The Echo is a monthly publication of the newspaper staff of Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Ave., Webster Groves, MO.
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Cover cutline:
Senior Lucy Marsh runs with the ball during the Powderpuff football game at Moss Field on Saturday, Oct. 26. Photo by Lucy Fish
Seniors Ryan DeMargel and Micah McCoy pose as Friendship Royals during the Friendship Dance on Nov. 1. Photo by Lucy Fish
Senior George Hendricks dumps water on Head Coach Conner White after winning the Districts game against Miller Career Academy. The game was Thursday, Oct. 30, at Moss Field, and ended in a 41-14 win for Webster. Photo by Sam Enlund
theecho
Social studies department honors veterans
Students, staff compete in basketball game
Hockey team prepares for winter season
Editorial: Political divide harms country, prevents change
Op-Ed: AI use harms environment
Word Search
Social studies department honors veterans
Arianna Peper Editor-in-Chief
“To honor our veterans is to honor the sacrifices they made,” social studies department chair Betty Roberts said.
For the past 22 years, Webster Groves High School has held the Veterans Day Program to honor those who have served.
This year, the program took place on Friday, Nov. 7, and began with a breakfast and coffee, followed by the main ceremony in Roberts Gym during first period, where 45 veterans attended.
Social studies teacher Michael Mason said during the ceremony, Webster’s orchestra and choir departments performed pieces for the veterans.
Mason said, “The hymn for each branch of the military was played, and the flags for each branch were presented. During each branch’s hymn, veterans stood to signify their service to that branch.”
Social studies teacher and veteran Michael Weber has also been a part of organizing the ceremony and spoke as a guest speaker this year.
About his speech, Weber said, “It means a great deal to me. I always want to give an uplifting message so the veterans feel appreciated.”
Throughout the day, veterans also visited social studies classes to speak about their experiences while serving for the United States.
Weber said, “Every teacher in the Social Studies Department helps to put the day together. We all play different roles in providing breakfast and lunch to the veterans, as well as organizing their placement in our rooms for the day. As a veteran myself, my role in working directly with our veteran guests is a good fit.”
Roberts has been in charge of the behind-the-scenes actions for the Veterans Day Program for the past 22 years. Prior to his retirement in 2023, Roberts worked with former social studies teacher Terry Verstraete, who started the Veterans Day Program. In recent years, she and Weber have worked together to organize the main ceremony.
The planning of the Veterans Day Program begins in April of each year when Roberts and Weber choose a theme and secure a guest speaker.
Roberts added, “The real work begins in early September. Mr. Weber begins recruiting veterans, and I start the process of delegating duties to the department.”
Roberts said, “This is truly an ‘all hands on deck’ event. Without each person in the social studies department, the custodians, the front office secretaries, the alumni office, the head principal, Chartwells, the FACS department, the music department and our veterans, this event would not happen. It requires a lot of planning to put all the pieces together with everyone mentioned above. Everyone does a great job doing their part.”
Honoring those who have served for the United States, Robert said, is extremely important.
About holding a Veterans Day ceremony, Roberts said, “It is everything to me. I have many families that have served in our nation’s military, including an uncle who was killed in action in Vietnam after being drafted.”
Former principal Pat Voss has also made contributions to honoring the veterans at WGHS through a memorial wall displayed in the social studies hallway.
Along with the memorial wall, Webster honors the veterans through the bulletin board displays created by Roberts.
Roberts said, “Our Veterans Wall of Honor houses photos of our veterans that are sent in by our veterans, and I create a card to display their photo and a bit about their service.”
Roberts added her dad and uncle are also a part of that wall, along with several WWII veterans who have attended the program through the years but have since passed.
Weber said, “It means a lot to bring individuals into our classrooms who can share their experiences with our students, and to have a broad range of amazing people from all branches of the military, who served across generations, is fantastic.”
Social studies teacher Michael Weber speaks during the Veterans’ assembly in Roberts Gym on Friday, Nov. 7.
Photo by Arianna Peper
Students, staff compete in basketball game
Sam Enlund Social Media/Sports Editor
Webster’s Marketing II class is hosting the Staff vs Students Basketball Game
which will be held in Robert’s Gym on Friday, Nov. 21, at 6:30 p.m.
The event is serving as a fundraiser for the Marketing II class’s experiential learning trip to New York.
Tickets cost five dollars and are available to be purchased at the door with cash or card
About planning the event, senior Josh Hager said, “A lot of recruitment, just get ting teachers and sponsorships to help raise money for the said fundraiser. As well as just a lot of time put into the media and our social media. Just marketing and getting people to want to come.”
Participating on behalf of the staff will be Fred Bell, Patrick Bommarito, Alison Bryar, Jacob Clark, Tony Gragnani, Don trail Johnson, Annie Lybarger, Cam Mc-
Cullough, Vincent Sbisa, Rebecca Riley, Tim Levine, Liza Ruether, Brennan Wells, Conner White and
Sean Wright.
Acting as their coaches will be Eric Dunn and Patty Perkins.
About participating, Bommarito said, “I really enjoy playing pick-up basketball,
and I like when staff and students get together for events. We used to do them more back in the day, I guess, but it’s just a lot of camaraderie and fun.”
Playing for the students will be sophomore Crosby MacMullan, junior Barrett Battles, and seniors Gavin Bleyer, Amelia Brangle, Carson Calame, Jake Clifton, Cameron Fowler, Joey Fox, Morgan Patrick, Harper McEvoy, Peyton Nehring, Owen O’Neil, George Peel, Miguel Saavedra and Henry Scheiffer. The coaches for the student’s team will be Shane Delanty and Malakai Lewis.
At the game, the National Anthem will be performed by senior George Miofsky. Later on during halftime, the Webster Groves Cheer team will perform, and there will be a three-point contest featuring juniors Scottie Adkinson, Hadley Nordmann and Jackson Tabash, as well as seniors Ava Vanecek and Quincy Williams.
Graphic from Canva
Hockey team prepares for winter season
Isaac Choi Junior Sports Editor
Skatesmen Hockey began its season on Nov. 3, with a 6-1 win against MICDS.
The team was undefeated for the first four games, but the streak ended with a loss to John Burroughs.
“Our team has an advantage in goaltending. We have a lot of depth and trust within all our goalies that they can have a strong game,” sophomore forward Louis Gahn said about where he saw an advantage on the team.
The team allowed only 11 goals through the first four games.
The team’s starting junior goalie Ford Karas said, “In order for me to be a leader on the team, I have to be consistent and take over the game.”
In the hockey season the team plays each team three times.
Gahn said, “The hardest team is Ladue.”
The first game between the two is on Nov. 25.
Walt Wichard carries the puck during a Skatesmen Hockey game on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025.
Gahn said, “We will approach that game with confidence.”
However, Karas said, “Kirkwood is the hardest team; they’re competitive with plenty of high end players.”
Though Gahn agreed Kirkwood was
good. He said, “Watch out Kirkwood.”
About how to build off being undefeated the first four games, Karas said, “Keep competing every night and just bring that same intensity to every game.”
Senior
Photo by Sam Enlund
Political divide harms country, prevents change
President Trump signed a house-passed funding package on Wednesday, Oct. 14, ending the U.S. government’s 43-day long shutdown.
The shutdown follows a trend of extreme political divisive ness in the country, and according to the Pew Research Cen ter, “Eight-in-10 U.S. adults say that when it comes to important issues facing the country, Republican and Democrat vot ers not only disagree on plans and pol icies, but also cannot agree on basic facts.”
This divisiveness has limited governmental productivity and harmed communities across the country, showing the impact of political polarization, which is the growing ideological divide between two parties.
The shutdown was started after the GOP and Democrats were unable to agree on the government funding package, which extends money for most federal agencies until Jan. 30, 2026.
until September 2026. The package did not include a guaranteed extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, which was what the Democrats wanted.
According to a BBC article, the package provides funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the Department of Agriculture, Congress and Veterans Affairs
Now that the budget was passed, the ACA tax credits are set to expire on Dec. 31. According to CBS news, the ACA insurance will become more expensive due to there not being an extension, and “about 4 million people are likely to drop their health coverage, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated.”
One of the consequences of the shutdown was the funding for SNAP food benefits being suspended. Despite the shutdown officially ending, there will be lasting impacts from the SNAP program’s funding being suspended, with benefits still being delayed or only partially given in some states.
These impacts emphasize how political polarization is harming both the country and the people within it, as the government’s inability to compromise has directly harmed the people it is meant to represent.
According to an NPR article, “SNAP is the country’s largest anti-hunger program, serving the one in eight U.S. residents who live at or just above the poverty line. For more than 60 years it has stood as a key safety-net for those in need.”
SNAP benefits have not been the only thing impacted by the shutdown. Approximately 670,000 federal employees were temporarily suspended, 730,000 worked without pay, air traffic delays and cancellations increased, and federal loans were paused.
To help bridge the political gap, it is important to look at sources from both parties, rely on factual media and try to engage in respectful discourse when having political conversations. Compromise is important in politics, and without getting both sides of the argument and looking at the bigger picture, it is easy to overlook or misinterpret crucial information.
The shutdown was a result of both parties being unable to compromise on the budget and its impacts show the consequences of the political division in the country.
Graphic from Canva
Op-Ed: AI use harms environment
Margaret Korte Print/Podcast Editor
As AI usage becomes more widespread, its ethics have also become increasingly controversial.
Opinions differ on AI’s role, whether it is a tool or a crutch, a step towards a more innovative future, or a dystopian one. Its convenience has been both praised and trashed--it makes life easier but may hinder one’s ability to think critically.
Recently, studies and articles have sought to finally end this discourse by arguing that AI has harmful impacts on the environment.
Research on AI is still scarce, and little can be definitively known; however, the research points largely to its harmful effects.
What is known is that AI uses a lot of energy and electricity. The training of an AI tool requires a “staggering” amount of electricity, according to an article published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This “leads to increased carbon dioxide emissions and pressures on the electric grid.”
Because AI technology continues to advance, so does its training, and each model requires more energy.
For example, scientists have estimated that the training for GPT-3 by OpenAI took 1287 megawatt hours of electricity, which is “enough to power about 120 U.S. homes for a year,” releasing about 552 tons of carbon dioxide.
The AI training process also requires “rapid fluctuations in energy use,” which power grids must accommodate for, usually using diesel-based generators.
The hardware used to train AI is also cooled with water. According to MIT, excessive water use for this purpose “can strain municipal water supplies and disrupt local ecosystems.”
Data centers, where AI models are trained, are not new: Amazon has over 100, but they have “dramatically increased” since the rise of AI, according to MIT.
The electricity consumption of data centers was at 460 terawatt-hours in 2022, making it the 11th largest electricity consumer, placing it “between the nations of Saudi Arabia and France, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,” according to MIT.
It is estimated that by 2026, electricity consumption of data centers is expected to approach 1050 terawatt-hours, placing it at number five, between Japan and Russia.
The demand for data centers also “cannot be met in a sustainable way,” according to MIT. “The pace at which companies are building new data centers means the bulk of the electricity to power them must come from fossil-fuel based power plants.”
“Pushing up demand for fossil fuels means more CO2 is emitted, which helps global temperatures creep up,” Kenza Bryan, climate reporter, told PBS in an article.
According to MIT, researchers also estimate that “a ChatGPT query consumes about five times more electricity
than a simple web search.” Other sources have argued that it’s no more electricity than is used by watching a few hours of Netflix. The impacts of AI, then, may be harmful, but no more than any other internet activity.
Despite these arguments that AI is causing negative impacts, some sources have argued that the lack of research means it can’t be stated for certain.
According to Yale Climate Connections, “Spotty, unreliable, and missing data make it incredibly hard to accurately assess AI’s true climate impact and energy needs, let alone figure out what to do about it.”
Until research becomes more reliable, AI users should remain cautious, using shorter prompts to cut back on the amount of energy used, or limiting AI use all together
AI users should stop and ask themselves, “Do I really need ChatGPT for this?
Try shifting the mindset. If, when confronted with an issue, the first instinct is to think, “Let me ask ChatGPT,” a change needs to be made.
Because the complete environmental impacts of AI are uncertain, users should be careful. Any new technology comes with its risks, and the risks not being fully known, does not mean they don’t exist.
