&imageth

eVol. 45, No. 8

lhsimage.com Lafayette High School – 17050 Clayton Rd. – Wildwood, MO 63011

March 13, 2014

PHA MEDDANGEROUS

In 2010, over 22,000 deaths were caused by pharmaceutical drug overdoses when the drugs were misused or abused.

These numbers are on the rise.

Editors — Gabby McDaris – Editor in ChiefJack Rogan– News Editor Megan Rigabar– Asst. News EditorAlex LaMar – Opinion EditorJennifer Butler – Entertainment EditorAvery Cantor – Features EditorArianna Demos – Sports Editor Hannah Martin – Asst. Sports EditorLucas Meyrer – WebmasterHannah Marshall – Webmaster Delaney Eyermann – Asst. WebmasterKatie Blackstone – Multimedia EditorAlaina Strollo – Social Media EditorJessica Brown – Business ManagerNancy Y. Smith, MJE – Adviser

Staff Members — ImageEmily AlticSeth Boester McKinzie DuesenbergMadison Kesselring Garrett McBayJordan McDonnellKelly PanzittaMonica PiccinniBen RachellKourtney Wahl, artist

Digital MediaJulianne Beffa Gabby BreitenJalyn HendersonHaley GasselJacob RobbeBrendan Rodgers Karina Patel Ellie SwobodaKyle Witzig

02misc. imagethe March 13, 2014

Staff Policiesand

Information —The Image is published 10 times a year by the Newspa-per Production Class. Subscriptions are $30. Free issues are distributed on campus. The 2012-2013 Image received a rating of First Class with two marks of distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association and was a Pacemaker Finalist. lhsimage.com received a rating of All-American with four marks of distinction. The 2012-2013 Image was awarded the George H. Gallup Award from Quill and Scroll.

Philosophy Statement —The newspaper’s 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 Amend-ment. Operating as a public forum, student editors will apply professional standards and ethics for decision making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper.

Contact Us —Located in Room 137A 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 or visit on the web at: www.lhsimage.com

Policies —A complete explanation of the Rockwood School District Policies and Regulations concerning official student publications and the policies and procedures used by the Image staff can be found on the website www.lhsimage.com under the About Us tab.

The Coveron

In This Issue

BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS After having to start tryouts a day late due to the snow day Monday and practice indoors Tuesday due to snowy fields, the boys baseball team was able to hold their first outdoor practice March 5. — photo by Garrett McBay

page 7Rockwood’s technology privacy policies

page 9Students with interesting living arrangements

page 14 page 19-20Places in the St. Louis area to visit over Spring Break

On The WebTwo teachers will participate innational AP grading this summer

Take 5 with YouTube star Madison Axford, on her 3,000 subscribers cyberbullying and more

Opinion: Doing what you enjoy is more important than filling up an application

For breaking news, check out lhsimage.com and follow @lhsimage on Twitter

Medicinal Misuse

The pros and cons of supplements for athletes

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Common Core requires new class creationWith changes beginning next year for the Math Department, Rockwood middle schoolers will now take Algebra and its EOC exam

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Starting next year, Rockwood middle schools will have to implement a change in the math program in middle schools due to the restructuring of curricu-lum.

This is all in order to conform to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), a new set of guidelines adopted by Rockwood to increase the difficulty of classes.

Specifically, students will now learn skills origi-nally taught to freshman in Algebra I in the 8th Grade.

In the past, students would normally take Pre-Algebra in 8th Grade grade, with the option of taking the Algebra I course as a challenge class, the middle school equivalent of an honors class.

Due to CCSS, school districts have been forced to make their courses more intense, so that students can hopefully exceed the state’s academic standards.

This decision for change came after the realiza-tion that students were not learning enough to keep up with the world.

“In the past years, our math curriculum hasn’t kept up with the advances of the technology of the world, as well as what all students need to know. With Common Core, we are increasing the rigor of courses to catch up,” Danna Philips, Math Depart-ment Chair, said.

To meet these rising standards, Rockwood will realign the order in which students are introduced to certain concepts.

Skills and concepts that in the past were intro-duced during Algebra I are now being moved to the 8th Grade, replacing the previous 8th Grade class, Pre-Algebra, with a new class which will be called “Foundations of Algebra”.

Skills which will now be introduced to 8th Grade graders will include radicals, exponents, congruence and similarity, volume of three-dimensional figures, Pythagorean Theorem, rational and irrational num-bers, functions and bivariate data.

“With CCSS, we have taken a lot of the things from first semester of Algebra I and turned it into its own, year long class for 8th Graders. When they come to high school, we will spend the first semester doing review,” Marietta Koziatek, math teacher and Algebra PLC lead at Lafayette, said.

Even though these skills will be moved to the 8th Grade class, they will not be left out of Algebra I.

The beginning of the year will be spent review-ing what students learned in Foundations of Algebra, and the rest of the year will be used to expand on these concepts.

“When the 8th Graders come to high school, they will be using those same exact skills they learned in Foundations of Algebra, but will be using them more in depth. Also, we will introduce a few of the Algebra II concepts in Algebra I,” Koziatek said.

As well as replacing Pre-Algebra with Founda-tions of Algebra, the 8th Grade challenge course will also change. 8th graders will have the option of tak-ing the new Algebra I in middle school.

Students will still learn all of the same concepts as they would in Foundations of Algebra, but now will only have a semester to learn, with the second semester being used for new concepts.

The Missouri Department of Elementary & Sec-ondary Education said on their website that another reason for the class reforms is testing.

If an 8th Grader enrolled in high school algebra takes and passes the EOC, they will no longer have to take the math section of the 8th Grade MAP test. This will eliminate double testing of students over the same topics.

Foundations of Algebra will not contain an end of course (EOC) exam, but the new challenge course will. Students who take 8th Grade Algebra I will take the same EOC as high schoolers. Passing of this EOC is required to qualify for the A+ Program in high school.

A+, a program that gives scholarships to high school students for community and in-state colleges, requires that an applicant has a passing grade on a math EOC in math.

Though 8th Graders will take the EOC if they take Algebra I in middle school, only EOCs taken while in high school will count for A+ eligibility.

According to state guidelines, if an 8th Grader takes the Algebra I EOC exam and is not pleased with his or her score, it will be possible to request a retest once the student is further along in high school before graduation.

The second test would then be used to calculate if a student qualifies for the A+ program.

As well as changing the Algebra I curriculum, La-fayette will be completely removing Algebra I A, the first part of 2 year Algebra I.

“Next year we are getting rid of Algebra IA, and the year after we will also remove the second part, IB. All new students who come to Lafayette who need Algebra will have to start with Algebra I. Algebra I will never be phased out, since there will always be a set of students who didn’t take Algebra I in middle school,” Phillips said.

MARIETTA KOZIATEK, one of the teachers who will be impacted by changes in the math curriculum, teaches her 2nd Hour Algebra I class. — photo by Garrett McBay

–reporter–garrettmcbay

–business manager–jessicabrown

04opinions imagethe March 13, 2014

staff edOpinions expressed on

the editorial pages do not necessarily reflect the

viewpoints or official policies of the school administration.

All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion

of the Editorial Board. Signed columns, blogs, editorial

cartoons and reviews reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the

Image Editorial Board.

Stars To: • Super snowstorm “Titan” giving us another snow day on March 3. We know that in the past we stated that we’ve had enough snow days, but after going a week without a snow day, we changed our minds. • Abbi Martin, reporter for RT, the state-owned Russian news network, resigning on air because of the Russian government’s apparent use of the network for propaganda. We hope American news networks are taking notes. • Paula Patton for divorcing Robin Thicke. Every woman deserves a man who hasn’t been twerked on by Miley Cyrus. • Spring Break. Turn up. But turn up safely, wisely and preferably with parental supervision. Gripes To:• After years of being an icon, the “Got Milk?” campaign has made the stupidest decision of all time and changed their slogan to “Milk Life.” We don’t know of a single person who is openly livin’ the “Milk Life.”• Leonardo DiCaprio getting snubbed for Best Actor at the Oscars for the fourth time. Actors that have won the award in the past include Nicholas Cage and now Mathhew McConaughey. • Chipotle claiming that if climate change gets worse, certain menu items, such as guacamole, will either rise in cost or be pulled from its menu. Quick! Somebody call Al Gore, we need to save our guac!• Taco Bell has recently decided to create its first breakfast menu. Everyone knows Taco Bell should only be consumed after 5 p.m., because nobody can afford to take constant bathroom breaks throughout the day. • Pope Francis accidentally dropping the Italian equivalent of the “F-bomb” during his weekly blessing from the Vatican. Does that mean he needs to wash his mouth out with holy water now?

stars & gripes

Common Core tries too hard to compete globally

“Missouri high school spring sports” by Kourtney Wahl

In the past few years, Rockwood schools have seen a lot of change and new plans for the fu-ture.

Some changes that have been made were due to budget cuts, such as the elimination of hands-on driving portion of Driver’s Educa-tion courses. Others have been implemented because of Board decisions, like the new Late Start Days and the intended Best Learning Strategies.

Left and right, educators in our own dis-trict and throughout the country have been making strides to further the educational sys-tem and the achievements its students make.

Ever since the Common Core State Stan-dards (CCSS) arrived on the scene in 2010, there has been even more talk of reforming education to reach higher levels.

The latest change that Rockwood schools are seeing in wake of Common Core has to do with algebra.

As of next year, content from the Algebra I course will be taught in a new middle school class, “Foundations of Algebra,” which will replace Pre-Algebra, the current default math content for students in the 8th Grade.

This means that middle school students who take the normal math route will be intro-duced to higher-level math concepts earlier than students past.

Algebra I will also be available earlier on, becoming the new challenge course for 8th Graders. The students who take this course in 8th Grade will be given the same end of course (EOC) exam as those who take the class as a freshman.

All students must earn a rating of Profi-cient on this exam to be eligible for enroll-ment in the A+ Program, but seeing as stu-dents must take the exam while enrolled in high school to qualify, that sort of diminishes the importance of taking it in the 8th Grade.

While that could be a problem for some, the main concern is the fact that the change to curriculum was made in the first place.

This change is based off the ideology of helping students to achieve higher academi-cally, but pressuring students to learn more complex curriculum at an earlier level is not the right way to do so.

One of the main goals of Common Core is to help schools in our nation compete with the education systems overseas.

Overall, our nation isn’t the best in the education department, but who says it needs to be?

If those backing Common Core want our students and schools to compete more on a global level, maybe we should weigh the pos-sibilities before attempting to do so.

As a nation, America already has a well-rounded and beneficial education system, so why is there such a demand by Common Core for reformation?

It’s a good thing to strive for a better learn-ing environment for future students, but achieving it through untested methods and speculation of what new programs could re-sult in is wrong.

Countries like China and Singapore are re-nowned for their high educational standards, but their school system takes extreme mea-sures to achieve such success.

Unless the United States’ education sys-tem is prepared to take similarly drastic mea-sures we cannot be expected to compete.

Pushing the middle ground into over-achievement is not the answer.

It’s perfectly fine to acknowledge that there are students capable of reaching a higher level of performance, but that does not mean changing long-standing curriculum to set apart higher level students earlier in their student career.

If the founders of Common Core really want what’s best for students, it should stop trying to push students into a global competi-tion where they simply can’t match the com-petition.

opinions05imagetheMarch 13, 2014

Your Turn

Religious freedom bills are subtle discrimination

What do you think would be a good academic motivator for students?

“If the school would take homework as a grade, I would work harder. I’d like to have an extra way to get my grades up and that would definitely help.”

Peyton Monroe, 9“I would want the school to give me free dance tickets if I get an A. I’m a teenager and all the prices to go to a dance add up.”

Savannah King, 12“The option to remove a point from a future test. If you get an A, you can ignore a missed question on another test you do.”

Robert Healy, 11“If all grades were like seniors, where you could exempt any final you have an A in, I would try a lot harder in class.”

Elizabeth Beers, 10“At some schools, they give students extra free time based on grades. I think that free time with your friends would be a great motivator.”

Steve Klawiter, Social Studies

Around the country, across the web and all over the school we find things that intrigue us. Here are a few things that are on our radar this month:

1

2- Spring tryouts for baseball began on March 4. The Lancers home field gave the team a not-so-warm welcome back.

gabbymcdaris–editor in chief–

Let Me Tell You

I’m Just Sayin’

–opinions editor–alexlamar

Our generation is far too dependent on technology to function

- John Travolta humiliated himself at the Oscars by completely slaughtering Idina Menzel’s name (“Adelle Dazeem”) when introducing her. We took the liberty of “Travoltifying” a few recognizable names on Slate’s website. •JohnShaughnessy:JanSuzzivan •StudentCouncil:ScarlettCozzins •SteveBerry:ShaneBerzy •KirtiMehrotra:KaciMarftinez •LancersLanding:LucasLoing •LouieLancer:LaurenceLopeez

–reporter–garrettmcbay

I am starting to lose faith in humanity. Just when things revolving

around human rights seemed to be moving forward in America, every-thing came to a halt.

It shows what kind of country America is when two gay people can get married in Texas one day and then be denied entrance into a restaurant in Kansas because they are gay.

Newly minted “religious freedom” bills have been popping up all over the country.

The bills, which are said to be a way of protecting religion, would allow private businesses to refuse service to an individual or a group of individuals if the said group goes against their religious beliefs.

The problem with these bills is that they are so broad.

Because all that is outlined is whatever claims to go against ones re-ligious beliefs, virtually anyone can be segregated against.

If a business owner claims that his religion is against African-Americans or women, they could deny them ser-vice.

There is no filter for what could possibly happen if these bills become laws.

The farthest any of these bills has gotten was in Arizona, where Senate Bill 1062 (SB 1062) made it all the way to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk. Brewer ended up vetoing the bill stat-ing, “It could divide Arizona in ways we cannot even imagine.”

Multiple senators who previously

voted in favor of SB1062 have since backed out of their support for the bill, claiming that the bill was being taken out of context and that segrega-tion was never the main goal.

According to USA Today, the three senators who changed their positions stated in their request to Brewer to veto the bill that, “While our sincere intent in voting for this bill was to cre-ate a shield for all citizens’ religious liberties, the bill has instead been mis-characterized by its opponents as a sword for religious intolerance.”

The bill has not been mischarac-terized as a sword for intolerance; it has always been a sword for intoler-ance.

Segregation has always been the main goal; this was true the second someone thought it was a good idea to legalize discrimination just because some business owner wants to claim letting a gay person eat in their restau-rant would harm them in some way.

Many different groups of people will be damaged if this bill passes. The most obvious being the LGBT com-

munity, but also Christians and Ari-zona’s citizens.

Arizona is set to host the 2015 Super Bowl and when news broke of the bill making its way past legisla-tors, the NFL was vocal about their opposition to it passing.

There was a very real chance that had it passed, the NFL may have relocated the Super Bowl.

There have also been major corporations who have spoken out against the bill.

Marriott, Apple, American Air-lines, Delta and AT&T have spoken against the bill, some even stating that if the bill passed, they would consider relocating out of Arizona.

Had the NFL decided to change the location of the Super Bowl or had some of these companies decided to relocate, the economy of Arizona could have suffered immensely.

These threats from corporations could have greatly hindered Arizona’s economy and would once again prove how there would have been no posi-tive outcomes had this bill passed.

People are going to be against ho-mosexuals and there is really nothing that can be done about that.

When people are so firmly stuck in their ways and more importantly, believe it will affect their faith, there really is no changing what they be-lieve.

But maybe there is a chance that when it comes to changing their minds on discrimination, people will be more open minded.

The other day I was hanging out with a good friend of mine when I happened to make a comment about road maps.

I was reminiscing about the road trips that my family would take when I was a little kid. My big sister and I would al-ways sit in the backseat and my parents would give us a road map of whatever state we were passing through, giving us the responsibility to navigate.

When I mentioned this, my friend made a comment about how he couldn’t imagine having to use a road map and I asked him if he even knew how to read one.

I know he’s a smart guy and I’m sure he would be able to figure it out if I left him with one for a bit, but being honest, he said that he didn’t and then told me that he could never foresee himself in a situation when he would need one.

He explained that he didn’t need to know how to read one because he has a GPS on his iPhone, so I asked him what would happen if his phone was broken or out of battery.

He told me that he would just use his iPad and if he didn’t have that, he would just use the phone of whoever he was with in the hypothetical scenario or find someone with an internet enabled device to find his way.

I kept drilling him, coming up with hypothetical emergency scenarios for him, but for each one, he would either solve the problem using some sort of tech-nology he has, or he’d just tell me that he would never be in that situation.

No matter what I would say, he in-sisted that he would never need to know how to read a road map.

That worried me.

It’s not just him; almost everyone I know depends on some form of modern technology (mostly smart phones) to live a regular life.

They are used for driving directions, information and of course, communica-tion. As one of the few people I know that has no data package for my phone, no WiFi at my home and no GPS for my car, seeing so many people completely depen-dent on technology for so many different things worries me.

I’m not saying that people should give up their smart phones and tablets, they should simply make sure they are completely capable of functioning in any environment if they were somehow with-out them.

Just because Wildwood is such a se-cure area doesn’t mean that those who live here are impervious to dangerous sit-

uations in which we would need to take action with .

People have gotten so used to technol-ogy making everyday life so convenient that it is also sought out as the answer to most problems they have. There’s always a help desk, there’s always a Frequently Asked Questions section, there’s always a video tutorial online and there’s always an app for that.

The golden standard used to be that problems were solved by problem solvers. People had to educate themselves on how to do different things in order to avoid danger and make their own lives easier.

I’m not by any means a “doomsday prepper” or paranoid about my own safe-ty in any way, I just think that not enough people in our society have prepared them-selves for the always present (though miniscule) chance of encountering emer-

gency situations that cannot be solved by relying on technology.

It’s great that we have technology like smart phones that make things more con-venient, but it’s a bad thing that society has gotten to a point where people de-pend on it.

SPRINGING INTO ACTION Indoor practices commenced as the outdoor fields were covered in snow on the intended first day of spring sports, March 4. — photo by Alex LaMar

06features image March 13, 2014

AttentionSeniors-Juniors

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Inked.After her dad passed away, senior Brooke Withington got her tattoo at age 16 after loads of begging and pleading with her mother.

“It’s an infinity symbol, and inside of it is written ‘daddy’s girl.’ It symbolizes that I will always be Daddy’s

girl,” Withington said. Withington does not intend for this to be her last tat-

too. Upon turning 18, she plans on getting another tattoo behind her ear.

“It’s going to be the USA Field Hockey symbol, not just because I love field hockey but also because when my dad died, the [USA Field Hockey] association and several other field hockey associations came together and helped me out a lot during that time,” Withington said.

Even still, she does not plan to stop upon the inking of her upcoming tattoo.

Withington said, “I had always wanted a tattoo and I plan on getting several more. I love tattoos.”

Seniors Devin and Kevin Hampton take tattooing to a new level with their dis-play. The two have roughly ten tattoos each, all with some sort of

meaning behind them. The two of them were inked for the first time in 8th

Grade when their aunt died. They decided to both get a single, large cross with their aunt’s name across their up-per arm. Following that, their ink addiction set in and the pursuit for tattoos continued.

Several of their tattoos are very similar to each oth-er’s. Besides the tattoo commemorating their aunt’s pass-ing, the Hamptons both have their initials tattooed on the backs of both arms and the name of their mother.

Many of their tattoos, however, are unique to Kevin and Devin individually.

For example, Devin has an image of a tree and birds, with the word “life” spelled out beneath the branches on his left upper arm. In addition, he also has an anchor with the word “stability” on the other side of his upper arm. “Vicky,” his aunt’s first name, is written on his chest.

Kevin’s unique tattoos include his Zodiac sign, Aries, on his upper left arm, his father’s name juxtaposed to his mother’s name and the phrase “Carpe Diem” on his upper left forearm. Just below his initials, he has two large star tattoos, one on each elbow.

Science teacher Ryan Bixby got his first tattoo just because he wanted to. On his 18th birthday, he had a four-leaf clover tattooed on his shoulder. But he didn’t stop there, Bixby now has just under a dozen tattoos printed all over his body. His most recent tattoo experience was six months ago, when he got Octavius the Owl tattooed on his other shoulder.

According to Bixby, his tattoos were inspired simply by “youthful rebellion and maintaining street cred.”

Tattoo experts do not take the art form lightly. Ja-son Reynold, a tattoo artist at St. Louis Tattoo Co. on Long Road, said tattooing is done with the customer in mind.

“We want you to be happy with your tattoo and to wear it proudly. At the same time we want to be proud of our work. Oftentimes, I play devil’s advo-cate to make sure that a customer has put plenty of thought into their tattoo beforehand,” Reynold said.

According to Reynold, one of the most important things to keep in mind when getting a tattoo is what he referred to as “form and fit.” This is the ideal loca-tion of the tattoo you want on your body.

Reynold said, “If you’re wanting a small tattoo, it should go on a small place on your body. The same goes for large tattoos. It’s simply an issue of aesthet-ics; a tattoo’s shape should compliment the shape of the body part it is placed on.”

As far as pain levels of tattoos, it varies by circum-stance.

“Oftentimes, a first time customer does not have anything to compare it to, so the pain isn’t as bad as you would think,” Reynold said.

For a smaller tattoo, the process of getting it could take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, whereas a whole sleeve may take several sessions lasting up to three hours at a time. A small, simple tattoo may cost between $50-150.

“The most important advice I could give to a first-time customer is to think about what you really want,” Reynold said, “A lot of young people rush to get a trendy tattoo and a lot of the time, it is not what you really wanted. Almost everyone I work with hated their first tattoos or covered them up; it’s not a decision to take lightly. It’s permanent.”

–reporter–monicapiccinni

An interview with the experts/

Brooke Withington, 12/

Staff: Ryan Bixby and Jennifer Ingram/

Devin and Kevin Hampton, 12/

Tattoos have decorated bodies since the earth’s earliest documented years. They’ve made appearances on their hosts for reasons involving culture, religion or

memorials and memories. Today, they’re still just as common. Names of loved ones, religious

symbols and even simply decorative images add a personal touch to countless human canvases.

Language arts teacher Jennifer Ingram has a much more sweet and simple tattoo story. Ingram has a single tattoo—a red heart on her right foot.

When she was 22-years-old, her and her lifelong best friend got matching tattoos as a symbol of their strong friendship.

“I got a matching tattoo with my best friend,” Ingram said, “It’s a heart, because the old-school best friend necklaces were matching hearts, so we decided to get matching heart tattoos.”

Though she is not planning on getting another, Ingram does not regret her tattoo at all. It is small, meaningful and easy to cover up when need be.

Senior Brooke Withington’s tattoo commemorating her father’s passing.

Ontheleft,seniorKevinHamptonshowsthefrontofhis arms with his parents’ first names and the phrase “CarpeDiem.”Ontheright,hehasprintedhisinitials

and two stars on the back of his arms.

Senior Devin Hampton has tattoos on both arms. On the left, is a tattoo honoring his aunt who passed away. On the right, is a symbolic

tree with the word, “life.”

Science teacher Ryan Bixby’s pirate tattoo on his forearm - one of Bixby’s many tattoos.

Language arts teacher Jennifer Ingram’s heart tattoo matching that of her lifelong best friend.

news07imagetheMarch 13, 2014

The iGeneration. The Internet Generation. Genera-tion Now.

No matter what you call us, there’s no doubting the increasing prevalence that technology plays in our generation.

It’s no secret that the latest technology is creating a truly globalized and connected world.

With new technological developments, privacy is becoming more of a luxury than a guarantee.

This is no different in Rockwood. Just like the real world, student information is readily accessible to district administration.

“As spelled out in policy/regulation 6321, ‘All elec-tronic-based information technology activity, includ-ing email and Internet searches, are subject to moni-toring by the Rockwood School District technology staff. Students and employees have no right of privacy in any such data’,” Will Blaylock, Chief Information Officer of Rockwood, said.

Furthermore, students who bring their phones to school are still under district surveillance if they con-nect their phones to Rockwood Wi-Fi.

“Essentially, if you are connecting a device to the Rockwood network, we maintain the ability to moni-tor the traffic going in and out on the network. This is addressed in regulation 6320 – ‘As with district owned computers, there is no expectation of privacy when using personal technology devices connected to the district network’,” Blaylock said.

School email is a prime example of Rockwood’s monitoring capabilities.

“The district owns that account; it’s not the student’s. The student is using that while they’re at school for school-related purposes. Because [Rock-wood] owns that, they could monitor,” Principal John Shaughnessy said.

Rockwood also maintains the ability to restrict student web access to several websites.

With new websites constantly being developed,

it sounds like an impossible task to have to constantly block sites that are unsuited for a school atmosphere. However, Rockwood has a system for this job.

“Our Internet filter updates on a nightly basis. It would be impossible for our personnel in the Tech-nology Department to stay current on the continuing changes on websites. At times, the filter does make unintended changes. Students/staff should submit the site for review or contact the Help Desk if they have a question or concern,” Blaylock said.

>Renewing The RulesRecently, a new policy called “Bring Your Own

Device” was developed to allow students to use their own devices in school.

“The policy was developed because we had a guest wireless system in place for the last five years. We were reaching levels of over 5,000 users connect-ing on the guest network in a given day. It was pru-dent to develop a policy/regulation so that all users could understand the “do’s and don’ts” of bringing in personal technology,” Blaylock said.

The Bring Your Own Device policy states that “Any WIFI-capable mobile device, including laptops (Window or Mac), netbooks, iPad tablet, iPod touch, eReaders, smart phones or similar devices, and other digital tablets” are allowed to be used in school as an aid to student learning.

Despite the development of the policy, Lafayette has not fully broadcasted the procedures. As a re-sult, this policy is due to come into full fruition next school year.

“One of the things is we haven’t really publicized the ‘Bring Your Own Device [policy]’ yet. I would as-sume that when we do go forward with that, which will be next year where it’s becoming more of a read-ily available thing, that the district will have guide-lines in place and much more clear communication as to how this will work,” Shaughnessy said.

>Transforming TextbooksAnother consideration being made is the idea of

electronic textbooks as a way to supplement stu-dents who will need more technological experience to get jobs in this day and age.

“That would certainly be an example of how schools are moving into the 21st century or providing learning opportunities that would support skills nec-essary to be successful in the 21st century, technology being a major part of that,” Shaughnessy said.

With the addition of new technology comes the problem of different variations in the accessibility that students have to such technology.

Updating the technology would also require re-evaluating the means to which students could access the new opportunities.

“Not everybody has access to technology and availability of those newer devices, so we need to provide a playing field that’s equal but at the same time, we don’t want to hold back the opportunities to move forward. It’s going to come; I don’t know when,” Shaughnessy said.

>Fighting for FreedomNew technological freedoms, however, do not

negate disciplinary rules. If use of student devices in-

terferes with the learning environment, disciplinary action will still be enacted.

Regulation 2610 from the Student Code of Con-duct states, “If such items are used in such a way as to substantially disrupt the school environment, the student may be suspended for up to 10 school days out-of-school with a possible recommendation for a suspension up to 180 school days or expulsion. School administrators will investigate the reason for use of an electronic device by a student to determine if other district policies are also applicable, which could result in an increase in the discipline.”

It all boils down to the student. Devices can be a great supplement to learning, but if they are used improperly, they can be confiscated.

“Items would be confiscated because of what the students are doing with the device. If the disruption to the classroom is significant, I could see a device be-ing confiscated. With that said, it would probably be obvious that other discipline procedures will prob-ably be implemented as well,” Blaylock said.

As for the future, policy depends largely on fed-eral regulation.

“I do not see any policy/regulation changes for next year, but they are reviewed annually. We have to review them to make sure they coincide with state and federal changes to various acts like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Family Edu-cational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA),” Blaylock said.

>Student SpeculationIn the meantime, many students already have

formed opinions regarding Rockwood’s role in tech-nological privacy.

Some students agree with Rockwood’s handling of Internet privacy.

“Because you’re in a school setting, I think that there should be restraint rather than when you’re at home. I’m glad that they’re keeping that restraint,” Madeleine Wilmsen, senior, said.

Others, however, advocate more individual pri-vacy than Rockwood provides.

“I think that students’ activity could be moni-tored if it’s on the Internet but not on specific ac-counts that you have to log into such as email and pri-vate accounts. I don’t think they should be allowed to access school email because that’s a private thing,” Elise Larson, junior, said.

Regardless of opinions, Rockwood will continue to have a role in monitoring student accounts and electronic activity as global technology continues to evolve.

The monitoring of technology in Rockwood serves as a microcosm for the real world; employers and companies also employ many of the same tech-niques and policies regarding privacy as Rockwood does.

Therefore, it is best for students to become aware of these practices in order to be better prepared for life beyond high school.

Visit http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/technology/for more information about Rockwood’s privacy policies.

Advances in technology have made personal information

and other data readily accessible to virtually anyone

with internet access. As a result, privacy has become a rare privledge; Rockwood is

no exception.

–asst. news editor–meganrigabar

Parting With

Privacy

08news image March 13, 2014

RECEIVING RECOGNITION Jeri Heth, pictured teaching her5thHourAPCalculus(AB)class,isLafayette’s2013-2014Teacher of the Year. — photo by Jack Rogan

After 31 years of teaching stu-dents, 21 at Lafayette, Jeri Heth, math teacher has been recognized as the 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year.

Heth teaches AP Calculus (AB) and Pre-Calculus. AP Cal-culus is her favorite class to teach.

“I absolutely love teaching calculus. Not only the material, but you get some of the best kids,” Heth said.

In 8th Grade, Heth was in-spired by her own math teacher to pursue education.

“She always told me how good I was at what I was doing and that I’d make a great teacher,” Heth said, “One time she gave us a packet of 100 word problems and I finished them in about a day and I walked around the room and helped everyone else. I always wanted to be a teacher after that.”

However, teaching wasn’t what Heth initially pursued. Af-ter graduating high school, she went on to college to become an accountant.

“My dad discouraged me from being a teacher, so I got a degree in business because he said I should be an accountant,” she said.

After changing her degree to

marketing, Heth continued col-lege, earned her degree and then decided that she didn’t want to go into marketing. She wanted to teach.

“I told my dad and he said, ‘go out, research it, see what you need to,’ and I went out and became a teacher,” Heth said.

While Heth’s parents had helped her out with her first four years of college, Heth decided that she would pay to get her teaching degree because of her mistake.

“My parents helped me out with school for the first four years, but after then I said, ‘this is on me, I made the mistake. I will pay for it.’ So I had a full time job, I went to school full time, and it took me two and a half years to get certi-fied to be a teacher,” she said.

Heth has been nominated for Teacher of the Year once before.

This year, she was nominat-ed by Marietta Koziatek, math teacher, Gina Luerding-Looten, world language teacher and Mo-nique Merritt, world language teacher.

Ironically, Heth was the chair-person of the committee that takes nominations for Teacher of the Year from students and teach-ers.

Once she was nominated, however, she had to step down.

To become Teacher of the Year, a teacher must be nominat-ed, and then fill out a question-naire, give his or her philosophy of teaching and discuss a trend in education that he or she is con-cerned with. The committee then reads all of these documents and narrrows the group down to a few finalists.

The other finalists this year were Shannon Campbell, sci-ence teacher, David Choate, lan-guage arts teacher, Jeff Landow, language arts teacher and Jason

Schneider, math teacher. Although the award is special

for any teacher, it is particularly special to Heth because she will be retiring after 2014-2015.

She will, however, still remain teaching, and is hopeful to teach a college course or two.

“I’m going to go to the commu-nity college this summer and try to get on so I can teach a course,” she said, “I’d like to do that when I retire. I don’t want to give up teaching and I don’t want to tutor. I’d rather be in a classroom.”

Math teacher awarded Teacher of the YearHeth takes a long path to follow her dream of becoming a teacher

You can tell that she really cares about her students’ education and wants them to succeed in her class.

“erikaheckemeyer–12

I’ve had her for three years in a row and she’s always been there for me. She always knows what she’s doing.

jakobjozwiakowski–12

Ms. Heth has a really good way of teaching even the most complex subjects. She deserved it.

”phillipunderwood–12

–news editor–jackrogan

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Notebooks, pencils, paper; all of these classic school tools are deemed normal for some-one to carry with them throughout the school day.

However, there are many instances of students and staff bringing items that break the barriers of what is considered average. Math teacher Paul Krull is a perfect example.

“I keep a baby doll in my closet because I use it as a prop for a lesson in Finite Math that combines the stages of grieving and probability,” Krull said.

Many students value the incorporation of these strange items in their learning en-vironment. Through jokes and impractical objects, Krull is able to provide a fun way to teach while still conveying the lesson.

According to Janice Tazbir, Associate Professor of Nursing at Purdue University Calumet, 65 percent of the population is made up with visual learners, or those who learn best through images or seeing an example.

Though Krull’s strategy of teaching through objects is humorous, using props is benefiting the majority of his students, allowing them to remember the lessons better.

There are many ludicrous items scattered around school by students and staff alike.When asked if she had any weird possessions, senior Danielle Christian proceeded

to pull a napkin with a close friend’s autograph and lipstick outline from her locker.“I keep it in case she becomes a famous artist one day,” she said.Sophomore Noah Mickel pulls out a pack of cards from a case during classes. “It’s a

card game I play with my friends. I get bored during class and spend a lot of my time on the cards. I play competitively so it’s for practice and I sometimes sell my cards so I can make money,” he said.

Students often do not consider the possibility that a peculiar object brought from home could lead to suspension.

However, despite the obvious illegal substances such as drugs and alcohol, many are unaware of what exactly is allowed on school property.

What are members of the district allowed to carry into school and where do admin-istrators draw the line?

Resource Officer Bernard Widdis said items deemed distracting or inappropriate are not allowed, using the example of a bicycle chain belt to demonstrate an item that may be confiscated. “Could that be distracting? Could that be considered a weapon? Yes. That would be a situation where you shouldn’t be wearing something like that onto school property,” he said.

According to the Rockwood Student Handbook, dress code is monitored by any-thing that proves to be an impasse in learning can be changed by the administrators.

“If a student’s general appearance attracts undue attention to the extent that it be-comes a disruptive factor in the school, a building administrator will ask the student to make the necessary changes.”

After a survey administered at lunch in which 100 students were surveyed, 25 per-cent reported that they have at one point brought what is considered a weapon onto school property.

There are many objects that the Rockwood Policy does not take lightly including bringing weapon replicas onto school property. This includes a water gun, toy gun or pocket knife with a blade no more than four inches.

The possession of these items can leave to an out of school suspension of up to 180 days. If these items are used to threaten anyone, expulsion may also be a consequence.

Associate Principal Dr. Karen Calcaterra said if students wish to bring a replica weapon as a part of a class project they must first consult with administration and ask to keep the item safe in the office.

Have a SAFE & FUN

Spring Break!

What’s in Language Arts Classrooms?

“I have a painting of a naked man in my room because the painting is based on a short story my students read every year in Sci Fi Lit. It was created by a student who chose to paint the battle scene from the story, Arena, in her art project.”

Paul JaycoxPainting of a Naked Man

“I think there’s so many psychological effects, its soothing. Also the collection I end up playing, I know so many of the kids have never heard this stuff before and they should. It’s an extra opportunity to share something.”

Tracy GladdenPlaying 20s Music in Class

“There’s a story I was told when I was a student teach-er about education. If you’re a teacher it’s really funny, and if you’re a student you probably wouldn’t find it that funny. I keep it here as a reminder- and to drive the students crazy by not telling them the meaning.”

Donald Kreienkamp“Don’t Ask About the Pickles”

–reporter–emilyaltic

The Language Arts Department proves why they have some of the most eccentric teachers and classrooms in school.

To Bringimageth

eMarch 13, 2014

or not to BringWhether to provide comfort or to cure boredom, students and staff have different reasons for bringing certain objects to school.

10cover story imagethe March 13, 2014 cover story11

&PHA MEDDANGEROUS

–features editor–averycantor

–reporter–mckinzieduesenberg

Out of 215 students surveyed, 68 percent know someone who has tried prescription (Rx) drugs for recreational purposes, 36 percent have been offered drugs that are not prescribed to them and 21 percent claimed to have tried Rx drugs for recreational purposes.

That is like sitting in a classroom of 20 people and out of all of those people, at least four of them have tak-en drugs that were not prescribed to them at one point in their lives.

Not only does United States consumes 97 percent of the world’s prescription pain medications and a major-ity of the other Rx drugs, but every day an average of 2,000 teenagers use Rx drugs without a doctor’s guid-ance.

Although alcohol and marijuana are the most abused drugs among teenagers, Rx drugs are constantly on the rise for many reasons. For example, their preva-lence in society plays a key role as to why these drugs are so easy to abuse.

They are available nearly anywhere, so teenagers looking to use these drugs recreationally do not have to deal with the ‘traditional drug dealers,’ and can simply look to the medicine cabinets of friends and families to find Rx drugs.

Additionally, there is the false perception that Rx drugs are always safe.

“[Prescription drugs] extend life, improve quality of life and help keep us healthy. When diverted, especially painkillers, it can lead to a harsh addiction and with-out treatment, death. When I speak of diverted, I mean someone using someone else’s prescription drug or the prescribed person using their own drugs outside the doctor’s prescription orders,” Sgt. Mark Whitson with the St. Louis County Police Department and supervisor in the Bureau of Drug Enforcement said.

Teenagers hold an idea that these drugs are safe to use due to their helpful purposes, however that is what makes these drugs so incredibly dangerous. According

to the Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition, 41 percent of teens actually believe Rx drugs are much safer to use than illegal drugs.

But in reality, this is far from the truth.Painkillers are opioids, morphine based, just like

heroin. Unlike heroin, prescribed painkillers are under the watchful eye of a doctor. This is especially impor-tant because the doctor can change the dosage amount, note side effects and more.

Although heroin is illegal and painkillers are just an-other Rx drug, both are highly addictive physically and psychologically. Even under the careful observation by a doctor, many people struggle with the addictiveness of the drugs.

Depending on the dosage of the drug and severity of the injury or surgery, it can take months to stop taking painkillers altogether.

Because these drugs are so addicting and often cause users to suffer dependency and withdrawal, doc-tors have to slowly decrease one’s dosage in order to safely stop drug use. For this reason, using painkillers for recreational purposes is especially dangerous.

In 2009, prescription overdose death, primarily caused by painkillers, surpassed motor vehicle fatalities in this county alone. Three years later, it was also re-ported that these drugs caused over 16,500 deaths.

“When people take Rx drugs not prescribed to them, they do not know what their body’s reaction will be. Health concerns include increased heart rate, liver damage, organ failure and even death of the user. When combined with alcohol and other drugs, severe reactions are even more likely,” Renee Heney, Director of the Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition said.

But regardless of the facts and statistics, Rx drugs still entice teenagers because they are focused on either feeling a “high” induced by these drugs, looking for ex-tra concentration in order to ace upcoming tests or ever losing weight.

Americans, as consumers, are pulled into advertise-ments of a wide variety of medications and hold this perception that no diagnosis or regulation from doctors is necessary.

“Our society has been trained to believe that there is a medical fix to every symptom, and that it is not normal to feel anxious or depressed or in pain sometimes. Just as we have been made to believe that we must drink al-cohol to have a great time,” Heney said.

Just as commercials will eventually eat away at the rational thought process of some, so do the pressure and temptation brought on by friends.

23 percent of students who were prescribed stimu-lant medications have been asked to sell, trade, or give away their medications at least once. In addition to that, 20 percent of girls and 13 percent of boys aged 9-18 have borrowed or shared prescription medications in their lifetime, according to the Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition.

ADD, ADHD and prescription painkillers are the most commonly abused medications from the stand-point that a high percentage of people are prescribed these, especially high school students. In fact, 71 percent of abused prescription drugs are obtained from friends, or relative or the medicine cabinets of friends, parents, or other relatives.

For example, many teenagers get their wisdom teeth removed and are prescribed a 30 day prescription of Vi-codin. Most people only use the painkillers for a couple days to a week. The rest is either left in their medicine cabinet, sold or even abused by the person prescribed it.

What teens do not take into consideration is the severity of not only abusing it but selling it to people.

“It is illegal to give or sell Rx drugs to another per-son. If someone provides such a substance, an the user has a sever or fatal reaction, there can be felony charges. It is important for students to understand that it is a very dangerous proposition to ‘make some dough’ in

this manner,” Heney said.Despite all the risks of taking and giving out these

drugs, teens are still intoxicated with Rx drugs.According to Whitson, it is for four primary rea-

sons: price, availability, perception of risk and the pub-lic attitude that they are safe.

Heney, however sees more than the surface reason-ing as to why Rx drugs are on the rise.

“We understand from talking with Rockwood stu-dents, that there are five main reasons why teens use drugs. To relieve stress, to escape, to be more social and fun, to take a risk and not get caught and to fit in,” Heney said.

But these drugs basically do the exact opposite of their intended purposes. They often add stress, do not create a permanent escape (more than likely it will in-crease whatever problem one is having) and sometimes, the drugs will even steer people away from their friends, as getting high can become more important than main-taining relationships.

Having fun on these drugs is a “state of mind,” Heney said, and this fun will lead to nothing more than becoming more susceptible to addiction of Rx drugs and other substances.

But what is the district actually doing about this Rx problem that is continuously arising?

The Rockwood Drug-Free Coalition is playing a big role in maintaining a safe environment for students to reside in.

By running awareness campaigns in conjunction with community events like Ballwin Days and Eureka Days, they spread awareness not only to teens but their parents as well.

Within schools, the Rockwood Drug-Free Coali-tion also hosts events, such as Battle of the Bands. These events create a drug-free environment for students and prove that you can have a fun night without the influ-ence of substances.

“We host town hall meetings and provide resources on our website. We also host an annual student PSA and poster contest to raise awareness, and the winning posters and videos are aired and displayed throughout the community and schools,” Heney said.

Not only do they constantly spread awareness, but they also partake in a Drug Take Back event held twice a year. At this event, people can drop off unused Rx drugs at local stations and instead of dumping them in the trash, down the toilet or left laying around, they dispose of the drugs the proper way.

Lowering the availability of Rx drugs will decrease the risk of the drugs getting in unwanted hands. Also, much like gun owners lock up their guns, locking up prescription drugs is not a bad idea, as it eliminates the likelihood of the drugs being abused by someone they are not prescribed to.

If you are unable to participate in the Drug Take Back event, Whitson said there are other ways to safely dispose of old prescription drugs, such as throwing them away with wet coffee grounds in a sealed plastic bag. This way is very effective and has very little nega-tive impact on the environment.

Resource Officer Bernie Widdis is also involved with the program and plays a tremendous role in keep-ing the school and the children within safe.

He offers an outlet for people to talk to when in need of help. He does not wish to arrest anyone on dis-tribution charges or taking these drugs; he wants to see the students thrive.

“I want a healthy safe environment. This is OUR school. It’s time that kids have something to say, but no one is listening. If you want to talk, I want to listen and make it better; I’m a Lancer, too. I graduated in ’84, so I want this school to be clean. This is my school too. The last thing I want to do is lock up someone. If there’s 260 students in a class, I want to see all 260 students walk across the stage,” Widdis said.

Depressants

Narcotics

Stimulants

ValiumXanax

Klonopin

VicodinOxyContin

Lortab

RitalinAdderallAdipex

Used as sedatives, hypnotics, anti-convulsants, muscle relaxers or to

treat anxiety

Powerful painkillers; generally prescribed after surgeries

Treat ADHD/ADD

slurred speech, disorientation, drunken behavior, memory impairments

euphoria, drowsiness, confusion, slowed breathing

alertness, excitation, euphoria, increase in blood pressure, insomnia,

loss of appetite

slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, coma, possible death

shallow respiration, clammy skin, dilated pupils, coma, possible death

agitation, increased body temperature, hallucinations, convulsions, possible

death

Sgt. Mark Whitson, a supervisor in the St. Louis County Police Department’s Bureau of Drug Enforcement, said prescription drugs

are popular among teenagers because…Cheap price: Buying prescription drugs “on the streets” is fairly affordable even with the broke teenage budget. Popular prescription drugs like Xanax, OxyContin and Adderall cost just a few dollars. Additionally, if the drugs come from friends or family, they can be free.

Availability: Prescription drugs are available in nearly every house, as they are prescribed to improve our standard of living and help people recover from surgeries and illnesses. Because they are so prevalent in our lives, it is easy for teenagers, who are looking to abuse substances, to find them and abuse them.

Perception of risk: Many believe that prescription drugs cannot be harmful or have adverse effects because they are drugs prescribed by doctors. A common rumor is that prescription drugs are much safer to use than illicit drugs, like cocaine and heroine. However, when prescription drugs are used for those not prescribed, they are just as dangerous as street drugs.

Public attitude: Because prescription drugs are so common in our society, people often disregard possible negative consequences because they assume the drugs will be safe in every condition since they come from doctors and are approved by the FDA. However, combining prescription drugs together or with other substances, like alcohol, can cause unwanted effects.

Classes Medicine Medical Use Adverse Effects Overdose

Have you ever used prescription drugs for recreational purposes?

21%79%

YES

NO

Have you ever been offered prescription drugs?

36%

64%

YES

NO

Do you know someone who has used prescription drugs for recreational

purposes?

68%

32%YESNO

Teenagers partaking in under aged drinking and smoking is not uncommon or startling, but what is less acknowledged, and often overlooked, is the growing popularity of using prescription drugs for recreational purposes. However, this is just as illegal and unsafe as taking any illicit drug. The number of Rx drug abusers is on the rise, and the consequences from overdoses may be fatal.

Next to alcohol and marijuana, Rx drugs are the most commonly abused substances among teenagers. A majority of the time, teens do not even real-ize the addictive qualities of these prescribed medications.

Self medication is very common among teenagers for the same reason why alcohol and marijuana is. Teens see it as a necessity to have fun, relieve stress or fit in.

However in some cases, Rx drugs are used because people believe medi-cation will improve their quality of life.

Alex Smith* was one of those people. Smith, already prescribed Adderall for his Attention Deficit Disorder

(ADD), began taking Xanax in hopes of easing his anxiety. “I had to convince my parents that I had ADD in the first place and I

thought they would say ‘You’re lying about all of this stuff,’ if I told them I had anxiety on top of it. So I really couldn’t talk to my parents about it, so I ended up just self-medicating,” Smith said.

However, prior to search to escape his anxious feelings, he had misused painkillers as well.

Taking an unnamed painkiller, as well as Percocet, when Smith got his wisdom teeth out, he gradually began taking more than his prescribed dos-age.

“I liked the way it made me feel. It felt like a nice warm blanket. It felt good and made me more talkative and outgoing. For some reason it made chores more fun; I’d tell my mom ‘Oh, I’ll clean the whole house’ for no rea-son. It just put me in a really good mood,” Smith elaborated.

Although it did not impair his motor skills, his intuition kicked in and he knew that what he had been doing for a couple months wasn’t right.

“I just thought to myself, ‘Wow this isn’t very good for me’,” Smith said.Catching his painkiller problem before it got out of hand was some-

thing he couldn’t say for his addiction to Xanax. Self-medicated, even after abusing Percoset, he did not fully under-

stand the risks of not being regulated by a doctor. “If you take too much of it, it makes you blackout. I considered Xanax

more of a therapeutic dose, and not a recreational thing,” Smith said. After a couple weeks of taking this depressant, he had a gut feeling that

something was going to happen. And finally, it did.Smith’s parents found out about his self-medication and took him to

the hospital. That turned out to be a blessing. “I probably wouldn’t have gotten any help on my own, and just would’ve

seen how long I could get away with it. My parents said they knew even before everything happened, I probably wouldn’t have stopped,” he said.

Now Smith attends an outpatient group that lasts three hours a night and occurs three times a week where a group of people, just like him, talk about their problems.

“I find it helpful. You have to want to be there though, because if you don’t want to be there, you’ll just sit there and waste three hours of your life,” Smith explained.

Even though Smith thought he took all the necessary precautions by re-searching the Rx drugs before he started using them, he soon realized that nothing could prepare him for the effects both mentally and physically.

Smith estimates that he spent over $2,000 on Rx drugs over a 2 year time span.

“It got to a point where I was dependent. I was always thinking ‘I need to go here (a place to get drugs) after school’ or ‘I need to sell my clothes to get money to pay for them,” he said.

It is extremely easy to overdo on Rx drugs because people tend to only consider the helpful side effects and not the dangerous ones, like blacking out on Xanax.

“Obviously, the best thing to do is just to stay away from it in general. Then you’ll never have that problem,” Smith said.

Student recalls his experience with Rx drugs

*215 students surveyed*name changed to protect student’s identity

12features imagethe March 13, 2014

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Traditionally, families consist of a mother and father. For a variety of reasons, teenagers in this day and age live with someone other than their parents. Although their living situations may not be conventional, the ties they share with their newfound families are ones that can last a lifetime.

*100 students surveyed

19% of students have divorced parents

know someone with divorced parents

98%

–social media editor–alainastrollo

H6%live with someone other than their parents

67%know someone who lives with someone other than their parents

Fast Facts:

Missouri is ranked 16th in divorce rate in the United States.

Courtesy of the US Census Bureau.

75% of children with divorced parents live with their

mother. Courtesy of the US Census Bureau.

Away

The majority of students at Lafayette live with happily married parents, but some students live with different guardians or divorced parents or in a number of other nontraditional living situations.

The Washington Times reports the amount of children living in single-parent houses has almost doubled since 1960.

According to US Census Bureau, since 1980 the number of children staying with married parents has continued to decline nationally to a recorded 64 percent in 2012.

Also in 2012, 24 percent of children under the age of 17 live just with their mothers while only four percent live solely with their fathers.

Race also plays a role in a child’s living situation. Accordingly, 74 percent of white children live with married parents while 33 percent of African American children live with married parents.

Four percent of children or teenagers live with two parents that aren’t married.

The Center for Disease Control states that since 1922, the number of children involved with a divorce has multiplied six times.

Also, the number of children being raised by gay parents is in-creasing. Courtesy of the Movement Advancement Project, the Family Equality Council, and the Center for American Progress, four percent of all adopted children are brought up by same-sex parents.

Another example of a break from the typical family is children in foster care. The Child Welfare Information Getaway gathered that in 2012, an estimated 399,546 children in the United States were a part of foster care.

Though they are not the only students at Lafayette with a unique living arrangement, seniors Justin Rucker and Samantha Gassner stray from the typical norms of a family.

Justin Rucker/Ever since 3rd Grade, senior Justin Rucker has been friends with se-niors Max and Logan Conrad.

Rucker’s mother lives in St. Louis so because of the distance from his mom’s house to the Conrad’s, he would often sleepover.

“[We’re] best friends, and he lives out in the city, so he’d spend all weekend with us,” Logan said.

After years of going back and forth and being good friends with the twins, the Conrad’s and his mom’s relationship strengthened and eventually they became Rucker’s godparents.

“My family got along with him, then our families met and it just became a living arrangement,” Max said.

“During football or wrestling or track season I would be out here more. I would stay with them more and more,” Rucker said.

Because of sports, it was a lot easier for Rucker to just stay out in Wildwood than trek back to his parent’s house just to return for tour-naments, competitions or games. Eventually, Rucker switched over to living with the Conrad’s permanently.

“It just kind of turned into living,” Logan said. For Rucker, his favorite aspect of not living with his Mom is the

opportunity to be closer with friends.“The best part is that I’m closer with my friends since they’re out

here and I get to hang out with them,” Rucker said. The worst part is

the homesickness.Max enjoys the extra help around the house.“He does half of the chores, so that’s something. He does eat a lot of

food though,” Max said. Logan considers Rucker to be like his brother because of all the time they’ve spent together throughout their child-hood, middle school and high school years.

Rucker visits his mom whenever he can, sometimes during the week and other times on the weekend. Being able to drive makes it easier to visit. Though Rucker is planning on going out of state for col-lege, he intends on coming to both homes when he visits.

“When I come home from Thanksgiving Break or Winter Break, I plan on going to both the Conrads and going home,” Rucker said, “I wouldn’t just go to one and not the other.”

Samantha Gassner/For senior Samantha Gassner, home is a foreign concept. From living in places like New York to Miami, Florida, to Atlanta, Georgia to overseas in Europe, Gassner has always been on the move.

Gassner’s freshman and sophomore year were spent in Liechten-stein. Bordered by Switzerland and Austria, Gassner has had the op-portunity to travel elsewhere in Europe.

“It’s really tiny. It is about 10 minutes from Switzerland and to Aus-tria it was about 25 minutes. It’s as big as Wildwood,” Gassner said.

Gassner decided to move back to the United States to experience an American senior year. Especially, to be able to experience events like Prom—an American tradition not practiced by many other countries.

“I like Lafayette a lot. I could’ve moved back to another state like New York where I actually have family but I decided to come back here because they have the education I need to go to the college I want to go to,” Gassner said.

Though it took a lot of time, thought and indecision, Gassner stands by her choice to move back to America.

Gassner’s other sister and parents stayed in Liechtenstein, so she has been living with family friends since August.

“We are just really good friends with them and they’ve seen me grow up. They know who I am,” Gassner.

For Gassner, the best part about not living with family is the inde-pendence and freedom. The con is not being a part of family bonding.

“The thing I miss is being able to be with my family and just talk and laugh and be together,” Gassner said.

Gassner will be seeing her family for the first time since she moved this spring break.

Her future is up in the air. She plans on moving to New York to at-tend college and live on her own. From there, her career decides where she goes next.

“It just depends on where my career goes. If I get a great career job in Europe, I will definitely go back to Europe. If I have a great career here, I’ll stay,” Gassner said.

The many places Gassner has lived influenced her to have the men-tality that home is simply where her belongings are at the moment.

“I don’t really consider any place my home, because I’ve traveled so many times and I don’t get attached to anything,” Gassner said, “It’s just where I consider home is wherever my stuff is at the moment. I don’t stick to one place.”

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In such a competitive world of sports, athletes have started to explore the world of enhancement supplements to attain every advantage they can over their opponents. Throughout the years, the desire for protein powders, creatine and other supplements to enhance muscle mass and improve performance has grown into a mass industry.

Many athletes don’t realize what certain supplements actually do to their bodies and how exaggerated many advertisements can be. Of course not all are bad for you. But it’s important to know what’s really going into your body.

Sports supplements are considered dietary supplements. They do not always require US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval before they enter the market. This leaves room for companies to put whatever they want into their supplements.

At the high school level, there is no Missouri State High School Ac-tivities Association (MSHSAA) rule that is against taking legal supple-ment pills or drinks such as protein shakes.

In high school athletics, 40 percent of players participate in some type of supplements. With such a varied definition, the word sport sup-plements can range from simple protein powders to anabolic steroids.

St. Louis Sports Nutritionist Jennifer McDaniel said, “Athletes seek-ing a leg up in their competition are one of the most susceptible audi-ences to be tempted by promises of the supplement industry.”

The National Federation of State High School Associations strongly recommends all student athletes to consult with their doctor before tak-ing any supplement. It is recommended that athletes younger than 13 stay away from supplements and protein powders.

“If an athlete enjoys a diet which includes variety and 0balance, most do not need to fork out money on supplements. As a Registered Dieti-tian, who specializes in sports nutrition, I recommend a food first ap-proach and to use sports supplements as a “supplement” to the diet if even necessary,” McDaniel said.

Supplements have not been tested on teens and kids, but studies on adults show the claims of many supplements are weak at best. Most fail to build strength, and none will make an athlete faster or more skillful.

For high school and college athletes, the most common practice is protein shakes. Increasing protein intake can help muscles rebuild them-

selves after tough workouts can speed up muscle recovery after practices and competitions.

Lancer athletes such as seniors Alex Brcic, Jalen Dansby and Hayden Schofield know the difference between harmful supplements and benefi-cial ones. All three are successful varsity athletes who have used various protein supplements to their advantage.

“I just stick to basic pre-workout proteins and whey protein after my workouts. Eating a balanced diet is also important, including lots of mixed lean meat and red meat, eggs and carbohydrates to help build muscle and energy,” University of Chicago football commit Dansby said.

It may also be important to realize that protein shakes and supple-ments are not always necessary if the person is eating the right foods, as breakfast can be the most essential meal time.

“For athletes looking to gain muscle mass, it has been shown that 30 grams of protein at every meal can help maximize muscle synthesis. Dairy, eggs, nut butters and lean meats are foods which can be eaten at breakfast time. In addition to protein, these foods also offer up an array of nutrients important to the athlete,” McDaniel said.

For Brcic, preparation for football season began with changing his diet plan by eating seven meals a day.

“It wasn’t easy, but it really showed me that it all just comes down to what you eat. I gained 25 pounds by increasing my food intake. After football season, I lost 20 pounds by switching to only two meals a day with snacks in between,” he said.

Brcic also mentioned the new popularity of protein shakes among teenage athletes.

He said, “We don’t eat like we use to. By drinking these shakes, it helps to add nutrients that we don’t get in our everyday meals as por-tions have drastically increased in the past couple generations.”

Varsity athlete Schofield has discovered not only the protein brands that work for him, but also the ones to avoid.

“I have used Formula 1 and MetRX! that both work really well and taste amazing. Stay away from any type of steroid type supplement, they will mess your body up,” he said.

The two main types of protein are whey and soy. Soy protein boosts estrogen and can be found in Luna bars and Cliff bars. The more popular protein for athletes is whey, used to add nutrients to diets, especially for post-workouts.

Melissa Lantz, field hockey, basketball and soccer coach, does not encourage or discourage students from using supplements.

“You can’t go wrong with healthy eating, which includes natural sug-ars, foods with essential amino acids and plenty of water and plenty of exercise,” Lantz said.

For senior Jake Burt, he has been able to incorporate plenty of exer-cise along with protein supplements to achieve tremendous results. Burt dedicated his daily routine to exercise, healthy foods and supplements both before and after workouts.

“I take pre workout supplements such as Razor8 and “N.O. Xplode”. After I workout, I drink protein such as Whey and Isoflex. In my opin-ion, pills are for cheaters,” he said.

Pre-workout supplements can help supply energy for your exercise and protect muscles. Post-workout is all about recovery, healing of the muscles so they can be worked out sooner and receive nutrients for the tearing that they went through during the workout.

While the right supplements can provide additional nutrients and aid muscle mass, healthy food intake and exercise are essential to any athlete’s success.

Healthier nutritional decisions can offer equally effective results as sports performance supplements

–sports editor–ariannademos

–sports reporter–kellypanzitta

PROTEIN POWER There is a wide variety of protein supplement brands sold in the market today. They are used to supply additional nutrients into the body as well as promote muscle strength. — Photo courtesy of msurecsports.wordpress.com

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Winter Recap Seasons draw to quick close for some while other teams end their runs at State events

Girls Basketball/With some players choosing to not return and los-ing a lot of key talent, the girls basketball team knew what they had ahead of them.

The roster totaled up to eight girls which was dif-ficult to work with. The most important thing that the girls could focus on was coming together as a team and being cohesive.

The girls overcame a lot of adversity that the sea-son threw at them and always stressed the impor-tance of sticking together as a team, taking on every challenge together as a team.

At times, it was the ultimate test of dedication and was an uphill battle, but they faced every chal-lenge head on.

There was great leadership from all four seniors which can be attributed to the growth and success of the team.

For new Head Coach Mike McAteer, he focused on modeling consistent effort to the girls.

One standout moment for the Lady Lancers was beating Marquette in front of a home crowd. It was a close game, but the girls pulled away in the final mo-ments of where they defeated the Mustangs 58-55.

Senior Rachel Peipert said that was a great mo-ment in her high school basketball career because go-ing into that game they were the underdogs, but they proved a lot of people wrong.

Another key win for the Lancers was against Lindbergh.

“We left everything on the court regardless of the other team’s speed, size or record; taking everyday as it came and sticking together,” sophomore Tayler Dent said.

With a compiled record of 6-20, it wasn’t quite the season they really hoped for, but stayed positive throughout the entire experience.

McAteer said, “Even though we faced adversity and lost 20 games I find many things to be celebrated about our season.”

Peipert lead the team in scoring, totaling an im-pressive 239 points for the season. On the defensive end, Dent lead the team in rebounds.

Every player was a major contributor and stepped up when the team needed it the most.

Going into Districts, the girls were coming off of a 41-53 loss to Hazelwood Central, but kept their posi-tive mentality.

They faced Rockwood Summit in the first round , but ended with a 43-59 loss.

Peipert dropped 16 points and sophomore Maria Johnson added 13.

On her final season in a Lafayette jersey, Peipert said, “I was satisfied with my senior season because it taught me more about myself by dealing with all the adversity. I loved playing with all the girls and mak-ing fun memories on and off the court.”

Girls Swim and Dive/It was a strong season for the Lady Lancers girls swimming team.

They went undefeated in regular season dual meets and were Conference champions. Heading into State, the girls had big expectations as a team.

In 2010, the Lancers finished first at State and since then have been working towards that goal again.

Last year, they placed 5th at State and were one

spot out of getting a trophy. That was motivation for the girls this year.

Although the girls were aiming at a State trophy, they finished 10th overall with 94 points.

In all, 16 swimmers competed for Lafayette. In-dividually, senior Mae Riordan advanced to the 200 meter freestyle and took 7th place with a time of 1:57.78.

The girls fell short of their expectations at State, but Riordan said, “I was really satisfied with our sea-son, everyone was extremely dedicated and it paid off in the end.”

For up and coming swimmers, the team had a lot of young talent. Freshman Anna Luckenbach and Lilly van Biljon stood out all season.

Luckenbach qualified for the 200 and 500 meter freestyle and Van Biljon had the 8th best qualifying time in the 100 freestyle and 3rd best time in the 100 backstroke.

“My favorite moment of the season was winning conference. Everyone really stepped up to beat our rival, Marquette, and it was an exciting meet to be a part of.” Riordan said.

With the youth the team had, Lafayette can ex-pect to continue their dominance the next few sea-sons and keep aiming at the State trophy.

Wrestling/ After a dominant 2013-2014 wrestling season, all nine state qualifiers walk away with their heads held high.

The season started with a loss to Northwest by five points, but they bounced back three days later with wins over Pattonville, Rock Bridge and Vianney.

That seemed to be the way the rest of the season went, coming out on top and defeating tough com-ponents.

At the Lafayette Invitational, the boys found themselves in first place, winning the tournament.

A major accomplishment that the wrestlers made was that they brought home a plaque from every tournament they competed in.

One wrestler that stood out to Head Coach Jona-than Sumner was senior Adam Bogar.

“He [Adam] became a strong leader for our pro-gram throughout the end of the year and wrestled re-ally tough down the stretch,” Sumner said.

At State, Bogar lost in the bubble match, meaning he was one win away from attaining a medal. Three other “bubble” wrestlers were sophomores Alex Wier, Brendan McKenna and Tim Bogar.

“I knew that I had a tough bracket [at State], but I ended up losing in the do or die match which is the match to place. I wish it could have turned out better, but I gave it my best so I am satisfied with myself,” Tim said.

Brothers Adam and Tim got to experience the past two years wrestling together.

Tim says that Adam is always a big help and it has been incredible being able to wrestle with his brother.

For Wier, this was his second year in a row quali-fying for State and fell just short of what he has been working for.

His best match of the season was at the All Sub-urban St. Louis tournament. He was down 2-3 and rallied back to get the takedown with .4 seconds left.

Out of the nine wrestlers that competed at State, six of them will be returning next year.

Along with that, there are wrestlers who are up

and coming with a lot of talent. “Our team is young, we just need to prepare for

State better,” Wier said.Sumner hopes that the performances from State

will be motivation for next season. “We are proud of the way our kids competed all

year, we had a very good season, just fell a little short of our goals at the end, this is great motivator for those kids for next year,” Sumner said of the season as a whole.

A lot of strong talent was brought out and each week the boys got progressively better. It was a suc-cessful and dominant season for the wrestlers which will carry into next year with hard work in the off season.

Boys Basketball/It has been an unforgettable season for the Lafayette boys basketball team. Two tournament champion-ships, Conference champions and District champi-ons.

The season started with a loss to St. Charles West high school, but after that, the wins seemed to add up.

Key wins for the Lancers included Webster Groves, Hazelwood Central, Oakville and rivals Eu-reka and Marquette.

The Lancers stood atop the Suburban West Con-ference and lead all teams defensively, only allowing 1162 points scored against them.

Right before entering postseason play, the boys went on an eight game win streak which was snapped by Kirkwood.

Senior Nate Messer had an outstanding season himself. Messer totaled 388 points for the season with 81 three-point field goals.

His dominance on the court shined and he com-mitted to the United State Naval Academy to carry out his basketball career.

Messer hopes to continue his success going into

Sectionals and is confident that they will make it far.The Lancers had high expectations going into

Districts because of their dominance all season long.On March 6, the boys defeated Eureka in the Dis-

trict semi-finals 53-46 and advanced to the Finals for a third year in a row against Parkway South.

Earlier in the season, the Lancers rolled by the Pa-triots with a 70-54 victory.

With the past two District championships end-ing in a loss, Messer and senior Evan Scales both agree that it was a relief to come out on top this time.

“It is a great way for us seniors to end our careers at Lafayette,” Messer said of a long awaited District championship.

Scales added, “It’s refreshing to know that after all our struggle and hard work, we finally got what we deserved.”

The game went back and fourth in the third quar-ter after the Lancers trailed at halftime.

For senior Adam Witzig, the District champion-ship came down to a free throw. The score was tied at 53 when Witzig was fouled with .6 seconds left on the clock.

He confidently went to the line for a one-and-one situation. After Witzig made the first one, the Patri-ots were called for a technical. It was an enduring moment for the Lancers as they were crowned Dis-trict champions on a 57-53 victory.

Messer totaled 15 points in the win along with junior Cameron Scales adding 14 points.

Soon after the clock ran out, the students stormed the court. After two years of disappointment, every-thing paid off in the end for the Lancers and was a memorable moment for everyone.

Going into Sectionals, Cameron’s game plan is to keep attacking and help the team get the win.

Last night the Lancers took on Jackson in Sec-tionals. For coverage of the game, visit lhsimage.com.

–asst. sports editor–hannahmartin

PLAN OF ATTACK The Lancers huddle up before taking on the Parkway West Longhorns. The boyswentontowin51-39addingtoasevengamewinningstreak.—photobyTanyaGrover

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With the winter season coming to a close, springtime opens a door for a new crop of sports and activities. Fans will especially be following the boys volleyball team as they hope for a repeat State Championship.

Though the weather will play havoc with outdoor sports, the spring teams are used to having to battle the elements in March as they prepare for the season.

Baseball:With a storied history, producing stars at the profes-sional level like David Freese and Ryan Howard, the Lancer baseball team will be squaring up for another season.

With tryouts for baseball currently underway, the team will be selective with what talent they choose to represent them.

After last season, their collective effort resulted in a combined record of 12-11, good but not great.

Their solid record qualified them for District competition, but in a heartbreaking loss, the Lancers lost in the semi-finals to their Suburban West Con-ference rival, the Marquette Mustangs.

Despite losing 12 seniors, the Lancers hope to make it past the District level.

Their depleted amount of seniors is going to re-sult in the Lancers expanding the team with their now seasoned juniors from last year.

Some key players looking to make a contribution to the team this year will be seniors Cole Dupont, Kansas State commit, Nick Oliff, Missouri S&T com-mit, and Peter Williams, Southeast Missouri State commit.

For DuPont, his intentions are similar. “The goal honestly is to win District. I’ve been

here for four years and we have yet to win it.”

Boys Golf:Boys golf is another significant sport that begins in the spring sports season. After a solid season last year, the team will seek to be competitive once again.

Junior Dillon Eaton hopes that more golfers achieve individual success. He said, “We’ve only had two members of our team go to District over the last two years.”

Boys golf will compete against Eureka and other Conference rivals this year to combine with their al-ready interesting schedule.

Eaton said there are several matches that the Lancers are looking forward to.

He said, “Marquette will probably be our most competitive match this year.”

The Lancers will seek to improve their focus and strive to make the most of their potential.

Coach Gaylen Laster has been coaching golf now for nearly 30 years, understands that practicing and mental focus will be crucial for both improving younger players and helping the seasoned upper-classman perform to the best of their ability.

With many new additions to the team, the Lanc-ers will be prosperous from a youth standpoint.

However, Eaton agrees the upperclassman should influence the team. He said, “Seniors Mikey Kanan and Jay Lee are going to be really important for us this year.”

Girls Soccer:The girls soccer team is working on creating a good foundation.

With the previous season being passable in per-formance and a new group of freshmen, the Lady Lancers’ first priority is getting back to a competitive level.

After developing talent and playing tough all sea-

son, the Lancers went to District Finals. In a hard fought game, the rival Eureka Wild-

cats came out on top, defeating the Lady Lancers in a crushing loss.

Strong defense is the first step in generating a winning environment.

Junior Taylor Schneider said, “Last season, we had good defense. With the losses of Ashley Park and Jamison Wipke, much of our defensive core is gone. We’ll look to Jordan Wipke to contribute on that side of the ball.”

Also, keep an eye on junior forward Anna Saun-ders.

She will help the Lancers from an offensive stand-point.

Senior Midfielder Natalie Quisenberry, Quincy University bound, is yet another offensive piece that needs to help.

Quisenberry said, “We’ve lost many seniors from

last year, so this season will primarily be a rebuilding year for us.”

That shouldn’t be that big of an issue, as the team still has plenty of senior talent that can be utilized.

Big games for the Lady Lancers include emotional matches with Marquette and Lafayette.

There are many up-and-coming players fans should watch this season.

Schneider said, “Look out for Madison Laudeman and Millie Schofield. They’re both new faces but they have some great potential.”

The Lancers’ main strategy will to be to work hard both in practice and on the field.

She said, “If we want to compete at the next level, we are going to have to outwork the other teams and play with more energy.”

This season, Lafayette should hope to put the pieces together and play strong in Districts.

WORKING THE CAGESSeniorColeDuPontsquaresupandhitsalinedrivebackatthepitcher.HeandthevarsityLancerskickofftheseasononMarch18awayversusRockwoodSummit.— photo by Garrett McBay

Despite winter temperatures, spring sports starts out swinging–sports reporter–

benrachell

–sports reporter–sethboester

About Darby Jo: • Current Board Director, appointed in May 2013• Brings enthusiasm and strong communications to the Board• Rockwood parent, businesswoman and community volunteer• Promotes fiscal responsibility and Board transparency

sports17imagetheMarch 13, 2014

Girls Lacrosse: The girls lacrosse team will be in its third year under Coach Carrie Guenzler.

With 12 seniors out this season, as well as a new group of upperclassmen, Guenzler believes this will be a solid season.

She said, “I think we’ll be able to compete against the best teams this season. State is definitely reach-able for us.”

Guenzler said there will be some great match-ups for the team this season.

“Well we’re going to go to Kansas City and play some good teams there, and of course, Eureka and Marquette are always the most emotional games for us,” she said

Guenzler also mentioned some players who she thinks will bring a lot to the table this season. “Maria Johnson is only a sophomore, but she will still be a major contributor to the team. We also have people like Ariana Catalano and our goalie, Libby Zohner, to help us out as well,” she said.

Guenzler isn’t the only person that is confident about the team’s chances this season.

Senior midfielder Tanya Grover is sure the Lady Lancers will have all of the components necessary for a win at State.

Grover said, “We think that all of the pieces are in place for a good run.”

For any team, success requires the combination of seasoned veterans and fresh faces to create something special. Grover mentioned a handful of new and ex-perienced players she thinks will fit this belief.

“I would look out for people like Kate Pennington and Shelby Foley,” she said.

Boys Tennis: Getting to State and winning is not always the most realistic goal for some high school sports teams, but for the varsity boys tennis squad, the trophy at the end of the road is achievable. Making it to District finals last year, the Lancers will strive to advance to the next level.

Young talent is important for any team, and se-nior Pete Hasenmueller is certain of the abilities of the new prospects this season.

Hasenmueller said, “Well we’ve got some great new guys, like freshman Carson Crone, and Ian Be-rilla, he’s a sophomore. They should be a big help.”

Every team has its share of heated rivalry match-es, and for the Lancers, it’s no different.

Regarding some of those big matches, Hasenm-ueller said, “Parkway West and Eureka are always our biggest matches. They can be pretty emotional.”

Boys Track: Boys track is gearing up for another season.

Despite losing a good amount of seniors, the Lancers have picked up new underclassman to fill the shoes of the departing graduates.

Senior Eric Yarbrough said, “We’re losing Kevin Hampton to a knee injury.”

Lafayette’s boys track coaching staff will also have a new addition this season, with Coach Kevin Koch taking over as the team’s new pole vault coach.

One of the biggest additions to the team, is senior Christian Alexander.

Yarbrough said, “We’re expecting a lot from him. He also has a brother, Brad, who runs track and Christian says he runs just as fast. We’re really look-ing forward to him.”

After last season’s success, the Lancers will be seeking to continue their strong efforts by putting in the hard work during practice.

That’s what the team’s main priority is for this season and hopefully this will result in their overall goal, which is to win a State championship.

Yarbrough said, “Our number one goal this year

is to win State, you know, just go out there and win it all. We’re going to try to win every meet along the way as well. We’re trying to be a dominant team.”

Competing in several separate events, Yarbrough will have his hands full. He will run the 400 meter, the 4x200 meter relay and the 4x100 meter relay.

The Lancers will look to other athletes to make big contributions as well.

Yarbrough said, “Brad Alexander and Dylan Quisenberry. You should also look out for Javon Wil-liams. I think he’s got a lot to prove this year.”

Their opening meet, the Festus Meet, will take place on March 29. This will be one of their biggest meets of the season.

Water Polo:As the water polo season approaches, the team is among one of the lucky groups that hasn’t had to deal with poor weather conditions.

Leading the team this season to victory will be senior Brent Huffines.

After losing 16 major senior contributors from last season, this year is a building year according to Huffines.

“We have a lot of young talent so we have to make sure that it matures,” he said.

With tryouts still in the process for the junior varsity team, members have yet to be determined. An underclassman with great potential is Rastko Stojsin.

As for the rivalries this season, the team is antici-pating the Marquette match to be one to remember.

While rebuilding years don’t usually yield cham-pionships, they can still be just as exciting with all of the new talent coming in.

Girls Track:Another year of spring sports means another season for the Lady Lancers varsity track team. Plenty of new freshman, sophomore, junior and even senior girls came to try out for the team this year, many of which should make an impact.

Junior Whitney Stewart has been running track her whole life, and has even taken part in the Junior Olympics.

She takes part in many events like the 200m, 400m and 800m and believes this will be a strong

season for the squad.She said, “We are going to try and give it all we

got, and with the help of the new runners, I think we have a good chance at State.”

Last season, the varsity squad finished moderate-ly well. Stewart said, “We did fine. Some girls went to State, some didn’t.”

The Lady Lancers first meet is the same as the boys, the Festus Meet on March 29.

Boys Volleyball:Winning State can put a lot of pressure on a team. How will they pass up last season? Will they stay competitive?

These are all question fans and casual onlookers alike are probably asking themselves when thinking about the incredible performance that the boys var-sity volleyball team put up last year.

These questions might also be in the minds of the

players and Head Coach Doug Ell. Senior Ryan Mueller is confident in the fact that

his team will stay just as competitive as they have been in years past even though they lost several key players to graduation.

He said, “It’s as new year and we still have some-thing to prove to everyone.”

Mueller also wanted to acknowledge that the team chemistry was a major factor in their path to State.

“I’m personally looking forward to getting the chance to play another year with these great guys. It would be hard to find a team that has more fun than we do,” Mueller said

Look for a solid performance to be put up by the Lancers this season. They kick off regular season play on April 1 versus Kirkwood.

A LOT OF LACROSSE Due to poor weather conditions, the Lady Lancer lacrosse team practices in the back parking lot to prepare for their spring season. As the girls wait for warmer temperatures, they must utilize every resource they can before their first game against Marian CatholiconMarch29at1p.m.—photobyGarretMcBay

TRADING ACES The varsity boys team gears up for the upcoming season. Practice began on Tuesday. The team will begin its season with an invitational at Edwardsville on April 4. — photo by Garrett McBay

18entertainment imagethe March 13, 2014

Like many high school students, Craig Gilner is stressed to get the best grade to get into the best college to get the best job to have the best life. And, also like many other high school students, it is almost impossible to handle the stress from it all.

Craig stops eating, sleeping, and nearly kills himself before realizing he needs help.He admits himself into a mental institution, where he is able to find the sources of his panic and meet

great friends along the way.The novel shows how interesting the road to happiness is and how strange a way it is to find it.Author Ned Vizzini spent his own time in a psychiatric hospital for five days for depression. Shortly

after he checked out of the high school, he wrote It’s Kind of a Funny Story in a month.The novel has won the Best Book for Young Adults in 2007 from the American Library Association.The film adaptation came out in Oct. 8 of 2010, starring Zach Galifianakis, Keir Gilchrist, and Emma

Roberts.It is a relatable story for many high schoolers, and it’s an amazing story to give them hope for happiness

and love.—Jennifer Butler

Picks

Monthof the

Book: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

March 18 marks the release of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, the newest release

in the stealth-action series. The events of Ground Zeroes will serve as the prologue for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which will be coming out in the near future. Players will control the series protago-nist, Snake, who has founded his own private nation and army and must now try to save a comrade who has been captured by the CIA. The game will also support a companion app for iOS and Android that will allow players to view maps, see enemy locations and upgrade Snake’s weapons and equipment by controlling his private nation.— Garrett McBay

Though director Zack Snyder should never be forgiven for his contribution to the Man of Steel travesty this summer,

300: Rise of an Empire still looks promising. After the fall of Leonidas and the Spartan army in 300 (spoiler alert), the second invasion of the Persian Empire on Greece has begun as generals and armies clash in a battle for the throne. Given the esteem the original received for its glorious special effects, relentless gore and excessive slow-motion capture sequences, it was only a matter of time before 300 had a sequel and it actually looks all right. Underclassmen beware: 300 easily overcompensated for its R-rating and it can be assumed that Rise of an Empire will do so as well.—Alex LaMar

Movie: 300: Rise of an EmpireThe app teggle is all about reaction. Through usual motions of touch-screen phones, players tap and swipe the screen

to earn points, extra time, extra lives, and double points. Players know what to do when a colored stripe appears on the screen with the particular ac-tion on the stripe. Green and orange stripes change directions in swiping left and right and up and down. Progressively stripes are added to the screen and there are more actions to do with less time to do them. Actions do not go away, but if a stripe is left too long, then the game is over. There is also an ac-tion with an ‘X’ on it ends the game. Teggle is a great game to practice hand-eye coordination and motions for smartphones.—Jennifer Butler

Video Game: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

TV Show: The 100The 100 is one of many television series that the CW is premiering this year. This series airs March 19 and is set in a post-

apocalyptic era where the Earth has been destroyed. Survivors vacated to 12 space stations during the disaster. Ninety-seven years have passed and 4,000 people are still living in the space stations, but the “Ark” is slowly dying. In an attempt to secure the future of mankind, the leaders of the “Ark” secretly exile 100 juvenile delinquents to Earth’s surface to test it’s habitability. In the show, viewers follow the journey of the 100 teenage prisoners as they land on Earth and encounter major obstacles to survive that lie in the near future.—Hannah Marshall

The Image staffers give their entertainment picks for the month of March.

App: teggle

ACROSS 2 orderly agitation or milling about of a crowd usually with uproar and confusion of voices; commotion 6 intensely emotional; impassioned; powerful 9 sharply perceptive 10 marked by or given to insistent outcry 14 nervous uncertainty of feeling 15 confirm, substantiate; to provide justification or defense for; justify 16 to take possession of by force 17 truthful, honest, accurate 18 being present everywhere 19 respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person

DOWN 1 passing through or by a place with only a brief stay 3 comprehensively broad and versatile 4 feeling or displaying ferocity; cruel, savage; deadly, destructive 5 to shorten by cutting off 7 to make keen or more acute; excite, stimulate 8 unprincipled 10 to waver in mind, will, or feeling; hesitate in choice of opinions or courses 11 lacking liveliness, briskness, or force; flat, dull 12 empty

Lit Link March Crossword ***turn in your completed puzzle on the stage during lunch for prizes***

Word Bank:transienttrenchanttrepidationtruculenttruncatetumultubiquitousuniversalunscrupuloususurp vacillatingvacuous vapidvehementvenerationveraciousvindicatevociferouswhetwistful

entertainment19imagetheMarch 13, 2014

Six Flags is an equal opportunity employer.

Lifeguard Positions

Apply Today

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St. Louis offers plenty to do close to home

Forest Park (pictured above) is the seventh largest urban park in the United States at 1,371 acres.

It has become one of St. Louis’ biggest attrac-tions featuring the Jewel Box, Missouri History Museum, the Science Center, the St. Louis Art Mu-seum, and the St. Louis Zoo.

When visiting Forest Park, be sure to stop by the “jewel” of the park. The Jewel Box is a display greenhouse with recently renovated windows shines bright, illuminating the hundreds of flowers housed in the conservatory.

While the sites in the St. Louis History Mu-seum may not be as lively as the plants in the Jewel box, they are equally astonishing.

The special exhibit on display will be the Streets of St. Louis featuring images of early St. Louis. The exhibit points out many interesting facts that will surely surprise you.

The Science Center is another attraction in For-est Park perfect for educational insite.

Over break, the Science Center will produce a special event titled Pi Day 2014. The event will be March 14-16. The general admission to the Science Center is free.

If you’re looking to educate yourself about art over break, visit the St. Louis Art Museum. They have many special exhibits. The Art Musuem should definitely be a stop in your Forest Park tour.

Forest ParkThere are a variety of things to do and places to go in Webster Groves, like going to the Gateway Arch, Laumeier Sculpture Park, or .

The Gateway Arch was built in 1963 and was finished two years later as a tribute to Thomas Jefferson.

The attractions consist of the arch itself, riverboat tours, and the museum of Westward Ex-pansion. If one hasn’t gone there before, then they should, as it is what St. Louis is famous for.

The Laumeier Sculpture Park is a main attrac-tion in Webster Groves, as it brings play into art and vice versa. The entire park is made up of trails with various contemporary sculpture to admire

while on a walk through the park.It’s most famous sculpture, The Way by Alexan-

der Liberman (pictured above) took eight years to build and has become the symbol of the park.

The Park is named after Henry Laumeier, who last owned the property before it became a park.

After he died, his wife Matilda gave 72 acres of land including her two story house to the people of St. Louis for the benefit of the greater St. Louis metropolitan area.

Currently, the house is an indoor art gallery, but most of the park is outside, as their mission is to express the connection between contemporary art and nature.

Webster Groves

–entertainment editor–jenniferbutler

–reporter–madisonkesselring

STAYCATIONS

20entertainment imagethe March 13, 2014

One of Chesterfield’s largest attractions is Faust Park, which holds the Thornhill Historic Site, the St. Louis Carousel, and the Botanical Garden’s Butterfly House.

The Thornhill Historic Site was the home of Missouri’s second governor, Frederick Bates, and has been transformed into a site for learning.

Along with this historical building, there are also four other houses and 16 buildings in Faust Park from 1840 to 1910 called The Village. It allows current residents of St. Louis look at the lifestyles and architecture of a different time.

The St. Louis Carousel is the original from the 1929 Forest Park Highlands. It was donated to the St. Louis County Parks in 1967 to prevent it from being dismantled after the Highlands caught on fire.

The Butterfly House in Faust Park (pictured above) is one of the most famous attractions in the park.

It features a conservatory containing over 80 types of butterflies and 150 plant species and the Emerson Theater that plays original show The But-terfly Effect to explain the anatomy of a butterfly.

Chesterfield

Grand Center in downtown St. Louis covers a small part of the area and hosts many events involving fine arts including The Fabulous Fox Theatre, Powell Hall, and The Chaifetz Arena.

If you want to kick off break with a bang, The Fox is presenting Experience Hendrix on March 13 at 8 p.m.

They will also put on We Will Rock You, the musical by Queen and Ben Elton. They will have

shows throughout March 18-24.A performance of Bugs Bunny at the Symphony

will be held March 15 and March 16 at Powell Hall. Also, they will house The New World Symphony on March 21 and on March 22.

If the symphony bores you, and you want an arena full of screaming girls, The Chaifetz Arena is hosting Demi Lovato’s Neon Lights Tour on March 20.

Grand Center

The Loop is a widely known area in St. Louis. They offer a multitude of boutiques and restaurants, per-fect for a day of shopping. The area is also known for the resonant music and art culture.

One noteworthy part of the loop is the 8 foot bronze statue honoring St. Louis native, rock and roll influence Chuck berry.

The statue is just a block away from the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Right along the Walk of Fame is Blue-berry Hill, a famous restaurant and music club established in 1972. It popularity gained from the

remarkable pop culture memorabilia and perfor-mances by the rock legend, Chuck Berry.

The Loop features many other venues for music lovers such as record, Vintage Vinyl, and concert music-club, the Pageant (pictured above).

On March 14 The Point will be hosting the first Spring Break concert at the Pageant, The Neighborhood.

The next concert is Welcome to Night Vale on March 17. The Point hosts the following concert with a performance by Young the Giant on their “Mind Over Matter “ Tour.

The Loop

Carondelet has a variety of parks. The most famous is Fanetti Park.

Fanetti Park was dedicated to Donald Fanetti shortly after his death. Fanetti was a prominent member in the Carondelet community, including being the founder and editor of the Bugle newspa-per.

Across the street from the park on Michigan

Avenue is the Ivory Theater (pictured above). The theater was originally St. Boniface Church. The church was sanctuary to many of the immigrants living in Carondelet of various countries and reli-gions. It was renovated in 2007 for theater use.

The Ivory Theater hosts professional and ama-teur productions, even child productions during the summers from a summer camp.

Carondelet

South Grand is a wonderful place to go for ethnic foods.

It contains restaurants from Vietnamese to Soul and even Cajun and Creole. There are small pockets of non-Western foods like these, but for a variety of traditional types of food, South Grand is the best place to be.

In the same neighborhood is the Botanical Gar-dens, a beautiful and educational facility for plant

and flower lovers. It features plants in separate gardens to create a realism of what a garden of that time and place would look like. The Gardens is currently offering an Orchid Show up until March 23 (pictured above, courtesy of the Botanical Gardens).

South Grand also has the Tower Grove Park. It offers multiples paths for running or walking, and three traditional grass tennis courts.

South Grand

Washington Avenue is home to the City Museum.It is great for a family outing or a group of

friends. They are open Wednesday and Thursday 9 a.m. till 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. till Midnight, and Sunday 11 a.m. till 5 p.m.

Admission for children two and under is free and ages three and up is $12.00.

The Peabody Opera House is also near the

Washington Avenue area.Over break, Gabriel Iglesias will host his popu-

lar comedy show on March 15. Lorde will also be at the Peabody to perform on March 20 and tickets are not yet sold out.

The Peabody is not the only place to catch a good show. At MX Movies, they feature free show-ings on their large MX lounge projection screen.

Washington Avenue

Log on to lhsimage.comfor more information about other places to visit in St. Louis during Spring Break

Some students don’t have the resources or drive to go to Cancun or Florida for Spring Break but there are places in St. Louis to keep anyone occupied for the next 10 days.