WG ECHO October 2016 Issue

ECHO See page 11 for web editor Caroline Fellows’ reflections about Camp Wyman Junior Chris Moore goes up the climbing wall at Camp Wyman on Monday, Oct. 3 during counselor training.

October 2016 Volume 102 Issue 2 Photo By Page kimzey

100 Selma Ave st. Louis MO 63119 WGECHO.org

2 Pg. 3

Table of Contents

ECHO

Student journalists should be credentialed for debates Willie’s Comic

Pg. 4 Columnist throws support behind relatively unknown candidate Pg. 5 Clowns fail to ruin Halloween Pg. 6 Clark takes on third brain surgery Pg. 7 Kirkwood hosts Friendship Dance Pg. 8-9 The ECHO’s guide to the 2016 presidential election Pg. 10 Wojak lives in gingerbread house Pg. 11 Camp Wyman counselor reflects on experiences Pg. 12 Swim team off to historic start Pg. 13 21-10 volleyball goes out in Districts Cross country star wins races by minutes Pg. 14 Burton’s new fantasy builds magical home Pg. 15 Zodiac signs reveal true character Pg. 16 ECHO staff fails escape room challenge

2016-17 ECHO STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Andy Kimball JUNIOR EDITOR: Jake Collins WEB EDITOR: Caroline Fellows VIDEO EDITOR: Ashli Wagner AUDIO EDITOR: Page Kimzey GRAPHICS EDITOR: Natalie Johnson BUSINESS/ADS MANAGER: Cole Schnell CIRCULATION MANAGER: Greg Frazier OPINION EDITOR: Abby Botan NEWS/FEATURE EDITOR: Caleb Bolin SPORTS EDITOR: Bennett Durando ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Riley Mullgardt ADVISOR: Donald Johnson

SOME MATERIAL COURTESY OF AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEWSPAPER EDITORS/MCT CAMPUS HIGH SCHOOL NEWSPAPER 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 wgecho@wgmail.org.

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

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. All letters must be signed, although the name may be withheld from publication if requested. The ECHO has the right to edit letters for publication as long as intent remains unchanged.

The ECHO is a member of SSP, Quill and Scroll, MJEA, JEA, MIPA, NSPA and CSPA.

October 2016

The ECHO FAMILY The ECHO Family helps make the ECHO possible. To become a member of the ECHO Family, please contact Greg Frazier at frostymoondust@yahoo.com.

Thanks to all of our members!

Peggy Drew Smegner Kathy Whaley Curtin Family Dugan Family Jodi Richards Mary Ann & Don Schafer Thomas J. Zychinski Kurt Krautmann The Webster-Kirkwood Times Webster Groves Baptist Church

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ECHO

Opinion

Editorial

3

Student journalists should be credentialed for debates

Photo by Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/TNS

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on stage during the second debate between the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016 at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Millennials, defined as “adults between the ages of 18-35 in 2016,” now rival the Baby Boomer Generation as the biggest voting bloc by generation according to a recent report from the Pew Research Center.

Baby Boomers number about 69.7 million of the electorate while Millennials number 69.2 million.

Assuming 18 year olds make up 1/17 of the 69.2 million (from 18 to 35 there are 17 years), it would be safe to assume that some 4,070,588 eligible voters of these 69.2 million are 18 year olds, which would include high school students.

However, as the older end of the gen-

Willie’s Comic

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eration ages, more members of the generation die, so it would make sense that more than 1/17 of the generation is 18 years old.

If several million Millennials who are eligible to vote are 18 years old, then about half of them would be high school students (based on traditional age cut off by month that students start school).

High schoolers, especially 18 year olds, need to be educated on the issues and receive coverage of the election in order to make informed decisions.

However, the Commission on Presidential Debates has stifled high school journalists under 18 years of age who wish to cover the debates for their vot-

ing-eligible peers.

Mike McCurry, Chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates, said via email, “University regulations, U.S. Secret Service requirements and other restrictions don’t allow us to credential minors.”

McCurry went on to say he would make an additional inquiry for minors seeking credentials. Despite his efforts, no credentials were provided for the three ECHO staff-members who applied for them.

Student journalists cover the news and bring a take on the issues to their fellow students that a 50-year-old journalist who hasn’t been in high school for 30 years simply can’t understand.

These students have grown up alongside other students and developed with them. They have exchanged ideas and developed political beliefs together.

Professional journalists cannot and do not have the same understanding of what matters to young people as young people themselves.

To deny several million eligible voters their right to be informed by journalists their own age is a travesty. Furthermore, the student journalists that want to cover the presidential debates are constantly seeking new information to cover the news as accurately as possible.

To deny them the right to cover the debate is also unfair to them.

Comic by Bennett Durando

October 2016

4

Opinion

Caleb’s Conception

ECHO

Columnist throws support behind relatively unknown candidate

Photo by Caleb Bolin

Donald Johnson, ECHO advisor, speaks with conviction to an audience of high school students during publications class. Johnson, a by-the-book rule enforcer of dress code and classroom policies, has a reputation for bringing order and structure to education. Johnson’s name will not be on the ballot on Nov. 8, but voters can write his name in if they are so inclined.

Caleb Bolin Political Columnist An old, untrustworthy, grandmother/ career politician and an old, reckless businessman with the behavior of a schoolyard bully walk into a bar and immediately begin to argue about the condition of the United States of America without presenting valid solutions.

Wait a second. It’s not a bar. It’s the 2016 Presidential Election. How did we even end up here?

This election cycle saw one of the most talented and experienced primary fields in Republican Party history defeated by a man with absolutely no political experience and a penchant for saying almost anything that crosses his mind, disregarding truth and a large percentage of his hopeful constituency’s concerns as nonwhite males.

That man is Donald Trump, and he has brought the worst out of voters on both sides.

Trump has painted a picture of a nation that is under attack by immigrants, losing jobs every day, rising in crime and terrorism. Trump plays up fear and divisiveness in the country, heightening tensions be-

October 2016

tween Americans.

Fifty-eight percent of voters have an unfavorable opinion of Trump.

The other side of the aisle saw a tight race between ultra-liberal Bernie Sanders and more-conservative Hillary Clinton in which Clinton prevailed (amid scandal over Democratic National Committee favoritism toward Clinton).

Clinton has promoted a message of unity and growing stronger together, but 52.5 percent of voters have an unfavorable opinion of Clinton because of scandals that have made her look like an untrustworthy, lying politician.

Trump has called Mexicans “rapists and murderers.” He has bad-mouthed Muslims, including the Gold Star parents Ghazala and Khizr Khan who spoke at the Democratic National Convention about their experiences in our country. He refused to disavow former KKK leader David Duke’s endorsement. The list goes on.

He played a large part in the birther movement, which questioned Barack Obama’s citizenship--even after Obama produced his birth certificate.

He basically admitted that he doesn’t pay federal taxes during the first presidential debate. Clinton has generalized the nearly 40 percent of Americans who sup-

port Trump as a “basket of deplorables.”

Clinton has also claimed she had no idea it was either unethical or unsafe to have her own private email server for her work.

Clinton has said little to really clarify anything about the emails that are supposedly missing or hours of testimony about Benghazi.

Clinton has experience, but she is playing the part of someone who is brutally ignorant or very good at acting brutally ignorant.

Polling at about 9 percent combined are former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the candidate from the Libertarian Party, and activist Jill Stein, the candidate from the Green Party. Both are running grassroots campaigns but by and large have not been able to tap into the pool of voters who are disgusted with Clinton/ Trump.

As a young person interested in politics and what is going on in our country, I have watched this election cycle closely.

I supported moderate candidates, and when they were knocked out of the election, I supported anybody who seemed to genuinely care about our country that wasn’t Clinton or Trump. When it came down to only Clinton and Trump, I started to support Gary Johnson. Lately, I don’t know what to do. It seems like our country is headed for disaster.

I can’t find it in me to support Hillary Clinton, who happened to live in Arkansas for many years. I can’t find it in me to support Donald Trump. I can’t find it in me to support Gary Johnson. I can’t find it in me to support Jill Stein. Instead, I have chosen to throw my support behind a man who has combined these candidates’ best qualities: ECHO advisor Donald Johnson.

Donald Johnson has taken the best qualities of Donald Trump and Gary Johnson-their first and last names, respectively-and combined them into one. He has taken the best quality from Hillary Clinton as well as he also lived in Arkansas for much of his life. Finally, Donald Johnson has taken the best quality from Jill Stein--her silky smooth hair.

What more could the people want than a candidate like Donald Johnson?

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ECHO

Opinion

Clowns fail to ruin Halloween

5

Natalie Johnson Humor Columnist With the lovely changes that this October has brought there have been several spooky occurrences, such as: The presidential election...coming down to Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump; The Cubs playing baseball...in October; Kim Kardashian’s robbery in Paris; Lil Yachty’s appearance at the Pageant.

I can only imagine; Inconsistent weather with a consistent appearance of Ugg boots; Multiple midterms; And, finally, the most frightening October occurrence of all...the clowns ... and no, I’m not talking about the election again.

As if middle-aged men donning makeup, throwing pies and driving around in tiny cars wasn’t enough, now they are trying to lure children into the woods. Awesome!

Try as you might to outrun the creepy clowns, they are everywhere. For a solid week, they were all over the news.

“Clowns sighted” became a frightening headline. “Clown” became a terrifying word to be heard muttered, and for some reason, once the clowns were mentioned in the news their population seemed to quadruple. Sweet!

Not to be mistaken with your average, happy carnival clown, these “killer clowns” will wait relentlessly in a corn field to jump out into oncoming traffic.

Said clowns have been spotted on street corners, in parks, and hiding in plain sight, such as on your front porch or in your backyard…

These clowns are undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.

Photo by Mark Eades/Orange County Register/TNS

Brandon Miller is “Squeaker the Clown” for Knott’s Scary Farm’s 2016 Halloween Haunt. It takes a make-up artist about 20 minutes to apply make-up, mostly with an air brush, to his face to give him the proper sinister look. Clowns with scar makeup have made several appearances in the news this month.

I do feel bad, however, for the professional clowns who are being stereotyped as evil. This phenomenon is degrading to the pros.

In response to this clown-slandering, professional clown Nikki Sinn organized a “Clown Lives Matter” walk.

This “peaceful walk” as Sinn called it on a Facebook post, was meant to set an example that not all clowns are scary, and to raise awareness to the matter. What better way to get attention than to make a mockery of a powerful civil rights movement?

The walk never happened due to hundreds of death threats Sinn and other participating clowns received, according to

ABC News.

Although there are certainly some good clowns, the threat of evil clowns lingers on as Halloween approaches.

Despite the alarming thought of being confronted by an evil clown while dressed as a suffering junior year in high school, my Halloween will go on. I doubt trickor-treating, candy stealing or pumpkin smashing will be affected.

While I never had to trick-or-treat while worrying about clowns, I fear for the younger generations. Clowns are potentially going to ruin this country. We’ll see how that goes on Nov. 8.

Dudes with sad makeup, however, will not ever ruin Halloween.

Want to know more about TurkeyDay festivities?

Make sure to get a Turkey Day Program at the game!

wgecho.org

October 2016

6

News

ECHO

Clark comes back from 3rd brain surgery

Photo by Cole Schnell

Principal Jon Clark introduces the commencement speaker at the 2016 graduation ceremony at Moss Field. About his surgery, Clark said, “I am feeling positive about this surgery and will be eager to make a quick recovery.”

Ashli Wagner Video Editor Principal Jon Clark realized something was wrong at his 40th birthday party.

“I was playing ping pong against my brother in law. He came to see me for my birthday, and he almost beat me, and (math teacher) Eric Dunn is the only one that had ever beat me at ping pong at the time,” Clark said about the moment it occurred to him something was wrong.

Clark soon was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his brain, the first of three he’s had in the last 10 years. The most recent of these was treated in a surgery this fall during his leave of absence.

Clark, an ever-devoted principal, has

since returned to WGHS. On that day 10 years ago after Clark’s ping pong epiphany, he went to get his eyes checked, where he was told to visit a “real doctor” because something wasn’t right.

That doctor told him he had a tumor the size of an egg in his brain. Clark had a craniotomy to have the tumor removed.

Nine months ago the tumor came back, this time about the size of a fingernail, and Clark had laser surgery to remove it.

This fall, the brain cancer came back yet again, and Clark had another craniotomy. His doctors plan to use chemotherapy and may possibly use radiation to treat him in his recovery.

In regards to the possibility of radiation and more chemotherapy, Clark’s son,

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October 2016

sophomore Jacob Clark said, “I think it’s going to have a long term effect, and we shouldn’t have to do this again.”

Last winter, Julie Burchett, experiential learning center teacher, and her selfdirected learning class hosted a Lights for Life Luminaria project to raise money for Cancer Honor Society. The class sold paper bags which were placed along the south side of Selma Avenue with lit candles inside of them.

Clark was at a baseball game when he got messages telling him to get down to the school fast to see it. Clark described the ride he and his family took down Selma as surprising and emotional.

“I’m a very positive person,” Clark said.

“I think the thing that motivates me most is being able to be back here at school.”

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7 Traditional dance hosted at Kirkwood

ECHO

News

Photo by Bret Waelterman

Kirkwood and Webster Students dance at Kirkwood High School for the 2014 Friendship Dance.

Riley Mullgardt Entertainment Editor November 5, in the Kirkwood Auditorium from 8 -11 p.m. marks the 77th annual Webster-Kirkwood Friendship Dance.

While this dance is at night, no food is provided, so students should eat before arriving.

According to Shawn Buchanan Greene’s book, “Turkey Day Game Centennial 1907-2017,” the friendship celebration started in 1939 after a riot was al-

most caused between the two schools the year before in regard to the annual Turkey Day Game rivalry.

The riot nearly ended the football series, resulting in a three-year hiatus, so the dance has been used ever since as a gesture of friendship between the two schools.

Along with the Friendship Dance tradition, there is a Friendship King and Queen named from both Webster and Kirkwood.

This year, the nominees for Webster King and Queen are seniors Takeaki Eno-

moto, Kelsey Ortinau, Donovan Daniels, Camille McClendon, Bennett Durando, Abby Botan, Tamir Caldwell, Cianna Vo, Tre’son Wagner, Maggie Brennan, Harry Fu, Adi Johnson, Marcell Jones and Genevieve Vaughn.

To buy a ticket, students must have all their school fines paid, must have their current student IDs, and tickets must be purchased by Nov. 4.

To bring a student from a different school, students must pre-register the student by filling out a “Guest Information Form for School Activity” and have it turned into the Activities Office at least 72 hours prior to the dance. This form can be found in the Activities Office.

According to the dress code, girls are allowed to wear dresses that have an “appropriate” skirt length and strapless/spaghetti-strapped dresses. Girls cannot wear dresses with low-cuts in the front or back, dresses that show their midriffs, blue jeans, shorts or head coverings, excluding coverings for religious reasons.

Boys are expected to wear collared shirts or sweaters. They cannot wear blue jeans, shorts, T-shirts or hats.

Tickets go on sale Oct. 24 at $10. On Nov. 3, it goes up to $12, and on Nov. 4, to $15. Tickets will not be sold at the dance.

City removes bug infested trees

Natalie Johnson Humor Columnist A tree infested with emerald ash borers, a beetle native to Asia and detrimental to ash trees was discovered behind Straubs in Old Webster.

The presence of emerald ash borers in Webster means the removal of about 390 trees from city parks and streets, according to Parks and Recreation officials.

Emerald ash borer larvae burrow under the bark of ash trees, eating the inner bark and consuming much of the trees nutrients. This stifles the growth of the trees, causing them to die and become very brittle. The dead or dying ash trees can be hazardous.

wgecho.org

Over the next three years or so, the city will remove trees to prevent the spread of the beetles and to prevent the possibility of trees becoming dangerous and more expensive to remove. Thirty to 40 trees have already been removed, and trees posing the largest threat are to be removed in an estimated one-and-a-half years, according to parks superintendent Yvonne Steingruby.

Although there is treatment for trees that have been infected, it is very expensive and not a probable solution for the city, according to Director of Parks and Recreation Scott Davis.

Treatment must be repeated on the trees every other year, which means treatment must be paid for every other year.

Webster has selected a small number of

priority trees throughout the city that will be receiving treatment. This selection is based off of tree location and tree benefits, such as providing shade. So far one ash tree has been treated in Southwest Park.

The city has a plan to replace as many trees as possible, and Steingruby suggests private landowners “consider better trees as transplants.” It is the responsibility of homeowners to handle ash trees on their private property. The city has been educating Webster’s citizens of the presence of ash borers and the threat they pose.

Despite the many downsides of removing the trees, such as the cost and potential dangers, Steingruby said the situation offers opportunity to improve and “opportunity to diversify the forest” in Webster.

October 2016

8

In-Depth

ECHO

ECHO’s declassified guide to t

ECHO survey reveals political opinions of 1 Bennett Durando and Jake Collins Sports Editor and Junior Editor Trump. Clinton.

It’s a matchup of presidential proportion, and as their fateful clash in the 2016 election comes within two weeks, seniors are preparing to either vote for the first time or simply watch the voting play out on Nov. 8.

In an ECHO survey of 130 seniors, 54.6 percent were found to be supporters of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, while 12.3 percent are backing Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Clinton’s lead in favorability among Webster students is due in part to the fact that in Missouri, the metropolitan counties of Kansas City and St. Louis tend to vote for liberal’s much more than the rural communities.

It can also be explained by the general lead Clinton has nationally among Millennial voters. A USA Today poll in August found that 56 percent of Millennials backed Clinton to just 20 percent with Trump.

“The Millennials are becoming the largest generation in the country, so obviously it’s important that people in our generation vote,” senior Patrick Schrank, a vocal supporter of Clinton, said. “A lot more people in our generation have become so turned off by politics in general that they just don’t want to pay attention at all.”

Senior Tully Smith has supported Trump since the primaries and has attended rallies of the Republican nominee’s.

“I just don’t see the results coming for a younger generation such as ourselves for what President Obama has given so far, and I just believe that Hillary Clinton will continue exactly what President Obama has put in place,” Smith said. “So what I’m thinking is that maybe we need to refresh a different economy and different views to see if that could possibly help bring change to what we currently have with the problems going on in our youth,” Smith said.

Still, in an election cycle filled with controversy, many students have found it hard to support a candidate at all.

In the ECHO survey, 30.8 percent of seniors surveyed said they are either undecided or not backing a candidate at all.

“That is detrimental for a democracy because when people don’t turn out, it’s easier for bad people to get elected and for bad decisions to be made,” Schrank said.

“Because if nobody’s paying attention, who’s going to Made with Beam Graphic by Jake Collins

October 2016

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ECHO

9

In-Depth

the 2016 presidential election

130 Webster seniors ahead of Nov. 8 election

be holding these people accountable?”

Senior Ben Keller, who ordinarily identifies as a Progressive but adamantly opposes both candidates in this election, shared his unique philosophy that’s become more commonly seen during this election cycle.

“While I quite obviously want Clinton to win, I simply cannot vote for her out of respect to my progressive morals,” Keller said. “Her track record of corporatist decisions, as well as some questionable judgement and collaboration with ‘inside people’ in Washington, I cannot support. Trump is extremely unfit to be president; his words and actions show that he is an egotistical narcissist with a lack of even the most basic political knowledge.”

Schrank observed “this trend where are people are saying that they don’t like either [candidate] because they feel like it’s becoming the majority opinion, and so they’re kind of fitting in by saying that they don’t like either of them.”

Keller, on the other hand, said, “I think there is pressure from the major parties to vote for a candidate … but to actually go and vote ‘none of the above’ is minority dissenting opinion.”

Why do the loyal supporters stand by their choice of candidate?

“I do see Trump as a somewhat rash person. He doesn’t necessarily think through everything he puts out on social media,” Smith said, “but I also think that draws in a lot of supporters. He has a certain meaning he’s trying to express, and I understand

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it myself. He comes off as mean and hateful to a lot of people, but I just don’t see that aspect as much as I do looking for the meaning in what he’s saying.”

Smith added, “I just didn’t see the energy coming from all the liberal supporters as I did in all the conservative supporters with Trump. I didn’t see positivity coming from any of the liberals as a group.”

In support of Clinton, Schrank said, “She may not be this ideological purist that people want, but she has made some very good proposals on social policy and economic policy that could really help low income people see more gains.”

About Trump, Schrank said, “He says this whole ‘Make America Great Again’ thing, and all of these people are very much afraid of the social changes going on in our country right now, and that’s a major motivator. The progress that is being made socially in our country is something to be celebrated, that we’re expanding perspectives and that we are listening to new voices, but there are always going to be some people who want to keep things the same.”

“I feel that we are stuck between a rock and a hard place,” Keller said. “While Clinton needs to be elected president, I think that her winning would quell a populist voice that has become so loud in this election through both Trump and Sanders, albeit in very different ways.”

Not old enough to vote this November?

Frustrated that you can’t express your support for a candidate?

HERE’S YOUR CHANCE!

Vote in the History Club mock election on Nov. 4!

October 2016

10

Feature

ECHO Physics teacher lives in Gingerbread House Greg Frazier Circulation Manager Philip Wojak, physics teacher and owner of the “gingerbread house,” and his wife take the tradition of gingerbread house making to a whole another level.

The Wojak’s decorate the front of the house depending on the season; currently, there are Halloween-dressed statues placed in front of the home to recognize holiday.

The Wojak’s home got the title, “the gingerbread house” because Bristol students would call it that when passing by.

The house was built in the 1900s by the Plant family. There is a plaque in the front yard recognizing the age of the home.

It has 12 rooms in the summer and 10 in the winter, two of the 12 rooms lose heat. The rooms are rectangles.

Wojak said, “What is funny about rooms is that each one has three sides.”

When the Wojaks moved in the walls were bland and lacking color until Wojak’s brother sent his wife a jigsaw puzzle, and she began to coat the walls with different images from the puzzle.

Wojak’s wife is an English teacher, and she would paint many walls with pictures from the books she read, creating an art gallery of literature.

Wojak said, “Most of the operation is done by my wife.”

October 2016

Photo by Greg Frazier

Phillip Wojak, physics teacher, lives in “gingerbread house” on the corner of Bristol Road and Gray Avenue.

The home is colorful and rich with strokes of paint, Wojak said, “I think my wife never had a doll house as a child because she made our house one.”

Wojak plans to sell the house.

“We [he and his wife] raised our kids in the house, but now that only two people are living in it we don’t need the size anymore,” Wojak said.

Wojak, lives less than a mile away from Bristol Elementary on the corner of Bristol Road and Gore Avenue.

wgecho.org

Feature 11 Camp Wyman counselor reflects on experiences

ECHO Caroline Fellows Online Editor

There it was. The bell was 5 feet above me, just out of my reach. As I heard my fellow counselors cheering behind me, “You’re almost there, Tiger Lily! You got this!” I mustered my final strength, took control of my shaking limbs and climbed the last few blocks of the climbing wall. I stretched out my hand and slapped the cowbell, the sound reverberating around the woods.

Welcome to Camp Wyman.

Just a few hours previous, I and 13 other new high school counselors had arrived at the camp been promptly overblown with information regarding rules, procedures and basically introduced to worse case scenarios for the week.

We were tested in various team-bonding exercises, and as we struggled through tasks testing our memorization skills, speed, agility and knowledge of our rights and lefts, we realized that in less than 24 hours we would each be personally responsible for six-to-seven sixth graders day and night for the rest of the week.

I soon found out from sixth grade teacher Lisa Picker that not only would I be in charge of six campers myself, including a camper with severe allergies who carried an epipen, I would also be in charge of communicating information to the other female counselors from the camp leader since there were no adults near the female cabins. That job seriously scared me because I always had to be on the ready for someone to call me or knock on my door with news, which probably wouldn’t be good news.

When the campers arrived, we immediately went into our first activity session. At Camp Wyman there are six activity sessionsOrienteering, Living History, Teams Course, Aquatic Ecology, Fishing and Geocaching, and Rock and Crate Climbing.

Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that anyone who thinks Camp Wyman counselors are just skipping a week of school are completely incorrect. My experience was all about experiential learning and keeping up on my other classes too.

First, orienteering sadly did not come much easier to me than it did when I was a camper at Camp Wyman six years ago. However, my fellow counselor in my activity group senior David Kern (Riverman) and I were like children in a candy store when we both figured out how to use our compasses. Hiking through the woods later, we got completely lost, but it was so great to see my campers starting to work together to solve our problem.

Riverman and I got to role play as wagon masters in Living History as we learned about the pioneers’ journey across the United States and used math to total up our wagon weight to 1,000 pounds. An added bonus of making monkey bread, cinnamon sugar apples and soap made it one of my favorite activities.

During Teams Course, which involved our campers having to complete various tasks together using problem solving and communication skills, Riverman and I weren’t allowed to help the campers complete the tasks, leaving them one their own. My lip was probably bleeding from biting it so much in restraint, but the campers really grew closer together from this activity.

Aquatic Ecology was when I got to brush up on my knowledge of the water cycle, and the campers got to look for insects in the

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creek and play a relay game.

Geocaching for three-and-a-half hours was exhausting and confusing. Our GPS was off, and my group ended up finding more caches than we were supposed to, but my campers were insistent on getting as many Principal Neat Notes as they possibly could.

Our last group activity session was Rock Climbing and Crate Climbing. This is when our campers were truly working as a team- they all cheered each other on, saying words of encouragement to those who were scared and congratulating everyone for what they had achieved.

For Riverman and me, it was amazing to see how far they had come in just a few days.

As a counselor, my job was to be encouraging, have positive energy, and work on adrenaline- and at times it could be tough.

The days were long, the breaks were few, and the sleep was little and the hour break we had was usually spent laying on the couch in the counselor break room.

My cabin was Cabin Six, and it was a great cabin- I had a variety of children, but they all bonded so much while we were together, and I got to see the wild side of all of them. I will never forget them rolling under the bathroom stalls, asking me to fix the regurgitating toilets, getting to induct them as official night watchers by painting their faces with charcoal, being “rebels” and staying up until 10:30 p.m. when the curfew was 10 p.m., them making me friendship bracelets and writing me these sweet notes which they gave to me the last day.

Sharing a duplex cabin and living ten feet away from audio editor Page Kimzey (Bunnie) was definitely a highlight of my week. The number of times we walked into each other’s cabins (including Bunnie nearly scaring me to death by knocking on my door and asking for paper in the middle of the night) and spent time together as well as our frequent late night talks where we were nearly driven to insanity are moments I will cherish for the rest of my life.

As the counselors sang “Linger” on Thursday night, I reflected on my week and realized something very important. It had been such as humbling experience for me- I had seen highs and lows, stressful moments and moments I nearly died of laughter, but I had gotten to experience something that a lot of people would never experience.

Most people at the high school will not be Camp Wyman counselors, maybe because they just don’t want to or missing a week of high school seems not worth it.

Sure, making up a week’s worth of school is challenging, but I learned at Camp Wyman we need to get out of our comfort zone and into our challenge zone. If we live our life without testing ourselves, without taking chances, we can never truly learn.

As Mark Twain said, “20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

Believe me, by the end of the week, it was so hard to say goodbye to my new friends, but from the wise words of Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

October 2016

12

Sports

ECHO

Swim team off to historic start Andy Kimball Editor-In-Chief

Senior Michael Greaves touched the wall. He and his teammates looked straight up at the scoreboard.

“1:34.21.” The scoreboard affirmed that Greaves, along with seniors Kurt Krautmann, Lucas Doll and junior Chris Ball, was going to State.

Krautmann said, “We looked at the scoreboard and we were like, ‘That’s our time right? That’s it right?

We were all just really happy. It felt great.”

Doll will also swim the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events at State after qualifying for both events at the Flyer Invitational at Lindbergh on Oct. 16.

The last time a male swimmer at WGHS went to State was in 2010 when Scott Williams qualified in the Photo by Andy Kimball 200-yard freestyle.

Senior Michael Greaves swims during the men’s 100-yard butterfly at Men’s swim team is 6-2 in dual meets. Its only lossthe Rockwood Summit invitational on Oct. 6. es were a 135-57 defeat to Kirkwood and a loss to Pattonville. The Statesman also finished ninth of 21 teams that has translated into team success.” at the Cape Rock invitational in Cape Girardeau.

The next meet for the Statesmen is the Suburban XII champiThis is the best start the Statesmen have had in head coach Dan onships at Kirkwood. Then they have the MSHSAA State chamBroshears’ 19 years at the high school. pionships on Nov. 4-5, at the Saint Peters Rec-Plex.

In 2014, the Statesman lost to Rockwood Summit High School 130-46. This year, the Statesman beat Summit 100-76.

Broshears said, “This is one of the biggest teams I’ve ever coached and we have a good group of seniors who provide good leadership.”

“This year we have a much bigger team; usually we have 11-13 guys but Follow the Statesmen! this year we have Schedules, photos and 24,” Greaves said.

“Going to 24 this game day scores. year motivates a lot Join the Fan Wall! of people. Also, we have a big group of seniors that set the Download bar high.” for FREE! Greaves, KrautPhoto by Andy Kimball mann and Doll all Senior Kurt Krautmann swims in the dropped times with100 -yard breaststroke at the Rockin one second of wood Summit Invitational on Oct. 6. the state-qualifying standard in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard freestyle events.

Ball, Greaves, Doll and Krautmann finished fourth out of 22 relay teams at the Cape Central invitational. Greaves, Doll, Ball and sophomore Patrick Unterreiner placed seventh out of 22 and Proud to support our set a new school record in the medley relay. fellow independent journalists Greaves added, “There has been a lot more involvement in terms of cheering on people during the meets and going to team at the Echo. events. It seems this year has been a lot more focused on fun and www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com

app

IMES SPORTS

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ECHO

Bennett From the Bleachers

Sports

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21-10 volleyball goes out in Districts Bennett Durando Sports Columnist In a 24-13 second set, volleyball head coach Molly Dean signalled for a timeout. She wanted to talk to her team in the huddle one last time.

“I told them that whether they play one more point or they come back and play 16 points, I was really, really proud of them and how the fact that we were losing, the fact that we lost the first game, it didn’t show how we were playing,” Dean, the youngest head volleyball coach in the state, said. “This was the best I’ve seen them play all year.”

The Stateswomen’s loss to St. Joseph’s in straight sets in the District semifinals ended an outstanding 21-10 season that was Dean’s first at the helm, but five seniors’ last.

Dean had kind words for each of the five: Lauren English, Maggy Moran, Gracie Faulkner, Grace Early and Morgan Kern.

“Lauren English was one of those where every time I see her she’s just dominating the court. My expectations at the beginning of the year were very high, and she somehow found a way to exceed them,” Dean said. “Maggy Moran stepped up throughout the year, it just kept getting stronger and stronger. She kept plowing through everything and putting the team above her.”

On Faulkner, Dean continued, “She’s one of the most intense girls I ever met. Her desire to win and to get out there and make sure all 11 girls were giving their all all the time was a really important part of the season.”

Early, who became the team’s libero late in the season, was “one who flew under the radar at first, but just stepped up and played her heart out,” according to Dean. “She never looked for recognition, but she was a steady player all year.” She added on Kern, “All of a sudden, I would think the ball was dropping and she would show up out of nowhere and pick the ball up. She

would make these huge game-changing plays and it’s like, well, there’s Morgan Kern again.”

But in the playoffs, St. Joe’s (25-2), a nationally ranked powerhouse led by Penn State-bound junior Gabby Blossom, daughter of Webster men’s head basketball coach Jay Blossom, was just too much in the end. They went on to win the District title against Nerinx, also in straight sets, on Wednesday.

Playing on pure momentum and energy early on, Webster’s 5-0 run tied the first set at 12, forcing a timeout out of St. Joe’s and sending Robert’s Gym into a frenzy. After the timeout though, St. Joe’s buried the upset-minded Stateswomen in a 13-3 run to end the set. Again in the second, Webster hung around early on before St. Joe’s pulled away.

“Not many people get St. Joe’s to call a timeout,” Dean said.

“Our girls were so pumped up and so excited.”

The season-ending defeat came a day after a dramatic three-set victory over the rival Pioneers from Kirkwood.

After sweeping the Pioneers in both regular season matches, Webster held them off 25-21 for a first set victory to extend their winning streak against Kirkwood to five sets, but the Pioneers survived a late surge from the Stateswomen to take the second set 25-23 and force a winner-take-all third.

“The girls never overlooked Kirkwood, they’re a tough team,” Dean said. “The fact that they had just lost to Kirkwood, especially battling back on a nine-point deficit, that fired them up. I think they came in and realized that we will not end our season to Kirkwood.”

The third set was anything but comfortable, as the Stateswomen were narrowly in front 10-9 before English led a vital 7-2 run with three kills. Webster cruised after that, not allowing Kirkwood to get it closer than four points in what ended up being a 25-17 win.

Dean said, “That whole District tournament, they were more fired up then I’d seen them all year, which was just a lot of fun.”

Cross country star wins races by minutes Abby Botan Entertainment Columnist Gabriella Kohring, junior, is known for winning races by an entire minute, like when she finished running the women’s 5K run at 19:10.06. The runner up came in at 20:47.71.

Kohring has run on the cross country team for three years. On Aug. 1, women’s cross country officially came into play for the 2016 season.

“I can’t explain why I love (cross country),” Kohring said. “I guess, I like the challenge of it.”

Kohring said she likes how cross country brings the team closer together compared to other sports.

Kohring gives credit to working out everyday. She even has a unique technique where she stands in front of a mirror to practice the movement of her body when running a race.

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Emma Harrelson, senior cross country runner, said, “[Kohring] is an amazing runner. She stays motivated, and she's just amazing all around.”

Kohring was the October Athlete of the Month and was recognized as being the September Athlete of the Week by the Saint.

Louis Post Dispatch.

The Post said, “She took first in the Hazelwood West Invitational with a personal-record time of 18:51 at Koch Park.”

Kim Thomas, assistant cross country coach, described Kohring as a “silent leader.”

“Everyone admires what she does,” Thomas added.

Emily Parker, senior cross country runner, commented on Kohring’s humbleness and said in a way, Kohring “drives the rest of the team.”

“Gabriella has definitely come out of her shell over the years,” Parker said.

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Review

Entertainment

ECHO

Burton’s new fantasy builds magical home Page Kimzey Audio Editor “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” is a PG-13 rated movie that came out on Sept. 30.

Directed by Tim Burton, the original book was written by Ransom Riggs for young adults, published in June of 2011.

Riggs originally wanted it to be a graphic novel so he could add photographs he had collected over the years but ended up using the photographs as a guide to write a narrative.

This book was placed in the #1 spot on the New York Times best seller award list, Children’s Chapter Book, in April 2012. It stayed there until May 2012 then dropped to fourth.

The film includes big name actors like Samuel L. Jackson, (Nick Fury in “the Avengers”) playing antagonist Mr. Barron, and Eva Green (Artemisia in “300: Rise of an Empire”), who stars as the Miss Peregrine, the children’s caregiver. Rupert Everett (Dr. Claw in “Inspector Gadget”) also has a small role playing a form of Mr. Barron.

The plot of the film is the protagonist, Asa Butterfield (Jacob “Jake” Portman), goes on an adventure to discover if the stories told to him by his grandfather, Terence Stamp (Abraham “Abe” Portman), were true.

Most of these stories were about a children’s home in Wales

Photo from foxmovies.com

Main character Jake, Asa Butterfield, holds peculiar, Emma, Ella Purnell, while she flies because she is lighter than air.

where Abe spent some of his time. This home wasn’t for ordinary children but for “peculiar children,” meaning children who were different and had some sort of unique abilities or powers that were not safe for the real world.

Throughout Jake’s journey, he discovers the children’s home which his grandfather talked nonstop about, gets to know the children and caregiver who live there and begins to learn and understand their way of life.

Jake later is left to save the day when the hollows, monsters of the peculiar world, come to get the children and Miss Peregrine.

Jake is the only one who can see these beasts and is left to defeat them all and save Miss Peregrine, who ends up being captured.

Film watchers will follow Jake as he learns to be a hero and falls in love throughout the span of the two-hour movie.

This movie is not a movie for families who have young children. Although this movie is not meant to be scary, Burton has added a couple jump scares and creepy looking characters, which could potentially scare some children. Burton is known for his creepy and dark films, so it would be assumed this film would follow the trend. This film is much lower “on that scale” than some of his other films as “Alice in Wonderland” or “Beetlejuice.”

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” was released on Sept. 30, and is a must see for anyone into Burton’s movies or enjoys unique story lines.

TURKEY DAY MUMS

• Order a mum for your son, daughter, teacher,

parent or special someone!

• Mums will be delivered

within the district on Nov. 22 • Cost is only $8; Deadline is Nov. 15 • Contact: Mary Ann Schafer – Main Office

or Barb Smith – Counseling Center

October 2016

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ECHO

Feature

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Zodiac signs reveals true character Abby Botan Entertainment Columnist In September, there were internet claims that everyone’s astrological sign was going to change. Fortunately for those who keep up with their signs, it was just a hoax, and we are still ruled by the same zodiac signs.

Some people live their lives worrying about their horoscopes.

It can be really bizarre. Does one really need to check their horoscope to see if they should eat cereal? Maybe!

Twelve zodiac signs each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Accordingly to Astrological-zodiac-signs, we have the emotional and ultra sensitive water signs: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

The passionate and temperamental also known as the fire signs: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. The most conservative and realistic are the earth signs also known as Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

Finally, there is are the highly sociable and intellectual air signs: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.

Here are all of the astrological signs and their character: Aries - March 21 to April 19 Celebrity Aries’: Robert Downey Jr. and Lady Gaga.

Aries are very independent and courageous. Aries are good friends. They always look out for their friends with care. On the other hand, Aries can be very childish along with moody.

Taurus - April 21 to May 21 Celebrity Taurus’: John Cena and Megan Fox. Taurus is among the most reliable signs of the zodiac. As an earth sign, Taurus can be overprotective of their loved ones. They are great in making money, and they will stick to their projects until it is successfully completed.

Gemini - May 21 to June 21 Celebrity Gemini: Kanye West and Kate Upton.

Gemini’s are quick-witted. They represent two different personalities. Geminis can be sociable and communicative; while on the other hand, they can be very serious and thoughtful.

Cancer - June 21 to July 22 Celebrity Cancer: Jaden Smith and Ariana Grande.

Negative Cancer traits include moodiness, pessimism and clinginess. However, they also have many positive traits like creativity, spontaneity and generosity.

Leo - July 23 to Aug. 22 Celebrity Leo: Barack Obama and Kylie Jenner.

In many ways Leos are seen as the children of the zodiac. Fun, adventurous, genuine, generous and highly charismatic, they like to be larger than life and enjoy showing off, being admired, praised and appreciated.

Virgo - Aug. 23 to Sept. 22 Celebrity Virgo: Kobe Bryant and Beyonce.

Some positive Virgo traits include reliability, intelligence, and modesty. However, as any other zodiac sign, Virgo also has negative qualities like fussiness, negativity, crankiness, and being overly reserved.

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Photo from WpClipArt

Here are all of the signs: Pisces, Cancer, Aries, Leo, Capricorn, Virgo, Aquarius and Sagittarius.

Libra - Sept. 23 to Oct. 22 Celebrity Libra: Will Smith and Kim Kardashian.

Libra is one of the more social of the signs. They love interacting with others. The Libra can easily get carried away by outer beauty to the extent that they may ignore the beautiful inner qualities of other people.

Scorpio - Oct. 23 to Nov. 21 Celebrity Scorpio: Ryan Gosling and Hillary Clinton.

The Scorpio are strong willed and mysterious. One of the major strengths they have is their ability to focus. If a Scorpio has decided on something, it’s almost impossible to divert them from their path. The Scorpio tend to be extremely possessive and jealous.

Sagittarius - Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 Celebrity Sagittarius’: Brad Pitt and Nicki Minaj.

Sagittarius are optimistic and always look at the brighter side of things. They are intelligent and enthusiastic people. Their honesty can sometimes be too brutal, and that wounds their relationship with others.

Capricorn - Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 Celebrity Capricorn: Zayn Malik and Gabby Douglas.

Capricorn signifies stability, balance and wisdom. They are self-confident, have big goals and put in their best efforts to achieve those goals. They are not impulsive and will never take a risk or do anything that has the potential to upset their lives. They are very cautious about stability.

Aquarius - Jan. 20 to Feb. 18 Celebrity Aquarius’: Harry Styles and Oprah Winfrey.

Aquarius are humanitarians to the core. They are broad-minded and creative; they are the real truth-seekers. Being affectionate and friendly by nature, the Aquarius-born are very attractive and popular.

Pisces - Feb. 19 to March 20 Celebrity Pisces’: Floyd Mayweather and Rihanna.

Pisces are selfless. They are always willing to help others, without hoping to get anything back. A negative trait that they hold is their ability to be too nice and not stick up for themselves.

October 2016

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Entertainment

ECHO

ECHO staff, friends fail Escape Room

Cole Schnell Business Ads/Manager

Four students and a teacher died early this week in a bombing at England’s National Bank.

On Sunday, four Webster Groves High School students and a teacher were tested to the death when my fellow students and I went to a room where Photo by Cole Schnell the only purpose ECHO staff members Abby Botan and was to escape.

Cole Schnell and volunteers juniors We failed. Still, it Colleen McLaughlin and Keillyn Johnwas as fun as beson, juniors, attempt to survive the STL ing blown up by a bomb could be.

Before this experience, I had never heard of escape rooms and was unsure what to expect.

There are many escape rooms on St. Louis. We went to Escape St. Louis, which is located at 2650 S. Hanley Rd. At Escape STL fewer than one-third of the teams succeed.

This challenge is not meant to be easy. It tests critical thinking and teamwork skills.

Players are put in a room and have a time limit to escape, usually 60 minutes; the goal is to solve all of the clues and escape before the time is up.

Before entering the room, we were informed there were three methods of escape: (1) solve the puzzle and defuse the bomb, (2) fail the puzzle by not completing it in the given 60 minute time period, or (3) push the escape button and give up the puzzle.

The latter has only been used once at Escape STL, according to Escape STL guide.

Though, we failed, I thought this was a fun experience, and I definitely will attempt to escape other escape rooms.

At the end of the puzzle, Escape STL gave the ECHO team a score based on how well it did. We attempted to escape the James Bomb room. The top score of all time was, 2053. Our score was a proud 480.

Escape STL has one other escape room called Mr. Dupree.

Escape STL plans on to add two more rooms for a total of four.

Escape rooms are a fun, thrilling and a bit stressful adventure to do with friends, I definitely recommend them.

At Escape STL, it was $26 per person which is on par with other St. Louis escape rooms. Each team minimum is four players with a maximum is 10 players; most other escape rooms have a maximum of 12 players.

October 2016

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