger.

This time was once again an opportunity for SLUH’s musicians to show off their hard work to a large audience.

“The guys who play in those groups are so good, and it’s just really cool for these guys to get to do like a real gig, like a real life experience, and to showcase their talents to just make the environment more festive,” said Pottinger.

Throughout the Saturday cel-

ebration, the SLUH Zero Hour, Concert Chorus, and Varsity choirs all performed numerous times at Open House, Mass, and in the Field House during the Centennial.

The Open House and Mass performances focused on the choir as a whole. At Open House, the choirs sang many ensemble pieces, including the “SLUH Song,” composed by choir director Brian Reeves himself. The Mass consisted of mainly the Varsity Choir, but many other SLUH voices joined in.

The whole night allowed Reeves to showcase different parts of the choirs, from the dedicated soloists to the students exploring the performing arts for the first time, recognizing that even though the school has changed significantly over these 100 years, some things are perfect just the way they are.

“Tradition is something that SLUH does really well,” said Reeves. “Music will keep changing over time but allowing people to share in the joy of singing in whatever form that may be will always stay the same.”

Amidst the bustle and blue lights in the Field House, Reeves promptly kicked off the main choral event for the night: a series of Varsity a capella performances

The Jazz Band playing. from the balcony of the mezzanine overlooking the attendees of the Centennial Celebration.

“I really wanted to sing some high-energy songs that people would know,” said Reeves. “Like ‘Baby’ by Justin Bieber, it has such a fun, youthful energy to it.”

This performance gave Reeves a chance to showcase some of his best soloists, despite the planned set of five songs being cut to three due to some timing issues. Senior Nate Lepak, sophomore Sam Kap-

The Mighty Pines rock the night away at Centennial Celebration

BY Theo Agniel Sports Editor

I

t was hard to miss The Mighty Pines at the Backer Memorial Centennial Celebration last Saturday. The band that has many St. Louis U. High connections shook the wood floors of the Danis Field House and offered attendees a dazzling performance filled with heartwarming rock songs.

The band features two SLUH alumni: singer/guitar player Neil Salsich ’07 and bassist John Hussung ’07 who started the band at Truman State University with other members mandolin player Gerard Erker (husband of Spanish teacher María-Paz Erker) and drummer Mike Moreno.

Salsich and Hassung had created a bond before the band was formed. According to English teacher Chuck Hussung, his son John and Salsich became close friends during their time in the

varsity chorus and theater programs at SLUH. With his interest in theater dwindling, Hussung turned to Salsich, who educated Hussung on rock music. With a common bond, and experience with instruments, the two started a band.

“They used to tour a lot, trying to get their music out there, but now they have reached a level in which they are more selective about the gigs they play at because they have reached a certain level of recognition,” said María-Paz Erker.

“I love watching them as creative artists in musical tradition.

They’re not in a sort of narrow stream of American music, they’re drawing from all kinds of sources: country, bluegrass, rock, r&b. They pull these genres together to create songs that take tradition and do something new that’s lovely,” said Chuck Hussung.

With lots of experience and skill under their belt and multiple ties to the SLUH community, The

Mighty Pines was the most appropriate band for the Backer Memorial Centennial celebration.

“I was not super familiar with their music, but leading up to the event I listened to them and I thought that this would be a good vibe to have. They had a cool outdoor vibe to them and were fun, engaging, and upbeat, but not ravish,” said Fr. Matt Stewart, SJ. Overall, students and teachers enjoyed the light and cheerful atmosphere in the Danis Field House.

“It was a very nice touch to have alumni in the band and incorporate them into the celebration of one hundred years on Oakland,” said senior Daniel Williams. “I really think that it shows how important family and brotherhood is throughout the history of SLUH.” “It was really nice to be able to enjoy The Mighty Pines here at SLUH and see how our two worlds merged together,” said Erker.

photo | Zach Linhares

pel, and sophomore Eddie Doty all performed.

“I’m really happy to be a part of the history of SLUH,” said Kappel.

“I’m hoping people in the future can look back on this day and remember how beautiful our choir sounded.”

SLUH students shared their musical talents throughout the long day, and their gifts are but a part of SLUH’s great history.

Scenes from The Mighty Pines show. (Bottom Left) The band vibes together. (High to low on right) The Mighty Pines official Drum, Neil Salsich ’07 strums his guitar, view of the stage from the back of the Danis Field House. photo | Jens Istvan

photo | Jens Istvan

photo | Jens Istvan

photo | Zach Linhares

NEWS

October 4, 2024

Prep News Volume 89, Issue 7

AMDG

5

Centennial Mass, led by Provincial, unites community to celebrate the SLUH mission

BY Madhavan Anbukumar Staff

I

n thanksgiving for its 100th year at Oakland Ave, the St. Louis U. High community joined together on Saturday for the Centennial Mass, presided over by Very Rev. Thomas Greene, SJ, Provincial Superior of the U.S. Central and Southern Province. The event brought together a remarkable cross-section of the SLUH community, uniting current students, alumni, faculty, and benefactors in a celebration of the school’s rich history and its impact on the St. Louis area. The evening showed the values of faith, service, and community that have been at the core of SLUH for the past centuries, reminding everyone in the congregation of the shared experiences that define SLUH. As the sun set over campus, the Si Commons was filled to capacity with over 1,000 attendees.

“It was packed,” said SLUH principal and co-celebrant of the Mass, Fr. Matt Stewart, SJ. “That many people coming to Mass is a powerful statement.”

“Seeing multiple generations come together for one celebration was really cool,” said senior Charlie Dougherty.

“The crowd was kind of like the ‘who’s who’ of St. Louis University High School: past board chairs, past board members, donors, alums, big prominent families in our community of multiple generations,” said President Alan Carruthers. “So that was awesome.”

His sentiment echoed those of many who had gathered to honor SLUH. “Sitting up in the sanctuary, just

English teacher Justin Kelley, SJ and Theology and Social Studies teacher River Simpson, SJ, alongside alumni seminarians Patrick Mulligan ’10 and Jacob Price ’17, showed SLUH’s commitment to forming Catholic leaders. Co-celebrants Fr. Ralph Houlihan, SJ, Fr. Daniel Tesvich SJ, Fr. Joseph Weber ’68, Fr. Charles Ferrara ’75, and Fr. Louie Hotop ’09 highlighted the school’s deep roots in the Jesuit community, reinforcing the values that have guided SLUH for a century.

“I think that going to high school here shaped me into the person that I am today in meaningful, important, and really clear ways,” said Stewart. “This campus, it grows, changes, and adapts, and we get to be a part of it as students for just a short period of time, but it’s lasting. It’s this moment that just echoes through the rest of your life, whether it’s AMDG or the Examen, or a class you took, or friends that you have, etc. It just keeps resonating with you the longer that you live, and to be able to celebrate that with lots of other guys, and now photo | Jens Istvan Very Rev. Thomas Green, SJ breaking the bread. their families and parents and kids seeing alums and current teachers Music played a critical role in Jack Kelly. “Singing there in par- and now grandparents, has been and benefactors and current stu- the Centennial Mass. The choir and ticular made me realize how valu- meaningful.” dents and members of my family. band—led by Director of Campus able we all are at SLUH.” The Centennial Mass was a I’ve got dear friends and classmates, Ministry Brian Gilmore, Director During the Mass, the com- powerful reminder of the impact older folks that I’ve gotten to know. of Choral Music Brian Reeves, Di- munity was also reminded of the of a community built on faith, serIt was just a really cool cross section rector of Instrumental Music Jeff importance of service and faith in vice, and education. Anyone who of SLUH,” said Stewart.

Pottinger, and School Counselor shaping the lives of its members. attended was encouraged to reflect Student Body President Noah Walt Kempf—filled the Commons As Mass came to a close, the atmo- on their own individual journeys Butler wrote and read the Call to with melodies. Sophomore Sam sphere shifted as Bob Conrads ’65 and contributions to the SLUH Worship for the Mass, and Greene Kappel, junior Titus Ziegler, and made a monumental announce- community, making a renewed gave the homily. The First and Sec- senior Paul Thibodeau performed ment: a generous donation of $10 commitment to the school’s misond Readings were given by seniors vocal solos for three different songs million to SLUH. sion. As everyone looked around Jacob Grijalva and Andrew Hunt, at the Mass.

The Centennial Mass not only during the Mass, it became clear respectively, and the petitions by “The Centennial Mass was the celebrated the past but also set a that this celebration was more than seniors Tom Skouby and Madhavan first Mass that I got to sing in with hopeful tone for SLUH’s future. just an event, it was a tribute to the Anbukumar. the whole SLUH choir,” said senior The participation of Jesuit regents legacy and future of SLUH.

(Left to right) Caleb Villmer leading the way into church, Very Rev. Thomas Green, SJ giving homily, incense during communion ritual.

photos | Clark Davis

Stewart, SJ leads guests on Centennial Celebration chapel tours

BY Micah Doherty and Daniel Neuner Editor in Chief, Core Staff

D

uring the St. Louis U. High Backer Centennial Celebration guests were invited to go on a tour with Principal Fr. Matt Stewart ‘98, SJ, journeying through the history and intricacies of the Chapel and its recently completed renovations last April.

Before construction began in the spring of 2023, the chapel, though still a great space for Mass, had grown slightly outdated in its

appearance. Over the course of a year, the chapel went through major renovations amounting to a $8.1 million dollar project to help redevelop the space.

The chapel features cushioned wooden pews with kneelers, skylights, stations of the cross, crown molding, fresh blue coats of paint, and flooring, among numerous other elements to add to the beauty of the chapel.

On the tour, individuals were able to learn about the history and meaning behind certain architectural pieces within the chapel.

“It was a bigger group than I thought,” Stewart said. “I thought more people would stay in the Field House, but we had probably 35 people on the tour.”

In the future, SLUH has plans to improve the chapel in ways that extend beyond what was done in the spring during the renovations.

They have set out to select a skilled artist who will, over the next couple of years, create seven paintings across the walls of the chapel.

“We are in the process of commissioning seven paintings, three on each side wall and one big one

in the back where that archway is,” said Stewart. “We’re working with the design team, and we’ve narrowed our artists down to ten of the 20 to 25 that they gave us originally. We’re going to narrow that down a little bit more to try to pick an artist we really like and feel good about.”

The paintings won’t just add more aesthetic beauty to the Chapel. They will present the faces of saints and Church figures who represent the core of the Catholic faith.

“We know that the back center

is going to be St. Paul. Other than that, we don’t know exactly what it’s going to be, but it’ll probably be scenes that invite people toward the front of the space to the Crucifixion scene and scenes of Biblical stories and Jesuit saints,” said Stewart. “We want to tie them all to our place and time and help people see the diverse representation of people (in the Church).”

“It was a fun thing to be able to do: to show that space off, to help people see it and to appreciate it, and to get to see their responses to it,” said Stewart.

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NEWS

Prep News

October 4, 2024

Volume 89, Issue 7

AMDG

Carruthers returns to office after leave, leads celebration at Centennial (continued from page 1)

prostatectomy—was an early step in an year-long initial treatment plan. He was originally scheduled to return to the office on Sept. 11 after surgery. He attended a few off-campus meetings, but medical complications arose shortly following his planned return, and he was readmitted for a five-day hospital stay after an infection required another small surgery and various other treatment processes.

During his weeks away, Carruthers was able to continue providing valuable input and fulfilling responsibilities from home or even from the hospital: sending emails, calling and video-calling board members and third-floor colleagues, and more. For example, he tunee into the Sept. 18 Board of

Trustees meeting via Zoom.

“I did emails during that time, even in the hospital,” said Carruthers.

His gradual return to the office, with shorter days starting last Monday, was a time to catch up with Assistant to the President Nicole Vehige and return to some meetings.

“This is a busy office, so it didn’t really change. The business stayed,” said Vehige.

“I’m still recovering,” said Carruthers. “But it’s good to be back, it’s good to talk to human beings again.”

Being present at the Open House and Centennial was a tremendous gift for Carruthers.

“A lot of our (recent spaces and improvements) is stuff that I

played a pretty big role in, so to see people walk into the Campus Ministry offices, or see the new faculty offices, or walk into the chapel, is rewarding for me,” said Carruthers.

Not only was he able to lead the celebration in many significant ways—introducing donor Bob Conrads, raising a toast to the Conrads—he was blessed even more by the opportunities to encounter former students and players of his at Rockhurst High School, alongside numerous other people from throughout SLUH’s rich history who paid their visit back to the Backer Memorial.

“It was a beautiful evening on a multitude of fronts,” said Carruthers. “When you’re at home or in the hospital for as many days

as I’ve been, I don’t do well just talking to my dogs all the time … I love my dogs, but they’re not great conversationalists. So just being out and seeing people and having conversations is life-giving to me.”

One hundred years on Oakland, Carruthers says, is not just an appreciation of the student history here, but the longstanding tradition of gifts that have continuously built up the institution throughout its last 100 years.

“This is a celebration of generosity. We don’t exist without generosity. Every brick, every piece of carpet, every painting, is all because someone gave it to us,” said Carruthers. “It was personally very touching.”

Carruthers will continue to be present at SLUH with a slightly

shortened schedule. Looking forward, his treatment plan will continue in some way, depending on his condition going forward; he will likely continue treatment until at least next July.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint … I have a great medical team at St. Luke’s and St. Louis Urology. The blessing of having a strong faith is that I think nine-tenths of working through a major health challenge is your attitude and your headspace,” said Carruthers. “I feel very blessed. I have nothing to complain about.

I feel very fulfilled, encouraged, and ready to take on what comes.

I have so many people praying for me … it’s been super uplifting.”

Satire Not clickbait: Prep News’ Spirit Week schedule announced

BY Leo Hahn Features Editor

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OYS!!!!!!! We hope you enjoyed your Spirit Week, because starting next Monday the real fun is going to begin … THE PREP NEWS SPIRIT WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA. We’ve cooked up a fire week full of epic dress down themes, and absolutely overflowing with amazing activities.

Monday: New(s) Week Dress down theme: BROWN! Are you down to get brown? Pull up to the turnaround and clown around in your favorite brownfits. The winner will receive the coveted brown crown, which they will be able to wear for the rest of the week.

Activities: GET READY!!!! The PN turnaround bash will be in full swing as our Jr. Billies trudge up the hill, where we will offer lukewarm coffee and wrinkled copies of the last week’s Prep News for all to enjoy. During AP, the PN editorial staff will have multiple meet and greet opportunities, with signed headshots starting at $35.

Tuesday: Teaser Tuesday Dress down theme: Y1K. Step back to the year 1000 as you crossgarter your favorite pantaloons again! But beware! The sassiest knave with the tightest chausses will be drawn and quartered upon the turnaround at the eve of twilight (bring thine chainmail to school lads).

Activities: Nothing at school because of Studium, womp womp. BUT, make sure to pull up to the long awaited Esports Minecraft championships in St. Charles. The game begins at 7:30 p.m. and lasts until 12:30 a.m. with a special treat of one free taco for the last SLUH student to show up, so make sure you take your time on the drive over.

Wednesday: crossWORD Wednesday Dress down theme: Vacation theme … but to the Himalayas. Get your Sherpa on as you pull up to the U. High in your heaviest winter expedition gear. To help immersion the SLUH A/C will be pumped down

to 15°F; nothing like frozen fun!

Activities: Crossword competition! School wide advisories will gather in the Commons and after a shot from the starter pistol of Mr. Paul Baudendistel students will be off.

The top three winners (excluding Mr. Kleinberg … you know why) will win $89 gift cards to the Jr. Billiken Shop, as well as free lifetime subscriptions to all future editions of the

Prep News.

Thursday: Mr. Missey Day Dress down theme: Button up your shirts and roll up your sleeves!

Wear your best Mr. Missey outfit (extra points for the New Balances).

Activities: On Thursday night starting at six, the Prep News will be streaming two pages of layout at www.twitch.tv/sluhesports, and of course accepting donations along the way.

Make sure to show your school spirit in person as well! Blue Crew will be there to cheer on our amazing editors as they rush to make that submission deadline, complete final reads, and mark pages with the iconic red pen.

Friday: BTPN Dress down theme: Our merch day! Make sure to buy PN crewnecks in advance, as we will shame you by publishing the names of all non-compliance students in next week’s edition.

Activities: BACK TO PREP

NEWS MIXER. MEDIA CENTER. BE THERE. Make sure to wash before you mosh though.

According to Prep News environmental surveys, this last BTSM was the smelliest in over 20 years. The BTPN will include complimentary newsprint-essence cologne in the bathrooms to ensure all partygoers stay fresh.

A different DJ will be in each room of the media center: an underground set by DJ Kavvy-Kavs in the Photography Club closet, and a bumpin’ electric groove in the yearbook room facilitated by live band Iggy and the Bills.The video media center will serve as a campground for diehard fans, all waiting for the main attraction. Infamous Prep News moderator Steve “the Mix Master” Missey will be performing a three day marathon set of some of his top hits such as rave classic “Playing with Layout,” thrash metal anthem “Papercut”, and the mind bending synth-filled track “The Idea Machine”. Tickets are $5 at the door, or students can submit a finished crossword puzzle for free entry.

Jr. Bills dive head first into civics, economics at MO Boys State

BY Micah Doherty, Andrew Hunt, and Gavin Simon Editor in Chief, News Editor, Staff

was nominated and nearly selected for participation in Boys Nation, a highly selective honor that brings together two delegates from each Boys State event in the 49 particietween beach trips and pool dips, pating states to a conference in D.C. many senior Jr. Bills spent a week in late July. After the initial nominaof their summer at Lindenwood Unition, Reitenbach excelled through a versity for the annual Missouri Boys series of rigorous interviews and was State youth seminar. eventually selected as one of eight finalists. In the end, he placed third, just one spot away from the Boys Nation selection.

“Originally, I ran for Municipal Judge,” Reitenbach said. “I won that, ran for county judge, won that, then made my way up to the Supreme Court after being interviewed by fellow students and the Boys State Governor. Eventually, my final role was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after I was elected out of the seven people that had achieved roles in the Supreme Court.”

Boys State isn’t just about roles in government, though. The days are jam-packed with voting on elections, morning classes, and governmental periods—a time dedicated to working on learning the nuances of government and its inner workings.

Boys State participants choose their path: from deciding to go to law Reitenbach (at podium) swearing in the 2025 Boys State Governor. photo | Courtesy of Otto Reitenbach school and hear cases to becoming

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Boys State is run by the American Legion and provides the opportunity for almost a thousand students from across the state of Missouri each year to organize and participate in mock governmental and economic systems, including everything from running for office to opening a business.

Notably, senior Otto Reitenbach

a member of the Senate and voting on bills, students were about to gain a complex understanding of how the government works.

“I attended the law school where I got my license to become an attorney,” said senior Mason Lauber. “It was pretty cool because we actually got to learn about law and how to build a case. You could pretty much choose whatever you wanted to do.

Paddy Jones and I created a law firm together.”

On top of all the governmental practice and politicking, Boys State also gave students the opportunity to learn how to handle real-world financial situations: taking out loans, learning how to write checks, and learning how to operate a business— even if the practices might be a bit shady.

“I bought up all the campaigning materials on the first day then sold them back to people for ten times the price,” said senior Paddy Jones.

“Mason (Lauber) and I practically ran the bank with how much money we got.”

“Paddy and I ran the bank over there,” said Lauber. “We took out a massive loan to pay for all our campaigning materials and got so much money after selling them away to

people that we didn’t know what to do with it anymore.”

Sticking to the real-world theme, each participant is placed into one of 16 cities, each city with a mayor and a city meeting at the end of the day. Dorms are composed of two cities to make a county, which also has committees and meetings. City and county pride is a central piece of the Boys State experience.

“We had city flags that we would walk around with, we had city chants and everything,” said Reitenbach. “Everyone is trying to compete to win ‘model city,’ so you want to make sure everyone in your city is doing good in elections, sports, anything that can win you ‘model city.’”

Aside from the day-to-day banter and antics that are a central theme of Boys State, the experience gave participants a much deeper understanding of how the government functions on a national, state, and local level.

“Boys State gives you much better insight into the inner workings of local politics, “said Reitenbach.

“Boys State is the best opportunity for anyone who wants to learn more about local politics and learn how to become involved in government at any level.

NEWS

October 4, 2024

Prep News Volume 89, Issue 7

AMDG

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Bubble Soccer, Jerseys, and Hypnotism: Students live up Spirit Week (continued from page 1)

can maximize the time that we have in an effective way to give the school a meaningful Spirit Week.

But what I have been really proud of from our group … is great resiliency. We haven’t let the challenges prevent us from putting together something that we’re really proud of.”

“Spirit Week is really the thing that we’ve been building up to since the summer,” said StuCo moderator Frank Corley. “StuCo is really, really excited about Spirit Week. I’ve mostly just watched these guys throw a whole lot of ideas out and kind of put it, sort of a puzzle, into the four days that we’ve got. So it’s been really neat to take all the good ideas that lots of people want to do, the fun things that they want to put in, and just say, ‘How can we put it together in the best package for SLUH?’” With the new fountain of ideas flowing, many new facets of Spirit Week have emerged this year, and many old favorites have returned.

“This is a Student Council that

Chuck Hussung reading a poem. likes to say, ‘Oh, we always do this, we always do this, we always do this.’ And maybe the new guy likes to say, ‘Well, let’s do something different, let’s do something different.’ That balancing has been going on, between tradition and graduation,” said Corley.

The week started off on Tuesday with students dressing down in a jersey theme. Hundreds of jerseys flowed into the turnaround to be greeted by an energetic crowd offering donuts to students. However, because Tuesday had Studium instead of Activity Period, not

Steven Baudendistel is dunked by Keith Hebenstreit. much else occurred during the actual school day, save for snacks being distributed to classrooms for Studium. After the 3:07 p.m. bell, though, Jr. Bills were able to flock to the soccer field for a game, with the first 70 winning tacos for Taco Tuesday.

After school ended, students were able to go home for a bit before a SLUH Coffee House was hosted for a couple hours Wednesday evening, featuring coffee from the Coffee Club, a jazz band performance, poetry readings, and an open mic. “(The Coffee House) is something that’s kind of different, and it’s been a few years since we’ve done it,” said Corley.

Thursday sported a Y2K dress down theme, though the main event by far was Billy Bash. The whole school party was hosted during a lunch/Studium combo, and gave students a whole array of activities to kick back with.

There was bubble soccer, pickleball, Smash Bros games, wiffle ball, and much more, in addition to new food trucks this year, and the beloved dunk tank making a much-appreciated return.

“I think it was pretty awesome,” said senior George Donahue. “It was a nice way to step away from the grinding, rigorous school day, let it all go, spend some time with classmates and teachers, and enjoy some good food.”

“Billy Bash was something that started the first year I was on

Billy Bash is always successful, it always gets people going, and it feels to me like the centerpiece of Spirit Week.”

Finally, today will close out the week with the pep rally.

“There are people who look at the pep rally as a burden and as a lost Activity Period, clubs view

“There’s going to be a lot going on (today) after school,” said Corley. “We’re going to have tailgating, college game day, we’re gonna have a band playing, we’re gonna have free snow cones, we’re gonna have field goal kicking, and I hope people stick around after school.”

All in all, the week was definitely a rousing success for StuCo and a great way to keep spirits high as the first quarter draws nearer to a close.

“I think if you look at it kind of on the surface level, it’s about getting psyched up for the Vianney game. It’s what some schools call homecoming week,” said Corley.

“But I think in our context, that certainly works, but it’s more than that. It’s Spirit with a capital S. It’s the Holy Spirit, and the presence of the Spirit in our community. We don’t talk about that, but when we celebrate as a community, we’re celebrating the spirit that we share.”

“I think on the surface, some people view Spirit Week as like ‘Oh, it’s StuCo’s central duty as the chief party planning commit-

Students playing bubble soccer. it as lost time that they could be meeting. But also, a pep rally is not a bad thing. It feels to me like it’s a central part of Spirit Week. A pep rally is supposed to show off our school spirit in a fleshed out, meaningful way, and that’s what Spirit Week is all about. It’s mandatory because we want students

tee, it’s just all activities and dumb themes, and it doesn’t really mean anything,’” said Butler. “But what I think Spirit Week is, especially in this centennial year here on Oakland, is a lot more than that. Spirit Week has this power about it where it brings out our best and it brings people together. I’ve called a few

photo | Aidan McCoy

photo | Aidan McCoy

photo | Kathy Chott

Wednesday picked things up a bit, with students coordinating outfits to participate in a twin themed dress down day. Activity Period featured a hypnotist in the Si Commons, a completely new addition to the week.

“We noticed that bringing something in during Activity Period had been popular in the past, with Serengeti Steve, who’s always been great,” said Butler. “But we wanted to try and give people a new experience this year, hopefully one that people really enjoy and gravitate towards.”

Students being hypnotized in the Si Commons.

StuCo,” said Butler. “My sopho- to be a part of that celebration. We more year … has always been have a really talented team of spirit something that’s been close to my leaders this year … I’m extremely heart, because to me it represents proud of Steve and Alex and Pat the work that I did before, and the for the work that they’ve done … I work that I’m continuing to do hope that when students leave the for the school, but I also think I’m pep rally on Friday, they don’t see excited because we’re taking this it as a wasted Activity Period (but) newfound tradition that we have they leave feeling like ‘That’s why I and that we celebrate and is really came to St. Louis University High popular, and we’re giving it a dif- School,’” said Butler. ferent feel. We’re trying to make Events after school will consist this thing as good as possible for of a cornhole tournament with the our students, and we want to give prize of a pair of SLUH Pumas, and (Left to right) Mason Ross, Luke Ruyle, Michael Patrick, and John Kruse them something that is a little bit the SLUH vs. Vianney football photo | Aidan McCoy different to see how it goes. But game tonight at 6:00. playing spikeball.

photo | Aidan McCoy

of my friends on StuCo from years past to talk about Spirit Week and to help me remember all the things that I need to do in my role, and just things in general. And those conversations blossom into these 40, 45-minute conversations about how much we love Spirit Week and how some of our favorite memories from SLUH came from Spirit Week. It’s a celebration of who we are, of what makes this place so special. Especially this year, it’s a celebration of where we’ve been, who we are, and where we’re going.”

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NEWS

Prep News

October 4, 2024

Volume 89, Issue 7

AMDG

Feature Prep Eats: A Taste of SLUH at Centennial celebration

BY Leo Hahn and Jens Istvan Features Editor, Core Staff

feet from where you ordered. One critique was the smaller portion size, but you can expect that from a egend has it that rubbing the more gourmet establishment. belly of the Jr. Billiken grants good luck, and that remains true as Favazza’s Jr. Bills, parents, alumni, and fac- Mamma mia! Favazza’s sure does ulty members all filled their bellies know how to nail a Sicilian style a week ago at the Taste of SLUH. chicken and penne pomodoro. One For last weekend’s Centennial Cel- of Saint Louis’ most popular resebration, St. Louis U. High invited taurants on The Hill since 1978 and 15 restaurants to our campus, all of home to SLUH alumnus Anthony which are either owned by SLUH Favazza ’94, Favazza’s is no joke. The alumni or simply family-owned chicken was wonderfully breaded businesses. These are our highlights and topped with a seasoning that from the evening. doesn’t overpower the meat’s flavor Originally planned to take place to offer the diner a classic taste of on the upper field, the event and all Saint Louis Italian. The Penne Poof its stands had to be moved un- modoro was classic; a perfect ratio der a tent outside the Field House of pasta to red sauce. Clocking in at because of predicted rainfall. Also 12 dollars, Favazza’s falls just above included was the chance for paid the average for A Taste of SLUH. Faaccess to the Premium Guest Tent, vazza’s gets the Jens Istvan award for which included a full bar, all-you- historic Saint Louis cuisine. can-eat food pairings, and specialty drinks like Four Hands beer and Donut Drive-in seltzers.

Donut worry, be happy! A SLUH Overall the Centennial Celebra- classic, Donut Drive-in has the tion was a success, but was the food? honor of being the oldest restaurant The top minds and taste-buds of the serving at Taste of SLUH, but still Prep News are taking a closer look. almost 30 years younger than the Backer Memorial itself. There isn’t Robust Bistro and Wine Bar really much to say here. Their menu One of the first stands many saw included a mini fritter, a special as they exited Mass from the Si SLUH sprinkled vanilla ring, and Commons was Robust Bistro and donut holes in glazed and chocolate Wine Bar. Mostly known for their cake flavors. All impressed equally, wine tastings, the Webster-based but the classic taste of the glazed dorestaurant brought a taste of the nut holes is what really hit it home.

Old World with their paella and tiramisu. Complete with Spanish Salt + Smoke rice, chicken, chorizo, and assorted When it comes to Salt + Smoke, the vegetables, the paella was extremely sauce is boss. The smoky, tender fresh with just the right amount of brisket at Salt + Smoke was both spice cooked in a giant pan three a hit for us and plenty of centen-

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nial attendees. We enjoyed both the more classic “My Sweet Bestie” sauce and the spicier “I Can’t Even” sauce, which both paired well with the seasonings on the brisket. The fried onions also added a good crunch to the bun. And the brisket wasn’t even the only thing they offered! Wings and ribs were also on the menu, and all entrees came with a side of either coleslaw or potato salad. Salt + Smoke gets the Leo Hahn’s Favorite award for culinary excellence.

Amighetti’s and Hank’s Cheesecakes One of the other Italian options at Taste of SLUH and home of SLUH alumni Hank Krussel ’66, Amighetti’s sandwiches went well with the variety of cheesecakes offered from Hank’s. Other than that there were no surprises from either, which we felt was comforting coming among the many other options at Taste of SLUH. Joey B’s on the Hill Joey B‘s? More like Joey A+’s. Joey B’s is another popular Saint Louis Italian restaurant, having opened in 2008. It’s been able to gain traction fast, and was very popular with the SLUH crowd. While the iconic meatball sub was both delicious and slightly too large to eat comfortably, Joey B’s really shone through its ravioli prosciutto. In the boat with the ravs sat just the right amount of mushrooms and broccoli to give them a luscious green taste.

The ravioli’s sauce was absolutely a standout, and a favorite among centennial celebrants.

Salt + Smoke.

photo | Jens Istvan

So far all of our ratings have been on food, but it’s important that we don’t leave out the drinks.

The Autumn Harvest Salad had a delightful crunch and the dressing matched the salad’s nuts perfectly.

Although we came for Seed Sprout Spoon’s salad, we stayed for the blood orange and hibiscus lemonade. It was the perfect ‘not too sweet lemonade’. With a unique floral flavor that doesn’t hit the front of the palette, the lemonade was an instant favorite.

The Premium Experience The Prep News was also able to get exclusive press access to the Premium Experience in the field house.

For $125 a ticket, premium-level guests could enjoy bottomless food from Peacemaker Lobster & Crab, Sidney Street Cafe, and La Tertulia, and at the open bar they could enjoy drinks from Four Hands Brewery.

At the bar four beers were offered, with two drafts and two canned, and the special “Blue Sky Blue” cocktail was also for sale. But the food is what really stood out.

Alongside the backside of the Field House were four tables of food. From Peacemaker diners could enjoy mini Maine lobster rolls, which to us stood out as the only seafood option at the Centennial Celebration. La Tertulia’s table offered sumptuous Carne Adovada served on house made blue corn tortillas. Sidney Street Cafe had two tables, one offering ribeye with a chimichurri marinade and a tomato and herb orzo, and the other Cavatelli with parmesan cheese, herbs, and tomato sauce.

Our tasting of the Cavatelli gave us an enticing window into the world of delights the premium section had to offer. The parmesan sauce was creamy and warm, and paired well with the tomato as it mixed. The pasta itself was soft, but not mushy, and it felt like eating small warm pillows. In the end it’s clear that Sidney Street Cafe is a must-visit for any SLUH foodies.

We truly felt like VIPs at the Premium Experience, and that’s hard to do with just food.

They say the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Whether that holds true is still up for debate, but for the Prep News, all were wonderful options and absolutely worth a visit if you’re interested in supporting local businesses, meeting SLUH alumni, or enjoying a delicious meal.

Pete’s Pops Who knew that Pete the pop makes great Pops? Fun fact: They also have several shops in Milwaukee!

Surprisingly the flavor of the night was grapefruit. While the Prep Eats were initially confused about this choice, we soon understood why.

The grapefruit pop had a very natural essence, which was a refreshing shift from many of today’s sugarfilled popsicles.

Seed Sprout Spoon.

Seed Sprout Spoon A perfectly crunchy salad meets an photo | Jens Istvan extremely memorable lemonade.

Kevin Nashan serving cavatelli in the VIP section.

photo | Jens Istvan

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Poetry at the Centennial

BY Madhavan Anbukumar Staff

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t. Louis U. High came alive with the sound of original poetry at last Saturday night’s Centennial Celebration as students, teachers and alumni gathered for a heartfelt recitation. Initiated by principal Fr. Matt Stewart, SJ ’98 and organized

by English teacher Chuck Hussung, the event aimed to highlight the creative expressions of both faculty and students.

“Having a principal who plans an event and thinks of poetry is a wonderful thing,” said Hussung. “It was on the fly planning, but I was happy to play a part in bringing this together.”

The night featured five poets: Hussung’s fellow English teachers Justin Danzy, Terry Quinn, and Andrea Scarpino, and seniors Madhavan Anbukumar and Jaden Yarborough. The powerful poems offered themes of love, loss, resilience, and reflection.

Quinn set the tone for the night with a set of haikus that he had writ-

ten within the past year. In them he reflected upon what it meant to be a parent, starting and ending with a poem about his child. His poems also reflected on the outdoors, speaking about gardening multiple times.

Anbukumar followed with a poem called “The Golden Pendulum,” which was written while on retreat in his junior year. The poem repeats the image of golden pendulum, which illustrates repetitions and a passage of time.

Scarpino went next with a deeply personal piece inspired by a late friend’s poems, a poem made of random things she had heard and others. The personal piece was part of a series of poems that started with “When I say Heart.”

“It ends with her friend’s death and sorrow for the loss of her friend,” said Hussung. “It was very tender to hear that poem.”

Yarbrough read next, with an original piece called “A Mother’s Love,” which describes a mother caring for her child in the winter on the streets.

“It was just another way in which I was just trying to tell a story,” said Yarbrough. “I was thinking about my family who had experienced a lot of hardships this past year, and I was kind of just thinking about how the love I’ve had from them, from my friends, how that love has kind of sustained me in the same way that the mother’s love sustains her child through the story.”

Danzy rounded out the evening with a different energy, sharing a set of poems that went into the themes of family and heritage, reading a heartfelt poem about his family and a poem called “Isaac” which won the 2020 Academy of American Poets Prize.

“I was quite touched, when he wiped the tear away with the hem of his shirt, and he introduced his poems, saying, ‘Here are five poems about my people,’” said Hussung.

Overall, the poetry recitation was a testament to the vibrant creative spirit well and alive in the SLUH community. The talents of the poets created a night that celebrated English teacher Terry Quinn reading poetry aloud. photo | Zach Linhares the transformative power of poetry.

SPORTS October 4, 2024 AMDG

Varsity swim posing with the trophy at the Mizzou Aquatic Center. photos | Courtesy of SLUH Swim and Dive

VENGEANCE Swim travels west to Mizzou, dominates Rockhurt at COMO

BY Brendan Hunt and Henry Hassenstab reporters

T

he St. Louis U. High Swim and Dive team was on its grind for the day off last Friday, rising early in the morning and heading off to Mizzou to take part in one of their biggest meets of the season. The meet, often abbreviated to COMO, takes place in an SEC swimming facility, and is second in importance only to the State Championship for the Jr. Bills. Spirits were high heading into such an important meet.

“COMO was the time for opportunity,” said junior Wills Dino.

“And we weren’t about to let that slip from us.”

The swim team pulled into the Mizzou campus full of energy and excitement for what was to come.

They were hyped for good reason too, as COMO gave them a chance to swim against some of the best programs in the state, such as Liberty and Rockhurst, the team that snagged the state championship from SLUH last year.

The team was buzzing, hitting

the water for warmups, and shooting glances over at Rockhurst from the stands, eager to confront them in the pool, as the last time the two powerhouses faced off was at state last year where the Jr. Bills lost by eight points.

“We were certainly motivated by the loss last year,” said junior Connor Dunker. “But our swimming dynasty was defeated by a lack of divers.”

SLUH admittedly did not have a diver that scored points at state last year nor did they have a diver that scored points at COMO this year. However, this didn’t stop the team from absolutely blowing every other team out of the water at the meet. SLUH won COMO by a whopping 67 points over Liberty and 92 points over Rockhurst, their two main rivals.

“My favorite part of the meet was definitely winning,” said senior captain Evan Zimmerman. “It feels pretty good.”

Swimming is an individual sport, but SLUH Swim and Dive would be nothing without the brotherhood and camaraderie that the boys displayed during the

meet. Nobody on the team swam even a single event without a horde of teammates cheering them on from out of the water.

“It was a really fun experience,” said sophomore Grant Heidbrink, who drove out all the way to Mizzou just to watch the races and hype up the team. “I loved cheering with everyone for all of our races, and it seemed like whoever was in the water swam faster because of us cheering.”

Some of the biggest standout swims from the team were the distance events, where SLUH proved the depth of its roster by having all four of the swimmers in the 500 free in the finals, as well as three of its swimmers in the finals for the 200 free.

In another twist of events, SLUH took home first place in the 100 back, thanks to Drew Hopkins’ crazy 50.07 win over Rockhurst senior Andy Baklanov.

“Baklanov was acting all cocky before the race,” said Hopkins. “So I knew I had to lock in.”

Times were also dropped in the IM events, where sophomore Henry Hassenstab and freshman Elliot

Sapp pulled ahead. Sapp holds the future of SLUH Swim and Dive in his hands, being the only freshman swimmer on varsity, and a good one at that.

“I really thought our 200 IMers did a great job,” said varsity coach Lindsey Ehret. “Henry and Elliot dropped a boatload of time. Normally you chip away two seconds at a time, but Henry dropped a whole eight seconds from 2:08 to 2:00. Elliott had a really, really good swim as a freshman.”

The meet ended with one of the most intense races in all of swimming, the 400 free relay. SLUH was already up a substantial number of points, so much so that the race wouldn’t have affected the outcome of the meet, but the Jr. Bills were determined to put themselves in first place. After an incredible swim by Dunker, Hopkins, senior captain Ben Chumley, and senior Charlie Hill, the Jr. Bills came in first place in the meet and also first place in the state with a speedy 3:11.33.

The Jr. Bills may have won, but it’s not time to relax just yet.

There’s still a long road ahead,

and SLUH has to build the state championship back practice by practice. The last thing that the U. High needs to do is to let their egos impact their performance in practice and dual meets.

“You know, anything can happen,” said Ehret. “Someone could get sick, someone could get injured, and you never know what’s around the corner. Our motto for the second half of the season is ‘Swim with intention,’ and the more people that swim with intention every single day, the closer we are to getting that end goal which is a state championship. Because we want to be a state championship team.”

So, after such a well-swum meet and as the SLUH varsity swimmers head forward, moving closer and closer to the end of the season, the question becomes: will SLUH Swim and Dive become that state championship team that they have always strived to be? Only the level of determination and raw effort of the swimmers will determine the outcome.

As put by Connor Dunker: “See you at state.”

was targeted for a 54-yard touchdown on Sunday. Worthy will now be used in the offense at an all time high, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they plan to send a few deep balls his way against the Saints this weekend. The Saints secondary ranks in (97.5% start) Breece Hall, Jets, the bottom seven in receiving yards RB: SIT. Breece Hall is coming off and catches allowed to WRs. a rough week against the Broncos where he put up only 3.8 fantasy (64.6% start) Dak Prescott, Cowpoints. Also, ten rushes for four boys, QB: SIT. Although Dak yards is concerning to say the least. Prescott is a very good QB, he might RB2 Braelon Allen has also been not be as good a fantasy option. He getting more snaps, which could hasn’t been throwing for as many affect Hall’s production. Finally, the touchdown passes as he did last Vikings defense has been ruthless year. With Prescott facing a Steelagainst the run. Expect the Vikings ers defense who have only allowed 4 to jump out to an early lead, mak- touchdown passes through 4 weeks, ing the Jets feel like they have to it’ll be hard for him to have much throw, which in turn causes the Jets productivity. It’s also worth noting to hardly use their RB1. that Dak and CeeDee Lamb haven’t been clicking this season and the (41.7% start) Xavier Worthy, Cowboys have no run game. If the Chiefs, WR: START. With Holly- Steelers defense can take advantage wood Brown out for the season and of this struggling Cowboys offense, now Rashee Rice likely out for the Dak may be forced to make throws season, Xavier Worthy will be the in tight windows that could end up primary receiver for this offense. in interceptions.

As a result of Rice’s injury, Worthy

(64.4% start) Chuba Hubbard, Panthers, RB : START. Chuba Hubbard’s production has been increasing drastically since Week 1. He’s rushed for over 100 yards and averaged 5+ yards per carry over the past two weeks. Plus, the Bears’ biggest struggle this season has been containing the run, and the Panthers will take advantage of this. Expect minimal throws from Dalton with a tough Bears secondary, meaning Hubbard should get even more touches.

Fantasy Football Week 5: Starts and Sits

BY Matteo Abbate and Neil O’Connor Staff, reporter

deeper role in the Packers wide receiver corps. Plus, Jordan Love has also been ballin’ out lately, so the Packers will continue to throw the eek 4 Picks: 3/6. While ball. This week against a banged up this may seem bad on the Rams secondary, the sky’s the limit. surface, in reality a couple of the missed picks last week were on (80.4% start) Tyreek Hill, Doltight ends. If you’ve been paying phins, WR: SIT. I think it goes any attention to fantasy football without saying that Tyreek Hill is this year, you know the tight end a top wide receiver in the league. market has been abysmal. Some Since Tua’s injury, Hill has not had of our good picks were on highly over 4 receptions and 40 yards. controversial players like Zay Flow- This week against New England ers (sit) and Anthony Richardson will place Hill up against a solid (sit). This week we have a special CB in Christian Gonzalez, so it will edition with an extra two picks to be yet another tough week for Hill help your team win their matchup. and QB Tyler Huntley. At best, he’s Good luck! a flex option. I know this hurts to say with how high you may have (18.8% start) Dontayvion Wicks, drafted him, but you need to either Packers, WR: START. The second make a trade or find a better option. year wide-receiver had an outstanding week against the Vikings, (22.8% start) Sam Darnold, Viwho are currently one of the stron- kings, QB: START. Sam Darnold gest defenses in the league. Despite has come out of nowhere this year Wicks only catching 5 out of his to step in for the injured rookie QB 13 targets, he still had 2 receiving JJ McCarthy. As of right now, he is touchdowns. Now, with Christian an MVP candidate. A revenge game Watson injured, Wicks will take on is on the horizon for Darnold, who

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was drafted third overall by the Jets in 2018. Last week, he threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Jets defense has beaten down on weak offenses, however we don’t see this as a possibility this week.

(49.2% start) Zack Moss, Bengals, RB: SIT. Fantasy owners who have had the luxury of owning Zack Moss know how productive he has been, but this is starting to change. Last week the Bengals utilized Chase Brown at an all time high. With Chase Brown shifting into the role of red zone back, he will start to take away touchdowns from Moss. The Bengals also play the Ravens this week, who have been firing on all cylinders as of late by holding James Cook to only 39 rushing yards last week.

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SPORTS

Prep News

October 4, 2024

Volume 89, Issue 7

BY Theo Agniel Sports Editor

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his week’s Athlete of the Week is sophomore swimmer Drew Hopkins. Hopkins is a menace in the pool, sinking competition with his impressive first place backstroke finish at a time of 50.07 seconds at last Saturday’s COMO meet. Hopkins didn’t stop there.

He got three other podium finishes with first in the 400 free, second in the 100 fly, and third in the 200 medley relay.

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Athlete of the Week: Drew Hopkins TA: So you always swam every- her since we moved back though. where, even in Germany?!

TA: As you transitioned from this DH: I had this amazing coach in German coach to the legendary Germany and she pulled me aside SLUH swim coach Lindsey Ehret, and said she saw something in what was the difference and were me. I had a really good connec- you able to see Ehret as a replacetion with her. I haven’t talked to ment mentor for your old coach?

DH: I really like Ehret. The training is actually a whole lot different.

We do a lot more speed work and technique which is really nice. I think it’s a step up, actually.

TA: So, even though you won your

Theo Agniel: So apparently, you’re good at swimming. I’m assuming that you, like most kids, played some other sports before you landed on swimming as your main sport. What got you out of the air and into the water for your main sport?

race against the top backstroke swimmer, you’re officially the No. 2 backstroke swimmer in the state.

To me, this is incredibly impressive, especially because you’re a sophomore. How do you think you make a big impact on the team?

DH: I guess I’m good at backstroke.

I don’t really know why. Any good coach when you’re young will make you swim everything because you don’t develop your specialty stroke until you’re like 12 to 14. When I started swimming with Ehret, and once I started with my club coach, we started to specialize a lot more once they saw that I was better at the backstroke action.

TA: What does it mean to contribute to a team where you guys are taking down the other biggest competition in Missouri?

Drew Hopkins: I did a whole bunch of sports growing up, but I guess I kind of stuck with swimming. I started in California and I had a really good time there. My dad’s in the Air Force, so we’ve been moving around my whole life. I was born in St. Louis, then we moved to California, and then we moved back, and then I lived in Germany for two years and now I’m back here.

DH: It feels amazing. Last year, Rockhurst was really cocky, even though they only won by eight points. We are all kind of sad and really angry. Even though we’ve had success halfway through this season, that doesn’t mean that we have state in our hands. But it feels really good to kind of get our payback.

Hopkins competing in the 100 meter butterfly.

photo | Courtesy of Drew Hopkins

XC faces top Chi-Town competition, continues to shatter recordbooks

BY Otto Reitenbach and Tristan Kujawa Core Staff, Staff

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ince 2010, the St. Louis U. High Cross Country program has sent its top runners to the Palatine Meet of Champions in the suburbs of Chicago. The meet is known for its highly competitive field, hosting nine of the top ten teams in Illinois this year and marks the competitive midpoint of the cross country season. The meet’s course also features notoriously small starting boxes and becomes thin only 100 meters into the race. The Jr. Bills were ready to take on this challenge.

As wind and light drizzle battered down on Jr. Bills in new baby blue jerseys, the gun was fired and the varsity race was underway. Within the first 100 meters, senior Alex Bendaña and sophomore Jackson Miller got in key positions in the top pack that would prove to be vital later on.

Coming through the first mile, Bendaña and Miller were side by side splitting an aggressive 4:46 mile.

Both were on pace to break the previous SLUH meet record at Palatine.

Coming down the final stretch, the answer was clear as Miller surged to run a 14:48 3 mile for 6th place, while Bendaña was seconds off in 14:52 for 8th place, both beating Tim Rackers’ record of 14:55 set back in 2010.

“The conditions weren’t that great,” said head coach Joe Porter.

“Just the quality of the field really led to those historic times on the day.”

Senior Gus Talleur was the next Jr. Bill, moving up the entire race to finish in 18th place with a time of 15:14. Rounding out the scoring five were sophomore Michael Luna (15:37) and junior Nick Ahlheim (15:46). Overall SLUH was able to take third place with 135 points, the highest place in SLUH’s Palatine his-

tory.

Another historic mark for the Jr. Bills were medals from Bendaña, Miller, and Talleur, marking the first three-medal race for SLUH. Finally, this was the fastest average 3-mile time for the scoring five (15:15), beating the next best average time from 2014 by over 30 seconds.

“There were some tactical errors,” said Porter. “We are going to try to fix that this week at Nike Twilight and that’s why we are right back on it, to see if we can get a little

an average time of 16:09, both the second best score and fastest average time in SLUH’s palatine JV history, winning the team race easily.

Despite the historic numbers of the day, this is only the midpoint of the season with many greater performances to come later for the Jr. Bills.

“We haven’t won that race very often,” said Porter. “So it was great to show off our depth. Across the board it was great to have medals all the way to our 6th guy. There were some years where we only left with one

Varsity cross country after the race at Palatine, Illinois. bit better.”

The JV race continued rewriting the history books, with junior Hendrix Fyvie winning the race in 15:44, the fastest JV time ever run in SLUH’s Palatine history. Fyvie led for almost the entire race which is a testament to his mental strength and strong fitness at this point in the season.

“Hendrix with the individual win is outstanding,” said Porter.

“We have only had one individual win ever before and it is just great.”

Following Fyvie was junior Jake Fitzpatrick (16:02), senior George Donahue (16:10), junior Tristan Kujawa (16:19), and sophomore Joe Talleur (16:28). This strong scoring five was able to score 37 points with

medal from this race, but this year was different and that really shows the work we are putting in.”

Meanwhile, the rest of the Jr. Bills traveled 40 minutes east to compete in the Freeburg Invitational. Despite the absence of SLUH’s top 15, the varsity squad finished second out of 23 teams, while JV brought home the team victory. In slick and muddy conditions, the Jr. Bills put up a tremendous overall performance, punctuated by very strong individual efforts.

“It was a muddy, sloppy day,” said assistant coach Charlie Hatch.

“We needed some of that and we thrived under those conditions but I think we learned to embrace the conditions. We learned that cross

country is really about racing in the elements.”

Leading the charge for SLUH was freshman Warwick Beatty Jr. He went out hard early, and managed to compete with the top varsity competition, snagging 9th place and a 3-mile PR of 17:23! His confidence set the tone for the meet, and his teammates didn’t let him down.

Sophomore Edmund Reske was the second Jr. Bill to cross the finish line, grabbing 15th place in a time of 16:56. Senior Ethan Bognar (17:14)

photo | Courtesy of SLUH XC

was quickly followed by fellow senior Gavin Smith (17:17), placing 26th and 31st respectively. Junior Brady Vogt (17:28) rounded out the scoring five in 39th place, bringing the total varsity score to 114.

Because teams were allowed ten entries into the varsity race, the Jr. Bills continued to grab varsity medals, winning nine by the race’s end.

Senior Patrick Jones (17:39) and freshman Gibbs Fyvie (17:40) both received medals, as well as junior Jesse Brower-Toland (18:00). Freshman Owen Williams finished out the varsity squad, only .4 seconds behind Brower-Toland, an impressive feat in his first ever varsity race.

“Great performances all around,” said Hatch. “We really wanted to

dominate these races and we want to make that impression on our seriousness yet our fun with the sport, kind of showing what the school is all about to the far reaches of the metro east.”

The success didn’t stop there.

SLUH’s JV squad dominated the next race, winning 17 of the 20 available medals. At the top end, junior Aidan Smith put on a show. Running ambitiously early, he went out hard and never looked back. Flying to a 17:33 finish, he brought home the individual win in impressive fashion.

“I worked to lay down a gap on the rest of the race and never looked back,” said Smith. “As I crossed the line I couldn’t help but smile and I even started to tear up a little bit because I thought of every moment that had led up to this race and how much this program is to me.”

Following Smith, senior Otto Reitenbach took second place with a final time of 17:48. Both Smith and Reitenbach ran fast enough times to medal in the varsity race, a true testament to the depth of this SLUH squad. Soon behind the top two were freshman Phineas Gilbert (18:06) and senior Alex Keuss (18:14) to complete the Jr. Bill Podium sweep with third and fourth place. Sophomore Alex Pollaci (18:17) took 6th to give SLUH a near perfect score of 16. This display of depth and team running is exactly what the Jr. Bills were looking for, and it bodes well for important races down the road.

Overall, the SLUH cross country team saw major success across the Mississippi, and hopes are high for strong results as the team nears conference and district competition.

The Jr. Bills hope to add to their accomplishments next Saturday, with a group of ten racing in Terre Haute, Indiana for the Nike XC Town Twilight, while the rest of the team takes on local competition at the Parkway West Invitational.

NEWS

October 4, 2024

Prep News Volume 89, Issue 7

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11

Soccer faces No. 1 ranked St. Dominic; dominant win against Parkway South

BY Aiden Erard and Andrew Chalmers Sports Editor, reporter

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Senior captain John Hassemeier dribbling the ball.

photo | Jack Auer

Football falls to CBC; offense can’t get going

BY Jake Fitzpatrick Core Staff

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he St. Louis U. High football team traveled to De La Salle Drive last Friday to face the No. 2 ranked team in Missouri: the CBC Cadets. After a dominant 56-14 win against Lutheran St. Charles the previous week, the Jr. Bills looked to carry their offensive momentum into a rainy MCC matchup. But CBC shut down the offense, and SLUH was shut out 41-0.

On the first drive of the game, the stout Jr. Bills defense started promisingly, forcing a punt from the Cadets.

On SLUH’s first possession of the game, with the Jr. Bills situated at their own 32, a strong third down run from quarterback Kyren Eleby came up short of the first down marker and the team was forced to punt.

Over the course of the game, senior punter Jakob White punted eight times with an average of 39.6 yards per punt, pushing the Cadets deep into their territory.

Both the Cadets and the Jr. Bills engaged in a defensive duel as the first quarter drew on, with both fronts proving strong until 4:03 left in the first quarter when dynamic CBC quarterback Nick McCllellan escaped the Jr. Bill pressure and took it 95 yards to the house to make it 7-0.

This run ignited the CBC offense, as they drove down the field on their next possession, punching it in for a 14-0 CBC lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Cadets scored on another long run to make it 20-0 midway through the second quarter.

With the Jr. Bills hoping to gain

some momentum before the end of the first half, Eleby launched the ball down the middle of the field to intended target senior wide receiver Levi Miller.

However, the ball was overthrown into the hands of a CBC defender for an interception. With the Cadets looking to punch in another touchdown with 1:45 left in the half, McClellan lofted a deep ball to the end zone. Junior Keenan Harris plucked the ball with an incredible one-handed snag to deny the score attempt and for his second interception of the year.

“It was great to go out and make that play,” said Harris. “But at that time I didn’t really care because I knew that there wasn’t much to celebrate after that first half.”

The offensive standstill continued throughout the whole of the second half as the Jr. Bills failed to convert any of their drives into points. However, the Cadets continued to pound the Jr. Bills in the run game and were able to tack on 21 more points, making it 41-0 at the final horn.

“Defensively, we did some good things early: holding a very good offense to only 20 points through three quarters, the Keenan (Harris) interception, but at the end of the day we just got tired,” said Cruz. “And then offensively, we just have to get going. We know what we can do, it’s just about executing.”

The Jr. Bills return home on Friday, looking to rebound in a highly anticipated matchup against the 2-3 Vianney Griffins, another crucial MCC matchup.

“It’s all about fighting,” said Harris.

“We know that there are gonna be ups and downs but we just gotta go out there and win. That’s all it is.”

espite some adversity in the last stretch of their season with losses to some rival MCC schools, the Jr. Bills have been able to spark some momentum for their upcoming games. A win against distant central Missouri opponent Capital City followed by a close win against Clayton in the first game of the Champions League tournament has led the St. Louis University High soccer team to regain confidence in preparation for its biggest game of the season.

St. Dominic On Saturday, the team had its last Champions League group stage game versus the undefeated and No. 1 ranked St. Dominic Crusaders. With the Crusaders three attackers having scored over 30 goals in the season thus far, the Jr. Bills pregame talk consisted of the importance of defense and organization.

As the game progressed through the first half, the mentality and defensive organization of the Jr. Bills were possibly the best they have been this season. The game was very even with both teams getting into the final third while the midfield and backs battled for the ball.

SLUH nearly found a goal as a deflected ball rolled outside of the box to sophomore Paddy Byrne. He took a one-time shot into the bottom that required a diving save from the St. Dom goalkeeper.

The half saw more chances for both sides as the Crusaders delivered multiple crosses into the box, including one that was headed into the back of the net, but luckily it was offside.

Sophomore Javi Vigil and junior Henry Sanders continued to find success on the attack with a few long shots but no connections to the back of the net. The Jr. Bills went into the half with optimism and an even 0-0 score.

At half, coach Bob O’Connell and Jay Zaber told the Bills to keep on fighting and be even better in the next 40 minutes to keep competing.

The second half was very similar to the first half with an even fight between both sides. The Jr. Bills kept their strong organization from the first half and forced St. Dominic to play backwards and wide.

“We knew the whole 80 minutes would be tough,” said junior James Barry. “St. Dom was a really strong team and if we weren’t ready and or-

ganized as a team they could’ve easily beaten us.”

In the second half, the Jr. Bills found most of their dangerous attacks on corner kicks and free kicks, something which they have worked on all year.

The game continued with a strong Jr. Bill defensive effort as the clock wound down. With five minutes to go, the Jr. Bills found a rhythm of attack and were on the front foot. They made pass after pass but could not break down the Crusader defense, closing the game with a score of 0-0.

“I thought that it was a great team effort. I think we’ve been playing defensively as a unit against the top teams this year and we are a difficult team to score on,” said O’Connell. “I thought we played a great 80 minutes against St. Dominic.”

Although the Jr. Bills were knocked out of the Champions League tournament with the tie, the team was happy with their performance and felt as if the St. Dominic game was a step forward in their journey for the district title.

Parkway South Coming off of this difficult draw, the Jr. Bills felt confident in their ability to handle the Parkway South Patriots.

The student section was fired up for the start of the game as it was the first day of spirit week: Taco Tuesday. Supporters could buy Taco Bell tacos in return for a spot to cheer on the SLUH soccer team.

The first half started pretty slow for both the Jr. Bills and the Patriots.

SLUH knew they were the much better team, but they struggled to put out much effort to open the game.

The opening goal for the Jr. Bills came from sophomore Luke Schuman, who played a high corner that curled its way into the back of the net, a very rare feat to see.

A couple of minutes later, and despite it being his first shift with the varsity squad, sophomore Gabe Khazen put the ball across the goal line after the ball rolled to his feet from a corner kick to make the score 2-0.

For the rest of the first half, there was little action between both teams, and few other opportunities. The Jr. Bills were not satisfied with their first half performance, especially O’Connell.

“Our first half was kind of sluggish,” said senior John Hasemeier.

“It felt a little like we were asleep. It could have been a lot better from our side of the ball. That’s what coach (O’Connell) talked about at half. Our

mindset needs to be better.”

The pep talk from O’Connell seemed to put some energy in the Jr. Bills offense as they came out hot, scoring three goals in only the first ten minutes of the second half. Both the first and third goal were scored by Vigil, who has proved to be a dominant striker for the Jr. Bills all season.

In between both of Vigil’s goals was a goal by junior Andrew Wolf, a defensive player, showing his ability to make an impact on the offensive side of the field as well.

An unfortunate Parkway South goal spoiled the potential shutout.

However, SLUH was able to quickly respond with goals from both senior Luke Ruyle and freshman Graham Urban, and SLUH won 7-1..

“It’s always good to score goals.

That’s been something that we’ve been working on all year and to finally have a breakthrough and score seven goals is obviously a positive thing. We’re hopeful that that game will translate to more goals this season. Can we do that against quality opponents? That’s what the challenge will be in the next couple days,” said O’Connell.

Despite finishing in dominant fashion, the Jr. Bills took away many things to work on for the coming games. Much of the team has learned the importance of their mindset coming into every game, especially games where they are the better team. It is extremely important to give their full effort in games against both topranked teams, like St. Dominic, and lesser ranked teams, like Parkway South.

“Coach has talked a lot about the SLUH kid mindset, just thinking we’re better than everyone,” said Hassemeier. “We went out there thinking the game was going to be easy, and we ended up struggling for a bit. We’ve had our minds set on districts since the beginning of the season, and if we want to win, we’re going to have to fix our mindset. We need to play every game like it’s against the best team in the state.”

Looking Ahead The Jr. Bills faced off in their second game of the Jr. Billiken Classic last night against the Mehlville Panthers where they won 2-0. Before losing to SLUH, Mehlville lost to Collinsville, now making them 0-2 in the tournament. In their final matchup of the Jr. Billiken Classic, SLUH takes the field against Fort Zumwalt South tomorrow at noon for a chance to go undefeated in the tournament and take home the trophy.

Game Changers This week, the Prep News is highlighting students who have been shining for their varsity teams so far this season. Players listed in alphabetical order. photo | Courtesy of David Callon

photo | Courtesy of Keenan Harris

photo | Kathy Chott

Matteo Abbate Senior Matteo Abbate has been playing Fortnite since near its release. When Abbate played competitive Fortnite around a year ago, he was ranked 121st out of all Playstation players. In his recent match against Bison High School, Abbate and his partner senior Neil O’Connor cruised to a 13-0 victory, with Abbate racking up 15 eliminations.

Ben Chumley The senior swimmer has been posting impressive times. Chumley has been a solid backbone on a swim and dive team that haven’t lost a meet yet this year. His stunning 52.80 second backstroke at COMO helped hoist the Jr. Bills past a tough Rockhurst team by nearly 70 points.

With the sweetness of revenge hanging in the air, Chumley’s recent results give hope to a takedown of Rockhurst again at the State meet.

photo | Jens Istvan

Carson Hall

The junior has been assigned one of the hardest jobs on the team: no goals. With his academy experience at St. Louis Scott Gallagher, it’s easy for Hall to undertake that responsibility. His strong presence in the backfield for the Jr. Bills is part of the reason why SLUH has eeked out a lot of wins and ties. Against the No. 1 ranked team in the area, St. Dominic’s, Hall used his leadership and “defensive dog” mentality to silence the best goal-scoring 11 in the area.

photo | Courtesy of SLUH XC

Keenan Harris

Michael Luna

Offensively, Harris is tied for the third most touchdowns on the team and has the second most receiving yards with 137 so far this season. The funny thing is, Harris doesn’t play offense. Harris has been dominating on defense with 27 tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound four star safety/outside linebacker has been rolling in offers from the likes of Ohio State, Tennessee, and Mizzou.

The runner from the class of ’27 needs to slow down—he’s running too fast at too young of an age. Luna comes from a historic family of runners, and he’s only helping to make his family name better known. The sophomore ran an incredible 16:11 at FPXC, placing in the top 20. As part of arguably the best class of runners in SLUH history, Luna’s chances will only get better each year he gets older.

Column | Theo Agniel

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Prep News

THANK YOU CONRADS

Volume 89, Issue 7

October 4, 2024 AMDG

$10 million donation to STEM program is cherry on top to Centennial (continued from page 1)

participate in an expanding world of technological innovation.

While larger single donations have been made to the school as a whole, today’s announcement marks the largest given to one specific department or project. The Conrads Program for Integrated Sciences is the current, in-progress vision for the use of the gift: it would allow passionate students to graduate with distinction in one of a few specific STEM concentrations. SLUH’s current STEM courses would be incorporated, but the program will eventually integrate new courses and faculty resources.

Furthermore, the program will bring students further into STEM co-curricular activities.

The program will be established in the coming years, although the implementation of the ComputerAided Design course this school year was a proactive step to expand STEM in light of Conrads’ forthcoming gift.

“We don’t know exactly what the future holds,” said Director of STEM Education Dan See. “We just know we want to expand. We want to give students more opportunities.”

The goal of implementing a STEM program is to provide the resources students need to stay current in the world of technology. With the recent flurry of innovations in the world of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computing, SLUH aims to have the tools to educate on these new tech-

ness, and that you’re going to have to make decisions that will more than likely impact your prospects, and your own personal situation.

And to make the right decision, to do what’s right and do what’s right for others, is something we’re losing in this country.”

“Engineers aren’t necessarily known as being great writers, but that’s what we produce at SLUH. I think we have an opportunity to train the next generation of innovators, of engineers, of thinkers in the sciences who have compassionate hearts and skilled pens,” said Vice President for Advancement Sean Agniel. “What makes this transformative is that it’s not only the largest gift to any particular program endeavor in the history of our school, but it’s also one that has a vision of balance and holistic education.”

“Jesuit education needs to be adaptable,” said See. “The world, especially in tech, is dramatically changing. AI is gigantic. We need students who have the values, the education, the mission and purpose of our institution, with all the knowledge and skills that are worldclass, out in the world in the middle of technological revolution as part of it.”

Conrads is uniquely placed to make such a contribution to STEM. Before technology changed the world for the rest of us, it was central to his life. Even as he attended classes at SLUH in the early 1960s, he ran his own business, repairing TVs and radios with a hired employee. After attending Georgia

(Left to right) Leo Hahn, Andrew Hunt, Lucas Hayden, and Micah photo | Aidan McCoy Doherty interviewing Bob and Sherry Conrads. nologies. “(Technology) has become an integral part of our lives. Everybody talks about AI, but it’s also the hardware that is fueling AI that has advanced so much in the last ten years. And with the pervasiveness of AI and data science and computing, it’s going to become even more important in everybody’s lives,” said Conrads. “This is the time, and I think that the impact of technology in everybody’s life is going to accelerate dramatically in the next five to ten years, much more so than we’ve seen in the prior ten years.”

“We want to be technologically advanced,” said See. “We don’t want to lead from behind. We want to be at the front.”

Furthermore, as Conrads and See both emphasize, the Jesuit core of SLUH offers a unique opportunity to build up compassionate, wellrounded leaders within the field of STEM—a crucial contribution to the America of today.

“The major things that I took away from SLUH as a student were a dedication to fulfilling, objective, and hard work, but really importantly, a moral compass,” said Conrads. “Because you’ll find, as you go through life, that you’re going to be faced with tough situations in busi-

Tech as an undergraduate studying physics, he received his M.S. in atomic physics from Georgia Tech and his MBA from Harvard.

Conrads later went on to work for the international consulting firm McKinsey & Co., where he quickly became involved with some of the top tech companies in the world.

Conrads is credited with creating the team at Toshiba that developed one of the earliest laptop computers, and in 1994 he became CEO of Indigo America, the company later bought by Hewlett-Packard that is credited with pioneering the digital printing press.

Through Conrads’ flourishing career, his work ethic, and a fearless mindset—one he developed primarily as a Jr. Bill, along with a strong sense of compassion—drove him.

“The thing that SLUH offered up was a support system that gives you the opportunity to extend yourself, potentially fail, or have difficult times, but also a support system to help you make your way through that,” said Conrads. “That was really important for me here, because it gave me the conviction, the confidence when I went out into the world, to take risks and fail.”

“One of the reasons I chose to

(Clockwise from left) Alan Carruthers, Matt Stewart, SJ, Sean Agniel, and Bob and Sherry Conrads share a laugh. photo | Will Linhares marry him is because he’s a really good person,” said Sherry Conrads.

“Bob is the most professional, honest, generous, fair person I know.

And that’s one of the reasons he’s been so successful in his business career, is that people trust him.

I think that really stems from his Catholic upbringing, and having experienced St Louis University High School.”

While traversing consulting and technological careers, Bob Conrads kept in touch with the SLUH community. Donations from the couple trace back to 1991, the year Advancement records begin, but likely began earlier. Additionally, Conrads is a member of the endowment investment committee for the Board of Trustees.

“They’ve been friends and supporters of St. Louis U. High for many decades,” said Agniel. “He’s been helping us with our investment strategy for many years.”

Conrads currently resides in California, and spends his time serving as chairman of the board at Colchis Capital Management. He recently earned his pilot’s license and enjoys flying with Sherry.

After a period of strong focus on his career, he became more involved with SLUH around ten years ago.

He first floated the idea of a major donation after a campus visit in the fall of 2022.

“He was really impressed with what he saw—and it was the St. Louis U. High students that impressed him, and it was what we’re doing with the facility, and what we’re doing with the curriculum,” said Agniel.

“I am so impressed, not only with the infrastructure, but with the programs and the growth of this institution,” said Sherry Conrads.

“Bob and I have been married 54 years, so I know him very well, and there’s been a consistent thread of how important this institution has been in his life.”

With the idea in the air, SLUH hosted two curriculum institutes, in the summers of 2023 and 2024, funded by the Conrads, in which STEM faculty came together for several weeks to create a compelling vision of how STEM programming might be advanced in the next few years in the case of a significant donation.

“He was very receptive and gave us a lot of freedom,” said See. “We have had a great working relationship with him.”

The Conrads’ donation is coming at the perfect time. SLUH opened the Costigan Innovation

Lab only five years ago, in 2019, a major step in the expansion of its STEM curriculum, and has since incorporated a few different programs. And now more than ever, with the current faculty within the Science, Math, and Computer Science Departments, SLUH is wellpositioned to take full advantage of such a gift.

“There was an orientation at the school that this was important, and already a foundation was being laid,” said Conrads. “If there hadn’t been any orientation towards STEM when I first met with Kevin (Foy) and the faculty here, it wouldn’t have been exciting for me.” “(Bob Conrads has) been just such a cool partner and such a wonderful guy,” said Assistant Principal for Academics Kevin Foy. “It feels right, like the Holy Spirit is driving this, because a bunch of things are all lining up together. When that many things work out, you have to believe it’s supposed to happen, that God wants this to happen.”

“He came in and his vision meshed with our mission,” said See. “Bob (Conrads) is a grad, so he knows about the fabric of values that are part of this institution.”

With the donation in place, the sky’s the limit for SLUH’s future in STEM. Ultimately, the SLUH community is incredibly grateful for the gift from the Conrads—it will not only improve STEM at SLUH, but also maintain SLUH’s mission of making Jesuit education available to all. The gift will allow the STEM program to grow and be sustained over time with endowed funds.

“The cool thing about this is that it’s endowing the existence of the program. Future students will get the benefits of this really cool, robust program, and for all intents and purposes, they don’t have to pay for it,” said Foy. “This one enormous

gift goes on in perpetuity.”

“We are very grateful to Bob and Sherry Conrads for their incredible generosity. Their transformational gift represents the largest donation to a specific program in SLUH history and will further distinguish our robust STEM program. It will also advance our Jesuit tradition of making a premier education accessible to young men from all walks of life, regardless of economic circumstances,” said President Alan Carruthers in an official statement.

For the coming year, the main circle drive south of the Si Commons that was previously named the Class of ’63 Way will be renamed the Conrads Way in appreciation of the couple, per a sign at the bottom of the hill.

By investing in the SLUH community, the Conrads express their belief in the promise of the future of SLUH and their desire for the next generation to be able to thrive.

“For the Conrads to give us this gift is a profound statement of theological virtues of faith, hope, and love in what we are doing,” said Principal Matt Stewart, SJ. “It is them saying, ‘I have faith that what was promised will come to fruition.’

So, they are investing their faith in our community, but also this deep hope that (their program) will come to reality. Also love is a big part of (this gift). They both love the school.

Bob loved his experience here, and he wants to make sure other kids have that experience. What they are doing is deeply Eucharistic and full of thanksgiving. I’m incredibly grateful to Bob and Sherry for their great generosity and their belief in what we’re doing here at SLUH.” “There are few things in life that are more joyful than being able to make contributions like this that impact the life of so many young men,” said Sherry Conrads.

The Conrads in the Innovation Lab.

photo | Will Linhares