Staff EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Isaac Choi ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR: Connor Spellecy BUSINESS/DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER: Chase Hoskins SPORTS/LAYOUT EDITOR: Karter Goskie NEWS/POLITICS EDITOR: Peter Richardson STAFF ARTISTS: Tyler Kent Avery Hutchinson JUNIOR EDTIOR: Iris Wallace ADVISOR: Kurt Johnson
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Boys swim sets new records at invitational
Boys swim sets new records at invitational
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Webster Groves hosts Fall 2026 Broadway Revue
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City Hall, Frick Center host second annual youth summit
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High school athletes face high hurdles to play college
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Echo entertainment editor reviews horror movies
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WG football fights through injury adversity
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Seniors compete in Powder Puff
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Girls cross country breaks records, sets the pace
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Tennis duo places 2nd at state
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Email hacking sparks concern at Webster Groves High School
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Word search
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ECHO Family Supporters The ECHO Family helps make the ECHO possible. To become a member, please contact wgecho@wgmail.org. The Echo is a monthly publication of the newspaper staff of Webster Groves High School, 100 Selma Ave., 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. 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 204. 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 JournalismSTL, Quill and Scroll, JEA, MIJA, NSPA and CSPA.
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Karter Goskie Sports/Layout Editor On Sept. 25, the Webster Groves boys swim and dive team competed in the COMO Invitational hosted at the University of Missouri, placing seventh overall with 118 points. “I am excited, but not surprised. I had a feeling that it would happen. We kind of put the ball together with the hopes of that happening,” said head coach Evyn Spencer. Three new records were set: Cole Strom, sophomore, with a time of 1:55.36 in the 200 IM; senior Clark Montgomery in the 100 backstroke with a time of 50.66; and the 200 medley relay team of Montgomery, Strom, junior Evan Smith, and junior Campbell Hoefgen with a time of 1:39.47. “I wanted to see how many of the boys could make finals, as well as go best times, whether they made finals or not. And as a coach, I was hoping to see some of the athletes potentially win or get top three in their events,” said Spencer. Prior to the event, the team was 3-1 in the regular season, coming off a win against Eureka the day before. About the regular season success, Spencer thinks “hard work works!” and that hard work in practice pays off in meets.
“Coach Spencer helps a lot with taking the pressure off of me before a big race when I talk to her, and my teammates always push me to work harder in practice,” said Strom. Last year, at COMO, the team placed ninth, and the year before that, it placed 18th. The team broke multiple records last season, including the 50 freestyle, 200 freestyle, and 100 freestyle, all broken by Clark Montgomery, and the 400 and 200 freestyle relays by the relay team of Clark Montgomery, Cole Strom, Campbell Hoefgen, and Evan Smith. “When I race, I don’t really think. Just go blank. And then, when I watch other people, I always try to help, and see what I can help them with,” said Montgomery. During the 2024-25 season, Montgomery also broke records for the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.
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11 Front Cover Art by Avery Hutchinson Junior Oliver Franke swims the 100 fly during Ladue Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 29. Photo by Elliott Jackson
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Table of Contents | October 2026
October 2026 | Sports
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City Hall, Frick Center host second annual youth summit Peter Richardson News/Politics Editor
Students from the Frick Center for Civic Engagement and students on the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council had the opportunity to attend city hall and collaborate with the mayor to foster new ideas surrounding the future of Webster Groves. Meetings took place all day on Sept. 25 and 28 and they involved learning about local government and brainstorming new ways to improve Webster Groves for young people. The summit was led by Mayor Laura Arnold, Councilwoman Jamie Hasemeier, and former Councilwoman Pam Bliss. Key topics included affordability, road safety, third spaces and public art. “I think the summit went very well,” Senior Gavin Duncan said. “It was very interesting getting to talk to the mayor and experts in the field throughout the city about current issues that are going on.” Duncan said his favorite part was having the opportunity to speak with the mayor on issues that mattered to the youth. “Getting to go through the city and kind of identify issues and present those issues to not only [the mayor] but also experts throughout the city was a great part of it.” “I didn’t know much about the mayor, so getting to see her and hear her speak, and learn about what she thinks about things,
was really great,” shared Junior Owen Dibble. “I feel like it was very great to have a voice, especially when we’re not at the age where we can vote.” “I would definitely encourage other students to take part in this experience,” Dibble said.
Graphic from webstergrovesmo.gov
Webster Groves hosts 2026 Broadway Revue Peter Richardson News/Politics Editor On Friday, Oct. 9, members of the Webster Groves High School drama department performed in the Fall 2026 Broadway Revue. The show included 18 songs from various broadway musicals such as “Hamilton,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Tangled.” Despite a few slight technical hiccups during the beginning of the show, the performers adapted and the show went well. Senior Martha Poppen was a highlight, carrying the show with jokes between performances, in addition to opening the show. Other standout performances included Brynn Hinyard-Lash’s rendition of “Burn” from “Hamilton,” Marz Hoyer’s performance of “When Will My Life Begin?“ from “Tangled” and Mimi Mueller’s cover of “Maybe this Time” from “Cabaret.” Poppen appreciated the low stakes of the show. “It’s fun in a Senior Miles Keller and Junior Rin Blank perform “Phanway because it’s all just low pressure.” For this reason mess-ups tom of the Opera” from “Phantom of the Opera” during aren’t a large point of concern according to Poppen. “It doesn’t Webster’s 2026 fall Broadway Revue on Oct. 9. matter if you mess up because there are always mess-ups.” This attitude contributes to a fun and low-stress backstage enPhoto by Vivienne DeLorez vironment, “Everybody’s having a good time backstage and just kind of messing around,” Poppen said. “You know that something’s probably going to go wrong, so that’s a little bit scary. But leading up to it, it’s just kind of fun and low stress.”
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Feature | October 2026
High school athletes face high hurdles to play college sports Chase Hoskins Business/Digital Media Manager According to the NCAA, of the “eight million students currently participating in high school athletics in the U.S., only about 550,000 will compete at NCAA schools.” The NCAA also states that only about 2% of high school students receive an athletic scholarship. More than 50% of Webster Groves High School students participate in 28 MSHSAA-sponsored activities. When they graduate, many students face the question of whether or not they want to participate in college sports. Varsity basketball coach Justin Mathes said, “I really believe that love of the game is one of the distinguishing factors between players who go on to play at the next level.” “High school sports take the time obligations of a part-time job; college sports take the time commitment of a full-time job,” Mathes said. “Between practice, weights, film, conditioning, treatment, and study halls, a college athlete will have roughly four to six hours per day that are mandatory outside of classes.” “College sports are much more competitive and less sympathetic -- with new laws and roster spot limitations, it’s perform or get cut,” said Jon Petter, head coach of the cross country and track teams. To maintain college athletic eligibility, you also are required to maintain a 2.3 course GPA. NCAA changed its rules following the House v. NCAA legal settlement, which eliminated traditional sport-specific scholarship limits in favor of strict roster caps. Under the updated rules, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field rosters are capped at 45 athletes, and standalone cross country rosters are limited to 17 runners. Using this new model permits more athletes to get scholarships. The rosters are locked out before the season begins, preventing unlisted athletes from participating in any official or voluntary team actions. The NCAA has also changed its athletic longevity rules by using an age-based eligibility model that gives students a continuous 5-year window to compete in five seasons, starting at college enrollment or after an athlete’s 19th birthday, and abolishing redshirting and medical hardship waivers--only pausing for documented pregnancy, active military service, or religious missions. This leads to higher competition for a limited number of mandated roster spots. “College coaches want to see athletes that can work hard in all facets of life and be successful,” Coach Petter said. “If a prospective athlete has poor grades, not only will it make it hard to get NCAA eligibility, but also hard to get into most universities -- not to mention the coaches will worry about focus, stress management, accountability, etc.” Playing sports has been shown to improve academic performance. According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, 92.9 percent of students who play sports passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading, compared to 61.3
October 2026 | Feature
percent of the non-athlete population. Playing sports has also been shown to build a stronger sense of community and connection to school. According to the CARIS Sports Foundation, “High schools have regional rivalries and student athletes get to represent their school in what are most likely, heated games.” This helps students build a sense of community and honor. In addition to the health benefits, athletic scholarships can help students save money on tuition. “College coaches are trying to combine academic scholarships with athletic scholarships to cover more of the total cost,” Mathes said. Participation in athletics is a strong incubator for real-world leadership and lifelong capabilities. Research shows that participation directly correlates with higher educational attainment, increased full-time employment, and higher wage earnings by 30 compared to non-participants.
Former Webster Groves shooting guard Quincy Williams looks to pass against McCluer on Jan. 15. Webster won the game 81-27. Williams now attends William Woods University and plays as a guard on the men’s basketball team. Photo by Karter Goskie
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Entertainment editor
Connor Spellecy Entertainment Editor
Halloween is fast approaching, which means horror movies are becoming a more popular choice for movie nights with friends and family. From supernatural possessions like in “The Exorcist” (1973) to masked killers like in “Halloween” (1978), the genre offers a variety of ways to frighten audiences. One of the most well known horror classics is “Scream,” (1996) directed by Wes Craven. The film follows a group of teenagers targeted by a masked killer known as Ghostface. “Scream” is able to combine traditional horror elements with humor and self-awareness, poking fun at horror movie cliches. However, the humor doesn’t overshadow the horror aspect of the film, allowing audiences to remain frightened as the characters are picked off one by one. Neve Campbell (“The Craft”) gives a career-defining performance as Sidney Prescott, the film’s main protagonist, while Jamie Kennedy (“Dead Poets Society”) and Matthew Lillard (“Scooby Doo”) play two of the film’s most magnetic characters, Randy Meeks and Stu Macher. For viewers seeking more supernatural horror, “The Exorcist,” directed by William Friedkin, remains a renowned classic among horror fans.
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The film focuses on Chris MacNeil, played by Ellen Burstyn (“Interstellar”), a mother whose daughter, played by Linda Blair (“Scream”), begins exhibiting disturbing behavior, leading to an attempted exorcism. The film’s unsettling atmosphere and serious tone create an extremely frightening experience. John Carpenter’s “Halloween” offers a different approach to horror through its slow-building suspense. “Halloween” follows Laurie Strode, played by Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), as she becomes the target of Michael Myers, a masked killer who returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, IL, 15 years after murdering his sister. “Halloween” is a movie that instantly comes to mind at the mention of horror. That combined with its memorable score, suspenseful pacing and fitting name make it a Halloween staple. A more recent selection, “Weapons” (2025), directed by Zach Cregger, centers on the mysterious disappearance of nearly all the children from one classroom in the town of Maybrook, PA. The film gradually reveals disturbing details through interconnected perspectives, keeping audiences guessing. Julia Garner (“The Perks of Being a Wallflower”) and Josh Brolin (“Dune”) provide performances as two of the main characters of the story, the former playing the teacher of the missing students, and the latter playing a parent of one of the missing children. Austin Abrams (“Resident Evil”) also provides comic relief to the movie that audiences don’t usually get out of horror. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) directed by Tobe Hooper is one of the most influential horror movies of all time, but also one of the more underrated ones, compared to the likes of “Scream” or “Halloween.” The film centers around a group of young travelers who encounter a violent family in rural Texas while on the way to visit Graphic made in Canva the grave of the grandfather of Sally and Franklin Hardesty, played by Marilyn Burns (“American Psycho”) and Paul A. Partain. The film uses its isolated setting, gritty cinematography, and unsettling sound effects to create a disturbing atmosphere. Leath-
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Entertainment | October 2026
reviews horror movies erface, the film’s masked killer, is particularly memorable because of his unpredictable behavior and intimidating appearance. The film also contains one of the most iconic and beautiful closing shots in horror film history. However, these films have many flaws. At times, “Scream” tends to focus too much on humor rather than horror, leaving much to be desired for die-hard horror fans. On the other hand, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” contains relentless violence which some will consider gratuitous, as well as limited character development. “The Exorcist” also contains some gross-out special effects that can be considered unnecessary. Even with their flaws, these films are able to create a variety of experiences for all kinds of audiences, and prove themselves to be perfect for a Halloween movie marathon.
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Graphic from Wikimedia Commons
October 2026 | Entertainment
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Webster football fights through injury adversity Isaac Choi Editor-In Chief “There are some things in life that you can’t control, that make you want to punch a hole in the wall,” Coach Conner White said. This season, injuries are that thing for the football team. The biggest injury came on Sept. 11, during the Affton game. Webster Groves was leading in the third quarter, but quarterback Henry Rycenga was in pain on the sideline; he was not the first player to be hurt nor the last. Following the Affton game, the Webster team was forced to adjust to a new system with a different quarterback, as Rycenga was diagnosed with an ACL tear, a rearranged offensive line, and several other position changes. “It’s had a big impact, and we’ve had to switch people around, and we’ve grown comfortable with that,” junior Myles Terri said. Throughout the season, the motto in the locker room has been “the price of success is always going up.” Hung on the wall is a ticking clock showing the weekly price tag for the hours the team has to put in order to get the next win. With these new injury challenges, the team has to put in even more work to be at its best. Coaches and players have used the injuries as a motivation. “The injuries have led the team to grow tighter and closer as a team and will propel us through our season,” Terri said. The game against Parkway South, however, showed how injuries took a toll on Webster as they were unable to come away with the win that game Sophomore Bear Robinson expressed disappointment in his performance, but the team rallied around him in support, with Coach White complimenting him for his courage for “stepping up to the plate.” The following week, Webster prepared for a home game against Mehlville, now with Senior Asa Franklin at quarterback. Before, he was part of special teams and the receiving core. Terri said, “When Henry was quarterback, we had a more prominent pass game, and now we tend to run the ball more.” Several seniors have been unable to play, such as Everett Zemper and Kareem Saffaf. Saffaf, who suffered an ACL tear just before the start of the season said, “ It has definitely thrown a wrench in things. I was super excited to be able to compete this year, and it is definitely frustrating not being able to.” Despite his absence from the field, Saffaf has still been a big help to the team and was voted captain for several weeks in a row. “I always make sure to try to bring a lot of energy to the practices and games to hype the guys up, and try to help coach up my replacements,” Saffaf said. Saffaf even started an Instagram page, “Road to Recovery,” which shows his journey and growth through the injury.
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Senior Wisdom Barton runs ball during the Powderpuff Game on Oct. 25, at Moss Field. The game ended in a 28-14 win for the pink team.
Photo by Isaac Choi
Seniors compete in Powder Puff Peter Richardson News/Poltics Editor
Varsity senior quarterback Asa Franklin goes for a run down the field against Normandy on Oct. 9. The game ended in a 26-11 loss for Webster Groves. Photo by Karter Goskie
Sports| October 2026
The Powder Puff game took place on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Moss Field. The Powder Puff game is a flag football game between female students, coached by senior members of the football team. The game is played between a pink team and a purple team. The Powder Puff game has been a tradition for many years at Webster. The Powder Puff game is one of many events being led entirely by students in Marketing II to help fundraise for an annual field trip to New York. Other events include the 2v2 Pickleball Tournament, Movie on Moss and the Staff vs. Students game. The game was extra competitive this year. Ahead of the game, purple team player Gwen Hoven said, “Purple team is going to win because we have a lot of team spirit, and we also have some of the best athletes. I think having the mindset that we’re going to win has been easy just because we know we are more competitive, faster and our plays will be better on Sunday.” Pink team player Carly Harre also felt very confident heading into the game on Sunday. “Pink will win because we’re superior,” Harre said before the game. She attributed her confidence to the team’s preparation. “We have practiced a lot, like five times a week. Our team dynamic has been good and we work very well together.” The game ended 28-14 for the pink team. Wisdom Barton led the way with a game-high three touchdowns for the pink team.
October 2026 | Sports
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Girls cross country breaks records, sets the pace Eveyln Lozano Contributing Writer The girls cross country team is off to a strong start with two runners breaking records recently. At the team’s season opener, senior Lucy Middendorf broke the school’s 3-mile record with a time of 19:06. Later on Sep. 25, senior Carson Selby broke the school’s 5k record with a time of 18:25, 24 seconds faster than the previous record. “It was something I had been working towards since my junior year and was close to and it was fun to be able to finally do it,” Selby said. Selby pointed out that it took “consistency” in order to break the record. “They work hard; they’re good kids,” said Chris Mosley, the coach of the team. The runners train six days a week for the medals they win. The team does a lot of distance running throughout the week; they practice on many different terrains such as grass and track. The runners are also trained on uphills and downhills, which Coach Mosley said “makes them tough.” To many runners the hardest part of the race for them is to just keep going. The runners often said that the only thing keeping them going while they race is the finish line. The team also has several phrases that they use, such as “PR or ER” and “the faster you run, the faster you finish.” Some runners said that seeing their progress helps keep them going while they run. “When I crossed the finish line, I felt really bad, but I also felt like I did good,” said Ruthie Bohnenkamp, a freshman runner. Aside from the accomplished runners, this team has an incredible relationship with each other. The students on the team come from many different backgrounds, and all have different interests, but even so, they work with and support each other during the races, with most of the students not running, cheering on their teammates while they run. Although the team has an
Iris Wallace Junior Editor
Webster Groves girls cross country runners huddle up before a meet in Wildwood.
Photo by Eveyln Lozano
amazing relationship, the environment of a cross country meet is ecstatic, with people running and cheering all around you, making it always happy and positive at a cross country event. And whether it’s hot or cold, rain or sun, they always cheer on their teammates and celebrate their accomplishments with them.
Tennis duo places 2nd at state Chase Hoskins Business Manager/ Digital Media Manager Senior Meg Nakatani and Junior Jillian Kisslinger placed second in the state for doubles tennis, competing in the Class 2 State Championship match on Friday, Oct. 23. After qualifying for the state tournament for the second straight season, the duo won three matches in a row to reach the final. In the championship match, Nakatani and Kisslinger split the first two sets of the final and lost the third super tiebreak set to Platte County’s senior Ellie Kaser and junior Macie Keith. The final score was 6-4, 2-6, 10-4. Assistant Coach Kevin Kovarik said, “Webster always has a great turnout of girls who want to play. We had a big team, and all the girls support each other.”
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Email hacking sparks concern at Webster Groves High School
Meg Nakatani and Julian Kisslinger bite metals after their state championship tennis match on Oct. 23. Webster lost the match with a final score of 6-4, 2-6, 10-4.
A number of Webster Groves High School students and staff had their emails hacked by an unknown phisher this semester. Many were fooled by the phisher when they were sent a fake Google document via email. When they clicked on the email, they were prompted to sign in to their accounts, unknowingly giving their information to the hacker. Sophomore Ava Olsen was a victim of the hacking. After logging into her email account, the phisher deleted her entire email, and her computer was temporarily unusable with no account to do work on. Olsen said that this experience “really set me back” because she could not do any digital schoolwork. Olsen also said that during the process of getting a new account, she had to get a new email password. More concerning, Olsen noted that when she got her new email address, she somehow was able to see all of the emails that the hacker had sent out to others. She couldn’t see any emails that were being sent to her from teachers because the phisher had changed the settings on her account to make all new emails go straight to the trash. After the problems were fixed with Olsen’s account, she said that even though this experience took a toll on her grades and time, she “got a great story out of it.” The tech department said it learned about this problem from system alerts and reports, and immediately had to weed out the problem. The tech department had to identify compromised or suspected accounts, secure them, reset them, and remove any “malicious” or false information they were containing. To prevent hacking or phishing, the school district’s Director of Technology Zach Klestinske said it’s important to pay close attention to the content of all your emails. A lot of times, hackers say things like, “Your account will be closed today,” or “I need this ASAP,” to lure people in. Email hackers also usually have misspelled names, or the @ symbol is in the middle of the email address instead of at the beginning. To further prevent your email from being hacked, Klestinske said that you should never log into your email account after clicking on a link from an email. Instead, go to the site directly and log in there. If you click on an email that has suspicious or invalid information, you should report it immediately so that it doesn’t get to anyone else.
Photo provided by Laura Millkamp
Feature | October 2026
October 2026 | Feature
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October Issue 2026