October 2014 U-Times

U. City High School 7401 Balson Ave. University City, MO 63130

NEWS MAGAZINE

U-Times October 2014 Volume 25, Issue 1

During the Homecoming pep rally, the field hockey team participates in a tug-of-war match against the girls volleyball team. “I wanted to win this for our coach,” said Mia Hicks-Thomas, junior. “I took this very seriously because the field hockey team is very competitive.”

In this issue

Opinion • “Good hair”

2

News

• Top 5 to do list • Ferguson

3

4-6 Homecoming • Dance, 4-5 • Parade & pep rally, 6

7

Features • Robotics competition • Maroon 5 review

2 2014-2015 U-Times Staff

Co-Editors: Lily Lewis-Stump & Alice Mutrux Associate Editor/Web Editor: Christine Politte Staff Writers/Photographers: Brooklyn Bass Francene Bethune Hannah Fuller Johanna Hill Barbara Mulser Daniel Williamson Adviser Mrs. Mary Williams

Philosophy

The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of the issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. While establishing U-Times as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decision-making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper. Inasmuch as the student staff encourages constructive criticism of any part of the newspaper, authority for content rests in the hands of the student members of the newspaper staff. Students will not publish material considered to be legally unprotected speech, or libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process, copyright infringement, or unwarranted invasion of privacy.

Contact Us We are located in Room 346 at University City High School, 7401 Balson Ave., University City, MO 63130. Our email address is marywilliams@ucityschools.org.

Tweet us or follow us on Instagram @utimesonline.

Policies Opinions expressed on the editorial page do not reflect the viewpoints of the school administration. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board. Signed editorials, columns, editorial cartoons, and reviews reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the U-Times Editorial Board. The U-Times reserves the right to reject, edit, or shorten letters. Submit letters to Mrs. Mary Williams in Room 346, or to any U-Times staff member, or to marywilliams@ucityschools.org.

OPINION

U-Times October 2014

SPLITTING HAIRS: Go natural or wear weave? #TeamNatural

By Brooklyn Bass Staff Writer Recently, the use of an old term has been brought back to popularity. Those who refuse to put chemical relaxers in their tightly curled hair are calling themselves “natural.” They are not the first to do so. In fact, during the late ‘60s and ‘70s African Americans who rocked the afro created the term. For them, being natural was not just about the decision to refrain from using chemical straighteners in the hair, but to promote black pride and to rebel against European beauty standards.

Contrary to the natural hair movement of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, those who say they are “going natural” today are doing it for a variety of reasons. Some actually have come to the realization that relaxers are detrimental to a person’s health.

“Relaxers have no true purpose,” said Robert Perkins, star of the controversial YouTube channel DaREVOLUTIONARYWitDaTattoos. He explains that unlike wigs that may help with covering up hair loss, relaxers are purely used for simply straightening the hair. “Relaxers are actually damaging to the hair and scalp. It also handicaps healthy hair growth,” Perkins said.

Unfortunately, relaxers pose a larger risk to the body.

According to Fox News-Atlanta, there may be a link between fibroids and chemical straighteners. This is not to mention that relaxers pose as a potential cancer risk and are the cause of burned scalps and extreme hair loss for many women. These facts are alarming, especially when considering that children as young as three or five years old have the treatment applied to their scalps.

The dangers of curl relaxation have kept junior Regina Artisan from chemically straightening her hair. “I like my hair to grow,” Artisan said.

While some embrace their curls for health reasons, others find that unlike popular belief, straighter hair is not always better.

“I have no need to straighten my hair,” said junior Christion Simmons. “I never saw a need to straighten it.”

According to Perkins, the need to assimilate into whitedominated society has led to the popularity of relaxers among black people.

“People are programmed by the media,” Perkins said.

“Corporations are often driving relaxers and straighter styles to make more money. The more they can make us hate ourselves, the more money they can make. Money is the bottom line.”

The growing number of naturals has hurt many corporations who rely on their curl relaxation products to make a profit. In fact, Dark and Lovely, the famous hair care line for providing relaxers, just launched a new natural hair collection of hair products in March. The need to keep up with a new wave of curlies has many retailers like Target adopting natural hair care lines into their inventory. The new changes might make wearing one’s natural kinks a new beauty norm.

Nevertheless, Simmons does not think poorly on people who decide to rock a straighter style every once in a while. If the sleek look is what one might be looking for, he advises to straighten the hair without chemicals.

“Don’t use heat all the time. It can damage your hair,” Simmons said.

When considering taking the step to banish the relaxer, Perkins suggests a person should embrace the curl without hesitation.

“Don’t think about it,” Perkins said. “That’s extra. Just be natural.”

#TeamUnnatural

By Jaidah Kirksey Guest Writer Braids, sew-ins, dread-locks--all are common hairstyles in today’s modernized society that take on the term “non-natural.” Non-natural doesn’t necessarily mean that we despise our own natural hair; we just simply enjoy the fact that we can do any and everything we want to our heads, in an easier way.

A lot of celebrities rock the not-so-natural look, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Ciara and Kim Kardashian. Some others, however, choose to wear weaves and braids to help their hair grow faster. Some do it for fashion reasons, like me. Dyeing my hair wouldn’t make “mama so proud,” now would it? So to express myself while making her happy, I get weave and dye it in the color I want, or just get a weave in that color. Now everyone’s happy.

Hair isn’t just about how good it looks. It’s an expression of yourself and who you are, and people should be able to do anything they want to their heads, whether it’s wearing weave or going natural. For a variety of reasons, many students at U. City wear weave over their natural hair.

“I prefer weave because it’s easier to manage,” said junior Symone Little.

Taking care of natural hair takes time. With natural hair you have to wrap your hair every night so it doesn’t get messed up, especially if you’re a heavy sleeper like me. In the morning you would also have to touch-up your hair, like re-flat iron it or re-curl it. People who wear their natural hair also have to wash it often, more frequently than those with weaves.

“I like weave because dealing with my hair is way too much,” junior Cayla Johnson said.

Dealing with my natural hair is also sometimes a hard thing to do. At 6 am, I am already rushing to make it to my bus, but wait, I still have to do my hair! It’s just way too much, and having weave makes it so much easier. Some people just don’t have the patience that motivate those in favor of natural hair. Unfortunately, the debate with team natural versus team weave will never be settled. Wear weave if you want to and wear your natural hair if you want to, because in the end, you’re doing what you want to do and that’s all that counts!

NATURAL

JUSTICE CORN, SOPHOMORE “I have the hair, so I just like how it is. Having natural hair is a lot to deal with. I have a lovehate relationship with it, but I like it [more]. It’s just me.”

vs

UNNATURAL

ERICKA GUNN, SOPHOMORE “Adding the extensions or whatever, you can change it up and do things you can’t do with natural hair. Having natural hair, you’re just stuck with what you’ve got. There’s a lot of different styles you can do [when your hair isn’t natural].”

NEWS

U-Times October 2014

3

Ferguson protests reignite historical racial tensions

By Christine Politte Associate Editor/Web Editor In August, 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black, was killed by white police officer Darren Wilson. The combination of preexisting tensions and anger over the handling of the investigation resulted in days of protests, riots and looting. The incident raised a variety of issues, ranging from racial biases to police militarization.

It has been thrust into the national and international spotlight, decried as “shocking” by the New York Times, stltoday.com, and many more.

But Ferguson is far from being a one-of-a-kind incident, according to Mr. McAnulty, social studies teacher.

“This is not new. It has happened time and time again in history,” he said, pointing to a number of similar incidents over the years.

In 1917, race riots broke out in East St. Louis after competition for jobs between whites and blacks built up tension.

Similar tensions existed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, when news of a black teenager allegedly attacking a white woman led to the destruction of a wealthy black neighborhood and at least 50 deaths.

In 1965, the six-day Watts Riots in Los Angeles began after an African American man was mistreated at a traffic stop, resulting in 34 deaths.

After the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr, in 1968, riots broke out across the country, once again at a time of great tension.

And 22 years ago, the beating of Rodney King, a black man, by white police officers spurred another five days of rioting in Los Angeles.

The riots only stopped with the deployment of federal troops and the National Guard after 53 deaths, according to cnn.com.

“It’s a process,” said McAnulty. “There wasn’t any direct change from one specific event. What you see is over time, you see a lot of civil rights legislations being passed. Anti-lynching laws, voting rights act, anti-discrimination

Is it all because I’m a black guy?

By Payton Bass Guest Writer In recent years, the NAACP has cautioned that black males are filling up prisons nationwide in disproportionate numbers, comprising 1 million out of the total 2.3 million incarcerated. In fact, blacks are more likely to be charged, tried and convicted than their white counterparts for equal offenses. If the current trend continues, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black males born today can expect to spend time in prison during his lifetime.

“People of my race worked to build this society in a way to control minorities, and it really worked,” said freshman David White, who is white.

According to the ACLU, “racial profiling” refers to the discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion and national origin.

“Oftentimes, negative stereotypes are attributed to African Americans,” said Mrs. Pritchard, A+ and community service coordinator.

Black males are not only “racially profiled” in our society, but also at school. According to the Center

For American Progress, students of color face harsher punishments in school than their white peers. Black students represent more than 70 percent of those involved in schoolrelated arrests or referrals to law enforcement. Currently, African Americans make up two-fifths of confined youth today.

“It’s easier to be white, there’s white privilege,” Daniel Pomerantz, freshman, said. “I see it at school all the time. I could get away with a lot more than black kids.”

“White privilege” is a term for societal advantages that benefit white people beyond what is commonly experienced by non-white people in equal social, political, or economic circumstances. In the education setting, white privilege can be leveraged to get into advanced classes. The lack of numbers of black male students enrolled in honors classes at U. City can be attributed to not only white privilege, but circumstances outside of it.

“There are a lot of factors that determine where students are in high school,” Mrs. Kravitz, counselor, said.

“And some of it comes from within the individual. Maybe not feeling they belong in an honors class. Or ‘being smart’ is not for them. And

laws—these all came about because of these historical events.”

Ferguson, McAnulty, said, is a part of this process, although it’s unclear exactly how large of a lasting impact it will have.

Some reforms have already resulted from Ferguson, including the creation of a state Office of Community Engagement in September by Governor Nixon.

According to stltoday.com, the office is meant to target the unique issues faced by lowincome and minority communities like Ferguson.

Additionally, Attorney General Eric Holder announced in a press conference Sept. 4 that he was opening a civil rights investigation in Ferguson.

“As these efforts unfold, my colleagues and I will keep working with the people in Ferguson to ensure that a fair, thorough investigation occurs, to see that dialogue can be translated into

TOP

5 TO

concrete action, and to facilitate lasting, positive change,” said Holder.

Although Holder is stepping down from his position, the investigation is expected to continue.

Mr. Cloud, math teacher, doubts that Ferguson will be the last incident of its kind. Until people learn to take their time to analyze all the facts, he said, “sadly, this situation is going to rise again.”

Senior Cameron Keys is also not optimistic that Ferguson will result in any lasting changes, or even that the accused police officer will face justice. “[Wilson]’s not gonna get any jail time,” said Keys. “He’s just gonna get off.

That’s how the real world works.”

McAnulty, however, is holding out hope that Ferguson could be different from its predecessors. “[Ferguson has] allowed people to have dialogue about these issues,” McAnulty said.

Without dialogue, he believes there is no chance of finding any solutions.

“I hope the dialogue remains open,” said McAnulty. “I hope that when the next news story comes along, we don’t move on.”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTINE POLITTE

DO LIST

Here are just a few things students in each grade level should focus on to make their year successful.

Freshmen 1. Get strong grades.

Sophomores

Juniors

1. Have great attendance and few tardies.

1. Increase your grade point average.

2. Get a good night’s sleep.

2. Take the ACT test.

3. Network with teachers.

3. Eat breakfast and lunch.

4. Get an early start with college planning.

4. Set aside time for homework.

3. Explore majors and careers.

2. Get involved in sports and clubs.

5. Do community service to build your resume.

5. Set achievable goals and strive to reach them.

-Ms.Kravitz -Mr.Beezley

2. Create an appropriate college list.

3. Prepare for the ACT.

4. Begin college search.

4. Do well in all senior year classes to improve GPA.

5. Become active and involved in extracurricular activities.

5. Become aware of all important application and scholarship deadlines.

-Ms. Miller

some of it comes from outside the individual, as in children not having the same educational resources to get to the point where they could be advanced.”

In America, “acting white” refers to a person’s perceived betrayal of their culture by assuming the social expectations of white society.

“We are viewed as lowintelligence beasts, instead of human beings,” Sloan Marion, senior, said.

Whites still adhere to negative stereotypes of blacks.

According to the New York

Seniors 1. Research colleges and majors.

Times, the National Opinion Research Center, a nonprofit institution at the University of Chicago, conducted face-to-face interviews with 1,372 adults nationwide. There were common negative perceptions of blacks.

Sixty-two percent thought blacks less likely to be hard-working; 53 percent thought blacks less intelligent.

“One of the biggest obstacles are negative perceptions and stereotypes about people of different races,” said Kravitz.

It could be argued that being born black and male

-Ms. Johnson

is asking to be looked at as “trouble.” According to the Daily Beast, still to this day black males elicit the most negative reactions from whites. In a 2009 survey on a question of blacks and violence, drawn from a nationally representative sample of white Americans, more than 40 percent said that “many” or “almost all” black men were violent.

“The constant negative feedback that black males receive can impact one’s selfconcept and idea of who they want to be in life,” said Kravitz.

Start

4

Home

CANDY

Homecoming Court King & Queen Omar Foster and Mychal Benson

Princes & Princesses Juniors

Caleb Herndon and Kayanna Wymbs

Sophomores Ryan Spears and Dejah Malveaux

Freshmen

Senior D’Lija Brown gets down on the dance floor to music that she usually does not listen to. “I really didn’t know any of the artists; however, the music still made me want to dance,” Brown said.

Ronnie Perkins and Kelsi Bryant

Spirit

At the dance, the homecoming queen and king, Mychal Benson and Omar Foster were announced. “I was really happy that I won homecoming queen” Benson said. “I was actually surprised because I thought I wasn’t gonna win.”

Movie Character Day

Blast From The Past

Chris McFadden, senior

Ms. Lauterborn, teacher

5

ecoming

YLAND Homecoming dance draws sweet crowd

Senior El-Shadddi Ackles hits the Nae Nae---the latest dance craze. “I thought homecoming was fun,” said Ackles. “It exceeeded my expectations because I heard negative comments about it in previous years.”

Week

By Johanna Hill Staff Writer Festive balloons, zigzagging streamers, and a colorful banner spelling out “C-A-N-D-Y-L-A-N-D” greeted guests and brightened the gym for the Homecoming dance.

The only thing that outnumbered the decorations was the amount of students in attendance: the dance drew over 400 students, more than double last year’s 170.

Getting the dance ready for that many students was not easy, according to Ms. Lauterborn, Student Council advisor.

“There was a ton of work involved,” said Lauterborn.

“Senior class decorated the gym. It took them about two days to do that. Ordering the food, the cake and the punch and all that, took a whole day.”

For junior Kayanna Wymbs, that hard work paid off and made the dance more fun than last year.

“It was a lot better,” Wymbs said. “They actually decorated the gym, and the music was better. It was just a lot of fun overall.”

Junior Korinna Brandt agrees that the music was improved.

“The DJ was better,” Brandt said. “I think they told him to stop cutting off in the middle of songs. Last year in the middle of a song, he would switch to a different song. He didn’t do that as much this year.”

Brandt said that although not everything was perfect, the food was better quality than previous years, which added to the fun of the dance.

“The cake was actually good this year,” Brandt said.

“My freshman year, it was horrible.”

LAYOUT BY BROOKLYN BASS

Wacky Tacky Day

Black & Gold Day

Alex Portnoy, sophomore

Teri Blake, sophomore Asante Robinson, senior

Finish

HOMECOMING 6 Pep rally fires up students for weekend

U-Times October 2014

By Christine Politte Associate Editor/Web Editor The halls were awash with black and gold as students with paw prints, U’s, and team numbers painted on their faces spent the day focusing more on the upcoming weekend than their schoolwork. The excitement built all day and rose to a crescendo as the pep rally kicked off the three-day homecoming weekend Sept.

18.

The event began with the entrance of the marching band and the Golden Girls, who performed to the cheers of students watching from above. Teachers stood around the edges of the bleachers, chatting with each other or watching the proceedings, stone-faced.

After a performance by the cheerleaders, complete with cartwheels and pyramids, the sports teams were called up one by one to say a few words, most calling out graduation years to a chorus of cheers and boos. Student council and class officers were sworn in, and then

students from each class were called down to the floor for a basketball shooting contest.

“The half court shot was cool,” said Brandon Scott, senior. However, he lamented that his class might have been more successful if he had participated.

Scott also enjoyed the tug-of-war, especially between the cross country and soccer teams.

The cross country team yanked the rope hard and then let go, sending the soccer team crashing to the floor.

“We knew we were gonna lose, so we had to think about a way to win by outsmarting them,” said cross country co-captain Derrick Freeman, senior.

A few minutes before 2:20, students were released from the gym, fired up for the upcoming parade, football game and dance.

“It was a lot more energetic this year,” said Tave Hollins, junior. “This pep rally was the best one in all [since] I’ve been here.”

The cheerleading squad performs a pyramid during the pep rally. “A choreographer helped us with the routine [the pyramid],” said Jillian Pritchard, junior. “We practiced it over and over leading up to the pep rally.” PHOTOS BY SLOAN MARION AND D’LIJA BROWN

Jaime Fields, junior, performs with the marching band at the pep rally. “It was energetic,” he said.

“It’s like, you can feel the energy flowing through the air.” This is Fields’s first year as drum major. “It was hard at first,” he said. “It’s still hard, but you’ve just gotta work hard to get where you want to go.”

The cross country team lets go of the tug-of-war rope, sending the soccer team tumbling. “We figured we had a very slim chance of winning, so we decided to make the most of the situation,” said senior Benjamin Pomerantz, co-captain.

Homecoming parade: Candyland comes alive

By Hannah Fuller Staff Writer

The Candyland theme gave seniors an opportunity to show off their sweet ride at this year’s homecoming parade. As the brightlydecorated senior class float headed down Delmar, Keira Duncan, senior, didn’t try to hide her school spirit. With the 32 other entries, each organization had to work hard to make their float unique.

“We worked on it on the Friday before Homecoming,” she said. “Then my friend and I went back to her house and spent the whole [rest of the] day making things like the Willy Wonka golden gates.”

For Duncan, the best part of the parade was not decorating but cheering for her class.

“It was fun,” she said. “I liked yelling at people. It was my last year and I was yelling ‘Go class 2015.’”

PHOTO BY HANNAH FULLER

U-Times October 2014

FEATURES

Study urges schools to reset starting times

Robolions claim victory at GRC The Robolions competed in their first out-of-season event on Sat., Sept.

13. The Inaugural Gateway Robotics Challenge, held at Hazelwood Central, was a competition between 25 different schools. The teams were playing the game first introduced for the 2014 FIRST Robotics Competition in which the Robolions did not place. However, this time around, the U. City team won the competition in an alliance with Kirkwood High School and Hazelwood Central High School.

-Lily Lewis-Stump, Co-Editor

R e v i e w

Maroon 5 album

By Barbara Mulser Staff Writer The brand new Maroon 5 album can be considered their most interesting album: cool pop, exciting just like the other ones, but with a technical maturity this time.

Named ‘’V,’’ they already released some singles like ‘’Maps,’’ which is already on the radio, ‘’It Was Always You’’ and ‘’Animals.’’

These three songs show us that these boys want to win the world.

Well-made lyrics, good melodies and awesome vocals by Adam Levine.

Levine was already well- known, but now, with his fixed participation on the musical reality show ‘’The Voice,’’ he has become even more popular. With Christina Aguilera who was also on ‘’The Voice,’’ he created ‘’Moves like Jagger’’ – one of the most important hits of the Maroon 5 history.

The new album starts with ‘’Maps,’’ music that represents all the Maroon 5 universe. Nice pop-rock beats, Levine gives us his great voice and a cool funky rhythm. ‘’Animals’’ is probably one of the most exciting songs of this new album.

Screaming vocals that will make the fans lose their minds on the live concerts, for sure. ‘’It Was Always You,’’ another song that shows a promise with a mix of elements that makes the good beats and pop sounds like the ‘80s.

Songs like ‘’New Love,’’ ‘’Coming Back For You,’’ the sensational ‘’My Heart is Open’’ – with Gwen Stefani – makes the album one of the most ambitious works of the band. And one of the bests albums in 2014. With a huge potential, the band offers to the fans the best album of their career.

By Johanna Hill Staff Writer Sophomore Maura Murphy, like many high school students, has a problem with staying awake in class.

She averages about six and a half hours of sleep on a school night, well below the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation of eight and a half to nine and a half hours. Her need for rest often spills over into the school day.

“I don’t actually fall asleep,” Murphy said. “I just sometimes have to lay my head down because I’m so tired.”

Murphy believes that her lack of sleep influences her performance in school.

“It affects being able to pay attention,” she said. “When I’m tired all the time, I’m not really able to focus.”

The idea that sleep deprivation causes poor academic performance is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, an association of about 62,000 pediatricians. The organization recently released a statement that urges high schools to start later in the day to combat teen sleep deprivation and other health problems.

“Studies show that adolescents who don’t get enough sleep often suffer physical and mental health problems, an increased risk of automobile accidents and a decline in academic performance,” the statement said.

The AAP recommends starting school at 8:30 a.m. or later.

“Doing so will align school schedules to the biological sleep rhythms of adolescents, whose sleep-wake cycles begin to shift up to two hours later at the start of puberty,” the organization said.

However, Mr. Maclin, principal, is skeptical.

“There are a lot of studies out there, and you can use the studies to make them prove what you want,” he said.

Maclin does not think U. City’s start time of 7:25 is a bad thing.

“The earlier you wake up, and

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the earlier you get going, especially as a teenager, the better your body responds,” Maclin said.

Murphy disagrees.

“Usually I wake up and have this burst of energy, and then I’m dead for the rest of the day,” she said.

But according to Ms. Hill, assistant principal, there are good reasons that U. City doesn’t start later.

“Logistics-wise, it’s necessary to coordinate busing, since buses are shared with all buildings,” Hill said.

“Someone has to start earlier to make the bus schedule work.”

Another concern brought up by Hill and Maclin is that extracurriculars and sports would be negatively impacted by a late start time.

“Our after-school activities would be affected,” said Maclin. “Our after school sports would be affected. We’re going to run into lack of daylight if we start later.”

Hill also worries about students being able to care for younger siblings and get to jobs.

“When high school starts early, they finish early,” Hill said. “It gives them more time to do things outside of school.”

Despite some of the issues with implementing the recommendation, Hill believes the AAP brings up a good point.

“I think it is a statement that all school districts are going to have to evaluate and reflect upon their own start times, and how it is affecting their students,” she said.

Although Hill does not know what our start times may be like in the future, she believes it is time to start thinking about them now.

“I don’t think school districts need to rush to change all of their start times, but I do think it needs to start a conversation at the district level,” she said. “I think the recommendation brings a sense of urgency to the conversation.”

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Writer/Photographer ($20 or less) Judith Fuller Anne Jay Assistant Editor ($25-$40)

Lisa Brenner and Mike Hill Matthew Tuths Jan Vieth and Dave Politte Editor-in-chief ($45-$75) Publisher ($80 or more)

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SPORTS

Tough schedule contributes to Homecoming

U-Times October 2014

Sports Shorts

players to look for Zoey Jordan, freshman, dribbles the ball down the field in the Sept. 30 game against Kirkwood. Jordan, who is on varsity, appreciates the team atmosphere at the high school level. “It’s really supportive,”she said. “Everybody’s really nice and they always help you to do better.”

-Christine Politte

Field Hockey PHOTO BY SLOAN MARION

Volleyball

Returning varsity volleyball player Raven Bullard, sophomore, is optimistic and hopeful about the end of the sport’s season.

“We’ve had some hard times,” said Bullard. “It’s been a struggle, but we’ve been getting better every game.”

-Daniel Williamson

The game kicks off with the tradition of running through the banner held by cheerleaders. “I was really excited to go to my first U. City football game,” said senior Joe Martin. “Although we didn’t win, it was still a really fun and great experience. The excitement of the students that gathered for the game made it unforgettable.“

By Lily Lewis-Stump Co-Editor School spirit ran high and black and gold was shining bright as the kickoff of the annual homecoming football game ensued. Students and players were initially optimistic about the outcome of the game against the Clayton Greyhounds. However, as the game went on, the gap in scores made a victory for U. City look bleak.

The game ended with a score of 5520 and a victory for Clayton. According to Coach Gibson, the loss was partially due to having two other games that week, on Saturday versus Parkway West and Monday against Hazelwood

East. Playing three games in eight days is rare in football and was caused by having to make up the first game of the season, which was cancelled because of temperatures over 100 degrees. After losing to Hazelwood East, offensive receiver and defensive back Mitchell Gross believes this negative result impacted the Homecoming loss.

“All of the games so close together might’ve affected it [the Homecoming loss],” said Gross. “People’s mindsets might have been altered, thinking back to the Hazelwood game or thinking ahead; we weren’t fully focused.”

Other players believe the game was such a dramatic loss due to lack of preparation. “We did not have good

preparation,” said starting linebacker, Kenneth Wilson. “You couldn’t underestimate them [Clayton]. We’re both good teams and we didn’t know what they were going to come with. We usually watch film to prepare and we didn’t have any film.”

The football team’s current record of 2-6 doesn’t mean the team can’t do well in the post-season.

“The Homecoming game was kind of hard to watch,” said senior Kerstin Morley. “I know we have a good team and talented players so I’m not worried about the rest of the season. It’s my senior year and also a lot of football players’ senior year, so we’re not giving up yet.”

Volleyball PHOTO BY KAYANNA WYMBS

With the season coming to a close, sophomore John Tschampel is making waves on the swim team, having won all of his races but one. Tschampel looks forward to continuing to improve his skills. “I’ve gotten stronger,” said Tschampel. “As I continue to swim more, I’ll get even stronger and faster.”

Swimming

-Johanna Hill

PHOTO BY CHRISTINE POLITTE Cross Country

Team captains Ronnell Perkins, Deondre Walter, Kenneth Wilson, and Pablo Lopez prepare for the game with the tradition of holding hands as they walk onto the field for the coin toss. “It shows that we are together,“ said Perkins. “We are unbreakable, like a family.“ PHOTOS BY LILY LEWIS, PERRI GRIFFITH AND SLOAN MARION

After past years with a dwindling number of participants, junior Jacelynn Allen is confident about their massive team growth comparing to previous years. “We actually have a girls team this year,” said Allen. “In past years our team struggled because of less participation from girls at U. City.

-Francene Bethune

In the first quarter of the game, U. City makes an interception. “We were going strong,” said Mitchell Gross, junior. “It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that we knew we couldn’t turn the game around.“ PHOTO BY EMILY LOOBY