Print Version: WG ECHO September 2019 Issue

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Velten aims to keep moving ‘towards success’ pg. 7

Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Elise Keller PRINT EDITOR: Lindsey Bennett JUNIOR EDITOR: Jaden Fields BUSINESS MANAGER: Zora Thomas VIDEO EDITOR: Ethan Weihl SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER/ GRAPHICS EDITOR: Zeke La Mantia NEWS/ OPINION EDITOR: Elise WilkeGrimm FEATURE/ ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Emily Stisser PODCAST EDITOR: Maeve Taylor ADVISOR: Donald Johnson SOME MATERIAL FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE The Echo is a monthly publication of the newspaper staff of Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Avenue, Webster Groves, MO. To contact staff members, call 314-963-6400 ex. 11157 or write to wgecho@wgmail.org.

Unsigned editorials are the opinion of a majority of staff members; signed articles are the opinion of the writer.

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Students walkout to raise climate change awareness Teacher is finalist for Presidential award School begins ‘late start Mondays’ New space merges coffee, school spirit Law requires change in school calendar Men’s cross country celebrates early success Four Varsity teams feature freshman players New coaches aim to continue past excellence New program facilitates student-created businesses Teachers share pre-teaching experience ‘It Chapter 2’ captures audiences fears, emotions ‘Lover’ marks the dawn of a seasoned era Sleep deprivation has lasting effects on teens Classroom decorations affect student’s learning Major corporations called to protect customers, take stand ECHO Editorial Policy Willie’s Comic

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Letters to the editor of 300 words or less are welcome; submit letters by the 10th of the month to wgecho@wgmail.org, or room 155.

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The Echo has the right to edit letters for publication as long as intent remains unchanged.

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Echo Family The Echo Family helps make the Echo possible. To become a member of the Echo Family, please contact wgecho@wgmail. org. Thanks to all of our members!

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Aerin Johnson Keillyn Johnson Terri Riutcel Melanie Bennett Cover Cutline: Junior Julian Tilford heads the ball on Aug. 31. The team defeated Glendale 4-1 on the SLUH Field.

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7 12 Table of Contents | September 2019

Students walkout to raise climate change awareness Jaden Fields Junior Editor Students held a walkout to raise awareness of climate change during fourth hour at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20.

The walkout was organized via a GroupMe created by the student organizers, seniors Ashley Cimerolli and Patrick Lee. The chat contained over 350 students, all sharing ideas on posters, chants and scheduling.

One concern voiced by students in the GroupMe was the issue of punishment if they participated in the walkout. As of now, students with an unexcused absence due to the protest will receive detention before or after school.

“As with any school absence, any work missed will be the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher in the effort to mitigate their absence. Teachers should take attendance, and if a student chooses to attend a demonstration, it will be marked as an unexcused absence and would fall under the attendance policies and procedures of WGHS,” principal Dr. Irvin said via email.

The students congregated outside of the senior entrance and marched up Lockwood Avenue to City Hall where they had speeches, chants and a “die in.”

Webster’s strike was one of many in conjunction with the movement “Fridays for Future organization,” organized by Swedish 16-year-old Greta Thunberg.

Thunberg has helped show young people that despite their age, they can still play a major role in protesting and politics.

During the march, Lee was equipped with a megaphone and led the group of teens in chants.

“I’ve seen things on social media, and the news about what’s going on. . . and I really felt like it’s an important and powerful issue that really urgently needs to be addressed, and I couldn’t get it off my mind and when the State of the World climate strike popped up across social media I thought that was a great way to get the ball rolling,” Lee said.

Other speakers were seniors Quinn Coffman and Elise Keller.

Bystanders in their cars or on bikes cheered the students on, many taking

September 2019 | News

Photos by Jaden Fields

Students walked out of school to City Hall at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20, to raise awareness for climate change. Patrick Lee was among several to give a speech. out their phones to record the event. One driver honked and held out of their car window a sign reading “women scientists against climate change.”

Students had homemade signs urging people to recognize the severity of climate change.

“We Will Go Back 2 School The Moment You Start Listening To Science + Give Us A Future,” one sign read. “I’m Sure The Dinosaurs Thought They Had Time Too,” another sign, held by junior Lilian Maynor read.

Mayor Gerry Welch and council member Laura Arnold also spoke.

Arnold was pleased with the student or-

ganized walkout. “[The protest was] fantastic. One of the students who spoke on what action really is and talked about how you need to move past social media. This gets people to pay attention to the message that you have, and I think it’s incredibly important that the generation that’s going to be most impacted by this is the one leading the way,” Arnold said.

The walkout lasted from the commencement of fourth period and ended shortly before the hour ended, and students were rounded into the auditorium before the end of the hour as they got back to the school.

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Teacher is finalist for Presidential award Ethan Weihl Video Editor

Math teacher Jessica Haskins is one of two finalists from Missouri for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

“I was pretty excited and couldn’t contain myself,” Haskins said about receiving the award Any math or science teacher in the U.S. can apply for the award. According to the National Science Foundation website, each state selects up to three finalists to receive recognition and to forward on to the national level. Winners are recognized at a dinner in November.

Fellow math teacher Susan Riegel commented on how hard of a worker Haskins is. “She gets here before school starts and stays later,” Riegel said.

Riegel also talked about how much Haskins’ teaching style has evolved over the years. “Ms. Haskins has grown very much in her career here… Now she’s shifted more to ‘what can I do to get kids to understand.’”

Haskins agreed.

“I love for kids to play with math,” Haskins said. “I love to have kids explore, discover, talk about math.”

Haskins said she is “not 100 percent sure what the next steps are.”

At the national level, the NSF selects two finalists from each state to receive the award. Recipients of the award receive a paid trip to Washington D.C., a $10,000 award from the NSF and a certificate signed by President Donald Trump.

Photo by Angela Thompson

Math teacher Jessica Haskins is congratulated by Dr. Matt Irvin on being a finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

However, selection at the national level takes a long time.

“There are still people from 2017 who don’t know if they are national winners yet, so I’m not holding my breath,” Haskins said.

School begins ‘late start Mondays’ Jaden Fields Junior Editor Starting this year, Webster will implement late start days. On a typical school day, classes start at 7:55 a.m., but with the new procedure they will start at 8:57 a.m. on some Mondays.

This policy was put into place after meetings with different teams over the school.

“We did it in conjunction with our leadership team, our teacher team, and through the board of education,” Matt Irvin explained.

The idea was pulled from a few different schools which had implemented a similar type of routine in an effort to help students with rest and give teachers extra time in the mornings to collaborate with fellow teachers and to get ready for their day.

All late start days will take place on Mondays.

First semester, the dates for the late start days will be Aug. 19, Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30, Oct. 7, 14 and 21, Nov. 11 and 18, and Dec. 9.

The idea was initially proposed to teachers around last year during staff meetings.

German teacher Brent Mackey looks forward to the extra time to work with his fellow teachers. “We’ve been wanting time in

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Photo by Donald Johnson

Social studies Zach Smith welcomes junior Tristan Denholm at the senior entrance to the first day of classes. our department to kind of align our lessons so we could teach similar sort of things,” Mackey said.

News | September 2019

New space merges coffee, school spirit Lindsey Bennett Print Editor When students run in to grab their morning caffeine fix, they can now browse shelves and racks of spirited clothing and merchandise.

The collaboration between the Parents Club and Special School District (SSD) combines the Spirit Store and Coffee Shop into one place near the Drama Hallway.

“It’s a much larger space with better flow and the Parent Club did an amazing job of decorating the space,” SSD teacher Emily McEntire said.

Parents Club volunteers proposed the new location to allow its merchandise more visibility to students, parents and the community.

“It’s a win win to have more customers to the coffee shop and the store,” Parents Club said via text.

Parents Club fundraising goes to Students Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, Senior Scholarships and The Senior Party. “(The Coffee Shop) Supports community based instruction field trips, supplies for Functional and Vocational Skills classes (cooking activities, birthday bags materials, etc.) and scholarships,” McEntire said.

“It has been interesting to watch the sales - they have changed completely,” Parents club said.

The Coffee Shop sales are up 33 percent compared to the first five weeks of school last year. The Spirit Store has seen an increase in in-person sales.

“The volunteers who are working at the store love the new location and love having a chance to interact with the students,” Parents Club said.

The store is open 7:30-7:55 a.m. Monday-Friday and 9-10 a.m. on late-start Mondays.

Photos by Blake Kenoyer and Lindsey Bennett

Senior Katka Tractova paints a mural for the entrance of the new store. She and her sister, senior Aja Tractova, worked on the mural over summer. “A mural of Webster and what’s happening around,” Katka said about the mural’s content.

Sophomore Sydney Bond waits in line before placing her order at the coffee shop.

Law requires change in school calendar Zeke La Mantia Social Media Manager

State legislators have moved the school starting day to later in the year. Next year class will begin Aug. 24.

The later date was signed into law last summer.

School will go on as normal and teach-

September 2019 | News

ers will make new calendars and activity schedules including all 20-21 school year events.

About if the school year would end at a later date as well as starting later, superintendent John Simpson said, “ We don’t know if the school year will conclude at a later date, but it’s highly likely that it will. Unlike last year and prior years, we

no longer have to be in session for a set number of days (and minutes).”

Simpson added, “Now, schools must be in session for a set number of minutes.

Theoretically, we could extend our day by a certain number of minutes and still get out before Memorial Day.” The earliest schools will be able to start is 14 days before Labor Day.

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Men’s cross country celebrates early success

Photo provided by John Petter

Senior Charlie Teeter runs 15:39, breaking a school record, at the second meet of men’s cross country season at Blackburn Park Sept. 5.

Elise Keller Editor-in-Chief Following last season’s success, senior Charlie Teeter and the men’s Cross Country Team are looking to push harder this season.

Junior Brett Kreuger said, “So far it’s been a good start to the season. I think me and the rest of the team, especially the top guys, I think we’re all really motivated this year, and we all have big goals and dreams, not just for ourselves but for the team in general, and I think we’ve had such a great start the season it’s just making us more fulfilling those dreams.”

Coach Jon Petter began preparing the runners for the season back in June.

“It’s great because we have been running together since the beginning of Summer. The guys came together right after

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track season ran all summer. We had perfect attendance for the first three or four practices in the first couple weeks, and then we had like 95 percent of the team come to camp which is awesome,” Petter said.

“So the guys were hitting 40, 50 miles each week, and then just were able to nail workouts right from the get-go at the beginning of the season when practice started. They just really have gelled as a team, and we kind of had our goals set, worked hard over summer, and the best way to have a good team season is have a good summer,” Petter said.

The culture of the team, as well as it’s lofty goals, began over the summer.

“Petter was talking about (getting a State trophy), earlier in the summer, like way before the beginning of the season, and I was like, ‘I hope we can do it. I don’t

think we can.’ but seeing how we’ve raced already twice now and the energy at practice, I think it’s definitely something we can pull off. If people work hard enough, we have a group of guys that’s definitely capable of doing it,” Teeter said.

“Petter has big expectations for us and we just want to meet and exceed those and really just make a name for ourselves this year,” Kreuger said.

“I think our overarching goal, at least for me, is to make a name for our team and to continue the legacy of our team because at the end of the day we’re a team, we’re family, and I think our team goals should be one of the most important things,” Kreuger said.

In the first meet of the season, both JV and Varsity finished first. In the second meet, Teeter finished first and broke a school record with his time of 15:39.

Sports | September 2019

Four Varsity teams feature freshmen players Jaden Fields Junior Editor

As fall sports are coming into action, teams are finally breaking into Varsity and JV teams. It’s a rare occurrence to have a new freshman joining Varsity at the start of the season.

Of 10 fall sports with upper teams, only four Varsity teams have freshmen on them.

Traditionally, Varsity teams consist mainly of upperclassmen, so when freshmen make the cut it’s always something different.

Freshman Amelia Lumley has played field hockey since sixth grade and made Varsity her first year of high school “I didn’t really [expect to make Varsity] just because underclassmen don’t usually make Varsity or higher teams, but I kind of really thought. . . I’m not sure,” Lumley said about whether she anticipated making a higher team.

Like other athletes freshmen face obstacles. Sophomore Emerson Lack has run Varsity cross country since his freshman year.

The obstacles he faced while running were an injury and the expected rigor.

“At the end of the season I got injured, and the workouts are pretty tough so that’s always an obstacle,” Lack said.

Another issue these freshmen may face is feeling out of place

Photo by Lindsey Bennett

Varsity women’s volleyball player freshman Mary Travers communicates with her teammates on Sept. 20. The Statesmen lost to Nerinx Hall in two sets.

being the only freshman on a team of primarily upperclassmen.

“I feel like since being a freshman, it’s all like they focus on more of the upperclassmen, but I also do get a good chance of being on the team so I enjoy it,” freshman Mary Travers, who plays Varsity volleyball, said.

New coaches aim to continue past excellence Elise Wilke-Grimm Junior Editor

New coaches are put to the task of carrying on traditions and legacies while also bringing a fresh perspective to the program.

This year, coaches Tim Velton and Dan Broshears are faced with the duty of heading programs with rich histories and tight team culture. However, neither are completely new to the job of coaching at WGHS.

Tim Velten Velten is being promoted to the Varsity soccer head coach after assistant coaching for Tim Cashel for five years.

He played soccer at the University of Indiana as well as when he was a student at WGHS. Some of Velten’s goals for the season are for the team to get better everyday, have fun and to keep moving in the direction towards success.

Ben Sehr, senior on Varsity soccer team, has similar views to Velten.

“I like him; he’s a good coach. He gives me high hopes for the season,” Sehr said.

“Much will be similar to the last coach as we had many of the same ideas and philosophies. I will just be putting my own personal touch on things,” Velten said.

Growing up in Webster Groves has given Velten a more personal love for the community. He graduated from WGHS in 2002 and now works as a PE and health teacher at Avery Elementary School. Though Velten said it can be difficult coordinating sched-

September 2019 | Sports

ules with Avery and the high school, he manages and makes the time for everything.

The team this year will be 20-24 players, and it is very important to Velten to keep all of the athletes healthy and injury free.

Since Velten was a former player, in high school and college, he has a deeper understanding of how challenging it can be for the athletes. This is why having fun is a top priority, Velten said.

Dan Broshears The new women’s cross country coach will coach the sport for the first time, but Broshears has been coaching the women’s swim team for 23 years here at Webster.

Along with coaching both teams, he works in the TLC and is in charge of all the computers, printers, monitors, student accounts and more.

Broshears grew up in St. Louis and went to Eureka High School.

Broshears aims to focus more on strength training to reduce the high numbers of injury in past seasons.

“I want to ensure that we create an environment where everyone feels welcome, and we can celebrate everybody’s successes no matter how big or small,” Broshears said.

Broshears doesn’t know how he plans on being different from the previous coach, but he does intend on sending as many runners to State as he can. He does not anticipate making many changes with the swim team. Broshears plans to bring as much camaraderie and support to the team as possible in order to encourage healthy and happy athletes.

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New program facilitates st

Photo by Elise Keller

Seniors Angelina Arinze, Dana Buford and Courtney Lumpkins work in the Thrive space on Brentwood Boulevard on their non-profit, The Equipped Project. Peterson said, “It’s a whole long process to become a real and official business... and it’s fun!”

Lindsey Bennett Print Editor Former Marketing I and II teacher Kara Siebe introduced a new program for this school year that breaks down barriers of what traditional school looks like and accomplishes.

Thrive Incubator is “a unique, hands-on, experiential learning adventure by way of a business incubator facility,” according to the WGHS website.

In Thrive, students are given the tools to create their own businesses with the help of Siebe, mentors and the community.

“She’s put her heart and soul into one program to help kids really find their own creativity and bring it to life, which is great… it is so fun to be there every single day with her,” senior Jessica Peterson said about Siebe.

Currently, 21 students are enrolled in the program that is open to juniors and seniors. Students travel to an off-site location, 3232 S. Brentwood Blvd., for the first three periods of the school day.

The location does not resemble a classroom. There are cubicles, couches, meeting tables, coffee stations and everything

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found in an office.

The space allows for easy collaboration among groups. Students described plans to decorate their respective spaces with lights and artwork, further displaying the creative license given to them.

Knit Happens Seniors Mia Louise Stechschulte, Quin Dolan, Kameron Yancey and Izzy Heintz and junior Chris Hollandsworth united to create Knit Happens, a non-profit to raise money for different charities by selling knitted hats.

The group’s hand-made creations will be sold in local businesses such as Paisley Boutique, Story Seven and The Novel Neighbor.

“We make hand-knitted hats and for every hat bought, a certain amount of proceeds are donated to a local St. Louis organization,” Stechschulte said.

Each month, the hats will benefit a different cause: October for the St. Louis Breast Cancer Association, November for Gateway 180 homeless shelter and so on.

September 2019 | Feature

tudent-created businesses of music programs like band, orchestra or choir. They also are encouraged to join sports teams. The group’s non-profit allows every student an equal opportunity to pursue their chosen field.

Currently, the organization is in the stage of filling out paperwork and taking donations, which will be stored in a space donated by a community member.

The first donation drop-off took place Sept. 21, at Roberts Gym. The business hopes to be helping students before the winter sports season.

Those who are interested can follow them on Instagram for updates and donation details @equippedproject.

STL Dry Aged LLC This meat business was founded by seniors Tommy Koelling and Becca Kinworthy. STL Dry Aged LLC aims to produce and sell dry aged steaks.

Dry aging is a process that “makes it (the steak) more tender, more flavorful,” Koelling said.

So far, the business has purchased a refrigerator, a local Church has donated its FDA- approved kitchen for use, and the group has become an official LLC. Members are working to get their “Servsafe Certification,” which will allow them to legally handle food.

STL Dry Aged LLC will start by selling to friends and family before pursuing other business ventures.

Photos by Elise Keller

Seniors Noel Spatola, Claire Kellick and James Hickey finalize designs for their sticker making business, STKRZ. Senior Jessica Peterson collaborates with her group.

“When you buy hats from us, you are helping support the St. Louis community,” Stechschulte said.

Right now, the group is making the hats and working to partner with stores.

Customers can catch Knit Happens at the Webster Tackles Cancer football game and follow it on Instagram for more information @knithappens.stl.

The Equipped Project This non-profit was founded by seniors Jessica Peterson, Courtney Lumpkins, Angelina Arinze and Elaine Roberts and junior Dana Buford. The Equipped Project aims to provide donated instruments and sporting equipment to students in the district who cannot afford to purchase them.

“We take their old equipment, we take their old instruments and we clean them up then give them to new students who might want to go into that sport and might not have the money to play for that sport. Technically, we are giving students the means to go into whatever field they want,” Peterson said.

Around sixth grade, students are expected to choose from a list

September 2019 | Feature

FlyThru Seniors Jake Greer, Masen Hornberger, Carter Burton and Ethan Barrs are creating an app called “FlyThru” that allows users to view drive-thru wait times. Barrs came up with the concept last year in Siebe’s Marketing I class.

“None of us know how to code so we’re making a prototype out of publishing and photoshopping apps,” Greer said.

Currently, the seniors are searching for an individual to code the app or to buy the concept. Creating the prototype allows them to pitch their idea to those interested.

“We have mentors that help us out a lot and without them we probably wouldn’t know what to do or what any of our next steps would be,” Greer added.

STKRZ Seniors James Hickey, Noel Spatola and Claire Kellick have grouped together to create a sticker-selling business.

“We are a small business that designs, prints and sells all of our own stickers,” Kellick said.

The stickers are custom to WGHS sports, clubs, organizations, other small businesses, as well as miscellaneous fun stickers, Kellick said.

Currently, the group is in the testing process to determine sticker quality.

Kellick added the group is, “Making sure that our quality is top-notch.”

The business should be up-and-running by mid-October. Customers can follow their progress on Instagram @stkrz.stl.

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Teachers share pre-teaching experiences Elise Keller Editor-in-Chief

Whether teachers attended Webster, have been here for over 20 years or are in their first year of teaching, Webster hasn’t been their only home, and teaching hasn’t been their only job.

Before settling down, Webster Groves High School staff were world travelers, bean farmers and more.

Psychology teacher Jon Petter is now frequently called “Coach Petter” or “Mr. Petter,” but in high school, Petter was commonly known as “Pancake Boy.” “My parents owned an International House of Pancakes for 12 years. I was a cook, a host, a busser. They used to call me pancake boy in high school. They said my blood was made of syrup because I was always running practice and then go right to work at IHOP,” Petter said.

Petter worked at his parents’ IHOP from age 10 until he went to college.

“I don’t like pancakes anymore because I’ve cooked and made so many pancakes,” Petter said.

Science teacher Greg Heard traveled the world before he decided to go back to school to become a teacher.

“My most interesting one would be my first job out of college.

I went and worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as a dive instructor, and I was on their ships and worked on their islands for two years, taking people out diving and snorkeling and stuff” Heard said.

“It was fun. It was a lot of fun. When I graduated from Auburn, it was March of ‘92, and I finished my last final, and I’d already been hired by Royal Caribbean, which I didn’t really need a degree, but I had my dive instructor’s license and, and I’d had that since high school or college. So I took my last final, and I left that day and went to Atlanta, and I flew from Atlanta to New York and then across to France,” Heard said.

“I boarded their brand new ship, and I was there for about two weeks while the ship was being finished, and then we spent seven or eight days crossing to the States. We took the same crossing that the Titanic did at the same dates as the Titanic, which is kind of wild. It was rough seas,” Heard said.

“Once we got to the States we hit New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Miami, and then the ship went out of Miami was there. I stayed on that ship for a few months, five or six months, and then Royal Caribbean has a private island called Coco Cay, and I lived on that for about a year on and off. I was on a couple of other ships, and I finally just decided I’d had enough of that. I came back home and went back to school to become a teacher,” Heard said.

“It’s fun. I highly recommend it,” Heard said, “but I’m not at all upset that I left because I love teaching even more.”

Jeff Smith, Latin teacher, grew up on country farmland.

“In the summer of 1989, I was living in southern Missouri before I moved back home to St. Joe. My dad worked in agribusiness. They made vaccines for cows and horses,” Smith said.

“So to make a vaccine, you need serum, which is like a byproduct of the blood without the white blood cells. It’s kind of like a

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blood-like liquid. They had a whole truckload of frozen horse serum--like a big tractor-trailer filled with one gallon milk jugs, but they’re filled with frozen horse serum,” Smith said.

“But it had gone out of date, and legally FDA couldn’t make vaccines and stuff with like rotting, out of date blood-- it was horse blood, gallons and gallons of horse blood. They needed all these guys to basically get rid of it, and the way they got rid of it is we had to unload that tractor-trailer. We had to unload all those one gallon jugs out in a field, and then we let the sun do the work,” Smith said.

“Imagine you have a bunch of frozen milk jugs filled with

Photo provided by Greg Heard

Science teacher Greg Heard worked for Royal Carribean Cruise Lines after graduating from Auburn University.

horse blood, and they’re all frozen. We had to wait until the sun thawed them out. Now we got putrid liquefied horse serum. Then we had to pop the jugs off, dump them into a corrugated steel tub,” Smith said.

“One guy could drive the tractor. He’d suck up the blood with this hose on the tractor, and we’d spread it out on the fields, you know like a lawn sprinkler, except it was rotten horse blood. We used it on the soybean crops. That’s probably an FDA violation, too,” Smith said.

“We had to dump all those drugs out, and I was a little wimpy, 4 foot 11, 100-pound weakling at the time, so I was so d*** sore after the first date from like doing the Farmer Walk with those one-gallon jugs and dumping them. The next day I could hardly move my arms because I was 14 and all the other guys were 16-, 18-year-olds. I was the guy that had to hose out all these jugs, empty them out and clean them. Foamy, rotten horse blood. I was cleaning out these like gallon milk jugs with a hose, and I was smelling like the sticky, rotten horse stuff. It was gross,” Smith said.

“I made like a $150 over three or four days. I bought a skateboard and never really rode it, so there’s my story. I did it for nothing,” Smith said.

Feature | September 2019

Review

‘IT Chapter 2’ captures audience’s fears, emotions

USA © 2019, San Diego Union-Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. Photo by The Patriot Ledger/ TNS.

Isaiah Mustafa as Mike Hanlon, Bill Hader as Richie Tozier, James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough, Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh and Jay Ryan as Ben Hanscom in a scene from “It Chapter 2.”

Maeve Taylor Podcast Editor “It Chapter 2” is a subversive film, capturing violence and gore and in the same breath hitting home on themes of loss, guilt and overcoming fear.

September 2019 | Entertainment

A continuation of 2017’s “It,” based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel “It,” this time following the adult lives of the “Loser’s Club.”

Taking place in 2016 (a 31-year update from the original time period), it showcases them having drifted apart over the years, all very successful in their respective fields, but also sharing similar emotional disparities.

The inciting incident of the film comes in the form of a call from home, informing each member (and the viewer) that the cycle (Pennywise attacks every 27 years) has again begun.

Periodic flashbacks throughout the film to their childhood help to give a greater context to the mentalities of each of the characters. Additionally, this helps create parallels between their literal battle with It and what they are really fighting -- their inner fears and demons.

The adult actors do a great job to create a continuity of characterization from their previous child counterparts. The pacing and length (nearly three hours) seem in contrast to the movies listed genre of horror but end up working both as an adaptation of the source material and to support the emotional drive of the film.

“It Chapter 2,” produced by New Line Cinema and Vertigo Entertainment and released by Warner Brothers, is rated R for disturbing violent content and bloody images throughout, pervasive crude language and some crude sexual material. The run time is two hours and 29 minutes.

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Stisser’s Scoop

‘Lover’ marks dawn of seasoned era

Emily Stisser Entertainment Columnist

After 15 distinguished years in the industry, Taylor Swift has yet to comply with benchmark expectations. “Lover” supports this conclusion, pervading Swift’s empire as the female sound of our time.

“I Forgot That You Existed” is the first track on Swift’s seventh studio album.

Since it’s release, fans have speculated that this title track illustrates Swift’s recent feelings regarding Karlie Kloss. Up until 2017, the pair was frequently seen frolicking around New York City, all over each other’s social media, and even on the cover of Vogue together in February 2012.

Whether or not this song spills about a friendship-breakup with Kloss, it sends a clear message to every hater, foe and fake that has wronged her. The upbeat chorus boasts, “I forgot that you existed, and I thought that it would kill me, but it didn’t,” establishing a blithe, cool tone for the rest of the 18-track lineup.

“Cruel Summer” was released solely for the purpose of midnight driving in a convertible with a new love interest, or a few best friends, but that’s just my opinion. Sound wise, this fiercely refreshing track is most similar to the general sound and feel of Swift’s sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). “Cruel Summer” is the indisputable cool girl of the album.

“Lover” was the fourth single released prior to the album. It quickly captured the hearts of those familiar with Swift since her teen love songs, delivering a similar sound to her universal ballads.

Similar to a dreamy love letter, this track personifies Swift and boyfriend Joe Alwyn’s private relationship of three years. It feels somewhat like a more mature version of falling utterly in love. This song was written and composed solely by Swift, as are most of the album’s more personal songs.

Reported by On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Swift said, “That’s the song I wrote alone, and it was one of those songs that just freely… I just somehow wrote this song really quickly in the middle of the night at my piano and all of a sudden I knew that was the title of the album.”

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“My personal favorites are tracks nine and 10, “Cornelia Street” and “Death By A Thousand Cuts.” The personal lyricism, unique sound and cohesive quality of the songs have designated them as clear standouts.

Simply said, “London Boy” is an ode to her British better half, Alwyn. In connection to earlier track “Lover,” “London Boy” provides an inside illustration to the couple’s private life in London. First describing her love life in the States, Swift proceeds to confesses her apparent love for her Brit and his hometown. In the 11th track Swift says, “And now I love high tea, stories from uni and the West End.” Quick to receive backlash, “ME!” was the lead single for Swift’s seventh studio album released in late April. The elementary track featuring Bredon Urie of Panic!

At the Disco did not highlight Swift’s history of award-winning songwriting.

Although it is one of my personal least favorite tracks on the album, it did exactly what she needed it to do business-wise. A fun, upbeat, simple song like “ME!” successfully boosted initial radio play while broadcasting the release of her upcoming album. It almost got so much attention because it was so bad. Although it was not a brilliant paradigm of her songwriting genius, it was a marketing power-move.

The 18th and final track on the album is certainly not the least. This honest piece, again written and composed by Swift alone, portrays itself as an open confession of the evolving human Swift was, is and hopes to be. After spending the past 10 plus developmental years in stardom, it is important, even crucial, that the artist takes time to reflect, process, and look back, hence “Daylight.”

“Lover” closes with 13 seconds of silence; I believe this element serves as a homage to the past 13 remarkable, fierce and indescribable years of Swift’s career.

Just two days following its release, “Lover” became 2019’s best selling album in the United States. The album also had the most first-week sales of any album after just one day.

In the past, Swift has routinely released higher priced deluxe albums, including bonus tracks or special features alongside standard versions. Instead, Swift set “Lov-

Photo from www.TaylorSwift.com

Taylor Swift released her seventh studio album, “Lover,” on Aug. 23, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

er” apart as a precise labyrinth of songs fans have needed the past two years. Swift leveled the playing field for all listeners.

“Lover” also comes at the wake of Swift’s masters being sold to Scooter Braun of Capitol Records.

Until this year, Swift had remained with the Nashville-based label she had signed with at age 15, Big Machine Records. Big Machine was sold to Capitol Records for $300 million.

Swift described the situation as the “ultimate betrayal” and “her worst nightmare,” explaining how she had felt targeted by Braun via his connection with adversary Kanye West.

“Lover” is technically the first album Swift fully owns, making its success, praise, and exposure that much more meaningful.

Jack Antonoff, songwriter, lead singer of the indie pop band Bleachers, and coproducer on many of Swift’s past songs maintained a prominent role in the newly released album. Antonoff co-produced eight songs on “Lover,” Antonoff and Swift’s various collaborations have triumphed a unique, distinctive style. The pair has worked on over 20 songs together over the past six years.

“Lover” is the perfect redemption of Swift’s career, inspiring a new era of music on the eve of her 30th birthday.

“Lover” is available on all streaming services and can be digitally purchased for $11.99.

Entertainment | September 2019

Op-Ed

Sleep deprivation has lasting effects on teens This contributes to the ability to retain information and work more efficiently in class.

Having to choose between finishing a homework assignment and getting a healthy amount of sleep is a constant struggle for most teens.

This survey also shows only 30 percent of respondents report feeling well rested at school, but homework and work aren’t the only things to blame for losing sleep since a large number of students blame not being able to fall asleep on be© 2018. Distributed by the Tribune Content Agency. Photo from Tribune News Service ing on their phones.

It is very important for Elise Wilke-Grimm teens to get the appropriate amount of sleep every night, and News/Opinion Editor there are lots of different ways to improve this. Practicing time management and spending time on what is most important is a High school students suffer from sleep deprivation everyday, good way to start. sometimes without even noticing it. Lack of sleep directly affects the brain’s ability to retain memories, hold focus and concentration, and depletes motivation, according to med.stanford.edu.

According to an Echo poll of 41 respondents, Webster students get five-seven hours of sleep. Seeing as the recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is eight-10 hours of sleep a night, that’s roughly a night of sleep lost every week. This negatively impacts the brain’s ability to perform normally. It causes mental lapses that affect memory and visual perception.

The American Psychological Association said memory loss shouldn’t start increasing for adults until the late 40s, but it occurs in the youth quite frequently. The brain cells are not able to communicate clearly with each other. Shortage of sleep as well as the non stop cycle of activities invite anxiety and depression in to play.

The chronic sleep deprivation exhibited in the average teen doesn’t only have immediate negative effects on the body and brain but also future effects. Chronic lack of sleep can increase the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, stroke, heart failure and other fatal diseases.

The survey showed teens don’t get enough sleep due to the stress of life. With everything always piling up, losing sleep is understandable. Between school, work, social events and applying for colleges there is no wonder why sleep gets put on the bottom of the to do list when everything else seems so important.

Most students tend to fall into a regular sleep pattern on school nights, which makes the occasional late start days all the more helpful. Another ECHO poll of 36 respondents showed having the option to wake up an hour later tends to leave students feeling more well rested, according to 83 percent of the respondents.

September 2019 | Opinion

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Op-Ed

Classroom decorations affect students’ learning teacher Nicholas Kirschman’s room.

Class rules are a necessity to keeping a classroom looking neat all throughout the year. Not allowing any food to be left after classes makes the clean up process easier.

Some students view rules as a way to strictly control student behavior when those rules are really made to better the environment of the class.

However, allowing students to cook or eat in classrooms can make them more involved.

Many factors can affect how students learn in classrooms.

However, what really makes the classroom is the teacher and stuPhoto by Addie Palmquist dents and the dynamic between Students in a survey responded, “The lights are always turned low with relaxing music the two, which is enhanced by the being played,” about English teacher Katie Guymon’s classroom. classroom’s decor.

Zora Thomas Business Manager Classroom decor is a valuable part of every students’ education. The amount of comfort, decorations and seat arrangement can all either help distract or focus students on their work.

In Marzano’s Dimensions of Learning, the first dimension is positive attitudes and perceptions of learning. This includes experiencing a sense of comfort and order in the classroom and in life in general.

“The Dimensions of Learning Trainers Manual” by Robert Marzano and Debra Pickering said, “A student’s sense of comfort in the classroom is affected by such factors as room temperature, the arrangement of furniture and the amount of physical activity permitted during the school day.”

In an Echo poll of 36 responses about what students like most about teachers’ classrooms, one student said, “It has dynamic seating and lots of open space, so it doesn’t feel crowded” about English teacher Melissa Rainey’s classroom.

Another student said, “It is very spacious, and the lights are always turned down low with relaxing music being played” about English teacher Katie Guymon’s classroom.

Comfort in the classroom comes in many forms, such as furniture in addition to the standard classroom desks and seats; an example of this is couches or beanbags. Along with comfortable seating, decorations like paintings, candles, etc. can help with the aesthetic of the room.

Each classroom is different, not only because of the decor, but also because of the environment that the students are in. A relaxing environment combined with the comfort of the classroom best prepares a student for learning.

A third respondent said, “It’s relaxing and easy-going...there’s a spot to make tea, there are blankets...” about social studies

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Photo by Addie Palmquist

Mugs, a kettle and condiments line the back counter of Nicholas Kirschman’s classroom.

Opinion | September 2019

Op-Ed

Major corporations called to protect customers, take stand

Photo by Herika Martinez/AFP/Getty Images/TNS

People hold their mobile phones with flash on during a vigil in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, after a mass shooting that left 20 people dead in El Paso, Texas. A new survey shows both gun owners and non-gun owners support measures that would reduce gun violence.

Emily Stisser Entertainment Editor Over a month ago, a mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart left 22 dead, 24 injured and an entire community broken.

The domestic terrorist attack, carried out by a white gunman, occurred on the morning of Aug. 3.

In response to the tragedy, Walmart made the executive decision to remove all violent imagery and video from all locations on Aug. 9. This choice is incredibly ironic, considering Walmart is one of the leading gun and ammunition sellers in the world, according to CNN. According to NPR, all employees have since been ordered “to remove marketing material that displays violent imagery and to unplug or turn off video games consoles that show violent games.”

Employees were additionally instructed to verify that screens in electronic departments do not display violence, like hunting videos or questionable advertisements.

“We’ve taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week,”

September 2019 | Opinion

spokeswoman Tara House told The Associated Press, according to NPR. Additionally, USA Today reported, “This action does not reflect a long-term change in our video game assortment,” according to House.

In the wake of the shooting, gun control advocates and those affected have agreed that the discontinuation of violent imagery seems unrelated and has no immediate impact on the problem. The company needs to address the access to guns they have historically provided.

Despite the fact that Walmart stopped selling assault-style rifles in 2015, the company only began to require those purchasing a weapon to be at least 21 years of age just last year.

Although this is a problem the U.S. has not always had to deal with, it should be expected that businesses can evolve to encourage the safety and preservation of American lives.

Despite the fact that Walmart was quick to initially implement the controversial move, the company’s current actions have reflected more thought concerning the is-

sue.

As of early September, Walmart made the initiative to end all handgun ammunition sales. They have additionally urged customers not to openly carry guns into their stores.

This action has inspired a movement, soon joined by several large-scale organizations. Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Meijer, Aldi and Publix are just a few of the major corporations that have since banned open carry.

This measure includes all store locations, overshadowing states that continue to allow open carry, such as Missouri, Texas, Iowa and more.

Walmart has also asked Congress to pursue increased gun control efforts.

Other major corporations are called to take a stance regarding gun control in their stores. Companies around the nation have the relative power to regulate guns under their rules.

Taking a stand, such as changing open carry policies, shows a concern for our nation while upholding the utmost responsibility to protect customers.

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ECHO Editorial Policy The ECHO is published monthly by the WGHS newspaper staff and serves as a public forum for its readers, providing an accurate, unbiased report of news affecting them and a forum for opinions of students, faculty and parents.

The ECHO staff has established as editorial policy that: 1) Obscene, racist, sexist and libelous material will not appear in the ECHO. 2) The ECHO staff and adviser are the only individuals who have the right to review the content of the ECHO prior to publication.

3) The ECHO will attempt to be fair, impartial, accurate, truthful and responsible when presenting ideas to its readers.

4) The ECHO will make a clear distinction between fact and opinion.

5) All articles and graphics except editorials (which represent the opinion of the majority of the staff), news briefs and clip art will have the authors identified with bylines unless it is written by a contributing writer who, for reasons of privacy, wishes to remain anonymous. Collaborated articles will have bylines of all who participated in the writing and researching of the articles.

6) Subject matter and opinions in signed op-ed articles will be considered those of the signer and not necessarily those of the Echo staff, the WGHS faculty or the Webster Groves School District.

7) Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of a majority of Echo staff members.

8) Issues considered controversial will be covered with the approval of the editors and the adviser. Staff members will not focus on controversial topics solely for the creation of news or self-publicity.

9) All articles, graphics, photos, art, columns, pages, reviews and other material creatively conceived, with exception to staff editorials, news briefs, mug shots and cut-outs will be bylined with the producer’s or contributor’s name.

For graphic bylines, producers will be signified with “Photo/ Graphic by…,” contributors and materials used under Fair Use will be signified with “Photo/Graphic from…” and graphics used with permission of the copyright owner will be signified with “Photo/Graphic courtesy of…”

All bylined writers will be held accountable for their work.

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When more than one person has contributed creatively to a piece of work, any person who has contributed to the work must be bylined as a producer.

Content used from Tribune News Service will be credited as directed by the ECHO’s agreement with it: End of cutline: “© 2018, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency.”

Photo and graphic credits shall include the name of the originating publication followed by a slash, then Tribune News Service. For example: Photo credit: Miami Herald/Tribune News Service 10) Any current student, staff member, faculty member or building administrator who dies during the year will be recognized in the ECHO in the form of a 300-400 obituary with factual information (date of birth, date of death, survivors, organizations, hobbies, interests) and one photo if possible. The ECHO will be sensitive to the feelings of the deceased’s family and will treat all deaths with taste and respect. Cause of death will be included if the majority of the staff feels it is necessary to the story.

11) Letters to the Editor are welcome and will be printed so long as there is room and timing permits. The ECHO reserves the right to edit letters, as long as the intent is unchanged. Letters must be signed; names may be withheld from publication if requested. Letters containing obscenity, racism, sexism, libel or personal attacks will not be printed.

12) Recognizing the value of statistical information to report on cultural and societal norms, the ECHO will conduct periodic polls. The ECHO will always report the scope of the survey (number, timeframe, breakdown), and will not require the names of respondents. Each survey is to have the following reminder: “Participation in all ECHO surveys is voluntary.”

13) Online comments will require a verifiable name and email address. Online comments that are found in violation of the editorial policy and spam will be removed as quickly as possible.

14) All noteworthy errors in the ECHO will be corrected in the following issue.

15) Proper channels will be followed in order to obtain permission to use copy-righted material.

16) The ECHO is not a public relations vehicle for WGHS nor the Webster Groves School District.

Editorial Policy/Comic | September 2019