U. City High School 7401 Balson Ave. University City, MO 63130
U-Times December 2013 Volume 24, Issue 2 NEWS MAGAZINE
FALL PLAY
Vampires, teenagers, spirits, oh my! By Alyina Singer Staff Writer
Sophomore Jaylen Williams as the film director and Xoe O’Hara as the actress on the set of “Dracula in Paradise” Nov. 15.
After not having a fall play last year, students were primed and ready to make it happen this year. A new drama class was added and Ms. Goodbrake was named the teacher. However, Goodbrake showed up the first day of school looking ready to deliver her baby. Instead of allowing the play to collapse, Mrs. Ibnabdeljalil took over and Goodbrake went happily off on maternity leave. Students worked for a long time, weeks ahead for this event, with rehearsals after school, during seminar and even on a field trip to rehearse the whole day. By the day of the performance, several actors were ready to show everyone their acting skills. Instead of a full-length play, the production consisted of two shorter shows. The first run-through of the show took place during seminar on the day of opening night. A few classes came down to show their support, and by the amount of laughter, comments, and clapping, it was a hit. The performance on opening night began with “The School Spirit,” which was about two best friends, Faith and Ivy, who are complete opposites but strangely close. Ivy dies as a result of texting while driving and the story continues with her as a ghost. “Dracula in Paradise” was the second play. The lead is Countess Dracula, a female version of
Dracula. She needs money right away so she allows a movie to be filmed in her home. Everyone is so excited, especially the kids, Donna and Doug Dracula; the muscle men, Wiener and Schnitzel; and of course the attorneys who set it all up. Some of the performers had anxiety about going on the stage and saying their lines, and some of them also had tips and different ways to override it. “To get over being nervous, I just imagined people weren’t there,” said sophomore Kayanna Wymbs, who played Donna Dracula in ”Dracula in Paradise” and Sandy in “The School Spirit.” The Friday and Saturday shows were also a success, “even better” as some people described it. There were way more seats filled and hearty rounds of applause. “I was amazed at how well you guys did and how everything on stage was set up,” said Ms. Hill, assistant principal. “It was fantastic.” The stage was set up with plenty of different props and decorations that a few of the art classes put together. During the show, a few performers got stuck with their lines and improvised with lines of their own to save the show. “I think both of the productions were wonderful works of art in which the students of Mrs. I.’s class has shed blood, sweat and tears on,” said Adama Sow, junior.
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OPINION
U-Times December 2013
2013-2014 U-Times Staff
Editors: Lily Lewis-Stump & Alice Mutrux Assistant Editor: Emily Looby Web Editor: Christine Politte Staff Writers/Photographers: Brooklyn Bass Kayla Holmes Sherrell Jefferson Sophia Kenyon Jihira Patton Anna Russell Alyina Singer Ar’Reon Watson Daniel Williamson Reneise White
STAFF EDITORIAL
Local teens struggle to keep out of trouble
It’s a Saturday night and that means another evening of struggling to come up with activities to occupy time. Of course the first thing to come to mind is venturing to the Loop. However, the Delmar Loop, typically viewed as an animated destination for boisterous nightlife, is completely out of the question for a U. City student, at least Adviser after 9 p.m. Mrs. Mary Williams As of April 2012, a curfew was put into place that forbid those 16 and under from Philosophy being in the loop after 9 p.m. This curfew The newspaper’s primary obligation is was made to discourage the large groups of to inform its readers about events in the school and community and of the issues of kids that congregate there and additionally national or international importance which to reduce crime in the area. directly or indirectly affect the school One flaw of that rule: where are the population. The newspaper, while serving teens going to go? as a training ground for future journalists There aren’t many parents who are as part of the school curriculum, recogwilling to host a teen scene at their house nizes all rights and responsibilities under every weekend and consequently teenagers the First Amendment. While establishing U-Times as a public forum, student editors are left to find their own fun. The most will apply professional standards and ethics accessible mall, the Galleria, also has a curfew which is heavily enforced. Other for decision-making as they take on the responsibility for content and production than that, there are the movies or bowling, of the newspaper. Inasmuch as the student which tend to cost more than the average staff encourages constructive criticism of teenager’s budget and get repetitive and any part of the newspaper, authority for boring pretty quick. content rests in the hands of the student “I feel like there really is nothing to 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.
do in U. City,” said senior Addy Adewale. “There are really only three places to go— the Riverfront, Loop, and Galleria Mall— but we [teenagers] aren’t allowed there anymore.”Even though the Riverfront is downtown, students said it was one of their favorite weekend hangouts. This lack of an area for teenagers poses a problem for many students and is a popular topic among teens in the general St. Louis area. “Since there are fewer activities for teens to entertain themselves with, they have to create their own methods of entertainment,” says sophomore Kara Richardson. “This often can tie into drug and alcohol abuse.” Although it is quite the topic of interest, none of the students seem to really know what to do. Many students just continue to go to the Loop or the mall until they get kicked out. Junior Malik Johnson, however, has a different plan. As a member of the University City Youth Commission, a group of local teens that work with the city council and mayor, Johnson has proposed that a teen hangout place be created. “Teens have absolutely no place to go and have fun,” says Johnson. “If teens had a Cartoon by Anna Russell
place to go, it would probably reduce crime as well. Since teens have nothing to do, they go out and find trouble. If teens had a safe hangout place where they could chill, the streets would be freer of crime.” The idea of the safe hangout location for teenagers is still being deliberated by the rest of the commission but Johnson says it is likely to be approved. “A teen hangout place would be awesome, as long as people used it for its intended purpose,” said sophomore Diamon Edwards. “I think a lot of teens would really appreciate a safe place to chill without the fear of being harassed.” If such a place as the teen hangout suggested by Johnson were to be enacted, it would be very beneficial for local young adults. The main issue for making the hangout possible is funding. If funding could be provided by the city, or other investors, the problem would be solved. If funding is not possible, an alternative could be dropping the curfew at the Galleria entirely. Either way, teens would have a place to go without the stress of being kicked out or unreasonably getting into trouble.
Students Speak Out Does the Loop and Galleria curfew affect your social life? Antoine Windon, freshman
Contact Us We are located in Room 346 at University City High School, 7401 Balson Ave., University City, MO 63130. Our email address is marywilliams@ucityschools.org. Tweet us or follow us on Instagram
“It doesn’t affect me. I don’t really go there, but when I do go [to the Loop], and it’s time to leave, I go home.“
@utimesonline.
Keonna Burns, senior
Policies Opinions expressed on the editorial page do not reflect the viewpoints of the school administration. All editorials (unsigned) represent a majority opinion of the Editorial Board. Signed editorials, columns, editorial cartoons, and reviews reflect the views of the author and not necessarily those of the U-Times Editorial Board. The U-Times reserves the right to reject, edit, or shorten letters. Submit letters to Mrs. Mary Williams in Room 346, or to any U-Times staff member, or to marywilliams@ucityschools.org.
“In the Loop, yes, because not everyone goes to fight and they (UCPD) think everyone is there for bad reasons, which is not always the case.“
Pablo Lopez, sophomore
Are police fighting crime or turning a blind eye?
“I have sports, homework, and other activities that take a while to do, and by the time I’m done it’s like I have no free time. I can’t make it to the Galleria or Loop by curfew.“
U-Times December 2013
NEWS
Sports to enter new conference By Christine Politte Web Editor Is it fair for U. City, a school of less than 900 students, to have games against schools like Kirkwood and Seckman, with over 1500 students each? According to the St. Louis Suburban Public High School Athletic and Activities Association, it’s not. The Association has realigned the sports conferences in the St. Louis area to better match schools for attendance, sports offerings, and location, according to the Maplewood-Richmond Heights District website. The new alignment, which will take effect in the 2014-2015 school year, should make competitions fairer, according to several U. City coaches. “I think it’s going to be a better fit for us because we’ll be competing with schools closer to our size,” said Coach Oligschlaeger, athletic director. Oligschlaeger said U. City will be part of the new Suburban Central conference. U. City teams will mainly encounter Clayton, Ladue, Parkway West, and Parkway Central, he said, because those will be the other teams in our division. U. City is currently a part of the Suburban South conference, which includes Webster Groves, Parkway West, Parkway Central, Parkway North, Kirkwood, Seckman, and Rockwood Summit. U. City’s current conference has an average of over 1400 students per school, according to statistics from the Missouri State High School Activities Association website. Our division in the new conference will have an average of just over 1100 students per school, much closer to U. City’s current enrollment of about 830. Coaches welcome the change. “I think it ought to help us in the long run,” said
Coach Crowe of the cross country team. “Some of those schools are very large and have very large teams and we’re hurt because we have one of the smallest teams in the conference.” Mr. Cloud, volleyball coach, agreed that the realignment will make play more balanced. “For public schools, the Suburban South is probably the second toughest conference in the St. Louis area. The majority of [conference] teams in most sports are pretty good,” he said, especially Kirkwood and the Parkways. “Not playing these schools is an advantage for us because sheer number-wise, they have more students than we do, which means they have a larger pool of players to choose from.” Most players also seem to view the changes positively. “I think it’s better if we play teams more our size,” said Jillian Pritchard, sophomore and field hockey player, because it will be more fair and teams will be more likely to have the same number of substitutes. Gianni Cook, senior, agrees. Cook takes part in soccer, wrestling, and track. “It’s a long time coming. What sets us apart from huge schools is that they have programs where they can have varsity, JV, sophomore, and freshman teams,” he said, because they can be more selective than some U. City teams, which have to fill teams with whoever tries out. “It is not fair at all. People look at U. City’s record,” he said, and they think the school is worse than it is because its opponents aren’t evenly matched. “We play some of the top schools in the state.” Rumors going around have hinted that some sports might be cut with the changes, but these are not true, according to Oligschlaeger.
Tardies ease with policy, but some problems remain By Kayla Holmes Staff Writer About 75 students roll in late to school every day. Over the years, the rate has basically remained the same. “There are the same amount of late students as last year,” said Ms. Nichols of the attendance office. “Generally the same students are late each day.” Tardiness is a recurring problem at U. City. Students oversleep then rush out of the house, just barely making it by 7:26 a.m. When they finally arrive at the school late, in order to enter the building they must wait in a long line to have their name typed into a computer and receive a green pass. The process is rather long and usually causes a person to become five more minutes late than they originally were. After three unexcused tardies, the student’s grade level principal is notified and eventually they are given in-school suspension (ISS). “Every morning I have to rush out of the house to make it to school on time,” said Dajah Carter, junior. “I forget things like homework and my ID and I’m usually exhausted. I don’t even get a chance to eat breakfast.” Apparently, ISS is not a very effective approach
at raising the school’s attendance rate but perhaps the problem could be partially solved if school began at 8:00 a.m. That extra time in the morning would give students more time to sleep, which could possibly keep more students awake in class and more focused. ISS Administrator Ms. Coby disagrees with the statement that ISS is ineffective. She thinks that ISS helps to decrease many of the of tardies. “Most of the tardy students don’t want to be in ISS and are trying to find ways to avoid being late and given ISS,” said Coby. “They are trying to set their alarms, wake up earlier and catch their bus.” Junior grade level principal Ms. Hill also has seen an improvement in attendance. She said that there have been less tardies since two years ago. Two years ago, if a student was late to school they would get after school detention and if they didn’t go, they would receive Saturday school. If a student didn’t attend Saturday school, they would be given out of school suspension. “We’ve seen a dramatic improvement in attendance in the last two years,” said Hill. “There has been way less tardies and more people showing up on time.”
Meet U. City Staff
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Ms. Brown, food service Cook and cashier Felicia Simiril-Brown is a veteran of U. City food services. After working at the Marriott for several years as a cook, Simiril-Brown returned to her roots when she got a job at Brittany Woods. Thirteen years later, she’s a mother of four U. City graduates. The youngest of her children, George Brown, graduated last year. In her free time, Simiril Brown loves going to sporting events, specifically whatever her kids and grandkids are playing. The 54-year old has lived in U. City since she was six and graduated from U. City in 1978 when the school was far less modern than it is today. Despite the differences she sees in the school building, no change is more concerning to Simiril-Brown than the food served in the cafeteria. “The food isn’t as good as when I went here,” said Simiril-Brown. “We used to have Salisbury steak, chicken fried steak, real fried chicken, and cinnamon rolls.” Simiril-Brown recalls that the cafeteria food was significantly better just over a decade ago in 2000 when her daughter attended U. City. The solution to this problem, she says, is to get rid of the current system of cooking – the chargrill. “We need to go back to in-house cooking and not use private companies,” said Brown. “When U. City was providing the food rather than a company the food was much better.” -Alice Mutrux
Mr. Lewis, head of safety & security After trying to keep up with the activities of his 18year old daughter, Lewis struggles to find time for himself. However, when he does get some, he enjoys painting and running, as well as basketball. Following a move from the Ferguson-Florissant School District in 1993, Lewis was recruited to start up Safety and Security at U. City. He also coached boys’ basketball alongside Ed Crenshaw, who upon his retirement was the “eighth winningest coach in Missouri history,” according to Mike Bush from ksdk.com. Marvin Bullard, junior, spoke highly of the Arkansas State University graduate. “Mr. Lewis helped us out last year in our basketball season and he’s a really cool guy,” he said. “I almost died when I saw him dressed up on Halloween as a fortune teller. I thought he was the Pope!” -Sophia Kenyon
Ms. Farrell, school nurse In her spare time, Farrell enjoys cooking, reading and shopping. She also spends a reasonable amount of time in her church teaching Sunday school and going to bible study. Farrell started her nursing career at Homer G. Phillips Hospital School of nursing. She then furthered her career by getting an associate in Nursing at St. Louis Community College Forest Park and Florissant Valley. Farrell grew up in Monroe, Louisiana. Despite the segregation happening at that time, she lived in a diverse neighborhood. In her community everyone lived together but there were unwritten boundaries. Farrell and others would test the boundaries by riding buses. “I don’t have any regrets about growing up during that era,” said Farrell. “I actually learned quite a bit from those experiences.” Before working in the U. City School District, Farrell worked as a nurse at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. In 2003, Farrell began working in the district. She has been around to see several changes in the schools. One of the biggest changes that she experienced was when the elementary school that she previously worked at, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was closed; she then began work at the high school in 2011. “Working at the high school isn’t very different than the elementary schools,” said Farrell. “I still have frequent fliers but I also have students with genuine medical concerns.” -Kayla Holmes
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DISCRIMINATION IN
COLORBLINDNESS: progressive or destructive? By Alice Mutrux and Sophia Kenyon Co-Editor, Staff Writer With Barack Obama heading the oval office and Oprah Winfrey’s $2.9 billion net worth gracing television screens across the country, not many would think that racial discrimination is still a prominent issue on United States streets. However, whether it is being ineligible for employment based on race, being stopped and searched by police with wrongful suspicion, or having an outstanding chance of being imprisoned for crimes equally committed — but not nearly as harshly enforced — by whites, the average black person can expect to find themselves facing countless race-based obstacles in their lifetime. U. City students are no exception.
Sloan Marion, junior, sees the effects of racial discrimination and profiling all around him. “There is a lot of prejudice towards minorities overall,” said Marion. “The kinds of things that people do to appear non-racist — such as ‘color blindness’ — end up being ineffective and hindering. It reverses [racial] progress and causes more problems than it solves.” Black students, particularly black males, experience an unexpectedly overwhelming amount of racial injustice in their lives, despite the universal belief in America that racism has been abolished once and for all. Ms. Hackmeyer, English teacher, had her AP Language students study Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarcera-
tion in the Age of Colorblindness” over the summer. The book discusses the idea of mass incarceration as something akin to a “new Jim Crow” by caging blacks in an “alternate universe” in which the chance of employment, voting rights, and access to government financial assistance is slim. “The book is a great example of a well reasoned and well thought-out argument that is relevant in America today,” said Hackmeyer. “It’s engaging and matters to many of my students because they’re black.” The book left many students returning to school with a different perspective on race relations and the current state of racism in the US. “I definitely started looking at things more,” said Marion. “Before, I kind of had a biased perspective and put all the terrors of the black community on the black community. Now, I look at things differently. I’m going to be more open socially about it, because the first step is to talk about it.” Junior Andrew White feels that his eyes have been opened upon reading The New Jim Crow. “I am now inclined to believe that the situation is more dire than I previously understood,” he said. “It looks like the system [of mass imprisonment] is being influenced by racist institutions.” Students have found that discrimination exists even in their predominantly black neighborhoods among people of their own race. “My neighbors are so racist,” said one senior student who prefers not to be identified. “They don’t like the fact that I’m biracial.” Several black males at U.City have been stopped by police and have felt mistreated for reasons they believe to be unjust. Sophomore Ronald Munford was stopped for curfew and cursed at by police while walking in his own neighborhood. “U. City police be trippin’,” said Munford. “They pulled up in three cars like I had drugs on me. One hopped out and said ‘We just want to see what you have.’ He was my own race. He stopped me, checked my pockets, and put the handcuffs on me. I was heartbroken, you know? Now, I don’t leave the house after 8. That’s what I do, I stay in.” Students who don’t regularly get stopped for their race, however, also acknowledge the problem, “A lot of people think that because you’re African American, you are more likely to do something wrong.” said freshman Hannah Fuller. “It’s not right; people need to have an equal chance.” Others have been stopped by police for appearing “suspicious.” Junior Jermar Perkins was stopped near the high school while walking with four other black males who are all on the basketball team. “They kept asking questions and said we looked suspicious,” said Perkins. “If you call basketball shorts and shoes suspicious, then I guess we were.”
Current prejud
By Emily Looby Staff Writer Imagine saving up months an checks in order to buy the newes saving and rationing money, it is purchase the brand new car. Onc the dealer it seems as though eve ing, wondering why you are ther could possibly afford to be in a n place like this. Soon, the salespeo questions such as “can I help,” “h “what are you looking for, anyth finally the favorite, “are you plan anything?” Once one of them lea more flock towards you, spitting tions, wondering the same things your ability to be at the dealersh time to sign the contract. Finally, has been accomplished, despite b racial profiling and “shopping wh This derogatory phrase has be phrase used to describe blacks at expensive designer items from up such as Barneys and Neiman Mar mostly white neighborhoods, bla as intruders whose sole intention sell the merchandise. Thus, black treated and questioned when the at such places. Junior Robert Kneller was per lection at the department store N at the Plaza Frontenac. He was i Louis Vuitton monogrammed bel by his older brother, the two ent and were soon bombarded with as “are you planning on purchasi and the infamous “can I help you After being questioned and looke the two left after they were essen looked like suspicious characters money basically was not worthy. “I would like to think it’s mor thing,” said junior Kneller. “But it cause they [upscale retailers and an underlying prejudice against b “Shopping while black” has in way into the media and the new young black male living in New Y accused of fraudently purchasing Ferragamo belt from Barneys. H this after saving months of paych legally purchasing this item, he w an undercover officer who questi about the afford something that the Washington Post. “Much attention has been pai over the years — Oprah Winfrey that a Swiss clerk did not think sh a $38,000 handbag, and even Pr Obama has said he was once fol the AP writes. “... Many people how prevalent retail discriminatio the consistent stream of small ins a large problem.” Discrimination has also been p
5 Staff Perspective
N THE 21st CENTURY
dices while ‘shopping and driving black’
nd months of payst BMW. After s finally time to ce you arrive at eryone is starre and how you nice, expensive ople start firing how are you,” hing special,” and nning on buying aves, more and the same quess and inquiring hip. Lastly, it is , the mission being a victim of hile black.” ecome the ttempting to buy pscale retailers rcus. Located in acks are viewed n is to steal and ks are wrongly ey chose to shop
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id to the issue complained he could afford resident Barack llowed in stores,” don’t recognize on is, and how sults adds up to
proven to be a
Margaret Williams
Growing up, substitute teacher Margaret Williams experienced many incidents of racial discrimination but didn’t realize it until she was older. Because of the air pollution and weather in St. Louis, Williams’ doctor suggested that she move to another state to avoid getting an illness which at that time had no known cure. She would travel south to Tuskegee, Alabama for the colder months and stay with her sister. “Our mail wasn’t even delivered to us,” said Williams. “I would cut through the woods across from campus to go to town and pick up our mail.” When she traveled from St. Louis to Alabama her mother always packed two boxes. One of the boxes carried food. In the other box her mother carried rags, Lysol and a red cleaning liquid. Whenever they stopped for a restroom break her dad would ask if the place had any colored restrooms. When they did come across a place with a colored restroom, it would be really dirty and have a bad smell. Her mother would take rags from the box and wipe the toilet seat and sink area (if there was one) before they used the restroom. If there was no sink her mother would give her a bar of soup and pour water over her hands. “It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I realized why my mother did some of the things that she did,” said Williams. Other stops that they made were for food. Oftentimes, they wouldn’t be able to eat at certain restaurants or they were only allowed to eat in a specific part of the restaurant. “I knew that there were certain places that you couldn’t eat or you’d have to eat in the basement with no chairs but I didn’t think anything of it,” said Williams.
problem while driving. What seems to be a minor traffic violation quickly escalates to searches of the vehicle, all motivated by the officer’s agenda and suspicions. “Driving while black” is another way in which Africans
Americans are wrongly treated for seeming suspicious or acting shady. According to “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” by Michelle Alexander, it is quite common for police officers to pull over blacks for minor traffic violations, expired plates, or just for seeming suspicious. Eventually as each stop by the police progresses, more often than not, officers request that their cars be searched for drugs, weapons, or illegal contraband. Timidly, they comply out of fear of being arrested or fined. This practice of “unreasonable searches and seizures” violates the fourth amendment in the Constitution, which protects from searches and requires a search warrant to be searched. “I was confused and quite frankly offended,” said junior Sloan Marion. “I was unclear as to why I was being questioned for simply walking down the street with some friends.” Marion was questioned by the police for walking down the street with a group of friends and carrying a “suspicious” looking backpack. It is clear we are not yet living in a country
free of racial profiling. “The best way to not racially profile is not to judge people based on their physical appearance,” said senior Alisha Sonnier. “Everyone comes from different backgrounds and struggles, everyone has something different to contribute. Once you get to know someone for who they truly are, then you can judge them. However, regardless of how you truly feel about them, everyone deserves respect.”
Racial Profiling Statistics 2012 KEY: black people: red white people: green
TRAFFIC STOPS
TRAFFIC SEARCHES
TRAFFIC ARRESTS
UNIVERSITY CITY
58.9% 35.5%
78.8% 20%
78% 19%
LADUE
13% 81.8%
55% 37%
40% 51%
CLAYTON
31% 62%
48% 48.6%
48.9% 48.9%
Source: Missouri Highway Patrol 2012 Racial Profiling Report Orginal artwork by Anna Russell
Fred Sanders
Faculty assistant, Fred Sanders, whose father was a sharecropper, recalls several times when he has experienced racism. One time in particular that he remembers happened in the year of 1965 at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina. When Sanders was only 18 years old he was living with a roommate. He wasn’t aware that his roommate was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. One day when he walked into his room, his roommate punched him in the nose and he was then jumped by three white men. A few of Sanders’ African American friends came to his rescue when they saw what was happening. This was Sanders’ first interracial fight. “All I did was walk into the room and he busted me in the nose all because of my skin color,” said Sanders. “There was blood everywhere.”
Sergeant Don Honeycutt
Sergeant Don Honeycutt, Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) instructor recalls the worst time he was racially discriminated against. In the year of 1969 he was on the freshman football team. They had just finished playing a game at a jamboree. Following the game, his coach took the team out to eat. They arrived at the restaurant only to have the door slammed in their face because they had black people on their team. The manager of the restaurant said “You [n words] go to the back to eat, that’s where you belong.” His coach quickly stepped up to the manager to ask him what the problem was. The manager responded by saying “These [n words] have to go to the back to eat.” His coach replied with “I don’t have any [n words] with me.” They then left the restaurant as a team and found another place to eat. “Coach Long was not going to let us be separated,” said Honeycutt. “We were a unified team; the color of our skin had nothing to do with anything.” PHOTIOS BY KAYLA HOLMES
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NEWS
U-Times December 2013
Runs and riffs dominate talent show By Brookyln Bass Staff Writer Promptly at 6:30 p.m. the black curtains parted and bright lights shone from above as an eager audience rushed to their seats
Trevion Henderson, freshman, thought he could have done a lot better when he sang Bruno Mars’s “When I Was Your Man”. “My voice phased out and kept cracking,” Henderson said. Photo by Brooklyn Bass
and quieted their voices to be entertained. Starting off the show unintroduced, the cheerleading squad welcomed the crowd with a cheer and went directly into a routine accompanied with a music mash-up. The squad was just one of fifteen acts that performed at the talent show. However, the cheerleaders were one of the three acts of the production that did not involve singing or rapping. According to Ms. Nevils, the English teacher who coordinates the talent show, usually rapping, singing, and dancing dominate the talent show annually. This year she hoped the talent would offer a range of more acts. “I would like more variety,” Nevils said. “I would like it if not every act was a singing act.” However, not every act was a singing act. Maurice House, junior, made a comedic appearance and former U. City science teacher, Ms. Conner presented an original poem. Among the singing acts, genres ranged from R&B to neo-soul with Asha Garrison’s performance of “Tattooed Heart” by Ariana Grande and a rendition of John Legend’s “Ordinary People” by Taylor Bass. Ultimately, Nevils hopes to inspire
students inside and outside of the classroom. For her, the talent show is a deed that will bring students into a different light. “It’s nice to give back,” Nevils said. Students like Makini Morrison, freshman, might just agree. He was incorporated into two acts other than his own and dubbed “Mozart” for the night as a result of his acclaimed piano skills. “I liked performing in front of others ‘cause I like to make a good impression on people,” Morrison said. Sloan Marion, junior, thought that the audience was very receptive to the talent presented during the production. “I thought that the audience was really supportive,” said Marion.
For full talent show coverage, check out utimesonline.com
After beginning with a strong pose on the piano, Asante Robinson, junior, continued her performance paying attention to engaging the audience. “It was fun and I had fun with everybody backstage,” Robinson said. “I think a lot of the acts did good.” PHOTOS BY BRIOOKLYN BASS
Seniors plan for future: four years done, four more to go ByAr’Reon Watson Staff Writer It’s almost around that time when U. City seniors start throwing out the black and gold and start repping their new college apparel. As seniors embark on the journey of spending another four to six years in school, their options go far beyond the assigned district that students in St. Louis abide by. These options include in-state schools or outof-state schools, and some seniors have even set their sights on the military. While deciding between these options can be time consuming and tedious, many U. City seniors have weighed and rationalized the effects of their decisions. The students who are choosing out-of-state colleges are not only ready to explore the world that they have yet to see, but want to show the world outside of Missouri what they have to offer. As a black student tired of being in the same urban city of Saint Louis, “it only makes sense to go to an out-of-state school because there are no opportunities in the other predominantly rural cities in Missouri. So we might as well start making connections somewhere else,” said senior Maliaka Hill. Students of color can’t seem to escape the constant competition with the “all white” areas in Missouri. It seems as if getting a job is twice as hard as a minority. Not only do certain students,
mainly students of color, feel as if their opportunities are limited in Missouri, but they’re limited to the multiplicity of people. Senior Kaelin Barnes is thinking of going to school out-of-state; one of the reasons is to experience “different cultures, personalities and fashions” that aren’t getting monotonous like those within the areas they live.” As the out-of-state option of college brings newer experiences and outlooks on life, it can also bring a lot of homesickness as well. Homesickness seems to be the most popular answer as to why more students aren’t going away for college and plan to stay in-state. “I don’t want to be away from my mom,” said senior Katrina Allen. “I might need to depend on her more than I think.” Staying close to home, in state, is also a tactic for some seniors to escape from the cycle of undergraduate debt that continues to haunt many people who have been out of college for years. “I’m starting off at an in-state school, because in-state tuition is cheaper than it would be if I went out of state, and everyone I know who went away for college are still paying for it now,” said senior Teneishia Gentry. When discussing costs as a huge factor in college decision making, it makes some seniors choose another path altogether, such as enlisting in the military.
Other than depending on financial aid and filling out scholarships, which is even more tedious than deciding where to attend college, the military seems to replace the debt that comes along with attending college. “I’ve been in JROTC all four years of high school, and the fact that I can apply what I’ve learned in the military and still attend college with 100 percent tuition paid for makes it even better,” said senior Simone Clerk, who is currently in National Guard and will do basic training in June.
Whether it’s taking the ACT over and over to get into the desired school, or even taking the ASVAB in order to enlist in the U.S military, senior year may not be all fun and games, like many people think. They may rep class of 2014 for now, but they’re really looking forward to 2018.
In College bound class, seniors, Emmai Brown and Alan Mayo finish completing the college common application. “College bound prepares me for the future,” said Brown. “I need to use as much time as I can by applying to schools early.” PHOTO BY ARREON WATSON
7 New basketball coaches re-energize programs
U-Times December 2013
SPORTS
By Christine Politte Web Editor A new era is beginning for the boys’ varsity basketball team, and Cary Lewis is proud to be a part of it. Lewis is the new head coach for the team. Although he has been on the job only a few weeks, he is already pleased with what he’s seen. “Right now we’re very athletic,” he said. “We have kids that play hard. That excites me. We just have to learn that you have to compete every single play.” Lewis brings a great deal of experience to the team. In the last 14 years, he has been an assistant coach at Riverview Gardens, Hazelwood East, Hazelwood Central, and Lutheran North. He was also head coach at Hazelwood West for two years. “Coaching basketball is a passion of mine,” said Lewis, currently a counselor at Hazelwood Central. “Teaching is a passion. I love working with kids, and I’m blessed to have this job.” Lewis has a number of goals for his players this season. “The main thing this year I want to accomplish is getting my kids disciplined both on and off the floor,” he said. He wants to increase the focus on academics, he said, “And also just changing attitudes, getting kids to understand that winning is an attitude. I want them to have that.” Getting the team to work together is one of Lewis’s priorities. “We’re going to have a collective unit,” he said. “We’re going to be very unselfish. We’re going to pass the ball.” Lewis also doesn’t plan to have any specific players dominate every game. “There could be different stars of the game every game, because that’s how we’re going to play,” he said. Coach Lewis directs the varsity players during Lewis has applied to coaching positions at the black and gold scrimmage game. PHOTO U. City before, and he’s thrilled to finally have BY BROOKLYN BASS the job.
By Sherrell Jefferson Staff Writer Teaching the game of basketball has figured predominately in the life of the new girls head basketball coach for the past 12 years. Coach Essex served as an assistant coach at St. Louis College of Pharmacy for four years and previously at the high school level at Normandy, Logos and most recently U. City. For two of her three years here, Essex has assisted the freshman, junior varsity and varsity level, building a family-like bond with her teams that shows her coaching qualities. “She’s a good coach because she has the ambition to do whatever it takes to teach us how to win the game,” said senior Teaira Hudson. “I love her famous line, ‘family first.’” Coach Essex brings a positive attitude to the job. “I’m a big motivator and teacher of the game,” says Essex. “I try to capitalize on the growth of my players instead of highlighting weaknesses so I adapt my style based on the group I have.” Essex finds that anticipated team hardships motivates both the players and coaches to pull through every game. “I see challenges more as an opportunity or room for growth,” said Essex. “I believe this year’s opportunity is that we have a very young team and so we have a lot of unexperienced players.” Starting off the season with five freshmen and two sophomores on the varsity level gives the returning juniors and seniors a chance to encourage the younger players. “Being on varsity as a sophomore feels like a big accomplishment,” says LaShe Wilks. “As a team, everyone contributes to better one another.” Though it is too early to determine a single standout player, there are still a lot of things to look forward to. “I approach everything from a team perspective so I’m excited about our returning juniors and seniors who provide leadership to the underclassmen,” said Coach Essex. Returning Coach Essex intensely prepares for the annual scrimmage. PHOTO BY SHERELL JEFFERSON
Cross country: forgotten sport, forgotten team
By Christine Politte Staff Writer Sports teams tend to go in and out of favor with their fans, largely dependent on their win-loss record. No matter the fans’ perception of the team, though, at least there are fans. One U. City team does not have that luxury and instead has seemed to fall through the cracks. People never even think of cross country, says junior Derrick Freeman, who has been on the team for three years. “It’s like that sport everybody knows about but no one acknowledges. Even when people see us running, they’re like, ‘Are you guys the soccer team?’” There have been several events in recent weeks that have led the team to feel sidelined in the school community. First was the Sept. 27 pep rally. As is U. City tradition, all the sports teams sat together on the bleachers. They were called up one by one for recognition by the school. Despite sitting front and center, wearing matching gold shirts, the cross country team was the only one not called. And this was not the first time. “Every year, we never get called up,” said Eric Strand, senior and co-captain of the team. Then, the October issue of the “Pride,” the district newspaper, came out. Under the headline, “University City: A High School that Works,” the district touted successful programs. A section about athletics was included.
“In addition to the traditional team sports of football, baseball, basketball and track, UCHS also offers field hockey, swimming, water polo, golf and more as part of the Suburban South Conference,” it said. Once again, cross country was not mentioned. Then the team almost didn’t have any yearbook pictures because photographers couldn’t or didn’t make it to any meets until late October. These events were probably honest mistakes, but that doesn’t make the team feel any better. “The sad thing is that up until last year, we’ve always been considered a running school,” said cross country coach James Crowe. “We have more state titles in boys track than any other school in Missouri.” Although most U. Citians don’t realize it, the cross country team had a fairly successful season. The team may be small, with only 8 boys and 2 girls running this season, but its runners medaled at several meets, and three runners— senior and team captain Eric Strand and juniors Derrick Freeman and Benjamin Pomerantz—placed in the top 15 in the district meet, qualifying them for the state meet in Jefferson City. Of course, while the volleyball team’s district triumph was announced the next school day, cross country’s wasn’t mentioned until three school days after the meet—only after Crowe requested it. Before the last full practice of the season started, the
team was discussing this issue at their regular meeting place on the steps outside of the natatorium. A woman walked by and said, “Oh, is swimming still going on?” Cleo Pleasant, junior, paced in exasperation. “I am done,” he said. “I am so done.” Full disclosure: This article’s author joined the cross country team this year.
Senior Eric Strand and juniors Cleo Pleasant, Derrick Freeman and Benjamin Pomerantz size up the competition at the Clayton Invitation Oct. 25. PHOTO BY OLIVIA FAZIO
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