U-TIMES U. City High School 7401 Balson Ave University City, MO 63130
U-Times November 2019 Volume 30, Issue 1
NEWSMAGAZINE
Senior class takes third place in float competition By Grace Klein Staff Writer
The 2019 Homecoming parade began with warm weather and clear skies and ended with a victory for the class of 2020. The senior float placed third in the annual float competition--a rarity that none of the classes have seen in some years. Jackson Park brought home first place, while Pershing came in a close second. With very little prep time and few helping hands, the senior class spent the entire week leading up to the parade putting in lots of work to create their cosmos-themed float. “We started [putting together ideas] two weeks before the parade and stayed
after school every day painting and cutting,” senior class sponsor Marian Reed, said. “It was a very intense and rigorous process.” After renting a trailer from U-Haul at the last minute and receiving wood from Stephen Wurst, woodworking teacher, the senior class was able to piece together a winning float and develop a shared sense of accomplishment. “It was fun to hang around my peers and classmates while building the float,” Roberta Booth, senior, said. “We all had the same goal of creating a great float.” The class of 2020 were not the only ones enduring intense homecoming preparation. The marching band faced
its own obstacles to have a successful performance, especially with the loss of several seniors from the previous year. Evidently, this has resulted in a smaller band than years before. “Our percussion section is larger than it was, but our band is much smaller than last year,” said Maxine Adams, sophomore. “If you don’t have the people to play the instruments you need, that makes it difficult.” This didn’t seem to affect the band’s performance in the parade, and they even had a U. City alumni band member, Alan McFadden, join in at the football game and play the bass, which they were missing.
Passing through the parade on their float, the boys soccer team shows their U. City spirit and enthusiasm for the crowd. “It was a lot of fun,” Nate Martin, junior, said. “We got to throw candy at the crowd and wave at all the kids.”
As the Golden Girls dance down Delmar, Makaiyla Ford, junior, stands in position, waiting for her turn to move forward. “My row wasn’t dancing yet, so we were waiting for the other rows to finish,” said Ford.
“It’s really special to see the alumni come back and talk about how much they love and miss the band, Adams said. “There was a lot of positivity this year despite the intense training and prep we had.” As usual, closing the parade were the Golden Girls, who were lead by captain Essence Green. Dressed in their vibrant gold body suits, they performed a poised and well put together routine from start to finish. “We’ve improved a lot since the summer as a result of us all becoming closer and forming bonds with one another,” Essence Green, junior, said. “I think we really showed out this year.”
At the roundabout on Delmar, the Field Hockey team marches along-side their float, which took an honorable mention in the float competition. The team spent three nights designing and building their float, which was Star Wars themed.
As the band marches down Delmar at the Homecoming parade, Lawrence Wright-Jones, senior, plays the trumpet for a U. City classic, “Get Ready.” “We were a little unprepared but we still did our best and kept it together,” Wright-Jones said. PHOTOS BY GRACE KLEIN, ISABEL BLUMENHORST & IAN FELD
On the final stretch of the parade, Kenwyn Jones, junior, holds the robotics team’s numbers. “We were having a little trouble keping them up, so we had to tape them together,” Jones said.
IN THIS ISSUE
4-5
2-3
8
6-7
Opinion/News
Homecoming
Entertainment/Sports
Features
• Staff editorial
• Homecoming
• ‘Lord of the
• New teachers
• Climate strike
Dance
• Pep rally • Football
Flies’
• Fall sports highlights
November 2019
2
opinion STAFF EDITORIAL
NO WEAPONS ALLOWED
Recent events detract from high school football experience The only screaming that should happen at a high school football game is the shouts of jubilant students cheering on a game-winning touchdown, not the terrified shrieks of children as the crowd scatters from the sound of a gunshot. However, this is the chilling new reality. At the beginning of the fall sports season, two shootings at pre-season jamborees shocked the St. Louis area, both occurring on the same night at Parkway North and Soldan High School. At the Parkway North incident, a gun was fired in the crowd before a fight broke out, though no one was killed. Sadly, at Soldan, an eight-year-old child was shot and killed, while two teenagers and an adult were injured. These acts of violence prompted immediate action closer to home. Just a week later, when our Lions took on the Clayton Greyhounds, security measures were far tighter than usual.
Fans were subjected to police pat downs, metal detector scans, and identification checks. Signs around the stadium read “NO WEAPONS ALLOWED,” a clear reference to the events of just days ago. The very idea that schools should have to remind fans of this policy is shameful, and speaks volumes to the environment that students now live in. There is no excuse for adults to bring weapons to a high school football game at all. Events such as the ones at Parkway North and Soldan ruin what high school football is supposed to be about. It creates a general sense of anxiety within the confines of the stadium, where students’ biggest worry should be the score of the game, or whether or not they have enough money for chicken wings. During the third quarter of the Clayton game, there was panic in the stands when students started
screaming and running from a section of the bleachers. What turned out to be nothing more than a swarm of bees was interpreted by many as the reaction to a gun being pulled. Chaos broke out for a moment as the crowd fled from the non-existent shooter, and the focus of the fans shifted from the tension of the game to surviving the latest tragedy at a setting that should bear no casualties. Although the terror was illusory, the fact that the first thought was that our school could play host to yet another mass shooting is telling of the times. It’s pathetic to have to remind adults that their guns don’t belong at a school event. It’s ridiculous that fans should be reminded of massacres when a raucous crowd shouts and screams at a game-tying touchdown or a ill-timed interception. In what was an interesting coincidence, U. City hosted Soldan on
Oct. 5 for the Homecoming football game. Much of the attention was surely placed on a Lions victory, but somewhere in the back of everyone’s mind, the events that transpired at Soldan High School on Aug. 23 likely resided, a grim reminder of the violence that seems to occur anywhere and everywhere without discrimination. Parkway North and Soldan happened to be in the wake of the violence, but that doesn’t mean they will be the only ones. Gun violence is no longer a nuance; it is an everyday issue that could affect anybody in any place at any time. There shouldn’t be a need for signs to remind the public that weapons are prohibited; it should be common knowledge. Students already have enough to worry about, and staying alive at a football game should never be one of them.
Gifted program places unfair expectations on students By Marley Gardner Staff Writer
Nothing else matters when you’re good at math, or at least that’s what some people say. You’re destined to become the next Neil Degrass Tyson or Stephen Hawking. I’m good at math, except that’s not what I aspire to live up to. If I know I want to spend my life writing, then why waste my time entertaining the idea of being a Nobel Prize-winning scientist when I could be a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist? Ever since kindergarten, I’ve been in the gifted program, TAGD (Talented and Gifted Development). I was singled out as one of the kids who spent their afternoons putting on plays about Vikings, reconstructing dinosaur skulls and engaging in a number of other enriching activities. In middle school, we continued with creating mock murder cases, making short films and designing board games. Gifted education teacher Anne Cummings’ TAGD classroom at Brittany Woods became my safe haven. Beginning high school without the support of Cummings while carrying the labels of “high performing” and “special” turned out to be my worst nightmare. For the first time in my academic career, I was challenged in school. Years of learning with ease had kept me accustomed to getting good grades with minimal effort, but all that changed when I got to high school and the work got harder. Suddenly, I was forced to put forth more effort in attempts to match the success I expected from myself. At the time, it seemed fairly simple: if I couldn’t ace my biology class, then how could I ever graduate early from an Ivy League school and become an award-
2019-2020 U-Times Staff Co-Editor: Eliot Fuller Co-Editor: Ian Feld Web Editor: Jaden Brooks Staff Writers/Photographers: Charya Young Grace Klein Zion Smith Tarren Harris Khloe’ Fox Marley Gardner Kiya Furlow Samantha Young Adviser: Mrs. Mary Williams
winning doctor like I had convinced myself I needed to be? As a high achieving student, an expectation was forced on me to live out a STEM career. Though the pressure placed upon me was enough to keep that a goal of mine for awhile, eventually I realized that it wasn’t an expectation I wanted to meet. I knew I could never be a doctor because, in reality, I’ve never liked hospitals, and the idea of spending six years in medical school is the most boring thing in the world. Despite the people around me pushing me and my interests toward a STEM career, deep down I’ve always loved writing poetry, playing music and taking pictures, not solving long, drawn-out math problems or programming robots. I refused to accept this notion, however, and became determined to find the right career path based on the directions of other people, even though I knew that writing was my passion. I took as many aptitude tests as I could find, and every test reaffirmed what I had already been told, but didn’t want to hear: I should work in finance or engineering; I should ignore art and focus on math and science. Even though I knew a career in STEM wasn’t right for me, the expectation and glorification of a life dedicated to fulfilling these subjects made me feel like it was my only option. Towards the end of freshman year, I finally let myself contemplate the idea of following my own dream. I decided that next year I would take newspaper and art, but when I sat down with my counselor, I heard the same thing I had been hearing nearly my entire life: “An engineering class will be good for you,” they said. “Why would you want
Philosophy
The newspaper’s primary obligation is to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of the issues of national or international importance which directly or indirectly affect the school population. The newspaper, while serving as a training ground for future journalists as part of the school curriculum, recognizes all rights and responsibilities under the First Amendment. While establishing U-Times as a public forum, student editors will apply
to take a journalism course?” Although I insisted on enrolling in the newspaper and art classes, I got my sophomore schedule at the end of the summer and saw my requests were denied. It wasn’t until I made repeated follow-up efforts and got the help of parent involvement that I was able to get the changes I desired. Even after changing my schedule to better fit what I wanted out of a career, I still felt overloaded with the stress of advanced math and science courses. I knew I had to make some changes; otherwise I was going to keep feeling like I was drowning. I sat down with Lyndlee Mabry, high school (and Jackson Park) TAGD teacher and district program coordinator, for a few hours and was able to talk out everything I was feeling. She reminded me that as we get older, life changes and sometimes it’s hard to adapt. In the end, everything comes down to time management, organization and accepting that, in the words of Mabry, “We’re not straight A students in everything we do.” Mabry’s guidance helped me come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to be perfect at everything. I dropped my math class, taking a turn from the route I had always felt my teachers and counselors were pushing me down. It was the last thing I would have expected to do a year ago, when I was focused on becoming a master of calculus. Instead, I picked up yearbook, as well as newspaper. It didn’t take long for me to realize how much I loved making something with photography and writing, finally, in practice. It was all I needed to prove that journalism was my calling.
professional standards and ethics for decision-making as they take on the responsibility for content and production of the newspaper. Inasmuch as the student staff encourages constructive criticism of any part of the newspaper, authority for content rests in the hands of the student members of the newspaper staff. Students will not publish material considered to be legally unprotected speech, or libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process, copyright infringement, or unwarranted invasion of privacy.
Policies
Being tagged as a high achieving student created some of the greatest pressure on my academic career. I found myself plagued with the curse of the gifted label and living up to all that it entailed, a struggle that only ended when I started focusing on what I really wanted to do. Most importantly, it was the willingness of Mabry to help me understand that there wasn’t one path I had to take. No matter if someone has been in the gifted program or not, there’s more resources than you may think. Whether it’s Mabry, a trusted teacher, a parent or anyone else, all you have to do is ask for help, even if it’s what you’ve avoided the most.
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news
November 2019
Students participate in nationwide walkout By Samantha Young Staff Writer
Ten minutes before the end of third period on Sept. 20, dozens of students gathered in front of the high school to raise awareness for global climate change. The school strike was organized by Emma Scharff, sophomore, and led by the Environmental Club, but the original instigator of the protest is Greta Thunberg, a 16-year old climate change activist from Sweden. Many students held signs with messages such as: “This an emergency, act like it,” and “There is no Plan(et) B.” They shouted the phrase, “We demand change. We demand action.” This strike was a worldwide event with similar strikes happening in such cities as Melbourne, Australia; London, England; New Delhi, India; Mexico City, Mexico, as well as many cities in the U.S. It occurred three days before a United Nations (UN) emergency climate summit in New York, which addressed the need to wean the world from fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions in general. Young people in New York invited youth from other states to join their strike and to join them again for another strike the following Friday. “Students have a powerful voice that people will listen to,” said Scharff, president of the Environmental Club and organizer of the strike. Scharff believes that it is important to raise awareness about climate change because our children and future generations will also be affected by this.
Scharff isn’t the only person who feels this way. “We might not have a future and I think it’s really disappointing that politicians and corporations aren’t supporting us,” Alara Stuart, freshman, said. “They don’t understand that it’s a really big issue for us today and that it will also affect them.” “Saving our planet is not something we can not do,” Sara Betancourt, Spanish teacher, said, showing her support for the walkout. The global climate change strike was a success in the view of many of the students. It helped raise awareness of climate change to the peers and community of the concerned students. However, some students walked out to get out of class instead of participating in the protest. Some of them walked home. “If you’re going to be out there, at least behave and respect the purpose of the strike,” Mya Blanks, sophomore, said. Principal Mike Peoples said that he plans to continue to support the Environmental Club and that as long as the students conduct themselves properly, he will make the climate change strike an annual event. Peoples said that the walkout is a civil way to bring awareness to a controversial issue. Students have led walkouts in recent years to protest police brutality against blacks. “In St. Louis there’s a lot of racial problems but climate change affects everyone, regardless of what you look like,” said Scharff.
Freshman organizes group against gun violence By Eliot Fuller Co-Editor
Most freshmen are busy trying to learn the rules of high school, finish their homework and get to class on time. But Michael Simmons has more on his plate. This fall, Simmons started a group to take action against gun violence in St. Louis, called Teens Taking Action (TTA). The group meets once a week, usually on Thursdays, and consists of mostly high school students. Simmons decided to create the program after guns were fired at Parkway North and Soldan on the same night during pre-season football games, resulting in the death of an eightyear-old girl. “I was at Parkway North on Aug. 23, and it was scary to know I was in the presence of a gun,” Simmons said. “It woke me up to what is going on in St. Louis.” The goal of the program is to not only raise awareness for the gun-related bloodshed our city endures, but to bring change. “We want to have a rally to bring St. Louis together and show that young people are invested in the community and want to bring change,” Simmons said. “The biggest goal of our group is to create a decrease in youth gun violence.” Many of his classmates came to support their friend and his movement, such as Lucy Rhoades, freshman. “When he told me about his vision, I thought it was really cool and I was excited that he wanted to do something,” Rhoades said. “I wanted to be involved in helping my community.” Another student, Michaela Flowers, didn’t hesitate to take action alongside her friend. “I was talking to Michael [about gun
violence] before he made the program. We’ve always wanted to take action,” Flowers said. “I was ecstatic when I heard we were going to do it.” The issue of gun violence is very important to Flowers, making her one of the first and founding members of the club. “I always wanted to get involved in the community, especially involving gun violence and my brothers and sisters in the African-American community,” Flowers said. The organization continues to gain attention from other students, but isn’t quite where Simmons wants it to be. “We have about 20 people now, but it would be great to grow,” Simmons said. If you are interested in joining, contact Michael Simmons for more information.
Michael Simmons, freshman, feels very strongly about youth activism. “Standing up for what I believe in with other kids my age is very empowering,” Simmons said. “As young people, we are made to feel inferior, but when the adults die, we’ll be held responsible. Why not make our existence count?” PHOTO BY ALARA STEWART
Top: Standing with a group of friends, Erin Standish, freshman, helps hold up a sign with classmate Elena Kellogg, who is also a freshmen. According to Standish, the sign is meant to convey the message that ‘the Earth [is greater than] profit.’ “It felt really good to stand up for what I believe in,” Standish said. “[Climate change] affects everybody and puts them in danger, but I think small steps will make a big impact.” Left: Gunnar Wurst, senior, holds a sign during the climate strike, showing the different ways to help the environment. “I think [the strike] was good to help raise awareness to the students,” Wurst said. He feels that such activism is very important for kids to be exposed to. “I don’t think that some of the other students were environmentally aware, and the strike was a good way to inform them. PHOTOS BY NATHAN HILL
HOMECOM SPIRIT WEEK Monday: Adidas v. Nike
Nike-clad Victoria Trice, sophomore, and Adidas fan Makayla Larkin, freshman, dress up in their favorite brands attire. The first day of Spirit Week was Nike vs. Adidas Day, where students chose a brand to represent. “I really love Nike, and today was the day to show that love,” Trice said. “This event brings everyone together and it’s nice to see what brands your friends like.”
Enjoying the Homecoming energy, Emma Scharff, Fleur Van Den Bergh and Mia Klohr enjoy a moment of field hockey solidarity at the dance. “‘Truth Hurts’ is the field hockey’s theme song so we had a lot of fun dancing to that.”
Tuesday: Twin Day
Jamerrah Parason, freshman, spent $175 on her hair, dress and shoes for the H in retrospect, she felt was too much to spend for one night. “I enjoyed it a lot--I
Dressed to match for Twin Day, Xavia Wright-Jones and Folake Adewale, sophomores, finish their homework together. Students were asked to coordinate similar outfits in order to look alike and celebrate friendship. “We decided to twin last minute, I would look like her, and she’d look like me,” Wright-Jones said. “I really enjoyed Twin Day, it was a fun way to do stuff with your bestie.”
Wednesday: Switch it Up
Amiyah McClure, junior, and her friends enjoy dressing as the opposite gender for Switch it Up Day. On Wednesday, boys and girls dressed as the opposite gender. “The day was funny and was really entertaining.” McClure said. “It was nice to see everyone respectfully dress as the opposite gender. I think it was a good day to show how connected U. City really is.”
Thursday: Color Wars
To show their class pride for color day, Elena Kellogg and Lucy Rhoades, freshmen, dress in red. On Thursday, sophomores wore blue, juniors wore black, and seniors wore white in a class competition of school spirit. “It was fun getting a chance to dress with my friends from my class,” Kellogg said. “I had fun and it was a good way to build school spirit.”
Friday: Black & Gold Day
Before school starts, Trinity Wells, sophomore, and her sister, Angel Wells, freshman, showcase their school spirit outside the front doors. Friday was Black and Gold day, which gave the students the perfect opportunity to show off their school pride. “It was fun to show school spirit right before Homecoming,” Trinity Wells said. “It shows how much everyone is involved with school activities.”
PHOTOS BY KHLOE’ FOX, NACIM HASSOUN & MARLEY GARDNER
On the dance floor with friends, Rylan Hudson, freshman, enjoys his first Homecoming dance. “I bought everything the day before the dance,” Hudson said. “The songs were kind of old school, but I had a good time.” PHOTOS BY Ashanti Bishop, senior, is all smiles as she dances to The Cupid Shuffle by Cupid. “I was very anxious because this was my first Homecoming,” Bishop said. “I went in not knowing what to expect.”
SAMANTHA YOUNG, ELLA CHISHOLM & JULIA NELSON
Lions prevail in Homecoming thriller By Zion Smith Staff Writer
The Lions have experienced many ups and downs this season, and while many believed this year would be a repeat of the previous losing season, the team managed to pick up a win on Homecoming weekend. The stands were full of anxious fans, making it no surprise that it was the most well-attended game of the season so far. The first quarter consisted of no scoring, with penalties pushing the Lions back from scoring range. Though the first few minutes of the game were slow, U. City fumbled the football a little over seven minutes into the first quarter, which was recovered by a Soldan defensive linemen. The Lions, however, shut down their drive with oppressing defense. Dariaun Pointer, a key player in the game, had five defensive tackles and five assisted tackles, with a recovered fumble in the second half of the game. “We were always taught to stay on the fries (game plan), and with me playing only one position I tried my hardest to stay focused on that one position,” said Pointer. It wasn’t until mid-way through the second quarter that Soldan scored the first touchdown of the game with a run by quarterback Brandon Bunting. The Lions wouldn’t get their own touchdown until seven minutes into the third quarter, when quarterback Lawrence Coleman, senior, bombed a super deep pass to Isaiah Harris for the score. This tied the game at 6-6, until Patrick Fuller, kicker,
scored the extra point, giving the Lions a one-point edge with a little more than seven minutes left in the third quarter. “I’m happy, I’m proud of myself,” Fuller said. “I don’t normally get that much recognition because I’m just a kicker, but I’m glad I was able to help the team.” Soldan tried to charge back, but was quickly shut down by the Lions defensive line. The U. City defense played a major role in determining the victor. Players such as Jalen McKee, junior, Josh Allen, sophomore, and Dariaun Pointer, junior, proved to be a standout players, as they all had major tackles throughout the game. The pressure was on for Soldan, and they fired back with a vital pass, giving them the first down with 4:10 minutes left in the third quarter. This led to a goal line stand by the Lions’ defense, resulting in a turnover on downs. During the fourth quarter, in the midst of the heated battle between Soldan and U. City, the weather took a turn for the worse, with a light rain that caused some once-ecstatic fans to leave the game. However, U. City couldn’t be stopped from scoring after an interception. A touchdown was scored after a strategic pass from Coleman to Isaiah Harris, sophomore, with just under six minutes left. “I honestly don’t think I played that strong, but when you throw, no matter how you throw, you have to keep your head in the game,” said Coleman. “Think about how many interceptions Tom Brady threw,
but he’s still one of the best in the game. You just have to stay focused and keep working hard.” With the Lions ahead 13-6, the game seemed decided until Soldan scored a late touchdown pass with only a little over three minutes left in the fourth quarter narrowing the score to 13-12. Attempting to tie the score and go into overtime, Soldan went for the onside kick, but the defensive line stayed strong, and denied Soldan the ball, sealing the victory for U. City. “I was proud of the team, and I believe moving forward we should train more and work on perfecting our plays,” Jason Wells, head coach, said.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Tyler Jackso before scoring a touchdown and taking the lead in something big [like scoring a touchdown], I think
MING 2019
Homecoming dance, which, just think it is overrated.”
A night under the stars By Samantha Young Staff Writer
Although the Homecoming dance didn’t start until 7 p.m., Marian Reed, senior class sponsor, woke up at 3 a.m. to gather and prepare the decorations. Reed ordered the decorations two weeks in advance so everything would be ready for the dance. “I stayed up all night and watched the kids dance and have fun,” Reed said. “[Afterwards] there were 13 chaperones and staff members [who] helped me break down and clean up everything.” Many students also planned ahead, from a few days to a few months, choosing what to wear, how to do their hair and when to arrive. Most of the 450 students who attended arrived around 8:30 p.m., an hour and a half after the dance started. “Fashionably late” was the phrase coined by a few of the students. “Girls most definitely take longer to get ready,” Peter Murphy, sophomore, said. “They have to put on makeup, then look at themselves, then put on their dress, then take pictures. [They do] all of this, just to take it all off in a couple of hours.” The differences in the amount of time to get ready were evident. Mya Blanks, sophomore, said that her date took only a fourth of her estimated time to get ready.
“Guys don’t really dress up, they just wear jeans and sneakers most of the time,” Malaikah Lawrence, senior, said. After winning Homecoming queen, Molly Holman, senior, said that she preferred last year’s music selection, explaining that this year, the DJ didn’t play the whole song. Instead, he cut off songs before they were over. Others, like Blanks, didn’t pay attention to the type of music being played, but still had songs she would have preferred to hear. She said that if she could add any artist to the DJ’s playlist, she’d add Conan Gray. “I’d also add a slow dancing song,” Blanks said. Apart from the music, students also said that they’d change the snacks to more organized food, such as pizza. Essence Green, junior Homecoming princess, didn’t eat many of the snacks on Homecoming night. “I hate cupcakes, but I drank a bunch of lemonade,” Green said. Nicole Kellogg, senior, said that her least favorite part of Homecoming is the time and stress of making plans. Green said her dress was made in advance, making her Homecoming total around $440. “Overall, my friends helped me enjoy Homecoming,” Green said. “[We were] just laughing, talking and taking pictures.”
HOMECOMING COURT SENIOR KING & QUEEN DEANGELO DAVIS & MOLLY HOLMAN
JUNIOR PRINCE & PRINCESS NATHAN TURNER & ESSENCE GREEN
SOPHOMORE COURT
DA’SHAUN CALICUTT & MAKAILA DIXON
FRESHMAN COURT
TRAVION BASS & ANITA MARBLEY
PEP RALLY
Keeping his eye on the ball, Mekhai Gover, freshman, rushes to back up Isaiah Harris, sophomore, as he runs with the ball. “All I was thinking was, ‘I have to help them score,’” Gover said. PHOTOS BY RASHAD WARREN & NATHAN HILL
on, sophomore, catches the ball n the game to 14-7. “Whenever I do about my granny,” Jackson said.
Nacim Hassoun, senior, dances with Yael Portman, senior, at her first-ever Homecoming. Hassoun is from Lebanon and has been in the U.S. since Aug. 2018. “I got the chance to live the American experience that is portrayed on TV,” Hassoun said.
In an attempt to up the score before halftime, Lawrence Coleman, senior quarterback, runs towards the end zone. “I had to make something happen for my team,” Coleman said. “After all of the running and hard work, I was happy we won the game.”
Top: Jumping as high as they can, the cheer team completes a dance routine at the Homecoming pep rally. With the recent addition of bleachers on the gym floor, the team had to strategize. “We were nervous, due to the bleachers in front of us, and everyone staring,” Tia Moore, junior, said. Middle: Hyping the crowd up, Molly Holman, senior, busts a move at the Homecoming pep rally. Holman is a part of the new hype squad that was created by Principal Peoples for the Homecoming activities. “ [We are] a group to get the whole schools’ spirit up,” Hollman said. “We were trying to get the school to spirit up by throwing candy and playing music during lunch,” Holman said. Bottom: Tarren Harris, junior, dances to music blasting during lunch. The hype squad brought speakers to play popular music during lunch, encouraging students to come and dance. “It was a great way to increase school spirit, [and] it did a great job of bringing students together in a fun way,” Jaiden Smith, junior, said. PHOTOS BY KHLOE’ FOX & NACIM HASSOUN
November 2019
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features
‘Lord of The Flies’ dispenses plenty of violence, insults By Charya Young Staff Writer
This year’s fall play was especially action packed, full of infighting, blood and gore. “Lord of The Flies” details a group of young boys stranded on a desert island who are driven to create their own society as they await their rescue. The group begins to form a civilization, creating rules and structure on the island that later lead to division, violence and conflict. Preparing for a live performance can sometimes be a tough process, especially when you’re learning how to fake-fight, use artificial blood and shout insults at your fellow actors. Many performers in the production spent their time getting familiar with their script, stage directions or researching characters in order to truly bring a persona to life. “I play Jack, he’s kind of the bad guy of the play,” Nathan Hill, senior, said. “I try listening to angry music to help me get into character.” During rehearsals, the cast put a
lot of practice into the play and their serious characters, but they aren’t as stern as they might appear. “When we forget lines sometimes, it’s a good icebreaker,” Reuben Thomas, junior, said. “I think it’s a reminder that we don’t always have to take ourselves too seriously.” The audience was met with a lot of special effects, deaths and violent scenes from the cast and crew. “This is the first year we’ve gotten really technical with the special effects,” Hill said. “For example, we have a really realistic pig carcass and fake blood to go with it.” Many students are acting in their first high school play, such as sophomore Albert Smith, who played one of the lead characters named Ralph. During rehearsals, Smith said he was looking forward to the show and felt very optimistic about it. “It’s going to be really intense; there are some interesting scenes and characters in it,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a really good show.”
Top left: In his first performance, sophomore Albert Smith didn’t expect the amount of intensity during a staged fight. “When we got into the fight I felt like it was extremely real,” Smith said. “I was no longer myself, I just became Ralph, I felt like I was genuinely fighting someone so much so to the point that we broke a spear.” Top right: Jack, played by senior Nathan Hill, and his followers take a stand raiding Ralph’s camp. “Jack’s inherent insecurities drove him to rejecting the democratic ideal set up by Ralph,” Hill said. Bottom: Conveying the feeling of fear wasn’t hard for Rueben Thomas, junior, while executing this terrifying scene. “I was kind of scared because they were really moving us around and they had never done that before, [and] it was kind of intense,” Thomas said. “It felt like I was actually there.” PHOTOS BY KHLOE´FOX AND MARLEY GARDNER
Teachers work to balance schedule between grad school, teaching By Khloe’ Fox Staff Writer
Some teachers, just like their students, spend night-time hours reading and writing papers that have to be completed by 11:59 p.m. It can be difficult to balance homework and grading deadlines with children at home. For these teachers, it is an uphill battle with times of hardships as well as triumph. Teachers are encouraged and rewarded by earning college credit or advanced degrees, so many teachers return to school after they start teaching. For Nathan Pipes, social studies teacher, it took only a year for him to go back to school. Michael Peoples, principal, said he has always been “intrinsically motivated” to be in school and has taken courses ever since he started his teaching career. Going to school forces teachers to make changes to their daily routine and cut down on things that they love to do. “I have about an hour during the week,” said Pipes, regarding how much time he has to himself or with his family.
Peoples could relate a lot to Pipes’ situation, having to work late hours into the night. “I take time when everybody is sleeping to stay up and study,” Peoples said. The same goes for Chloe Tennant, english teacher, who also had to adjust her schedule and spend more hours of her day away from home doing homework in the library. “Some days I would leave school to go to the UMSL library for three or four hours,” Tennant said. Tennant graduated in May 2019 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, earning a masters in secondary education with an emphasis in reading. She also completed additional coursework for her Missouri reading specialist license/certification. Tennant vividly recalls her hour-byhour schedule on her hardest day. “I would wake up at 6 a.m., head to work, teach
Chloe Tennant, English teacher
until 2:20, then, I would either go to cheer practice until 5:30 or be working on classwork at UMSL’s library until my class that started at 6 p.m.,” Tennant said. “I would get out of class around 8:30 p.m., get home around 9 p.m. and try to spend a little time for myself before going to bed.” Pipes is also singing the same song as Tennant, sharing a hectic schedule. “Mondays I have three classes I teach and then I go to my class at UMSL for two and a half hours,” Pipes said. Spouses and family members who are closest to teachers help them stay focused, keeping them from walking down the road of defeat. “Definitely my mom and my boyfriend, Philip,” Tennant said about the people who helped her through it all and reminded her of her goals. Teachers find inspiration in different places. Seeing a student struggle and find success inspired Brea Hieke, math teacher, to get through her hardest days. For Peoples, it
was spending time with his family to recharge his batteries when he needs it. “Everything I need I have in my family,” Peoples said. Peoples has six children, and even though he knows they all need him, it is his youngest son who relies on him the most. On his phone, Peoples has a photo album dedicated to his youngest son that he can view any time he feels down or stressed out. All the teachers have different things they do to instantly give them a sense of relief. For example, exercise helped take the stress out of Tennant’s busy schedule. “I like to hike, work out and play tennis,” Tennant said. To stay organized, Hieke tries various strategies, including everything from posting sticky notes all over her computer to using a planner of some sort. She has yet to find the bet method. When there are so many sticky notes that she just can’t wrap her head around how much she has to do, Hieke takes a step back and calms herself with a simple combination. “Wine and carbs,” Hieke said.
New cell phone policy not popular with 79.3% of students By Kiya Furlow Staff Writer
Even though U. City has doubled down on the cell phone policy, some students are still pulling out phones in class--every chance they get. In fact, the district has invested in cell phone lockers for all state-tested areas. In these classrooms, students are asked to put their phones in a locker during class time and retrieve them when class is over. According to stltoday.com, University City School District paid $40,000 to install 250 devices in 13 classrooms. The money came from a $400,000 federal grant to improve academic outcomes. “I understand why [cell phone lockers] could be useful, but it also takes a little time out of the class period to put them in and take them out, which is especially difficult with the five minute passing periods.” Nicole Kellogg, senior, said. T-Herbert Jeffrey, assistant
principal, said studies have shown that productivity goes down when cellphones are out. “...If you are vibing to Beyonce, you are not going to be focusing on how to use context clues properly in your English class,” Jeffrey said. Some students feel that cell phones create distractions, while others think it is unfair to punish all students because of a select few who can’t control themselves. In a survey with over 80 responses, an overwhelming 79.3% of students said they do not like the new cell phone policy. “I would like to have my phone on me in case of an emergency,” Ella Chisholm, sophomore, said. “I also don’t think it’s fair to punish kids who are able to keep their phone away and not use it just because some people in a class can’t handle having theirs.” On the other side of the aisle, teachers think that the cell phone policy and lockers are helpful and
that the policy could be extended even further. “It’s great and I think that it should be stricter,” Peggy Halter, English teacher, said. “It is so much more beneficial for students to be in the classroom without them.” Halter has some ideas about eliminating phone use in the classroom. “I think that there should be a lockup procedure at the beginning of the school day,” Halter said. “It’s [easier] than having to do it at the beginning of every class because once you get it out, it’s really difficult to put them away again.” In the survey, many students stated that headphones should be allowed while they are working on independent work. “I don’t agree with the cellphone policy because [in order] for me to concentrate, I need to listen to music because I get distracted easily,” Cha’Riyah Travis, freshman, said.
“While the teacher is teaching, I don’t mind putting my phone in the locker, but I [would like to have] it while we are doing individual work.” Despite these claims, administrators like Jeffery believe that listening to music while working is not always beneficial, especially since listening on a phone presents so many other potential distractions. “...You will not get your best work because you are concentrating on what the music is,” Jeffrey said. “Some people believe you can play classical music or some soft jazz or something, but you aren’t really focusing on what’s being said and what’s being done.” Although the issue may seem like a clear-cut division between students and teachers, some students recognize cell phones as a distraction in school. “I feel like kids don’t want to admit cellphones are a problem at the school,” Mary Kate Standish, sophomore, said in the survey.
7
sports
November 2019
FALL SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
Justice Strickland & Alara Stewart With only one game left, the girls volleyball team has a 5-22-2 record. The varsity team featured one freshman, Alara Stewart, with the second highest hitting percentage on the team, only following Nevaeh Daniels, junior.
Erin Standish Following the loss of half of their team, the girls tennis team closed their season with two wins. Erin Standish, freshman, led the team with nine personal wins and competed in individual districts. PHOTO BY MARLEY GARDNER
Dennis Tucker Competing with nine players, the cross country team experienced gains from last year. Merrick Hoel, junior, ran a 19:42.05 race, ranking 28th for long courses and snagging a second place spot on the school record. PHOTO BY JOHN RULAND
PHOTO BY RASHAD WARREN
BY MARLEY GARDNER
GARDNER
Jalen Corn
Xavia Wright-Jones
During the second year of their merger with Brentwood High School, the field hockey team finished their season with three varsity wins. Foreign exchange student Fleur Van Den Bergh, junior, joined the team after playing thoughout her childhood in the Netherlands for 10 years. PHOTO
Annalise Overlin After gaining a handful of freshmen and new players, the softball team more than doubled their win record from last year, concluding the season with a 12-3 record. Eight players were featured in stltoday. com for being in top 20 for stolen bases. PHOTO BY MARLEY
With a 17-5 winning record and only two regular season games left, the boys soccer team found success. Captain Jalen Corn, junior, is the number one scorer in the St. Louis metro area with 44 goals, as well as goalie Cameron Smith, junior, who is tied for the fourth spot on the area shutout leaderboard. In addition, Patrick Fuller, sophomore, has 24 assists and ranks third in the area. PHOTO BY FARAH THABET
John Ruland Competing with a small team of only three, the boys swim team didn’t take home any wins as a team, but their season had numerous personal wins. Andrez Henderson, junior, won the first race of his swimming career, a 50-meter freestyle. PHOTO BY JULIA NELSON
PHOTOS BY JADEN BROOKS, TARREN HARRIS, GRACE KLEIN & ZION SMITH
“I originally went to film school in Burlington, Vermont, and I can play the blues harmonica.”
Austin Esposito, Social Studies
“I married my ex-husband and my current husband on the same day by accident.”
Brea Hieke, Math
“I am a great grandmother who loves to sing and act out old Nursery Rhymes.”
Ni-Rita Baker-Bradford, English
“I am a writer and editor. I published a number of poems. [They are] about nature, love [and] death--all the big heavy hitters of life.”
Andrew Gallagher, English
“I’ve been to a Starbucks, literally every day for the last two years (including vacations).”
Patrick Gilligan, English
“I love to travel to other places and parts of the world to experience the histories and cultures of various places and people.”
Toi Drummer, Social Studies
“I am a baker, I like to bake. It is a stress reliever and it’s calming. Good music and baking makes everything better.”
Darielle Morris, Math
“I have a youtube channel (FishyBizzAquatics) that is dedicated to African Cichlid fish keeping. My main goal is to try to get high school students excited about the hobby and get a tank of their own.”
Andrew Clark, Science
Toi Drummer
features
Darielle Morris
Ni-Rita Baker-Bradford
Patrick Gilligan
Austin Esposito
Andrew Gallagher
Andrew Clark
FRESH FACULTY
What is something that nobody knows about you?
November 2019
Brea Hieke
8
U-TIMES NEWSMAGAZINE
U. City High School 7401 Balson Ave University City, MO 63130
BY ISABEL BLUMENHORST
Roberta Booth, senior, dresses as the lion mascot at the Homecoming parade. PHOTO
PRIDE WALK
U-Times November 2019 Volume 30, Issue 1