Feb. 20 Turnabout, 7:30 p.m.

Feb.22Taste of West County, 5:30 p.m.

Feb.23Variety Show Auditions

March 2Band Concert, 7 p.m.

March 3Staff Development DayChoir Concert, 7 p.m.

March 5District Solo and EnsembleFBLABenefitConcert,7 p.m.

March 6Mother/Son Brunch, 10 a.m.Father/Daughter, Dance 7 p.m.

March 9Academic Pep AssemblyOrchestra Concert, 7 p.m.

March 113rd Quarter Ends

March 12-19Spring Break

comingsoon

whatsinsidewhatsinsideImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImagethewww.lhsimage.com

Feb. 192010

Vol. 41, No 6

Pain in the Back: As students are assigned more homework, it seems they have more injuries and worse pos-ture, and the backpack may be to blame.

See page 4

Budget Cuts:With the economy at its worst, Rockwood is forced to cut back on its spending as well.

Healthy Options:Now that the holiday feasting has come to an end, restaurants have responded with healthy menu options for calorie conscious customers.

justaglance

See page 9

See page 6

Lafayette High School 17050 Clayton Road Wildwood, MO 63011

Cell phones. Th e very phrase may well become synonymous with controversy.

For several years, Rockwood schools have been struggling to fi nd cell phones place in the class-rooms and hallways. However, as of next year, there may be a defi nitive answer from the district level to this old question.

Th en again, there may not.

Representative CommitteeOn Jan. 27, all high schools and middle

schools in the district sent an administrator, a stu-dent, a teacher and a parent to a newly formed cell phone committee. Th ere, representatives openly discussed cell phone use in schools and current policy.

Th e hope is the school board can use the results of this meeting to create an updated, district-wide policy in time for next school year.

Were trying to take a look at our current cell phone policy and come to some sort of update that is a little more realistic, or refl ects more accu-rately, the current cell phone situation, Principal John Shaughnessy said.

We were in small groups fi rst, then we got into big groups, and we basically voiced our opin-ions [on the issue], Lafayette student representa-tive, junior Samantha Haselhorst, said.

Th e committee did agree in certain areas.Th ey reestablished that cell phones should be

allowed before and after school at both the high school and middle school level, and that middle

school students should not be permitted to use them anytime during the day.

In addition, all fi ve high schools (including the Individualized Learning Center) agreed teachers should be able to use cell phones as part of a les-son and make the fi nal decision on whether to punish students caught with one in their class.

However, the policy for between classes and cafeteria use is a point of division.

The Voice of DissentEvery representative supported allowing cell

phone use in these two areas, except for LHSs ad-ministrative and teacher representatives.

We were the voice of dissent, Assistant Prin-cipal and LHSs administrative representative Matt Dieckhaus said.

Th ese representatives defended their decision by pointing out the possible safety issues a more open cell phone policy could present.

Dieckhaus cited data that showed 35 percent of students said they used their cell phones to cheat and 21 percent admitted to bullying by uti-lizing cell phones.

What we felt was important was that theres not a lot of data about the issue with cell phones, Dieckhaus said.

While most kids would use [cell phones] without any problems whatsoever, the question that was put before us was: do we allow greater freedom of use in our building when we know and acknowledge these safety issues exist? Our an-swer to that was no, Dieckhaus said.

Th e other schools were not as concerned with the fallout. But if we open this up and let the

cell phones in, I think theres going to be a lot of consequences that most people have not even thought of yet, math teacher and LHSs teacher representative Kathy Soucy said.

To further this point, Soucy called attention to the fact that most cell phones can do more than just make calls, like function as cameras and video recorders. Th ese additional features could come into confl ict with existing district policy.

Th e Rockwood Student Handbook states, Beepers/pagers/portable communication devices may not be used or be visible on school premises during regular school hours, and may not be used during regular school hours as a camera.

If cell phones were permitted during lunch or between classes, it would be much easier to take pictures or video, even if its still against the rules, Soucy said.

Blackberries, iPhones, PDAs and cell phones that access the Internet present a similar issue.

Where do you draw the line? Soucy said. Do we need a specifi c cell phone policy along with an other policy? Th ats what we were trying to fi gure out.

In the end, Lafayette asked for the ability to use its discretion on cell phones, while still work-ing within the districts policy.

Th e discussion is including [if it would] be appropriate for every school to have a policy or some language that would allow for fl exibility per high school to set their own guidelines and limits on phone use in the building, Shaughnessy said.

In a sense, this model is already being used among the high schools.

District-wide committee to discuss cell phones and their place in schoolTeresa Avila / Reporter

Phillips earns LHS Teacher of the Year honors

Teacher of the Year Mathematics Department Chair Danna Phillips helps one of her students with his math homework. Phillips was selected the Teacher of the Year on Feb. 12 in a vote by the Lafay-ette staff. (photo by Daniel Clutter)

Mathematics Department Chair Danna Phillips has been chosen as the 2010 Lafayette Teacher of the Year. She will now move on to the district level competition.

She has taught for 35 years, 10 at Lafayette.

Other fi nalists included Brad Balog, music; Becky Lawrence, FACS; Chris Lofgren, science; and Lori Sanders, FACS.

Phillips said just being nominated was an amazing achievement.

It validates for me the

things I believe in and do everyday, she said.

Students also sang her praises.

Sophomore Jonathan Perera said, Shes a great teacher who loves to get her students involved and make sure they are understanding each concept. She does a great job of keeping the stu-dents on their toes.

He added, Also, she has a forgiving personality and gives the students the benefi t of the doubt.

Phillips said she is hon-ored, but never worked hard just so she could receive an

award. She said she works hard

because she loves her job. I dont think that any-

one should work to achieve something given as an honor. I believe in what I do and I do it everyday regardless of who is in my classroom ob-serving or visiting, she said.

Phillips said she thinks the best thing about being Teacher of the Year is rep-resenting Lafayette for the next year.

She explained, I really believe that teaching is the most important career in the world.

Alex West / Reporter

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2009-2010Image Staff

Feb. 19, 2010Opinion2

Courtney McBay Editor in Chief

Print EditionChelsea Coleman Managing Editor Max Thoman News EditorAlicia Mestre Asst. News EditorRachel Brown Opinion EditorKara Campbell Campus Editor Adam Harris Feature EditorD.Anne Vollmayer In-Depth EditorDavid Adams Entertainment EditorAndrew Martin Sports EditorIan Bernstein Asst. Sports EditorSanti Diaz ArtistJessica Zadoks Business Manager

Online EditionMina Yu Managing Editor Max Thoman Student Life EditorMia SchenoneKatie Jardine Lifestyles Editors Gian Wessel Sports Editor

Nancy Smith, MJE Adviser

StaffTeresa Avila, Kelley Bauer, Leanne Beasley, Grace Bueckendorf, Mary Buttram, Caleb Cavarretta, Daniel Clutter, Dominic Corvington, Misha Emanoil, Ashlyn Goldston, Sarah Greenlee, Christine Jackson, Maddie Johnson, Alyssa Knowling, Alex West, Molly White

InformationThe Image is published 10 times a year by the Newspaper Production Class. Subscriptions are $30. Free issues are distributed on cam-pus. The 2008-2009 Image received a rating of First Class with two marks of distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association.

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

Contact Us Located in Room 213 at Lafayette High School, 17050 Clayton Rd., Wildwood, MO 63011. Our phone number is (636) 733-4118 and our e-mail address is smithnancy@rockwood.k12.mo.us Visit on the web at:www.lhsimage.com

PoliciesOpinions expressed on the editorial page do not reflect the viewpoints or official poli-cies of the school administra-tion. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board. Signed editorials, columns, editorial cartoons and reviews reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the Image Editorial Board. Partici-pation through letters to the editor by students, faculty and the community is encouraged. Letters must be signed but names will be withheld upon request and with the concur-rence of the Editorial Board. Letters should be limited to 300 words. The Image re-serves the right to reject, edit or shorten letters. Letters may be submitted in writing to Mrs. Nancy Smith in Room 213, or to any Image staff member, or via e-mail to smithnancy@rockwood.k12.mo.us.

by Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown, Opinions Editor

Kudos to Rockwood for taking re-sponsibility and taking steps to balance the districts budget when things didnt go quite as planned.

$4-5 million must be slashed, even if it hurts.

As students, we should grin and bear it, though it may mean fewer fleets of glossy new computers or a silky smooth football field.

Sure its a shame that Driver Ed-ucation and some P.E. classes may end up on the cutting room floor, but what really matters is in the end, we dont find ourselves under the shadow of a looming, crushing debt, arms twisted by debtors.

Unfortunately our federal gov-ernment doesnt share this vision.

Although during the State of the Union, President Obama announced we will tighten our belts and get rid of wasteful programs, he is cutting only $18 billion.

And while $18 billion is a chunk of change, its about a 10th of one percent of the existing debta debt which will actually continue to in-crease as he adds on programs.

In just 10 years, the National Debt is projected to hit $23.1-tril-lion, matching the GDP (all of the money and product that the U.S. will make that year).

And the solution, instead of mak-ing dramatic budget cuts, the gov-ernment believes to be raising taxes

and sucking more tax dollars out of the private sector.

Although President Obama said he has not raised income taxes by a single dime on a single person, this is only because he is allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire and impos-ing a series of fees and other hidden taxes.

These are heavy taxes he will suck out of real businesses that provide tangible goods and services.

Dont get me wrong, the govern-ment does offer some services.

The local government provides police and fire protection, libraries, public schools, trash pick up and community colleges, while the states help out with universities and state parks and highways.

These are services that will ad-vance education, advance business, and protect or add to the quality of life of taxpayers

My question is, what about the federal government?

It takes the biggest chunk of citi-zens tax money, but what does it ac-tually provide for its citizens?

The money taken out of checks and gobbled up by the Federal gov-ernment is used for everything from trying to fix other countrys prob-lems (Defense), paying for old peo-ples medical bills (Medicare), and of course, paying interest on the ugly accumulated debt (about eight per-

cent per year). But lets zoom in even closer now.

In 2009, the Federal Government, after swearing no more earmarks and promising transparency, gave $3.8 million to the Old Tiger Sta-dium Conservancy in Detroit, $1.9 million to a Pleasure Beach water taxi service in Connecticut and $1.8 million to the swine odor control in Iowa.

So while our local government is providing our educations, our police and our roads, with great concern for a balanced budget, the national government is willy nilly tossing $100 bills to swine.

Literally. What Im trying to communicate

is that the smaller the government, the better.

The local government does the most for the average Joe, the state government the second most and the National government almost noth-ing, except hassle him and snatch

away his hard earned money.At a national level, tax dollars

are shuffled, wasted on entitlement programs, frittered on unnecessary budget items and funneled to bu-reaucrats, while at a local level they are injected directly into our schools, our roads and our state parks.

Everything the federal govern-ment sticks its fingers in, it cor-rupts.

It makes what was once efficient, inefficient.

What was once well becomes sick and in need of health care reform.

Many living a perfectly decent lifestyle become suddenly in need of government handouts, though 97 percent of those below this imagi-nary poverty line own a colored TV, live in a three bedroom house and drive at least one vehicle.

Put simply, our government at the national level has become enamored with the idea that their purpose is to grow larger and larger, and to repair what is not broken with money that was never theirs to begin with.

It is time to take responsibility, spit and yowl at the national deficit, disdain high taxes and goofy laws, and protest fixing what has not been busted.

We must let our national govern-ment know, loud and clear, that we want no more money thrown to the odor of pigs.

Local government always aces federal

Dear Editor, There has been a rising concern over homework at Lafayette.

Many people have after school activities that keep them busy and some even have a sport on top of an after school activity.

Students are encouraged to par-ticipate in activities at LHS, but they are required to do homework, which reduces time for their social life.

Parents are constantly remind-ing their children to get good grades which adds more stress on the child.

Homework should not be com-pletely eliminated, it should be op-tional or required if the student has a bad grade in the class.

Taking out homework in a stu-dents life would reduce a lot of stress and improve performance in the classroom.

-Umair Bajwa, 9

Dear Editor,Even though Lafayette is a very good school, I believe there are a few mi-nor problems.

One of the most frustrating is lunch. My peers and I agree that lunch is too short.

I know it is 25 minutes, but that seems a little too short.

By the time you get through the mass of students to the food and wait in line to pay for it, sometimes almost half of your lunch is gone.

I know students usually complain about how long school is but I know some who wouldnt mind adding another 30 minutes to each day so lunch could be 10 minutes longer.

Also, second lunch doesnt have a six-minute bell.

My 4th Hour has a tardy almost every day from students not know-ing when to go back to class after

lunch. I dont think a few seconds of bell

disrupts class. These are just my ideas to im-

prove lunch at Lafayette. -J.D. Casias, 9

Dear Editor, A problem that has occurred re-cently at school is the temperature of certain rooms.

Some rooms are cold, and some are surface of the sun hot!

These problems are common for a building of this age and sometimes they are ok, but other times, its ri-diculous.

Some days I dont know if I should wear a coat or shorts!

If you could somehow address this, it would be appreciated.

-Matt Chatmon, 9

Dear Editor,Recently I have seen several prob-lems with our school environment.

Two stand out the most. The first is the rule banning IPod and cell phone use in the hallways.

I cant tell you how many of my friends have gotten in trouble. But, if theyre not bothering anyone, why are cell phones a problem?

The other problem I have noticed is theft. I have seen this many times.

You walk into the lunch line, and see someone stuffing their pockets with Rice Krispie Treats.

This also happens in the school store. You cant seem to get away from it.

Sincerely,Kyle Bounds, 9

*Editors Note: These letters were collected from a language arts class.

Letters share concerns on homework, lunch, temps

The new Toy Story 3 mov-ie trailer. It is fascinating that Andy has grown up in real time and will be going off to college next fall.

The Vancouver Olympics, bringing together over 5,500 athletes from 82 countries competing for 258 medals.

Bipartisanship. There is now a chance that both political parties will be heard on issues like health care and the economy, and progress may be made.

One Act auditions. After a year long absence, seniors put their directing skills to the test.

Spring Break. You better have your vacation plans set. A much needed vaca-tion is less than a month away.

Zach Frazers perfect ACT score. Now his possibili-ties are endless.

The Rams staying in St. Louis. Good news to those season ticket holders, they still have a game to go to.

The Teacher of the Year Program. With this annual award, great teachers can receive the recognition that they deserve from both students and staff alike.

The new Rockwood Superintendent Dr. Bruce Borchers for being named tofillDr.CraigLarsonsshoes.

stars & gripes

stars to:

gripes to:The potholes studding Clayton Road, snagging our tires, and making for a less than peaceful ride to school.

Recalls on Hondas and Toyotas, for air bag malfunction and braking problems.

The amazing smells constantly wafting out of the FACS hallway, reminding everyone how far away their next meal is.

The paper towel dispenser in the Junior Hallway bathroom seems to constantly be empty, or just have serious issues.

Three brand new sparkling Smartboards in the library during a time of budget cuts. Is this really necessary?

Seniors being out of Snow Days.

The Super Bowl being the most watched TV program of all time. It wasnt actually that awesome.

This Month, the Image

asks...?Month?MonthImage?Image?This?Thisthe?the ?Month?Month, ?, ?the?the???

What do you think about

lhsimage.com, the new online

publication? I like everything about it. It is so cool it makes me wanna slap my momma.

I like the variety of the stories and how much more conve-nient it is than a newspaper.

I loved the West County Girl cartoon and I did the poll!

I like it because it keeps you updated with things going on in the school. Opinions expressed are those of

the individuals interviewed, and not of the Image staff.

IzelSmith, 12

NickTaphorn, 11

Leanna Cates, 9

KaylaHall, 10

3OpinionThe ImageThe ImageDistrict cell phone policy lagging

EDITORIALSTAFFImagethe

Its My Turn[A Rotating Column] This Month: Teresa Avila

Buying Power: Being a conscious consumer

Lafayette is now the only high school in the Rockwood School District opposed to cell phone use during school.

Rockwood Summit, though it is against offi cial district policy, is al-lowing the use of cell phones during lunch and in between classes.

Th is means if a kid at Rockwood Summit calls a friend at Lafayette during a break in school, he will be essentially breaking no rules, and will be given no punishment.

However, at Lafayette, the recipi-ent of that call could be sentenced to three days of ISS.

A mother who calls her child at Rockwood Summit to remind him or her of a dentist appointment would be in the right, while a moth-er at Lafayette who does the same may be landing her kid in serious trouble.

Marquette and Eureka, although they have not quite gone rogue, ad-vocated at a recent meeting on cell phone policy that they would like to see a change in policy.

Justice and rule following, it seems, is either marked by skewed lines, or being neglected entirely.

Principal John Shaughnessy, un-like the administrator at Rockwood Summit, is simply adhering to dis-trict policy.

He says when the Rockwood School District changes its policy, Lafayette will change as well.

We believe its time Rockwood took a serious look at its policy.

With one of its four high schools blatantly disobeying the letter of the law, and three of the four calling for a change in policy, it is time for a new set of District rules entirely; rules more likely to be enforced and more fi tting with the times.

Th ere is no way to stop every single student from using phones during school. If there was, this wouldnt be an issue.

Sure, punishment can discourage cell phone use, but the truth is high school students today are tech savvy

to the point that the line between their digital reality and their real re-ality are hopelessly blurred.

For many, the text conversation has taken the place of the real con-versation, and some among us text more words each day than we ver-bally speak.

In addition, research has begun to take place more online and less in heavy books and fatty tomes of text.

Th e very basics of communica-tion, learning and human interac-tion, have dramatically changed for this generation, within a span of a few years, to the point that cell phones have become a thoroughly integrated part of teenage life.

Telling some students not to text for an entire school day is perhaps akin to forbidding an adult to speak for an entire work day.

Allotted times for legal cell phone usage would likely decrease the amount of students partaking in cell usage during class.

At least, thats whats being re-ported from Rockwood Summit.

Here, the punishment for the common act of texting is a Satur-day detention or a three-day stint in

ISS. In this case, it seems, the punish-

ment does not fi t the crime. It is the equivalent of throwing a toddler in prison for shoplifting a Reeses bar at the grocery store.

We respect Shaughnessys deci-sion, but being the lone rule follow-ing school doesnt make sense.

We ask that Rockwood re-eval-uate cell phone policy, not only be-cause of lack of unity among schools, but also because the policy should adapt to our generations culture.

Because of the information-glut-ted culture of our age group, cell phones have become a tool to extend learning, not hinder it.

Cell phones are less analogous to a foreign distraction and more like a technological extension of the hand.

When it comes down to it, com-munication between family mem-bers or students at school during allotted times is a fair compromise, but we will understand if the district decides otherwise.

All we are asking for is unity in policy and the enforcement thereof both in our school, and throughout the District.

You dont need me to tell you that money can be powerful.

And while many may think of in-fl uential money in the sense of mul-timillion-dollar corporations, theres actually a much subtler way in which money can have a huge impact.

Its in the KitKat bar that you buy every day for $1, or the shoes you end up choosing over another.

We, as consumers, are using our purchasing power, our money, to de-cide the survival of hundreds of in-stitutions, ideas and industries every single day.

Youve likely heard this idea be-fore. I know I heard it countless times from various sources before it hit me what spending power actu-ally means.

I was looking at a shirt in the store one day, considering whether to try it on or not. I checked the tag to see what size it was, and my eyes glanced over the standard Made in Taiwan, message. Something clicked.

I suddenly recalled something language arts and AP Art History teacher Jean Peters had once said. When you put your money down for something, its like youre voting for it.

Th e company with the most votes, or money, she continued, is going to win the game of business.

If I bought this shirt, I would be voting for every process that had

gone into creating it, every method the company had used to obtain the cotton or polyester, and turn it into an article of clothing.

If there was too-low wages and dangerous working conditions hid-den there between the threads, then I was supporting it.

Environmental damage? Th at too. One the other hand, it could be a perfectly fi ne factory that had made this shirt. I really had no way of knowing.

I quickly put the shirt back on the rack and left the store, wonder-ing how on Earth I was supposed to deal with this idea.

I couldnt stop buying items based on the chance that child labor might be involved. Not many of us could.

Instead, I really started paying attention to the information I had been given about a few important companies.

A good example is Nestle, Her-sheys and M&Ms/Mars reportedly buying cocoa from West African farms that utilize child slave labor.

And although these companies have addressed this issue, and assure consumers theyve made eff orts to make sure their chocolate is not the result of slave labor, its diffi cult to know whether this is really the case.

Fair Trade chocolate, on the other hand, has almost assuredly been cre-ated with cocoa from a small farmer,

who will receive his fair share of the $1.50 I spent on a bar of chocolate.

Th erefore, I now try to avoid buy-ing products from Nestle, Hersheys and M&Ms/Mars .

Im not always successful; just the other week I accidentally picked up two mini Hershey bars for 25 cents from the school store. It wasnt un-til the next day that I realized how instinctively I had gone for that brightly colored little packaging.

As for the days I do avoid these brands, my small retraction of a quarter isnt necessarily going to bring the company to its knees. Still, I can feel like Im doing something rather than nothing at all.

After all, it was not one voice, but many, that led Nestle, Hersheys and M&Ms/Mars to feel the need to directly look at the issue of child slavery in their infrastructure.

I genuinely hope they will make every eff ort to be sure I can eat their products with less social guilt.

But until theyve convinced me, Im going to stick to Fair Trade, when I can aff ord and fi nd it.

Th is same idea is prevalent for

anything we buy. Our spending hab-its, especially as teenagers, can de-cide whether a funny little company called Th e South Butt survives.

Or whether an aspiring singer will be a star or a fl op.

Or whether socially conscious organizations such as Fair Trade will keep expanding.

We cant background check every cup of coff ee or bottle of nail polish for how much pollution it caused or whether it involved dollar-a-day wages for a family.

Th e truth is, most of our lives will be spent buying what we need and hoping its all right.

Im not trying to make anyone feel guilty, but rather off ering a source of empowerment.

We can note those companies that are more likely to have created their merchandise in a conscious manner, and encourage them to continue do-ing so by buying their products.

Every time we snap down a credit card, or hand over a few bills, we are essentially voting for a method, a practice, an idea.

What will you vote for?

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Schoolbags: every student carries one. Ev-ery student packs them full at the end of the day while scrambling to leave school, but not every student is protecting his or her back from the low-level trauma that could lead to shoulder and neck pain.

Students prone to back and neck prob-lems tend to carry their backpack on one shoulder. They carry more than 10-20 per-cent of their body weight in the backpack or do not correctly position the backpack.

Junior Maddie Roll slings both her purse and backpack over one shoulder.

My personal trainer wants me to wear both straps, but I wear it like this mainly for convenience, Roll said.

She added, Its easier to take things out. Once people start telling me Im lopsided Ill wear my backpack normally.

Posture problems also could arise. Childrens Hospital Sports Medicine

Specialist Pierre Hemecourt said, With a heavy backpack, many children end up leaning too far forward, rolling their shoul-ders and giving themselves a more rounded upper-back posture.

He continued, They then tilt their head up to see properly. This posture strains the back and neck muscles, and can possibly cause nerve damage in the neck.

Hemecourt recommends students light-en their backpack load.

Most students, though, do not take home books that they do not actually need that night, so lightening their load is not really possible.

At school, sophomore Jenny Chan has found a solution to the heavy backpack as she spreads her school load between two backpacks during the day.

Chan said, I hate having to carry a big backpack that I don't need to lug around if I don't need to bring a lot of things to my class. My last two classes are the hardest and I have the most stuff to bring to that class so I always switch backpacks to my orange one that can carry more stuff.

She continued, It's useful because peo-ple always have to go to their lockers after every class and for my last two classes I only

have to just switch backpacks. Its much easier and faster for me.

Chans system of switching backpacks throughout the day helps her organization and lightens the weight in her pack.

Lafayette cant do much to decrease the weight students carry on their backs.

Associate Principal Renee Trotier said, Textbooks are really, really expensive. Some cost $100 a piece and with 2,000 students we cant provide people with two sets of text books.

She continued, We dont have the money to guarantee that for any student. If extra books are available we will do our best to accommodate them.

For example, if someone is on crutches or has a back problem we will do our best to accommodate them and round up spare books, Trotier added.

Lafayette has started to move some cur-riculum online, decreasing the need for some classes to require heavy textbooks.

Trotier said, It doesnt help to cut costs of buying textbooks because part of the expense is purchasing the rights to the au-thor.

Online books also have a certain num-ber of spots available for students which the curriculum coordinator negotiates.

Every six years, they take this and oth-er ancillary resources that come with it to make their decisions on staying with a cur-rent textbook or switching to a new one, Trotier said.

Senior Ryan Soroka took the matter of backpack safety into his own hands. His backpack gauges the amount of weight and tells him when too much is added.

My mom went to Sams Club and came back with this backpack a few days prior to school starting this year. She was so excited to give it to me, and I guess some of the excitement rubbed off on me. We tested it right away with whatever we could find, Soroka said.

When school began Soroka noticed, only two books in my backpack would put the indicator over into the red zone.

I usually keep about three books with me. I was afraid that the backpack was faulty. I even went online to see what they

recommended and it said 15 percent of your body weight. That would put me at only 22 pounds, Soroka continued.

He said it would be a challenge to lis-ten to his backpack.

However, Soroka pays attention to the straps, If one side is green and one side is red it would mean I would be walking un-balanced and nobody wants that.

Mostly my backpack has been a good conver-sation starter more than a helpful tool, Soroka said.

He added, At least once a week someone will come up to me and ask me about it and then proceed to press the button on it. Essentially I have people pressing my buttons all the time.

For students who dont have a smart backpack such as Sorokas there are other ways to reduce pain.

For example, when wearing a backpack the shoulder straps should be worn tightly. This way the weight of the pack is kept close to the body.

Properly loading the backpack can also help.

Rushing at the end of class to stuff books, folders and papers into a backpack creates extra space for the items to shift.

When a backpack is correctly organized, the items should lie flat against the back so the pack can remain stationary.

Put into use, the proper backpack style, wear and weight can reduce neck, shoulder and back pain and prevent lasting injuries.

Packing the back:Heavy, poorly positioned backpacks lead to neck, shoulder problems Kara Campbell / Campus Editor

The Smart

BackpackIn his back-pack senior Ryan Soroka models the

advanced fea-tures. It gauges the weight and displace-ment across the back. The straps have three zones that let him know when his backpack is light, just right or too heavy.

(photo by Kara Campbell)

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Construction enters final phaseThe whirring of power tools has come to an end as the main hallway opened to student traffic last week, bringing teachers closer to moving into new rooms added by the con-struction.

The new area which was created from the old library space, includes a journalism lab, a new flex room with raised seating, a new office and storage space. Three class-rooms have also been doubled in size and a hallway was built connecting the Welcome Center to the Commons.

The rooms added by the construction, including those on the lower level under the new library, all include improved tech-nology.

Every [new] classroom has updated technology with a data projector and a Smartboard, Principal John Shaughnessy said.

The new classrooms were created so classes previously taught in the trailers could be brought into the school.

Shaughnessy said, We decided we real-ly needed to put those [trailer] classes into the building.

In the area once occupied by the trail-ers, new varsity locker rooms and a multi-purpose room will be built.

We decided to create a little more space and build a new varsity locker room as well, Shaughnessy said. The last piece is a multi-purpose room that we added as well to make another place for large classes.

The construction of the new locker rooms and the multi-purpose room is scheduled to finish by the start of the next school year.

However, Adam Paul, the project man-ager for Orf Construction, believes the deadline may be hard to reach.

With the temperatures below freezing, we cannot work back there [behind the school], Paul said. We are kind of shut down on and off until the temperature warms up.

Though the weather has been making construction difficult, Paul remains hope-ful.

It is going to be tough to make that date, but we will give it a shot, Paul said.

The last phase of construction is to im-prove the old locker rooms and replace all of the old lockers.

We are going to renovate our locker rooms because we needed storage space for our varsity teams, Shaughnessy said.

The money for the construction comes from Proposition 3 which was passed in April 2008.

The proposition was voted on by people in St. Louis County and Jefferson County and provides $74.5 million to the district through a bond issue.

The money was provided to the district to increase safety and security in the dis-tricts facilities and create better education-al opportunities by improving technology in classrooms.

Still, some students are unhappy with the districts decision to make additions to the school.

Instead of expanding the school they could have improved what they already had instead of just making new things, junior Emily Perkins said.

Other students are glad about the con-struction to replace the library because of the new areas that have opened to stu-dents.

[The main hallway] is convenient be-cause you do not have to walk all the way around to get to the other side, junior Di-metrus Dorsey said.

Dorsey is also glad there are no more classes in the trailers.

He said, [The trailers] were really far away and you had to go outside in the middle of the day even if it was raining.

The teachers who have classes that will be moving into the new classrooms are also pleased by the new space and opportunities it will provide.

Student Publications Adviser Nancy Smith is one of these teachers. Currently located in the upstairs Art Wing, her room will move to the new journalism lab in the

main hallway.The room is nearly twice the size and

has room for 10 additional computers.It will also be easier for parents to find

us when they are dropping off information and orders for yearbooks, Smith said.

Being centrally located is better for the student journalists because they have easier access to everything, Smith added.

With the construction in the center of the school ending, students are finally able to walk the halls without the bother of un-necessary detours or sawdust in the air.

District cell phone policy under review (cont. from pg. 1)

Misha Emanoil / Reporter

The DebateAt this time, the Rockwood student hand-book, on the subject of cell phones, states, Use, display or activation of these items [communication devices] at times other than described will result in up to three days in-school suspensionthe student may be suspended for up to ten (10) school days out-of-school, with a possible rec-ommendation for a suspension up to 180 school days or expulsion.

Such ambiguous wording as up to, may be, or possible recommendation, al-lows plenty open for interpretation, Soucy said.

As a result, high schools can have very different conduct concerning students cell phone use.

The most obvious example of the dis-

crepancy is the difference between Lafay-ette and Summit, which allows cell phones between classes and at lunch.

Another school whose position on cell phones differs slightly from Lafayettes is Marquette High School.

Lafayette takes a little bit stronger stance on cell phones than we do, Mar-quette Assistant Principal and administra-tive representative Greg Mathison said.

For example, if we get a referral, we give them a warning first. I think Lafayette gives them a detention. Each school has that autonomy to make its own decision about what to do for each offense, Mathi-son said.

Mathison added, But as far as what happens in the hallways, we do try to re-main consistent [with the policy].

Despite these differences, however, Ma-thison and the Marquette administration present a similar view as Lafayette.

The issue, Mathison said, doesnt come from the cell phones themselves, but the behavior of the students and what they may use them for.

We went into the meeting without an official stance or position on that [the policy] yet. We wanted to make sure that each person in our group made their own decision based on the people theyre repre-senting, Mathison said.

What we came up with is a recommen-dation. Theres no guarantee anything is going to change or that theyll allow Lafay-ette to have the autonomy, Soucy said.

As of now, the results of the committee, with a three to one vote in favor of allow-

ing cell phones, has been submitted to the superintendents cabinet.

They will then review it with a legal team to be sure there is no liability with the district.

At that point, the Superintendents Cabinet, along with Superintendent, and the School Board would decide to amend or not to amend the policy, Dieckhaus said.

The hope is to have the policy ready by April 1, in time for the annual review of the next school years handbook, Soucy said.

I hope they go about the process of ex-amining all the facts, pros and cons, that go along with this type of issue, because it really has a potential to be a significant change in our current practices and poli-cies, Shaughnessy said.

Roaming The HallA student uses the new hall created in the area that once housed the library. The hallway provides a direct route from the Welcome Center to the Commons and passes new storage closets, a journalism room and a new Flex lecture hall. (photo by Misha Emanoil)

Feb. 19, 2010News6NewsBriefs Community ChatA chat between parents and Rockwood School District staff is being held on March 2 from 7-8 p.m. in the Large Flex Room. The chat is taking place to inform parents about student drug and alcohol use. OfficerOllieHelbigwillexplain how the law ap-plies in student drug use situations.

Taste of West CountyThe annual Junior Class fundraiser takes place on Monday, Feb. 22 in the LHS Commons for $10 a ticket or $35 for a four-person ticket. Anyone in the commu-nity is welcome to attend and taste the samples offered by dozens of res-taurants in West County.

TurnaboutTurnabout will take place on Saturday, Feb. 20 from 7:30-10:30 p.m. The tickets cost $10 for a single, $20 for a double but they will go up in price on Feb. 19 to $15 and $30, respec-tively. This year Student Council selected the theme Neon Nights and it will be a blacklight dance.

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As the economic downturn contin-ues to take a toll on the area, Rock-wood has had to make adjustments in order to maintain its budget.

The district will be cutting about $5.5 million from its budget, in everything from transportation, to Driver Ed.

We sat down starting back in the fall, when we knew this was com-ing, and looked for various propos-als that could make reductions that would not affect classrooms for the most part, Superintendent Craig Larson said.

Several board meetings have been held in order to discuss the budget changes, some with a larger public attendance than usual.

In these meetings, proposals have been put forward to not only save the district money, but also for the district to function more efficiently.

Sometimes, you can make cuts that actually help make the way you spend your money more efficiently, Larson said.

One example of these cutbacks would be the district transportation.

We are looking to spend less on transportation and be more in line with what people think is reasonable in terms of how we use our dollars, Larson said.

Some of the proposals that have been introduced would have an im-

pact on Lafayette High School if they were implemented, Principal John Shaughnessy said.

Many of the proposals that are on the table for discussion do directly affect our school, such as Driver Ed. If there are reductions in staffing, and if there are other ma-jor contributions that will affect the high school level will have an effect on us, Shaughnessy said.

One of the most controversial proposals has been cuts to the Driver Ed program at all four high schools.

The district plans to cut the cur-rent teacher to student ratio of 1:10 to 2:25.

While Lafayette already has a similar system, other high schools in the district would need to change theirs.

Sophomore John Carney be-lieves if cuts were made to the class, it would hurt a students ability to drive well.

Driver Ed really helped me get my license, Carney said.

Larson explained, By taking the ratios down to two teachers and about 25 kids, we can get half the driving time in the classroom, and we plan to sell additional drivers training,

This additional training would be made available to students to sign up for before and after school, as well as on Saturdays.

These changes could affect staff-ing and teachers positions.

Weve guaranteed that no teach-er that is currently on a probationary or regularly tenured contract, which is the vast majority, will lose their job, Larson said.

There will also be some reduc-tions with some secretaries and ad-ministrators in central district of-fices, but no schools.

Sophomore Tim Heath believes cutting teachers is the last thing the district should do.

He said, [The district] shouldnt cut teachers. We really need them.

Heath added he would be upset if the district decided to make any cuts to sports and activities.

Another controversial cut the dis-trict will be making is to elementary physical education program.

We are looking at changing el-ementary physical education from five days a week to four days a week, Larson said.

This change would have the health curriculum built into science and physical education. That will cause us to need fewer teachers, Larson said. All those will be one year only contracts.

Junior Justin Oliver believes with child obesity being the problem that it is today, the district should have cut another area rather than elemen-tary physical education.

America needs the exercise. We need more than we have right now. We should just be keeping what we have, Oliver said.

He continued, We should be cutting other things, like the decora-tions that they have around school. It makes the environment nicer to be in, but being healthy and edu-cated is more important.

Larson has run into similar opin-ions before at board meetings con-cerning the budget.

We certainly understand that childhood obesity is a problem, but that is not the central mission of the school, Larson said.

The mission of the school is teaching, academics, and helping kids learn to read and write and so forth, he added.

Many students believe the dis-trict should have spent its money more appropriately before the need for cuts came to be.

Oliver said some of the purchases that were made for the new additions to the school were also unnecessary.

All the lights that we have in the Commons above the stage, that we hardly ever use, thats a lot of money. We only used them when the new theater, that we didnt need in the first place, was being built. They are just really going to waste now, Oli-ver said.

So far, the budget cuts that have been proposed have not yet been ap-proved by the board, as debate and discussion continues.

Larson believes the board will be finished making cuts by the end of February.

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With science, history, practical arts and fine arts, world language just seems like another item on the list for college applications.

Most students dont understand the sig-nificance of learning a second language.

Spanish teacher Brian Reed said learn-ing a world language has various benefits.

Learning a second language could help you in a job, either foreign or domestic, when you travel, missionary work or even just communicating with a roommate or friend at college, Reed said.

Choosing what world language to pur-sue is up to the student.

It boils down to what it is you see your-self doing in the future and your personal interests and motivations, he said.

The 2000 Census reported that the top five spoken languages in the United States were English, Spanish, Chinese, French and German.

Spanish is the largest minority lan-guage spoken in the United States right now, Spanish teacher Steffanie Jarvis said.

She continued, So even if you want to be a nurse or a lawyer or you want to go into the police force or be a firefighter, whatever you want to do, chances are youre going to need to use the language.

Spanish teachers say another reason to take Spanish is because of Americas close proximity to Spanish-speaking countries.

Reed said, Most countries south of our border speak Spanish. So if you have to travel for either work or leisure, it is more likely that you will have an easier time than if you did not speak Spanish.

Learning a world language can also teach students to appreciate foreigners try-ing to learn the English language.

[Taking a world language] helps to broaden your perspective. When you meet someone who is trying to learn English and their word order is different with how they put their adjectives and nouns, it makes you appreciate more the people who are trying to learn English because you know how hard it is to learn a foreign language,

Jarvis said.College Admissions Specialist Chris

Ramsay said universities would like stu-dents to have an open mind toward world cultures.

Most colleges promote a very diverse and global society. They want their incom-ing students to have appreciation for other cultures and languages, he said.

Taking a world language also enhances students native language.

By learning a second language, you learn to pick the language apart and look at the bare bones of how it is put together. We delve into the rules and formulas behind the grammar constructs, Reed said.

By reviewing basic word relationship,

students get the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge of the English language.

American Sign Language (ASL) is an-other world language course offered at Lafayette.

To senior Brittany Handler, learning ASL has helped her to communicate with a family member.

My cousin is five years old and he has autism. He can hear and understand every-thing but he cant speak, she said.

ASL teacher Sarah Keathley has been teaching Handlers family skills necessary to communicate with her cousin.

We have had around three classes now. Already its easier to understand what my cousin signs when he wants to tell us

something. We have all been working and learning so that we can understand what he needs and what he is trying to say, Han-dler said.

Learning ASL can aid in social situa-tions as well.

Every week students come up to me and tell me that they met a deaf person and were able to communicate with them and it made the deaf person feel like they be-longed, Keathley said.

ASL is a good option for students who are not interested in learning the writing component of a world language.

Taking a second language can give stu-dents a head start in college as well.

Ramsay said, There are some colleges that require all their majors to take some level of college level language.

By taking a second language in high school, students can get these credits out of the way for college.

Scholarships are also offered for stu-dents who participate in a world language course.

Many times this money is reserved for a student wanting to pursue a language as a college major, he said.

But even if a language major isnt the students intention, taking a few courses is extremely helpful.

Ramsay added, Even being semi-fluent in a language can make you light years more competitive when seeking many types of careers,

Taking a world language can also assist students in learning about other cultures.

Being able to understand the traditions and ways of other countries and cultures is vital to the world we live in, Ramsay said.

The advantage of taking a world lan-guage course is that it provides a life skill necessary for communicating around the globe.

Ramsay said, While many students may forget how to count to 100 in a par-ticular language, just knowing that the world is a mix of various people is a valu-able lesson that students will use in college and beyond.

More than another high school credit:World language classes offer jump start in careers, life

Leading The WayIn French III teacher Gina Luerding-Looten instructs students on the different tenses used in the French language. They [colleges] want their incoming students to have apprecia-tion for other cultures and languages, College Admissions Specialist Chris Ramsay said. (photo by Molly White)

Molly White / Reporter

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I think Facebook has strayed away from what it was originally meant for, senior Olivia Brown said.

For some, Facebook is simply a method to keep in touch with those from the past and present.

For others, it has turned into the perfect outlet for procrastination.

Now, these diversions have been taken to a whole new level: Facebook Games.

Its such a distraction, and some of the applications are really stupid, but when you get home from school basically any-thing sounds better than homework, ju-nior Rachel Weisbruch said.

These games and applications range from raising crops and animals on Farm-ville, to feeding and selling fish on Fish-ville, to attending Greek events on Sorority Life, to forming mobs on Mafia Wars, to answering mindless questions about your Facebook friends on Social Interview and Friends Exposed.

The guilty pleasures attract Facebook members of all ages.

My mom is obsessed with Farmville, senior Berkley Idel said.

She added, There was one day that she and my brother fought over the computer because they both needed to harvest their crops.

My mom will go to her friends farms and be like Look how beautiful their farm is! Its so funny, Idel added.

But these seemingly trivial games leave many wondering why Facebook users are so inclined to play.

I was just trying to get top spot. [I reached top spot] against my neighbors. I was against [senior] Matt Chubb for the longest time, and then I beat him, and then I quit, senior Gasper Gasperlin said.

As many will testify, its easy to just get carried away in the game.

Over the summer, when I played the most, I didnt have anything to do. So, I would just log onto Facebook and play Farmville. It gets really addicting, junior Daniel Lamers said.

For those who dont take part in the games, it is nearly impossible to see what draws Facebook users in.

Its so aggravating because youre just like, what the heck is this? All you do is plant stuff. And you dont accomplish any-thing, Idel said.

Lafayette students find games such as Fishville to be habitual as well.

When you get on Facebook, it gives you something to do, rather than get on and realize you have no notifications, ju-

nior Michelle Leone said.Senior Taylor Larson finds herself

playing because, its fun to buy the fish, watch them grow, and getting coins to buy more.

The debate we hear about today, due to all of the new applications and attractions on Facebook, is whether or not this is a social networking site gone bad, or still a method of communication.

I think it has definitely strayed away from being a normal social networking site, but I wouldnt say its exactly for the worst, Larson said.

She added, If it simply just stayed the same all of the time, I think people would get bored with it quicker, kind of like peo-ple did with earlier blogs like Xanga and MySpace,

Sophomore Carly Farinella feels differ-ently about the social networking sites new focus.

Facebook used to be just reconnect-ing with people, and sharing photos and another way to communicate with some-one, but now [Facebook] created all these other additions that make kids want to go on Facebook more often and play around on it instead of doing other more produc-tive stuff.

Though many users usually have more important things to be doing, Facebook in-evitably consumes much of their time.

Whether they use it to talk to old friends, find out when the next Student Council meeting is, or just waste time, they are bound to come across one of these ap-plications. The question is how far will they get sucked in?

Maddie Johnson/Reporter

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You Are What You EatFast food chains offer healthy alternativesLeanne Beasley & Grace Bueckendorf /Reporters This vs. That

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It makes you more aware of what youre eating. I went in thinking I was going to do a sandwich and salad

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I went in thinking I was going to do a sandwich and salad I went in thinking I was going to do a sandwich and salad

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More and more restaurants are responding to the general outcry for healthier options. Many are introducing nutritious menus and healthier food options to off set their unhealthier entrees.

Calorie awareness is becoming more ap-parent in todays society as menus begin to display the amount of fat grams and calorie content in each dish.

Freshman McKayla Treat recently dined at St. Louis Bread Company where she noticed the calories are presented on the menu board.

I dont like it because I think it might change what I order and I just want to or-der what I want, Treat said.

Most of Bread Companys sandwiches have enough calories to send the average customer walking back out the door emp-ty-handed, with numbers like 500 to 1040 calories staring back at them.

Bread Companys Smoked Ham and Swiss sandwich has 700 calories with 2,350 milligrams of sodium, in comparison to McDonalds Big Mac which has 540 calo-ries and 1040 milligrams of sodium.

Math teacher Kelli Loeffl er said seeing the calories at Bread Company aff ects how she orders.

It makes you more aware of what youre eating. I went in thinking I was going to do a sandwich and salad and ended up just walking away with a salad, Loeffl er said.

But the health craze isnt stopping at Bread Company.

Loeffl er also tried Taco Bells new Drive-Th ru Diet that introduces their new Fresco tacos and burritos.

I didnt know what the diff erence was other than there was no cheesethe meat tasted the same, except they put some to-mato thing on top. And did that really take off that much fat? Loeffl er said.

Th e Fresco tacos and burritos consist of leaner meat with Fiesta Salsa instead of cheese or sour cream wrapped in a torti-lla. Th e absence of dairy products takes off calories but doesnt necessarily make it healthier.

And with benefi ts also come detri-ments. Th e calorie count of all tacos and burritos on the Drive-Th ru Diet menu are under 350 calories and less than 80 calories from fat.

Yet, the sodium count is through the roof with no item under 350 milligrams and most hitting 1410 milligrams of so-dium. Based off a 2000 calorie diet, the ac-ceptable intake of sodium per day is 2400 milligrams.

Th e Fresco menu isnt as nutritious as many people believe it to be. But even with the high sodium content, this Drive-Th ru Diet is healthier than most.

But for some restaurants, showing the calorie counts isnt necessarily a good thing. Excessive calorie amounts are becoming more commonly shown on menus, pam-phlets and websites that can sometimes turn away potential customers.

Th ere is now a brochure from Starbucks entitled Nutrition by the Cup with the nutrition facts for all of their drinks and treats available.

According to the nutrition brochure, the smallest size, a tall Vanilla Bean Frap-

puccino, without whipped cream is 260 calories, and increasing the size to a Venti without whipped cream will be 490 calo-ries.

A tall Caramel Macchiato has 180 calo-ries and 45 calories from fat. Th is trend of 100 plus calorie drinks continues for most of the Starbucks menu.

Family and Consumer Science teacher Karla Johnson said, Its way too many calories. I just get a plain black coff ee when I go [to Starbucks].

Another change amongst the restaurant industry is in Applebees Under 550 Calo-ries menu. It claims to have hearty por-tions without the calories.

Sophomore Tawnnie Crisante ordered a dish off the Under 550 Calories menu and was pleasantly surprised. As a student who doesnt eat out much, Crisante was hesitant to take the chance on a healthier option on the Applebees menu.

It was tasty. I ordered the Grilled Shrimp and loved it. Th e whole meal made me feel healthier, Crisante said.

Applebees is one of many restaurants providing healthier options to satisfy the customers who are becoming increasingly aware of the food they eat.

Although a lot of restaurants are taking the next step in healthy consciousness, only a few have been able to successfully handle the weight of the situation.

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A lot of people think that choir class is just another easy A.

However, just because there is not a lot of outside homework or rigorous note taking, does not mean the class is a blow-off .

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to make choir some-thing to sing about.

Th ere are several diff erent types of choir classes. Th ere are co-ed classes, there are all girls choirs and there is a Chamber Chorale, which consists of boys and girls but is the most elite.

Senior Katie Baum said Cham-ber Chorale is the top ensemble.

In order to be in Chamber Chorale, which meets Zero Hour, student must audition and must also be enrolled in another choir class during the day.

Baum is in Concert Chorale as well as Chamber.

Right now were doing a Chil-drens Opera so were going to all the elementary schools and per-forming for them, Baum said.

In order to be in any choir, an audition is mandatory. If choir isnt a high priority, stick to sing-ing in the shower.

Th ere are many students who go above and beyond to be the best at something they love doing, and being a part of an ensemble adds to their repertoire.

All the choirs with the excep-tion of the freshman group makes a trip to contest each year with pieces they have devoted a lot of hard work and class time to per-fecting.

Th e choirs usually pick two pieces that are diffi cult to sing in order to challenge themselves and receive a higher score from the judges.

Judges evaluate the perfor-mance on a fi ve-point scale, with one being the best rating.

For students who like to per-

form separately from a group, Solo and Ensemble and All-State choirs, as well as many other choirs, are available for vocalists.

For Solo and Ensemble, small groups or individuals prepare pieces to compete with in front of judges.

A one rating, makes the par-ticipant (s) eligible to move on to the State Solo and Ensemble where they are judged again.

Senior Lucas Klein, who has been selected for the All-State Choir before said, Th ere are a lot of things outside of our school choir that we do like district Choir, where you audition as a junior or senior with a piece you have prepared and then you have to sight read. Th ats just for the suburban area.

Out of there, the top 20 are selected to try out for the All-State Choir for each voice part and then from there you sing a voice part on an accompaniment track. From there the top four are selected to be in the All-State Choir, he added.

All-State Choir is one of the most prestigious choirs in the state for young performers who have outstanding vocals.

Only juniors and seniors are allowed to participate in the All-State Choir, but anyone can com-pete for State Solo and Ensemble.

Basically you just sing for a collegiate professor and they rate you on how well you sing, Baum said.

She added, Th e competitive part of choir is going above and beyond and practicing outside of class and doing things like Solo and Ensemble to compete for a rating.

Like Baum, sophomore Cait-lyn Webb participates in many of the outside activities for choir available to competitive singers.

Ive always taken a solo when I can and Ive always gotten ones

and twos. What I get in Solo and Ensemble determines if Im eli-gible next year for state. My goal this year is to get a one so I can go to State, Webb said.

In addition to practicing in class, it is very important for these vocalists to prepare for their com-petitions outside of traditional class time. Working extra hours could make or break their chances by a tenth of a point.

Webb said, Not only do you want to practice for private teach-ers if you have one, but Ms. [Mi-chele] Rodgers likes to practice privately to see how youre doing and then you should practice with your accompanist to get acquaint-ed. Th ey need to know how fast or slow you sing.

Klein said, For Solo and En-semble, Ill usually practice by

myself and then Ill go in with her to get some musicality stuff like interpretation of music so I know how to better improve like the musicality of the song that I am singing.

Klein is in Concert Chorale as well as Chamber.

To participate in these events, it takes a lot of dedication to sing-ing and making it a high priority.

Senior Cecilia Dorhauer was pleased to be one of the top 20 singers selected to audition for the All-State Choir last year.

Its very competitive because it takes a lot of hard work. Be-cause maybe 100 people tryout for each part, so top 20 is pretty good, Dorhauer said.

Although she didnt make it as one the top four people to be selected for the choir, like Baum,

she is impressed with her own abilities.

Last year, she was also accepted into the top 20 and was number fi ve, so close from being one of the lucky four.

When you audition for State, four people get chosen and I was the fi fth personthe alternate. Its really competitive, Baum said. Th e diff erence between the number one and me was a tenth of a point.

Th e dedication in and out of choir class is substantial to these young vocal performers.

School and other priorities pil-ing up make it diffi cult to set aside time in order for these students to sing, but with determination theyll work to subtract that tenth of a point from their scores.

Mary Buttram / Reporter

All-StateAt the Missouri Music Educators Association Conference that took place Jan. 26-30, senior Lucas Klein is with fellow choir members and All-State Choir Coordinator Janice Bradshaw. Choir is not just a class. It extends outside of the classroom and we represent Lafayette competitively, vocal music teacher Michele Rodgers said. (photo courtesy of senior Lucas Klein)

Competitive side of choir requires singers dedication

11FeaturesThe ImageThe ImageFood For Thought:

As one of lifes essentials, food aff ects people every day. Its pre-pared, eaten, but then what?

Because eating regularly isnt a big concern for most Lafayette students, thinking about what happens to leftover food doesnt usually cross our minds.

But, lots of places like Pan-era (St. Louis) Bread Co. donate their leftover food to diff erent organizations, like food banks, every week.

Other places, including Lafay-ettes Cafeteria either throws out unused food or reheats it the next day, depending on what it is, be-cause Rockwood food service is not allowed to donate its leftover food.

Since 1990, Operation Doughnation has been the pro-gram Bread Co. sponsors to do-nate leftover items such as bagels, bread, pastries, muffi ns and cook-ies to local organizations.

Th ey also collect money in their retail locations as part of the program.

Th e organizations in need of donations sign up through the corporate offi ce, and then are as-signed a store location which pro-vides donations once a week.

Winchester Bread Co. General Manager David Steele said the

goal is to have assigned pick-ups every day of the week for every cafe in the country.

Anna Th omas, a manager at the Winchester Bread Co. said, Th e organizations range from soup kitchens and food pantries to senior centers to hospitals. As long as it is a non-profi t organiza-tion, they can apply for food pick up.

Unfortunately, as organiza-tions drop from the program, we need to fi nd a qualifi ed replace-ment. Th is can be challenging, as our products are perishable and most food pantries will only ac-cept non-perishable items, Steele said.

Two diff erent groups receive donations from the Winchester Bread Co. located in Ballwin.

Th e donation process begins with employees counting up the number of leftover bread and bak-

ery items they have at the end of the night. After that, it is entered into the computer and fi nally, boxed and bagged for donation.

If a group receiving the left-overs cannot pick up the food, it must be thrown away because it is never served the next day.

Steele said nationwide Pan-era donates roughly $100 million dollars in products every day.

According to Th omas, com-pany policy states employees are not allowed to take food at the end of the day unless it is paid for, because it is either donated or thrown out.

Any associate that takes the food without paying may be con-sidered stealing. If our morning and afternoon associates can not take food home, our evening as-sociates should not be doing this either, Th omas said.

On the other hand, Rock-

woods food service isnt allowed to donate any of its leftover food, because its either discarded or fed to students the next day.

Lafayette Cafeteria Manager Wendie Bening said the manag-ers and cooks decide what can be served and what needs to be thrown out.

If we have enough leftover soup to have the next day, we can reheat that, because it remains at a constant temperature during lunch and then we cool it down and can put it in the cooler over-night. We can also do that with a lot of other hot dishes. Most oven items, once cooked are not reus-able, Bening said.

Bening said after day two of being served, the food is always discarded along with the other items from that day that couldnt be re-served.

Cafeteria employees are never allowed to take any food out of the kitchen for any reason.

Th omas believes more res-taurants should donate leftover food.

If there is someone who needs that food then why not let them have it. We track everything that goes out these doors, and where it is going. If other places did this too, then you know that it is going somewhere where it is re-ally needed, and you are helping

someone out, Th omas said.One of the major Foodbanks

in Missouri is the St. Louis Area Foodbank (STLAF).

Ryan Farmer, STLAF Com-munications Manager, said the organization, receives donations on a daily basis from places like such as Th e United States Depart-ment of Agriculture (USDA), Feeding America, local food man-ufacturers, corporate donors such as Walmart and Shop n Save and food drives organized by offi ces, churches, schools, etc.

Th e most desirable items re-ceived are called shelf-stable items which dont spoil quickly.

All products that we receive, regardless of where they came from must be inspected to ensure that they are safe for consumption before being distributed out into the community, Farmer said.

STLAF reaches over 261,000 people annually in 14 counties in Missouri and Illinois. In 2009 the organization donated 22 million pounds of food through their net-work and over 450 of their part-ner agencies such as food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.

STLAF assists people under 18, households that have at least one working adult but dont make enough money to support the family and a range of diverse races and ethnicities.

If other places did this too, thenyou know where it is really

needed, and you are helping someone out.

-Anna ThomasBread Co. Manager, Winchester

If

If

If

If

If

If

If

If

D.Anne Vollmayer / Reporter

Leftovers go other places besides trash

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One Step Ahead AAU sports brings opportunities for elite athletesMany young athletes come into the high school sports scene with a set plan as to how they will somehow make it big in college athletics.

They do all they can to become standout players, some even earning All-Conference or All-State honors and may receive a few letters of recruitment.

Still, there is a well-known breaking point as too how much national exposure can be brought through competition be-tween local schools.

As an alternative, many athletes turn to their Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), club, and travel teams to aid them in their quest for greatness.

When high school seasons have ended and students look to continue their prac-tice, the AAU has proved to provide players with not only the top competition in their areas, but also at the national stage.

In contrast to high school squads, AAU teams call for trips to cities and towns across the nation where the level of play varies.

Club teams travel a lot more [and] are a lot more competitive because play-ers come from all over the St. Louis area, junior Drew Garrone said, who is now in his third year with the St. Louis Scott Gal-lagher soccer club.

Therefore its not uncommon for a game held in one place to end in a blowout vic-tory against a sloppy team while the next is a struggle against one of the top travel team lineups in the country.

Its different. Its the best kids from each state. High school sports are more spread out. Travel teams are more stacked, junior Michael Huntebrinker said.

For the past three years, Huntebrinker has been part of the St. Louis Jr. Blues AAA hockey organization where hes played with

top recruits including John McFarland, who is a prospect for the 2010 NHL draft.

However, highly acknowledged athletes view this type of competition as means of getting widespread attention from col-lege scouts, and annual showcases are held throughout the United States to highlight the skill of teams as a whole, or just the tal-ent of individual players.

These teams are more competitive be-cause every player is selected to compete, In high school you get what ever players try-out and play for your high school, former varsity field hockey coach Kelly Yates said.

She continued, They play in age groups like U-14, U-16 and U-19 rather than four years of high school players on the same team.

In turn, this concentration of the coun-trys finest athletes gives coaches and re-cruiters an insight as to which players pos-ses the potential to excel at the next level.

With these club programs comes a last-ing bond between teammates that has all the makings for both better team chemis-try, and more wins.

Under Yates, junior Shannon Knobloch has been part of the Gateway Field Hockey club team since the 8th grade where she played alongside a few of the same athletes for the last couple of years.

It helps when you know how everyone else plays, but when you play on a team when you dont know everyone its hard, Knobloch said.

Whether it be AAU or club sports, travel teams have proved to be a dominant method of gaining attention at the colle-giate level.

Despite having their share of national rankings on ESPN and USA Today, high school sports may continue to be over-looked by travel lineups because they lack a constant, high level game play.

Ready for ActionAs she prepares to rush to the net after a corner, junior Shannon Knobloch competes with the Gateway Field Hockey club team. In the offseason, Knobloch turns to AAU program to further develop her skills. (photo courtesy of Shannon Knobloch)

Dominic Corvington/Reporter

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More Than Getting The Gold:With the Winter Olympics in full swing, televisions are tuned to see the best

In the middle of February, sports often falls into a rut. Football has just ended, baseball is counting down the days until spring train-ing and the NBA is in the heart of a drawn out season. Hockey is just, well, hockey, but every four years a big event comes around uniting the whole world.

The Winter Olympics are more than just a competition for gold, silver and bronze. It helps unify the world in one place for 16 days, forgetting about economic problems or terrorism and focusing on friendly competi-tion in the activity everyone loves, sports.

Granted, everyones competitive nature comes out and wants to win, when giving a chance to be the best in the world in the sport you have been giving blood, sweat and tears to.

The sports held in the Olympics are fun for all viewers to watch, whether it is Shaun White tearing up the super pipe or a tropical nation like the Jamaican bobsled team show-ing people cold weather nations are not the only ones who can win these events.

Legends are created and scandals are re-membered forever. If a person messes up the world is watching and it will be on every news stand and T.V. station in the morning.

The 1980 United States mens hockey team is still talked about for providing one of the greatest upsets in sports history de-feating the heavily favored and hated Rus-sians during the time of the Cold War.

No fights broke out. There was no drama on the ice. The players were in that place for reason and one reason only, for the pride for their respective country.

Scandals will be remembered for years, like Nancy Kerrigan being attacked by fel-

low Olympian skater Tonya Hardings hus-band and friends. Harding was so consumed with getting gold it blinded her from the real reason she was even competing in the Olympics.

The Winter Olympics have been held since 1924, though not as long as the Sum-mer Olympics but still has the same mean-ing.

World class athletes, no matter what age or race, all compete for the pride of their country, not for money.

No athlete receives money when they decide to represent their country in the Olympics and that is the way it should be. If athletes were paid the concept and whole meaning of the tradition would be com-pletely different. People would participate for dollar signs not their countrys colors.

Watching the Olympics goes beyond watching people compete in events and get a cool shiny medal at the end.

These athletes have been training for years in their sport so they can go up on that podium and hear their countrys national anthem being played for the whole world.

Andrew Martin / Sports Editor

What is your favorite Winter Olympic sport?

Bobsledding because of the movie Cool Runnings.

- Nick Tyrl, 12

- Sam Strickland, 11

- Bogi Atanasov, 9

Snowboarding because I love the flying tomato [Shaun

White].

Speed skating. They go re-ally fast and it is exhilarating to watch.

Feb. 19, 2010Sports14

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The best team no one knows aboutWrestling gets little recognition despite perfect season

Senior Send-offSeniors on the girls swim team pose with their bouquets and sashes on Senior Night. The girls won the Feb 8 meet against Oakville 140-46 (photo courtesy of Jessi Holz)

Up Close And PersonalInafightforposition,seniorBenWestfallgoesforatakedown.TheLancerswentontobeat the Mehlville Panthers 83-0 on Lafayettes Senior Night. The Lancers wore throwback uniforms to honor the classes before them. (photo by Dan Clutter)

The Lady Lancer swimming and diving team has won every big event this season, placing first in the Marquette Relays and the Parkway South Invitational, the only event that they lost last season.

The team has not only dominated Sub-urban West swimming this year, but now for a quarter of a century.

The team won its 25th straight Confer-ence Meet Feb. 12, a feat which had not been accomplished by a St. Louis high school team.

We believe [winning Conference 25 years in a row] has not happened in the history of high school sports in St. Louis. These girls are serious competitors for the State Championship next weekend, par-ent Michelle Cox said.

The Lancers also have high hopes for State.

The goal is to be top three at State with our eye on winning, Coach Todd Gabel said. Our biggest competition will be Blue Springs, Glendale, Hannibal and MICDS.

The team also changed their training regiment, going from daily intense prac-tices to lower intensity practices and rest days.

During the regular season, we train ev-ery day that we dont have meets and dont rest for regular meets at all. When Confer-ence and State come around, however, we start to taper our season, senior Jessi Holz said.

With senior powerhouses Ashleigh Grammar, Jessi Holz, Shannon McCoy and Sam Wright scoring points in both individual events and relays, and junior Al-yssa Shaw taking care of points in diving, Lafayette has the potential to dominate the competition at the State Meet.

Our Senior Class is very strong, and a few of us are trying to win our individual races at State as well as placing firs